Change AM/Shaman AoE snare into a AoE heal via specced tactic
Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 3:23 pm
Issue: Lack of Group Support skills in late game and few heal tree tactics that never get used
Yes, AM/shaman both have various skills that make them excel at soloing, 2man, 3man or even 4 player groups where they can actually HoT everyone in their party sufficiently. When it becomes 5 or 6 players in a group, it always becomes about hitting the gheal button like your entire party's life depends upon it, and it often does.
The other night I experienced another challenging keep take fight, where my healer simply stood in the backline away from AoE raining down from above, and kept pressing that gheal button for at least 5 minutes, with few occasional rezzes thrown into the mix of abilities spammed. When fighting gets real and many members of the party start taking damage, there is limited time for HoTs or long cast big single target heals. So it becomes about hitting that group heal hotkey until that key starts begging for mercy.
Question is; is this what late game AM/shaman group support boils down upon, or perhaps there should be at least some other way they can help their entire group when it comes to demanding fights where single target healing no longer is worth it?
Solution; after having specced for Sticky Feetz/MoM, there should be a tactic which allows the said AoE snare to become an AoE heal for allies standing upon it.
Now, DoK/WP already have similar ability, making them wanted on the front where this AoE heal truly helps all allies around the healer. It has 13 sec CD and the heal leasts only for 3 seconds, but it is very potent against enemy AoE as it can benefit more people than just your own party. There are 10 seconds when it is not active and not helping against AoE dmg. It's not gamebreakingly strong, but it makes DoK/WP into something more than just gheal and ghot spammers. They can heal their entire WB with this useful ability.
SF/MoM has 20 sec cd and lasts for 10; the cost is relatively cheap. It is one of the abilities every shaman/AM uses a lot, both for offensive and defensive purposes. It is well liked in smallscale action, but when it comes to WB vs WB fights, a few snares there and there don't make much of a difference, and you are probably too busy hitting that gheal to have enough time to consider where your snare would best serve your allies.
So, having dreamed about being able to do something else than just smashing that gheal, I arrived at the idea of allowing SF/MoM to serve as a AoE heal.
But this should come at a cost, that is the healer in question would need to first spec for a tactic that enables it, and then spend 25% of available tactic slots before being able to use said AoE heal.
Both AM and shaman have a variety of lesser used tactics that rarely see the day of light as actively slotted tactics, simply because better alternatives exist.
For shaman, I'd suggest the rarely used tactic "Lookit What I DiD!" to enable the SF becoming a long distance AoE heal. (currently it is a tactic that allows AP to be pumped into ally with GFI heal)
For AM, the tactic "Balanced Mending" (Healing Energy stronger on allies but less on yourself) sees rarely any use, and might as well be changed to something useful. "Bolstering Boon" (morale pump) might in rare cases be used, so it can be allowed to retain its current form. However, because shaman "LWID" requires 7 points in heal tree, the AM mirror tactic should also cost 7 points in heal tree, to make it more equal; change BB (morale pump) to cost 3 and move BM to cost 7 in Path of Isha.
I'm not sure if abilities or tactics can be renamed yet, so I haven't given much thought to renaming them to better suit the idea of AoE heal enabling.
With this, if a healing specced AM/shaman first goes 5 points into the heal tree to get SF/MoM, he can still go further and get a tactic from further up the tree which enables the AoE healing. Currently and in the past I don't ever remember speccing for any shaman tactics from the heal tree, simply because better alternatives exist. AM's meanwhile often spec for Wild Healing tactic, which is quite potent.
Furthermore, now with having an AoE heal, shaman might give second thoughts to using "Pass It On", which has a relatively low chance to give extra healing to some ally standing near another ally you just healed.
Leading to a situation where a shaman that wants to pump out maximal healing when for example taking a keep, might actually be using TWO tactics from their healing tree, instead of the current most often seen zero (because of better tactics elsewhere). AM on the other hand, usually employs Wild Healing, but now also ends up in a situation where using two tactics from the heal tree actually makes them better at healing during challenging situations where HoTting around no longer works.
