Posted August 03, 2016
high rated
Continued from above.
Class & Skills
A frequent point of contention on the forum in recent updates has been the disparity between the various auto-attack replacers in the game. In the past, we have opted for small shifts in the balance rather than larger disruptions to the player "meta", but in the case of these skills it is time to throw in a wrench. We took a close look at Cadence, Fire Strike, Savagery and Amarasta's Blade Burst and considered where we want them to fit in various playstyles without becoming jack-of-all-trades abilities that are simply good at everything. Fire Strike is often brought up as an example of a skill that works (too) well. So with it as the starting point, we made adjustments to all four abilities (and many Component skills).
Devotion
Amatok, Spirit of Winter: increased % Health to 4%, added 60 Health
Bull: increased Physique by 10
Crab: increased Defensive Ability to 18
Crossroads: increased Offensive and Defensive Ability nodes to 18
Eel: increased Defensive Ability by 10
Gallows: added 75 Health
Harvestman's Scythe: added 150 Health, 150 Energy, 4% Health and 4% Energy
Hound: increased % Armor by 1%
Lizard: increased Health by 30
Messenger of War: increased % Armor by 2%
Mogdrogen, the Wolf: 25 Bleed damage / 5s duration reduced to 3s
Panther: added 5% Crit damage
Sailor's Guide: increased % Slow and Freeze resists to 18%, added 3% Physical resist
Shieldmaiden: bonuses refocused. Removed 5% Armor Absorb and chance of Stun Retaliation. Added 50% Internal Trauma damage, 12 Internal Trauma damage / 5s and 200 Pierce Retaliation. Increased Shield Damage Blocked to 45%.
Tempest: increased Offensive Ability by 15
Tsunami: added 10 Physique
Ulo, Keeper of the Waters: added 100 Health, 4% Health, 100 Energy and 4% Energy
Widow: added 2% Offensive Ability
Wraith: increased Offensive Ability by 8
Acid Spray: increased Acid damage
Aetherfire: increased Fire damage
Bat Fangs: reduced % Weapon damage to 20%, increased Vitality and Pierce damage, reduced % Leech by 5% to maintain healing similar to previous values
Blind Fury: reduced % Weapon damage to 70%
Blizzard: reduced % Weapon damage to 10%, increased Cold and Frostburn damage
Bull Rush: reduced % Weapon damage to 40%
Elemental Barrier: now triggers off of any hits with a 15% chance, rather than on blocks
Elemental Storm: increased Burn/Frostburn/Electrocute damage
Falcon Swoop: reduced % Weapon damage to 30%, added 65 Physical damage
Fetid Pool: increased Vitality damage
Flame Torrent: reduced % Weapon damage to 30%, increased Chaos and Fire damage
Guardian's Gaze: reduced % Weapon damage to 15%, increased Chaos damage
Light of Empyrion: reduced % Weapon damage to 25%, increased Fire and Burn damage
Living Shadow: increased Living Shadow damage
Mark of the Wendigo: increased Vitality damage, reduced % Leech by 10% to maintain healing similar to previous values
Maul: reduced % Weapon damage to 60%
Meteor Shower: increased Fire and Physical damage
Raise the Dead: increased Skeleton Physical damage and added Vitality damage to their attacks
Shield Wall: no longer requires a shield. Activation chance reduced to 25%.
Spear of the Heavens: reduced % Weapon damage to 40%, increased Aether and Lightning damage
Time Dilation: skill revised, now reduces skill cooldowns by 6s, 20% chance to activate on attack, rather than on low health (no longer applied to buffs due to this). The power's cooldown reduces with rank.
Tip the Scales: Increased Vitality damage, reduced % Leech by 15% to maintain healing similar to previous values
Trample: reduced % Weapon damage to 75%
Tsunami: reduced % Weapon damage to 25%, slightly increased Cold damage, added 33 Frostburn damage
Volcano: increased Fire and Burn damage
Wayward Soul: now activates off of all hits, rather than critical hits. Activation chance reduced to 20%.
Whirlpool: slightly increased Cold damage
Soldier
Cadence is intended to serve as a strong single-target ability and an applicator for some heavy bleed builds, with partial support for area of effect and weapon pool abilities. While it was alright for bleed builds, it was sorely behind in single-target potential. Both received a buff.
Blitz: % Weapon damage increased to 325% by rank 16, 415% by max ultimate rank. Now strikes with the main hand, rather than the off-hand. If used with a 1h + Shield, will deal damage with both.
