[Magus] A unique class… but one that deserves a real refresh in group play

[chookette]

Hello everyone,

I’m posting this in a calm and constructive spirit, because I genuinely believe that the Magus is one of the most interesting and unique classes in Warhammer Online.
It has a strong identity, a distinct playstyle, a powerful visual presence, and a lot of potential on paper.

But right now, I also feel that the Magus is locked behind too many gameplay constraints to really express that potential, especially in group play, warbands, or more dynamic fights.

The issue is not the class identity itself.
On the contrary, being tied to its pet is part of its charm and uniqueness. That is a constraint most of us are happy to accept, because it is exactly what gives the Magus its own flavor.

Where it becomes more problematic is when that core constraint is stacked with too many others:

- too many static abilities
- too many situations where you have to overexpose yourself
- too few truly reliable tools to have a strong impact in fast-moving group fights
- and in the end, several abilities that exist… but are rarely or never used, simply because they are too difficult to get value from

A very clear example for me is the right-side tree, especially Chaotic Rift.

On paper, this is exactly the kind of tool that could make the Magus exciting in warband play:
a skill able to break a line, disrupt positioning, create a window of opportunity, in short, something that could bring a truly unique value to large-scale fights.

But in practice, it is still far too restrictive to be a genuinely interesting tool:

- you have to be far too close to the front line
- the cast time is too long
- during that time, the target or enemy group moves, while you stay stuck in place
- and if you are playing in a more fragile setup, you get punished immediately

As a result, the ability ends up being extremely situational, or it requires so many favorable conditions around it that it loses a big part of its appeal.

And this issue does not apply to that skill alone.

In the same way, several Magus tools suffer from being too rooted in a gameplay style that is too static or too telegraphed, especially abilities like Firestorm and Warpfire.

In an environment where everything moves quickly, where positioning changes constantly, and where group pressure is always high, these abilities are often too difficult to place properly for a payoff that does not always feel worth it.

In the end, this creates a frustrating feeling:

the Magus is exciting in concept, but too limited in execution.
You can feel that it could have a much richer, more active, and more impactful role in group play, but it is held back by an accumulation of constraints that make the gameplay too rigid.

The goal here is not to ask for a free buff or to break class balance.
The goal is more to modernize certain mechanics so the class feels smoother and more in line with the actual pace of the game.

A few possible directions:

- make some abilities less static
- revisit the cast time or usage conditions of key skills
- allow certain abilities to function better in group / warband play
- give real value again to skills that are currently too underused
- preserve the Magus identity, but with less rigidity in execution

I really think there is something great that could be done with this class.
Not to change its identity, but precisely to let it fully exist in the current state of the game, especially in organized content.

I would be very interested to hear from other Magus players, but also from people who play against Magus or alongside one in group play:

- Which abilities feel too difficult to get value from right now?
- Do you also feel that the Magus suffers from being too static in group play?
- What changes would make sense without making the class abusive?
- Do you think the Chaotic Rift / control-oriented path could become a real warband tool with a few adjustments?

I think there is room for a very good discussion here.
The Magus has real personality, and it would be great to see it receive a focused rework on its most restrictive elements, so it can become not only original, but also truly satisfying to play in a group.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. De

[arcane600]

regarding point blank aoe abilities such as chaotic rift and others such as rite of agony from the zealot, I would like to see some of those abilities changed to be able to cast them on your mates, so that the spells effect actually drops in the area of the mates location. If no friendly target is chosen, the spells effect drops around yourself as usual. That would fulfill the supporter role as a caster and such builds would be appreciated in rvr warband play. Ofc the pull from chaotic rift would be problematic with such a change, but those aoe pull abilities from eng/mag could need a overhaul anyway.

[buerdig]

As a magus main myself, it does feel frustrating as being referred to as the fluff dps for org WBs when other dps just provide so much more. The armor pot and changes to being able to buff others with more armor and resistance was a step in the right direction.

Rift of course is already known to be wonky. Right now magus are in a good spot when it comes to being able to be self reliant and in solo situations, pve and static fights. One of the things I'm hoping for is more synergy with our pets like it was before, each demon provided a unique buff instead of a flat 20% totem effect.

The main problem is we don't bring much value to warbands. The high level talents like dissolve mists for example are infamous morale baths instead of being a tool to cause an area to be denied to the enemy for a time.

I've heard people mention the lack of having a way to lower healing as another example of losing value in warbands. I'm indifferent with this because magus has a lot of tools, so I don't really wanna push it but it's what I'm told when spots in WBs are tight when dps is easy to fill.

Some tactics seem outdated or sorta pointless. Toughness buff being so high in daemonlogy and it's only for the magus. Magus spells are also very prone to disruption and don't synergy with other magus except the one with the higher rank, typically in the middle tree.

I loved the introduction to the set bonuses from DP providing some very cool set bonuses such as how instability changes but I feel like that should be a tactic we have as it's such a cool concept.

