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Shadow Form

Skill Feedback & Suggestion

The following are my personal thoughts on Shadow Form and possible changes, though parts and examples are missed (due to the fact that most people looking are greatly aware of such things) I believe I have addressed the core information. Please feel free to post feedback. On Linsey's talk page Wyn makes a good point about a development process, something that I personally agree with, so in that spirit if people add to the discussion and the ideas seem reasonable and constructive I can adjust skill ideas to show this.

''Yes, this is very long but even taking myself at less mildly seriously I like to at least so show limited understanding of what the hell I'm trying to say. Also, a lot of this was written at 3-4am this morning (my time) so ... yeah.''

Overview
Shadow Form, singularly, is an impressive skill with very powerful benefits and a hefty down-side. However, this skill reaches it's massive potential when used in conjunction with other skills to allow a Sin to become the "Perma-Sin", a term that every developer, and a large portion of the gaming populus are aware of. A Perma-Sin allows for maintainable near-invulnerability from it's ability to have targetted enemy spells fail and all foes attacks to miss, this coupled with it's ability to deal damage, even with it's 33% damage reduction, makes a Perma-Sin a formidable opponent with very few counters. It has become even more potent with the introduction of the Consets related suggestion released with Eye of the North which allows for far more variation in the Perma-Sins builds, breaking away from the need to be a Elementalist or Mesmer secondary to maintain Shadow Form.

At it's simpliest a Perma Sin only requires one additional skill and a party wide consumable to maintain, and allows for the Perma-Sin to use skills from one of the other nine professions quite freely.

However, there in lies its many issues.

Shadow Form, when used singular is high risk, yet the majority of it's use comes in the way of a Perma Sin and has become just too powerful.

An exceptional tank, powerful damage dealing coupled with very few counters make it just too powerful. And this isn't unnoticed by players. Speed clears, the newest in thing is turning previously challenging content into mere childs play, though this has been acknowledged by Arenanet, kind of. However, Perma-Sins are starting to stretch into more and more areas; dungeons, vanquishing (as said by Linsey) etc.

Maintainable near invulnerability is just too powerful of a concept, but when coupled with an equally powerful damage potential?

Like other related skill bars a Perma Sin it can be countered, but unlike others, such as 600s, Elementalist Terra-tanks or even Dervish runners, the counters are far fewer and other restrictions just aren't there. The Perma seen can also act with far greater independence than other 'invincible style builds', and even in a team environment such as with elite/high-end areas like Underworld. Also, the counters to a Perma-Sin are few and far between where the Perma-Sin rules, which is areas of the game that relate to high-end content, and also from an economic sense (with Underworld and Fissure of Woe). This is also greatly increasing the influence of gimmick play, which was strong in high-end areas but taken to a whole new level that is pushing back more balanced groups. People are also becoming, almost, dependant on Perma-Sins. Though this is a varying thing I have observed, Shadow Form as a tank and also a solo damage dealer (when compared to other possible tanks) is heavily preferred in PuGs.

Nerfing / Balancing the Skill
Balancing this skill becomes tricky, a fact that Arenanet are well aware of and an issue that they have greatly prolonged by not addressing it far sooner, also they have received great critism for introducing the basic mechanic of near-invulnerability in such a way as a Perma-Sin.

Though a common voice seeks to nerf it's near-invulnerability that is also a risky move as it's become such a powerful influence of the Perma-Sin. I personally see maintainable invulnerability as a questionable mechanic, it has however been introduced and maintained for so long that removing that functionality could possibly hurt Arenanet's player base too much, which is something Arenanet has been avoiding doing for a great deal of time. It, like comments relating to Ursan, could very well change how areas of the game are played. A concern from Linsey is that if they nerf it people will go back to solo farming and not group play. However, 'group play' in some areas are limited within a very strong gimmick structure which makes pugging or balanced teams harder and harder to find, though not impossible.

