History VideoGame / Vindictus

* CriticalHit: Par for the course, considering this is an RPG, but it's worth noting that Lann gets a powerful followup attack whenever he scores one (and he gets to do it again if ''that'' attack crits!). This is the main reason Spear Lanns are so powerful - they have a move that boosts their critical chance, and their smashes make heavy use of DeathOfAThousandCuts, so they get to do this a lot.

* CuteWitch: Evie, particularly if you deck her out in the Scarlet Witch or Sweetie Bear cloth armour sets.

* DarkerAndEdgier

* DeflectorShields: The magical version of this is Evie's main defense. The shields only seem to extend to the surface of her skin, however, since attacks can still damage her armour. (Underwear still can't be damaged, but that's most likely a result of the developers aiming for a PG-13 audience.)

* DefrostingIceQueen: Gwynn. Well, early game anyway.

* GovernmentConspiracy: [[spoiler:Its revealed late in season 1 that the Pontiff Court has been manipulating both sides of the conflict for their own ends. Oh, and the "heretics" you've fought throughout the season? They were people who [[HeKnowsTooMuch were coming too close to figuring this out]].]]

* SuicideAttack: The primary tactic used by the [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Goblin Religious Fanatics]] in Fomorian Base consists of [[IncendiaryExponent setting themselves on fire]] and [[PersonalSpaceInvader trying to grab you]] before they burn to death.

* TransformationIsAFreeAction: Like Mabinogi, you're given an invulnerability buff during transformation sequences, except extending to roughly two or three seconds after you regain mobility.

''Vindictus'', known as ''Mabinogi: Heroes'' in the original [[UsefulNotes/SouthKorea Korean]] version, is the Prequel to ''VideoGame/{{Mabinogi}}'' produced by [=DevCat=] Studios and distributed by Creator/{{Nexon}} USA. The storyline takes place during the period of ''Mabinogi'''s history referred to in-game as the "[[GreatOffscreenWar Fomor Wars]]", which forms the backdrop for most of the original game's storyline quests. The land that the ''Vindictus'' storyline takes place in [[spoiler: what becomes the dark, hostile "Another World" of the original game]].

While set in the same world, this is a [[DarkerAndEdgier darker]] and [[BloodierAndGorier bloodier]] version, using Creator/{{Valve|Software}}'s Source [[GameEngine engine]]. Although it maintains some of the original's skill-based system and titles, gameplay is far more combat-oriented -- it is being promoted as an "[=Action RPG=]" -- and the game mechanics are simplified. The gameplay is like a mix of ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' and ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'', with just a pinch of ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls''. Also differing from ''Mabinogi'', ''Vindictus'' is far more story-driven, and at least half of the missions advance the main story. There is almost none of the WideOpenSandbox quality that dominated the original game, and most of the side missions are in some way related to the main storyline, typically providing more detail, character development, or a different perspective.

* AnAdventurerIsYou: ''Vindictus'' has multiple classes, of which, eight of the nine are currently available and ready to be played. Some skill customization is possible, but primarily regarding weapons and armor, with a few exceptions. Each one will branch into one of two or three paths, depending on which skills are emphasized. Similar to the original game, all characters are capable of maxing out all skills available to them, effectively building a limited sort of hybrid character. This takes a considerably larger amount of time and effort, however, and most players concentrate on a more traditional build.

** Subverted for many of the SP-guzzling holding skills that many characters have in their arsenal. 1000SP and a twenty-minute cooldown may seem like a very steep cost for a few seconds of purely awesome and flashy animation- which deals mediocre damage, by the way -but the fact that it can stop the boss from moving entirely for a small duration lets the party get in close for a great beatdown, or perhaps even time to get a phoenix feather out on dead teammates. On the other hand, successfully chaining a few of these SP skills one after another lets a well-equipped party whittle down a boss's HP bar very easily.

** Delia uses a Bastardsword that's literally as long as she is. In her backstory, she befriended Korok and other Giants while pursuing her interest in sword training. The giants gave her the "smallest" sword they had in the village as a parting gift.
Some bosses do use them, and drop them when killed, allowing characters to pick up and play with them.

