Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place 5+ days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
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Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place 5+ days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Comments
Some of my favorites:
Light source should be available to all classes in the form of torches or lanterns but take up an offhand slot, magic based classes such as Cleric/Summoner/Mage should have superior versions such as illumination spells, for dungeons underground or perhaps even for night time.
Ranger - animal/creature tracking, detect traps
Rogue - lockpicking, climbing (restricted to sieges, perhaps specific locations in dungeons with a cliff face or wall)
Cleric - light ward provides lighting in a radius around the user and repels evil creatures (spectres, vampires, werewolves)
Fighter - throw, push heavy objects for puzzle solving, getting through obstacles, think legend of Zelda games, throwing party members or objects like BG3
Tank - intimidate reduces agro range from lower level mobs or prevents unless the tank attacks them. Push heavy objects
Summoner - summon spirit of light, detect spirits (can be talked to provide useful information, quest/dungeon related, hidden treasure?)
Bard - out of combat group speed buff in a radius around them, lore (something like history in BG3, can read ancient writings on walls, tomes to help solve puzzles or get through quests, ancient treasure maps)
Mage - illumination orb, aimed slow moving projectile that provides superior vision, detect magic - puzzle solving, magical traps, barriers
Combined with universal utilities like I mentioned in my first post would give a wide variety of useful skills to overcome environmental obstacles yourself or as a group.
Could also have potions that provide benefits, faster swimming, longer breath holding underwater, better vision at night
Foods with gathering, processing and crafting bonuses.
an upgrade can do multiple "ghosts" (if they can see invisible creatures) to confuse which one is you running away
Certain skills grant access to unique resource-gathering spots inaccessible to other classes without specialized means such as teleportation. This fosters increased player interaction and diverse farming paths. Players may explore different locations or engage in trade with others possessing access to specific spots, promoting a dynamic economy and collaboration among adventurers.
Enhanced Gameplay through Skill Specialization
Each class has the potential for self-buffing, amplifying gameplay depth:
Rangers for example: Focus on movement speed enhancements, ...
And so on with the other classes.
Moreover, Bards and Clerics specialize in group buffs, further enhancing the cooperative nature of gameplay.
Quest-Driven Features
Introducing a tent skill obtained through a quest could unlock the ability to Rest that can be upgraded. Every 10 level there is a new quest for enhance this skill you can optional do. Resting in the tent for 3 minutes may enhance certain effects or provide options for item repair.
Dynamic Skill Evolution and NPC Interaction
A universal skill, evolving with NPC interactions such as quests and conversations, could progressively decrease item costs from NPCs or unlock exclusive items as this skill level advances. This incentivizes engaging with the game world and NPCs, rewarding players with valuable advantages as they deepen their relationships and expertise.
I think having your non combat skills affect the experience outside of just what they are dedicated to in small ways could feel really meaningful. and it doesn't have to be at all powerful to do that.
I think that having some classes that can produce light is fine, the rest can use items like torches and maybe rogue could get something like darkvision.
I think having situations that require specific ones would be great. since there are so many classes in the game giving each one such a skill would mean you can't fit all of them into a party. so the checklist would be a lot less of an issue.
+ it would make your class choice much more meaningful.
Kisks.Another of the best utility I've seen in a game are Kisks (also from Aion). This could be a skill for healers or bards maybe? A Kisk is a purchasable, killable item that players could place in the open world and respawn to after they die for X period of time. Kisks have limitations such as where they can be placed, how many people can bind to it and the amount of respawns that can take place. This created strategic planning when organizing large scale Fortress sieges and all the way down to the solo PvPer/ Explorer in a foreign land. Something like the function of a Kisk would be perfect for Ashes.
For me the most important are the ones that are class related, like the rogue finding hidden doors for example. Because these ones are fun to use, and I believe every class should have these to make them feel special in pvp and pve (scenarios) so a couple a these per class should be great.
Made a video discussing my concerns with combat-based Utility and what Ashes of Creation should do regarding the Utility discussion! Keep up the amazing work Intrepid!
You mention "gliding" and "any utility that gives positioning/allows for strategic use of terrain"
I just watched the Alpha Two Mage Archetype Preview and noticed it includes gliding on the back of a winged creature.
