Best Of
Re: ๐ Dev Discussion - Archetype Vibe Check
My background, I typically play mage based DPS classes in MMO's and ARPG's. I particularly enjoy the Ice/Debuffing archetypes.
Mage: I play mages. There however is many things missing from Mage which I'll cover a bit later.
Fighter: I enjoyed the Stance Shifting and resource management aspects of the class in PvE. It kept me engaged and it felt good when I got off a good rotation whilst making sure I wasn't putting excess stress on my healers.
This is purely from a fun PoV, not a damage efficiency PoV.
The Mage Class Kit
Mage is just missing class kit. Our damage is OK, but we lack much utility to speak of. Where are the other classic elements or magic archetypes? Earth? Wind? Void/Arcane? (No, Arcane volley doesn't count) Curses?
A mage should be able to specialise deeply into a single element, or cross and chose to be more flexible. Right now every mage is forced into amalgamating all elements together for no real reason.
Sure, Ice --> Lightning shatter is nice, and so is the tri-element Prismatic Beam, but that's all we get.
I would expect at a minimum that the class has:
โ๏ธ Ice
Damage: Medium damage DOT's, medium damage direct attacks
Offensive Utility: Freezes, Movement Slows, Action Speed Slows, Area Denial
Defensive Utility: Ice wall/barrier, Shields, Area denial
๐ฅ Fire
Damage: High damage DOT's, high damage direct attacks, long range spells
Offensive Utility: Area Denial, Buff fields (think firewall that adds fire damage to projectiles that go through it)
Defensive Utility: Area denial (fire fields etc...)
๐ช๏ธ Wind
Damage: Medium damage direct attacks, Low damage DoT's (bleeds)
Offensive Utility: Speed buffs, launching spells (think launching people in a direction)
Defensive Utility: Wind walls (negates projectiles, can be pushed through)
โก Lightning
Damage: Very high damage direct attacks, random high damage AoE
Offensive Utility: Damage buffs
Defensive Utility:
๐ชจ Earth
Damage: High damage direct physical attacks, Low damage DoT's (poisons)
Offensive Utility: Area denial (ie. spiked field)
Defensive Utility: AoE Slows (ie. bog), walls, shields
๐ฎ Arcane
Damage: Low - Medium direct pure damage attacks
Utility: Black hole type spells, movements, illusions, sleeps, confusions, Pure damage buffs, detection's
Spell Resource Generation
I'm a big fan of Path of Exile's spells and I think Intrepid Studios could take inspiration on how support gems modify skills and the different ways charges work.
One idea could be that auto attacking attuned to an element generates charges for that element, up to a maximum amount. Unlocking generating charges for an element could be linked to the highest tier spell you've unlocked in that element.
Eg. Max Tier 1 spell unlocks 10% chance on attack to generate charge on auto attack. Tier 7 unlocks 70% chance of generating charge. OR, tie this effect into a weapon tree.
These charges can be represented visibly as orbs around the character, or something more creative for each element.
Each ice charge adds some flat ice damage and increases the chance and effectiveness of chill.
Each fire charge adds some flat fire damage and a slight damage multiplier to attacks and spells.
Each wind charge increase attack and cast speed.
Each lightning charge adds flat lightning damage and increases crit strike chance/multi.
Each earth charge increases physical defense and hp regen.
Some spells can then use all charges to proc further effects off the spell.
Eg. Earth wall gains +10% hp per earth charge consumed
Other Class Kits
I don't feel too qualified to make any suggestions on other classes.
It would be interesting though if tanks had abilities that allowed them to "suck in" any ranged damage going past them in a radius, redirecting that damage to themselves.
PvP
FYI, I stopped PvPing about half way through P2.
In the PvP balls I've been in (as a mage), I've been feeling so much dead time, and there's not too many things that can force an engagement. Our auto attack ranges are pretty short, and fights end up hinging on who gets a juicy vine field down first and then as a mage, we just blink and and bomb. But even that isn't really that viable with increased TTK.
There isn't any long range bombing to break entrenched groups or put pressure on the other side.
Battles tend to just end up with a whole lot of repositioning and then a sudden push. Ranger vines are the only counter to the bum rush, but they are also engagement openers. There isn't any other Area Denial or Push Slowing abilities in any other class kit that's as effective.
๐ง Mages being the medium range AoE is fine, but I think they should also have a long range siege role as well. Think lobbing long range, slow, high arcing lava bombs into the other groups backline.
๐น Rangers being the single target snipers is a fitting role, but it would be good if they could be more.
โ๏ธ Fighters, RIP. Not survivable to dive into the enemy ball, don't do enough damage to make the suicide run worth it. Maybe if they had some kind of "stalking" ability that gave them a decent move speed buff as they chased down a single enemy. That could allow them to reposition mid fight to try out flank the other ball and perhaps leap into their backline.
๐ช Bards and ๐ Clerics are love. They are life. They do divine work.
๐ก๏ธ Tanks... tank? This could be cancerous, but they could be given class kit that allows them to catch and clump enemy. Think Mace Tank in Albion online, or Great Axe in New World.
๐ก๏ธ Rouges... I haven't really done any large-ish scale PvP with rogues in the game.
Mage and Fighter.Which archetype do you find the most fun to play? Why?
Mage: I play mages. There however is many things missing from Mage which I'll cover a bit later.
Fighter: I enjoyed the Stance Shifting and resource management aspects of the class in PvE. It kept me engaged and it felt good when I got off a good rotation whilst making sure I wasn't putting excess stress on my healers.
This is purely from a fun PoV, not a damage efficiency PoV.
Tank. Probably though because I rarely play this archetype so don't take this point too seriously.Which archetype do you find the least fun to play? Why?
Alright, let's get into it! I'm going to be giving feedback as a Mage DPS main.Are there any combat systems or mechanics you feel need more development or refinement? Please explain.
The Mage Class Kit
Mage is just missing class kit. Our damage is OK, but we lack much utility to speak of. Where are the other classic elements or magic archetypes? Earth? Wind? Void/Arcane? (No, Arcane volley doesn't count) Curses?
A mage should be able to specialise deeply into a single element, or cross and chose to be more flexible. Right now every mage is forced into amalgamating all elements together for no real reason.
Sure, Ice --> Lightning shatter is nice, and so is the tri-element Prismatic Beam, but that's all we get.
I would expect at a minimum that the class has:
โ๏ธ Ice
Damage: Medium damage DOT's, medium damage direct attacks
Offensive Utility: Freezes, Movement Slows, Action Speed Slows, Area Denial
Defensive Utility: Ice wall/barrier, Shields, Area denial
๐ฅ Fire
Damage: High damage DOT's, high damage direct attacks, long range spells
Offensive Utility: Area Denial, Buff fields (think firewall that adds fire damage to projectiles that go through it)
Defensive Utility: Area denial (fire fields etc...)
