Wargs Update 6

On Wargs in Update 6

I had intended to put this up in my blog, but the maintenance we have been doing today has put me in a tough situation. I promised an update on the Warg, and so I must keep my promise by returning to these hallowed halls.

Warg Update 6

The first thing that you need to know is that these changes are a collaboration of myself and another designer, jinjaah. You have yet to meet him, but will soon since he is handling the complete dev diary on the Warg. Go easy, he's new to all of you and you can be a little rabid from time to time. The second thing that you need to know is that this is still in flux and could change considerable before release. The third thing that you need to know is that there were goals with this update and they are as follows:

Improve upon and highlight the strengths of the Stealth Warg
Provide Wargs with a secondary method of playing the class that gave them more survivability though a little less damage
Highlight that wargs are pack hunters


Stances

We are taking the warg and giving them two stances; Shadow and Flayer. These are to accentuate the different ways of playing the warg while keeping the flavor wholly intact.

General information of the stances is that there will be no stance dancing. This is going to be a hard-line call on this one. If you switch out of one stance, you will be delayed from entering the other stance, the benefits and merits of the two stances, while complimentary, coupled with the linear design of monster players would make the ability to quickly switch between the two simply overpowered. We're not backing down on this one. It is set in stone. Second, the stances will modify existing skills - sometimes wholly overwriting them while other times leaving them intact. All of this is covered herein.

Shadow Stance

This is the stealth stance. It increases damage, power regeneration in-combat and is the primary driver for stealth skills.

Flayer Stance

This stance replaces Shadow Howler (OMG ORION YOU KNOW NOTHING! WE NEED THAT TO SURVIVE! - Players Yes, yes, you do. - Orion) In fact, this stance is all about surviving so it makes sense that we usurped this skill. You cannot stealth in Flayer. Increases your Armour, tactical and physical mitigations. Adds a small morale bubble on the warg that attempts to refresh every 7 seconds. If the bubble is still present this results in healing the warg for 5% of its max health. If the bubble is not present, the bubble is re-applied. When the bubble breaks the warg is healed for 1% of their max health. Grants access to Brute and brute bonuses.

Skill Changes

Brute

When you are in Flayer stance you lose access to Stealth but gain access to Brute. Brute is a short term buff that enhances your chances to score Brute bonuses when using skills enhanced with Brute. Brute bonuses have a small chance to apply. This skill increases that chance considerably.

Topple

When you are in Flayer stance you lose access to Stealth so Disappear is also replaced, becoming Topple. Topple will knock and opponent to the ground for a good chunk of time and shares its cooldown with Disappear.

Muscle Tear

When you ar in Flayer stance Throat Rip becomes Muscle Tear. This skill decreases your target's movement speed and attack duration for a good chunk of time.

Snap

In Flayer or no stance
Reduces melee, ranged and tactical damage output on the target. On a critical will disarm the target for a short time.

In Shadow this becomes Snap!

On critical, the target becomes silenced for a short time.

Claws

No change to the neutral or non-stance.

Flayer

Raking Claws: Equivalent damage to claws with a DoT equal to about half of the initial damage. This effect can stack up to three times. Brute bonus: Places a wound on the target that will interrupt inductions every few seconds for the duration of the effect.

Shadow

Bestial Claws: Increases damage done by the claws initially and applies a DoT on the target that can stack up to three times. Bonus damage is applied when you are behind the target and the power cost of the ability is increased.

Maul

Flayer

Agonizing Maul: Increased damage, increased bleed damage. Brute bonus: Reduces incoming healing on the target.

Shadow

Sudden Maul: Bonus damage from behind and on a critical increases attack speed.

Savage Fangs

Flayer

Applies an attack duration debuff on the target, reduces target's parry rating and on Brute reduces armour rating of the target.

Shadow

Increases induction durations, reduces parry rating.

Dire Howl

Flayer

Howl of Aggression: Disarms multiple targets.

Shadow

Silences a greater number of targets.

Eye Rake

Flayer

Eye Gash: Interrupts Inductions. On Brute lowers the target's block, parry and evade ratings.

Shadow

Interrupts Inductions and on critical will reduce the range of all ranged and tactical based skills of the target.

Pack Hunters

In no stance, nothing changes.

Flayer

Pack Flayers: Locks the warg and his target in place removing the ability to block, parry or evade. The warg cannot use other skills during this effect and cannot be interrupted or cc'd.

Shadow

Shadow Pack: The warg marks and area of the ground lowering defences of all those within or who enter it. Leaving the area will apply a lesser version of the effect. This can be used from stealth.

Change is on the wind.

Orion
Senior Designer
Game Systems
Looking to the Future.