Still grumpy about the downscaling of Magic Legends into more of a multiplayer game than the MMO originally announced? Yeah, we are too. But PWE and Cryptic are marching onward with reveals about the game. Today’s piece? It’s all about the Geomancer’s design.
“When designing the Geomancer specifically, we knew we wanted a durable melee character class that encapsulated both the passionate fury attributed to red mana and a deep connection to the element of earth,” lead systems designer Phil Zeleski and game art director Barclay Chantel write. “We researched Magic the Gathering’s iconic planeswalkers and landed on Koth from the Mirrodin expansion block as our starting design inspiration. 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.”
The devs say they’re focused on making the power set for Geomancer “accessible” but still unique, with power and mobility but also survivability at the forefront. That translates to the shield mechanic, which the Geo can use in combat to either boost damage or mitigate attacks. But there’s still plenty of customization on deck:
“The end result is a confident and purposeful class that is naturally suited for dishing out massive damage. As stated in our combat blog however, our progression systems will enable players to greatly customize their loadouts and fill any number of defensive or support roles they wish. Any player can enjoy the melee fantasy of the Geomancer, whether they want to be the defensive tank, a support class that can hold the line, or the glass cannon that jumps into combat and generates shield resource to boost their damage.”
Phil (Lead Systems Designer) & Barclay (Game Art Director) are here with an inside look at the #MagicLegends 🔥Geomancer class!https://t.co/V2E7WhHuap pic.twitter.com/j2RmbR1pxj
— Magic: Legends (@BeAMagicLegend) January 30, 2020
