In development since 2006, the fanbase surrounding the action MMORPG Mythos is as dedicated as ever, and at a time when the action RPG and co-op multiplayer scene is only getting bigger. At the center of the excitement is Redbana US Community Manager Demian Moreno, who graciously answered our questions about the reincarnated fast-paced dungeon crawling MMORPG. Demian also revealed new and exclusive information about the damage-dealing, AoE casting, teleporting, all-around awesomeness that is Mythos's Bloodletter class.
You'll find information about two never-before seen Bloodletter skill trees - Crimsonate and Red Hand - as well as learn a bit about where Mythos stands in beta with this Mythos class Q&A and development update.
Ten Ton Hammer: First, let's talk a little bit about the Bloodletter class, which Redbana is currently in the process of revealing to the public. From looking at the Martialist tree, it seems like these guys are pretty hardcore melee units. They have some status effect abilities, some of which cause bleeding, and bleeding seems like a core mechanic of this. Not only that, but this class has pets too - blood minions. It seems like it's a lot of tanking, DPS, and pet awesomeness packed into one class. Can you tell us a bit about the class's abilities and skill trees?
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Don't let the cuteness fool you - the Bloodletter is a formidable and versatile class.
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Demian Moreno, Redbana US Community Manager for Mythos: The Bloodletter - you're right, it has a lot of the hardcore, pure melee skills. It has tons of up-close damage, but it also has AoE attacks, it has status effect attacks, it has teleportation, it has some tanking and healing ability. So it has a lot of variety. The Bloodletter class has three different skill trees: Martialist, Crimsonate, and Red Hand. The Crimsonate is a very peculiar tree in that it has a lot of status effects, a lot of AoE, a lot of special effects, and a lot of fun tactical abilities meant to harm enemies through blood-related attacks.
One of my favorite things about the game is that even though there's only three classes, we pack a lot of archetypes and playstyles that you'd expect in an RPG or an MMO into just those three classes. Other games have tons of classes and, yes, they all have a different playstyle. With Mythos, because each class has so many different ways of playing it, you don't actually have to reinvest and create three different Bloodletters for yourself. If you want to try all the different game styles, you can just have your single Bloodletter, and respecing into other skills is very simple. It just requires the in-game currency of gold, which eventually you'll have in abundance. There's no one build that's the best, either. There's some very smart design with the skills and the synergies between the skills, so players will be able to experiment and find lots of different ways to enjoy the game.
Ten Ton Hammer: You mentioned teleportation, how does that work? Is this a randomized, shadow step kind of teleport, a short range teleport between the blood pools of wasted enemies, or something else?
Demian: The skill itself is called Blood Phase. It's actually both something you can use to move around the map tactically. Blood Phase is a short-range teleport - it doesn't have a lot of range - but you're invulnerable while teleporting and you're invulnerable while teleporting and you can upgrade the skill so you can actually do damage on enemies and cause them to bleed as you pass through them. It's also designed to put you in a better position. For example, a lot of these dungeons have huge hordes of enemies, so if you get in trouble you can simply teleport to a safer spot. Or you can use it to get closer to your enemies and unleash your close-up abilities against them.
Ten Ton Hammer: Is it possible to use teleportation as a crowd control ability, perhaps to grab aggro then draw enemies away from a Pyromancer or Gadegeteer?
Demian: It doesn't have any taunt components, but since a lot of the aggro works on range, you can definitely use it to get close to enemies and draw aggro away from your friends as they're trying to get away. It definitely has a tactical use, in that sense. And if you build the Bloodletter a certain way, it can definitely take a lot more damage than other classes, so that could be a very good use of that skill.
Ten Ton Hammer: The Crimsonate tree seems to be all about making your enemies bleed and doing bad things to them as a result. Could you talk a bit about what "bleed" means in Mythos? Is it simple a damage-over-time status effect? Also, what kinds of attacks are possible when your enemies are bleeding?
Demian: Bleed, in its most basic form, causes your enemies to take damage over time. The way the skill tree works, though, is there are a lot of enhancements and problems you can cause your enemies while they're bleeding. For example, some of the skills have a percentage chance to cause their wounds to explode. So if they have bleed effect on them, they'll take additional AoE explode damage - one enemy might explode and kill off other enemies around him. Other effects include healing, you cause bleed and activate another spell and it draws in health. That will either stop the bleeding, or you can enhance those skills to make the enemy continue bleeding. It has a very vampirical feel to it, whether it's a slow effect, continuing the bleed effect, or feeding off the bleed for health.
