Are support classes (Priest Im guessing) Important and effective.

pdabb38

I like playing support. I'm guessing preist.How do they Affect a battle?Is thier Heals/buffs good.?can they wear armor? Do they have to use a staff?

Please feel free to add any other abilits they have/can have.

 

king0fmars

Supporting your allies is extremely important and it is something all players in darkfall need to worry about. Some players may want to focus on support and priest may be a good option for that, but I wouldn't consider priest to be a support only role.

pdabb38

Do/can they have buffs ?

can they wear armor?

do they need a staff to cast?

What kinda orther spell type are privy to?

If anyone has a good link with them in. I'de appreaciate it emmensly. screen shots/video's would be great to see too.

phantomghost

They have not really gone into detail with this for DF:UW.

 

You will likely need a staff to cast still. 

king0fmars

Originally posted by pdabb38

Do/can they have buffs ?

In Darkfall 1 buffs were distributed amoung all magic schools, however all schools have been rebalanced but it is safe to say a priest will have a nice selection of buffs.

can they wear armor?

In Darkfall 1, yes. In Darkfall UW, no. Priest and elementalist will wear robes but robe crafted will be a fully developed crafting skill in UW.

do they need a staff to cast?

All spells in Darkfall 1 were cast with a staff and there has been nothing to suggest this will change in UW.

What kinda orther spell type are privy to?

Spells have been completely rebalanced but looking back to Darkfall 1 expect to have a wide selection of options. However since this is an fps most abilites require aiming. Physics manipulation was huge in DF1 but UW will introduce a new learning curve, hopefully.

If anyone has a good link with them in. I'de appreaciate it emmensly. screen shots/video's would be great to see too.

 

Kinda waiting for AV to give us more information regarding the skill system all together. Hopefully this comes with more info on the user interface which is just as important.

Flute

Originally posted by pdabb38

I like playing support. I'm guessing preist.How do they Affect a battle?Is thier Heals/buffs good.?can they wear armor? Do they have to use a staff?

Please feel free to add any other abilits they have/can have.

 

In Darkfall 1.0 there were a few players who played nearly exclusively as battlefield medics.  In large scale seiges (200 vs 200 up), they were absolutely critical.

 

Later in the games' life they became far less common, however for a time I was in a pvp clan led by William Wallace, and when William, Blue, Keith and the rest of the lads all in dragon with Meg and I playing as dedicated medics, the team was nearly unstoppable.  We had a heavy cavalry charge into the flank of a mage army, the heavies fully buffed went in on battlehorns (armoured rhinos) and the two healers hung back at long range for heals, so once the mounts (and well over a dozen enemy) were down, the lads could fall back out of the chaos to get heals as we all withdrew back to the main position.

 

Another battle, we had maybe 150 people inside the volcano near Serruk, with a massive army attacking with massed magic into the lava tunnels.  Three of four healers set up a healing station just out of direct line of sight, and the defending army's mages would unload their defensive nukes, then when targetted flee over to the healing station to be nearly instantly back up to full health.    So even when there was no "specialist" healer role, in large scale set battles healers were absolutely vital.

 

We don't know what abilities the "priests" will have, but we do know that there were players who were absolutely stunning at playing support combat medics, Meg Odin was a good example - if you actually got past the lads to attack her, she had the skills stats and gear to make the outcome very far from certain.  While priests will likely get robes / light armour this time around, we simply don't kno enough to know how things will work out, in particular how long it takes to change specs.  But we do know the playstyle was pivotal in large battles, there were well known and highly skilled battle medics, and Aventurine has not overlooked the playstyle in its role choices. 

pdabb38

What type of heals were in DF1.single target,group heals,ect.? How did the buffs work.on timers,group,single target ,ect?

What stats did they affect and how potent were they?

Topherpunch

Originally posted by pdabb38

I like playing support. I'm guessing preist.How do they Affect a battle?Is thier Heals/buffs good.?can they wear armor? Do they have to use a staff?

Please feel free to add any other abilits they have/can have.

 

you cannot answer these questions because no one has played the game. DF 1 combat system was different because you could play every class and everyone was a healer hybrid basically, or could have been. Now they are changing things up, some skills will be buffed more than likely while others nerfed. You could get a fake answer, but honestly no one really know unless they are the developer of the game.

