Changelog 28/10/16

[pojoman61]

I am surprised no one is talking about the massive crit nerf from set bonuses yet.

Mara normally runs

4 Piece Merc (+5 crit) and 1 piece ruin (+3 crit) = 8% Crit

Coupled with the weapon crit nerfs, its really strange.

I wonder if they are just trying to tone down damage over all with the Crit nerf accross the board or what. Be nice if there was some explanation behind it.

I think that through this post that Az is answering your question as to the crit nerf. from this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=17829

he said:

"Example 1: Critical Hit Rate

Many of you know I'm an enemy of crit stacking. Crit stacking changes the game in the following ways:

- Provides a significant power increase to tactics and abilities which proc on critical hits.

Not much needs to be said here. The proc rate of a tactic or effect is increasing with game state, so the tactic itself becomes more effective than it was before, while other tactics remain constant in effect.

- Provides a significant increase in effectiveness to tactics and mechanics which increase critical damage.

Annaise16 has mentioned previously the idea that a tactic is balanced around granting 10% defense or 10% attack. However, a critical hit rate tactic's value increases in effectiveness as the player stacks crit, to a theoretical maximum of 33% DPS at 100% crit. Because of the way critical damage tactics outperform other tactics when critical hit rate rises, as well as the burst / RNG applications of a lucky string of crits, lack of a critical damage tactic has been cited as a flaw in those classes which do not have them.

The Bright Wizard and Sorcerer mechanic is also affected by this flaw."

[th3gatekeeper]

Point remains, melee dps need guard to function and it was already bad enough as it was currently (bugged) - range dps doesn't, so logical conclusion is to play range dps, which also frees up the tank to go stagger/KD/punt bot for the range dps since they're not taking guard damage anyway.

This is a bug fix not a nerf. The fact that the range is adjustable means that you could make a balance proposal and try to get it buffed.

Tried this: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17747

People QQd because everyone cares more about crushing PUG groups than making a fun/balanced game for all.

"guard is fine" "L2P"

I guess im just curious, at what point does the game get, where people realize that maybe creating an "organized-only" game probably isnt the best idea, that there should be a healthy balance between content for casual players, who may not have a guild, or may not have a bunch of friends online 24/7, but who want to play SCs and RVR?

Guard is one of the most pivotal abilities in the game, yet is rarely ever used except by a handful of skilled tanks, or in premade groups (both in SC/RVR) and its one of the biggest "gatekeepers" in making this game more accessible to all players.

As a MDPS, you are essentially forced into finding a guild, begging for a "guard bot" otherwise the game really isnt all that fun, hence ALL the comments about this game being so RDPS friendly... Everything stems around guard as being one of the pivotal key roles in MDPS avoidance.

Being a tank, and maining a tank, I would LOVE to see guard adjusted to be more friendly and intuitive to all players. The only solution I have seen proposed by seasoned players is "/tell them how to guard" or "write some guides on the forums". Its frankly a joke.

Id love to see some rework to guard, even if it meant something like guard turning into an "aura" where any party member inside 30 feet split damage with the tank. Or Guard being an "active" ability that is cast providing aoe mitigation rather than damage split, or a myriad of other "versions" where it still fills the SAME role but is more "PUG" friendly and MDPS friendly so a player CAN join a random warband in RVR as a MDPS and expect to be able to be viable without having to beg for guard or out of party heals...

Just my 2 cents from an NA player who has struggled to find active committed players to play with. I know many people disagree, because any deviation from "thats not how it was on LIVE bro" is seen as a threat to their glory days and the ability to re-live what once was....

[dur3al]

Personally I am more than okay with people wanting to play RDPS over Melee

I do honestly hope you're not responding for the balancing team - you know, the people actively testing changes/builds/synergy between classes and so on - Or at the vert least discussing and pondering about the changes. I hope there is one at least.

but then again I was never discussing or giving a **** about that in the first place.

I rest my case.

PS: Thanks for the bug fix otherwise then

[Argot]

WIN 146 scenarios to get almost useless stick. Nice reward!

[Akalukz]

I am surprised no one is talking about the massive crit nerf from set bonuses yet.

Mara normally runs

4 Piece Merc (+5 crit) and 1 piece ruin (+3 crit) = 8% Crit

Coupled with the weapon crit nerfs, its really strange.

