Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
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.
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.
Fighter Feedback, A2 2nd weekend
Fireguard
Member, Alpha Two
This post is to go over my experiences and feedback playing 1-20 this weekend on Fighter. I won't be going over any bugs, but I am going to cover balance knowing its a WIP. I won't really go into specific gear drops either.
Skill Tree
- Mandatory skills.
I don't like the current implementation of the skill trees. What fighter isn't going to take Blitz? Is Rupture even optional? etc. Right now you can take everything 'needed', so it doesn't feel like much choice is involved.
- Skills> auto attacks.
If you can take a skill that does damage you should. Use as many skills as possible while being able to auto enough for bezerk to always be active.
Passives
- Reinvigorating Lethal Blow and Consuming Lethal Blow.
Very cool skills, imo they should give the refund if the target dies within the next 3-5 seconds instead. Unusable in a raid and nearly impossible in a party.
- Whirlwind: Overdrive
I like this, but what if I am hitting 4 targets? You end up pressing WW, then walking away from your keyboard as it lasts forever. IMO the cost per second and DPS should increase (up to a cap of 2x?). Might be exploited but IDK, I would like to see this changed.
- Meditative Form of Fluidity
At lvl 12, with Blood infusion, mana isn't really a problem. IDK about prolonged PVP where you can't maximize blood infusion, but this skill is not worth it ever. If you pick Form of Fluidity, it is because you want to not be CC'd, while providing constant Shaken for your team. Mana doesn't go with that concept. (Yes I know the skill is blue, ha ha).
- Unyielding Berserk
Do not put one time use CC breaks with damaging skills.
- Reinvigorating Berserk
IDK I didn't like this one. I also don't know if I like the Savagery and Brutality but I guess?
Skills
- Blitz
Doesn't always put you on the target. I don't like that mobs with frontal skills hit things directly under them so this has caused pain and some deaths. I like jumping in the air before I use the skill
- Overpower and Brutal Cleave
Fantastic combo choice. Will discuss aoe hitboxes later.
- Crippling Blow
Mandatory PVP cc option. Also the only interrupt other than sleep we have for pve. Reliant on staggered and consuming it doesn't feel fantastic all the time. Will discuss debuff clarity later.
- Lethal Blow
This is an execute type of skill. But its mana efficient for targets at full HP ish. I'd reduce the base dmg at full hp, and increase when below 50% hp or something. The 'Big Execute' skill hits as hard as most of the skills in the tree.
- Whirlwind
Feels mandatory to use form of Fury with this one due to how fast it ticks. I also feel sad when a tick gets missed by server lag so the number starts over. It is fun seeing numbers over 8000 pop up. If I accidentally hold down the skill when I press it I have to keep holding it or it will end early. I've also double pressed this skill many times and canceled after the first tick. If you can add a .5s window where you can't cancel when started? Otherwise with climactic whirlwind, it becomes a Brutal cleave for 10 more mana without the momentum bonus.
- Rupture
Mathematically the best skill. Quick and great.
- Maim
Only request - I would like for this skill to pause character momentum. If I jump in the air and use maim, I want to hover there for a bit. Or use it like a pause when dropping off a high place? The Slicing maim is weird in that it also hits targets hit by the first maim but, good for us I guess.
- Wallop
Never even tried the skill. People I talk to who have said its very underwhelming and not worth it. Will explain more in the stances section.
- Battle Cry
Mana expensive momentum generator is what I used it fore. NPC's don't use disable, and weakened is neat I guess. Range of the skill would be nice to see.
- Knock Out
Good in a tactical sense but, basically everything in this game is some kind of AOE so yeah.
- Cataclysm
Frozen and chilled synergy is too low to matter. SFX has no diminishing based on distance? Feels weird to use a 'mid' skill that also roots you. The staggered, shaken, and tripped AOE stuff is cool but those effects are almost constantly up so it doesn't feel like you are doing a wombo synergy with your team.
- Leap Strike
This needs to be a quick cast skill, or the option to. The movement does not feel good.
- Berserk
I feel like if it wasn't for the CC break this would be a PVE only skill. Being at 50%+ momentum gives you so many options and the risk of self-draining doesn't feel worth it. It is also weird how blood infusion can be cast during other skills, but I have to pre-cast berserk before using cataclysm. IMO this should have 10% movespeed baked in to feel better. Maybe have Reinvigorating berserk give 5-20% based on momentum?
- Lunging Assault
Very cool, didn't play with it long. Basically a way to slow people and keep in range for pvp. TTK and other balancing doesn't make this great yet until people learn how to play more.
