My shai

Personally shai is a great class to get into the game (if you are me, and hadn’t played a MMO for many years 15+ years before bdo). It’s skill sheet looked simple, I could get Exp from gathering and it's limited combat options made PvE simple and relaxed (at lower levels)

I see people calling for changed, people that main Shai, and I know some where not new when they picked up the class, or have already benfited from the passives as a new play and now want more, but are not interested in the current available PvP classes (I have tried PvP classes, all of them have boarded the hay out of me, even clapping sages on season with the corsair)

I think Shai can still have a place and offer a ‘next level’ to people that wish to take their Shai to a competitive level in pvp (kinda :P) and PvE (a must, no one should have to swap of a class just to keep up; that means there is an issue)

This issue is striking. My season corsair is more comfortable , profitable and faster that my shai with 40 more ap, levelled breath, and a deep understanding of its characteristics in PvE and PvP. E.g. I picked up a new and limited class , with basics skills in the new class and it outshines the Shai in PvE.

The advert for the shai said it would not fall behind (that for them that say “ it’s a life skilling class stop complaining”). I was aware when I took on the Shai it was not a typical class(until then I had passed up bdo as just another hack and slash MMO, so this new class caught a new audience, I’m sure this was the intention

)… I also though there was going to be more Rp in BDO but I was new.

So I started the class with the intentions of passive levelling and sometimes group play (didn’t do Pvp till late in my first year). Sure the passives where okay at lower level.. only okay, but it useless, fast. The games averages have changed. 59-61 is an easy outcome of season, even without guide.

I have played this game as a fresh player, who didn’t go into a guild for the first year, didn’t bother with guides, and learnt a lot though experiment, it’s more fun. I have 600 days on my main Shai, and have played a shai in each season to keep my skills and understanding for the Shai at all levels, I don’t bypass with a tagging system, I don’t get level boosted. I know the Shai well… oh and I have had slow progression in gear over all that time (grinding bores the pants of me, so now I mainly PvP), so have felt the differences of gear and challenges (I didn’t just level a Shai and put on some gear I already had)

Why is this important? I have played the Shai as a new player and as my main, with no other befits to boost my journey. It’s a special class, and we don’t need it to become like all other classes just because the novelty has warn off for some, and now they wanna adorable PVP unit

That said…

Passive issues

-I’m sure other classes have some issues too, I’m here to talk about Shai-

Some passives are irrelevant at higher levels, and I don’t even think Shai has level 63 accuracy passive yet? But all other classes have their passive. This is a huge sign the class is ignored, as it’s such a small thing to ‘forget’.

The light bag passive must be taken into account as a huge offset when balancing passive, I understand this. It will be taking a reduction in value as potions weight is reduced, and longer /hardcore player can basically achieve this passive via treasure items.

The Shai also has ‘summon donkey’ Nice bit of fun, made the shai special, and was part of the class identity and should be taken into account when balancing passives. All classes can now buy this skill.

Gathering passives are half good at lower levels and for passive players but they do not scale. There are no high level gathering zone.. say with higher risk and more rewards / exp and as the game moves forward, these passive become more redundant. Is shia only a character for level 62? Then you menna move to a different class? If so, maybe explain that on the charciter creation screen.

Understanding shai

Shai was made to be an RP life skilling class, and without being silly, that may be why people play it. I loved how it bounded around like my dog, and also made the same sounds: P

I soon leant it was a very powerful class in group play both pvp and pve. We don’t all wanna do the hack and slash and this upsets some player. I normal get my kills by CCing someone and having a second person kill them, that’s the Shai way (but not always :P).

A shai can control the flow of a battle at mid size PvP, disputing, buffing, kind of healing, Stunning and trapping. When a player understand that shai is not just a bubble bot or a bongo unit, it becomes a useful and powerful class (but not all can do this or understand this, that why shai should not lose its identity, what worked for me as a new player, There is a solution via and expanding the talent system)

Shai has fail to be used as it was meant to be, the experiment failed , well at least in Eu and NA. People don’t RP, People don’t need a Shai, just nice to have a Pen sol shai on hand (excluding node ware, where bobbles can be key, yet nova half stole that one )

The PA knows it not worked out, but they seem stuck as to where to go now.

