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DEVELOPER'S BLOG
Character Rank 10: A New Journey Pt. 2
Greetings, Saviors! We’re back today with part 2 of our great Character Rank 10 reveal. This post will be an introduction to the new skills and attributes coming along with the Rank expansion. If you haven’t yet, you can read about the new quest lines and content in part 1 of this post (click here). Remember that, as always, any details we discuss here are still under development and can look different once the content is implemented in the game. NEW! Rank 10 You already know it: maximum Character Rank is expanded to Rank 10, allowing characters now in their 9th Rank (Class Level 15) to advance into a higher circle of their current class or a different class altogether. Along with new circles come new skills and new attributes, plus a few balancing changes to some existing classes. No More Casting Interruptions First, we’re doing away with a good amount of casting animations while the character is in motion, letting you apply buffs on the go without having to stop and interrupt your run. The following is a list of skills to which this change will apply. Swordsman Wizard Archer Cleric Swordsman - Gung Ho - Concentrate - Pain Barrier - Restrain Peltasta - Guardian Barbarian - Frenzy Cataphract - Trot - Acrobatic Mount Corsair - Double Weapon Assault Doppelsoeldner - Deeds of Valor Templar - Battle Orders Murmillo - Sprint Lancer - Prevent - Initiate Retiarius - Vital Protection - Dagger Guard Nak Muay - Muay Thai Cryomancer - Subzero Shield Pyromancer - Enchant Fire Enchanter - Lightning Hands Shadowmancer - Shadow Pool Archer - Swift Step Ranger - Steady Aim Quarrel Shooter - Running Shot Wugushi - Zhendu Hunter - Praise Scout - Cloaking Rogue - Sneak Hit - Evasion Schwarzer Reiter - Limacon - Evasive Action Falconer - Aiming - Circling - Pre-Emptive Strike Musketeer - Prime & Load - Grooving Muzzle Hackapell - Hakka Palle Cleric - Divine Might - Fade - Guardian Saint Krivis - Daino Paladin - Restoration Zealot - Blind Faith - Fanaticism SP Consumption Adjustments We’re revising and readjusting the overall SP consumption of class skills. The new setup will take into account all sorts of elements about the skills: class trees, rank/circle factors, skill types, overheat, targets, range, casting time, SPR usage, etc. One of the main changes we expect to bring forward is the reduction of SP consumption in Swordsman and Archer tree skills with a high overheat. Crowd Control Debuffs Gohei (Miko), Bloodletting, Beak Mask, Fumigate (Plague Doctor) and Gregorate (Exorcist) will no longer defend against Stun, Spear Throw: Bind, Iron Hook, Arrest, Dethrone, Pull Rete, Throw Rete or Iron Maiden. Increased Skill Ranges We will be increasing the range of quite a few close-range attack skills. The list is as follows. Pierce Skills (increased length) Slash Skills (increased width) Strike Skills (overall increased range) Swordsman - Thrust Peltasta - Langort Hoplite - Stabbing - Pierce - Spear Lunge Barbarian - Embowel Cataphract - Doom Spike Corsair - Hexen Dropper - Impale Dagger Fencer - Lunge - Sept Etoiles - Esquive Toucher - Attaque Composee - Balestra Fente - Attaque au Fer - Fleche Dragoon - Dragontooth - Serpentine Murmillo - Evade Thrust Lancer - Crush - Unhorsing - Quintain Matador - Faena - Muleta (counterattack) Retiarius - Trident Finish Featherfoot - Ngadhundi - Kundela Slash Rogue - Backstab Hackapell - Storm Bolt Dievdirbys - Carve Attack Swordsman - Bash - Double Slash Highlander - Wagon Wheel - Crosscut - Moulinet - Skyliner - Vertical Slash Barbarian - Cleave - Seism - Pouncing Rodelero - Montano Corsair - Dust Devil Squire - Deadly Combo Doppelsoeldner - Cyclone - Zornhau - Zucken - Redel - Sturtzhau Fencer - Flanconnade Dragoon - Dragon Soar Templar - Mortal Slash Nak Muay - Sok Chiang Hackapell - Grind Cutter Swordsman - Pommel Beat Highlander - Cartar Stroke - Crown - Skull Swing Peltasta - Umbo Blow - Rim Blow - Butterfly - Umbo Thrust Barbarian - Stomping Kick - Helm Chopper Cataphract - Earth Wave Rodelero - Targe Smash - Shield Push - Shield Shoving - Shield Bash - High Kick - Shooting Star Fencer - Attaque Coquille Murmillo - Headbutt Retiarius - Disarm Nak Muay - Te Kha - Te Trong - Khao Loi Paladin - Smite - Demolition - Conviction Monk - Double Punch - Palm Strike - Hand Knife - One Inch Punch Inquisitor - God Smash Weapon Mastery Updates The following are a few changes we have prepared for weapon mastery attributes. NEW! One-handed Sword Mastery: Ready for Battle Adds part of your weapon’s attack values to your defense when equipping a shield. When not equipping a shield, the attribute increases your attack speed. For: Swordsman NEW! Two-handed Blunt Mastery: Increase AoE Attack Increases your AoE attack ratio. For: Paladin (the Monk’s two-handed blunt mastery block penetration function is maintained, with both attributes’ effects stacking) Revolver Mastery Adds a chance of applying double the damage. For: Schwarzer Reiter, Bullet Marker (NEW) Dagger Mastery: Sudden Attack Damage is added in proportion to attribute level when attacking enemies from behind with a dagger. For: Corsair, Rogue (changed to max. level 5) Rifle Mastery: Hunting → Musket Mastery: Musketeer Increases damage in proportion to attribute level and distance from the enemy. Max. level increased from 4 to 5. Increases damage by 30% at maximum attribute level and distance. For: Musketeer Crossbow Mastery: Ignore Defense The value of defense ignored changes from 5% to 2% per attribute level. The effects will also no longer incorrectly apply to attacks by other kinds of weapons. For: Archer Shield Mastery: Enchant → Shield Mastery: Cryomancer Attribute name changed to Shield Mastery: Cryomancer. For: Cryomancer Shield Mastery: Missile Defense → Shield Mastery: Quarrel Shooter Blocks missile attacks when equipping a shield. If a block is successful, the attribute increases your movement speed. For: Quarrel Shooter Shield Mastery: Block → Shield Mastery: Peltasta Increases the number of provoked monsters in proportion to attribute level. For: Peltasta NEW SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES, BALANCE CHANGES Lancer NEW! [C3 Skill] Gigante Marcha Summons mounted troops to attack. Enemies in the way of the troops are knocked down and receive damage. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Gigante Marcha: Enhance Increases the damage of Gigante Marcha in proportion to attribute level. NEW! [C2 Attribute] Joust: Destroy Installations Allows Joust attacks to destroy not only magic circles but also pavises, traps, statues and other installations. NEW! [C2 Attribute] Unhorsing: Attack Companions Inflicts Stun on the companions of characters attacked with Unhorsing and leaves them temporarily unmountable. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Prevent: Extend Extends the duration of Prevent. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Rhongomiant: Shield Crush Rhongomiant becomes unblockable. Enemies hit by it have their shield disarmed and made temporarily unequippable. The skill’s damage ignores enemy shields’ defense values. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Rhongomiant: Vulnerability Generates additional damage to enemies hit by Rhongomiant in proportion to their maximum HP (the higher their maximum HP, the higher the damage). The additional damage value is limited and applies 50% less on boss monsters. Murmillo NEW! [C3 Skill] Emperor’s Bane Grab nearby enemies and head-butt them. Enemies hit by Emperor’s Bane become weakened and stunned. Attacking enemies with this skill also creates a wave of damage within its range. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Emperor’s Bane: Enhance Increases the damage of Emperor’s Bane in proportion to attribute level. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Emperor’s Bane: Weak Target Increases damage when the enemy’s HP is below a certain percentage. [C2 Skill] Scutum Hit Actual range of the skill adjusted to match its visual effects. Enemies on the outside receive additional damage and are inflicted with Bleeding. [C2 Skill] Sprint Sprint will not consume Stamina for its entire duration. