If Nightreign’s bosses seem a little too high and mighty, try summoning a massive pillar and bashing them with a huge axe. Smash big guys with big axe, right? That certainly seems to be the vibe of the latest character trailer released by Bandai Namco this week: the BIG GUY, the Raider.
Usually this space is reserved for cool action shots, but Raider has the Roundtable animation to rule them all
… he really seems to have a certain aura about him, doesn’t he.
Raider Abilities
The Gameplay trailer describes Raider as “a powerful sea-farer who favors enormous weapons” and mentions Raider’s Abilities:
Passive Ability | FIGHTER’S RESOLVE: Cannot be knocked down while using the Retaliate Skill.
Character Skill | RETALIATE: A vigorous punch that can stagger even the largest enemies.
Ultimate Art | TOTEM STELA: Summons a Giant tombstone that deals damage, boosts nearby allies and can be used as a platform.
In other words, big Viking, big axe, big wall. Why play with all the sparkley shiney when a good crushing kick in between the ribs does the job? Raider is certainly a powerful melee character, but it’s hard to judge whether he would make for as good of a tank as Guardian just yet. Totem Stela doesn’t do as much for close-range defense since Raider’s next move would probably be to leap off of it. Still, with the focus on Vigor stat, Raider will likely be one of the most enduring solo builds for the game.
Where skills like Retaliate and Totem Stela would shine, though, is definitely group play. Raider is a slow swinger, but creating windows for critical hits with his staggering ability would be invaluable for bosses (provided it’s timed well), and there are a few shots the team’s ranged characters could land from atop the giant pillar, protected from the boss’s melee lunges.
If there is a lot of opportunity to build Raider’s defense, he will likely end up an easy second choice for a group tank, considering his staggering ability that allows him to occupy any large enemy’s attention, and that ability’s protection against getting knocked down in turn.
Raider Trailers
Raider is one of the more interesting characters to study from the trailers, since we didn’t get a chance to see him in the Network Tests of the game. Check out his two trailers below:
What are your impressions of the brutal Viking man? Are his heavy hits appealing in light of the many massive enemies populating the Nightreign Expeditions? Or does he seem a bit slow, with an ability that has too small of a successful hit window? Maybe it’s a matter of player skill? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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Mila Grish
Dedicated contributor at EIP Gaming and a part-time collector of books she will never have time to actually read. Jumps on the newest releases just as quickly as on the uncovered dusty collections from the basement. For her, shiny graphics can never be an excuse to not have a polished player experience or an immersive story.
