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Pre Launch:Guardian
From Hellgatewiki.com
| Pre Launch Article |
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This article contains information that is old, or outdated, but saved for future reference, and a historical overview of Hellgate: London through the course of development of the game. These articles are NOT meant to be updated any further. You can find more articles from before launch here. |
Additional Templar Information
Contents |
Starting Equipment
As of May 2007 new Guardians started off with default cloth armor of negligible defensive value and were armed with a Scarab Shield and Broadsword. In play testing these weapons were serviceable up until level 5 or 6, at which point much more damaging melee weapons were available from NPC merchants.
Guardian Play Style
There are many differences between the two Templar classes, but both will work largely as melee fighters. Guardians are best at taking on big packs of monsters at once, while Blademasters kill very quickly, but can not take the damage from a mob. Guardians actually prefer mobs, with skills and auras that increase their healing rate, or damage, or other properties when there are more enemies nearby. Guardians can have a harder time with a single monster than with a pack, oddly enough.
Guardians can use pistols and some rifles, and it's nice to have those handy for dealing with various running or flying monsters, but the class is best with a sword and shield.
Both classes are definitely going to be more focused on melee than we saw originally. While it's still absolutely possible to use ranged weapons for Templars, they're not going to have the broad range of distance weapons available that other factions, especially the hunters, are going to have. That said, they'll have a lot of close range weapons to deal out tons of damage and as with all projectile weapons, melee weapons will also be upgradeable with various attachments.
--IGN @ GDC, March 2007.
There have been early worries that the Guardian is too defensive a character and that Guardians will not be able to kill as quickly as other characters. They can not, if you measure only the actual damage output, but Guardians have such strong defensive skills that they seldom need to retreat or reposition, standing them in stark contrast to the various higher damage "glass cannon" characters. Blademasters might do more damage, but they spend a great deal of time running around to reposition and string out monster mobs, while the Guardian can just wade in and tank the lot, doing damage the whole time.
Guardian Skills
The Guardian will have about 27 skills to choose from in the final game, divided up into various groups. Guardians have a lot of auras with all sorts of effects, including healing, damaging, and otherwise inconveniencing monsters. In addition to all the various auras, Guardians have a variety of shield skills, defense-boosting skills, and a few combat skills as well.
Aura Skills
Auras are buffs that grant Guardians various bonuses while the aura is active. Auras in Hellgate: London were initially going to allow stacking with each aura costing some amount of Concentration points. This changed during development and Auras now work just as they did in Diablo II -- they cost nothing to cast but only one may be active at a time.
Grand Aura
Skill Group: Auras
- Requires: Character level 15
Passive skill. No mana cost. Max skill points: 3
Description: Vigilance in studying the tactics of demons increases the radius of the guardian's auras.
Effect:
- Aura radius increased by 20%
Commentary: A very useful skill, this one increases the radius of all the Guardian's auras. This is a passive skill, not an aura. More points likely increase the aura radius still further. Also realize that this is not Diablo II, where a larger radius mostly meant that your party members could be further away and still share in your aura. Auras do not share bonuses in Hellgate: London. Increase radius auras in this game are more akin to Holy Freeze or Conviction in Diablo II; you want a larger radius to affect more demons, or to give yourself more bonuses for how many demons are in range. For that reason Grand Aura will be very useful for all Guardians, even those who generally play solo. (Top)
Prayer of Healing
Skill Group: Auras
- Requires: Grand Aura, level 2.
- Requires: Character level 20
Power Cost: 40 Max skill points:
Description: The Guardian calls upon the healing power of prayer to grant 50% health to himself and those around him.
Effect:
- Heals 50% of missing or total hit points.
- Healing rate: Unknown.
- Cool down time: Unknown.
Commentary: This skill's function isn't known precisely. The description says 50%, but is that total health, or 50% of the health that's been lost? In other words, if a character had 300/500 hit points, would this skill give them 100, or 250 healing? It's not even clear if the amount healed is based on the Guardian's hit points, or the individual hit points of each character being healed. It's also not known how fast the rejuvenation takes place. X points per second, X% points per sec, all at once, etc. (Top)
Prayer of Retribution
Skill Group: Auras
- Requires: Prayer of Healing, level 5
- Requires: Character level 30
Power cost: 30 Max skill points: 5
Description: All enemies in your radius receive a powerful spectral attack - probably phasing them.
Effect:
- Does a phase attack to all enemies within the aura radius.
- Does 23.35 spectral damage.
Commentary: Spectral attacks have a chance to "phase" targets. While phased, players and demons turn purple and do half damage while taking double damage from all sorts of attacks. And yes, that is an oddly-specific amount of damage.
