Glorious Alpha Two Testers!

Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.

Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.

Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.

7 Questions (Guilds, Classes, Roles, Guildhalls, Etc.)

I posted this an hour ago or so, but the post isn't listed anywhere now. Apologies if this is an actual duplicate, but my profile still says I have zero posts. Odd.

Anyway, here are the first 7 questions I had. I asked them over on Discord. While Discord is great for "chat," it's not great for actually having a discussion about much. I hadn't seen these asked previously.

1. Because guilds have levels and provide their members skills/benefits, how can small guilds compete in activities as well as recruiting? Example: WOW a few years back gave sizable benefits to members of max-level guilds including faster character and profession leveling, faster movement speed, etc. It made it very challenging for small guilds to recruit because who would want to miss out on benefits by not joining a "zerg guild"? Will small guilds have a chance to reach max guild level, too, or is that mainly determined by guild member numbers?

2. Will small guilds, say 5-25 members, be able to reasonably afford guildhalls? In the Kickstarter, a number of the higher support packages include guild housing perks. If someone is a member of a small guild and buys a large support package, is their "Guildhall appearance" bonus basically worthless because they'll never be able to acquire a guildhall? Similarly, are only the large guilds going to be able to afford acquiring the three nodes connected to the castle for sieging?

3. Given the class discussions thus far, it appears there is one primary tank class (tank) and one primary heal class (cleric), with off-tanking/healing being possible in some part by classes taking tank or cleric as a secondary class respectively. Is the expectation that only primary tank and cleric classes will be main-tank and main-heals respectively for single-party activities as well as raid activities? Can two off-tank or off-heals players sufficiently support the party instead (e.g. a rogue/tank and a fighter/tank stand in for a tank/x or summoner/cleric and mage/cleric stand in for a cleric/x)? Similarly, will having two primary clerics or primary tanks in a party lead to a significant enough dps loss that some content will not be completed as a result?

4. Has a goal been set for the final number of crafting/artisan professions to be available in the game, or are some still being debated as to whether they should be added? If it's been decided, how many total artisan professions are expected at this time?

5. Can any race join any guild and start at any of the starting areas? My guild tends to cater to alt-heavy folks who like to see the world from different perspectives. Given there are no factions, and fast travel will not be readily available, I was hoping we'd be able to all be in the same guild regardless of where we started. Similarly, will guild invites have to be sent "in person" with the players standing near each other as that would prevent many of my guild from being able to actively participate in the guild until we potentially traveled great distances just to be nearby.

6. What are the requirements to form a guild? For example: player level, do you need a certain number of players in your party before you can sign a guild charter, is it all NPC driven (talk with x NPC and pay 10 gold and guild is formed)? Bottom line: how much effort are you hoping is required just to create the guild?

7. Given players can collect many types of costumes, mounts, and non-combat pets, are you planning on having a UI module manage all of those things or will they actually take up inventory/bank space? I’m hoping we won't have to visit a stables just to change our mount or go back to town just to change our costumes.

Comments

  • Hey! While I don't have any answers for your questions at the moment, I'd just like to say three things o/

    Forums are buggy, and that's why your old post may of been removed.

    Try attempt to contact Intrepid directly through discord. Steven normally responds fairly quickly

    If none of your questions are answered by Sundayish, try posted them on the Reddit post which they use when answering questions on the livestream.
  • 1.yeah, guilds level. we have no knowledge on how it'll work though
    2.that's like going to be harder on each member, but yeah, should be possible.
    3. no news, but I would assume that tank/tank will do WAY better at tanking tank/cleric(as in more HP better defence etc.)
    4.we know serveral, like blacksmith, cooks, refiners.
    5.I guess you can set up a meeting place.
    6.again, no news
    7.no news
  • [quote quote=16984]1.yeah, guilds level. we have no knowledge on how it’ll work though
    2.that’s like going to be harder on each member, but yeah, should be possible.
    3. no news, but I would assume that tank/tank will do WAY better at tanking tank/cleric(as in more HP better defence etc.)
    4.we know serveral, like blacksmith, cooks, refiners.
    5.I guess you can set up a meeting place.
    6.again, no news
    7.no news

