Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

When I first saw this class name it instantly brought to mind the classic role of a character that helps manage crowd control and otherwise aids in buffing their party’s offensive or defensive abilities. What I discovered is that this is only half right, as the Chanter is an interesting hybrid of classes you may be familiar with from other MMOs, yet stands on its own as a fairly unique class. If I were going to pin any specific names on the Chanter’s lapel as a point of reference, they might include some of the stronger elements of EverQuest’s Bard and Enchanter classes rolled into one neat package. What got left on the cutting room floor are the Enchanter’s lack of offensive abilities or decent armor and the Bard’s incessant need to whip out a drum and run in circles like a preschool kid hopped up on a gallon of Kool Aid.

Core Combat Mechanics

The Chanter is a rugged, in-your-face melee combatant in its own right, with many direct attacks that inflict a series of debuffs and stuns on your enemies.  While Priests are only able to wear leather armor through the first nine levels, the Chanter will gain the ability to wear chain armor at level 10 which greatly ups the survivability factor when solo, or can even help the Chanter serve as a viable off-tank in group situations when needed.

While you’ll still retain the ability to heal, the main focus for the Chanter shifts to a series of buffs that can either increase your group's attack power or defense. Many of these buffs, called Mantras, will be a self-targeted AoE (Area of Effect) spell and provide group-wide benefits for a limited radius, making Chanters a very desirable class for group situations. For example, Victory Mantra I (available at level 10) increases the Attack of group members within a 20m radius, or Shield Mantra I (available at level 13) Increases the Physical Defense, Block, Parry and Evasion of group members. To increase the effectiveness of Mantras while in flight, a passive Chanter ability doubles their radius.

While most of the available content during the preview weekends was easily soloable, I really wanted to push the Chanter to the limit to see just how tough the class truly is. In that spirit, I had the local Transporter send my level 10 Chanter off to Trader’s Berth, eventually making my way to an area called Gribade Crater Lake. Still wearing my level 7 leather armor, I managed to hold my own against first some level 16 Green Ribbits, and even a few level 17 Black Petragolems before opting to explore the area further.