Mega gaming portal gPotato has recently brought another massive PvP
game to our shores. Aika
Online features 1000 vs. 100 battles, 100's of
quests and 6 unique classes. Ten Ton Hammer sat down with Christina
Kelly, Community Manager from Gala-Net, Inc., to discuss those classes
in a six part interview series. The first class we will look at is the
games primary tank, the Paladin. What makes this plate armor clad
meatshiled tick? Join us as we uncover the answers.
Ten Ton Hammer: Can you
give us a brief overview of the Paladin class?
Christina Kelly: The
Paladin is a pillar of support and a very well-rounded class,
particularly with regards to defensive abilities. Her weapons include a
shield and one-handed sword, but shes not just a melee attack class.
She has extensive healing powers and the ability to block harmful
spells through skills like Divine Ward, so her stamina on the
battlefield is unmatchable. The Paladin can also choose to develop
abilities which raise her threat level in order to pull monsters away
from weaker party members, and shes a very effective class when it
comes to dealing with Undead-type enemies due to her damage bonuses.
She wears beautiful metal armor and is a very graceful fighter.
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style="font-style: italic;">"Her weapons include a shield
and one hand sword, but she's not just a melee attack class."
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Ten Ton Hammer:
Is there any game lore behind the creation of the Paladins?
Christina: Paladins
are very dedicated individuals. They are also very spiritual
fighters and demonstrate a kind of purity of soul which comes from
their devotion to the Goddess Aika (the inspiration behind the name
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Aika Online). It is said that Aika bestowed the
gift of holy
magic onto Paladins because of this devotion. Paladins are
loyal, honorable, and patriotic, and their first concern is broadening
and deepening their physical and mental capabilities in the service of
family and country.
Ten Ton Hammer:
Paladins are gender locked to being females only, will this
ever change?
Christina: No.
Aikas
classes are gender-locked as part of the developer JoyImpacts
custom-built game engine in an effort to cut down on the amount of data
the client needs to keep in memory. This feature keeps the
game client size down and enables the game to support 1000 vs. 1000
PvP.
Ten Ton Hammer:
Paladins are listed as being a tank class, is it possible for
a Paladin to spend their skill points in such a way that they can also
fill a DPS role?
Christina: The
DPS role will be a difficult one for the Paladin to fill. The
Paladins effectiveness lies with her ability to raise threat/pull
aggro as well as defend and heal herself or other characters.
This skill set complements her stun abilities and fast attacks, which
constitute the main focus of her offensive abilities. While
her few DPS attacks are very powerful, the Warrior is better suited for
that particular role. Aika
has done a good job with designing
each classs skill tree to give players a variety of ways to shape
their characters attack abilities. If you want your Paladin
to fill a major DPS role, use your skill points wisely to learn her DPS
skills and upgrade them to the fullest extent.
Ten Ton Hammer:
In PvP, how effective are tank abilities? Is there any
advantage to being a PvP tank other than raw hitpoints?
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style="font-style: italic;">"The Paladin's spellcasting
abilities focus on targeted healing spells and raising her own threat
level."
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Christina: The
tanks in this game (i.e. the Paladin and, to a certain extent, the
Warrior) have been balanced very well for combat against the other
classes. In the Paladins case, even if her aggro abilities
arent very useful in PvP, her stun abilities and high attack speed
would certainly be helpful against, say, the spellcaster
classes. The Paladins targeted healing spells would also be
very useful in the heat of battle.
style="font-style: italic;">Aika has been
developed
with PvP in mind, so theres been a lot of attention paid to leveling
out the playing field for each class in battle situationswhether or
not you can take advantage of your characters abilities will depend on
how well you understand the class, and how well you PvP.
Ten Ton Hammer:
Do Paladins share a loot table with any other classes?
Christina: The
armor, weapons and mounts will be unique to the different
classes. Paladins will only be able to equip Paladin
weapons/armor, and will have a class-specific mount. There
are some other items that are not class-locked which add certain
enchantment boosts to the character, but as far as aesthetic
customization goes, the focus is on class-locked gear.
Between class-locked items, universal items, and Aikas amazing
crafting system, players should have no problem changing the Paladins
stats and appearance to their specifications.
Ten Ton Hammer:
Are Paladins purely a physical damage class, or do they have
any spellcasting abilities?
Christina: All
classes in Aika
have a certain amount of spellcasting
abilities. The Paladins spellcasting abilities focus on
targeted healing spells and raising her own threat level to attract the
attention of monsters. For balance reasons, the big DPS
spells were given to the Warrior class, although the Paladin does have
a couple heavy damage-dealing DPS spells.
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Ten Ton Hammer:
What sort of player will enjoy being a Paladin in Aika, with
such large scale PvP does it require a certain skill set to
excel in this role?
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style="font-style: italic;">"Players who like playing a
physically powerful class while strategizing for defense..will enjoy
being a Paladin"
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Christina: The
massive PvP in this game requires that you know your class well, and
your role in battle, so the most important thing is battle
practice. The Paladin is a fun class to play, with
her ability for crowd control, as well as high defense and stun
attacks. Players who like playing a physically powerful class
while strategizing for defense and healing support will enjoy being a
Paladin. Im positive that anyone that plays a tank role in
other MMOs will enjoy this class, and perhaps find some interesting
variations when it comes to applying her abilities to Aikas intense
PvP.
Ten Ton Hammer:
Is there anything else you would like us to know about the
Paladin?
Christina: Check
out her emotes if you get the chance she does a great dance!
Thank you Christina for shedding some light on the games top tank and
apparently the best dancer to boot. Join us next week as we take a look
at the games healing class, the Cleric.
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Aika Game Page.
