CLASS MASTERY UPDATE CONCEPT (POST ACT 5 / UNCOLLECTED CLASS MASTERIES) - Oct 14, 2017
9ball_Dorky_McDork
Member Posts: 38 ★
Hello All,
I first want to say that I do not come on the forums to post or read very much, but I felt inspired to share some creative ideas. This is quite extensive so pace yourself. Section 1 is a layout as to how I interpret class masteries being updated. Section 2 will go in depth to the Masteries including some champ examples and possible flaws to the concept.
Section 1.
Combat Training (Skill Mastery)
Extensive training has advanced/pushed forward Dexterity to be a passive Buff. Each time the enemy places a passive Debuff, they reduce the duration by (x) seconds.
Rank 1/3
0.1 second
Rank 2/3
0.2 second
Rank 3/3
0.3 second
Note: a passive Debuff is interpreted as a detrimental effect than does not cause the opponent to lose health.
Genetic Enhancement (Mutant Mastery)
Pushing the boundaries of mutant evolution, genetic modification has increased the potency of signature abilties by (x) rating. Buff duration is extended 0.75 seconds.
Rank 1/3
50 rating
Rank 2/3
100 rating
Rank 3/3
150 rating
Technological Advancement (Tech Mastery)
Continuous upgrades to war tech has greatly improved the ability to take advantage of enemy's weaknesses. Tech Champions have a (x)% chance for Special Attacks to be Unblockable and Metal Champions gain 4% chance to auto-block an attack; robots have double the chance to auto-block.
Rank 1/3
34% chance
Rank 2/3
50% chance
Rank 3/3
66% chance
Cosmic Radiation (Cosmic Mastery)
Interstellar energy permeating across the battle realm is fueling champions, providing a (x)% chance to cause an active buff to become permanent.
Rank 1/3
12.5% chance
Rank 2/3
16.7% chance
Rank 3/3
20% chance
Mystic Dispersion (Mystic Mastery)
Champions gain (x)% power after an opponent buff expires.
Rank 1/3
4% power
Rank 2/3
8% power
Rank 3/3
12% power
Breaking The Laws (Science Mastery)
Special Attacks cost (x)% less power and Champions regenerate 1% of health per second for 30 seconds when below 70% health.
Rank 1/3
10% less power
Rank 2/3
12.5% less power
Rank 3/3
16.7% less power
Section 2.1
The goal of redesigning the class masteries was to build diversity amongst the classes and a better balance. How this would be achieved was a two-pronged approach, reducing the total point cost to Master a specific class and increase the utility of a mastery skill at the first rank.
The first step to diversifying Class Masteries is to reduce the total amount of points needed to Master a class. This step of simplification is an act to free up mastery points. The less points it cost to reach a viable rank, the more players are afforded to use those points in other areas.
The next step was to increase the attractiveness of class masteries. This was much trickier to achieve as it required a conscious balancing act amongst the classes. The biggest hurdle to overcome was the Mystic Dispersion of the Mystic class. How to devalue its utility without actually changing or removing the ability was the question and the challenge.
I took a page from Youtuber: Contest Champion (Brian Grant), and I agree that Mystic Dispersion needed an indirect nerf. The buff he identified was Dexterity. His proposal was to alter its condition from an active buff to a passive buff. Therefore it would not trigger Mystic Dispersion and penalize a player whom skillfully could evade an attack. Skillful is the key word in the previous sentence, so I thought this fit perfectly for the SKILL CLASS. By designating it to a single class it indirectly de-powers Mystic Dispersion and does not neuter it. However, making Dexterity a passive buff would not be enough. I like the "Limber Mastery" in that it reduces a Stun Debuff duration and wanted to expand it to all passive debuffs. I also like the compounding reduction effect from nodes in Alliance War. What this creates is a group of champions that becomes immune to a small set of debuffs over time. The thought that comes to the forefront is a Stun Immune champ. This mastery would also be helpful against other masteries listed further in the document.
Example: It would find great appeal for Alliance War defense and on offense. Gwenpool is a champion that I can see the most appealing in that it gets the player back into the game quicker and in attack mode from a stun.
