Forum:Scorn Barons Reimagined

The Scorn Barons were a fun bunch to go up against. All of their boss fights were unique and accurately indicate their specialties. But there's one thing that didn't sit right with me: I wasn't challenged. They still felt generic in terms of actual combat. So let's go through each of the Barons one by one and see what we can change about them without ruining their whole theme.

Current Gameplay
Yaviks' Pike is a more heavily modified version of its standard counterpart. Its nose-mounted turrets now deal Void damage instead of Arc, and its shots travel in a slightly more winded trajectory in order to better track their targets; it also comes equipped with launchers that periodically fire a barrage of Scorn Rockets, which can seriously damage or even destroy a Guardian-controlled Pike. When boosting, Yaviks' Pike emits a flaming trail which burns everything in its wake, and an energy barrier appears on the front of the vehicle to both protect it from damage as well as knock enemy vehicles around by ramming into them. To deal the most damage and take the least damage in return, it is recommended to flank Yaviks from all possible angles.

Goals
Chasing Yaviks was a thrilling ride, especially if you could get your hands on one of her newfangled Pikes. But I believe that one element is missing: differentiation. Yaviks' Pike doesn't feel distinct enough in actual combat.


 * Differentiate vehicle combat systems
 * Put more emphasis on maintaining vehicle durability

Changes

 * Void Cannons:
 * Increased RoF by 200%
 * Greatly enhanced tracking ability
 * Briefly slows vehicle on impact
 * Reduced damage by 50%
 * Reduced velocity by 25%


 * Scorn Rockets:
 * Increased impact damage by 67%
 * Increased RoF by 25%
 * Increased blast radius by 1m
 * Increased tracking ability
 * Decreased velocity by 33%
 * Decreased blast damage by 15%
 * Increased delay per barrage by 20%


 * Trail of Flame:
 * Increased amount of ticks per second by 75%
 * Increased width by 2m
 * Inflicts a lingering burning effect
 * Total lingering damage equates to 66% of the vehicle's health in damage
 * Can be removed by boosting for 5 seconds at a time
 * Reduced duration by 15%
 * Reduced damage per tick by 5%


 * Pike Charge:
 * Increased knockback distance by 100%
 * Knocked-back vehicles are unable to boost for a short time
 * Reduced impact damage by 33%


 * Infection Canisters (New System):
 * Drops whenever Yaviks side-boosts with her Pike
 * Inflicts a short Infection debuff
 * Deals heavy poison damage over time
 * Reduces vehicle turning ability
 * Slows all vehicle maneuvers

Current Gameplay
True to her nature, Araskes engages in little direct combat, preferring to use her smoke dash ability to escape trouble. She will also deploy Web Mines disguised as loot as well as bombs made to resemble Exotic Engrams, both as a means to distract and trick Guardians as she is chased down. When cornered, she will chip away at The Guardian's health from a distance with her Scorn Rifle, stomp the ground when faced at close range, teleport to evade or flank her opponent, and call for aid from lesser Scorn units. Due to her tendency to slip away from an engagement, it is best to keep watch of her by following her smoke trails. Once spotted again, one must keep the attack on her as to not let her escape.

Goals
Araskes' encounter was largely fitting for someone of her personality, preferring mainly to trick her opponents and avoid direct engagement, but when she is finally forced to fight for her life, she doesn't really put up much of a fight. So, to make it so that she has more utility at her disposal, I decided to consider the following goals when making the changes that I thought of:


 * Provide more extreme combat utility when cornered
 * Increase the consequences of falling for tricks
 * Put more urgency on keeping track of the target
 * Increase difficulty of maintaining line of sight
 * Deincentivize indirect combat

Changes

 * Scorn Rifle:
 * Increased RoF by 300%
 * Greatly increased velocity
 * Increased projectile tracking ability
 * Shots have a 20% chance to cause blackout
 * Reduced base damage by 33%
 * Introduced damage falloff
 * Shots deal 200% of the base damage at close range
 * Shots deal 50% of the damage at long range


 * Web Mine Traps:
 * Now function like regular Web Mines
 * Releases an Arc web that blinds and slows everyone withing its radius
 * Increased blast radius by 3m
 * Will be constantly transmatted throughout the battle