This skill is seen in the Community Day Guardian movie, where it is called Spectral Prayer. It's not clear which name is more recent. (Top)
Aura of Defense
Skill Group: Auras
- Requires: Character level 5.
Description: This aura increases the defense of the guardian by a set percent for each monster within his aura. Skill effect caps at 5 enemies.
Commentary: Nothing more is known of this skill, so how much of an increase is unknown. (Top)
Aura of Salvation
Skill Group: Auras
- Requires: Aura of Defense, level ?
- Requires: Character level 20.
Max skill points: 5
Description: The Guardian offers a prayer for salvation, thus giving protection against the very elements themselves. Sklll effect capped at 5 enemies.
Effect:
- Defense against physical, ignite, shock, phase, and poison increased by 7 per enemy in the holy aura radius.
Commentary: Thia aura offers defense against the five "states," not against the damage dealt by the five types of damage themselves. For example, this skill doesn't lower fire damage, but it makes you less likely to ignite. It doesn't lower spectral damage, but it makes you less likely to become phased. And so on. (Top)
Aura of Thorns
Skill Group: Auras
- Requires: Aura of Salvation, level ?
- Requires: Character level 20
Description: Unknown.
Effects: Unknown.
Commentary: Nothing is known about this one but the icon, the name, and its place in the skill menu. The thorns aura in Diablo II reflected damage back to physical damage, melee attackers. It might do the same in Hellgate: London but with physical damage much less common, this aura probably does more. (Top)
Aura of Renewal
Skill Group: Auras
- Requires: Character level 1.
Max skill points: 5
Description: Through meditation and the channeling of holy energy, the natural healing abilities of the Templar are greatly increased. Skill effects cap at 5 enemies.
Effects:
- Regenerates 5 hitpoints per second per enemy in the Holy Aura radius.
Commentary A powerful healing aura that heals more per second when there are more enemies in range. This and good defense and a shield keep the Guardian full of health during the early going. This skill and the Guardian's other abilities were probably too good, and the designers were strongly considering nerfing it after everyone playing a Guardian had such an easy time of things on Community Day. (Top)
Aura of Power
Skill Group: Auras
- Requires: Aura of Renewal, level ?
- Requires: Character level 10
Description: As a Templar places themselves in greater danger, their increasing faith fuels their power. Power regeneration rate changes based on the amount of enemies within the aura's radius.
Effect:
- Increased power regeneration based on the number of enemies in the area of effect.
Commentary: The Blademaster has this same skill. Like most auras, this one is most effective when there are multiple enemies nearby. When using this skill, care must be taken to not overuse your power reserves when there are fewer targets nearby, since it will take longer to regenerate. A battle with a tough boss can be more difficult one on one than if you take on the boss while several weaker monsters are still in the vicinity.
When this skill required power to keep active, it cost 30 concentration at level 1, and 5 less per skill level. It must have granted a sort of double bonus then, since more points made it subtract less power from the feed, while also causing the active pool to regenerate more rapidly. (Top)
Aura of Deflection
Skill Group: Auras
- Requires: Character level 15.
Max skill points: 4
Description: This Guardian aura calls upon heavenly spirits to turn aside ranged attacks that enter into his holy aura.
Commentary: No further stats or details are known for this skill. From the description it sounds like it makes some unknown percentage of enemy attacks miss completely. This was not initially an aura, but was a sort of invocation, with a limited duration. (Top)
Aura of Vengeance
Skill Group: Auras
- Requires: Aura of Deflection, level 1
- Requires: Character level 25.
Max skill points: 4
Description: Turning their own dark powers against them, the Guardian calls upon divine winds to reflect ranged attacks that enter his aura's radius.
Commentary: Another aura about which we do not know a great deal. It knocks down ranged attacks, while Aura of Deflection turns aside melee attackers. This skill was formerly called Holy Wind Aura (screenshot), which seems a much more appropriate name, so perhaps a switch back will yet occur. This skill can be seen in use against Nightmares who attack with invisible poison auras, so apparently it works against all sorts of ranged attacks; not just visible projectiles. (Top)
Taunts
Taunts are skills that affect monster AI, making them attack mindlessly or change their behavior in some other fashion. These are active skills that must be cast at a specific target.
Challenge
Skill Group: Taunts
- Requires: Character level 5.
Power Cost: Unknown.
Max skill points: Unknown.
Commentary: Nothing is known about this skill other than its icon, its name, and its location in the skill menu. (Top)
Denounce
Skill Group: Taunts
- Requires: Challenge, level ?
- Requires: Character level 15.
Power Cost: Unknown.
Max skill points: Unknown.
Commentary: Nothing is known about this skill other than its icon, its name, and its location in the skill menu. (Top)
Heavenly Condemnation
Skill Group: Taunts
- Requires: Denounce, level ?
