Since July 28th, a new server has opened on kRO. It then filtered from the mentioned server that they are actually testing new effects of the stats on various parameters of the game.

With the third classes that will be coming later, people knew that the 99 level cap would be removed, moreover, this also applies to stats. I know that 120 were going to be the new level cap, but I forgot what would be the new stat cap. 120? 130? 150? Ok, likely 120.

With such new limits, rebalance were in demand, the removal of the cap would mean to open new paths for non-mainstream builds.

This also mean that veterans will have to throw away their knowledge of the game and adapt to whatever change will come to them.

What are the changes? (+random opinion)

Increased Weighting of Level Difference
- Players are rewarded for fighting monsters within their level range.
- If a player fights a monster up to 10 levels higher than them, they gain a 5% exp bonus per level.
- However, if the monster is over 10 levels above the player, the player will be unable to properly damage that monster.
- If a player is over 3 levels above a monster, the experience of that monster decreases by 50%. Each additional level difference reduces exp by 10%.
- The level weighting occurs after party share is taken into account.

This will encourage the players to look at the monster’ stats and level, it will matter a lot. It will force them to move out while encouraging party more.

Physical Attack Power
- Calculation of physical damage has changed.
- The status windows shows your attack power as comprising of a status portion and a weapon portion.
- Strength no longer appears to exponentially improve attack power (though STR is still the primary attack stat).
- The weapon portion of the attack consists of a higher % of the damage than before.

Not much thought about it.

Physical Defense
- Calculation of physical defense has changed.
- The status window shows defense as consisting of status defense + armor defense.
- Armor defense appears to do more in reducing damage.
- Defense in general appears to be reduction type defense now. The exact formula is not known.
- Level difference also appears to affect damage taken from attacks.
- Status Defense comprises mostly of VIT, with STR and AGI also providing bonus defense.

This appears to make the melee classes like smiths, sins and knights more viable tank classes than pure INT/VIT support priests. I am all for it.

Magic Attack Power
- Calculation of magic attack has changed.
- The status window no longer displays a range of damage. Instead, it shows a status portion and a weapon portion.
- Magic damage now takes the attack power of your weapon in consideration. The attack power of all equipment usable by magic using classes has been adjusted accordingly.
- Magic attack seems more equipment reliant than it was in the past.
- The formula for status matk is matk = int + dex/5 + level/4 + luk/3 + int/2.

I dont play caster classes, so yeah, not much opinion.

Magic Defense
- Calculation of magic defense has changed.
- Like physical defense, consists of status mdef + armor mdef.
- Magic defense appears to be geared more towards subtraction type, and also affected by level.
- Status MDef is comprised primarially of INT, with VIT and DEX providing some additional benefit.

I am loving the changes.

Attack speed
- Attack speed has changed considerably.
- For the most part, the game has been balanced to be slower paced than before. Players will probably attack about half as fast.
- Attack speed is influenced by class, type of weapon, and the players agility, and to a lesser extent dexterity.
- Equipping a shield appears to lower your attack speed.

I am not happy with the slowed down pace. The fast pace is what have made RO different from the others MMOs. And the slow grind that have made it retarded.

Hit/Dodge Rate
- The formula for Hit/Flee have changed.
- The ratio to hit and dodge a monster are now different. It is now easier to hit or dodge, but it is harder to achieve a perfect hit or dodge rate.
- Hit and flee are affected by the same stats as before, with the addition of a small bonus from luck.

I am somewhat liking it.

Cast Time
- Cast time appears to have changed considerably.
- The cast time of skills appears to be composed of a fixed base cast time plus a reducible portion.
- Increased INT and DEX can reduce the reduction portion of cast time.
- The cast time of most skills have been adjusted to be balanced based on the new casting rules.

No more instant cast Acid Demonstration, about time.

Luck
- Luck now affects more things than it did before.
- Every 3 luck improves your atk/matk/hit by 1. Every 5 luck improves flee by 1. Crit is increased by 0.3% per 1 luck.

YES!

LUK wont be a dump stat anymore.

Monster Stats & Spawn
- All existing monsters have been changed to be appropriate to the new balance changes.
- Generally monster HP has been reduced considerably across the board to compensate for slower attacks and rate of damage. On average, monsters are seeing about a 60% drop in HP.
- The attack power of monsters and their skills are changed to be more in line with the current defense formula, and generally monsters also attack slower.
- Most monsters have had their level increased or adjusted to be appropriate for players of their level range.
- Some areas have been changed to be efficient leveling areas for certain level ranges. For example, Upper Clocktower has monsters within the level 80-90 range.
- Almost all spawns across the game world have been adjusted in some way.

I am liking it too. I have been longing for a time when we wont have to spend our life in the same leveling place.

Skill Changes
- Some skills have been re-balanced.
- Heal appears to heal for a range instead of a set number. Like MATK, the attack of the weapon you have equipped affects the amount you heal for. Most priest weapons have been adjusted to take this into account.
- Other examples are not yet known.

Can priests not be the tankmages anymore please?

Experience Table
- The experience required to level up has changed.
- For the most part, leveling is easier than it is now, and less drastic at high levels.

I am happy with it.

Status Effects
- Most status effects have changed.
- The probability and durration of status effects have all changed.

Wait and see approach.

Equipment
- Many items appear to have been rebalanced.
- Some options have had their stats changed, and some have new options.

Yes, can we please not to have to be stuck with the same pike since about 5 years?

With the exception of the “slower pace”, the news of these changes greatly please me. But this is a test, so not all changes are going to make it. I am all for the “less exp required to level up”, STR + AGI + LUK that will finally matter more and the rebalance of equipment.
I am hoping these changes will alterate the dynamics of the game that has degenerated and stagnated into wiz + priests parties for a long while. And it did not help that the swordman class has been relegated to the role of shitanks, while the high priests would be favored over them because the assumptio skill only helped to strenghten the status of the priests as tankmages.

Let’s face it, RO was in a serious need of a rebalance. And testing shit like they are doing now will hopefully breath a new life in this game while, hopefully, helping the game to recalibrate itself with the demands of the market, as it exists today.

In short, I like changes, especially the ones regarding the stats. However, I do not like the announced slower pace. What has made RO stick against the other games of the market was its fast pace. Leave the slower pace to RO2, Lineage 2, Final Fantasy XI and WoW. So please Gravity, at least remember why there are people who play this game.

P.S: Fucking 1337 Words.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 3rd, 2008 at 11:25 pm and is filed under Role Playing Game, Video game.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.