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Legends Overload passive abilities - February 17, 2022



Overview of the new passive abilities


Many of these passive abilities were prioritized to boost either some abilities that felt as though they needed more attention, or abilities that were already available in both Story and Endless Dungeon. Some passives focus on more than one ability, while some focus on none and more on boosting the character's overall playstyle. The intent was to try and aim for a balance of active ability boosts in Body, Mind and Siphon categories, and is one reason why each character has 3 new passives.


These passives are obtainable either through specific side quests in Story Mode or randomly in treasure chests in Endless Dungeon. In particular, some of these passive abilities can provide a significant power boost for early Endless Dungeon Legend Plus.



Cherry


Drill Instructor -- Passive ability for Pierce


Drill Instructor causes Pierce to now inflict Stagger and drop its cooldown by 2 seconds per enemy hit by that single Pierce. If the Body Field Effect is active, Pierce deals an additional 3x damage.


Since the Body Field Effect increases Stagger time, Pierce can become an effective tool for keeping the party safe on the frontlines with the Body Field Effect active, especially in conjunction with Fortify to keep the enemies in a group (and Hold the Line to lower enemy Attack when caught in Fortify).



Grand Stand -- Passive ability for Stand Ground


Grand Stand causes each hit inflicted on Cherry while blocking with Stand Ground active to inflict 20 base damage back onto the attacker.


Grand Stand is a passive ability that any Cherry build can make use of, due to Stand Ground being available for her from the start. This can be particularly effective against rapid-damage attacks and/or with Cover active.



Skyborne -- Passive ability for Violent Gust


While the Wind Field Effect is active, Skyborne causes Violent Gust to deal an additional 3x damage and adds an additional Tornado at Cherry's position if Violent Gust hits an enemy.


Since Cherry's main offensive tool with a Wind Siphon build is Violent Gust, its increase in power gives her greater offense against her typical defense-heavy options. The extra Tornado is good for both keeping enemies away and adding to her Attack stat with a heavy Wind Siphon build.



Further notes on Cherry's ability additions


Cherry's new passives continue to further emphasize her frontline defensive abilities while boosting her typically low offensive power. In particular, there are certain endgame battles where Cherry's new defensive abilities (like Grand Stand) can be used effectively against rapid-damage enemies.



Knight


Rebound Rampage -- Passive ability for Power Drive


Rebound Rampage allows Power Drive to have no cooldown if it used while the Body Field Effect is active.


While this sounds like a fairly simple ability, with full investment in Power Drive, it is already able to be boosted by 4x damage during the Body Field Effect and gains high speed and a massive area of effect. Having no cooldown on Power Drive allows Rebound Rampage to devastate the battlefield during the Body Field Effect.



Immutable Creed -- Passive ability for Defiance and Sustained Faith


While both Defiance and Sustained Faith are both active at the same time, Knight deals 3x damage, gains immunity to Stagger/Stun/Knockdown/Knockback and his HP cannot reach 0.


This is a powerful ability that any Knight build can use (both Defiance and Sustained Faith being always available), as it allows Knight to deal incredible boosted damage while giving himself full status immunity and the inability to die -- Knight will still take damage, though, so be careful when the effects go on for too long. This can also be useful for Metastrike/basic attack builds, where Knight cannot be Staggered when the enemies block.



Cimmerian Current -- Passive ability for Dark Shot


Cimmerian Current allows Dark Shot to have no cooldown if it used while the Water Field Effect is active.


Cimmerian Current allows Knight to have stronger long-range prowess, especially with the Naginata or Devastator equipped. Since his Deep Freeze/Fumarole combo has long cooldowns during the Water Field Effect, this also provides his Water Siphon build with more damage options in the meantime.



Further notes on Knight's ability additions


Knight's new passives are meant to make him further emphasize his highly aggressive playstyle, mainly with the focus on removing cooldowns during offensive Field Effects and allowing him to fight through just about anything, including death.



