Chaldo
Rabby
While I like the new update and it's support for the bow, I think it needs improvement because it's a little lacking. As you progress through the story, the bow can be upgraded, but the only difference I have noticed is a damage increase.
■ The ability to upgrade the bow's fletching which increases it's projectile's speed (Chris)
■ The ability to upgrade the range of the bow via the bowstring (Chris)
■ The ability to upgrade the damage of the bow via the arrowhead (Chris)
■ The ability to upgrade the bow in a way that increases the drop chance of enemies items (Chris)
■ The ability to upgrade the bow's rate of fire via a mechanical bowstring that automatically shoots at high speeds (Chaldo)
■ The ability to upgrade its piercing via the arrowhead (Chaldo)
■ The ability to have damage over time via barbed arrows that stick in the enemy (Chaldo)
■ A light attachment that momentarily stuns enemies that come too close to the player (Chaldo)
■ A red dot sight attachment that shows you where the arrow will go (Chaldo)
■ A weapon attachment (like a bayonet) that allows the player to deal melee damage to enemies as well as shoot them (Chaldo)
■ A shield attachment that allows blocking while shooting (Chaldo)
■ A second (or more) quiver upgrade(s) to have more arrows (Chaldo)
■ A bow that shoots the blue homing shots (similar to Amalet) (Chaldo)
■ A bow that creates the purple vortex of the guardian when it's arrows land, give a barrier to a nearby ally, or hit off of 2 or 3 walls (dependant on charge level) to create a laser wall (all toggleable) (Chaldo)
■ A bow that shoots ice spikes (similar to the ice-slimes attack) that pierce through a lot of enemies (Chaldo)
■ A bow that shoots golden arrows at the enemy which makes them drop their money (Chaldo)
■ A bow that creates ice on the floor as it flies through enemies, and it slows enemies on the ice while freezing ones who are penetrated by the arrow (Chaldo)
■ A bow that creates a circle of thorns where it lands that traps/damages enemies (Chaldo)
***Maybe it could be one bow that is affected by the last season orb used while it is on a hotkey, and you can craft multiple bows (Chaldo)
■ A bow whose arrows create field of special mushrooms that disorient enemies (Chaldo)
■ A bow that has the same mechanisms as fire shroomies and it's arrows spread fire spores around the room which set fire to enemies/the ground (Chaldo)
■ A bow whose arrows leak acid (different color from larvacid acd) over the ground that it flies over that deals damage over time to enemies (Chaldo)
■ A bow whose arrows are tipped with gas bombs that suffocate enemies (Chaldo)
■ A bow that shoots arrows high into the sky that "ground pound" dealing aoe damage with a shockwave effect (Chaldo)
■ A bow that shoots arrows infused with the souls of Echoes of Madness which will teleport the enemy it hits to a random location nearby (Chaldo)
■ A bow with a one-use arrow that you have to pick up afterwards because it has a monkey hanging onto it which throws things into the air as it passes them (Chaldo)
Another skill that the bow could have is a chargeable explosive arrow that shoots a bomb-tipped arrow, and it creates an explosion where it hits, and it would be larger and do more damage depending on which charge you used. This would also only consume 1 arrow, but use energy.
The bow could also have an ability where it acts as a gatling gun. For example, the bronze charge would shoot 5 arrows, the silver charge would shoot 10, and the gold charge would shoot all of your arrows, and it would shoot them at a high speed. This skill would be used to shoot bursts of damage, and it has no use of energy because it burns through your arrows.
For an area of effect skill, the bow could shoot out two arrows, one arrow in front of you and one in the back, when you don't charge the skill, and for the bronze charge it would be four arrows shot out around you, silver would be six, and gold would be eight. That or every charge is 8 arrows completely surrounding you that shoot out and the charge just determines the damage output. The bow would only consume 1 arrow for each charge, but the energy used would increase
The final bow skill that I could come up with would be a sort of homing arrow where an arrow is shot and it automatically locks onto a target and goes through it doing damage. For no charge it would target and go through two enemies, for bronze charge it would go through three, for silver charge four, and for gold charge it would target and go through and damage five enemies.
■ Adding rings to increase ranged damage like the stronger/smarter rings etc.
■ Special light armor that makes the character have faster movement speed since archers are traditionally agile with a lower defense.
■ A special accessory that allows you to move at normal speed while charging your bow, and it would be usable with the light armor.