    [/quote]

    1. The only thing I could find thus far is:

    <blockquote>8:09 AM] Shunex:
    -Is there a max limit for guild members set yet?
    +Guilds have a complex leveling mechanic, with passive abilities and skills as they level. They also increase their max size as they level. Currently I am thinking that max member count will fall around 250-300</blockquote>

    3. Paladin is tank/cleric, so I assume they're going to have some strong(ish?) self-healing, which is why I'm so curious about how much of a different secondary classes will really make. If every x/cleric or x/tank is really going to be worth much compared to a cleric/x and tank/x, it'll make a big difference to players that their primary class is exactly right for the role they want.

    4. I was thinking of the actual crafts, but I guess I wasn't clear given there are three different types of "crafters" in the artisan progression path: gatherers, refiners/production, and crafters. My intent was on the crafter side: armorsmith, weaponsmith, alchemy, cooking, etc. I have heard husbandry and farming along with "taverns" where folks can get buffs from the foods they ate at your establishment.

    5. Given how big the nodes are, I'm not sure I want to travel two hours to try and find a level 1 guild member. :)
  • [quote quote=16982]Hey! While I don’t have any answers for your questions at the moment, I’d just like to say three things o/

    Forums are buggy, and that’s why your old post may of been removed.

    Try attempt to contact Intrepid directly through discord. Steven normally responds fairly quickly

    If none of your questions are answered by Sundayish, try posted them on the Reddit post which they use when answering questions on the livestream.
    [/quote]
    Thanks, Authorize. I did post everything in the #ask_intrepid section. I'm actually shocked how many answers we're getting for questions about mechanics and things that often aren't even finalized until the final closed beta or sometimes even open beta.
  • Does anyone know the current classes and races so far?
  • <blockquote><div class="d4p-bbp-quote-title"><a href="https://www.ashesofcreation.com/forums/topic/7-questions-guilds-classes-roles-guildhalls-etc/#post-29651">Oldbrok wrote:</a></div>Does anyone know the current classes and races so far?

    </blockquote>

    All that information is available on the Kickstarter page.
  • [quote]<blockquote><div class="d4p-bbp-quote-title"><a href="https://www.ashesofcreation.com/forums/topic/7-questions-guilds-classes-roles-guildhalls-etc/#post-29651">Oldbrok wrote:</a></div>Does anyone know the current classes and races so far?

    </blockquote>[/quote]

    All that information is available on the Kickstarter page.
  • [quote]Oldbrok wrote: Does anyone know the current classes and races so far?
    [/quote]

    All that information is available on the Kickstarter page.
  • 1. Guild levels

    They haven't gone into details about what benefits guild levels provide. They <em>have</em> mentioned that there will be different reasons for them to do stuff. There shouldn't be any reason a "zerg" guild would compete with a small guild. The big guild will be going for castles and stuff, whereas a small guild might be focused on crafting, RP, or just a small group of friends.

    2. Guild halls

    I don't think they've fully fleshed out guild housing. If it follows the same principals as the player housing we can assume that there will be some buildings that are first come first serve, and others that are instanced (mansions vs. the apartments). I'm sure that all guilds will be able to get a guild hall.

    3. Class role balance

    We don't have enough information on this yet. The way I recall them mentioning the subclass system is that the subclass augments the primary role. The example used was a Fighter taking his Rush (basically a charge at an enemy) and augmenting it with the Mage's Blink. This would make the Fighter instantly teleport to the Rush target rather than having a dashing animation. If we think along those terms, then a Cleric/Tank might be able to gain access to high threat abilities and defensive buffs. We don't have numbers to go on, so no one can really say for certain.

    4. # of crafting professions?

    No, we don't have a full list.

    5. Guild invites

    No specific info has dropped on this. However, as long as you know the screen name of someone, I'm almost positive you'd be able to /ginvite from anywhere.

    6. How much required to form a guild?

    No specific info as of yet.

    7. Cosmetics in separate UI?

    No specific info, but if I were to guess I'd say they take up inventory. Considering Intrepid has stated you can make/earn costumes and skins in game, I'd assume that cash shop and backer rewards would function the same.

