New systems for Month of the Mad God 2020: Part 1
Hello Realmers!
SO much is coming up in the next few weeks that we definitely need a long update this time! So long, in fact, that we are going to split it in two parts.
In this post, we want to present you two of the most important systems that are going to spice up Month of the Mad God, and will change the game permanently from the very core: Vital Combat and Exaltations!
But it won’t be only words. Both of these systems will be available for Public Testing from the 28th of August through the entire weekend!
Vital Combat
The Basics
The Vital Combat system is a much-needed addition to the fundamentals of combat gameplay. It both rewards avoiding damage while punishing face-tanking bosses when your regeneration is simply too high.
How it works: Whenever you receive damage above a certain threshold (currently at 15 damage), you enter a condition called In Combat (IC). While this condition is in effect, your Life and Mana regeneration is “halved” (we’ll get to that in just a moment), and your pet’s regeneration abilities take an additional 2 seconds. The condition lasts for a base duration of 7 seconds but it is affected by your vitality! For every 5 VIT the duration is reduced by 0.2 seconds with a minimum duration of 1 second.
When we say “halved,” we mean that relatively compared to the new norm. We have actually doubled the base regeneration speed of Vitality and Wisdom! So in reality, being In Combat will make you have the same natural regeneration speed you have right now, and being Out of Combat will make you regenerate faster than ever before! All in all, this means Vitality and Wisdom are now much more useful and time spent sitting in safety waiting for recovery is greatly reduced (especially for new and/or petless players, keeping the pace more engaging).
You’ll know you are In Combat based on new visual indicators.
Your character’s health bar will have a yellow outline while In Combat so you don’t need to look at the GUI in the middle of a battle.
In Combat is not forever, though. After a while, it will wear off unless you trigger it again. You can always hover the mouse over the Vital Combat indicator, and it will tell you how much time you will be In Combat.
The Vital Combat indicator in the GUI tells you whether you have entered In Combat or not. Remember, “50%” really means the same rate you are currently used to, and the new norm of 100% is twice as powerful!
But that’s not all! Vital Combat brings along an entire combat rebalance with many changes. Amongst them, you’ll find:
DPS Buffs Rebalance
A big goal of Vital Combat is lowering the gap between small and large groups to make content of all kinds more accessible. It’s with this goal in mind that we are making multiple changes to existing buffs.
Berserk Effect: 1.5x attack speed -> 1.25x attack speed
Damaging Effect: 1.5x weapon damage -> 1.25x weapon damage
Curse Effect: 1.2x damage received -> 1.25x damage received
Defense Rebalance
Since Vital Combat relies on a specific damage threshold, we are making some changes related to defense to make sure it’s not too easy to avoid the system in late game or too hard to bypass in the mid game.
Armored Effect: 2.0x defense -> 1.5x defense
Defense Cap: 85% incoming damage blocked -> 90% incoming damage blocked
Enemy Health Rebalance
As we are lowering the average DPS of groups due to the buff changes, we are also lowering the base HP of several monsters to keep the pace similar to what it currently is.
A reduction of 25% HP has been applied to every HP scaled enemy that does not appear in the realm. On top of this we’ve applied “Adaptive Scaling” (the new non-linear formula that we used in Oryx’s Sanctuary) to all of those.
Click here for the full formula we are now using and the ways it is applied.
Monster Health = Monster Health x (1 + Per Player x (Current Players - 1) x Adaptive Mod x (Current Players - 1))
Monster Health: Monster HP and Max HP
Per Player: Scaling amount per individual players
Current Players: Amount of players in the dungeon
Adaptive Mod: Mod that affects Scaling amount per individual players
Per Player is consistently equal to 0.1 currently for all Adaptive Scaling usage. It’s the variable that’s tied to the old scaling method.
Adaptive Mod currently only has 2 possible values:
- The enemy is a boss or exclusively part of a boss fight as a minion: 0.1
- The enemy is a dungeon minion: 0.05
Those changes should make small group runs faster than ever before while bigger groups will have to go through fights whose duration should be on par with their firepower. If you want a fast but risky experience, small groups are the way to go. If you want a slower but safer experience large groups are your friend!
