Welcome to Vanguard: Saga of Heroes January / 26 / 2007
Welcome to Vanguard: Saga of Heroes!
Congratulations! Your pre-order of Vanguard allows you to be one of the first to witness the exciting, dangerous, and ever-changing world of Telon. Telon is a living world, and like any world its early days is going to be fraught with turbulence. Expect us to have to “patch” any cracks as they appear for the first days.
We know you are excited to explore the world we created for you, and we are equally excited to have you here. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the landscape… enjoy the freedom… of Vanguard.
Gameplay Notes
- Many cases of "lost corpses" are now free for summoning at the altar. ("Free" meaning the experience that can be recovered by looting the corpse/tombstone will remain on it, and there will be no durability hit).
- Charmed NPC that are not a fixed duration have a significantly greater chance to break early. NPCs higher than the casters level still have an increased break chance.
- Epic and legendary open ended critical hits are now back on.
- All ranged items should now be purchasable in stacks
- Melee percent attacks have had the additive damage portion reduced (this is after the dramatic increase last patch).
- The non-damage resistance rate on high challenge level NPCs has been reduced.
- Many activated racial abilities have had their effects tweaked and recast timers changed:
- Goblin - Cast time lowered to 15 minutes
- Orc - Damage healed is now 50% of damage done, duration lowered to 15 minutes
- Kojan Humans - Cast time lowered to 30 minutes – diminishing effects are now in place, preventing the same target from receiving more than 1 spirit of jin within a 10 minute period
- Half Elves - Ability has been fixed. The rune has become 15% spell damage, and duration raised to 60 seconds Recast time reduced to 30 minutes.
- Raki - Plane shifting is now activated once per 30 minutes, lasts 1 minute. The health drain has been removed, and the mitigation to spell damage has been increased to 50%.
- Wood Elves - The run speed buff has been increased. Recast time is 30 minutes. More changes likely to come with this.
- Qaliathari Human - This effect now works. 100% evasion for 10 seconds. Recast time reduced to 30 minutes.
- Varanthari - Melee mitigation has raised to 35%. The recast has changed to 30 minutes.
- Mordebi - Ancient curse now simply stuns the target for 8 seconds, and reduces the agro range to 0. The target will not assist/agro while stunned, and the effect does not generate any agro. Recast is now 30 minutes.
- Dark Elves - Blood Mages now use the arcane caster version of the pet. The pet will now despawn whether it’s in combat or not. Recast has changed to 30 minutes. The psionicists and necro pets will soon become minions. This change is not in effect yet.
- Gnomes - Level restrictions have been adjusted for the crystals. The descriptions for the crystals have been fixed.
- Kurashasa - The symbiotic infection is now a proc, which can be applied on spell cast, on hit, or by being hit. The regen has been removed and replaced with a 25 % all damage rune. The recast of the ability has changed to 30 minutes.
- Thestran Human - Recast time is now 0. More changes likely to come to this.
- Dwarves - Recast time has become 30 minutes. The damage mitigation is now 25%.
- Halflings - Halflings now have two abilities, based on class:
- Halfling warriors: Pride of the Vael: This ability will add a vast amount of hate to a single target, and apply a buff on the Halfling for 30 seconds. All attacks during this time period will count for double agro. – recast time is 15 minutes.
- All other classes: Shroud of the Vael: this ability will remove 99% of agro from a single target but keep the Halfling in combat. Additionally, for 30 seconds afterwards, any spell cast or attack made will have its agro reduced to 1% of normal as well.
- Lesser Giants - The effect has been fixed to only grant 50% additional hitpoints. However a regen component has been added as well, and the duration has been increased to 60 seconds. Recast time is now 30 minutes.
- Barbarians - The effect has changed to cut the cost of all endurance/energy spells by half, and the damage increase stays the same. Recast time is now 30 minutes.
- High Elves - Recast time is now 15 minutes.
- Vulmane - Recast time is now 15 minutes.
- A first iteration on PC passive abilities are in for crafting, harvesting, and adventuring attributes. It is likely there will be an additional adventuring ability for each race added shortly.
Adventuring Abilities:
- Qalian/Thestran Barbarians, Lesser Giants and Orcs: Large Race: 2% bonus to mitigation
- Raki, Vulmane, and Kurashasa: Animal Reflexes: 10% bonus to run speed.
