What are your thoughts on the Mage archetype? Comment Below! 🟢Follow on Twitch! : twitch.tv/ritchiesh/ Sign up for Ashes of Creation with my referral link!: ashesofcreation.com/r/EPFVAR5T1BQL2RPQ
In fairness rich. We don't have those secondary archetypes yet. We've seen Mage, We've seen Fighter. They aren't trying to re-invent the wheel for the base class. It's about what happens when You mix and match classes. In fairness, the secondary archetypes could end up being not that great and this is all we have to go on. I think outside of that, Your abilities enhancing Your basic attacks, like for example the Mage turning them into whichever element of spell He used last is something worth exploring more. The weapons interacting with the class could be almost like a "secondary" archetype in itself, or supports further customization. That way, You can have Primary/Secondary/Weapon/Racial augments to piece together Your class, which seems to be the bigger picture. I could be wrong! But, My opinion is the base class doesn't need to be super different, it's already gonna get more complicated when they bring the other factors in.
Blood magic is something you'd generally see with a Necromancer or Summoner archetype, not a Mage. A mage generally deals with elemental magic or arcane essence. I agree the Mage archetype is a bit generic but I think that's by design, we have an archetype literally called "Tank" after all. The augment system seems to be where the most drastic character defining changes to the main archetype will be.
Why would you jump to a main class line be that dark with blood magic. That should only be secondary selection like Mage/Summoner. I hope in this area you dont get what you are asking. I do hope Mages get a pass over and updated to the quality of the Bard.
I feel like every archetype is supposed to be... archetypal. It's supposed to be generic, if the most fun generic they can think of. It's the subclasses that are supposed to mix things up. Something they have yet to show off or even talk about to any real degree. At least that was my first impression when I heard about it.
RICHIE WITH ANOTHER BANGERRRRR!!! My issue with mage after playing it too much, is WE DON'T HAVE AN INTERRUPT ANYMOREE!!???!!?!??! What?!?! That's insane. I'd do anything for a kick. Also, on your point of the mage being generic, I actually think it stands out more than other MMO mages. The skills are NOT suppsoed to be picked based on if you want to be Fire/Frost/etc. You're supposed to weave in all the schools at certain times to maximize the dmg. The elemental empowerment mechanic is one of its kind and how you control that makes mage way differnet than the normal hard casting you see in other MMO's. Your elemental empowerment button you press to get rid of your current ones is because in AC you can drop your empowerment to get a large chunk of mana back, which is nice because there's mana issues when AoE'ing for a long time. Also, I like the Ashes Mage does things the same, but different. Like the shatter effect being proc'd off Lightning DMG, rather than Frost. Or weaving different debuffs to proc your Fuse or whatever and the need to watch how many stacks of chilled or Shocked is up before it goes to Freeze/Vol for your burst.
broooo the interrupt is so needed I agree. The way the tree is supposed to eventually work is for it to be a bit more selective which is going to make specializing into specific elements more important. But currently, yes I agree you want/have more freedom to weave between the elements at a higher level, but you aren't really even making those choices until 8/12 with shattered/Thermal Equilibrium. At 25 (grats btw) currently its not much of a choice because you have enough points for all but maybe 2 abilities so you can really break into the fire/frost/shock, but that isn't how the archetype trees are intended to be later on How does dropping your empowerment get you mana back in AC?
@@RitchieSH yes! Big agree. And if you're in AC and drop Empowerment, you get the arcane buff part of it, which is mana. Very very niche use case, but can come in handy. It will show it if you hover over Elemental Empowerment on your buffs under your unit frame.
Does it need to stand out tho ? If it works and is fun to play with and offer you enough versatility to adjust based on your playstyle, then why even compare it to other games ? Who cares.
The reason to take off your elemental empowerment is prismatic beam. If you have no element on your weapon it uses the arcane tree since arcane barrage doesn’t empower your weapon. Also I personally thought the mage abilities felt awesome to press and is a great foundation for however they get augmented by the secondary archetype.
Thank you for making this video...what you have described is exactly my concern with the class, and now knowing that we don't really have dual class abilities but rather modified abilities with the dual class system, i am worried this will make the game classes very shallow.
I really liked how diverse mage was in WoW, besides the classic damage abilities, you had things like mirror image, ritual of refreshment, invisibility, polymorph, spellsteal, molten/frost armor, counterspell, arcane brilliance and many many more. Hopefully they make more utility spells like these, not only for mage but other classes too
Hey Ritchie, passed by you the other day by Meralith and thought “hey I watch that guy on TH-cam!” Haha. Guys I’m playing with love the mage, I think the reason it’s the same or same feeling is because mages historically have been amazing in MMOs and rarely shafted.
I would like to see a darker option for the mage. Health drains, mana steals, curses, or curses would help out. Even some sort of corruption manipulation might be fun to explore.
Hi Ritchie, personally I like how the mage works in this alpha. It feels like a classic mage. I suppose it could be cool in the moment you will chose the secondary archetype to have very different specializations between the way skills work. For example a “Spellshield” with strong defensive skill and Ice barriers or Fog Cloud 😂😂
I couldn't possibly agree more. The early Mage footage from AoC showed the Mage doing a lot of cool sh*t, like levitating, and creating walls, so I was excited to see something like a cool D&D-style Mage, rather than an Elemental damage bot, which is what we got. I tend to play casters, and still plan to roll a Mage when I get in Nov 8th, but nevertheless, really disappointed at the direction. I hope they do a 180, and make the Elemental raw damage stuff a MUCH smaller part of the kit, and make it more like it seemed to be originally intended, with a lot of cool magic abilities, including lifesteals, defensive magic, utility, and the like. And let's bring back levitation please.