Blindside: now also deals Internal Trauma damage, added % Internal Trauma damage bonus
Cadence: substantially increased % Weapon damage to 420% by rank 16, 500% by max ultimate rank
Fighting Form: projectile chance to pierce now scales up to 100% by rank 12, rather than at ultimate ranks. Increased Bleed and % Physical damage scaling with rank. Added % Pierce damage bonus.
Deadly Momentum: significantly increased Physical damage scaling with rank, increased % Damage bonuses and added % Pierce damage
Clean Sweep: reduced % Crit damage bonus to 25%
Forcewave: increased % Weapon damage to 170% by rank 16, 212% by max ultimate rank, affected area and distance traveled increased
Rending Force: Armor Reduction increased to 270 by rank 12, 550 by max ultimate rank
Tremor: increased % Weapon damage penalty to -75%, and % Total damage modifier penalty to -18%, overall a net buff with the buff to Forcewave.
Field Command: reduced Offensive and Defensive Ability to 75 by rank 12, 135 by max ultimate rank
Markovian's Advantage: reduced Defensive Ability Reduction scaling with rank
Military Conditioning: reduced % Health to 15% by rank 10, continues to scale up to 30% by max ultimate rank
Zolhan's Technique: Attack Speed Reduction now scales with rank to 33% by rank 12, 40% by max ultimate rank
Demolitionist
Fire Strike's strong scaling with weapon pool skills, single-target damage and very strong area of effect made it a bit too effective at everything. Its overall potential was toned down a bit, with a bigger hit to its single-target output. In addition, Searing Strike provided a little too much power for a 1 point Transmuter, so it is now a 3-point ability just like Might of the Bear, with its % Crit damage bonus reduced.
Fire Strike: reduced Fire damage scaling with rank, reduced % Weapon damage to 125% by max ultimate rank
Explosive Strike: slightly reduced Physical damage scaling with rank
Searing Strike: now requires 3 points to max out. % Crit damage reduced to 10%.
Static Strike: chance of triggering Lightning damage now starts at 33%, scaling up to 70% by rank 12, 80% by max ultimate rank. Lightning damage reduced. Overall a reduction in average damage, but the damage is more consistent.
Brimstone: Reduced Fire damage, but increased Chaos damage by the same amount
Flame Touched: % Lightning damage now scales at the same rate as the % Fire/Burn damage
Grenado: slightly reduced energy cost scaling with rank
High Impact: reduced energy cost scaling with rank
Skyfire Grenado: reduced energy cost scaling with rank, increased Lightning damage scaling with rank, now converts 15% of Physical damage to Lightning, rather than Fire to Lightning
Heavy Ordnance: now also increases the explosion radius of the mortars
Stun Jacks: increased Physical and Lightning damage scaling with rank
Full Spread: increased % Physical and % Lightning damage
Occultist
Doombolt: cooldown reduced to 6.5s
Focused Gaze: reduced % Crit damage to 25%
Sigil of Consumption: improved scaling at ultimate ranks
Destruction: slightly increased Fire and Chaos damage scaling with rank
Lightning Strike: increased damage scaling with rank
Storm Spirit: increased Lightning Retaliation scaling with rank, increased % Elemental damage bonus to 100% by rank 12, 182% by max ultimate rank
Nightblade
Amarasta's Blade Burst is a cooldown skill, unlike the other three, but it is often used as an LMB skill and triggered on cooldown between auto-attacks. Its strongest appeal is for the area of effect and crowd-control, which were buffed, and the intermittent auto-attacks will become stronger when paired with the buffed Lethal Assault.
Amarasta's Blade Burst: radius increased by 0.5, % Weapon damage increased to 165% by rank 16, 195% by max ultimate rank, chance to freeze increased to 25% by rank 16, 30% by max ultimate rank. Fixed missing ultimate rank values for the Coldburn damage, effectively resulting in lower than intended damage at high ultimate ranks
Lethal Assault: significantly increased Acid damage scaling with rank. Added Cold damage bonus. Increased % Damage bonuses. Added % Acid damage bonus.
Amarasta's Quick Cut: reduced % Weapon damage by 10%
Elemental Awakening: increased % Coldburn and Elemental damage scaling with rank
Execute: reduced % Weapon damage to 265% by rank 8, 365% by max ultimate rank
Frenetic Throw: removed -10% Crit damage penalty
Nidalla's Hidden Hand: % Slow now scales with rank to 30% by rank 8, 36% by max ultimate rank
Night's Chill: Cold and Poison Resist Reduction now scale with rank at the same rate as the Pierce Resist Reduction
Ring of Steel: % Weapon damage increased to 150% by rank 16, 210% by max ultimate rank. Pierce damage scaling with rank increased.
Shadow Strike: reduced Cold and Pierce damage scaling with rank
To be concluded.