 * Smoke Dash:
 * Significantly reduced trail visibility
 * Increased duration by 25%


 * Ultra Smash:
 * Removed
 * When faced at close range, Araskes will instead use her melee weapons and then run away
 * She will escape via teleport or smoke dash


 * Shock Blades (New Weapon):
 * Used as a melee weapon
 * Inflicts a brief shocking effect
 * Deals bonus damage to the back
 * Has multiple slashing attack combos


 * Cloaking Tech (New Ability):
 * Araskes occasionally turns invisible from sight
 * Lasts for 15 seconds at a time
 * Glimmers once every 5 seconds

Current Gameplay
Kaniks' main explosive weapon of choice is the Scorn Grenade, which he throws at The Guardian to continuously bombard their position, breaking their shields in just a handful of explosions, and not taking much longer to outright kill them afterwards. He also moves rapidly and teleports to random locations as well, making him an erratic target. Occasionally, he will disappear from the area and transmat a Splinter Mine, which will immediately kill all Guardians in the vicinity if it is not defused. When defusing the mines, lesser Scorn units such as Screebs and Ravagers will assault the player on all sides and must be taken care of. While fighting Kaniks, it is best to keep one's distance and remain mobile, as to avoid the detonations as well as the Ultra Smash at close range.

Goals
Kaniks was a lot of fun to fight, but I wasn't really challenged by it. I thought he'd take more advantage of more kinds of explosives, and that's what I thought would make this fight not only unique, but also more difficult.


 * Make a bigger boom.
 * Make an even BIGGER boom!
 * Dismantle mines, yes?
 * Or you die...
 * Prison of Elders all over again, eh?
 * Yep. Which means mines.

Changes

 * Scorn Grenades:
 * Increased impact damage by 25%
 * Increased blast damage by 50%
 * Increased blast radius by 5m
 * Can now appear in Void, Solar, and Arc varieties
 * Void grenades slow targets upon detonation
 * Solar grenades burn targets upon detonation
 * Arc grenades cause blindness upon detonation
 * Increased velocity by 15%


 * Splinter Mines:
 * Decreased defuse speed by 15%
 * Immediately detonates in 10 seconds if the defuse zone is unattended (excluding the final one after the fight)
 * Increased defuse zone radius by 20%


 * Remote Detonation (New Ability):
 * Remotely activates distant explosives underground
 * Rumbling detonations knock the player around
 * Detonation intensity scales with time


 * Ultra Smash:
 * Removed


 * Bomber's Blast (New Ability):
 * Triggered when faced up close
 * Takes a bomb from his belt and throws it on the ground
 * Causes significant knockback
 * Deals 10% of Kaniks' health in damage

Current Gameplay
Reksis Vahn is an aggressive melee combatant. He prefers to charge into battle directly with his large Flame Cauldron, swinging it around and dishing out high amounts of damage with each strike. When at farther ranges, he will smash his censer on the ground to create a large, wide line of flames which quickly burn away at a Guardian's shield and health, and if at point-blank range, he will slam his censer on the floor, creating a shockwave knocks Guardians around and deals massive damage if it hits directly. Vents will also emit flames throughout the arena for area denial. Occasionally, Reksis Vahn will teleport away from the arena and summon lesser Scorn units for reinforcements, but soon afterward, he will reappear and continue his assault. The small circular arena makes ranged combat difficult. Therefore, one should turn to their grenades, Supers, or high-impact weapons as a reliable method of damaging Reksis Vahn safely.

Goals
Reksis Vahn plays rough, not gonna lie. The arena you fight him in is cramped and there's basically no cover, which makes it all the more difficult to avoid his devastating melee attacks. He's mean and he'll do anything to put his foes in the ground, even if he has to pummel them directly with his bare hands. However, Reksis Vahn should bring a larger arsenal if he lives for execution.


 * Expand his melee arsenal
 * Increase the time spent readjusting
 * Make the atmosphere more hectic
 * Make the window of attack more meaningful
 * What do you mean give him a giant sword?!
 * He already has a medieval chained flail!
 * And he'll also grab the player?!
 * That's CHEATING!!
 * Y u do this, Primus?
 * It's my job.
 * I make diabolical enemy concepts.

