Building the Paladin: From Talent Trees to Playstyle Identity

During the latest stream on ArmegonTV, Creative Director Venelin was joined by Game Designer Kaloyan “Koko” to walk through the current state of the Paladin talents and demonstrate how they are evolving in practice.

Rather than presenting a final version, the stream focused on showing real implementation, how the structure has improved, how talents are starting to behave, and what kind of gameplay they are beginning to enable.

Meet the Designer Behind the System

Early in the stream, Venelin introduced Kaloyan “Koko” as one of the Game Designers working on the Paladin talent system and its overall direction.

Koko described his role as focusing on how talents and abilities come together in a cohesive gameplay experience:

• designing how spells and talents interact

• shaping the mechanics behind different playstyles

• defining how choices impact moment-to-moment gameplay

In simple terms, while the system itself provides the structure, Koko’s role is to ensure that the design behind it feels meaningful and engaging.

He also emphasized that his work goes beyond just creating ideas, it involves constant iteration and refinement, including:

• balancing mechanics so different builds feel viable

• reinforcing synergy between talents

• making sure each choice has a clear gameplay impact

A Tree That Shows Direction

One of the first things Venelin pointed out was the updated structure of the talent tree.

Earlier versions allowed functionality, but lacked clarity. It wasn’t always obvious what kind of build a player was progressing toward. The newer layout addresses this by making paths more deliberate and easier to follow.

Instead of navigating scattered nodes, the structure now guides players into clearer directions, with choices that feel connected rather than isolated.

As Venelin explained:

“You should be able to look at the tree and immediately understand what kind of Paladin you’re building.”

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Talents That Go Beyond Numbers

A major part of the showcase focused on how talents are shifting away from simple stat bonuses toward mechanics that actually affect gameplay.

This was demonstrated early on through Vindicator Strike and its talent variations. Instead of functioning as just a basic attack, talents like Precise Vindicator Strike and Holy Vindicator Strike show how a single ability can branch into different roles. One path focuses on improving reliability and output, while another introduces additional effects that change how and when the skill is used.

The difference becomes especially clear when comparing the damage and behavior of the ability before and after investing into these talents, reinforcing the idea that talents are meant to transform abilities, not just scale them.

This approach carries over into other parts of the kit. Abilities like Blazing Sweep and Castigation were shown with talents that introduce conditional or enhanced effects, encouraging more deliberate usage rather than simple rotation-based play.

Defensive and utility skills follow the same philosophy. Aegis, for example, evolves through talents like Restorative Aegis, where successfully blocking multiple hits can enhance Shield Smite's damage and can even silence your enemies. Instead of being a static defensive tool, it becomes something players can actively play around with.

Support-oriented abilities also reflect this direction. Healing Hand was discussed not as a full healer tool, but as a sustain-focused ability, while Glorious Absolution introduces utility in the form of an absorb effect for allies.

These are not just numerical upgrades, they expand what the Paladin can do in different situations.

Koko summarized it all quite good:

“The idea is more mechanics - not just stats.”

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From Nodes to Systems

Venelin also pointed out an important shift in how talents are being designed. Instead of each talent feeling like a separate upgrade, the goal is for them to work together in a meaningful way.

During the stream, this was shown through examples in which one talent improves a specific ability, while another talent builds on that same ability. Rather than picking random bonuses, players are encouraged to commit to a direction, where their choices start to support each other.

In practice, this means your build feels more focused. Instead of having a mix of unrelated upgrades, your talents begin to shape a clear playstyle.

Venelin explained:

“We don’t want talents to feel like a checklist; they need to connect.”

The system is still being refined, but the intention is simple: when talents work together, the result should feel more deliberate and more rewarding to play.

Work in Progress

The version presented during the stream is still in development. Balance values, talent placement, and certain mechanics are actively being iterated on.

Some elements are already solid, while others are being adjusted as testing continues.