Since the wood elf has so many ranged options, I thought maybe the fourth DLC class could be a blade dancer with a storm of blades ability so the elf has a melee glass cannon class similar to the slayer.
I enjoy melee much more compared to ranged combat, as ranged combat is simply click and shoot while melee has a complex block/dodge swing system that has a much higher skill cieling, its the thing that makes vermintide 2 stand out for me over other horde games like left for dead.
I’d also love to see some new maps with unique cosmetics locked behind completing specific missions on cataclism as i got tons of enjoyment from attempting to complete a super difficult mission and getting a nice reward. Or maybe add handicaps to existing missions like only darkness and life drain to add another form of difficulty to existing missions with a cosmetic item reward at the end.
While it fits thematically, I don’t think we need more “melee only” classes. And functionally, Handmaiden already seems to be the glassy melee shredder class. I’d much rather see her get a spellsinger career, personally.
The new career seem to introduce a new mechanics (Deed, Minigun), if they can find an interesting enough mechanic that is tied to that career I could see it
Though i do admit I don’t think either Saltz nor Keri really would benefit from having a melee only career (though I do think a Melee Only Sienna with a different Heat mechanic could be interesting)
…I mean, more of her kit is actually geared towards defensive stuff rather than DPS, 30% blockcost reduction and her stamina regen alone is a lot for defensive purposes while minor conditional power bonuses isnt really…amazing? For DPS.
Meanwhile Eternal guard? Just like Handmaidens its a peak skill Elven warrior group who fights with shields but they are nowhere near as rare with their numbers counting in the thousands. They have no mystic ability or anything such and instead they are just skillfull fighters who know how to fight alone or together and with many enough they can deploy a phalanx formation.
If you try to translate this into a new career you get something staggeringly similar to Handmaiden using a shield and her ability would likely just end up being “able to attack while defending for a time”.
I´d rather get a Shadowdancer or an actual mage/spellblade career of some kind .c
I don’t find HM to be very good for frontlining, especially now Engi is in the game. I mean you can spam push with Shield, but that’s all you’re doing is spam pushing. You can stack Stam Regen and pile up the Elites, but it doesn’t feel as good as IB/FK or their shields in general, for CC.
HM to me is a really basic Elf Weapons, with Power Career, and Support.
She’s the main Career I play, and if they added a proper fronline for her, it would free them up to go all in making HM a DPS/Supp instead of a wannabe fronline with one CC weapon, that doesn’t feel good to frontline with. It feels better to DPS with.
Anything will be cool, but I feel like she’s missing that niche, as HM just ends up being good at solo play or spam pushing.
I agree that she feels lacking somehow but the present to me still looks like she ultimately is more geared towards defensive stuff rather than offensively. Even if she is worse at it than Ironbreaker or FK that is still the truth.
I tried playing her with PfP, Focused spirit and willow but in the end my conclusion is that when it comes to being a melee dps she is just worse than the dedicated ones like WHC, Zealot, slayer or GK.
Now this isnt to say that she is bad at it by any means, but if you take the skills needed to make it work and put them on any of those others guys instead you get more done.
I think 3 bows are not many ranged options. Elf definitely needs more bows.
IMO ranged combat has much higher skill ceiling. Enemy still attack when you use range weapon. If you want shoot, you have to dodge properly because of dodge count difference between melee and range.
You can’t be good ranged DPS, if you just stand and shoot.
There are 2 melee elf career. But basic career is sniper. Seems elf lacks 1 ranged career rather than 1 melee career.
I don’t want melee only career anymore. I don’t play both of them.
Regarding her arsenal, melee career seems reasonable. But i don’t think adding melee only career per each character is good idea. Think about no ranged squad. I would rather play with my bots.
It also tells elf has already enough melee options. That’s why elf need more ranged things.
I want elf mage. Adding staves, bow also can be used with fire. Fire dot or AOE can be added as passive on existing bow.
Many game choose elf as mage. Because it’s cool. Popularity has reason.
To make Handmaiden a great DPS, you just take Bladedancer and the talent to dodge through enemies. Dash into every horde, dodge out (just be careful of Packmasters), and watch all the chaff die. Against Skaven hordes you don’t even need to dodge out if they’re just Slave rats. They’ll die before they can do much to threaten you. And sure, yeah, killing chaff is easy - but it clears the problem of mixed hordes on Cata, and leaves you able to focus elite enemies with something like Spear, Sword and Dagger, or Dual Daggers. Built this way, she’s a pure blender DPS.
As for new career, while people want War Dancer or things like that, I think they’ll ultimately play a lot like Handmaiden - and I think we have enough melee-only classes. Too many and it starts to become a problem - you don’t want 3/4 of a team to be unable to snipe specials.
A ranged spellcaster would be a lot better, I think. Don’t give her a new melee, give her 2-3 staves. She could have a different overcharge mechanic, too. Assuming it’s some life spells or Athel Loren spells, overcharging could cause her to become entrapped in vines and disabled or something. Maybe allies would have to hack them down to free her, haha.
Yes you can pick bladedancer+wraith walk and become good at clearing chaff while remaining bad against armor/multiple targets. Or you can pick slayer/GK and be a blender that doesnt mind the enemy type much at all. Even if 5 stormvermin come running at our extra angry dwarf he can just whip out his big hammer and wallop them.
Come mixed, come unarmored or armored, anything´s fine.
Point in case, yes Handmaiden can be good for damage but she will never be as good as the others if they are equal in skill.
