Devcast Summary - May 19th 2016

Main focuses of the class balance patch:

1. The overall focus that we’re thinking about for this patch is to focus on helping classes that have had a role supplanted by potions, items, mounts, etc. as the game has evolved. Focusing on helping those classes re-find themselves in the game and give them a defined role again.
2. Focusing on helping melee to become better at reaching their targets and doing damage when they get there, but maybe not necessarily being able to just chain snare their targets when they’re there and keeping the caster locked up. So maybe keeping or adding to the stuns they have but losing some snares from melee DPS. Maybe looking at changing some CL disease mechanics so that melee is meleeing, not casting.
3. Focusing on getting rid of a lot of the passive abilities like pulses and chants and resist buffs, not completely getting rid of them but more moving away from them being the sole reason classes are grouped. For example a Friar might get a group right now because it brings passive resist buffs to the table along with heals. Whereas if a Cleric brought those same buffs, it’s unlikely the Friar would get a group. Those passive buffs are not really fun for the Friar and not really fun for the group. It’s useful for the group but it’s not really the type of gameplay direction we want. We want to have active buff abilities, debuff abilities, negative effects that you can put on people that are short duration, 1 minute to 3 minutes cooldowns, but are much more active in gameplay rather than passive gameplay.
4. Another focus is assassins and archers, we want to give them more clearly defined roles. Still let them be solo experts or very good at solo as that’s how stealth does work or will work, but also let them contribute in groups now.
5. Focus on giving class abilities to help counter a lot of the itemisation changes, one idea is a cure for fumble/Zo bracer bedazzling. Another is some dispels for ablatives, absorb buffs, etc.
6. While we’re doing all these things, we want to keep the realms unique and refocus on that as there are a lot of mirrored abilities and parity now which makes for maybe a more overall balanced game, but maybe not quite as fun as we’d want it to be.

Before we go into detail on the class specifics, let’s have a look at some of the more sweeping changes. One idea we’d like to look at, and this ties into the overall helping melee reach their targets, this is a CC change idea; with itemisation and 25% duration in templates, single target CC especially, is becoming an issue where even DET9 classes are sitting there for upwards of 30 seconds sometimes, with debuffed CC it’s almost a minute still. We want go get away from that a little bit and make it not quite as powerful. We’re absolutely not trying to reduce CC to the point where it’s useless but maybe around a 20-30% reduction in just the baseline mez/root durations, for single target only. AoE CC has drop-off so we’re not too concerned about the overall duration on that. That’s something that will still allow skilled groups to debuff for their CC duration but let melee classes that aren’t stoicism classes reach their target more often and participate more in their melee role rather than casting CL disease.

Another idea is looking at the melee styles themselves. We want to get away from the anytime style, which was a change made several years ago, where the anytime is the best style for every class, or basically the best style for every class, you just have to spam that one style. We’d rather have the anytime be decent but not the best and shift back towards melee DPS at least, using positionals to disable their target like with a stun and then have follow ups to that stun or other follow up style chains that do the bulk of the damage. While the caster is stun immune and they’re running around while not being snared they can kill them, but we don’t want them to kill them as easily.

We want to keep stuns, bring back peel tanks as we think this is a very important part of the game that’s lost its way a little bit because of that single target CC effectiveness, you don’t really need a snare tank in there combating other tanks and that’s really what should be the counter to melee. It shouldn’t be more casters, it should be more tanks.

Not everything mentioned in the podcast or summarised below is set in stone or 100% going in as described. The aim of the devcast is to promote feedback and ideas based on what is discussed.

Healing Classes

Another general idea is looking at, again tying back into a more active approach to class balance, buffing classes right now will still keep all the buffs they have. We’re not going to take away stat buffs or such. Still keep shears, still the same class at their core but more abilities with short duration buffs like 10-20 seconds that are on a 1 or 3 minute cooldown that are powerful. An example for Shaman would be a damage shield that would provide upwards of 300% (melee or spell, or both, still being discussed) back to the people hitting the Shaman’s buff. So a tank train is on a healer, you cast damage shield on the healer and that tank train, if it stays on the healer, might die. More counter play, more reactionary play.

Same for Cleric and Druid, not as many buffs as shaman, Shaman is hurting a lot more. Clerics and druids we’re looking at something similar to Grapple. Not existing Grapple but with spell immunity, doesn’t stun as long, etc. Also we’ll give each of those 3 buffing classes one major brand new powerful ability that’s a powerful single target buff with short duration.
 

Shamans

• Reset cooldown ability that resets non-item and non-ra cooldown timers i.e. a healer’s zephyr. An important ability for group but not up all the time.  High Aug spec line. 15 min RUT.
• New cures in Mending lines such as fumble/bedazzling, maybe stat debuff cures – still discussing and would like feedback on possible cures wanted.
• Pulsing poison and disease cures.
• Short duration negative effect abilities in Cave.
• Climb Wall buff high in Cave spec line. 15 min RUT. Can cast on a group member to allow them to climb walls. May be class restricted.

Clerics

• For Clerics in high a 10 second MoC single target buff they can place on any one in their group with 100% effectiveness. High Enhancement spec. 15 min RUT.

