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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.
Comments
From what i know, equipping a different weapon only changes your combo ability(auto attack) and your weapon stats. If we are comparing it to guild wars 2, it only changes your 1 ability and not 2,3,4. So with that info, i want to say no. If you switched from 1h/sheild to a 2h then you would sacrifice resistance for damage but you wouldn't be changing your build enough to change your flavor.
To change your tanking flavor you would want to re-work your whole skill build, augmentations, and gear. You might be able to make a hybrid build that works well with different weapons but probably wouldn't peform as well as a build that was focused.
There is still a lot that we don't know so i could be wrong.
So much work must have gone into developing that system. To balance and get it to work.
I must say I'm very excited to try out what different "flavors" I can get from an ability!
Very well crafted post.
I too would also add that using class and archetype has been so abused and cross purposed trying to use it for clarification and focus is problematic.
Archetype as a primal thing is good.
Class.....too vague with too much baggage now.
I think style would also be a good way to sum up secondary skills.
They add preset styles to your primal functionality.
The nature of secondarys has me confused where Steven seems to waver between different cosmetic effects and then describes additional functional effects. The two are very different things and this leads to the misconceptions.
One moment I think we are talking mere eye candy. The next moment I think secondarys are autonomous passive skills and primaries of the archetype are the active skills.
If you can answer this query without too much speculation.
If it is the case that there is a raid. The raid set-up is assumed to be like other MMOs with a trinity+support class system. So you have the tank group with your tank/support/healer Your back up tank group with something close in hybrid to the main group set-up, and lets just say DPS groups (rogues and mages each). Lets look at one base class, Bard. Would a player choose a different augment class depending on what raid group they would be in? For example. If the bard was in the main tank group and the Bard cast a base Bard ability with a "Fighter" augment, could that Bard ability proc something that would tank buff the "targets target" with a musical ward or something? Or in the rogue group, would a Bards base ability with a "Rogue" augment increase the "attack speed" or "Crit" ability of group momentarily? Just trying to look at it from a support lens. I just started researching this game, so don't be too hard on me.
Thanks for any information
That part is clear.
Defining the scope of an augmentation is the problematic part we simply dont know yet
The examples given are typically those of creating a unique flavour of a pre-existing archetypal skill.
But that doesnt rule out that existing skill having a new effect or different effect. In fact it must have or by its very definition it would not be 'different' in any way to the original.
Personally I would like augmentations to act as fine tuning. Where you sacrifice something to gain something else....but in a subtle way. A nuance to make you a more unique version of the archetype.
As said though, its the 'magnitude/scope' of the 'difference' that simply cant be defined at present.
I think, from what I have watched and read, that you have a Archetype. When you choose a second Archetype to the first it will revamp or mutate the entire skill tree. Unless you choose the same Archetype, no clue there.
Passive skills will alter but remain true to the base effect. Active skills will alter, enhance, or refocus intent but remain true to the base effect. Undoubtedly your avatar's base statistics will change accordingly to minorly reflect the strenths and weaknesses of the second Archetype. Giving an overall boost but not the same as if both First and Second were the same.
Mage/Mage would have various elemental spells that deal different types of damage while Shadow Caster would have only a single element type, shadow, with spells visual effects playing out differently.
At least this is my hope. Since I will play summoner and try all the secondary choices. It will be awesome if every secondary completely changes what I am able to summon.
Damage+/Heal+/Heal-/Damage-
Fighter/Ranger/Rogue/Tank
Mage/Cleric/Bard/Summoner
Physical/Physical (Physical Pure)
Physical/Magical (Physical Hybrid)
Magical/Physical (Magical Hybrid)
Magical/Magical (Magical Pure)
Perhaps the hybrids would focus duel wielding wand/sword
Perhaps the hybrids would focus duel wielding sword/wand
Perhaps the hybrids would focus duel wielding orb/sword
Perhaps the hybrids would focus duel wielding shield/wand
Perhaps the magical would focus duel wielding orb/wand
Perhaps the magical would focus duel wielding wand/wand
Perhaps the physical would focus duel wielding shield/sword
Perhaps the physical would focus duel wielding sword/sword
Now if two-handed weapons could be crafted and modified to work like combined two one-handed weapons then i guess this would work.
And i said also modified, because one-handed weapons would be easier to mix with others and create different kind of combinations, but two-handed would just be crafted to serve one purpose.
So how I theory in my own head, how the Predator class will play out. I'm a Rogue right? I may DW Daggers or Swords or Maybe some Fist Weapons(if these are even in the game). But I take Ranger second to go right into my Predator Class. That to me makes me wonder, can I go DW/A Spear? and for example, my Dagger or Sword throw now changes to where I throw a Spear and now I can Impale someone to either slow them, or put a bleed on them?
Or now that I've gone the Predator route my "Stealth" is different now. Now it's a reflective Camo of my surroundings that just makes me blend into a Tree or Rock for Example. Will I move you'd obviously have to be looking closely but you would be able to see my movement as a slight glimmer but I could basically Run at Full Sprint while using my "Stealth" ability, where a Normal Rogue does as you expect moves very slowly in the Shadows wanting to go unnoticed Completely.
How about Traps. A Rogue doesn't use traps to disable his foes. Now that I've gone Ranger Sub-Arch. My Predator Class allows me to place traps all over the place.
My Vision of how I'm hoping this Class plays out is yes, a page right out of my favorite movie character. I'm hoping to be this Elusive hunter who not only has the capabilities to battle up close and personal but lurks and hides and when the timing is exactly the way I want it, I can move in quickly, quietly and accurately. Where engaging at a distance is a tool I can use, but my biggest strength will always within Melee distance. Where my strongest attributes are my effective handling of blades(duel wielding) and a Spear(I'm hoping Spears or a Lance or something along those lines are in the game).
I know this is just me wanting a dream fantasy to come true. If it's not entirely like this and they have another vision for it, that's cool. But the class to end up being like this in a fantasy setting would just be great.
Again yes, I read the word Predator and The Predator from the movie popped in my head immediately.
Weapons can be mixed how you like and rogues wont be tied on just to use daggers, even some skills will work only or better with specific weapons. I dont know if there will be spears, but i definitely hope so too. That is so basic weapon so i would guess there will be spearline too.
Actually i would like to see two kind of stealth abilities. One totally invisible slow moving sneaking and normal speed camouflage, which is not totally invisible and you can see some glimmering while player is moving.