Following our exclusive in-depth Slayer reveal, we went straight to TERA Senior Producer Brian Knox to get even more information on the class. He discusses balance, skills, and more!

It's always great to hear about new class reveals straight from the development team, as nothing gives players a better idea of the future development of the class, and the potential it will have, than by speaking to the people responsible for balancing it. So when En Masse gave us an exclusive in-depth look at TERA's Slayer class, you can bet that we also took the opportunity to sit down with Senior Producer Brian Knox to find out even more about this heavy-swingin', back-stabbin' rogue/warrior hybrid. Read on for the revealing interview!

ZAM: First, thank you for taking the time to talk to us about the upcoming Slayer class in TERA!

Brian Knox: It's our pleasure. We love having the opportunity to get this information out to the fans, especially if it helps them decide on a character class that's just right for their playing style.

ZAM: You've just revealed some more in-depth information on the Slayer and how it will fight. Most notable is the fact that the Slayer maximizes mobility and focuses on a lot of wide-swinging attacks. Originally, it seemed as though the Slayer was going to be more of a heavy-armor class (it still notes this on the official TERA website!) - what precipitated the modifications to restrict Slayers to lighter armor with more mobility?

Brian: To answer the question simply, balance. We go through many different balance changes with our classes and the roles they'll play. The slayer's role was always that of a damage dealer, and to offset this we felt it was necessary to reduce the amount of damage the class could absorb. Rather than making the slayer a heavy-damage-absorbing armor class, we instead focused on giving the class quick movement and dodge abilities. This made it a natural switch to light armor.

ZAM: In designing the Slayer, there must have been a few skills that the team has felt were "iconic" of the Slayer class - abilities that, when used, both players and developers alike recognize and say "Ahh, he was mashed by a Slayer!" What abilities do you think really represent what it is to be a Slayer?

Brian: Two skills really define a slayer, and one plays perfectly off the other. The first skill is Knockdown Strike. You spin your blade in a wide arc, doing a lot of damage to your foe, but more importantly, knocking him down. Now you can combo with Leaping Strike, leaping forward and driving that huge sword downward. When the opponent is knocked down, you get a huge bonus to damage. It's a fantastic thing to watch your character swing his sword in a graceful arc, knock his opponent onto his back, and then drive his sword straight down through him.

ZAM: Given the Slayer's high mobility and high damage capabilities when attacking an enemy's blindside, some players have drawn more assassin / rogue-like parallels to the Slayer, as opposed to, say, the straight-smashing Berserker. In party play, what roles do you see the Slayer filling?

Brian: The slayer is certainly versatile in a fight. Slayers can wade into the middle of the fight like a lancer or berserker because the dodge ability makes up somewhat for the light armor. They can do extra damage to enemies who are already focused on other party members. They can execute lots of fast and fancy moves to get themselves out of tight spots-they even have a range attack in Blazing Blade. We like to think of the slayer not only as a damage-dealer, but as an all-around asset to any party, and a pretty dazzling solo class, too.