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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
that's too op
Agreed.
✓ Occasional Roleplayer
✓ Maybe i look after a Guild sometime soon
1. Visual variety that thematically seems logical for pets. I don't expect to have same pets as starter summoner vs someone with augments.
2. Variety in mechanics and number of summons available depending on how you build your class. Do you want one powerful pet or a swarm of them and anything in between.
3. Full control over pet abilities with autocast toggle for certain abilities.
4. An option to slot pets ability on your tab.
5.Players with Summoner as primary archetype should have permanent pets, while the ones with secondary should have timed ones.
6. Shaman (Cleric/Summoner) should have variety of stationary totems based on elements.
7. Each school of summoner magic should have its own thematically picked color. As an example, I expect Necromancer spells and pets to be dark green, while Shadowmancer, for example, should be Black/Dark purple.
Timed pets should be their thing with variety of durations based on their class picks. Imagine Bladecaller with a small chance of spawning 5-10 seconds spirit weapons with each hit. Or something along the lines of Spiritual Weapon from DnD....
Off topic: God, I hate class names based on 1 weapon. What if you are Bladecaller that wields hammer. A bit silly isn't it?
Historically this is what games have the most trouble with making pet classes feel good. Both to play against and to play as.
Ensuring the summons feel meaningful is also done through balancing damage/power between the pet and the master. The difference between a 25/75 or 50/50 split vs 75/25 or more in the masters favor makes the pets feel more just like an additional ability instead of apart of the class.
I'd like them to give the summoner a LOT of control to micro their pet as a form of skill expression.
I posted about class names recently and tried to think of some improved names, I was not able to come up with anything which sounded better for a summoner who summons magical weapons. If you can come up with something plz post it in the Class names thread.
First, let's talk about some of the summoning methods.
Here are some suggestions on how to utilize the above summoning methods.
AI controlled summons should have AI stances
There should also be a command and control interface that lets you track and issue order to your summons.
Summon roles with example abilities.
To sum it up, I think a summoner needs to focus on summon mechanics, pacts and interacting with summons. It should deal most of its damage using the summons and should have some summon focused CC abilities (disabling, unsummoning, controlling enemy summons). It should also have some counters against this (warding the summons against control or unsummon).
They should be able to do most of the other classes roles but only through their summons, so if they want to be good at it they need an amazing summon fully upgraded and the talents set up so they can handle the role.
Because they are so versatile they should be a great solo focused class if built in that in mind.
They are also the guy who plays a third person RTS in an MMO.
Here are my concerns and thoughts on the subject:
Permanent Summons
I strongly hope that summons (at least some of them) will be permanent. If someone on the team decides to make summons temporary, that would be a very, very bad direction. We need to ask: how would such gameplay differ from a regular mage applying DOTs? For instance, what’s the real difference between 6 crows dealing small damage x6 to a mob and disappearing after 30 seconds, versus 6 stacks of poison or bleed? The only difference is visual. That’s why I deeply believe that non-time-limited summons are the only viable approach for this class.
Summon AI
A summon is an ‘extension’ of the summoner, and its range of control should be slightly greater for a simple reason: you're fighting an archer with a range of, say, 30m. Your summon also has a 30m range. The archer shoots and dodges—standard action—but your summon, instead of chasing them, retreats because it's out of range. There needs to be a thoughtful ‘chase’ AI, not too far, not too close, but balanced to address such scenarios.
Summon as a 'Party Member'
This may sound misleading, but I don’t mean the summon should appear in the party interface. However, group buffs should apply to the summon in the same way they apply to the summoner. Additionally, an option to show the summon (in a simplified form) on the party list—for healing, for instance—wouldn’t hurt.
Beyond Summons
A summoner’s skill set shouldn’t only revolve around summons. Supporting skills for the summons, DOTs, or other utility abilities should be part of the summoner’s arsenal.
Summon Progression
Summon progression alongside the character seems obvious but isn’t always the case. In my opinion, this approach eliminates the unnecessary creation of strange additional summons that replace rather than complement the summoner's arsenal. Summons becoming stronger as the summoner levels up makes sense. Occasionally, you could add a new summon or transform an existing one, but this should be done sparingly.
Number of Summons
The number of active summons should be capped at 3–4 maximum. In my opinion, the optimal number is 1–3. Conan Unconquered handled this well by introducing a "summoning points" system, where stronger summons consumed more points. A similar system exists in Path of Exile II—this is an ideal solution.
Summoner as a Jack of All Trades
The summoner should be able to fill any role but not fully replace any. For instance, a summon can tank—but not like a Tank class. A summon can heal—but not like a dedicated healer. A summon can buff—but not like a Bard. In other words, the summoner can be a flexible "all-rounder" in a party but should never fully replace any single class. That’s just my opinion.
Final Thoughts:
Please try to add the Rogue and Summoner classes as soon as possible so that we can thoroughly test them. Currently, I’m playing a Healer and Bard, and I’m thrilled with how well-balanced the gameplay is. Of course, it’s not ‘perfect,’ but it never will be."
One Hundred Thousand Trillion Percent agreed here.
