Necromancer, Ranger, and Shadow Knight Deep Dives and Traits Preview
Hi folks!
Things are running up to the wire, but we wanted to give you an overview of the coming changes to the Necromancer, Ranger, and Shadow Knight classes, as well as a preview of the changes to Traits before we go into Early Access on Thursday (Oct. 1).
The initial implementation of all of the class changes listed in the Deep Dives is waiting for you in the October 1st launch build. You’ll be able to experience what’s described in the documentation on Day 1.
From here we’ll continue to focus on fixes, iterating on your feedback, and reviewing relative balance of all of the classes. The normal stuff MMOs tend to do for a while.
You can find the Deep Dives here:
Please give a high-five and/or some positive vibes to the guys. They put in a ton of hours and effort to ensure that we could go live with the first pass of revamps for all of the classes.
We’ve got plenty of work ahead of us, but I hope we’ve shown that we take maintaining our momentum very seriously.
Again, big thanks to Jahaar, Xilith, Ali, Runaf, and the rest of the crew!
Traits Preview
The work on Traits is ongoing, but we’re planning on getting the changes out as soon as possible. When we release the revamped traits, we’ll provide the mechanism needed for you to reselect your preferred configuration within the new system. We’re posting these here to help people with race selection.
Our immediate focus is on Racial Innates, Background Traits, and Starting Boons - but we’ll continue working on the rest of the options and get them in over time.
Keep in mind that we’re liable to get feedback and make some tweaks as we go. But just like the class changes, this should give you enough of a foundation to ensure you’re able to make an informed decision on races and check them firsthand once they’re available.
Goals
We wanted your Race and Trait selections to matter. We have rethought traits entirely and we are excited to roll them out to you over the course of Early Access. Our goals are:
Make the choices matter
Give you a lot of agency in designing how your character plays
Ensure there is ample room for growth and progression
Prevent you feeling “stuck” in your choices, which you may have made before knowing/understanding your class
** It is important to note that this is all still unimplemented and is a work in progress. We are sharing design notes that may change between now and when they get implemented. We will allow you to reselect your traits when these go live. **
Racial Innate Traits
Every race now gets 3 Racial traits, which may include an innate vision type. These innate traits should offer interesting gameplay opportunities, lean into the racial lore, and create points of distinction between the races.
The intention was to provide opportunity for distinction that is not just based on “this race is big and so gets +2 strength.” These distinctions still exist, but are represented in the starting attributes and maximums afforded during point allocation during character creation.
Background Traits
Additionally, every race now gets to select from one of three backgrounds that come with various benefits and potential penalties. These trait options are heavily based on racial lore and offer an opportunity for players to immerse themselves in multiple fantasies within a given racial selection.
These Background Traits offer significant advantages and disadvantages that are more impactful than the Racial Innates.
Personality Traits
Players may opt to select a personality trait. These offer small, fun modifiers that reinforce the player’s fantasy. These are optional and players may choose to be “Bland” and have no bonuses/penalties. Not all personalities will be available to every race/class combination.
Starting Boons
We also appreciate that players currently choose traits often because they give certain starting items. This could be a generous bag or a thousand throwing daggers. Starting Boons give you an opportunity to select your starting item without any accompanying bonuses or penalties. All boon choices should be impactful.
Progression Traits
As you level, you will find opportunities to gain additional traits. Some traits may have prerequisite traits, and others may not. Some traits will only be available to certain races, class archetypes, or classes.
They will be represented in game as quests, with the trait being the reward or potentially one of several rewards.
We track a lot of information about your characters. So, some traits may require you to slaughter large numbers of vermin, and by the time you find the quest you may have already completed that objective. Our intention is for the NPC to look at you and say, “Here comes a great vermin slayer! All hail the Vermin Lord!” and give you the trait.
Also, we hear you like epic quests? How about epic trait quests? Keep an eye out as the world grows larger.
On Vision Types
Ultravision will remain the same
Infravision will change to an activatable ability
The intention is for infravision to gain additional effects such as highlighting warm-blooded things
Racial Innates and Backgrounds
This list is still in development, and values and certain effects may (will) change. However, the intent will remain the same.
Human
Innates
Quick Learner
All skill points are gained 5% faster
Incorrigible Nature
10% Bonus Endurance
5 Resistance to Magic and Electric
Human Conquest and Diplomacy
+25 to Sense Heading
+5 to Slashing, Bludgeoning, and Piercing
5% chance to double your faction bonus from combat
Select one of three:
Seafaring
+10 Fishing
+10% Swimming Speed
+5 Cold Resist, -5 Electric Resist
Something smells fishy: -2 Charisma
+10% immunity to fear
Enduring
+1 stamina
+1 strength
Activatable: Endure
Increases your stamina by 30% for 20 seconds, which increases max health temporarily.