Alberto


Frontline Tactics -- Passive ability for Knockdown


If the enemy is Stunned, Frontline Tactics allows Alberto's Knockdown ability to knock an enemy down for 6 seconds rather than 2.


Since Alberto starts with Knockdown, this will always be usable. Since Alberto also comes with Stun abilities like Static by default, he can always use this. Given that Alberto can enhance the length of Stun on abilities like Static and System Shock, and follow up with Knockdown/Frontline Tactics, one enemy can be incapacitated for up to 10 seconds through such a combination (keep Knockback attacks away from ruining this setup).



Perpetual Parry -- Passive ability for Counter


Perpetual Parry allows Counter to deal 5x damage and heals Alberto for 15 HP per use.


Since Alberto starts with Counter, this is usable in any Alberto build. Due to its non-existent cooldown when attacked, it is still best for Mind builds and maintaining the Mind Field Effect. However, now Alberto can deal frequent and very respectable damage during the Mind Field Effect with Seraphim Nails and Counter Amplify from his Soul Triad.



Photosynthesis -- Passive ability for Photon Ray


If Photon Ray hits an enemy, Photosynthesis allows it to heal all living party members for 10 HP.


While Photosynthesis can look weak on the surface, it is an extra healing option that is always available and when combined with Inner Strength/Force of Mind providing 6x damage and no cooldown to Photon Ray, Alberto can provide increased healing during the Mind Field Effect.



Further notes on Alberto's ability additions


Alberto's new passives capitalize heavily on both his Stun capabilities and on the defensive Mind Field Effect. He also has great portability with his passives, as they are applied to abilities that he will always have available.



Tara


Stronghearted -- Passive ability for Heart Attack


Stronghearted allows Advantage Pushback to be applied to Tara, if Heart Attack hits an enemy.


Since Advantage Pushback doubles Tara's damage output and Heart Attack has a low cooldown, Stronghearted can be used alongside normal uses of Pushback to keep Tara's damage output high during the Body Field Effect. Even better is when this is combined with the Executioner Axe to keep Tara buffed and the enemy knocked down.



Queen's Hand -- Passive ability for Backhand and Cleatqueen


When Cleatqueen is active, Queen's Hand allows Backhand to deal 5x damage and apply a 10 second debuff where the enemy suffers double damage.


Tara starts with both Backhand and Cleatqueen, so she can always make use of this in any build. This also provides Tara with a Throat Jab-like debuff, boosting her battlefield utility further. Since the damage and debuff are applied together, Backhand can essentially gain an instant 10x damage boost when used.



Reaper Refuel -- Passive ability for Reaper Shield


If an ally (living or dead) is inside Reaper Shield while it is active, Tara deals double damage and regens HP at 4 HP/second.


Since Tara starts with Reaper Shield, she will always have this available and therefore will always have access to a double damage/HP regen boost to herself (with correct positioning). Combining Reaper Refuel with block healing provides a fairly strong 8 HP/second HP regen.



Further notes on Tara's ability additions


Tara's new passives mainly continue to emphasize her self-focused high damage output and frontline staying power. However, Queen's Hand provides Tara with a new debuff in any build that the rest of the party can take advantage of, and can be a nice alternative to requiring Claire and Throat Jab for defense debuffs (though it can also stack with Throat Jab).



Pound


Research of Rage -- Not attached to any active ability


Research of Rage makes it so that when Pound is present (and alive) in the party, the Body Field Effect causes the party to deal 3x damage instead of 2x, and enemies deal 1.5x damage instead of 2x.


Since Research of Rage is not attached to any ability, simply bringing Pound along into a fight where the Body Field Effect is made active (either through specific team builds or enemies spamming Body Field Effect abilities) boosts party offense heavily while reducing their own received damage.



Ethereal Mitosis -- Passive ability for Aura


When an Aura hits an enemy, Ethereal Mitosis causes that Aura to split into 2 Auras that head in different directions, and these split Auras deal 4x damage (Auras that were "split" will not split again).


