August 19, 2019
Get ready to ROCK the battlefield!
To celebrate our new musical event, the class team has been hard at work on new classes:Heavy Metal NecroandNu Metal Necro. The Nu Metal Necro class is a version that’s easier to both obtain and use, and ideal for lower level players. The color-customizable Heavy Metal Necro Class will be released as part of our VIP Event Collection package; both that class and its functionally identical farmable variant, theDark Metal Necro, are built for more experienced players and featurea momentum-based playstyle that keeps the risk high and the damage higher!
The variants of these classes will go rare after this event ends, but their skills, icons, and animations will return during future musical events.
Dark Metal Necro Skill Breakdown
Dark Metal Necros are a force to be reckoned with in a mosh pit. Like the band they’re die-hard fans of, they utilise deathly riffs, their mighty voices, and their necromantic abilities to crush their foes into submission under the weight of their music and undead minions.
Mana Regeneration
Dark Metal Necros gain mana when they:
- Strike an enemy in combat (more effective on crits)
- Are struck by an enemy in combat
Twisted Slash
Rank Needed: 1
Type: Physical
Mana cost: 0
Cooldown: 2 seconds
Range: Melee
Description: Damage your enemies with a cruel cut. Applies Talon Twisting, which adds 50% of damage done to you to your auto attacks for 8 seconds.
The auto attack is relatively standard, except each hit applies Talon Twisting for 8 seconds-- meaning this aura is always active. This class performs best when taking damage, and Talon Twisting contributes to that by adding half of all damage you take to your next auto attack. You know what they say-- no pain, no gain!
Rotting Riff
Rank Needed:1
Type:Physical
Mana cost:10
Cooldown:6 seconds
Range:Melee
Description:Unleash a wicked soundwave, summoning otherworldly ghouls that mob your foe. Applies Reverberating, which increases all outgoing damage by 25% and lasts for 3 seconds. Also applies Forgone Conclusion for 6 seconds, restoring health based on damage dealt once the effect fades.
This skill requires expert timing for both of its auras. If you’d like to combo into additional auras, you’ll need to quickly use Sacrificial Pact, but if you’d like to maximize the damage on your nuke, you won’t have time to combo into additional auras. Forgone Conclusion is also the only way to heal on this class-- and it heals based on all damage you deal (including damage dealt to yourself) once the aura fades. Because you can loop Forgone Conclusion, you can delay it indefinitely and recover almost all your health if timed right-- however, if you never let Forgone Conclusion fade, you’ll never heal. Tricky tricky!
Shattering Sanity
Rank Needed:2
Type:Physical
Mana cost:15
Cooldown:8 seconds
Range:Melee
Description:Conjure an unholy creature that crushes your opponent’s body and mind, dealing massive damage that increases as your health decreases. Also applies Shattered Psyche, which decreases enemy critical hit chance by 30% for 10 seconds. If Cursed Echo is present, applies Insanity, which increases critical hit chance by 7% for 40 seconds and stacks to 3.
As your health decreases, the damage you deal with this skill increases-- if you manage your health properly, this skill will be responsible for a majority of your outgoing damage. This skill also decreases enemy critical hit chance by 30%, which is the only form of damage mitigation on this class. You need to take damage to deal damage (and ultimately heal), but this cushion at least decreases the odds that you’ll succumb to an unlucky string of critical hits. If you combo your auras properly, you can also receive a stacking critical hit chance boost-- increasing the odds that you’ll deal big damage using this skill.
Deathly Roar
Rank Needed:3
Type:Physical
Mana cost:10
Cooldown:6 seconds
Range:Melee
Description:Unleash sonic destruction upon your opponent, shaking them to the core and applying Terrified, which decreases their dodge by 30% for 10 seconds. If Insanity is present, applies Deranged Frenzy, increasing your haste by 25% for 10 seconds.
This skill deals a respectable amount of damage and decreases enemy dodge chance by 30%, making it easier for you to consistently deal damage. As long as this skill connects, you can follow up with nearly guaranteed hits on enemies (but not necessarily players, if you’re in PvP). If you combo your auras properly, you can gain Deranged Frenzy’s potent 25% haste increase, which significantly increases your outgoing damage.
Sacrificial Pact
Rank Needed: 5
Type:Physical
Mana cost:0
Cooldown:8 seconds
Range:Melee
Description:By entering a contract with a sinister entity, acquire malicious power at the cost of your health. Also applies Dark Pact, increasing incoming damage by 25% for 6 seconds and stacks to 3. If Reverberating is present, applies Cursed Echo for 8 seconds, which increases physical outgoing damage by 25% and stacks to 3.
