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DEVELOPER'S BLOG

UPDATEIntense Balancing: Clerics, Archers and More!

By STAFF_Ines

May 15th, 2018

Greetings, Saviors!

It’s been a while, but today your dev team is back with another preview of some intense balancing changes we’re getting ready to introduce in a future content update. As always, remember that this may not be the final version of all the skills we talk about here, so make sure to check the patch notes when this update arrives.
 



Healing




First, let’s talk about healing. Currently, the amount of HP restored by healing skills is largely determined not by the caster’s level and stats or by the skill’s performance, but by the receiving character’s capacity for HP recovery.

 

Receiver
CON

Caster SPR

1

100

200

300

1

8,816

8,915

9,015

9,115

100

13,856

13,955

14,055

14,155

200

19,176

19,275

19,375

19,475

300

24,496

24,595

24,695

24,795

 

<Amount of HP restored by a Lv. 360 Swordsman tree character via a Priest’s Lv. 10 Mass Heal.>



As illustrated by this table, a large part of the performance of healing (90%, in fact) comes not from the skill level or the caster’s SPR, but from the receiver’s CON values.

Even when the caster’s SPR is at 300, if the receiver has a low CON value, the healing skill is unable to recover even 10,000 HP. On the other hand, a receiving character with 300 CON in the same circumstances gets more than 24,000 of their HP restored. In reality, this setup where the recovery happens in proportion to your maximum HP makes it so that supporting classes see little advantage in investing in healing skills and building their characters around that function.

After this update, the amount of HP restored will depend not on the receiver’s maximum HP, but on the caster’s healing abilities and skill level, like so:
 

Heal value = [caster’s Healing] x [skill’s heal factor] +x [compensation values]


In this formula, Healing is a new secondary stat like physical attack or magic defense, which values will be determined by the character’s SPR and INT stats on a ratio of approximately 2:1.

The efficacy of healing skills, then, will be based on your Healing stat and the skills’ own heal factors. For example, if your Healing is 1,000 and the heal factor is 350%, the skill’s final heal value will be 3,500. Any buffs related to healing will also influence this heal value.

In the future, we expect to introduce new unidentified items with Healing stats, Boss Cards that increase Healing, and accessories or consumable items that can boost the heal factor of skills. Recovery in proportion to the receiver’s maximum HP will become a feature of only some healing skills.

Let’s move on to class-specific changes now.


Cleric

 

[C1 Attribute] One-handed Blunt Mastery: Stun

The effects of this attribute change to an increase in Healing whenever the character is equipping a one-handed blunt weapon. Accordingly, the attribute is renamed as One-handed Blunt Mastery: Healing.

 

[C1 Skill] Heal

The skill’s healing factors are revised, and the effects of the magic circle are adjusted to apply only to party members (including instanced dungeon parties).

New C1 attribute Heal: Open Sanctuary lets you extend the skill’s effects to other neutral characters, while Heal: Apply to Summons (also C1) can be switched ON to apply the effects of the skill to summons as well. When the attribute is switched OFF, of course, the healing tiles are not consumed by summons.

In C3 we’re adding Heal: Linger, which applies a buff that continually restores the HP of any allies that step on the healing tiles.

As for the basic Heal: Enhance, this attribute will increase not just the damage of Heal, but its healing ability as well.

 

[C3 Skill] Guardian Saint

The effects of this skill are changed to momentarily increase your Healing stat in proportion to skill level. After this update, current attributes Guardian Saint: Decreased Damage and Guardian Saint: Change Target will be deleted and converted back to points.

 


Priest

 

[C2 Skill] Mass Heal

The area of Mass Heal is adjusted to fit around the caster, meaning allies standing behind the casting character can also receive the skill’s effects (no changes to the range). And, as what happens with Heal, the skill gains a heal factor that is determined by the character’s Healing stat.

 


Krivis

 

[C1 Skill] Aukuras

Like the other healing skills, Aukuras also gets a heal factor.

 


Kabbalist

 

[C1 Skill] Merkabah

Merkabah’s attack is adjusted to deal twice the damage to both Demon type and Large sized monsters.

 

[C1 Skill] Decrease Level

Skill deleted.