๐ช๏ธ Wind
Damage: Medium damage direct attacks, Low damage DoT's (bleeds)
Offensive Utility: Speed buffs, launching spells (think launching people in a direction)
Defensive Utility: Wind walls (negates projectiles, can be pushed through)
โก Lightning
Damage: Very high damage direct attacks, random high damage AoE
Offensive Utility: Damage buffs
Defensive Utility:
๐ชจ Earth
Damage: High damage direct physical attacks, Low damage DoT's (poisons)
Offensive Utility: Area denial (ie. spiked field)
Defensive Utility: AoE Slows (ie. bog), walls, shields
๐ฎ Arcane
Damage: Low - Medium direct pure damage attacks
Utility: Black hole type spells, movements, illusions, sleeps, confusions, Pure damage buffs, detection's
Spell Resource Generation
I'm a big fan of Path of Exile's spells and I think Intrepid Studios could take inspiration on how support gems modify skills and the different ways charges work.
One idea could be that auto attacking attuned to an element generates charges for that element, up to a maximum amount. Unlocking generating charges for an element could be linked to the highest tier spell you've unlocked in that element.
Eg. Max Tier 1 spell unlocks 10% chance on attack to generate charge on auto attack. Tier 7 unlocks 70% chance of generating charge. OR, tie this effect into a weapon tree.
These charges can be represented visibly as orbs around the character, or something more creative for each element.
Each ice charge adds some flat ice damage and increases the chance and effectiveness of chill.
Each fire charge adds some flat fire damage and a slight damage multiplier to attacks and spells.
Each wind charge increase attack and cast speed.
Each lightning charge adds flat lightning damage and increases crit strike chance/multi.
Each earth charge increases physical defense and hp regen.
Some spells can then use all charges to proc further effects off the spell.
Eg. Earth wall gains +10% hp per earth charge consumed
Other Class Kits
I don't feel too qualified to make any suggestions on other classes.
It would be interesting though if tanks had abilities that allowed them to "suck in" any ranged damage going past them in a radius, redirecting that damage to themselves.
PvP
FYI, I stopped PvPing about half way through P2.
In the PvP balls I've been in (as a mage), I've been feeling so much dead time, and there's not too many things that can force an engagement. Our auto attack ranges are pretty short, and fights end up hinging on who gets a juicy vine field down first and then as a mage, we just blink and and bomb. But even that isn't really that viable with increased TTK.
There isn't any long range bombing to break entrenched groups or put pressure on the other side.
Battles tend to just end up with a whole lot of repositioning and then a sudden push. Ranger vines are the only counter to the bum rush, but they are also engagement openers. There isn't any other Area Denial or Push Slowing abilities in any other class kit that's as effective.
๐ง Mages being the medium range AoE is fine, but I think they should also have a long range siege role as well. Think lobbing long range, slow, high arcing lava bombs into the other groups backline.
๐น Rangers being the single target snipers is a fitting role, but it would be good if they could be more.
โ๏ธ Fighters, RIP. Not survivable to dive into the enemy ball, don't do enough damage to make the suicide run worth it. Maybe if they had some kind of "stalking" ability that gave them a decent move speed buff as they chased down a single enemy. That could allow them to reposition mid fight to try out flank the other ball and perhaps leap into their backline.
๐ช Bards and ๐ Clerics are love. They are life. They do divine work.
๐ก๏ธ Tanks... tank? This could be cancerous, but they could be given class kit that allows them to catch and clump enemy. Think Mace Tank in Albion online, or Great Axe in New World.
๐ก๏ธ Rouges... I haven't really done any large-ish scale PvP with rogues in the game.
Botagar
2
Re: ๐ Dev Discussion - Archetype Vibe Check
The Ranger has major identity issues.
I think the Ranger's overall imagery is much more diverse than other classes, so it might have an identity that doesn't resonate with many players. But its current problem is the lack of identity.
A common trait among Rangers is the use of bows for ranged attacks. Currently, Rangers are no different from other classes with auto-attacks or weapon finishers; they should have a unique passive (or several) to gain an advantage when using bows. For example, less movement reduction when shooting or greater range.
Continuing with the topic of bows, the difference between longbows and shortbows with auto-attacks is good (perhaps the range difference could be a little greater, since dodging shortens that distance), but with the use of abilities, there is no difference. The range of abilities should be dependent on the range of bows and have range modifiers relative to them.
The excessive amount of long casts in the Ranger's abilities sometimes makes him feel like a mage with a bow. Having some is nice, but relying on so many ends up making the gameplay much more static (reduced mobility during casts) than we'd expect. For example, Thundering Shot has a projectile speed that allows for counterplay against enemies; there's no need to add a two-second cast time. It would also be interesting to have a "hold" ability where the longer we aim, the more damage we do.
Mobility is poor (partly due to the previous point). Strider/Party Strider buffs would be relevant in combat if the other classes didn't have any mobility abilities, but that's not the case. These buffs are more for moving around the world.
This means we're left with three other movement abilities to theoretically use in combat:
- Disengage, which is fine but the bugs make it very frustrating.
- Call of the Wild, which is really a CC break. The 20% movement speed is nice, but if you use it for that, you're leaving yourself exposed for 30 seconds.
- Air Strike, which has a great vertical movement speed, but the horizontal movement speed needs to be bigger. It's a Tier 3 ability with a 45-second cooldown, has a relatively slow animation, and the impact area isn't very large. This makes it feel daunting when you unlock it. Players would expect from an ability like this the ability to completely reposition themselves in a battle.
It might be interesting to add (or in a new unlockable passive) a dash to Barrage during its cast, to differentiate it more from Salvo and offer a different mobility tool.
Hunts need a new iteration. This group of skills could be something special for the Ranger, but it currently falls short of expectations. Currently, all three Hunts are offensive, meaning most players choose the one that best fits their skill tree builds and never switch back. For "hunting," the Hunter doesn't always assume the offensive role, so it should offer a wider variety of options. As with other class abilities (like the rogue's poison), the Ranger should have the ability to choose three Hunts from each tier: an offensive Hunt(T1), a defensive Hunt(T2), and a mobility Hunt(T3). This way, there would be more situations where the player would want to switch Hunts.
With the above in mind, the Hunt buff would be permanent (it wouldn't be lost upon casting the mark) and would remove the current appearances we receive when the target dies or ends the debuff. While interesting, in practice they aren't enjoyable since the player doesn't have enough control over obtaining them (This allows for a simplified Hunt, while also giving the player more skill expression by switching Hunts).
Adding Focus was a nice addition, but it lacks depth. One idea is that if the Ranger reaches the maximum Focus, and the next ability cast would be cast much faster at the cost of losing 50% of their total Focus. This change would provide a new incentive to control Focus and the ability to surprise enemies. To prevent the Ranger from having overpowered openers, I would limit Focus regeneration outside of combat. (It would fit with the fantasy, since we're not at maximum Focus all the time.)