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Sprint: Fear Using Sprint inflicts Fear in nearby enemies. Matador NEW! [C3 Skill] Corrida Finale Incite a fighting bull to attack nearby enemies. The provoked bull will deal damage to enemies in its way. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Corrida Finale: Enhance Increases the damage of Corrida Finale in proportion to attribute level. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Corrida Finale: Encore The bull turns around and charges one more time towards the caster. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Back Slide: Perfect Timing Resets the cooldown of Paso Doble when your character evades an enemy attack with Back Slide. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Muleta: Showtime Reduces the cooldown of all Matador skills in proportion to attribute level when counterattacking with Muleta, regardless of whether the counterattack was successful or not. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Faena: Critical Pierce Increases critical chance when using Faena. [C2 Skill] Paso Doble Effect area changed from square to circle, increasing overall area. Retiarius NEW! [C3 Skill] Blandir Cadena Dash towards the enemy over a short distance and brandish your spear to attack. Enemies hit when the spear is last brandished are knocked down. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Blandir Cadena: Enhance Increases the damage of Blandir Cadena in proportion to attribute level. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Blandir Cadena: Fatal Wound Reduces enemies’ movement speed and deals additional damage proportional to the number of targets attacked by Blandir Cadena over 15 seconds. [C1 Skill] Pull Rete The number of targets changes from 8 to 3 + skill level, while the current cooldown of 45 – (skill level x 2) seconds is fixed at 25 seconds. Duration is increased from 5 to 7 seconds. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Pull Rete: Daze Enemies pulled with the rete become momentarily silenced. [C1 Skill] Throw Rete The number of targets changes from 8 to 3 + skill level. [C2 Attribute] Throw Rete: Enhanced Net Duration will no longer apply as 50% less when used against boss monsters. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Throw Rete: Pull Down When used against flying enemies (including Levitation and Hanging Shot), pulls the targets down to inflict fall damage. The enemies are considered as ground targets and Levitation/Hanging Shot buffs are removed. [C1 Skill] Trident Finish Cooldown reduces from 20 to 15 seconds, while AoE ratio increases to 7. [C2 Skill] Disarm Range increased. The skill can also no longer be blocked or evaded. [C1 Skill] Dagger Finish The skill’s area changes from a square to a circle centered around the target. Overheat increases from 1 to 2, and AoE ratio to 7. [C2 Attribute] Dagger Guard: Deflect Projectiles Missile block chances increase from 50% to 100%. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Dagger Guard: Ricochet Returns the damage of missile attacks blocked with Dagger Guard: Deflect Projectiles, inflicting it on the attacker. [C1 Skill] Vital Protection The skill will make your character immune to critical attacks for its entire duration. Cooldown is reduced from 120 to 50 seconds, while duration changes from 50 seconds to 10 + skill level x 2 seconds. Cryomancer [C2 Skill] Subzero Shield Reflected damage is removed from the skill’s functions. The number of times freezing is applied is capped at skill level + 5. Meanwhile, the Counterattack Enhance attribute is renamed to simply Subzero Shield: Counterattack, with no alterations to its added reflected damage. Elementalist [C1 Skill] Hail The attack of Hail changes as follows. BEFORE AFTER Attack cycle: 1 hit per 0.1 sec Success rate: 65% Damage factor: 603% - 1067% Range per chunk of ice: 9 Total range of hail fall: 30 Attack cycle: 1 hit per 0.2 sec Success rate: 100% Damage factor: 255% - 451% Range per chunk of ice: 18 Total range of hail fall: 40 In the new version of this skill, the range of individual attacks increases by 2 times (area x 4). The 35% chance of falling wide is removed; instead, we’re reducing damage factors and number of hits. Sage NEW! [C3 Skill] Hole of Darkness This skill summons a black hole on the ground. Enemies within range are momentarily sucked into the hole, disappearing. After the skill’s duration, the black hole explodes and the enemies appear again. When the black hole explodes, enemies within range of the skill receive damage, with additional damage applied to those who were sucked by the hole. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Hole of Darkness: Enhance Increases the damage of Hole of Darkness in proportion to attribute level. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Missile Hole: Escape Momentarily increases your movement speed to the maximum when your Missile Hole buff runs out of defense but there is still time left in its duration. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Blink: Looming Increases the threat levels of your apparition, making enemies attack it. Enchanter NEW! [C3 Skill] Over-Reinforce Momentarily increases the enhancement values of main weapons equipped by you and your allies. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Over-Reinforce: Enhance Increases the damage of Over-Reinforce in proportion to attribute level. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Enchant Round: Fire Craft an Enchant Round that increases the critical chance of your attacks. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Enchant Round: Ice Craft an Enchant Round that reduces the damage you receive from attacks. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Agility: Movement Speed Increases your movement speed after Agility is cast. Shadowmancer NEW! [C3 Skill] Infernal Shadow Separates an enemy from their shadow. The enemy’s body remains autonomous, but the shadow cannot move and, if attacked, part of the damage is applied to the corresponding body. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Shadow Condensation: Expand Range Increases the range of the explosion generated by Shadow Condensation in proportion to attribute level. [C1 Skill] Shadow Pool Pre-casting animation omitted. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Shadow Pool: Movement Speed Increases your movement speed in proportion to attribute level while Shadow Pool is active. NEW! [C2 Attribute] Hallucination: HP Ratio Increases the ratio of HP applied to your shadow in proportion to attribute level. Onmyoji NEW! [C3 Skill] Yin Yang Harmony Generates a strong energy from the harmony of Yin and Yang, which deals quick blows of Dark and Holy property damage. While the skill is being cast, it will not be canceled even if you are attacked, and you remain immune to knockback and knockdown. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Yin Yang Harmony: Enhance Increases the damage of Yin Yang Harmony in proportion to attribute level. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Yin Yang Harmony: Mediator Temporarily increases your Dark and Holy property damage after using Yin Yang Harmony. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Fire Fox Shikigami: Grown Fox Adds a certain chance per attribute level of summoning a larger fox that deals more damage. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Water Shikigami: Torrent Increases the number of hits of Water Shikigami by 2 times. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Toyou: Debris Adds a certain chance per attribute level of dealing damage to flying enemies with Toyou. Falconer [C3 Skill] Aiming The range increase of this skill is set to a fixed number, instead of depending on the original range. For small-sized monsters the range is increased, and for large/extra large monsters it is slightly decreased. Aiming will also no longer disappear due to attacks intended to destroy magic circles. Schwarzer Reiter [C1 Skill] Retreat Shot Cooldown is reduced from 30 to 20 seconds. Extending the buff will no longer increase the duration of the attack (fixed at 10 seconds). [C3 Skill] Marching Fire Cooldown is reduced from 30 to 15 seconds. Extending the buff will no longer increase the duration of the attack (fixed at 5 seconds). Mergen NEW! [C3 Skill] Zenith Shoot a stream of arrows all around to attack multiple enemies. