I was having a really hard time thinking of a viable unique new mastery Crate could put for the expansion that could incorporate ranged weapons better. After a while, I thought of the only natural thing left in Grimdawn - dreams and nightmares.
The new mastery would centre around Psychic damage from the dream world, and the player could unlock teleportation abilities, and have access to “silent” gun shots - a ranged stealth character.
The Psychic mastery could perhaps use a Psyche wave, which would also incorporate another aether damage source, fulfilling more choices for the aether damage path.
What would it mean to be a “ranged stealth” character? What’d “stealth” be like? I don’t see how it’d work in a game focused on going to the center of the mobs and tearing each one apart. Also, I really like the concept of a psychic damage type, but maybe it doesn’t fit the game’s thematics. On Titan Quest it fit perfectly, but maybe not on a game like Grim Dawn. That’s just my opinion, of course.
Titan Quest was a game revolving around mythology in the ancient times, where Oracles and Seers were a common sight. In Grim Dawn, the world is being overrun by forces from other dimensions (Chtonic beings) and Aetherials. I think these thematics diverge a lot from each other, that is why I think a “dream” focused mastery wouldn’t be a fitting and immersive one for the game as it was in TQ.
I think something like an Alchemist would fit really well, incorporating some acid/poison, with different exclusive duration selfbuffs that do something unique… like, some sort of WoW druid with potions and ranged weapons and stuff? Idk =D
Saying a mastery can’t exist in this game because “psychic won’t fit thematics” is silly, we already have someone who throws poisonous eyeballs, another who summons flying knives, a guy who can shoot lightning from a hammer, and another shoots lasers from their hands. I think shooting magical waves, dealing aether damage, and “silent shots” fits just as much as anything else that exists already.
The realm of possibilities in Cairne isn’t really as limited as you suggest because of otherworldly beings because … we already are playing as a zombie who was previously possessed by an aetherial spirit… I mean come on. It makes perfect sense for that kind of character to be able to have some kind of special sight into dimensional rifts.
A melee-ish class that brings more synergy for chaos/aether damages. Say a zealot, follower of Empyrion that one day discovers his secret and goes mad turning to aetherial magics.
Or a ranged class, gunslinger. A gun for hire, proffesional mercenary that people of Cairn turn to when things get grim. Focusing on vitality, posion and physical atacks.
In the end I’d like to see something that brings more synergy
A guy on reddit gave me a good idea for a ranged mastery that I’ve been theorizing designing for a mod. Combines Cold/Acid damage, two types which aren’t overly-prominent in autoattacks except for DEE alone. Something sort of arctic-wastelandish in concept. I liked it.
I don’t care if I have to get dirty with the game code, but I will definitely make a filibuster mastery as soon as modding tools come out:
-: Dual pistols
-: Dual pistol+one_handed_melee (shoots at long range, melees with a chance of (invisible) dual attack at melee range. It will mostly depends on the various animation issues I’ll have to deal with !)
-: Sword & board
I am thinking about short cd skills which would force a weapon swap with a short duration buff like:
“Prepare to Board”: Requires a pistol and a one handed melee weapon. Charge into the fray, stabbing and shooting one ennemy at point blank. Swap your weapons and increases shield block recovery for 5 seconds.
“Tumble”: Requires a melee weapon and a shield. Press the advantage by pushing a melee ennemy back 10 meters with you and knocking him down. Swap your weapons. +50% ranged attack speed for 5 seconds.
“No quarters”: Requires dual pistols. Shoot and walk in a straight line toward an ennemy. Swap your weapons. +100% cunning for 5 seconds.
“Jib shot”: Requires a pistol and a one handed melee weapon. Stab your ennemy causing heavy bleeding, then rollback 10 meters while spraying caltrops to slow them down. +50% missile deflection for 5 seconds.
My suggestion is to add in a class that finds a way to use gravity. Lots of knock downs or push backs. Maybe a skill or two to make mobs go flying into the air more often, Make use of that Rag doll physics. (I just love that so much.)
Maybe a blood Magic user. Summoning deamons or empowering himself with the aether.
I would love for a true pet class… right now GD handles pets very pourly… they are terrible in their implimentation. Almost no connection to the casters ability… No Scaling off of the casters stats… no chance of hybridzation… True Pet support would be much appreciated.
And before ya’ll go and say they are ok and one of the most powerful classes … I kinda laugh at that since their clear speeds are pitaful now. There have been a series of back to back nerfs towards pets that have left any semilance of a class or play style a desperate cling to a vanishing ledge.
A True pet class like a Necromancer and a Revamp of how pets work tieing them to the casters stats much like Nemises. That would be what i would kill for… I would love to see hybrids using pets to tank … ect. ect. ect. Not to mention an Un-nerfed means of healing pets… B31 / V1 killed pet healing … Wild affixes butchered … regens murdered … Just very sad days…
It just felt weird and uninspired. Really ridiculous pet. I never used it, ever.
BUT, as far as pets go, people can go back and forth all day about how they want pets to make them basically do literally nothing but summon them and walk around and watch as pets do all the work for them. That’s not what a pet class should be about…why not just get a bot program to play the game for you.
I don’t really get why people want another summoning mastery for the expansion, when you got TWO masteries that offers at least two pets already… not to mention that there is also summons that you can get through Devotion and gear…
What we really need is something that is not there yet… something new… a mastery that is not just more of the same. From the options lacking so far, we have:
-A DW gun supporting mastery (a Pirate mastery would look interesting and could fit with the lore… using guns, poison and some “dirty tricks” to good ffect).
-An inquisitor/priest/cleric themed mastery. This would create a balance between “good” and “evil” themed masteries when comparing it with the Occultist… This mastery should have mostly support skills/spells to combo with other masteries, and hae skills that adds extra damage against Undead, Aetherials and Chthonians.
-A TRUE shield themed mastery, since the soldier is more of a hybrid melee mastery. It could be similar to the Defence mastery on TQ and offer some defensive buffs (We really could use an aura that increases physical defense %) and shield based WPS skills.
There are more examples out there, but these are the ones that I care the most. Some of these examples I listed could all be incorporated into a single mastery.
We need necromancer. We need more spells that use cold-vitality damage. There is shitload of items that gives bonuses to cold-vitality and only one spell that actually deals cold-vitality damage.
