The Herding skill has been completely transformed! We’ve replaced the manual "Aggression" power with a persistent passive system that empowers your pets just by having the right tools in hand.

🐾 Passive Herding System Players no longer need to manually activate abilities to buff their pets. Instead, your pets are empowered automatically whenever you have a Shepherd's Crook equipped.

• Persistent Empowerment: Simply equipping a crook grants your pets (Tamed, Summoned, Necromancy, and Mage-Summons) significant combat bonuses.
• Bonus Damage: Pets gain up to +35% bonus damage based on your Herding skill.
• Movement Speed: Pets gain up to +20% movement speed, allowing them to keep up with you and their targets much more effectively.
• Visual Indicator: A new Herding Bonus icon will appear in your buff bar whenever your crook is providing these benefits.

📈 Skill Progression

• Passive Gains: We’ve removed the need to "grind" herding manually. You will now gain Herding skill naturally as your pets fight in combat, provided you have a crook equipped.
• Consistent Growth: Skill gain checks occur periodically during active combat, ensuring a steadier path to Grandmaster level.

🛠️ Equipment & Manuals

• Lowered Requirements: The Crook now requires only 40 Herding to use (down from 60), making it accessible much earlier in your journey.
• Veterinary Manuals: Existing traits that previously improved the old "Aggression" skill have been automatically updated to enhance your new passive bonuses:
  • Increased Aggression Damage now increases your Passive Herding Damage.
  • Increased Aggression Duration now increases your pets' Movement Speed bonus.