The Council of Alchemists: Traits obtainable through combat

Greetings, Alchemists!

This Friday, we have once again summoned the Council of Alchemists. On this occasion, we are going to talk about traits obtainable through combat.

Index

1. Introduction
2. Traits Obtainable through Combat
3. Proposals
   1. Heroic and Legendary Dragon
   2. Scars and Deep Scars
   3. Egg Traits as combat rewards
4. Conclusion

1. Introduction

Every veteran Alchemist has experienced it: finishing a battle and seeing their dragon gain a new trait. This is a mechanic that players generally enjoy; however, there are certain traits that are truly underwhelming compared to the rest of the available pool. In today’s Council of Alchemists, we’re going to look at the different alternatives proposed by the Alchemists at Quasar to give this mechanic another "twist," refine the recipe, and improve it.

2. Traits Obtainable through Combat

As we previously explained in the Combat Traits FAQ, there are certain traits that can be earned by winning special battles. You can check the FAQ to see the full list of obtainable traits. However, some of these traits seem like one is the evolution of the other... while others directly counteract each other. We will take a closer look at this in the next section.

3. Proposals

3.1 Heroic and Legendary Dragon

If I show you the following traits

Newer players might think there’s no issue with having both traits at once—that the area effect will simply boost your allies' stats even further.However, more experienced Alchemists will have already realized that "Legendary Dragon" completely overshadows the effect of "Heroic".
To help the newcomers understand: area-of-effect (AoE) buffs in Cladia work as follows: For each stat, only the highest active area bonus will apply. This means that when you have both "Heroic" and "Legendary Dragon" simultaneously, since "Heroic" grants smaller bonuses in both Loyalty (2 < 3) and Accuracy (8 < 10), it’s as if you didn't have "Heroic" at all. If, for example, "Heroic" gave 3 Loyalty and "Legendary Dragon" gave 2, then the Heroic bonus would be the one applied—but that is not the case here.Because of this, some Alchemists have proposed that it might be a good idea for combat traits to "evolve" just like egg traits do. The idea is that when you roll a new trait from a special combat, it could either upgrade one of your existing traits or grant you a new one. This measure is simply to ensure that no trait completely invalidates another.

3.2 Scars and Deep Scars

Another clear case of a trait that could be the "evolution" of another is "Scars" and "Deep Scars".

Yes, because—as illogical as it may seem—these traits are not currently related, and you can obtain "Deep Scars" and then "Scars" later, even though the logical thing would be to get them in order.

In this case, it’s not like "Heroic" and "Legendary Dragon" where the greater totally overshadows the lesser; here, the effects actually stack. Turning these traits into an evolutionary family would technically be a nerf to the combat trait mechanic, but it is the most logical step. Perhaps a new tier of Scars could be designed to expand the family.

3.3 Egg Traits as Combat Rewards

Another point of discussion among Alchemists is the fact that some traits obtainable through combat can also appear in the incubator. Some Alchemists suggest it would be more exciting if combat traits were exclusive to that mechanic, since right now, Brave, Heroic, Sharp Claws, Scavenger, Accurate, and Unearthly Strength can also appear as egg traits.

There are also those calling for a power level rebalance for combat traits, because none of the traits we’ve mentioned so far in this blog come anywhere close to others currently in the pool—such as Brave.

or Scavenger

which stand out because their power level is clearly inferior to the rest of the pool.

On the other hand, Unearthly Strength stands out because its power level is far superior to the rest.

Logically, if egg traits are removed from the combat pool, the variety of traits obtainable through battle would need to be expanded to keep the pool diverse.

4. Proposal to Buff Aggressive Play

Another constant complaint from some Alchemists is that the game rarely rewards those who take the initiative to kill another player. They expose themselves by leaving their tower undefended and risk losing dragons, making them vulnerable even in victory. As seen in recent matches, even if you achieve your goal and seize the talismans... another player can simply swoop in, finish off your survivors, and take a double prize: everything you owned plus everything you just won.

Because of this, some Alchemists have proposed: What if killing an Alchemist granted or evolved traits for the dragons participating in that combat?

This would be a way to reward the dragons that successfully take down an Alchemist. It would also punish the "cockroach strategy"—surviving solely by spamming Contingency—since every "death" would grant traits to the opponent, making a comeback even harder.

However, other Alchemists have suggested that this might trigger a snowball effect, or lead to veteran players constantly hunting down newcomers just to farm precious combat traits.

5. Conclusion

That is all for now, Alchemists. What do you think? Which of these measures did you like most? What kind of traits would you design as rewards for an arduous battle?