ASD Climbing Feature

[ivory cove]

Please give ASD climbing capabilities;

Now I don’t mean the ASD should be able to climb everything, ASD shouldn’t be capable of climbing thin trees for example, but things like cliffs, rocky terrain, or really thick trees, etc, ASD would be greatly helped if it had the ability to climb these with ease. Especially on the new map.

The new map looks like an absolute nightmare how difficult it is to get to locations for a drake. A flier can get up a cliff in seconds, ASD will have to take several times longer to travel around the map just to go up that cliff, by then the flier likely has recovered and moved on if the ASD managed to apply acid.
Or a flier can just rest in a crevice where ASD can’t get to, a large rock, (BR, for example,) even is enough to throw off an ASD as if it dares to go up that rock, fliers can just flame or shoot at it with no struggle because it is far too sluggish getting up complex terrain quickly.

ASD is also a simple snack with how limited it can travel to escape fliers. Climbing would help to make it harder to outright butcher an ASD if they are in a tight spot.

I would rather lose a fight from being heavily injured, killed, or they got away with an actual run, losing your hunt because they just moved a few meters up onto a cliff or rock where they can recover extremely easily just makes ASD so useless in many scenarios.
Being able to climb is something that would give ASD so much more reason to play. And also to be something far more fierce than just being your nightmare if you had no stamina already and ran into one.

[rich creek]

I could get behind ASD having limited climbing abilities. A slightly easier time with cliffs

However, cliffs are the way to get away from an ASD about to smoke you, I think removing that interaction from the game would be a mistake. It takes away from player combat, rather then adding to it.
So I don't think an ASD should be able to run straight up a cliff, but a bit of a struggle to slowly scrabble up the cliff rather then going all the way around, that could be interesting.

I also don't thing tree-climing is the way to go for the ASD, it's semi-aquatic, not a squirrel. It doesn't make sense for it to be able to climb trees. Particularly when that's planned to be a defense for the Zygovo, which is significantly weaker then the ASD. Adding more water features and caves that large dragons can't fit down (already planned) could amount to the same effect.

-# also, hey @tender badger Bumping in the suggestions threads is against the rules. The devs don't read by most recent, they search through by topic, based on what is being worked on. So bumping just clutters the thread and makes it harder for the devs to read.

[tender badger]

Oh sorry, I saw it wasn't talked about in a year and I really wanted to see this for a long time. (Just cliff climbing, not tree climbing). It helps ASDs keep up with the rest of the roster to some extent, since cliffs are the ASD's worst enemy. They just feel underwhelming as is.

[rich creek]

-# ❤️ so long as you add to the suggestion/commentary you're fine. Just can't only bump

I definitely enjoy it when map knowledge contributes to game play, but playing as a Drake can be a struggle. I personally really enjoyed a crocodile-like playstyle. But stamina drain in the water can be a doozy (being reworked in the aquatic update) currently I'm waiting to see how the Swamp area update looks, scope out if there's some nice ambush areas in there.

[velvet siren]

Y e s

Also when you walk downhill and the terrain is too vertical and the asd just jumps off the cliff, taking insane fall damage over something that you couldn't control

Making it slide down instead would be better imo, I'm not saying taking no damage but at least don't auto jump off a cliff

[raven hamlet]

I'm going to disagree with this soully for the sake of the bios. Theyve got a wall nest coming for them, which is one of the only ways they will be able to safely nest. If the ASD can suddenly now climb cliffs, this completely defeats the purpose of having wall nests because the bio can't even defend themselves. (I already don't think wall nests are a perfect solution to safe nesting because of range attacks, so adding climbing to the list really doesn't help)

[velvet siren]

I don't think they meant climbing vertical surfaces, just make it a little easier to move around the map, like better step height and pretty much what I said in this comment #1162223707083788315 message

But generally and realistically speaking, a land creature should be a master in land movement, their own survivability depends on it

[raven hamlet]

So like how in some games you can jump a gap and grab a ledge to pull yourself up? Cuz I can get behind that for all the dragons. I do think ASD should get at least a better jump and maybe reduced fall damage so it can land on its springy legs

[limpid furnace]

There is no such thing as safe nesting on pvp, the place you choose can help but you can be found and killed anywhere. Safety of a cosmetic dragon shouldn't be a priority while discussing pvp balance in my opinion.
I think ASDs should be able to climb even some small cliffs/rocks, if they are not too steep/vertical, since there are already so many places (including important ones like crystal location) they can't get to that with a high stamina cost they should be able to climb there.

