Retaliate, Taunt, and Legionnaire

Shield up, stop the incoming projectile, stabby stab right back.

I’ve been pretty excited for the Legionnaire to come out for a bit now. When building skill kits where many classes have access to a clear “this is the tank” discipline build or even two or three, it’s really important to strike a tone and style difference to make each class feel special and unique, even when their role essentially has the same goal: to get in the way of all the stuff.

In turn, Legionnaire fills a really cool role as either a big beefy riposte tankerino (Live by the Shield), a legit melee DPS clapper that’s hard to kill (Die by the Spear), and a unique team-support utility buffer (Born Leader). Or, if you’re anything like me, there is a beautiful bruiser build hidden in there that combines the spirit of all three disciplines, which can serve as the heart of an off-tank team composition.

It was clear we wanted a tough frontliner (and sometimes midliner) that had some attitude. In turn, it was very important to the Hubert to make sure that our spikey boy slapped back. A lot. Shield up, stop the incoming projectile, stabby stab right back. Punish those who overextend. Repeat.

Thus, Retaliate was born.

Here’s how that works:

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Retaliate (RET) Definition:

For each instance this Hero receives damage, this Hero has a chance to Retaliate.

If this Hero Retaliates, this Hero performs a physical attack targeting the attacker with damage equal to Retaliate X.

Retaliate X = X*(0.5*BASIC + 1.0*STR)

Examples:
Retaliate 1 = 1*(0.5*BASIC + 1.0*STR)
Retaliate 2 = 2*(0.5*BASIC + 1.0*STR)

The range of a retaliatory basic attack is based on the currently equipped weapon.

For each Position outside of the weapon’s base range, add an additional Degree of Difficulty (DoD) of 20.

For instance, if the weapon's base range is 1 and the target of Retaliate is in P3, an additional DoD of 40 would be added to the attack.

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This Keyword opens up a whole new line of play based around punishing an overly-aggressive enemy. There is no end to the many mental deterrents that a team equipped with a spikey boy can throw down. Keep an eye out for future classes to tie into Retaliate ;)

Now, to really reinforce the tanky feel and vibe, we’re officially adopting “Taunt” as a keyword as well.

Here’s how that works:

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Taunt (TNT) Definition:

When a player uses a "Taunt" skill, the target enemy is forced to attack the Taunting Hero for a Duration of X.

The Taunted enemy MUST attack the Taunter for the Duration and can perform only actions that target the Taunter.

Taunting does NOT interrupt.
Taunt CAN be Cleansed and Purified.
Taunt changes the Channel target to Taunter.

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One of the first things we felt once the Combat Testing Grounds went live was the lack of early-level interactivity and impact for the Knight.

As a result, we’re looking to incorporate Taunt into the lower levels of tank-focused disciplines to help increase the importance of a beefier frontliner.

So! Keep any eye out for changes down the road on already announced classes to incorporate that change.

Until next time, be sure to follow all the stuff on Twitter:

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