Part of my Dream as a Necromancer-style Summoner in Ashes of Creation is partially and mainly to being able to walk around proudly,
surrounded by my undead Minions. You know ? RRREALLY showing off that i am - indeed a Summoner. And indeed one of these outrageous Necromancers, who dare to "desecrate the Dead" and make them do my bidding.
For that to happen - > i need my Skelebro- and/or Zombi-Summons being able to walk around me with an unlimited Time. It would be beyond annoying for normal-People Limits of Patience if i would have to constantly summon them only to have them around when they don't even fight something.
And EVEN BETTER -> my Number One wish for me while i am not in Combat for me is : being able to freely station them nearby me wherever i please. Like a Hunter/Ranger can do with it's Pet in World of Warcraft.
THAT - > and all my ideal Conditions for Roleplay and Style for me would be met.
I dream of being either a Freehold-Owner one Day, or at least part of a "Family" of One - and then being able to be on that Freehold -> and have my "undead Minions" stylishly stand around as if they would be undead Workers on that farm. (Freehold)
You could imagine the burning Envy inside me when i saw that Bard Showcase at the " Daragal Estates " - and the Fantasy which i hope to make a Truth since around September 2023 was dangling in front of me like a Carrot on a Stick making a Mockery of me.
STOP IT !!!! x'D Stop involuntarily ripping my Fantasy off even Years before i have even a Chance to try and make them a Reality in the Game. x'D hahahahah.
Exactly also my own Point. But i admit You listed all my Points and your own in a way better and visually more easy-going way in your Comment.
I also wish for that.
That i can choose if One of my Three Summons is :
- a Damage Dealer
- a Tank
- a Buffer
- a Healer
Or maybe all Three of them heal a bit ? Or buff a bit ? Or tank a bit ? Or make a bit of Damage ?
Same as important as having your Summons around all the time until You WILLINGLY choose to dismiss them for the time being.
✓ Occasional Roleplayer
✓ Maybe i look after a Guild sometime soon
Summoner wishes I’m hoping for include, choosing your Summon genre or Spec so example:
- Demonic style summons 😈
- Normal Wildlife summons 🐺
- Undead summons 💀
- Mystical creature summons 🦄
- Humanoid summons 🧟♂️
Whether each summons has a different stat/effect or ability, or whether the summon spells are the same and you are purely choosing its cosmetic look, still would cool either way.
Also having the ability to either have 1 permanent pet, or summon multiple but at limited duration, so depending on what Talent tree path you take will determine this.
You "can place" - your Pet somewhere, as a Hunter. You can set it so that it walks/runs to a certain Place and remains there until you are either out of (Render) Sight, or until either unsummoning, attacking, fleeing, or coming back to the Hunter OR the Hunter's Death end that State.
For me who wants to also do Roleplay - > i hope for Sir Steven and his mighty Crew that the Three Summons one can have as a Summoner,
will be permanently summoned like a Hunter's Pet -> plus also being able to be stationed somewhere near on their own Spots, individually - and as long as the Summoner wants.
This has to do nothing with any kind of Combat Power or Class Balance. This is simply for personal Freedom, optic Freedom - and Choice.
✓ Occasional Roleplayer
✓ Maybe i look after a Guild sometime soon
I will probably never play one but, my number one would be good AI or at least responsive AI controlled minions, as with PvE mobs minions are in certain cases very easily exploited with things like pathing for example jumping up and down a cliff so that the minions have to run the long way around.
Pathing also leads to minions doing stupid things like agroing mobs that the player and it's target was nowhere near just because of a terrain issue. (obviously since it is not in this game yet I can only go by what I have seen in previous games)
Secondly I would say a more active play style than just watching your minions attack stuff, make controlling the minions, maybe make controlling/buffing/debuffing and personal damage important too.
Good controls, this one is hard especially since I do not like controlling multiple things already (and why I won't be playing summoner) but when a pet is unresponsive or hard to control it just feels bad.
1 melee dps and 1 tank). Possibly more with some interesting mix. Only 1 summon would be active at time but1 summon could consist of multiple creatures, eg. Skeletal Horde with 10 skeletons that hit relatively weak and die easily but there are many of them and they would be fast and cheap to resummon. Or a Demon Warband with 2 melee fighters, an archer and a mage.
Most of Summoner's own skills would target the pet instead of the enemies and make the pets fight more efficiently. A few protective skills for you/you-and-the-pet together to make sure the enemy cant just ignore the pet and one-shot the summoner. Maybe 1 or 2 direct damage skills and CC that summoner can use on opponent while pet requires no attention or has been killed (eg a DoT, a weak spammable attack and a root).
Most of the game play would be commanding the pet to move, use attacks and buffs. If pet has multiple bodies each body should also be possible to be given individual commands, eg guard/patrol an area and attack anything that enters. In case of tank you'd be collecting enemies with the summon and the summoner is buffing and healing the pet - basically working more like an extra healer.
Also, what do you guys think will make the Conjurer special (other than probably being the last class to enter the game)?
Tell me your CONJURER wishlist plz.