Heals your current health for 25% of the max HP gained
10 minute cooldown
Wayfaring
Starts with Deep Common Language skill
+5 Cold Resist & -5 Disease Resist
+1 to all stats
10% immunity to snares
Wood Elf
Innates
Infravision (Activatable)
Hide
Hunter/Gatherer
+20 Forage
+ 10 Fishing
5 Resistance to Poison and Disease
Select one of three:
Woodland Protector
Cute bear pet (non-combat)
+2 Agility
+25 Sense Heading
Activatable: Protect
Protect an ally, redirecting 50% of incoming damage to you for 15 seconds.
10 minute cooldown
Well-Traveled
+ 5 to slash, blunt, pierce
+5 Resistance to Cold and Fire
+25 to Sense Heading
+10 Commerce
10% immunity to snares
10% immunity to fear
Grove Tender
+ 2 Wisdom
+1 Stamina
+10 to blunt
+10% Endurance
-2 Corruption Resistance
Activatable: Heartwood Sapling
Places a Tree that provides Shading and Shelter below it
Reagent: Heartwood Core from various Elven forests
Lasts 30 minutes, Cooldown 10 minutes
Deep Gnome
Innates
Ultravision
Bioluminescent (Activatable light)
Ingest a “Deep Mushroom” to activate bioluminescence for 20 minutes
Alien Beauty
Bonus faction with Myconids and other strange creatures
Select one of three:
Immensely Wise
+2 Wisdom
Activatable: Dream
Puts you to sleep for 12 seconds (only broken on damage taken), increasing healing received by 25%, forcing meditation, and giving you temporary +30% meditation skill for the duration which increases mana regeneration.
10 minute cooldown
World Walker
+25 Sense Heading
+3 Corruption Resist, -3 Holy Resist, +3 Disease Resist
Activatable: Liminal Step
Step between worlds, granting invisibility vs all types for 15 seconds before emerging in the material once more.
20 minute cooldown
Evades enemy aggression when activated
Fungal Symbiosis
Fungal Regeneration (only active while shaded)
+5 Disease Resist, -5 Corruption Resist
Rotten: -2 Charisma
Activatable: Rotten Renewal
Sacrifice 30% of your maximum health, and distribute the damage done as healing to each party member over 12 seconds. Once afflicted by Rotten Renewal, a player cannot benefit from further renewal for 3 minutes.
15 minute cooldown
Gnome
Innates
Slippery
15% resist root
Activate to break roots
Resourceful
Activatable +20 Resistance to Magic, Electric, Corruption
Innovative
5% increased skill gain speed in:
Tinkering
Engineering
Intelligence-based spell casting skills
Language skills
Select one of three:
Gnome of the Underworld
Ability: Hide
+2 Dexterity
+2 Intelligence
-1 Strength
-1 Wisdom
+5 Resist Cold
Ability: Improvised Light
Create an improvised torch from any single material that is:
Wooden
Cloth
Gnome of the Forest
Activatable: Sprint-type ability
Gain 20 movement speed
8 seconds
15 minute Cooldown
+1 Stamina
+1 Wisdom
-1 Stamina
+2 Resist Poison
Ability: Infravision (Self-Only)
Gnome of the City
+10 Commerce
+15 Tinkering
Sneak
+ 1 Dexterity
Ability: Improvised Stun Grenade
Reagent: Gnomish Boomers (unique tinkering recipe)
20 minutes Cooldown
Ground Target AoE short stun
Halfling
Innates
+5 Disease and Fire Resistances
Sneak: If the class already gets sneak then they get improved sneak (+2 levels sneak)
Daggers and stuff
+ 10 to piercing
Select one of three:
A Life of Peace
+20 Farming
+20 Cooking
+20 Brewing
Activatable: Homesteading
Requires Campfire
Places Platter of Dried Plants widget
Aura: Smells like Home
+5% Skill Gain
Slow down food/water consumption by 30%
+20% Endurance Regeneration
Right Click
Buff 5 minutes +1 Charisma, Smell like Autumn
Cooldown 20 minutes, Requires reagent Fragrant Leaf (Spawns on the ground in forests)
A life of mischief
+ 2 Agility
+ 1 Dexterity
+ 10 Commerce
+5 Piercing
Activatable: Hide
A life of loyalty
+ 10% Endurance
+ 2 Stamina
+5% immunity to fears
Activatable: Nimble
Temporarily increases your Agility by 10, and an additional 30% for 20 seconds.
