Five classes, seven elements

The game had two possible characters and three elements. Now it has the five starting classes from the design and the seven elements, with all eleven reactions. It’s the first time MushRog looks like the game on paper.

Why

Swapping characters only gets interesting when there’s a real choice about who to bring. With two characters and three elements, every pair was the same pair. With five classes and seven elements, building the team becomes part of the game.

How it works

Three classes were added. The Archer uses a bow, hits with dexterity instead of strength and works with wind and nature: it has Precise Shot, Wind Arrow, Vine Snare, which pins the feet, and a gust when it enters the field. The Acolyte uses a mace, water and nature, and is the one who heals. Minor Heal goes on its own to the ally with the lowest health, and Blessing, on entering the field, heals everyone nearby. The Rogue uses a dagger, lightning and wind, with Double Strike (hits twice), Electric Thrust (hits hard) and Ambush on entry.

The new reactions, one by one:

• Vaporize (fire and water): one and a half times the damage.
• Electrocute (water and lightning): damage per second that jumps to wet enemies nearby.
• Freeze (ice and water): holds the enemy for three seconds. A physical hit breaks the ice for extra damage, and swapping to the Warrior at that exact moment is the play.
• Burn (fire and nature): damage per second that spreads through nature.
• Bloom (water and nature): heals whoever is near the target.
• Crystallize (earth and any other): a shield on whoever fired.
• Scatter (wind and any other): wind damage, and the aura passes to the surrounding enemies, setting up the next reaction.

Big weapons also came in. Bow, mace and longsword use bigger sprites than the 64 pixels from before, and the game now reads each layer at its own size. We also took the chance to close two gaps in the armor table: leather pants and steel gauntlets.

Next step

The job tree, so each class splits into two.