[img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44490409/59a421410d953602071dda358e3724dd4f946def.jpg[/img] In Titan Quest II’s ancient Greece, human civilization is threatened by all manner of monsters and mythical beasts. Some of these enemies you will face act independently, either by choice or simply acting on instinct. But others will be more organized, forming a coherent faction with their own combat doctrine. One of the early factions you will encounter is the Ichthians. You might remember seeing Ichthians in the original Titan Quest. They are one of the game’s original additions to Greek mythology, and for Titan Quest II we’ve expanded their lore to hint at how these monstrous fish-men came to be and to tie them into existing myth. The Ichthians are a monstrous hybrid of human and sea monster, with a vicious hatred of the god Glaukos and all the humans under his protection. Using their own brand of magic and tools and weapons improvised from their aquatic environment, the Ichthians are able to fight on land--though they do not like to stray far from the water. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44490409/5ef0458a6f0ca367a3cf66bc229e0c7333fb30df.jpg[/img] We wanted to give you a short introduction to some of the Ichthian enemies, and how they interact, giving you a little taste of what we are aiming for with our combat. Naturally, we are also working towards real gameplay demonstrations, though the game will need some more time in the oven before that. [b]Ichthian Trooper:[/b] A simple, light warrior equipped with a spear. They can either use it for melee or as a thrown weapon. They will choose how to attack depending on the situation, primarily entering melee only when they have no allies already doing so. [url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44490409/9998511acfd58ce4b1c7c77dbf6ea9cad059c38d.gif][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44490409/9998511acfd58ce4b1c7c77dbf6ea9cad059c38d.gif[/img][/url] [b]Ichthian Enchanter:[/b] Drawing on Ichthian sorcery, Enchanters assist their allies in combat by mending their wounds and keeping them in the fight. This is particularly impactful when they accompany strong Ichthians. Their healing ability is a single target channel that enhances the target’s movement speed and damage, in addition to restoring their health. The healing link also benefits the Enchanter, so their health is also restored in the process. [url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44490409/73640c664d8203d1da11135f237e0488aafe5417.gif][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44490409/73640c664d8203d1da11135f237e0488aafe5417.gif[/img][/url] [b]Ichthian Hunter:[/b] Hunters are extremely skilled and nimble warriors armed with a heavy spear, specializing in melee combat. They are already potent in direct combat, but they further bolster themselves by using nets to pin down their target. Using their net ability is how they enter combat, and they follow up by rapidly closing the distance before escape would be possible. Pinned targets meet the heavy spear, usually followed by a one-way trip to the underworld. [url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44490409/406661de779871439e8a3a58941ec23d48d34562.gif][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44490409/406661de779871439e8a3a58941ec23d48d34562.gif[/img][/url] [b]Ichthian Brute:[/b] A heavily armored warrior wielding a two-handed mace. Their regular attacks are already hard-hitting, but in addition to this, they have a dash attack, challenging you to try and stay out of their path. In melee, they can also perform a heavy attack, slamming their mace into the ground, creating a shockwave in front of them. [url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44490409/cd4a45d1a6b4e4061f56a527d8fde10f0dffa3c6.gif][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44490409/cd4a45d1a6b4e4061f56a527d8fde10f0dffa3c6.gif[/img][/url] Putting it all together, it will quickly become clear that we have designed the faction to form effective squads that benefit from each other’s abilities. While each creature may have weaknesses, depending on the group’s composition, we can cover for some weaknesses, while leaving others open. With the numerous possible scenarios, we aim to keep our combat engaging, challenging and fresh. Picture an encounter with the four creatures above. Troopers serve a function of light harassment, while Brutes are hard to ignore heavy hitters. If the Hunter manages to ensnare your character, you would have limited options to avoid the barrage of hits coming your way. You could teleport to free yourself, or use barriers for tanking, but not your core dash ability while snared. The Brute’s heavy attack would be especially devastating if directly absorbed. Meanwhile, the Enchanter would heal and empower either the Brute or Hunter as a priority, making them even more of a threat. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44490409/2a5ba28b12877f36b9c435c7e51b51121bb42979.jpg[/img] From a tactical point of view, it’s important for players to think of target priorities as you engage in this combat dance. Do you take out the fodder-like Troopers first, just because that would be easy? Do you take out the relatively fragile Enchanter while risking exposure to the heavy hitters? Do you spread your damage out and risk the Enchanter negating your progress? Or do you use stuns, interrupts and freezes to shut down enemy abilities during their charge-up window? Do you focus on absorbing damage and returning it to your enemies via reflection? The choice is yours. From a design perspective, one of our key objectives is to ensure that different player builds interact differently with each creature, and by extension, each enemy squad composition. For example, a ranged character can comfortably keep a Brute at a distance, while a melee character will be often times wanting to side-step the regular attacks, and evade the abilities (or tank/reflect them with the right build). On the other hand, a melee character can quickly dispatch ranged targets, while a ranged character will often take hits during their own attacks from the unfazed ranged enemies. There are many other loadouts that the warriors of the Ichthian faction utilize (see some extras in the images), and perhaps more importantly, there are other factions for you to face. But, as we said last time, we don’t want to reveal all our secrets just yet. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44490409/6606031bd97754d2ae99fe08f6a5fd98264801bc.jpg[/img]3D weapon models of the Ichthian Faction [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44490409/1670ef2b49640d4641d1593826e9a4af9229e6ec.jpg[/img]Ichthian Concept Art