I want to add more diversity to weapons builds since we don’t have a way to use lost scrolls (like pulsar and axe slash)
Offhands
Create an offhand slot for daggers and shields which can be equipped along side single handed weapons. Or, out of the 3 weapon slots, allow users to select a slot as an offhand slot (or turn it off if not need). An offhand will automatically equip when an viable weapon is selected alongside it. You cannot select more than one off hand slot at a time.
Offhand weapons will have their own key binds the same way magics can have up to 7 different spells. This will allow for users to access multiple skill sets at the same time. For example being able to use shield throw and any other shield related abilities whilst also using a sword.
Now you may be thinking, players can switch weapons it’s not necessary. That’s where offhand stats come in. Shields will provide defensive bonuses as well as be used to block when used an off hand without needing to be switched on. Defensive bonuses could be +5% damage reduction,
daggers will provide offensive bonuses and attacking with a dagger + sword will result in faster m1s. An example of an offensive bonus would be +5 power when equipped.
Different off hands can provide different bonuses (and off hand only bonuses which can only be activated when equipped as an offhand.
Double imbuements:
This is the bread and butter of the suggestion. Off hands will be able to be imbued for conjurers and hence allowing a user to fight with 2 elements simultaneously.
Furthermore weapons like dual swords will be able to have different imbuement in each sword to allow for instant synergies when attacking (a dual sword double slash will do 2 different magic slashes or mirrored edge will have 2 different magic streams). As a result attacks like mirrors edge will need to be changed in order to provide 2 hits to account for each side of the slash.
This is a pretty ambitious suggestion so I’m happy to take an feedback or changes.
Half the keyboard is already used, adding more keybinds might be tricky.
Some weapons bring able to have different imbuements might be a bit too overpowered, as some surgeries are very power because they’re hard to trigger, and this makes it significantly easier.
keybinds:
Weapons use 5 abilities as we can see at most (at least up to rare weapons)
off hands will only be able to use 2 of their skills therefore giving a benefit to players who may prefer to main hand it instead to use their full move set.
imbuement:
For dual imbuements (like the dual sword example) this can be a high level feature because I don’t see why not down the line.
As for having an imbued off hand the difference would be that you cannot do both attacks at the same time such as dual swords. Also using a skill from one weapon will put a small cooldown on the off hand to prevent this. Finally this would be a 2nd awakening feature because conjurers don’t have a 2nd magic until then anyways.
I think this would be better off as a warrior exclusive, with arcanium weapons and conjurer already getting 2 magics, you could manage to effectively have 4 different magics and abuse the interaction effects heavily
Example: ash + explosion, then water + lighting gives you multiple damage boosting effects plus 2 stuns.
I think offhands will be too op because they give bonuses + double imbuements so they need some nerf like if you have dagger offhand your block is 5% less effective and shield offhand slows you down by 5%
that could work, as for double imbuements (for off hands) it would be fine since it’s not like you can use 2 weapon abilities at the same time. It would be a faster way of using one weapon ability and then switching to a 2nd weapon but with the limitation of being only daggers/shields.
Applying 4 different magics requires to hit your opponent 4 times with a different weapon each time. I think you’re overestimating the practicality considering dagger abilities aren’t even all that easy to hit.
Also you cannot stun someone more than once in within 10 seconds I believe there’s a mechanic to stop it from happening. Furthermore, this is all post 2nd awakening examples and by then there would be major additions to each class most likely. Conjurer looks cool but its just a weaker warrior.
Stuns are not currently sharing cooldowns, thats a future update as far as i know. I know that you still need to hit them 4 times but giving an already powerful class access to double the magics its supposed to have is a bit too powerful.
I have an idea in reserve just exactly like this, so I’ll give my ten cents.
The offhand weapon should be purely defensive and instead give bonuses to blocking and parrying.
Like:
Dagger/Gun - High risk, High reward
Low Damage reduction, Blocking and parrying are much faster. Upon a successful parry, the attack is countered with a counter-strike and the enemy suffers a damage penalty in the form of a thrown dagger or a lethal shot
Cloak - Identifying the perfect opportunity
An imbued piece of fabric, Blocking allows you to blunt attacks through catching and throwing away most of it’s force. While a successful parry allows you to send back the attack in the form of which it hits you.
Oh yh that one would probably be too OP until maybe once we become extremely powerful lore wise and post 2nd awakening technique. Like a technique learned in the later seas by through a master quest.
The magic imbuement is pretty lack lustre though. Now as you said they are being buffed BECAUSE it is lack lustre but that doesn’t mean it can’t get something new.
However your previous suggestion of making off hands a warrior exclusive would be a nice middle ground. Although, that would remove all the fun and creative possibilities for imbued weapon fighting.
The off hand (for conjurers) would take a weapon slot up as I stated. Also even without an off hand ingame conjurers can get 4 magics anyways. 1st, magic, 2nd magic, poison dagger, sunken sword. So I’m not understanding that previous argument of having 4 magics since it’s already possible and the off hand would just give passive buffs and allow to use a secondary weapon like a dagger faster.