[updated] Skill tree system feedback + suggestions

[Mortalbane]

Skill trees system feedback

1. Skill trees were not needed
In general i like skill trees. I don't mind skill trees in DST, but i don't think they were needed.
Some of their functions could be added into base kits of the characters, and others could be received via killing bosses, picking up rare loot and so on. Take Maxwell's buffs from shadow gear or Walter's ammo as an example.
If Klei adds planar mobs, why use skill trees to counter them? I mean, isn't planar gear enough? Make Wolfgang deal 2x of any damage, and suddenly he doesn't need a separate branch of 5 skills for planar damage

2. Skill tree perks are boring
I understand that Klei tried to add skill trees veeeery carefully, that's why they are so unimpactful (for the most part). If all trees would look like Wilsons, i wouldn't mind that.
But then we saw that trees actually can add a lot to the character. But not to all characters.
So, stronger characters would get boring trees. What an exiting future to look forward to for their fans.

3. Earning skill points by waiting is boring
I also understand that the devs might not want to force people into specific gameplay, not to mention that character-specific ways to obtain skill points might create imbalance between players.
But it's still boring.

4. Earning all skill points takes too long
It's 160 days. An in-game year of 70 days should be enough.

5. One-time feature
With the current system, you have to work towards getting skill points only once.
For some people it's a plus, especially considering that it takes a long time and is boring.
For others (including me) it's an issue - it kills the fun of achieving and takes away any feeling of progression that the skill trees bring.

6. Perks are hard to balance
On your first playthrough you wait for the high-tier skills, and expect them to be strong and impactful.
On your next playthrough you will have those higher-tier perks right from the start, so they shouldn't be too strong. Because if they are strong, it will make the game easier in a bad way, and also create too much of a gap between the two guys playing the same character on a fresh server, if one has all skill points already, and the other one doesn't.


Suggestions

Add variety
Make perks more meaningful and tree branches self-sufficient, reflecting different aspects of the character. So that players don't feel like the character has only one "build" option, and so that multiple copies of the same character could better coexist on a server.

Remove non-boss affinity requirements
Affinity perks requiring you to have X points spent just limits the player. This is especially painful with weird trees like Wormwood's. If players can kill the affinity boss before getting X points. let them have those affinity perks.
DST was always speedrun-friendly (even too much i think), why this now. Artificial limits never feel good.

Let perks influence the base kit
I think that removing or nerfing some character features and adding them back through the skill tree will give a sense of progression and allow to better explore different aspects of the characters.
Although, speedrunners probably won't appreciate this one. Or maybe they will simply not spend any skill points and challenge themselves with the nerfed characters, who knows.

Split skill points and branches into categories
- main
This category points are earned by waiting, and they are spent on the "main" branches.
Earned skill points are not saved.

- mastery / achievements / character-specific
These perk points are earned via achievements and/or via specific methods for each character, like fighting for Wigfrid.
Earned skill points are saved between worlds, but generally they are weaker than the "main" perks.

- affinity
This perk points are earned via the affinity quests
They are not saved.

Alternative ways to earn skill points
In addition to the things above skill points could be earned by killing a boss for the first time. This could fit into any of the mentioned categories, or into all of them.


In my opinion this addresses a lot of the current skill system flaws, and adds new possibilities.
Not saving most of the skill points, reducing the amount of points to earn, introducing alternative ways to do that - all of this will make skill trees what they usually are, and i think it's for the better.
Also, all of my character rework ideas are made with those suggestions in mind.



Affinity system feedback

I like the idea, but i don't like how it's implemented now:
it doesn't feel like i "make a choice".
it doesn't feel like i am now "allied" with one side and fighting the other.


Suggestions

Affinity quests
The ones that earn us the affinity skill points.
For example, after we kill the Fuealweaver, Charlie appears and asks for his loot instead of dreadstone (this will give us more motivation to kill the Weaver again). If we give that to her, she will absorb his power and proceed with her evil plans, and we hereby swear loyalty to her and become her servants.

Global affinity perks
In addition to character-specific perks that we are getting now, add some global perks.
For example, a shadow affinity perk that prevents all shadow gear from draining your sanity. I think this solution is way cooler than simply removing the sanity drain, like Klei are doing now.
Or Charlie no longer trying to bite our butts in the darkness. Because we are her servants now, why attack us?
Or preventing shadow creatures from spawning due to our insanity. We've fought them all game, let us focus on the new end-game mobs.



Other thoughts
So far i don't see how Charlie and Wagstaff, or Lunar and Shadow, are opposed to each other. Why do we choose at all.
Especially if there is no, and probably will be no pvp and splitting.
Also, i'm curious about what's next. This add-on is all about moon vs shadow, and skill trees that Klei are making are about it too. So, in the next add-on we will still be fighting planar mobs? Still choose between moon and shadow? Or skill trees will get expanded again, and a new wave of reworks will come again.
But this is for another topic.

[Mortalbane]

post updated