Intense Class Balancing, Here We Go

Greetings, Saviors!

We have yet another batch of changes to discuss today, this time related to class balance. We’ve discussed class-specific balancing on many other occasions here at the blog, but the changes we’re introducing today are a little different.

Unlike regular balance patches, this one is going to bring more substantial changes to each class, with some skills acting entirely different and new attributes added to the mix. Today we’re sharing some of the adjustments we have in store for a few Cleric classes (don't worry, we have plans for other classes and class trees too).

As always, remember that the changes discussed here aren’t final or absolute. Some content may be added or readjusted before it makes it into the game, so keep that in mind.
 

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Paladin Changes

We’re starting with Paladins, a class for which we have a few specific skill changes planned. Namely, we’re turning the C2 Conversion skill into a Turn Undead attribute and adding two brand new skills.

 

		Turn Undead: Conversion Conversion skill removed, added as Turn Undead attribute.
		Sanctuary New buff skill.
		Demolition New attack skill.
		Shield Guard C key activates shield to block attacks.

 

First, we’re taking Turn Undead and Conversion, two skills largely ignored by most Paladins, and combining them into a single skill with increased effects.

The cooldown for Turn Undead is being reduced from 70 to 50 seconds, while the AoE ratio goes up by 2. As for the skill’s area, we’re switching the current conical shape for a square one that covers 1.7 times more terrain, giving players a much more comfortable reach on nearby monsters.

As mentioned above, the Conversion skill will become a Turn Undead attribute, replacing the current [Conversion: Might Enhance]. The new [Turn Undead: Conversion] attribute, then, means a certain chance per skill level of converting enemies hit by Turn Undead. With this, you can have up to 5 converted monsters at any time, which will act like summons and receive influence from your SPR stat and additional attack from your weapon’s magic attack.

Of course, Paladins who already invested points in their Conversion skill will have those returned in the form of Paladin skill points.

 

Now, let’s look at the new skills. First, we’re adding Sanctuary, a buff that can protect and empower allies, neatly reinforcing the role of the Paladin as a defense Cleric class. For as long as the Paladin holds their prayer, Sanctuary increases ally defense, an increase which then determines the strength of the additional Holy property attack the skill provides.

So Sanctuary offers decent protection and attack boosts to nearby dealers who may be short on defense or HP. On the other hand, the skill can only be used with a shield equipped and it lasts for a maximum of 10 seconds (it isn’t canceled when the casting character is attacked).
 

 

The other new skill we have ready for Paladins is Demolition, a wide-range attack technique used exclusively with two-handed blunt weapons. Demolition, with its AoE attack ratio of 12, strikes the ground 3 times to deal a total of 7 hits on any monsters nearby. We thought a skill like this was needed to complement the lack of wide AoE action in the physical attack Cleric family, while still differentiating itself from Monk skills of a similar concept.
 

 

The new Circle 3 attribute, Shield Guard, gives Paladins the same ability Peltastas and Murmillos have of using their shield to block enemy attacks. Combined with other future Paladin attributes, it can also serve to protect allies, depending on your controls and setup.

Priest Buffs and Pardoner Shops

 

Pardoner shops have always been the subject of discussion. They’re a unique characteristic of Tree of Savior, with many Pardoners dedicating themselves to providing the highest performing buffs at the most affordable prices to everyone in-game.

 

On the other hand, while celebrity Pardoner buffs get all the acclaim for their attractive effects, Priest buffs are relegated to the background, to the point where even Priest characters often buy their buffs from Pardoners instead of using their own.

With these changes, we want to have shop buffs perform 30% below the effects of normal buffs, while boosting the numbers on real skill buffs. Pardoner shop buffs will, therefore, be more limited in terms of how much of a boost they can offer, while Priest skill buffs will perform similarly to the current shop ones.

First, we’re doubling the defense-increasing effects of Aspersion (considering a standard of skill level 15, SPR 300). Then, we’re increasing by almost 4 times the effects of the Pardoner skill Increase Magic Defense (same standard), and we’re adding it to the list of skills allowed in the shop.

From Blessing, we’re removing the limits on the maximum number of attacks and applying it with 30% less effect in Pardoner shops. Instead, you’ll be able to use this buff for a long time without worrying about the number of attacks you’ve used.

Sacrament, often just used as a supplement to additional property damage buffs, is saying goodbye to the downward compatibility with Blessing and the meager Holy damage extra. Our plans now are to have it add a very significant amount of Holy property damage to regular attacks.

To recap everything, this is how Pardoner shop and Priest buffs are going to change.

 

Skill		BEFORE (Skill Buff)	AFTER (Skill Buff)	BEFORE (Shop Buff)	AFTER (Shop Buff)
	Aspersion Lv. 15	Physical defense +512	Physical defense +1060	Physical defense +512	Physical defense +742
	Increase Magic Defense Lv. 15	Magic defense +560	Magic defense +2207		Magic defense +1544
	Blessing Lv. 15	Add. damage +913 (limited attacks)	Add. damage +913 (unlimited)	Add. damage +913 (limited attacks)	Add. damage +639 (unlimited)
	Sacrament Lv. 10	Holy attack +330 Holy property add. damage +370	Holy attack +1285	Holy attack +330 Holy property add. damage +370	Holy attack +899

As you can see, skill buffs are going to get a pretty significant increase after the changes. Defense shop buffs, even with 30% less effect, are still going strong. Blessing may become less effective in shops, but it offers unlimited attacks and, when used with Sacrament, a similar degree of additional damage and more than 1 hour of comfortable hunting.

 

Other Skills

 

 

The Priest’s Monstrance, due to its peculiar system (and the occasional bug…), can often be difficult to install, so we wanted to change the way this skill is used to a more intuitive one. The new Monstrance magic circle will be large regardless of level, and it will not disappear when it’s stepped on by an enemy.

The Bokor’s Ogouveve is going to increase zombie damage based on skill level.

Like Sacrament, the Chaplain’s Last Rites is having its additional Holy damage removed and will instead be adding damage to Holy property attacks, which increases when your HP gets below a certain level.

 

To create a more stabilized dealing skill for Monks, Golden Bell Shield is becoming a stationary attack skill that provides both invincibility and resistance to knockback/knockdown, gaining you time until the Pain Barrier kicks in. This last part is because, along with the skill change, we’re replacing Golden Bell Shield’s Safety Zone attribute with a Pain Barrier one, which applies a Pain Barrier state for 5 seconds after the skill (your character will be able to move during that time).

For the Pardoner’s Decatose, we’re reducing the amount of Silver consumed from 1,500 to 300. The 10% chance of reacquiring the Silver spent is being scrapped; instead, the 10% chance of instant enemy death can be increased up to 2 times (to 20%) according to your SPR stat. Not only that, the skill is getting an overheat of 2 and a new [Decatose: Enhance] attribute.

To the Oracle’s Forecast we’re adding an evasion increase of 100 for you and your party members.

 

We’re also reorganizing the attributes in the Kabbalist’s Merkabah. [Enhanced Durability] will become a basic function and [Magic Defense] will be integrated into [Divine Protection]. Gematria and Notarikon, two skills which take up a little too many points for the amount of function they offer, will be mastered at level 1. They are also having their cooldown reduced from 10 to 1 second in order to combine with other skills more conveniently.
 

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This is all we have for you today, but there are still many more class balancing plans left to talk about. Don’t be too discouraged if your class or preferred skill wasn’t discussed here; as we mentioned in the beginning of this post, none of the changes are final and we are always working on other classes and aspects of the game.

We’ll make sure to keep you updated on our plans as usual. Thank you!