Part Three: 15 Things I’d like to see in a Sequel



The following section is a list of 15 things I would like to see in Lords of the Fallen 2. Some are simply personal preference (like Blood), others might just be quirky ideas (such as Collectible Cards), a few might need playtesting to determine their worth (Combo-Parrying) while others could be revelatory (as with the Guilds). In any case I am just throwing these ideas out there.



1. Blood (and Decapitations)



There is little or no blood in Lords of the Fallen and the game is a bit sterile because of it. I mean if you are hitting someone in the head with an axe it is more jarring and out of place to NOT see any blood.



What I would also like to see here are DECAPITATIONS of the regular-sized humanoid enemies. The game already has a (randomised?) Slo-mo Final Blow effect. It could also have a randomised (?) decapitation effect. Perhaps Luck Runes (see my new Rune System) could contribute to the percentage chance of seeing a decapitation?



Note that games from more than 10 years ago had decapitations such as the brilliant SEVERANCE: Blade of Darkness game, or going even further back, the BARBARIAN II game. So there is no reason why it couldn’t be accomplished today. In addition it would be another way of further differentiating the game from the Souls Series.



It is slightly more gruesome, but that definitely suits the western ‘God of War’ style. My only concern (from a designers standpoint) is whether this idea would bump up the Age Rating from a 16 to an 18 – and more importantly whether the publishers imagined the rating change would have a negative impact on sales or not.



The decapitations themselves could form part of a grisly side-quest involving the beheading of a certain number of enemies. So they would have more uses beyond the mere visceral shock value.



2. Character Generation



This is bordering on an absolute must for the sequel for a few reasons.



The main benefit of a character generator is in quickly creating NPCs (and enemies). Most RPGs also abuse their character generators to pad out their Enemy Rosters. It’s a very quick and effective method.



Additionally, having players create their own character doesn’t mean we still cannot have a lead character (such as Harkyn). But it does mean giving players a choice – which is usually a good thing.



My thoughts on Lords of the Fallen 2 (which I outline in part 4 of my feedback) are that the player starts as Harkyn who needs to return to the Prison where he was held (and freed by Kaslo). While there, the player has the option to release a character from a cell who CAN become the new player character (with Harkyn becoming an npc from that point onwards. This takes us into the character creation section (or players can forego the character creation and continue playing as Harkyn).



Creating your own character is a simple way of getting players to invest time with a character. The more personal the character to the player, the higher the empathy, which in turn heightens the atmosphere.



Additionally, if you have any desire to add Multiplayer to Lords of the Fallen 2, then a character generator is the way to go.



3. Collectible Cards



Okay this is a bit random. But I really liked the ‘card’ theme for the items and powers and I’d love to see maybe a set of large glossy item cards accompany a Special Edition of the game. These could be set up akin to a ‘Top Trumps’ style format.



The set could include maybe a random (though no duplicates) selection of 32 cards, lets say out of a total 208 items (or whatever) which would then create its own mini-market for those wishing to swap or purchase their favourite cards, or simply just to ‘collect ‘em all’.



4. Combo Parrying



Was trying to think what would make parrying more exciting in this style of game. Got this idea from the classic Daigo Street Fighter moment.



How about the idea that you can only RIPOSTE (Counter Attack) after Parrying the last attack of a combo. You also add the option to PARRY ALL THE COMBO – THEN RIPOSTE, not just a single attack.



The player could block the first few hits but must always parry the final hit of a combo before they can Riposte. In this method, the critical multiplier would increase the greater the number of hits parried.



e.g. Lets say an enemy performs a 3-hit combo.

The Player correctly times a Parry and the weapons clash *CLANG!*, then the second Parry *CLANG!!*, and then a third Parry *CLANG!!!* followed by the Riposte *SLICE!!!!*.



Each additional parry (beyond the first) adds +50% Critical Damage to an eventual Riposte. The catch is that timing window might be smaller on subsequent Parries.



Note that, unlike simply blocking with a weapon, a successfully timed Parry would block 100% damage.



This gives an additional layer of tactics to combat, but also would add a great sense of rhythm to combat and make duels a bit more cinematic. It might take some playtesting to get right but it could be an unexplored avenue for this type of game.



5. (New) Classes (Diabolist, Druid, Monk & Necromancer)



When thinking about what class archetypes would improve the game, the most obvious example would seem to be the Wizard. But in Lords of the Fallen, things are not that straightforward because of the GAUNTLET. The Gauntlet basically makes every class a Wizard; it shoots magic missiles, delivers blasts of magic energy and even throws Grenades. It has already got the basic arsenal of a Wizard.



So while aesthetically a wizard would be interesting (because everyone wants to play a Gandalf…or should that be Kaslo?), mechanically a (generic) wizard class may not be as unique here as in other games. Of course, there is nothing to say we need to see a generic wizard. We could have something more exotic like a Druid (Summoning and Shape-changing) or a Necromancer (Debilitations and Reanimations).