There is a purpose for Elemental Empowerment - its not passive. You clear your attunement with it. Look at Prismatic Beam and you'll understand. I'm hoping they introduce more ways to use it but it does have at least one purpose. You can drain a good bit of mana with an arcane Prismatic Beam.
I am not sure this seems like a personal sing because I would assume everyone who wants to play the mage archetype wants it to feel like a mage but also new abilities will be added and stuff will definitely change over time
Instead of the chain lightning attack I wish we could summon a storm of sorts that obscures people visions and applies volatile to any enemy that enters the aoe. I would prefer it to have a longer time around to act as a form of wall
Hard to say, I didnt run into many rangers at a high level, but spec'd right a mage is still packing a punch at 15. I put a lot more into crafting this last test
Im looking forward to the secondary classes, mage-tank has potential to be an aoe monster. Or mage-fighter being a spell sword, or mage rogue with a sneakattack fireball
While I like this as a basic system, I would like some changes. What I personally would like would be something interesting like Mesmer from Guild wars 2. Just something moderately unique and different. Time mage could be cool too by making that route more support focused. Arcane weaponry of some sort. Battlemage. I think some can be achieved with the second archetype stuff but I don't know to what end. I figured it was mostly a "cleric as a secondary will always get only these spells" type stuff for balancing reasons. I'm fine with them focusing on the basic fundamentals first. blood magic has never interested me, personally or "darker" magics.
I agree somewhat, i've already seen the mages. Hoping the archtypes bring major changes like Warlocks/Spellblade/Spell warrior/ Blood Mage/Necormany/Void Mage
you want your mage to use blood and summons? maybe your looking for a Necro... ashes has done something great with mage, the need to spell weave different elements. using air to set chill, then cold to freeze( to CC and double lightning), then fire to stagger( which can proc things from your other spells), then trigger everything with lightning. most mmos have you use 1 maybe 2 elements. here in ashes you really need to use all the elements in different orders to combo peak dps. keep that shatter going :)
Are there earth spells? I feel it is a missed opportunity to not include this element with a higher variety that could make you play a geomancer or something like that.
I would also love to see a branch of the arcane tree that allows you to place a pool of magic that gives a slight boost in healing or something. Maybe mana regeneration
I personally would love to see the snow cone ability get replaced with a giant golem that can either sprint at someone to create a small explosion of chill/freeze or something. Or even one that is slower and just slowly runs around hitting people
I love this critique, and agree 100%. The mage feels good as is, but is severely lacking in originality and should be designed to feel like a mage uniquely from the world of Verra
The best mage I have played was the fanatic class in archeage, wich AOC is very inspired by. I dreamed with this kind of fast pace mage in any other game but due to combat pace in AoC it may get improved but not far from what we have today
I disagree regarding the base class of mage being the traditional mage that everyone expects to have when they pick mage. Stepping away from the elemental mage as a base class would be a huge problem IMO. However, I do agree with you that other types of mages need to be represented - through the secondary archetype system though. And right now, a lot hangs on how they're going to handle the secondary archetypes and whether they will be able to deliver on their unique fantasies or not.
Hey will be playing mage on sat your the first an only mage streamer I've seen I know staffs arnt in yet so could you tell me what is a good main weopen to have an secondary im contemplating wand ,spellbook,or scepter
*Intrepid needs to use their Click+Hold for Mages.* *Like the Healer does, the longer you charge the spell - the more damage it does.* *The Click+Hold should also apply to Blizzard and Meteor too!* *Also, the Wand attacks look pathetic. They need to use the Bolt spell effects for the Wand.*
You can click and hold with lightning strike, but thats about it. I do like the idea of charging some abilities up for more power.. but also click and hold is kinda silly when you can go into game settings and make it a toggle lol I agree, wand attack is meh, i like the wand in tab mode (sucks in action) but it def needs the VFX tune up down the road
If they were to consider a spin like ai sedai weaving auras to call elements or force mechanics it would resonate more with the animation that plays when you select a mage upon login. I know people are big on visual identity and not "glyphing" appearances to change colors and ish but if the light-weaving ai sedai vibe was embraced, being able to choose your mages aura color would be amazing and doesnt seem like it would bend lore/class identity. Magic is often personalized and inspired by the caster. Lvl 0 spell cantrip alone lets mages choose the color of their fireballs etc. I LOVE the light-weaving but see nothing like it in-game, yet. I also think water, earth and air might have been more interesting than the standard ice fire lighting direction. No one else is doing that for casters, mix up the mold!
What do you think happens when you get second class change, zero new skills for 25 levels? I'd think it's safe to assume that this skill set is only till mid game, goes for every class to date. Personally I would rather have the cooler spells saved till late/end game.
The secondary class does not add new abilities, you wont be a mage with cleric abilities.. itll add flavor/changes to what is already in the kit. Those abilities from 26-50 are still just abilities of that core mage archetype, not the secondary.
@@RitchieSH We will see, I don't believe that the augment system will be as basic as stat effects changes. Otherwise you'll end up with a warlock with no familiars, a necro with no curses or blood magic and many other examples looking at the class table but these two specifically no skill similar exists on the base class and would require animation effects which in my mind is enough to be considered a new skill.
Almost all the classes feel like classic classes, Like rangers are pretty much the same as every other ranger in games, fighters look the same as other fighters tank with exception if tank wall also feels same as a tank. There classic classes and that what you kinda expect with bases classes. Seems like they differ slightly from that classic skil set once archtypes are a thing i would say
PvP... Node Wars, Carphin Raid, Tumok Raid, Caravan runs, Crafting.. there is so much more to the *end game* than PvP, plus we will have even more content on 12/20
i think blood magic or curses is a Summoner thing , isnt it ? so maybe we get some on the mage when we can pick the secondary class and choose Summoner.
