ArenaNet talk:Skill feedback/Mesmer/Empathy

I think this skill is fine compared to stuff like blurred - I think the problem here is that it is too easily covered. MAybe make it do 15% less damage for every hex on the recipient?  nuke7    12:13, 4 April 2008 (UTC)
 * If the melee takes NO other damage other then empathy he SHOULD be able to kill his target(which does not heal) with a decent amount of hit points to spare, also last time they buffed this I think there were 100 replies as to why it was bad to have buffed it. I say leave as is76.26.189.65 12:33, 4 April 2008 (UTC)
 * melee hexed with empathy should not try to attack through it, or face their monks' wrath. [[Image:Nuclear7 sig image2.jpg|19px]]   nuke7    [[Image:Nuclear7 sig image2.jpg|19px]] 20:36, 4 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Empathy do damage with each swing, regardless whether it's blocked or missed. So it's possible for the melee to do no damage at all and still take damage from Empathy.  Essencially what I'm saying is...you can cast both Empathy and Blurr on the target.  Lightblade 21:39, 4 April 2008 (UTC)
 * But you deserve to take damage if you try to attack through both melee hate and empathy. [[Image:Nuclear7 sig image2.jpg|19px]]   nuke7    [[Image:Nuclear7 sig image2.jpg|19px]] 08:11, 6 April 2008 (UTC)
 * That is correct. Therefore proves the skill disables melee 100% of the time.  Lightblade 22:02, 6 April 2008 (UTC)
 * No, a warrior that gets empathy at the spike won't stop cause he'll get a kill for his pains. Empathy can't stop a melee spike, melee hate like bsurge, blurred will. Empathy will just discourage damage, and at some points you can afford to bear the empathy's punishment. So, it doesn't shutdown melee offense. But empathy + Melee hate + a stupid warrior = A dead warrior. [[Image:Nuclear7 sig image2.jpg|19px]]   nuke7    [[Image:Nuclear7 sig image2.jpg|19px]] 17:04, 7 April 2008 (UTC)
 * A warrior can't spike without adrenaline. Where do you get adrenaline? Either for striking with a weapon (empathy trigger), or take damage (hey, nobody targets warrior without a good reason).  Lastly, Warrior's spike is not fast enough without Frenzy, and I doubt you'll frenzy through empathy. Lightblade 05:13, 9 April 2008 (UTC)
 * You'll frenzy through empathy if you feel that you can get a kill, and If your monks give the OK on the Spirit Bond you need. As for adrenaline, I can just say "Bsurge is worse", or I can say "Vigourous spirit" or maybe even "hex removal". No mesmer hex stacks a warrior, the problem is when necros hex stack people, which needs to be hit on a whole new level. [[Image:Nuclear7 sig image2.jpg|19px]]   nuke7    [[Image:Nuclear7 sig image2.jpg|19px]] 15:16, 9 April 2008 (UTC)


 * Speaking as a monk that has encountered this hex a lot, especially after the buff, its not very painful in high PvP. The skill sees a lot of play in RA and TA, and I think it did before the buff too, so I'm honestly not completely sure why it was buffed, but here is why, as I see it >> The skill has many counters. Since the damage is only dealt to the one person, SoA, Shielding, Healing seed, or Vigorous Spirit all reduce the effect of it. I think hex removal as a counter is obvious. for SS, by contrast, only seed works. The melee may not take damage with all the other options, but damage from AoE is still caused. I dont know, I am not sure the skill is broken, but at the same time, I aknowledge it may be causing problems in RA/TA. --Angelic Loki 05:38, 10 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I guess you haven't encountered the kind of mes that cast a empathy on melee, then switch to camp the monk for a hex remove pleak. Bsurge is actually not as bad, because all condition remove skills are <3/4 cast, but all (but one) hex remove skill is 1 second cast.  Interrupt a 3/4 is challenging, but interrupt a 1 second cast is just a routine.  It's a big difference.  Lightblade 22:00, 10 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Personally, I'm an avid believer in keeping hex removals with fast casting midliners. That being said, Bsurge is a greater strain to your energy - You have to waste 5 energy everytime an ele bsurges the frontline. Also, bsurge hits aoe.


 * If you still want to nerf it, deal with stacking. Make it do less damage while under other hex spells. [[Image:Nuclear7 sig image2.jpg|19px]]   nuke7    [[Image:Nuclear7 sig image2.jpg|19px]] 23:09, 10 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Why would anyone want to nerf it? It only gets play in RA and its also the only skill that makes RA dom mesmers viable. Face it if there was no empathy all you would see is migraine and ineptitude(oh yeah nerf this its powerful against physicals) since the skill is ok for a mesmer in ra(seriously look at the whole thing, not just the skill) and is not a problem at higher levels of PvP just leave it as it is.--SiDima 03:45, 30 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Speaking of RA, melee can easily kill a caster in a few seconds with the builds going around. I do not see how this is overpowered if it can only kill if the hexed target attacks. Almost any melee combo that inflict deep wound can kill the target mesmer before suffering too much damage from empathy. Besides, you see Devishes, Rangers and Assasins attacking through this and killing things with 100+ scythe damage and healing through mystic regen. Melee is already very powerful these days and they do not need anymore indirecting buffing by nerfing a hex which is rarely played in meta. --Shadetz X 01:20, 6 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Which wouldn't happen if Anet actually bothered to fix broken trash like sway. --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:72.71.211.220 (talk).

I know this hasn't seen discussion in quite some time, but anyway... I believe that the problem with this skill is that it gives far too great a reward for such a PASSIVE skill. Nuke says somewhere further up the page "melee hexed with empathy should not try to attack through it," which is a perfect indication of how powerful its shutdown capability can be. Though I agree that it is fairly useless in high pvp, it really does allow a bad mesmer to effectively completely shutdown a melee class INDEFINITELY on a team without hex removal, then move on to other tasks without any fear of that character doing anything without killing themselves. Guild wars is a game of skill. Placing a hex on someone and effectively removing them from the game in 4v4 pvp for quarter of a minute is not skill. I am not arguing that this skill is overpowered, because it is not. It simply gives too much reward for such a mindless easy to use skill. I believe that Backfire and the new Visions of Regret have the same problem.--118.90.6.227 16:43, 29 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Another balancing problem that doesn't take a genius to fix. Reduce energy to 5, reduce cast time to 1, cut recharge to 5 seconds, and make it end after 3 attacks. Rewards active use instead of fire-and-forget. --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:72.71.215.11 (talk).
 * And makes it complete trash in PvE. -- Gordon Ecker 22:34, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Lightblade's issue
How about limiting it to the next 1...5...6 attacks instead? --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:72.71.223.24 (talk).