** Evie, when wielding a staff, has "Focus" skills. There are four progressive charge levels, each requiring longer charging times, with different skills avaialable at each level. The time it takes to charge her most powerful skills makes them vary between DifficultButAwesome and AwesomeButImpractical, depending on the particular Boss, and whether she's in a party or solo.

** The friendly fire actually seems to have some kind of logic system. Mobs of the same species and average size (such as gnolls) will not be able to hurt eachother with melee attacks, but ranged attacks can still hurt. Small AnkleBiter mooks like spiders and toads will not hurt one another, but larger enemies can accidentally hurt them. This entirely averted with bosses, though, which hurt everything smaller than them regardless of species. Bosses in [[DualBoss multiple boss]] missions can also hurt each other, mainly with ranged attacks.

* TheCorruption: [[spoiler: The big plot point at the end of Season 3, Episode 1, this is the reason why Elf Queen Regina and her elves were mindlessly attacking the player character and the mercenaries as they ascended Ben Chenner. [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration Also a big component of the battle with Elf Queen Regina]].]]

** As of the "Labyrinth" expansion, Evie acquired a skill, Mana Amber, that creates a large, octahedral, crystalline shield that offers complete invulnerability for a short time. Casting time is instant, but casting cost is high. Unlike most personal shields (and her normal magical shield), the character is fully immobilized inside (curled up in a ball), although the shield itself can be knocked around by enemies. It can also be shattered by higher tier enemies.
*** The 2015 Evie Revamp has completely changed the mechanics of her Amber, turning it into an immovable and unbreakable crystalline ball instead, with the mechanics of an on-command block instead, much like Fiona and Arisha.

* [[spoiler:DoomedHometown: Colhen gets destroyed in Episode 6]].

** Hurk: He is a heavily-armored {{Berserker}} who primarily wields a [[{{BFS}} big whacking two-handed sword]]. He's more of a DPS tank, as he is able to effectively counter ANY attack launched his way, even from bosses while taking no damage. He eventually gets the ability to continue attacking after running out of stamina, but at the cost of [[CastFromHitPoints draining his own health]]. He currently does not have any secondary weapons.

* BearsAreBadNews: "Dethrone the White Tyrant." [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EqDmxwIlWo That is all.]]
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnqrspmncbQ It only gets more terrifying]]

* {{BFS}}: Hurk's main weapon. Some bosses do use them, and drop them when killed, allowing characters to pick up and play with them.

* FoeTossingCharge: One of Karok's smashes does this. Later on, he also gets a skill that allows him to damage enemies simply by sprinting into them.

* ImprobableWeaponUser: Evie develops the ability to wield increasingly large and elaborate scythes as her primary weapon. Karok starts out wielding a club [[TelephonePolearm the size of a tree trunk]], with some versions nearly as tall as he is, and/or covered with lots of spiky bits.

%%* MightyGlacier: Most bosses, except for the {{Lightning Bruiser}}s. Most common in early levels.
%%** Karok also functions as this, being the slowest player character.

* NotActuallyCosmeticAward: Prior to Season 2, most of the titles earned by a hero granted stat boosts, ''whether or not they are equipped''. Seasonal titles, though, were pure bragging rights. As of the Season 2 release, all titles appear to have become purely cosmetic.

* OneHitPolykill: Heaving a big rock at a cluster of low-level mooks. Nearly all of Evie's magic attacks can do this, and at higher levels, some can take out large groups of more powerful mooks. One of Karok's smash attacks can do this, as can one of Kai's special attacks. Hurk's smash combos apply as well.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Shayla is a definite Type 3, being the only one who truly understands what's going on, and isn't obsessed with politics, religion, conspiracies, personal issues, or booze. Rather than fighting to change things, she just sits back and uses the situation to her own financial advantage.

** As noted above, the new dye options allow for much brighter colours, making some characters look almost cartoonish against the gritty background.

