Mythos Beta Journal #1
-
Category: News ArchiveHits: 853
Just like Diablo, I had 5 skill points to spend when I dinged level 2. I could put them in strength (physical damage), dexterity (armor and attack bonus), vitality (hit points), and wisdom (mana). So far, dexterity is the stat of choice for my Gadgeteer. With higher dexterity, I can equip better guns and clothing. In the realm of a skill tree, Mythos is reminding me quite a bit of World of Warcraft mixed with Titan Quest. Each class has three skill tabs (mine are Marksman, Grenadier, and Tinker). Some skills are unlocked right away. Others require me to spend generic points in the skill tabs (e.g. 3 points in the tabs unlocks access to Black Powder and Rally under the Marksman tab). Some require both points in the tabs and in a prerequisite skill (e.g. Noxious Shrapnel requires at lest one point in Noxious Grenade and 7 points in the Grenadier tab). Putting more points into the same skill makes it more effective. So far, 3 points int eh tabs unlocks the second tier of skills for all tabs. That is, I do not have to spend three points in Marksman and three points in Grenadier. I just place the points into the tabs, and it unlocks all of them as I go.
The early buzz in-game and on the beta forums is that many skills still require balance or do not work as intended. This doesn't alarm me for a game in beta as I have played many finished games with the same problem. The important thing to know is that the development team is working on it. For Silek, I stayed on the Marksman tab and purchased some points in the Tinker skill, which allows me to fire faster. I also spent a couple of points on Rapid Refire, which allows me to shoot so long as I hold down the button for a mana cost. I finished my first gaming session after 3.5 hours at level 7. Rapid Refire is my named killer so far, and I use regular attack for most common enemies.
Another way to power up my character came in the form of Achievements. Like in The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, players unlock Achievements by completing certain tasks. For instance, my work in the abbey earned me an Achievement that adds +3 to vitality. When I kill my first 1,000 monsters, I'll unlock another one. Killing 1,000 undead type monsters will unlock yet another. But I can't use all of my Achievements at once. I have to equip them and swap them out as I see fit. This will put some strategy into things as I progress I suspect.