Augments are more of a flavor though, and doesn't bring new abilities.. while I do think we could see some blood magic/necrotic death visuals with the augments, idk if they will really have a huge impact on how the mage plays overall
You mentioned it in your video. The mage...like all the classes...are in a bare bone state, atm. Also, the archetypes are meant to be "base classes". Emphasis on "base". When class combinations come online, is when we should start to see what you're wanting, in regards to varying class identity. Steven has stated that specc'ing into a subclass, will have a noticeable change to your base class, beyond just cosmetic. We can only hope this is the case. The good thing is, this can all be tested by the community. When we're able to get our hands on class combo'ing, if it feels lackluster, we can let Intrepid know, and they can go from there, depending on the feedback.
Steven has stated that SOME of the specing into a subclass will have noticeable changes while a lot are more for flavor. Augments are not going to create 64 classes like people think they are, while yes some abilities could be changed drastically, at the end of the day your mage is still a mage
@RitchieSH Of course, your base class is going to remain the core of your character. How much a subclass will change said base class (visually/mechanically), is still very much in question. We honestly just don't know, yet, until we get our hands on it. It'll definitely be interesting to see how things shape out.
I don't necessarily agree with your take but I do think a lof of the issues you're having with the archetype will be solved once they implement the class mixing system
I havent played the alpha so I take my opinion with a grain of salt, but it seems to me mages have little identity, casting frost lightning and fire spells with no apparent synergy (maybe there is, just feels that way from an outside perspective). Game looks cooler every test though, I'm sure it'll get better
He was level 12 during recording. He doesn’t have his full kit, he doesn’t understand all the combos. Mage is fine I promise, I got to level 19, the class feels great.
Early WoW mage is generic too, if I'm remembering it. Maybe level 22ish it starts getting interesting. That said, people and especially streamers should get their constructive criticism in asap, as you are doing. No better time for AoC to start spicing it up than now. I'm sure you know but for anyone else, they are tuning the core abilities now.
@@RitchieSHAs you said though, where is the blood magic. I didn't hear that part yet. Another ability from Dragon Age that I liked, Storm of the Century but that's an advanced morph or whatever it was called. This spell was crazy if you ever observe it. Mixing lightning, blizzards and fire.
Instead of the lava circle I would love to be able to summon one giant ass lava blob that separates into dozens of smaller blobs that latch onto people applying a debuff of sorts
You're trolling right? You know augmenting your magic with blood or shadow for example would be a secondary class and the real customization comes level => 26.
Augmenting are more flavor than anything, just tweak existing spells. They dont add new abilities. Im not talking about my frost bolt looking like blood and changing how it spreads out that damage, im talking about the core kit of abilities that the mage archetype has
I can’t disagree more, got to level 19 on the mage, felt the spells and class overall felt super good and looked really nice, ball of lightning is stunning and prismatic beam with all 3 elements is beautiful. Secondary archetypes will give more leeway for you to choose your own style but currently the “standard” mage feels great and definitely has some uniqueness to it. Also being level 12, not having your full kit or understanding it is definitely what’s adding to you not liking the mage’s kit, probably play a bit more so you can understand the class fully and see all of its abilities/combos
I've played the mage since the beginning of July in the Pre-A2 testing. I have had numerous tests of a level 25 mage including one on the PTR right now. Just because i used a single set of videos from B-Roll doesn't mean i haven't experienced the full kit. Augments aren't giving you new abilities, they aren't creating a new class in the definition of WoW, they add flavor and augments that will change up some abilities, but at its Core the mage is still the mage. Class identity needs to be a thing with the primary archetypes, yes you can combo your elements in some instances tying in your basic weapon attack, but at its core the mage kit is lacking, its a copy paste of most other mage abilities with the exception of 1 or 2, with a few combos tied into it. That is the point of the video that you seemed to miss. Chain Lightning, Fireball, Fireblast, Blink, Cone of Cold, Blizzard, Lightning strike, Arcane Volley, Combust, Shell... its the same kit every other mage has. There is no unique identity to it right now. There is nothing that makes the AoC mage stand out compared to any other MMORPG. Developers need to innovate, not keep printing the same thing over and over. Elemental Combos are a step in the right direction but they dont define the core kit.
Hopefully, this isn't an overall class design issue. Maybe they created too many sub specialties which ended up spreading individual class abilities thin.
@RitchieSH In some weird way this can be a good thing because that means classes will be more specialized. I don't want a game like WoW where everyone can do everything. How many WoW classes now have a version of blink for example? I always preferred the DAoC class design of rock, paper, scisoors. Sure, it sucks having very little chance versus your anti-class, but this type of design works great in larger group combat where everyone has a role or two. If you solo or duo with a friend, you will have plenty of weaknesses others can exploit.
flavors is the key word. Secondaries aren't going to reinvent the archetype, just add flavor. They can still make it feel like a mage while coming up with their own unique take on it
Leave my passive color effects alone pls. I LOVE my magical arrows and glowy weapons outside of combat. YES AI SEDAI PLS. I would like more (blue) force spells and arcane mechanics than fire ice lightning. I am already likely gimping my build to avoid fire but I’m a simp for blue aesthetics. They’ve already nerfed the blue on frost spells and arcane volley by turning it purple. I think blood makes sense too.