* StupidityIsTheOnlyOption: So, what does the main character do after Gwynn bans him/her from going to [[spoiler: Ainle]]? Why, go there with reckless abandon, of course! [[spoiler:It gets one of the important [=NPCs=] killed]]. And what happens when Gwynn bans us AGAIN from going to the Prairie? Well, take a wild guess!

* SticksToTheBack: Evie's, Karok's, Kai's, Hurk's, and Lynn's weapons.

* YouHaveResearchedBreathing: A very literal example in the skill Battle Respiration. [[TruthInTelevision Truth In Gaming]] as developing learning proper breath control ''is'' very important to traditional martial arts, as well as many sports, such as track-and-field and archery.

* ShoutOut: Clodagh suspects that a blue mushroom might [[SuperMarioBros shrink you]] if you eat it.

''Vindictus'', known as ''Mabinogi: Heroes'' in the original [[UsefulNotes/SouthKorea Korean]] version, is the Prequel to ''VideoGame/{{Mabinogi}}'' produced by [=DevCat=] Studios and distributed by Nexon USA. The storyline takes place during the period of ''Mabinogi'''s history referred to in-game as the "[[GreatOffscreenWar Fomor Wars]]", which forms the backdrop for most of the original game's storyline quests. The land that the ''Vindictus'' storyline takes place in [[spoiler: what becomes the dark, hostile "Another World" of the original game]].

''Vindictus'', known as ''Mabinogi: Heroes'' in the original Korean version, is the Prequel to ''VideoGame/{{Mabinogi}}'' produced by [=DevCat=] Studios and distributed by Nexon USA. The storyline takes place during the period of ''Mabinogi'''s history referred to in-game as the "[[GreatOffscreenWar Fomor Wars]]", which forms the backdrop for most of the original game's storyline quests. The land that the ''Vindictus'' storyline takes place in [[spoiler: what becomes the dark, hostile "Another World" of the original game]].

* PaletteSwap: Although common in ''Mabinogi'', it is mostly averted in ''Vindictus''. Low level mooks in Perilous Ruins and Hoarfrost Hollow are divided mainly into melee, strong melee, and ranged damage types, but there are significant differences in their AI patterns. From Ainle onward, additional mook types are added, with substantially different attack styles (including suicide bombers). By contrast, spiders and wisps are essentially identical throughout the game.

* AprilFoolsDay: The April Fools 2011 event involved a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover with various Creator/{{Valve|Software}} series such as VideoGame/TeamFortress2 and VideoGame/{{Portal}}. Event rewards included equips and titles featuring those games.

** [[spoiler: This also becomes a plot point at the end of Season 2, when no one no longer has any memory of Allysse, except for Milo and the player character. The topic of amnesia is revisited once more in Season 3, when a number of NPC's including Marrec, Aodhan, and Riordan all mysteriously disappear, with no one recollecting their presence, despite hints that they existed at one point. The memory loss is finally addressed after the Lord Glas G

** MAJOR SPOILER: [[spoiler: At the end of Episode 10, Keaghan eats Verafim's heart and gains insane amounts of dark powers that lets him fight with Elchulus, but also make him go insane. Though he is brought back to his senses after being defeated by the player character.]]

* SquishyWizard: Averted by Evie at low levels, thanks to her strong magical shield and fairly weak bosses. At higher levels, when bosses start using more high-powered special attacks, and {{Lightning Bruiser}}s become more common, she gets substantially squishier. Building skills that allow her to use heavier armour reduce her squishiness, but she has to sacrifice attack power to do so, as she gets substantial boosts to her damage from [[StatSticks her cloth armor]], and she's still weaker on defense than even FragileSpeedster Lann.
** As of the "Labyrinth" release, her magical shield was made into a passive skill which can be levelled, dramatically improving her defense at higher levels, but still leaving her weaker than other characters, due to her reliance on cloth armour for stat boosts.

* TakenForGranite: Dead enemies are turned to stone a short time after expiring. Also, one of the Paladin's Path Skills can do this to your enemies. Naturally, it doesn't work on bosses, but it can effectively tip a battle further in the favor of the Paladin.

