Helm’s Deep Developer Diary – The Rune-keeper

Turbine continues to publish their developer diaries on the class changes that are slated for the Helm’s Deep expansion. Today’s diary focused on the rune-keeper, a class most noted for their attunement mechanic.

In reading the responses to the thread in the forums, we already have several players complaining about the skills that are being placed in the trees (and would thus require cross-training for those who have other specializations). The first of these is Rune of Restoration, which is in the Benediction of Peace line. The second is Ceaseless Argument in the Solitary Thunder line. Fortunately, these skills are rather early in their lines, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to learn these skills if you really want them.

The real news, though, are the changes to attunement. This is the main adjustment that rune-keepers will have to make.

Actually, the attunement adjustments do sound a little familiar, as they seem to be similar to how the rune-keeper operates while riding a war-steed. If that’s true, then at least I won’t keep forgetting how the rune-keeper operates while mounted. I just hope I am better at making the adjustment on foot than I did on horseback.

The attunement changes are:

1. Skills will no longer be gated through attunement.
2. Skill use will provide a variable amount of attunement rather than a single pip for all skills.
3. There will be several cashout skills that consume your attunement but are more powerful at higher attunement levels. For example, Word of Exaltation will last longer if you are at higher levels of healing attunement.

The net effect of these changes is that it will be easier to build and change attunement.

Pineleaf Needles