8 minute cooldown
Goblin
Innates
Pickpocket
Forage
Filth Dweller
+5 Resist Disease and Poison
+2 Resist Cold and Electric
Select one of three:
Sewer-Born
Smelly (-2 Charisma)
Infravision
+10% Swimming Speed
Eats Less
Sneak: If the class already gets sneak then they get improved sneak (+2 levels sneak)
Betrayer's Bloodline
Magical Vision (Sense Magic)
+1 Intelligence
Slippery
15% resist root
Activate to break roots
Starts with a “Grimy Crown”
Chance to pickpocket when you auto-attack
Bloodstalker’s Apprentice
+ 1 Dexterity
+ 1 Wisdom
+ 1 Agility
10% Immunity to Fear
10% Immunity to Snare
Activate: Remove snare effects
Ogre
Innates
Sturdy Flesh
10% Immune to Stun
Discipline of the Ogre
10% Immune to Fear
Sound of Spirit
5 Resist Disease and Corruption
Select one of three:
Rage-blood
+2 Strength
+1 Agility
10% immunity to Fear
-2 Wisdom
Brawn Activatable
Become strong, increasing your strength by 50% for 15 seconds
Soothsayer
+2 Wisdom
-1 Dexterity
Activatable: Meditative Trance
20 Minute Cooldown
Consume x HP and gives x Mana over x Seconds
breaks when damaged or moving
Activatable: Clairvoyant Evasion
Gives 10% Agility for 10 seconds
8 minutes cooldown
Outsider
+2 Stamina
Activatable: Ogre Renewal
20 seconds of HP regeneration
20 minutes cooldown
Breaks when damaged or moving
Activatable: Summon a small bird pet
Deep Elf (WIP)
Innates
Ultravision
Infravision (activated)
Child of the Deep
10% Endurance bonus
10% immunity to Mesmerize
+5 Resistance to Corruption
Select one of three:
Oath Bound
Lethality:
+1 Dexterity
+1 Intelligence
Slippery
15% resist root
Activate to break roots
House Zealot
Devotee: You are favored by your god. Your reputation increases with your deity is increased by 5%
A culture of faith:
+2 Wisdom
-1 Intelligence
-1 Charisma
10% Immunity to Fear
Wanderer
Multicultural: You are knowledgeable and understand the nuances of other cultures. Your faction gains are increased by 5%
Well-read: You can pick one additional language you can speak
+25 Sense Heading
+5 to Ranged Weapons
+5 Resistance to Cold and Fire
+10% Endurance
Dwarf
Innates
Magnificent Locks
5% immunity to stun
Short legs, long reach
+10% Endurance
-10% Swim Speed
Self-Sufficient
+10 Fishing
+10 Cooking
Choose one of three:
Mountain-born
+1 Strength
-1 Agility
+1 Wisdom
Resourcefulness
+15 Mining
+15 Brewing
+10 Survival
Activatable: Strength of the Stone
Breaks when moving
Grants +AC
30 minutes CD
+25 Sense Heading
City Dwarf
+1 Intelligence
Mechanic
+15 Tinkering
+15 Alchemy
+15 Brewing
Recipe: A Swig of Oomph
Alternative scaling version of Healing Potion
Only usable by Dwarves
Oily
15% resist root
Activate to break roots
Noble Lineage
Notable Weapon Master
+5 Sword
+5 Piercing
Extended Monologues
+1 Charisma
-1 Intelligence
+10 Commerce
Leading from the Back
+1 Wisdom
-1 Strength
Activatable: Beacon of Hope
12 seconds Self Buff
+Light
Aura: Reduce incoming damage by 10% to allies
45 minute Cooldown
Some Examples of Personality Traits
Wheeler and Dealer
+5 Commerce
+1 Charisma
-1 Intelligence
Street Urchin
+5 Pickpocket
-1 Charisma
+1 Agility
Grotesque
-3 Charisma
+2 Wisdom
+1 Intelligence
+2 Stamina
Glutton
+30% Food Consumption
+2 Stamina
-1 Agility
Academy Rascal
Can make a projectile out of almost anything
Activated Ability: Improvised Projectile
1 dmg, 20 minute cooldown
In Closing
Alright, with this posted, we’re going to go back to focusing on preparations for Early Access.
Keep an eye on Discord and our Forums for more information and any last minute updates.
We’ll keep an eye out for feedback and hope to see you in game on Thursday - October 1st!
PS. We’re currently sitting at 9,411 subscribers. Pretty wild!
PPS. a few of you wanted to look at the last block of class and race breakdowns from Beta to help you make your character choices. Here you go: