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You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Repetitiveness of Certain Class Names
Teyloune
Member, Phoenix Initiative, Hero of the People, Kickstarter, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
Hejo!
I have a concern regarding the repetitiveness of class names that include "Shadow" or "Spell." These two words are frequently repeated across various class names more than any other term, leading to somewhat of an oversaturation, I believe this offers room for improvement. While I understand there might be reasons for this trend, it has the unintended effect of making the names sound repetitive and, frankly, a bit silly - especially when they are listed after each other, like for example when people are looking for specific classes to complement their group, raid, or when they may make callouts about having spotted a certain class on the Battlefield.
While I don't have an immediate solution, I would appreciate revisiting these names in the future to make them more distinctive.
As an example, while "Shadowblade" is an intriguing class name, If it would be changed to something like "Ebonedge" to reduce the repetition of the term "Shadow" in class names then this alteration would make this specific class combination stand out more not only in general but also among other classes with "Shadow" in their names.
Shadow:
Spell:
Here is a visual aid showing classes grouped by archetype combination
I have a concern regarding the repetitiveness of class names that include "Shadow" or "Spell." These two words are frequently repeated across various class names more than any other term, leading to somewhat of an oversaturation, I believe this offers room for improvement. While I understand there might be reasons for this trend, it has the unintended effect of making the names sound repetitive and, frankly, a bit silly - especially when they are listed after each other, like for example when people are looking for specific classes to complement their group, raid, or when they may make callouts about having spotted a certain class on the Battlefield.
While I don't have an immediate solution, I would appreciate revisiting these names in the future to make them more distinctive.
As an example, while "Shadowblade" is an intriguing class name, If it would be changed to something like "Ebonedge" to reduce the repetition of the term "Shadow" in class names then this alteration would make this specific class combination stand out more not only in general but also among other classes with "Shadow" in their names.
Shadow:
- Shadowblade
- Shadow Guardian
- Shadow Lord
- Shadow Caster
- Shadowmancer
- Shadow Disciple
Spell:
- Spellsword
- Spellshield
- Nightspell
- Spellstone
- Spellhunter
- Spellmancer
Here is a visual aid showing classes grouped by archetype combination
5
Comments
You have all of those cool names, and you have Scout.
It should be like Guild Wars. Example below:
Elementalist with subclasses; Tempest, Weaver, Catalyst.
They relate to them, assumedly, because Rogue deals with some form of shadow magic and Mage deals with... wait for it... spells.
This kind of naming scheme would immediately let people know which class you're talking about, because each archetype has their own concrete theming and names rely on that.
If you replace shadow with some other words, the theming gets lost and the naming scheme gets more confusing.
The Discord's Favorite Bingo Master
As excellent your point is, I am equally assured IS will come up with new more fitting names as they delve into the design of the classes and their class fantasies when all archetypes are done and focus moves to that.
It could also be the other way around, Snek.
You got all these high fantasy names that doesnt really say much - but you know what a knight, templar, acolyte, hunter and scout is. The simpler the more true-calling, even.
Each to his own I guess. Go forth and be a FLYING SPELL BLADE SOUL BOW SLINGER!
Thank you for missing the point entirely.
This kind of naming scheme would just confuse people which class you're talking about, because several classes got similar sounding names. Whats the difference between the Shadow Lord and Shadow Disciple, eh?
Disciple is one if the closest things to religious theming you can do.
Perfect for cleric.
Both relate to rogue's theming, where the shadow comes from.
I got your point just fine. I simply don't see how this can be confusing, because to me it's the most logical naming scheme possible.
Then remove the Shadow. There can be more than one word describing a Rogue.
You fail to see how using similar sounding names can be confusing. You're ignoring the point. But you do you.
What I could agree with is the word sequencing, so smth like Shadowmancer and Shadowlord being the 2 part of a Rogue and Summoner pairing, but w/o knowing exactly which one has which base you'd be utterly confused.
But at that point pretty much every other pairing has these issues.
In other words, the whole system will be inherently confusing to anyone who hasn't memorized all class names. And I don't believe that this can even be resolved, due to how the system itself is set up.
I do know for sure that class names will get learned by the majority of people within a few weeks, if not way sooner (considering all the YT guides and tutorials that will come out during A2).
It is your primary archetype in Ashes that matters, not your class. People simppy are not going to remember every class name, and will often refer to a build more as *rogue/mage* than refer to it as *Nightspell*.
The only way to make it so players dont generally look at classes this way is to make the names even more generic. Make it so the primary archetype designates the class, and the secondary is a fixed suffix that is the same for all classes.
This, if fighters as a class used *Fight* as the base name and *blade* for secondary. Summoners may add *mancer* if they are the secondary a fighter summoner may be a *Fightmancer*. A mage may use *Spell* as the base name, thus a mage summoner may be *Spellmancer*, and a mage fighter could be a "Spellblade*.
Thus kind of system is the only way players will generally refer to the actual class name in a meaningful way across the board.
They are relatively thematic for some of them outside of the classic fantasy naming trope of archetype combinations.
If I see blade, I think fighter orientated
Caller/soul? summoner
Shade/shadow? rogue
Song/Sing? bard
My guess is they picked a couple synonyms to represent each Primary Archetype to temporarily cross reference? Wouldn't be hard to look up synonyms to reduce "over use".
Either way in the grand scheme of things in-game, I'm generally going to look at the players Primary Archetype Emblem opposed to their Class name. I'll figure out what augments they have based on their attacks changes.
Gloom, Dusk, Umbra, Veil, Eclipse?
Soul/Summoner/Spirit
Phantom, Revenant, Wraith, Spectre, Haunt
nice word play