First and foremost, I already love this game and will be buying it upon release. I won’t be going over the positives in this post, because I will go on forever, there was A LOT done right. The foundation for a great competitive game is there - however, let’s discuss what I feel the Devs should focus on adjusting for the final release (or even better, before the inevitable BETA so that we can further improve on these things).

I primarily play fighting games (Street Fighter, GG, BB, Dark Souls duels, etc.) and played the open Alpha for about 14 hours - mainly focusing on Brawl and Duels. I got my Kensei to renowned Lv. 1, lv.15 on PS4. Now, let’s get to it:


Combat:

- Friendly damage needs a buff. This will diminish ganking (which everyone seems to be crying about) and encourage greater strategic play. No more swinging wildly in Dominion to try and land the kill before your ally does. This also gives outnumbered players a better chance at winning without revenge, if they are skillful

- Revived allies should not reanimate with full health. Should be either half, or one third of their health

- Please make environmental obstacles interfere with every swing of your weapon. Currently, walls and such will interrupt your attack if they are in the way – BUT NOT CONSISTENTLY. Players should be mindful of their surrounding and should have to pay the price for bad positioning - regarding the swinging of their weapon. Making the environment part of every battle will single-handedly add a ton of depth to the fighting system

- Target switch while locked on needs to be smoother/faster

- Running out of stamina should not allow you to dash, sprint, attack or guard break

- Guard breaks and dashes should consume a small amount of stamina

- Implement a “last chance” mechanic when pushed off ledges. Perhaps flash a simultaneous two button QTE prompt on screen (or something along those lines, with a very small window), where if pressed correctly, allows your character to regain balance. If hit during this window, you fall. This should consume stamina and shouldn’t apply to all scenarios (such as being thrown off by a Raider)


Presentation/UI:

- The music needs some love

- UI needs a complete overhaul in my opinion - way too much on screen. Please see what elements of the UI you guys can get rid of, minimize or make transparent

- Menu’s need some love. Get rid of all the clunkiness and plain white text (“Round 1” font in Duels, for example) and perhaps add more of a medieval theme/look? This isn’t Assassins Creed, what’s up with the modern/futuristic look on UI and menu’s?

- Announcer needs to get hype. So boring. The only part of the game that put me to sleep

- Improve the lobby before each match by adding a chat box and perhaps the layout. Alpha
lobby was not too visually appealing and it is something we will be staring at for hours on end
- The “revive” prompt needs to be clearer or different. Sometimes it is hard to tell if you are reviving someone or not with all the commotion on screen

- Please add more *UMPH* to landed hits, as they currently feel a bit arcadey. More blood, making the screen slightly shake, or more *bass* on successful hits might make it feel like your causing actual damage


Modes:

- Matchmaking in Duels and Brawls

- Duel and Brawl need a rematch button. If not initiated from both parties, the matchmaking will look for new opponents
- Practice Mode!

- Leaderboards in Duels and Brawls

- Please add some sort of Fight Club mode, and King of the Hill mode – this is a competitive game right? Add all the modes!

- Replay Mode for Duels and Brawl


Character:

- No custom color pallets (no pink or neon green haired Berserkers, please)

- Allow for semi-custom color pallets WITH RESTRICTED colors when reaching the highest level with any class. This will make elite players clearly visible in the battlefield, while maintaining the realistic feel of the game.

- Please balance out the gear progression system, or make it cosmetic only. Winning in this game should not be about hours spent grinding, only about skill. Balance is key for the game’s lifespan.


Maps:

- Possibly add weather effect such as rain and fog to maps. Won’t change gameplay, but will add visual diversity – which is never a bad thing.


I really enjoy the premise of this game and want to do my part in it having a long, healthy, competitive run. These were the things that came straight to mind while playing over the weekend. Let me know what you all think.