Kinperor
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Talking points,
Want to partake into the thread but not sure what to address? Consider the following:
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Do you favor swordsmanship? Do you see yourself mastering the path of Naramon or only bothering with a few perks?
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Do you feel that Naramon gives perks worth building load outs around?
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What is the worth of “duelling” to you in the context of Warframe?
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Would you rather see more Simis options or Passives?
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Would you rather see a flat cooldown that is reasonably short or you would rather have a long cooldowns that can be very short on the condition you get a mastery perk?
Design comment,
The Path of Naramon was an interesting experience to us. We would even go as far as calling it an emotional roller coaster. As we mentioned in the introduction, we do not happen to have a hands-on experience with Naramon, but we still wanted to take a crack at writing a new list of perks for it. While all of our reworks were subject to changes even as we wrote down their associated pictures, Naramon probably changed the most from it's original iteration.
Originally, we came up with 3 tracks per Paths to give direction to our mulling and associate a visual with the very abstract exercise of thinking about new perks. Zenurik featured some very straightforward Tracks and Madurai had one Track (Salamander) that was relatively challenging. Naramon's tracks suffered of what I call a “statistical shortage”, which limited the depth of each tree and their distinction from each other. Melee and critical strikes were originally the big focus of the Path, that was obvious. However, which track would get which specialization? To what degree? That was the “statisical shortage”, we only had a limited amount of stats to work with in the Path, and we had to avoid making duplicate perks as much as possible.
There are only so many time we can make a perk give extra critical chance or extra melee combo uptime (which was the original tier one perk of Challenger before the release of Body Count).
The eventual result of this logical dead-end was the idea of working directly with stats that usually aren't modified: The vulnerabilities and resistances to elements. This break-through concept brought a lot to the table, in term of design. For starter, we finally had a useful mechanic to go with the “knowledge” aspect of Naramon; knowing and using the enemy's weakness is rewarded with more damage. This new concept also allowed the introduction of a very specific kind of defense buff (Self-awareness) to the Naramon Path, a luxury that wasn't granted to the other offensive Path of Madurai. Furthermore, this new breed of statistical buff allowed much more liberties in the design of the Path, by replacing redundant perks with new perks that rewarded players for doing their homework.
This new “buff” concept wasn't the only change that rocked the Path of Naramon.
The Track of the Challenger was meant from its inception to support head-on combat in melee, which is how we came up with the concept of buffing the uptime on melee combo. Which was a great idea, so great even it was immediately introduced as a new mod (no, we didn't give the idea to DE, we both came up separately with the concept). The introduction of Body Count was awkward, because we suddenly had to design a new perk that competed with a common mod that gave a near-constant 4,5+ multiplier to melee damage. We toyed with a couple of ideas, including one that would functionally reduce elemental resistance based on melee combo, or another one that would increase critical stats in combat, but ultimately we settled with Edge's dance. We believed that the fantasy of walking up to an opponent and butchering him with an exponential damage gain was enough to compete with the greatness that is Body Count.
The Gauntlet Simis is one ability we have a soft spot for. The one thing that comes to our mind when we think of a duellist is the archetypical scene where a protagonist walks up to an enemy and challenge him to a one-on-one combat for a test of mettle. On top of this fantasy, we believe this Simis also brings great value to non-crit players that wish to practice swordmanship without the cover of Shadow step, or even gunmen that just want to feel a little bit safer.
Thirst isn't an overly complicated Simis, but we have spent a great deal of time considering how to implement the mechanic. We didn't want to force the player to spam “5” to constantly execute small fries (without mentioning the inconvenience of using a melee with low damage but fast attack), neither did we want a constant uptime on the ability to self-buff melee damage. We settled for a toggle ability that drained health. We are certain the Simis will be broken with Life Strike, but we think the loss of utility and added health drain might compensate. If it isn't the case, we believe an easy balance pass would be to deactivate regen during the toggle. One has to keep in mind, the intent isn't to give constant infinite scaling, it is to give windows of opportunity to increase damage.
The Track of the Master was originally drafted up as something quite simple: an adept Tenno that used all his weapons for maximum effect. While the concept is definitely interesting, we aren't blind to the reality of how impractical it is to swap weapons just for more damage. We shifted the paradigm ever slightly to that of a Tenno that struck once and true. At first, we had designed a tier one passive that gave a huge amount of damage on the initial hit of an enemy, which we later revised because the passive lacked any real interest other than its free upfront damage. This is how we eventually designed Sunder, to reward players that modded their weapon dutily. This new passive was all the more interesting, because it allowed the player to “double-dip” on the new passive of Mind Spike, making the Master all the more terrifying for enemies. We concluded by making it so that Sunder's bonus is applied once per weapon, partly as a nod to the original design and partly to avoid crippling the Master after a shot wasted by using the wrong weapon (with the wrong elements). We decided that, for balance reasons, Sunder should also boost the enemy's resistance to inappropriate elements. The intent of this perk is to reward mindful selection of element, not grant a free one-hit-kill perk.
Forbidden technique is a Simis we made for two reasons: Onse, we wanted to keep the Traumatic Redirection perk, and two, we wanted to throw a bone to “caster” Warframes. The thing to note about Forbidden technique is that it was originally used to boost melee attacks in exchange for health, but coexisted with Thirst, a similar Simis with (at the time) no health cost. Upon reviewing the reworked Path, we have found that Naramon was very exclusionary to “casters”, and that Thirst and Forbidden technique shared an all too similar niche together. Keeping both lowered the variety of Simis in the Path, which was the opposite of our intent with the rework. Since that time, we have made two changes that would make caster slightly more welcome in the Path: First, the new concept of increasing enemy elemental vulnerabilities made the Path slightly more welcoming to Warframes with elemental damage, and second, we changed Forbidden technique to its current version which give critical stats to abilities. We thought it was important to keep a clear distinction between Zenurik and Naramon, which is why the later only has damage increase for abilities, whereas Zenurik has a perk to increase Power Strength (with very different scaling). Another distinction between the two is that Zenurik supports power spamming to a much greater extent than Naramon with Forbidden technique, which is limited by the caster's health as well as energy.
For the Track of the Assassin, we wanted to play with the Bleed status effect without giving it as much importance as the status synergy found in Madurai. The reasoning was that the Assassin delivers accurate attacks that slice right through the target's main blood vessels, condemning them to death per hemorrhage while the Assassin is long gone. We thought the concept of a sudden attack with delayed death had a good appeal for a different playstyle, and so we established this original concept: Bleed procs would be forced for the Assassin, and the damage over time would be buffed whenever the victim lost sight of the Assassin. This concept felt good for a ranged Assassin that had the comfort of hiding after 2 or 3 hits, but after reflexion we thought it did not bring as much value to a melee assassin, who would need to guesstimate on the spot how many hits were needed to finish a target with the buffed damage over time. Additionally, we felt melee assassin might feel pigeon holed into acquiring Shadow Step or Feint (one of the Assassin Simis). Another issue we considered was that damage over time is rarely something we can truly appreciate, even if we know the total damage is huge. Finally, after the addition of the new perks affecting enemy elemental resistance, we felt that we had more room to work critical stats into the Path without redundancy. Keeping all these factors in mind, we modified Cruelty to the current version: Bleed is still forced, damage over time is now applied faster and synergizes with critical builds. Our hope is that lone snipers or assassins still find have the capacity of bleeding a target to death from the shadow with added synergy to crit builds, while more advanced players still find value in Cruelty as a third (or more) passive.
