Hey all. I know I haven’t shown my face here in a while, and I hope a few of ya’ll have missed me. This is gunna be a pretty huge rant on my predictions for how Arcane Odyssey’s PvP will evolve, why the current state of PvP is so unenjoyable compared to the release era, and why that’ll all be okay in the end.
Buckle up, this is gunna be a long one.
- Foreword: PvP in the Arcane Series -
Thought it may have been unintentional, Vetex has without a doubt created and iterated on one of the most inherently unique combat experiences I’ve ever played. Combining the mechanical skills of movement and aim, the resource management of stamina and energy, the intuition of prediction and counterplay, all based around the core systems of WASD, T-jump, and endlag, is nothing short of an unmatched experience, for better or for worse.
As it has no compatriots in its extremely niche genre of combat, from Arcane Adventures to World of Magic to the present, the series’ player vs. player combat has always been extremely hard for newcomers to the scene to grasp and master. This is a double-edged sword; with PvP being the primary form of player retention the series possesses, a stagnant scene is not a good impetus for growth. At the same time, those who are willing to invest the time and effort to succeed are in for a completely peerless experience, and I don’t think there’s much out there that can compare to that feeling.
Skill has always been at the forefront in the series’ PvP. Of course, it has wavered from time to time. Legendary Weapons from Arcane Adventures and Mage on AO’s release come to mind, but there was always outplay potential from truly versed opponents.
Arcane Odyssey will mark the first game in the history of the series where skill falls by the wayside. I’m here to explain why that isn’t such a bad thing. Let’s move on.
- The Past: Skill and Experimentation -
The release of Arcane Odyssey can be summed up in one word; Pulsar. A meta more defined than the Lightning + Water use in AA, or Wind’s dominance in WoM. Though many were oblivious to it, though, much experimentation was happening beneath the surface.
People had yet to adapt to the faster paced gameplay offered by AO, and many of those who would soon arrive at the peak of the game’s PvP skill were catching on fast. Those who ignored the lustre of Mage found a great deal of extremely strong options, just out of sight of the masses.
We saw the advent of the 20% Shot playstyle, as well as weapons such as the Poison Tooth Dagger coming into the spotlight. When playing slow was guaranteed death, and AoE was already higher than it had ever been in the series, the only option was quite simple: go faster.
As we moved onto the Easter Update and Mage received its well-deserved gutting, the meta began to vary more. We had Mage holdouts, with many moving over to Warrior to abuse tools that were low-risk high-reward like Vindicator and Greatsword. We had Berserkers and Warlocks establishing aerial dominance, playing safely with Shot and going in for the kill when needed, whilst some preferred to play as Fighting Styles were intended; aggressive, and in your face, not giving you a chance to breathe. We even saw the first look at the viability of Vitality hybrids, with a notable standout being Knight.
Builds were fairly linear; classes were fairly linear; setups were not very diverse. Despite this, that experimentation still flourished. The PvP community grew, and new stand-outs were found. Was the Easter Update balanced? No. Was the meta still relatively strict? I would say so. Despite this, skill remained at the forefront, just like its predecessors in WoM and AA. Proper parry timing and mastery of movement and stamina management made dealing with AoE manageable, which top players used to the fullest of their ability. Mosquito playstyles had their checks and counterplay, and weren’t a guaranteed win.
World PvP wasn’t plagued by potions and quick-swaps to agility sets. I still believe that the first Great War was, perhaps, the best time to be a PvP player in the history of the Arcane series, rivalled only by WoM’s Guild Update.
The Brewing Update followed in a similar vein, but had many issues of its own, and problems from the Easter Update that remained unaddressed or weren’t correctly dealt with. After that, though, is where changes started to roll in.
- The Present: Slow Death of Skill -
The Dark Sea update marked the beginning of PvP’s state of growing pains, and the current limbo we reside in. Minmaxing became fervent and required, and created a giant barrier to entry for PvP that yet remains intact. Stat creep causes near unbeatable builds to be at the forefront of every engagement; even friendly 1v1s lost their lustre, when leaning into any one aspect of your kit’s potential could easily become infuriating to play against. World PvP fell into an even further decline, with the release of loadouts and Agility becoming leagues more powerful. Dodge reflexes reward passive play, and make backpedaling a nigh-unmanageable strategy if played correctly.
