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.
Before get into the discussion itself i want to defend IMC for being so bold as to move classes out of trees altogether, as the goal is to set classes into more path options without power scaling and decrease punishment for certain combinations it looks like a good decision. However no big change comes with no drawback and this is visible from class migration and builds being taken away, both on synergetic value and the fantasy achieved by combining them. That said it wasn’t the only way to reorganize trees and this will be one point to be explored here, additionally the new tree has to be discussed as a new element in the already settled balance of roles and how their basic characteristics have to be fleshed out.
The main topics to address here are the unique value of each tree, how advanced classes are connected to it, which classes were/could be taken out due identity and theme, how shifted classes work on their placement and what these classes may face on their new environment. It may be impossible to restrain some comments that are more appropriated to a full class analysis so they may come back depending on how things go. With these threads i’ll also point out some undiscussed natural synergy and identity overlap within the tree. Don’t forget that the development team is subject to limitations and some ideas may not work due engine, practicality and balance issues. Sometimes it isn’t IMC’s fault.
Unlike the previous trees Scout is a brand new addition to the tree structure made by snatching a couple of classes from the other trees, a major goal with this change was to relieve some stress from their synergy and unify them into a mechanically cohesive element in damage by offhand weapon. That solves a partial, yet minor, issue of these trees and brings more synergy for pistol and dagger classes when they were part of Swordsman and Archer. One interesting trait of Scout is how it is based on luck as the main stats it uses are critical rate for offense and evasion for defense, the class also works with attack speed which helps it to promote a less skill based gameplay. However for Scouts to strive they need to finish combat quickly one by one, else it has pray to luck to be on their side.
Scout’s theme is tricky to discuss, it is indeed low and generic enough to work as a base class but it has specific traits in comparison to its counterparts. An primary element present on its theme is being an intel and/or reconnaissance unit, as such it has to go into the field to gather information about the surroundings (plants, wildlife, terrain, enemies, etc) and share them with the group. Due this particular characteristic it is beneficial to Scouts to have some sort of fighting expertise in case they run into enemies, they may take it if the odds are in their favor or escape to report allies. With this loner job the tree can resort to questionable tactics to get the upper hand, it is a conduct other trees usually avoid but feels right in place considering Scout’s job. With that in mind characteristics required for a class to be in this tree are.
Cunning - Refers to the principle of using any tool available to fulfil their job, that includes use of minor magic (questionable), chemicals, poison, sneaky attacks, ambushes and any other kind of dirty trick that gives them an advantage.
Breaking Conventions - As the other aspect it won’t be bound to game rules as other classes often do, there are some limitations in specific mechanics and those are often bended or expanded within the tree classes. That said this treat isn’t exclusive to Scout but it does it more often, however it is the only tree that borrow essential mechanics from the others.
The main reason most classes feel out of place in the tree as the connections aren’t as clear when we see how the average, including Scout, tends to the shadier side, a majority commits to those guidelines but the other side is quite whimsical using minor magic on plain sight (and repairing equipment). As the last point before going into classes we have one Q&A statement of IMC is that one point of distinction between Scouts and Swordsman is how the first has less skill casting power along lower AAR. This is partially true as Scout skills often have low magnitude and not as large hitboxes, however if we compare active classes (excluding buff based classes) from both trees we will find an average with similar overheat and cooldown distribution. It’s likely that it will be addressed in the future but in the current state they aren’t that appart aside the magnitude element itself.
Melee
Nothing really special to talk about here, none of these classes is exclusively melee but their main action focus is on close quarters. One interesting convergence in this group is how Rogue’s and Outlaw’s themes are quite similar (after all they’re synonyms) but they draw inspiration from different sources, this doesn’t mean their identities don’t entangle and that has to be avoided at all cost.
Shinobi - As a hidden class that lacked identity on itself and could only rely on bursting power the class doesn’t change as much, Bunshin no Jutsu lost any further interaction with outside classes leading Shinobi to be an explosive damage dealer and nothing else. This can be an identity on its own but is relies too much on a single skill to be seen as such, in fact it only makes the gameplay duller as everything requires it to work and nothing else can be as interesting on its own. Thematic wise the class drifted away from the more grounded ninjas roots, ironically that isn’t as bad since the gameplay itself doesn’t match up the real life counterpart (even more ironic considering Scout’s intel traits).