As a closing note,
We apologize for the delayed post, we usually post this information immediately after the main post, but we were tight on time.
Thank you for reading, and see you again for the “I am Rock” rework of Unairu. We hope you enjoyed this enough to look forward to the next thread.
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Zephyr is Ligers concept but twisted. they merely forgot to credit him which they rectified at a later date. Chroma wasn't voted on by the DC at all. it was merely a popular "theme" and they went with it, people merely saw it was a dragon themed frame and thought it was supposed to be the concept of the dragon frame. to which they were disappointed. Nova and Equinox were DC frames.
equinox's powers were suggested by DC members as well. only thing was the visual design which i don't think DC gets a word on.
Chroma had nothing to do with the DC, DE liked the theme of dragon that was going around for a few concepts (not just one, contrary to what many complaints claim) so they decided to make their own.
The zephyr concept, I'm certain, was the basis/inspiration for the official frame as the devs claimed this before and Equinox's theme was the only thing about her that was hard-voted by the DC and nothing more.
Nova is to this day the only warframe where every aspect (except appereance) was chosen in polls by the DC.
Zephyr is nothing like Liger's concept (other than "air" and name), and was probably 75% complete when Liger posted his concept. Saying they were "inspired" cost nothing and give them PR.
I don't care to discuss the rest.
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Aren't frames like Chroma, Zephyr and Nova already pseudo-community designed frames?
Nova is the only "real" design from the community, since she was made with the input of the Design Council.
Chroma's theme was voted by the DC but that's it.
Liger's Zephyr fan concept was posted coincidentally when Zephyr was almost completed and released, so he didn't really kickstart Zephyr.
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TL;DR:
-We need a re-balance between the schools
-We need a way of being able to maintain movement (that includes jumping, wall running, wall latching, etc.)
-We could also need a optical rework for this (Operator popping out, just clenching his fists together while screaming and some beams come out of his chest while he then just hovers in a static animation??)
-We need more suitable descriptions of the different schools, as the current ones are heavily misleading for most players who didnt read about the focus system somewhere
-Splitting up the focus system into a talent tree would be even better.
I agree with most of your points.
I did not however stop to think about mobility with the powers. I'm not averse to change of pace like what we have, but I can also understand if some find it frustrating. My opinion is that the reasoning, behind the "why" of the current visuals, is solid, but said visuals do not appeal to me.
I think the descriptions only need a minimal amount of change, but they should be reworded with a rework of the skill tree so that the descriptions and reality are in congruence.
I'm not sure what you mean by splitting into talent tree? You mean doing as I did with "Tracks"? Because I personally do not envision the Tracks being implemented in the game; they are design directions for the Path, no more. Once the design is done, they can be discarded.
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Greetings,
After having spent a good period of time using the newly introduced Focus system in the game, we have made our mind on the usefulness of the system, its flaws, its advantages and its thematic. We will present here our impression on the system, but hide it in a spoiler tag because the focus of this thread will be on the rework of Naramon. You can consult our Zenurik thread here, which acted both as our official feedback thread and the presentation of a reworked Zenurik.
Our assessments on the system is inherently subjective and limited to the Paths we have used. Our first-hand experience is limited to Zenurik and Madurai. Despite this, we will submit proposals for all 5 Paths, based both on our interpretation of the Paths' perks and community feedback.
While the specific details will vary across all Paths, we will use the same framework for the individual reworks. This framework will be described in each threads, as both a reminder and an introduction to newer readers.
Please see the following link for the Madurai "I am Fire" rework thread.
Please see the following link for the Unairu "I am Rock" rework thread.
Please see the following link for the Vazarin "I am Tide" rework thread.
Assessment of Focus, (spoiler'd)
SpoilerWhat holds Focus back,
Our analysis of the Focus system, as per its current alpha iteration, has brought up the following issues limiting its popularity:
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Passives are too timid with the stats granted, or have stats that are too niche.
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Unreliable pseudo-passive have little appeal.
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The active abilities are too dull, with limited use and/or poor return on usage.
- Scattered applications of some Paths (imbalance in offense and defense).
The Focus system currently has too many niche passives, and passives with effects that are too timid to avoid being overpowered. For instance, Naramon's Shadow Step is considered the main selling point of the tree. Similarly, the ideal build in Zenurik can be summarized by a single line with a 135 angle. Meanwhile, Unairu is left in the dust with an armor buff that is very under-tuned in how small the targeted crowd is (only tanks), and how little the boost is (12%). In comparison, Shadow Step can give a superior form of safety to a player, and Overflow allows the players to cast abilities at will. We submit that the Paths require more passives like Overflow and Shadow Steps, and less like Stone Shape.
On the subject of pseudo-passive, we have noticed an averse reactions to abilities that grant a short boost to their stats, in some case an exchange between two stats. The very description of the abilities causes scepticism, because the trigger of the perk is unknown. Players cannot (and will not) appreciate the value of a perk with this kind of unknown. The logical assumption is that the active ability triggers these perks; in these situations, the perks will be dismissed as too short-lived when compared to the added cooldown to the active. Note: We will not discuss the value of each individual perks in this thread. Our rework will try to keep the perks that presents good value to the player.
Regarding the actives, our current impression in general is that the actives are likened to Warframe abilities, and are judged in relation to those. Consequently, the majority of the actives are decent by themselves, but when compared to abilities, they appear less versatile and reliable. Indeed, we can build to spam Bastille to our heart content, while Zenurik's active is limited in mobility, range and cooldown. Our conclusions: actives needs to be more distinct and to be powerful enough that the players look forward to casting it, instead of just activating it for a specific passive, which seems to be the statu quo for some Paths.
It is our opinion that the practical application of some Paths are scattered. Unairu for example has more or less the same amount of defensive and offensive perks, while it comes with the expectation of being a defensive Paths. We believe the ratio should be brought back in line for some Paths. Of course, we have to allow enough creative freedom to offer variety within the same Path, which goes to explain the current imbalance, as well as some perks that at first sight aren't the best fit for a Path in our rework.
What Focus has done right,
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The delayed passives make an “Eleventh Hour” power spike.
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The acquisition and pool system for abilities has potential for versatility and expansion.
- A mix of duration-based perks with sustained passives supports different play style.
Considering the base firepower of Tenno, we find it appropriate to limit some passives in the matter it currently is limited. We acknowledge the irritability caused by delayed satisfaction. However, since its introduction in the Design Council long ago, Focus was always presented as a “Final Showdown” power-spike, a trump-card to overcome great challenges. What it wasn't presented as: a second layer of mods that are immediately active. We have opted for a compromise in our rework, with passives that are available early and a second tier whose activation is delayed.