Ten Ton Hammer: You mentioned a slow effect. Is it possible to kite your enemies, maybe do some hit and run style attacks?
Demian: Yes, definitely. You can initiate combat with Red Mist, which is a vial of mist that causes bleed effects from range. Then you can enhance that with another skill so that they'll also be slowed. Basically you can keep them out of melee range while the rest of your team destroys a melee based enemy from range. So it definitely has good kiting potential, and also if you're in close melee range you can blind your opponent so you'll take less damage as well.
EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK - Bloodletter Crimsonate Skill List
(click here to continue to the next page of the Bloodletter class interview)
src="http://images.tentonhammer.com/TTH/content/mythos/bloodletter/Crimsonate_SkillList/image001.jpg" alt="Bloodletter Crimsonate Skill List" width=391 height=434 id="Picture 1">
Name
Effects
Prerequisite
Hemorrhage
You
drain the lifeforce from foes afflicted with Bleed within a ten meter radius.
The force of this withdrawal may cause them to explode
Scale : 5/5
Chance to detonate per 0.5 second : 10%
Damage range : 2m
Damage by flame : 16 ~20
Infectious Hemorrhage
Foes
damaged by a hemorrhage detonation may themselves begin Bleeding
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 10/10
Attack rating increase while the
target is bleeding:
175%
Chance to inflict Bleeding : 70%
Bleeding duration : 3 seconds
Hemorrhage
Piercing Flurry
Three
quick melee strikes that have a chance to inflict Bleed
Scale : 6/6
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Damage increase
: 20%
Risk of bleeding : 20%
Bleeding duration : 1 second
Mana consumption : 4
Perforate
Piercing
Flurry gains the ability to strike more foes per flurry, and the chance to
inflict Bleed improves
Scale : 6/6
Attack Rating increase : 200%
Risk of bleeding increase : 250%
Bleeding duration increase : 3 second
Mana consumption increase : 30%
Piercing Flurry
Vampiric Strike
Your
Piercing Flurry can draw the lifeforce from foes it strikes, replenishing
your own
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 8/8
Risk of bleeding : 25%
Amount of vitality recovered : 10%
Piercing Flurry Damage increase : 150%
Mana consumption increase : 150%
Perforate
Red Mist
You
hurl a flask of deadly red mist which shatters, inflicting Bleed on nearby
foes
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 8/8
Risk of bleeding : 80%
Bleeding duration : 10 seconds
Bleeding damage : 4~5
Mana Consumption : 5
Cooldown : 5 seconds
Crimson Blindness
Enemies
afflicted with Red Mist are blinded, slowing them and further increasing the
damage dealt by Red Mist
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 8/8
Damage increase : 700%
Chance of slow : 60%
Duration of slow :
8 seconds
Mana consumption increase : 90%
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Red Mist
Focusing Wounds
You
are able to rip the very wounds of bleeding monsters open further to cause
them even more damage from bleeding
Scale : 5/5
Risk of bleeding whenever you damage a
foe : 40%
Bleeding damage increase : 110%
Bleeding duration : 11 seconds style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Malgun Gothic","sans-serif"'>
Bloodhunger
You
drain the lifeforce from nearby foes, healing yourself in the process.
Enemies lose their Bleed state as a result
Scale : 5/5
Probability of absorbing life : 30%
Amount of vitality recovered : 5%
Mana consumption : 1.1
Range : 10m
Blood Phase
Your
body discorporates into a red mist and travels to the target location-you are
undamageable during this period
Scale : 6/6
Maximum distance : 16m
Speed increase : 400%
Chance of inflicting bleed while
moving : 80%
Bleeding duration : 7 seconds
Mana consumption : 3
Cooldown : 1 second
Phase Siphon
While
phased, you draw health from nearby enemies, inflicting damage in the process
Scale : 8/8 style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Malgun Gothic","sans-serif"'>
Life absorbed per second : 8%
Damage : 50 ~ 73
Mana consumption increase : 80%
Blood Phase
Razor Aura
While
active, the Razor Aura causes enemies to begin Bleeding that are within an
eight meter radius. Lowers total available Mana.
Scale : 5/5
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Bleeding range
: 8m
Risk of bleeding : 50%
Bleeding duration : 7 seconds
Total Mana reduction : 40%
Mana consumption : 2
Red Blessing
Party
members and pets doing melee damage near you gain the ability to cause bleed.