- Requires: Character level 20.
Mana Cost: Unknown.
Max skill points: Unknown.
Description: Heavenly Condemnation brings a flying target low, weakening its defenses even more.
Commentary: Nothing more is known about this skill, and it's never been seen in action. By the description it sounds like this must be targeted on a flying demon, and that once cast the demon will swoop down into melee range. A sort of magical Grappler. (Top)
Provoke
Skill Group: Taunts
- Requires: Heavenly Condemnation, level ?
- Requires: Character level 25.
Max skill points: Unknown.
Description: Provoke makes the challenge more effective against intelligent demons who otherwise might ignore the taunt.
Analysis: Provoke sounds like a passive skill that improves the other taunts in a specific way. By making them more effective against intelligent monsters. That's an interesting point, since it must mean that the other taunts can be resisted by demons, and that "smart" ones are more likely to do so. (Top)
Shield Skills
While Blademasters can also equip shields, only the Guardian has special skills to boost the properties of their shield or to use them as weapons.
Guardians also possess a number of shield skills, including attacks, and a passive skill that simply boosts defense and blocking. The shield attacks are more about knocking back and stunning monsters, rather than killing them. Since monster and crowd control is such an important aspect of Hellgate: London, knock back and stun skills are highly prized, and these will come in quite handy, I think.
Shield of Faith
Skill Group: Shield
- Requires: Character level 5.
Power cost: 50
Max skill points: 5
Description: The invocation creates a protective shield around the Guardian.
Effect:
- Shields increased by 140.
- The effect lasts for 20 seconds.
Analysis: Defenses are basically resistances in Hellgate: London but they are measured in absolute numbers, not percentages. (The absolute numbers no doubt translate to percentages, but making them hard figures allows for more variety in equipment and skills and different value weightings. At this point we don't know how useful 140 is, but as this is a level 5 skill, it's probably not a tremendous boost. (Top)
Shield Bash
Skill Group: Shield
- Requires: Shield
- Requires: Character level 1.
Power Cost: 10
Max skill level: 7
Description: The guardian slams his shield into the enemy. While only doing a small amount of damage, this attack can both knock back and stun foes.
Effect:
- Stun, ignite, shock, phase, and poison attack increased 15%.
Analysis: A plain melee strike with shield. Not very damaging, but does knock back monsters. How exactly this skill boosts the chances of inflicting the various "states" of damage is not clear. (Top)
Shield Charge
Skill Group: Shield
- Requires: Shield.
- Requires: Shield Bash, level 1
- Requires: Character level 10.
Max skill points: 5
Power cost: 40
Description: The Guardian puts the force of his convictions into his headlong assault against the forces of darkness.
Effect:
- Stun attack increased by 100%
Analysis: A rushing attack that uses the shield to hit the target, and packs a very good chance of stunning the monster. It's not known if this skill has a knockback component. It's also odd that this one says 100% for stun attack increase, since "states" never list percentages. They are always whole numbers. This looks like a rare exception, and perhaps it means that this attack always stuns the target (presumably bosses and other players would be immune or at least more resistant to the stun.) (Top)
Skill Group: Shield
- Requires: Shield
- Requires: Shield Charge, level 3
- Requires: Character level 15
Max skill points: 5
Power Cost: 15.
Description: The Guardian rapidly spins in place, smashing any surrounding enemies with his shield.
Effects:
- Stun, ignite, shock, phase, and poison attack increased by 90%.
Analysis: A shield bash that hits monsters hard enough to stun or knock them back. The animation is nifty too; with the Guardian twisting around into a 360 spin and striking two targets with a single shield swing. This skill can be repeated rapidly to clear out some space in front of the Guardian. Can be seen in action in the Community Day Guardian movie. (Top)
Shield Master
Skill Group: Shield
- Requires: Shield
- Requires: Shield Turn, level 2
- Requires: Character level 20
Max skill points: 5
Power cost: None. Passive skill.
Description: Stun, ignite, shock, phase, and poison duration increased for all shield attacks by 25%. Shield damage increased by 13%.
Analysis: Another shield skill with some unexplained connection to every type of elemental damage in the game. Shields do not naturally have elemental damage, so it's not clear if these shield bonuses enhance sword damage, or create damage from thin air. This skill is one of the Guardian's very few passive skills, and it's not known what sort of bonus additional points in the skill will grant. (Top)
Great Defender
Skill Group: Shield
- Requires: Shield
- Requires: Shield Master, level ?
- Requires: Character level 30
Max skill points: ?
Power cost: ?
Analysis: Nothing more is known about this skill. (Top)
Stampede
Skill group: Shield
- Requires: Shield.
- Requires: Shield Turn, level 2.
- Requires: Character level 30.