Alternative Idea:
If you think SF/MoM working both as an snare and as an AoE heal is too overpowered, have the tactic overwrite the initial snare so that it only functions as a heal, but not as both. Resulting in shaman/AM having to actively be quick witted enough to switch from different tactic sets, one where SF/MoM works as traditional snare, and one where it functions as an AoE heal.
However, the CD is still 20 second, and perhaps to compensate the AP cost should be increased to 50-60 or even up to 70-80, or even 100 if you consider it being way too strong? (DoK/WP AoE heal is also quite expensive to use)
The cost/benefit of AoE healing from distance (as a healer wearing light robes) should be somewhat similar to AoE healing around you (wearing medium armour), if not just slightly higher. Then on the other hand, DoK/Wp do not need a tactic, allowing them to use other tactics. So tactic requirement alone is quite a cost.
Open for debate:
-AP cost change?
-Increased CD due to greater potency?
-Similar benefit from mechanic as other heals, gaining potency like HoTs or maybe becoming cheaper to cast with higher mechanic points? Or perhaps gain longer effect duration with higher mechanic points?
-Actual healing values; somewhat similar to DoK/WP AoE heal, or perhaps weaker but more prolonged? 10 tics in 10 seconds with lowish heal values, or 5 low heals in 10 seconds, or 3 midly potent tics in 10 seconds?
-Decreased range value? 100 feet is nice, but even 66 feet would still be "okay"
Final word on WHY
Now, one of the reasons why I like shaman/AM is because it is challenging, and it is quite interesting to play in smallscale. But at large scale action, it suffers from lack of variety of useful skills. I don't want to make shaman/AM overpowered, but I certainly would appreciate if I could have something else than group heal to press during WB vs WB fights or during keep captures.
Shaman/AM remain strong in smallscale, but they should not suffer from a severe lack of abilities when it comes to larger scale combat. The idea of giving them a speccable AoE heal which requires a speccable tactic is simply my dream of bringing them somewhat closer to DoK/WP when it comes to group support potential.
This change would also work as a way to make shamans consider speccing for tactics, for which there currently exist limited reasons to. AM has Wild Healing which is fantastic, shaman doesn't and remains currently as perhaps the healer with least group support potential in big scale fighting.
Final argument; I'll go insane if I have to experience a few more keep fights where my only purpose is to spam that gheal button.
Yes, AM/shaman both have various skills that make them excel at soloing, 2man, 3man or even 4 player groups where they can actually HoT everyone in their party sufficiently. When it becomes 5 or 6 players in a group, it always becomes about hitting the gheal button like your entire party's life depends upon it, and it often does.
The other night I experienced another challenging keep take fight, where my healer simply stood in the backline away from AoE raining down from above, and kept pressing that gheal button for at least 5 minutes, with few occasional rezzes thrown into the mix of abilities spammed. When fighting gets real and many members of the party start taking damage, there is limited time for HoTs or long cast big single target heals. So it becomes about hitting that group heal hotkey until that key starts begging for mercy.
Question is; is this what late game AM/shaman group support boils down upon, or perhaps there should be at least some other way they can help their entire group when it comes to demanding fights where single target healing no longer is worth it?
Solution; after having specced for Sticky Feetz/MoM, there should be a tactic which allows the said AoE snare to become an AoE heal for allies standing upon it.
Now, DoK/WP already have similar ability, making them wanted on the front where this AoE heal truly helps all allies around the healer. It has 13 sec CD and the heal leasts only for 3 seconds, but it is very potent against enemy AoE as it can benefit more people than just your own party. There are 10 seconds when it is not active and not helping against AoE dmg. It's not gamebreakingly strong, but it makes DoK/WP into something more than just gheal and ghot spammers. They can heal their entire WB with this useful ability.
SF/MoM has 20 sec cd and lasts for 10; the cost is relatively cheap. It is one of the abilities every shaman/AM uses a lot, both for offensive and defensive purposes. It is well liked in smallscale action, but when it comes to WB vs WB fights, a few snares there and there don't make much of a difference, and you are probably too busy hitting that gheal to have enough time to consider where your snare would best serve your allies.
So, having dreamed about being able to do something else than just smashing that gheal, I arrived at the idea of allowing SF/MoM to serve as a AoE heal.
But this should come at a cost, that is the healer in question would need to first spec for a tactic that enables it, and then spend 25% of available tactic slots before being able to use said AoE heal.
