Apologies for the lapse in updates - several real life changes ate into development time for a while there. =) Now that things have settled a bit, I'll discuss the latest pair of updates - the introduction of Arokstrander (Nodeka's first world boss) and the latest set of footpad buffs.
Arok is actually an adaptation of a boss design from an unfinished area in my stash. (He was originally an ogre outcast tuned for four people, but his Saz-sari-fication buffed him up to world boss status.) As a more complex boss, he's not only strong in terms of stats, but also in terms of special mechanics which can make the encounter extremely challenging without preparation and coordination. (Currently, these mechanics are communicated throughout the battle - however, I know battles can be very spammy, so I'm always considering and open to suggestions regarding ways of communicating these more effectively.) It's a bit like the Invasion bosses, except that the abilities actually matter. =)
I decided to revamp him as a world boss while tweaking the intended content distribution for crafting. As I spruce up old areas via exploration/gathering, I also wanted to give them a bit of extra life through some "champion"-style boss mobs scattered throughout the world. (Currently, mob strength is fairly flat throughout each area - only a few PvE challenges deviate from that line, and I'd really like to see that change.)
I have a large stash of boss designs to pull from, and in the near future I'll be adapting them into interesting encounters of varying difficulty throughout the world. These will drop gear for now, and their loot tables will be split between gear and rare crafting materials in the future. Arok is on the moderately high end of the difficulty table in terms of mechanics and sheer strength - the next one will be a bit lower on the scale. Eventually, I'd like a number of unique boss encounters scattered throughout the world (even in lower areas, e.g. a G'kir champion in a mortal-only section with level-appropriate rewards.)
As for the footpad buffs, the motivation was simple - bring footies closer to par in terms of combat engagements. What acrobatics and obfuscate really do, numerically, is take the old stat bonuses from singularity of fate and apply them with 100% non-prevention uptime. (After testing, I increased the bonus amounts considerably as well, especially in the case of acrobatics.) This gives footpads a bit more of a chance to employ their tools without getting instantly smashed - they really feel better with the persistent agility and quickness bonuses that they used to lack - while giving them some offensive help in terms of speed and more dexterity.
Singularity of fate itself was then redesigned to be a bit of an accuracy manipulator (great for toe-to-toe combat, especially against stronger opponents). Singularity of focus, on the other hand, is more of a burst-and-escape tool, retaining its critical attack buff and now granting footpads access to free movement (which has always felt like the holy grail of footpad effects!)
