Sword of the New World Peek #2

Some stances and skills Fighters and Elementalists can use in imcGames’ squad-based massively multiplayer title

By RPG Vault

Sword of the New World is a massively multiplayer offering that takes place in a romanticized version of the period when explorers, adventurers and colonists crossed the Atlantic in small, fragile sailing ships to reach the Americas. Some sought to return with riches, others to build new lives free from oppression. No matter their motivations, the land was full of dangers. So, despite the cinematic and literary archetype, these pioneers, while courageous and hardy, didn’t always stand alone against overwhelming odds. Instead, it was often advisable if not crucial to band together with friends, neighbors, relatives and even strangers.

In developer imcGames’ endeavor, adventuring alone will seldom if ever be necessary since the most distinctive feature is the ability for each player to control up to three characters simultaneously. Known as Granado Espada in the team’s home market, Korea, it’s currently being adapted for western hemisphere audiences by publisher K2 Network. Among the various changes announced to date, the most significant may be a highly expanded avatar customization element with many more costume options. Another of note is a new story reportedly incorporating hundreds of additional quests, and there will also be an improved control scheme and in-game tutorial.

Stance and Deliver!
Sword of the New World’s combat stances bring revolutionary action

In Sword of the New World Peek #1, we concerned ourselves with some of the stances and skills available to the Scout, Musketeer and Wizard in imcGames’ and K2 Network’s upcoming online world. Our look at the combat stances and skills from this promising game – the only MMORPG to give players control of up to three characters simultaneously – continues with our inspection of two more character classes, the Fighter and Elementalist.

Tierra Choque. Generate a shockwave that injures up to five enemies by smashing down with a pole arm.

As with the first time around, a nice amount of information may be found below. But don’t think the following scoop gives everything away. The Fighter has the most stances, skills and weapon options in the game, and the Elementalist also has an impressive repertoire of abilities. In a single piece, we can’t possibly tell you everything there is to know about these classes (there is a lot!); however, we can reveal four stances and their respective skills for each character class.

The Fighter

Most gamers are familiar with the main “tank” combatant class common to fantasy MMORPGs, and Sword of the New World gives this type of class everything we could expect ... and a lot more. The Fighter gets a total of 18 stances and 65 skills. Below, we give you enough of a glimpse of this combat powerhouse to whet your appetite for saber-slashing adventure.

High-Guard. Grab your single-handed sword and your biggest shield for this protective stance. High-guard has the highest blocking ratio, and is a great choice for when defense matters most.
• Slash Down. Cut the enemy diagonally and nearly triple your damage.
• Guardian. Boost defense by concentrating on blocking.
• Pommel Beat. Smash an enemy in the head with the bottom of your sword’s grip. This attack ignores the defensive power of small and mid-sized enemies, but isn’t effective against larger foes.
• Stunning Skewer. Bash an enemy with your shield and then stab multiple times.

Hack and Slash. Ready for more offense than one sword can supply? This dual wield sword stance reduces defense and blocking, but increases attack speed and offense significantly.
• Hexen Dropper. Rampant attack with both swords.
• Dust Devil. Spinning area of effect (AOE) attack cuts up to five enemies.
• Gladiator’s Bane. Stab an enemy with your left sword and slash at your opponent’s throat with your right one.
• Shootingstar. Eviscerate your enemy by stabbing and slashing your opponent’s abdomen dozens of times.

Heaven or Hell. This battle stance places a sword in your right hand and a pistol in your left. Though more difficult to learn than other stances, its deadly power makes it worth mastering.
• Pistol Shots. Draw from your expertise with firearms and shoot your pistol without consuming SP.
• Deadly Infinitum. Cut the enemy four times and finish with a pistol shot.
• Heavenly Cutter. Destroy an opponent with this fierce rotational cutting attack.
• Hell Charge. Shoot up to six enemies, and then rush your opponents swinging your sword.

Roof-Guard. Increase your reach and damage with this pole arm stance.
• Blandir Cadena. Lunge forward and stab, wounding your opponent severely and knocking the enemy back.
• Gigante Marcha. Rotating attack that hits up to five opponents.
• Tierra Choque. Generate a shockwave that injures up to five enemies by smashing down with a pole arm.

The Elementalist

The Elementalist draws from three natural elements - fire, ice and lightning. There are also three tiers of stances, each more powerful than the previous one. The first level is possession, the second evocation, and the third level domination. Additionally, there is a Lord stance where all three elements are combined, and this class also offers elemental resistance buffs. As you explore Sword of the New World, you will quickly realized the importance of AOE skills. With 10 stances and 36 skills, the Elementalist has many AOE attacks, and is one of the best damage dealers in the game.

Chain Lightning. Unleashes a series of lightning bolts that leap from one opponent to another, damaging up to six.

Possession Fire. First tier fire stance.
• Fireball. Launches an explosive sphere of flame that blasts and burns up to five enemies.
• Burning Hands. All squad members receive a fire attack bonus and a fire resistance increase.
• Torch. Set the ground aflame and damage up to 10 enemies unlucky enough to be in the scorched area.

Evocation Ice. Second tier ice stance.
• Freeze. Freeze the ground and damage up to 10 nearby enemies.
• Glacier. Heavy ice attack that does severe damage to one opponent.
• Ice Storm. Invoke a storm of ice that damages all enemies in its range.

Domination Lightning. Third (and highest) tier lightning stance. Extremely powerful, but slows movement speed to walking.
• Volt. Lightning attack that shocks up to three enemies.
• Electric Plasma. Increase lightning resistance at the cost of fire resistance for all squad members.
• Lightning Blast. Devastate enemies with a massive discharge of lightning that damages up to six.
• Thunder Frenzy. A fury of lightning that shocks and burns up to 12 over time.

Elemental Lord. This stance features skills from each element as well as a skill that combines all three for one awesome attack.
• Hell Breath. Jets of fire shoot from both hands, incinerating up to six opponents.
• Glacier. Heavy ice attack that does severe damage to one opponent.
• Chain Lightning. Unleashes a series of lightning bolts that leap from one opponent to another, damaging up to six.
• Elemental Strife. Combines all three elements to burn, freeze, and shock up to 12 enemies.

As we reported in our first peek at Sword of the New World, the sheer number and the tremendous variety of combat stances and skills for the character classes make this game amazing. With this second look, we’ve seen that players will get everything they love from two of their favorite fantasy MMORPG classes, and much more.

K2 Network is set to launch Sword of the New World sometime this summer. It will be free to download and Free2Play, and there will also be a retail version with some extras. Get to www.swordofthenewworld.com for the latest on the upcoming beta.