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Zenith: Enhance Increases the damage of Zenith in proportion to attribute level. [C1 Skill] Spread Shot Cooldown is slightly reduced. [C1 Skill] Homing Arrow Cooldown is slightly reduced. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Down Fall: Broaden Applies half of Down Fall’s damage to enemies near the attacked targets. [C2 Skill] Jump Shot Pre-cast delay is reduced. Meanwhile, overheat and attack range are increased. Hackapell NEW! [C3 Skill] Infinite Assault Rush to attack an enemy and return to your position. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Infinite Assault: Enhance Increases the damage of Infinite Assault in proportion to attribute level. [C1 Skill] Cavalry Charge Attack range is increased. NEW! [C2 Attribute] Hakka Palle: Endurance Grants immunity to knockback and knockdown. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Grind Cutter: Cavalry Charge Increases the critical damage of Grind Cutter in proportion to attribute level when the Cavalry Charge buff is active. Bullet Marker NEW! [C3 Skill] Outrage Fire your guns while moving. This skill can only be used in Double Gun Stance. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Outrage: Enhance Increases the damage of Outrage in proportion to attribute level. NEW! [C3 Skill] Freeze Bullet Causes basic attacks to freeze the enemy. [C1 Skill] Bloody Overdrive This skill will no longer cancel when the character is hit while casting it. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Bloody Overdrive: Invincible Makes the caster of Bloody Overdrive invincible while the skill is active. NEW! [C3 Attribute] R.I.P.: AoE Increases the AoE attack ratio of R.I.P. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Tracer Bullet: Precision Shot Increases the critical chance of pistol skill attacks (excluding basic attacks) in proportion to attribute level. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Smash Bullet: Reduce Block Reduces the block values of enemies hit by Smash Bullet in proportion to attribute level. Pied Piper NEW! [C3 Skill] Lied des Weltbaum Play the song of the Divine Tree. The song increases the damage dealt and received by both you and your party members. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Lied des Weltbaum: Block Count Ignores a number of enemy attacks proportional to attribute level while the buff is active. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Lied des Weltbaum: Duration Increases the duration of the Lied des Weltbaum buff in proportion to attribute level. NEW! [C3 Skill] Stegreifspiel Play the flute to deploy one Pied Piper skill at random (from the skills you have learned). The skill will still be activated even if you fail to play the flute, but its effects will be reduced. Stegreifspiel can cast the following skills: Dissonanz, Wiegenlied, Marschierendeslied, Lied des Weltbaum. Using one of these skills through Stegreifspiel does not affect its cooldown. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Stegreifspiel: Reduce Cooldown Reduces the cooldown of Stegreifspiel in proportion to attribute level. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Hypnotische Floete: Elite Applies the skill’s hypnosis to Elite monsters as well. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Friedenslied: Invincible Allies Makes allies under Friedenslied invincible (does not apply to the caster). Inquisitor NEW! [C3 Skill] Ripper Attacks enemies in front of you with gigantic scissors. Scissor attacks cannot be blocked and they deal additional damage to Demon type enemies. While the skill is being cast, it cannot be canceled by enemy attacks and it grants you immunity to knockback and knockdown. Besides its base number of targets, Ripper expands to an additional number of enemies in proportion to your STR stat. Targets hit by it are temporarily put on hold and gathered in a straight line. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Ripper: Enhance Increases the damage of Ripper in proportion to attribute level. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Ripper: Armor Break Grants Ripper the ability to ignore enemy defense values in a ratio proportional to attribute level. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Inquisitor: Torture Expert Reduces the cooldown of torture skills whenever an enemy is defeated by those skills. Applies to the following skills: Iron Maiden, Pear of Anguish, Breaking Wheel, Ripper. All torture skills will consume the following amount of Torture Tools. Iron Maiden: 0 → 1 Pear of Anguish: 0 → 1 Breaking Wheel: 3 → 2 Ripper: 2 NEW! [C3 Attribute] Iron Maiden: God Smash Deals twice the amount of damage with God Smash to enemies trapped by Iron Maiden. [C2 Skill] Judgment Number of targets and range increase, while cooldown is shortened. NEW! [C2 Attribute] Judgment: Provoke Provokes nearby enemies when using Judgement. NEW! [C1 Attribute] Breaking Wheel: Enhance Increases the damage of Breaking Wheel (the wheel’s own damage) in proportion to attribute level. NEW! [C2 Attribute] Breaking Wheel: Reinforce Increases the wheel’s durability (maximum number of attacks received) and duration in proportion to attribute level. [C1 Skill] Malleus Maleficarum Debuff duration is fixed at 10 seconds. The skill’s additional damage effects corresponding to 100% of your magic attack values are changed to 6% per skill level (90% at level 15). Also, if an enemy is attacked by Malleus Maleficarum once but receives multiple hits (maximum 7), the SP reduction effects of Mana Burn will apply only one time (attribute level x 5% reduction). NEW! [C1 Attribute] Malleus Maleficarum: Enhance Increases the damage of Malleus Maleficarum in proportion to attribute level. Taoist NEW! [C3 Skill] Eradication Summon a group of talismans behind you and send them forwards to attack your enemies. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Eradication: Enhance Increases the damage of Eradication in proportion to attribute level. [C2 Skill] Divine Punishment Instead of keeping your character immobile for 3 seconds after pressing the key to activate Divine Punishment, the skill will have a 3-second casting time. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Divine Punishment: Broad Strike Applies the damage of Divine Punishment to enemies around the attacked target. Zealot NEW! [C3 Skill] Emphatic Trust Every time enemies are attacked within range of this skill, additional Holy property damage is dealt to them. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Beady Eyed: Sudden Attack When Beady Eyed is successful, any damage dealt to targets applies momentarily as critical. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Immolation: Melt Armor Decreases armor defense values for yourself and the enemies you attack in proportion to attribute level. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Fanaticism: Martyr If you become incapable of combat while Fanaticism is active, you survive with 1 HP and all skill cooldowns are reset. Your character then becomes incapable of combat at the end of the buff’s duration. Exorcist NEW! [C3 Skill] Katadikazo Conjures a spear of divine light to strike your enemies in the name of the goddesses. Targets hit by the spear receive Holy property magic damage, with additional damage dealt to Demon type enemies. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Katadikazo: Enhance Increases the damage of Katadikazo in proportion to attribute level. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Engkrateia: The Goddess' Reply Prevents your HP from falling below 1 while Engkrateia is active. NEW! [C3 Attribute] Gregorate: Roar Allows Gregorate to cancel status ailments up to rank 3. That’s all we have for our Character Rank 10 introduction. Thank you for reading, and make sure to check back for more news and updates!
