Design Notes
March 01, 2012
Elemental Dracomancer
UPDATE!!!
AQ3D Name Camping Is OPEN!
If you were not aware, you can now go to ARTIX.COM and pre-registern your character name for our next big game which is now called AQ3D!
You need a few things if you want to grab YOUR character name before anyone else!
- You need to have supported any AE game by PURCHASING SOMETHING.
- You need to have that game account tied to your AE MASTER ACCOUNT!
- You need the Unity 3D Web Player plug-in! (it's just a plug-in like Flash Player which lets you play AQW)
Note that the intro fly-through is done in the game engine and what you're looking at will be very close to what the game itself looks like when it's ready for launch!
Good luck!
CAMP YOUR AQ3D NAME NOW!
The Long Awaited (But Not Nearly Long Awaited As Grenadier Was) Etherstorm Class Arrives Tomorrow!
Before I say anything else about this class, I'd like to mention that THIS IS NOT the Dracomancer Class from AQ Classic. If that's what you're expecting, look elsewhere.
AQW is a different game with different art and different artists. Sometimes (like with the Battle Tested Axe Master armor) we strive to get as close as we can to the original but this is NOT one of those times.
This is the ELEMENTAL DRACOMANCER! Like all Dracomancers, it is bound in spirit and power to the ancient dragon race, but unlike standard Dracomancers, it is also tied to the four new Elemental Prime Dragons of Fire, Water, Earth and Wind.
ELEMENTAL DRACOMANCER CLASS SKILL SET
We've done a few new things with and for this class.
First, you are able to click on the HEAD, FOREARMS and CHEST STRAPS of the class and each will set on a transformation bringing you closer and closer to dragonkind.
- Click the Head: Your face alters and transforms into the head of a dragon! Its skin color is the same as your own and it's lower jaw will match your eye color. It looks a little funny with some of the hairs which stay loaded but we had to add it.
- Click the Forearms: Your hands transform into deadly dragon claws!
- Click the Chest Straps and you will sprout color custom dragon wings from your back. These will load on top of whatever back item you have but will not replace it so keep that in mind.
Next, we added some special skill animations for this class. The coolest of which is the fire breath animation!
A Dracomancer is a caster class, built on the mage mana regen which regains mana based on hits and crits and varied depending on your current HP. Like most caster classes you will want to load up on WIZARD Enhancements to get the most bang for your gold.
This class is REALLY straightforward. It is designed to be a solo class, with good survivability and a LOT of damage potential but no self-heal at all. But that's what potions are for.
AUTO ATTACK
2 second cooldown
A basic attack, taught to all adventurers.
Whack. Whack. Whack. Whack. Whack. Whack. Whack.
SSIKARI'S BREATH
25 mana, 4 second cooldown
Breathes fire on your target causing moderate and applying the DragonBurn state to them for Damage Over Time.
Yup, that's me puking a fountain of flame onto Wolfwing in testing. The animation makes this really fun to use but it's a pretty basic attack. Initial blast of flame causes moderate damage, DoT causes more. VERY short cooldown.
LLIATH'S TORRENT
25 mana, 6 second cooldown
Summon the Water Prime's power and hit your foe with a crushing jet of water which has a slight chance to stun your target.
This is another fairly basic attack with a new animation. It does half again as much damage as the last power with a slightly longer cooldown and has a chance to stun your target. Since it's not something you can count on, it's more of a nice bonus when it does happen.
DURADUN'S SCALES
-30 mana, 12 second cooldown
Gathers mana from nearby ley lines and increases your damage resistance by 70% for 6 seconds.
This is where things get interesting. Notice that the mana cost is not 30 mana, it's -30 mana. You RECEIEVE mana for using this skill. It doesn't do any damage at all but it provides 75% Damage reduction! Dragon's scales are the stuff of legend. They are able to withstand the worst punishment imaginable and for 6 seconds... so can you.
You will want to use this a LOT. There's no reason not to. It feeds you mana and makes you touch as nails! If you spam it every 12 seconds, then half the time you're fighting, you are only taking a quarter damage, even if you're stunned or petrified.