* SticksToTheBack: Evie's, Karok's, and Kai's weapons.
** For Lann, Vella, and Fiona it's "Sticks to the Hip".

* DuelBoss: Episode 8's Succubus and Shakarr from Episode 9 can only be fought solo.

* {{Fanservice}}: Both male and female characters get to be this once they start earning higher-level gear. Particularly strong with female characters Fiona, Evie, and especially Vella. Further, armor can be (temporarily) destroyed in combat, leaving characters to fight in their underwear until it's repaired.

* FinalBoss: [[spoiler: Keaghan is this for Season 1.]]

* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: Fully averted. Lann, Fiona, Karok, and Vella smash, while Evie and Kai both shoot.

* {{Combos}}: Lann, Fiona, Karok, and Vella all have combo attacks, known as "Smashes", which enables a special, high-powered attack to be triggered after a sequence of normal attacks are made. The type and power of the smash attack depends on how many normal attacks are made before triggering the combo. Some of Evie's "focus" magic attacks, and Kai's high-powered ranged attacks, also effectively act as smashes (and are treated as such for game purposes).

* CriticalHit: Par for the course, considering this is an RPG, but it's worth noting that Lann gets a powerful followup attack whenever he scores one (and he gets to do it again if ''that'' attack crits!). This is the main reason Spear Lanns are so powerful - they have a move that boosts their crit chance, and their smashes make heavy use of DeathOfAThousandCuts, so they get to do this a lot.

** The Paladin skill Conviction does this, complete with cross design

* {{Bishonen}}: All Lann characters. Kai also qualifies to an extent, although he appears older than usual versions of this trope.

** Sylas: The tenth character, slated to be revealed in KR in July 2015. He is the game's first magic-wielding male character, and is a KnifeNut who utilizes magical daggers in the form of a FlechetteStorm, reminiscent of [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV another mystical, teenage boy]].

** Hagie (?): The tenth character, slated to be revealed in KR in July 2015. He is the game's first magic-wielding male character, and is a KnifeNut who utilizes magical daggers in the form of a FlechetteStorm, reminiscent of [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV another mystical, teenage boy]].

** Lynn: She's an agile, acrobatic fighter with a [[BladeOnAStick battle glaive]] who utilizes [[HitAndRunTactics hit-and-run tactics]] to kill her foes. Known specifically for her "Swift Assassin" technique, which lets her stack glowing marks on her enemies, which she can later detonate ForMassiveDamage. Does not have a secondary weapon yet.

* AnAdventurerIsYou and CommonCharacterClasses: ''Vindictus'' has multiple classes, of which, eight of the nine are currently available and ready to be played. Some skill customization is possible, but primarily regarding weapons and armor, with a few exceptions. Each one will branch into one of two or three paths, depending on which skills are emphasized. Similar to the original game, all characters are capable of maxing out all skills available to them, effectively building a limited sort of hybrid character. This takes a considerably larger amount of time and effort, however, and most players concentrate on a more traditional build.
** Fiona: A versatile warrior type, heavily to very heavily armoured, wielding a sword and [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe shield]]. Essentially a Paladin, but with a strong counterattack replacing healing. Fiona eventually develops the ability to wield a [[DropTheHammer warhammer]] instead of a sword. Her shield remains extremely important regardless of what weapon you choose. The May 2015 Fiona Revamp has highly boosted her defensive skills, solidifying her status as the [[MightyGlacier tank]].

* CharacterTiers / CompetitiveBalance: In a game with as many characters as this, this was ''bound'' to happen sooner or later. Characters like [[MightyGlacier Fiona]] and [[TheBigGuy Karok]] are valued highly for their high survivability rates, while [[ArcherArchetype Kai]] and [[TheBerserker Hurk]] are great at dealing large amounts of damage without much risk of dying. Variants like [[CombatMedic staff-wielding Evies]] are a necessity due to their healing skills and solid burst damage. [[HitAndRunTactics Vella]] and [[GlassCannon Lynn]] don't take hits as well as they dish them out, but are easy to control in the hands of even inexperienced players. [[FragileSpeedster Lann]] is the only character that is subject to any sort of putdown, due to a very limited playstyle that is difficult to use unless by very experienced players (which are rare and few in between).