Update Preview Pt. 1: Arts System
Greetings, Saviors! Today we would like to introduce to you three new features that will be added to the game in the future. - Part 1: Arts System - Part 2: Guild Housing & Legend-grade Equipment (Link) - Part 3: Hunting Grounds & Field Boss (Link) Arts System 1. Introduction The Arts System is the system through which the hidden potentials to player character’s skills can be unlocked. They will be made available in the form of tomes. The tomes that contain these “Arts” are named [Mystic Tomes] and there are different tomes specific to different Arts. After having obtained an Art, the Art will be bound to your character as an attribute. Mystic Tome Skill and Attributes UI with the [Thrust: Charge] Art [Thrust: Charge] in use 2. Mystic Tomes In order to obtain a [Mystic Tome], you will be required to collect multiple [Mystic Tome Pages]. [Mystic Tome Page] is a single page of the Mystic Tome that can be collected to create a [Unidentified Mystic Tome], which is a service provided by each of the game’s Class Masters. 1. [Mystic Tome Page] A page from a [Mystic Tome]. Collect multiple pages to create an [Unidentified Mystic Tome] item. - Cannot be traded between players - Can be sold on the Market - Can be transferred via Team Storage 2. [Unidentified Mystic Tome] An [Unidentified Mystic Tome] containing a secret Arts that has been handed down over the years. Use to obtain one [Mystic Tome] - Cannot be traded between players - Cannot be sold on the Market - Can be transferred via Team Storage Different [Unidentified Mystic Tomes] exist for different classes. [UPDATE] You can choose the Mystic Tome of your desired class. [Unidentified Mystic Tomes] for different classes [Unidentified Mystic Tome: Swordsman] [Unidentified Mystic Tome: Wizard] [Unidentified Mystic Tome: Archer] [Unidentified Mystic Tome: Cleric] [Unidentified Mystic Tome: Scout] 3. [Mystic Tome] Use to obtain a specific Arts. There are different Arts that can change a skill’s property or form, enhance skill efficacy or even Arts to enhance an existing Art. - Cannot be traded between players - Cannot be sold on the Market - Can be transferred via Team Storage * The Arts introduced below are all works in progress and are subject to change with future development. [Mystic Tome (Corrida Finale: Burning Bull)] The trail of the charging bull is set ablaze. Adds fire-property to Corrida Finale and applies fire damage to the designated area for a 5-second duration. [Corrida Finale: Burning Bull] [Mystic Tome (Ice Wall: Magic Igloo)] Ice Wall is turned into an igloo when there are 6 or more walls and the starting point of the ice wall connects to the endpoint. Grants immunity to [Freeze] debuff and reduces damage received from ice-property attacks while inside the igloo. Also heals the caster’s HP by an amount equal to the caster’s HP recovery value every second. [Mystic Tome (Bounce Shot: Instant Freeze Arrow)] Adds ice-property to Bounce Shot and grants 100% chance to [Slow] targets. Damage increases with less number of targets. [Bounce Shot: Instant Freeze Arrow] [Mystic Tome (Cloth Mastery: Communion) (Sadhu only) Increases the additional psychokinesis-property damage effect by 10% of the player’s Magic Attack and grants [attribute level]x0.2% chance to grant immunity to debuff (rank 3 and below) when wearing 4 sets of cloth armor. [Mystic Tome (Knife Throwing: Zenith) Knife Throwing skill is cast in a circular shape around the player. 3. Obtaining and Dismantling [Mystic Tomes] Mystic Tome Crafting UI (WIP) 1. Crafting an Unidentified Mystic Tome You can use [Mystic Tome Pages] to craft an [Unidentified Mystic Tome] through the different Class Masters in the game. Crafting an [Unidentified Mystic Tome] through a Class Master requires [Mystic Tome Pages] and [Goddess’ Blessed Gems]. 2 [Mystic Tome Pages] and 10 [Goddess’ Blessed Gems] are required to craft a single [Unidentified Mystic Tome]. 2. Crafting a Class-specific Unidentified Mystic Tome You can also craft a [Class-specific Unidentified Mystic Tome] by visiting a Class Master that you want. A Class-specific [Mystic Tome] requires a greater number of [Mystic Tome Pages] and [Goddess’ Blessed Gems] than an [Unidentified Mystic Tome]. For example, you must visit the Swordsman Master NPC in order to craft a [Unidentified Mystic Tome: Swordsman] and use additional amounts of [Mystic Tome Pages] and [Goddess’ Blessed Gems]. 3. Mystic Encyclopedia As you can see above, obtaining a specific Art via [Unidentified Mystic Tomes] is hard work. [Mystic Encyclopedia] is a reward item that grants easier access to Mystic Tomes for players. [Mystic Encyclopedia] is more costly to craft but it is advantageous in that you can obtain the Art you want from by using it. [Mystic Encyclopedia] Use to obtain a [Mystic Tome] of your choice. - Cannot be traded between players - Cannot be sold on the Market - Can be transferred via Team Storage Mystic Encyclopedia consists of different volumes containing different [Mystic Tomes]. For example, [Mystic Encyclopedia: Swordsman Vol. 1] and [Mystic Encyclopedia: Swordsman Vol. 2] consist of different Mystic Tomes and their contents do not overlap between volumes. [Mystic Encyclopedia: Swordsman Vol.1] contents [Mystic Encyclopedia: Swordsman Vol.2] contents 4. Dismantling a [Mystic Tome] You can also dismantle [Mystic Tomes] into [Mystic Tome Pages]. Dismantling yields less number of pages than it took to craft a Tome but at times it can be preferable to get your used pages back than to earn Silver from them. Mystic Tome Pages and Chance from Dismantling Mystic Tome Page x1 Mystic Tome Page x2 Mystic Tome Page x3 70% 20% 10% * All features showcased above are works in progress and are subject to change with future developments.
Now In Development: Skill Balance, Summon AI, Armor, PvP, Boss Cards!
Greetings, Saviors! Today, we at the dev team are presenting a few of the plans we have for combat rebalancing after the last big combat system changes. The features we’ll talk about here are still in development, so keep in mind that they could look a little different when they make it into the actual game. That said, let’s get on with the plans. There are five main aspects we want to focus on for the next combat rebalancing changes: 1) Improving the usability and balance of skills 2) Improving summon AI 3) Increasing armor stats and readjusting PvP calculations 4) Introducing two-handed blunt weapons 5) Reviewing the boss card system Improving the usability and balance of skills When it comes to improving the usability of skills and the PvP environment, we want to start by increasing the scope of close-range attack skills. We’re widening a total of 37 skills, increasing their lateral range by 10% to 20% in some cases, and as much as 50% to 70% in others. Buff skills are also getting rebalanced. First, for buffs that can be maintained with no interruption, we’ve decided to change their duration to 300 seconds (5 minutes), to eliminate the need to refresh them every other 40 seconds or 1 minute. The cooldown time and SP consumption of these skills will remain the same; this change simply provides a way to use them more conveniently. We’re also increasing by around 2 times the range of buff skills that were too narrow to comfortably apply in party situations. Next, we’re preparing to readjust the performance of individual classes. Now, there are a lot of classes and skills involved in this, and most of what we have planned is still being tested, so please understand that it is impossible for us to reveal every single change at this point. What follows are just a few balance modifications we have prepared. Using the Cataphract’s Rush in combination with the Lancer’s Initiate buff will increase damage. Achieving a well-aimed shot with the Dragoon’s attribute-enhanced Serpentine will increase the Hoplite’s Pierce damage, and using a spear over long distances will no longer require you to retrieve it in order to throw it again. Schwarzer Reiters are getting a damage factor increase on the skills Retreat Shot and Wild Shot, with the latter also seeing a reduction in charging time. Meanwhile, the movement speed penalty of Evasive Action will no longer apply. To Hackapells, who despite being in the Archer tree are better suited for close-range combat, we’re adding a Cavalry Charge attribute that significantly increases defense when attacking the enemy. We also allowing the Rogue’s Lachrymator, Feint and Vendetta skills to be used while mounted on a Companion, so your character can go back to using close-range Hackapell skills in no time. Musketeers, who are required to use a new sub-weapon as they reach the higher Rank, will be able to use the Archer’s Oblique Shot. Improving summon AI Our main goal here is to make “lazy” summons more active and precise. After boosting up summon attack values and movement speed, we want to make them target enemies more accurately and immediately, while avoiding things like Tree Root Crystals or Dirty Poles. We have a long way to go when it comes to improving summon AI, so we’re starting with the most basic and urgent aspects of it. The attack and movement speed changes we prepared for summon AI are going to have a big impact on summon performance; anyone familiar with summons will feel the difference immediately once the patch is applied. Because of this – and in consideration of PvP balance – we decided to cut down 20% to 70% of summon HP and give them a different duration (life span). Necromancers in particular are getting an improved Gather Corpse method and an easier way to summon their skeletons. Zombies, which aren’t as easy to come by for Bokors, get a little more HP, while Shoggoths and other Summoning skill bosses (which can be summoned less frequently) will go through only a slight HP reduction. Increasing armor stats and readjusting PvP calculations We expect the next balance changes to affect PvP more visibly than PvE. Sadly, the current PvP environment in Tree of Savior allows for some very “meta” builds capable of finishing an opponent in only a couple of hits. One of the reasons for this is that, given the little payoff you get from investing in your armor, most players choose to invest in their