After the nerf/patch SM's how are you.........

[Aethilmar]

Figured since there was an AM version time to start a SM version.

Some might consider the new punt a buff (and it is nice with the tactic) but never asked for it and if I wanted to play a ST punty tank I had two other options.

Eagle's Flight duration increase was also "nice" but like the other tanks we too a hit to our overall survivability with it under pressure.

Now for the painful stuff:
- WW cooldown increase hurt a lot. Reduced group utility. Reduced PoH frequency. Reduced Ether Dance spamability for 6 Sov 2H build. Hurts Swordmaster and Shieldmaster equally.
- WoDS cooldown basically murdered SM 2H survivability. With the change to Heaven's Blade from resist buff to debuff (stacking so yay!), basically this was the last bit of extra survivability we had and now it is very easy to get past. One interrupt (and there are lots flying around) and buh bye.
- Icing on the cake was they nerfed ED damage too.

Anyway, I'm dropping WW and going back to ED + BA + GWM for damage plus the punt tactic for lols. RIP somewhat tanky 2H. You had a good run.

[anarchypark]

Are you sure about resist debuff stacking? It wasn't against a target dummy, and it shouldn't be, in my opinion.
WW reduces WoDS 5s CD. It's fine; some might say it was OP.

It's unfortunate that inner circle doesn't recognize uniqueness of the SM/BO.
they could be 2h defensive/SnB offensive effectively, more than any other tanks.

their obsession with 2h=offense, SnB=defense perspective harms build variety.
It is true for other tanks; SM/BO exceptions add variety.
their slightly better DPS was also unique.
For that feature, they were restricted to ST punt - a crucial guard remover.
Now they have it all. dmg and utility.
Apparently thinking overly generous, they decided to tone down the channeling damage.
Yet another uniqueness gone.

Is it just a disguise for QoL improvements?
Or perhaps they prefer not to compete for wb/group spots, considering tanks are already in short supply?
how sad is that.

anyway, if they bring back BO's SnB 3hit combo, it'll restore variety.
with some block penalty ofc.

[Aethilmar]

Are you sure about resist debuff stacking? It wasn't against a target dummy, and it shouldn't be, in my opinion.
WW reduces WoDS 5s CD. It's fine; some might say it was OP.

Going to have to go test it again. Maybe my methodology was not good.

If I was just fooling myself then, man, it just gets worse and worse.

[Caduceus]

- WoDS cooldown basically murdered SM 2H survivability. With the change to Heaven's Blade from resist buff to debuff (stacking so yay!), basically this was the last bit of extra survivability we had and now it is very easy to get past. One interrupt (and there are lots flying around) and buh bye.

Yea, this was the reason I felt zero motivation to go back to my SM.

It's probably balanced, since SM no longer has the drawback of lacking ST punt, but it takes away what made SM unique. (high damage / low survivability with high skill cap)

For the record, I never advocated this type of change to SM because I knew it would end up like this.

Not a fan.

[iplayslayertoomuch]

Hi Aethilmar and everyone reading this,

RR 83 2h deftard SM otp here.

I tried to make a case in a constructive manner about 2h SM being butchered after the 5s cd added to WODS but my post was met with resistance from one of my "biased fans", won't get more into this because it's not related to this topic and I won't wash my laundry in public.
I have uploaded my post from discord in the form of some screenshots to see the progress I got with that post from gameplay-advice channel. If you feel that you want to add something constructive to it, instead of shutting me down on everything I say or write, please do reach the gameplay-advice channel in ROR official discord and leave your input there because I will be deleting my discord account soon.

Here is the link with my post from gameplay-advice: https://imgur.com/a/oOjG7sn

Also, I posted a bug report some time ago about WODS being interrupted by random dmg (excluding interrupt skills or taunt) and here is where the 5s cd proves detrimental and is butchering the class. I think it's fair to get interrupted by taunt or that the enemy might position behind you to avoid your parry, as this is strongly related to game knowledge and positioning but this random dmg interrupt of WODS is simply unfair.

I want thus to raise awareness of the bug that I have submitted, if you have felt that way too, please feel free to add a note to the bug: https://bugs.returnofreckoning.com/view.php?id=21953

I will re-post here what I posted in one of the notes from that bug:

"In the recent patch, WODS underwent a change, introducing a 5s cooldown. While one might argue that this cooldown aims to "counter" the WODS ability, the real issue lies in the ability's malfunction. Any damage, not just taunt interrupts, can disrupt WODS, impacting the Swordmaster's survival in large-scale fights due to the 5s cooldown required for reuse. I'm not talking about an animation disrupt, the ability itself gets interrupted completely.

Additionally, Whispering Wind's cooldown was recently increased by 50%, now at 30s instead of the previous 20s. Some may suggest using Winds to mitigate the 5s cooldown on WODS, but timing Winds is crucial for team support, not just for personal use to bypass WODS cooldown after random damage interruptions.

While classic counterplays involving taunting or attacking from behind require skill and positioning, being interrupted by random damage feels unfair, especially considering the recent 5s cooldown on WODS. This cooldown becomes a significant drawback, severely impacting the 2h SM's survivability in situations where it is crucial. It's worth noting that a 2h SM inherently possesses less durability than an SnB one, making any means to boost parry temporarily without interruptions during the channel highly desirable.