Our impressions is that the current acquisition and activation of perks is appropriate since it lays down the foundation for a versatile system where a player can buy a bank of perks from which he can later pick and activate perks to his liking. We acknowledge that the tree's expansion is limited by a few perks being more desirable than others, which functionally turn some Paths into “One point wonders”.
Above, we addressed “pseudo-passive” that were too unreliable for widespread use. Here, we acknowledge that power spikes that are limited in duration can create interesting mechanics and add variability to game sessions. However, the trigger leaves to be desired for the majority and must then be replaced.
TL;DR:
See the bullets points to see what requires change and what is a valuable aspect of the system.
To summarize it, our position is that Focus requires passives that give a real feeling of empowerment that support a variety of roles and Warframes. Some aspects of the system support this visions, while others do not.
A few comments about the suggested rework,
We believe that balance is necessary for the long-term health of the plan. With that said, it is our opinion that for Focus to be successful, it needs a good deal more power to really catch the player's attention and become part of the post-end-game meta. It is why our suggestions might seem to verge on the "overpowered" at times, and it explains in equal measure why we added a endlessly scaling component to the Paths when we deemed it reasonable.
Let us now dive in the thick of the rework.
New framework for the perks,
As we said above, the Focus system requires a slight tweak to it's structure to be more reliable, enjoyable and versatile. We suggest the following:
Perks are now spread in three categories:
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Passives: Stat or mechanic variations, conditional or not, that are active at all time, except if the conditions aren't present. Conditions are not the same as a timed buff.
Keeping in line with the concept of Focus as a “Final Hour” system, we differentiate between tier 1 passives (up at all time) and tier 2 passives (up after casting the active).
You can have as many passives as you want at once, as long as you have enough points or the requirement for it. (One tier 1 and one Simis are required for the tier 2 passives).
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Simis, for simili-actives : Abilities that can be used in-between casts of the main active by using the same trigger as the main ability (“5” by default).
Only one Simis can be active at once. Many can be acquired to be equiped at different times.
Requires one use of the main active to use.
- Active behavior: Passive perks that affects specifically the main active (ex: Chimera Breath with Phoenix Gaze). Their effects may apply during the use of the active, and in some cases have residual effects past that period.
The distinction of these perks will change the dynamics of the skills trees. Please refer to the info-graphic support to better understand their interactions.
The Focus Pool system remains as is. The cooldown system remains as is, with the following minor tweaks:
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All actives now have a 150 seconds cooldown.
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Perks now add only 15 seconds to the cooldown.
- No more cooldown mastery.
Maintained Thematic:
A conscious effort was made throughout the preparation of this rework to maintain the identity of each “Paths”. We have reduced the different Paths to certain core characteristics, based on the information already given in the game:
- Zenurik: Domination through Warframes.
- Targeted clientele: Casters, supports.
- Madurai: Reckless offense, area of effect.
- Targeted clientele: Casters, marksmen, swordsmen.
- Naramon: Martial prowess, tactical flexibility.
- Targeted clientele: Marksmen, swordsmen.
- Unairu: Unadulterated damage mitigation.
- Targeted clientele: Tanks, casters.
- Vazarin: Renewal and safeguard.
- Targeted clientele: Tanks, supports.
We elected to conserve the elemental identities of each paths, who were more or less implicit. In order, these elements would be Void, Fire, Wood, Rock, Tide.
Finally, we have thematically split each Paths into three “Tracks”. We will name and explore the Tracks in the thread relating to its specific Path. The Tracks serves as design direction for perks, and functionally will not limit the choice of the player to only one Track when deciding which perks he desires. The objective is for the players to sidetrack on any Path and forge his own way to the mastery of the Path.
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Naramon rework,
- "I am Wood"
Wood is an excessively interesting material when one stops to think about it. Our ancestors found countless uses for wood, from making tools to weapons, transportation to buildings and even paper. It is no exaggeration to say that wood is easily one of the most versatile resources we have to our disposition, even in this day and age where we encase great white trees in gold and other material, only to displace it into the Void. Warriors from Naramon shines when their wealth of knowledge is used in conjunction of their wood-like versatility to maximize their martial prowess.
These are the basis of Naramon: Varied specialization, knowledge and growth.
Naramon active,
As part of this rework, we aim to give every actives some bonuses to make them feel good to cast, not be a quick cast to get access to passives.
We submit the following change for Mind Spike:
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Release bursts of confusing energy.
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Every enemy hit by a burst will return to the caster a flat bonus to the bonus damage from using the right element against a type of health.
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For example, the Corrosive element does an extra 75% damage against Ferrite armor. Casting Mind Spike can grant anywhere between 0 and 25% more damage to this default value, potentially increasing it to 100% bonus damage until the next cast.
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This value is not specific to any health type or elemental damage, however you will have to choose the right elements to profit from this effect.
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This value is used by perks from the Challenger and Master track.
- The value is calculated from your total amount of Focus Points in your Focus pool, that is divided by three and then applied once per enemy hit by Mind Spike. The gain is capped to 5% extra damage per burst.
This change is made to offer Naramon the extra damage that is expected from an offensive Path, but not brute damage like Madurai receives with Phoenix Gaze (see Madurai thread). We believe that this sort of boost fits perfectly with the thematic of Naramon as a Path of Tacticians who play on the weakness of their enemies.
The Path of Naramon branches into three tracks that cross, merge and split at will:
- Track of the Challenger: For the Challenger, life is felt at its fullest in the middle of battle. Nothing quite compares to overwhelming their opponent by sheer Martial Prowess. With every fights, they grow ever more dangerous and thirsty for more.
- Track of the Master: True masters of combat spent years learning not only about their enemy, but about themselves as well. They use forgotten techniques and their extensive knowledge to triumph over any enemy.
- Track of the Assassin: Fair fights are a myth. The less attention one brings to himself in the midst of combat, the better. It is why the Assassin strives to finish an opponent with one swift strikes and focus on a new target.
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Passives are too timid with the stats granted, or have stats that are too niche.
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Absolutely love the idea! I saw the Madurai first some of my general comments are there.
Regarding Zenurik, I love the focus on the Void. I think a critical part will be the visuals. Zenurik abilities need to look dark, perhaps inverted, something that signifies the twisted and unnatural nature of the Void. I was also thinking, you gave Madurai a lot of fire proc perks; what if Zenurik had some anti-gravity effects. Just to demonstrate how the Void upends the laws of physics.
Regarding the visual: The background of the Void that we can see from the Liset doesn't give me the impression we should be going for dark inverted colors. All things being possible, it seems to me it should be an otherworldly palette of white and cyan.
Regarding the anti-gravity effect: The idea appeal to me a great deal, but I feel I would need to make perks from the ground up to properly incorporate it, which wasn't an effort I considered initially.
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I love the amount of thought that went into this, and it certainly sounds like an improvement over the existing system.
Thank you!