I'm really excited to see the revamp when seeing how the other changes have been. Everyone agrees Magus are really fun, we have our unique disc and no two Magus are alike, which shows there is a lot of flexibility when it comes to how people spec into it.

[wiscel]

I sometimes play my R73 magus. The only wish I have for the magus is to have instant pet summoning instead of having to sacrifice one tactic for Chaotic Attunement.

[chookette]

As a magus main myself, it does feel frustrating as being referred to as the fluff dps for org WBs when other dps just provide so much more. The armor pot and changes to being able to buff others with more armor and resistance was a step in the right direction.

Rift of course is already known to be wonky. Right now magus are in a good spot when it comes to being able to be self reliant and in solo situations, pve and static fights. One of the things I'm hoping for is more synergy with our pets like it was before, each demon provided a unique buff instead of a flat 20% totem effect.

The main problem is we don't bring much value to warbands. The high level talents like dissolve mists for example are infamous morale baths instead of being a tool to cause an area to be denied to the enemy for a time.

I've heard people mention the lack of having a way to lower healing as another example of losing value in warbands. I'm indifferent with this because magus has a lot of tools, so I don't really wanna push it but it's what I'm told when spots in WBs are tight when dps is easy to fill.

Some tactics seem outdated or sorta pointless. Toughness buff being so high in daemonlogy and it's only for the magus. Magus spells are also very prone to disruption and don't synergy with other magus except the one with the higher rank, typically in the middle tree.

I loved the introduction to the set bonuses from DP providing some very cool set bonuses such as how instability changes but I feel like that should be a tactic we have as it's such a cool concept.

I'm really excited to see the revamp when seeing how the other changes have been. Everyone agrees Magus are really fun, we have our unique disc and no two Magus are alike, which shows there is a lot of flexibility when it comes to how people spec into it.

I actually disagree with the idea that Magus is just “fluff DPS” in organized warbands.

To me, the issue is less about Magus lacking AoE damage, and more about people judging it through the lens of other DPS archetypes. Magus doesn’t deliver pressure in the same way. It’s not mainly about short burst windows or explosive frontline deletion. It’s about sustained area pressure, wide coverage, and forcing constant attrition over time. And in that role, Magus can be one of the strongest AoE DPS classes in the game.

That difference matters, because “not bursting the same way” is often mistaken for “not bringing enough.” But sustained pressure and burst are not competing roles, they complement each other. Warbands need both. One softens, spreads pressure, punishes positioning, and creates long-term strain on heals. The other capitalizes and finishes. That synergy is exactly why Magus fits so well alongside classes like Sorc, especially when you add spirit debuffs into the equation.

I do agree that some of the class tools, tactics, and high-end talent value in warband environments could feel more modern or more impactful. There’s definitely room to improve how Magus utility is perceived and how certain mechanics scale into organized play. But I don’t think the answer starts with accepting the premise that Magus only does superficial damage, because I really don’t think that’s true.

Magus AoE is real. It just works differently.

[Starx]

I speak mostly small scale and single target here.

Magus/engy have always been bottom barrel dps for as long as I have played, and Ive thought and spoken a lot about it with people in my guild trying to make it work.

The problem with magus is lack of an auto attack means it needs the rest of the kit to make up for it damage wise and it doesn't really like sorc/bw have. It has burst, but its not on demand burst that you want for 6man stuff, and it lacks crit damage tactics. The long setup gives healers and tanks more than enough time to react, and against rdps/healers detaunt. Engineer has autos but also mixed damage type kit and the issue with ws stacking and being spread thin on stats etc.

Utility wise magus/engy is lacking, the armor buff is nice but for the longest time it had nothing useful. CC isnt great either which youd think would be the saving grace... but the stagger has poor range, is AoE which means its not always useable without giving out immunities you dont want to. The KD is even worse, as its clunky to use and costs 2 gcds since you are resummoning your pet and its AoE which again a double edged sword.

The punt is bad, not much else to say about it. Its too short range to be meaningful anti guard or reposition tool and a bad use of 30 sec immunity.

Stagger removal is pretty gimmicky

Disarm should be 5 sec, and disarm/silence is usually worse than actual hard CC as your target can still reposisition and detaunt, pot etc. While sharing the same immunity timer and coming in at only 1 sec longer.

No healdebuff sucks, but homogenization does as well I dont want this to be a bad bandaid fix. Maybe a weaker outgoing healdebuff could potentially be an avenue.

65ft range on half of your abilities is bad and not fun to play around without sacrificing a tactic slot. Stationary nature of the class while we also lost the buffs other than damage we used to have.

Its not unplayable or dogwater, just suboptimal. And it has the unfortunate posisition of being really lame to fight against 1v1 so people arent going to want it getting buffs it might need for group play because that will probably mean its even more unfun to deal with 1v1.