User:Soldier198/Balancing Metrics

What is this page?

This page details some of the balancing standards set by Arenanet throughout the course of Guild Wars' lifespan. It attempts to detail skills of specific and similar types (that is to say they do similar things) and note the metrics by which they are balanced through the games system of skill cost. It's going to be a work in progress for a while.

For ease of comparison, all attributes for a skill discussed from a PvE perspective will assumed to be 15, unless noted otherwise. PvE-only skills will be considered as having max title rank.

Single target armor ignoring high damage skills

Definition: Single target, armor ignoring and high damage skills generally exist for the sole purpose of dealing damage, and otherwise have limited or non-existent secondary functionalities. Arenanet introduced a number of skills across multiple profession that fit into this category.

Perspective: PvE, Caster Skills

Discord: Balance wise, Discord is probably the strongest skill in this category. It deals a rather high 110 armor ignoring damage, and in terms of cost needs only 5 energy, 1 second to cast, and 2 seconds to recharge. However, the damage it does is balanced out by its conditionalness. To deal any damage at all, a foe must at minimum to be under the effects of a condition, and secondly needs to be hexed or enchanted. If these requirements are not met, the skill will do nothing at all, and so it deserves its powerful effect.

Necrosis: Necrosis is also very powerful, and less conditional overall than Discord. Additionally, it is a PvE-only skill, which generally means that it may be more powerful than skills that can be used in PvP. As opposed to Discord, Necrosis needs only a condition or hex to be on a foe to deal its 90 damage. Both skills also share the same costs. However, one difference lies in Necrosis being a skill instead of a spell. Necrosis cannot function with 40/40 sets to reduce its recharge nor cast time, which slightly reduces its power. Discord, by virtue of being a spell in an attribute line, can and should take advantage of a 40/40 set to increase the frequency at which it can be used. On the other hand, there exist more counters to spellcasting than there does the general use of skills, and so Necrosis is more difficult to interrupt and deter usage of.

Obsidian Flame: Obsidian Flame, as a non-elite skill, deals a potent 112 damage, and unlike the other two skills, is completely unconditional. Disregarding effects which reduce damage, it will always deal damage against a foe, yet consequently has a greater cost to use. It recharges slower at 5 seconds, casts longer at 1 and 1/2 seconds, and has an additional overcast cost of 5. Overcast degenerates at a rate of 1 point per 3 seconds, so a single use of Obsidian Flame needs a 15 second window for the player to recoup their overcast cost. And because overcast cannot be avoided, it also discourages the player from spamming Obsidian Flame as often as one might spam Necrosis or Discord, provided they can afford the energy cost on those two skills. As such, Obsidian Flames increased skill cost essentially acts as the counter-balance for its ability to unconditionally deal such a high amount of damage.

Spiritual Pain: Spiritual Pain is the first skill on our list that has a function other than dealing damage to a single target; it also damages (for a rather high amount) all summoned creatures in the area of the foe. This adds a new metric that must be accounted for on our scale of balance. Spiritual Pain deals 75 damage to its target, while also damaging summoned creatures in the area for 125 damage. As compared to our previously mentioned skills, Spiritual Pain needs 5 energy, 1 second to cast, and 7 seconds to recharge. On paper, this skill deals less damage against a single target than the others. However, Mesmers have access to Fast Casting, which reduces the casting time and recharge (in PvE) of all their skills. Therefore, Spiritual Pain, depending on the players investment in Fast Casting, may actually cast faster and recharge quicker than what is stated in the skill description. Fast Casting adds a new dimension to the balance of Mesmer skills, because now we must account for the effects of Fast Casting on a skill instead of solely the traditional skill costs. As we can see, the traditional costs of Spiritual Pain have only been increased on its recharge, while its targeted damage is also slightly less. In exchange, it gains the ability to damage summoned creatures, a welcome addition, but not essential in all areas. Fast Casting, with typical investment, will reduce the cast time of Spiritual Pain to around 2/3 of a second, while bringing the recharge to 4-5 seconds. Because of this, Spiritual Pain becomes more comparable to the single target damage output of the prior skills, while also having a very potent ability to destroy summoned creatures (an ability that arguably outclasses a Ritualist elite skill, which I will detail further on).

Accumulated Pain: To expand later.

Word of Censure: To expand later.

Consume Soul: To expand later.

Party Healing vs. Single Target Healing

Party healing and single target healing both serve the same essential function; they heal party members who need health. However, they differ in operations and balancing standards.

Generally, party healing skills are more costly to use than single target healing skills. Additionally, they often heal an individual for less than a healing spell directly targeted on that ally would. This is a necessity of balance, because if party healing skills had the same costs and strengths as single target heals, then there would be no reason to use a healing spell that only targets one ally when you could heal all party members instead for the same cost.

Orison of Healing: Heals for 20...60...70.

Heal Party: Heals entire party for 30...66...75.

Orison of Healing and Heal Party illustrate this difference in balance rather well. Orison of Healing heals an ally for 70 health while having a 5 energy cost, 1 second casting time, and 2 second recharge. Heal Party has almost the same healing power as Orison of Healing, healing for 75 health, only 5 more than Orison, but affects all party members instead of one ally. The cost to use this ability increases greatly. Heal Party costs 15 energy (3x as much as Orison), has a 2 second cast time (2x as much as Orison), while sharing a 2 second recharge.

Direct Healing and Direct Damage vs. Healing Over Time and Damage Over Time

Will greatly expand this later but in general healing/damage over time abilities will heal/do more damage over time than skills that do all of their damage and healing instantly. This is a pretty standard metric across many RPGs.