Two comments:
1) While I get why the Operator's form comes out of the Warframe to deal Focus abilities, I don't particularly like it either visually or functionally. I'd much prefer it if a) the Warframe itself because possessed and elevated by the power, and b) the look was strikingly different from other energy powers.
2) I don't think these Focus abilities need to capture everything about the Tenno Ways. Those descriptions are quite broad, and seem to speak to philosophies of war rather than unique energy powers. So, the Madurai Focus tree needn't be entirely representative of "Their swift, uncompromising onslaught, holding nothing back and recklessly attacking their foes, could vanquish an opponent before he had the chance to steel himself." All the Focus tree needs to represent is, "Speed and savagery characterized this school."
I think the speed aspect is key. Naramon is much more tactical and seems to focus on knowing enemy weaknesses, which would therefore make it slower, more deliberate, and much more support focused. So they wouldn't be all that similar (going by School descriptions).
1) I did not delve on the stylistic decisions of Focus too much, personally. Visually I think it's important to distinguish the Focus powers from the Warframe since they're distinct by nature. With that said, I do not particularly like the leukaemia patient's spirit manifesting for a moment, neither do I dislike it particularly. Thematically it makes sense, which is probably the one reason it is this way, so we would need a thematically strong alternative.
2) My stance is you have to adhere to some guiding principles, but you also need to stray a bit. I mean, yes the descriptions are broad and doesn't apply to every minute decision, but in order to make distinct Paths, you sometimes need to latch back onto the broad definition.
While I raised some concerns over the distinctions of the two Paths, the truth is I already have the Naramon perks written down in the same manner as Zenurik and Madurai. I am confident that the perks are distinct enough, although they are always up for change until the last minute.
Right now for instance I'm considering swapping in a perk that will give more critical effect based on how slow a weapon is. The obvious issue with this is that non-involvement isn't fun, so forcing players into cadence-breaking lulls is an interesting decision to say the least.
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Talking points,
Want to partake into the thread but not sure what to address? Consider the following:
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Do you favor gunplay? Do you see yourself mastering the path of Madurai or only bothering with a few perks?
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Do you feel that Madurai gives perks worth building around?
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What is the worth of “glass cannons” to you in the context of Warframe?
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Does the Track of the Salamander make you want to move into a wildfire?
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Would you like to be a one man pyrotechnic spectacle with the Track of the Dragon?
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Does the Track of the Devil sound like a dud or like the Joker?
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Would you rather see more Simis options or Passives?
Would you rather see a flat cooldown that is reasonably short or you would rather have a long cooldowns that can be very short on the condition you get a mastery perk?
Design comment,
The Path of Madurai might have been the touchiest Path to rework so far. Which is easy to say, considering it is our second rework out of five.
With that said, the largest issue from reworking Madurai stems from it's competition with Naramon. On paper, it is all cut and dry: one is martial prowess, the other is pyromania. Yet, in both case, the player will expect bonus damage to complement their playstyle, and the Paths needs to be distinct enough that both will have a different kind of appeal to draw in followers. We settled this mostly by trying to build the Madurai as the asymetric warfare Path (one against many), while the Naramon would be about the idea of “dueling” (one against one) which is a challenge in and of itself in a game like Warframe. But this is a rework for another thread.
Back to the Madurai Path; While our philosophy for the “I am [Path]” reworks is generally to start over most Paths from the ground up, Madurai stands out for having the least perks carry over from it's original iteration. Without attacking the quality of the previous iteration, we thought few perks had real appeal, and Chimera Breath locked some of these perks behind a passive that was unimpressive. With that said, we believed that Dragon Fire and the IPS (Impact Puncture Slash) passives were worth keeping in some form. These were changed slightly from their original version. The IPS passives were considered too dull to warrant a full blown serie of perks, so we integrated them into a scaling system with Phoenix Gaze, and switched the IPS to fire. We think fire is both thematically appropriate, and one of the better elements in the game in term of balance. Dragon Fire was reborn as Fire Trail, a perk from the Devil Track, as opposed to the actual Dragon Track. The logic behind that decision was that the Devil support continuous fire (such as Fire Trail), whereas Dragon is about sudden explosive display.
Temporal Slip, was a perk from Zenurik that was converted to Dragon's Flight. We consider Dragon's Flight to be the single-target nuclear option in Madurai, and quite simply Madurai's spirit condensed into a single Simis. Indeed, the player trade their shield for the ability to condemn to death any given mob in a sudden and daring attack. In the event that the players uses the Conflagration perk along with Dragon's Flight, the player might very well level entire groups of enemies in one swift attack. We have to admit, we really want to turn the flying kick movement (already in the game; jump+ctrl) into a destructive all-killer move. It is part of the human condition to desire the Dragon Kick to exist.
The entirety of the Salamander Track is a touchy subject. The design direction of the Track commands that the players is the strongest when in the middle of a blitzkrieg, yet we cannot give it a healing perk (to survive no man's and) because of the inherent tradeoff of being in Madurai. In the case of the Simis, how can we reward being in the middle of a “fire” (relatively passive action) with abilities that are meant to be active? We ultimately settled on one Simis based on the superstition around Salamander. For instance, some folktales reported that Salamanders could extinguish fire around them. This sounds boring on paper, but we extrapolated that the fire has to go somewhere, and we likened that the Salamander actually absorbs the fire. It is a leap of logic, to be certain, but it resulted in the Extinguish Simis, that allow the Salamander to trade the effect of status on enemy (or even allied) units for more damage. We believe that the Simis has value, because it can be used for cancelling status from allies, but more importantly an alert player can stay on the lookout for cluster of enemies afflicted by status effect to convert these effects into bonus damage.
We believe one of the beauty of the reworked Path is the difference of scopes between the Tracks, and yet, the Path wraps up together to make strong combinations by pulling in different expertise. The Devil has the signature ability to spread status effects, but the Salamander has the means to convert these status into a damage boost immediately. Alternatively, a well timed Chain Catastrophe or Scorched Earth can have exponential effect when coupled with Forced Burden.
It would be some sights to behold.
We believe that the one weakness of the reworked Path is found in the Simis: Chain Catastrophe and Scorched Earth have a similar niche in term of effect, which is “AOE damage on demand”. As an attempt to balance them, we have given them wildly different range, damage source and conditions.
As a closing note,
Thank you for reading, and see you again for the “I am Wood” rework of Naramon. We hope you enjoyed this enough to look forward to the next thread.
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Greetings,
After having spent a good period of time using the newly introduced Focus system in the game, we have made our mind on the usefulness of the system, its flaws, its advantages and its thematic. We will present here our impression on the system, but hide it in a spoiler tag because the focus of this thread will be on the rework of Madurai. You can consult our Zenurik thread here, which acted both as our official feedback thread and the presentation of a reworked Zenurik.
Our assessments on the system is inherently subjective and limited to the Paths we have used. Our first-hand experience is limited to Zenurik and Madurai. Despite this, we will submit proposals for all 5 Paths, based both on our interpretation of the Paths' perks and community feedback.
While the specific details will vary across all Paths, we will use the same framework for the individual reworks. This framework will be described in each threads, as both a reminder and an introduction to newer readers.