Talent progression (solution)

The game is moving forward with more ‘challenging’ places to explore and fast catch up systems. I’m sure there will come a time where more skills are added to each class, so this is looking ahead.

A quest (oh I hate quests) but lets go there; As we are talking about the next step in progression (level 62+), At this point the shai has given most of what it can as it was built. Passive are becoming irrelevant and its special abilities  have been sold to the player base and other classes. There needs to be an option for Shai mains who find the class unique and adorable :) without changing the shais identity

This is where the Talent system come is. A level 63 quest (what a target to drive for ) where you can unlock the Abyssal Sol (or something like that). You now have a new talent tab. Gone are your groups heals, buff and debuffs replaced with more selfish buffs.

Examples

> Sun, moon, stars now becomes a speed boost and stamina boost, (single cast, player only)

>Time to shine become a Rage Steal, Taking rage from one player and give some to your self, when casing it on a player (sustained play, DOT), it could show a rage gauge of that player as well

>Misty hazy becomes a self cast eva /dp buff

>shout to the sky becomes a longer (so more practical to use) HP buff and regen buff.. say, you have 3mins to work with that extra HP and not have to keep casting, after all its just for you, not the team.

>delusional Light becomes your main attack buff, , not on par with other classes but a little more competitive… maybe via a DOT  function applied to all attacks. We are talking higher level shais here, so have a buff that adds a bleed of 300 hp to all attacks, may just be enough to close the gap. Maybe an Acc boost, who knows.

Not only does the shai have issues dealing damage, If you choice too, there is no easy escape. So a DOT give the shai and ability to brake up attacks, but will still really have to work hard in PvP. This means, if you have done some damage, and have to back off, that damage probably took a lot of work on a shai, the DOT will go someway to reducing the targets ability to full nullify your efforts.

Forset eco, kinda useful with a ignore resist build, great for the team but we are moving on, becomes.. lets have some fun here, They shai gets out a big bassy drum that has a chance at knock down . Something the shai can expend from if it succeeds.

Sun furry (anyone used this?) In the video we see Shai are shouty little things, lets get special :) time for a shout (thuum). This would be a fast attack, local rang stun. Something you try to get of to escape or get a cheesy opener.

Eath’s tremble… well we already have stuns debuffs and knockdown in the new list. Let make shai the anti shai class. Shai gets a grab! But there is a catch, it only works on other shais (and otehre mini classes like a papu)… This give you the ability to disable a bonging shai, after all, you’re an advance shai, that little bongoer hasn’t got your power. you can walk over there and push them over.

I dont think more protected abillites should be added, you should have to stun your target, get some damage and then bounce around for you life untill you get anotehre CC, else it becomes anotehre static class, locked into one combo set, instead of a dynamic class that has to work with whats happening in the moment

We don’t want to turn the Shai into another PvP class, but at high level, and if you can master the class along with this new skill set, you can humiliate your enemies on a Shai :) you want a Easy pvp class? Lost already out there

Discussing this on discords;

It’s weird, almost cult like in there: P the Shais I meat on my travels, in RBF, at node wars, or even in towns seem to be very different people. It’s almost as if you have to impress the popular Shais (in Discord) to even put your ideas forward, e.g. you have to agree with what they want else you get the cold sholder.. And that’s not the end of the strangeness, so I got out of there :P

Also if you consider yourself a Shai expert player, proven you can play well in RBF, Node wars, GvG and grind when needed (I got into a high requirement guild based on my skills as my gear was way below requirement, they asked me to join, not the other way around, but I thankful they did). Know the tricks and such and get an in game rep for your skills, some in such discords seem threatened and you get a funny treatment. Bear this in mind when looking at feedback… filtering is going on in such places.

Welcome to the war on making the shai a real class. 

I know a while ago PA where talking about the direction of shai as it hasn’t been used as planned. so hopefully something is in the works, That the impression I got, but they were not in a rush... So if things from this forum do get passed on now and again to pa.... Cm, mods, please do listen :) This may be the sort of feedback PA are interested in.

Remember, this is from a player that join the game because the class was different, A player who their marketing kind of worked on (and audience they wanted to sell too, as current classes where of no interest), their target audience... who has now spend a fair amount of money in the game by now :) not by being a wale (or paying to win), but on costumes becuse fashion is and game