Scale : 5/5
Range : 10m
Chance of bleeding : 20%
Bleeding duration : 7 seconds
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Razor Aura
Blood Might
You
drain the lifeforce from nearby bleeding foes, improving the damage you can
deal for a limited time. Enemies lose their bleed state as a result.
Scale : 10/10
Chance of damage increase : 70%
Duration of increased damage :
70 seconds
Damage increase for each attack : 7%
Maximum additional damage : 350
Probability of enemy continuing to
bleed : 55%
Mana consumption : 0.6
Range : 10m
Rend Flesh
A powerful slash that inflicts superior damage on an enemy, and
has a high likelihood of Inflicting Bleed.
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 8/8
Damage increase : 450%
Risk of bleeding : 100%
Bleeding duration : 2 seconds
Mana consumption : 12
Concussive Rend
Strikes
gain the ability to stun targets.
Scale : 6/6
Chance of stun : 60%
Stun duration : 3 seconds
Mana consumption increase : 30%
Rend Flesh
Annihilation Slash
The
sheer power of your slash obliterates your foe, fragments damaging nearby
foes.
Scale : 6/6
Damage increase :300%
Number of fragments : 12
Damage caused by each fragment : 120 ~
130
Mana consumption increase : 60%
Concussive Rend
Blade Breaker
A
powerful overhand strike sends a devastating shockwave through enemies ahead
of you.
Scale : 6/6
Range : 12m
Damage increase : 40%
Mana consumption : 3
Blade Splinter
When
Blade Breaker strikes foes, it has a chance to splinter into secondary
shockwaves.
Scale : 6/6
Chance of secondary shock waves : 55%
Number of second shock waves : 6
Damage caused by each shock wave : 46
~ 56
Mana consumption increase: 30%
Blade Breaker
Blade Fan
Additional
shockwaves are released when Blade Breaker is cast.
Scale : 8/8
Number of additional shock waves : 4
Damage bonus to Blade Breaker : 85%
Mana consumption increase : 40%
Blade Splinter
Ten Ton Hammer: Am I correct in thinking that all the classes in Mythos have pets?
Demian: Yes, all three classes have the ability to summon pets. Bloodletters are famous for their hordes of blood minions, the Gadgeteers have a bunch of little devices and miniature robots that are deployed on the field, and the Pyromancer has fire wisps and golems that follow them around.
Ten Ton Hammer: So the Martialist tree is all about melee combat, the Crimsonate tree has some incredible AoE attack abilities (like Blade Breaker and Piercing Fury) drain abilities and support abilities like a short-range teleport. What does the Red Hand tree bring to the class?
Demian: The Red Hand tree is almost exclusively about your pets. It's really about making your pet stronger and more viable for later combat.
Ten Ton Hammer: We've talked about this a bit, but how does the Bloodletter fit into a group? Can you give us some examples of roles - both commonplace and less common roles - a Bloodletter might fulfill in a group?
Demian: One very common role for the Bloodletter is a tank role, initiating combat and soaking up aggro. By mixing skills from the different trees or focusing just on Martialist and Crimsonate, you can get quite a tough character with a lot of defensive skills and healing. Battles tend to be very hectic and fast, so if you have a Pyromancer and a Gadgeteer that can't stand still for very long, they won't have as much of an opportunity to blow off their skills unless a Bloodletter intervenes.
A different way of playing them is as an AoE master. Between you, the Gadgeteer, and the Pyromancer, you'll have so much AoE that you can demolish legions of enemies fairly quickly. Because of your additional effects like blinding or slowing, you can use them as a bit of a crowd control character as well.
Also, there's the pure damage dealer. If you go one-on-one with these enemies, you can take on the very strongest enemies face-to-face, whereas the Gadgeteer and the Pyromancer tend to have to run away.
Ten Ton Hammer: As far as respecing your abilities goes, will players be able to change their abilities on the fly? Or will it require a trip back to town?
Demian: It will require a trip back to a specific NPC in town. It's free in the first five levels, and after that it costs a little bit of gold. It does get progressively more expensive by level, but it's fairly well balanced - you don't have to break the bank to go respec your skills.
Ten Ton Hammer: And all classes will be available to all four races (cyclopes, humans, satyrs, and gremlins)?
Demian: Correct, all four races can pick up any of the three classes.
Ten Ton Hammer: Will any of the races have certain traits that might make them better Bloodletters?