It cannot be attributed to any one factor more than another, but this is the point where the death of skill began, whilst the era of the future has yet to begin. This limbo we reside in will likely last some time, and will be marked by extreme adherence to the meta, and an unfair playing field that I desperately wish could be rewinded. We have also reached, and will only fall further into, a point where there are simply too many moving parts to PvP to properly balance and maintain. The size of the current balance document should give some indication of this state of affairs.
Mechanical skill has become less important. All that matters is being prepared for the cheese your opponent is utilizing, and trying to win with your own.
The community has also become far more obnoxious due to its deteriorating size, with many notably nasty and unenjoyable holdouts. Though the series has always had its fair share of toxicity, things may truly be at the worst they’ve ever been. The pool of active PvP players is smaller than it ever was.
While it may seem like PvP is on a collision course with rock bottom, it won’t impact it; I am of the firm belief it will pass through and become something entirely new. Allow me to elaborate.
- The Future: Strategy and Synergy -
Most of you are too young to know of or have played, but to any of my fellow oldheads out there, have you ever played World of Warcraft’s PvP? It is not marked by intense mechanical skill, lacking in mobility, skillshots, and many of the aspects most would consider to be fundamental to good combat.
Despite that, it holds a special place in my heart. You see, World of Warcraft’s PvP was marked by and required a different skillset; knowledge, intuition, strategy, and build. Though it may sound strange to those of you who are unacquainted, I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt Arcane Odyssey will morph into a similar path.
With every class possessing the full breadth of their arsenal, anything and everything will be able to be viable, though as always, some will be better than others. Knowledge will come to the forefront; you must know how what tools your opponent possesses, their strengths and weaknesses, how they are likely to use them, and what you can do against them.
With this also comes the need for intuition. On the fly, you must be able to adapt to both your opponent’s playstyle and the capabilities of their build. If you lose what may be the occasional rock-paper-scissors of builds, you must do everything in your power to shore up your weaknesses and find the best way to deal with them.
Strategy will be what defines your own playstyle. What spells and techniques do you have? How should they be configured, and how do they mesh with the stats and build you’ll be utilizing? We only have eight spell/technique slots, but we’re bound to have much, much, much more than eight possible options by endgame. What is important enough to remain, and what should be ignored for the way you play? How should you best use your weapons so that your abilities flow into each other in a way that allows you to press the advantage, or maintain your defense?
Synergy is also an aspect of this. The better your kit works with itself, the better you will perform. But, what will work best with what? In the case of Magic, you will have to look at more than damage interactions and statuses to find that answer. In the case of Fighting Styles and their evolutions, they must complement each other and be able to shore up each other’s weaknesses; or, alternatively, they may all play in a way complementary to one another, a similar show of aggression, defense, or mobility with different specialties. What weapons are best suited to which situations, and what is proper to use in differing scenarios? What will you be most comfortable with, and what can bring about the best results for you?
These questions are going to have to be asked day after day as we continue into the future and work on perfecting our own builds and strategems. Whether inherently or irregularly synergistic, each kit has the potential to be entirely unique. There may be a meta, but strict adherence will be extremely unlikely. Your kit in PvP will have to be about what works best with you, not what works best for others.
Finally, the amount of stats, gem effects, essences and possibly extra additions will make buildcrafting a truly unique experience. Stats may rise and fall in strength and popularity, and there will always be strong, consistent paths to follow, but the sheer amount of stats we are likely to possess means every part of your build can and will be tailored to your exact, perfect needs.
In the future, mechanical skill may take a backseat, but game knowledge and execution of said knowledge will become key. I don’t think this is such a bad thing, but it’s time to accept that holding onto the past is a pipe dream.
- Conclusion -
Arcane Odyssey’s PvP is changing. As for whether it will become better or worse, that is in the eye of the beholder, and only time will tell how accurate my predictions are. Despite this, I ask anyone else who’s truly feeling like PvP has never been worse to hold on, and to give it time.
Change is coming, slowly but surely, and I’ll be there alongside all of you throughout the journey.
Thanks for reading, if you have. If you’d like to continue the conversation, rebuke any statement of mine, or share your thoughts, feel free to comment or add/message me on my Discord, pristinewarrior. There’s plenty I’ve missed, and I’m more than happy to discuss it with all of you. Have a great morning/afternoon/night.