So a lot of people have pointed out time and time again that Ruler is too slow to get started, Ruler sucks, Ruler is not fun because it takes like 3 turns of doing a whole process before you get things rolling... Well, I agree to some extent.

I have played 4 different Ruler builds, focused on Ruler itself and not just using it as a little side thing. I can say that Ruler is certainly usable, and it's viable in 1v1 battles especially if your enemy can't punish you easily during set up. But it's certainly got many flaws and does feel slow overall. One of the biggest flaws of Ruler from a game design standpoint in my opinion is that when you fight with a team, the battle progresses faster than you can play. By the time you get your things out, your teammates might almost be dead, engaged with the enemy, etc. This is true in both pvp and PvE. When you're doing a 1v1 battle, it's actually not that bad because you can somewhat dictate the pacing with things like high tankiness, healing, or spacing tools like explosion. But that's not necessarily good when you're in a team battle, you have less control over the match tempo. You might be able to keep enemies away from you, but then your allies get blasted while you're still digging up rocks.

Thus, let's talk about ways to remedy this. I actually love Ruler, but I think it could use a bit of help with the set up phase. Here are a few ways we could do that.

1: More Geomaterial
Giving ruler one or two extra geomaterial would go a long way for sure. Being able to create one good unit without needing to dig would make you less forced to spend turn 2 on just gathering.

2: Resources spawn on battle start
I like this idea because it doesn't take away from Ruler's current gameplan and isn't that strong. Just spawn like 10-15 resources around the map. This would encourage you to move around to collect the good stuff, which would provide a refreshing change to just sitting in the same corner digging. The only issue with this version is that random resources might block passages in certain maps, creating walls that mess with AI. I think this wouldn't be a big problem overall though. Maybe an algorithm could prevent that from happening.

3: A skill that lets you cast multiple enchants quickly
I'm thinking what if we had a 0m skill that makes enchant spells 1m, allowing you to cast up to 3. This would allow you to cast 3 enchants for 3m, but with a large cooldown. This would help rulers buff their summons and allies in turn 1-2. Of course this could be take on a variety of different forms. Like maybe it could work like design alpha where it casts them all at once, to speed things up. Would be a great quality of life.

4: A gathering skill that isn't an offensive skill
So the idea here is that we could make a skill that gathers resources but is also intended for the setup phase instead of being used in combat. It could apply the first mage basic enchant in your list in an aoe, while digging 3 times in that same area. Alternatively, make cruel enchant also gather a resource... This would mostly make ruler stronger in long fights though. I think just making it use your first enchant automatically and having a long cooldown would make it like a stronger version of cruel enchant that you use occasionally... Sounds quite nice.

5: A better skill to summon resources
Currently the best way to get resources is by using stone dragon with galren. I feel like it'd be really nice if ruler had a proper skill that lets you make resources quickly without needing to be earth-based. I find that limiting in build variety. I think other elements are viable, but this part of it seems off. Ruler should definitely be able to make more resources quickly. Relying entirely on the pawns and maybe on dig order is not good enough if you want resources quick. This is alleviated by mono ruler's +3 geomat, but on non-mono you really feel it in the early game. Having to scrounge together the rocks for your rook is rough.

Let me know what you think, and if you have other ideas to make Ruler's setup phase less egregious

can u make shapeshifter not spawn dakr water underneath itself

its really gay

Some skills have very lengthy and or flashy and sometimes even unpleasant to the eyes and or ears animations and sound effects.

An option to toggle off skill animations would be nice for when one simply wants to grind at maximum speed or doesn't want to suffer for casting Rectifier with sound on or getting the Sun Flare flashbang special.

Mostly to speed up fights in PvE though. I'd figure it could be something like the Death Animation option presently available and depend on the party leader's settings.

Hi, Cog again. Small post once more.

LET RAINBOW KI RECOLOR SOME OF BOXER'S STUFF.

Not a big ask here. But I think its been a universal desire of everyone who has even touched Boxer for Sturm's green color as well as Asura Fist to be recolorable. And the day that Rainbow Ki dropped and I saw a yellow Kadouha, I knew deep down that we must share this wealth with Boxer. 

I'm gonna also be a little greedy here, but this suggestion's focus should remain on Boxer, but some of Verglas' stuff could also be cool to recolor. Get the UNIST Carmine playbys some actual cool effects. Get that necromancer purple frost, that blood ice.

One of the problems I (personally) see with Ruler is that it is a support class with... no real... way to support. With it's focus on Mage Enchantments, one would expect (especially with Cruel Enchantment's low range) that they would be pretty tide turning. Something that you would definitely notice and make Ruler's presence noticeable on the battlefield. But generally, Mage Enchantments are either extremely situational or only function in a pair (Astral Belt+Relent Gale) and the stat buffs they provide are marginal and barely noticeable. Which is why I would suggest;

Quote:Enchanting Masterpiece (or something cooler, i don't know)

---

Main Class exclusive.

Having studied the arts of supporting others around you, it's only natural that your enchanting spells would have more of a kick than anyone would expect. Your Mage class Enchantment spells gain additional supportive effects.

Wrapped in Darkness applies a 15% Light Resist instead of a Weakness like the description implies.

First off, yes i posted this before, i've just tested it but it's still with the same problem.

Mixed Martial Arts description has:
"As long as you do not have a sub-weapon or a shield equipped in your hands-slot, you can use Fist skills without having a fist equipped..."

Meaning that a Lare Grystale *should* work, but doesn't.

I've tested it by using a Ether Lare Grystale, getting into a battle and seeing that i could not use my Verglas or MA skills(AKA Heaving Kick, Expanding Ice, etc.)