Status Effect Rebalance
Crowd control status effects will now function similarly to stasis, where a temporary immunity is added to the enemy for the duration of the effect and some more.
This impacts the following effects with the corresponding additional time of immunity:
- Stasis (3 seconds)
- Stun (5 seconds)
- Paralyze (5 seconds)
- Daze (5 seconds)
- Slow (5 seconds)
Players will also receive an immunity after being inflicted with Paralyze or Petrify. This immunity lasts for the duration of the effect and an additional 0.4 seconds, allowing players to free themselves from what could have been a chain Paralyze/Petrify.
Unlike the last PT session, all enemies currently have the same immunity as on production. We have decided to tackle this part slowly over time and on a case-by-case basis both on the release of this feature and after its launch.
Class Rebalance
Paladin
- Stat Changes
- Max VIT: 40 VIT -> 60 VIT
- Base VIT: 10 VIT -> 12 VIT
- VIT growth per level: 0-1 VIT -> 1-2 VIT
- Max ATT: 50 ATT -> 55 ATT
- Max DEX: 45 DEX -> 55 DEX
- Seal Changes
- Increasing Max HP no longer heals you directly
- Wis Mod Changes
- Triggers at 50 WIS and above
- 1 WIS -> +0.1 range
- 1 WIS -> +2 max HP
- 10 WIS -> +1 sec duration
Mystic
- Stat Changes
- Max ATT: 60 ATT -> 65 ATT
- Max DEX: 55 DEX -> 65 DEX
- DEX growth per level: 0-2 DEX -> 1-2 DEX
- Wis Mod Changes
- Triggers at 50 WIS and above
- 1 WIS -> +0.1 Curse Range
- 10 WIS -> +1 sec Curse duration
Warrior
- Wis Mod Changes
- Triggers at 30 WIS and above
- 1 WIS -> +0.1 range
- 10 WIS -> +1 sec duration
- Helm Changes
- No longer has a cooldown
Priest
- Wand Changes
- All wands (Lumiaire and Vanities excluded) have received a buff in damage of around 30%
- Tomes Changes
- Tomes now all have a 3 second cooldown
- Tomes now have a lower base heal
- Tomes now heal allies less based on the amount of players healed (healer still receives full heal!)
- Wis Mod Changes
- Triggers at 50 WIS and above
- 1 WIS -> +0.1 range
- 10 WIS -> +30 Heal
Sorcerer
- Wand Changes
- All wands (Lumiaire and Vanities excluded) have received a buff in damage of around 30%
Necromancer
- VIT Max: 30 VIT -> 40 VIT
Ninja
- VIT growth per level: 0-2 VIT -> 1-2 VIT
- SPD growth per level: 0-2 SPD -> 1-2 SPD
Samurai
- VIT growth per level 0-2 VIT -> 1-2 VIT
Tiered Item Changes
Seals
New Seals values:
Orbs
New Orbs values:
Helmets
New Helmets values:
Wands
New Wand damage:
Tomes
New Tome values:
Other Item Changes
All Seals, Orbs, Helms, and Tomes not mentioned have received only basic ability changes listed in the class balance sections.
Seal of Blasphemous Prayer:
- Removed the -4 DEF on equip
- Increased Invulnerability duration by 0.2 sec every 10 WIS (Triggers above 50 WIS)
- Increased base Invulnerability to 1.6 sec
Sandstone Seal:
- 20 VIT on use -> 10 VIT on use
- Wis Mod: 1 WIS -> +1 VIT
Helm of the Juggernaut:
- Removed cooldown
- Lowered base Berserk and Armored duration by 2 secs
- Added Wis Mod to Berserk and Armored
Orb of Conflict:
- +2 DEX +2 ATT -> +5 DEX +5 ATT
- Lowered base Speedy and Damaging to 2 secs
- Now supports new Wis Mod
Orb of Aether:
- Paralyze and Slow now lasts 2 seconds longer
Honeytomb Snare:
- Slow now lasts 2 seconds longer
Memento Mori:
- +10 ATT on equip
Quiver of Thunder:
- Removed cooldown
Tome of Holy Protection:
- 4 VIT -> 4 DEF
- Heal: 200 -> 120
- Cooldown: 0.5 -> 3
Tome of Purification:
- Purification on Party -> Purification on Self
- Heal: 200 -> 120
- Cooldown: 0.5 -> 3
Tome of Pain:
- Damage: 280 -> 400
- Heal: 120 -> 80
- Cooldown: 0.5 -> 3
Book of Geb:
- Heal: 90 -> 60
- Speedy Duration 1.5 -> 3
- Purification on Party -> Gone
- Cooldown 0.5 -> 3
Exaltations
Exaltation is a new permanent progression system for Realm of the Mad God! It will grant you permanent upgrades for character classes, both in maximum stat power and a variety of enticing extra bonuses to different traits.
