Upcoming changes to Rangers

[Ann]

v412 will bring a few significant changes to Rangers. The changes have three main goals: to make using Ranger tools more convenient and less confusing, to encourage a certain amount of focus and specialization, and to improve the combat advantages Rangers get so they're more in line with the bonuses fell blade and bloodblade users get for the same number of ranks. Specifically:

Sindyth One-Hit no longer exists. Gossamer ranks are used instead. If you've trained any Sindyth, you'll have the experience from those ranks to re-train into something else when you first log in. If you're currently training Sindyth, you'll need to pick another trainer.

You can only study one beast at a time. If you want to switch to a different one, you'll have to abandon your studies of the current one, losing any progress you've made toward learning more about it. People who have already begun studying more than one creature before v412 will be able to switch among all of those, but they won't be able to start anything new until they've either finished or abandoned all their current studies.

Gossamer training now also gives some Duvin Beastlore, much the same way Evus gives some Atkus. (Not the same numbers, of course.) If you've already trained with the gossamer, you've been given free ranks of Beastlore to match the amount it now gives. If you're currently training with the gossamer, it has been updated to the new mix.

Ann

[Lorikeet]

v412 will bring a few significant changes to Rangers.

Sindyth One-Hit no longer exists. Gossamer ranks are used instead.
Ann

I'm sorry I wasn't sure I got the meaning of this sentence. Does that mean that more ranks of the gossamer will result in an effect similar to sindyth? That is, more darkus and/or whatever else he gave? So someone who wants to up the darkus using the goss can just study more goss? Sorry if I'm a little dense.


To try and be a little clearer: If a Ranger had previously had 100 sindyth, would he/she be able to get the same effect by training 100 more goss?

[Relkin]

Thanks for the heads up Ann. We've lately been getting a lot more communication from the GMs, I've been appreciating it.

-Relkin

[Ann]

Does that mean that more ranks of the gossamer will result in an effect similar to sindyth? That is, more darkus and/or whatever else he gave? So someone who wants to up the darkus using the goss can just study more goss?

Yes.

To try and be a little clearer: If a Ranger had previously had 100 sindyth, would he/she be able to get the same effect by training 100 more goss?

Every rank of gossamer counts both as a rank of gossamer, doing all the things that gossamer training used to do, and as a rank of Sindyth, doing everything that that used to do. If a Ranger previously had 100 Sindyth and 75 gossamer, she would be able to get the same Sindyth effect by training 25 more gossamer. Of course, she'd also have other benefits from that gossamer training (as well as 75 more ranks to spend on other things).

Ann

[Cinnamon]

You can only study one beast at a time. If you want to switch to a different one, you'll have to abandon your studies of the current one, losing any progress you've made toward learning more about it. People who have already begun studying more than one creature before v412 will be able to switch among all of those, but they won't be able to start anything new until they've either finished or abandoned all their current studies.

Maybe I don't fully understand the study action. There are milestones like High School, Bachelor's, Master's, PHD, right? Is a new Ranger required to get a PHD Of Artaks before getting a Bachelor Of Ferals? Or are we only required to reach the next milestone before switching courses?

I echo Relkin's sentiments. Many thanks! Many thanks for the warning in advance too, rather concurent with the update.

[Shadowearth]

  

[Xel]

Uhm. Whoa. This is huge.

The GM's actually think that Rangers aren't powerful enough with their current Sindyth abilities? Imo, it was their morphs and befriending abilities that needed improvement from sucking, and that their Sindyth abilities have already been very much dominating places like Slate Noids, KI, and so forth, in their infant stages.

Granted, It will be amusing to see what happens when the new version comes along, but wow. All I can say now, is that Goss users are on par with Bloodblade user power (without much of a weakness, really, except only having training in particular things), and that Fell/Champions are by far the weakest.

I really shouldn't even say that much, or complain, since I haven't seen it in action, and neither has anyone else, but I think that this will turn out to be a much larger change than anyone bargained for.

-Xel

[Fundin]

Uhm. Whoa. This is huge.

