On The Subject of Shields, Bows, Spears and Freeze

Wicked Feedback
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I’ll make it quick and point form:

  • Shields should allow you to execute slams and charges. These abilities already exist in the game but are restricted to mobs.
  • Spears and lances should allow you to execute a spear charge.
  • Straight swords, daggers and spears should be usable during block. Meaning your character should be able to execute a simple jab or slash while holding their shield up. Restricted movement and combo in exchange for poise and armor.
  • Bows should be main-hand weapons. If you are going to pair them with swords or daggers, there should be a draw animation attached with restricted movesets.
  • Bosses should be immune to freeze. Instead they should only be affected by cold, reducing their armor and movement speed. In fact all bosses should have their elemental resistances increased. This is underlying problem with the overpowered state of elemental spells. They cut through enemies without very little mitigation.

You can replace all instances of “should” with “the gameplay would benefit from”.

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There are some games that have “primary” and “secondary” hand attributes that all weapons can be equipped to.

So no matter what you equip there, it affects the stats and abilities.

IE: Primary bow has a quick draw, attack speed bonus.

Granted, this could change depending on the size of the bow (normal vs. great).

You could also put a shield as your primary and a spear as your secondary, thus opening up new attack commands while you’re blocking.

Equipping two shields shields can give you attacks that range from a “brass knuckle” (boxing glove) attack set to a beyblade spin with massive knockback/stun potential.

Again, depending on the size of the shield(s) you’re equipping.

The “throw” rune could also be used on those shields.
*Size affects the “type” of throw, from Capt. America rebound to Hulk smash!

All that said, when it comes to bosses these effects will have to be tweaked.

IE: Two Great Shields, imbued with fire = Phoenix Beyblade Vs. Crucible Knight (mounted).

Until you break the knight’s poise, he could easily stop you from spinning.. so how would you handle this moveset vs. bosses?

Do you introduce a “momentum” stat on the spin or simply buff the poise stat?

As for bosses being immune to freeze.. I disagree.
*It’s the same as poise, just with an elemental application.

The trick is to make boss fights more unique rather than dumb down player choices/power.

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I agree with all but bows. They should stay as off-hand weapons, they should properly make ranged main weapons (crossbows and others are planned), as far as I know those will be two handed.

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The problem with that comparison is that freeze and stagger (poise) occur concurrently and to the same effect and more. This does not happen with any other element in that particular manner. Furthermore, there are spells in the game that literally freeze the boss from range with one cast. You cannot do this with stagger.

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Indeed, though this comes down to the “effect trigger” (how quickly you can freeze a boss).

If you’re like me, I ran the subzero build long before I could max out my stats or exalt all of the gear.

At one point even accidentally selling all of the weapons and my shield, thinking I was unequipping them (wasting hundreds of embers). (-_-')

I also didn’t have RoD.. thus forcing me to constantly run in to try to “engage” with the boss mechanics. Many times getting curb stomped in the process, long before being able to freeze a boss even once.

*Their screen-wide attacks and seemingly endless dashes making it hard to consistently build the frost meter.

This I think is the solution.
*Rather than making them immune to being frozen, simply buff their resistance meter.

What’s more, I’d really like an elemental resistance system in the game, where some bosses are weaker or stronger to any given element, perhaps even having the ability to “absorb” them.

Much like the Geralt needing a silver-coated sword for monsters and a sword of magnetite iron for everything else.

*We have 3x weapon slots (6x if you count off hand) to cater to such mechanics.

That being said, this is a single player game.. with tacked on co-op. So if I hit end game and have the resourced to max out my build, I should be just as powerful as I am now.

IE: Able to freeze bosses quickly and easily.

If I want more of a challenge, I’ll play on a “harder” realm.
*No need to remove mechanics.

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are you sure that bows should stay as off-hand https://youtu.be/GNAt_p5YxSM?si=GqUQcWEDAbwpvquF trust me we “ranged lovers” gonna keep find a way to use them as a main hand :smiley: so I definetely agree with previous suggestions which refers to equip any weapon as off-hand or main hand decided by player and their moveset depends on the equip order this would be the ultimate solution to that

edit: this build also proves that elemental buffs are broken and boss’ elemental resistances are really needs to be balanced as well as enchantments aspecially frozen armor decrease enchantment

*I literally forgot crucible final boss mechs just bc of my freeze build btw and thats not a good thing to me tbh

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It’d be funny if the Knight’s second phase is him jumping back down to the battlefield having changed his gear set to one that resists whatever element you used to kill his mount.

*Adaptive phases.

Then again, as per @thomasmahler we are getting an “endless dungeon” mode for the Crucible. Could be fun if each time you fight him, he has resists to all of your previous fights.

I’d call it “Crucible of the Doomed”.. a play on “Doomsday” from Superman.

lol, jokes aside.. it is interesting to see how much my gameplay changes when I’m not wearing my frost set.

Granted, my plague splatter set has the same “end result” in that it just nukes anything on screen (no need for the freeze).

When creating a new realm or wanting to plow through the story, I run my static set (electric). Multiple speed buffs and long ranged “chain” spells (combo’d with blink for good measure) allows me to “end game” a new realm super quick.

Hmm.. I might revisit fire.. though it seems to have the same kinda play as plague without the screen clear.

All that said, I hope the devs come up with some fun and interesting mechanics and avoid the Helldivers 2 pit fall of “nerfing the fun”.

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