weapons instead, where you get a more significant increase in attack or damage from the amount of currency spent. With its attack stats (critical), leather sets already seem to enjoy a pretty good degree of performance which makes them popular among players. The same can’t be said about the damage-reducing abilities of plate (physical) and cloth (magic), so our plan is to visibly increase the physical/magic defense stats on these types of armor. Along with the higher defense, plate and cloth are also getting a bigger stat increase out of transcendence and anvil enhancement, which will increase both physical and magic defense. You will still need to invest plenty of your time and currency on collecting, enhancing and transcending rare armor sets, but what you do spend will become a lot more worthwhile. Another thing we’re doing is testing a factor that applies 20-30% of damage in PvP which, if successful, will make it even harder for players to defeat an opponent in only a couple of hits (given that they invested in armor). Before (Defense 2000) After (Defense 3500) Attack 5000 PvP factor not applied PvP (factor 50%) PvP factor not applied PvP (factor 50%) 100% factor 2,579 1,290 1,881 470 800% factor 20,635 10,318 15,050 3,762 2500% factor 64,486 32,243 47,030 11,758 (This PvP damage factor may be changed even after this patch is applied.) If we consider that the HP of a character in level 330 can be anywhere from around 20,000 to 80,000 (Swordsman, high STR), with basic defense and a PvP factor of 50%, any common skill with an 800% attack factor can deal over 10,000 of damage in a single hit, enough to wipe half the HP of a Wizard or Archer character with no STR investment. After the defense and PvP factor patches are applied, finishing an opponent in one blow becomes less feasible even with a strong 2500% attack factor (that is, as long as the opponent has invested at least a little in defense). A Swordsman character with generous upgrades to all their armor pieces and high STR, on the other hand, can boast impressive levels of resilience not only in 3:3 TBL matches (an update talked about in a previous post) but also against multiple enemies in GvG. Still on the subject of TBL and PvP-specific factors, we’re preparing to introduce a special type of costume for the top-ranked Team Battle League winners of each season that will reduce their amount of damage received in PvP by a small percentage. We expect to release these costumes along with the renewed TBL point shop we talked about in our latest interview post. Finally, in this defense patch we want to include an Earth Tower armor exchange system that will allow you to trade your Earth Tower gear for another type of armor while maintaining all of the original’s enhancement, transcendence, potential, gems, awakening and socket setup. There will be no limits to the number of exchanges you can make. This process will require a few Earth Tower items to complete, but after this update is brought to the game we’re planning to open an event period where players are exempt from the item fee, so you can easily get your Legend equipment in the type of armor that best suits your character. Introducing two-handed blunt weapons We’re developing new two-handed blunt weapons for physical attack Clerics. These weapons will look similar to existing one-handed blunt weapons, only larger and with different colors. In the beginning, we want to make them equippable by Paladins and Monks, both classes requiring a Circle 3 attribute for it. Two-handed blunt weapons have stronger attack stats than their one-handed counterparts and require at least level 120 to equip. Our plan is to add a total of 11 of these weapons: from the Hunting Grounds unidentified series, Lolopanther and Solmiki series, and level 315 Rare and Unique sets. In the future, as two-handed blunt weapons become their own type of weapon in the game, we expect to broaden the spectrum of classes allowed to use them. Reviewing the boss card system From the current boss card system, in which you can equip a maximum of 8 cards (at Rank 8), we want to change to one where players can equip as much as 12 cards distributed over 4 types (3 cards for each type), regardless of Rank. In the current system, if you have one or two cards with significantly high performance, those cards end up being the only ones equipped while the rest becomes simple fodder for EXP. With the new system, you can choose to equip different cards of all types according to the characteristics of your character. We still don’t have an official name for each type of card, but they consist of 4 groups distinguished by the color of their slot border. The golden locked slot in the middle is for a fifth type of card we plan to introduce in a future update. Along with the revamped card equip system, we want to add 5 new boss cards to match the updated game contents and readjust the effects of some cards that currently perform lower on the scale. When we do apply the boss card patch, all cards will be automatically unequipped with no level (★) penalty, but we’ll talk more about this before it’s applied to the game. As mentioned in the beginning of this post, all of the contents discussed here are still in development and we don’t expect them to be introduced right away, as they’ll first need to go through additional testing in our test server before being applied to kTOS. We’ll work hard to bring you other updates previously talked about here at the dev blog meanwhile. Also, in our next post we’re going to discuss the changes currently being developed for Pardoner shops and the guild system, so stay tuned!
Character Rank 10: A New Journey Pt. 1
Greetings, Saviors! It’s your dev team here, and today we’re super excited to bring you guys a preview of what we have prepared for the next Character Rank expansion. Let’s go! First, as you can probably guess, we will be expanding the current maximum character level of 360 to 390, which will come with a whole new series of main scenarios and subquests. And, of course, the current maximum Character Rank will be expanded from Rank 9 to Rank 10. A New Journey In this new adventure, you find yourself searching for the next Revelation at the Starlit Lake. At the lake you meet Byle, who is commanding a resistance army against the Schaffenstar. Your destiny guides you as you help Byle’s army chase their leader – the elusive Ignas – in a story that will forever change the fate of the Astral Tower. In another scenario, you unravel the horrific story of a group of Kupoles that have been abducted by demons to serve as sacrifices for the Divine Tree. But that’s not all… Nicopolis, city of the forgotten Wizard Union. Ages ago, a dangerous magic experiment exterminated all of the city’s inhabitants, leaving it deserted ever since. Now, a nefarious spirit awakened by Medzio Diena threatens to break loose in the region, and it’s your duty to help Owynia Dilben stop it before the worst happens. Content Update Just like before, you’ll be able to enter the Challenge Mode in the new level 360-390 field maps, which will also be complemented with new Hunting Grounds. Daily quest fields current set to ranges of -10 to +10 will be expanded to a range of -20 to +10 levels (30 levels of range in total). For characters above level 380, the 30-level range is maintained by adjusting the range downwards, as shown in the table below. Character Level Daily Quest Field Levels BEFORE Daily Quest Field Levels AFTER 360 350 – 370 340 – 370 370 360 – 380 350 – 380 380 370 – 390 360 – 390 385 375 – 390 360 – 390 390 380 – 390 360 – 390 As the maximum character level is expanded to 390, so are the requirements to obtain the additional Attribute Points coupon from weekend (Friday to Sunday) daily quests. TIP. Daily quest rewards change according to the day of the week (server time). Monday to Thursday: [Lv] x 400 Silver (156,000 Silver at Lv 390) x 2 times Friday to Sunday: 100 Attribute Points x 2 (x 3 at Lv 390) x 2 times As is usual, after the Character Rank expansion we will be introducing a new instanced dungeon to the Rank 9 level range (330-360). In the Lanko Lake Dungeon you can comfortably level up your characters and earn some extra Silver from levels 330 to 360 with no penalty. TIP. The amount of EXP and Silver you get from instanced dungeons depends on the difference of your character level from the dungeon’s recommended level. Up to 30 levels under or above the dungeon’s: 100% of the rewards More than 30 levels under or above the dungeon’s: -2% penalty per level (no rewards starting at 80 levels of difference) NEW Random Stat Golden Category With the introduction of new fields and Hunting Grounds you will be able to farm unidentified Lv 380 equipment items. This time, we’re adding a new random stat category represented by the color gold, which will include effects rarely seen in the current red, blue, purple and green-category stats. Each item, regardless of grade, will generate a maximum of only one golden stat (this applies to newly-obtained items of Lv 350 and below as well). One thing to note is that, even if you collect the same golden stat in multiple items, the stat’s effects will not stack. Instead, the stat will apply only the highest value among its different iterations. For example, if you have a weapon with a golden stat of critical chance +12% and a pair of boots with a golden stat of critical chance +8%, equipping both will result in an effect of critical chance +12%. Plus, unlike other stats, golden-category stats do not change in type or value when an item is re-identified. On the other hand, golden stats will also be included when an Ichor is extracted. Ichors containing extracted stats can be added to items of a lower level. This means that you will be able to add Ichors extracted from Lv 380 equipment into Lv 360 Legend gear (Velcoffer series). Lastly, with this update we will be exempting Legend items from the additional cost currently required for adding Ichor stats, i.e. Blessed Shards and Sierra Powder. What do you think? If you’re curious to know what else we have up our sleeves, make sure to stick around for part 2 of this post, where we will talk about all the new Rank 8 Circle 3 skills and attributes!