Please see the following link for the Naramon "I am Wood" rework thread.
Please see the following link for the Unairu "I am Rock" rework thread.
Please see the following link for the Vazarin "I am Tide" rework thread.
Assessment of Focus, (spoiler'd)
SpoilerWhat holds Focus back,
Our analysis of the Focus system, as per its current alpha iteration, has brought up the following issues limiting its popularity:
-
Passives are too timid with the stats granted, or have stats that are too niche.
-
Unreliable pseudo-passive have little appeal.
-
The active abilities are too dull, with limited use and/or poor return on usage.
-
Scattered applications of some Paths (imbalance in offense and defense).
The Focus system currently has too many niche passives, and passives with effects that are too timid to avoid being overpowered. For instance, Naramon's Shadow Step is considered the main selling point of the tree. Similarly, the ideal build in Zenurik can be summarized by a single line with a 135 angle. Meanwhile, Unairu is left in the dust with an armor buff that is very under-tuned in how small the targeted crowd is (only tanks), and how little the boost is (12%). In comparison, Shadow Step can give a superior form of safety to a player, and Overflow allows the players to cast abilities at will. We submit that the Paths require more passives like Overflow and Shadow Steps, and less like Stone Shape.
On the subject of pseudo-passive, we have noticed an averse reactions to abilities that grant a short boost to their stats, in some case an exchange between two stats. The very description of the abilities causes skepticism, because the trigger of the perk is unknown. Players cannot (and will not) appreciate the value of a perk with this kind of unknown. The logical assumption is that the active ability triggers these perks; in these situations, the perks will be dismissed as too short-lived when compared to the added cooldown to the active. Note: We will not discuss the value of each individual perks in this thread. Our rework will try to keep the perks that presents good value to the player.
Regarding the actives, our current impression in general is that the actives are likened to Warframe abilities, and are judged in relation to those. Consequently, the majority of the actives are decent by themselves, but when compared to abilities, they appear less versatile and reliable. Indeed, we can build to spam Bastille to our heart content, while Zenurik's active is limited in mobility, range and cooldown. Our conclusions: actives needs to be more distinct and to be powerful enough that the players look forward to casting it, instead of just activating it for a specific passive, which seems to be the statu quo for some Paths.
It is our opinion that the practical application of some Paths are scattered. Unairu for example has more or less the same amount of defensive and offensive perks, while it comes with the expectation of being a defensive Paths. We believe the ratio should be brought back in line for some Paths. Of course, we have to allow enough creative freedom to offer variety within the same Path, which goes to explain the current imbalance, as well as some perks that at first sight aren't the best fit for a Path in our rework.
What Focus has done right,
-
The delayed passives make an “Eleventh Hour” power spike.
-
The acquisition and pool system for abilities has potential for versatility and expansion.
-
A mix of duration-based perks with sustained passives supports different play style.
Considering the base firepower of Tenno, we find it appropriate to limit some passives in the matter it currently is limited. We acknowledge the irritability caused by delayed satisfaction. However, since its introduction in the Design Council long ago, Focus was always presented as a “Final Showdown” power-spike, a trump-card to overcome great challenges. What it wasn't presented as: a second layer of mods that are immediately active. We have opted for a compromise in our rework, with passives that are available early and a second tier whose activation is delayed.
Our impressions is that the current acquisition and activation of perks is appropriate since it lays down the foundation for a versatile system where a player can buy a bank of perks from which he can later pick and activate perks to his liking. We acknowledge that the tree's expansion is limited by a few perks being more desirable than others, which functionally turn some Paths into “One point wonders”.
Above, we addressed “pseudo-passive” that were too unreliable for widespread use. Here, we acknowledge that power spikes that are limited in duration can create interesting mechanics and add variability to game sessions. However, the trigger leaves to be desired for the majority and must then be replaced.
TL;DR:
See the bullets points to see what requires change and what is a valuable aspect of the system.
To summarize it, our position is that Focus requires passives that give a real feeling of empowerment that support a variety of roles and Warframes. Some aspects of the system support this visions, while others do not.
A few comments about the suggested rework,
We believe that balance is necessary for the long-term health of the plan. With that said, it is our opinion that for Focus to be successful, it needs a good deal more power to really catch the player's attention and become part of the post-end-game meta. It is why our suggestions might seem to verge on the "overpowered" at times, and it explains in equal measure why we added a endlessly scaling component to the Paths when we deemed it reasonable.
Let us now dive in the thick of the rework.
New framework for the perks,
As we said above, the Focus system requires a slight tweak to it's structure to be more reliable, enjoyable and versatile. We suggest the following:
Perks are now spread in three categories:
-
Passives: Stat or mechanic variations, conditional or not, that are active at all time, except if the conditions aren't present. Conditions are not the same as a timed buff.
-
-
Keeping in line with the concept of Focus as a “Final Hour” system, we differentiate between tier 1 passives (up at all time) and tier 2 passives (up after casting the active).
-
You can have as many passives as you want at once, as long as you have enough points or the requirement for it. (One tier 1 and one Simis are required for the tier 2 passives).
-
-
-
Simis, for simili-actives : Abilities that can be used in-between casts of the main active by using the same trigger as the main ability (“5” by default).
-
-
Only one Simis can be active at once. Many can be acquired to be equiped at different times.
-
Requires one use of the main active to use.
-
-
-
Active behavior: Passive perks that affects specifically the main active (ex: Chimera Breath with Phoenix Gaze). Their effects may apply during the use of the active, and in some cases have residual effects past that period.
The distinction of these perks will change the dynamics of the skills trees. Please refer to the info-graphic support to better understand their interactions.
The Focus Pool system remains as is. The cooldown system remains as is, with the following minor tweaks:
-
All actives now have a 150 seconds cooldown.
-
Perks now add only 15 seconds to the cooldown.
-
No more cooldown mastery.
Maintained Thematic:
A conscious effort was made throughout the preparation of this rework to maintain the identity of each “Paths”. We have reduced the different Paths to certain core characteristics, based on the information already given in the game:
-
Zenurik: Domination through Warframes.
-
Targeted clientele: Casters, supports.
-
Madurai: Reckless offense, area of effect.
-
Targeted clientele: Casters, marksmen, swordsmen.
-
Naramon: Martial prowess, tactical flexibility.
-
Targeted clientele: Marksmen, swordsmen.
-
Unairu: Unadulterated damage mitigation.
-
Targeted clientele: Tanks, casters.
-
Vazarin: Renewal and safeguard.
-
Targeted clientele: Tanks, supports.
We elected to conserve the elemental identities of each paths, who were more or less implicit. In order, these elements would be Void, Fire, Wood, Rock, Tide.
Finally, we have thematically split each Paths into three “Tracks”. We will name and explore the Tracks in the thread relating to its specific Path. The Tracks serves as design direction for perks, and functionally will not limit the choice of the player to only one Track when deciding which perks he desires. The objective is for the players to sidetrack on any Path and forge his own way to the mastery of the Path.
