Lootun Deep Dive #1: Skills, Classes and Ascendancies

Welcome to the first in a series of weekly posts attempting to explore the many aspects of Lootun. This week we will be taking a close look at the skill system in Lootun in addition to a brief look at the classes and ascendancies that are available.

Skills:

Skills in Lootun can be grouped into 2 main categories: Default Attacks, and Cooldowns.

Default Attacks:

Lootun offers 21 distinct default attacks split evenly over 3 different classes. Default attacks are used automatically during combat.

All default attacks are comprised of 2 primary components:

Weapon Damage: This represents the percentage of weapon damage dealt by each attack. For example a default attack with 120% weapon damage and weapon with 10-20 damage will deal 12-24 damage.

Attack Time: This represents the percentage of weapon attack speed that is used to cast the attack. For example a default attack with 80% attack time and a weapon with 2.5 seconds per attack will take 2 seconds to cast. Lower attack times mean faster attacks.

Default attacks may also have additional benefits such as hitting multiple targets, applying debuffs to the target or buffs to the caster. Each attack can be further augmented via mastery passives. In order to use a default attack a weapon with a corresponding damage type must be equipped (For example to use a ranged attack a ranged weapon must be equipped).

Cooldowns:

Cooldown skills are skills that can only be used once before incurring a cooldown. Typically cooldown skills must be manually clicked in order to be used allowing for strategic use during difficult encounters. However, some early game upgrades can be purchased allowing for cooldowns to be automatically cast should a more passive playstyle be desired.

Cooldowns can be split into 3 categories.

Offensive Cooldowns: These cooldowns typically deal damage or boost the damage output of your party in some manner. As offensive cooldowns have no weapon damage type they inherit the damage type of any weapon you have equipped allowing for greater build customization.

Defensive Cooldowns: These cooldowns typically reduce the amount of damage the caster will take by boosting the defence of the caster or reducing the damage dealt by the enemy.

Ascendancy Cooldowns: These cooldowns provide very powerful temporary buffs to the caster. Ascendancy cooldowns are granted by each ascendancy class and unlike every other skill do not gain mastery experience. However, ascendancy cooldowns can still be modified using ascendancy passive points.

Mastery Passives:

All default attacks, offensive cooldowns and defensive cooldowns can gain up to 20 mastery levels granting mastery passives that allow you to customize each skill. Mastery experience is gained by defeating monsters with the skill equipped. The amount of experience granted by monsters increases as you gain character levels thus granting a built in catch up system should you wish to change your skill loadout. Mastery Passives can be freely changed via the passives panel.

Each skill has 8 mastery passives providing a wide variety of skill modifications ranging from basic damage increases to damage type conversions, increasing / decreasing the number of targets hit or even providing a chance to instantly kill monsters.

Classes:

Lootun offers 3 base classes following the typical fantasy archetypes; Warrior, Ranger and Mage.

Warrior: A sturdy character providing high defence at the cost of reduced damage capabilities. Focuses in dealing melee damage with some ranged opportunities.

Ranger: An agile character capable of evading attacks and dealing high damage. Focuses in dealing ranged damage with some melee opportunities.

Mage: A versatile character with weak natural defence but high damage. Focuses in dealing magic damage with some melee opportunities.

Each class has 7 unique default attacks, 3 unique offensive cooldowns and 3 unique defensive cooldowns which unlock as you progress to level 100. In addition each character has access to 25 different passives to choose from each with 10 ranks. These passives are largely the same for each class with some minor differences based on the class theme.

Ascendancy Classes:

Upon reaching level 100 each character can select one of 3 ascendancy classes depending on the base class of the character.

Once an ascendancy is selected each character will gain access to 50 ascendancy levels which grant passive points. There are currently 20 shared ascendancy passives granting very powerful bonuses to your character. In addition each ascendancy has 5 unique passives that modify the associated ascendancy cooldown.

Warrior Ascendancies:

Barbarian: Focuses on dealing more damage, faster, but takes more damage too.

Juggernaut: All rounder, deals moderately more damage and takes moderately less damage.

Warden: Tank, takes much less damage, focuses on blocking attacks (even without a shield!).

Ranger Ascendancies:

Assassin: Focus on dealing damage over time, deals more damage while on full hp.

Marksman: Hits hard and hits fast, grants attack speed and critical chance.

Renegade: Survival master, takes less damage, less frequently, and deals moderate damage.

Mage Ascendancies:

Archmage: Powerful damage boost for all magic abilities.

Vizier: Hits hard and fast granting a bonus to elemental damage and attack speed.

Battlemage: Strong defensive option with a moderate damage boost.

Wrap up:

If you made it this far, thank you for reading. Next week we will be taking a deep dive into the Equipment, Salvaging and Crafting aspects of Lootun.

In the meantime if there are any questions or suggestions please feel free to comment, I have also set up a Discord and a Subreddit to facilitate discussion.

Discord: https://discord.gg/KmpBY9g7j6 Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Lootun/