Both AM and shaman have a variety of lesser used tactics that rarely see the day of light as actively slotted tactics, simply because better alternatives exist.
For shaman, I'd suggest the rarely used tactic "Lookit What I DiD!" to enable the SF becoming a long distance AoE heal. (currently it is a tactic that allows AP to be pumped into ally with GFI heal)
For AM, the tactic "Balanced Mending" (Healing Energy stronger on allies but less on yourself) sees rarely any use, and might as well be changed to something useful. "Bolstering Boon" (morale pump) might in rare cases be used, so it can be allowed to retain its current form. However, because shaman "LWID" requires 7 points in heal tree, the AM mirror tactic should also cost 7 points in heal tree, to make it more equal; change BB (morale pump) to cost 3 and move BM to cost 7 in Path of Isha.
I'm not sure if abilities or tactics can be renamed yet, so I haven't given much thought to renaming them to better suit the idea of AoE heal enabling.
With this, if a healing specced AM/shaman first goes 5 points into the heal tree to get SF/MoM, he can still go further and get a tactic from further up the tree which enables the AoE healing. Currently and in the past I don't ever remember speccing for any shaman tactics from the heal tree, simply because better alternatives exist. AM's meanwhile often spec for Wild Healing tactic, which is quite potent.
Furthermore, now with having an AoE heal, shaman might give second thoughts to using "Pass It On", which has a relatively low chance to give extra healing to some ally standing near another ally you just healed.
Leading to a situation where a shaman that wants to pump out maximal healing when for example taking a keep, might actually be using TWO tactics from their healing tree, instead of the current most often seen zero (because of better tactics elsewhere). AM on the other hand, usually employs Wild Healing, but now also ends up in a situation where using two tactics from the heal tree actually makes them better at healing during challenging situations where HoTting around no longer works.
Alternative Idea:
If you think SF/MoM working both as an snare and as an AoE heal is too overpowered, have the tactic overwrite the initial snare so that it only functions as a heal, but not as both. Resulting in shaman/AM having to actively be quick witted enough to switch from different tactic sets, one where SF/MoM works as traditional snare, and one where it functions as an AoE heal.
However, the CD is still 20 second, and perhaps to compensate the AP cost should be increased to 50-60 or even up to 70-80, or even 100 if you consider it being way too strong? (DoK/WP AoE heal is also quite expensive to use)
The cost/benefit of AoE healing from distance (as a healer wearing light robes) should be somewhat similar to AoE healing around you (wearing medium armour), if not just slightly higher. Then on the other hand, DoK/Wp do not need a tactic, allowing them to use other tactics. So tactic requirement alone is quite a cost.
Open for debate:
-AP cost change?
-Increased CD due to greater potency?
-Similar benefit from mechanic as other heals, gaining potency like HoTs or maybe becoming cheaper to cast with higher mechanic points? Or perhaps gain longer effect duration with higher mechanic points?
-Actual healing values; somewhat similar to DoK/WP AoE heal, or perhaps weaker but more prolonged? 10 tics in 10 seconds with lowish heal values, or 5 low heals in 10 seconds, or 3 midly potent tics in 10 seconds?
-Decreased range value? 100 feet is nice, but even 66 feet would still be "okay"
Final word on WHY
Now, one of the reasons why I like shaman/AM is because it is challenging, and it is quite interesting to play in smallscale. But at large scale action, it suffers from lack of variety of useful skills. I don't want to make shaman/AM overpowered, but I certainly would appreciate if I could have something else than group heal to press during WB vs WB fights or during keep captures.
Shaman/AM remain strong in smallscale, but they should not suffer from a severe lack of abilities when it comes to larger scale combat. The idea of giving them a speccable AoE heal which requires a speccable tactic is simply my dream of bringing them somewhat closer to DoK/WP when it comes to group support potential.
This change would also work as a way to make shamans consider speccing for tactics, for which there currently exist limited reasons to. AM has Wild Healing which is fantastic, shaman doesn't and remains currently as perhaps the healer with least group support potential in big scale fighting.
Final argument; I'll go insane if I have to experience a few more keep fights where my only purpose is to spam that gheal button.