Greetings, Survivors!
Today, we’d like to introduce a New Character!
For those of you who have been following our game since Early Access, you may recognize a familiar face: Edwin is returning to the Survivor’s camp! No longer a young apprentice, he's back in the world of Remore with a new class concept: the ranged attack specialist "Arbalist".
[h3]Edwin, No longer a Trainee, but an Expert![/h3]
In Early Access, "Edwin" played a "Support" role, attacking enemies from the back lines in contrast to the close ranger combat of Willam (now Royal Guard) and Duirmuid (now Barbarian). He was equipped with spears and bows rather than two-handed swords or axes and would "support" Willam and Duirmuid as they attacked from the front.
Skills such as "Side Step" were also used in a relatively defensive manner, allowing them to break free from “Caught,” get away from the enemy, and then set up a secondary attack from the back row, which is what we intended at the time.
However, as we’ve mentioned before with the Royal Guard and Barbarian introductions, Remore has shifted from focusing on individual character backstories to centering on the overall world narrative. Because of this, there’s no longer a need for an apprentice-type character growing into their role, either from a storytelling or gameplay point of view. Now, we need characters who are more specialized and professional, especially when it comes to supporting the frontline fighters.
[h3]The Sharpshooter: Powerful Ranged Attacks[/h3]
There’s always been a need for characters that can safely attack from behind the sturdy frontline warriors. We saw this dynamic in the Early Access version with Willam, Duirmuid, and Edwin. But as we’ve said in previous dev notes, "Support" characters are no longer part of the plan. Instead, every character now needs to carry their own weight, which led us to develop a dedicated "ranged damage dealer" role.
While the idea of attacking enemies from a distance isn’t new—bows have existed in the game since Early Access—we’ve now reached a stage where every class has a "main weapon" (like the Barbarian’s two-handed axe or the Mercenary’s polearm). So far, we haven’t had a class where the bow is the primary weapon.
When we decided to look at ranged characters, we wanted to expand the types of ranged weapons available, as having different types of ranged weapons allows for more versatility and personality for ranged characters. In the same way the two-handed sword that specializes in a wide ranging attack versus the two-handed axe that specializes in a horizontal attack does for their related character.
The traditional bow was a weapon that could reliably hit a single target at a decent range, with relatively low damage in return. In contrast to this, we've added the Crossbow, which can only hit in a "straight" line, but has an AoE attack (rather than single target) and does more damage. In other words, while the bow is a more generalized ranged weapon, the crossbow is a more specialized ranged weapon that can do more solid damage.
The roles naturally split, with the bow user becoming a versatile multi-role character, while the crossbow user specialized in offensive sniping. The more "standard" ranged damage dealer seemed to be the crossbow user, focusing on pure offense instead of complex mechanics. This made the crossbow user a typical ranged attacker, fitting the "starting member" role. Edwin, part of the Early Access version, was chosen as a crossbowman because he fit the role of a traditional long-range damage dealer.
[h3]How the Crossbowman Survives REMORE[/h3]
After defining the crossbowman’s main strength—long-range, straight-line attacks—we thought about how this character would work with other classes. Most classes fight up close, but the crossbowman hangs back in a safer position, picking off enemies. The big advantage here is that they can deal consistent damage every turn.
To balance this, we gave the crossbow a longer cooldown. But if you play the crossbowman well, there’s a trait that lets you reduce this cooldown. We also added a skill that randomly hits an enemy within range, adding an element of unpredictability. Overall, the crossbowman is designed to be a bit trickier, rewarding players who can make the most of the right conditions.
To give the crossbowman more power than a normal bow user, we added a skill that can hit multiple enemies in a line and deals more damage with each one it passes through. This really drives home the idea of the crossbowman as a heavy-hitting, long-range damage dealer.
Their main stat is “Dexterity,” which boosts critical hit chance and accuracy as it increases—perfect for a crossbowman focused on sniping enemies from a distance. However, they’re not very sturdy, so they’re vulnerable to attacks and need to stay in the backline, avoiding damage as much as possible.
[h3]Random Shot: "If you step into the crossbowman’s range, you better be ready!" [/h3]
"Random Shot" fires at a random enemy within range. It hits hard, but if there are multiple enemies around, you’ll just have to hope it hits the one you want.
This randomness isn’t to make the crossbowman a crap shoot. It’s more about rewarding smart play. If there’s only one enemy in range, it’ll definitely hit them. Plus, you can coordinate with your team to make sure that no matter who gets hit, it still works in your favor.
[h3]Quick Reload: Rapid-Fire Frenzy[/h3]
"Quick Reload" is a unique trait of the crossbowman that offsets the relatively long cooldowns of crossbow skills. With this trait, every time you attack with a crossbow skill, the cooldown for all crossbow abilities is reduced by 1. This means you can rotate through multiple crossbow skills and attack up to three times in a single turn.
While any character can equip a crossbow and enter battle, they’ll have to deal with its long cooldowns. Only the crossbowman can handle the weapon without slowing down! Thanks to this trait, the crossbowman can unleash powerful crossbow attacks repeatedly, without worrying about cooldown times.
[h3]Piercing Shot: Line Up! Line Up![/h3]
Piercing Shot is the crossbowman's "Ultimate" skill, dealing more damage the more enemies it hits. It fires through all enemies in range, and the damage increases as it pierces through more targets.
True to the crossbowman's "offense-focused" concept, Piercing Shot is a powerful ability that can turn the tide of battle if used wisely. The ideal scenario is to line up as many enemies as possible, especially with a high-health target at the back, so you can maximize the damage across multiple foes.
[h3]Emergency Reload: Hold On, My Arrow’s Stuck![/h3]
Even the mighty crossbowman makes mistakes! With each use of a weapon skill, there’s a small chance the skill’s cooldown will be reduced by 1, but there’s an even smaller chance that the cooldown will increase by 2.
If you're lucky and the cooldown is reduced, that’s great! But if it increases by 2, it could be a serious setback, potentially forcing you to rethink your entire strategy. That’s why the crossbowman always needs a Plan B. Sometimes, it might be better to retreat, regroup, and then jump back into the fight.
So, what do you think of Edwin’s transformation into the Arbalest? We can’t wait for you to give him and his trusty crossbow a try for yourself!
Next week, we’ll be back with news about a new character who uses the "bow" as their main weapon, which we hinted at earlier.
Thanks again!
REMORE