Nah, i disagree. The AoC mage made me feel really manipulating elements. The interaction between debuff of each element works great and i enjoyed playing with it
Weird complaints. I'd be more confused if the standard mage started with.... blood magic? The mage archetype comes with expectations. In MOST fantasies, a mage uses a wide variety of magic, elemental magic being one of the most fundamental and standard ones. The mage abilities look and sounds amazing already. You know very well the different unique archetypes will come with secondary classes. So what are you even complaining about? What should a basic mage look like to you? Because a basic mage being blood themed doesnt really make sense as that's something you usually specialize in. Also you complain they dont do anything "unique" with the class. Well neither are they (so far) with ranger or fighter from the looks of it. Its typical ranger/hunter/archer and typical fighter/warrior archetypes, because that's the point lol. Specialized augments/classes is obviously coming in the secondary class system. I get that you're trying to make AoC content, but this feel like it was made for the sheer purpose of making content.
I disagree completely with the part about the mage being generic. You are playing a boring mage, b/c you built your mage to be boring. I play full melee oriented mage and I do just fine in pvp and pve. Idk why people just make generic builds and then assume the class wont feel generic lol.
I don't think your ideas make the mage any better or worse, just different. When I play a mage, I expect that mage to be a mage. I'd rather them be concerned with a thousand things first
@@RitchieSH You were level 12 what do you mean lmao. You actually don’t have your full kit at level 12. I didn’t see a single triple elemental prismatic beam during this video, do you even understand the class fully yet? Because when placing arcane circle you can gather all your elements and then shoot a 3 layer prismatic beam also can enchant someone’s magic with all 3 elements. You are giving a review on a class you don’t fully understand.
@JEROBI37 except for that's not the intended design. That is all place holder. You are not going to be able to spec into every single ability and every single passive on your skill tree like you can now at 25. You're tree is going to want you too choose certain paths and become more proficient in certain elements, aka frost mage, fire mage, lightning and weave between a few of them if the points allow. Yes you can place arcane circle and gather your elements.. 1 ability out of an entire archetype that is merely the same copy paste abilities that every other mage has. You seemed to have played for 5 days and decided this this is how the mage is going to be without understanding the end goal Intrepid has. The point is giving the mage identity that stands above other MMOs. Arcane circle alone wont do that for you.
@@RitchieSHgather elements for a mage is unique maybe not an arcane circle as a buff? But what about ball of lightning? What about prismatic beam, to me these are unique. Again in the video you are level 12 and not showing the whole classes kit or combos. If you showed a triple elemental beam and said it wasn’t unique I would just call you crazy, you could compare it to maybe a shaman in wow but as a mage I definitely thought it had flare to it. You know the future bud? Im just saying you got not even close to 50% done leveling the mage to max in the alpha, I don’t expect you to understand everything but if you are going to make a review video you should probably get a better understanding of how to play the class. Like you seem to know what intrepid is going to do and how they are going to design the class and you are sure of it but then you don’t know half the combos on a class you sinked countless hours into? Its seems very silly to me I just don’t believe you when you tell me you know the future but also don’t know how to play your class fully yet lmao.
@JEROBO37 after following the game for 7 years yes. I do know the intent behind the design. Go spend some time on the wiki and actually understand the game?
Mage player here.....100% agree!!!! I wish they had a Dark Mage or a Blood Mage.... I hate the generic fire, ice, and lightning. Even Diablo has the same mage. Also, not a big fan of the wand especially when a spell short bow outshines the wand/focus combo . I do not feel like a mage with a bow equipped. I really hope they go a different direction!!!
Hey Ritchie, passed by you the other day by Meralith and thought “hey I watch that guy on TH-cam!” Haha. Guys I’m playing with love the mage, I think the reason it’s the same or same feeling is because mages historically have been amazing in MMOs and rarely shafted.
What are your thoughts on the Mage archetype? Comment Below!
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You must not be synergizing with your team
In fairness rich. We don't have those secondary archetypes yet. We've seen Mage, We've seen Fighter. They aren't trying to re-invent the wheel for the base class. It's about what happens when You mix and match classes. In fairness, the secondary archetypes could end up being not that great and this is all we have to go on. I think outside of that, Your abilities enhancing Your basic attacks, like for example the Mage turning them into whichever element of spell He used last is something worth exploring more. The weapons interacting with the class could be almost like a "secondary" archetype in itself, or supports further customization. That way, You can have Primary/Secondary/Weapon/Racial augments to piece together Your class, which seems to be the bigger picture. I could be wrong! But, My opinion is the base class doesn't need to be super different, it's already gonna get more complicated when they bring the other factors in.
I feel like this is how it should be and the subclass is how u will make it less like a vanilla mage
Blood magic is something you'd generally see with a Necromancer or Summoner archetype, not a Mage. A mage generally deals with elemental magic or arcane essence. I agree the Mage archetype is a bit generic but I think that's by design, we have an archetype literally called "Tank" after all. The augment system seems to be where the most drastic character defining changes to the main archetype will be.
Yes. Blood magic and the Mage class are incompatible.
Nah, disagree with you on this one. The mage looks good and the augments from secondary classes you pick will spice it up nicely.
Why would you jump to a main class line be that dark with blood magic. That should only be secondary selection like Mage/Summoner. I hope in this area you dont get what you are asking. I do hope Mages get a pass over and updated to the quality of the Bard.
this video felt troll lol, he knows darn well that would be an augment from a secondary class.
I feel like every archetype is supposed to be... archetypal. It's supposed to be generic, if the most fun generic they can think of. It's the subclasses that are supposed to mix things up. Something they have yet to show off or even talk about to any real degree. At least that was my first impression when I heard about it.
Good take. People want innovation in archetype identity.
