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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.
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.
General Feedback About Ranger class Archetype and Weapon Skill Trees for Longbow and Shortbow
CharlesBaham
Member, Alpha Two
Currently in my opinion there is nothing "real" that differentiates ranger from a mage, as the main difference between them is just the amount of single targets and aoes, numbers, animations, and the amount and combo of debuffs you can make use of. There is no actual "class identity" i'd say. I have some feedback regarding how to make ranger feel more unique and have more character as a class, and also make it more useful in group content without making it outshine the archetypes that are actually intended to be the AOE classes.
Currently Ranger's two main weapons of choice are obviously Shortbow and Longbow. While ranger is supposed to be the single-target damage class, i think that allowing longbow to spec into "piercing attacks" of sorts would be a good choice. In my feedback of it i thought that it'd be good if the piercing weapon combo attacks could pierce the enemy, that ranger is currently targetting and attacking, and deal 20% of damage dealt with the attack (not 20% physical power) to the target directly behind it. Example would be that if my deadly extended finisher hits for 700 damage then the NPC/player directly behing my current target gets hit for 140 damage.
In case of shortbow i think it'd be good if the weapon skill tree allowed the weapon combo attacks to fire 2 additional projectiles at the NPCs/players closest to the one im currently targetting, dealing 10% of damage dealt with the attack - similarly to my example with the longbow.
Another point of feedback that i have to give is regarding the ranger class itself. Currently as it stands, ranger has no actual unique class mechanic that would make him stand out from the others, and excel at what he's supposed to be. You could argue that the ranger has his marks and hunts, but thats just buffs and debuffs on self and the enemy. I wouldnt say that it contributes much to the class identity in the current form of these abilities.
Ranger has an ability called Thundering Shot, which gave me the inspiration for this feedback. The cool thing, that many people see but dont actually notice, is that this ability can fly in an arch if you turn your character sideways in the action combat mode. It works very similarly to the chain lightning mage ability showcased in the mage showcase.(https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxNxHMeHTwSQIXDZ7IZmjSvdfh9jNBGf-a?si=fjpZflVWEp8KVIhW) <- clip link
I think it'd help ranger a lot if we could have toggle ability, that uses either mana or a new ranger-specific resource, that allows us to mark a target - separately from currently existing marks - and turn some of our abilities into a kind of homing-missle skills that work only on that target, and ignore or semi-ignore the line of sight and the terrain. For example it could use up like 100 mana per second. I currently have 4,2k mana on 25lvl ranger. If we used that ability and casted snipe then by the time we fired snipe we'd be down by 500 mana total.
Now - I do not think that skills while using this mode should have a 100% accuracy or literally go through textures, but if we allowed snipe, headshot and barrage to bend or fly at an arch like the Thundering Shot does, and if we gave it some help with getting to targeted player, that could greatly increase feeling of a class identity for a ranger as a strong single-target damage dealer, and a HUNTER - as many HUNTS suggest.
Currently Ranger's two main weapons of choice are obviously Shortbow and Longbow. While ranger is supposed to be the single-target damage class, i think that allowing longbow to spec into "piercing attacks" of sorts would be a good choice. In my feedback of it i thought that it'd be good if the piercing weapon combo attacks could pierce the enemy, that ranger is currently targetting and attacking, and deal 20% of damage dealt with the attack (not 20% physical power) to the target directly behind it. Example would be that if my deadly extended finisher hits for 700 damage then the NPC/player directly behing my current target gets hit for 140 damage.
In case of shortbow i think it'd be good if the weapon skill tree allowed the weapon combo attacks to fire 2 additional projectiles at the NPCs/players closest to the one im currently targetting, dealing 10% of damage dealt with the attack - similarly to my example with the longbow.
Another point of feedback that i have to give is regarding the ranger class itself. Currently as it stands, ranger has no actual unique class mechanic that would make him stand out from the others, and excel at what he's supposed to be. You could argue that the ranger has his marks and hunts, but thats just buffs and debuffs on self and the enemy. I wouldnt say that it contributes much to the class identity in the current form of these abilities.
Ranger has an ability called Thundering Shot, which gave me the inspiration for this feedback. The cool thing, that many people see but dont actually notice, is that this ability can fly in an arch if you turn your character sideways in the action combat mode. It works very similarly to the chain lightning mage ability showcased in the mage showcase.(https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxNxHMeHTwSQIXDZ7IZmjSvdfh9jNBGf-a?si=fjpZflVWEp8KVIhW) <- clip link
I think it'd help ranger a lot if we could have toggle ability, that uses either mana or a new ranger-specific resource, that allows us to mark a target - separately from currently existing marks - and turn some of our abilities into a kind of homing-missle skills that work only on that target, and ignore or semi-ignore the line of sight and the terrain. For example it could use up like 100 mana per second. I currently have 4,2k mana on 25lvl ranger. If we used that ability and casted snipe then by the time we fired snipe we'd be down by 500 mana total.
Now - I do not think that skills while using this mode should have a 100% accuracy or literally go through textures, but if we allowed snipe, headshot and barrage to bend or fly at an arch like the Thundering Shot does, and if we gave it some help with getting to targeted player, that could greatly increase feeling of a class identity for a ranger as a strong single-target damage dealer, and a HUNTER - as many HUNTS suggest.
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Comments
I think creating a unique resource for ranger would probably help to differentiate it, if the resource was generated by some abilities the ranger has instead of just mana and mana regen.
I honestly think they need to give rangers like a 50% (atleast) range bonus passive for bows so you atleast they get the idenity of having the longest range