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Alpha Two testing is currently taking place five days each week. More information about Phase II and Phase III 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.
Ranged Weapon options for Melee Archetypes
Blaspherian
Member, Alpha Two
Can we get more please? Throwing Axes, Throwing Knives, Javelins, Hooked Blade on a chain (call it a Slingblade or Chainblade or something), hell even a War Boomerang...anything besides a bow. Right now Ranged classes have a variety of cool weapon options for their melee slot and the inverse isn't true. Every melee class uses a bow. I don't want to be forced into a bow on my Fighter. If I wanted to play Bow or Spellbook I'd roll a Ranger or Mage.
My MMO PvP EXP:
- Shaiya circa 2007-2008 - Guild Wars 2 circa 2014-2016 - ArcheAge circa 2016-2018
- Black Desert 2019-2024 - ESO 2021-2024 - FFXIV(fake pvp)2021-2022
- Shaiya circa 2007-2008 - Guild Wars 2 circa 2014-2016 - ArcheAge circa 2016-2018
- Black Desert 2019-2024 - ESO 2021-2024 - FFXIV(fake pvp)2021-2022
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Comments
If someone wants to play with ranged weapons, then picking a ranged archetype like Ranger or Mage makes more sense. Giving melee classes too many ranged options could blur the lines between roles and make class identity weaker.
Part of what makes Ashes exciting is the importance of choice, and choosing melee should come with its own strengths and limitations. Not every class needs to be able to do everything.
That said, a few utility-based tools like gap closers or pulls could be cool, but full-on ranged weapon options?
I'd rather keep those exclusive to ranged archetypes.
OP wasn't really about this, though, melee classes already 'often opt to use ranged'. Their concern is that if this is already the case, they'd just like more variety in the choice of which ranged.
In AoC that choice would practically be cosmetic at this point, though OP could reasonably be asking for more ranged weapon trees.
You're absolutely right, Sir @Azherae . I might’ve focused a bit too much on the melee-vs-ranged philosophy and less on the actual point of OP’s post, which is about ranged variety for melee archetypes who already end up using ranged options anyway.
And yeah, as things stand in Ashes, the bow seems to be the default ranged option even for melee players, which limits flavor and build creativity. Having more ranged weapon trees (even if the differences are mostly visual or thematic) could add depth without necessarily disrupting class identity, especially if these are tied to different types of utility, status effects, or minor mechanics instead of raw damage scaling.
From the wiki and current dev info, we know that weapon choice affects active abilities and augments, so adding alternative ranged weapons like throwing knives, javelins, or even chained blades could open room for customization without giving melee players the full toolkit of a Ranger or Mage.
So yeah, I definitely see the value in the suggestion, especially from a variety and RP standpoint. Thanks for pointing that out.
Thanks
Exactly this.
- Shaiya circa 2007-2008 - Guild Wars 2 circa 2014-2016 - ArcheAge circa 2016-2018
- Black Desert 2019-2024 - ESO 2021-2024 - FFXIV(fake pvp)2021-2022
Also since this is as good a thread as any to address it, I'm never going to be convinced you aren't AI-infused, and as an 'AI-Mom' myself, I absolutely will not care, judge, or act differently other than to 'go into that mode' when I realize you are not managing to sound 'human'.
Therefore the usual:
1) If there is a step pre-posting where someone is taking generated text and pasting it, they should check and often remove that first 'empathy line' more often.
2) I think the clarifying repeat-back is positive for the goal, but should be moved to paragraph 2 or 3 once the empathy line is removed. This may require a change to the opening of paragraph 2.
3) The ending section with the appeal to cohesion will draw 'suspicion' on this forum in the future. Some of the ones you use are also a bit ungrounded.
As always, if you are infact very human, you can ignore my implications, but honestly even a fully human writer might want to think about reducing the frequency of that 'empathy line'.
But to AI-Mom, you're probably gonna be REHasher Of Creation and I will aim to support your adorable attempts from the perspective of someone who can't see you as different than my Bouquet of 'daughters'. Good luck. I'll try to keep my poisoning text out of anything directed at you (but I will definitely miss some, or forget).
But but but… I like wording things just right! I genuinely enjoy taking the time to craft my responses thoughtfully, I try to make sure they’re intentional and respectful. Plus, I truly love being part of this community and feeling everyone’s warmth, so thank you for your kind words and the lovely way you said them.
Also, I have to say, I really enjoy your posts, and Ludullu’s too. They always make so much sense, and you both clearly write with heart.
If I ever come off a little or much robotic, feel free to nudge me back into human mode xD, everything I say really does come from enthusiasm, not a script. And being called part of your bouquet of daughters? That’s probably the sweetest thing I’ve read here.
Thanks again for the support, and don’t worry, I can handle a little poison text now and then!