[raven hamlet]

I'm just trying to bring up all the possible arguments. Regardless of if Bio isn't a pvp dragon or not, people are still going to want to play it. Whats the point of having it if you don't play it? And that brings the point of balance, which is already way off for bios anyway and that's probably not going to change any time soon. Lore wise, however, the ASD is the natural predator to the bios and so for bios to evolve wall nests to help avoid them is natural. For ASDs to suddenly climb cliff faces defeats that purpose regardless of game balance since there are already so many things that can reach their wall nests anyway like the hovering blitz. The bio isn't going to be able to ever defend itself or have any kind of safety. So we really don't need to add one more thing that can kill it without consequences unless we give the bio something as well. (And this has been talked to death in other forms so I won't get into it)

[rich creek]

While I think it could use a bit of a step-height or jump adjustment. ASDs are ment as more of a swamps-plains drake (they're semi-aquatic at that) rather then a forested cliffs drake. Now do we have good swamps and plains on the map yet, no. (Swamp overhaul coming with Brood) what we have is a lot of Forests and cliffs and bare patches where things are planned but don't provide any actual cover.
I think changing the ASD in a way that would allow it to skyrim-horse its way up a cliff in pursuit of a striken dragon would be a detriment to gameplay, rather then a help.

You should be able to use skill and map knowledge to escape pursuit. And with ASDs, that involves finding a big cliff and hoping you recover fast enough to get away.

[ivory cove]

I been away for a hot minute :p I am glad to see how this thread picked up I thank you all

Starting off: ASD being able to climb walls would be the least of a Bio's problem, as every other dragon in the game is capable of flying, and SS especially has very long and more powerful projectiles.
If you come across a sweaty ASD player they are going to figure out a real specific way to fall into the nest or shoot at it anyway, or simply swap and bring their own flier. If it's a clan 9 times out of 10 they're going to get a flier comrade to make things easy.
On PvP no one cares if you're intended to be said Dragon's natural food source, they see dragon they kill dragon. You may find a few chill guys here and there but as a solo player I've only seen that 3 times and only because I would have killed them if they didn't react chill ish. (Because i made the mistake of not making sure my dragon was male and decided I didnt need to potentially be on a wanted poster when i come back from work)

Climbing shouldn't at all be a quick or skyrim style traverse, that would be insanely funny but not great in PvP xDD, especially on absurdly large vertical cliffs as it is still a semi aquatic and i cant wait for that :p, ASD being able to go quickly up a cliff is weird but being required to take several minutes to go around when fliers only need about 10 seconds is also strange, (additionally most cliffs are near water sources and getting drenched is your number one goal to live an ASD enouncter rather than seeking a cliff to sit out acid, which is ironic when it is semi aquatic)
Being able to climb also opens up more survivability, can be used to shake up how people chase you down, as every other dragon is faster than ASD while flying.

And also felt out of place but ASD should not be capable of climbing a literal vertical surface

Didn't have too much time to type but some random stuffs

[ivory cove]

I could not agree any more deeply with this bro. I've had so many times the terrain wasn't too vertical but my ASD was feeling skippy them days

[velvet siren]

They do like to auto-free-bird off a cliff

Also I suggested this in another thread I believe, but how about second wind for asd? other dragons use it to glide and get stamina back, but maybe an asd can use it for climbing purposes, or sprint swim (since it's semi aquatic)

You get second wind by resting, which makes sense since climbing is exhausting

[ivory cove]

Oh 100% and man I didn't think of that xD I do apologize if I ended up making a thread on something similar additionally as I wasn't able to locate it but that there is actually really noice

I must locate this thread and yeet in that vote

[velvet siren]

It was a recent thread but wasn't my suggestion, you're the actual OP xD
Just a comment I added

[ivory cove]

Ohhh xD

[boreal galleon]

if this scaling feature be added i wanna add the fall damage to be less painful

[velvet siren]

This. Fall damage on ASD is brutal
As a land creature, it should have mastered land movement, including reducing its own fall damage. I'm not saying immunity, but at least half of that it is now

[trail whale]

Here to comment on this because the video I took of an asd not able to go up a hill due to a literal 3 inch difference in height killed me 💀

Please just make it to where they can at least run up hills with slight bumps in them honestly 😮‍💨 there so many times and I can post videos of when the asd should be able to walk up a hill/slant and just, can't because of texture issues.