Other general problems:
Stamina tree:
Currently, it feels like it takes away more variety than it adds. In Alpha 1, we had to make the decision between allocating points to the passive or active tree. But in Alpha 2, each tree has its own unique points. This makes the choice for players very simple.
This tree should change significantly, including the ways to gain experience from it. For example, instead of gaining points for this tree by leveling up as an adventurer, we would gain points through the use of skills in this tree (sprint, dodge, block). This would incentivize the use and knowledge of these skills and encourage proper use of them to level them at a good pace. Additionally, the trees should be branched with meaningful and differentiating choices.
Problems with the immunity mechanic:
The need for this system is clear, but its implementation is unpleasant for players. One of the things I find most fun about AoC classes is the interactions between them. The problem is that immunity periods cause large parts of the class kits to be temporarily unusable, especially with debuffs that share immunities. Instead of applying immune, the character should have a 99% resistance to said debuff. This way, players could continue their interactions without an immunity activated (by themselves or another player) destroying their skill rotation. It could even be further evolved, with this resistance increasing progressively so that the player applying said debuffs also has time to react. Example: After X seconds with the debuff active, a 50% resistance to it is activated. This resistance increases per second up to 99% if the debuff is active. Once 99% is reached, the resistance will disappear after X seconds. This way both the aggressor and the victim could adapt their gameplay to the situation.
Possibility of melee weapons becoming obsolete.
During Phase 2.5, it's increasingly becoming apparent that classes are moving away from basic attacks with melee weapons (when at melee range) because they do the same or more damage with ranged weapons, and are more reliable. I think this is something worth keeping an eye on.
I think the Ranger's overall imagery is much more diverse than other classes, so it might have an identity that doesn't resonate with many players. But its current problem is the lack of identity.
A common trait among Rangers is the use of bows for ranged attacks. Currently, Rangers are no different from other classes with auto-attacks or weapon finishers; they should have a unique passive (or several) to gain an advantage when using bows. For example, less movement reduction when shooting or greater range.
Continuing with the topic of bows, the difference between longbows and shortbows with auto-attacks is good (perhaps the range difference could be a little greater, since dodging shortens that distance), but with the use of abilities, there is no difference. The range of abilities should be dependent on the range of bows and have range modifiers relative to them.
The excessive amount of long casts in the Ranger's abilities sometimes makes him feel like a mage with a bow. Having some is nice, but relying on so many ends up making the gameplay much more static (reduced mobility during casts) than we'd expect. For example, Thundering Shot has a projectile speed that allows for counterplay against enemies; there's no need to add a two-second cast time. It would also be interesting to have a "hold" ability where the longer we aim, the more damage we do.
Mobility is poor (partly due to the previous point). Strider/Party Strider buffs would be relevant in combat if the other classes didn't have any mobility abilities, but that's not the case. These buffs are more for moving around the world.
This means we're left with three other movement abilities to theoretically use in combat:
- Disengage, which is fine but the bugs make it very frustrating.
- Call of the Wild, which is really a CC break. The 20% movement speed is nice, but if you use it for that, you're leaving yourself exposed for 30 seconds.
- Air Strike, which has a great vertical movement speed, but the horizontal movement speed needs to be bigger. It's a Tier 3 ability with a 45-second cooldown, has a relatively slow animation, and the impact area isn't very large. This makes it feel daunting when you unlock it. Players would expect from an ability like this the ability to completely reposition themselves in a battle.
It might be interesting to add (or in a new unlockable passive) a dash to Barrage during its cast, to differentiate it more from Salvo and offer a different mobility tool.
Hunts need a new iteration. This group of skills could be something special for the Ranger, but it currently falls short of expectations. Currently, all three Hunts are offensive, meaning most players choose the one that best fits their skill tree builds and never switch back. For "hunting," the Hunter doesn't always assume the offensive role, so it should offer a wider variety of options. As with other class abilities (like the rogue's poison), the Ranger should have the ability to choose three Hunts from each tier: an offensive Hunt(T1), a defensive Hunt(T2), and a mobility Hunt(T3). This way, there would be more situations where the player would want to switch Hunts.
With the above in mind, the Hunt buff would be permanent (it wouldn't be lost upon casting the mark) and would remove the current appearances we receive when the target dies or ends the debuff. While interesting, in practice they aren't enjoyable since the player doesn't have enough control over obtaining them (This allows for a simplified Hunt, while also giving the player more skill expression by switching Hunts).
Adding Focus was a nice addition, but it lacks depth. One idea is that if the Ranger reaches the maximum Focus, and the next ability cast would be cast much faster at the cost of losing 50% of their total Focus. This change would provide a new incentive to control Focus and the ability to surprise enemies. To prevent the Ranger from having overpowered openers, I would limit Focus regeneration outside of combat. (It would fit with the fantasy, since we're not at maximum Focus all the time.)
Other general problems:
Stamina tree:
Currently, it feels like it takes away more variety than it adds. In Alpha 1, we had to make the decision between allocating points to the passive or active tree. But in Alpha 2, each tree has its own unique points. This makes the choice for players very simple.
This tree should change significantly, including the ways to gain experience from it. For example, instead of gaining points for this tree by leveling up as an adventurer, we would gain points through the use of skills in this tree (sprint, dodge, block). This would incentivize the use and knowledge of these skills and encourage proper use of them to level them at a good pace. Additionally, the trees should be branched with meaningful and differentiating choices.
Problems with the immunity mechanic:
The need for this system is clear, but its implementation is unpleasant for players. One of the things I find most fun about AoC classes is the interactions between them. The problem is that immunity periods cause large parts of the class kits to be temporarily unusable, especially with debuffs that share immunities. Instead of applying immune, the character should have a 99% resistance to said debuff. This way, players could continue their interactions without an immunity activated (by themselves or another player) destroying their skill rotation. It could even be further evolved, with this resistance increasing progressively so that the player applying said debuffs also has time to react. Example: After X seconds with the debuff active, a 50% resistance to it is activated. This resistance increases per second up to 99% if the debuff is active. Once 99% is reached, the resistance will disappear after X seconds. This way both the aggressor and the victim could adapt their gameplay to the situation.
Possibility of melee weapons becoming obsolete.
During Phase 2.5, it's increasingly becoming apparent that classes are moving away from basic attacks with melee weapons (when at melee range) because they do the same or more damage with ranged weapons, and are more reliable. I think this is something worth keeping an eye on.
Fildserh
3
Re: ๐ Dev Discussion - Archetype Vibe Check
Which archetype do you find the most fun to play? Why?