But I have to wonder... What would be a Rock-Paper-Scissors counter for a very large group descending on your smaller group via gliding. The sudden onset of attack brings a very fast tactical pace along with it. Control of the high ground could become paramount, perhaps overly so.
What might serve as tactical counters in such cases?
Perhaps caves, large covered ruins or tall trees, if they prevent gliding (although these are not "utility skills")
One utility item could be a "no fly zone". Something placed on the ground to literally force immediate grounding within the zone.
I agree with your championing of utilities that bring tactical or strategic options to PvP gameplay - especially given the verticality and scope of the AoC environments.
Groups of various sizes and compositions need creative options vs theZerg.
xoxo
LFG: Open World, tight knit coordination, multiple roles, will travel.
Ranger:
(passive) Climb - Allows the ranger to quickly climb a wall up to a certain height (higher than normal at least), this skill has a medium length cooldown and can be used to set up ambushes, scout out the area from an elevated position and avoid conflict. Ideally it would trigger automatically when trying to climb a wall within range that would be unable to be climbed by the normal amount. This skill will be unable to be used in combat to avoid them escaping or getting to places where no one else can target them. The height of the wall that can be climbed should be based on grappling ability from classes like tanks who can pull the ranger off the ledge to initiate combat so its still balanced.
(passive) Call of the Wolf- Whenever the ranger is in a forest area, the base movement speed is increased by around 30%. the effect ceases to work during combat and is purely for traveling.
Camoflage- The Ranger becomes invisible as long as they dont move or use abilities.
Lead On- The ranger calls upon a tamed or friendly creature based on the environment, for example, in a cave a small bat would join the ranger, the bat will be a source of dim "light" that the ranger can use to not get lost in dark caves. The special thing about this ability is that the called on animals will point out and fly to treasure in dungeons so you dont miss anything.
Here are some ideas of what animals can be used: Cave - Bat, Forest - Owl, Underwater - Angler fish, Plains/grassland - Wild Cat.
Mage:
Torch- Similar to Clerics illuminate, the mage produces a flame at the top of their staff or if they use a different weapon, in their hand. it can be used to illuminate dark caves and drive away some nocturnal monsters to avoid combat. This will mostly work on monsters weaker than the caster. Torch ceases to work during combat, HOWEVER: Once torch has been cast, the ability button will transform into Wick- Wick will detach the fire from the weapon/hand and transform it into a will-o-wisp that hovers around the caster, which can be used in combat to illuminate the battlefield and keep away monsters that you do not want to aggro. Wick dissappears after a set amount of time and can only be recast when the player is out of combat and has cast Torch again.
Light as a Feather- The mage casts wind magic in a circle around them to enhance the movement speed of themselves and any party members within the circle by 15-25%, this buff lasts abut 2-3 minutes out of combat, and is reset if combat is initiated. In combat this skill is still useable but the active time is reduced from 2-3 minutes to 4-5 seconds or less and the movement speed buff is increased to around 40%.
Cleric:
Illuminate- The Casters weapon begins to glow and illuminate the surroundings. This spell can also be cast on party members OR enemy players weapons and it breaks when the Cleric who cast the spell enters combat/concentration is broken. I dont see an issue in the spell staying acive when the illuminated party member starts fighting, since its only for visibility. The targeted party member can however remove the light buff themselves, unlike the enemy.
(passive) Pure Soul- If a Cleric is in the party the passive mana and health regen of party members is increased when standing in a generous area around the cleric and out of combat.
(passive) Angels Wings- The Cleric can press spacebar midair to sprout wings of light and glide for a short period. This can be used to avoid fall damage or close small gaps in terrain.
Eyes of God- The cleric casts a bright light that reveals any hidden rangers or rogues that have used invisibility skills. The cooldown on this skill is Long.
Rogue:
Absinthe- The rogue drinks a potion when out of combat that incleases their movement speed by 15% for 10 seconds and increases passive heal rate, if combat is entered during the duration of the potion the rogue will have a higher chance to dodge attacks for as long as the movement speed buff is up. (lmao darkest dungeon)
(Passive) Acrobatics- When jumping in quick succession, the rogue gains a slight speed buff and it plays cool animations, kind of like the Mario jumps if that makes sense! Its just really fun tbh, and maybe the jumps get slightly longer so they can jump over chasms in the most swag ways ever.