Shadow Form is a difficult skill to balance without nerfing it into the ground, but something has to give. Concepts such as allowing it's invulnerability at the cost of it's offensive potential are more appealing, personally, than dropping it's maintainability or a complete change in functionality (though I have a suggestion changing it's fail/miss mechanic slightly). Yet, I feel Arenanet should consider all possibilities; however not correcting Perma-Sins's dual functionality and also the notion of changing zones risks damaging more hurt the situation than it may plan to fix. Finding a way, for example, for making UWSCs less viable with just 7 Sins and a Nerco, or duo'ing by changing the zones may actually make it harder for more balanced teams.

Suggestions
Here are some suggestions of possible changes. Some are more radical than others but are, from my point of view, possible solutions to what I see as the more dominant factors of the skill that should be addressed. Though, I wouldn't mind personally to see the invulnerability style mechanic dropped I do also concede the point that doing so will effectively Smiter's Boon the skill, something that isn't unwarranted but may cause more quite impressive backlash.

"You can't hit me, I can't hit you... well kinda" approach


Possible variation
It may be an idea to allow for a built-in shadow stepping effect should it end, this is more if the health loss was re-introduced. More a defensive measure, to remove the Assassin from more immediate danger to give the player more of a chance to survive with only a fragment of their health.
 * If the health reduction ending effect was re-introduced

Summary
The objective here would be to turn Shadow Form into a defensive skill more than anything else, which would still allow it to maintain itself as an impressive tank or a runner but the down-side would be it's ability to deal direct damage. The energy is increased to make it less spammable over prolonged periods of time. This approach ties the hands of the Perma-sin to an extent but still allows for the core mechanic, positioning and running etc. Conditions, if applied in-directly such as from Viper's Defense wouldn't end Shadow Form. This would still allow for condition based farming but not the all-over-powered farming builds allowed now.

Shadow Form Assassin


Note
Skills that are not dependant on the professions, such as the Eye of the North PvE-Only skills, Resurrection Signet etc would be excluded from the skills that end Shadow Form.

Variation
Removing the health loss entirely might be sugested here as the greater downside becomes the lose of damage. Or, if the reduction in health is to be kept have it be higher, 50 or so health is a bit too much in this case; health all but .

Summary
Another approach would be to restrict Perma-Sins into the actual Assassin line. This would require a far greater change in the skill, from recharge and basic duration, to the ending mechanic, yet a move to also allowing it to be maintainable purely within the Assassin's attribute lines, in a similar way as with Obsidian Flesh. By removing the ability for the Perma-Sin to use skills from the other professions it would greatly decrease it's sense of over-powerness while still allowing the Assassin to foreful the role of the Assassin and other functional roles. This doesn't kill the skill or the ability to farm in certain areas but seeks to address the far greater damage dealing introduced with UWSC builds and the likes.

I'm a Shadow!... kinda


Summary
Probably the suggestion that falls into the Smiter's Boon category of many other people, but something I personally see as being a bit more reasonable than what we have now.

This would be to make it as if the enemy is fighting a shadow, so to speak. Basically when attacking a Shadow Form'er/Perma Sin it is as if the enemy is blinded in sense of its targetted spells and attacks, yet still provides an element of risk. This wouldn't be too high of a risk in standard areas, but in High-end areas even one hit can have devastating results against a less protected Assassin, which may very well require Assassin's to run with supporters. With a shorter duration and higher risk this would still be an impressive skill when used in a maintainable sense, but with that risk comes less durability and versility.

No profession restrictions are added to this version because of the element of risk associated with it, however the decrease in recharge time would require more energy management for variations of Shadow Form. The ability to maintain it within just the Assassin line is also retained in this suggestion from previous ones. Also, the damage reduction is dropped, though this is debatable.

Additional
My related suggestion is included. This calls for the effects of the Essence of Celerity to not stack, so if the suggestion of allowing Permas to maintain Shadow Form entirely within the Assassin lines isn't used it would help in decreasing skill bar variation as a means of slowing down Permas, without impacting too greatly elsewhere, though admittly without greater changes to either the skills, areas where Perma rule, or AI skill bars or programming it wouldn't be by much.