In summary, WODS plays a crucial role in short-term survival during large-scale fights, helping to mitigate guard damage or MDPS AoE balls that are causing critical-mass. While I understand and accept the addition of a 5s cooldown to the skill, what concerns me as unfair is the fact that virtually anything can interrupt WODS during the channel when executed on-the-move."

[Alubert]

I read and can't believe my eyes.
Broken WODS finally got a gentle nerf ( I would definitely treat it more harshly by giving max +15% def stats for example).
You used one of the two sickest skills in the game.
Now you are crying that for the first time in years someone finally noramlized this op skill.
The situation was not normal, when SM players could make an ultra offensive build and at the same time have the toughness of the most defensive tank. Let me remind you that destro does not have access to RAMPAGE.
Now you write that it destroyed the whole 2h SM build. LOL
Maybe you should make the build like any other 2h tank and not cry? Even SM got 20% parry buff for 10 sec.
Me playing with my 2h Chosen I have: 1k+ tough, 5.5k armor, resist cap, wounds cap, -30% CTBC + some Hardy Concession.
If I was an offensive Chosen I wouldn't cry that I have a broken build and die. It would simply be my fault.
Get used to the new fair reality.

[Paxsanarion]

I read and can't believe my eyes.
Broken WODS finally got a gentle nerf ( I would definitely treat it more harshly by giving max +15% def stats for example).
You used one of the two sickest skills in the game.
Now you are crying that for the first time in years someone finally noramlized this op skill.
The situation was not normal, when SM players could make an ultra offensive build and at the same time have the toughness of the most defensive tank. Let me remind you that destro does not have access to RAMPAGE.
Now you write that it destroyed the whole 2h SM build. LOL
Maybe you should make the build like any other 2h tank and not cry? Even SM got 20% parry buff for 10 sec.
Me playing with my 2h Chosen I have: 1k+ tough, 5.5k armor, resist cap, wounds cap, -30% CTBC + some Hardy Concession.
If I was an offensive Chosen I wouldn't cry that I have a broken build and die. It would simply be my fault.
Get used to the new fair reality.

Perhaps people feel some classes are becoming too similar and losing some of what made them fun and unique ? Do we want all 2h and SnB tanks to play the same ?

[bw10]

I read and can't believe my eyes.
Broken WODS finally got a gentle nerf ( I would definitely treat it more harshly by giving max +15% def stats for example).
You used one of the two sickest skills in the game.
Now you are crying that for the first time in years someone finally noramlized this op skill.
The situation was not normal, when SM players could make an ultra offensive build and at the same time have the toughness of the most defensive tank. Let me remind you that destro does not have access to RAMPAGE.
Now you write that it destroyed the whole 2h SM build. LOL
Maybe you should make the build like any other 2h tank and not cry? Even SM got 20% parry buff for 10 sec.
Me playing with my 2h Chosen I have: 1k+ tough, 5.5k armor, resist cap, wounds cap, -30% CTBC + some Hardy Concession.
If I was an offensive Chosen I wouldn't cry that I have a broken build and die. It would simply be my fault.
Get used to the new fair reality.

Perhaps people feel some classes are becoming too similar and losing some of what made them fun and unique ? Do we want all 2h and SnB tanks to play the same ?

look at ranked mode. how its implemented and imagine how many hours went into hacking that pos into the game. maybe 5% people care about it and thats being generous. the vocal minority of people who are obsessed about turning old mmo into modern 6v6 esport slop are calling the shots on balance

[Wdova]

I read and can't believe my eyes.
Broken WODS finally got a gentle nerf ( I would definitely treat it more harshly by giving max +15% def stats for example).
You used one of the two sickest skills in the game.
Now you are crying that for the first time in years someone finally noramlized this op skill.
The situation was not normal, when SM players could make an ultra offensive build and at the same time have the toughness of the most defensive tank. Let me remind you that destro does not have access to RAMPAGE.
Now you write that it destroyed the whole 2h SM build. LOL
Maybe you should make the build like any other 2h tank and not cry? Even SM got 20% parry buff for 10 sec.
Me playing with my 2h Chosen I have: 1k+ tough, 5.5k armor, resist cap, wounds cap, -30% CTBC + some Hardy Concession.
If I was an offensive Chosen I wouldn't cry that I have a broken build and die. It would simply be my fault.
Get used to the new fair reality.

Reason, why WoDS are 50% insted of 15% is that compared to BOs You Wot!?!! You have to channel it and cant use any other skill, morale or any other actions(Taunt, Challenge, etc.) not even jump. BOs version is fire and forget. You have only 15% benefit, but you can do anything you want during this period.

[rady]

Reason, why WoDS are 50% insted of 15% is that compared to BOs You Wot!?!! You have to channel it and cant use any other skill, morale or any other actions(Taunt, Challenge, etc.) not even jump. BOs version is fire and forget. You have only 15% benefit, but you can do anything you want during this period.

You forgot to mention that You Wot?!! is a 13 pt mastery skill and WoDS is a core skill.
WoDS should be compared to Can't Hit Me, which requires shield and is a 5pt mastery skill.

EDIT: and I think that cooldowns for WW and WoDS were not necessary.