Demian: Certainly. In terms of gameplay, the races are distinguished by the bonuses they get and their starting stats. Cyclopes, for example, have higher strength, so while that obviously favors a more melee oriented Bloodletter, players shouldn't feel limited by that. The differences aren't so great that you'll feel like you gimped yourself if you went with a caster-type cyclopes versus a melee cyclopes. Maybe the hardcore players will find that a racial bonus will guide their race and class selection, but I think generally speaking, players won't need to be so caught up in starting stats.
Ten Ton Hammer: Do melee-oriented Bloodletters get better armor or weaponry than a AoE- or pet-oriented Bloodletter might?
Demian: Armor has stat requirements, whether it's strength, dexterity, or wisdom. So depending on your stats and playstyle, that's the armor that you'll end up wearing. If you're a pet-oriented Bloodletter, there will be other armor sets that aren't as high on defense as the armor a strength-based character could equip.
EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK - Red Hand Skill List
(click here to continue to the next page of the Bloodletter class interview)
Name
Effects
Prerequisite
Adrenaline Rush
Adrenaline
Rush increases your movement speed for a short period of time
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>.
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 5/5
Speed increase : 50%
Attack speed increase : 20%
Reduced stun resistance : 50%
Duration : 7 seconds
Mana cost : 3
Cooldown : 5 seconds
Raze
You
cause damage to enemies while sprinting.
Scale : 5/5
Attack speed increase : 20%
Damage done nearby: 18 ~ 26
Mana consumption increase : 50%
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Adrenaline
Rush
Crimson Mark
Once
an enemy is marked with the Crimson Mark, your minions will be compelled to
attack that enemy.
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 1/1
Blood Command
The
blood of corpses within a 5M radius responds to your command, and discharges
to cause damage to nearby enemies.
Scale :6/6
Number of blood projectiles : 5
Damage : 38 ~ 48
Mana consumption : 7
Bloodhunter
The
number of blood projectiles spawned by Blood Command increases, and your
attack speed as well as damage you cause increases.
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 5/5
Additional blood projectiles : 5
Damage increase : 350%
Attack speed increase : 100%
Mana consumption increase : 100%
Blood Command
Summon Bloodling
Summon
Bloodling summons a Bloodling minion from the enemys corpse within 8M
radius.
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 6/6
Number of Bloodling minion : 3
Bloodling minions speed increase :
30%
Bloodling minions attack speed
increase : 30%
Mana consumption : 4
Improved Bloodling
Bloodling
minions lifespan and damage increase.
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 6/6
Vitality increase : 68%
damage increase : 30%
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Summon
Bloodling
Bloodling Mastery
Damage,
attack rating, and elemental resistance of Bloodling minions increase.
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 8/8
Damage increase : 40%
Attack rating increase : 100%
Elemental resistance increase : 40%
Improved Bloodling
Blood Rage
Your
Bloodling minions are given a boost of aggressiveness and energy, rendering
them quicker and more powerful.
Scale : 5/5
Damage increase : 15%
Attack speed increase : 15%
Attack rating increase : 150%
Mana consumption : 5
Cooldown : 7 seconds
Blood Fury
Bloodling minions in Blood Rage gain additional damage and
movement speed, as well as an increased chance of causing critical strikes.
Scale : 5/5
Damage increase : 25%
Attack speed increase : 25%
Critical strike chance increase : 10%
Mana consumption increase : 50%
Blood Rage
Summon Blood Imp
You
summon a Blood Imp minion from a corpse within 8m radius. Using bows made out
of bone to attack enemies.
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 6/6
Number of Blood Imps : 3
Movement speed increase : 30%
Mana consumption : 4
Improved Blood Imp
Blood
Imps gain additional speed and vitality.
Scale : 6/6
Vitality increase : 68%
Damage increase : 30%
Elemental resistance increase : 40%
Mana consumption increase : 50%
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Summon Blood
Imp
Blood Imp Mastery
Blood
Imps gain the ability to shoot farther, as well as increased damage and
attack rating.
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 8/8
Damage increase : 40%
Attack rating increase : 100%
Mana consumption increase : 70%
Improved Blood Imp
Blood Boil
Corpses
within 5m radius detonate, damaging nearby enemies.
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 6/6
Maximum number of explosions : 5
Radial fire damage : 38 ~ 48
Mana consumption : 9
Blood Mist
Corpses
detonated by Blood Boil release a deadly mist causing nearby enemies to
bleed.
