Strength. Dexterity. Constitution. We all know attributes like these are the hallmarks of RPG characters. Most of the time they’re just numbers with varying but arguably mediocre effects on gameplay, but the devs of Crowfall are hoping to make those attributes more impactful with the arrival of update 6.400, as outlined in the first dev diary of 2021 by principal designer Rhea Shelley.
First, some of the stats that attributes affect are being moved around, with Dexterity helping mitigate physical damage, Spirit mitigating magical damage, and Constitution mitigating poison and disease damage as examples. Next, attribute caps for all races are being lowered to a maximum of 200, while vessels will now have lower attribute amounts but will be able to increase that cap over 200. Incidentally, attribute values are being lowered on jewelry and weapons and removed from armor completely.
With these adjustments, players will have 140 attribute points to spend instead of 60, and spending those points will have more of an impact: Spending a point on Constitution increases HP by 20 instead of by 8 while increasing Dexterity ramps up critical strike chance by 0.15% instead of 0.05% for example.
Finally, the stat bundles in Talent Trees are getting a major boost to make them more desirable, while their locations above and below the Minor Discipline slots will be replaced with new or previously available powers.
It all combines to try to make player choice more important and customization more impactful, according to Shelley. “With new powers in the Talent Trees, a wide array of Disciplines to choose from, and Attribute builds that make a difference, it’s now up to you to find the build that works for you,” he writes. “We want to make [attributes] a more meaningful part of customizing your Crow by giving them a greater impact and allowing players to have a bit more choice in how they build their character.”