 

[C1 Skill] Ein Sof

Ein Sof’s maximum HP increase is changed from +20% to +10% +3,000. There is no change when the receiver’s HP is 30,000; otherwise, this is how it should work:
 

Max. HP

BEFORE

AFTER

20,000

80,000

95,000

30,000

120,000

120,000

50,000

200,000

170,000

100,000

400,000

295,000


<Ein Sof Lv 15>

The HP increase in this attribute may be cut in half, but with these changes, the SP restoring effects of Ein Sof: SP Recovery apply over 10 whole seconds.

 

[C2 Skill >> C1 Skill] Double Chance

Double Chance is moved to Circle 1. Also, the skill’s attack per hit changes from (skill level x 10%) to (skill level x 8%).

 

NEW! [C2 Skill] Nachash



New skill Nachash uses the power of Kabbalah to summon serpents that attack the enemy. Accompanying this skill is attribute Nachash: Enhance.

 

NEW! [C3 Skill] Tree of Sepiroth

Tree of Sepiroth is the new Kabbalist C3 skill.



This skill reduces the damage taken from enemies within its range, and it continually restores HP in proportion to skill level and the receiver’s maximum HP. The effects apply only in the periphery of the tree.

Along with this we’re adding the Tree of Sepiroth: Enhance attribute, which increases the ratio of HP restored.

 


Druid
 

[C1 Skill] Carnivory

Attack factors increase, cooldown time is changed to 20 seconds, and range expands by 50% (same range as Chortasmata).

 

[C1 Skill] Chortasmata

Ground enemies that step on Chortasmata receive an additional Rash debuff, which applies Poison property damage every 0.5 seconds for 10 seconds.

Allies on top of Chortasmata, on the other hand, get their HP restored every second with the new Floral Scent buff.

 

NEW! [C1 Skill] Seed Bomb

Seed Bomb is a new skill that lets you plant an explosive seed on your party members (no, seriously).



Once it’s planted on an ally, the seed will explode when the ally is hit or after the buff expires, dealing magic damage to nearby enemies. Since the explosion happens in the spot where your party members are located, you can coordinate to stack its effects. As you can guess, this skill also comes with an Enhance attribute.

 

NEW! [C2 Skill] Thorn

Another new Druid skill is Thorn, which generates a thorny vine that deals continuous damage. Ground enemies hit by the vine have their movement restricted, and the skill also includes an Enhance attribute.

 

[C3 Skill] Henge Stone

To this skill we’re adding an effect that increases the damage of magic skills cast by nearby Cleric classes by 10%. Duration is extended to 10 seconds, and cooldown time changed to 25 seconds.

 

[C3 Skill] Lycanthropy



Lycanthropy is set to undergo several changes. Here is a summary.

- 3 seconds of immunity after transformation
- Only wolf skills allowed after transformation
- Wolf skill damage increased by more than 2 times
- Wolf skill damage increased by 10% per Lycanthropy skill level
- Wolf skill cooldown reduced by 20-50%
- Critical rate increased by 40 per skill level
- Movement speed +3
- Maximum HP +100%
- Physical defense/magic defense +50%
- 2% HP restored every 8 seconds
- Dash added
- Duration fixed at 100 seconds
- Cooldown changed to 120 seconds
[UPDATE]
- Block penetration +400
- Increased factors and range for all wolf skills
- Additional debuff effect for some wolf skills
- Movement speed increased from +3 to +10
- Duration reduced from 100 seconds to 30 seconds



Learning the new Lycanthropy: Human Form lets you turn into a half-human creature instead of the original wolf whenever you use Lycanthropy. There are a few differences between the half-human and wolf varieties of this skill, so here’s what you can expect from Human Form:

- No wolf skills allowed (only your basic skills)
- Basic attack changed to Scratch, which induces 5% Bleeding
- Dash allowed
- 2% HP restored every 8 seconds
- Magic attack skill damage increased 4% per skill level
- Physical attack skill damage increased 6% per skill level
- Critical rate increased by 40 per skill level
- Duration of 60 seconds

 


Ranger

 

[C1 Skill] Steady Aim

Duration changes to 300 seconds, and Missile damage increase is adjusted from +5% per skill level to skill level%.