(passive) Nighteye- This ability can only be seen by the Rogue themselves, and it illuminates an area around the Rogue to simulate "night vision" but keep them in the dark to stay hidden more efficiently.
(passive) First Strike- If the rogue is the first to cause damage in a battle with another player/creature, it is a guaranteed crit.
Bard:
Echolocation- The bard uses their instrument to play a song that lets them scout out the area, this illuminates the area around the bard and specifically also illuminates cave walls in a way where you can just about tell where they are. This ability only works for as long as the song is being played/it can be played during combat and movement at the expense of damage.
Marching Step- This ability plays a song that motivates the bard and the party members to move faster. This only applies to movement speed. Again this can also be used during combat, but while playing the song the bard cannot do anything else without stopping to play. This ability also works while mounted.
Battle Ballad- The bard plays a cool song that increases the haste and damage of physical attacks
Summoner:
Summon Chest- The summoner summons a small mimic like monster which can be used as small additional storage for monster materials that you got during combat/armor only, it cannot be used to transport gatherer materials. This chest will follow you around unless emptied and enemy players can target the chest and kill it, which causes it to drop all of the stored items and disappear. This does count as initiating combat and if the summoner kills the offender they will not be tagged with a player killer mark.
Summon Firelight/Sunlight- Summons a small elemental of your choice (between fire and light) that will follow you around and illuminate the area around you. It will remain active until dismissed or killed (it only has like 5hp) oh and make it look cute its just a little babby elemental...
Fighter:
Light the way- The fighter pulls out a candle lamp/gas lamp from their tool belt that illuminates the player slightly and casts a cone of light in front of them, during combat, the lamp gets holstered on the fighters belt again and the area where the player themself is illuminated rises slightly, but the cone of light disappears.
War Cry- Lets out a loud battle scream that can be heard by anyone within a large radius, best used in sieges and large scale raids/pvp, it slightly increases all player stats for players in your group/alliance/guild in said radius for a short duration, War Cry does not stack, so make sure you time them well.
Living shield- The fighter grabs the mob/player they are fighting(within range) and holds them hostage for a short amount of time, making all enemies attacking the fighter hit the hostage instead. This ability has a very long cooldown.
Tank:
(passive) Thick Skin- The tank cannot be hurt physically by creatures/npcs that are more than 30 levels below them.
Hot Metal- The tank channels their rage into their main weapon, making it glow red like freshly cast metal. The ability drains mana slowly and stays active until all mana has been drained or the skill has been deactivated. Tanks are generally known for not spec-ing for much mana but when they do, this ability will become more and more useful.
Take Charge- The tank takes charge and increases his movement speed by 50% for 3-5 seconds, can only be used outside of combat to traverse or initiate combat. (because they already have many gapclosers for in combat)
other utilities:
When mounted the mounts should have a slight speed boost ability similar to arche age, i really enjoyed that :}
Now as for identity and utility spells, I have one major thought; each and every combination of archtypes should have 1-2 unique utility that only comes with that combination. Falconeers could be able to summon in their trusty hawk to swoop down and steal loot from a great distance... A necromancer could be able to summon a butler skeleton that could increase their bagspace for a period of time... A tellsword could be able to make their weapon talk and give them some sort of insight (info about hidden quests nearby or something like that). There could be so many ways to do this, but flavor flavor flavor! Small stupid spells that enables you to do something very "class-like" that others can't do - it makes all the difference!
Nuff said.
- water walking (speak for itself)
- feather fall (decrease fall dmg)
- conjure food/water (because it is cool)
- some lighting orbs or flame for darkvision
- devil sight (badass darkvision)
- mind control (basically take over the control of a mob)
- telekiesis (it is a MUST)
- weapon enhancement (boost a weapon stat with elemental power for a short time...who dont want flaming swords?)
- polymorph (it is just too much fun to not have)
- mask (change the apperiance of yourself)
- jump length enhancement
I hope we will see something like these. Everybody talking about immersion...now this is the top things immersion can be made.
