User:Bathory/Suggestions/Warrior
The following skill suggestions are for Warrior elite and non-elite skills. They are not actually implemented in the game.
Over view[edit]
- Many Warrior skills seem to have been made to function as part of a team - which is perfectly fine. Except many of these skills (especially in Factions) are horribly inferior to other skills (especially those introduced later in Nightfall). These skills should be improved to be more of an option in organized and un-organized teams.
- Certain skills, especially IMS and IAS skills, have one or two options that clearly outshine all the others - but there are still 5 or 6 different options. These "less popular" options should be looked at to see ways to make them more competitive. I have some suggestions below - but I'm sure it doesn't cover all skills that could be considered weak.
Axe Mastery[edit]
This skill currently has little use in PvE and PvP as you critical enough with points in Mastery and against fleeing foes. This makes it more like Keen Arrow, by rewarding a critical hit instead of ensuring it.
- 4
- Axe Attack. Inflicts Bleeding and Deep Wound conditions (5...17...20 seconds) if target foe is knocked down.
Axe Mastery itself has no knockdown skills, making this force a warrior to use team-work or spec in to another attribute and possibly profession (Shock for example). However, all they got for their efforts is Bleeding, one of the weaker conditions. This way Lacerating Chop would be an alternative to Dismember on axe warriors that do choose to do this. It would not replace Eviscerate since it no longer deals extra damage, and is inferior to Dismember if the target is not knocked down. Deep Wound covers bleeding.
- 5 1
- Elite Axe Attack. You attack target foe three times. Each attack deals +0...8...10 damage. 50% miss chance with Strength 5 or less.
Elite Cyclone Axe is bad for one reason, Cyclone Axe exists and has a better recharge. I'm not the expert on Warriors, but I know that this elite isn't chosen often when there are others available. This change would make it an elite, axe version of Sun and Moon Slash. Each attack is block-able, so this wouldn't assure hitting for a lot unless your target was stripped of their defenses, or didn't have any to begin with (RA). Tagging a miss chance tied to Strength prevents use by other classes. In it's current state, this attack deals +10...34...40 damage, so the numbers listed above remove the AoE part of the skill and lower the extra damage, but make it a good skill to follow Deep Wound with.
Hammer Mastery[edit]
8 adrenaline is a steep cost, halving the cost, damage and energy gain should allow this to be more practical to use (much like the change to Divine Healing/Heaven's Delight)
- Hammer Attack. Deals +5...17...20 damage. Inflicts Blindness condition (0...4...5 seconds) if target foe is knocked down.
Using the same logic as above, halving some of the numbers in this skill (allowing it to be used more often to a lesser effect) should help it's usage. This way, it is available more often and can be used at opportune moments instead of having a lengthy recharge and an effect that lasts a long time but can be removed.
- 7
- Elite Hammer Attack. Deals +10...34...40 damage. Gain 1...3...4 strikes of adrenaline if target foe is Weakened.
This attack deals a healthy amount of damage, and it should stay that way. However, functioning like a non-elite with extra damage isn't always the best course of action for an elite skill. Like the change to Enraging Smash, this skill would help build up adrenaline (including itself) as long as the target meets a condition. With hammers, Weakness is fairly common and shouldn't be a problem.
This skill deals AoE damage but isn't generally used after a KD because it doesn't offer time to use Crushing Blow or Pulverizing Smash to apply Deep Wound, as the two, three or four second window a KD allows is the only time a hammer warrior can inflict that condition. Adding an activation time would speed this up and could allow it to be used with elite knock down skills, or the proposed Forceful Blow above.
Strength[edit]
- Shout. You gain 1...4...5 strikes of adrenaline and lose 0...2...3 conditions if you are knocked down.
This skill (while hilarious) doesn't offer much to a warrior who's been knocked down or has knocked themselves down (Grapple). Buy removing conditions it could allow warriors that meet the prerequisite to shrug off easy to apply anti-melee conditions such as Blind, Weakness and Cripple.
- Shout. Inflict Cracked Armor condition (0...12...15 seconds) and gain 0...2...3 strikes of adrenaline. No effect if target is not under 50% health.
This skill would introduce CrAr to warriors without replacing caster versions to apply it, because a foe that is under 50% health long enough to be noticed or targeted is either dead or healed in organized PvP (and often times in un-organized PvP as well) In PvE, CrAr is also not that important to devote a skill to inflict it on a single target. This would allow warriors that can meet the prerequisite of 50% damage to fuel and use Body Blow, which is one of the only warrior skills (if not the only) that benefit from Cracked Armor specifically.