-----
Madurai rework,
- “I am Fire”
For the scope of the Madurai rework, we decided to base most of the Perks around the typical characteristics of flames. Since Lotus taught us most Tenno do not know what fire is, we will remind you here: Fire burns. It eats at you slowly and spread using whatever combustible material within reach, making it a threat that can expand far beyond it's point of origin. Typically, a good healthy fire will prompt an evacuation of the area, for no one can possibly thrive in fire. No one, but followers of the Madurai Path.
This is the basis for Madurai's rework: Escalating damage, sustained damage and area control
Madurai active,
As part of this rework, we aim to give every actives some bonuses to make them feel good to cast, not be a quick cast to get access to passives.
We submit the following change for Phoenix Gaze:
-
Deal 10000 fire damage per second.
-
Now give bonus fire damage to the caster when it kills an enemy unit.
-
The bonus damage is based on the current Pool usage of the Madurai Path.
-
Phoenix Gaze receives a % damage with a 1:1 ratio. If you have 20 points in your Madurai pool, Phoenix Gaze is enhanced to deal [10000 * 1,20] = 12000 fire damage per second.
-
The player receives a quarter of the number above as a bonus to damage dealt outside Phoenix Gaze. This bonus applies to every source of damage. Using the same example as above. 20 Focus points would give you 5% bonus damage.
-
The damage bonus is capped to 40% (10%) per Phoenix Gaze cast, but last for the mission and additional casts will grant another 40% (10%) if you hit the cap.
This change is made for one reason: Burn everything.
We have purposefully avoided giving healing perks to the tree and kept hard Crowd Control to a minimum: Our philosophy is that Madurai is all about damage, and if damage is all they get, then by Lotus they will get damage.
A short note before we present the reworked Madurai tree: Unless it is specified in the perk's description, the perks do not apply only to fire damage or status effect. This means that, in the context of this tree, the bleeding and toxin effects are equivalent to fire. Do note that we elected to present the 15 new skills points across three images as part of an artistic initiative.
The Path of Madurai branches into three tracks that cross, merge and split at will*:
-
Track of the Salamander: Folktales reports all sort of crazy stories relating to Salamanders and their uncanny relation to fire. What they all fail to convey however, is that they rarely cause the fire they are found within, and yet the Salamander thrives in fire of all sort. After all, who can challenge them if everyone is charred thoroughly?
-
Track of the Dragon: Countless dragons prowl out and about. Some grants us wishes or hoard balls and riches. We do not speak of these benevolent or greedy ones here however, the notoriety of this Dragons stems from the fire storm he causes.
-
Track of the Devil: A Devil longs to spread fire and misery in the world. There is no appealing to higher moral, ethics or altruism with these beings, spreading fire and destroying lives is both the method and the objective of their work.
* Reminder: “Tracks” are all part of the same Madurai skill tree (or Path). For the sake of clarity, we split them up in the presentation post.
-
-
All I can really say is that I'd really love to replace some of Chroma's ability (1 and 4) by unchanneled abilities, but can't really see this being introduced without breaking the game.
Mind you, I'd be ecstatic of having Mesa's 1 on Chroma with maxed Fury and Sanctigris for no good reasons.
-
Will weapons get an Exilus slot?
-
Fun stuff. This reads like a M:tG thread, where abilities are not just a stable of one trick ponies, but are expanded upon and takes advantage of their inherent properties, instead of trying to enforce a specific style of gameplay by a static set of situations that developers could come with, which is the very essence of the strength of Warframe's playstyle and development. When players are left to their own devices as to how to approach a situation instead of being handfed prepackaged and often flawed in practice solutions, Tenno find their most enjoyable and memorable moments from white knuckling success or finding joy from situations that nobody could possibly come up with just by writing them.
I feel like the concepts seen here don't tread into warframe utility territory too hard, but actually supplements those who would "double down" within a specialization and allows them to stack both focus and other similar but different effects, while also allowing other types of warframes to "branch out" (sorry for the pun) and use entirely different types of powers in tandem to create strategies that weren't possible before.
Indeed, I find it better in general when the players are given sandbox liberty to tackle the challenges ahead. It's even better if Focus allow players to either play on the strength of the Warframe or give it new abilities entirely.
I think it's great when there is one ability who seems very average but that the player can make great use out of it.
I am currently partial to the concept of having cooldown gradually getting lower as more focus points are invested into that focus school no matter how they're invested (instead of making a separate "mastery" perk at the end of the skill tree), but reduction caps when the equivalent of one track's focus points is invested into that school. active perks would still increase the cooldown. I'm still on the fence about the perk point pool, considering that there are downsides to activating more perks already.
Cooldowns really had my hamsters spinning for quite a while. I feel that if the Focus actives are to have scaling abilities, they shouldn't be spamable. In theory, it's great for letting the player get stronger, but I didn't want the game to revolve around spaming ONE ability all the time as much as possible. Focus is a complement, not a replacement.
I had some wacky early drafts that toyed with cooldowns. For instance the Simis originally accelerated the cooldown of the main active, which is to say you could spam Simis and use your main active earlier. I thought the idea sounded great and revolutionary until I realized this turned Focus into a Skinner's Box with Simis as a button and main actives as reward. I thought about doing the opposite (Simis slowing the cooldown of the main active), but didn't include it ultimately because I felt it was punishing the player for using the Simis by making it even harder to use the main ability (which is the opposite of my objective here).
I thought about making Madurai refresh it's cooldown with every kills using Phoenix Gaze too. While I can't really test it, I came to the conclusion that players would just spend as much time as possible in Phoenix Gaze. Don't get me wrong, some people would enjoy that, but again, Focus should be a complement to the playstyle, not a replacement.
Side note: I like how the Wound tree forays into existential horror based powers. (it seems less "disaster" and more "writhing corruption") Sadly, the T rating means we can't really make the visuals appropriate enough for the full implications of what is happening.
That's one way to see it.
With that said, any analogy with wounds, lacerations or whatever are purely metaphoric; The Void isn't literally bleeding, it was just an analogy. At worse the abilities get re-branded with "cleaner" names. Not that I have high hopes of seeing this in game.
In my view, the Vessel is based on controlled Fusion and make stable energy, whereas the Wound is based on Fission and make explosive energy, like an atomic bomb.
-
Talking points,
Want to partake into the thread but not sure what to address? Consider the following:
-
Are you a caster or a support? Do you see yourself mastering the path of Zenurik or only bothering with a few perks?
-
Do you feel that Zenurik gives you the tool for ernergivore builds?
-
What is “Domination” to you in the context of Warframe? (Ignoring the current balance where 90% of the starchart is insignificant to Tenno)
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Does the Track of the Vessel project a fantasy of carrying the Void with you?
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Do you like the fantasy of being a Poltergeist from the Void (a Voidtergeist) with the Track of the Presence?
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Does the harmful Track of the Wound inspire sights of impending disasters?
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Would you rather see more Simis options or Passives?
-
Would you rather see a flat cooldown that is reasonably short or you would rather have a long cooldowns that can be very short on the condition you get a mastery perk?
