Hey there! In our previous post, we talked about why we’re ditching boring realism in favor of comic-book nostalgia and how much we care about creating a city that feels truly alive. Today, it’s time to dive even deeper—straight into the gears of the machine that powers Glads & Lads.
Forget about the rigid character classes you know from other MMOs for a moment. Let’s talk about pure freedom, tactical planning, and how your decisions will turn a total rookie into an arena legend.
Three Paths, Zero Limits
In most RPGs, you’re forced to make a decision at the very start that dictates the next hundred hours of gameplay: "What class do you want to play?". While that works for some titles, we prefer giving you more freedom and flexibility. We don't want to force anyone into such a tough choice before the fun even begins.
In Glads & Lads, you enter the world as a blank slate. What’s more, as you learn the game, you’ll have multiple opportunities to edit and reshape your character. There are three key stats in the game, and every point invested in them significantly strengthens your gladiator:
- Strength (STR): The path for those who want to become a living shield. It increases your maximum Health and Stamina, allowing you to survive the most brutal encounters.
- Intelligence (INT): Fuel for mages. It expands your Mana pool and ensures your spells can tear an opponent's armor to shreds.
- Agility (AGI): The stat responsible for accuracy, dodging, and applying lethal effects (such as poisons or devastating critical hits).
Archetype Bonus: The Reward for Specialization
Our system rewards players who have a clear vision for their build. If one of your stats is significantly higher than the other two, the game activates a powerful Archetype Bonus. We created this to help you find the perfect path while crafting your ultimate build—without the need for rigid classes.
For example: for the Strength Archetype Bonus, we’re planning passive HP and Stamina regeneration every turn. For Intelligence, it will be passive Mana regeneration per turn and increased magic damage. Meanwhile, Agility dominance will grant a major bonus to Luck, which handles status application (like poisons) and critical hits.
Keep in mind these are our initial plans. If we find it necessary during testing, the balance may change.
Perks
Forget about boring "+5 Defense" style bonuses. Perks in our game are mechanical scripts that can completely turn the tide of battle. They are divided into Passive (permanent character modifiers) and Active (specific combat skills that cost Mana or Stamina).
As you invest points into Strength, Intelligence, or Agility, you’ll hit thresholds that unlock entirely new pools of Perks. You can balance your stat points however you like, resulting in different Perk combinations. It’s all about perfectly tailoring your abilities to your chosen Archetype Bonus and creating a build that synergizes perfectly with your gear.
Pre-Battle Preparation
You might unlock a ton of Perks, but you can only take a strictly limited number of Active and Passive skills (Perks) into your final combat build.
Heading into the arena against a heavily armored golem? Swap in a Perk that shreds the target's armor. Your rival is a nimble assassin? Ditch the slow, heavy hits for abilities that boost your accuracy. Often, the fight is won in the "locker room" before your feet even touch the arena sand!
What’s Next?
In our next update, we’ll focus primarily on Professions (crafting-related roles). We’ll also tell you about a gladiator's daily routine, managing Action Points and Profession Points, and PvE expeditions. You’ll learn how all these elements come together into one cohesive ecosystem.
And remember our secret... behind the closed doors of the studio, we can already hear the sounds of our first official trailer being edited, showcasing all the core pillars of Glads & Lads. It’s going to be big, and it will finally show the world what our game is truly about!
Join our Discord and share your feedback on today's post!
See you in the arena,
The Gamefluence Team
