Vanguard

The Vanguard is an Epic Battles role which focuses on directly engaging the enemy before them.

As you kill enemies you gain access to new skill and abilities to unleash powerful area based effects and damage.

When you fall in battle those around you will be inspired by your loss and fight harder.

Skills

Putting traits in the Vanguard line will open up the Vanguard panel during Epic Battles. This panel will track earned killstreak points, give access to killstreak skills, show the current hero death effect and allow the user to choose bonus effects for killing recruit and soldier-type enemies.

Incite Foe

Incite Foe is a taunt earned from Vanguard Rank 1 that will cause nearby enemies to attack the player. Higher Vanguard ranks give this skill more potency in the form of wider range, affecting more targets and giving it a damage component. Rank 2 will also cause NPCs to ignore the targets affected by Incite Foe skill allowing the player to rack up killstreak points.

Killstreak points

The player has a chance to earn killstreak points when landing a killing blow on a mob. Accumulated killstreak points can be expended by using killstreak skills. Killstreak points also indicate the level of the current hero death effect. The maximum amount of points a player can earn at a time as well as the earn chance can be modified in the Epic Battles trait panel. The absolute maximum amount of killstreak points is 20. Any killstreak points earned after reaching the maximum will be lost.

Killstreak skills

Killstreak skills offer offensive abilities and debuffs to Vanguards at the cost of consuming killstreak points. Effect duration, cooldown, potency and target count can be modified in the Epic Battles trait panel.

Killstreak cost	Skill	Effect (mobs)
4	Rending Bark	+Incoming damage
8	Demoralizing Shout	Damage over time
12	Enfeebling Cry	-Run speed, +attack duration, skill inductions
16	Piercing Roar	Damage
20	Stunning Bellow	Stun, multiply morale

Hero death effects

As killstreak points accumulate, hero death effects become active. If the player dies, nearby allies and NPCs will receive the benefits of the hero death effects. Hero death effects stack meaning that the current highest effect and all before it will apply. The tooltips do not show the buff that will be bestowed. Hero death effects are modified by increasing Vanguard ranks in the trait panel. If the player consumes killstreak points with killstreak skills, the current hero death effect will change accordingly.

Killstreak requirement	Skill	Effect (allies)
4+	Encouraging Setback	-Incoming damage
8+	Stimulating Loss	Heal over time
12+	Motivating Fall	+Outgoing damage
16+	Galvanizing Defeat	+Run speed, -attack duration, skill inductions
20	Inspiring End	Heal

Defeat effects

When landing a killing blow on an enemy, there is a chance to receive a buff according to that mob's 'type'. Types are indicated underneath a mob's floating name and are designated as either Recruit or Soldier. Players can choose between 4 recruit effects and 4 soldier effects using the drop-down arrow on the Vanguard panel. Chance to trigger, duration, cooldown and potency can be modified in the Epic Battles trait panel.

Recruit defeat effect	Effect (self)
Empowerment	+Damage
Invigoration	Power over time
Serrated	+Critical rating
Fleetness	+Run speed, -attack duration, skill inductions

Soldier defeat effect	Effect (self)
Fortification	-Incoming damage
Eye for an Eye	Reflect % of damage
Rejuvenation	Heal over time
Entrenchment	Negate % of damage

Traits

Starting Traits

 Killstreak Earn Chance

 Recruit Defeat Effect Duration

Vanguard Rank 1

 Killstreak Max

 Recruit Defeat Effect Chance

Vanguard Rank 2

 Killstreak Skill Cooldown

 Soldier Defeat Effect Duration

Vanguard Rank 3

 Healing

 Soldier Defeat Effect Chance

Vanguard Rank 4

 Killstreak Skill Target Count

 Recruit Defeat Effect Strength

Vanguard Rank 5

 Run-speed

 Recruit Defeat Effect Cooldown

Vanguard Rank 6

 Killstreak Skill Duration

 Soldier Defeat Effect Strength

Capstone Traits

 Damage

 Killstreak Skill Strength

 Soldier Defeat Effect Cooldown