Integrating a skill that unlocks unique interactions with wildlife, maybe attached to animal husbandry. This skill allow players to communicate with animals and form alliances with various wildlife groups. Mastering this skill would allow players to summon different animals for assistance, each offering distinct benefits:
Defense: Use a horn to call animals like wolves or sabercats to protect your home from NPC invasions.
Resource Gathering: Enlist beavers for logging, leveraging their natural abilities to efficiently gather wood.
Hauling: Employ the strength of elephants and bison for transporting heavy items or large quantities of resources.
Terraforming: Collaborate with creatures like moles for landscape modification and exploration of underground areas.
The relationship, however, would require upkeep/maintenance, as the reputation with these animal groups would diminish over time if not nurtured. I think this adds a layer of strategy and ongoing engagement, making the utility ability both powerful and balanced.
Expanding on that, the ability to directly communicate with animals. Players could engage in conversations with wildlife, reading their thoughts and responses in dialogue boxes. This would enhance the immersion but also allows for more nuanced interactions:
Persuasion: Influence animals' actions in the open world, swaying them to assist in various tasks or reveal hidden information.
Quest Initiation: Some animals could offer unique quests, providing deeper insights into the game's lore and environment.
Emotional Connection: Dialogue with animals adds a layer of emotional depth, allowing players to form meaningful bonds with their animal companions.
This dialogue system would enhance the way players interact with the game world, making the skill not just a utility but a gateway to a richer, more engaging experience. A player with this skill would definitely be a utility boon in an adventure party.
I love my mages and blinking / invisibility BUT my favorite utility skills are acrobatic and mobility based and do NOT require a target to use. Mostly this is for flavor while traversing the world but I think if someone wants to sacrifice combat ability to become difficult (but not impossible) to trap and murder.. that's an option.
Magically or agility-enhanced double jump, air dash, accelerated mantling (wall climb or parkour abilities) are a lot of fun as well. Who doesn't love to play a ninja that can run on the wall for a short distance?
Maybe a grappling hook mechanic or some classes have a toggle-ability to disable themselves from falling off of a rope or ledge they may be sprinting on.. or if they DO fall they have an automatic saving throw to catch themselves on the ledge once every two minutes or so?)
Scouting and recon skills are also important. Astral projections, far-sight or eagle-eye abilities could be a lot of fun with the right checks and balances.
Water dash or sprint? unsure which classes may be able to bend water but being able to use mid-range dashes along the surface or launch yourself into the air for a quick ship mount would be awesome (but maybe broken)
Cultivation magic! Plant-assisted traversal. Let's get some vine-swinging elves in appropriate biomes xD
The problem is as follows : How to make the importance of a useful skill for a RP world to be also "useful and possible" in an open RP world as AoC will be.
I think this is the key to the incredible potential that AoC's utility skills could have.
https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-and-dragons-best-feats-for-utility-ranked/#chef-will-make-the-character-the-life-of-any-party
https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-useful-utility-spells/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tiQhvcGgyg
1. Think of the character's identity.
Do archetypes lean more into having special perks than others and if it fits make it exclusive to that archetype. Don't overlap designs and uses, stay true to unique design, meaningful choices, risk vs reward, etc. You have your design and style guidelines for that. The physical archetypes complement the magical ones and each individual should fill a special role in a party.
2. Decide the core mechanics.
You want the players to experience obstacles, multiple times, in many different forms and all over Verra.
The rarity of items and rewards can not only be scaled by drop chance, that's boring.
Limited availability through a need for utility, scarcity achieved because you were not prepared for the world to deny you access to those things and even the knowledge about them...
You have to work for it and not only in training your combat abilities and studying the meta... no you have to have social skills to build a circle of many individuals to always take with you for your adventures. You have to communicate with each other to share the knowledge you gain with your special utility skills and where to use them, in which order, at what specific time, and whatever is the best way to make it harder for players to achieve their goals in the world.
3. Gather every single idea you can from the community and all the other games, literature, and media sources filter the most interesting and fun ones out, compare them with each other, and continue to make more and more iterations. Gather more feedback from us, you don't show not even talk much about utility skills in livestreams, and when you do it's mostly about the few we already know. It's a give-and-take kinda thing at some point just keep that in mind.