The Basics
The core of Exaltations are endgame dungeons. Each of these dungeons is tied to specific stats:
 |
The Nest | Dexterity |
|---|---|---|
 |
The Shatters | Attack |
 |
Fungal Cavern | Wisdom |
 |
Crystal Cavern | Vitality |
 |
Lost Halls | Defense |
 |
Cultist Hideout | Speed |
 |
The Void | Mana |
 |
Oryx’s Sanctuary | Life |
Whenever you finish one of these tasks with an 8/8 maxed character, the dungeon is counted in the Exaltation system towards the corresponding stat for the class you are using.
If you reach a certain amount of completions in each stat, you get stat bonuses. You can reach up to 5 stat bonuses in each stat. Every stat bonus gives you an increase of +1 to the stat (+5 to HP/MP), and they are permanent for that class. Forever.
Exaltation completions are based on the death of the boss. As long as you reach the soulbound threshold on the dungeon’s boss (which is virtually any amount of damage), it will count as an exaltation completion.
For example: If your 8/8 Mystic finishes The Nest, then your completions in the Dexterity stat go up! When you get to 10 completions, the Mystic’s Dexterity receives a permanent Stat Bonus of +1. That bonus will apply to ALL your Mystic characters forever!
These are the completions needed to reach each Stat Bonus:
| Stat Bonus obtained | Completions needed on the appropriate dungeon per level |
|---|---|
| +1 | 10 |
| +2 | 20 |
| +3 | 30 |
| +4 | 40 |
| +5 | 50 |
For the purposes of public testing, the requirements will be MUCH LOWER so that the full system can be experienced and tested. The values seen on public testing will not match release.
You will know at all times your current progress on that class, simply by clicking on the sleek new Exaltations panel!
The Exaltation panel shows you how many times you have completed each Exaltation dungeon and how many stat bonuses you have!
Hover the cursor over any of the dungeons to see how many stat bonuses you have and what’s your next goal in that stat.
Beware, if you die in these dungeons on a qualifying character (8/8), you will lose completions. However, since the loss is percentage-based per level, you will never lose so many as to lose a stat bonus you already fully earned. Each increase also serves as a checkpoint for your progression. Once you complete a goal, you’ll never lose your bonuses!
Exaltations
Along the way, there are multiple secondary rewards you will unlock for achieving completions. There will always be some goal to strive for! These rewards are called Exaltations, and they give their name to the system itself.
When you open the Exaltations panel, you can see:
[1] Total Progress: How many Exaltation dungeons you have completed, in total
[2] Exaltation Categories: You can obtain Exaltations of different categories (read below)
[3] Next Reward: Here we recommend you a shorter-term goal to strive towards!
