WARNING - This thread isn’t made for new players or those that seek guidance on how to use said class, please look for proper threads regarding it such as class overviews and build guides. Design Breakdown is a design discussion thread only and has no purpose to help players on practical aspects of the game.
Starting another Design Breakdown with an archer that bringing feathers to the fight, the real hawk eye - Falconer. In case this is your first time on a Design Breakdown topic go to this link for some basic information.
Falconer - RANK 6 - SUPPORT
With that description we can have no clue what the class is about aside using companions, what i assume is Falconer’s identity is ‘field control through air support’, that having in mind that skills are ground or zone oriented and have at least a minimal degree of utility.
As Falconer requires a special and exclusive type of companion isn’t allowed to be bad, not that other classes are. Unlike regular companions Hawks have no use in battle without skills, they don’t provide buffs either and even can’t tag along any other character aside for Falconers. The current companion system has them to share character slots with real usable characters, this means a Falconer has to pay 33 TP to play. Other companion oriented classes also have that issue but at least they can reuse their companions - A player that decides to take Hunter, Cataphract and Hackapell on different characters can use a single companion. Falconer is the only exception with no use outside itself and as such it HAS to be good.
Apparently the use of hawks instead of falcons still goes into falconry but goes for the name of Austinger so as odd as it may sound the class really doesn’t seem to disrespect nor go too much out of the theme scope. As skills are operated and give an order to the companion, it does match the way falconry is done as trainers teach behaviors to their falcons to be executed after a signal, thus they don’t have agency without an order, the only exception is Pre-Emptive strike but at this point it’s already a class trope that can’t be denied. Also, props for the idea of having the +50% damage bonus against beast, it fits the theme and adds gives it an unique quirk identity that can push the class further.
Call (E) - Gimmick
Whistling is a basic taming skill that is used to train animal behavior, it associates a sound with an action which is a great tool for any tamer, Call does follow this principle as a one to one counterpart to real falconry.
Being honest, this skill isn’t really needed as in theory IMC already knows how to return the Hawk, it shouldn’t require points to use as it falls into the same logic as summoning classes that received skills that have controls as skills, the whole purpose of Call is to fix bugs that may occur with the Hawk AI so it would make sense to make it a free command. Something that could be done to it is the addition of a cooldown refund based on remaining duration on skills, at least with that i could be worthy of a skill point.
Roost (F) - Gimmick
Another direct translation to real life to game, i’m not sure how often that is used in falconry aside for the bird installation, this is a nice addition to the class feel.
At gameplay department Roost is just like Call but worse, it adds a new behavior to the AI that can make the Hawk decide to land on Roost instead of performing an action, even when it works the whole gameplay is significantly slowed as the Hawk will land whenever it can. I can’t deny the bonus damage provided isn’t good but that has a cost.
It could be easily done as a quest item instead, keep the thematic link but with no real gameplay implication.
Circling (B) - Lead
It’s know that circling areas is a common technique that birds use to extend their flying capabilities, raptors even apply it in order to scout for prey as they can use the height advantage for vicious dives. When this skill was changed it lost part of its thematic link as it used to be a circling, even if tamers can’t train birds to do that on their command it’s still valid.
Right now the action performed is closest hovering instead as the bird stays in position,as much as the usability improved it did harmed the class design. Taking the suggestion on Call it would be possible for Circling to be reverted as a ground skill, the current iteration provides a lot of freedom but as subject to raptor position it can be wasted if its AI bugs or even by having it attacking enemies back and forward.
Another issue the skill brings is the fact that the AoE Defense Ratio of enemies is set to 1, it was a major nerf in PvE environment but it completely ignores PvP players that do invest in the stat, it would be fairer to have the old 1 per level but with a min cap of 1 as that is a mid ground for both aggressors and defenders.
Hovering (B) - Counter Lead
Same as circling but now with a dive, also a technique that raptors use on their hunt. It feels odd that the hawk retreats after the attack as it is more efficient way to go forward to keep the momentum. Changing the motion to work as a pendulum would do the job but may bring some mechanical complications as it can make targeting lock in easier and that may be an issue in PvP.
