Elsword heats up with the Weapon Taker

Free-to-play MMO Elsword is about to get an extra-strength dosage of bad-assery, with the introduction of the Weapon Taker job class. With a sword in one hand and a savage-looking metal claw as the other, this anime tough guy looks like hell tear through any mobs that oppose him. And really--who hasnt wanted to deck a monster in the face with a rocketing punch while their fist is literally on fire?

This mecha-armed powerhouse will be debuting on 3/13 (so sayeth the sweet trailer which you can watch below), but weve got an exclusive first look at how the Raven characters third job class will handle. Want to know more about the intricacies of the Weapon Taker, or just Elsword in general? Read on for a taste of what this fiery melee fighter can do

Ravens most iconic feature, besides his gruff attitude, is his high-tech Nasod Arm, which plays a big part in his fighting style. In Elswords lore, Raven acts as the unfortunate guinea pig for the mysterious Nasod people, who grafted a highly advanced cybernetic limb to Ravens wounded body against his will. Ravens current job classes represent two extremes of his reaction to the overwhelming power of the Nasod Arm: the Sword Taker, who seeks to resist the might of his weaponized limb, and the Over Taker, who surrenders himself to its destructive power. But Weapon Taker, Ravens third job class and part of the Elsword Transformation series, combines the strengths of both, balancing the two styles into a close-combat powerhouse thats got access to some mid-range projectile attacks.

Even without a job class advancement, Raven uses his Nasod Arm to cut through enemies and burn opposing beasts to a crisp--but the Weapon Taker job class takes the Nasod Arm to new heights of lethality. By retooling his cybernetic arm to fire off scorching incendiary blasts, Raven becomes the Weapon Taker, gaining an entire new mechanic to integrate into his brutal abilities. The Elsword development team sums up the Weapon Taker nicely: If you like the idea of roasting your enemies with napalm so you can crush them with your giant claw, then Weapon Taker is the class for you.

By modifying his Nasod Arm, the Weapon Taker enables an entirely new option for his abilities: Overheat. When activating any of your abilities (which are typically bound to the A,S,D, and F keys), you can simply cast them as usual; alternatively, you can activate Overheat by hammering away on the key that the abilitys bound to. This will empower the chosen skill with a blast of flame, dealing scorching damage to afflicted enemies but causing you to take some damage as well. By forcing you to make constant risk-reward assessments in the middle of your combos, the Overheat mechanic will add a layer of depth to Weapon Takers repertoire. Plus, its just really fun to mash away on your ability keys and actually get something out of it.

Worried that the Weapon Takers Overheat mechanic will lead to some serious mana drain? Dont be. Though Overheat cranks up the damage of your blistering attacks, it doesnt cost any extra mana--instead, you should think of it as costing a fraction of your health. As the only character or job class with this unique ability, Overheat adds a powerful functionality to the majority of the Weapon Takers abilities. So instead of having 12 unique skills, its like he has almost twice that many, says the Elsword team.

What will separate casual Weapon Takers from true masters will be how you utilize your Overheat--especially in the games PvP. Not only will you have to keep track of the usual stuff, like your opponents positioning and which combo to use; youll also need to gauge whether or not your HP bar can afford the extra oomph of an Overheat-powered attack. Thats precious life youre trading--you need to make it count or youll die trying, says the Elsword staff.

The utility of Overheat also means that fighting against Weapon Takers will involve a host of mind games, where youre never quite sure how much damage his abilities will do next. Overheat will also extend the duration of some attacks, like the Hellfire Gatling barrage, which can be used to throw your opponents off-balance. You can throw off opponents and disrupt their strategy when your skills suddenly do more attacks than expected, says the Elsword team. Your opponent will walk right into a wall of bullets and bad times.

Maybe all this talk of Ravens and Job Classes has you utterly lost. Wondering what Elsword is all about, and why you should play it? Allow us to give you the quick rundown on this Korean-made MMO, which is more about 2.5 brawling action than tab-targeting and spell-casting. You can start playing right now, for free, off of Elswords official site, or you can read on to get a sense of whats in store.

Theres something about cel-shading that injects a critical amount of charm into a games graphics. Like many F2P games, Elsword plays off an anime-style aesthetic for its character designs and player art--but in games everythings rendered in an appealing 2.5D style. Though all the action takes place on a 2D plane, the 3D, cel-shaded models make every onscreen character pop, and give a sense of depth to the level layouts that turn as you round corners. Animations-wise, everythings on point--youll recognize that the first time you bust out one of your more powerful attacks on a horde of enemies, bowling them over in the blast.

In terms of actual gameplay, Elsword feels like a mix between the purely 2D monster bashing of MapleStory and the fast-paced pugilism of Dungeon Fighter Online. All the battles exist on a 2D stage, and combo-ing your attacks is of the utmost importance for maximum damage output. Players can either party up or fly solo to complete dungeons and quests, and multiple difficulty tiers ensure that youll be as challenged as you want to be. A bit of trivia: Elsword takes place in the same universe as Korean MMO Grand Chase, though theyve diverged into two greatly distinct experiences.

The PvP experience in Elsword has a feel similar to Nintendos beloved fighting series: Its a fast and furious melee in a fairly compact stage, as players vie for control of space advantage and randomly spawned power-ups. Hopping around platforms in the hopes of catching your enemies in a brutal combo is a hoot, and the items help keep things interesting by encouraging you to constantly stay on the move. Said items can give you powerful buffs, like stunning attacks, upped defense or healing, and global roots. Combine these in the right sequence with your offensive abilities, and you can straight-up wreck your opponents.

So thats the rundown on the Weapon Taker, as well as a glimpse of Elsword as a whole. Are you stoked to reroll Raven as a Weapon Taker and Overheat his new abilities? Never played Elsword, but thinking youll give it a go? Let us know in the comments!

And if youre looking for more MMO-oriented content, check out our lists of the Best free MMORPGs and the Best MMORPGs.