- Dwarves, Halflings, Goblins, Gnome: Small Race: 2% bonus to evasion
- High Elves, Dark Elves, Wood Elves: Elven Wisdom: 2% reduction in mana cost
- Qalian/Thestran/Kojanese Humans, and half elves: Human Ingenuity + 10 bonus to all weapon skills, and dodge.
Crafting
Thestran - +10 Ingenuity
Dwarves - +10 Finesse
Halflings - +10 Reasoning
High Elf - +10 Reasoning
Vulmane - +10 Problem Solving
Varanjar - +10 Problem Solving
Lesser Giants - +10 Ingenuity
Kojani - +10 Ingenuity
Wood Elves - +10 Finesse
Orcs - +10 Problem Solving
Goblins - +10 Reasoning
Half Elf - +10 Finesse
Rakki - +10 Reasoning
Qaliarathia - +10 Ingenuity
Mordebi - +10 Finesse
Gnomes - +10 Problem Solving
Dark Elves - +10 Finesse
Kurasasha - +10 Reasoning
Valathari - +10 Problem Solving
Harvesting
Thestran - +5 Lumberjacking
Dwarves - +5 Mining
Halflings - +5 Reaping
High Elf - +5 Reaping
Vulmane - +5 Skinning
Varanjar - +5 Quarrying
Lesser Giants - +5 Lumberjacking
Kojani - +5 Lumberjacking
Wood Elves - +5 Lumberjacking
Orcs - +5 Quarrying
Goblins - +5 Mining
Half Elf - +5 Skinning
Rakki - +5 Reaping
Qaliarathia - +5 Lumberjacking
Mordebi - +5 Reaping
Gnomes - +5 Mining
Dark Elves - +5 Skinning
Kurasasha - +5 Skinning
Valathari - +5 Quarrying
Adventuring Notes
- All Classes – Sprint now states that it is instant cast
- Bard - Hinder should now be working properly. Hinder should also display the hate added properly.
- Cleric – Removed Hallow from trainers until it functions properly
- Cleric – Power of Renewal II should now have a healing amount in line with the other Power of Renewals
- Cleric – Turn Undead no longer has an energy cost
- Cleric – Turn Undead should now be resisted less often.
- Disciple – Your attacks should now longer say that you “cast” them on yourself
- Disciple – Celestial Breeze no longer display text twice.
- Dread Knight - The mitigation boost from Armor of Darkness should be applied correctly now.
- Dread Knight – Added a 6 second refresh to Malice
- Druid – Taproot has been added at level 18
- Druid – Added Forage to level 10
- Paladin - Retort II, III, and IV should only last 60 seconds or 3 hits, whichever comes first.
- Paladin - Aura of Shielding should now add mitigation
- Paladin - Paladin Auras should now only affect the group the paladin is in.
- Paladin - Aura of Divine Power should now display correctly.
- Paladin - Hammer of Valus should now display the floating combat text
- Paladin - Blade of Vol Anari should now display text in your combat window
- Paladin - Divine Center and Stalwart Soul can no longer be cancelled by right clicking.
- Paladin – Upbraid now costs energy instead of endurance.
- Psionicist – Thought Thief now works correctly. It has been changed a little. Now only mental spells will sap mana. Other spells will not do damage, but will not return any either. The way they work has been streamlined and you no longer need to have the mana to cast the spell to cast it under Thought Thief.
- Monk – Feet of the Fire Dragon ability line now has floating numbers.
- Monk – Removed energy cost from Ignore Pain. This ability should now be usable again.
- Monk - Feet of the Fire Dragon should now correctly display the damage dealt.
- Necromancer – The Deathwalk effect display description has now been updated to display the correct number instead of 0.
- Ranger – Your attacks should now longer say that you “cast” them on yourself
- Ranger – Can now cast ferocity while stealthed
- Ranger – Slightly increased duration and damage of Ferocity
- Ranger – Increased the forage table with food and herb items
- Rogue - Blackjack can now only be used while out of combat.
- Rogue - Keen Eye now raises your chance to score a critical hit by 2%!
- Rogue - Ravage now requires you to be stealthed.
- Rogue - Backstab now requires a piercing weapon.
- Rogue - Stalking can no longer be cancelled by right clicking.