The ‘protect the zone’ concept is interesting and having a knockback helps the support aspect of the class, however the skill targeting is quite unreliable as it always hit the closest enemy and as it only takes one enemy at time it waste all the skill strengths. For it to be truly effective it needs to have AoE around the main target, having some damage to nearby enemies and the knockback effect as well would be enough to seal the deal. In fact it’s possible for Hovering to have an unique feature, a control ring, as enemies on the center can be trapped inside while enemies on the edge won’t manage to cross the zone.
On the attribute side it needs some to improve targeting, one that makes the companion to take the same target, if within the range, as the Falconer and perhaps one that forces it to hit enemies HP low enough to be executed by it. Also, the attack speed attribute is a terrible idea as that should be on the skill as default.
Pheasant (A) - Midground
This skill really uses a training dummy to signal the move, it isn’t really needed but it’s a nice detail that shows that the design team can extract the theme and deliver it with cohesion on a skill. I wouldn’t be surprised if they remove it anytime soon along with the short execution delay.
One thing Pheasant does right is how it stays at the edge of identity, the control component is delivered in a single blow and can’t be expanded with minor changes, it can appeal both players that take the class for support and those that seek more damage as it’s the only improvement it offers, it’s even better with the shock rebound attribute as it works as a great setup for both audiences.
Hanging Shot (F) - Gimmick
I really don’t know if it’s possible to train falcons to fetch as they do it on their own to hunt prey it can’t be bothered, here however the target is the own falconer and it’s quite a stretch to have a creature that smaller taking something two to three times bigger into the air for a couple of seconds.
In the gameplay department the skill doesn’t do better as the only benefits it has is the ability to damage from ground sources and the removal of attack penalty when moving. Else it just prevents all skills to be used and can’t even be cancelled by reactivation or manual dispelling, it’s an impractical concept as it prevent skills to be used and due the theme limitations it can’t even allow its own class skills to be used at all. That wouldn’t be the case if the skill were a debuff instead but it may bring even more complications, having a Hawk kidnapping a Vubbe Fighter would be a hilarious scene.
Honestly there’s no way to fix this skill without butchering it, even some of archer tree skills were usable the skill could feel clunky or, in the best/worst case, overpowered.
Here we have a messy start with a class that has Call as mandatory and Roost trying to be a skill, on one side you won’t be able to maximize 3 skills for the current circle, that works as push to unlock all skills as they all have some minimal use for their lowest level.
For the damage skills it isn’t interesting to have both offer only raw damage when leveled, it may be interesting to have Hovering to work with duration instead of damage but that demands Call to refund cooldown when cancelled, at least it does something to distinguish their roles. The only deciding factor is that Pheasant will always hit all enemies and Hovering can be super effective against isolated bosses.
It would be great to give Falconer a brand new skill here and remove both Hanging Shot and Roost as they’re just gimmicks with no real utility.
Sonic Strike (D) - Relief
A straight dive, raptors do that all time, nothing special or new to comment theme wise.
This skill is undertuned for what it’s meant to be and as the class is structured it add some weight on skill point distribution as seen on c3, some revision is needed as cooldown, hitbox and damage as their current value sum don’t match the circle it is in.
The first circle had enough identity value to it but here we have none, Sonic Strike isn’t an effective standalone damage skill as the cooldown is too long for taking the role of a damage skill, we have to keep in mind that this is the third damage skill the class has and Hovering is barely reliable for offense.
Structure wise it would be more effective to have it switched with Pheasant as it deals half damage compared with the same point investment, almost half cooldown, a way larger hitbox and huge target count, however that would be quite likely to throw the skill distribution into chaos.
Aiming (C) - Grand Lead
So far that’s the only skill that doesn’t have a visible link on thematics, i’d assume the root of it is the superior sight raptors have but even then it works with hitbox not attack angles. It’s quite unusual for ToS to have a skill that follows the identity but has few to none thematic value, even in a really abstract interpretation it goes way over the realm of what a hawk could do. The worst part is that the concept is really interesting and does has some real strategic value, it would fit perfectly a wizard way more than any archer.
From my understanding the main reason this skill was added is to make autocast Sonic Strike hit as it calculates the casting location, yet that can be solved by giving it a larger hitbox on autocast or even faking a larger enemy hitbox when the effect is triggered.