Since Pound starts with Aura, he can use this with any build -- however, Aura's power is typically not high enough to begin with in most endgame battles to focus on. It's main use applies more to Pound's Death Forests -- more Auras let more trees get built, and their new split direction can let the Death Forest envelop wider areas of the battlefield.



Domination Arts -- Passive ability for Dark Arts


Domination Arts makes it so that when Dark Arts is active on an ally, their basic attacks inflict Knockdown (standard Knockdown lockouts apply).


Pound starts with Dark Arts, so this can be applied to any Pound build. This can be useful alongside Vampire for certain builds that might be more reliant on basic attacks (especially with Knight's Metastrike builds), and Brooks can make use of it to have his hitscan shots inflict Knockdown (though any Knockback he uses will override it).



Further notes on Pound's ability additions


Rather than branch out into new areas, Pound's new passives continue to emphasize his current strengths -- building Death Forests and providing powerful offensive support for the party. Like Alberto, Pound's new passives also have the advantage of being usable regardless of his own Soul Triad customization.



Cook


Stronghold -- Passive ability for Pushback


Stronghold makes it so that Steel Pushback applies to all allies on successful Pushback usage, granting the party 3 seconds of invincibility.


Cook starts with Pushback, but requires the Steel Pushback passive to use this. Having a frequent 3 seconds on invincibility for the party can be very useful during the Body Field Effect in particular.



Exemplar -- Passive ability for Far Shot


Exemplar allows Far Shot to deal triple damage.


This one is straightforward -- with Exemplar as a passive, all of Cook's ranged attacks with Far Shot deal triple damage with no conditions attached. This gives him more ranged presence, since he always has Far Shot, and is especially useful with Discus Doom's higher speed and area.



Viper Fervor -- Passive ability for Viper Beam


Viper Fervor allows Cook to have status immunity when using Viper Beam, and every hit dealt to him while Viper Beam is active increases Viper Beam's damage by 25% per hit.


Cook starts with Viper Beam, so he will always have this available. The ability to be uninterrupted and gain more damage while getting hit makes this useful for both Fire Siphon builds and Provoke tank builds.



Further notes on Cook's ability additions


Cook's new passives focus mainly on defense and range, though suffering heavy numbers of hits or rapid-fire hits can turn Viper Beam into a powerful offensive tool.



Claire


Wrath -- Passive ability for Knockdown


Wrath makes it so that Claire's Knockdown ability triples Body Field Effect gains, and reduces her cooldown for Pushback and Ninja are reduced to 0.


Claire starts with Knockdown, so this is usable with any Claire build, but is best when used with Ninja and Body Field Effect teams. Its primary purpose is to help maintain the Body Field Effect, especially alongside Ninja/Opportunist's cooldown reduction for all of Claire's abilities.



Dagger Dispatch -- Passive ability for Throwing Knife


Dagger Dispatch allows Claire's Throwing Knives to deal up to double damage if she is far enough away, and allows Throwing Knife to deal an additional double damage if she has Stealth active.


Since Claire has Throwing Knife from the start, Dagger Dispatch is always available. However, it is best applied to Mind builds, where Claire will have Stealth and will likely use Cheetah/Mega Cheetah to boost Poison Knife's Poison Damage from a distance.



Tidal Storm -- Passive ability for Waterjet


Tidal Storm allows Waterjet to triple Water Siphon Field Effect gains, and reduces the cooldown of Waterjet by 1 second per enemy hit. If an enemy is not currently knocked down, but is currently still on Knockdown lockout, Waterjet deals 5x more damage.


Claire starts with Waterjet, so this is always available, but it is best used alongside Water Siphon team builds. Since Claire has an extremely wide range of Knockdown abilities at her disposal, Waterjet's 5x damage will likely be able to trigger frequently, and thanks to the Jetpack passive (which provides invincibility, movement and Knockdown), this allows Claire to dash around dealing decent damage while maintaining the Water Field Effect.