The second Class Mastery I decided to tackle was the MUTANT CLASS. In my opinion, it is the worst Class Mastery given the quality of fighters. In the Mutant class, I knew I had to embellish each mutant's utility and uniqueness which is how I came to: Increased Potency of Signature Ability. I went the route of increasing rating. By using flat rates, this allowed for each character to receive an increase in stat ability while trying to avoid making them overpowered. Critical Hit Rate, Regeneration, Critical Damage, Percent Chance (by translated from rating), Attack, Bleed Damage, Energy Damage, and Armor would all receive an increase. In addition, Buff Duration would be added. This would benefit Evasion, Fury, and again Armor and Regeneration. The extended duration was also utilized as an indirect nerf to delay the expiration of Buffs in a single fight, thus slowing the Power Gain of Mystic Dispersion.
Examples: Wolverine receiving more regeneration and also a slightly longer duration. Rogue would be able to steal more HP and drain more power, while also holding onto stolen buffs longer as well. The last example is Beast being able to cause a larger bleed damage and regenerate more health.
Moving in class advantage to Mutant class, I next addressed the TECH CLASS. For this mastery, I wanted to portray the Tech class as a class that utilized their tech gadgets. These gadgets would gather research and analyze the opponent to the point they expose their weak spots; thus Unblockable Special Attacks came to mind. The more advanced the gadget/rank, the more likely to do unblockable damage. In the same motion, the same tech gadgets would provide an extra defensive ability in an auto-block maneuver. This auto-block feature would have to be available to champs that heavily rely on tech, and so #Metal champs would receive this benefit. Tech devices and machines are hardly ever singular in function so I felt it justifiable to provide two skills acquired in a single mastery. This offensive and defensive addition would provide great appeal in the Alliance War realm.
Examples: Vision (Age of Ultron) is one candidate that would greatly benefit from this mastery as his fighting style is easy to play around. Paired with the Parry Mastery, the auto-block could prove deadly. An auto-block could also function as saving grace in a tight spot. Another champ, War Machine, would receive a great benefit from this mastery. The Unblockable element paired with his Special 1 attack vastly improves the element of surprise when placing him in Alliance War defense. The Unblockable could also change the way players tackle difficult content with Unblockable Special attacks from Star-Lord and Spider-Man (Stark Enhanced), it would remove some skill and difficulty. The extent of it would need testing. Alliance War bosses and minibosses would need a buff node that blocks all Unblockable Special attacks.
to be continued..
I first want to say that I do not come on the forums to post or read very much, but I felt inspired to share some creative ideas. This is quite extensive so pace yourself. Section 1 is a layout as to how I interpret class masteries being updated. Section 2 will go in depth to the Masteries including some champ examples and possible flaws to the concept.
Section 1.
Combat Training (Skill Mastery)
Extensive training has advanced/pushed forward Dexterity to be a passive Buff. Each time the enemy places a passive Debuff, they reduce the duration by (x) seconds.
Rank 1/3
0.1 second
Rank 2/3
0.2 second
Rank 3/3
0.3 second
Note: a passive Debuff is interpreted as a detrimental effect than does not cause the opponent to lose health.
Genetic Enhancement (Mutant Mastery)
Pushing the boundaries of mutant evolution, genetic modification has increased the potency of signature abilties by (x) rating. Buff duration is extended 0.75 seconds.
Rank 1/3
50 rating
Rank 2/3
100 rating
Rank 3/3
150 rating
Technological Advancement (Tech Mastery)
Continuous upgrades to war tech has greatly improved the ability to take advantage of enemy's weaknesses. Tech Champions have a (x)% chance for Special Attacks to be Unblockable and Metal Champions gain 4% chance to auto-block an attack; robots have double the chance to auto-block.
Rank 1/3
34% chance
Rank 2/3
50% chance
Rank 3/3
66% chance
Cosmic Radiation (Cosmic Mastery)
Interstellar energy permeating across the battle realm is fueling champions, providing a (x)% chance to cause an active buff to become permanent.
Rank 1/3
12.5% chance
Rank 2/3
16.7% chance
Rank 3/3
20% chance
Mystic Dispersion (Mystic Mastery)
Champions gain (x)% power after an opponent buff expires.