Combat System Changes Dossier Pt. 1
Greetings, Saviors! Following up on our QnA sessions about the ‘Plans for Combat System Changes’, this time we would like to create a series of posts with more detailed information on each aspect of the changes. Today, the topic we're discussing relates to a few specifics on how the new calculation formulas are going to affect the way combat is played in TOS. Other topics we have in mind for the next posts are subjects like the use of stats, skill factors, item changes and other updates. 1. What main differences will we see in TOS when the big changes are applied? In a nutshell, starting with the new combat system formulas, you’ll be getting revised character stats (in terms of both how they’re used and how they’re calculated), improved item stats and transcendence/enhancement systems, readjusted monster hunting difficulties and many other changes which will serve as guidelines to future dev improvements. 2. What’s the advantage of the new combat calculation formulas compared to our current ones? Our current [attack - defense] formula may be easier to understand, but in a game like TOS where you have several different types of classes, customizable basic stats and two types of attack and defense (physical/magic), it’s not so straightforward. When a game like this allows for such a wide range of character development and customization but the attack/defense values of items, monsters, etc. are fixed, it’s inevitable to come across certain limitations, and we (as well as our players) have certainly started to feel those limitations. That is why, if we’re going to consider future content updates, we need a formula that can take all these values and produce fairly balanced results no matter the stage of development of your character. That’s what we intend to achieve with the new combat calculation formulas (we ended up dwelling on this topic a little more specifically in topic no. 3, so do keep reading). 3. Can you give an example of how the new combat calculation formulas are going to work? Below is the new formula we’re using for calculating damage: damage = (% increase factor) x attack x min {1, log10 ((attack / (defense + 1))^0.8 + 1)} + (+ increase) 0.8 is the number we previously introduced as 0.x min is there to ensure that the applied attack value calculated via defense does not exceed 1 % increase factor refers to skills and other factors that increase attack on a percentage + increase refers to additional damage (+) from sources like property damage Now let’s calculate an example case of attack 1000 and defense 800. A = attack / (defense +1) = 1.248 (1 is added to defense so as to not divide any number by 0) B = A^0.8 + 1 = 2.19 C = min (1, log10 B) = 0.341 (min limits the maximum value of C to 1) This C value is a ratio applied according to the attack value, which makes D = attack x % factor x C + additional damage = 341 Here are a few examples of what the damage value would amount to according to different attack and defense values (assuming a % factor of 1.00 and a + increase of 0), under the new calculation formula: As you can see, with this formula, when attack and defense are the same value, the damage amounts to 30% of that number. The higher the defense, the lower the proportional damage; and vice versa. If the defense is 0, the damage will be the same value as the attack. For the sake of comparison, and to add a little to topic no. 2 of this post, here are the same calculations performed under the current formula (again, assuming a % factor of 1.00 and a + increase of 0). Here, with the [attack - defense] formula applied, investing enough in defense can make you virtually invincible. Some monsters compensated for this by upping their attack, which allowed them to deal some pretty nasty blows to your average player. As we explained before, this hindered many players wanting to quest or solo in Rank 8 fields or enjoy endgame contents like Earth Tower and, on the other hand, produced very extreme attack-defense proportions. We hope these examples help demonstrate how the new combat formulas can help players with different character builds experience a variety of contents more comfortably, which really is what we’re aiming for when applying these changes. 4. How will the new changes affect monsters under my character’s level in particular? For normal-grade field monsters 50 levels under the player’s, a virtual equipment factor is applied to maintain an attack reduction ratio of about 40% to 60%. This factor is applied at an even higher degree in special monsters like giant Hunting Ground monsters, elite or boss monsters. 5. Will the new changes make me invest more in defense? It depends on your circumstances. You can make your attack higher than your defense by investing in stats (STR/INT), but if the attack and defense values you get from items are similar, considering the significant attack increase you get according to your defense value, there won’t be that many contents demanding very high degrees of defense. Because of this, you can get fairly good results in regular fields, Hunting Grounds and instanced dungeons with moderate attack and some Heal or HP potions. On the other hand, the feedback you get from seriously investing in defense becomes more important in Earth Tower and other high-end PvE contents, as well as in PvP situations where it’s hard to estimate the attack of your opponent.
Combat System Changes Dossier Pt. 3
Greetings, Saviors! We're continuing our Dossier series about the ‘Plans for Combat System Changes’ with part 3 today. In this post, we would like to lay out some details regarding the changes that are coming to skills and the way they deal damage. 1. How will the attack factor of skills affect damage? We introduced this chart in our last Dossier post to explain how each factor affects skills before and after the combat system changes. Currently, the attack of a skill is calculated by adding the skill’s attack value to the level + stats + weapon. After the changes, however, this value is going to be calculated based on factors that increase the skill’s attack by a certain percentage. [Bash (Swordsman) Lv. 10 offers a factor of 245%.] The skill increase factor (highlighted below in red) contributes to the new damage calculation formula as such: damage = (% increase factor) x attack x min {1, log10 ((attack / (defense + 1))^0.8 + 1)} + (+ increase) Taking the Bash skill from the image above as an example, the damage provided would be the following (assuming a character of attack 1000, defense 800): Now let’s look at a case of multi-hit damage. [Multi Shot (Archer) Lv. 10 offers a factor of 81% over 10 hits.] Here’s what the damage would look like with this skill (again, assuming a build with attack 1000, defense 800): Multiple hit skills come with a lower attack factor compared to single-hit ones, but in a situation where every hit is accurate, the attack multiplying effect is higher. Boost that with some + additional damage and this type of skills can really prove themselves useful. 2. How will the attack factor vary from skill to skill? There are many types of attack skills in Tree of Savior, each with a different setting. Some skills consist of short, fast-paced hits, while others hit slowly over a longer period. Below are some of the aspects we’re considering in regards to how the different factors will be applied depending on the type of attack skill. The final factor is then determined based on the combination of the aspects above. The only exceptions that escape this rule would be tile skills, which are closely associated with their corresponding class, and skills which would end up nerfed excessively. In those cases, we adjusted the values a little so as to not make the changes too dramatic. 3. How will the attack factor apply in multi-hit skills? For many skills in Tree of Savior, their cooldown (or number of hits) and attack factor will develop simultaneously as the skill level is increased. In those skills, upping the attack factor by basing the sum in the accumulated damage would produce massive degrees of damage by Lv. 15. On the other hand, calculating the skill’s factor on a percentage based in the accumulated damage value would add up to ridiculously low factors at earlier levels. In order for these skills to develop at a more reasonable pace, we decided to either have a fixed cooldown (no. of hits or range) and let only the factor increase, or give them a set factor and allow for only the cooldown (no. of hits or range) to grow with the skill level. Multi Shot (Archer), Breaking Wheel (Inquisitor), Incineration (Plague Doctor) and Cyclone (Doppelsoeldner) are some of the skills that will be receiving this treatment, as well as any future class skills we consider worthy of it. 4. What will happen to skills with no cooldown? We have some pretty major changes planned for no-cooldown skills. The original purpose of no-cooldown skills is to allow your character to have an SP-consuming attack that is more effective that your regular attack. This works fine if the skill only offers an attack factor that is slightly higher (no need for a cooldown), but many no-cooldown skills also include added effects (bleeding, ricochet, debuffs, etc.), which according to the new factor rules leaves them with a much lower attack factor. Now, we don’t think it would be right for these skills to have an attack factor that is lower than regular attacks (100%), nor do we want to increase their SP consumption. To work around this problem, our plan is to give these skills a cooldown that is shorter than that of other 2-3 overheat attack skills, but a visibly higher attack factor than regular attacks. We believe that, in doing this, these low-cooldown skills can be used during the cooldown time of other major attack skills to create a better damage dealing cycle overall. 5. What other changes do you have planned for skills? While testing the new changes, we didn’t individually analyze the effects of every skill in every class build; instead, we simply adjusted the skill factors necessary for the changes along with the buffs and debuffs that most heavily affect them. This method, however, came with a few negative side effects. For example, having insufficient attack skills and skills where the attack/factor doesn’t match the character’s rank/circle continued to be a problem in magic attack Cleric classes (Krivis, Druid, Bokor, Sadhu, Taoist). Because of this, we decided to reduce the general degree of damage magnification obtained from combining skills. In the current version of the game, it’s not uncommon to achieve 2 or 3 times the attack of a skill; with the changes applied, however, you’ll be getting a smaller % of increase that rarely exceeds 2 times. The same will happen in cases where the skill combination can be maintained for longer durations. The main reason why we went for this approach is that, after the combat system changes, the amplification you get from the skill factors and item enhancement is much more noticeable than before. In order to maintain a more balanced environment in future updates and in the current PvP (including GvG) gameplay, we felt like we needed to be stricter about this aspect.
