by Seth Ring
“Power,” Thorn repeated, leaning back as the group fell silent.
Power. It did not take more than a second for Thorn to understand what Ouroboros was talking about. In a world like Nova Terra, information could be said to be the most precious thing. One of the most important aspects of the game was that there were drastic differences between what players brought into the game that could not be overcome by any amount of hard work. Some things could be trained, but others were fixed.
Like Thorn himself, some players brought traits that gave them a huge advantage in the game while other players had a much humbler start. The only playing field that was completely even for all of the players when they started was knowledge. All of the players who came into the game were clean slates due to the level of control that Eve exercised on the release of information about Nova Terra.
This made every sliver of knowledge that a player got in the game worth something. The player who knew more would naturally have an advantage over a player who knew less. More knowledge translated into more opportunity, more chances for growth.
Take classes, for example. Even the most basic classes were not simple to acquire and could only be retrieved from the end of chain quests and specific dungeons. At the same time, having a basic class would allow a player to stand out from the crowds, giving them special abilities and talents that the average person could not possess, no matter how hard they worked.
And that was to say nothing of the uncommon classes. A single uncommon class could create an elite, one of the best players in the game. But getting an uncommon class was as hard as ascending to the heavens, and no one was willing to share the opportunity with others. After all, that was the same as finding a winning lottery ticket and then giving it away.
But it wasn’t just classes. Information about quests, lost history, secret locations, even magic, were all protected pieces of information. Who knew if a single passage from a book on history could lead a player to a great ancient inheritance? And that was to say nothing of the practical advantages of having a class that no one else knew about or understood.
As Ouroboros related, because of the advantage that information gave, all of the major guilds had come to a tacit understanding to keep information as tightly controlled as possible. The fewer people who knew, the fewer who could compete for the top spots in the game. As a result, many of the elite players were tight-lipped when it came to their classes and the things they knew about Nova Terra.
“That makes sense,” Thorn said, after thinking it over for a moment. “Not only does an information ban allow the major guilds to control who can grow and how fast, but it also grants them persuasive power. They can say things like, ‘If you join me, you will get a special class.’ That way they can grow while keeping the quality of their ranks. Pretty brilliant when you think about it.”
“Exactly,” said Ouroboros, a flash of appreciation lighting his eyes at how quickly Thorn grasped the main concept. “Information has always been powerful, but it has taken on a new level of power here in Nova Terra, where we are all trying our best to unearth information about the game.”
“So how do regular players find out information? Do they have to join a guild?”
“Sort of. There are two ways to gain information besides finding it yourself and learning it from another player.” Ouroboros took a drink. “The first is by joining a guild. Every guild has its specialization, and the types of intel they have are going to be reflected by that. Guilds like ours, Ragnarok, are focused on game progression, so we have a lot of information on how to grow as players and how to complete quests. Other guilds, like The Eye of Oghma, which is focused on magic research, will be the best choice if you want to learn about magic.
“There are craftsman guilds that have unique recipes and mercenary guilds that have a huge breadth of knowledge due to the different tasks they have completed. Merchant guilds would be able to tell you the price of goods anywhere on the continent, and exploration guilds have mapped huge areas. Each guild protects their information very seriously, and one of the worst charges that a guild member can face is leaking sensitive information.
“The second way to find information is through the player guild, Avalon. Officially, its name is The Children of Avalon, but everyone calls it Avalon for short. No one knows much about them, but they seem to know everything about everyone. They are an intelligence organization that compiles information about every possible subject. You can buy information from them by exchanging for information, completing tasks, or paying outrageous prices.
“While we are on that topic, here’s some more free information for you. There are three groups that you don’t want to get on the wrong side of in Nova Terra, as all of them have the ability to make your life a living hell. The first of the three are the top ten guilds. They have too many powerful players and too much influence.”
“Top ten guilds?” Thorn opened his in-game browser and did a quick search, coming up with next to nothing.
“Yeah, you won’t find them advertising themselves, but we keep an internal list. Hold on, and I’ll send it to you.” Ouroboros sent Thorn a message with a document attached.
Opening it up, Thorn found a list of the top guilds with a small description. The Children of Avalon was at the top of the list, and Ragnarok was third, after a guild called Eastern Alliance. Thorn was surprised to see that his aunt’s guild, the Society of Roses, was actually fifth on the list.
“Apart from Avalon and joining a guild, your only option is to find the information yourself. Which is not much of an option, if I am honest,” said Ouroboros.
“Or to have awesome friends like us!” said Mina.
“Right, or have awesome friends like us. I can give you a rundown of all the non-sensitive information about classes so you can make a good decision moving forward. Picking a path is pretty important for your future growth, so you’ll want to pay careful attention to whether a class can upgrade. Some classes have a progression, while others are fixed in the state you get them.
