The Aether Maverick launches on October 29, as the third player class (in addition to the Aether Tamer and the Aether Alchemist) in the rogue-lite monster-taming RPG. Players will now be encouraged to build monster parties that combine monsters of differing types.
In lieu of finding monsters with similar types for your party, the Aether Maverick offers increasing levels of reward based upon the number of different monster types included within your party. For example, if your party consists of monsters representing all six types, your party receives increased Aether and higher chances of finding new Maverick Skills during level-up. If your party represents all nine types, you receive a free monster Reactivation every two turns.
While this is a great way to get a lot of different types working together in your party, it may take some creative thinking to find ways for your various monsters to support each other. That is why Maverick Skills can help out.
Although they share their name with the new Aether Maverick class, Maverick Skills have existed in Aethermancer since day one. Each Maverick Skill contains two monster Types. In order to gain access to the skill, one of the monsters must possess at least one type listed for the skill.
An additional monster must then possess the second type listed for the skill. However, if either monster possesses both required Types, then the ability may be learned independently.
With the Aether Maverick providing a greater chance of encountering Maverick Skills during level-ups, players now have more opportunities to create connections between a team of monsters with little to no common monster Type overlap. Therefore, players now have a valid reason to go back and visit a favorite monster that was never able to fit well into an existing build or try out combinations that were always hard to justify.
If players prefer to allow Aethermancer to pick the next monster to join their party, they can make use of Bravery Pick at Monster Shrines. When using Bravery Pick, Aethermancer randomly selects a monster from among those stored in a player’s Mementos whose Types do not match any of the members currently in their active party.
The random selection addresses the need for Type diversity; however, creating a functioning team from disparate elements remains entirely up to the player.
Switching classes in Aethermancer becomes possible immediately after Khepri is defeated for the first time. Prior to beginning a subsequent run of Aethermancer, players select their preferred class via menu options in Pilgrim’s Rest. Each class also has unique upgrades available for purchase using Aether Crystals.
The standard Aether Tamer allows purchases like Death Save, an upgrade that prevents one of a player’s monsters from dying once per run. The Aether Alchemist supports experimentation with monsters, offering upgrades that can lower Corruption obtained from Infusions. The Maverick’s upgrades offer more encouragement towards variety in terms of supporting buff and debuff coverage throughout the entire party.
As part of the broader Maverick’s Compendium update, a couple of characters from Rivals of Aether will also be added to the Alchemical Woods roster including Philosopher’s Stone and Kragg. Additionally, there are several other updates being made to improve the overall experience in Aethermancer. Specifically, there will be a new Siriux Journal available that will provide a wealth of information about your monsters along with stories about their origins and histories. Finally, the Combat Log will assist in keeping track of events occurring during battles.
Published by offbrand games, Aethermancer is available on PC through Steam Early Access. The Aether Maverick and the rest of the Maverick’s Compendium Update arrive on October 29.