Corsair - It isn’t clear on what the class tries to do which may be due being adapted into the new tree, even in the old placement Corsair only had speed (and multi hit) to offer and that isn’t nearly enough to sustain itself despite the better synergetic options. As the only class that cares for the primary hand equipment being a perfect transition for those that will invest in two weapons, yet the tree doesn’t support primary hand diminishing Corsair’s value. One interesting aspect of Corsair is that the pistol route makes it less interesting as the starting class due Jolly Roger scaling on % (Brutality included) with need quick attacks, at least it can be useful for the user in this new placement.
Rogue - Stay safe, wait and get the upper hand, Rogue used to be a class that defied every single convention with all skills having one subversive effect on game mechanics but that was lost in transition and isn’t as special in the new tree. The current direction seems to turn it into an opportunistic class that can exploit certain elements of the game, it is an identity but may not be as visible for players to get into it and this can affect it down the line as the full package can look generic if not a lesser version of Outlaw. For the average player the best incentive to go Rogue is the slightly more inclined dagger synergy.
Outlaw - Playing with your food, from the skill set and debuff choices Outlaw seems to be the sadistic class to go for and have control over the battle. Increasing evasiveness is a recurring aspect of the class and it is quite interesting when taunt is thrown into the mix, after all the goal isn’t to stay safe but rather torment the enemies slowly. It’s also interesting to point out how Outlaw does offer a route for every single build path be that dagger, pistol or mounted (even tho it would be better to have variety here).
Assassin - For now the only thing that can be said for sure is that Assassin is the only dedicated dagger class in the tree as it feels generic in every other aspect. Skills vary from large hitboxes with embedded AAR to short stabs that may hit only the first enemy in range, they work as a solid kit but don’t have a common thread to be recognized as in a single class.
Ranged
It may turn into a real group later on so it’s better to have it already set as such, the other reason for it is due the difference on real dedicated ranged playstyle as even the basic attacks are overwritten with those classes. Ironically those two don’t synergize as well since half of Bullet Marker skills can’t be used mounted as they require Double Gun Stance and the leftover skills are less interesting as a whole, that said the only build path that doesn’t work is with Assassin.
Bullet Marker - Being so overloaded and versatile it can’t converge to a cohesive direction, the only common thread Bullet Marker follows is looking cool but that doesn’t work as an identity. Oddly it feels like the class tries to go for magnitude, which is in Schwarzer Reiter territory, as many skills make use of AAR but they were forced to add more due the ranking system and as confirmed by IMC was kept for this same reason. However Re:Build was the perfect excuse to cut half of those skills as other classes can accommodate the weapon due a single change that fixed the issue, having viable synergetic class options that aren’t Pistol bound. No matter what they say there’s not good enough of a reason to keep 12 skills in the new standards.
Schwarzer Reiter - Magnitude and mobility combat, it’s simple yet it was always a solid identity to work with. Ironically this same design isn’t well executed and brings issues on itself, but being able to execute what it aims for is enough to stay relevant.
Support
None of the classes here has enough value on its own, they need either a class from another group or a party to be effective which is a significant trade off. This same nature doesn’t tie them to any particular weapon choice and gives players some free options to pick from, as a drawback none they’re ineffective as a first pick due their lack of offensive power and stat driven scaling. The major issue this group suffers from is how it feels less aligned in the theme of the tree, some adjustments were made to reduce the gap but there’s more to be done to have them as natural advancements - skills, costumes, animations, explanations, icons, etc.
Linker - Sharing used to be the defining trait of Linker and this is kept to some extent, it is less present with Spiritual Chain removal but understandable as it had no room in the new environment despite the same be applied to Lifeline. One issue that haunts it is the way it multiplies power to the point it becomes oppressive, it’s hard to tune it in a way it is fair for those that avoided it and satisfying for those that sacrificed another interesting choice. The thematic side of Linker can’t be ignored as it isn’t clear on how this kind of power works without magic (if it does), it would be reasonable to use some sort of magical chain (which could be a balancing factor) but no skill has catalyst despite their supernatural ability to share properties and damage. For a class theme to sustain itself it has to be backed up either by some deep knowledge, some sort of secret technology or dedicated training and as a Scout class it doesn’t feel plausible for Wizards (as the magic studious) to ignore nor develop such type of magic (due how versatile it is) yet it can’t be brushed off as some sort of secret physical skill nor rely on special tools as these chains just materialize out of thin air. Lastly it feels like the only reason for Linker to have been taken to Scout was to preserve the farming capability it has along Thaumaturge despite that being uncontestable for any other farming build in any given tree.