DRAGON'S KNOWLEDGE & DRAGON'S SPEED
Rank 4 passives
Increase Int by 10%
Increase Haste by 10%
Very fitting passives here. You get a passive INT buff which means more damage for you AND you can dish it out faster.
ASTIALO'S WINGS
50 mana, 15 second cooldown
You gain the speed of a flying dragon, causing moderate damage to your target. This power also DOUBLES your attack speed and cuts all mana costs in half for 8 seconds.
Another decent damage ability, but the buff is really what you want here. By doubling your haste and halving your mana cost, you are attacking at 2x speed but still using the same mana as you would if you were attacking normally. It's a little costly but this is one class where mana management is NOT a problem.
This class we DESIGNED so that at rank 10, you CAN click all the powers as fast as they pop. In fact, you SHOULD. With no heals, your only recourse is powering through enemies as fast as you can. I even recommend using the number keys instead of clicking the powers.
PRIMAL POWER
Rank 10 passive
Rarely, you get in touch with the united power of Desoloth and ALL of your attacks are crits for a short time.
You can't embrace the Primals without accepting that Desoloth is also an elemental dragon. You get in touch with the source of his nearly limitless power and EVERYTHING you do for a short time is a critical success.
The Big Picture
Let's look at the entire class, as a whole. No heals, great defenses and AMAZING potential for carnage. This class requires no finesse AT ALL. You don't need to watch your life unless you have potions to heal you. You don't need to watch your mana unless you are just amazingly bad at this class. There are no multis to concern you with when you should use a certain power.
This class was not designed as a mutli-purpose or PvP class like Grenadier. It was not designed for farmers like Darkside. This was designed with the solo player in mind.
Tomorrow you will be able to get this class from any of the Dravix Priests in Etherstorm in the Etherstorm Rep Shop or you can get it from Itzachi (along with the Member Only Skyguard Grenadier) in Battleon for 2000 ACs.
Tomorrow also marks the start of the Etherstorm War against (or for) Desoloth, the arrival of the Australia Day NPC and items wished for by the last ICHM winner and Dage The Evil's Birthday with lots of Dage-made goodies.
295 days until Just Another Day
February 27, 2012
Another Busy Week
It Never Ends!
We've got a LOT planned for this week but before I get into what's coming this week let's go over some old business...
Fishing Badge
The King Fisher Character Page Badge is now up on your character pages.
Of course, you must be a King Fisher with maxed out Fishing Rep to obtain this permanent pendant professing your piscatorial prowess.
Grenadier Buff
The Members who have Rank 10 Skyguard Reputation (and a few who weren't rank 10, actually) got to preview the Member Only Grenadier Class this weekend. The overall impressions were that it's a lot of fun and an interesting class build but they had problems with mana regen and felt that it was a touch under-powered, especially considering that it was the first Member Only class is a long time.
So this week we will be BUFFING Skyguard Grenadier. Here's what we are doing...
- Increasing DPS overall.
- Decreasing the mana cost for Flashbang, Sleeping Gas and Reactive Grenade by 5 mana each.
- Flashbang's base debuff will be changed to CRIT reduction instead of HIT reduction.
- Rank 4 Passive Adrenaline Rush will be changed to 8% Damage Reduction instead of 10% Dodge.
In testing Stratos was able to solo Ledgemayne and I was able to solo both Ledgermayne and Wolfwing with the fully ranked class so this class is no slouch already if you know how to use it and how to manage your mana, but this should make it REALLY nice.
By the time you read this the changes will already be in effect.
Don't forget that Itzachi, the class dealer in Battleon, will be selling this Member Only class for 2000 ACs starting this Friday if you would rather take the shortcut rather than ranking all the way to 10.
Leap Day Is Coming!
Every 4 years the calendar racks up a full day of time that was left over from all the other days. The solution to this problem is adding a day every 4th year. This is why we have a February 29th this Wednesday and Feb is normally a 28 day month.
We've decided that we want to help you leap forward too.