I wonder if they are just trying to tone down damage over all with the Crit nerf accross the board or what. Be nice if there was some explanation behind it.

I think that through this post that Az is answering your question as to the crit nerf. from this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=17829

he said:

"Example 1: Critical Hit Rate

Many of you know I'm an enemy of crit stacking. Crit stacking changes the game in the following ways:

- Provides a significant power increase to tactics and abilities which proc on critical hits.

Not much needs to be said here. The proc rate of a tactic or effect is increasing with game state, so the tactic itself becomes more effective than it was before, while other tactics remain constant in effect.

- Provides a significant increase in effectiveness to tactics and mechanics which increase critical damage.

Annaise16 has mentioned previously the idea that a tactic is balanced around granting 10% defense or 10% attack. However, a critical hit rate tactic's value increases in effectiveness as the player stacks crit, to a theoretical maximum of 33% DPS at 100% crit. Because of the way critical damage tactics outperform other tactics when critical hit rate rises, as well as the burst / RNG applications of a lucky string of crits, lack of a critical damage tactic has been cited as a flaw in those classes which do not have them.

The Bright Wizard and Sorcerer mechanic is also affected by this flaw."

Thanks, I will have to read through it.

[Sigimund]

"/tell them how to guard" or "write some guides on the forums".

Maybe not in the balance forum but perhaps the proposal should be for a repeatable quest to take 100k guard damage. That would make people remember.

[StormX2]

Personally I am more than okay with people wanting to play RDPS over Melee

I do honestly hope you're not responding for the balancing team - you know, the people actively testing changes/builds/synergy between classes and so on - Or at the vert least discussing and pondering about the changes. I hope there is one at least.

but then again I was never discussing or giving a **** about that in the first place.

I rest my case.

PS: Thanks for the bug fix otherwise then

Don;t try to pull this **** with me man, I am a Forum Moderator, I use a nice Color of my text when I am talking as a Moderator. You would do well to note that I am NOT a balance mod, and you would also do well to pay more attention to someones initial post. Where I was stating, that your issue with Guard being changes, is NOT AN ISSUE, which really isnt an issue at all. Hell in this Quote that yoju pulled out of context, even states that it is MY PERSONAL OPINION.

Hell I am good with reducing Guard even further! make it so guard doesnt work unless you tank is right on your ass, SnB tank shouldnt be wondering off anyway.

Now here is my second Comment in this thread, AS A MODERATOR

If you Have an issue, with how things are being Balanced, you know already the correct way to go about that discussion. Further Derailment of this Thread will be Moderated and Warning's will be issued.

[Ninepaces]

"Magical Infusion and Shrug It Off will increase the value of heals that a target receives by 25% when active.

All these abilities are crap in standard spec anyway, so this becomes a formalized change."

This was a l2p issue.

[porkstar]

A lot of Mdps feel like they should be able to kill anything they engage with. I feel this pain on my grenade engie when I actually kill an mdps that somehow didn't use RD, Break free, Charge, Pull, M1 dodge, snare, kd etc properly or doesn't spec enough WS. I get flamed or congratulated but mostly I get killed.

[coldnegative]

I think that through this post that Az is answering your question as to the crit nerf. from this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=95&t=17829

he said:

"Example 1: Critical Hit Rate

Many of you know I'm an enemy of crit stacking. Crit stacking changes the game in the following ways:

- Provides a significant power increase to tactics and abilities which proc on critical hits.

Not much needs to be said here. The proc rate of a tactic or effect is increasing with game state, so the tactic itself becomes more effective than it was before, while other tactics remain constant in effect.

- Provides a significant increase in effectiveness to tactics and mechanics which increase critical damage.

Annaise16 has mentioned previously the idea that a tactic is balanced around granting 10% defense or 10% attack. However, a critical hit rate tactic's value increases in effectiveness as the player stacks crit, to a theoretical maximum of 33% DPS at 100% crit. Because of the way critical damage tactics outperform other tactics when critical hit rate rises, as well as the burst / RNG applications of a lucky string of crits, lack of a critical damage tactic has been cited as a flaw in those classes which do not have them.

The Bright Wizard and Sorcerer mechanic is also affected by this flaw."

So he wanna kill MDPS classes because he doesn't like them? Nice. Crit damage is only thing that keeps MDPS alive.