[Harlequin]

I’m Desmodeus, the lead producer for Dragon nest. Initially I was just going to let Lucius and Princess K unleash their crazies here and on interject in this blog occasionally. However I’m absolutely in love with this game and I love sharing what gets me so pumped about it. So this week, I wanted to let you all in one what I believe is one of the most exciting elements of the game – weapon choices and their effect on combat.

The Feel of Combat

Gamers understand that games aren’t just viewed or listened to or read. Above all, they’re felt. When a game, especially a great action game, is firing on all cylinders, there’s no other feeling quite like it. That’s Dragon Nest. You move, dodge, strike, string together special attacks to perform spectacular combos, check the positions of your enemies from among a dozen monsters, pick out the most vulnerable or the position where you can do the most damage, and finally you lay down the hurt! The combat is truly exhilarating.

If we had stopped there, Dragon Nest would have been good enough. I can think of lots of classic action games that got by on little more than the fact that the combat was flat-out fun. The thing is, we weren’t satisfied with that; we were looking for a deeper playing experience. So we decided to upgrade the action by offering each character class the chance to customize their combat style in a number of ways. One of the biggest is the player’s choice of weapons.

Take a look:

Choose Your Weapon!

Did you see that? All of the characters in the video were executing the same attack moves, but with different weapons! As you can see, the ultimate effects of the same move can be dramatically different. For instance, the difference between the Flail and the Wand is fairly obvious. One ends with the character performing a “spin” move, a lifesaver when you’re surrounded by monsters. The other ends with a lightning strike that covers a much broader area. Each of these attacks has its strengths and weaknesses. The spin causes much less damage than the lightning and tends to be used by defensively-oriented players who often find themselves in big scrums. The lightning, on the other hand, gets used by players who do a lot more moving, and prefer to herd monsters into tight areas where they can do one big burst of damage.

The effects can be far more subtle, though. Some weapons have a longer reach; others allow you to attack faster. Some allow different combos and in others, it’s simply a matter of learning new timing.

Bell, Book, or Candle?

When it comes to choosing a character, I usually go for the bruiser. I like playing the big, slow guy that usually only has to hit something once for it to stop moving. When it came time to pick my character for Dragon Nest though, I decided to try something new- thus, I sprang for the Sorceress. The Sorceress is a ranged character with a choice when it comes to a secondary weapon– you select from a Grimoire, a Puppet, or an Orb. When I first started playing her, I figured it wouldn’t matter which of these items I chose. I planned to just swap them out whenever I discovered a new item that upgraded my stats. Big mistake.

The difference in playing with these three items is pretty profound. The book does more direct damage up close, the Puppet launches a direct damage attack at range, and the Orb circles and strikes at enemies all around you. The more I played the Sorceress and developed my own combat style, the more I realized that I prefer the Orb. I’ve become dependent on its protective factor because I’m too impatient to stick with ranged attacks. Establishing your own combat style and personalizing your character to best execute it is one of Dragon Nest’s most exciting features. It’s been an amazing experience coming to grips with the Sorceress, and it’s one of the things that keeps me coming back for more.

We hope it’ll keep you coming back for more too.

yup .