But how many Exaltations are there? How can you get them? Exaltations are grouped into very distinct categories:
‘Fast Learner’ Exaltations
Every time you achieve a certain amount of stat bonuses (regardless of the stat) for a class, you will get a permanent bonus to your XP gain rate on that class! Faster leveling and better fame rates for life!
| Stat Bonuses | XP bonus |
|---|---|
| 8 | +5% |
| 16 | +10% |
| 24 | +15% |
| 32 | +20% |
‘Mastery’ Exaltations
These Exaltations reward you for getting stat bonuses in all stats. They will give you extra damage when attacking with your weapon.
| How to get | Weapon damage |
|---|---|
| Get 1 Stat Bonus on all stats on that class | +1% |
| Get 2 Stat Bonuses on all stats on that class | +2% |
| Get 3 Stat Bonuses on all stats on that class | +3% |
| Get 4 Stat Bonuses on all stats on that class | +4% |
‘Armor Proficiency’ Exaltations
These Exaltations reward you for getting stat bonuses in all stats on classes that wear the same armor type (robe wearers, light armor wearers, and heavy armor wearers). The reward is related to Vital Combat! You will decrease the inherent amount spent In Combat.
| How to get | In Combat duration reduction |
|---|---|
| Get 1 Stat Bonus on all stats for classes with the same armor | -0.2 sec |
| Get 2 Stat Bonuses on all stats for classes with the same armor | -0.4 sec |
| Get 3 Stat Bonuses on all stats for classes with the same armor | -0.6 sec |
| Get 4 Stat Bonuses on all stats for classes with the same armor | -0.8 sec |
| Get 5 Stat Bonuses on all stats for classes with the same armor | -1.0 sec |
‘Weapon Proficiency’ Exaltations
These Exaltations reward you for getting stat bonuses in all stats on classes that use the same weapon type (dagger classes, wand classes, etc.). The rewards you get are related to drop rates! You will boost the drop rate of all items when using those classes so you can get better loot!
| How to get | Relative drop rate increase |
|---|---|
| Get 1 Stat Bonus on all stats for classes with the same weapon | +5% |
| Get 2 Stat Bonuses on all stats for classes with the same weapon | +10% |
| Get 3 Stat Bonuses on all stats for classes with the same weapon | +15% |
| Get 4 Stat Bonuses on all stats for classes with the same weapon | +20% |
| Get 5 Stat Bonuses on all stats for classes with the same weapon | +25% |
Other Rewards
But there’s more! You can get more rewards as you keep acquiring stat bonuses.
‘All Stats’ Exalted Skin
If you get all stat bonuses in all stats of a class, you have done an astounding job with that class! It’s fully Exalted! Enjoy your well-deserved Exalted Skin for that class.
‘Max a Stat’ Golden Statue
The first time you get all 5 stat bonuses in a single stat for a class, the statue of that class in Vault will become golden!
‘Total Progression’ Rewards
You will get rewards just for achieving a certain quantity of stat bonuses, across all classes!
| How to get | Reward |
|---|---|
| Achieve 25 total Stat Bonuses across all classes | Nexus Sheep pet skin |
| Achieve 50 total Stat Bonuses across all classes | Guill pet skin |
| Achieve 100 total Stat Bonuses across all classes | Stone Guardian pet skin |
| Achieve 250 total Stat Bonuses across all classes | Janus the Doorwarden pet skin |
| Achieve 500 total Stat Bonuses across all classes | Lil’ish Oryx pet skin (one of a kind 32x32 pet based on O3) |
| Achieve ALL Stat Bonuses across all classes | +10% drop rate on all classes!! |
Phew! That was a lot! We really hope Exaltations bring a whole new dimension of goals to complete and that it will spice up the endgame much, much more. You can try now and tell us what you think!
Known Issues
Vital Combat
- UI: Vital Combat Timer Tooltip doesn’t reset properly when hit while in combat
- UI: Vital Combat Timer Tooltip may be slightly inaccurate
- UI: Seal of Blasphemous Prayer Tooltip only shows Invulnerable Wis Mod for full seconds addition
- Gameplay: Tier 0-2 Tomes have the wrong radius on Healing
Exaltations
- Problems with claim button
How to set up public testing
Do you want to join the testing session? It’s going to be available all weekend from August 28th until August 30th.
To enter our Public Testing server, just select “Testing” in the top right dropdown menu of the Exalt client launcher.
Oh, just a last note: As this is still work in progress, you will see that some of the rewards (skins, etc.) are still placeholders!
See you all in Part 2!
We also suggest checking out this week’s blog post, where we discuss more of the rationale behind some of these changes and clarify a few common concerns.