Snoepie

Originally posted by pdabb38

What type of heals were in DF1.single target,group heals,ect.? How did the buffs work.on timers,group,single target ,ect?

What stats did they affect and how potent were they?

darkfall in a nutshell..

 

Basicly put aside all your mmo experience and leave it behind you..

 

then when you start darkfall when it will release you will be like whaoo this combat is awesome.. i never experienced this kinda game..

 

next step is that you will be addicted to the game.. and all other mmo's out there are just boring..

 

then darkfall will adress your attitude and follow the sheeps with the you mad your bad politics in this game..

 

it takes month's or even years to be good in this game.. some people make it to the top others don't... it depends on your own abbilities

GwapoJosh

As others have said, no one knows except the devs.. I'm hoping we find out as we play.  I can't wait for launch!

kaiser3282

Originally posted by pdabb38

What type of heals were in DF1.single target,group heals,ect.? How did the buffs work.on timers,group,single target ,ect?

What stats did they affect and how potent were they?

Heals were a mix of self heals, direct heals (requiring aiming at and being within range of your target), and AoE heals centered around yourself (which would heal EVERYONE in the radius, including enemies, such as Witche's Brew).

Buffs were single target and either self buffs, or direct buffs (just like the heals). Generally getting buffed by someone else gave you a bigger boost than self buffs.

Also, just like with attacks, using these things from behind someone had a greater effect.

They were on timers usually lasting several minutes, and getting longer as you leveled them up and also bought the skills that went along with that school of magic. For example. Agility is a self buff that boosts your Dexterity stat, and belongs tot he Air Magic School. You could buy skills in the Air Magic school, and all schools, that increased Magnitude (power), Duration, casting speed, and reduced mana cost of all spells in that school.

As far as what types of buffs: base stat buffs (strength, dex, quickness, etc), increased stamina health or mana, increased resistances to specific magic types, increased protection vs arrows, and a variety of other similar types.

Debuffs basically work exactly the same as buffs, and were also made up of the same "types" (ie: decreasing base stat, decreasing resistance to X, etc).

Friendly / enemy fir eis also a concern with playing a support role. If youre not careful you can wind up buffing an enemy or debuffing an ally. Though typically people tend to share buffs with eachother just before getting to the battle since they last several minutes, rathe rthan buffing in the middle of a fight.

There are also a few spells which are a combination of damage + debuff. Rend is an example. It causes bleeding damage over time, and also decreases their piercing resistance.

In all of these things, and pretty much everything related to combat in Darkfall. Potency is based on a combination of base stats (Int for spells), the level of the category / school, the level of that specific skill, and your equipment. So for example, lets say I had my Fire Magic (which is  school) at 50, and Fireball (individual spell) at 1 it would do a different amount of damage than if I was Fire Magic 100 / Fireball 1, or Fire Magic 50, Fireball 50, etc. Basically, if you want the most potent effect, you want to have both your school and the individual skill at 100. The gear dependency can be a bit weird with magic / staves. Its not as simple as weapons where higher rank = more powerful. Certain types of staves are specific to a magic school and will increas ethe potency of said school (fire, water, earth, etc). Some of them also have fast casting but low power. Some have longer casting but more power. And some have standard speed & power.

Encumberance also plays a part. Wearoing heavier armor = more encumberance, which can impair the effectiveness & spedd of archery & spells, as well as increasing the chance for spells to fizzle (not cast). Obviously less encumbarance is better for a magic user, but its up to you to find the balance you like between defense, encumberance, and spell power to suit your playstyle.

When it comes to weapon attacks there is the weapon (type) skill itself, then the mastery for that type (which can be bought at weapon skill 75). Those 2 determine your potential damage with all attacks witht hat weapon type. Then there are also skill, such as Power Attack, which also has its own level. Again, having all 3 of these things maxed out = most potent.

Archery follows similar setup as well. But rather than calling it mastery, etc you get skills like Veteran Archer, etc that make you more powerful and also reduce stamina cost of using a bow.