Design comment,
For the most part, the Path of Zenurik is fairly straightforward. Removing Energy Flow felt tantamount to blasphemy for the Path. We found the Umbra Lance perk to be interesting enough to warrant reworking it into a new concept: Void Storms, that is the signature passive of a Wound. We felt the Rift Sight deserved a second chance, with added utility for the middle of combat. We believe some people might appreciate a free sonar that doubles as soft Crowd Control.
We decided to dump Systemic Override, on the account that Zenurik isn't about restraint and technique, it is about raw output of power. Some might think the “Subjugate” Simis is a replacement, however it wasn't the intention.
Time Stream and Temporal Storm were removed and reworked into another perk for Madurai.
We did not consider the remaining perks to be worth salvaging or discussing.
As a closing note,
Thank you for reading, and see you again for the “I am Fire” rework of Madurai. We hope you enjoyed this enough to look forward to the next thread.
-
-
Greetings,
After having spent a good period of time using the newly introduced Focus system in the game, we have made our mind on the usefulness of the system, its flaws, its advantages and its thematic. The purpose of this thread is twofold. First, we will sum up its pros and cons. Second, we will submit a proposal to keep the best of the system and bring the rest in line.
Our assessments on the system is inherently subjective and limited to the Paths we have used. Our first-hand experience is limited to Zenurik and Madurai. Despite this, we will submit proposals for all 5 Paths, based both on our interpretation of the Paths' perks and community feedback.
While the specific details will vary across all Paths, we will use the same framework for the individual reworks. This framework will be described in each threads, as both a reminder and an introduction to newer readers.Please see the following link for the Madurai "I am Fire" rework thread.
Please see the following link for the Naramon "I am Wood" rework thread.
Please see the following link for the Unairu "I am Rock" rework thread.
Please see the following link for the Vazarin "I am Tide" rework thread.
EDIT: Superseding all these threads, see the final concept wrap up.
What holds Focus back,
Our analysis of the Focus system, as per its current alpha iteration, has brought up the following issues limiting its popularity:- Passives are too timid with the stats granted, or have stats that are too niche.
- Unreliable pseudo-passive have little appeal.
- The active abilities are too dull, with limited use and/or poor return on usage.
- Scattered applications of some Paths (imbalance in offense and defense).
The Focus system currently has too many niche passives, and passives with effects that are too timid to avoid being overpowered. For instance, Naramon's Shadow Step is considered the main selling point of the tree. Similarly, the ideal build in Zenurik can be summarized by a single line with a 135 angle. Meanwhile, Unairu is left in the dust with an armor buff that is very under-tuned in how small the targeted crowd is (only tanks), and how little the boost is (12%). In comparison, Shadow Step can give a superior form of safety to a player, and Overflow allows the players to cast abilities at will. We submit that the Paths require more passives like Overflow and Shadow Steps, and less like Stone Shape.
On the subject of pseudo-passive, we have noticed an averse reactions to abilities that grant a short boost to their stats, in some case an exchange between two stats. The very description of the abilities causes skepticism, because the trigger of the perk is unknown. Players cannot (and will not) appreciate the value of a perk with this kind of unknown. The logical assumption is that the active ability triggers these perks; in these situations, the perks will be dismissed as too short-lived when compared to the added cooldown to the active. Note: We will not discuss the value of each individual perks in this thread. Our rework will try to keep the perks that presents good value to the player.
Regarding the actives, our current impression in general is that the actives are likened to Warframe abilities, and are judged in relation to those. Consequently, the majority of the actives are decent by themselves, but when compared to abilities, they appear less versatile and reliable. Indeed, we can build to spam Bastille to our heart content, while Zenurik's active is limited in mobility, range and cooldown. Our conclusions: actives needs to be more distinct and to be powerful enough that the players look forward to casting it, instead of just activating it for a specific passive, which seems to be the statu quo for some Paths.
It is our opinion that the practical application of some Paths are scattered. Unairu for example has more or less the same amount of defensive and offensive perks, while it comes with the expectation of being a defensive Paths. We believe the ratio should be brought back in line for some Paths. Of course, we have to allow enough creative freedom to offer variety within the same Path, which goes to explain the current imbalance, as well as some perks that at first sight aren't the best fit for a Path in our rework.
What Focus has done right,- The delayed passives make an “Eleventh Hour” power spike.
- The acquisition and pool system for abilities has potential for versatility and expansion.
- A mix of duration-based perks with sustained passives supports different play style.
Considering the base firepower of Tenno, we find it appropriate to limit some passives in the matter it currently is limited. We acknowledge the irritability caused by delayed satisfaction. However, since its introduction in the Design Council long ago, Focus was always presented as a “Final Showdown” power-spike, a trump-card to overcome great challenges. What it wasn't presented as: a second layer of mods that are immediately active. We have opted for a compromise in our rework, with passives that are available early and a second tier whose activation is delayed.
Our impressions is that the current acquisition and activation of perks is appropriate since it lays down the foundation for a versatile system where a player can buy a bank of perks from which he can later pick and activate perks to his liking. We acknowledge that the tree's expansion is limited by a few perks being more desirable than others, which functionally turn some Paths into “One point wonders”.
Above, we addressed “pseudo-passive” that were too unreliable for widespread use. Here, we acknowledge that power spikes that are limited in duration can create interesting mechanics and add variability to game sessions. However, the trigger leaves to be desired for the majority and must then be replaced.
TL;DR:
See the bullets points to see what requires change and what is a valuable aspect of the system.
To summarize it, our position is that Focus requires passives that give a real feeling of empowerment that support a variety of roles and Warframes. Some aspects of the system support this visions, while others do not.
A few comments about the suggested rework,
We believe that balance is necessary for the long-term health of the plan. With that said, it is our opinion that for Focus to be successful, it needs a good deal more power to really catch the player's attention and become part of the post-end-game meta. It is why our suggestions might seem to verge on the "overpowered" at times, and it explains in equal measure why we added a endlessly scaling component to the Paths when we deemed it reasonable.
We have also decided to use only one thread, instead of making a thread for feedback and one for the fan-concept sub-forums.
Let us now dive in the thick of the rework.
-----
New framework for the perks,
As we said above, the Focus system requires a slight tweak to it's structure to be more reliable, enjoyable and versatile. We suggest the following:
Perks are now spread in three categories:
- Passives: Stat or mechanic variations, conditional or not, that are active at all time, except if the conditions aren't present. Conditions are not the same as a timed buff.
- Keeping in line with the concept of Focus as a “Final Hour” system, we differentiate between tier 1 passives (up at all time) and tier 2 passives (up after casting the active).
- You can have as many passives as you want at once, as long as you have enough points or the requirement for it. (One tier 1 and one Simis are required for the tier 2 passives).
- Simis, for simili-actives : Abilities that can be used in-between casts of the main active by using the same trigger as the main ability (“5” by default).
- Only one Simis can be active at once. Many can be acquired to be equiped at different times.
- Requires one use of the main active to use.