Could be worse. Could be called tank 😏
those damn tanks
RICHIE WITH ANOTHER BANGERRRRR!!! My issue with mage after playing it too much, is WE DON'T HAVE AN INTERRUPT ANYMOREE!!???!!?!??! What?!?! That's insane. I'd do anything for a kick. Also, on your point of the mage being generic, I actually think it stands out more than other MMO mages. The skills are NOT suppsoed to be picked based on if you want to be Fire/Frost/etc. You're supposed to weave in all the schools at certain times to maximize the dmg. The elemental empowerment mechanic is one of its kind and how you control that makes mage way differnet than the normal hard casting you see in other MMO's. Your elemental empowerment button you press to get rid of your current ones is because in AC you can drop your empowerment to get a large chunk of mana back, which is nice because there's mana issues when AoE'ing for a long time.
Also, I like the Ashes Mage does things the same, but different. Like the shatter effect being proc'd off Lightning DMG, rather than Frost. Or weaving different debuffs to proc your Fuse or whatever and the need to watch how many stacks of chilled or Shocked is up before it goes to Freeze/Vol for your burst.
broooo the interrupt is so needed I agree. The way the tree is supposed to eventually work is for it to be a bit more selective which is going to make specializing into specific elements more important. But currently, yes I agree you want/have more freedom to weave between the elements at a higher level, but you aren't really even making those choices until 8/12 with shattered/Thermal Equilibrium. At 25 (grats btw) currently its not much of a choice because you have enough points for all but maybe 2 abilities so you can really break into the fire/frost/shock, but that isn't how the archetype trees are intended to be later on
How does dropping your empowerment get you mana back in AC?
@@RitchieSH yes! Big agree. And if you're in AC and drop Empowerment, you get the arcane buff part of it, which is mana. Very very niche use case, but can come in handy. It will show it if you hover over Elemental Empowerment on your buffs under your unit frame.
Does it need to stand out tho ? If it works and is fun to play with and offer you enough versatility to adjust based on your playstyle, then why even compare it to other games ? Who cares.
The reason to take off your elemental empowerment is prismatic beam. If you have no element on your weapon it uses the arcane tree since arcane barrage doesn’t empower your weapon.
Also I personally thought the mage abilities felt awesome to press and is a great foundation for however they get augmented by the secondary archetype.
Thank you for making this video...what you have described is exactly my concern with the class, and now knowing that we don't really have dual class abilities but rather modified abilities with the dual class system, i am worried this will make the game classes very shallow.
I really liked how diverse mage was in WoW, besides the classic damage abilities, you had things like mirror image, ritual of refreshment, invisibility, polymorph, spellsteal, molten/frost armor, counterspell, arcane brilliance and many many more. Hopefully they make more utility spells like these, not only for mage but other classes too
there were a couple earth abilities mentioned - an earth mage would be cool too.
they should definitely go deeper on each type of mage being offered
Interesting take on the mage, well done buddy!
Hey Ritchie, passed by you the other day by Meralith and thought “hey I watch that guy on TH-cam!” Haha. Guys I’m playing with love the mage, I think the reason it’s the same or same feeling is because mages historically have been amazing in MMOs and rarely shafted.
Though I really like the mage we have this is a very great point. I hope this video is the starting domino for an amazing mage
I would like to see a darker option for the mage. Health drains, mana steals, curses, or curses would help out. Even some sort of corruption manipulation might be fun to explore.
would that not be a warlock thou ?
That's what secondary augments are for based on what class you pair it with.
Hi Ritchie, personally I like how the mage works in this alpha. It feels like a classic mage. I suppose it could be cool in the moment you will chose the secondary archetype to have very different specializations between the way skills work. For example a “Spellshield” with strong defensive skill and Ice barriers or Fog Cloud 😂😂
I couldn't possibly agree more. The early Mage footage from AoC showed the Mage doing a lot of cool sh*t, like levitating, and creating walls, so I was excited to see something like a cool D&D-style Mage, rather than an Elemental damage bot, which is what we got. I tend to play casters, and still plan to roll a Mage when I get in Nov 8th, but nevertheless, really disappointed at the direction.
I hope they do a 180, and make the Elemental raw damage stuff a MUCH smaller part of the kit, and make it more like it seemed to be originally intended, with a lot of cool magic abilities, including lifesteals, defensive magic, utility, and the like. And let's bring back levitation please.
Agreed 100%
That's what secondary augments are for based on what class you pair it with.
There is a purpose for Elemental Empowerment - its not passive. You clear your attunement with it. Look at Prismatic Beam and you'll understand. I'm hoping they introduce more ways to use it but it does have at least one purpose. You can drain a good bit of mana with an arcane Prismatic Beam.
Haven't played other classes so far, but loving the mage as it is for now. Guess we'll see how it pans out as development/secondary class comes along!
I am not sure this seems like a personal sing because I would assume everyone who wants to play the mage archetype wants it to feel like a mage but also new abilities will be added and stuff will definitely change over time
Instead of the chain lightning attack I wish we could summon a storm of sorts that obscures people visions and applies volatile to any enemy that enters the aoe. I would prefer it to have a longer time around to act as a form of wall
How do u think a mage should be?
What's your opinion on Single Target DPS in Mage? After this weekend where people hit +20 some people say that Ranger has more Single Target Damage.
Hard to say, I didnt run into many rangers at a high level, but spec'd right a mage is still packing a punch at 15. I put a lot more into crafting this last test
@@RitchieSH I saw rangers doing 1.5k-2.5k crits.