You can also add some further customization to your character through Specilization Skills. You could purchase something like Destroyer which causes you to do 40% more damage to enemies wielding a staff with melee attacks, but locks you out of most magic schools severely limiting your magic abilities (and preventing you from using some buffs and heals). You could buy Aquatic shot which lets you shoot arrows underwater. Get double-jump, self explanatory. Mana shield, which drains 10% of damage taken as mana instead of HP. And several other specializations.

And lastly. You can also purchase Spell Upgrades. These are normally only for offensive projectile spells (not buffs, heals, debuffs, or instant / ray spells). You can sort of customize a spell to have something like increased power, longer range, or faster projectiles (velocity, not casting speed)

I know, its more than what you specifically asked, but figured I would get it all out of the way in 1 shot for you and any others wondering about this tuff.

Purutzil

Typically, having support > Not having support. In order for a support to NOT be efficient, they would have to be providing less support to allies then it would be to have someone else in their place. This is quite difficult to achieve, the only way this being possible is if for some reason their abilities were so lack luster.

Ishan-shade

Originally posted by kaiser3282

Originally posted by pdabb38

What type of heals were in DF1.single target,group heals,ect.? How did the buffs work.on timers,group,single target ,ect?

What stats did they affect and how potent were they?

Heals were a mix of self heals, direct heals (requiring aiming at and being within range of your target), and AoE heals centered around yourself (which would heal EVERYONE in the radius, including enemies, such as Witche's Brew).

Buffs were single target and either self buffs, or direct buffs (just like the heals). Generally getting buffed by someone else gave you a bigger boost than self buffs.

Also, just like with attacks, using these things from behind someone had a greater effect.

They were on timers usually lasting several minutes, and getting longer as you leveled them up and also bought the skills that went along with that school of magic. For example. Agility is a self buff that boosts your Dexterity stat, and belongs tot he Air Magic School. You could buy skills in the Air Magic school, and all schools, that increased Magnitude (power), Duration, casting speed, and reduced mana cost of all spells in that school.

As far as what types of buffs: base stat buffs (strength, dex, quickness, etc), increased stamina health or mana, increased resistances to specific magic types, increased protection vs arrows, and a variety of other similar types.

Debuffs basically work exactly the same as buffs, and were also made up of the same "types" (ie: decreasing base stat, decreasing resistance to X, etc).

Friendly / enemy fir eis also a concern with playing a support role. If youre not careful you can wind up buffing an enemy or debuffing an ally. Though typically people tend to share buffs with eachother just before getting to the battle since they last several minutes, rathe rthan buffing in the middle of a fight.

There are also a few spells which are a combination of damage + debuff. Rend is an example. It causes bleeding damage over time, and also decreases their piercing resistance.

In all of these things, and pretty much everything related to combat in Darkfall. Potency is based on a combination of base stats (Int for spells), the level of the category / school, the level of that specific skill, and your equipment. So for example, lets say I had my Fire Magic (which is  school) at 50, and Fireball (individual spell) at 1 it would do a different amount of damage than if I was Fire Magic 100 / Fireball 1, or Fire Magic 50, Fireball 50, etc. Basically, if you want the most potent effect, you want to have both your school and the individual skill at 100. The gear dependency can be a bit weird with magic / staves. Its not as simple as weapons where higher rank = more powerful. Certain types of staves are specific to a magic school and will increas ethe potency of said school (fire, water, earth, etc). Some of them also have fast casting but low power. Some have longer casting but more power. And some have standard speed & power.

Encumberance also plays a part. Wearoing heavier armor = more encumberance, which can impair the effectiveness & spedd of archery & spells, as well as increasing the chance for spells to fizzle (not cast). Obviously less encumbarance is better for a magic user, but its up to you to find the balance you like between defense, encumberance, and spell power to suit your playstyle.

When it comes to weapon attacks there is the weapon (type) skill itself, then the mastery for that type (which can be bought at weapon skill 75). Those 2 determine your potential damage with all attacks witht hat weapon type. Then there are also skill, such as Power Attack, which also has its own level. Again, having all 3 of these things maxed out = most potent.

Archery follows similar setup as well. But rather than calling it mastery, etc you get skills like Veteran Archer, etc that make you more powerful and also reduce stamina cost of using a bow.