■ A talent that increases your movement speed by x% per talent level while charging your bow.
■ A few talents that would give a chance to burn/chill enemies upon impact with flaming/frozen arrows.
■ Gives a x% chance/is a permanent affect to pierce enemies.
■ The arrow potion should get buffed more than +1 arrow when it has "Fine Taste" at max level
■ Allows the player to pick up x% of arrows fired from the bow. (Em0_oticon)
■ Allows the player to pick up x% of arrows that don't hit an enemy. (Chris)
■ Allows the player to pick up x% of arrows that don't kill an enemy. (Chris)
(EVEN NEWER)
Upgradeable Bow Parts (Chris)
Instead of adding different bows or an entire skill tree dedicated to the bow, it could have a multitude of upgradeable and swappable parts that are either crafted or purchased.Upgradeable Bow Parts (Chris)
■ The ability to upgrade the bow's fletching which increases it's projectile's speed (Chris)
■ The ability to upgrade the range of the bow via the bowstring (Chris)
■ The ability to upgrade the damage of the bow via the arrowhead (Chris)
■ The ability to upgrade the bow in a way that increases the drop chance of enemies items (Chris)
■ The ability to upgrade the bow's rate of fire via a mechanical bowstring that automatically shoots at high speeds (Chaldo)
■ The ability to upgrade its piercing via the arrowhead (Chaldo)
■ The ability to have damage over time via barbed arrows that stick in the enemy (Chaldo)
■ A light attachment that momentarily stuns enemies that come too close to the player (Chaldo)
■ A red dot sight attachment that shows you where the arrow will go (Chaldo)
■ A weapon attachment (like a bayonet) that allows the player to deal melee damage to enemies as well as shoot them (Chaldo)
■ A shield attachment that allows blocking while shooting (Chaldo)
■ A second (or more) quiver upgrade(s) to have more arrows (Chaldo)
(NEW)
Rather Than Making the Bow It's Own Class (Different Bows) (Chris)
Instead of having skills for the bow in order to make it viable, create area specific craftable/obtainable (from enemies) bow weapons that would replace/be used alongside your current bow that do special things. Depending on how great/what type of effect the bow creates the damage would scale with the current bow upgrades you can buy while some are stronger, weaker, and do no damage, but have a special effect.Rather Than Making the Bow It's Own Class (Different Bows) (Chris)
Pumpkin Wooks
■ A haunted bow that has arrows that either scares or aggros enemies (50%-50%) (Chaldo)
■ A helloweed bow that uses vine-wrapped arrows ito stuns enemies by wrapping them up in the vines (like the helloweed) (Chaldo)
■ A helloweed bow that uses vine-wrapped arrows ito stuns enemies by wrapping them up in the vines (like the helloweed) (Chaldo)
Flying Fortress
■ A bow that fires lasers (Chris)■ A bow that shoots the blue homing shots (similar to Amalet) (Chaldo)
■ A bow that creates the purple vortex of the guardian when it's arrows land, give a barrier to a nearby ally, or hit off of 2 or 3 walls (dependant on charge level) to create a laser wall (all toggleable) (Chaldo)
Seasonne
■ An ice bow that shoots ice-coated arrows that freezes enemies (Chris)■ A bow that shoots ice spikes (similar to the ice-slimes attack) that pierce through a lot of enemies (Chaldo)
■ A bow that shoots golden arrows at the enemy which makes them drop their money (Chaldo)
Temple of Seasons
■ A bow that creates tornadoes as it flies which disorients and throws certain enemies around (Chaldo)■ A bow that creates ice on the floor as it flies through enemies, and it slows enemies on the ice while freezing ones who are penetrated by the arrow (Chaldo)
■ A bow that creates a circle of thorns where it lands that traps/damages enemies (Chaldo)
***Maybe it could be one bow that is affected by the last season orb used while it is on a hotkey, and you can craft multiple bows (Chaldo)
Mt. Bloom
■ A bow that uses the same (magic?) as spinsects that allows it's arrows to bounce off of walls at high speeds (Chaldo)■ A bow whose arrows create field of special mushrooms that disorient enemies (Chaldo)
■ A bow that has the same mechanisms as fire shroomies and it's arrows spread fire spores around the room which set fire to enemies/the ground (Chaldo)
■ A bow whose arrows leak acid (different color from larvacid acd) over the ground that it flies over that deals damage over time to enemies (Chaldo)
■ A bow whose arrows are tipped with gas bombs that suffocate enemies (Chaldo)
Tai Ming
■ A bow that shoots arrows into the ground which upturn unto the enemy (Chaldo)■ A bow that shoots arrows high into the sky that "ground pound" dealing aoe damage with a shockwave effect (Chaldo)
■ A bow that shoots arrows infused with the souls of Echoes of Madness which will teleport the enemy it hits to a random location nearby (Chaldo)
■ A bow with a one-use arrow that you have to pick up afterwards because it has a monkey hanging onto it which throws things into the air as it passes them (Chaldo)
If The Bow Had a Class Dedicated to It
Skills
After a bit of testing, I have found that the bow doesn't have a piercing effect which makes it incredibly ineffective against large groups of enemies, and it only seems to kill more than one enemy if they are in a tightly packed space. A chargeable bow skill which would allow you to shoot multiple arrows at once in a cone in front of you which would only consume 1 arrow, but it would use energy. It would be similar to blade fury, but with arrows and range. The higher the charge level, the higher the damage output.Skills
Another skill that the bow could have is a chargeable explosive arrow that shoots a bomb-tipped arrow, and it creates an explosion where it hits, and it would be larger and do more damage depending on which charge you used. This would also only consume 1 arrow, but use energy.
