Proposed WH changes

[abezverkhiy]

Quote from patch notes:

Balance Changes
The priority of balancing in Return of Reckoning is set around group play, meaning any number from 6 all the way up to large scale fights in RvR. However, if we can improve balance for smaller numbered fights without negatively affecting group balance, we are willing to do so. Hence you will find a couple changes to Witch Elf and Witch Hunter specifically aimed at that. The nerf to Sacrificial Stab is aimed also at group play.

End of quote

Sounds like a very good and noble intention. Reality:

5. WB LF 1 Tank, 3 Heals, 3 DPS (no WHs)

Or,

Autoband tells you: You have been kicked because this warband do not need WHs

I suggest developers to prioritize around this issue if they want to make reasonable changes to WEs/WHs. You made Razor Strike and Slice AOE abilities. Good, a step in the right direction. You made Burn Heretic! AOE – also good. But this is not enough – WB leaders still do not want us. Go for more – group buffs or debuffs is your next option. This is a low hanging fruit.

You can see from my signature that I have 5 toons (all of them are high levels, there are about 10 more of low levels). Last year I have been playing mostly WH and I noticed that I developed an antisocial habit – I stopped joining WBs. Why? The answer is above in blue. Moreover, I add every WB leader who uses Autoband to my ignore list. Do not want to see this crap.

I cannot comment on changes to WE, I leave it to my WE comrades but I can speak on changes to WHs:

- Sanctified Bullets: Now reduces the damage of your Blessed Bullets by 50%, but heals for 200% of the damage dealt.
My bullets have effective damage of 370 according to my DPS meter. OK, this would make them hit 185 and heal for 200% which would be same 370! So they tell us - if you take healing bullets, you will be healed for the same amount 370 but damage will drop to 185. So this is NERF.

- Atonement: Critical hit chance bonus on Burn Away Lies reduced from 25% to 15%. Critical hit chance bonus remains 25% for Absolution.
Whatever… But still this is NERF.

- Incognito: Now has a maximum duration of 30s. When you are hit 10 times while in Stealth, you will lose Incognito.
This is how it was on live.

But on live I was able to kill healers/casters, WHs had highest damage. Now magi/shamans/zealots are made unkillable, WH role is no longer high risk/high reward. And this (not being high risk/high reward anymore) is a good thing, I like it a lot, you can play smart. On live it was like tossing a coin – if I am lucky to unload all my damage in 5-10 seconds – I win. Else – I am dead. Now playstyle is richer, there is more than just one option.

With 30 sec of stealth WH would not able to sneak in a keep, scout it and hide on the top floor, 60 seconds is barely enough for that. It was ideal when I couple of years ago WH was able to reduce AP depletion through AP+ gear and extend stealth runs to 2-2.5 minutes. We could be real scouts and infiltrators. Why did you nerf this? What role do you offer us now? In the end - another NERF.

So, in summary - the patch brings 3 nerfs to witch hunters.

Look, I recall when a year ago you deployed a patch where stealth cooldown was mistakenly reduced from 30 to 5 seconds. You hofixed it next day but that day was the best in my WH experience. I could engage in a big battle, nuke my target, retreat and repeat. If you do not want us to be scouts and infiltrators, then give us chance to use stealth more often.

You are taking from us and not offering anything else.

[lemao]

Gl on your 20 people server

[salazarn]

Stealth should be reverted to 60 yes. Or they should add some tactics for a 'scouter' stealth role.

As for the double jump and 600 shield nerfs on welf and bal nerf on wh. They are totally warranted and i say that as rr83 wh

[Panzer80]

I've been saying it for a while. WH/WE need to be given a unique heal debuff that sets them apart from other dps.

[Avanos]

Stealth should be reverted to 60 yes. Or they should add some tactics for a 'scouter' stealth role.

As for the double jump and 600 shield nerfs on welf and bal nerf on wh. They are totally warranted and i say that as rr83 wh

The stealth nerf is outright silly.
Guess the days of getting into keeps is over.

Double jump was meh. Sacrifices rewarded "nerf" is actually a buff if you build right for it.

[coldhunter]

Double jump was meh. Sacrifices rewarded "nerf" is actually a buff if you build right for it.

Can you plz explain, how to build "right" for it?

[Krima]

Stealth should be reverted to 60 yes. Or they should add some tactics for a 'scouter' stealth role.

As for the double jump and 600 shield nerfs on welf and bal nerf on wh. They are totally warranted and i say that as rr83 wh

The stealth nerf is outright silly.
Guess the days of getting into keeps is over.

Double jump was meh. Sacrifices rewarded "nerf" is actually a buff if you build right for it.

- Sacrifices Rewarded: Internal cooldown increased from 3 to 6 seconds.

A BUFF?? how

[Slowbro]

They wrote it clearly. Wh and We do not fit into their retard blob gameplay and therefore are punished until they comply and join fkn blobtards. It was clear that witchelfs get some kind of Nerf ok. But nerfing wh and nerfing the whole class mechanic that much. Wtf. Fortunately there is a solution to the shitty changes of the Defs which is a clean uninstall and looking for another game to play.

[Narfii]

I don't know who spearheaded these changes but they're really bad - not just the stealthers but across the board.

They claim to be balancing for group play but all this is is nerfs to the solo capability. No changes to give them meaningful tools to supplement the lackluster warband utility they currently have. Nevermind the keep play - might as well remove posts from keep (not that they provided deep play lines anyways) and just put the ram on rails with 2 checkpoints overwatch style.

[Avanos]

Stealth should be reverted to 60 yes. Or they should add some tactics for a 'scouter' stealth role.

As for the double jump and 600 shield nerfs on welf and bal nerf on wh. They are totally warranted and i say that as rr83 wh

The stealth nerf is outright silly.
Guess the days of getting into keeps is over.

Double jump was meh. Sacrifices rewarded "nerf" is actually a buff if you build right for it.

- Sacrifices Rewarded: Internal cooldown increased from 3 to 6 seconds.

A BUFF?? how

What I mean by “buff” is that the best way to build around Sacrifices Rewarded has changed.

Before, when the cooldown was only 3 seconds, it made sense to let yourself get crit and stack crit damage reduction. The 600 absorb would proc often enough to make taking those reduced crits worthwhile.

Now, with the cooldown increased to 6 seconds, building around constantly getting crit is less useful. You are probably better off running Futile Strikes and reducing your chance to be crit by 24%.

You will still get crit occasionally, especially in larger fights, so Sacrifices Rewarded will still proc. You are just not deliberately allowing nearly as many crits through anymore.

Obviously, increasing the internal cooldown from 3 to 6 seconds is a direct nerf to the tactic itself. I am saying the build adjustment may make your overall defense stronger in some situations, especially against high-crit builds.


or maybe my logic is flawed and I've become incompetent like the balance team