* TheAlcoholic: Fergus. There is an entire side quest revolving around his heavy drinking. This actually goes a long way toward explaining his character in [[MabinogiFantasyLife the original game]].

* BroadStrokes: The game chronicles the BackStory of ''{{Mabinogi}}''. The legends probably don't mention the heroes having hundreds of identical clones running around town or completing the same battles dozens of times...

* CrapsackWorld: Though {{Mabinogi}} [[CrapsaccharineWorld isn't exactly a walk in the park in any sense]], Vindictus plays this particular trope straight.

* SuckSessor: The Ferghus of {{Mabinogi}} becomes an example in reverse, in regards to his presumed ancestor; the Ferghus of this game. Unlike his predecessor, this Ferghus never damages your equipment, even if his hands do slip.

* TransformationIsAFreeAction: Like {{Mabinogi}}, you're given an invulnerability buff during transformation sequences, except extending to roughly two or three seconds after you regain mobility.

** A number of high-powered or unique skills seem to fall under this trope for all character types. However, all skills are capped well below maximum. The current highest rank achievable for any skill is 6 (skill ranks range from F at lowest to 1 at highest, in what appears to be reverse hexadecimal notation), with many of the flashier skills capped much lower (typically A, but as low as C in some cases). New episodes are expected to raise or remove the caps, allowing many of these skills to move from AwesomeButImpractical to AwesomeYetPractical, or at least DifficultButAwesome. For example, raising the skill rank on Karok's Boss Bash may allow him to use it on some higher-level bosses which are currently immune.
* AwesomeYetPractical: Two mutually-exclusive transformation skills are available to players: Paladin, which turns the character into a scion of holy strength, emphasizing defensive ability, and Dark Knight, a demonic engine of destruction that emphasizes damage.
** Paladin and Dark Knight have been nerfed with the coming of Karok, but AwesomeYetPractical is still in effect. Taken UpToEleven with the Second Forms (called ''White Knight'' and ''Black Knight'' respectively) which not only makes you look more impressive, but gives you access to even more devastating skills that look even cooler.

* ThighHighBoots: The Succubus boss has 'em. Several female-specific equipment sets also feature these.

** Fiona: A versatile warrior type, heavily to very heavily armoured, wielding a sword and [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe shield]]. Essentially a Paladin, but with a strong counterattack replacing healing. Fiona eventually develops the ability to wield a [[DropTheHammer warhammer]] instead of a sword. Her shield remains extremely important regardless of what weapon you choose. Can emphasize damage and CounterAttack skills (Jack), or defensive skills (Tank).
** Lann (Lethita in the Korean version): A highly agile [[GlassCannon DPS-oriented]] character who uses devastating combo attacks. Lightly to heavily armored and wielding [[DualWield two swords]] or a [[BifurcatedWeapon bifurcated spear]]. Lann [[FragileSpeedster relies more on evasion than armor]], and is the fastest character. Can emphasize high-speed high-damage skills, making him something of a GlassCannon, or build for a comparatively slower, lower-damage, but more survivable JackOfAllStats.
** Evie (Evy in the Korean version): Probably the most flexible character. A mage who barely escapes being a SquishyWizard by virtue of a strong magical shield. Although theoretically capable of heavy armor, building the necessary skills is quite difficult, and she is typically barely to lightly armored. Evie starts out wielding a [[SimpleStaff staff]], and later on has the option to wield a SinisterScythe. Depending on skill build, typically functions as a long-range, small [=AoE=] Nuker and Healer (staff-wielding and emphasis on magic skills), or a short range, wide [=AoE=] Nuker (scythe-wielding and emphasis on damage and defense skills). As of the "Labyrinth" expansion, Evie's staff powers were changed, putting more emphasis on magic attack and defense, and somewhat nerfing her healing ability.
** Karok (Kalok in the Korean version): Karok is a [[OurGiantsAreBigger large humanoid]], who functions as a Tank. He prefers very-heavy armor, and wields a ''[[TelephonePolearm battle pillar]]''. Slow, but capable of absorbing a great deal of damage, and is a badass when it comes to grappling attacks, even putting the moves on bosses! Skill builds can emphasize [[MightyGlacier damage-dealing abilities]], or grappling and defense. Word is that some of his flashier skills are [[AwesomeButImpractical rather weak]]. He can also wield a battle glove, which intersperses punches with flashy, ranged blast attacks.
** Kai (Kay in the Korean version): Kai is a lightly to heavily armored Ranger wielding a bow. He starts with a fast, low-powered, short-range short bow, but can alter it to longer-range, higher-powered, but slower long bow. His arsenal consists of multiple-arrow-firing, rapid-firing, and power-damage skills similar to certain bosses (Jagged Tooth and Singleshot). In the Twilight Desert update, he gained access to his second weapon, Crossgun, which is a sort of a cartridge-loaded repeating crossbow.
** Vella: The HotterAndSexier dual-wielding girl who can counterattack, and has an attack style reminiscent of a cross between Lann and Fiona, where she dash attacks around the enemy. A bit slower and more durable than Lann, Vella is still a GlassCannon [=DPSer=]. Her secondary weapon is a pair of chain weapons called "Dual Blades", reminiscent of [[VideoGame/GodOfWar another special weapon]].
** Hurk: He is a heavily-armored {{Berserker}} who primarily wields a [[{{BFS}} big whacking two-handed sword]]. He's more of a DPS tank, as he is able to effectively counter ANY attack launched his way, even from bosses while taking no damage, after a skill up even his normal attacks don't consume stamina. He currently does not have any secondary weapons.