“You are familiar with the classification for classes, right? One word classes are called common classes, two-word classes are called uncommon classes, and three-word classes are called rare classes. There are also unique classes that have four words, but so far there are only four of them in the whole world. Classes can be further broken down into five general categories: combat, utility, support, production, and leader.”
As Thorn listened attentively, part of his brain was realizing how truly fortunate he was to have fallen in with this group of players. There was absolutely no way he would have found out this kind of information so quickly on his own!
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Combat classes are pretty self-explanatory,” Ouroboros continued. “All the classes that are directly related to dealing damage or tanking are considered combat classes. That would include Knights, Warriors, Gunners, Monks, Battle Mages, Archers and that sort of thing. The distinctive feature of a combat class is that it includes both weapon and armor proficiencies. So, the Warrior class will not only help you learn basic usage of all weapon types, but it will also help you gain proficiency with the different sorts of armor.
“Utility classes are those classes that focus on a non-combat role while still having some combat ability. A Rogue or Thief would be a Utility class, as would a magic user who had spells that were non-combat oriented. Rangers, Scouts, Druids, and classes that combine wilderness utility with combat roles are Utility classes as well. Most Utility classes have some abilities that can be used in combat and some that are used outside of combat. What divides them from all the other classes is their terrain bonuses. Take Thieves, for example, they get a bonus to their movement speed and evasion while in dark places.
“Support classes are things like Guardians, Priests, and Field Medics. Warlocks, Witches, and other debuffers are also part of the Support category. The essence of a support class is that they are helping buff their party or debuff their enemies. Some Support classes also grant eit
her weapon or armor proficiencies. Support classes are one of the most popular because of how necessary they are. Good Supports are the difference between success and failure, and you can tell what sort of shape a guild is in by their Supports.
“Production classes are anything that lack a combat role but produce something. It could be goods or a service, even. A Lawyer would be considered a Production class, even if they don’t technically make anything. The production classes’ abilities are almost never combat oriented, and they tend to focus on making tangible goods like armor, clothes, food, etc. Builders and architects are also considered Production classes. Production classes also scale differently than the other classes in that they have three ranks: Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master. It takes a lot of time and practice to rank up. There are some guilds who run their own Production Corps, but most guilds contract out to full Production guilds since it can be expensive to break through to Master.
“Last, there are the Leadership classes. These are pretty rare, but they include Generals, Tactical Advisors, any member of the peerage, or any class that gives bonuses to organizing players or NPCs. You might assume that these classes are useless since the abilities they give tend to be less concrete than the other classes, but they can actually be the most powerful, if used well. After all, what use is a sword facing an entire army? How do you fight someone who can send the city guard after you?
“Common classes are single category. They fill a single role and cannot grow beyond a specified point. Now, that is not to say there are not skilled players with common classes. It is just harder to excel with a narrow set of abilities than it is to succeed with a broader set. But never underestimate a common class holder. I’ve met some strong players who use the few abilities they have through their class to the best possible degree.”
“Sheesh, are you done yet?” interrupted Mina, resting her forehead on the table in annoyance.
“Almost,” said Ouroboros with a smirk. “You were the one who wanted me to talk about this. So, you have to suffer through it. Where was I? Oh, right. Common classes are single category. Uncommon are dual category, rare are triple category, and unique are actually quad category. For example, my class, Holy Guardian, is both a Support and a Combat class. This means that I can fill both roles in a party. Now, having a single Holy Guardian will not be as strong as having a Priest and a Knight of comparable skill because two is always going to be greater than one.
“But having a dual category makes me much more flexible and allows me to react to different situations better than I otherwise would with a single category class. When multiple players with dual categories get together, that advantage only grows. You saw how we were able to adjust our roles in the fight against the Shaman and Great Shaman, right? That is due to the fact that we have an abundance of Combat Support dual category classes. This means we can pick the proper can opener for the can we are trying to open, rather than trying to force it.”
“Doesn’t that make dual category classes overpowered compared to single category classes?” asked Thorn.
“Not really. There are some cases in which a dual category class is stronger than a single category class, but for the most part, all the classes in the game are well balanced. It is a matter of flexibility. Plus, if you have a single category class, and you master it, you can actually accept another class, which will promote you from a common class to an uncommon class. This is why it is so important to plan out your progression. But mastery isn’t the only way to get a dual category class. It is much faster to use an ancient inheritance to gain an existing dual category class.”
“I’ve heard that term tossed around, but I don’t know what it means,” said Thorn, scratching his head. The message boards had little bits and pieces of information, but they were by no means comprehensive due to Eve’s strict information control.
