In round three of their class presentations, City State Entertainment (CSE) introduces the archetype of the Shapeshifter and presents us with the three most extraordinary classes of Camelot Unchained (RvR-MMORPG).
The Shapeshifters are said to be one of the most complex class trios in the game, whose gameplay is not the most beginner-friendly, as it requires not only extensive knowledge of the combat system and gameplay skills but also a certain level of timing and foresight. The archetype of the Shapeshifter is divided into the following three different classes:
Black Rider
The Dullahan, commonly known as Black Rider (Tuatha Dé Danann), or headless knights, are considered feared harbingers of death. At first glance, they differ greatly from other shapeshifters, as they cannot transform into different beings. Rather, their power grows to the point where they can transform into increasingly horrific undead forms.
These forms allow them to become a weapon themselves, using their severed head as a powerful projectile, their spine as a spear, and their ribs as armor. Their abilities deal devastating death damage, which increases with the number of corpses of their victims nearby. At the peak of their power, they consume the energy of fallen enemies and bring death and destruction to anyone in their way. Once their energy is spent, the Dullahan require a period of recovery before they can return to role as a Skirmisher with massive burst damage.
Enchanted Knight
The Enchanted Knights (Arthurian) were the first knights at the court of King Arthur and gained their shapeshifting ability through a life-threatening encounter with the Veilstorm. Unlike the undead Black Riders, the Enchanted Knights can transform into different mystical beings. In the form of a griffin, they have not only high melee damage (single-target damage) but also a fast attack speed, making them fierce opponents in battle – man against griffin. When facing multiple enemies, transforming into a basilisk allows them to attack several foes at once (AoE) and inflict many debuffs (Crippling, etc.).
The Veilstorm has also granted them the power to transform into a kind of demon that deals damage through magic, can buff itself, and harm and control opponents with curses (Crowd-Control). The longer an Enchanted Knight maintains its form, the stronger it becomes. However, if it changes form, it must rebuild its power anew. This makes them a versatile, but also somewhat inflexible class, whose role seems to be that of an ideal 1vs1 counter.
Child of Loki
A Child of Loki (Viking) is the epitome of transformation, illusion, and deception. Through the power of found runes, they gradually gain new forms into which they can transform. They are born assassins, choosing individual victims from the crowd, whom they take down in close combat using their abilities. In the form of a horse, they cover the distance to their opponent in a flash, leaving little time to react. During combat, their fearsome wolf form instills panic in every foe and drains life energy through their attacks.
If the opponent proves harder to crack than expected, their snake form helps them pierce the victim’s armor to slowly poison them. Unlike other shapeshifters, they cannot maintain the same form for long and suffer significant drawbacks if they try to do so. Their abilities scream for the role of the melee assassin, which, unlike their counterparts, makes them less versatile and adaptable.
Time will tell, balancing will come!
For those who have been looking forward to playing a Shapeshifter at release after the presentation, unfortunately, you will have to be a bit more patient:
Unfortunately, we will all have to wait a little longer for these guys, as they will not make it into the game in time for the ‘launch.’ As we mentioned during the presentation, we had actually hoped to make them (like the Spirit-Pet classes) a stretch goal, and you can imagine how tempting that was for us. But be that as it may… we have no right to publish such (content) stretch goals as long as the game is not ready for ‘launch.’
This keeps the team true to its line of not unnecessarily prolonging the development of Camelot Unchained with ever-new content promises, which, to the dismay of some fans, means that the Shapeshifters will only find their way into the game after the ‘stealth classes’ and ‘spirit-pet classes.’ According to Mark Jacobs, this also has its advantages, as the team now has the time needed to design the Shapeshifters so that they fit into the ‘post-launch’ class structure and do not completely disrupt the balancing.
Lastly, here’s a little video treat from Josh, the new art designer of the team, for fans of the Firbolg race (TDD) and all those interested in the game design process. The revision of the race design:
On our news overview of Camelot Unchained you can learn more about the game, the unofficial successor to Dark Age of Camelot.