5a. Diabolist Class



The Diabolist class is effectively the (evil) ‘Wizard’, albeit we don’t need to worry about classic Wizard Spells (Magic Missile, Fireball, Lightning Bolt etc.) which would only overlap with the Gauntlet in this game.



Diabolist Attributes: Str 6, Agi 6, Vit 6, End 8, Fth 10, Will 13

Diabolist Starting Gear: Trousers/Coat (like a stage magician), Staff, 2 empty bottles



Diabolist Skills/Magic:

1. Summon Familiar: A familiar basically acts as a distraction (albeit in a less obvious manner than the Prayer spell) and also attacks for minor damage. Level 1 summons a Cat; Level 2 summons a Small Spider (poison damage); Level 3 summons a Bat (bleeding damage).

2. Wall of Fire: Delivers an attack (somewhat similar to the Judge’s Fiery Blasts from the first game?) which creates a short wall of fire that damages any enemy currently in the blast or those trying to move through it.

3. Charm: Using this spell you can compel an enemy to fight for you for 1 minute. At level 1 the enemy must be at 50% or lower health for this spell to work. At level 2 the enemy must be at 66% or lower health. At level 3 the enemy must be at 75% or lower health. When the enemy breaks the spell (after 60 seconds), it attacks you viciously dealing x2 damage.

4. Immolate: This spell sets the player on fire (dealing minor fire DOT to the player) and injures adjacent enemies (for significant fire damage).



5b. Druid Class



The Druid class is effectively the neutral ‘Wizard’.



Druid Attributes: Str 6, Agi 6, Vit 9, End 8, Fth 10, Will 10

Druid Starting Gear: Heavy Robes, Sickle (bypasses shields), 3 empty bottles.



Druid Skills/Magic:

1. Entangle: Roots an enemy to the spot. 1st level duration 4 seconds, 2nd level duration 7 seconds, 3rd level duration 10 seconds. Might function like one of the Rhogar Beastmaster Traps from the first game. Again this is a spell that delivers a benefit akin to the Prayer spells in that it allows players to attack an enemy without being attacked in return (albeit momentarily) – however, unlike the various Prayer spells this one would be useful in multiplayer PvP.

2. Summon Beast: This ability summons one of the (Rhogar) Hound enemies to fight for you for 30 seconds, 45 seconds at 2nd level and a minute at 3rd level. The Hound will deal x2 damage if the player gets hit by the enemy the Hound is attacking.

3. Shapechange: Change into a monster for 60 seconds. At 1st level it’s a Spiky Chaos creature (from the first game), at 2nd level its one of the large Poison Armadillos (also from the first game) and at 3rd level it’s a Tyrantula (new enemy I created for Lords of the Fallen 2 as mentioned in part 4 of my feedback).

4. Summon Steed: At 1st level summon a Vorpal Beast (new enemy I created for LotF2) for 30 seconds, At 2nd level it’s a Moon Cat (another new enemy) and at 3rd level it’s a Dragon (yet another new enemy).



5c. Monk Class (Martial Artist)



The Monk Class (whose name may need to be changed since the first game establishes monks as non-combat scholars). Is a class that excels in unarmed combat.



Monk Attributes: Str 7, Agi 10, Vit 7, End 7, Fth 9, Will 9

Monk Starting Gear: Light Robes, no weapons (uses fists/feet), 1 empty bottle.



The Monk Class attacks using Punches with R1, Kicks with R2, Unarmed Backstab is a Neckbreaker, etc.



Monk Skills/Magic:

1 Meditate: Heal, 1/2/3% Health restored per point of Willpower), slow casting time, unsuitable for combat.

2 Leap: Vault over an adjacent opponent or judge the distance correctly and leap into them with an attack (ie. Flying Kick). Each upgrade lowers the Mana cost to use this attack.

3 Iron Skin: Damage Dealt/Taken +/-10%/20%/30% for 20 seconds

4 Death Touch: Explodes enemies under a certain health threshold. At 1st level explodes enemies under 25% health, and 2nd level those under 30% health and at 3rd level those under 35% health.



5d. Necromancer Class (Hidden Class not available from the start)



The Necromancer class is the most powerful class in the game, but comes with some heavy RISK/REWARD mechanics. Technically the Necromancer isn’t a class as such, but rather a MAGIC CLASS which you swap your existing Magic/Skill Tree for.



- Necromancers cannot heal using potions, although Health would still be replenished at checkpoints.

- A necromancer’s magic attacks (including Gauntlet attacks) deal bonus damage based upon the necromancer’s current health percentage. (every 1% health below 100% adds +1% damage to magic attacks).