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 5/5
Damage increase : 200%
Additional explosion : 5
Bleeding range : 4m
Risk of bleeding : 80%
Mana consumption increase : 50%
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Blood Boil
Blood Sleet
You
fling a set of explosive darts around you. Darts detonate moments after hitting,
causing damage to enemies within a 3m radius.
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 6/6
Radial fire damage : 47 ~77
Mana consumption : 7
Cooldown : 1.5 seconds
Blood Storm
You
gain the ability to throw additional darts, and damage caused by darts is
increased.
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 5/5
Increased number of darts : 5
Damage increase : 80%
Mana consumption increase : 25%
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Blood Sleet
Concussion
Blood
Sleet darts gain additional damage, larger area coverage and may stun enemies.
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Scale : 5/5
Damage increase : 80%
Increased radius of attack effect :
100%
Chance of stunning : 80%
Mana consumption increase : 25%
Blood Storm
Ten Ton Hammer: One of everyone's favorite things about action RPGs is the fact that they typically pour on the loot. We know that there is going to be a microtransaction-basis for items in the game, but I was wondering if you could tell us a little bit about itemization in Mythose, and where the dividing line is between Bana Cash purchasable goods and loot you'll earn in game?
Demian: One of the main draws of action RPGs hearkening back to the Diablo series is randomly generated loot. All of the loot in Mythos is randomly generated, except for things like quest loot. A lot of the game revolves around the hunt for better loot, the skills that you're building, and the path that you take. There's also a lot of gems and enchantments, plus material components for an intricate crafting system to create some of the best gear in the game. The Bana Cash items will give you a boost in the game, whether it's XP potions, better drop rates, etc. To be honest, that's still in flux at the moment. That's a major focus of the open beta going on in Korea right now. It's something I can't speak to in-depth, but it'll be along the traditional lines - a boost here, a service there, inventory space, etc.
Ten Ton Hammer: So the game is in open beta in Korea. There's a lot of people anxious to know where the beta currently stands in North America and Europe. Could you give us a quick update?
Demian: That's our two million dollar question. My answer to the hardcore types in our audience in the past is that we don't have an ETA yet. It'll be ready when it's ready, and we're trying not to rush it through. The open beta in Korea, there's a lot of downtime because so many of the details are still in flux. They're definitely working on getting rid of bugs and taking feedback on the cost of items and how microtransactions will interact with the game. We don't expect to see a closed beta until the game either launches in Korea, or is really close to launching full-on in Korea. Because we don't have an ETA for that, we don't have an ETA for the North American market.
Ten Ton Hammer: Do you have any target in mind as to how many players you want to involve on a single map?
Demian: The game is instanced, so when you're in a dungeon, you don't run into other players who aren't in your party. It doesn't have an overworld, which I guess is the term that was used back in the Flagship beta. The only place where you'll meet other players randomly is in the towns and hubs - all of these are public.
Ten Ton Hammer: We've seen a few action RPGs popping lately, and co-op gaming is only getting bigger and bigger. Could you tell us a bit about what lessons Mythos is learning from these games, and how the IP has been strong enough to have lasted four years, through two years and two publishers?
Demian: It was really unfortunate what happened with Flagship, but the reason Redbana picked up the game was that it's a phenomenal game, it has those deep roots in the Diablo franchise, which is where the original developers came from. That part - the parts inspired by the original developers - is fairly untouched. This is still a really fast-paced dungeon crawler with action RPG at its heart. Most of our development has been focused around adding more content. It wouldn't be an MMO if it weren't a big, huge, expansive, fun game, and we want players to have years of enjoyment with this game.
We're going to be learning from what players tell us and incorporating that into all the updates that come in the future. New levels and content and PvP is definitely going to be there from the beginning. So I think what sets Mythos apart is that fast-paced, loot-driven feel. A lot of MMOs typically have a slower pace, and Mythos does away with that. You can go in there by yourself, you can take a team, but whatever you decide to do, you don't have to have specific roles and strategies for every encounter. Very much like some of the other action RPGs, a lot of the fun of the game comes from not having to grind, but finding a particular playstyle you enjoy and running with it.
Thanks to Demian Moreno, the Redbana US team, and Quinn Wageman for their time and effort in framing this Mythos beta update and class Q&A. Look for more Mythos Q&As here at Ten Ton Hammer soon!
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Mythos Game Page.
