classes
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Calling all TR experts - wanna be a wolf?
The good people over at Tabula Rasa Vault are putting out a call vise vie the official Tabula Rasa website for experienced players to be "alpha wolves" in their new clan -- The Wolf Pack. What ostensibly sets this clan apart from every clan out there is the information-gathering role it will play for the TR Vault community. They're looking for players who are experts in their given class to find all there is to know, gather the concerns of other players in their class du jour, and suggest solutions to perceived class imbalances. Apparently, this role is more than just a self-appointed one -- as they're promising that these Alpha Dogs will get the chance to discuss their concerns with the TR designers themselves.It's not uncommon in other titles for developers to pay attention to the class concerns of a game's elite guilds, but it's rare that a clan can promise that sort of interaction before most people have even settled in the end game. They're still recruiting for all Tier IV classes, so if being an Alpha Dog sounds like your cup of tea, check out the information on the TR website.
Aion announces character classes
Earlier this month Aion senior designer Kyoung Won Choi laid out the big picture elements of the game, giving us a general sense of what to expect from this uniquely beautiful title. Now the fan site Aion Source is carrying a press release detailing the entire list of character classes we'll be able to choose from at launch. They also describe the 'advanced class system', through which they plan to allow players to customize their play experience:No two journeys through Atreia will ever be the same. At the beginning of every adventure, players are given the choice of four distinct character classes; Warrior, Scout, Mage or Priest. Each class offers its own strengths and abilities, weapons or a spells, and a unique set of skills for use in combat, whether to deal damage to enemies or heal and protect allies. As the player gains experience and masters their chosen class, they are given the option to advance to a higher level class. These advanced classes present even greater possibilities, and ensure that the path players take is truly their own. %Gallery-11511%
Player levels nine characters to 70, all at the same time
Thargor has done something pretty crazy, and he's throwing a party to celebrate. But unlike a few other players who've thrown big parties for a ding, he's doing something a little bigger than that. Instead of celebrating just one ding, he's going to celebrate not three, not six, but dinging nine level 70s within a half hour.Wild. And they're all different classes, too, which means that since November of 2005, he's been simultaneously leveling all the classes at the same time (he added a Paladin when BC came out, and leveled only her for a bit to bring her up to speed. And now he's level 69 and a half across the board, and he's going to hold an event where he levels each of them to 70 at basically the same time by doing the Khadgar quest in Shattrath. No word yet on when it's going down, but Thargor, if you're reading, throw us a tip and we'll let everybody know about it.That's crazy. I have trouble repeating the same areas twice with two alts-- I usually have to level in different places as much as possible, just to keep it interesting. But to do the same quests nine different times all at the same time-- lunacy. But super impressive-- as someone else in the thread says, he's already seen 621 dings go by.
Age of Conan's Assassin class is stealthy, badass
Ten Ton Hammer has published the fourth in its series of "class interviews" with Funcom. Previously it spoke with the Age of Conan devs about the Dark Templar, the Guardian, and the Conqueror. This time it's the Assassin.You can read the interview for all the details, but the gist of it is: Asassins use stealth and quick bursts of high damage melee attacks in tandem with poison and debuffs to fell opponents quickly. As a counter-balance to their extraordinary offensive capabilities, they are very weak in terms of defenses. They wear thin silk armor because it allows them to move freely and silently.So the class is about 90% the same as the Rogue class in games like World of Warcraft. Unfortunately, "Assassins do it from behind" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Check out our Age of Conan interview and video footage, and our gallery of new artwork!
Blood Sport: How to beat a Warlock
Every Thursday, V'Ming - who thinks that gnome warlocks are travesties of nature and need to be KOSed - shares thoughts and ideas on becoming deadlier at the Arenas. He also dabbles in the dark arts in Blood Pact. You see a squat robed figure hobbling towards you from across the Arena. "A clothie!" you mutter, preparing yourself for some gnome punting. Your confidence wilts when you see that right behind the gnome is a bounding four-legged creature. "Argh, Warlock." Do you feel a sense of dread when you face warlocks in 2v2 and 3v3? Fear not, fellow gladiator. While warlocks are known to be formidable in smaller brackets, the class does have weaknesses.Surprisingly, many players have little clue about what warlocks do or what they're capable of, besides fear and DoTs. Yes, fear is powerful but it does not make the class invincible. In the spirit of "knowing thy enemy", let's take a closer look at the game's best dueling class.
Aion: The Tower of Eternity - Details emerge on the Spiritmaster class
I have some good news for the non-Korean speaking foozles interested in NCsoft's upcoming Aion: The Tower of Eternity, due out late next year in NA/UK. Over the weekend new details emerged on the elusive Spiritmaster, one of the eight classes planned at release. The Spiritmaster will indeed be a summoning based magic class, but what makes it stand-out is it will derive its prowess from the elements of nature by summoning and controlling fierce creatures based on the elements of Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. (A little cliché if you ask me, but isn't most Fantasy? What really matters is that the class is fun to play...) As for what roles are best suited for each elemental: Fire spirits specialize in ranged attacks; Earth spirits will master various defensive measures; Water spirits focus on healing and limiting damage; Wind spirits will focus on melee and slaying their opponents quick. For balance purposes, only one elemental may be actively summoned. It is said that certain encounters will call for a specific elemental to be used as to provide more reactionary and visceral gameplay. Aion: The Tower of Eternity is set to begin closed NA/UK beta-testing in early 2008. I embedded three Aion videos after the break that show the Spiritmaster's summoned Fire, Earth, and Water elementals. (In that order). %Gallery-11511%
Blood Sport: Shape up or ship out in Season 3
Every Thursday, V'Ming - who thinks that gnome warlocks are travesties of nature and need to be KOSed - shares thoughts and ideas on becoming deadlier at the Arenas. He also dabbles in the dark arts in Blood Pact. Season 3 kicked in last Tuesday after an extended downtime and here we are with the numbers from Season 2's final week. Despite ladder manipulation by some folks all out to 'win' the season, class representations haven't moved much from last week:
