Hello everyone! In today's devlog, we're taking a look at Arcanistics - a new ability tree that will be added to the game with the upcoming major patch. Arcanistics is perhaps the most distinct form of sorcery, offering unique ways to control the battlefield. Drawing power directly from the Aether realm - the primal source of magical energies - this school focuses on manipulating space and, to a limited extent, time. What Arcanistics lacks in direct damage, especially early on, it balances out with versatile tools for positioning and crowd control. The higher-tier spells will even let you summon allies to aid you in battle... But let's go through it step by step:
Like all magic schools, Arcanistics includes 14 abilities: 7 actives and 7 passives.

ACTIVE ABILITIES

Dimensional Shift

This entry-level spell lets you select two targets (including yourself) and teleport them, forcibly swapping their positions. The spell deals a small amount of Arcane Damage for each tile of distance between the targets and has a moderate chance to Confuse or Daze them while also applying stacking penalties to Weapon Damage, Accuracy, and Fumble Chance for a few turns. This spell doesn't harm the caster and can't be used on inanimate objects (except the ones summoned by this ability tree) or giant targets (such as bosses). Wormhole

Lets you select a target (including yourself), marking its tile and remembering its current position. After a few turns, the target will be returned to the marked tile (or the closest available one), receiving significant Arcane Damage if it's already occupied. The spell doesn't go on cooldown until the mark expires. During this time, recasting the spell removes the effect prematurely, returning the target to the original tile. This spell can't be used on inanimate objects (except the ones summoned by this ability tree) or giant targets (such as bosses). Aether Shield

Creates a magic shield around the caster for a few turns, decreasing incoming damage and granting bonuses to Control, Bleed and Movement Resistance. While the shield is active, teleporting prolongs the effect's duration and temporarily adds Arcane Damage to the caster's attacks. The shield also converts a portion of received damage into Energy and destroys any physical or magical projectiles that would hit the caster, preventing their damage and effects entirely (this includes thrown objects such as daggers, bombs, and hunting nets). And finally, any target colliding with the shielded character will receive some Arcane Damage. Schism

Lets you select a 5x5 tile area, dealing Arcane Damage to all targets within it. Afterwards, knocks back all enemies in a 1 tile radius away from the area's center and pulls all enemies in a 2 tile radius towards it, forcing them to collide. All affected enemies also have a chance to be Staggered or Immobilized. Stasis

Applies "Stasis" to a selected target for a few turns. While in "Stasis", the target is immune to all damage types except Arcane. Until the effect expires, "Stasis" also freezes all of the target's cooldowns and the duration of other active effects. When "Stasis" expires or is removed, any Arcana Damage received by the target over the course of the effect's duration is dealt in a 3x3 area with a chance to Stun or Immobilize all affected targets. Teleporting a target with "Stasis" removes the effect prematurely and doubles the chances to Stun and Immobilize. This spell can't be used on inanimate objects (except the ones summoned by this ability tree) or giant targets (such as bosses). Mana Crystal

Summons an inanimate Magic Crystal on the targeted tile, which persists for eight turns. Each turn, the Crystal shoots a bolt of arcane energy at the closest enemy, prioritizing the ones with low Health. Teleporting the Crystal causes it to shoot three arcane bolts, spreading them between random enemies within its Range. The Crystal's stats change dynamically depending on the caster's. Phantasm

Summons a Phantasm on the targeted tile, which persists for 8 turns. The Phantasm is immune to all effects (except "Wormhole" and "Stasis") and can move within a small area around the tile of summoning. The Phantasm attacks enemies in melee range, can be healed with Arcane Damage, and its stats change dynamically depending on the caster's. Additionally, the Phantasm itself has access to the following abilities: Arcane Tether
A ranged ability that deals Arcane Damage and has a chance to pull the target to the adjacent tile. Mana Siphon
An empowered strike that burns the target's Energy, transferring it to the caster. Consonance
Performing a miracle while casting Arcanistics spells prolongs the existence of the summoned Phantasm by one turn. Teleporting the Phantasm instantly refreshes its active cooldowns and moves its "tether" tile to the new location.

PASSIVE ABILITIES

Arcane Might
Dealing Arcane Damage with attacks and spells grants bonuses to Accuracy, Fumble Chance, Backfire Chance, Crit Chance, and Miracle Chance. Teleporting grants bonus Range to Arcanistics spells for a few turns and reduces accumulated Backfire Damage. Transcendental Anchoring
Teleporting enemies burns some of their Energy, transferring it to the character Teleporting yourself or the entities summoned with Arcanistics reduces the cooldown of "Dimensional Shift" by 2 turns. Time Echo
Casting "Wormhole" on yourself and returning to the original tile will replenish 33% of Health and Energy lost over the effect's duration. Casting "Wormhole" on enemies will deal additional Arcane Damage to them upon returning to the original tile, equal to 33% of the damage they received over the effect's duration. Astral Tides
Successfully moving enemies with "Schism" or the summoned Phantasm's "Arcane Tether" lowers their Magic and Arcane Resistance for a few turns. Failing to do so will instead deal additional Arcane Damage to them. Entropy Flair
Teleporting a Mana Crystal grants it bonuses to Range, Damage, Accuracy, and Damage Reflection for a few turns. When hit in melee, Mana Crystals and Phantasms will now deal Arcane Damage to their attackers. Aether Harmony
Every 10 turns, performing a miracle when casting "Mana Crystal" instantly refreshes the spell's cooldown and reduces its Energy cost until it's cast again. Each currently summoned Arcanistics entity grants the character bonus Magic Power and gradually reduces their Backfire Damage. Beyond the Veil
Casting "Stasis" on yourself no longer causes the character to take damage or receive debuffs when the effect expires. While in "Stasis", the character's cooldowns are no longer frozen, and the effect itself grants major bonuses to their Arcanistics Power and Miracle Chance. When the effect expires, the character will receive "Between the Worlds" for one turn, making them untargetable by aimed attacks and spells. ================================== As you can see, Arcanistics is a highly versatile school that opens up a wide range of tactical possibilities - perfect for complementing many existing builds or forming the foundation for entirely new ones. And to wrap things up, here's another small teaser:
Until next time!

[ 2025-06-03 19:27:36 CET ] [ Original post ]