#Glass Cannon perk- improvement suggestion

55 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

vocal peak
#

The perk Glass cannon- increases the overall damage output the lower your hp percentage- is a new and fun way to play the game in a "Hardcore" way. It makes everything more risky but the damage scales up to 50%. Unfortunately, there is a flaw in its concept that doesnt really stand good with the way other game mechanics are. After using the perk for some time now, I would like to present what i think a good change in quality for this perk would be.

1)The problem: The main issue with the skill is that to effectively use it, you must keep your character at 20% or below (this amounts for 40-50% damage increase). The problem is that, in order to do so, the healing you output must be low enough compared to your total health pool so that the amount does not pass too much these barriers. Otherwise, if you use a strong t6 or t7 oinment, it will overheal and negate the exact low HP you are trying to achieve in the first place, thus making the perk useless. At the same time, lower tier healing might not provide the burst of healing needed to sustain critical moments, and as such an imbalance is created. You want to be at low HP but you also do not want to die.

  1. The solution: Introduce the option to "Lock" your HP percentage once the skill is unlocked.
    How would this work:
    -when opening the perk, a new UI page appears for the player to select the desired "boost amount". Lets say I want a consistent 30% boost.
    -once set in place, the total HP of the character will be locked at a maximum of 30% from the initial value. SO if i have 7k total HP, i will only be able to use 2100 health points total.
    -any amount over this preset value is then made unabailable, you cannot heal over this amount and any healing done over this amount will be treated as if you are full HP, and dissapear, unused.
    -players get to choose if they want this option active or not in the same interface

This would be a nice quality of life change for this perk, considering it`s style, usage and benefits. It would bring:
-more options in armor, weapons and healing used while perk is active
-more consistent results/value for the perk
-allow players to actually think and plan ahead on what they plan to do while playing

Thank you!

lucid hearth
vocal peak
dawn temple
# vocal peak The perk Glass cannon- increases the overall damage output the lower your hp per...

Thanks for taking the time to explain your idea in such detail — the reasoning behind it is clear and well thought out.

That said, in this case we don’t fully agree with the proposed solution. The core design of Glass Cannon is built around active and risky HP management. Staying at 20–30% HP is meant to be dangerous by design, and deciding when, how much, and with what to heal is a key part of the perk’s risk/reward gameplay.

Adding an HP lock would remove much of that tension and make the perk too predictable. It would also push most players toward optimizing healing around that system, reducing meaningful decision-making and softening the intended risk.

That said, the feedback will still be added to the report for design discussion, as the interaction between high-tier healing and low-HP perks is a valid balance topic worth considering.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

vocal peak
#

yeah, but i dont like to carry half of inventory with t4 bandage when going for t7 farm areas just to make it useful. Space is scarce, especially so far from the ranch.

#

i have no problem managing the low hp, especially with the new skill tree, since i can litteraly become a tank

#

i get more than 95% damage reduction from armor, plus other specialised defense perks

#

the issue here is space

#

more space is needed to store low tier healing, compared to higher tier options

#

if the purpose of the perk is to stay at low HP, then what is the point of using an oinment that heals 2/3 parts of your total HP in a single use

lucid hearth
#

T3 feels just right for that

#

In my view

#

Maybe even use T3 infusion instead of ointment

vocal peak
#

but then i`d have to specifically farm for t3 heals, since the drop in t4 and higher areas is not that high

#

unlike t4 areas we consistently farm for coal

#

and you get the t4 heal as bonus

#

and there is no real reason to visit t3 areas besides iron mine

#

it`s also an end game perk, so it should behave as one

shut sluice
#

Seriously, I think the developers didn't design this ability so players could walk around with less than 20% HP. It was more in the sense of a difficult battle, where the character frequently has low health due to enemy damage per second. In that situation, the ability would be like a "berserk" effect, where the character tries everything to avoid dying.

lucid hearth
dawn temple
#

I understand the inventory space concern, especially for long T7 runs.
However, Glass Cannon is intentionally designed around risk and limitation.

The core idea of the perk is that staying at low HP requires active management and meaningful trade-offs. If mechanics are added to normalize healing or remove that friction (HP locking, tailored heals, etc.), the perk risks losing its identity and becoming the optimal choice for most builds.

Inventory pressure, awkward healing choices, and preparation are part of the balance here.

vocal peak
#

considering you get it at the end of the t7 skill tree, by that time you should in theory have already a decent setup already. So decent defense should also be a default in the discussion

lucid hearth
vocal peak
#

oh, yeah

#

that also

#

i`d like if glass cannon would be something like the t7 horse is in its skill tree- the last option and brings big value

#

considering the traits

#

but now its up to the dev team if they like the suggestion

lucid hearth
supple lance
#

i picked glass cannon as a real "when the 💩 hits the fan" thing mostly
good for mob fights when I'm almost out of luck, and for hard hideouts
when i want to deliberately play chicken with the bandits, I'll take t4 infusions as the heal in my pocket

I would like if it showed in our stats tho, like
Glass cannon 20%
and the number appeared in our dmg total.

lucid hearth
dawn temple
brazen willow
#

Well the skill wasnt ever intended for farming,but helping in geting out of difficult sittuations. I guess useing it like that is smart way,incrising damage in farming.
I guess they have come up with perfect way to get advanced players stressed out,keeping close watch on health bar allll the time.🤪😅

lucid hearth
#

Indeed

vocal peak
#

i like it exactly because of that

#

farming was so boring before

cobalt hound
#

Hey, I read through your feedback, and I get where you’re coming from, but I think there’s a mismatch here between what Glass Cannon is meant to be and what you’re expecting it to do.
The perk is designed as a risk-reward mechanic. The damage bonus, scaling with low HP, is intentional. The closer you are to death, the more damage you deal. That also means the perk isn’t supposed to feel stable or comfortable. Managing that danger is the whole point.

Because of that, the interaction with healing isn’t really a flaw. Using strong healing and losing the damage bonus is the tradeoff for staying alive. If you want to sit at very low HP for maximum damage, you’re expected to rely more on timing, or smaller heals, rather than big burst healing that resets your risk.

The “you want to be at low HP but also not die” part is basically describing the challenge the perk is built around. If powerful healing could maintain low HP while keeping you safe, the risk element would mostly disappear.

The suggested HP-lock would also change the perk quite a bit. It turns a dynamic risk mechanic into a more static damage buff, removes a lot of the tension around healing decisions.

So while the frustration is understandable, the perk itself seems to be working as intended. The danger, the awkwardness, and the tradeoffs are what make Glass Cannon a hardcore option in the first place.

vocal peak
#

i guess i will just keep using it with t4 bandages as i ve done until now

lucid hearth
vocal peak
#

nah, most of the time i dont go lower than 200 hp from a group of enemies

#

from a pool of almost 800 HP, its ok

#

you can even have a stronger heal equipped, then bandages in inventory for regen after each engagement

#

and use the equipped one as emergency

lucid hearth
#

Understood . Can't wait to have it myself

bitter helm
brazen willow
#

Well it woud be usefull for all players if we coud see health in % number. So we woud learn by the number when we can press healing,on potion,bandage of any tier.

dawn temple
# brazen willow Well it woud be usefull for all players if we coud see health in % number. So we...

Good point 👍

Seeing HP as a percentage would help players make better healing decisions, especially in tense situations or when using high-risk perks like Glass Cannon. Having that information visible would make it easier to learn when to heal and which type of healing to use, instead of relying on guesswork.

That said, it should remain a quality-of-life improvement, without removing the intended tension and risk that are part of the current combat design.

👉 I’ll add this to the weekly report so the team can take a look at it.

lucid hearth