You can also add some further customization to your character through Specilization Skills. You could purchase something like Destroyer which causes you to do 40% more damage to enemies wielding a staff with melee attacks, but locks you out of most magic schools severely limiting your magic abilities (and preventing you from using some buffs and heals). You could buy Aquatic shot which lets you shoot arrows underwater. Get double-jump, self explanatory. Mana shield, which drains 10% of damage taken as mana instead of HP. And several other specializations.

And lastly. You can also purchase Spell Upgrades. These are normally only for offensive projectile spells (not buffs, heals, debuffs, or instant / ray spells). You can sort of customize a spell to have something like increased power, longer range, or faster projectiles (velocity, not casting speed)

I know, its more than what you specifically asked, but figured I would get it all out of the way in 1 shot for you and any others wondering about this tuff.

Thank you for this, answered a ton of questions and got me excited.

 

kaiser3282

You're welcome. Ask away if you have any other questions.

Realbigdeal

As a support class, you will probably be limited with what DF 1.0 had.

There was 2 aoe heals. Witch brew an other aoe healing spell that heals for so long, but only stop when you move. Other heals on a single target, there was 3.

Other than that, you will probably be able to use all buff other spells. As for combat, im guessing that you will be limited to what you get from lesser magic. Anything, but elemental spells. As for arcane, you will probably be able to use wall of force, the best cc spell in DF. Im not sure, but i heard priest will be able to use necro or arcane spells to the fullest. You wont be able to chose both arcane and necro tho.

 

I can tell you, supporting other players in DF is really fun. You will never get tired of that play style cuz it requires so much more from a player than in any other mmorpg. Succeding in supporting your allies when their fighting is what will create the gap between you and noobs.

MarioLemieux

Originally posted by Realbigdeal

As a support class, you will probably be limited with what DF 1.0 had.

There was 2 aoe heals. Witch brew an other aoe healing spell that heals for so long, but only stop when you move. Other heals on a single target, there was 3.

Other than that, you will probably be able to use all buff other spells. As for combat, im guessing that you will be limited to what you get from lesser magic. Anything, but elemental spells. As for arcane, you will probably be able to use wall of force, the best cc spell in DF. Im not sure, but i heard priest will be able to use necro or arcane spells to the fullest. You wont be able to chose both arcane and necro tho.

 

I can tell you, supporting other players in DF is really fun. You will never get tired of that play style cuz it requires so much more from a player than in any other mmorpg. Succeding in supporting your allies when their fighting is what will create the gap between you and noobs.

They are implementing new magic schools, with new spells, so saying that you'll be limited to what DF 1.0 had is wrong. Priest will have to choose between Law and Order, and between Life and Pain. I'm sure they'll have new kind of spells, new heals, and they'll have some specific attacks. I highly doubt that they'll have to use lesser magic spells for offensive spells.

Melkrow

Priest is a "New" concept for Darkfall. We had no such thing in the first game. Everybody was eerything in DF 1. There were basically 2 "heal other" spells in the game (there are 3, but one is never used because of it's extremely low range and long cooldown), and you cycle between those to support your friends. Other heals were mostly for self. For example while Witches Brew had an AOE element to it, it was rarely ever used as an AOE heal (although there are situations where you would want to 'group brew").

So in DF 1, a priest is a foreign concept. There are people who played more of a supportive role, but they didn't have any extra tools, they just focused on healing allies and bliding enemies rather than doing damage.

Also, being a "support" player "in the middle" of combat, requires A LOT of skill, more than being just an offensive mage. And this is due to fact that all spells and abilities in Darkfall work on both friends and foes, so sometimes if your friend is in melee combat and needs heals, you might end up healing the enemy if you miss, and that will make it that much worse and even lose the entire fight for you. Or you can blind your friend instead of the enemy and get him killed.

AV didn't really say ANYTHING at all about Priests or support in general for the new game, so we have no idea how exactly that's gonna play out.

For the record, the first spec I level will be a healer spec. Shot calling is easier when you're in the back of the group and have the view of the whole picture, and if there's a spec that rewards you for staying in the back, I'll definitely give it a shot right away.