Blocking, gear-slot design, and spell presentation

Several Scars of Honor combat and progression systems are outlined in prototype form, with emphasis on active defense, class equipment structure, and the visual readability of abilities.

Positional blocking

Scars of Honor is described as using tab targeting rather than full action combat, but with a more active combat layer than traditional tab-target systems. The knight's blocking mechanic is presented as a key example.

Blocking is described as positional rather than automatic. Incoming projectiles must be intercepted from the correct direction, and a shield does not simply negate attacks from any angle. This makes facing and placement important during combat.

The intended use extends beyond personal defense. A tank can reportedly stand in front of allies to protect them from incoming projectiles, including situations where a party member is being healed or resurrected. The comparison used is Reinhardt's shield from Overwatch, though adapted into Scars of Honor's own combat model.

Line of sight and NPC behavior

Line of sight is treated as a baseline requirement for the game rather than an optional extra. It is described as already present in earlier testing and as essential to prevent combat behavior from feeling simplistic or unintelligent.

Dynamic gear-slot design

The equipment system is said to be undergoing rework so that the number and arrangement of gear slots can be configured more flexibly. The purpose is to let the design team experiment with class-specific equipment structures instead of forcing every class into the same fixed template.

Different classes are expected to have different numbers of equipment slots. The rationale given is that some classes, such as weapon-oriented fighters, may be shaped more heavily by gear than others, such as mages. Balance is not seen as dependent on identical slot counts, but on the larger interaction between gear, spell formulas, and class tuning.

This approach is framed as part of a broader desire to avoid repeating standard MMORPG conventions without question.

Spell intensity scaling

Internal playtesting of the druid, mage, knight, and ranger led to a revision in spell presentation. The team concluded that too many abilities were visually overproduced, to the point that nearly every cast felt like an ultimate ability.

To address this, the game is moving toward an intensity scale for spell visuals. Lower-tier or early abilities are intended to look more restrained, while higher-level abilities become more visually powerful. The goal is to improve readability and progression, so that players can distinguish ordinary skills from major effects at a glance.

Druid tanking in testing

The druid's tank role is said to be available in the next test. The druid quest and associated abilities are described as being under active playtesting and review at the time of the recording.

Source

• Recording: Playing LOTRO and Fighting Monsters in Middle Earth
• YouTube: Watch on YouTube
• Published: Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 10:00 PM UTC