Since a stroke of luck saved the forum from another of my patch-related rant about BW, Sorc, and Magus, and I have no desire to scribble this post a second time, I'll just give a brief review, focusing on BW, the rest is superficial.
Out of BW:
Close quorter - good, but not enough.
- Sleight of Hand: Reworked to: Reduce all your cooldowns by 2 seconds.
Top. Very good.
Burning Iron.
- Draining Burn: Reworked to: Burning Iron now applies a Hex to the enemy for 20 seconds, inflicting 352 Elemental damage each time they use a melee ability.
This is a bit weak for one of the main features of the Incineration path rework, designed to save st BW, and it's specifically designed for ST BW. It's too narrowly focused. If this worked for all abilities and worked when the target simply uses any ability, not just when it hits the target, it would be alright.
- Searing Vitality: Reworked into Burning Focus: Your Path of Incineration damaging abilities deal an additional (337 + 1.5*DB) Elemental damage. You have a 50% chance to deal the same damage to yourself. This effect can only occur once per 10 seconds.
Less control, less damage, less everything, and with FBB, the proc isn't on the main target. Weak. Especially considering that even Sorc doesn't have much use for it after the patch. Plus, there are much more powerfull tactics in the bottom of the paths for others, but whatever.
- Power From The Ashes: Reworked to: Meltdown will now heal you for 100% of the damage dealt to the target.
Regen BW?
- Distracting Fires: Reworked to: Fire Cage hits up to 6 enemies and deals (187 + 1.0*DB) Elemental damage when applied and another 5 * (75 + 0.45*DB) Elemental damage over 5 seconds when broken.
This is better than the old tactic.
- Fueled From Within: No longer affects Flame Shield.
Suddenly considering the Flame Shield changes.
- Detonate: Damage of over time part replaced by: If the target is Ignited, you will apply Minor Ignite to all enemies within 20 ft.
- Minor Ignite: New "ability" that can be applied through Detonate: A Hex which causes your target to burst into flames, dealing 3 * (112 + 0.35*DB) Elemental damage to them over 9 seconds.
- Minor Slow Boil: New "ability" that can be applied through Detonate: For the next 5 seconds, the target is inflicted with a Hex which raises their temperature to a delirious fever, causing them to lose 3 Action Points every 1 seconds. When this effect ends, they will suffer (187 + 1.0*DB) Corporeal damage as the fever peaks.
- Ignition: Now Minor Ignite also reduces the Corporeal Resistance of its targets by 240.
- Fan The Flames: Now additionally has the following effect: If the enemy is affected by your Slow Boil, Detonate will also spread Minor Slow Boil to nearby enemies
An attempt to create another “range AoE dealer” playstyle is more good than bad.
- Fireball Barrage: Damage changed from (450 + 0.75*DB) to (300 + 1.5*DB) for its single-target damage and from (225 + 0.38*DB) to (150 + 0.75*DB) for its AoE damage.
Fireball Barrage change - based on what I read in the patch, ST will lag behind other's classes st in burst, which is clearly bad. In this context, it's a bad change because it will further widen the gap between other classes and BW in single target case. In the context of the new "ranged AoE dealer," it's good. In my opinion, it's bad because the aoe playstyle and already was more prefer than st and has already introduced new features, and in small-scale, where ST damage are primarily valued, BW was already an unwelcome guest even more.
- Playing With Fire: Now undefendable. Duration increased from 10 to 15 seconds.
Honestly, it's a good change, but I don't think it really fits the concept of the class—it's a heavy nuker. A long time ago, this ability dealt significant damage to healers, and that was touted as its main feature. I think it would be better to move in that direction.
- Annihilate: Damage changed from (187 + 0.67*DB) to (187 + 1.0*DB).
Increased AoE damage. Okay.
- Burning Iron: Base damage increased from 187 to 337.
Corporeal damage, which is upgraded by improved Ignite. Perhaps the most important change for ST BW in this patch.
- Flame Shield: Reworked to: Enchantment. - 30 AP. Self. Instant. 30s CD. - All groupmates within 100 feet are enchanted with a protective shield of flickering flames for 1 hour, giving them a 25% chance to reduce the attacker's damage over time abilities by 10% for 3 seconds when struck by a ranged or magical attack.
- Meltdown: Damage with 91-100 Combustion increased from 750 to 900.
Actually, a nice change. This will be used – undefeatable fixed damage.
- Heart of Fire: Reworked to: Self. Instant. - Removes all Hexes, Curses, and Ailments from group members within 100 feet.
Honestly, I don't think BW should have such things. It's a very strong morale, but it doesn't fit with the concept of an ultra-risky nuker in WB (melee without saves or escapes in light armor). It's the same as with the Playing With Fire issue. It would be better to give up SW and make M2 – let it support in WB.
The short conclusion is that the st BW rework will be weak. Others are getting much better things, and BW is a clear underdog. The new AoE playstyle needs to be tested.
I'd like to see more options for dealing with disruptions—the existing ones are weak, given that st BW (and Sorc too) aren't designed to deal with disruptions without special conditions(HTL, Cauldron/Magnus, Healers, who tali WP, m1 phys rdps etc...). For example, like with the Magus/Engineer tactics for Whitered Soul/Signal Flare, BB/WOP become undefendable with improved tactics. Pyroplastic Surge/Artic Blast also become undefendable—Pyroplastic Surge gets a 5-second cooldown under this condition.
Also, ST BW and Sorc are poorly suited to the 1.5-second GCD in combos with the "new" rangechecks. This poor adaptability is primarily due to the duration of Ignite/Chill Wind - make their duration 13-15 seconds and the problem is solved mostly.
It's also a sad that there hasn't been any progress toward returning to the "mix mdps and rdps" playstyle of the archetype that once existed, other than a small tweak to Close Quarter. Sad.