** Arisha: She is a MagicKnight who uses a Spellsword in addition to a Focus (a glowing orb) to fight enemies. She is a more action-oriented mage character compared to Evie, and she uses mana to augment her sword skills and deal damage to enemies, as well as use it to [[TimeMaster stop time]] for a little bit to let other players deal heavy damage to a stunned enemy.
** Hagie (?): The tenth character, slated to be revealed in KR in July 2015. He is the game's first magic-wielding male character, and is a KnifeNut who utilizes magical daggers in the form of a FlechetteStorm.

** Lynn: The most recently released character in Vindictus NA/EU, she's an agile, acrobatic fighter with a [[BladeOnAStick battle glaive]] who utilizes [[HitAndRunTactics hit-and-run tactics]] to kill her foes. Known specifically for her "Swift Assassin" technique, which lets her stack glowing marks on her enemies, which she can later detonate ForMassiveDamage. Does not have a secondary weapon yet.
** Arisha: Currently tested at the Korean servers. She is a [[MagicKnight spellsword]] who uses a Longblade in addition to a Castlet (portmanteau of ''gauntlet'' and ''caster'') to fight enemies. She is a more action-oriented mage character compared to Evie, who uses mana to augment her sword skills and deal damage to enemies.

* MsFanservice: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGkOqPkyf-s The Succubus Boss.]] Arguably Esyllt as well, being the bustiest NPC in the game, and a [[MoeMoe cute schoolgirl]] in a SailorFuku.

** Lann (Lethita in the Korean version): A highly agile [=DPS=]-oriented character who uses devastating combo attacks. Lightly to heavily armored and wielding [[DualWield two swords]] or a [[BifurcatedWeapon bifurcated spear]]. Lann [[FragileSpeedster relies more on evasion than armor]], and is the fastest character. Can emphasize high-speed high-damage skills, making him something of a GlassCannon, or build for a comparatively slower, lower-damage, but more survivable JackOfAllStats.

* SquishyWizard: Averted by Evie at low levels, thanks to her strong magical shield and fairly weak bosses. At higher levels, when bosses start using more high-powered special attacks, and {{Lightning Bruiser}}s become more common, she gets substantially squishier. Building skills that allow her to use heavier armour reduce her squishiness, but she has to sacrifice attack power to do so, as she gets substantial boosts to her damage from [[StatSticks her cloth armour]], and she's still weaker on defense than FragileSpeedster Lann.