Thaumaturge - Being honest this class was all about raw number boost and it was quite ineffective on enemy oriented side (Shrink Body being inexpressive without attributes), however this simplicity made it quite consistent on what it does and what to expect it from. As the new direction it feels like it’s a even more generic stat amplifier, keeps the same issues from traditional design and add new things that were out of place into the mix but this is a matter of a dedicated analysis. Since the basis of Thaumaturge power is swelling it doesn’t require magic to work and can be taken out by using chemicals (instead of magic powder) but either way it can work out in Scout however it feels to odd for swelling buffs to require catalystis but not for shrink enemies (as swelling can be triggered naturally), it would be more taxing as a whole but can be a balancing factor due the (potential) value of those skills.
Enchanter - In Wizard it was the rule breaking class as incorporated mechanics that weren’t available in game or needed something else to be triggered, this isn’t as relevant in Scout specially as two elements were taken away from it. The new Enchanter feels more like a minor utility class and less of an interesting class, in fact it’s hard to find any strong thread that holds it consistently. It’s possible that Enchanter may be outclassed by Thaumaturge completely as it offers a rounder skill set and has higher farming capability as well. Adding magic to equipment is quite wizardish but can be taken into Scout as it only enhances the power of the gear itself, yet that only takes one part of the class as the elemental skills can be out of place.
Squire - Equipment care is the way to summarize it, however that was never explored enough to sustain itself and that led it to a static gameplay even to shop and support standards. With the warp removal from Base Camp it is likely for it to fall out of radar aside for that want to keep the business aspects of it, as it has nothing else to offer and being useless in combat, but even then the other ones are more effective and having only one shop up per account can get it out of picture. It seems like the class is already planned to be reworked but was shipped in the current state as being in an acceptable state and needing more changes to blend in the new tree. Initially the class feels completely out of place in Scout but once you consider the camping aspect and equipment care as technological development it doesn’t feel as off, that said this doesn’t exclude the fact that Squire is likely to be the only theme to be worked as a dedicated support that was compatible with Swordsman tree (and also being the only shop available in it). As an interesting point Enchanter does a good job on this identity on the combat aspect as buffs are tied to equipment, in fact it would be more cohesive them as a single class and get a full package into equipment care but that’d be a waste considering Enchanter’s theme can be taken further.
Having Scout as a new tree wasn’t a bad move but it would be impractical to have too add a bunch of new classes in it as well, it is completely reasonable to move those that were out of place in it and no one can say otherwise. The issue is to take classes that had significant value in their trees with cohesive theme in favor of distributing classes more evenly (even tho Archer and Scout end with ¾ of others), however the moved Wizard classes, along Squire, can’t be taken out as natural as the remaining cast.
Despite identity being the major pillar as ensures class variety it needs thematics to feel natural and on that matter Scout tree could’ve been built with a solid and unquestionable foundation, after all it already squeezes between Swordsman and Archer in basic gameplay. All that said it is likely for those oddities to be brushed off over time for veterans and be a short and awkward moment for new players once they see those classes into Scout.
Over the previous tree discussions it was pointed that Scout could be a class with thematic ties to chemistry and research, with potential classes in the current roster, as that feels like a natural development of a field based fighter, that is even more valuable as using chemicals and poisons is battle is considered cowardly unlike (minor) magic that is often taken as a craft of knowledge and dedication to its mastery.
And that’s how we end this last class tree breakdown, instead of doing the usual think i’ll just inform that Design Breakdown will be released every two weeks instead of the current format. The main reason for that is to readjust older entries to the Re:Build class versions, doing rounder classes first, now with the ability to try out every single class, in addition to that i’ll be helping with the renewal of ToS Wiki. For the next week i’ll be working on updating the hub thread and fix some minor Re:Build related changes on the complementary design guidelines, following that we will have the full update on all base classes and Archer’s analysis as well. However as the first real breakdown we will have either Taoist or Onmyoji as these are two of the classes that i personally wanted to discuss since i’ve started it.
