[Dev Note] Arbalist: Cheering From Afar

Hello, Survivors!

In the last Dev Note, we shared an update on the Barbarian, one of the three Early Access trio. Today, we’re introducing the second and youngest member of the trio: Edwin the Arbalist.

[h3]From Militia to Arbalist, and Beyond...[/h3]
As introduced in the previous Dev Note “The Arbalist Sets his Sight!””, Edwin, who previously appeared somewhat naive in his role as a Militia in the Early Access version, has now been redefined with a clearer identity as an Arbalist. This change gives him a more distinctive and reliable role as a backline ranged attacker, expanding on his original role as a mid-range support.



As a result, Edwin now fulfills a much stronger offensive role. With the return of counterattacks in the revamped combat system—where striking enemies entails risk—the Crossbow has become a highly strategic weapon, able to deal significant damage from a distance without risking counterattacks in most situations. Paired with Edwin’s primary stat “Dexterity,” which increases ranged damage, his synergy with the Crossbow results in formidable offensive capabilities.



Of course, his vulnerability to enemy attacks means he must be paired with frontline allies to fully shine. Balancing the overall REMORE expedition experience led us to introduce several changes for Edwin, starting with adjustments to his primary weapon—the Crossbow.


[h3]Refining the Crossbow: Wide Strategy, Focused Targets[/h3]
The Crossbow is one of REMORE’s signature ranged weapons. Unlike the more flexible weapon—the Bow—, which allows for more versatile positioning, the Crossbow only hits in straight lines—but it hits HARD. This made it a slightly demanding yet strategically decisive weapon.

However, this also made the Crossbow's use somewhat rigid. Its core identity—dealing massive damage to a single enemy in a straight line—left little room for variation. Whether using an Ambush Shot or a standard attack, the player’s choices were quite limited.



The newly revamped expedition and combat systems aim to present players with more diverse situations and solutions. To align with this vision, the Crossbow's rigid mechanics needed revision. So, we overhauled its overall skill structure to allow for greater flexibility.

First, we reduced the WP cost of the Crossbow’s basic attack to 1. Previously, unless you restored WP through special means, you could only attack once per turn. Now, you can attack twice using basic attacks in a single turn. Damage and range were adjusted accordingly, but this increase in attack frequency significantly expands strategic possibilities—like distracting one enemy with the first shot and eliminating a weaker foe with the second, or triggering ally support attacks twice.

Additionally, Edwin’s memory skill “Piercing Shot” has been moved to the Crossbow’s weapon skillset. This means it can now be used from the start of the game, by any character wielding a Crossbow. This allows for powerful multi-target hits and further boosts the Crossbow’s strategic value.



With the Crossbow adjusted and some unique skills moved to Weapon Sills, Edwin also needed further refinements—specifically to emphasize his unique Arbalist traits.


[h3]연사와 잔걸음[/h3]
The Arbalist isn’t just a long-range attacker—it’s a role meant to maximize the potential of the Crossbow. All Crossbow Skills deal damage in straight lines, meaning positioning is critical. Edwin is designed to excel at selecting optimal positions and dealing heavy damage once in place.

His unique trait “Shoot and Run” grants a “Quiet Step” stack with every weapon attack. Quiet Steps are movement stacks that don’t consume TP, helping Edwin reposition into a better sniping location after an attack. Since Quiet Steps only aid movement and don’t replace TP, managing TP for skill use while using Quiet Steps for movement is key to optimal play.



Once Edwin secures the ideal position, he can rain down attacks like a turret. His memory-bound trait “Quick Reload” grants a “Rapid Fire” stack every time he defeats an enemy. Each Rapid Fire stack boosts ranged skill damage by 10%, enabling Edwin to stack up massive damage. Combining Quick Step for positioning and Rapid Fire stacks for offense is Edwin’s core battle strategy.


[h3]Supporter—And Sometimes, a Tactical Sniper[/h3]
Edwin also plays a crucial role as a support, helping allies from a distance. His passive skill “Support Fire” lets him snipe at enemies within range whenever an ally attacks. Since this skill consumes no resources aside from stacks and cooldowns, allies benefit from reliable additional firepower. When Quick Reload is activated, it also refreshes Support Fire’s stacks, making Edwin an even stronger partner for high-frequency attackers.



Edwin’s unique memory skill “Random Fire” has one of the most distinctive mechanics among Crossbow skills. Unlike other Crossbow skills that focus on narrow, linear attacks, this one has a wide and generous area of effect similar to bow skills, while still maintaining the high power of a Crossbow. It doesn’t consume any resources aside from cooldowns, making it a great low-cost backup option. The only drawback is that it targets a random enemy within range—including objects—so careful calculation is required. But if there’s only one enemy at the edge of the range, it can become a free, highly effective snipe.


[h3]Between Coward and Measured Distance[/h3]
Despite Edwin’s versatile skillset, getting too close to the enemy is ill-advised—for both a ranged attacker and someone as timid as Edwin. His unique weakness “Coward” causes him to randomly flee to an unintended location when moving adjacent to an enemy. This retreat consumes movement resources like TP and Footsteps, making poor positioning a real issue. Thus, maintaining distance is essential for Edwin to fulfill his role.



Conversely, attacking from the very edge of his range is one of Edwin’s biggest strengths. The memory-bound trait “Measured Distance” boosts Edwin’s damage the farther he is from the target. It applies to all of Edwin’s attacks—weapon skills, Support Fire, and Random Fire—making distance management a key to maximizing his power.



Today, we introduced the newly reworked and more strategically flexible Edwin the Arbalist. We look forward to your continued interest and support for the updated Edwin!

We’ll be back next week with another Survivor update.
Thank you, Survivors!
REMORE