Changes

 * Flame Cauldron:
 * 100% longer reach
 * 50% faster attack speed
 * 75% higher base damage
 * Can be used in swirling and smashing combos
 * Direct hits knock Guardians down
 * Swirling attacks inflict bleeding
 * Can be swung forward to throw Ether-Torches


 * Scorn Claymore (New Weapon):
 * Occasionally wielded alongside the Flame Cauldron to perform deadly melee attack combinations
 * Direct hits inflict the "Scorned" debuff
 * Melee abilities are briefly suppressed
 * Heavy poison damage over a short period of time


 * Poison Vents (New Ability):
 * Vents on the side periodically release poison gas
 * Deals slow but constant damage
 * Frequency and duration scale with time


 * Hangman's Grasp (New Ability):
 * Used when Ultra Smash is on cooldown
 * Reksis grabs the player in his hand
 * Player takes constriction damage until they deal enough damage to be released

Current Gameplay
Hiraks mainly fights The Guardian with his Scorn Boomer, which has a faster cyclic rate and greater range than a typical Hive Boomer. The explosive Arc bolts discharged from the weapon can quickly blast through a Guardian's shield and health. He will stomp the ground at close range, knocking players back a significant distance and dealing massive damage to them in an instant. In addition, he is backed by Hive units instead of Scorn, and will use Void Ether-Shields to completely negate all damage dealt to him as well as his reinforcements. Occasionally, he will run through a Hive portal and appear on the other side to both summon more Hive backup and flank the player. The main weakness of Hiraks is his slow movement, making it possible to outmaneuver him in combat.

Goals
Hiraks, you could've been so much more. You fell into the Hellmouth and learned about the Hive's ways, being guided by the Sword Logic and possibly even adopting the Hive language, found a way to carve your own Throne World out of the Ascendant Plane, gained the ability to unravel and warp your enemies' minds, trapped Uldren's Crows to cause increased tensions between Earth and The Reef, ended a system-wide manhunt for your capture by ending the search of 43 Awoken, even turned an asteroid into a site of ritualistic experiments which cause it to shift between the material realm and the Ascendant Plane, and all he's given is a Boomer, Ether-Shields, and the ability to summon Hive instead of Scorn? That's seriously all he got?!


 * Make Hiraks actually powerful
 * Increase the impact his weapons abilities have on the battlefield
 * Differentiate Mindbent Hive from other Hive enemies
 * Magic ("snort snort")
 * Mind Tricks
 * "You're a Wizard, Hiraks!"
 * What? No, I'm just Hiraks!
 * You're gonna go to the Ascendant Realm.
 * You'll learn spells and you'll enjoy it.
 * But probably not as a boss fight...

Changes

 * Scorn Boomer:
 * Explosive Arc bolts now inflict a shocking effect and produce an Ether-Bind effect
 * Comes with two new fire modes: Hive Splinter arrows and Shrieker bolts
 * Splinter arrows inflict a burning effect and sunder Guardians' health as well as release an Ether-Torch upon impact with a surface
 * Shrieker bolts periodically slow movement and suppress abilities
 * All fire modes have 300% increased projectile velocity and 50% faster fire rate


 * Scorn Oversoul (New Mechanic):
 * Invert the screen for a short time
 * Distorts the player's vision
 * Poisons the floor
 * Inflicts the "Mindbent" debuff
 * Inverts player's controls for the duration of the effect
 * Immediately kills anyone that hasn't entered a Hive portal in 10 seconds


 * Altered Hive Reinforcements:
 * Mindbent Thralls move and attack 200% faster
 * Mindbent Cursed Thralls slow targets upon detonation and leave a damaging energy pulse in their wake
 * Mindbent Acolytes throw 3 fire grenades at once with a 400% larger blast radius and 300% greater burn damage
 * Mindbent Adherents deploy smoke bombs that poison and slow their targets
 * Mindbent Wizards fire their Darkness Blasts 500% faster and each shot produces a shocking effect
 * Mindbent Knights' Wall of Darkness heals itself and other Hive completely, makes it immune for its duration, and provides it with a damage buff afterward
 * Mindbent Vanquishers use bleed-inducing Cleavers and use shield bashes to send the player flying and knocking them down
 * Mindbent Ogres enter rage mode after being damaged and continuously fire their eye blasts to inflict a damage-decreasing debuff
 * Mindbent Shriekers fire large, fast-moving Axion Darts with a wide blast radius and heavy knockback effects