Overall the skills are great but Cataclysm, maim, and rupture kind of fall in the category of 'always cast'. Targets are always bleeding, 70% extra to tripped targets is nice for maim but an auto attack isn't that much, and Cataclysm is weird with the root in how the targets already have those debuffs, etc. For PVE I end up going 1,2,3 and casting them all in a row with appropriate synergies happening at least. PVP you can try to wombo with rupture, but the other two are 'do damage' if in a cool way.
FORMS
I actually did not try all the forms but talked a lot with people who have.
- Form of Fluidity - Apply Shaken and get disable resistance. Chances are they have shaken on them or will soon from your longbow. Can guarentee trips but using a form just for 1 skill to trip?
- Form of Celerity - I think this one has potential. TTK is too fast for PVP so you can't like 'work your way around' the battlefield with appropriate momentum stuff. Movespeed doesn't help with the large number and long roots, or point and click dps.
-Form of Ferocity.
Overpower and Brutal cleave apply bleeding to targets hit. So your main skills you press do a little more than a multiplicative 50% more damage. (90% weapon damage). This also works for each target from Brutal cleave for AOE. You also get more attack speed, which gives you more momentum and damage. The more momentum gives you more berserk uptime, and more mobility + dps spending options. It also counts per tick of whirlwind. This form is like 2x stronger than the other two. Nobody is stance dancing. The other forms only really have a pvp use, while this one is universal.
- AOE
The verticality of skill impacts needs to get looked at. You miss cataclysm often on mobs on slopes. Brutal cleave can't hit targets too far lower than you, but WW can. Auto attacks can hit further than your melee skills can (Overpower). Its weird
- Weapon Skill Trees
Honestly too confusing to go into. Finishers, and deadly finishers? Extended effect, stacking buffs for increased effect of finishers...
I love weaving auto attacks or waiting until the 3rd hit before using a skill. But idk what I am looking at with these intricacies. Is there really a reason why there are 3 points in every effect? Going from 1% to 2% to 3% because you gained 3 weapon levels isn't really game changing. People are just going to pick whats meta and move on.
- PVE
You really don't want to be solo if you can help it. Being in melee = mobs hit you. Ideally you want to be ranged and kite around, since your auto attacks do about as much as your skills, at least early on with your bow. Even later on you are stuck being bow boy while the marauder uses whirlwind for 4s with no windup time before you take damage. I don't like that mobs slowly walk up to tanks over a fight until they are stacked .1m on top of the tank. While I try to play at max melee range constantly. Hopefully we get some mechanics where its 'Its nice to be melee for a change so I don't have to deal with that.' It sucks not having an interrupt other than sleep and tripped. The trip being RNG if someone has randomly procced stagger before the 1s cast timer. Also you can't Trip if you are in the middle of a skill so RIP friend, you died to RNG. Ideally I don't want to be doing nothing but auto attack so I can be ready to interrupt at any time. Brutal cleave aoe is great, but WW starts to eat your world when there are 4+ mobs. Not that you can stay in melee too long with with that many usually due to some fire ring, fire cone, marauder spin, shaman poison circle, flayer cleave attack, berserker spin, etc. Shamans shouldn't throw poison if their target is in melee range imo.
- PVP
I did not get to do much of this. It would be nice if there was dueling so I could practice playing one of the most important aspects. I am fine with the 'statcheck' of levels / gear are currently. In a raid composition, people are grouped in a lose mage ball. Pulling in targets to pop. This leaves most fighters to be 95% bow-boys. With a not so great chance of escaping unless the enemy is distracted. I'd like tanks to have an option to punish clumping so people spread out more. Making it more likely for melee to live on an engage. Even 8s would be long enough. Blood infusion is too sketchy to risk your life on
Debuffs and Buffs
- These need more clarity.
I am a fighter, IDC about dazed. I really really care about staggered and Hemmorage. Allow us to resize buffs and debuffs that are important. I want to know if I am 'unkillable' for 10s from the cleric Divine intervention.
Ground clarity also needs work. Marauder WW too hard to see. FireStarter flame circle AOE too hard to see. Firestarter fire ball too hard to see. Sniper's "KILL SHOT" too hard to see, its just a red line. Goblin Shaman poison balls aren't always visible in the air + travel too fast. The green smoke cloud just appears sometimes. Flayer's cleave ability is too fast sometimes. You should see a shield on your HP bar if you have Temporary Health.
Overall:
I like fighter a lot. We will see how the skills and meta refine around raids and what new PVE options open up. My current complaint is that you self-synergize with everything. Wounds, stagger, bleeds. The only external input I notice is bard mana so I have to blood infusion less (its optional). And heals from unavoidable melee aoe skill damage the NPCs seem to love. I never go - Oh look he is frozen, time for the big Cataclysm hit. I am not in love with the class yet but its solid and definitely something I can main.
