New Season Preview: Class Skill Specializations

Release time: 2024-11-07

This preview covers some major changes, and we really want to hear your thoughts after reading it. Your feedback is super important to us!

As we mentioned earlier, there are big changes coming to class skills in the new season. We recommend stockpiling some general resources for now. Today, let's dive into the revamped class skills for the upcoming season!

In previous seasons, we noticed that certain class builds were quite fixed. For some classes, if you wanted to climb the tower or deal burst damage to Scarecrow, you had to follow one specific build. If you chose incorrectly, the cost would be high. So, in the new season, we want to reduce the cost of developing your classes, allowing you to try out more builds and experience a wider variety of playstyles.

Instead of introducing new classes, we're adding a Skill Specialization system for certain existing classes.

What is Skill Specialization?

A skill specialization enhances and customizes an existing skill with multiple effects, allowing for various combinations and adding gameplay variety.

Specialization Slots and Rarity

Not all class skills have a specialization system, but those that do offer up to 8 slots, unlocking as skill levels rise. Each specialized skill provides 8 options in Rare, Epic, and Legendary rarities. You can equip or remove any specialization to a skill for free, but remember that some may use several slots, and not all Legendary ones require the most slots.

How Specializations Work

Let's take the initial class Aegis as an example of how specialization works in the new season.

The Shield Bash skill has been adjusted:

The skill name has changed to Shield Blitz.
The skill effect changes: You charge into a target with your shield held aloft, slamming enemies within Xm for Y% Bludgeoning damage.

This skill features a specialization system that includes the following options:

Proficiency: Reduce base cooldown.
Concuss: You have a chance to stun enemies.
Warleader: Teleport minions around you at the end of dashing.
Redoubt: Block attacks when dashing, increasing the damage for each stack of Resolve.
Battlemaster: Each time you deal damage, you have a chance to gain a stack of Battlelust.
Blinkstrike: The skill deals Light Damage, and the dash's speed is increased while its duration is reduced.
Skyfall: Leap to the target to deal damage, expanding the damage range, with a chance to inflict Daze.
Temerity: The skill can be used without a shield, and the dash now passes through enemies as it deals increased damage to them.

How Specializations Change Skills

Specializations bring four types of changes to skills:

Morphing: Changes the form of the skill.
Numeric Changes: Adjusts the skill's numerical values.
Effect Additions: Adds new effects to the skill.
Skill Variants: Transforms the skill into something new.

Let's go through each one using Shield Blitz as an example:

Morphing: With the Skyfall specialization, the skill changes from a simple charge to a jump to the target area, dealing damage and possibly stunning enemies.

This type of specializations can change the skill's form, altering its damage type and creating new playstyles.

Numeric Changes: The Proficiency specialization reduces the base cooldown of the skill.

This type of specializations allows a skill's multiple stats grow together as it levels up, making its progression smoother and more predictable.

Without VS With Specialization: Proficiency

Effect Additions: The Redoubt specialization adds a new defensive effect, letting you block attacks when dashing, with damage increasing as you stack Resolve.

We've split the original effects of the class skills into specializations, making the skills more streamlined and giving you more freedom to mix and match the effects you want.

With Specialization: Redoubt

Skill Variants: With the Blinkstrike specialization, the skill deals Light Damage, and the dash's speed is increased while its duration is reduced.

Specializations enable skills to gain unique effects from other classes, previously exclusive to another Prestige Class's passive abilities.

Without VS With Specialization: Blinkstrike

Mixing Specializations

You can equip multiple specializations that take effect all at once. For example, if you equip Concuss and Skyfall together, when you release Shield Blitz, not only will you trigger the Leaping Strike, but you'll also have a chance to stun enemies.

With Specialization: Concuss + Skyfall

This flexibility lets you create various playstyles for each skill. For example, Shield Bash can be combined with Redoubt for more damage and defense, or Proficiency and Blinkstrike to speed things up. The possibilities are endless!

We've also prepared a list of all the specializations for the Warliege class for your reference:

Unlocking and Upgrading Specializations

Both Rare and Epic specializations are unlocked by default, starting at level 1 with a maximum level of 5.

Additionally, all specializations require Tomes of Specialization for upgrades.

Now, you might be curious: what are those mysterious gifts at the end of the season? They're called Stellarite; you can use them to draw Tomes of Specialization. Before drawing, you'll need to choose a class. Only after selecting will that class's Tomes of Specialization appear.

Stellarites can be inherited, and you can obtain them through:

Daily Bounty Quests.
1. P.S. The quest system will be revamped as well in the new season, during which the quests will be easier to complete. Stay tuned for upcoming spoilers!
In-game events.
Paid bundles in the shop.

Tomes of Specialization can be inherited, and you can obtain them through:

The Trial of Embers (using Ember: Amber to open Embercast Chest).
Completing the Terminus Ixion: Tower Top on any difficulty.
Drawing them with Stellarites.
In-game events.

Skill Point Allocation

Investing skill points remains the same in the new season; skill points increase as your character levels up. Some skills will unlock once you reach a certain level. In the new season, resetting skill points won't cost anything.

We've also improved some skill descriptions, adding skill tags to make them easier to understand.

Available Classes and Future Plans

Due to time and resource constraints, we'll first launch the skill specialization system for 8 Prestige Classes: Warliege, Ranger, Soulkeeper, Stormblade, Druid, Pyroknight, Elementalist, and Dark Ranger.

The other 17 Prestige Classes will only have specializations for initial class skills. More specializations will be introduced in future updates.

The specialization system unlocks once characters reach the target level. In the new season, both permanent and pure seasonal characters will have access to the skill specialization system. For permanent characters, classes with access to the specialization system (such as Warliege and Ranger) will have it automatically unlocked once they reach the required level, and their previous skill points will be reset.

That wraps up the changes to class skills in the new season! After reading this, you might have lots of thoughts, questions, or even concerns. We'll be listening carefully to your feedback, so don’t hesitate to share your suggestions and feelings!