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

To many people, free-to-play gaming has been little more than a barren desert, filled with cheap knock-offs, poor graphics and low production values. Gaming portal gPotato is looking to change that perception this year with the launch of the North American version of Allods Online from Russian developer Astrum Nival. In an exclusive 8 part series of interviews Ten Ton Hammer is sitting down with members of the gPotato team to learn more about the games class archetypes. This week we're proud to feature GM Gregory Carter and Community Manager Katelyn Olmstead as they discuss the Warrior archetype.  

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Ten Ton Hammer: Let’s start out with the basics for the uninitiated. Can you give us a brief overview of what the Warrior is and what their role is in the game?

Gregory Carter & Katelyn Olmstead: The Warrior is a bare-knuckled all out fighting machine! They utilize all forms of weapons, wear thick plated armor, and have the drive and spirit to thwart foes all night and day.

Ten Ton Hammer: So the Warrior can both tank and deal damage. Are they hamstrung in any way due to their duplicity or can they perform both roles equally?

Carter & Olmstead: Due to the extensive customization offered in the talent tree and talent grids it’s possible to fulfill both roles. But it goes without saying that if a Warrior was customized more towards one end of the spectrum, their ability to fulfill that role would surpass a Warrior that is built for both roles.

Ten Ton Hammer: Not all races can be Warriors. Is there any advantage gained by picking a particular race over the other?

Carter & Olmstead: This is a chance to explain a little bit of how the archetypes work in Allods Online. There are many races that can be each archetype. The class is determined by both the archetype and the race. For example, a Kanian Warrior’s class is a Champion, and an Orc Warrior’s class is a Brute.

The classes are nearly identical within an archetype except for a couple of features. The class’s initial stat distribution is slightly different and each class gets a unique spell or ability that they receive in the early stages of play. Now, as to whether one class’s spell or ability is better than another? That is up to the player to decide and will vary depending on what they want out of their class.

To give you an idea of how this can affect your choice of race here are the different spells the Brute and Champion learn:

Kanian Warrior (Champion): Unbreakable Armor – Increases your armor by 30% for 30 seconds.
Orc Warrior (Brute): Untamed Strength – Increases your Strength by 30% for 30 seconds.

Ten Ton Hammer: What were the guiding principles behind the archetype/race restrictions? Were they born from game lore or were there other forces at work?

Carter & Olmstead: Each race was designed with certain characteristics and personalities traits.  Because of this each race can be either better suited or less suited for a particular archetype.  For example, to be a successful warrior you need to value honor and possess the ability to inspire those around you.  The lore of the Kanians says that they are an extremely noble race with the ability to command leagues of men, thus making them great warriors! The Elves on the other hand are extremely vain and self involved, meaning the warrior archetype simply does not fit them.

Ten Ton Hammer: Given the PvP nature of the game, what were some of the difficulties the developers faced in balancing the Warrior archetype, if any?

Carter & Olmstead: While we can’t say exactly what was going through Astrum Nival’s mind as they were trying to balance the Warrior archetype, we can say that with all of the archetypes careful thought was put into each one.  An archetype needs to not only be acceptable for PvE but a viable contender during PvP.  The talent tree and grid significantly help with this.  A player can choose how they want to spec their character.  They can go for pure PvP, PvE or a mix in between.

Ten Ton Hammer: What sort of personality type will excel as a Warrior? Does it take a certain amount of swagger to be a meatshield in Allods Online?

Carter & Olmstead: To be a successful Warrior you have to be able to take a beating, both in game, and from your fellow players.  It is going to be your responsibility to keep the enemy’s attention on you while your teammates kill him.  If you are unable to do this and your teammates end up dead, trust me, you might have some angry players after you!



Ten Ton Hammer: In terms of loot and armor choices, is there any delineation between the plate items? Will it be fairly obvious when an item drops as to which archetype it’s for? Or will there be competition between the plate wearing archetypes?

Carter & Olmstead: There are three different archetypes that use plate at the maximum level. The stat distribution on the pieces of armor is done in such a way that it’s clear what role it’s meant for. There are some pieces that have stats for healing, some that would be best used by a melee fighter, and some that would be great in the hands of a tank. Due to the fact that more than one archetype can wear plate and fulfill these roles there can be competition between different archetypes for the gear.

Ten Ton Hammer: Will players be able to easily solo with the Warrior, and conversely, will the Warrior have any trouble finding a party to adventure with?

Carter & Olmstead: Soloing with a Warrior is just as easy as equipping a shield! As far as having issues with finding a group? I don’t see how any one wouldn’t want a freight train that can deal great damage, protect group members from harm, and be a damage sponge.

Ten Ton Hammer: Is there anything else about the class you would like to tell us?

Carter & Olmstead: The Warrior-type class can be found in almost every MMO on the fantasy market. However, Allods Online offers a familiar experience while adding a plethora of new features that should make any tank and spank fan or bloodthirsty brawler want to check it out.

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We would like to thank the team at gPotato again for taking time out of their busy schedules to sit down with us, and remind you to stay tuned for the next seven interviews in the series here at Ten Ton Hammer.