“But if I’m not focused on reflecting, that actually means I can focus my full attention on dodging the spell,” I remark.
“Yeah, since there’s no need to think about which ones to reflect and which ones to knock away.”
“Luck is a bit of a factor too, but since the spheres can only move in one direction, I don’t think this will be a threat to me,” I conclude.
“What about that lump of flesh you’ve got?”
“He’s more like a scarecrow.”
“Ha ha! But he’s so big, he’ll practically absorb this spell.”
Yes, that’s true. In flesh ball form, Unit One will probably get hit with at least half of the pellets, even if he tries to escape.
Now I’ll add Raum Escudo and Raum Sphere to the mix.
“Ah, it works the same way as the shotgun dogs in the ruins dungeon,” I realize.
If even a single sphere from flak hits a raum spell, it registers as a hit, destroying the shields. Well, at least the rest of the spheres despawn alongside it.
Those dogs attack with scatter-shots too, so it’s impossible to knock all the pellets away. Instead, your shield is instantly destroyed—a waste of MP to cast in the first place. Even being grazed by a pellet counts as a hit for flak as well.
“It’s nice that all the spheres despawn, but is it worth it, with the amount of MP you drain to put up a shield?”
“Frankly, I haven’t found a good use for either spell yet,” I reply.
“I’m sure it’s harder for you than most, Princess!”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to learn anything by testing out Scouting Spell here,” I remark.
“Ah, that one? There’s information about it on the BBS.”
Oh, let’s take a look. I’ll search “scouting” on the latest magic thread.
I see. So it’s like Perception but with a larger radius. It seems that different players are finding they’re able to use it at different ranges, so that range must be calculated with one stat or another—intelligence, spirit, or perhaps both.
When used, the spell sends a circular wave over the mini-map, displaying enemies with red marks, the distance between you and the enemies, and the enemies’ initials if they’re types you’ve already encountered. Players show up in blue, and residents are displayed in green.
Crucially, other parties know when they’ve been scanned with Scouting Spell. Learning the spell or being scanned with it supposedly lets you adjust things in the options menu, so I’ll have to see those for myself.
Both players and enemies know when they’ve been scanned. Depending on their level of perception, enemies are likely to come looking for you, but that’s impossible to test during this event. We also don’t know how the spell moves through passageways like in dungeons.
I see. Since I have the twins here, I think I’ll test it out to see what the options are like.
“Scouting Spell.”
“Oh!” say the twins.
“Thanks a bunch!”
It sounds like the other player hasn’t tested this yet. That’s probably because, judging by his equipment, he’s a close-range attacker. Mr. Studylover has already tested this spell, of course.
All right, let’s check those options.
The factors that display on the mini-map are the same ones mentioned on the BBS. I’ll go ahead and switch them all on. Players are blue, residents are green, and enemies are red—also displaying their initials and distance.
But the next problem at hand is the sheer number of options for when you enter the range of someone else’s Scouting Spell.
Incoming Scouting Spell options
Adjust options when within range of a third party’s Scouting Spell.
Disable notifications while in safe area: On
Allow notifications for event-related Scouting Spell scanning: On
Exclude yourself from party members’ Scouting Spells: On
Exclude yourself from raid members’ Scouting Spells: On
Exclude yourself from union members’ Scouting Spells: On
Exclude yourself from war members’ Scouting Spells: On
Exclude yourself from residents’ Scouting Spells: Off
Display in UI: On
Text and markers: Markers only
Perceive with senses: On
* Strength is calculated by your stats in comparison to scanned targets’ stats.
Sound effects: On
Sound selection: Sound 01
Sound volume: 80%
Increase sound based on strength of perception: On
* Increased sounds will go up to maximum volume.
Detect source if possible: On
* Success rate depends on your stats in comparison to target’s. Accuracy depends on your own stats.
Display markers on mini-map: On
Display distance between you and target on mini-map: On
Display enemies’ initials on mini-map: On
That should do the trick. I know exactly which sound I’m going to pick.
“It’s not fair that they put in a notification noise that sounds like a Newtype flash! How’re we supposed to choose anything else?”
“Yes, I went with that one too,” I tell him.
What next? I’ll skip the enhancement passives I received and take a look at Ars Magna.