Combat System Changes Dossier Pt. 5
Greetings, Saviors! Now that the main combat system changes we’ve been discussing in the Dossier series have been applied to iTOS, the dev team is back for the final installation of the Combat System Changes Dossier, where we’ll reveal some of the improvement plans we have for the future. Keep in mind that the updates we talk about here haven’t been decided on yet and some aspects may change. Life After the Combat System Changes The big combat system rework came with a character reset event (open until May 30, 2017!) to match all the big and small changes it brought about. We love seeing how players are involved in testing out different builds in the freshly revised combat system, and we're glad most seem to be taking full advantage of the event. Our plan after this big rework is to assess the problems of specific classes in order to readjust and improve them. Our main focus is going to be on classes that are hard to fine-tune through general formulas alone, particularly those with skill set restrictions or problems related to summon AI, stat calculation, etc.; in other words, classes with very specific concepts that can be tricky to approach by your average player. Some classes may take longer to readjust than others, but we hope to release a few patches containing changes for multiple classes at once. And by the way, we’re excluding Rank 7 and Rank 8 classes, which don’t have their upper skill set fully formed yet, from these plans. Tree of Savior has a few classes with very particular structures and functions you don’t commonly see in an MMORPG, and it isn’t easy fixing them all overnight. We at the dev team feel truly grateful to all the players who decided for a class because they admire the concept despite that class’ lower combat performance, and we certainly want to work towards a TOS where no class is forgotten. Field Boss Improvements One update regarding combat systems we already hinted at in a previous video was field boss improvements. First, we expect to lower the combat power and rewards of all bosses that appear after a certain period of time, effectively excluding them from the category of field bosses. Our plans are to divide field bosses into two grades. One grade of field boss will be powerful enough to face multiple parties at once, and drop as main rewards recipes for new unique accessory items, with cubes providing other exciting items. These bosses will be the strongest types of monster existing in Tree of Savior Defeating this type of boss will distribute rewards to all party members according to the damage contribution ranks (within the party), plus a bonus reward to the first and last characters to attack the boss (they’ll have to be present when the boss is defeated to receive these rewards). We believe these bonus rewards will be a fun incentive for players who dare to risk their safety to deal that first hit or the finishing blow. The other grade of field boss will be a slightly toned-down version worthy of facing one-on-one with any character that has a decent combat build. These smaller bosses will appear in various fields of different levels and drop material items that can be used to craft equipment obtained from field bosses. This lower grade of boss will appear at random times in random locations, but we want to avoid having it appear right before scheduled maintenance and remove any restrictions that keep characters from temporarily receiving rewards. Along with these boss changes, we also intend to reduce the frequency of knockdown, omnidirectional and single-target attacks in boss monsters, as well as revise their normal attacks. Team Battle League For our PvP sports content, the Team Battle League, we’re focusing on improving synchronization issues between server/client and location, as well as server speed. First, we want to change Team Battle League matches from the current 2:2 and 5:5 formats to a single 3:3 setup. We also intend to balance out a few skills and systems that hinder the concept of TBL as sports content. Some of the aspects we’re thinking of including in this rebalance are the immunity to multiple target devices (knockdown, stun, freeze and other ailments that cause the inability to control your own character), the duration and effect of long buffs/debuffs, and the stat gaps between different items. Any changes we make related to these, however, will only apply to TBL or other battle-type contents played in similar instanced zones. Finally, regarding TBL, we also feel inclined to add some improvements to the current point and ranking rewards. Guild Communities One of the obvious differences between MMORPGs and games you play alone are the communities players create in the former. This aspect is especially encouraged by the guild communities present in most MMORPGs, a genre which established itself nearly 20 years ago. With this in mind, the somewhat restrictive and closed-off guild systems of TOS can seem to fall a little short of other games with user communities. Currently, guilds in TOS cannot be created without a Templar character. The fact that Templar is a Rank 7 class is enough of an obstacle; add that to the relatively lower combat power and the lack of any noticeable benefits for Templars in the recent reset event, and you can see why guild masters are currently left in a bit of a tough spot. The changes we want to bring to guilds include allowing anyone to create a guild consisting of a simple social community. Guilds led by Templar guild masters, on the other hand, will be able to use skills to access extended guild functions and participate in guild wars. Following these changes, of course, we intend to provide reset items to all guild masters for either skill or class reset options. To match these guild system revisions, we also want to update guild wars (we’re not talking about the seasonal Regional Guild Battles, but the GvG play that takes place in open fields). Here, unlike what we’re doing for Team Battle League, we don’t intend to readjust level differences, skills/buffs or the number of participants, however. These changes don’t mean that every guild will have to go to war, either. We very much appreciate the contribution of players who gladly take part in GvG contents, but not all players join a guild for the same purpose. Finally, we want to push the aspects that differentiate Tree of Savior from more rugged MMORPGs by introducing new friendly living and productive activities, and our plan is to include these in guild contents, too. Thank you to everyone who stuck with us throughout the Dossier series. We at the dev team want to make sure that TOS continues to grow into a fun game for all players.