Rank 1/3
4% power
Rank 2/3
8% power
Rank 3/3
12% power
Breaking The Laws (Science Mastery)
Special Attacks cost (x)% less power and Champions regenerate 1% of health per second for 30 seconds when below 70% health.
Rank 1/3
10% less power
Rank 2/3
12.5% less power
Rank 3/3
16.7% less power
Section 2.1
The goal of redesigning the class masteries was to build diversity amongst the classes and a better balance. How this would be achieved was a two-pronged approach, reducing the total point cost to Master a specific class and increase the utility of a mastery skill at the first rank.
The first step to diversifying Class Masteries is to reduce the total amount of points needed to Master a class. This step of simplification is an act to free up mastery points. The less points it cost to reach a viable rank, the more players are afforded to use those points in other areas.
The next step was to increase the attractiveness of class masteries. This was much trickier to achieve as it required a conscious balancing act amongst the classes. The biggest hurdle to overcome was the Mystic Dispersion of the Mystic class. How to devalue its utility without actually changing or removing the ability was the question and the challenge.
I took a page from Youtuber: Contest Champion (Brian Grant), and I agree that Mystic Dispersion needed an indirect nerf. The buff he identified was Dexterity. His proposal was to alter its condition from an active buff to a passive buff. Therefore it would not trigger Mystic Dispersion and penalize a player whom skillfully could evade an attack. Skillful is the key word in the previous sentence, so I thought this fit perfectly for the SKILL CLASS. By designating it to a single class it indirectly de-powers Mystic Dispersion and does not neuter it. However, making Dexterity a passive buff would not be enough. I like the "Limber Mastery" in that it reduces a Stun Debuff duration and wanted to expand it to all passive debuffs. I also like the compounding reduction effect from nodes in Alliance War. What this creates is a group of champions that becomes immune to a small set of debuffs over time. The thought that comes to the forefront is a Stun Immune champ. This mastery would also be helpful against other masteries listed further in the document.
Example: It would find great appeal for Alliance War defense and on offense. Gwenpool is a champion that I can see the most appealing in that it gets the player back into the game quicker and in attack mode from a stun.
The second Class Mastery I decided to tackle was the MUTANT CLASS. In my opinion, it is the worst Class Mastery given the quality of fighters. In the Mutant class, I knew I had to embellish each mutant's utility and uniqueness which is how I came to: Increased Potency of Signature Ability. I went the route of increasing rating. By using flat rates, this allowed for each character to receive an increase in stat ability while trying to avoid making them overpowered. Critical Hit Rate, Regeneration, Critical Damage, Percent Chance (by translated from rating), Attack, Bleed Damage, Energy Damage, and Armor would all receive an increase. In addition, Buff Duration would be added. This would benefit Evasion, Fury, and again Armor and Regeneration. The extended duration was also utilized as an indirect nerf to delay the expiration of Buffs in a single fight, thus slowing the Power Gain of Mystic Dispersion.
Examples: Wolverine receiving more regeneration and also a slightly longer duration. Rogue would be able to steal more HP and drain more power, while also holding onto stolen buffs longer as well. The last example is Beast being able to cause a larger bleed damage and regenerate more health.
Moving in class advantage to Mutant class, I next addressed the TECH CLASS. For this mastery, I wanted to portray the Tech class as a class that utilized their tech gadgets. These gadgets would gather research and analyze the opponent to the point they expose their weak spots; thus Unblockable Special Attacks came to mind. The more advanced the gadget/rank, the more likely to do unblockable damage. In the same motion, the same tech gadgets would provide an extra defensive ability in an auto-block maneuver. This auto-block feature would have to be available to champs that heavily rely on tech, and so #Metal champs would receive this benefit. Tech devices and machines are hardly ever singular in function so I felt it justifiable to provide two skills acquired in a single mastery. This offensive and defensive addition would provide great appeal in the Alliance War realm.
Examples: Vision (Age of Ultron) is one candidate that would greatly benefit from this mastery as his fighting style is easy to play around. Paired with the Parry Mastery, the auto-block could prove deadly. An auto-block could also function as saving grace in a tight spot. Another champ, War Machine, would receive a great benefit from this mastery. The Unblockable element paired with his Special 1 attack vastly improves the element of surprise when placing him in Alliance War defense. The Unblockable could also change the way players tackle difficult content with Unblockable Special attacks from Star-Lord and Spider-Man (Stark Enhanced), it would remove some skill and difficulty. The extent of it would need testing. Alliance War bosses and minibosses would need a buff node that blocks all Unblockable Special attacks.
to be continued..
