Exclusive: Deep Dive Into Evasion’s Surgeon Class, Team Healer and Keystone

Throughout the month of August, we’ll be bringing you an exclusive look at Archiact’s Evasion, a cooperative bullet-hell FPS in VR. We teamed up with the developer to get access to in-depth information on each of the four classes in Evasion. We’ll dive into their strengths, abilities, and even some of the lore behind how they fit into the Vanguard. Archiact gave us a look at the Striker and Engineer over the last two weeks, while today will dive into the Surgeon, a support class essential to your team composition.

Check out the Striker profile and our look at the Engineer.

If you need a refresher, take a look at the Vanguard as a whole, Evasion’s top-tier combat unit. Otherwise you can skip down to the section titled “Surgeon” to see what this keystone class is all about. This profile is once again courtesy of Evasion’s Narrative Designer Peter Boychuk.

Phoenix Rising: The Origin of the Vanguard

After the Slaughter of Ajax Six, when a entire regiment was decimated during the First Optera War, Terran High Command realized the futility of using shock and awe tactics against a foe who could instantly teleport huge numbers of troops over vast distances.

A decision was made to assemble an elite team that could swiftly mobilize to hot spots and operate behind enemy lines. Because they would be working with little to no tactical support, this team would be comprised of the top recruits and would receive the best training and equipment.

They called them the Vanguard.

Four Classes

Initially, there were no separate classes of Vanguard. However, as Command began using them more and more (which resulted in their missions becoming increasingly multivalent) the need for areas of specialization became apparent, so the Vanguard was broken into four classes: Striker, Surgeon, Warden, and Engineer.

Choose Your Path

Each hero class has unique avatars, custom armor, a distinct energy shield, a specific blaster variant with a powerful charge shot, class-specific tether abilities and a special Surge Attack.

Unlike many other shooters, players in Evasion aren’t locked into one class. At any point between missions, you can visit the hangar and select a different class.

The four classes have been designed to suit specific play styles. For example, players who like charging into the fray with guns blazing might find themselves gravitating to the Warden, while players who like playing more of a support role may prefer to play as a Surgeon. All classes can hold their own in a firefight and have an arsenal of deadly weapons at their disposal.

Surgeon

The Surgeon was the first new class to be created. As the Vanguard’s missions became increasingly perilous, the need for a dedicated healer class got more pressing. However, Command knew that having a traditional medic tag along would be suicide — they’d get slaughtered in seconds. And so, the Surgeon was born: a lethal fighter armed with potent weapons who boasts unequaled curative abilities.

“I’ve Got Your Back”

Surgeons are master diagnosticians who are ideal for players who stay calm on the battlefield and like to size up the situation. Once they have the lay of the land, they’ll wade in, using their enhancing healing abilities to buff up a teammate that is on cusp of death while simultaneously clearing a wave of persistent Gnats with a few bursts of their semi-automatic blaster. Then they’ll partner up with their teammate to take out the charging Megatoma with their savage Surge Attack, ‘Lobotomy’.

Semi-Automatic Blaster

The Surgeon instrument of choice is a Protector-class blaster fitted with special “Bloundhound” homing ammo. When the Charge Shot is engaged, the blaster goes semi-automatic, firing a deadly burst that will seek out and cripple Optera.

Tether Abilities

Like all classes, the Surgeon can create a tether that can be used to help teammates (Tether Link) or damage enemies (Tether Lash).

While all classes can heal, the potency of the Surgeon’s Tether Link is unparalleled. Not only does the curative beam restore health at a much faster rate, but it can also temporarily increase a teammate’s overall health. For this reason alone, no team should be without a Surgeon.

Meanwhile, the Surgeon’s Tether Lash can slow down enemies while draining their health, making the Surgeon the only class that can self-heal.

Lobotomy

Surge Attacks are the ultimate way to destroy Optera, and can only be triggered once your weapon has been sufficiently powered up.

“Lobotomy” is just as vicious as it sounds. The tether slows down and siphons health from up to two targets, while the blaster unleashes four supercharged homing rounds that smash them apart. Hopefully, the Optera have a good health insurance provider.

The Keystone

With his enhanced healing abilities, the Surgeon plays a critical support role, but he is also effective front range fighter. If the Vanguard were a band, the Surgeon would be the drummer. He is vital to the group, but can also bang out a show-stopping solo.

By their nature, Surgeons work well with any other class. They can assist the Engineer in crowd control, keep the Warden from losing health as they charge into the fracas, and fight alongside the Striker as they cleave a path through an Optera swarm.

Stay tuned! Next week we’ll be bringing you an in-depth look at the final class (Warden) in our exclusive coverage of Archiact’s Evasion for PSVR. Evasion releases on October 9, 2018.