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Monday, July 16, 2012

Quick ProTip: TSW Abilities

I just wanted to get this out quick before I forget: I strongly recommend filling out both weapons ability sets as early as is feasible. My original thought was to fill out the abilities for one weapon completely, with only minimal AP spent on the other until later. But then playing my Dragon, I decided to try it the other way, to get more variety. I managed to get a very strong single-target "deck" as well as a very strong multi-target/AoE "deck" relatively early, and am mowing down mobs. The trick is knowing which load-out I'll need for the next fight.

Also, you get an achievement and a cool jacket for each school of combat you complete on the inner wheel.

6 comments:

  1. I'm tabbed out from TSW as I write. I've read your post four times now and I don't understand it at all.

    What's an "ability set"?

    A "Deck" I can see in game as the name of that big tab on the right-hand side, but what actually is it? Do you mean one set of seven abilities? Is that known as a "Deck"?

    Are you talking about completing the two segments per weapon on the innermost circle of the wheel? The ones I think of as the Offensive and Defensive options? If so, it hadn't occurred to me *not* to complete both of those. That was my default option for each weapon before I did anything else.

    And what, in the context of TSW, is a "Load-Out"? Is that one of the slots in the Gear Set menu on your Character window? I haven't even used those yet (well I saved one set but only to see how the mechanics worked). Is it really worth chopping and changing those from one pull to the next? I was imagining them to be Roles - Healer, Tank, DPS etc - that might be changed on joining a group or doing a dungeon.

    And do you really get a cool jacket for completing those two inner segments? I haven't seen one. I got two absoluteley hideous ones that I had no idea where they came from - Frontline Jacket and Discordant Coat. Just about the two ugliest items of clothing I have ever seen. I did wonder where they came from...

    My main problem with the Ability Wheel and AP system is that I am already at the point of not getting why it's worth carrying on. I have seven active and seven passive slots. I can only equip one Active Elite and one Passive Elite at a time. I have two weapons completed on the Inner Wheel (2 Elites) and one block on the outer wheel completed on one weapon and half a block on the other. (A third Elite and on the way to a fourth).

    Every new ability I get is a sideways move or situationally useful. Nothing is an actual upgrade. Ican see myself ending up with hundreds of skills available and just fourteen slots to put them in. Even allowing for Tank, DPS, Healer and maybe Utility builds, that seems...ridiculous.

    I'm at the point of not seeing the point of earning any more AP and beginning to actively resent having to decide what to do with it.

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    1. Yeah, my terminology is bad, and you sound further along than I am anyway. I think of the 7&7 like a hand of cards, the suggested builds are called decks, so I interpreted what ever 14 abilities you have available in combat to be a "deck."

      The load-out (a U.S. Army term that I am using) is a preset set of gear and abilities, managed from the character "window" ("Gear Mangement" just above the clothing)

      Setting up different abilies (and gear) is easy. Then you can change between fights as needed, kind of like swapping out Soul builds in Rift, or dual spec in WoW. They do make a big difference in how long fights last.

      I can't speak to all the abilities, some seem very situational to me, as well. But I get the impression form other players that some boss fights require some thought as to which abilities will be needed to succeed.

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  2. I'm going to have to give it more thought. I'm not that keen on micromanaging which is why I really prefer Class-Based systems where a lot of the heavy lifting is done for you...

    Going to go and play with the Gear Management thing right now.

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    1. I've never had this much freedom in a game, since all the other ones had classes. To me it's an interesting change, but I realize not everyone will like it.

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  3. I've been slowly working on inner ring abilities for the jackets since day one. I have to force myself to take it slow, or all progress further up the wheel for my chosen two weapons will surely grind to a halt.

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    1. I've considered doing the entire inner ring. But I'm not sure it would be advisable before you have at least one full deck, unless you decide you don't like your current weapons. Since I have three alts, I scratch the itch for different weapons/playstyles that way.

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