ArenaNet talk:Skill feedback/Elementalist/Savannah Heat

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NoXiFy's Discussion

I posted a reply earlier, but I can't find it, so I'll just repeat myself: I honestly don't think that Savannah Heat is overpowered. In the first 3 seconds, it deals exactly as much damage as any comperable non-elite spell (Searing Heat, Breath of Fire, Eruption). During the fourth second, it deals 40 additional damage (which would be a lame effect for an elite if it was the only effect). It only becomes truly powerful during the 5th second, where it deals 60 additional damage.

• 100 extra damage would be overpowered, if it weren't an AoE spell. Most people have left the area of effect well before the 3rd damage wave hits. People need to be extremely unlucky to get hit by the 5th wave. Even when crippled, you can still escape easily enough, and snaring more than one person in it for more than 3 seconds is very hard.*Increasing the casting time is the worst possible fix, because it will render the skill absolutely useless. Not other comperable AoE has 3 seconds casting time, except Churning Earth, which never sees any use because of that extra second, and this skill is an ELITE. It is meant to be very powerful.
• The sets you mention are random bonusses, giving only 36% chance (not 40%) to get half casting time. You may not like the effect they give, but it doesn't make Savannah Heat overpowered. It just make that effect overpowered.

While I agree that the energy cost is very low, the casting time, effect and recharge are all right on target. I actually find it refreshing to hear that at least 1 AoE is capable of doing it's job in PvP. Nicky Silverstar 19:41, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

3s cast would hurt them a lot more. 10e on an ele is basically ignorable; even 15e you just bring GoLE. This skill (along with related ele skills) is essentially brainless territory control. Someone on the cap point? Cast any of four spells, and they're either dead or moved, and no one's moving back there for five or ten seconds. -- Armond Warblade 19:44, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

(ec) Nicky, for the reasons I mentioned above, AoE has no place in PvP. -- Armond Warblade 19:44, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Are the capture ranges smaller than those used in AB? Because if they are, then I can understand it (a little). However, I still disagree. Dot AoE is generally very underpowered in PvP, and is good at only one thing: controlling movement. You're complaining about Savannah Heat doing the one thing it CAN do in PvP. That is like saying that monks shouldn't be allowed because they heal people. Nicky Silverstar 20:27, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

They're freaking tiny, like the entire rest of the maps (it's very easy to drop AoE over 60% of Fetid River, for example), and it only takes a few seconds to take enough of them to change the game. At the very least, I think this (and related spells) needs to affect a maximum of 1...3...3 foes. But just because a skill is designed to do something doesn't mean it's not overpowered. -- Armond Warblade 21:00, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Savannah Heat is one of the few good nuking skills, and nuking sucks overall in PvP unless you know that a handful of foes are all going to be in one place (like on an alter). Considering the recharge time, and that any foe in danger of being killed with be smart enough to move, and that having a form of heavy (if temporary) pressure against the Ghostlies is neccessary... yeah, I think SH is just fine.--76.64.101.188 20:49, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Then my vote would go for increasing the space players have (especially the cap ranges, since SH is no problem in AB whatsoever), not nerfing the skill. What I meant was "If a skill can do only one thing, or is usable in just a few relatively rare situations, then it is allowed to be much more powerful than skills like Blindind Surge, which always have a use no matter the circumstances." SH will only ever be good in PvP if there is little room to move. And they're only good on that map, when the map size increases, the effectiveness of SH plummets.

The "only affect x targets" clause would be the worst nerf I could think of personally.Nicky Silverstar 08:01, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

I agree - making the maps bigger would be a far more effective way of dealing with it, and limiting the number of people it can affect would be the worst nerf possible. Yet we've tried to get new maps in the past - and it's just not worked. With the team now heavily focused on GW2, I doubt we'll get any more response to our petitions for new maps now than we did before. Therefore, the only other recourse I can think of is to nerf the problematic skills. It's a far less effective solution than dealing with the problem at its source, but there you go. -- Armond Warblade 09:29, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

I'll admit, that was a stupid suggestion on my part. :D How about increasing the cap range to match that of AB? That way, you can actually avoid the spell but still remain within cap range. I am suggesting this, because your nerf will have to be applied to all AoE spells in order to be effective, but it will also effectively end the Elementalist's career as a nuker in PvE. Nicky 15:48, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

Make it last more, reduce instant damage, but keep overall damage. Something like this: 15/2/25 Elite spell. You create a savanah heat at target foe's location. For 10...14 (15 at 18 fire) seconds, all foes nearby this location are struck for 15 damage plus 5 damage for each second this spell has been in effect. This way, it has some more control potential, but not life-threatening.

To be honest, good teams don't use nukers. They use way too much energy per point of damage when compared to a warrior, who deals 50 dps for one pip of regen... Eles are, and were always meant to be, a support class. -- Armond Warblade 18:21, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

If good teams don't use nukers, then what's the problem with this skill? Basically you say that a nuker will never work in PvP, except in this particular situation...I'd say that this skill is well balanced ny the fact that it won't wok anywhere else then. Problem solved, no need to change it at all. Nicky 22:43, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

Good PvE teams. Good PvP teams don't use it either, I guess, but that's because they have half a thimble of skill and don't need lolbrainlessness to win. Nice new sig, btw. -- Armond Warblade 07:46, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

So basically you're saying it is a mediocore skill, yet you want it nerfed? I don't quite follow. Nicky 11:10, 22 February 2008 (UTC) P.S. Thanks for the compliment, but it is really Anet who made the art. I just made it smaller. ^^

The only part where this spell is really powerful is in normal mode PvE tank&spank groups. Everywhere else it is mediocre at best. And that is hardly a reason to nerf it in any way. Beetlejuice 15:31, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

HA has shitty maps like fetid, thus making Rspike and SH-way viable. SH itself, is not the problem. --Readem 23:24, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

SH isn't good in HA because it does super high damage. It's good in HA because the cap shrines are too small, and one PAoE spell covers the entire capping area. They need to increase the capping area. SH itself is pretty weak if you have the common sense to move out of it, which is why it sees no play in GvG. ~Shard (talk / Nerf List) 03:24, 23 February 2008 (UTC)

what no one uses that! 76.26.189.65 08:00, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

Nah, SH is certainly not OP - in fact, HA and PvE are probably the only real places it's used. Even if you were to nerf it down a tiny bit, a 3 cast is WAY too long (the 10 bit would be more than enough).

Savannah Heat is only overpowered if you're stupid enough to camp in it. Nerf it to 10 energy at most, that's all.

Because kiting is always possible, amirite? -- Armond Warblade{{Bacon}} 23:42, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

Add "Foes suffering from a Water Magic hex or knocked down suffer no damage". Fixed

If by "fixed" you mean "murdered". I really hope you meant that as a joke. Bathory 10:06, 21 February 2009 (UTC)