The GM's actually think that Rangers aren't powerful enough with their current Sindyth abilities? Imo, it was their morphs and befriending abilities that needed improvement from sucking, and that their Sindyth abilities have already been very much dominating places like Slate Noids, KI, and so forth, in their infant stages.

Granted, It will be amusing to see what happens when the new version comes along, but wow. All I can say now, is that Goss users are on par with Bloodblade user power (without much of a weakness, really, except only having training in particular things), and that Fell/Champions are by far the weakest.

I really shouldn't even say that much, or complain, since I haven't seen it in action, and neither has anyone else, but I think that this will turn out to be a much larger change than anyone bargained for.

-Xel

I respectfully disagree, this gives us the same sorta benefits as BB and FB get from their weapons, why shouldnt we benefit? We are all sub classes, why should we not get aktus bonuses based on our training in the blade?

Also notice paragraph 3. I i read this right we can study ONE creature at a time. If we change at any time, we lose ALL training. That seriously hampers us learning alot of critters. If you knew how many we had to kill to master then you would realise that there is bad with the good changes here. Possibly to balance things out.

[Ann]

Is a new Ranger required to get a PHD Of Artaks before getting a Bachelor Of Ferals? Or are we only required to reach the next milestone before switching courses?

Only the next milestone. Reaching a milestone removes the beast from the list of creatures you're currently studying (a list with length 1, once the transition is complete), and it will count as "new" if you want to start studying it again for the next milestone.

Ann

[Relkin]

<quote snipped to highlight my point> Imo, it was their morphs and befriending abilities that needed improvement from sucking, and that their Sindyth abilities have already been very much dominating places like Slate Noids, KI, and so forth, in their infant stages.

I respectfully disagree, this gives us the same sorta benefits as BB and FB get from their weapons, why shouldnt we benefit? We are all sub classes, why should we not get aktus bonuses based on our training in the blade?

Also notice paragraph 3. I i read this right we can study ONE creature at a time. If we change at any time, we lose ALL training. That seriously hampers us learning alot of critters. If you knew how many we had to kill to master then you would realise that there is bad with the good changes here. Possibly to balance things out.

I believe his point was that this makes the first stage of learning more powerful, and the complete mastery of a creature harder, and thus less powerful. He believes Sindyth is already too good, and that the change should have been the exact opposite. I agree, but I'll wait until I see this in action to write my huge rant about how overpowered this change seems.

-Relkin

[Fundin]

You can only study one beast at a time. If you want to switch to a different one, you'll have to abandon your studies of the current one, losing any progress you've made toward learning more about it. People who have already begun studying more than one creature before v412 will be able to switch among all of those, but they won't be able to start anything new until they've either finished or abandoned all their current studies.
Ann

I asked on the list, but if someone can clarify here.

E.g. If i study rat, then get to 5, then study vermine, i then lose all the rat study i had? So basically i need to get to need to train more before i can switch, or i need to invest duvin before i can switch?

The rest i guess we wait and see how it goes.

[Whim]

Not to hijack the thread.. But are we gonna have changes to Champions soon too?

[Cinnamon]

Lock the thread, fast!

[meph]

I agree with Xel. This is huge.

I think positive changes to Champions would also be nice, but I'd put that in the 'after Bloodmages' category.

I'll bet you'll see a lot of folks studying their gossamers tomorrow!

[Hoggle]

I dont think anyone will be training their goss right away.. you will see loads and loads of rangers working on swengus/balthus though..

I know of rangers who have 200.. 250.. and 400 goss ranks.. this will most likely make their goss extremely too heavy to wield and unuseable.

I would like to suggest a way of letting them decay some of their ranks since this change is indeed very huge. Pehaps the Master Fistus(fighter NPC) could say something like "Greetings Hoggle, I can help you remember your fighter training. You may however forget some of the knowlege of your blade training." Then your special subclass weapon begins to decay again.. it can only decay to the bare subclass minimum though.. (80 ranks or whatever) then it freezes. Perhaps talking to your sub-class NPC and he could ask you "Ah, do you wish to continue your (Champion, Ranger, Bloodmage) persuits?" then they are locked again incase you want to stop at some certain number.

just some thoughts..

-Hoggle