    Hope this helps!
  • 1: I think there's plenty reason that mega guilds will compete with a small guild - for instance, which meta-guild(s) will govern the node-guilds? Players are going to have to change the way they think of various concepts when it comes to Ashes. More important than the size of the meta-guilds will be supporting the interests of the node-guilds: Thieves Guilds, Scholars Acadamies and Trade Companies, etc.
    Everyone will be going for the castle if the castle is a threat to the city. Who goes after a castle won't be determined by the size of a meta-guild. Might be determined by the level of a node-guild. The roles individuals play with regard to attacking a castle will be determined by the role each player wishes to play, Artisan, Adventurer, Social, etc. - not by the size of the meta-guild.

    2: There won't be room in the city for all guilds to get their own guild hall. But some freeholds will be able to be used as guild halls - especially the mansions. And some node-buildings will be built as a guildhall, like the Thieves Guild or Scholars Academy. Any citizen can join and use those.

    3: The devs typically talk about characters with Cleric as secondary class being able to heal themselves - as if they won't be primary healers for a group. All depends on what tasks and events the group are working on and how well the group works together as a team. If the Bard/Rogue can buff and stealth sufficiently, there is less of a reason to need a primary Cleric. Same if the Tank is a Paladin (Tank/Cleric). If the Ranger/Ranger can root and the Summoner/Fighter can summon enough mobs, the crowd control may also be sufficient to not require a primary healer.
    Especially if that group has other objectives besides killing a boss with no help from people outside of that group.
    But, really, expect multiple "groups" to be working on defeating a dungeon...

    4: I'm not aware of a total number of Artisan professions being a goal. The devs have a list. The list probably isn't final. From what we see on the dev streams, all of the lists can be in flux... depending on Steven's whims (and how hard Jeffrey pushes back).

    5: Your meta-guild can have alts for each race and start them at different portals - if that's he way the want to see all of the world.
    And each alt can become a citizen of a different node. Alts who are citizens of different nodes would not be in the same node-guild.
    I expect that the devs will want characters to travel to the guild house to join the guild - as part of their desire for consequences and meaningful gameplay.
    So...probably decide which node will have the primary guild house and then run all the alts there. Great group adventure.

    6: Info - nada

    7: I think lots of people will be leaving costumes, mounts and pets at their Freeholds as decorations. You can probably keep some in inventory if you really want to.
  • @Dygz

    You stalking me? ._.

    About your answer to question 1: Aside from pure malice, I don't see there being much direct conflict with smaller guilds in what we know. Sure, there will be competition. If the big guild wants to push a small guild off of an iron vein, then yeah a fight may break out. But from what Steven described, it seems like they will likely both be cooperating in building up their own nodes.

    As for the context of the question, we really don't know what benefits will be granted by guild levels. We don't even know if there will be choices, either. For example, a small crafting guild at skill branch 2 could select "Increased gathering droprate" where as a larger guild might select "Increased monster gold droprate". I don't think the guild level will affect individuals as much as the guild function as a whole. Things like having a guild bank, guild mounts, or guild focused activity enhancements (like the guild summon in BDO, though Intrepid has stated this functionality is specifically bad).

    Ultimately, I think guild purpose will be more important than size.
  • (Stupid forums eating my post and not letting my try again)

    @Dygz

    You stalking me? ._.

    About your answer to question 1: Aside from pure malice, I don't see there being much direct conflict with smaller guilds in what we know. Sure, there will be competition. If the big guild wants to push a small guild off of an iron vein, then yeah a fight may break out. But from what Steven described, it seems like they will likely both be cooperating in building up their own nodes.

    As for the context of the question, we really don't know what benefits will be granted by guild levels. We don't even know if there will be choices, either. For example, a small crafting guild at skill branch 2 could select "Increased gathering droprate" where as a larger guild might select "Increased monster gold droprate". I don't think the guild level will affect individuals as much as the guild function as a whole. Things like having a guild bank, guild mounts, or guild focused activity enhancements (like the guild summon in BDO, though Intrepid has stated this functionality is specifically bad).

    Ultimately, I think guild purpose will be more important than size.
Sign In or Register to comment.