Dev Roadmap: PvE
Greetings, Saviors! Today on the dev blog, we’re sharing for the first time the main PvE developments in our content update roadmap for the months to come. Earlier this year we introduced major changes to TOS’ combat system, and we set out to develop a whole new series of updates to complement them, some of which were already discussed here on the blog. Now, we’re finally able to present a new batch of content that’s being prepared for future updates. Just remember that all the previews in this post aren’t final and the content presented here can look different once it actually makes it into the game. Level Expansion and New Scenarios First, as you can probably guess, we’re expanding the current maximum level from 330 to 360, adding a new main scenario quest with fresh subquests, locations, enemies and items. In the new main scenario, during your search for the Revelations you come across a mysterious woman named Neringa who leads you to Vaivora’s Fantasy Library. You find that the Library has been invaded by Demon Lord Warpulis and his minions, and you join forces with Neringa and the Kupoles to retrieve the Revelation kept within the Fantasy Library, before it falls in the hands of the evil Warpulis. In Coral Plains, you team up with followers of Goddess Jurate to bring down demon Kartas, who is plotting to take over the region with the help of the Kruvina. At the Narvas Temple in White Tree Forest, details are revealed about the contract between Demon Lord Hauberk and Agailla Flurry, the one who ultimately led him to his downfall. All the while you’ll be meeting new goddesses, new masters and a whole roster of diverse NPCs. Plus, besides the usual EXP Cards, completing the new quests is going to earn you prizes like bonus stats and attribute points, making the discovery of the new stories that much more rewarding. Random Equipment Stats Now, for something a little more substantial. We’re changing the stats of unidentified equipment items from a fixed set of features to a random set of stats that varies by individual item. These unidentified items will be available from monsters not only in Hunting Grounds, but also in regular fields. So you’ll be able to find Magic, Rare and Unique grade equipment items in Hunting Grounds and regular fields, and to reveal their stats you will need to identify the items at an Appraiser. The drop rate of these items will be higher than that of the current Unidentified Cubes obtained from Hunting Grounds, further increasing their supply and variety, while also promoting the farming of these items. On the other hand, the maximum number of gem sockets in equipment, a feature which currently sets the limit to the performance of the item without contributing much to its value, will be changed to a fixed number. Here, we’re increasing the number of sockets in two-handed weapons, setting the random maximum number even higher than that of one-handed weapons. When this update arrives in the game, you’ll be able to get level 350 unidentified equipment items from the new level 331-360 fields and Hunting Grounds. The random stat system, however, will apply to all unidentified items starting at level 75. This means that even unidentified items that are already in the game (level 75-315 Magic and Rare items) will no longer be dropped with fixed stats, instead abiding by the new random stat system. Other than that, we also have plans to introduce monster gems that increase the level of Rank 7 and 8 skills, as well as new boss cards. Readjusting Stats Item stats, similar to Boss Monster Cards, will be categorized by type. These types will be largely divided into attack, defense, basic stat increases, and others. When you first identify an item, you’ll get a set of stats that you can use as they are, or readjust them into a configuration you like better. When you readjust these stats, the number and type of the stats will be fixed. What you can do is change individual stats to a different one of the same type, or increase the value of your preferred stats in the item. To do this you’re going to need a specific type of material item, which you can get by dismantling equipment items (you’ll be able to dismantle equipment items – except unidentified ones – for material items). With stat readjustment, the focus shifts from farming new items to guaranteeing a good number of stats. Re-readjusting an item can decrease durability by 1, so to make up for that, we’re increasing the multiplying factor of durability. In this system, you can then adjust your item’s stats and use it, or you can dismantle it and/or sell it, giving way to new equipment items. As for the Unidentified Cube Fragments that will no longer drop from monsters, they’ll be returned to the players in the form of level-appropriate dismantling items. Looting Chance To the character’s secondary stats, we’re adding a new number called Looting Chance, which increases your probability of obtaining random stat unidentified items from monsters. Your Looting Chance is not influenced by your basic stats (STR, INT, etc.); instead, it increases with equipment stats, in-game gimmicks, items and possibly events. Another way you’ll be able to boost your Looting Chance will be through newly-added gems. These clear gems will be rarer than regular ones, and they can be added to armor items to directly increase your Looting Chance. Since some random stat equipment will already include some value of Looting Chance, adding the clear gems to these items can be a great way to create your own farming gear. Challenge Mode This is another main addition we have in store for PvE. When hunting on a field after the update, you may come across a special type of monster. Defeating this monster will open a portal into the Challenge Mode, an area containing better items than the ones you might find elsewhere. The monster that opens the portal to the Challenge Mode appears after you defeat a certain number of other monsters in the same channel. Anyone can defeat the monster and enter an open portal, but the Challenge Mode zone itself is unique to each player or party. Entering the Challenge Mode is like entering a cutscene quest, in that the area is created exclusively for you (and your party members). Challenge Modes will each have a level and time limit, which determine the combat abilities of the monsters and item drop rates within the challenge area. The Challenge Mode ends when you reach the time limit or your character becomes incapable of combat, and you can participate once per day. To make the most of this mode, then, investing in your Looting Chance is clearly a must. But the Challenge Mode doesn’t end here. If you defeat enough monsters plus the final boss inside the zone, you’ll be able to choose between two options: Step Up or Close. Choosing Close ends the Challenge Mode and yields a clearing reward. Opting for Step Up, on the other hand, takes you to the next stage of the Challenge Mode, where you can try your luck on even stronger monsters with higher drop rates. You can keep stepping up the stages for as long as the level limits allow; just keep in mind that, if the challenge ends because you became incapable of combat, you won’t receive any clearing rewards. You’ll need to judge your own combat abilities versus those of the monsters to know when to drop out of the challenge. The Challenge Mode clearing rewards, by the way, include an item that allows you to enter a new dungeon, but we’ll discuss that in the next section. New Dungeon & Designed Items As mentioned in the section above, the Challenge Mode rewards include an item that will give you access to a new kind of dungeon. You can enter this dungeon in a premade or auto-matched party as usual, but unlike other instanced dungeons and missions, this one has no daily limit and can only be entered by consuming that special reward item. In this dungeon, occupied by particularly strong monsters, you can obtain the new Designed Unique recipes. Compared to Unique equipment with random stats, Designed Unique items include special custom stats, higher values on particular stats and, in the case of weapons, a different outer appearance. With a bit of luck, you can still land some very solid stats on regular random-stat Unique items, but the appeal of Designed Unique equipment is that its effects and performance are more precise according to the use you give it. We are also preparing multiple items for the same type of equipment, increasing the variety of gear within the grade. Not only can you get Designed Unique recipes in this dungeon, you will also find there customizable items (where you can change the type or value of the stats) and other items you won’t see in regular fields or dungeons. New Earth Tower Difficulty Settings and Entry Rules To go along with the maximum level expansion, to the Earth Tower’s Solmiki Area we’re adding two new difficulty settings. So if your party is strong and well-rounded, you can have a go at the Hard Mode and get your Legend equipment set in a shorter amount of time. We’re also increasing the supply of level 270 Lolopanther materials, effectively turning the set into the go-to superior choice for mid-level range characters. Another aspect of ET we’re changing is the entry rules. Instead of 1 time per day (+1 for Token users), the limit will be 3 times per week, with the rewards adjusted accordingly. Similarly to the updates we have planned for the Saalus missions, the Token benefits here will not be for extra entries, but for additional rewards. With this overall reward boost, we expect the time for acquiring ET items to reduce by 10% for Solmiki gear and 40% for Lolopanther gear. Legend Boss Cards You may remember from a previous dev blog post where we showed a preview of the new monster card equip system (seen in the image above) that there was a space in the middle for an additional card. Well, this central slot is now reserved for Legend-grade Boss Cards (golden frame). Our plan is to have boss cards of the Legend grade be obtainable from future field boss monster cubes (cards obtained from current field bosses will not change their grade to Legend). The system for enhancing Legend boss cards will be different from that of regular boss cards. Rather than gradually increasing the card’s EXP, you will need to use up to 4 other cards as fodder to increase the Legend card’s level (★) by 1 in one attempt. Depending on the type and level of the fodder cards, however, there can be a risk of destroying the Legend card in the process. Finally, we should also mention that unlocking the slot for Legend cards will require special conditions related to the goddess’ Revelations. And... that’s it for today! We hope this post gives you a better idea of where we’re heading in our development plans for the next major updates regarding PvE. As always, we’ll keep you on track of the progress through the dev blog and our patch notes. Thank you!
The Monster Card Equip System
Greetings, Saviors! This week on the blog we want to introduce you to a new feature we’re working on for a future update: the Monster Card Equip System. Please note that this feature is still under development and the final version may look different from what we’re showing you here, but this is what you can generally expect. What is the Monster Card Equip System? We plan on making Monster Cards obtainable through the Cubes acquired after defeating field boss monsters and instanced dungeon/mission bosses. Our goal is to create a function where these cards can be equipped by a character, just like equipment items. The Monster Cards will then have their own effects that are applied to the character when they equip the cards. Equipping Monster Cards New Monster Card slots will be added to the characters’ inventories. Each rank of your character will grant them one slot, so for instance, a Rank 5 character will have 5 Monster Card slots in their Inventory. To equip a card from your inventory, you can either right-click it or drag and drop it on the card slot. You can equip different cards and receive their diverse types of benefits at once, or you can equip multiples of the same card and focus on a single effect that you want to multiply. Can Monster Cards be Unequipped? Monster Cards can be freely equipped and unequipped. Unequipping a Monster Card, however, will cause its EXP to decrease. See the images below.