A For-Fun Dragonhunter Rework

[Treetoptrickster.4205]

Hi! I occasionally like to take elite specializations that didn't quite hit the mark for me, and spiffy them up a bit for fun. Please don't look at this as an objective suggestion for how the class should be, or how it should be balanced. I just wanted to make it more appealing to me, and hopefully some other people.

 

Setting Sights on the Dragonhunter 

I feel that this class is the game's take on demon/monster hunters or the like from other media. They pursue terrible and dangerous targets, and bring them down tactically to protect the world from looming threats. In my take on the dragonhunter, I'm attempting to enforce the feeling of being built for big encounters. While more than capable of disposing of any quarry, I wanted to make dragonhunters feel like they shine in long fights with tough adversaries that require coordination with a team. They can be found dropping massive strikes when the moment is right, chipping away at behemoths, laying down covering and suppressive fire, and supplying some relief to their allies to keep the hunting party going in tough situations.

 

Why tackle the drsgonhunter at all? I find that their class mechanic of  'focused active virtues' is good in theory, but are kind of lacking a thematic. My philosophy of elite specializations are that they are not a seperate class unto themselves. Like normal specializations, they're designed as a way to opt into a niche and goal, allowing a few ways for accomplishing said goal. The difference is that elite specializations can modify an existing profession to an extent where they can occupy a niche that they weren't previously able to fill very well. With this in mind, I tend to want to weed out skill and trait designs that don't really lend themselves to fhe fantasy in mind. Since my personal take on the dragonhunter is that of a holy marksman or sniper - a ranged dps - I wanted their virtue skills to reflect that. The dragonhunter's longbow I only touched a bit, but their traps got changed more. I changed the traits up substantially. While some current ideas have been carried forward in some way, I replaced the ones that just didn't quite fit the brief.

 

Since the focus of this project is not balance, numbers are left out.

 

Let's get started!

 

FOCUSED VIRTUES

The tools of the trade.

 

Piercing Judgement - Burn foes every few attacks. Activate to begin to charge up a powerful piercing shot. Upon release, fire in the target direction. Foes struck take significant damage, and are knocked back. The knockback distance scales with time charged. If enemies are knocked back into terrain or impassible barriers, they are stunned and take additional damage. Projectile finisher.

Wings of Conviction - Regenerate health over time. Activate to fly up into the air and hover for a moment, retaining ability to attack and dodge while avoiding ground based threats and melee attacks. After the duration, or upon reactivation, crash down to heal allies in the area. 

Moral Boundary - Gain aegis at set intervals. Activate to raise a longlasting stationary barrier that blocks enemy projectiles and movement. Light field.

 

LONGBOW

Bring it down.

 

1. Puncture Shot - Fire a piercing shot. If the arrow only strikes a single target, they suffer a second strike that briefly cripples. Projectile finisher (20% chance).

2. True Shot - Hold still momentarily, then fire a piercing shot that deals heavy damage and inflicts vulnerability. Projectile finisher. 

3. Deflecting Shot - Fire an arrow in the target direction that pierces enemies, knocking them back and deflecting projectiles. Projectile finisher.

4. Hunter's Respite - Shoot a flare into the ground, creating a pulsing area that heals allies and blinds foes.

5. Symbol of Stoicism - Barrage the target area with arrows, creating a large symbol that cripples foes and grants stability to allies. The last strike of the symbol deals more damage and immobilizes foes. Light field.

 

TRAPS

Watch your step.

 

Heal - Purifying Refuge

Heal yourself and lay a trap. Injured allies trigger the trap, creating a pulsing area that cleanses conditions, healing for each condition removed.

1. Rain Fury

Lay a trap that causes a pulsing barrage of arrows when triggered, crippling, bleeding, and weakening with each strike.

2. Hidepiercer

Lay a trap that causes spikes of light to erupt from the ground when triggered, dealing heavy damage and applying heavy vulnerability.

3. Incarceration

Lay a trap that creates a pulsing area when triggered, revealing, slowing, and immobilzing foes within each strike

4. Saving Grace

Lay a trap that can be manually triggered when you are disabled to break stuns and teleport you to it, creating an area that pulses aegis to allies.

Elite - Dragon's Maw

Lay a trap that pulls in nearby enemies when triggered, trapping them within a warded circle while striking and dazing them repeatedly.

 

TRAITS

Sharpen your instincts.

 

Adepts

(Minor) Honed Virtues - Virtue actives become precise skills. Gain access to traps.

Foresight - Traps gain reduced recharge. When a trap is triggered, refresh Moral Boundary's passive.

Easy Shot - Deal increased strike damage to movement impaired foes. Piercing Judgement's passive effect cripples.

Thrill of the Hunt - Heal for a portion of critical damage you deal. Wing's of Conviction's passive effect increases movement speed.

Masters

(Minor) Weak Spot - Disabling or immobilizing a foe cripples them

Big Game Hunter - Strikes against defiant foes, or foes with barrier, protection, resolution, or stability deal more damage and apply vulnerability.

Suppressive Fire - Longbow skills have reduced recharges. 100% projectile finisher skills slow enemies hit.

Steady Aim - Gain aegis when you dodge. While you have aegis, your critical strike chance is maxed out.

Gransmasters

(Minor) Pure of Sight - The further away you are from your target, the more damage you do. The maximum value is always applied to defiant foes.

Final Verdict - When fully charged, piercing judgement always crits, and stuns enemies even if they aren't pinned, as well as applying bonus damage to break bars.

On Swift Wings - Dodging while hovering using Wings of Conviction causes you to rush in the direction of the dodge, and extends the duration of the hover.

You Shall not Pass - Moral Boundary is larger, reflects projectiles instead, and enhances ally projectiles shot through it with a follow up strike.

Edited May 6, 2023 by Treetoptrickster.4205

[Balsa.3951]

i would love a DH rework....doubt we get it. 

[Phyrak.7260]

This is rad!

The hover mechanic is super cool and would make DH so much better! 

[Mimterest.4639]

This is really cool and I wish we could get most of these in the game, but the only things I don't like are the new virtue of Justice since the current one is literally designed to pull your prey into your traps and I find that very fun! Also procession of blades is fun so I'd like to keep that too :3

[Twilightmage.8309]

If the virtue 1 still let you pull that would be neat for pvp.