Im looking forward to the secondary classes, mage-tank has potential to be an aoe monster. Or mage-fighter being a spell sword, or mage rogue with a sneakattack fireball
While I like this as a basic system, I would like some changes. What I personally would like would be something interesting like Mesmer from Guild wars 2. Just something moderately unique and different. Time mage could be cool too by making that route more support focused. Arcane weaponry of some sort. Battlemage. I think some can be achieved with the second archetype stuff but I don't know to what end. I figured it was mostly a "cleric as a secondary will always get only these spells" type stuff for balancing reasons. I'm fine with them focusing on the basic fundamentals first. blood magic has never interested me, personally or "darker" magics.
I agree somewhat, i've already seen the mages. Hoping the archtypes bring major changes like Warlocks/Spellblade/Spell warrior/ Blood Mage/Necormany/Void Mage
you want your mage to use blood and summons? maybe your looking for a Necro... ashes has done something great with mage, the need to spell weave different elements. using air to set chill, then cold to freeze( to CC and double lightning), then fire to stagger( which can proc things from your other spells), then trigger everything with lightning. most mmos have you use 1 maybe 2 elements. here in ashes you really need to use all the elements in different orders to combo peak dps. keep that shatter going :)
Love this mate I agree mage is my go to. I’d love different paths got ashes mages
Are there earth spells? I feel it is a missed opportunity to not include this element with a higher variety that could make you play a geomancer or something like that.
I agree and it's why I'm hoping they do something special with the Summoner.
I think with Augmentation you will see this. I put akin to your basically a new magic wielder learning the ropes first 25 levels.
I would also love to see a branch of the arcane tree that allows you to place a pool of magic that gives a slight boost in healing or something. Maybe mana regeneration
I personally would love to see the snow cone ability get replaced with a giant golem that can either sprint at someone to create a small explosion of chill/freeze or something. Or even one that is slower and just slowly runs around hitting people
this would be pretty bad ass
@ RIGHT 👌
I love this critique, and agree 100%. The mage feels good as is, but is severely lacking in originality and should be designed to feel like a mage uniquely from the world of Verra
The best mage I have played was the fanatic class in archeage, wich AOC is very inspired by. I dreamed with this kind of fast pace mage in any other game but due to combat pace in AoC it may get improved but not far from what we have today
I disagree regarding the base class of mage being the traditional mage that everyone expects to have when they pick mage. Stepping away from the elemental mage as a base class would be a huge problem IMO. However, I do agree with you that other types of mages need to be represented - through the secondary archetype system though. And right now, a lot hangs on how they're going to handle the secondary archetypes and whether they will be able to deliver on their unique fantasies or not.
a car still a car, no matter the brand you choose.
unless its a cybertruck.. then its a trash can
Hey will be playing mage on sat your the first an only mage streamer I've seen I know staffs arnt in yet so could you tell me what is a good main weopen to have an secondary im contemplating wand ,spellbook,or scepter
Depends on the stats really. Right now I’m rocking a bow and a 2H sword 😂 it’s wild but they both have great magic stats
Oh really lol is it just because those weopens atm are higher until you get a wand or spellbook or is it just best in your opinion atm
I did see in the ashes codex there was a good 2h sword but also a great spell book
I’m happy it’s classic style mage. I’d love wow mage reskinned in diff game.
*Intrepid needs to use their Click+Hold for Mages.*
*Like the Healer does, the longer you charge the spell - the more damage it does.*
*The Click+Hold should also apply to Blizzard and Meteor too!*
*Also, the Wand attacks look pathetic. They need to use the Bolt spell effects for the Wand.*
You can click and hold with lightning strike, but thats about it. I do like the idea of charging some abilities up for more power.. but also click and hold is kinda silly when you can go into game settings and make it a toggle lol
I agree, wand attack is meh, i like the wand in tab mode (sucks in action) but it def needs the VFX tune up down the road
If they were to consider a spin like ai sedai weaving auras to call elements or force mechanics it would resonate more with the animation that plays when you select a mage upon login. I know people are big on visual identity and not "glyphing" appearances to change colors and ish but if the light-weaving ai sedai vibe was embraced, being able to choose your mages aura color would be amazing and doesnt seem like it would bend lore/class identity. Magic is often personalized and inspired by the caster. Lvl 0 spell cantrip alone lets mages choose the color of their fireballs etc. I LOVE the light-weaving but see nothing like it in-game, yet. I also think water, earth and air might have been more interesting than the standard ice fire lighting direction. No one else is doing that for casters, mix up the mold!
What do you think happens when you get second class change, zero new skills for 25 levels? I'd think it's safe to assume that this skill set is only till mid game, goes for every class to date. Personally I would rather have the cooler spells saved till late/end game.
The secondary class does not add new abilities, you wont be a mage with cleric abilities.. itll add flavor/changes to what is already in the kit. Those abilities from 26-50 are still just abilities of that core mage archetype, not the secondary.
@@RitchieSH We will see, I don't believe that the augment system will be as basic as stat effects changes. Otherwise you'll end up with a warlock with no familiars, a necro with no curses or blood magic and many other examples looking at the class table but these two specifically no skill similar exists on the base class and would require animation effects which in my mind is enough to be considered a new skill.
Almost all the classes feel like classic classes, Like rangers are pretty much the same as every other ranger in games, fighters look the same as other fighters tank with exception if tank wall also feels same as a tank. There classic classes and that what you kinda expect with bases classes.
Seems like they differ slightly from that classic skil set once archtypes are a thing i would say
would like to see earth, nature and wind abilities added
So now, pvp for rest of alpha? DAMN FUN! You can do the same thing in every MMO out there!