Class & Skills
A frequent point of contention on the forum in recent updates has been the disparity between the various auto-attack replacers in the game. In the past, we have opted for small shifts in the balance rather than larger disruptions to the player "meta", but in the case of these skills it is time to throw in a wrench. We took a close look at Cadence, Fire Strike, Savagery and Amarasta's Blade Burst and considered where we want them to fit in various playstyles without becoming jack-of-all-trades abilities that are simply good at everything. Fire Strike is often brought up as an example of a skill that works (too) well. So with it as the starting point, we made adjustments to all four abilities (and many Component skills).
Devotion
Amatok, Spirit of Winter: increased % Health to 4%, added 60 Health
Bull: increased Physique by 10
Crab: increased Defensive Ability to 18
Crossroads: increased Offensive and Defensive Ability nodes to 18
Eel: increased Defensive Ability by 10
Gallows: added 75 Health
Harvestman's Scythe: added 150 Health, 150 Energy, 4% Health and 4% Energy
Hound: increased % Armor by 1%
Lizard: increased Health by 30
Messenger of War: increased % Armor by 2%
Mogdrogen, the Wolf: 25 Bleed damage / 5s duration reduced to 3s
Panther: added 5% Crit damage
Sailor's Guide: increased % Slow and Freeze resists to 18%, added 3% Physical resist
Shieldmaiden: bonuses refocused. Removed 5% Armor Absorb and chance of Stun Retaliation. Added 50% Internal Trauma damage, 12 Internal Trauma damage / 5s and 200 Pierce Retaliation. Increased Shield Damage Blocked to 45%.
Tempest: increased Offensive Ability by 15
Tsunami: added 10 Physique
Ulo, Keeper of the Waters: added 100 Health, 4% Health, 100 Energy and 4% Energy
Widow: added 2% Offensive Ability
Wraith: increased Offensive Ability by 8
Acid Spray: increased Acid damage
Aetherfire: increased Fire damage
Bat Fangs: reduced % Weapon damage to 20%, increased Vitality and Pierce damage, reduced % Leech by 5% to maintain healing similar to previous values
Blind Fury: reduced % Weapon damage to 70%
Blizzard: reduced % Weapon damage to 10%, increased Cold and Frostburn damage
Bull Rush: reduced % Weapon damage to 40%
Elemental Barrier: now triggers off of any hits with a 15% chance, rather than on blocks
Elemental Storm: increased Burn/Frostburn/Electrocute damage
Falcon Swoop: reduced % Weapon damage to 30%, added 65 Physical damage
Fetid Pool: increased Vitality damage
Flame Torrent: reduced % Weapon damage to 30%, increased Chaos and Fire damage
Guardian's Gaze: reduced % Weapon damage to 15%, increased Chaos damage
Light of Empyrion: reduced % Weapon damage to 25%, increased Fire and Burn damage
Living Shadow: increased Living Shadow damage
Mark of the Wendigo: increased Vitality damage, reduced % Leech by 10% to maintain healing similar to previous values
Maul: reduced % Weapon damage to 60%
Meteor Shower: increased Fire and Physical damage
Raise the Dead: increased Skeleton Physical damage and added Vitality damage to their attacks
Shield Wall: no longer requires a shield. Activation chance reduced to 25%.
Spear of the Heavens: reduced % Weapon damage to 40%, increased Aether and Lightning damage
Time Dilation: skill revised, now reduces skill cooldowns by 6s, 20% chance to activate on attack, rather than on low health (no longer applied to buffs due to this). The power's cooldown reduces with rank.
Tip the Scales: Increased Vitality damage, reduced % Leech by 15% to maintain healing similar to previous values
Trample: reduced % Weapon damage to 75%
Tsunami: reduced % Weapon damage to 25%, slightly increased Cold damage, added 33 Frostburn damage
Volcano: increased Fire and Burn damage
Wayward Soul: now activates off of all hits, rather than critical hits. Activation chance reduced to 20%.
Whirlpool: slightly increased Cold damage
Soldier
Cadence is intended to serve as a strong single-target ability and an applicator for some heavy bleed builds, with partial support for area of effect and weapon pool abilities. While it was alright for bleed builds, it was sorely behind in single-target potential. Both received a buff.
Blitz: % Weapon damage increased to 325% by rank 16, 415% by max ultimate rank. Now strikes with the main hand, rather than the off-hand. If used with a 1h + Shield, will deal damage with both.
Blindside: now also deals Internal Trauma damage, added % Internal Trauma damage bonus
Cadence: substantially increased % Weapon damage to 420% by rank 16, 500% by max ultimate rank
Fighting Form: projectile chance to pierce now scales up to 100% by rank 12, rather than at ultimate ranks. Increased Bleed and % Physical damage scaling with rank. Added % Pierce damage bonus.
