User:TimeToGetIntense/game balance

'''Here I shall post a list of skills and how I think they should be changed. Comments would be appreciated.'''


 * : Increase casting time to 2 seconds.

''I'm sorry, but there's no way 100% uptime blind immunity should be viable, especially when you can grab a Scythe and spike for 300-400 damage. This is a team arenas issue.''

The problem with this is 2c makes it extremely hard to use in anything but a spike build, I was trying to hit energy into to leave both uses viable. Izzy @  -' 00:30, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * : Increase health sacrifice cost to 25%, increase casting time to 1 second.

''I like this skill. I don't like how there's nothing you an do about it.''

The goal was to keep the duration short, like a Knockdown there isn't much you can do about it once it happens to you, you just have to wait it out and react to the fact it's in play. Izzy @  -' 00:30, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * The problem is there's very little you can do to stop the necro from applying this. It gives you the shutdown of other skills that have 1s cast times, or are attack skills. Which other skill lets you shut down a character completely for 4 seconds with 1/4 cast time? That's what makes this skill dominate Team Arenas so hard. The only way to stop it is to remove it before the spike goes through. --TimeToGetIntense 00:57, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Expertise: No longer affects non-Ranger attack skills.

''Escape-Scythe Rangers are really bad for the game. So are pack-hunters.''

I think this really destroys a bunch of fun and interesting builds, the Thumper, Pack hunters, and Escape guys are interest builds and one of the few ways that rangers are seeing play. Izzy @  -' 00:30, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Escape Rangers are rediculously easy to play. Basically you can't capitalize on mistakes made by the player playing the R/D. What's higher priority, builds that break class barriors or builds that reward skill? --TimeToGetIntense 01:03, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * I don't think the problem with that build is because of Escape. Scythe as a weapon itself is overpowered.  Mainly because how the critical hit mechanic in this game works.  If you kite, scythe auto crit and deal massive damage.  If you don't kite, you take a lot of damage too.  Escape-scythe just make it easier to apply that auto crit.  Lightblade 18:30, 27 May 2008 (UTC)


 * : Lower recharge time to 2 seconds.

''Stop nerfing every good Ele build into the ground! Nerfing every single skill on the Mind Blast bar was very excessive!''

This nerf was a bit of an over correction in my mind, I think it was due tot his ability to split, pressure, and farm NPC's at VoD. Izzy @  -' 00:30, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * : Lower recharge time to 8 seconds.

''This skill was rediculous at 5/1/5 healing for 80, but now it's plain underpowered. Try having multiple skills in an attribute viable at the same time for once. What an idea!!!''

Well we pulled it from play due to how it forced the game into a shut down heavy environment where every team spent all it's time shutting down or Protecting LoD. Izzy @  -' 00:30, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * : Add: All of your Monk skills are disabled for 5 seconds. Increase range to entire compass.

''I believe the game will improve once this skill can only be used on midliners. Back when people complained about this being cast out of range on flaggers, it was actually better for the game because it was a good split skill. Now it's a bad split skill, so either your team is a split team and does not use this skill, or it's a stand team and uses this skill. In other words, buildwars.''

I think it's pretty hard to make a skill like this viable on Midlines and not backline, and if it is possible 15e is the way to do that. Izzy @  -' 00:30, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * : Add: Target ally is healed an additional 5...58...70 for each condition or hex removed.

''This would reward skilled use of the skill while making it more efficient. Right now it's impossible to survive when your elite is on par with Heal Other in healing power. Unless all the damage stuff is nerfed BLight will need to be more energy efficient, however, I am against the popular ideas of lowering the energy cost because it would make this an easy skill to use.''

I've had a lot of proposals for making this skill work and I think it just needs a higher heal to make up for it's cost but the cost is what makes the skill require a lot of skill to use, you have to know the right time to make it worth the energy, if you lower the energy you just spam this sucker on recharge because it's the best skill to use in all sisuations. Izzy @  -' 00:30, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * : Duration: 0...12...15, Recharge: 20 seconds, Block Chance: 15...51...60%, casting time: 3/4 seconds.

''This would make this skill ONLY viable if you were an Earth Ele. Earth should not be an afterthought for other Eles. It's rediculous that Air Eles can be effective with WaM. It's one of the big problems, you can pack way too many team defense skills on one bar. Air Eles are great even without WaM. Having this skill be viable for them is just excessive.''

That was sort of the point, try and force a hard to remove hard to deal with skill like this to be used less often. Izzy @  -' 00:30, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * : Lower casting time to 1 second.

''This is just one of those things to keep up with the power creep. Projectile spells reward skill anyway.''

1c high damage skills are super bad for spike I mean basicly Liquid flame is this and it causes all sorts of problems in spikes. Izzy @  -' 00:30, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * If a 1s cast projectile spike was good, people would be running FC Air Spike all over the place. I admit it is a formidable build, but my guild beat one of those in a recent AT no problem. We just had to play a bit carefully. This was Mesmers with cracked armor Lightning Orbs though. Fireball isn't as strong in the first place. --TimeToGetIntense 00:57, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * : Lower casting time to 1 second, lower recharge time to 15 seconds.

''Maybe viable. Maybe.''

Lowering costs on these things are some of the directions we've been pushing it. Izzy @  -' 00:30, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * : Lower casting time to 1 second, lower recharge time to 10 seconds. Lower energy cost to 10.

