The content for the 1.3 update is going to be quite large, as such I will be breaking the update up into several smaller beta passes. Each pass adding specific content or features.
Once all of the 1.3 update is in beta and the bugs have been ironed out, it will move into live.
Everyone is free to switch to the beta branch and play this version, please be aware that there may be bugs.
Currently your save games will work in beta but will not work if you then move them back into live, so make a backup of your saves.
PASS 1
This pass focuses on weapon re-balancing and making sure each weapon type fits its role correctly.
The Tech tree has also been changed to add another stage into the Ballistics branch. If you have already passed this technology you will obtain the missing blueprints.
There are hundreds of changes to the current weapons and over 30 new weapons have been added. So I thought it would be best for me to go through the weapon groups and help players understand what each group is for and highlight any major changes that way.
DAMAGE.
First of all I would like to talk about damage. Many players look at the raw damage of a weapon as the main factor for progression. To this end I will explain the various parts of damage.
BASE DAMAGE: Example: 8-15
This is the core damage of the weapon with a low-high roll.
PENETRATION: Example 5
This is the amount of the target's armour that is ignored. If your target had 10 armour and you used the above example weapon, you would actually be doing 13-20 base damage. However vs an unarmoured target it would still be 8-15
DAMAGE / SKILL POINT: Example 0.3
This is a very important number as it is how much extra damage you do per skill point you have in the weapon type. (I.e: Archery). Although a level 10 Archer would only be doing an extra 3 points of damage on a 0.3 item, rare drops can have up to 0.6 D/S making the weapon far more valuable to your skilled characters.
WEAPON GROUPS
SPEAR-STAFF-POLEARM
Quantity: 20 Rares: 4 First Era: 1 Last Era: 9
The spear is your baseline starting weapon. They are designed to have slightly higher initiative than the other starting weapons and some penetration.
Between era 2 and 4 they switch to the staff weapons. These are very fast attack weapons obtaining 2 attacks at just 3 skill. They use 2 hands but you are able to block with them. They are excellent at skilling up quickly.
Polearms fill the role from era 5 to era 9. Like the staff they are 2 handed blocking weapons but they lack the speed of the earlier weapons, gaining more damage instead. The most Lethal of all the Polearms is the Energy Lance which requires Warrior 6.
CLUB-FLAIL-MACE
Quantity: 15 Rares: 3 First Era: 1 Last Era: 7
The Club/Mace weapon line is designed to have a higher critical chance than other base melee weapons. It's stagger critical effect can help reduce the combat effectiveness of enemy targets, giving your team a chance to wear down the enemy.
The Fails that are available in eras 5-6 have great anti-block values, making them ideal to get past defenders using shields.
This weapon group requires very little skill with most top end weapons only needing Warrior 3
AXES
Quantity: 16 Rares: 4 First Era: 1 Last Era: 8
Axes swap the initiative and penetration of spears for ability to hit and slightly higher critical chance. They are a great versatile melee weapon that also has the ability to destroy enemy shields.
Like the Club/Maces, a Warrior skill of 3 is enough to use all but the rarest of Axes.
SWORDS
Quantity: 19 Rares: 5 First Era: 2 Last Era: 7
The sword skill line is designed for pure critical damage. Their critical effect is an extra 20% damage bonus. To maximise the effect of using this weapon group, you should always focus on trying to raise your skill level to the max and increasing critical chance.
DAGGERS
Quantity: 14 Rares: 4 First Era: 2 Last Era: 7
The Dagger skill line is designed to key off of the Intellect stat, allowing for smart but weak characters to have a melee weapon they can use in case of attack.
They are extremely fast, allowing for 2 attacks at just 3 skill as well as having a small amount of penetration and anti-block ability. All but 3 daggers require no skill to use at all, making them suitable for late game characters with low combat skills.
MARTIAL ARTS
Quantity: 11 Rares: 1 First Era: 4 Last Era: 9
Not using any weapons and trying to kill the enemy with your fists is a difficult role to use in Settlements. For those brave enough to try it, there are several items in game to assist in damage output. No matter which weapon you use, the main damage and defence of the weapon group comes from the martial arts skills themselves, not the weapons.
PISTOLS-SHOTGUN
Quantity: 21 Rares: 3 First Era: 6 Last Era: 9
Pistols are dual wielding melee weapons. They cannot shoot into the rear ranks of the enemy. Pistols come in all forms from the slow Flintlock to the high speed Machine Pistols.
Their core roll is high critical, penetration late game melee damage. With the rare pistol "The Widowmaker" having a D/S value of 0.6 it can be lethal in the hands of a 10 skill gunslinger right up until end game.
Shotguns are 2 handed close melee weapons that can be used to block as well as having a good chance to hit and usually 100% chance to avoid being blocked. If you are going into a boss fight with a high amount of blocking enemy, shotguns are the way to go.
ASSAULT RIFLES-SNIPER RIFLES-SUPPORT RIFLES
Quantity: 23 Rares: 3 First Era: 6 Last Era: 10
Like the pistols, the Rifle group is designed to be high Critical, high Penetration late game weaponry. Slower than the pistol and usually more suited to reserve shooters.
The assault rifle is your 1 size fits all end game weapon. It can be used in the range slot for your reserves to use, it can be used in the melee slot with a blocking ability and can also shoot at rear enemy from the melee position. Perfect for taking down monsters that do not stay still.
Sniper rifles cannot be used in melee and are only of use to your reserve shooters. They are very slow but with the highest penetration values in the game. They also cannot be blocked and with the Mosin-Nagant having a 0.6 D/S, they deal high damage to single targets.
With the exception of the Mini Gun, Support Rifles cannot be used in melee. They are high rate of fire machine guns, focused on hitting as many targets as possible, they are ideal for thinning out the trash mobs.
I hope the above breakdown is helpful to all players, although the core storyline can be completed using whatever weapons you like from a roleplaying point of view. For those players who focus on trying to take down the hard challenge bosses, using the correct weapons is a key tactic.
I will be focusing on armour / helms and some initial graphic improvements during Pass 2.
Enjoy!
Please report any bugs on the forums with the words BETA in the title.
