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Check out the v.269 Ride the Lightning patch notes
here!
Give More Link Skill Slots for GMS, but...
I think it would be really cool if we had more link skill slots so we can have more creative player expression builds, but the extra slots are defense and/or utility links only.
More clear, any link skill can be assigned to the extra slots, but direct offensive stats are disabled.
EXAMPLE: Explorer Warriors' link will apply fully since it only healing, Resistance's link applies fully because it is just invincibility, Mercedes' link applies fully because it is EXP passively and a town return active, etc.
While hybrid links like Khali's link skill only the HP/MP recovery effect will apply and the Damage % portion of it would be disabled, same with Cygnus Knights' link the attack is disabled and the abnormal status resistance will apply, etc.
The bonus slot stats disabled are direct damage giving stats:
~ Damage% / Normal Monster Damage% / Boss Damage%
~ STR / DEX / INT / LUK / All Stats
~ Weapon ATT / Magic ATT
~ Ignore Enemy Defense
~ Critical Damage (Critical Rate will be enabled since it is not directly giving damage.)
The idea would be increase the total Link Skill Slots to 18 (19 with the character's link skill); 12 regular slots (+1 with the character's link skill) and 6 bonus slots that have offensive stats disabled for link skills assigned to those slots.
I think this would be cool to have in the game to be able to make use of the growing link skills and see more creative builds for players by having the extra slots be defensive and/or utility link skill effects only.
Comments
the only link i'd like to see adjust is Adventurer's Curiosity...have the 50% extra chance at M-Collection active without the link being equipped
the rest just nope
while Mercedes, Evan and Aran Link would not change much for a mobbing set-up...it will disrupt the mobbing balance even if slightly
adding new slots no...and changing how the link system work would just anger many players
lets say 10 slots for dps link and 4 slots for support links(non dps)....if it was introduce that way from the get go it would not be an issue, but at this point no
and adding extra slots now is just power creep
there however 1 thing they could do...maybe add active party links that use new slots....but only if you wanna help newbies with them
example
your party members Speed & Max Speed +60, Jump and Max jump +50(...can't be use in Arcane River or beyond content)
your party members stats increase by 150 Str,Dex,Int and Luk...(can't be use in Arcane River or beyond content)
Once Per Boss Fight, Protect 1 party member from dying(alway protect the member with the lowest amount of lifes)...can't be use for Lucid and stronger bosses)
if your goal is to make high end bosses easier, my answer is still nope..mechanics tweak on the other hand acceptable but only for mech that are truly much too tight timing wise...example Kalos towers thing to hit with a missile aim at it....even when i would instant react to it....somehow it would still be too slow and end up getting all spot in red dot which ofc killed me....not to mention Kalos sometime would of outright kill me if i tryed to go when he was about to teleport at the aim platform..so would be killed while aiming if tryed to go within 0.1 sec..honestly a 2 second protective barrier while aiming would be nice then would go on a cooldown untill the tower dot color change again so that the barrier can't be spam use....like that would rly help with how tight the timer on these are.if not a barrier an extra 4 seconds per missile to shoot might help...oh and i,am talking about EKalos...i can't image how ppl manage normal with a timer thats even more strict than on Easy Kalos
the test phase is barely doable as well with Len legion block...as soon as i get into those pods he slam the ground right away despite flash jumping instantly
alright...imma stop my post here, been going off-subject now :S
Zero people will complain because this is just 6 more link slots you never had before, nothing else changes about the system, this is just in addition to what we already have.
The goal is to increase player expression and have custom builds for characters without taking anything away.
Without changes to current link skill effects, we'd just be getting 6 slots exclusively for the 6 least impactful link skills. Of which only 4 (Ren, Explorer Warrior, Shade, and if I'm being generous, Khali) have any meaningful impact. For better or worse, Maplestory's current player expression (ie builds) resides mostly on the character creation screen. Overhauling global skill systems like Link Skills without first allowing for player differentiation within each class would actually decrease player expression, as players would be relying more on universally accessible toolkits rather than restricted ones
Yea, more non-damage link skills would help too.
But also, allowing for more link skill slots and the added link skill slots to be non-damage effects only, will force players to be more creative with their link skill builds without disrupting the current way players like doing things.
This is not an overhaul of the system.
This is adding on 6 more link skill slots that follows a different rule system than the other 12+1 link skills do.
Lets say I take for my 6 additional link skill slots:
Explorer Warrior (90 sec cooldown, heal 44% per second for 3 seconds)
Ren (% HP attack damage reduction of 4%)
Khali (recover 15% HP every 30 seconds)
Resistance (12 second i-frame every death)
Shade (15% to survive 1 shot)
Kaiser (+20% HP).
Can you create a build of 6 non-offensive link skills that differs in any meaningful way from mine?
Moreover, does my own loadout influence my gameplay whatsoever? Also of them are fully passive. Ren and Resistance have a moderate effect that may be situationally played around. Warrior provides essentially a free potion every 90 seconds. Kaiser/Khali do nothing as in the current state of the game, only %HP based attacks matter. And Shade may have an impact but 15% is far too low to influence your gameplay unless you're farming for Youtube Shorts.
The goal will be accomplished still.
You just need to also add in more utility link skills as well for more build variety.
Like Cooldown reduction, CD skip, buff duration, summon duration, different kinds of HP/MP recovery link skills, increased healing from skills and potions and reduce potion cooldown for areas that have potion cooldown, etc.
There is also EXP links, pirate explorers, crit rate, hp/mp links, abnormal status, etc. that exist too.
The big thing is get started with the expansion and then add more options overtime.
Don't need to change the current link skills at all.
You create the starting point with the expansion, then new link skills will be added with new job releases.
You focus the new link skills as utility link skill to expand the customization options for the added 6 link skill slots.
In the mean time, there are more than 6 utility link skills you can put in the slots now.
That is good enough, the builds will diversify over time as more new link skills get added - outside of archers and demon avenger able to place crit rate / HP links in the expanded slots as well.
And the expanded slots are not defense link skills, they would be non-direct damaging giving link skills.
As long as you don't have direct offensive stats being enabled, players got to think about their builds more by default.
And affecting cooldown is not always offensive as you could be taking it for utility skills only.
The solution is also make the lesser used link skills better so that it is competitive and has real competition to what was popular.
But with expansion first, you get the initial excitement of having 6 more link skill slots.
Then the further excitement of seeing what new additional link skills will come out being utility focused.
And then modifying your setup further as the new links come in.