Two new attributes are added to Steady Aim. First, Steady Aim: Two-handed Bow Specialization (C2) increases the skill’s Missile damage bonus by 50%. This means that, if Steady Aim alone increases Missile damage by 15% at Lv 15, with the specialization attribute that number jumps to 22.5%.

The new C3 attribute, Steady Aim: Pro Ranger, increases the damage of all Ranger skills by 50%.

 

[C1 Skill] Critical Shot

This skill’s additional critical chance is increased from 62% to a fixed 100%, with a stacking buff generated every time Critical Shot is accurate. This buff increases critical damage by 10% per stack, and it can accumulate up to 5 stacks.

 

[C1 Skill] High Anchoring

The 1-second casting is removed, with the skill also expanding in width by 50%.

Learning the new High Anchoring: Continuous Fire C3 attribute reduces the cooldown of Spiral Arrow, Bounce Shot and Time Bomb Arrow in proportion to the number of targets hit with High Anchoring.

 

[C2 Skill] Time Bomb Arrow

Two new attributes are added to Time Bomb Arrow: C2 Remove Knockdown and C3 Extend Fuse.

Time Bomb Arrow: Extend Fuse increases the duration of the bomb to 4 seconds, but it also boosts damage by 200%.

 

[C3 Skill] Bounce Shot

Overheat increases to 3.

 

[C3 Skill] Spiral Arrow

Cooldown time decreases from 36 to 15 seconds, while overheat changes from 2 to 1.

After the update, Spiral Arrow will ignore enemy defense by 20% and apply the Sure Victory debuff to any targets hit by it, which increases the skill’s consecutive hits.

 


Fletcher

 

Common

The power of all skills except Magic Arrow increases by 20-50%.

 

[C1 Skill] Bodkin Point

Cooldown is changed to 20 seconds and overheat to 2. Not only that, Bodkin Point gains the ability to remove Subzero Shield (Cryomancer), Genbu Armor (Onmyoji) and Shield Charger shields.

Finally, the duration of this skill’s physical defense reduction effect increases from 6 to 15 seconds.

 

[C1 Skill] Barbed Arrow

The number of hits applied according to defense type change to the following:
 

Defense Type

BEFORE

AFTER

Plate

1 hit

1 hit

Leather

2 hits

3 hits

Cloth

3 hits

5 hits

 

[C2 Skill] Magic Arrow

We’re changing the design of this skill’s magic circle, and allowing targets to receive part of the damage when they are hit slightly outside the Magic Arrow range.

 

NEW! [C3 Attribute] Fletcher: Expanded Range

This new attribute increases the range of Fletcher skills in proportion to attribute level.


[UPDATE] Besides these changes, the Fletcher's Divine Machine Arrow is also set to have its overheat increased from 1 to 3, while cooldown time increases from 10 to 20 seconds.


Mergen

 

[C2 Skill] Down Fall

Damage is reduced to 2/3 of its current value, while the attack cycle speeds up by 2 times and enemies hit by the skill become staggered.

 

[C2 Skill] Jump Shot

We’re revising the skill to grant your character invincibility while you jump backwards. At the same time, the attack range is adjusted to count from a point in front of the caster.

 


Wugushi

 

[C1 Skill] Needle Blow

Skill and related attributes deleted.

 

[C1 Skill] Bewitch

Skill and related attributes deleted.

 

[C1 Skill] Zhendu

Zhendu will add a Poison property to your attacks.

All attacks receive additional Poison property damage, while basic attacks gain a Poison property attack bonus (same structure as the Pyromancer’s Enchant Fire). These Poison property attack values are influenced by your STR stat.

Cooldown is set at 110 seconds, duration at 300 seconds, and the skill can also be shared via the Linker’s Spiritual Chain.

 

NEW! [C1 Skill] Latent Venom

This new skill allows you to fire a poisonous arrow that deals continuous damage to the target for a period of time.

Enemies hit by Latent Venom receive Poison damage every second for 100 seconds, with damage increasing a little more in each turn.

 

[C2 Skill >> C1 Skill] Throw Gu Pot

Skill changes from Circle 2 to Circle 1.

 

[C1 Skill] Detoxify

Maximum level changes from Lv 15 to Lv 1.

