BONUS ABILITIES + STEALTH REWORK + PARRY UPDATES + POTION REWORKS

THE PAST

     Over the past few weeks we took the time to thoroughly review the systems within the game and take in player feedback. During this exploration we identified 4 major issues:

1. Many Bonus Abilities felt static / granted exclusively stat bonuses, resulting in stagnant progression for those looking to optimize stats.
2. Stealth feels unintuitive not using the same combat rules as the other playstyles and is often restricted to two classes (Rogue, Ranger)
3. Parry has a lower pick rate than Dodge or Block (~20%/45%/35% respectively) because of its high risk and limited nature without the support of the Fighter Arch ability Wicked Eye. 
4. Potions and those who can make them can ‘resource dump,’ creating effects and buffs far more potent than expected at the given level, especially if given sufficient time to prepare.

THE PRESENT

      We are addressing these issues in the following ways:

1. This first section is the meat and potatoes of this update. Every single Bonus Ability in the game was run through a fine-toothed comb and categorized into a few categories: Support, utility, defense, offense, augment, miscellaneous, and stat stick. In short, those that fell into the ‘Stat Stick’ category were marked at the top of the list for a rework, followed by abilities that were determined to be underwhelming and those too situational. When replacing/updating these abilities, we were aiming to create interactive experiences that encourage player creativity and better build variety. Check your Bonus Abilities for your current character to see what new toys you have to play with!
2. Stealth has always been tricky. Players sacrifice actions to enter ‘Stealth’ and then attack the next Rotation to deal massive damage. Makes sense. But newer players are often confronted with the following questions: Instead of using your Combat Proficiency, do you hit with Insight? Why does the enemy not roll to defend? Is there any reason to invest in Combat Proficiency? We had reasons for having stealth function the way it did, but it’s unintuitive nature created a poor new-player experience, so we looked to update it. Insight now scales Backstab Damage, and you roll to hit with Combat Proficiency vs Target’s [(Highest Defensive Skill) + 10]. This change makes Stealth similar to other combat styles while opening more classes to the potential to use Stealth now that damage scales off of Insight.
3. Risking your neck to land a juicy auto-hit has always been Parry’s big thing, but because players feel compelled to pick up Wicked Eye, they can often feel slightly behind in terms of abilities compared to Dodge or Block builds. In addition, being unable to defend against magic under any circumstance is a colossal ‘feel bad.’ To resolve this, we’ve decided to allow Parry builds to defend against ALL projectile types, but with no riposte. Wicked Eye has been reworked to benefit Parry builds but has become slightly more generalized because its niche was removed.
4. If you were to look at the ‘POTIONS’ section in the ‘General Items’ chapter, you would quickly notice two things: Bandoliers are a purchasable item, and all of the potions have been boiled down to a formula that interacts directly with Alchemist. Potions between Alchemist and the General Items section were always inconsistent and oddly priced. This new system makes the calculation of potion costs easier and gives players access to the T1-2 Alchemist Potions instead of the original disjointed list. Within this process, we discovered that potions can amass ridiculous combat value over time, so all potions received SP investment caps to prevent the creation of ‘Super Potions.’ In addition, players being able to carry upwards of 20-30 super potions each created a massive problem for GMs who wanted to challenge their players. As such, the new Bandolier item acts as a Scroll Rack for potions. If you are Brinked, any potion not in a bandolier will break. Ideally, this will force the Alchemists amongst you to think more carefully about what potions they want to prepare and who they want to distribute them to before departing on a daring adventure!

THE FUTURE

     Now that the present situation has been described let us peer briefly into the future. Currently, the team is dedicated to completing the Game Master Guide. The document’s text is completed, but there are over a dozen  illustrations to complete before the document is ready. Once that document is complete, we intend to return to the Core Rulebook for v1.2, where we will reexamine Mage’s mechanics and Main Tree. 

     Mage’s main tree has been left bare bones due to its ridiculous overperformance in closed testing before a slew of nerfs dropped it in its current state: The Cyphers are the class, but the tree feels empty and unimportant. We will update the content within the Main Tree to make it feel more competitive with other casters, such as Drifter and Conduit. MANNA Fatigue will be reexamined, and identity-preserving alternatives will be tested. Cyphers will have a similar treatment to Bonus Abilities in v1.1, but there are several hundred Cyphers to cover, so that will take some time. In addition to the Mage changes, we are carefully monitoring updates released in v1.1 in closed testing, and adjustments will be made to the newly introduced content. V1.2 will then be the harbinger of something more… monstrous. 

      With that, I must bid you adieu. Enjoy the plethora of new toys, and be sure to leave any questions you may have in the new official Keyrealms’ Discord! https://discord.gg/8QT9Z45Y

SEEK THE NEXUS
-The Keyrealms Team

FULL PATCH NOTES: 
 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hh0-cIA6OeX2QAKIEawqe9tz4mBe5uGoRsaq7DT25pA/...