Feedback:User/Diogo da Silva/Elite Fixes

Elite Fixes
User	Diogo da Silva
Categories	Skill feedback → Elementalist  → Other Mechanics → AI

After the elite update for the elementalists, there has been some changes that didn't work well enough, and could easily be pushed a bit further. This is purely based on my experience, so I won't include elites that I didn't play with, nor elites that need further support (from the upcomming part 2 update) to be effective. I'll also try to make my suggestions as simple as possible, as well as include some key AI problems.

Air Magic

• Blinding Surge Target foe is struck for 10...58...70 lightning damage, and Blinded for 3...7...8 seconds. This spell has 25% armor penetration. If this spell strikes an attacking foe, all adjacent foes are also struck by it.
  • I'm going to be nitpicky here, but isn't the old description (and mechanics) a bit too convoluted? Some effects are aoe, others are conditional aoe, and there's even a conditional damage boost... In this suggestion, I have simplified the skill (it always deals +50% damage now), and I've made all aoe effects conditional. Simpler skill for (almost) the same results. There's two key changes, though: it's not as mindless to spread blindness, and it deals generally more damage (very important in PvE to compete against Ineptitude).
• Glimmering Mark
  • This skill is bugged (blindness does not applies to adjacent foes), and hero's AI always cancels its effect. Need fixes here.
• Lightning Surge Also hexes adjacent foes.
  • Because as a PvP-focused skill, it has kind of failed. It's easy to remove, it's easy to prepare for, and ultimately you can do better with other lower-recharge air spells. Adjacent range is not very strong in PvP, but can make this worthwhile picking for specific situations. But even moreso, and especially for, PvE. Also, it's the hex that must be AoE, not the hex's effect. This elite skill shouldn't be disabled by a single hex removal spell in PvE.
• Mind Shock PvE: make it nearby range. Up the exhaustion back to 10.
  • Pointless to have this skill split for PvE as it is. HM monsters have too much energy, and 10 exhaustion for spammable spells is crappy for PvE. So yes, make it this strong. You'll only use it once or twice per battle, anyways, and twice might already be too much. An alternative is:
• Mind Shock PvE: make it adjacent range. Keep exhaustion at 5.
• Thunderclap Causes ~3 seconds daze if enemies are casting a spell.
  • This skill trades power for versatility, but the interrupt is weak, and the anti-melee, although decent, is weaker than Blinding Surge. My suggestion is simply to make this stronger against spellcasters. I don't think it needs much more than that.

Earth Magic

• Sandstorm Reduce the duration to 5 seconds. Have it be at area range (PvP split: 25 energy? 3 casting time?).
  • This skill has so many problems. Mobs spread from the spell quite fast, the damage is only worth mostly against medium or high armored foes, and the recharge and cost are high. I've kept the later values in exchange of a more epic effect. Area range should spread some fun chaos, and make this elite even more unique.
• Shockwave Have weakness be applied at nearby range, and cracked armor at area range.
  • This skill is too strong in Random Arenas' tight maps. Although there are many reasons for that, one of them is the really strong synergy with the already pwoerful Stoning. Even skilled playes who run away from it will not evade weakness. This change will nerf the synergy in PvP formats with tight maps, without nerfing the skill itself.

Energy Storage

• Elemental Attunement Attributes are increased by +4, but capped at 16.
• Elemental Attunement Energy gain reduced to 30%.
  • This elite became widely used for PvE, but it has lead to boring 18+ attribute single-element builds. The first suggestion creates incentives for dual-element strategies (MoM will still be superior for 3-4 elements), and the second makes current Rodgort's spam/ infinite energy less mindless.
• Master of Magic Energy gain increased to 50%.
  • This elite needs it as much, if not more than EA. EA + Single element allows you to stick that one with that element's attunement. The same can't happen when you are using 2+ elements with MoM.
  • The AI also does not pre-casts this like they do with attunements and AoR. Very bad, needs a fix.

Water Magic

• Mind Freeze PvE: Adjacent range.
• Mind Freeze PvE: Nearby range, back to 10 exhaustion.
  • It needs something like this. Same reasons for Mind Shock.
• Shatterstone Have the aoe effect trigger on target's death.
  • This is _really_ important for PvE. Enemies die fast there, and it gets especially worse with a 2s cast spell. At least this change should garantee the aoe effect.

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