PvP... Node Wars, Carphin Raid, Tumok Raid, Caravan runs, Crafting.. there is so much more to the *end game* than PvP, plus we will have even more content on 12/20
i said this then they did the show case i was not wanting a mage that did what every other mage iv played does
i think blood magic or curses is a Summoner thing , isnt it ? so maybe we get some on the mage when we can pick the secondary class and choose Summoner.
Augments are more of a flavor though, and doesn't bring new abilities.. while I do think we could see some blood magic/necrotic death visuals with the augments, idk if they will really have a huge impact on how the mage plays overall
You mentioned it in your video. The mage...like all the classes...are in a bare bone state, atm. Also, the archetypes are meant to be "base classes". Emphasis on "base". When class combinations come online, is when we should start to see what you're wanting, in regards to varying class identity. Steven has stated that specc'ing into a subclass, will have a noticeable change to your base class, beyond just cosmetic. We can only hope this is the case.
The good thing is, this can all be tested by the community. When we're able to get our hands on class combo'ing, if it feels lackluster, we can let Intrepid know, and they can go from there, depending on the feedback.
He was level 12 and didn’t have his full kit, the mage is fine.
Steven has stated that SOME of the specing into a subclass will have noticeable changes while a lot are more for flavor. Augments are not going to create 64 classes like people think they are, while yes some abilities could be changed drastically, at the end of the day your mage is still a mage
@RitchieSH Of course, your base class is going to remain the core of your character. How much a subclass will change said base class (visually/mechanically), is still very much in question. We honestly just don't know, yet, until we get our hands on it. It'll definitely be interesting to see how things shape out.
I don't necessarily agree with your take but I do think a lof of the issues you're having with the archetype will be solved once they implement the class mixing system
you were cooking until you said they should biff mages xD
I havent played the alpha so I take my opinion with a grain of salt, but it seems to me mages have little identity, casting frost lightning and fire spells with no apparent synergy (maybe there is, just feels that way from an outside perspective).
Game looks cooler every test though, I'm sure it'll get better
He was level 12 during recording. He doesn’t have his full kit, he doesn’t understand all the combos. Mage is fine I promise, I got to level 19, the class feels great.
Early WoW mage is generic too, if I'm remembering it. Maybe level 22ish it starts getting interesting. That said, people and especially streamers should get their constructive criticism in asap, as you are doing. No better time for AoC to start spicing it up than now.
I'm sure you know but for anyone else, they are tuning the core abilities now.
100% agree, get it in while they are focused on the feedback and have the time to make changes!
@@RitchieSHAs you said though, where is the blood magic. I didn't hear that part yet. Another ability from Dragon Age that I liked, Storm of the Century but that's an advanced morph or whatever it was called. This spell was crazy if you ever observe it. Mixing lightning, blizzards and fire.
I didn't know there was a twerking bug.
lolololololol
Once they add the 2nd subclasses it should change that
sub classes are more flavor than anything, just tweak existing ones. They dont add new abilities
Instead of the lava circle I would love to be able to summon one giant ass lava blob that separates into dozens of smaller blobs that latch onto people applying a debuff of sorts
You're trolling right? You know augmenting your magic with blood or shadow for example would be a secondary class and the real customization comes level => 26.
Augmenting are more flavor than anything, just tweak existing spells. They dont add new abilities. Im not talking about my frost bolt looking like blood and changing how it spreads out that damage, im talking about the core kit of abilities that the mage archetype has
I can’t disagree more, got to level 19 on the mage, felt the spells and class overall felt super good and looked really nice, ball of lightning is stunning and prismatic beam with all 3 elements is beautiful. Secondary archetypes will give more leeway for you to choose your own style but currently the “standard” mage feels great and definitely has some uniqueness to it. Also being level 12, not having your full kit or understanding it is definitely what’s adding to you not liking the mage’s kit, probably play a bit more so you can understand the class fully and see all of its abilities/combos
I've played the mage since the beginning of July in the Pre-A2 testing. I have had numerous tests of a level 25 mage including one on the PTR right now. Just because i used a single set of videos from B-Roll doesn't mean i haven't experienced the full kit.
Augments aren't giving you new abilities, they aren't creating a new class in the definition of WoW, they add flavor and augments that will change up some abilities, but at its Core the mage is still the mage. Class identity needs to be a thing with the primary archetypes, yes you can combo your elements in some instances tying in your basic weapon attack, but at its core the mage kit is lacking, its a copy paste of most other mage abilities with the exception of 1 or 2, with a few combos tied into it. That is the point of the video that you seemed to miss. Chain Lightning, Fireball, Fireblast, Blink, Cone of Cold, Blizzard, Lightning strike, Arcane Volley, Combust, Shell... its the same kit every other mage has. There is no unique identity to it right now. There is nothing that makes the AoC mage stand out compared to any other MMORPG. Developers need to innovate, not keep printing the same thing over and over. Elemental Combos are a step in the right direction but they dont define the core kit.
I don't like that they can't specialize in one element. I want my frost character.
Nah, I think mage is fine. Just wait for the secondary class to see what happens first
Hopefully, this isn't an overall class design issue.
Maybe they created too many sub specialties which ended up spreading individual class abilities thin.
It definitely seems like an overall class design issue... I don't see how it couldn't be.
The earlier archetypes definitely need some love (tank, mage, ranger) where I feel the bard, fighter, and cleric are much more fleshed out
@RitchieSH
In some weird way this can be a good thing because that means classes will be more specialized. I don't want a game like WoW where everyone can do everything. How many WoW classes now have a version of blink for example? I always preferred the DAoC class design of rock, paper, scisoors. Sure, it sucks having very little chance versus your anti-class, but this type of design works great in larger group combat where everyone has a role or two. If you solo or duo with a friend, you will have plenty of weaknesses others can exploit.