Current Gameplay
Pirrha's main weapon of choice is a Scorn Crossbow, which fires powerful charged Void arrows from long range that can easily hit their mark; their high damage can crack a Guardian's shield in an instant. When faced at closer ranges, he will teleport or smoke dash to evade and flank the player, and if cornered, he will stomp the ground to knock them back. His most devastating ability, however, is the use of decoys. The decoys can easily distract unprepared Guardians and overwhelm them with constant crossbow fire, although they are easily destroyed. If the decoys prove bothersome, one can deactivate them with a low-damage weapon and then focus their firepower on Pirrha himself.

Goals
This is the Baron that shot Cayde's Ghost. He's also the Baron who has the coldest personality and is an entirely different breed of a trickster than Araskes. The two are probably related. Anyways, he's a bit of a jerk, but he do we make him a full-blown atomic bully?


 * Make his Decoys behave completely different
 * Give Pirrha himself a couple more tricks up his sleeve
 * Emphasize ranged combat
 * Punish aggressive pushes

Changes

 * Scorn Crossbow:
 * Increased base damage by 35%
 * Can now perform precision hits on Guardians with a 300% damage multiplier
 * Precision hits have a 15% chance to knock Guardians down
 * Precision shots have a 100% chance of inflicting the "Scorned Mark" debuff
 * Increases damage taken by 40%
 * Attracts all nearby enemies
 * Increased accuracy by 50%
 * Increased shot velocity by 75%
 * Removed laser targeting system
 * Increased scope glint intensity
 * Increased charge time by 100%


 * Smoke Dash:
 * Significantly reduced trail visibility
 * Leaves a poison trail in its wake
 * Increased duration by 45%


 * Teleportation:
 * Increased speed by 60%
 * Increased range by 200%


 * Decoys:
 * Increased health by 500%
 * Can be protected by an Arc, Solar, or Void elemental shield
 * Capable of using smoke dashes and teleportation, albeit to a lesser extent
 * Equipped with either a Scorn Crossbow, Scorn Rifle, or Scorn Mine Launcher
 * Can deploy Chieftain totems depending on their elemental shield
 * Arc-shielded decoys use Ether-Binds that have 150% greater pulling force
 * Solar-shielded decoys use Ether-Torches with 200% greater reach and 125% more burn damage
 * Void-shielded decoys use Ether-Shields that have 65% increased range
 * Decoy totems last shorter than the regular totems
 * Reduced frequency of appearing by 30%


 * Cloaking Tech (New Ability):
 * Turns Pirrha invisible at will for 15 seconds.


 * Ultra Smash:
 * Removed
 * Instead of attacking at close range, Pirrha and his decoys will either smoke dash, teleport, or turn invisible and run away

Current Gameplay
Elykris possesses multiple weapons in her arsenal, all of which have devastating consequences. In hand, she wields a Scorn Cannon, which fires explosive molten Ether fumes from long range, constantly blasting the player down and pounding away at their shield. She will also occasionally crouch and use her back-mounted munitions device to fire Scorn Rockets one after another, each of which deals high blast damage; every time her health reaches a certain threshold, she will duck down on the ground, surround herself with Void energy to negate all incoming damage akin to an Ether-Shield, and rapidly fire Solar orbital strikes from her munitions device before teleportating to another location shortly afterwards to directly continue her assault. This means the player has to contend with both direct combat and evasion simultaneously. Additionally, there are poisonous liquid pools littered throughout the arena, which can prove to be a deadly environmental hazard. The arena itself, however, is fairly large, and thus it is easy to space oneself from Elykris in order to safely and reliably damage her. Her movement is rather slow, so the player can continue to stay at an extended range for an easier engagement.

