Lunar affinity is cool but Shadow Affinity feels strange for me

[Jakepeng99]

The Ai for the lunar affinity isnt good and I find it annoying how you have to bring the Chasis to the gestalts, and not the other way around, but the concept is really cool.

As for the shadow affinity, it’s objectively the strongest but the perks dont feel like WX and dont merge with his character. I’d expect everything WX would do is machine related which it all is until this skill, Thats the fun of him being a robot. 

 

It feels like he has random perks that dont interact well. The resource gathering is objectively good, it speeds up collecting, and you can automate collecting twigs and resources, but to me it feels off, like something that should have been part of Maxwell’s kit. It also sometimes picks up stuff you don’t want which can be annoying.
 

The damage bonus the atrium gives Im generally not a fan of, I was kind of bored of most characters gaining some sort of damage multiplier in their skilltrees, though this one feels tacked on for me. WX already had unique combat methods using damage reflection, speed and his axe spin, and a damage modifier feels unessisary.

 

The mimic spawning and making their duplications usable is a cool idea, but it feels tacked on to WX. 
 

After discussing the problems, I’ll say what I believe could be done. All of these perks by themselves are cool, but feel tacked on to WX. The Shadow resource gathering perk could be a new backpack gotten post shadow-riffs. The best thing about Riff’s is the qol they can give, so this would work perfectly. Leaving the back pack on the floor collects items just like the Chasis.

As for the mimic perk, it would be also awesome if there was a new post-shadow riff structure you could make which had this exact same effect. Some people were upset mimic duping was removed, so adding an official way to do this for all characters would be cool.

Of course it’s a few days until the beta releases. I’ve been waiting until all skills are added, but this skill tree is still generally amazing. This is the best one Klei has ever done. I don’t expect what I suggested to be added since there probably is people who love it, but for me I’d probably just choose the lunar side, or no affinity. Though, I would have loved to have an affinity option I liked for if I didn’t want to make Robot minions.

Edited April 13 by Jakepeng99

[Reddddd]

Exactly.

[Soul7k]

weirdly enough i can see it. It makes sense if you think about it from the perspective of the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz.

Shadow would be WX trying to learn to feel again. Shadow amplifies desires and manifests them.

• The forager is a power derived from WX desire to have things, so the constant gives it to them.
• The desire for strength of will. So it makes them stronger.
• The final one is an imagination. So it allows them to use what is not real.

[YouKnowWho142]

I don’t hate the idea of shadow affinity. I don’t think the effects have to be necessarily robotic, and I think that’s the point as well. Implanting a shadow heart into a robot is a really cool idea, and it makes sense that it would result in unnatural, shadowy abilities as the heart merges with WX.

[Jakepeng99]

1 hour ago, Soul7k said:

weirdly enough i can see it. It makes sense if you think about it from the perspective of the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz.

Shadow would be WX trying to learn to feel again. Shadow amplifies desires and manifests them.

• The forager is a power derived from WX desire to have things, so the constant gives it to them.
• The desire for strength of will. So it makes them stronger.
• The final one is an imagination. So it allows them to use what is not real.

In the lore they choose not to feel.

Winona fixed their empathy circuit, and WX ripped it right out. They don’t want to feel anything it’s their whole character point.

Im not against them replacing their empathy module with a shadow heart it’s the perks I dislike on them.

1 hour ago, YouKnowWho142 said:

I don’t hate the idea of shadow affinity. I don’t think the effects have to be necessarily robotic, and I think that’s the point as well. Implanting a shadow heart into a robot is a really cool idea, and it makes sense that it would result in unnatural, shadowy abilities as the heart merges with WX.

Im still not really a fan of how it feels in gameplay. 

[NotGabriel]

I enjoy the shadow effects for what they are, the theming with the possessed atrium growing these tendrils in the environment from your chassis is cool and aesthetically I think that should be reflected in the rest of the shadow abilities’ VFX. 
 

I quite enjoy that characters are getting more damage options, the execution of the shadow damage buff is tacked on but I think it is neat. DST is such a grindy game that for the purposes of solo play I think every character should have some kind of combat prowess. you’re right that WX already received plenty before the extra buff though. Idk, I guess I’m just biased and gluttonous because I’m so okay with the free extra damage, even with it he’s not reaching the absurd damage numbers other characters can. Shoot, it’s not reaching the absurd damage numbers lunar WX can (I’m listening to the Jakey vod where he reached a 2000 DPS with BS Staff and Crowns on each clone lol)

[Gracilus]

10 hours ago, Jakepeng99 said:

The Ai for the lunar affinity isnt good and I find it annoying how you have to bring the Chasis to the gestalts, and not the other way around, but the concept is really cool.