The bow could also have an ability where it acts as a gatling gun. For example, the bronze charge would shoot 5 arrows, the silver charge would shoot 10, and the gold charge would shoot all of your arrows, and it would shoot them at a high speed. This skill would be used to shoot bursts of damage, and it has no use of energy because it burns through your arrows.
For an area of effect skill, the bow could shoot out two arrows, one arrow in front of you and one in the back, when you don't charge the skill, and for the bronze charge it would be four arrows shot out around you, silver would be six, and gold would be eight. That or every charge is 8 arrows completely surrounding you that shoot out and the charge just determines the damage output. The bow would only consume 1 arrow for each charge, but the energy used would increase
The final bow skill that I could come up with would be a sort of homing arrow where an arrow is shot and it automatically locks onto a target and goes through it doing damage. For no charge it would target and go through two enemies, for bronze charge it would go through three, for silver charge four, and for gold charge it would target and go through and damage five enemies.
Items
I believe the only item that affects bows in the game is the "Archer's Apple", and it increases your bow damage. I don't think it's a terribly balanced item, but since all it does is increase critical damage and bow damage if you want to use it you have to sacrifice a lot of defense in the form of a better hat. Although it may be intentional, it could be better to either add more archer-based items with better defense/special abilities or add talents that increase ranged damage to replace the "Archer's Apple" with more defense.
■ Adding rings to increase ranged damage like the stronger/smarter rings etc.
■ Special light armor that makes the character have faster movement speed since archers are traditionally agile with a lower defense.
■ A special accessory that allows you to move at normal speed while charging your bow, and it would be usable with the light armor.
Talents
■ A talent that would increase ranged damage by 2% every level and have 5 levels.
■ A talent that increases your movement speed by x% per talent level while charging your bow.
■ A few talents that would give a chance to burn/chill enemies upon impact with flaming/frozen arrows.
■ Gives a x% chance/is a permanent affect to pierce enemies.
■ The arrow potion should get buffed more than +1 arrow when it has "Fine Taste" at max level
■ Allows the player to pick up x% of arrows fired from the bow. (Em0_oticon)
■ Allows the player to pick up x% of arrows that don't hit an enemy. (Chris)
■ Allows the player to pick up x% of arrows that don't kill an enemy. (Chris)
Conclusion
The main reason I'm bringing this up is because I recently attempted a play-through of the game where I used my bow as my main focus of attack, and in general it doesn't work out well. On the negative side, in comparison to my friend who was using two-handed weapons, who did massive damage to bosses and killed huge groups of enemies with ease, I do minimal damage to bosses and can barely kill 1 enemy with 2 arrows before my friend kills everything in the room in 1 hit. This is why I think the bow needs a serious upgrade of skills, talents, and items.On the positive side however, I feel like the amount of arrows you get is good with the "Archer Potion", "Fine Taste", "Alchemist", and "Ammo Scavenge" you are able to maintain a steady supply of arrows at all times.
Random Side Note
In Evergrind City, Griddle, who is the man sitting down next to the park playing cards, should have a Hearthstone-like mini-game where you use the cards you have collected in the game for either money or fun.
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