“Well, buckle up, because Ancient Inheritances are a massive subject in and of themselves,” replied Mina while Ouroboros was taking a drink. “Actually, Velin knows the most about them.”
“That is true,” nodded Ouroboros. “Why don’t you explain how Ancient Inheritances work?”
“Sure. I can do that,” the elven War Priestess agreed, her voice never losing its customary cool. “Ancient Inheritances are, at their most basic level, tokens that represent a class holder who reached the peak of their class. The token allows the class to be passed down to a player with the Mastery Abilities that the former class holder received for mastering their class.” Seeing Thorn’s confusion, she paused for a moment.
“Okay, let me back up. You know how production classes have three states: Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master? While the other classes don’t have those levels, we use a similar classification to make it easier to judge how skilled a player is. Low level means that you have recently started the class and are still getting used to the ability the class gives you. Mid level is when your mastery has reached the minimum threshold necessary for you to use all of the abilities that your class gives. For some classes, this happens fast, as the abilities tied to the class don’t have many mastery prerequisites.
“On the other hand, there are classes for which the mastery prerequisites are detailed and complex, and it might take a player years to get to the point where they can use their class abilities freely. Once you have become a mid level, everything becomes about perfecting your use of your class abilities. As you use those abilities, you gain mastery in them, the same way you gain proficiency in a skill you use over and over. High level is achieved when your mastery hits a particular threshold.
“Once you hit master, your class grants you a specific set of unique bonuses based on the way you have played up until this point. That means that if you are a Knight who focuses on defending and supporting others as you tank, you will be more likely to unlock the Holy Guardian path. On the other hand, if you focused on dealing damage, you might unlock the Retribution Knight path.
“Unlocking the path doesn’t give you the second class needed to become a dual category class, but it does give you the opportunity and informs you of what other class you need to gain in order to get the dual class. On top of the option for a second class, mastery will also grant a passive buff to your abilities that you will carry with you for the rest of your journey in Nova Terra. This buff is one of the things that separates the elite players from the regular players.
“Inheritance tokens not only contain the opportunity to gain a class that has been mastered, but they also contain a buff that is unique to that token. Because they contain a mastery buff, Ancient Inheritances are all distinct from each other. I mean, there could be two Ancient Inheritance tokens that give you the same dual category or triple category class, but each of them has a distinct buff that is unique to the specific token. This makes some Ancient Inheritances worth more than others, even if they are both the same class.”
“Huh, interesting.” Thorn tapped on the table as he thought over what he had heard. “So, the Ancient Inheritances are different from regular class change stones in that they give you the bonus. But does that prevent you from getting another bonus when you master the class?”
“No. That is what makes them so strong. First, all Ancient Inheritances are dual category classes or higher. If you have a dual category class and you master it, you will get two Mastery Abilities, one for each category. If you master a dual category Ancient Inheritance, you will have four Mastery Abilities. The two from the Inheritance and the two from mastering the class. You will also get the static buff that the Ancient Inheritance gives you.
“If you have a dual category class, and you master it, you’ll have a Mastery Ability from your initial class and two Mastery Abilities from your dual class mastery. This means that mastering an Ancient Inheritance will give you one more Mastery Ability than a regular dual category class on top of the buff.”
“Oh wow. I can see why Ancient Inheritances are so important. Especially the dual category classes.”
“Exactly. But
Ancient Inheritances are not so easy to get. Not only do you need to track down the Inheritance token, but you have to spend your Awakening points to acquire it. Everyone starts with three Awakening points that they can spend to change classes if they don’t like their class. But, to acquire an Ancient Inheritance, you have to spend a number of Awakening points equal to the number of categories the class contains.
“Actually, acquiring an Ancient Inheritance can happen in a couple of different ways, but the only reliable way is to find an altar of power that aligns with the Ancient Inheritance and tap into its energy while you spend the Awakening points. However, altars of power almost always have a very difficult challenge that you have to overcome in order to receive the altar spirit’s blessing.
“That challenge could be anything from a specific quest to beating the spirit in combat, depending on what sort of class the Ancient Inheritance token holds. But for the most part, they are very difficult to accomplish, even if the inheritance is ‘just’ a production or support class. If you manage to get through the challenge, then the altar spirit will grant you the Awakening, and you can assume the class contained in the Ancient Inheritance token.
“But don’t underestimate the difficulty of the Awakening quests. In fact, they are so hard that most players who find an Inheritance token end up selling them to one of the major guilds since it is practically impossible to fulfill the requirements for Awakening the Ancient Inheritance without a massive amount of resources and support. A lot of people will end up giving the token to a guild in exchange for a dual category class that doesn’t require any unlocking.”