Then i switched to a Spine Leash and was able to use the skills normally.

This either means that it is bugged or that Mixed Martial Arts just prevents all shields altogether, even if they're in your Main-Hand and not hand-slot.

In retribution for the fixing of the + on the one history that didn't have one, I went and found more oddities!



In the Crucible, the first set of lava pits as you come in, the northernmost of those before the stone is trying to connect away from the pit itself, as well.



The waterfall next to Fire Elemental's cave has the cliff not properly curving, and there are tiles without anything under them, leading to a black void, on both sides of the cave.



In lava lake, the first jump left after entering should be connecting to the wall one tile down, rather than where it is.



The fire crystal cave never got any light sources like other places with lava!



The left side of the Landal quest ruin has a roof edge that curves but a wall that doesn't.



Just south of the Geladyne bridge before the Landal Ruin, this cliff only comes 2 down when it should be in line with the other cliffs.



In Terra Flama, the waterfall in the cave after the first ring has this cliff that seems to be half trying to curve, half trying to stay straight.



In the hop scotch cypelle area of terra flama, the cliffs don't connect fully to the wall, they end and are followed by regular square tiles.



The small bridge just before the smugglers and the Vale has warps that push you back, rather than jumping between sides.



As Gale pointed out, there's a skeleton under this grate in the right side of the central section of Duyuei Underground. Despite being under your feet it's dense and blocks your path. I'm not sure whether it's meant to be under or over you.



In the cave system section of the Duyuei Underground, heading up to the waterfall jumps, the cliff connects prematurely before it gets to a full flat wall.



The cave south of the waterfall section is hard stone on grass - I think edited versions were made that could replace this?



The cliffs on the waterfall jumps themselves both curve, but the walls don't follow suit.



The shading doesn't go all the way into the curve of the tree at the camp next to the Duyuei Arena, and ends as a flat border.



In the Ice Palace, this jump doesn't actually have a cliff edge. Those likely didn't exist at the time but they do now for the snow tiles, so this can likely be added now.



The ruin in the forest south of Telegrad has incomplete shading.



The ravine before the forest south of Telegrad, where the initial bridge is, tries to curve but also doesn't.



In Duyuei outskirts, many of the trees have an issue with the shading layering twice, like in this case with the trees just north of the purple tree puzzle.



Where Meiaquar's training field gives way to the tent, the dirt tries to connect to the tent, too.

In Geladyne's library / archives, some of the ladders have inconsistent density. You're meant to be able to walk up them, but some of them have dense spots right at the top, or in the middle, when you're already on the ladder.

I am deceased now

These flower pots right here, despite seeming like they should overlay high on the top part, are dense in the top part. This puts them out of line with other plant pot types that allow you to stand behind them.



The top of the corners of fences - and this seems to be the case for both the wooden fences and the metal fences, is the only part of the fences that happens to be dense. Changing this to high shouldn't make the fences something you can walk through diagonally, so I think this is probably a bug that can be fixed.



There are issues with the frame not properly connecting to the wall beside it in the small snow map interior - not the map request tavern one.



This map in the highway between Geladyne and Meiaquar has a rock just before the bridge to the first outpost that is meant to be in two parts, but only the first part is here, leading to a harsh cut off in the rock.



In the Vale the billboard seems to clip under the wagon. The autojoin also completely breaks underneath the windmill building, likely should be replaced with preset tiles if possible.



The broken joined tiles also happens in the bottom section of Telegrad, where buildings intersect with the path.



In Sharis Forest, where the castle intersects the land, the land harshly cuts off rather than curving to appear like it continues beyond this point.



In the highway between Telegrad and Duyuei, the bridge closest to Duyuei is missing part of the edge right near the leftmost pole.



In the Wastes, the tower opposite the wall has dark spots where there are no sand tiles underneath it.



Also in the wastes, in the pit where the ruins once were, the left cliff is connecting to the other side oddly. On the top right the cliff edge is also trying to connect to the sand / ruin path.

I don't think anyone will argue with me when I say that Idol is arguably the most cookie-cutter item in the game, or at least when it comes to Mages. 

The fine print of the item, shaving enemy resistance, sounds quite nifty, but nothing gamebreaking, until you realize that it goes into NEGATIVES, for those few who may be unaware. Meaning a 2% player's resist will turn into a minus 8%, and so on. That basically means the glove slot just boosts your spell's damages (already amongst the highest sources of damage in the game btw) by a flat tenth of the damage you'd otherwise deal.

In it's current state, the item is essentially 10% free damage on your own spells (Or 20% in PVE), with the most of the time fairly inconsequential drawback of -10% light Resistance. That's the main reason that it's the de-facto mage glove slot. It's easy to run, and offers an undeniable advantage at any time, arguably even so  if you run into a scenario where you encounter Light damage.

It's not even so much as a braindead choice, as that'd imply there being a choice in the first place- a mage not even using the Indignant Idol tends to be the exception to the rule, and usually in favor of an item like a shield, since no glove slot really equals it when it comes to Mages, save for Nihilist, or Conversion Gloves in certain cases. Nearly every single mage runs it as their glove slot, and with good reason, since it's in nearly every single case added value.



Whereas crit builds might have the option between Rogue Gloves, Crownbleeders, Shifty Pockets, Conversion gloves, Ghosthand, Dragon King, or more bulky builds might hesitate between a variant of a shield, Nullstone Gauntlets, Chimera Bands- nearly every single mage (that I know of, anyway) runs Idol. The item is just free.


In my opinion, the solution would just be for Idol...not to go into negatives. That way, it'd still accomplish the function of shaving down enemy elemental resistance, while it wouldn't essentially turn into free damage in every possible scenario.