Ars Magna
Skills grantable to servants: 4
Capacity used in summoning: Evolution level x 8
Capacity loss upon servant death: 30%
Capacity loss upon servant purification: 50%
I can give my servants an extra skill now that Ars Magna is at level 40. The multiplier for capacity usage has also gone down from nine to eight. The servant death loss hasn’t changed, and the purification loss is reduced by 10 percent.
Wait, hang on a minute. When did I cross level 60 with Secret Art of Necromancy? Was it before this weekend? I’ll check to make sure, but I think that would have let me start to give my servants third-tier skills. What a waste!
Optimizer
By frequently using Secret Art of Necromancy, you are now able to cast Dark Ritual and Corpse Calling more efficiently.
Dark Ritual and Corpse Calling from Necromantic Magic are optimized to work with Secret Art of Necromancy.
Occupation customization and body customization through Secret Art of Necromancy have been consolidated. You may now customize your servants’ skeletons, materials, shells, rank, and sizes before summoning.
Shoot! This was a major one too!
Let’s check the BBS. Ah, Mr. Skelly already posted about it. It seems the human necromancers are fired up and highly motivated now.
Skills involving servants go all the way up to level 100, but normal skills would reach the third tier at level 60. I suppose this separates the experts from the novices.
I’ll look over the UI while I read Mr. Skelly’s post.
Skeleton: Shape of things like goblins, orcs, and ogres.
Materials: Varieties of zombies, skeletons, living armor, and wraiths.
Shell: Choose from 0-10 based on level of appearance.
Rank: Choose from 1-100 in increments of 5, or you can disable this option.
Size: Extra small, small, medium, or large.
Occupation customization from Secret Art of Necromancy is gone now.
You can customize one body part for free, two for double the cost, three for four times the cost, or four for six times the cost. That’s less than before.
Summoning cost and limitations are reliant on the skeleton and size of what you’re summoning.
Base stats and race skills are dependent on materials and shell you choose for your servants.
Shell determines the appearance of what you’re summoning. Choose “0” for a simple white skeleton with a level in the single digits. Choose “1” for a red skeleton level 10 or above. Choose “2” for a metal skeleton level 20 or above.
Rank affects a servant’s strength. If you aren’t summoning for something lighthearted like a duel or testing, you can skip this selection and your servant’s strength will be based on the summoner.
Conclusion: There’s a lot more customization and freedom now. Different people are going to have more personalized servants, but it’s also harder to tell how strong they are based on appearances now. You can’t say for sure that metal skeletons get modifiers from being above level 30 anymore. It also seems like dragons and lesser dragons have most of their options locked.
I see. Now that I think of it, Mr. Skelly’s living armor looked quite different yesterday. I’ll give these new options a spin too. I’m glad that there’s no capacity cost for customizing one body part of your servant. Now I don’t have to worry about adding arms!
I think I’ll make a template for role-playing purposes right now. I’d like something with large bones, so I’ll set the skeleton and materials to, well, skeleton. For size, I’ll pick large and set the shell to 0, as white is fine. Since I don’t need to make him weaker, I won’t adjust the rank, which means his strength will be based on mine. Now I’ll hold off on servant skills, leave him with the equipment he already has, and summon him!
“Yes, you’ve grown, haven’t you? You’re going to carry me.”
I change Unit One’s angles and such so that my own stability is prioritized. I don’t even need to take screenshots to check different things, thanks to my vision.
“I feel like I’m getting a look behind the curtain of role-playing.”
“Yes, I can’t skimp anywhere if I want to have visual appeal.”
Actually, shall I give this servant extra arms too? I think it would be good to make him feel even more inhuman. It never hurts to try, so I change his template and cast Quick Change.
“Oh, he’s got more arms. Were you going for a Machamp type of thing?”
“Um, now that you’ve said that, I’m not sure how to respond.”
He has a human skeleton and four arms coming out of his body. Yes, I see what he means. It should give him a bit of resistance to surprise attacks.
If it costs nothing to add a pair of arms, perhaps I could have him practice quad-wielding weapons—or give him a pair of two-handed hammers or something like that. Can he hold great shields and two-handed weapons without special skills? I’ll search the general summons thread and necromantic magic threads together. I’m sure someone has already tested this out.