- Active behavior: Passive perks that affects specifically the main active (ex: Chimera Breath with Phoenix Gaze). Their effects may apply during the use of the active, and in some cases have residual effects past that period.
The distinction of these perks will change the dynamics of the skills trees. Please refer to the info-graphic support to better understand their interactions.
The Focus Pool system remains as is. The cooldown system remains as is, with the following minor tweaks:- All actives now have a 150 seconds cooldown.
- Perks now add only 15 seconds to the cooldown.
- No more cooldown mastery.
Maintained Thematic:
A conscious effort was made throughout the preparation of this rework to maintain the identity of each “Paths”. We have reduced the different Paths to certain core characteristics, based on the information already given in the game:- Zenurik: Domination through Warframes.
- Targeted clientele: Casters, supports.
- Madurai: Reckless offense, area of effect.
- Targeted clientele: Casters, marksmen, swordsmen.
- Naramon: Martial prowess, tactical flexibility.
- Targeted clientele: Marksmen, swordsmen.
- Unairu: Unadulterated damage mitigation.
- Targeted clientele: Tanks, casters.
- Vazarin: Renewal and safeguard.
- Targeted clientele: Tanks, supports.
We elected to conserve the elemental identities of each paths, who were more or less implicit. In order, these elements would be Void, Fire, Wood, Rock, Tide. Only Madurai was changed, we interpreted the initial aesthetic as being “Gale” or “Wind”, based on the blast damage of Phoenix Gaze and the smoke aesthetic. We decided Fire was more workable for a damage path.
Finally, we have thematically split each Paths into three “Tracks”. We will name and explore the Tracks in the thread relating to its specific Path. The Tracks serves as design direction for perks, and functionally will not limit the choice of the player to only one Track when deciding which perks he desires. The objective is for the players to sidetrack on any Path and forge his own way to the mastery of the Path.
-----
Zenurik rework,
“I am Void”
The Void. Not just a void, but the Void. Outside the game, “void” as a concept of Eastern philosophy refers to more than just emptiness: it is potential or opportunities. In the game's context, The Void is mysterious, hidden and most importantly a dangerous dimensions coursing with energy. Even the Orokin were afraid of it and the demonic powers it imparted on some unlucky travelers.
This is the basis for Zenurik's rework: Raw energy, hard to reach, harmful.
Zenurik active,
As part of this rework, we aim to give every actives some bonuses to make them feel good to cast, not be a quick cast to get access to passives.
We submit the following change for Void Pulse:- Now gives a flat bonus to max energy pool for every enemy that is hit by the ability.
- The max energy bonus is calculated thusly: [Number of points in the “Focus Pool”] / 2.
- The above number is rounded up and applied once per enemy suspended by Void Pulse.
- The max energy gained is capped to 20 per pulse (multiply by the amount of pulses you release to know the maximum possible).
- Lasts throughout the mission.
This change is made for two reasons: For synergy with the new perks and to allow some fringe Warframes to dabble in the world of casters even if they do not have a large base energy pool.
It is our deepest wish that any follower of the Zenurik Path feel total freedom to make builds that are as energivore as possible with no regard with efficiency, and that Tenno can express domination with Blind RAEG equipped at all time. At the same time, we aim to make perks with substantial difference so that they aren't all a different way to do the same thing, so one shouldn't expect every skills to have the same value to a caster or player.
The Path of Zenurik branches into three tracks that cross, merge and split at will*:- Track of the Vessel: The Vessel carries the Void willingly with him, and through this connection, he channels the potential of the Void to boost his own abilities. Enemies are given no option: They will submit to the Void and, shortly after, die.
- Track of the Presence: To call this Track “stealthy” would be a gross overestimation of the subtlety of the Void. There is rarely any doubt about the proximity of a Presence, and yet, this knowledge doesn't help in any way when the time comes to expel one who is hidden by the Void.
- Track of the Wound: Not all agrees on how the Void should be weaponized. The Wound lash out at the Void and cause gaping rifts that gnaw at the enemy. By all accounts, the Wound is nothing less than a walking disaster, a thorough argument against using the Void.
* Reminder: “Tracks” are all part of the same Zenurik skill tree (or Path). For the sake of clarity, we split them up in the presentation post. -
I wouldn't recommend Zenurik on Valkyr. I use Zenurik on Chroma, and it works well because the 2 and 3 are timed buffs.
Valkyr's trump card is her ult, that is channeled. Your energy regen is cancelled during a channel, so Zenurik would be at best unreliable. If you only intend to use her abilities that aren't channeled, it could work, but then again Valkyr is not renowned for her 1 and 3.
I wouldn't know which between Naramon and Madurai would perform better on her however.
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I'd replace the weaker combo element with crits mods, not just one element. Otherwise you are only half-assing the crit build.
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Do you have drastic changes in mind for Focus? Other than shared affinity.
-
Redirection works off the BASE shield value. It isn't a bug, just confusing presentation.
-
Oh is that "By the number" revamped?
Also, silly me, I was wondering why the most used frames for Focus didn't feature Excalibur primed until I remembered I'm the 1%. Hahaha, good times.
-
If you're worry continues to dominate your perception
"If your worry"
It's stronger than I. Cheers.
The proof is in the pudding. Leyou's had a majority stake since July. They are not interested in interfering. I think we made our best stuff in this time. Could this change in the future? I don't know... but the evidence suggests our best and most creative work lies ahead.
Question: Can we expect more Warframes catering to the Chinese market at the behest of a third party?
I, for one, believe that you will remain independent. With that said, I feel like making Warframes blatantly inspired by other work of fantasy/fiction isn't in line with what Warframes are supposed to be. Logically, something or someone prompted that irregular action and I can't help but wonder what or who.
I don't want to be a negative nancy about Nezha and Wukong, but I can't help it. Their thematic integration to the game doesn't feel right to me.
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The Void Pulse master perk gives a flat 15 seconds cooldown reduction to your Void Pulse for every cast (including the first).
As far as I know there isn't a way yet to get the points back but the devs talked about adding a respec option.
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Any chance for Focus related sigils?
Why put seasons at all in Sorties if changing from one season to another entails minimal changes of any kind? Couldn't we have an "end of season" reward for dutifully completing sorties?
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Merry holidays to you guys too!
If I had just three wish:
1. Sorties to give 3 rewards per day, plus extra rewards at the end of the season based on participation.
2. Steve to rework the invasion system with my system.
3. Awesome new skins for Tennogen.
Sorry for all the salt you get devs! See you next year!
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1. No, all damage.
2. Yes, if there is slash damage.
3. No, it is a self-buff.
4. Yes, you need to cast the F***-off laser once, after that the passive is active.
I Am Wood - Naramon Fan-Rework
in Fan Concepts
Posted
Ah I see. Well for my part, I designed these new concepts with 100% unlock in mind, except for the Simis which are limited. To me it feels like Focus gains are slow enough that the player will be called to make priorities when choosing his new perks. Simis are also presented as an agent of variety where players going in the same missions do not assuredly have the same Simis active (as well as every other perks at once).