Necromancer Skills/Magic:

1. Steal Life: Essentially the same ability the Sorcerer enemies from the first game play on you. It is worth noting that Necromancers cannot benefit from healing potions. So the primary way for them to restore health is to steal life from others using this spell (or additionally they could also use Unholy Runes in weapons which give some health back by killing enemies).

2. Reanimate: This ability allows the player to Re-animate the body of a foe they have just killed.

3. Astral Form: The Necromancer becomes a partial Ghost for 30 seconds, meaning they take less damage from physical damage/weaponry.

4. Curse: Enemies that strike you in melee combat sustain (lightning?) damage that is equal to a percentage of the damage they dealt to you. At 1st level they take damage equal to 50% of the damage they dealt, at 2nd level its 75% while at 3rd level its 100%. This is similar to the ability of the Sorcerer enemies from the first game.



The Necromantic Pact/The Skinny Lady: Players can abandon their current ‘Magic Class’ and take the Necromantic Pact by giving a Big Sealed Rune to the “Skinny Lady” who transports players across the marsh environment (known as the Bloody Bog). Giving her a Small Sealed Rune is required to get her to ferry players across half the marsh. If players attack the Skinny Lady she defends herself (her barge pole is seemingly a scythe) and will also summon the ghostly spirits of any npcs the player has already killed. Defeating her will get the player her scythe, although the shortcut across the marsh is forever gone (her boat sinks) and the player will not be able to take the Necromantic Pact unless they have already done so.



Additional Class: I also considered a ‘ Ragamuffin ’ Class that would fill the same role as the Deprived Class from the Souls games. The Ragamuffin would start at a lower level, with little or no clothing, no weapon (use their fists) and no empty bottles. This would be a class for masochistic players wanting a more punishing playthrough. That said, I couldn’t (as yet anyway) find a satisfactory theme for its Magic/Skills, so I haven’t fleshed it out like the others above.



Also been thinking about how I would revise the original 3 skill/magic ‘trees’ in an attempt to better balance them.



Warrior/Brawling

1 Rage: +20/35/50% damage for 20 seconds, but Energy halved for the following 20 seconds after that.

2 Ram: Knockdown (but no damage?) – essentially filling the role of the current Shield Bash although this would still function without a shield by performing a Shoulder Charge.

3 Ignore Pain: This ability lasts for 30 seconds and while active turns a percentage of enemy damage into Pain damage. At 1st level 33% of enemy damage is Pain Damage, at 2nd level 50% and at 3rd level 66%. Remember that Pain damage heals itself within 5 seconds provided you don’t get hit again during those 5 seconds.

4 Mighty Strike: Unblockable Uppercut Slash that launches medium sized foes and can knockdown large enemies (based on Annihilator’s Uppercut Smash).



Rogue/Deception

1 Cutthroat: +50/75/100% Critical Hit damage for 20 seconds



The other Deception spells weren’t too unbalanced (IMO).



Cleric/Solace

1 Prayer: Distract foe with decoy and slow health regen in proximity

2 Shelter: Reduces Damage Taken for 20 seconds. 1st level -20%, 2nd level -35%, 3rd level -50%

3 Daze: For the next 20 seconds the Cleric’s attacks deals extra poise damage equal to the players Willpower at 1st level, Willpower x2 at 2nd level and Willpower x3 at 3rd level.

4 Quake: AOE hammer smash (borrowed from the Brawling Tree of the first game)



6. Environmental Hazards/Traps



Currently the game lacks any Hazards or Traps beyond the occasional ‘Fall to your Death’ moment (I guess there are one or two hazards in the Challenge Areas). These are a great way of giving levels a unique personality. Many of the classic Souls Series levels are identifiable with the central hazard: Shaded Woods (Fog), Crystal Caverns (Invisible Walkways), Tomb of the Giants (Darkness), Harvest Valley (Poison Gas) etc.



Hazards are natural impediments to progress and can Obscure Vision (Darkness, Fog), Impede Movement (Water, Swamp, Snow, Ice, Oil, Tar) or Deal Damage over time (Poison Gas, Diseased Water, Lava, Energy Drain) etc.



I like the idea of the sequel having BOTH wilderness areas as well as the more familiar (to Lords of the Fallen) castles and dungeons.



Traps are man-made (or Rhogar made?) obstacles designed to injure/kill intruders. These should be more dangerous, but consequently would either be limited in their applications (such as one time activations) or likely have ways to be switched off so as not to frustrate too much.



In terms of the game design I have for Lords of the Fallen 2 (levels during Act 2 can be tackled in any order) it makes sense to have levels fan-out from a central HUB.



Town ‘HUB’ Location (Relatively Safe) – Wilderness Environment (Moderate Hazards) - Constructed Location (Difficult Traps).



In this order the levels/stages of the game become more threatening the further the player ventures from the safety of the Town ‘HUB’.