Lastly, this skill doesn’t inform properly how much the hitbox increase ratio is, the duration component increase isn’t interesting to be taken and having so discrete may mislead players.
Pre-Emptive Strike (D) - Complement
The major theme aspect of any hunter-like class on RPGs, players have been asking for it even before the game released and they did gave it to Falconer.
For Sonic Strike the skill works perfectly and it prioritizes enemies being attacked by the player, the issue tho is that having Hovering along will slow down the damage potential as it hits only one target and has significantly less damage with more invested points.
Even tho the truth is this shouldn’t be a skill in the first place, by doing add stress to skill distribution as it not only requires the buff to be active but also needs skills to be maxed to reach full potential. It also means that it requires a leveling factor and SP cost, in this case it adds a bonus without a floor and also an SP drain that has a lower cost than the skill cast itself, in fact as it doesn’t interact with the skill cooldown it has a greatly superior offensive power than the regular skill use. The only downsides are that the drain will happen regardless of skill cast and players may run out of SP as they also will use their other active skills, there’s also the chance to have the companion bugged and end up with no effect till it gets noticed.
As the mid circle is almost dead Falconer ends with a massive power spike by having hitbox enlargement and autocast, even with the latest class update the second rank is quite dull and the benefits c3 has are too good to stop midway.
If it weren’t for Pre-Emptive Strike no one would bother to take Sonic Strike as Pheasant does a better job in every single aspect and comes with a control element, in fact the manual use of it is barely useful as autocast has half the SP cost of it on lvl 1. Another interesting thing to point is that no one bothers to enable Hovering on it as it deals less damage even when maxed and it’s also slower, this brings an unneeded competition between both skills that isn’t even fair as Sonic Strike excels both in damage and targets with fewer points.
Conclusion
Instead of getting better on support aspects on higher circles Falconer gets gimmicker and dwells into its fantasy, c2 isn’t even an option as it fails both types of players that would consider the class as an option. The first circle has so many skill points to be used yet only 3 skills have true use, the retroactive requirement of Pre-Emptive strike also backlashes as Sonic Strike is a pitiful skill for c2 and it could be dismissed for an uninformed player.
The best thing that can be done for Falconer is to simplify point distribution, kill the pointless rivalry between Hovering and Sonic Strike, having only one of them to be autocasted is enough. Actually the class would be considerably improved if Sonic Strike itself where the autocast buff instead of relying on Pre-Emptive Strike, at least it won’t make c2 a dead circle.
Another possible way to deal with the class is by giving both Sonic Strike and Call for free at c1 and change Hovering to cast Sonic Strike within the area and apply knockdown, this means the damage will be based on Sonic Strike instead and Hovering will only have duration tied to level. For c2 an attribute that autocasts Sonic Strike and an offensive one for c3 that improves damage significantly, this setup puts the whole weight into a free skill and expand on it on Hovering as a faster cast of itself, it can even keep the enhance attribute for additional damage.
Also, Falconer would welcome a dedicated damage skill for c1, perhaps a frenzy targeted attack, and a simple support skill as well. Hanging Shot may be a lost cause at this point so it can either be changed into a 1 point gimmick, removed from the class or changed into something different.
The main issue within Falconer is the absence of a mid circle, the power gap it has between c1 to c2 and c2 to c3 is huge and even the last changes weren’t enough to fix that. For having to give away a character slot exclusively for the class the payoff should be at least great, tho it’s easier to split companions from characters then improve the class.
| C 1 | C 2 | C 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identity | B | D | C |
| Theme | B | A | B |
| Gameplay | D | D | B |
| Cohesion | B | C | A |
| Point Distribution | E | D | C |
| Dropout | C | E | B |
And that concludes this design breakdown, unfortunately there will be some change of plans and the twin release will be replaced by Alchemist. As you can see the grading system changed and instead of the usual heavy gameplay discussion i got some more into the thematics, i’ll be using this new format as it may fit better the nature of design breakdown.
This also means i have to review older entries to match the latest patch and the new format, it will be needed to comment on rank 8 classes as theme has a major role. I’ll be taking suggestion which class one of those to cover first (even without all details) but keep in mind that some classes may require specific classes to be analysed first.
Again, leave comments and even takes on what could be done to improve it, hit the like to show your appreciation for design breakdowns.