''I think delayed damage is good for the game. It rewards active play for both sides, plus it allows a single character to have a powerful spike without promoting caster spike teams.''

This isn't too far off from being playable, I agree it's hard to make it worth the 15e thought. Izzy @  -' 00:30, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * : Lower casting time to 2 seconds, lower recharge time to 20 seconds.

''3 second casting times are not viable anymore. Rangers are practically immune to blind, and Mesmer interrupts are amazing now. Also, the recharge time is a bit long considering it has exhaustion. However, it has a very strong effect, so 20 seconds is low enough imo.''

High AOE damage + KD makes this thing good, I know in the interrupt heavy meta it's just not viable but this skill is used in other game types. Izzy @  -' 00:30, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * : Lower casting time to 2 seconds, lower recharge time to 5 seconds.

''I don't see why this was left alone for so long. It was overpowered years ago, now we have stronger counters to skills like this.''

Airs job is not AOE they just shouldn't have very good AOE skills. Izzy @  -' 00:30, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * : Make it steal health from the target of the failed spell rather than the caster, lower recharge time to 20 seconds.

''This skill lacks potency compared to similar skills, and it is in a weak attribute. It's one of the skills that could make the attribute good if it was better. Having it steal from the target means that it almost always deals damage to a priority target, which makes it more potent.''

I think the point of this is to attack monks or self casts, that would nerf it pretty hard. Izzy @  -' 00:30, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


 * When the Monk casts on himself, it would steal from him, being the target of the spell. :P

Here's my take on skills that Izzy apparently wants to make viable as indicated by various updates:


 * : Increase energy loss to 1...12...15, lower recharge to 20 seconds, set energy cost to 15.

''It's not easy to get the energy denial out of this skill. It should at least be on par with Power Leak. It doesn't even interrupt and it's probably harder to use effectively.''


 * : Remove "Berserker Stance ends if you use a skill." Change duration to 2...8...10 seconds, increase recharge time to 25 seconds.

''This skill will never be good without removing that clause. The duration change is to prevent Assassin abuse.''


 * : Lower energy cost to 5, lower duration to 0...4...5 seconds, lower recharge time to 12 seconds.

''This skill is currently too passive and since it can't be used with a speed boost, it is easily countered. Make it more active.''


 * : Lower activation time to 0 seconds.

''This skill isn't powerful. Why does it stop the action for 1.75 seconds when there's nothing crazy it can do? The time invested in this skill is not worth what it does, especially since it is an elite skill.''


 * A cast time delay on Flourish is necessary. What else can prevent a warrior from chaining 8 quarter cast attack skills?  And 3 of these are interrupts, and all of them doesn't have after cast. Lightblade 18:38, 27 May 2008 (UTC)


 * : Lower recharge time to 10 seconds.

''It's not good because non-weapon specific interrupts have shorter recharge times. Because it is weapon specific, it should be stronger than non-weapon specific alternatives, thus it would deal damage and have the same recharge time as the options that you can run with any weapon.''


 * : Lower casting time to 1 second, lower duration to 5 seconds. Lower energy cost to 5. Increase damage to 10...54...66 Add "If target foe is attacking when this hex ends, it is re-applied."

It's too passive right now. It owns in RA and that's about it. With more damage, less casting time, and a much shorter duration, it would stop a Warrior from attacking for a short time, rewarding awareness (eg. You know he's going to spike). With the re-apply clause it would still be a nice passive noob stomper like all the scrubs enjoy, it would keep it's effectiveness in PvE, it would punish bad players too. Note that the clause would apply only to it naturally ending, not removed prematurely!

Crazy ideas:


 * : Change functionality to "Enchantment Spell. For 3...10...12 seconds, Every 3 seconds, you gain health equal to your current energy.", Lower energy cost to 5, increase recharge time to 20 seconds.

''Currently this spell is so bad you're forced to use your secondary for any survivability on Elementalists. The time invested in healing is huge compared to other skills. Some people would compare it to Healing Signet or Troll Unguent to counter my arguement, however, those skills belong to professions with high armor plus movement and block stances, which have no time costs, which makes the time cost of their heals far less important.''


 * : Change skill type to "skill", increase activation time to 1 second.

''I get it, everyone has a hardon for Rangers. At least give Eles a fighting chance by making this slightly easier to Gale. At the same time, make this no longer a spell so that Monks still have a way to deal with Daze in arenas.''


 * : Move to Healing Prayers, lower recharge time to 3 seconds. Increase heal per remaining condition to 15...67...80. Increase casting time to 1 second.

''Since healing is reactive, it should have a reactive condition removal. Protection has so many now that some of them simply have no place.''


 * : Add: If target foe suffers from a Deep Wound, target foe is Dazed for 1...4 seconds. Increase adrenaline cost to 9.

Unlike other Daze skills, this would be a window of opportunity skill rather than a passive shutdown.


 * : Change functionality to: Knocked-down foes cannot block your attacks. Lower energy cost to 5, lower recharge time to 30 seconds.

This would be viable but not overpowered.


 * : In addition to its current damage, add "This attack deals +1...8...10 additional damage for each condition on your target. (Maximum +30)".

''This would give it synergy with the other pressure oriented Axe Skills (Dismember, Axe Rake, Axe Twist, Lacerating Chop). This would also give it tons of power, but would be easily countered and fail at spiking.''


 * : Increase casting range to 200% of normal casting range.

The need to be in range of an enemy makes this a very poor skill.