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Star Wars: The Old Republic explains 3.0's Sniper and Gunslinger
Star Wars: The Old Republic finishes up its series examining the class changes coming with the 3.0 update today with the Sniper and the Gunslinger. Why were those two the last on the list? Probably because they were hiding way in the back. That's sort of how they do things. As both of the base classes (Smuggler and Imperial Agent) have seen some significant changes, some of the changes to Snipers and Gunslingers focus around keeping the core utility of the advanced classes while removing unnecessary or superfluous buttons. Sharpshooter/Marksmanship are fairly unchanged from their current incarnations, save for a new ability replacing an older ability in regular rotation. Engineer/Saboteur is largely unchained, but the changes to abilities should produce smoother overall rotations. Last but not least, Virulence/Dirty Fighting specialties both gain a new ability that functionally replaces an older option and a new passive ability to spread damage over time. Check out the details on the new tricks on the official development blog.
Warlords of Draenor: Understanding Draenor Perks
What's the point of a Draenor Perk? It's a question that seems to be fairly common among players, ever since the bonuses were mentioned in the patch notes for patch 6.0. As players level from 90 to 100, each level will bring with it a perk. Each class and spec has nine perks, and by the time you hit level 100, you'll have them all. However, the order that you receive these perks is completely random. You can't choose the perk, the perk chooses you. Wowhead dug up the full list of Draenor Perks for each spec and class, and the perks themselves seem to be pretty much the same -- bonus damage or a boost to specific player abilities. In many cases, it's just a flat percent damage boost. This seems all well and good, but players seem to be confused about the point of the perk system, since it looks a lot like something that was deliberately culled from the game a few years ago.
Breakfast Topic: Talented
With the release of the first set of patch 6.0 patch notes--I'm certain there will be many variants to come--talk is buzzing about all the major changes and adjustments we'll be seeing come Warlords of Draenor. In addition to reading about all this, I've been doing some perusal of the level 100 talents (as they currently stand). In particular, I think all three of the new feral druid talents sound great, though Lunar Inspiration is my favorite just for concept alone. The restoration druid options aren't quite as exciting, in my opinion, though they certainly aren't anything to sneer at. The other classes I play regularly are my frost mage and my retribution paladin, and a few of their talents strike my fancy as well--Comet Storm for the mage and Empowered Seals for the paladin in particular sound fun and useful, respectively. Have you looked over the talents in detail? Some haven't changed much since BlizzCon, but some haven't been documented publicly until now. What do you like? What don't you like? What do you wish were there?
Wowhead introduces class guides
Wowhead has just launched a new feature for players new to the game, and players new to a different class as well -- class guides written for virtually every class and spec in the game. The guides act as a brief overview of what you'll need for the class you play, covering spells, talents, glyphs, enchanting, gemming, reforging, and even topics like tackling the Proving Grounds and Challenge Modes. Some guides also include basic DPS rotations for each spec as well. Written by familiar faces from around the WoW community, the guides themselves are fairly basic -- you won't see any number crunching or theorycrafting. Instead, they act as a quick reference for players wondering what they should be doing with the character they play. That said, it's a wealth of quick-reference information that I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep bookmarked. Check out the class guides for yourself over on Wowhead.
What ability would you rather not say goodbye to?
Game Designer Celestalon had an interesting question posed to Twitter earlier today -- what ability are you afraid Blizzard will get rid of, in its quest to defeat button bloat? Obviously each class is incredibly different and the answers are colored by personal opinion, but it's still a question worth asking. I think what struck me as odd was that I couldn't really come up with any kind of reasonable answer. As a rogue, there are very few abilities I can safely say I love -- Burst of Speed, Shadowstep, Fan of Knives -- but those are all situational abilities that I don't use with every raid encounter. As for the rest of the rogue toolkit, I'm decidedly ambivalent about the whole thing. The rotation for an Assassination rogue isn't what I'd call particularly complex, it's simply a matter of watching timers to make sure you're performing the right moves at the right moment. Mutilate, Rupture, Envenom -- they're all abilities I use regularly. There's nothing really remarkable about them. I like that Envenom refreshes Slice and Dice, but that's not really liking an ability so much as liking a side effect of using that ability. Which is really kind of weird, when you think about it.
