Magic: Legends Previews Geomancer Class In New Dev Blog
Perfect World Entertainment announced that they were working with Cryptic on a Magic: The Gathering-inspired MMORPG. But, much to the disappointment of MMORPG fans, the game ultimately turned out to be an online isometric ARPG with a Diablo-ish vibe rather than a traditional MMORPG.
Today, the developers give fans a little insight into the design philosophy that went into the creation of the Geomancer class in a new dev blog.
“When deg the Geomancer specifically, we knew we wanted a durable melee character class that encapsulated both the ionate fury attributed to red mana and a deep connection to the element of earth,” writes Game Art Director Barclay Chantel and Lead Systems Designer Phil Zeleski.
“We researched Magic the Gathering’s iconic planeswalkers and landed on Koth from the Mirrodin expansion block as our starting design inspiration," they added. “Not only did he appear durable and earthen in his card art, the visual language of the illustrations portrayed a very clear and molten aggression we felt was perfect for a melee gameplay experience.”
When it came to gameplay, the devs wanted to give the Geomancer a unique but accessible power set, high strength, mobility, and survivability without being too overpowered. This gave birth to the class-exclusive shield mechanic. Here's how it works:
“Shield is generated ively when the Geomancer is engaged in combat and actively when they cast certain spells or utilize class abilities. The player then has the choice to unleash the shield to boost their outgoing damage or keep it built up to mitigate incoming damage. This presents the player with a constant, active choice that lends flexibility to the class’s base role.”
Learn more about the Geomancer on the Magic: Legends official site.