Fighter, Rogue and Bard
Fighter
Good kit, like the cc immunity on some abilities, adds a skill gap
Low momentum gain, needs to get 1 momentum per target hit, not 1 momentum per swing or a momentum gain ability, Low survivability in group PvP, could use a dmg reduction ability, Add Stagger to Blitz, Remove Form animation to make switching forms smoother
Rogue
Good kit, lots of useful abilities, high apm
Flurry/Thrash comboing feels buggy
Having to weapon attack once and If you are using a weapon that has multiple weapon attacks like daggers, the weapon combo most of the time resets when trying to weave in Flurry/Thrash. Imo they should count as a "weapon combo attack" without having to do 1 attack first.
Feint weapon combo finisher Advantage
Having feint give Advantage on weapon combo finisher does not feel or flow good.
Lack of control when Advantage is used on abilities.
Sometimes you don't want to use Advantage on an ability when you have it and it feels like a waste and you need to build Advantage again. (Like wanting to use Umbral Cloak for only magic immunity, wanting single target Kick or Lacerate, not AOE)
A skill "your next ability will consume Advantage for increased effect" would be more preferable.
Bard
Good kit, lots of situational abilities, high apm, feel like its not missing anything.
Which archetype do you find the least fun to play? Why?
Ranger
Boring, slow, 0 depth, abilities don't require aiming (usually main Ranger but playing this makes me fall asleep)
Are there any combat systems or mechanics you feel need more development or refinement? Please explain.
Action Camera
Oh boy does action camera need improvements.
Abilities locking you to a target for their Animation Duration
This feels like ass, in TAB if you are casting something, you can press TAB and switch to another target even while casting, in Action Cam you cannot switch targets even if you hover over another enemy. Target swapping does not feel fast and smooth.
Difficulties targeting in mass PvP
Current Hard Lock does not feel good to use and without it, holding a target in mass PvP feels impossible. (go try this with a range dps, its even worse with cleric/bard)
IMO a better way would be to Integrate Hard Lock to Weapon Attacks If it was possible to Hold LMB to Weapon Attack and Hard Lock to the target at the same time, i think it would improve the gameplay drastically. (Hard Lock as long as you are holding down LMB, let go = clear hard lock instantly)
Dual Targeting
This is needed, if an enemy and friendly are stacked, you should be able to heal and dmg the enemy without "swapping targets" because now you can't target both.
Abilities should interrupt weapon attacks
as someone who holds down LMB most of the time and tries to press abilities, they do not go through most of the time, this feels like absolute ass. Sometimes missing CC's at critical moments because they don't go through. Abilities should instantly happen when you press them.
Improve Diminishing returns clarity
DR happening when a CC is only at half duration makes 0 sense. It needs to show the actual duration and not just randomly happen.
Imo Snare should be base 50% slow like chill, remove the stacks. 25% slow is useless
Ability DMG needs tuning
Abilities need to be looked at (Mage 3x instant firebolt + conflag doing over 50% hp? hello?), CC's should not do alot of dmg (do too much atm)
During group combat or grinding sessions, do you feel any core features or gameplay elements are missing or underdeveloped? If yes, please describe.
Add a option to see cast bars under enemy healthbars
Better to have info and ability to see what/if multiple targets are casting something.
Add Option to see buffs/debuffs above enemy healthbar/name
Better visibility so you can see which enemies have useful debuffs/buffs. Needs to have filter
Fighter, Rogue and Bard
Fighter
Good kit, like the cc immunity on some abilities, adds a skill gap
Low momentum gain, needs to get 1 momentum per target hit, not 1 momentum per swing or a momentum gain ability, Low survivability in group PvP, could use a dmg reduction ability, Add Stagger to Blitz, Remove Form animation to make switching forms smoother
Rogue
Good kit, lots of useful abilities, high apm
Flurry/Thrash comboing feels buggy
Having to weapon attack once and If you are using a weapon that has multiple weapon attacks like daggers, the weapon combo most of the time resets when trying to weave in Flurry/Thrash. Imo they should count as a "weapon combo attack" without having to do 1 attack first.
Feint weapon combo finisher Advantage
Having feint give Advantage on weapon combo finisher does not feel or flow good.
Lack of control when Advantage is used on abilities.
Sometimes you don't want to use Advantage on an ability when you have it and it feels like a waste and you need to build Advantage again. (Like wanting to use Umbral Cloak for only magic immunity, wanting single target Kick or Lacerate, not AOE)
A skill "your next ability will consume Advantage for increased effect" would be more preferable.
Bard
Good kit, lots of situational abilities, high apm, feel like its not missing anything.
Which archetype do you find the least fun to play? Why?
Ranger
Boring, slow, 0 depth, abilities don't require aiming (usually main Ranger but playing this makes me fall asleep)
Are there any combat systems or mechanics you feel need more development or refinement? Please explain.
Action Camera
Oh boy does action camera need improvements.
Abilities locking you to a target for their Animation Duration
This feels like ass, in TAB if you are casting something, you can press TAB and switch to another target even while casting, in Action Cam you cannot switch targets even if you hover over another enemy. Target swapping does not feel fast and smooth.
Difficulties targeting in mass PvP
Current Hard Lock does not feel good to use and without it, holding a target in mass PvP feels impossible. (go try this with a range dps, its even worse with cleric/bard)
IMO a better way would be to Integrate Hard Lock to Weapon Attacks If it was possible to Hold LMB to Weapon Attack and Hard Lock to the target at the same time, i think it would improve the gameplay drastically. (Hard Lock as long as you are holding down LMB, let go = clear hard lock instantly)
Dual Targeting
This is needed, if an enemy and friendly are stacked, you should be able to heal and dmg the enemy without "swapping targets" because now you can't target both.
Abilities should interrupt weapon attacks
as someone who holds down LMB most of the time and tries to press abilities, they do not go through most of the time, this feels like absolute ass. Sometimes missing CC's at critical moments because they don't go through. Abilities should instantly happen when you press them.
Improve Diminishing returns clarity
DR happening when a CC is only at half duration makes 0 sense. It needs to show the actual duration and not just randomly happen.
Imo Snare should be base 50% slow like chill, remove the stacks. 25% slow is useless
Ability DMG needs tuning
Abilities need to be looked at (Mage 3x instant firebolt + conflag doing over 50% hp? hello?), CC's should not do alot of dmg (do too much atm)
During group combat or grinding sessions, do you feel any core features or gameplay elements are missing or underdeveloped? If yes, please describe.
Add a option to see cast bars under enemy healthbars
Better to have info and ability to see what/if multiple targets are casting something.
Add Option to see buffs/debuffs above enemy healthbar/name
Better visibility so you can see which enemies have useful debuffs/buffs. Needs to have filter
Mayhem
1
Re: Risk, Reward, Difficulty & FUN: What Intrepid is Missing
While I definitely see your point and agree with both of its parts, I somewhat disagree with its application to even the promised Ashes crafting.To be fair that is because most PvP games just dumb down the crafting/sourcing aspects to the point where nearly everyone can do them.