Massively's hands-on with WildStar's Medic
My favorite classes in games are the ones that inspire spit-takes. The fact is that I don't really hate your bog-standard Warriors or Mages or whatever. But the classes that really get me interested are classes that demand that you explain what they do and how someone came up with that concept. Guild Wars has the Dervish, World of Warcraft has the Shaman, Final Fantasy XI has the Corsair -- they're flavorful, they're unique, and they're just plain neat. Combine that with my love of melee and WildStar's Medic had me from hello. I really like getting into the paint with things, I like the idea of a healer focused on getting up close and dancing, and I love the idea that medics balance between being doctors and technological shock troops. So jumping into the beta, I was happy to dive into the shoes of the doctor and start doing a whole lot of harm to anyone and everyone who opposed the Dominion.
The Daily Grind: Do you have a class (or type) you tend to play in games?
I will freely admit that WildStar has made the Esper look pretty attractive this week, but the fact remains that it's probably not going to be one of my main classes. Sure, it looks cool, but I tend to be more likely to play melee classes, and even more likely to opt for hybrid classes where they're an option. I like being able to kill things with weapons with magical backup, that's just how I roll. Some people tend toward certain roles. Some tend toward certain class types, like "the stealth class" or "the heavy armor guy" or "the pet class where I don't have to really pay attention." Some just have certain archetypes that keep showing up. Do you have a class or type that you tend to play in games no matter what? Or do you just wind up playing whatever strikes your eye during character creation? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
WoW Archivist: Spells we've lost
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? Back in June, Ghostcrawler identified "ability bloat" as a major issue that he'd like to address in WoW moving forward. GC later confirmed Blizzard's intention to cull spells, but admitted "there will be many tears." Since the tweet, WoW Insider and many others have speculated about which spells will disappear forever and which will remain. While I agree that bloat is a problem, it's not the first time that Blizzard has looked at reducing our endless action bars to more manageable proportions. Many beloved spells have already vanished, along with many strange and pointless ones, too. Let's look back at some of these spells from bygone days. Shaman Most missed: Cleansing Totem In Wrath, the original Poison Cleansing Totem and Disease Cleansing Totem merged to become Cleansing Totem. It attempted to cleanse a debuff of each type every three seconds. Shamans loved this "fire and forget" method of cleansing, but Blizzard killed the spell because they wanted removing debuffs to require the active attention of a player. Least missed: Windwall Totem This totem had a cool name, but the narrowest possible application. It reduced damage from ranged attacks. Only attacks made by bow/gun-type weapons and thrown weapons counted -- not spells. Because wind affects bullets but not fireballs? Weirdest: Sentry Totem Long mocked as "Screenshot Totem," Sentry Totem allowed the shaman to switch camera views to it to keep an eye on a distant location. It had some strategic applications in battlegrounds, but given that it took up the air totem slot, few shamans used it. The totem did, in fact, help players to get great screenshots of boss kills, though. Never forget!
The Mog Log Extra: Cross-class skills in Final Fantasy XIV
A little over a year ago, I talked about all of the really stand-out cross-class skills in Final Fantasy XIV. Astute readers will note that some of the abilities I reference in that article no longer exist, and several of them have completely different effects now. It's almost as if the game has completely relaunched or something. It's crazy. This might not sound like a big deal, but it is because cross-class skills are one of the big aspects of character customization in the game. You level up as an Archer with the expectation that you'll pick up a few more skills along the way to augment your strengths. So which ones are worth picking up? As of the last beta weekend, there are a lot of skills available, and I went through everything as best I could to try to pick out what's available. So now you can plan out your leveling in advance and know just what you want for those 10 extra slots in your class.
RIFT reveals the second new soul for Storm Legion, the Tempest
Warriors in RIFT are usually all about hitting things with weapons. Sure, they drop in some variety, but the focus of the class has always been a strong set of swords or axes or whatever. And the newest soul revealed for the upcoming Storm Legion expansion continues the trend if you assume that "lightning" qualifies as a weapon. The Tempest has been unveiled and promises to bring strong electrical powers and massive thunderstorms ripped from the Plane of Air into the Warrior's hands. Tempests are versatile, able to attack from long range or channel lightning into a short-range destructive burst. They also possess illusory tricks to help evade defeat in the event that heavy armor isn't protection enough. Despite this, they're probably the least adept of all the Warrior souls at wielding non-lightning weapons, which means that another soul is necessary to provide hard-hitting weapon talents. Take a look at the introductory lore and early screenshots on the official reveal page, and keep your eyes peeled for the final two souls as the expansion nears release. [Thanks to Brad for the tip!]