- Stance. (2...4...4 seconds) You attack 33% faster and gain 0...20...25% more adrenaline. Ends if you use a skill.
Frenzy, Primal Rage and Flail are all stances that have short recharges along with huge drawbacks. While I am not on a Warrior often, skills with shorter, more competitive recharges are more often used than those with long recharges. The duration is the same percentage wise as the original skill. (5/20 = .25 * 8 = 2 seconds) (11/20 = .55 * 8 = 4.4 or 4 seconds) The adrenaline gain has been lowered and scaled to compensate for the increased usage.
Like the suggestion to "I Meant to Do That!", this would allow warriors to counter conditions that they normally rely on other classes to remove for them. Requiring adrenaline to use keeps it from being able to use too freely, and a recharge (which may be unnecessary in PvE) keeps it from constantly building. (Example: Warrior is blind, can not gain adrenaline and can not remove. When Weakened, adrenaline is still gained. Waiting until the warrior is blinded after the skill is charged gives it maximum usage, instead of being spammed as soon as it's full.)
- Signet. (0...12...15 seconds) You have +0...2...2 to Strength.
Instead of adding damage, this would now increase the effectiveness of Strength skills, and add armor penetration (inherit to Strength). It is not maintainable and is unaffected by weapon mods that decrease recharge. (Serpent's Quickness applies though, although the boon is hardly worth it.)
Swordsmanship[edit]
This would allow a pure damage build to focus on damage faster spikes, especially because these adrenal skills take a while to charge.
Tactics[edit]
- Elite Melee Attack. Interrupts attacks. Interruption effect: You gain 1...3...4 adrenaline.
Personally, I don't like the idea of using your elite on a skill that blocks only one attack. In PvE it's useful because warrior often are set in tanking positions (Although Defy Pain now outclasses this). Changing it to an attack that interrupts gives it the ability to fuel your adrenaline in the scenario that you, the 100AL vs. physical damage warrior are not the target of the attack. Sure, it may not strictly follow the definition of the "parry" but it gives this skill an easier to control condition. (You can target someone attacking but you can never force someone to attack you).
- Shout. Moving foes within earshot are knocked down. For each foe knocked down, this skill recharges 5...9...10% faster (maximum 50%).
By allowing this skill to recharge faster for each knocked down foe, it rewards good timing and position for the warrior that uses it. At maximum it would recharge in about 22.5 seconds, which is still rather lengthy.
- Stance. (1...7...8 seconds.) You have a 75% chance to block and +24 armor. Ends if you use a non-adrenal skill.
This skill is extremely limiting. By allowing warriors to use Adrenal skills such as Lion's Comfort or an attack skill, they would be able to use this skill to better use than caster classes that often benefit more from Tactics stances. It would also make it the opposite of Disciplined Stance, which ends on the use of adrenal skills.
This would force the warriors to time when they use their shout, based off the actions of one foe. This would prevent many warriors bringing several copies to energy drain an area, as their foes would need to be constantly using skills in order to suffer from the use of this skill.
After the buff to Defy Pain this needs help to be a viable Energy alternative for PvE tanks.
- Stance. (3 seconds) You move 50% faster while effected by a shout or chant.
Would be comparable to Dash, but as warriors have more options for speed boosts, this one is conditional.
- Elite Stance. (4...9...10 seconds) You attack 33% faster and move 25% faster while effected by a shout or chant. Your non-attack skills are disabled for 8 seconds.
This would make this skill closer to Soldier's Fury, but would cut off the warrior's ability to heal itself or use other utility skills for the recharge of the skill. Still, this is inferior to it's Paragon counterpart, as Warrior's have a smaller selection of shouts, no chants and wouldn't be able to use or charge them during the disable. (This is suggested by Falconeye on the Skill Feedback page)
- Elite Shout. (8 seconds) Your attacks against target foe deal +0...8...10 damage and have 20% armor penetration.
This would be like a PvP accessible version of Asuran Scan. It would target the foe, much like "Coward!" and "You're All Alone!". While gaining damage and armor penetration bonuses, the warrior would not have an IAS or IMS and would still face problems catching and hitting their foes.
No Attribute[edit]
- I've always felt this should cause a condition with a set duration, like YAA. But it wouldn't be right to have it cause either Cripple or Weakness. CrAr?
- 9, 1/2
- Elite Melee Attack. Interupts an action. If that action was a spell, inflict Dazed condition (10 seconds). Unblockable.
This allows to to compete more with Magebane Shot, another unlinked skill that targets spell casters. It still requires timing and 9 adrenaline to use, now it just takes the worry away from attacking foes that may be enchanted with Guardian, Aegis, Weapon of Warding or other blocking skills, such as stances.