I don't think we want PvP dumbed down to the level that they tend to dumb down crafting 'so that the PvErs can do everything in the game too'. That hasn't worked out well for any of my preferred games so far...
With full trade and proper markets, all any singular players needs to do to craft is to go buy some stuff. All any single players in the crafting chain needs to do is to go do their singular (maaaybe 2-3) profession. At its core both of those things are kinda dumbed down, cause they do not require much thought.
Will the overall process be less smooth than if the server was full of pro artisans? Sure. But it'll still work well enough for people to progress. Or, at least, I assume it would, cause even though the base lvl of material acquisition in L2 was just "farm mobs on a specific class", I don't really see that as too much different from "just cut trees as a specific artisan profession" or "process rocks as a specific artisan profession".
Oh no, I meant that the reason PvP players stay in games like Ashes and 'just craft' is because crafting is not complex.
I own items in FF11 that were so relatively hard to make that I needed to get 3 people with the required experience together, decide who was going to be in charge of what functions of the Synergy Furnace, and still spend half an hour with maybe 7 fails (tbf half of those were just bad luck) before we synchronized enough to eventually make the gear.
I'm not saying everything needs to be that level, I'm just noting that we can't really draw a parallel, because Synergy is stilleasier than proper PvP.
Some PvE players can't do the same because they wouldn't be good enough to PvP or craft. It's just that some PvP players are 'only good enough to get carried in PvP so they would also fail at difficult crafting'. Knowing that, the games make crafting simple, because those are the people PvP games need to keep attracting.
Azherae
1
Re: ๐ Dev Discussion - Archetype Vibe Check
I just want to echo the overall comments on improvement needs for the Ranger. The class has mana issues, feels incomplete, lacks identity etc... I really do hope Intrepid takes a hard look at reworking a good portion of the class.
Vashe
4
Re: ๐ Dev Discussion - Archetype Vibe Check
Thoughts on various archetypes, I'm rogue mainly so more personal ideas listed on that below.
1. Which archetype do you find the most fun to play? Why?
Bard, hands down. You have the ability to do multiple archetypes of skills and more. Have respectable damage, healing, shielding, buffs, CC, all of it. On top of that with proper execution you are the most mobile archetype in the game bar none. Without even getting into the more utility aspects of the kit there is so much value that it has the potential to render other archetypes redundant in many circumstances outside of the barest necessities (Dedicated tank, resurrect, etc).
2. Which archetype do you find the least fun to play? Why?
As many have said there are glaring issues across Ranger, Mage, Cleric. However out of those Mage definitely feels the worst. It is uninspired, uninteresting, and doesn't really bring anything to the table that makes it feel worth playing outside of diehard mage fans. In the current state it encourages mixed elemental gameplay due to lack of more skills within any individual element. While definitely an idea from somewhere, it prevents players from having the agency to focus on effects they like while preventing growth to more grand spells of a particular element. Fire spells for example only have a few basic effects with a standard fireball, instant, and ground effect. Those feel like techniques that a novice would use and there are no spells that feel like you've grown as a mage (No, prismatic beam doesn't count). You're as developed at level 6 as you will be at 25 for that fantasy. Other elements are largely the same and it eventually ends up your mage has a spread of spells that feel incredibly simple... You just know more of them. Never graduated mage school, I guess.
Ranger feels too similar to mage. There are multiple skills that lock down the ranger with long cast bars. Give rangers their own identity instead of the skills they are excited to use just feeling shoehorned in from another archetype. Ranger ammo infusions should be unique or interesting, not taken straight off the weapon skill trees. Your skills should not have less value than a weapon skill node. An example done better is on the fighter kit, where the fighter is able to take wound passives that apply to their abilities instead of weapon combos. While the debuff is the same, it adds variance by applying those effects in different circumstances.
Cleric is one-dimensional and needs more skill expression. This could include more pre-emptive healing such as barriers or alternate HoTs, buffs, something to feel like you're having a broader effect than staring at the battlefield fixated on the little bars. Bards do what clerics do and in many situations they do it better. Unless a group is inept doing deliberately stupid things or punching well above their weight class, a cleric is an afterthought unless you want to have a safety res available. It would be very interesting to see a split cleric where you are able to balance some offensive and healing magic together to have a more active role. Too many clerics just kinda exist to soak exp and pretend they're contributing when they aren't.
3. Rogues
A few words on rogue as well since we're already here. While there is a lot of cohesion in the kit and it is definitely with bard as being the most refined, there are a few things that haven't really been sitting right. The first is poison application, hitting a button every 10s that purely gives you class identity is incredibly cumbersome and not fun. This is an issue that I believe tank had previously with grit, having to mash a key for the simplest things is button clutter. It doesn't add anything to the rotation, it doesn't make sense that your poison vanishes so quickly. There are a lot of ways poison applicators have functioned historically to the point it feels like a kid in a candy store and the poison vanishes because our characters are licking it off the weapons before it gets used. Why? Rangers don't have to mash their ammo button to receive ammo buffs, mages don't have to mash a button to get enchant weapon buffs, even the large theme buffs from bard last 60s and those apply to the entire party.
Secondly, I would love to see Death Mark moved/changed to be a part of Shadow Step or something. Rogue feels a bit weird being a melee class with multiple minimum-range skills. Even ranger doesn't have that limitation and it's the one using distance attacks. Death Mark specifically has no function if someone is too close, unlike Shadow Step that still has diminished value since it will not provide advantage. I enjoy the risk/reward of Shadow Step and would LOVE to see Death Mark as an upgrade to it instead of a standalone skill. It would work largely how it does already, only triggering if you Shadow Step from beyond the minimum range. This sort of change would make Shadow Step have a split value, either you use it to initiate from a distance to mark your target(or punish runners) or hold onto it for your CC break. Risk vs reward for a more thoughtful playstyle. As it is now outside of specific circumstances Death Mark isn't worth considering as for PvP it is literally outing yourself and effectively breaks your own stealth by laughing at your target and dancing "i'ma come get yoouuu!".
I will sacrifice Flurry from the entire kit for the Death Mark idea above. Seriously though, Flurry feels bad and doesn't mesh into other rotations well. Even trying to utilize it for PvE it has lesser value than doing nearly anything else. Once you start getting more stable stats you are able to clip its animation and prevent the second strike from finishing, negating any purpose for its existence. One idea I had for it is to remove it as an active skill and turning it into a passive or auto-attack style of skill. Something that will cause the 'Flurry' effect once every Xseconds or something. That way it happens naturally without worrying about where it has to go or sharing hotkey space with skills you actually want to use.
I will also sacrifice Thump from Doublestrike's proc list for Death Mark changes (To be clear, I love it there. It makes people mad.). Everyone wants us to have less CC anyways, right??
