Wolfgang Was Reworked, But Not Refreshed

[lakhnish]

This is my opinion on the rework after playing him for several hours.

The main thing that I’d say is lacking in this rework is that Wolfgang definitely needs more things that adds variety to his gameplay so he can do different and new things that will add fun to him.

With the reworks, stuff was generally added to the gameplay of characters, like as follows:

• Wigfrid got several amazing ballads that do a wide variety of things when she's in combat (like additional HP regen, increased sanity gain, and the weaponized Warble). They all added more fun to her kit and her ballads even contributed to the team since they also gained the effects when in the area!
• Wendy gained new tonics that made Abigail stronger in different ways AND Abi helps the team by giving them a damage boost.
• Webber got a variety of whistles and switcher doodles that massively expanded his experience of spider friendship. 
• Woodie got two new amazing were-forms for combat and exploration and his beaver form finally got the justice it deserved as well. 
• Wanda (albeit not a rework) has her unique weapon, the backstep watch for some unique plays and an absolutely game changing teleportation system that makes her so much fun. I bring her up because she does comparable damage but is way more interesting of a character than Wolfgang just b/c of the variety she adds.

I could go on, but I think I've made my point. What Wolfgang mainly got was that he can do double damage consistently now, but he does have to work for it, either by having gyms as key point(s) or by carrying the purple bell (not saying it's bad, it is fine and would with some tweaking to the dumb bells, can be more enjoyable so you are not sitting and watching him pump constantly when on the go when you want to go mighty). 

No team based perks and the other perks Wolfgang got definitely are not in the same category as what I listed above for other character refreshes (ie these listed perks).

Spoiler

• Wolfgang freezes and overheats faster when in Wimpy form, but slower while Mighty
• When Mighty Wolfgang can carry heavy items faster
• Does not lose Might while carrying heavy objects
• Wolfgang is a more efficient rower when Mighty

I know the goal was to balance Wolfgang out and make him more fun, but he did not get new stuff in the same manner as all the other refreshes that would add fun to him. In essence he got reworked but not refreshed and I'd even say it was more of a reductive rework rather than an additive one.

The only thing I can think of with how the rework has been setup is that if Wolfgang got craftables that would use/deplete or make use of his mightiness (or even lack thereof) in exchange for different abilities like Wigfrid, I would say it would make Wolfgang a lot more interesting.

I don’t think anything will change drastically other than some tweaks and bug fixes, but I do hope he can get more stuff.

[Salendrak]

My initial thoughts (haven't played him a lot, but have followed others who have) is that the dumbbell mechanic is simply NOT fun, especially the lower tiers, and can quickly become expensive. There's just nothing fun about standing still to get what you want, though the mighty lifting animation is pretty delightful.

My other big gripe about Wolfgang for a long time is that there is no upside to wimpy form. It's just strictly worse than the other forms. I would prefer that there be some good strategic reasons to go wimpy at times so that each form really does have a purpose of some sort. Why not give wimpy form the old speed buff that mighty form had? After all, wouldn't wimpy Wolfgang prefer to run away from his troubles?

[HowlVoid]

All I have come up with is

-In mighty he can cut/mine in fewer actions at the cost of destroying tools faster

-Other characters can climb on his work out structure to help Wolfgang get mighty. Would become useless after the first boss statue but could be a nice touch of team flair for Wolf's teammates to cheer him on. (Animation would be the jump animation to get on boats to get on the structure)

I'm mostly trying really hard to keep that strongman perk and at the same time help him make up for the loss of speed. I spent all night looking at circus performances and reading about strongman acts but it's really hard. (For perks that can be achieved with minimal effort)

[Toros]

9 minutes ago, HowlVoid said:

All I have come up with is

-In mighty he can cut/mine in fewer actions at the cost of destroying tools faster

-Other characters can climb on his work out structure to help Wolfgang get mighty. Would become useless after the first boss statue but could be a nice touch of team flair for Wolf's teammates to cheer him on. (Animation would be the jump animation to get on boats to get on the structure)

I'm mostly trying really hard to keep that strongman perk and at the same time help him make up for the loss of speed. I spent all night looking at circus performances and reading about strongman acts but it's really hard. (For perks that can be achieved with minimal effort)

The biggest concern I have with a "use tools faster but also gather resources faster" is the synergy with honey spice.  Suddenly Wolf with some honey spice is freeing up resources much, much faster and potentially is a more gold intensive competition with Max, in addition to all the other things he can do.

[HowlVoid]

10 minutes ago, Toros said:

The biggest concern I have with a "use tools faster but also gather resources faster" is the synergy with honey spice.  Suddenly Wolf with some honey spice is freeing up resources much, much faster and potentially is a more gold intensive competition with Max, in addition to all the other things he can do.

I think that if the destruction of the tools is significant enough that won't happen. The perk is mostly so Wolfgang can only hasten his acquisition of stone at a greater cost. I can't predict every team composition nor do I think every perk should take every composition in mind (overlaps are bound to happen in every category), but hopefully IF there is a gatherer around then Wolf will let them do the mining. 

Honey spice will also run the risk of burning through flint tools even faster.

The penalty can be as harsh as reducing the life expectancy of a tool in half. I believe this will make him more versatile solo while not robbing the spotlight from more experienced gatherers. 

[lakhnish]

21 hours ago, HowlVoid said:

I'm mostly trying really hard to keep that strongman perk and at the same time help him make up for the loss of speed. I spent all night looking at circus performances and reading about strongman acts but it's really hard. (For perks that can be achieved with minimal effort)

The thing is that trying to come up with perks when only a week's worth of time is next to impossible considering that this rework had been in development starting from the last rework; I don't think it's realistic to achieve unfortunately.

The best I could think of that he can wear weights as a means of a mobile workout, but that still wouldn't even come close to what the other reworks did for other characters (ex. this would be nothing compared to the heart rending ballad that Wig got since it's nothing new being added to him, just simply another way for him to get mighty).

[Cloakingsumo198]

21 hours ago, HowlVoid said:

The perk is mostly so Wolfgang can only hasten his acquisition of stone at a greater cost

but hopefully IF there is a gatherer around then Wolf will let them do the mining. 

 

This helps replace the speed Wolfgang lost without adding it back, Wolfgang's speed while mighty was the only reason to be mighty outside of combat it was his single utility use.  This allows Wolfgang more options while mighty and since people only go mighty when they wanna get their job done it now applies to normal labour. So before he would reach the raw materials faster now he will harvest the raw material faster.

Of course at the cost of durability to his tools Wolfgang isn't a specialized gatherer he's just hitting tree or rock with more force and causing more wear and tear on his tools