- Shaman – Display Description on Wings of Hayatet III now represents what the buff gives you 15% fire spell crit), instead of the misleading 8% fire spell crit
- Shaman – Rage of Tuurgin now upgrades on even levels instead of odd ones
- Shaman – Wings of Hayatet I now gives a resistance bug like stated
- Shaman – Adroitness of Rakurr is now group targeted
- Shaman - Tuurgin’s Vigor now lowers Endurance costs by percentage rather than flat numbers
- Warrior - Strike Now, Form a Line, and Charge should now work without a defensive target. These are now cast on the warrior’s group.
- Warrior – Smash should now do the appropriate amount of damage.
- Warrior – Myrmidon’s Gift now lasts 3 seconds instead of 1 hit. It is clear in the description that it only affects special attacks.
Crafting Notes
- More information has been added to crafting advisors and taskmasters.
- Station placement in major cities has been adjusted.
- More advanced work orders have been added.
Diplomacy Notes
- New Targonor and Ahgram now have all city services: trainers, vendors, guards, exchange brokers, mailboxes, banks… and many intriguing characters whose stories you will learn through Diplomacy in the coming months.
- Tanvu now has Civic Diplomacy: Soldiers and Crafters (which means you can complete the Civic Diplomacy Tutorial).
- \'Settle the Debts\' should no longer send you to parley with an angry Kurru.
- ‘A Ship to Sail by’ can now be completed in response to a rare issue.
- Many more parley dialogues to enjoy in Civic Diplomacy.
- All NPC decks should now play against you in parley.
- Civic Diplomacy factions are being given correctly in all Civic Diplomacy areas. Yes, it is correct that Halgarad gives Leth Nurae Presence. It’s an elf/barbarian thing.
World Population Notes
- Kalendra the Dark Witch once again has a body. Rejoice!
- There are now trainers for all adventuring classes at the Wardship of the Sleeping Moon in the Marsh of Peril.
- There is now a full suite of adventuring trainers at Zarabadi Landing, northeast of Khal.
- Bordinar’s Cleft - Horsebane Ticks within the stables of Bordinar’s Cleft are no longer assisting one another via hard-locked encounter.
- Cliffs of Ghelgad - Parisa Nirumand in the Cliffs of Ghelgad should no longer chase and attack any KoS races who find themselves ported to the nearby altar upon death.
- Cliffs of Ghelgad - Alimir Surhami in the Cliffs of Ghelgad should no longer chase and attack any KoS races who find themselves ported to the nearby altar upon death.
- Khal - Redirected the overland population that would sometimes roam to the corpse altar location in Khal.
- Khal - Guard directions in Khal are now up to date and complete.
- Mekalia - The mailbox has been moved to a much more accessible location.
- Mekalia - A Qalian Marketplace Broker has setup shop within the city walls.
- Pankor Zhi - Pankor Zhi and the Queen’s Roost above is now a functional 48+ group/multi group adventuring area. More quests and flavor text are soon to follow.
- Renton Keep - Mount of the Zihurr is, once again, inhabited by the Zihurr Arthropods rather than vicious mousemen!
- Renton Keep - The quest “Ants Underfoot” should no longer be spawning seemingly endless waves of the Zihurr.
- Rindol Field - Guard directions in Rindol Field are now up to date and complete.
- Shaman’s Glade - Players should now be sent to the correct altar location when meeting their untimely demise
- Shaman’s Glade - Shaman’s Glade is now known as the Wardship of the Sleeping Moon.
- Temple of Dailuk - The dragon turtles are less cuddly with each other.
- Temple of Dailuk - Quest: Road to Dark Horse Downs is no longer repeatable.
- Temple of Dailuk - Quest: Evendusk Fortress: You no longer have to return to the questgiver to complete
- Tursh - Caretaker Hugh in Tursh should no longer chase and attack any KoS races who find themselves ported to the nearby altar upon death.
- Tursh - Guard directions in Tursh are now up to date and complete.
GUI Notes
- Level will now be shown on your offensive target window instead of just in the tooltip.
Coding Notes
- The crash reporting procedure will no longer use your email client. Those of you who were unable to send crash reports before due to email problems should no longer experience submission troubles, so please consider submitting your reports. Thanks!
Art Notes
- Bug fix for the crazy clothes that were appearing briefly while logging in.
~The Vanguard Team