This skill also gains a new C3 attribute, Detoxify: Level 3, which lets you cure poison up to level 3.

 

NEW! [C2 Skill] Wide Miasma

Wide Miasma is a new C2 skill that has your character break a vial of poison on the ground, spreading a cloud of toxic gases all around.

Also, with the new C3 attribute Wide Miasma: Stealth, your character can momentarily enter stealth status within the skill’s range after casting it.

 

[C3 Skill >> C2 Skill] Jincan Gu

Skill changes from Circle 3 to Circle 2.

 

NEW! [C3 Skill] Crescendo Bane

Crescendo Bane is a new skill that activates the poison running through your enemies’ veins.

Using Crescendo Bane cuts the duration of the target’s poisoned status in half, while doubling the speed of the damage cycle. This skill activates not just the caster’s poison, but all Poison debuffs the target may hold, and it also applies twice the additional Poison property damage (already activated Poison debuffs, however, cannot be reactivated).

The range of this skill increases with skill level, and it reaches a maximum of 10 targets.

With new attribute Crescendo Bane: Poison to Poison, the skill deals additional damage to Poison property monsters.

 


Nak Muay

 

NEW! [C1 Skill] Muay Thai

Muay Thai is a buff that, when casted, reduces the cooldown time of all Nak Muay skills by 1 second each. This does not apply to the basic Nak Muay attack.


Besides the new skill, when this update patch hits we will also be reducing the difficulty of Nak Muay class unlocking requirements.


Skill Consumables


Along with the Cleric/Archer skill renovations, we have plans to adjust the current setup of skill consumables for these classes. Here’s a summary of what changes you can expect.
 

Class

Skill

BEFORE

AFTER

Quarrel Shooter

Stone Shot

Stone Bullet x1
(generated by skill)

Stone Bullet x1
(12 Silver)

Stone Picking skill/attributes deleted

Sapper

Claymore

Claymore x1
(300 Silver)

Trap Kit x5
(30 Silver x 5)

Punji Stake

Pine Wood x3
(12 Silver x3)

Trap Kit x1
(30 Silver)

Broom Trap

Ash Wood x3
(12 Silver x3)

Trap Kit x3
(30 Silver x 3)

Spike Shooter

Wire x1
(320 Silver)

Trap Kit x5
(30 Silver x 5)

Dievdirbys

All statue skills

Different kinds of Wood
(12-20 Silver)

Sculpting Wood x1
(12 Silver)

Wood acquired from Carve Attack: Chance to Obtain is also replaced by Sculpting Wood

Paladin

Barrier

-

Holy Water x10
(50 Silver x10)

Krivis

Melstis

-

Holy Powder x5
(20 Silver x5)

Inquisitor

Breaking Wheel

Wheel of Judgment x1
(1,000 Silver)

Torture Tools x3
(300 Silver x3)


To compensate players in the classes affected by these changes, when the patch is applied we will be setting up a Reset Helper NPC in-game which you can visit during a period of 2 weeks after the corresponding scheduled maintenance.
 

Eligible characters

Items provided

All Archer tree classes
All Cleric tree classes

Stat Reset Potion (14 Days) x2
Skill Reset Potion (14 Days) x2
Attribute Reset Potion (14 Days) x2

Nak Muay C1 and above

Skill Reset Potion (14 Days) x2


Not only that, characters in the Sapper, Dievdirbys and Inquisitor classes will be compensated for their skill consumable changes as follows.
 

Class

For every:

You will receive:

Sapper

Pine Wood x3

Trap Kit x1

Ash Wood x3

Wire x1

Trap Kit x10

Claymore x1

Dievdirbys

Oak Wood x1

Sculpting Wood x1

Pine Wood x1

Cedar Wood x1

Ash Wood x1

Inquisitor

Wheel of Judgment x1

Torture Tools x3


You will be able to exchange these consumables at the reset NPC or at each Class Master. And, of course, the previous materials will no longer be available for purchase.
 



That’s it for today’s intense balancing patch plans. Don’t be too sad if your favorite class wasn’t featured here; we want to keep improving on the balance issues of all the trees and classes, and we’ll make sure to release more information whenever a new patch is on the way.

Thanks for joining us, and stay tuned for more news!