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[WH] A Witch Hunter Patch Note

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Hulgore
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[WH] A Witch Hunter Patch Note

Post#1 » Sat Mar 27, 2021 10:08 am

The aim of this post is to propose solutions that would make Witch Hunter a more viable, interesting and unique class for the game. This post also contains some improvements propositions that could apply to Witch Elves.

The text takes the form of an unfinished patch note with explanations and suggestions, and is separated in 4 parts : 1) Improving the pistol, 2) AoE potential of the class, 3) Stealth mechanic improvements, and 4) Survivability of the class.


(Please, read the entire post before commenting.)
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1) Improving the pistol :

There is in my opinion a lack of utility and efficiency of the pistol in WH mechanics.

- [Absolution] has its range increased to 45 feet (currently 30), and will always crit if the target is below 25% health points.

- [Trial by Pain] has its range increased to 45 feet (currently 30).

- [Dragon Gun] and [Exit Wound] have their range inscreased to 35 feet (currently 30).

The point of a pistol is to kill from a certain distance, and currently you can only use it in an almost-melee ranged, similar to Witch Elves who use short daggers, which makes the gun pointless and reduce it to a nice looking accessory on your character. If you do not have the dual wielding efficiency of a witch elf, then you should compensate that loss with an advantage of another kind, and that advantage could be range.
These changes would make so that the singularity of Witch Hunters equipment would be more properly incorporate into the class mechanics while providing wider possibilities of use for pistol executions. The lack of proper range of the pistol makes it

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2) AoE potential of the class :

- New Tactic : [Burn Them All!]
With this tactic : [Burn, Heretic!] deals Elemental damages and last for 20 seconds, and when an enemy dies while under the effect of [Burn, Heretic!], 2 enemies within 15ft will have [Burn, Heretic!] applied to them. Additionally, the final tick of [Burn away lies] affects all enemies within 20ft of your target.

- These changes could be associated with a modification on [Razor Strike] to make that ability more relevant, for example by making the AoE tactic for that skill ([Sweeping Razor]) a permanent effect on it.


You can argue that Witch Hunters are not supposed to deal AoE damages as they're assassins, but I could reply that many AoE classes such as Choppas have currently way higher single target damages than Witch Hunters and not many people complain about that.
The point is to make WH less segregated on Order realm, as they're currently not welcomed in many guilds and organized warbands.
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3) Stealth mechanic improvements for both WH and WE :

I think the current stealth mechanic is rather tedious because you very often have to hide behind a wall or a hill to regen those action points and wait for [Incognito] or [Shadow Prowl] cooldowns to end. This break the rythm of these classes and make their core mechanic too much reliable on passive regeneration/recovery, which isn't the rythm you're supposed to have when playing an assassin.

- If [Incognito] is on cooldown, when landing a killing blow on an ennemy player that cooldown will be reset and the casting time of [Incognito] will be reduce to 0.5 seconds (normally 2 seconds). If the casting is successful, it will also provide to the player 50% of its total Action points pool. This effect cannot occur more than once every 20 seconds.

This change should incite players to adopt a more agressive way of playing their character in order to increase their survivability potential. Instead of having to hide in a bush for 30 seconds every time they run out of action points, they can now engage and kill to reset their stealth ability and re-obtain some Action points to sustain it, which create a more dynamic and rewarding stealth mechanic.

This should be implemented for Witch Elves stealth ability as well.


- New Tactic : [Hunters Association] - Each killing blow (on an ennemy player) made by a Witch Hunter in your party will count as a killing blow for you if you have an assist on that kill.

Combine with the previous change, small parties of Witch Hunters will now have the ability to pick a few targets and disappear very quickly. This should create a "harassment" feeling for warbands which should now feel more threatened by Witch Hunters when moving accross RvR lakes. It would also provide a survivability tool for this class in organized warbands, putting 2 or 3 Witch Hunters in the same party would make them helping each others at vanishing frequently during massive fights.

This tactic should be implemented for Witch Elves as well - associated with the previous stealth change - with the name : [Prowlers Conspiracy].



- [Challenge] ability from tanks can now remove [Incognito] and [Shadow Prowl] stealth effects if the Witch Hunter or the Witch Elf is considered as being in combat and is facing away from the tank that uses [Challenge]. This will not work against [Sanctified Oil] and [Elixir of Shadows] stealth effects.

Since stealth abilities do not remove you from combat, this would provide a way to counter these hunters or prowlers parties.
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4) Survivability of the class

- New Tactic : [Inquisitor Resilience] - Each time you spend your Accusation points with an execution, you will obtain for 10 seconds an armor bonus, the amount of that bonus depending on the number of points you've spent in that execution. Each point spent will provide a 20% armor bonus, so a 2 points execution give you a 40% armor bonus, a 3 points execution give you a 60% armor bonus, a 5 points execution give you a 100% armor bonus.
This effect won't refresh itself, which means that your first execution will apply an armor bonus that will be the same for the next 10 seconds, even if you spend lower or higher points execution during that time.