Star Wars: The Old Republic posts another weekly question-and-answer session
This week's set of community questions for Star Wars: The Old Republic asked about classes. Specifically, there were two big questions asked about Deception-specialized Sith Assassins and Operative melee mobility. Consequently, the two big answers this week were about those two classes. Operative mobility is apparently a hot topic among the developers at the moment, as high-mobility fights are seen as an excellent mechanic and they can cause issues with the class. Deception spec, by contrast, received a more in-depth response explaining that the developers consider the spec to very much be a hit-and-run playstyle rather than a melee class meant for long engagements. Its performance winds up varying a great deal depending on the player: Those who understand the design intent usually have more success than those expecting higher endurance. But even if neither of these answers appeals to you, there are still other questions answered in the latest round, and you can always post a question for next week.
TERA offers a sneak peek at future updates
It's been a month since TERA launched on Western shores, and that means it's time to start thinking about the future. A new official post is offering a sneak peek at future updates for the game, starting with changes to the game's two tank classes. Warriors and Lancers are both getting new abilities and a new resource to help make tanking less of a chore. Lancers will get two new moves, including one to help with overall mobility, and Warriors get three moves, including the option to block attacks with paired swords. The development team is also planning on adding new instances; one of these, a high-end instance, will pit players against the argon queen Shandra Manaya. The instances will likely include new high-end glyphs for players as well as other drops. Cross-server 15-vs.-15 battlegrounds are also in the works; the whole pile of updates is en route for later this summer. It's good news for any avid TERA fans looking for more content over the next several months.
The Mog Log: Forward impressions of patch 1.20
As I write this, patch 1.20 is not actually live just yet. All I have to go on is a monster list of patch notes and the various previews we've been given thus far. Of course, by the time you're reading this, the patch will have released, and I have no doubt that some people will have played through everything it has to offer a couple of times over. So I'm working at a bit of a disadvantage. In some ways I'm actually not in that terrible a spot. The last two patches have done great things for Final Fantasy XIV, and the patch notes are long enough that I can at least make some reasonable guesses about how things will play out. So I'm going to do precisely that, with the obvious caveat that I might be punching at the wind. Long story short: I'm confident about this patch; only a few bits irritate me.
Final Fantasy XIV releases notes for patch 1.20
Expected to drop on to the live servers later this week, Final Fantasy XIV's patch 1.20 is bringing with it several large-scale overhauls to combat, leveling, and crafting. In anticipation of the patch release, the patch notes have just recently been posted on the official site; they contain a number of new pieces of information. Among the news is the revelation that players will be able to ascend even further in the ranks of the Grand Companies, and there are new rewards from the vendors as you climb to Sergeant Third Class. The patch notes also contain the finalized levels and names of the various adjusted actions as well as discussion of the game's new system for allocating bonus points per class. There's also a small preview of the fight against Good King Moggle Mog XII with the video embedded just after the break. If you're looking forward to the patch, it's still not quite here, but having the full list of notes to inspect should help take some of the edge off.
Final Fantasy XI outlines the road ahead for classes
Final Fantasy XI has a pretty expansive list of classes, and while that gives players plenty of freedom, it can pose a headache for design trying to keep each job distinct. But the development team has managed thus far, and the latest update previewing the future philosophy for job adjustments shows that there are still more elements to be brought into play. Each of the game's 20 jobs has a unique vision and role, with several potential new abilities discussed. While none of the directions design is taking jobs will be of huge surprise to veteran players, there are some interesting promises of future abilities and goals. For example, the team wants to give Beastmasters the tools to be useful and desirable in a party, while Dragoons are potentially getting more enmity management and more synergy with the wyvern. Final Fantasy XI players should look at the full rundown to see where their favorite class sits in terms of design -- as well as hints of what might be coming down the line.
