skill-lines
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Elder Scrolls Online classes won't 'chain you to any one playstyle'
Ready for more Elder Scrolls Online progression info? We hope so, because ZeniMax has dropped a fairly meaty dev blog this afternoon that details the upcoming fantasy MMO's skill lines. Wait, isn't ESO a class-based game? Well, yes, but ZeniMax says that classes won't "chain you to any one playstyle." Each class has three skill lines, and each line has different skills that are "thematically related to the class." When you combine those three lines "with the many, many other lines available to every character, each member of a particular class can be wildly different from the next," the company claims. ESO is also tying some of its skill lines into exploration activities. For example, some skill lines have to be discovered out in the wide world of Tamriel, and ZeniMax took inspiration from Skyrim's Dragon Words when it designed additional skill point rewards that are acquired by finding hidden Skyshards. Finally, the dev blog touches on skill morphing, so head the ESO website and give it a full read.
Brawling changes hit Pirates of the Burning Sea
Pirates of the Burning Sea is a title that's been undergoing some major overhauls in terms of game mechanics. Flying Lab Software has been revamping the game's combat systems, both those of ship-based combat and avatar combat. We've mentioned a few of those changes in the past, such as the introduction of new NPC archetypes but the latest issue they've been tackling is how brawling works in PotBS.A developer log this week, from Isildur, explains the situation with skill lines (as well as optional skill lines) and what was involved with balancing them. The challenge was in creating a system where a given skill line wouldn't be mandatory, giving players choices in how they approach combat, yet keeping each skill line powerful enough that it can remain effective against other combat styles.
