Yclepticon here with a surprise post about a new facet of the class rebalance. Some of the older players may remember when we first put in class skills past level 20. This was largely well received as it allowed endgame players to get a bit more hull, speed, and DPS out of their setups. However, it was noted at the time that some classes made out a lot better than others with that addition. For example, Sniper got about 7% more DPS while Berserker and Gunner got little to none (since 5% more Multifiring doesn’t do anything). Here is how we are going to fix that problem.
First: class subskills will now only train up to level 20, and players who still have them higher than that will no longer receive the extra bonuses. But don’t stop reading!
Second: each class now receives four new advanced subskills. You can train one advanced subskill each time you level up your main class skill past 20. So players with Berserker 21 can choose one advanced subskill, and then another one once they get Berserker 22. And yes, the main class and focus skills will now go up to 22. In addition to the four advanced subskills of your class, you will also have access to around ten subskills that are available to everyone.
Now some of you are probably thinking, “why should I trade in all three of my level 21 subskills for a single skill?” The answer is self-evident when you see what the new skills are like. So without further ado, let’s see some numbers!
Say you’re a Speed Demon with level 21 in all the subskills. When we scale back Speedy Movement to level 20, you’ll lose a small amount of speed (about 1.4%). That’s like unequipping a tech 4 sleek item–not that big a deal–but suppose you really want that extra edge in PvP. You may be interested in the following advanced subskill:
Master Scout: +10% Speed, +25% Radar, -50% Scanner Energy Cost
That’s right, you’ll get a full 10% Speed increase, multiplicative with all your other skills and gear. On top of that, you’ll pick up some extra Radar to find those pesky Snipers and Seers, and using an ENIAC Omega will suddenly be a lot easier as well (if you can fit it!)
Now suppose you have a Berserker with level 21 in all the subskills, which currently gives you some small bonuses to Resistance (2.4%), Damage (1%), and Hull Space (based on equipped weapons). First of all, the Hull Space bonus is now moved completely over to the main Berserker class, so your hull won’t change even after subskills are scaled back to level 20. But suppose you really want that extra Damage. You may be interested in picking up:
Berserker Classic: +200% Multifiring, -30% Rate of Fire
If you don’t fancy carrying so many weapons around, there’s another new Berserker skill that also boosts DPS… but I’ll leave that for another day.
Finally, let’s say you have an Engineer with level 21 subskills. One thing you can’t currently get from any skill is the ability to charge your equipped drones faster. That’s changing now with:
Electrical Engineer: Equipped drones charge 10% faster
There are a few other new ways to improve your drone-juggling skills but I’ll leave those for a later day as well.
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