Deadly Momentum: significantly increased Physical damage scaling with rank, increased % Damage bonuses and added % Pierce damage
Clean Sweep: reduced % Crit damage bonus to 25%
Forcewave: increased % Weapon damage to 170% by rank 16, 212% by max ultimate rank, affected area and distance traveled increased
Rending Force: Armor Reduction increased to 270 by rank 12, 550 by max ultimate rank
Tremor: increased % Weapon damage penalty to -75%, and % Total damage modifier penalty to -18%, overall a net buff with the buff to Forcewave.
Field Command: reduced Offensive and Defensive Ability to 75 by rank 12, 135 by max ultimate rank
Markovian's Advantage: reduced Defensive Ability Reduction scaling with rank
Military Conditioning: reduced % Health to 15% by rank 10, continues to scale up to 30% by max ultimate rank
Zolhan's Technique: Attack Speed Reduction now scales with rank to 33% by rank 12, 40% by max ultimate rank
Demolitionist
Fire Strike's strong scaling with weapon pool skills, single-target damage and very strong area of effect made it a bit too effective at everything. Its overall potential was toned down a bit, with a bigger hit to its single-target output. In addition, Searing Strike provided a little too much power for a 1 point Transmuter, so it is now a 3-point ability just like Might of the Bear, with its % Crit damage bonus reduced.
Fire Strike: reduced Fire damage scaling with rank, reduced % Weapon damage to 125% by max ultimate rank
Explosive Strike: slightly reduced Physical damage scaling with rank
Searing Strike: now requires 3 points to max out. % Crit damage reduced to 10%.
Static Strike: chance of triggering Lightning damage now starts at 33%, scaling up to 70% by rank 12, 80% by max ultimate rank. Lightning damage reduced. Overall a reduction in average damage, but the damage is more consistent.
Brimstone: Reduced Fire damage, but increased Chaos damage by the same amount
Flame Touched: % Lightning damage now scales at the same rate as the % Fire/Burn damage
Grenado: slightly reduced energy cost scaling with rank
High Impact: reduced energy cost scaling with rank
Skyfire Grenado: reduced energy cost scaling with rank, increased Lightning damage scaling with rank, now converts 15% of Physical damage to Lightning, rather than Fire to Lightning
Heavy Ordnance: now also increases the explosion radius of the mortars
Stun Jacks: increased Physical and Lightning damage scaling with rank
Full Spread: increased % Physical and % Lightning damage
Occultist
Doombolt: cooldown reduced to 6.5s
Focused Gaze: reduced % Crit damage to 25%
Sigil of Consumption: improved scaling at ultimate ranks
Destruction: slightly increased Fire and Chaos damage scaling with rank
Lightning Strike: increased damage scaling with rank
Storm Spirit: increased Lightning Retaliation scaling with rank, increased % Elemental damage bonus to 100% by rank 12, 182% by max ultimate rank
Nightblade
Amarasta's Blade Burst is a cooldown skill, unlike the other three, but it is often used as an LMB skill and triggered on cooldown between auto-attacks. Its strongest appeal is for the area of effect and crowd-control, which were buffed, and the intermittent auto-attacks will become stronger when paired with the buffed Lethal Assault.
Amarasta's Blade Burst: radius increased by 0.5, % Weapon damage increased to 165% by rank 16, 195% by max ultimate rank, chance to freeze increased to 25% by rank 16, 30% by max ultimate rank. Fixed missing ultimate rank values for the Coldburn damage, effectively resulting in lower than intended damage at high ultimate ranks
Lethal Assault: significantly increased Acid damage scaling with rank. Added Cold damage bonus. Increased % Damage bonuses. Added % Acid damage bonus.
Amarasta's Quick Cut: reduced % Weapon damage by 10%
Elemental Awakening: increased % Coldburn and Elemental damage scaling with rank
Execute: reduced % Weapon damage to 265% by rank 8, 365% by max ultimate rank
Frenetic Throw: removed -10% Crit damage penalty
Nidalla's Hidden Hand: % Slow now scales with rank to 30% by rank 8, 36% by max ultimate rank
Night's Chill: Cold and Poison Resist Reduction now scale with rank at the same rate as the Pierce Resist Reduction
Ring of Steel: % Weapon damage increased to 150% by rank 16, 210% by max ultimate rank. Pierce damage scaling with rank increased.
Shadow Strike: reduced Cold and Pierce damage scaling with rank
To be concluded.
Post edited August 03, 2016 by Grargar