This skill requires some thought to use-- if you use it carelessly, you’ll just be damaging yourself and increasing the amount of damage you take. However, if you use it immediately after Reverberating, you’ll gain one stack of Cursed Echo for 8 seconds and increase your outgoing damage by up to 75% (stacks refresh when skill is reapplied). Damage taken when using this skill also contributes to Talon Twisting, Forgone Conclusion, and your nuke skill-- and if you’re in a group with someone that heals you, you may want to use this skill to keep your health low to deal extra damage.
Undying Vitality
Rank Needed: 4
Type:Passive
Description:Increases Endurance by 300%
Malediction
Rank Needed: 4
Type:Passive
Description:Increases Outgoing Damage and Hit Chance by 15%.
Effigy of Death
Rank Needed:10
Type:Passive
Description:Increases Crit Chance by 25%.
Conclusion
This is a heavy hitting class that deals damage based on how much damage it takes, and can quickly bounce back from the brink of death with expert timing. Everything in this class is connected-- the damage you take determines the damage you deal, and the damage you deal determines how much you heal. This class has a whopping 300% Endurance boost on its rank 4 passive, allowing it to survive many hits despite minimal damage mitigation, self-damaging skills, and a difficult to use heal. Dark Metal Necro plays like no other class in AQW, and performs at a level that makes it a viable solo class for casual and hardcore content alike.
Nu Metal Necro Skill Breakdown
Nu Metal Necros are a force to be reckoned with in a mosh pit. Like the band they’re die-hard fans of, they utilise deathly riffs, their mighty voices, and their necromantic abilities to crush their foes into submission under the weight of their music and undead minions.
Mana Regeneration
Nu Metal Necros gain mana when they:
- Strike an enemy in combat (more effective on crits)
- Are struck by an enemy in combat
Auto Attack
Rank Needed:1
Type:Physical
Mana cost:0
Cooldown:2 seconds
Range:Melee
Description:A basic attack, taught to all adventurers. Damage dealt is based on your weapon damage.
This is a standard auto attack-- you use it to hit things until they die. This class is a simpler, easy-to-use version of Dark Metal Necro intended for early game players, so we removed some of the high-risk damage taking/dealing mechanics.
Shocking Soundwave
Rank Needed:1
Type:Physical
Mana cost:10
Cooldown:6 seconds
Range:Melee
Description:Strum your guitar with all your might, summoning an otherworldly ghoul to attack your foe. Also applies Soundwave, which increases all outgoing damage by 15% and lasts for 8 seconds.
This skill takes the form of a summoned ghoul, increases all outgoing damage for 8 seconds. Because this skill can be easily looped, this should be used as often as possible and there should be no reason why this skill isn’t constantly on cooldown.
Mental Breakdown
Rank Needed: 2
Type:Physical
Mana cost:15
Cooldown:8 seconds
Range:Melee
Description:Attack your opponent’s psyche, dealing more damage that increases as your health decreases. Also applies Lost Sanity, which increases player crit chance by 15% for 10 seconds.
This nuke is similar to Dark Metal Necro’s and increases in damage dealt based on your amount of lost health-- additionally, it increases critical hit chance for 10 seconds. If timed properly, it is possible to have both outgoing damage boosts and the critical hit chance boost active when using this skill.
Ghastly Chains
Rank Needed: 3
Type:Physical
Mana cost:10
Cooldown:6 seconds
Range:Melee
Description:Bind your opponent with ethereal chains, applying bound, decreasing their dodge chance by 30% for 8 seconds and absorbing their health
This skill decreases enemy dodge and increases the likelihood that your skills will connect, and additionally drains the health of your opponents. To make this class more straightforward, the Forgone Conclusion heal was replaced with a lifesteal-type heal.
Enraging Pain
Rank Needed:5
Type:Physical
Mana cost:0
Cooldown:8 seconds
Range:Melee
Description:By entering a contract with a sinister entity, acquire power at the cost of your health. Applies Enraged Power, which increases outgoing damage by 20% for 10 seconds.
The final skill trades some of your life for an increase to your outgoing damage-- the damage boost does not stack or require the presence of another aura, but you can damage yourself more than necessary by using this skill before the Enraged Power aura fades. Combine this with Mental Breakdown for a significant damage increase.
Wild Thrash
Rank Needed:4
Type:Passive
Description:Increases Hit Chance by 15%
Mosh Instinct
Rank Needed:4
Type:Passive
Description:Increases Outgoing Damage by 15%.
Rampage
Rank Needed:4
Type:Passive
Description:Increases Crit Chance by 20%.
Conclusion
Nu Metal Necro is an easy to get class that gives newer players an edge in early game combat. The skills are relatively straightforward, but it requires that players be mindful of your timings and health total to maximize its efficiency. You have to keep your health middling to low-- low enough to maximize your damage, but not too low you’re… dead.
Many thanks to Pisces, the class design lead, and toImmortal Joe, Fox, Eht, Lettuce, Cheese Wizard, and Yoshino for all of the help with the balance, testing, and feedback.
Tags: Alina,
