Chapter Sixty-One: Designing the Talent Tree

The significance of this kind of self-imposed stagnation would inevitably change with the progress of the times. In this latest reform, “Divine Ruin” has even introduced multiple overlapping mechanisms for increased damage: passive, triggered, and active. Each of these main mechanisms is accompanied by numerous amplification sub-mechanisms. Passive enhancements require no conditions—permanent improvements inherent to the character. Triggered effects are temporary boosts activated by fulfilling specific conditions, much like “momentum.” Active mechanisms refer to buffs that provide increased effects for a set duration.

Naturally, effects of the same type can no longer stack. Previously, if a “Divine Ruin” player gained a 10% passive boost and then another 20%, these would stack to a 30% increase; now, only the highest value applies—20%. However, “Divine Ruin” has also released some hints on how to design skills that increase damage, leaving the rest for players to discover on their own.

…

“What do you think, Third? Our server was the first to receive this reform. I don’t think it’ll be long before we see the emergence of player-created skills and customized talent trees,” Huang Hong asked first. By now, the world channel on the [Xuan Tian] server had already exploded with activity.

Ye Yu furrowed his brow slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He realized this independent reform was likely a form of testing, but he also suspected it had something to do with [Ancient World]. The AI intelligence of top-tier monsters in [Ancient World] already surpassed the highest-level monsters currently known. With only the existing class skills, it would take exceptional skill to slay them. The new reform, while adding challenges, would ultimately make future encounters with these top monsters smoother—at least fighting minor monsters wouldn’t be such a struggle.

Ye Yu’s thinking was clear. Leaning towards PVP, he had already mapped out a precise direction for his customizations, demanding that all his skills reduce casting and channeling times as much as possible, aiming for instant-cast levels. Thus, his approach pushed every aspect to its extreme within the allowed range.

Since the String class was primarily support, the key to increasing its damage was to string together high-level combo skills for passive amplification, thereby lowering mana consumption and, after a certain number of activations, even reducing cooldowns. Individually, his skills might deal less damage, but when chained together, the passive amplification was significant—one might even call it terrifying. Naturally, this required top-tier control and operation. At the peak of this setup, Ye Yu calculated he could even unleash several more skills than usual.

Because he was designing and planning his own skills, Ye Yu’s mind became an astonishing calculator, creating skills within the set parameters. But these skills and passives were essentially ways to enhance otherwise mediocre skills, so the AI would recognize them as damage-boosting passives. Since every aspect, from active to passive skills, had to be configured personally, maximizing their effectiveness within the limits was no easy task.

Throughout the design process, Ye Yu had already made his preparations. His path required consistently high-level execution to win. Most players would likely opt for a guided approach—strengthening their damage output through a combination of passive, triggered, and active boosts, resulting in higher damage than Ye Yu’s setup. However, Ye Yu’s focus on instant-cast skills meant his combo damage could spike, allowing him to accomplish several times more within a set period, and making it nearly impossible for opponents to interrupt him during casting—a clear advantage in PVP.

These were the essential elements for a perfect, personalized skill and talent tree: not only matching one’s playstyle, but also maximizing damage within the allowed scope. He’d also designed a few high-cost, high-damage ultimate skills, though he wasn’t yet qualified to unlock them—those required at least level sixty. Nonetheless, he was already experimenting with their design, pushing each iteration to the very limits of his class.

At present, Ye Yu had completed the initial passives and triggered skills for his personalized skill and talent tree, all featuring skill-chaining properties for increased damage calculation. There were even provisions for “critical strikes” and “devastating blows,” and these details all passed the AI’s evaluation.

The other five party members were also busy designing their own unique skill and talent trees. Ye Yu was the fastest, his precise calculations enabling him to create skills at the very edge of the class’s official parameters—one could say he achieved perfection in a single step.

As time passed, Ye Yu’s design grew ever more refined. The personalized skill and talent tree was divided into three stages. At his current early-game level, Ye Yu could only configure the first stage: passive skills, triggered skills, and active skills.

…

China Huaxia Myth Network Technology Co., Ltd. Game Server Data Department

Feng Ling stood upon the circular platform, gazing at the data from the [Xuan Tian] server displayed on the screens before him. He paid particular attention to Ye Yu’s data, curious about the kind of player who had unlocked [Ancient World].

“Huh, his design seems a bit weak,” a data department staff member remarked, frowning as he examined Ye Yu’s stats.

“Yes, it’s at the very edge of the String class’s limits, but the numbers seem underwhelming. It’s well-rounded, but if a high-damage skill hits him, he’s at risk of being instantly defeated.”

Feng Ling listened to the staff’s conversation, a look of puzzlement in his eyes as well. Overall, Ye Yu’s stats, though at the threshold, seemed weak.

“He lowered his defense and health ratios to enhance his skills, but each link depends on the next. This design is quite convoluted—one might even say it’s too weak,” Feng Ling muttered, furrowing his brow and stroking his chin as he studied the data, mentally deducing where the true ingenuity lay.

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