I.E.:
- Fighters use strength-related, physical skills to overcome obstacles, by sheer power.
- Tanks use protection-related skills against physical threads and can detect them easily.
- Rogues can detect and manipulate any type of physical traps and constructs.
- Rangers track down anything by detecting physical hints and their knowledge about the environment.
- Mages can see through magically hidden secrets and illusions and dispel them.
- Summoners can call specialized summons to imitate every single utility but only to a certain degree.
- Clerics ward against magical hazards and can cleanse them.
- Bards can use the power of their voice to unveil lore and history of many places in an ever-changing world.
the one in the picture from Albion Online. Wher a tank or 2 can pop that ability to reflect dmg and give huge defensive bonuses to their team but if its used by only 1 player in a group he dies instantly so they need to be stacked with other defensives to make it tactical to use.
Also like the idea of large "vacuum" effects on tanks to group enemy zergs that are stacked to wipe them quickly. it forces groups to split up and punishes deathballs but can still be counterd with quick defensive CDs like the reflect skill.
Skills like theese makes Large group fights more fun and actually winnable by smaller groups so its not all about numbers. Like tactical defensive/offensive skills that really makes a huge diffrence Like this 1 also:
So that u can force ur group trough small spaces if you do it tactically without being slowed/stunned 4ever.
Requiring certain utility for specific situations:
I think this can be fine. As long as one class isn't overly required in many situations. Trading/economy can happen because of this (selling your ability to open doors), and if a certain situation needs a fix an item/side quest/alternate route can be added.
Try to avoid classes being the de facto best at certain professions. I'm more thinking of things like rangers or summoners having some utility with animals that makes them clearly better at animal husbandry or a fighters being better at using a hammer and are the best blacksmiths.
Plenty of them can be minor things that aren't game changing but are just nice to haves. I'm sure some can be racials instead of class specific. Most of these are going to be melee since that's what I tend to play. Magic uses are magic and I'm sure can be made to do almost anything:
Night vision/see better in dark - Ranger/rogue
Slight move speed increase - Ranger/rogue/fighter
Feather fall - Rogues
Longer breath - Fighters?
Jump a little higher
Random ideas:
Fighter/tank - Carry an ally. Fighter can't do anything except move. Ally can still channel things. Maybe act?
Bard - plenty of song ideas, can increase potency if they are actively channeled instead of passive/aura: Increase cast time/silence, Mana regen, movement speed, soothe/reduce aggro radius. Many of these could go to priest/mage/etc
Active utilities:
For siege warfare I think it would be way more interesting to have class utility abilities that lead to various different strategies and plays/counter plays. Ideally if one side knows exactly what the other side is doing, they should be able to have an effective counter to it, more from utility instead of zerging/raw numbers.
Example is rogues stealthing into a castle, getting to a short wall and having an ability to lower a rope. Or has to work with another class. One can have an ability that pulls themselves to another party member, or a ranger can shoot a grapple, but needs another player to 'attach it' (the rogue), or a summoner can have a group channel ability that summons them and the channelers to a target party member (30yd range or something). Essentially a way for a group of attackers to enter the castle at an unexpected location that requires some setup/coordination. The defending team can prioritize rangers dropping flares, or mages having detection fields at certain entrances. Or look out for summoners doing a 5 second channel and interrupt them. Individually each ability may seem simple, but allow the players to find clever ways to use them.
Or if there's a wall/door that needs to be busted down, certain classes can do more 'siege damage'. Another class, (priest/mage/bard?) has immobile defensive shell type ability. It can require a large cast time, or consumes a lot of mana and when mana is depleted the bubble goes away. If the bubble drains mana when attacked, then defenders can still break it, or do things that drain the mana of the bubbler. The attacking team can have a class that has mana regen abilities to help restore mana, or dispellers to remove mana drain debuffs, etc.
The bubble could be a group channel, up to X allies helping. They make the bubble stronger, but can't do anything else, if any one of them breaks the channel, the whole thing stops. Simple things can lead to various strategies and counter strategies.
Ice Wall - Creates a long wall of ice that causes line of sight loss through it. Can be targeted and destroyed.
