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Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest news on Alpha Two.
Check out general Announcements here to see the latest news on Ashes of Creation & Intrepid Studios.
To get the quickest updates regarding Alpha Two, connect your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Comments
Basically like the Mesmer portal spell in GW2
✓ Occasional Roleplayer
✓ Kinda starting to look for a Guild right now. (German)
First I will start by saying that I think that the VFXs are not as important as the gameplay of the class itself. That said I think the effects are okay, nothing too pleasing or interesting looking but also not cluttering the screen. For example, Dragons Dogma 2 has some great VFX for spells (especially the ice one don't remember the name right now), but if the Effects get too large scale and too dense that can make it nearly impossible to navigate the game in large battles. I am not saying that there shouldn't be maybe some spells that obscure vision but I am not sure if all the spells should have complex and large VFX structures.
SPELLS/ABILITIES
Yeah, I think the sleep spell looks boring and the animation lock makes it a spell I am not sure if I would want to use it because it locks you in place for so so long which I think many games do to mages, they give them some spells and than Anker them in place but I don't get why, it makes sense for big dmg AOE spells but other than that I believe you should never lock a player in place for anything it just takes away from interactions and makes the fighting less fun, more stagnant and overall very annoying. Maybe it could be made so that there is a stat that allows you to move faster when casting or makes it so that at a certain point you are not locked in place anymore. I saw someone talk about a concentration stat, which could be utilized for this. This could also help with progressing in the class, as a beginner you still have to heavily focus on spells to cast them, but after some time you get so used to using it in battle that moving at regular speeds while casting is not impossible.
You could also tie in a proficiency with skills, that the more you use them the easier it is to cast them in certain situations or something like that.
Another thing is I am not sure if Blizard should be a hold skill if it does not cc (soft to hard cc like at first it does not slow, then a slightly slow, and if the enemy does not get out of its range it gets slower and slower until the enemy gets frozen) enemies, I think it also would be better if you cast it and it just stayed in that place where you casted it. I also would love to see some other group defensive spells like a a wall of ice that blocks a certain amount of damage in that direction or something like that.
I also love the spells: Arcane Eye, Blink (Can still be improved but I think that should be part of augments or the 2nd Class) and Arcane Volley looked interesting.
COMBOS
Next up is the combo system it is just boring, of course it is nice that you can deal a bit more damage by switching elements but what if you just want to use one element? You get nothing...
At least for now, I think we know of no upsides to specializing in just one element which makes it look like you either go with multiple elements or you are worse off, which is not what I think it should be.
On another note, I would have loved elemental interactions more if they also had overworld effects and spells/projectiles could collide, for example, there is the potential Magma Field spell, now someone casts Blizzard while in it, it would be cool if it would create steam, and I also think it would have been more interesting if you could combine different elements with spells, like how it works in Magicka 2. Combo and combinations of spells should be a complex science that every mage should explore.
Equipment
Equipment is something interesting because I think the game that did this best was Noita with its staff system, something like that would be cool to have for mages where they can engrave maybe runes or use certain materials to make equipment do different things.
CONCLUSIONS
I think my main point is versatility and mobility, using combos for creating more new and complex spells instead of just a status effect is what I think would be way cooler. Of course, it is not without its problems but I think there is a healthy middle ground that can be reached.
In the end, I will have to wait and see how the combat in AOC feels to say if I like the mage overall but just from the showcases it doesn't look right to me.
No matter how many games I play that have a mage type class, my favourite CC will always be the polymorph
It is interesting how each DPS class has their own stance/form mechanic. For the mage it is the elements they are throwing out, for the ranger its marks/hunts, and the fighter it is forms. It makes me wonder if ever DPS class will have a stance mechanic and they must know when each stance is most useful.
It definitely is a fun cc
I think BDO has it right, between Wizard/Witch, and the Base sorceress job.
Good mobility with blinks, teleports.
Fast casting spammable mid damage spells that must be aimed
Slow casting, mega spells that can be comboed into sometimes for faster casts
A High risk, High reward melee range ability.
Self heals for sustainable farming, and if you escape you can slowly heal up, and regenerate your HP/MP while dodging/keeping distance to reset encounter.
TLDR: High APM job, lower on defenses, however has the ability to kite, escape, reset from any situation that isnt a one shot or stunlock, so long as the player has a strong knowledge of the enemy.
What do I specifically not want?
A stationary, high damage glass canon, with no mobility or tools to respond to situations with.
I think Mage and Rogue will be the most interested Classes of Tester in Alpha Two, next to Clerics and Bards.
Fighter and Tank are awesome, but i think they are already kinda known by now. Hunter as well. Summoner will be the secret Gift that doesn't keep giving until the last Weeks before Alpha Two or first in Alpha Two in the first place.
✓ Occasional Roleplayer
✓ Kinda starting to look for a Guild right now. (German)