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Moving in class advantage again, we have the COSMIC CLASS. The Cosmic class is a special case in that it is viewed as the weakest of all the classes. This viewpoint stems from the fact it is very Buff oriented. However, with as many buffs that a Cosmic champion receives, the buffs are catalysts for Mystic Dispersion. Therein was how I attempted to address the Mastery. I wanted to reduce the "fuel" for Mystic Dispersion with another indirect nerf. If Cosmic champions could permanently keep their buff, this would deny Mystic champions power. This had potential to overpower Cosmic champions, so I had to make it a percentage chance to keep a buff or allow it to expire. By making it a percentage chance, it would create a platform for either a Cosmic or Mystic champion to control and win the fight. This was a hard balance and I might not have fully achieved it, but a seesaw of power between Cosmic and Mystic would definitely make each fight a game of skill and luck.
Examples: Straightforward, Groot is a champion that could jump in offensive usage with players given the number of buffs he generates when he snaps Pacifism. A champion that could be overlooked is Spider-Man (Symbiote). If the Evasion buff he gets from his special attacks is considered active, the chance to permanently set his evasion would make him the most evasive Spider-Man in the game and rival the evasion chance that of Nightcrawler! Again, huge appeal in the Alliance War battlefield. King Groot would be the most risky of champions in that he could potentially never get his Regeneration Buff if his Fury Buffs do not expire. On the opposite end, King Groot could regenerate for the remainder of the fight.
The next class is the MYSTIC CLASS. The game-creators and Kabam was right in that once you introduce an overly strong champion to the game, it is very difficult to take it back. With that being said, I could not touch Mystic Dispersion without a single player not wanting to riot so therefore I left it alone. For those that do not know, it can be a powerful Mastery.
The last class to address is the SCIENCE CLASS. In this class I wanted to incorporate an element of science, no pun intended, and an element from the comics. I felt it was okay to combine skills here again because science is the summation of multiple elements. I thought about how catalysts in science reduce the time it takes to get a reaction; therein was the Mastery skill element. Kabam released this as a node and under a different name (Cornered), but they have the same function: reduce the cost of power when using a special. By having a reduction in cost to use specials, this allows the player to get to the special attack more quickly and more often. It functions similar to Mystic Dispersion - "fighting fire with fire" so players are on a more level playing field. But the huge difference is that it omits buff interaction/power gain, and is therefore more manageable and controllable for the other classes. The second element was incorporating the regenerative characteristics of the Science champions. The Hulk, Spider-Man, Luge Cage, Capt. America, etc are enhanced humans and can heal and regenerate faster than normal humans. This added power and health are what could bring a turn-around to another class that is considered as lacking and unattractive.
Hulk was the first champion I thought and there is potential to be an overpowered champion. A maxed Science Class Mastery would create a stun chain which is no fun, but this would not be very different from a Power Gain synergy team. The counter to Hulk's Special 1 attack spam would be a Skill champion with the Skill Mastery and the opponent becomes stun immune over time. Another counter would be a Tech champion with auto-block. Spider-Man (Classic) would be another champion that can utilize this mastery. His Special 1 attack is very difficult to consistently avoid but is achievable. This would raise the challenge by potentially having to deal with more special attacks. He is also considerably a "glass champion", so health regeneration would increase his value.
These are my six Class Mastery updates. Through the increase in utility in multiple classes and indirect nerfing of Mystic Dispersion, paired with the reduction in Mastering a class I hope to achieve diversity in the Class Masteries. The checks and balances of each class mastery was also the goal to dispel the dominance of a single class. The true test to the Class Mastery update would be to see what class and champions are being placed as bosses and minibosses. I predict a fluctuation in minibosses to include more Tech, Cosmic champions and to a lesser extent Science and Mutant champions. Mystic champions would still have a biased favoritism, but they would see dispersion more onto the field over time. Skill champions would be better suited across the field along with Mutant and Science champions.
Thanks for reading.
Constructive criticism is appreciated. Discussion is wanted!