Over the past several weeks, THRONE AND LIBERTY players have experimented with various combinations of its seven existing weapons to create their own wholly unique playstyles and strategies. On December 5, the teams at NCSOFT and Amazon Games will introduce a new weapon—the spear—into the fray and, along with it, even more combat and strategic possibilities.
“The spear represents a formidable new addition to THRONE AND LIBERTY’s diverse arsenal, bringing a unique gameplay identity as an initiator and disruption-focused weapon,” explains Daniel Lafuente, Globalization Design Manager at Amazon Games. “Its true strengths lie in the ability to infiltrate enemy back lines during large-scale Player-versus-Player (PvP) engagements and unleash devastating area-of-effect (AoE) crowd-control abilities. This disruptive potential allows coordinated teams to strategically create openings, sowing chaos within opposition ranks and enabling follow-up assaults.”
THRONE AND LIBERTY’s spear brings a new kind of high-risk, high-reward playstyle to the game, and enemy forces will need to prioritize shutting down spear wielders quickly to mitigate its devastating potential. “The spear’s effectiveness is heavily front-loaded and its output escalates the longer its combos go unchecked,” explains Lafuente. “It demands intelligent positioning and well-timed strike coordination from both the spear user and their allies. Mastering this weapon will require skilled gameplay and battlefield awareness.”
The spear opens up all manner of new strategic possibilities in both Player-versus-Environment (PvE) and PvP environments. The ability to rapidly ramp up its output makes it perfectly suited for causing chaos and creating openings for follow-up attacks. “The spear’s potent mix of sustained damage output, mobility, and disruptive utility toolkits have the potential to appeal to players gravitating towards more traditional damage-per-second (DPS) roles,” Lafuente says. “But we also envision it being an intriguing option for hybrid ranged/melee builds looking to apply consistent offensive pressure from multiple threat angles.”
Lafuente is eager to see how the passionate members of the THRONE AND LIBERTY community put their own creative spin on incorporating this new weapon into their builds and strategies. “I truly believe players will uncover all sorts of combos we didn’t initially envision,” he begins. “That said, one pairing that does pique my personal interest is the potential of spear combined with staff. On paper, that blend of high mobility, disruptive threat, and ranged AoE spell output seems like it could create a highly dynamic and potent hybrid damage dealer. I can envision that duo being particularly effective for a hit-and-run skirmisher who uses the spear’s disruption tools to create temporary openings, then swaps to staff to unload high burst before repositioning.”
For players excited to experiment with the spear when it becomes available on December 5, Lafuente offers some final words of advice:
“Keep an open mind, get comfortable with the unique gameplay loop, and most importantly, have fun with it! The spear is all about controlled aggression and mastering that high-risk, high-reward gameplay style. Don’t get discouraged if you underperform at first. Like any new weapon, there will be a learning curve as you unlock higher-level skills and understand how to properly weave together combos.”
“Also, I’d recommend taking advantage of THRONE AND LIBERTY’s skill transfer book system if you want to expedite getting your spear up to speed. It can provide a quick power boost if you’re looking to make the spear a new core part of your loadout. At the end of the day, though, experimentation and personal preference should be your guiding principles. Don’t be afraid to get creative and brew up some unorthodox weapon pairings!”