1. Which archetype do you find the most fun to play? Why?
Bard, hands down. You have the ability to do multiple archetypes of skills and more. Have respectable damage, healing, shielding, buffs, CC, all of it. On top of that with proper execution you are the most mobile archetype in the game bar none. Without even getting into the more utility aspects of the kit there is so much value that it has the potential to render other archetypes redundant in many circumstances outside of the barest necessities (Dedicated tank, resurrect, etc).
2. Which archetype do you find the least fun to play? Why?
As many have said there are glaring issues across Ranger, Mage, Cleric. However out of those Mage definitely feels the worst. It is uninspired, uninteresting, and doesn't really bring anything to the table that makes it feel worth playing outside of diehard mage fans. In the current state it encourages mixed elemental gameplay due to lack of more skills within any individual element. While definitely an idea from somewhere, it prevents players from having the agency to focus on effects they like while preventing growth to more grand spells of a particular element. Fire spells for example only have a few basic effects with a standard fireball, instant, and ground effect. Those feel like techniques that a novice would use and there are no spells that feel like you've grown as a mage (No, prismatic beam doesn't count). You're as developed at level 6 as you will be at 25 for that fantasy. Other elements are largely the same and it eventually ends up your mage has a spread of spells that feel incredibly simple... You just know more of them. Never graduated mage school, I guess.
Ranger feels too similar to mage. There are multiple skills that lock down the ranger with long cast bars. Give rangers their own identity instead of the skills they are excited to use just feeling shoehorned in from another archetype. Ranger ammo infusions should be unique or interesting, not taken straight off the weapon skill trees. Your skills should not have less value than a weapon skill node. An example done better is on the fighter kit, where the fighter is able to take wound passives that apply to their abilities instead of weapon combos. While the debuff is the same, it adds variance by applying those effects in different circumstances.
Cleric is one-dimensional and needs more skill expression. This could include more pre-emptive healing such as barriers or alternate HoTs, buffs, something to feel like you're having a broader effect than staring at the battlefield fixated on the little bars. Bards do what clerics do and in many situations they do it better. Unless a group is inept doing deliberately stupid things or punching well above their weight class, a cleric is an afterthought unless you want to have a safety res available. It would be very interesting to see a split cleric where you are able to balance some offensive and healing magic together to have a more active role. Too many clerics just kinda exist to soak exp and pretend they're contributing when they aren't.
3. Rogues
A few words on rogue as well since we're already here. While there is a lot of cohesion in the kit and it is definitely with bard as being the most refined, there are a few things that haven't really been sitting right. The first is poison application, hitting a button every 10s that purely gives you class identity is incredibly cumbersome and not fun. This is an issue that I believe tank had previously with grit, having to mash a key for the simplest things is button clutter. It doesn't add anything to the rotation, it doesn't make sense that your poison vanishes so quickly. There are a lot of ways poison applicators have functioned historically to the point it feels like a kid in a candy store and the poison vanishes because our characters are licking it off the weapons before it gets used. Why? Rangers don't have to mash their ammo button to receive ammo buffs, mages don't have to mash a button to get enchant weapon buffs, even the large theme buffs from bard last 60s and those apply to the entire party.
Secondly, I would love to see Death Mark moved/changed to be a part of Shadow Step or something. Rogue feels a bit weird being a melee class with multiple minimum-range skills. Even ranger doesn't have that limitation and it's the one using distance attacks. Death Mark specifically has no function if someone is too close, unlike Shadow Step that still has diminished value since it will not provide advantage. I enjoy the risk/reward of Shadow Step and would LOVE to see Death Mark as an upgrade to it instead of a standalone skill. It would work largely how it does already, only triggering if you Shadow Step from beyond the minimum range. This sort of change would make Shadow Step have a split value, either you use it to initiate from a distance to mark your target(or punish runners) or hold onto it for your CC break. Risk vs reward for a more thoughtful playstyle. As it is now outside of specific circumstances Death Mark isn't worth considering as for PvP it is literally outing yourself and effectively breaks your own stealth by laughing at your target and dancing "i'ma come get yoouuu!".
I will sacrifice Flurry from the entire kit for the Death Mark idea above. Seriously though, Flurry feels bad and doesn't mesh into other rotations well. Even trying to utilize it for PvE it has lesser value than doing nearly anything else. Once you start getting more stable stats you are able to clip its animation and prevent the second strike from finishing, negating any purpose for its existence. One idea I had for it is to remove it as an active skill and turning it into a passive or auto-attack style of skill. Something that will cause the 'Flurry' effect once every Xseconds or something. That way it happens naturally without worrying about where it has to go or sharing hotkey space with skills you actually want to use.
I will also sacrifice Thump from Doublestrike's proc list for Death Mark changes (To be clear, I love it there. It makes people mad.). Everyone wants us to have less CC anyways, right??
Leshida
3
Re: ๐ Dev Discussion - Archetype Vibe Check
I've only really played Fighter a bunch but here are my 2 cents:
General speaking I really enjoy the Fighters kit and fluidity of it during combat. However the fact during almost every single PvP encounter you just try to set up Stagger into Trip, into Stagger into Trip feels very lackluster and often literally forces you into using From of Celerity over all the other stances.
I think the class was designed with some form of "stance dancing" in mind but in reality nobody does it since it interrupts your weapon combo, wastes a GCD and the buffs you get are almost useless due to the fact you're almost always starving for combat momentum during PvP so the impact is minimal.
Berserk is supposed to be that ability which makes every enemy around you go into "oh shit" mode and try to leave melee range asap but atm it's just a button you press to reset your CDs. It's barely ever used for the dmg buff due to its laughable uptime in most situations.
Having the CC break on the same ability as the only real group buff/utility a Fighter brings plus it being a huge combat momentum builder which often gets "wasted" also feels horrible.
Overall the Fighter has almost zero group utility and there are few reasons to ever pick one over a Mage eg. Just looking at all the Guilds literally banning Fighters from their rosters should be proof enough something needs to be done in that area. Maybe this gets better once we can choose 2nd Archetypes like Fighter/Cleric but who knows at this point....
Ranger seems like a Mage with a bow, no real identity here. Imo Rangers should be the kings of mobility, maybe sharing that throne with Rogues. Right now even Bards are way ahead in terms of mobility.
Tanks and their Wall ability are a great addition to making them more viable in PvP imo and gives opportunity for skill expression. Since Margaret leaked her passion for Warhammer Online during the interview with Nyce tho I want to point out one thing that made Tanks absolutely crucial to any group in that game.... GUARD! The ability worked similar to Protect of the current AoC Tank kit but for whatever reason it doesn't even seem to have half of the impact here in AoC. A good Tank in WAR being on top of his Guard switch game whenever someone in the grp was being focused was a menace to deal with and resulted in the "guarded" ally becoming massively more tanky up to the point where you had to find ways to get rid of the Tank first before you could kill their DPS. I'd love to see the Tank archetype get the same kind of battlefield presence here.
