With Towerborne available for attendees to play at Gamescom (and receiving new details courtesy of Xbox’s broadcasts), Stoic Studio has outlined what to expect with its starting classes on Xbox Wire. There are four from the outset: Sentinel, Shadowstriker, Pyroclast and Rockbeaker.
Each has different starting weapons – Sentinel gets a sword and shield, Rockbreaker has gauntlets, the Pyroclast uses a warclub, and the Shadowstriker utilizes dual daggers. They’re all easy to pick up, though the lead combat designer Isaac Torres touts a “high skill ceiling.”
“The best way to think about this is having a low skill floor but a high skill ceiling. There are always new ways to optimize and new things to discover. Players using the same weapon can still have different Focus Skills equipped. You could have three players on one team using Sword and Shield that provide drastically different experiences.”
Players can also combine their respective skills in unique ways. Charge up a melee attack with the Rockbreaker to send an enemy flying, allowing the Pyroclast to bat them back, ending in a strong finisher. Enemies also have Break states, stunning them so the entire team can get their shots in.
Of course, every weapon has its tradeoffs, like the Warclub’s Heat Gauge, that players must work around. “The weapons are all designed in a way that allows players to either discover or unlock ways to optimize their abilities. Warclub, for example, allows players to manually charge up their Heat Gauge,” says Torres.
“This may not be a very safe option in the middle of a battlefield. However, you can also cancel the recovery frames of your attacks to charge up your Heat Gauge, which significantly minimizes that risk.
“There are other ways to temporarily protect yourself from danger in times of need as well, but the most important thing is that the player has options. It was extremely important to the combat team to allow players to experience the game in the way that is most fun to them.”
Towerborne arrives later this year for Xbox Series X/S and PC – check out details on the Belfry here. Post-launch, it will have seasons with new bosses, biomes, etc., teased. Stay tuned for more updates and a potential release date announcement at Gamescom.