Starting some time on Wednesday, Feb 29th, we will be adding a Leap Day NPC to Battleon who will give you 4 simple quests. Each quest will reward you with a one-time free hour long BOOST for your XP, GOLD, REPUTATION or CLASS RANK.
You will have 24 hours from the time that we release this to get the Leap Day Boosts and then they will be gone. Plan ahead and remember that this only happens once every 4 years!
I CAN HAS AUSTRALIA DAY?!
This weekend I got to hang out with the winner of this round of the I CAN HAS MOD contest, HERZER HERRING!
She is from Australia and her wish is that we add an Australia Day NPC to the game who would sell Australian Themed Items!
As per her wish, Mick "Crocodile" Dundoo will be coming to Battleon this Friday selling a number of AUS themed items and house items which were almost entirely suggest by Herzer Herring.
As for the Golden Cheezburger, this one will work a little differently. She wished that it be changed into an rare Australian Themed HOUSE, based on the iconic Sydney Opera House! In order to get your house you will need to talk to Mick Dundoo and trade the Cheezburer in for the house.
You MUST have a Golden Cheezburger Deluxe to get this rare house and once Mick Dundoo leaves, you will never be able to get the house again!
There will also be other items like dual Bowie Knives (that's not two knives, mate... THIS is two knives!), a Rugby Uniform Armor in AUS Olympic colors of Green and Gold, A green and gold "Boomer"ang weapon, A Cricket Bat with the AUS flag on it, Kangaroo and Barry the Platypus pets and some cool house items like an AUS flag for your wall and A Croc skin rug!
ALL OF THE ITEMS IN THE SHOPS WILL BE FOR EVERYONE! NON-MEMBERS and MEMBERS!
I mentioned the rare house over Twitter this weekend and it was met with an amazing amount of complaining. I was really surprised and a little hurt to see so many people griping about getting a completely free house based on the wish of a fellow player who did not want any recognition for herself (she didn't even want to be the NPC when I offered) but only a little recognition for the country she loves and calls her home. Thanks to everyone who saw this gift for what it is and accepted it with an excited smile.
After brainstorming item ideas for the shop we farmed Skyguard for a while and I showed her some of the cool mod powers she could use while she was a mod, like going to secret mod only maps and even going back in time to closed events (While we were time traveling I let her pick up Alpha Pirate for herself as well as some other rares from past areas).
She is a heck of a player, a loyal AQW Member & Supporter and a lot of fun to hang out with. Herzer Herring, it was a true pleasure getting to hang out with you. Thanks!
We will probably only do ONE MORE ROUND of I CAN HAS MOD and we will let you know as soon as that starts!
Etherstorm Goes Out With A Bang!
The Eterstorm Saga is closing starting with this weekend's war. The outcome of the entire area will be decided by the outcome of the war. You will be able to fight on the side of Good, Evil or even Desoloth.
This weekend we will ALSO be releasing the Elemental Dracomaner Class for Etherstorm Rank 10. There will be an AC version in Itzachi as well but after this class we will probably start doing what we did with Grenadier and letting the Rank 10 people have it a week before anyone else so they can get a head start on mastering the class.
We will be posting a skill breakdown and some images of the class later on this week.
Dage The Evil's Deathday Party!
Dage's birthday is March 2nd! There was a typo (not mine) in the 2012 AE calendar that said March 22'nd but it's actually this Friday!
He has decided to craft some custom items for his birthday!
Here is a full list of the birthday items. They are ALL ACs, and he priced them a little higher than average but hey, he's evil, whatcha gonna do?
- Paragon Mini Pet: 2000 acs
- Legion Vampire Armor: 1000 acs
- Legion Vampire Helm: 100 acs
- Vampire Bat Cape: 200 acs
- Legion Vampire Scythe: 500 acs
- Dark Caster Hair: 100 acs
- Dage’s DeathKnight: 800 acs
The pet is NON-MEMBER and it is also NOT a Battle Pet but does grant the person who owns the pet access to special quests and special additional Dage Rewards.
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