This tactic would make WH more capable of sustaining AoE melee dps during massive fights and become a better duelist against melee opponents and Squid Herders. This is the same principle than the one presented in the previous section, the class would increase its survivability by playing aggressively instead of running away trying to not get hit too hard by groups of ennemies - which isn't even possible to do in forts.
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Other changes :

A knockdown effect is most of the time preferred over the use of [Silence the Heretic], since they both share the same immunity cooldown. I propose a buff of this ability to make it more relevant, and to increase killing potential on healers that are currently almost impossible to kill :

- [Silence the Heretic] now silences for 5 seconds.

This change could apply to Witch Elf silencing ability as well.


- [Fanatical cleansing] could be removed from specialization tree and given to the player around class ranks 19-25, since it is almost a no-brainer if you want to deal proper damages, which forces you to spec into Inquisition tree and reduce the possibilities of original builds.

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AxelF
Posts: 219

Re: [WH] A Witch Hunter Patch Note

Post#2 » Sat Mar 27, 2021 10:33 am

So let's see:

Increase damage
Increase range
Make ST abilities AoE
Remove cooldowns and cast times
Improved CC
Armour buff
Get credit for other people's killing blows
AP buff

I forget anything? Seems legit.

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inoeth
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Re: [WH] A Witch Hunter Patch Note

Post#3 » Sat Mar 27, 2021 11:19 am

sounds reasonable over all
only the "challange removes stealth" i dont like, there are so manny times where you get pulled by choppas and die while flyinng.... we dont need another roflstomp ability
also so many ppl have 500+ initiative that stealth is almost useless...

jughurta69
Posts: 113

Re: [WH] A Witch Hunter Patch Note

Post#4 » Sat Mar 27, 2021 2:23 pm

why want to do WH / WE an aoe dps ??

They are very good as they are, they are "silent assassins", not mass dps
If you want to play aoe, play other things don't impose your vision of these classes
current aoe build is nice if you think about it effect before damage, no need more

WH / WE don't need more damage aoe

For the sustains aoe detaunt 15s, your role is not in the front line or equip tactic "close combat"

WH / WE need only 5% crit base and 10% more movement speed under incongnito / shadow prowler

Duukar
Posts: 302

Re: [WH] A Witch Hunter Patch Note

Post#5 » Sat Mar 27, 2021 2:28 pm

You need to move this to the suggestion forum for the devs to view it.

mogt
Posts: 480

Re: [WH] A Witch Hunter Patch Note

Post#6 » Sat Mar 27, 2021 5:23 pm

wh/we are fine, you must know what the class mechanic is.

what you want is front dps class, but that is not the wh/we, this both classes have another tasks in a group or wb.and if you dont know that, then please, play a frontline dps char.

i must laugh what you want for changes.

Duukar
Posts: 302

Re: [WH] A Witch Hunter Patch Note

Post#7 » Sat Mar 27, 2021 6:34 pm

mogt wrote: Sat Mar 27, 2021 5:23 pm wh/we are fine, you must know what the class mechanic is.

what you want is front dps class, but that is not the wh/we, this both classes have another tasks in a group or wb.and if you dont know that, then please, play a frontline dps char.

i must laugh what you want for changes.

Lumping WE in with WH is a bad idea. WE have way better tactics and their skills work better together. WH was supposed to have range to make up for the lack of ability synergy and poor tactic selection. That all out the window now obviously.

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Hulgore
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Re: [WH] A Witch Hunter Patch Note

Post#8 » Sat Mar 27, 2021 9:52 pm

1) Nothing that I proposed here is going to change anything about the assassin solo roamer capacity of WH

2) Currently WH are not even good duelists, their single target damages are very low compared to AoE classes that are in fact better 1v1 killers than WH (Choppas for example) ; the class is also extremely squishy and might be the easiest to 3 shot by mostly any dps in the game

3) WH are very unwelcomed in many organized guilds and warbands, yet you still need/want to play in forts/cities, which is why adding tactics to support the class in these situations might make it less unwelcomed

4) The bigger part of my post is about an improvement on stealth mechanic, and is also about encouraging Witch Hunters parties. Do not tell me that I do not understand the specificity of the class please

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Hugatsaga
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Re: [WH] A Witch Hunter Patch Note

Post#9 » Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:09 am

If WH gets buffs because it holds a pistol in off hand i think its fair to to give WE some thematical buffs also as well. I suggest that witch elves get ability to turn enemy character permanently into some kind of an animal (such as newt, frog or sheep). I mean they are WITCH elves right? This polymorph should count as a snare, disarm and silence and wounds debuff with infinite duration.
Last edited by Hugatsaga on Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Naelar
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Re: [WH] A Witch Hunter Patch Note

Post#10 » Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:13 am

Encouraging WH parties? There are plenty of those roaming in the lakes.

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