Ask Massively: Career day edition
As you read this, depending on the time this goes live, I will either be knee-deep in a Career Day presentation or be coming down off the high of getting to talk about my job to a bunch of middle-school children. I'm writing this before I'll know whether it went well or not, but I'm hopeful. Truth be told, I have exactly the sort of job now that I would have loved to hear about when I was a young boy, so I'm expecting this will be pretty fun. Plus I'll be having school lunch again for the first time since my high school graduation. That's got to be worth a few points on the nostalgia-o-matic, right? This week's Ask Massively is thus an honorary career day edition, as we tackle questions about careers, classes, and professions throughout the wide world of gaming. On deck this week are questions about Guild Wars and doing things you oughtn't with classes, World of Warcraft's lockstep class system, and the range of flexibility in Star Wars: The Old Republic. As always, you can send off your own questions to ask@massively.com or leave them in the comment field for next week's column.
The Mog Log: Traits of war (and magic)
One of the areas in which Final Fantasy XIV really dropped the introduction ball is its handling of traits. They're an interesting way to put together the character you want; unfortunately, they're fenced behind a wall made out of Guild Marks and a moat of 20 ranks before you can purchase most of them. (I'm sure there's a boiling oil of misunderstood applications somewhere in there, but we can't spend the whole column on our trip to Metaphor Castle.) The fact is that you get a lot of points to equip traits long before you probably have any, to the point that other rewards probably look more appealing. It's a shame, since the game's traits can often make a set of Guild Marks more valuable than another pile of gil. So today I'm going to look at the traits for the Disciples of War and Magic, along with a few ideas about how the traits can be used in a character setup and which ones have the broadest application.
The Mog Log: Absorbent
By the Twelve and by the Goddess, it's good to be back. Logging back into Final Fantasy XIV was a unique pleasure, one that honestly had nothing to do with the changes to quest experience from Monday or anything else. It was due to the simple fact that I had missed the game, and if I had been in the middle of more projects with Final Fantasy XI, I would have been equally happy to log back in there. (It was still nice, but it's more a matter of seeing an old friend come back than anything.) Now, for the past couple of weeks I've been vaguely hinting at talk about Thaumaturges, so it seems only fair that I use today as an opportunity to stand and deliver. I'm going to talk about one of my favorite abilities within the class, a set of skills that really starts upping the synergy between Disciples of Magic and Disciples of War. I'm speaking, of course, of the four major Absorb skills, which I loved when they were on Dark Knights and I love even more when I can toss them on any character I choose.
Exclusive: A preview of the Hellion in Ether Saga Online
Ether Saga Online has been quiet for a little while, but this spring, the game is gearing up for a major update which includes a brand-new race, the Mogui. Long locked away from the world, the Mogui have broken free of their confinement in the wake of the battle against the forces of Oxen Ultera. The race has two unique classes, and the team at Perfect World Entertainment has decided to start off by previewing the hot-tempered Hellion class first. Hellions are an aggressive class, wielding twin battleaxes and assaulting enemies through direct attacks and wide-range area abilities. They've also got the ability to improve their damage via sacrificing health. At level 75, a Hellion can upgrade to either a Warlord or Ruiner depending on player choice. We've got several new shots of the Hellion in action (including a distressingly happy dance) in the gallery below, which should keep Ether Saga Online players excited about what's coming with the spring update. %Gallery-65163%
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: In the case of Scrappers
We're in a small lull for City of Heroes at the moment, and truth be told it's well-deserved. After several months of invasions, updates, previews of the upcoming issues and so forth... it's nice to finally have a chance to just lean back and breathe a little bit. Of course, said breathing will involve a fair bit of superpowered antics, but as involved as that might be for the characters, the players don't have to be constantly looking to the future. So while we technically should be working through the Incarnate System, the odds are better than even that we'll all be rolling alts over the holiday season. We play City of Heroes; alts are in our blood. So in a move that can only have been brought on by an almost criminal overdose of liquor, I've decided to start taking a look at the powersets of the archetypes, starting with the alt-friendly Scrapper. This should be of benefit to those who have never played a Scrapper, including players who are starting the game for the first time and who by definition haven't tried one before.