Further notes on Claire's ability additions


Claire's new passives focus more on maintaining Body and Water Field Effects (making her Knight's new best friend). While it looks as though her passives have a lesser overall gain for her compared to other characters, she has gained some boosts in terms of mechanics. One such change in Legends Overload is Throat Jab applying to more effects, including to Poison -- something that Claire excels at, especially with her Throwing Knife/Mind builds, which is where Dagger Dispatch helps out.



Jimmy


Disruptor Vortex -- Passive ability for Twister


Disruptor Vortex causes Twister to deal 5x damage, and while Twister is active, Jimmy is invincible and his allies are made invisible.


With Disruptor Vortex, Jimmy can now deal some pretty respectable damage with Twister, especially if the enemy is immobilized (since enemies typically try and dodge Twister). Its new invincibility for Jimmy and invisibility for his allies is meant to act as a mini-Provoke to not only emphasize his defensive support role, but the invincibility and Provoke combined with Stagger at the end (from Dramatic Entrance) can be more useful during the Body Field Effect.



Coughing Fit -- Passive ability for Smoke Grenade


Coughing Fit causes enemies hit by Smoke Grenade to suffer a debuff for 8 seconds, which causes them to be inflicted with Stagger every 2 seconds.


Since Jimmy begins with Smoke Grenade, this is always available to him. This is especially useful during the Body Field Effect, where Stagger's duration is boosted from one half second to one second.



Planetary Understanding -- Not attached to any active ability


While any Siphon Field Effect is active (Fire, Water, Wind or Earth), the party regens HP at 2 HP/second while Jimmy is alive.


Any Siphon team build can benefit from Planetary Understanding, but it is likely more noticeable during the Earth Field Effect, where there is a high likelihood that most allies and enemies are slowed down and may have less contact with one another.



Further notes on Jimmy's ability additions


Jimmy's new passives focus primarily on defensive support during the Body Field Effect, which is an area that the party often sorely needs more protection in. Combined with Pound's Research of Rage, the Body Field Effect can overall be less dangerous for a party.



Brooks


Quarry Snared -- Passive ability for Pickaxe


Quarry Snared allows Pickaxe to inflict Stun and to apply the Pushbreak debuff if Brooks has gained the Pushbreak passive. If Brooks has learned Home Run, its cooldown is reduced to 0 on trigger.


There's a lot going on with Quarry Snared, but what it amounts to is Brooks making use of a heavy Body build by letting Pickaxe apply his heavy collision damage debuff (learned in Crossguard's tree) and to hold them still with Stun so that he can use Home Run and its giant collision damage to deal massive damage to one enemy up close. Proper positioning is still required, but this gives Brooks three sources total that Pushbreak can be applied (Pushback, Pickaxe and Blastback).



Sniper's Delight -- Passive ability for Flashbang


Sniper's Delight causes Brooks' basic hitscan attacks to deal 5x damage when the target is blinded. Also from Sniper's Delight -- when Multi-Shot is active with Rapidfire Focus learned against a blinded enemy, it adds 10 damage per shot rather 1. When Eagle Cannon is active against a blinded enemy, the distance modifier for damage is doubled. When Heavy Focus is active against a blinded enemy, Brooks deals triple damage with basic attacks.


Like Quarry Snared, there is a lot going on with Sniper's Delight. Since Brooks always has Flashbang, he will always have access to Sniper's Delight -- however, to get the most out of it, he will need Blind Duration from his Soul Triad and might want to focus on the Tactical Rifle's Flashbang Cooldown. This is also strong for Mind builds (which goes well with the Howitzer's Carpet Bomb). It is also meant to give more emphasis to Brooks' old 2008 Demon Rush playstyle focus on long range and Flashbang.