Goals
Elykris' encounter is mostly fine, because she's a badass. She holds multiple weapons for three purposes: siege combat, direct demolition, and even rapid aerial bombardment. But there's still that level of emphasis that needs to be applied to fully cement the role of Elykris as a weapons hoarder.


 * MOAR WEAPONS!
 * She needs to lead an army.

Changes

 * Scorn Cannon:
 * Increased RoF by 25%
 * Increased blast damage by 45%
 * Increased projectile range by 100%
 * Increased shot velocity by 50%
 * Increased blast radius by 7m
 * Comes with a close-range flamethrower mode


 * Scorn Rockets:
 * Increased impact damage by 135%
 * Increased RoF by 50%
 * Increased blast radius by 2m
 * Increased tracking ability
 * Increased velocity by 66%
 * Increased blast damage by 30%
 * Decreased frequency by 50%


 * Orbital Strikes:
 * Increased duration by 100% for more total strikes
 * All strikes land simultaneously in predetermined spots
 * Teleports immediately after the attack is executed
 * Teleportation range increased by 500%
 * Increased strike velocity by 300%
 * Ether-Shield now shields other nearby Scorn for the attack's activation


 * Cabal Cluster Missiles (New Weapon):
 * Actively fired from the munitions device when not crouched
 * Blinds and slows targets upon detonation
 * Increased range by 700%
 * Increased RoF by 50%
 * Increased rockets per cluster by 100%


 * Heavy Slug Throwers (New Weapon):
 * Fired from munitions device when not crouched
 * Increased RoF by 100%
 * Drastically increased aim deflection
 * Increased range by 600%
 * Increased accuracy by 40%

Current Gameplay
Fikrul engages the player with his signature lightning staff, which fires charged Arc projectiles that can break a Guardian's shield in just a few hits, akin to a Wire Rifle. He will also use his staff to summon large electric circles known as Wrath of the Scorned, which can summon lesser Scorn units; these circles take up a large space and can deal heavy shocking damage over time to anyone that stands within it. Occasionally, whenever his health reaches a certain threshold, Fikrul will surround himself with Void energy to render him immune to all damage shortly before teleporting the player into the air, surrounding himself with a random elemental shield, and tethering them to his staff, dragging them towards him so he can smash the ground to break their shields and knock them back. To keep up his attack, he will teleport towards the player and overwhelm them with high-impact electric staff projectiles. Fikrul's powerful attacks and tether ability make him quite possibly the most dangerous Scorn Baron to engage, for the only safe way to combat him is keeping as much distance between him and oneself as possible.

Goals
Fikrul is clearly the one that it most fit to lead the Scorn Barons, and it really shows. He's the most powerful of the bunch, and that's really all he needs to kill us. Now we just need to double down on that power.


 * All the elements at hand.
 * Seriously mess with the player.
 * Show off how diabolical my mind really is.
 * Okay, now look at the proposed changes.

Changes

 * Fanatic's Staff:
 * Increased charge rate by 40%
 * Increased base damage by 30%
 * Shots have a chance to briefly jam the player's equipped weapon
 * Can now perform precision shots with a 500% damage multiplier
 * Comes with a close-range Soul Drainer beam


 * Wrath of the Scorned:
 * Can now appear as Arc, Solar, and Void circles
 * Arc circles shock and blind Guardians as well as summon Arc-damage Scorn units
 * Solar circles burn and sunder Guardians as well as summon Solar-damage Scorn units
 * Void circles poison and slow Guardians as well as summon Void-damage Scorn units
 * Increased radius by 100%
 * Increased duration by 50%
 * Increased frequency by 75%


 * Tether Sequence:
 * Increased teleportation range by 60%
 * Ether-Shield now protects all nearby Scorn units
 * Guardian abilities are suppressed as soon as the "Tethered" debuff is displayed on screen
 * Increased time to teleport players by 400%
 * Tethered players attract all nearby Scorn units and have their ability meters completely drained
 * Increased elemental shield damage strength by 250%
 * Elemental shield lingers after the attack until it is destroyed
 * Spawns one of the three Chieftain totems shortly after the attack


 * Ultra Smash:
 * Removed