Alpha is lvl 25 and you cannot combine with other class so its basic not enchanted. If you like regular mage you go mage mage later.
Maybe you forgot that still have +7 mages flavors to come... It would be weird if you played a mage/mage archetype and didn't feel like a mage...
flavors is the key word. Secondaries aren't going to reinvent the archetype, just add flavor. They can still make it feel like a mage while coming up with their own unique take on it
Blood magic? Nahh. Far better examples like geomancy etc... Blood magic suck. Not a vampire game.
Blood Magic surrounding mages already in the lore my friend
Leave my passive color effects alone pls. I LOVE my magical arrows and glowy weapons outside of combat. YES AI SEDAI PLS. I would like more (blue) force spells and arcane mechanics than fire ice lightning. I am already likely gimping my build to avoid fire but I’m a simp for blue aesthetics. They’ve already nerfed the blue on frost spells and arcane volley by turning it purple.
I think blood makes sense too.
Was real mad to realize grit doesn’t stay blue but I’m okay with it since I toggle it on and off enough to see the aura all the time anyway.
Nah, i disagree. The AoC mage made me feel really manipulating elements. The interaction between debuff of each element works great and i enjoyed playing with it
i dont want a mage i want a vampire
V rising is a great game
Weird complaints. I'd be more confused if the standard mage started with.... blood magic? The mage archetype comes with expectations. In MOST fantasies, a mage uses a wide variety of magic, elemental magic being one of the most fundamental and standard ones.
The mage abilities look and sounds amazing already. You know very well the different unique archetypes will come with secondary classes. So what are you even complaining about? What should a basic mage look like to you? Because a basic mage being blood themed doesnt really make sense as that's something you usually specialize in.
Also you complain they dont do anything "unique" with the class. Well neither are they (so far) with ranger or fighter from the looks of it. Its typical ranger/hunter/archer and typical fighter/warrior archetypes, because that's the point lol.
Specialized augments/classes is obviously coming in the secondary class system. I get that you're trying to make AoC content, but this feel like it was made for the sheer purpose of making content.
i like the mage.
I think that your point with blood magic and curses will be added as a new class.
Like a summoner, would make perfect sense
I disagree completely with the part about the mage being generic. You are playing a boring mage, b/c you built your mage to be boring. I play full melee oriented mage and I do just fine in pvp and pve. Idk why people just make generic builds and then assume the class wont feel generic lol.
Mage is strong as hell but man is it so god dam boring to play i really hope the other classes to come are not like this tbh
if the bard is an example of the rogue and summoner depth, i think we will be fine.. but those older ones definitely need some TLC
What a weird complaint
would you rather a game give you the same archetype over and over with the same abilities or innovate on it and make it better?
I don't think your ideas make the mage any better or worse, just different. When I play a mage, I expect that mage to be a mage. I'd rather them be concerned with a thousand things first
Love you Ritchie but feel like this is an L take. Mage looks hot AF
But if it's not broken then don't fix it
but its incomplete so it gonna be fixed anyways lol
@@RitchieSH You were level 12 what do you mean lmao. You actually don’t have your full kit at level 12. I didn’t see a single triple elemental prismatic beam during this video, do you even understand the class fully yet? Because when placing arcane circle you can gather all your elements and then shoot a 3 layer prismatic beam also can enchant someone’s magic with all 3 elements. You are giving a review on a class you don’t fully understand.
@JEROBI37 except for that's not the intended design. That is all place holder. You are not going to be able to spec into every single ability and every single passive on your skill tree like you can now at 25. You're tree is going to want you too choose certain paths and become more proficient in certain elements, aka frost mage, fire mage, lightning and weave between a few of them if the points allow. Yes you can place arcane circle and gather your elements.. 1 ability out of an entire archetype that is merely the same copy paste abilities that every other mage has. You seemed to have played for 5 days and decided this this is how the mage is going to be without understanding the end goal Intrepid has. The point is giving the mage identity that stands above other MMOs. Arcane circle alone wont do that for you.
@@RitchieSHgather elements for a mage is unique maybe not an arcane circle as a buff? But what about ball of lightning? What about prismatic beam, to me these are unique. Again in the video you are level 12 and not showing the whole classes kit or combos. If you showed a triple elemental beam and said it wasn’t unique I would just call you crazy, you could compare it to maybe a shaman in wow but as a mage I definitely thought it had flare to it. You know the future bud? Im just saying you got not even close to 50% done leveling the mage to max in the alpha, I don’t expect you to understand everything but if you are going to make a review video you should probably get a better understanding of how to play the class. Like you seem to know what intrepid is going to do and how they are going to design the class and you are sure of it but then you don’t know half the combos on a class you sinked countless hours into? Its seems very silly to me I just don’t believe you when you tell me you know the future but also don’t know how to play your class fully yet lmao.
@JEROBO37 after following the game for 7 years yes. I do know the intent behind the design. Go spend some time on the wiki and actually understand the game?
Mages are trash, TANKS FTW!!!!
i dont think this is a problem don't forget you get a subclass eventually
I enjoy mage, its not boring, I think simple is fine
Mage player here.....100% agree!!!! I wish they had a Dark Mage or a Blood Mage.... I hate the generic fire, ice, and lightning. Even Diablo has the same mage. Also, not a big fan of the wand especially when a spell short bow outshines the wand/focus combo . I do not feel like a mage with a bow equipped. I really hope they go a different direction!!!
Hey Ritchie, passed by you the other day by Meralith and thought “hey I watch that guy on TH-cam!” Haha. Guys I’m playing with love the mage, I think the reason it’s the same or same feeling is because mages historically have been amazing in MMOs and rarely shafted.