As for the shadow affinity, it’s objectively the strongest but the perks dont feel like WX and dont merge with his character. I’d expect everything WX would do is machine related which it all is until this skill, Thats the fun of him being a robot. 

 

It feels like he has random perks that dont interact well. The resource gathering is objectively good, it speeds up collecting, and you can automate collecting twigs and resources, but to me it feels off, like something that should have been part of Maxwell’s kit. It also sometimes picks up stuff you don’t want which can be annoying.
 

The damage bonus the atrium gives Im generally not a fan of, I was kind of bored of most characters gaining some sort of damage multiplier in their skilltrees, though this one feels tacked on for me. WX already had unique combat methods using damage reflection, speed and his axe spin, and a damage modifier feels unessisary.

 

The mimic spawning and making their duplications usable is a cool idea, but it feels tacked on to WX. 
 

After discussing the problems, I’ll say what I believe could be done. All of these perks by themselves are cool, but feel tacked on to WX. The Shadow resource gathering perk could be a new backpack gotten post shadow-riffs. The best thing about Riff’s is the qol they can give, so this would work perfectly. Leaving the back pack on the floor collects items just like the Chasis.

As for the mimic perk, it would be also awesome if there was a new post-shadow riff structure you could make which had this exact same effect. Some people were upset mimic duping was removed, so adding an official way to do this for all characters would be cool.

Of course it’s a few days until the beta releases. I’ve been waiting until all skills are added, but this skill tree is still generally amazing. This is the best one Klei has ever done. I don’t expect what I suggested to be added since there probably is people who love it, but for me I’d probably just choose the lunar side, or no affinity. Though, I would have loved to have an affinity option I liked for if I didn’t want to make Robot minions.

Equip each minion with the upgraded enlightened crown and a brightshade staff for the highest dps in the entire game (i know this isnt practical, but I wanted to mention it)

Edited April 13 by Gracilus

[Picklesaurus]

I like the +25% extra damage, even thought I think it would have been more thematically fitting if the shadow affinity was corrupting Jimmy and making him scan enemies so WX could deal the +25% to the scanned/marked target. That said, I will enjoy the 25% extra damage either way, I have always felt characters should have access to dealing a bit more damage than the x1 multiplier. 

Edited April 13 by Picklesaurus

[NotGabriel]

53 minutes ago, Picklesaurus said:

I like the +25% extra damage, even thought I think it would have been more thematically fitting if the shadow affinity was corrupting Jimmy and making him scan enemies so WX could deal the +25% to the scanned/marked target. That said, I will enjoy the 25% extra damage either way, I have always felt characters should have access to dealing a bit more damage than the x1 multiplier. 

Exactly if they won’t add scaling health bars so solo then I’ll take damage boosts where I can get them. Boss fights can just drag on for a standard damage character.

[Chesterxito]

+25% dmg is kinda neat?, particularly useful to break hp thresholds, for axes (34 dmg) and pick/axe (50 something dmg) with spin circuit. What I'm disliking is the overversimplicity of it. while plugging an evil heart makes sense thematically, in practice you just end up with a permanent buff after beating shadow pieces 

With lunar affinity there's some thought on wich circuits, armor and weapons you'll give to your clones.

With shadow affinity there isn't. You plug it on and off with no restrictions. I think it would be better if the buffs where transfomed into new beta/gamma circuits so that you still interact with available notches

[WendyHater9000]

Shadow affinity is cool imo, but the main concept of WX is about choosing, so I really wish WX can insert other shadow related stuff like pure horror and dread stone, and choose the effects between same tier stuff.

Lunar affinity is cool af ngl, the concept is totally genius, but a bit annoying to use.

The ai right now is pretty bad, but I know it’ll get fixed later, so I’m not going to complain about it 

The requirements that you need to maintain all 3 stats are the main reason that I don’t want to use it.

The components that need to recruit it is costly compared to other followers. And still need more maintenance to keep them alive. I wish they can be easier to maintain 

[Jakepeng99]

3 hours ago, NotGabriel said:

quite enjoy that characters are getting more damage options, the execution of the shadow damage buff is tacked on but I think it is neat. DST is such a grindy game that for the purposes of solo play I think every character should have some kind of combat prowess. you’re right that WX already received plenty before the extra buff though. Idk, I guess I’m just biased and gluttonous because I’m so okay with the free extra damage, even with it he’s not reaching the absurd damage numbers other characters can. Shoot, it’s not reaching the absurd damage numbers lunar WX can (I’m listening to the Jakey vod where he reached a 2000 DPS with BS Staff and Crowns on each clone lol)

Maybe if the damage modifier was more interesting than a flat buff I would like it more at least though to repeat he already has this in different circuits.

Every other character who gained damage buffs have some sort of condition or gimmick to it, even Wolfgang.