Are there any combat systems or mechanics you feel need more development or refinement?
In larger fights (Zerg v Zerg) melee often feels useless. The battles evolve into 2 big balls of people just pew pewing at eachother using ranged abilities and - even more - ranged auto attacks. The cleave potential melee has is minimal in PvP. I think most would agree using your melee autos in PvP rarely ever happens. Even if I'm in melee range, most of the time I'm better of just sticking to ranged autos due to uptime and overall steady "pressure" I can apply on the target. Melee autos in PvP just aren't viable apart from the zug zug moments. The fact Longbows have one of the "best" skill trees and the most range makes it even worse.
I think even Mages or Rangers should have some situations where using their melee weapons makes kind of sense (eg using Spear to zone or applying a quick snare with a 1h Sword), else what's the point of even allowing every archetype to use both?
Apart from this, currently every single weapon just feels like a stat stick. There is almost zero difference between using GS, Mace, Daggers, whatever. The only weapon that gives of a different "vibe" might be the Wand atm due to its unique finisher. I really really hope the current weapon skill trees are the absolute barebones implementations of what we're gonna get in the future.
General speaking I really enjoy the Fighters kit and fluidity of it during combat. However the fact during almost every single PvP encounter you just try to set up Stagger into Trip, into Stagger into Trip feels very lackluster and often literally forces you into using From of Celerity over all the other stances.
I think the class was designed with some form of "stance dancing" in mind but in reality nobody does it since it interrupts your weapon combo, wastes a GCD and the buffs you get are almost useless due to the fact you're almost always starving for combat momentum during PvP so the impact is minimal.
Berserk is supposed to be that ability which makes every enemy around you go into "oh shit" mode and try to leave melee range asap but atm it's just a button you press to reset your CDs. It's barely ever used for the dmg buff due to its laughable uptime in most situations.
Having the CC break on the same ability as the only real group buff/utility a Fighter brings plus it being a huge combat momentum builder which often gets "wasted" also feels horrible.
Overall the Fighter has almost zero group utility and there are few reasons to ever pick one over a Mage eg. Just looking at all the Guilds literally banning Fighters from their rosters should be proof enough something needs to be done in that area. Maybe this gets better once we can choose 2nd Archetypes like Fighter/Cleric but who knows at this point....
Ranger seems like a Mage with a bow, no real identity here. Imo Rangers should be the kings of mobility, maybe sharing that throne with Rogues. Right now even Bards are way ahead in terms of mobility.
Tanks and their Wall ability are a great addition to making them more viable in PvP imo and gives opportunity for skill expression. Since Margaret leaked her passion for Warhammer Online during the interview with Nyce tho I want to point out one thing that made Tanks absolutely crucial to any group in that game.... GUARD! The ability worked similar to Protect of the current AoC Tank kit but for whatever reason it doesn't even seem to have half of the impact here in AoC. A good Tank in WAR being on top of his Guard switch game whenever someone in the grp was being focused was a menace to deal with and resulted in the "guarded" ally becoming massively more tanky up to the point where you had to find ways to get rid of the Tank first before you could kill their DPS. I'd love to see the Tank archetype get the same kind of battlefield presence here.
Are there any combat systems or mechanics you feel need more development or refinement?
In larger fights (Zerg v Zerg) melee often feels useless. The battles evolve into 2 big balls of people just pew pewing at eachother using ranged abilities and - even more - ranged auto attacks. The cleave potential melee has is minimal in PvP. I think most would agree using your melee autos in PvP rarely ever happens. Even if I'm in melee range, most of the time I'm better of just sticking to ranged autos due to uptime and overall steady "pressure" I can apply on the target. Melee autos in PvP just aren't viable apart from the zug zug moments. The fact Longbows have one of the "best" skill trees and the most range makes it even worse.
I think even Mages or Rangers should have some situations where using their melee weapons makes kind of sense (eg using Spear to zone or applying a quick snare with a 1h Sword), else what's the point of even allowing every archetype to use both?
Apart from this, currently every single weapon just feels like a stat stick. There is almost zero difference between using GS, Mace, Daggers, whatever. The only weapon that gives of a different "vibe" might be the Wand atm due to its unique finisher. I really really hope the current weapon skill trees are the absolute barebones implementations of what we're gonna get in the future.
Skuzzle
3
Re: ๐ Dev Discussion - Archetype Vibe Check
I think with the relative change to stats, mobs, and grouping, I feel the Rez skill should come in a *bit* sooner. In the grand scheme of levels, 6 is technically fine, but should anything happen in those early levels, I think it would be a boon to have the rez skill sooner rather than level 6.Are there any combat systems or mechanics you feel need more development or refinement? Please explain.
Ryucrat
1
Re: Risk, Reward, Difficulty & FUN: What Intrepid is Missing
if the crafters leave, the pvpers will craft xDDDDDDD
PvP'ers generally draw the line at top end raiding (which is why PvP games no longer have top end raids).
PvE'ers generally draw the line at PvP.
Both will happily branch out to things like crafting, if there is a need.
This all seems fairly equal to me - when you donsider that the group of players that consider themselves PvP only is vanishingly small, and the group of players that consider themselves PvE only is also vanishingly small.
Noaani
2
Re: ๐ Dev Discussion - Archetype Vibe Check
Which archetype do you find the most fun to play? Why?
I always played Ranger since P1
Which archetype do you find the least fun to play? Why?
No idea, haven't really played other archetypes
Are there any combat systems or mechanics you feel need more development or refinement? Please explain.
1. Recently on PTR, me and other ranger encountered issues with applying Thorns and Regeneration toggle buffs. They worked inconsistently and sometimes it was impossible to apply them to my character or to other players.
2. Thorns buff doesn't really feel impactful. Dealing 8 damage and applying Bleeding from time to time - it's pretty much nothing.
3. Regeneration buff doesn't feel impactful. 100 Regeneration Rating is nothing. Same applies to it's passive upgrade Siphoning Regeneration - not worth the skill point, since 5% regen from damage dealt to marked target is not worth it, pretty much useless.
4. Updated Hunt/Mark system:
- Previously ranger could choose which mark and hunt they want to use. Now we have less flexibility, since everyone is using either Tiger or Bear.
- Losing Hunt buff while Mark is active doesn't feel good. In mass PvP using mark vs a target often makes no sense because it leads to the loss of Tiger/Bear Hunt, which reduces ranger's damage output versus ALL targets.
- Temporary buffs that appear upon Mark's expiration are nice to have, but you can't really rely on them or play around them, since they only appear after 8 seconds of Mark.
- Hunt of the Raven - pretty much useless. Nobody would pick this hunt over Tiger/Bear.