Max skill points: 5
Power cost: 40
Description: The Guardian charges forward, using his shield to bash every enemy in his path.
Analysis: It's not known if this skill has an added damage bonus, or if it's meant to be used primarily as a movement skill, perhaps with a stun component for handy crowd control? (Top)
Anchor
Skill group: Shield
- Requires: Shield ?
- Requires: Character level 15.
Max skill points: 6.
Power cost: 20
Description: The guardian fires spikes from the soles of his boots into the gorund, granting better leverage against his foes.
Effect:
- Damage increased by 65%.
Analysis: This sounds like a defensive skill, until you get to the effect and note that it substantially increases damage. It's not known if this skill locks you into place when you cast it, and if so for how long. (Top)
Skill group: Shield
- Requires: Shield
- Requires: Anchor, level 1.
- Requires: Character level 25.
Max skill points: 5
Power cost: 120
Description: The Guardian stands firmly in place and focuses his spirit and will on blocking attacks.
Effects:
- Shield increased by 600.
Analysis: The connection between this one and Anchor is pretty clear. Lock yourself in place, hugely boost your shields, and take what they dish out. It appears that a Guardian can not attack while using this skill, but that's not yet confirmed.
This skill was demonstrated in the Community Day Guardian movie (Top)
Swordsmanship Skills
Sword of Reckoning:Skill Group: Swordsmanship
- Requires: Sword.
- Character Level: 1
Power cost: 15.
Max Skill Points: 7
Description: Rising high above the minions of darkness, the Guardian brings down the heavy hand of final judgment against a single foe.
Effects:
- Damage increased by 50%
Commentary: A leaping attack that works against air and ground targets, this one evolved from the generic Templar skill Slam. The Guardian possess this same skill, but it only costs 15 power, so the 35 cost for this one will probably be reduced during further testing. Sword of Reckoning and Heaven's Arc have a nearly identical leaping up, chopping down animation, and have been featured in numerous screenshots and gameplay movies. (Top)
I got a lot of mileage out of a [Guardian] sword skill that used to be called Slam, but is now something longer that I can't remember. Triggering it causes you to leap straight up into the air with your sword overhead, before bringing it down in a slashing motion. It works against ground targets, boosting your damage considerably, and works even better against flying enemies, always cutting them out of the sky when timed properly.
--Flux, Community Day Report, May 2007
Heaven's Arc
Skill Group: Swordsmanship
- Requires: Sword.
- Requires: Sword of Reckoning, level 1
- Requires: Character level 5.
Power Cost: 15
Max Skill Points: 4
Description: The Guardian leaps into the air and takes the battle directly to those demons that call the skies their home. Can only be used against flying enemies.
Effects:
- Damage increased by 50% (at skill level one)
Commentary: This leaping attack looks just like Sword of Reckoning, but only hits air targets. It can be seen in use in the Community Day Blademaster movie. (Top)
Hamper
Skill Group: Swordsmanship
- Requires: Sword
- Requires: Heaven's Arc, level 1
- Requires: Character level 25.
Power Cost: 5
Max skill points: 5
Description: An attack designed to cripple the target, slowing both its movement and attack rate.
Effects:
- Reduces enemy movement by 20%.
- Decreases enemy armor by 25%.
- Duration: Unknown.
- Cool down time: Unknown.
- Damage bonus: Unknown.
Commentary: Hamper has never been seen in use. It sounds like a basic "slow target" type of attack, one that debuffs by slowing movement (and attack speed?) as well as lowering armor. (Top)
Unknown
Spiritual Strength
Skill Group: Unknown.
- Requires: Clvl 10
Max skill points: 6 Mana Cost: None. Passive skill.
Description: Through intense physical and spiritual training, a Guardian can carry much more than a human's strength should allow.
Effect:
- Decrease strength feed by 20.
Analysis: Spiritual Strength reduces the strength requirements to wear heavy (all?) armor, allowing Guardians to equip the highest quality armor without spending so many points in strength. The saved points will most likely wind up in stamina, for the hit point boostj, so you can almost think of this skill as a +life passive. It's not known what more points in this skill will do, but it seems like they must further decrease the strength feed, with no power cost or other attributes to modify. (Top)
Guardian Media
The Blademaster was unveiled at the GDC event in March 2007, and numerous gaming sites provided a paragraph or two on the character in their event coverage. Previews since then have added to our Blademaster knowledge, and they're all listed below. The information found in these has been incorporated into this page, but if you want to see it in the original form, here's your chance.
- IGN @ GDC, March, 2007
- Games Radar @ GDC, March, 2007
- 1up @ GDC, March, 2007
- Gamespy @ GDC, March, 2007
[[category:Templar]] [[category:Classes]]