Skill Tree
- Mandatory skills.
I don't like the current implementation of the skill trees. What fighter isn't going to take Blitz? Is Rupture even optional? etc. Right now you can take everything 'needed', so it doesn't feel like much choice is involved.
- Skills> auto attacks.
If you can take a skill that does damage you should. Use as many skills as possible while being able to auto enough for bezerk to always be active.
Passives
- Reinvigorating Lethal Blow and Consuming Lethal Blow.
Very cool skills, imo they should give the refund if the target dies within the next 3-5 seconds instead. Unusable in a raid and nearly impossible in a party.
- Whirlwind: Overdrive
I like this, but what if I am hitting 4 targets? You end up pressing WW, then walking away from your keyboard as it lasts forever. IMO the cost per second and DPS should increase (up to a cap of 2x?). Might be exploited but IDK, I would like to see this changed.
- Meditative Form of Fluidity
At lvl 12, with Blood infusion, mana isn't really a problem. IDK about prolonged PVP where you can't maximize blood infusion, but this skill is not worth it ever. If you pick Form of Fluidity, it is because you want to not be CC'd, while providing constant Shaken for your team. Mana doesn't go with that concept. (Yes I know the skill is blue, ha ha).
- Unyielding Berserk
Do not put one time use CC breaks with damaging skills.
- Reinvigorating Berserk
IDK I didn't like this one. I also don't know if I like the Savagery and Brutality but I guess?
Skills
- Blitz
Doesn't always put you on the target. I don't like that mobs with frontal skills hit things directly under them so this has caused pain and some deaths. I like jumping in the air before I use the skill
- Overpower and Brutal Cleave
Fantastic combo choice. Will discuss aoe hitboxes later.
- Crippling Blow
Mandatory PVP cc option. Also the only interrupt other than sleep we have for pve. Reliant on staggered and consuming it doesn't feel fantastic all the time. Will discuss debuff clarity later.
- Lethal Blow
This is an execute type of skill. But its mana efficient for targets at full HP ish. I'd reduce the base dmg at full hp, and increase when below 50% hp or something. The 'Big Execute' skill hits as hard as most of the skills in the tree.
- Whirlwind
Feels mandatory to use form of Fury with this one due to how fast it ticks. I also feel sad when a tick gets missed by server lag so the number starts over. It is fun seeing numbers over 8000 pop up. If I accidentally hold down the skill when I press it I have to keep holding it or it will end early. I've also double pressed this skill many times and canceled after the first tick. If you can add a .5s window where you can't cancel when started? Otherwise with climactic whirlwind, it becomes a Brutal cleave for 10 more mana without the momentum bonus.
- Rupture
Mathematically the best skill. Quick and great.
- Maim
Only request - I would like for this skill to pause character momentum. If I jump in the air and use maim, I want to hover there for a bit. Or use it like a pause when dropping off a high place? The Slicing maim is weird in that it also hits targets hit by the first maim but, good for us I guess.
- Wallop
Never even tried the skill. People I talk to who have said its very underwhelming and not worth it. Will explain more in the stances section.
- Battle Cry
Mana expensive momentum generator is what I used it fore. NPC's don't use disable, and weakened is neat I guess. Range of the skill would be nice to see.
- Knock Out
Good in a tactical sense but, basically everything in this game is some kind of AOE so yeah.
- Cataclysm
Frozen and chilled synergy is too low to matter. SFX has no diminishing based on distance? Feels weird to use a 'mid' skill that also roots you. The staggered, shaken, and tripped AOE stuff is cool but those effects are almost constantly up so it doesn't feel like you are doing a wombo synergy with your team.
- Leap Strike
This needs to be a quick cast skill, or the option to. The movement does not feel good.
- Berserk
I feel like if it wasn't for the CC break this would be a PVE only skill. Being at 50%+ momentum gives you so many options and the risk of self-draining doesn't feel worth it. It is also weird how blood infusion can be cast during other skills, but I have to pre-cast berserk before using cataclysm. IMO this should have 10% movespeed baked in to feel better. Maybe have Reinvigorating berserk give 5-20% based on momentum?
- Lunging Assault
Very cool, didn't play with it long. Basically a way to slow people and keep in range for pvp. TTK and other balancing doesn't make this great yet until people learn how to play more.