Vaccinate -- Passive ability for Field Tactics


When Field Tactics is used, Vaccinate grants Brooks' allies status immunity and HP regen at 4 HP/second for 5 seconds.


Since Brooks has Field Tactics by default, he will always have Vaccinate available. With all other Field Tactics customization from his Soul Triad and the Ireland MRND-48 AAG weapon equipped, Brooks' Field Tactics becomes quite formidable -- Attack/Defense/Movement buffs, HP healing, HP regen and status immunity to his allies (but not to himself). Since it lasts 5 seconds and can be re-applied every 5 seconds, Brooks can essentially keep full uptime on Field Tactics' buffs. A little bit of trivia -- Vaccinate was one of Brooks' active abilities in the 2008 Demon Rush, but since status infliction in Legends Corrupt was limited to Stagger/Stun/Knockdown/Knockback, it was not included as an active ability in the base game.



Further notes on Brooks' ability additions


Where most allies gain more versatility than specialization from their new passives, Brooks' new passives give him more specialization than his typical versatility. He can benefit more from Knockback collision damage with full Body builds, long range damage/Blind with full Mind builds, and party support on heavier Earth Siphon builds.



How useful are these passives for new endgame content like the superdungeon and new Challenges?


While some abilities require specific learned active abilities, the status immunity for Knight, Cook and Brooks' allies (Immutable Creed/Viper Fervor/Vaccinate) are always available and very useful. Some endgame battles involve very frequent low cooldown abilities and/or wide-area status effects. One notable ability on a new enemy is a beam attack that inflicts rapid damage and Stun -- it is hard to avoid, but Cherry's Grand Stand (preferably with Cover) and Cook's Viper Fervor (preferably with Provoke) can be a damaging counter outside of normal means. Tara's Mindcloud (with any build) can heavily disable enemies by forcing these frequent abilities on long cooldown, but there will also be enemies that have effects built into their basic attacks (so Mindcloud is not always a catch-all solution).


A lot of new enemies in the Legends Overload endgame will also be able to cover a wide area for damage/status effects, making large parts of the battlefield dangerous. New abilities like Knight's Immutable Creed that grants status immunity and the inability to die can help aggressively fight through this, and though they did not gain new passives for them, Pound's Barrier and Jimmy's Withstand Seal might be working overtime in some battles (if you have them).


Field Effects may be harder to maintain in some battles -- enemies with more frequent attacks to force a specific Field Effect, as well as enemies that can nullify any Field Effect or force a random Field Effect, can be expected. This does not mean that specialized builds are out, but they will have to put in some effort to keep up their Field Effect with elemental weapons for Siphon Field Effects and high ability usage alongside Barklord, such as Claire's Wrath combined with Ninja for Body or Alberto's Counter for Mind. If anything, this might mean leaning on a wider variety of abilities on top of specialization -- abilities like Jimmy's Coughing Fit or Pound's Research of Rage can be good for surprise Body Field Effects regardless of team build.


These endgame battles were also tested with a wide variety of character builds and team builds, and included both specialized builds and more versatile builds.


New passives and the future


The current plan for passives in future expansions is to introduce 3 per character in Expansions 2, 4, 5 and 6, and any new characters will have the same amount of unlockable passives (when Expansion 2 comes out, the new character will have 6 acquirable passives to catch up with the original nine characters). Passives for the next expansion will likely try and prioritize either the current "weakest link" of a character's current Body, Mind and Siphon abilities, and/or on abilities a character has from the start. Some passives may have no ability attached (like Research of Rage or Planetary Understanding), and some passives much further down the road might be Barklord-specific and provide individual characters with different bonuses alongside Barklord.


While this may not happen (if at all) until later expansions, there is a good possibility that characters may be able to gain more Augmentors in these later expansions in Story Mode, in order to use more of these new passives in later endgame battles.


The above is not set in stone, but it is achievable and there is no reason to deviate from these future passive ability plans at present.










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