Suggestion:
a) Hunt buff should remain active when Mark is used;
b) (Optionally) Temporary buff should be instantly activated when Mark is used.
Explanation:
Mark is ranger's unique mechanic and it should be and feel impactful. Under these conditions, marks will create a burst window without affecting ranger's damage output and provide a defensive buff to increase surrvavibility a bit. Ranger is pretty much the only archetype that doesn't have heals or shields, which is fine as long as there is at least something else for survivability.
5. Ensnaring Vine Field applies 1 stack of Snared per second when enemy is hit with Vine Field. It leads to enemy getting a Snare/Chill immunity a several seconds after being rooted with Vine Field. The amount of stacks should be reduced, probably limited to 2.
6. Bear Traps: not a bad utility skill overall. However, 3 skill points are required to upgrade them fully and it feels like too much. As someone suggested in discord, removing Trapslinger passive completely and keeping its effect for a default Bear Trap could be a reasonable option. This way, you won't have to allocate 3 skills point, but 2.
7. Air Strike - great skill visually, but rarely used in PvP. Description says that each out of 3 projectiles are supposed to deal 150% damage, but in reality - a target only gets hit once regardless of the number of projectiles it got hit by. So either the description is somewhat confusing or it doesn't work as intended. Overall, skill is good on paper, but in reality - very very situational, sits on 45-second cooldown that can't be reset by using Lightning Reload.
8. Scatter Shot has an upgrade "Consentrated Scatter Shot". It is not always reliable: sometimes you get a charged version instead of a basic one, sometimes - the other way around.
During group combat or grinding sessions, do you feel any core features or gameplay elements are missing or underdeveloped? If yes, please describe.
1. I don't feel like I'm actually playing a ranger, I feel like I'm playing something with a bow. Since the vast majority of other players, especially PvP players are using longbow because of its 35m range, I don't really feel any different. Ranger is supposed to have something like a passive that gives +5m range at least to his auto-attacks. This could make ranger at least somewhat different from *insert any archetype* with a longbow. Additionally, it will create an opportunity for rangers to kite (which normally they are supposed to do)
2. Excuse my French, but shortbows are absolute trash. It doesn't even feel like a bow because of its animation. Like, am I shooting a bow or MG42? Additionally, it has a 30m range - this alone is enough to make it useless, since *insert any archetype* with a longbow will have an advantage over you because of range.
I'll say it once again. Not a ranger will have an advantage over ranger. With a bow. Over RANGER. Because they can shoot further... than a ranger.
The passive with +5m range that I mentioned could also fix the issue with shortbows, making them a viable alternative with 35m range instead of 30m.
And for the love of God, please. This shortbow animation is just... ewww. It doesn't just break the immersion, it literally nukes it with 100 gigaton bomb.
I always played Ranger since P1
Which archetype do you find the least fun to play? Why?
No idea, haven't really played other archetypes
Are there any combat systems or mechanics you feel need more development or refinement? Please explain.
1. Recently on PTR, me and other ranger encountered issues with applying Thorns and Regeneration toggle buffs. They worked inconsistently and sometimes it was impossible to apply them to my character or to other players.
2. Thorns buff doesn't really feel impactful. Dealing 8 damage and applying Bleeding from time to time - it's pretty much nothing.
3. Regeneration buff doesn't feel impactful. 100 Regeneration Rating is nothing. Same applies to it's passive upgrade Siphoning Regeneration - not worth the skill point, since 5% regen from damage dealt to marked target is not worth it, pretty much useless.
4. Updated Hunt/Mark system:
- Previously ranger could choose which mark and hunt they want to use. Now we have less flexibility, since everyone is using either Tiger or Bear.
- Losing Hunt buff while Mark is active doesn't feel good. In mass PvP using mark vs a target often makes no sense because it leads to the loss of Tiger/Bear Hunt, which reduces ranger's damage output versus ALL targets.
- Temporary buffs that appear upon Mark's expiration are nice to have, but you can't really rely on them or play around them, since they only appear after 8 seconds of Mark.
- Hunt of the Raven - pretty much useless. Nobody would pick this hunt over Tiger/Bear.
Suggestion:
a) Hunt buff should remain active when Mark is used;
b) (Optionally) Temporary buff should be instantly activated when Mark is used.
Explanation:
Mark is ranger's unique mechanic and it should be and feel impactful. Under these conditions, marks will create a burst window without affecting ranger's damage output and provide a defensive buff to increase surrvavibility a bit. Ranger is pretty much the only archetype that doesn't have heals or shields, which is fine as long as there is at least something else for survivability.
5. Ensnaring Vine Field applies 1 stack of Snared per second when enemy is hit with Vine Field. It leads to enemy getting a Snare/Chill immunity a several seconds after being rooted with Vine Field. The amount of stacks should be reduced, probably limited to 2.
6. Bear Traps: not a bad utility skill overall. However, 3 skill points are required to upgrade them fully and it feels like too much. As someone suggested in discord, removing Trapslinger passive completely and keeping its effect for a default Bear Trap could be a reasonable option. This way, you won't have to allocate 3 skills point, but 2.
7. Air Strike - great skill visually, but rarely used in PvP. Description says that each out of 3 projectiles are supposed to deal 150% damage, but in reality - a target only gets hit once regardless of the number of projectiles it got hit by. So either the description is somewhat confusing or it doesn't work as intended. Overall, skill is good on paper, but in reality - very very situational, sits on 45-second cooldown that can't be reset by using Lightning Reload.
8. Scatter Shot has an upgrade "Consentrated Scatter Shot". It is not always reliable: sometimes you get a charged version instead of a basic one, sometimes - the other way around.
During group combat or grinding sessions, do you feel any core features or gameplay elements are missing or underdeveloped? If yes, please describe.
1. I don't feel like I'm actually playing a ranger, I feel like I'm playing something with a bow. Since the vast majority of other players, especially PvP players are using longbow because of its 35m range, I don't really feel any different. Ranger is supposed to have something like a passive that gives +5m range at least to his auto-attacks. This could make ranger at least somewhat different from *insert any archetype* with a longbow. Additionally, it will create an opportunity for rangers to kite (which normally they are supposed to do)
2. Excuse my French, but shortbows are absolute trash. It doesn't even feel like a bow because of its animation. Like, am I shooting a bow or MG42? Additionally, it has a 30m range - this alone is enough to make it useless, since *insert any archetype* with a longbow will have an advantage over you because of range.
I'll say it once again. Not a ranger will have an advantage over ranger. With a bow. Over RANGER. Because they can shoot further... than a ranger.
The passive with +5m range that I mentioned could also fix the issue with shortbows, making them a viable alternative with 35m range instead of 30m.
And for the love of God, please. This shortbow animation is just... ewww. It doesn't just break the immersion, it literally nukes it with 100 gigaton bomb.
Flanker
4