The Ranger's Fury update brings a new class to Riders of Icarus for the first time, the ... Ranger!
Check out his official presentation below:
The Prowler
Blood of the God of Ruins runs through his veins, granting him the ability to increase his stats by tapping into a dark evil power. His style of play consists of slashing enemies from a distance before finishing them off from a distance (and vice versa), thanks to a variety of talents that he puts in the service of the Kingdom of Hakanas, as a special agent of the Onyx Company.
- Two different fighting styles: exclusive to the Ranger, two new fighting styles to experience and master. At long range with the bow and in close combat with the Vambrace.
- Power Specialization: Players decide to advance Vambrace, Arc, or Chaos Powers, each of which grants a unique playstyle. The Arc will be perfect for those who like to take distance, the Vambrace for those who prefer to control the battlefield, and finally the Chaos for continuous effectiveness: to cause lasting damage to enemies, but also to heal allies and improve / decrease the characteristics of other players.
It is with a certain enthusiasm that I find the PTS server to try this new class. My character is now propelled to level 50. Yes, you read that right 50, with this update the level cap increases.
This is not the only novelty, besides the Ranger and the level at 50, there is also a new area to explore: The Black Desert.
Accessible from level 40, the Black Desert is located to the west of Castel Hakain. You will imagine that a torrid climate awaits you there. Two dungeons will also be added to your travel diary:
- the Temple of the Dunes: these ruins once dedicated to the demigod Skatrasha are now controlled by the Khabim brotherhood. As usual, we will be happy to put a spade in their wheels.
- The Fortress of Tears: This citadel located north of the Black Desert is home to the shenanigans of the Fallen Legion. You will not be able to face this threat on your own.
I land in the Black Desert, in the village of Alseik, with my new character. It's a bit of a shame to attack a new class at level 50, but on the other hand it allows me to discover the new area. As with the last update we tested, the first thing to do is open the inventory! A multitude of objects await me: equipment, money, potions for pets, mounts, skills ... Christmas before its time in short.
As usual, the gear is lavish and the included mount, Shakiba, is impressive:
Make way for skills. I quickly notice that the Ranger's source of power is Chaos. Some skills generate it while others consume it. The Ranger uses a bow but also a forearm cannon. You have the choice to activate one of the two postures depending on the weapon you have decided to use in order to maximize its effects:
- Bow Stance improves bow skills, magic attack increases by 15%. By using certain skills, we gain movement speed and reduce the casting time.
- Vambrace Stance improves forearm cannon skills, physical defense increases by 20%. Using certain skills increases physical defense and dodge.
We can clearly see an advantage, even the need to juggle between the two postures depending on the situation. It's still a bit difficult to discover a new class and its intricacies by having all of your skills immediately. There are several combos, allowing to inflict bonus damage, to activate additional effects such as recovering Chaos and health ... There are skills with additional effects such as lowering the target's defense, frighten him, reduce his stability, etc ...
Three skills are modified when you change your posture. In Bow, Chaotic Infusion shoot a salvo of arrows (combo and it can hit multiple targets, so be careful!), Entropic Strikes slows down enemies, decreases their defense and attack by 10% and finally Raven's Heart restores 100 chaos points and grants you a bunch of other tantalizing bonuses.
In Vambrace posture, Chaotic Infusion deals damage within 4 meters and knocks down enemies, Entropic Strikes decreases the stability of enemies and freezes them for 5 seconds and Raven Heart Restores 100 Chaos points but also restores 30% of your health and makes you invincible for 5 seconds.
In short, we understand why the Ranger character creation screen indicates that the handling of the class is "very difficult". There are indeed a multitude of possibilities, combo, chain, not to mention that some skills consume Health! The Ranger gameplay is definitely very rich.
As for the mounts, there are nine announced (this figure only seems to concern elites and heroics after exploring the Black Desert a little) waiting to be captured: Longhorn Bajarn, Matura, Panos, Poyo, Shakiba, Trinoceros , Tolus, Vegarus and Voknos. In fact, my inventory still contained two other mounts:
Grim Hellhound
Grim Kargyle
Finally, it is not because we are in the desert that the area should not be visually treated. Even if the atmosphere is clearly dominated by sand, the impression of stifling heat and rock, that does not prevent having a beautiful map with a simple but picturesque city and a very worked sky. Some examples, without revealing too much:
The skills are also pleasing to the eye. The tones are in a cast of black, purple and the crow is never far away for archery skills. those with the forearm barrel are more focused on red, orange.
Ranger's Fury turns out to be another nice update for Riders of Icarus. Between the new class to discover, the new pets to hunt and an area to explore, there is still plenty to take care of. See you on December 15 to take advantage of it!