Overall the skills are great but Cataclysm, maim, and rupture kind of fall in the category of 'always cast'. Targets are always bleeding, 70% extra to tripped targets is nice for maim but an auto attack isn't that much, and Cataclysm is weird with the root in how the targets already have those debuffs, etc. For PVE I end up going 1,2,3 and casting them all in a row with appropriate synergies happening at least. PVP you can try to wombo with rupture, but the other two are 'do damage' if in a cool way.
FORMS
I actually did not try all the forms but talked a lot with people who have.
- Form of Fluidity - Apply Shaken and get disable resistance. Chances are they have shaken on them or will soon from your longbow. Can guarentee trips but using a form just for 1 skill to trip?
- Form of Celerity - I think this one has potential. TTK is too fast for PVP so you can't like 'work your way around' the battlefield with appropriate momentum stuff. Movespeed doesn't help with the large number and long roots, or point and click dps.
-Form of Ferocity.
Overpower and Brutal cleave apply bleeding to targets hit. So your main skills you press do a little more than a multiplicative 50% more damage. (90% weapon damage). This also works for each target from Brutal cleave for AOE. You also get more attack speed, which gives you more momentum and damage. The more momentum gives you more berserk uptime, and more mobility + dps spending options. It also counts per tick of whirlwind. This form is like 2x stronger than the other two. Nobody is stance dancing. The other forms only really have a pvp use, while this one is universal.
- AOE
The verticality of skill impacts needs to get looked at. You miss cataclysm often on mobs on slopes. Brutal cleave can't hit targets too far lower than you, but WW can. Auto attacks can hit further than your melee skills can (Overpower). Its weird
- Weapon Skill Trees
Honestly too confusing to go into. Finishers, and deadly finishers? Extended effect, stacking buffs for increased effect of finishers...
I love weaving auto attacks or waiting until the 3rd hit before using a skill. But idk what I am looking at with these intricacies. Is there really a reason why there are 3 points in every effect? Going from 1% to 2% to 3% because you gained 3 weapon levels isn't really game changing. People are just going to pick whats meta and move on.
- PVE
You really don't want to be solo if you can help it. Being in melee = mobs hit you. Ideally you want to be ranged and kite around, since your auto attacks do about as much as your skills, at least early on with your bow. Even later on you are stuck being bow boy while the marauder uses whirlwind for 4s with no windup time before you take damage. I don't like that mobs slowly walk up to tanks over a fight until they are stacked .1m on top of the tank. While I try to play at max melee range constantly. Hopefully we get some mechanics where its 'Its nice to be melee for a change so I don't have to deal with that.' It sucks not having an interrupt other than sleep and tripped. The trip being RNG if someone has randomly procced stagger before the 1s cast timer. Also you can't Trip if you are in the middle of a skill so RIP friend, you died to RNG. Ideally I don't want to be doing nothing but auto attack so I can be ready to interrupt at any time. Brutal cleave aoe is great, but WW starts to eat your world when there are 4+ mobs. Not that you can stay in melee too long with with that many usually due to some fire ring, fire cone, marauder spin, shaman poison circle, flayer cleave attack, berserker spin, etc. Shamans shouldn't throw poison if their target is in melee range imo.
- PVP
I did not get to do much of this. It would be nice if there was dueling so I could practice playing one of the most important aspects. I am fine with the 'statcheck' of levels / gear are currently. In a raid composition, people are grouped in a lose mage ball. Pulling in targets to pop. This leaves most fighters to be 95% bow-boys. With a not so great chance of escaping unless the enemy is distracted. I'd like tanks to have an option to punish clumping so people spread out more. Making it more likely for melee to live on an engage. Even 8s would be long enough. Blood infusion is too sketchy to risk your life on
Debuffs and Buffs
- These need more clarity.
I am a fighter, IDC about dazed. I really really care about staggered and Hemmorage. Allow us to resize buffs and debuffs that are important. I want to know if I am 'unkillable' for 10s from the cleric Divine intervention.
Ground clarity also needs work. Marauder WW too hard to see. FireStarter flame circle AOE too hard to see. Firestarter fire ball too hard to see. Sniper's "KILL SHOT" too hard to see, its just a red line. Goblin Shaman poison balls aren't always visible in the air + travel too fast. The green smoke cloud just appears sometimes. Flayer's cleave ability is too fast sometimes. You should see a shield on your HP bar if you have Temporary Health.
Overall:
I like fighter a lot. We will see how the skills and meta refine around raids and what new PVE options open up. My current complaint is that you self-synergize with everything. Wounds, stagger, bleeds. The only external input I notice is bard mana so I have to blood infusion less (its optional). And heals from unavoidable melee aoe skill damage the NPCs seem to love. I never go - Oh look he is frozen, time for the big Cataclysm hit. I am not in love with the class yet but its solid and definitely something I can main.
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