Smoke Bomb - Creates a small cloud of smoke around the rogue that causes line of sight loss to targets within the cloud. Lasts a short duration and then dissipates.
Mass Invisibility - Instantly cloaks your entire raid in arcane invisibility for a few seconds. Breaks on damage.
Shroud of Concealment - Casts a large area around the rogue in shadow, stealthing allies within it for 20-30 seconds~. The area moves with the rogue. Breaks on combat/damage.
Demonic Gateway - Creates a demonic gateway between two locations. Activating the gateway transports the user to the other gateway. Anyone in your raid can use the gateway on a cooldown.
Shadow Rift - Conjure a Shadow Rift at the target location lasting 2 sec. Enemy players within the rift when it expires are teleported to your Demonic Circle. Must be within 40 yds of your Demonic Circle to cast. (This lets you relocate enemy players caught in the rift to a location you have preset.)
Ursol's Vortex - Conjures a vortex of wind for 10 sec at the destination, reducing the movement speed of all enemies within 8 yards by 50%. The first time an enemy attempts to leave the vortex, winds will pull that enemy back to its center.
Mass Sprint - Any ability that grants your entire raid extra movement speed.
These abilities have lead to awesome tide turning victories in battle over the years by bringing utility impact to a fight in a large scale way. These abilities manipulate Line of Sight, positioning, mobility, and visibility on the raid wide scale. Utility abilities that serve this raid wide function in Ashes would be awesome!
An ability suggestion along these lines of my own design that I think would be cool is:
"Rolling Rock" (wip name lol) - Conjures a large rock that rolls in a straight line a long distance and tramples players causing stun/knockdown/or knockback until it reaches the end of its range or hits a terrain obstacle. I think this rock could be large enough to cause Line of Sight as well, to add an extra feature of utility. This ability would impact positioning and line of sight on a large scale, fitting in this category. (I also thought it would be cool if this was one of those spells that could be group cast by multiple people to conjure a HUGE rolling rock. This group cast being mentioned by Steven in the past.)
Rogue- Lock pick to get into areas of a dungeon or a mage/bard with Knock
Enchanter Charm to have an NPC to open a door for you or befriend them to tell you about an area or a treasure.
Warrior intimidate to force a barkeep to tell you about a thief's den in the area etc.
Rangers tracking Beast/ Humans or speaking with animals to get into a grove.
I like the idea of gate-locking some areas to have specific classes to access them. It brings life to classes and makes it feel special to the class.
Just my 2 cents
I absolutely 100% agree on gliding. To everyone that dont now whats ment with gliding for pvp i strongly encourage you to watch the Archeage DontWorry Guildmovie. It shows exactly why gliding needs to be in this game it allows for such incredibly cool pvp moments that i dont want to miss as a hardcore pvp player. Id just switch the glider for gliding mounts as it is cooler in my opinion.https://youtube.com/watch?v=JfxLtTfwVZg&t=188s&ab_channel=Arcakil
Combat, Social, Exploration & Travel, Craft, or just pure Fun etc..
Aim to be fun and useful for the team as well.
Examples:
-- summoning a magic mirror that acts as a pair of binoculars to see things in the distance
-- soft manipulation of the weather or micro-environment with rain dancing, such as a less foggy or stronger winds when sailing
-- tracking to find players in the game (not the exact location just a wider area, for bounty hunters)
-- lockpicking for special dungeons, chests to help party to get additional loots
-- summoning light for temporarily darker places (e.g. caves at night, etc.)
-- improving endurance in running and swimming
-- use of hunting and combat horns for sound signals (before a fight or against a mob)
-- the ability to "soft cheat" in some tavern games without upsetting the balance
Rogues can unlock chests or doors
Rangers detect traps, could be trapped pitfall (that drop u into a harder part of the dungeon) or wall traps and so on
Priests can dispel magical walls
Summoners can create bridges to area you normally can get to
Bard can get some kinda of musical related puzzles
and so on not all dungeons need every kinda required skill however there should be muiltipul paths and hidden area that can only be access via a certain class skill
Also they shouldnt all be obvious there a secret there for example a wall could look identical and you never know there a despellable wall there unless u just happen to decide im gonna despel this spot and bam hidden passage. Games need more secrets in them