Druids

• Single target purge they can use on any target in their group, or themselves if rooted. High Nurture spec line. 15 min RUT.

Warden

• New cures in Regrowth such as fumble/bedazzling, maybe stat debuff cures – still discussing and would like feedback on possible cures wanted.
• Pulsing poison and disease cures.
• Heal Warden in a good spot.
• Add incentives for speccing Melee Warden possibly peel related, nothing specific outlined just yet.
• Change to pulses/chants (in general) increase to 8 with no need for twisting and improve in general – more to come on this.

Friar

• New cures in Rejuvenation such as fumble/bedazzling, maybe stat debuff cures – still discussing and would like feedback on possible cures wanted.
• Pulsing poison and disease cures.
• Staff – move towards more VW style utility high damage procs rather than heal procs in high Staff line. Can’t be heal Friar and have these styles.

Stealth

• Removing minimum range between when you can stealth with an enemy target nearby. Only thing that will be considered is combat status.
• Allow stealthers still be able to do their role, but also group.

Assassins

• Return assassins to assassin role, more ninja-like.
• Be good at taking out any class that they can surprise, and also high DPS in (visible) groups.
• More spec points. 2.7 for Nightshades/Shadowblades, 2.8 for Infiltrators.
• Remove Mastery of Stealth from Realm Abilities.
• Spec 50 in stealth incentives via buff in stealth spec that increases ability to detect other stealthers and increases speed while stealthed to 100% movement speed. This will essentially be a passive ability that takes the place of Mastery of Stealth RA.
• Remove weapon swapping with Envenom by adding offensive procs and combine existing poisons to 3 major offensive procs. Same timer. Dot proc (2 dots – Lifebane and another, no damage nerf), Weaponskill/Con/Dex/Str debuff in one, and Disease/Melee resist debuff proc.
• Adding Snare proc to Envenom line that doesn’t break on damage, acts like pin style, 10 second duration.
• Mez poison changed to mez proc.
• Procs can’t be resisted, lasts full duration.
• Procs all share timer (10 seconds), but swings always proc, can’t reapply on same target. 10 second cooldown. One proc up at a time.
• CS – increase perf damage. Change Leaper style to Pincer (side style). Pincer gets 4 sec stun. General damage increase. Perf gives armor wither to go immediately into Called Shots.
• Vanish removed from RA’s but given free to Inf/NS/SB in high stealth spec now.
• DET now an available RA for stealthers.
• Strike Prediction RA available- evade buff to group but doesn’t stack with other evade buffs/abilities.
• Inf & SB get access to Wild Power and Mastery of Magery RA’s.
• Reduce Viper’s damage due to proc changes mentioned above. Possibly.
• Increase Shadowblade R5 delve.
• Throw weapon functionality for Shadowblades in Stealth spec. 2 abilities, different uses on each.
• 50 Stealth spec new ability: Blur. 90 sec cooldown. Instantly teleports Stealther to the target – friendly or not.
• No changes to Weapon Skill currently.
• Thunderstorm nerf – details to come.

Archers

• Archers will be anti-assassin class. The one class that can see the assassin, before the assassin sees them.
• More Bow utility shots including group related shots. Emphasize bow spec rather than melee. Specifics to come.
• Point Blank no longer spamable, more an escape ability i.e. pops a PBT ability, possibly.
• Reducing cast time on elemental and magic shots to be more functional and useable in conjunction with resist debuffs in group.
• Increase damage on standard shot a bit.
• Track ability to detect assassins from a large range, but can’t move or attack while ability up.

Animist

• Arboreal spec is good, Creeping lacking, Verdant maybe needs something but is pretty solid – especially in pve.
• Creeping specline gets lower delve matter damage bomber. Not as good as Arb bomber.
• Creeping: New FnF shroom that heals single targets, not huge heal, but decent.
• Creeping: New FnF shroom to cast disease.
• Remove DD FnF from Creeping and add to Arb spec.
• Creeping: Bolt range AoE root and keep AF debuff.
• 50 Creeping new FnF greater heal delve shroom.

Runemaster

• Bolt range AE root – possibly in Suppression.
• Spec nuke in Runecarving, energy damage.

Theurgist or Wizard

• Bolt range AE root.

Bainshee

• Spectral Guard ok.
• Phantasmal Wail: Change damage + dex/qui debuff to damage + body resist debuff and AoE.
• Phantasmal Wail: Single target stat shears, yellow not red.
• 50 Phantasmal Wail: 4-5 sec cast random buff shear.
• Ethereal Shriek: AoE bolt and nuke changed to cold damage.
• Ethereal Shriek: 199 delve single target cold nuke.
• Ethereal Shriek: AoE dex/qui debuff.
• Ethereal Shriek: Demezz.
• 50 Ethereal Shriek: Pet scare, less radius than ML pet scare. Replaces fear/guard charm.

Warlocks

• Curse is ok as we see it.
• Hex needs work but leaving for now by increasing synergy with it on other classes.
• Witchcraft not exactly what we wanted.

• Add new single target dot mechanic to Witchcraft: 4 dots. First dot is instant, second dot casted but low damage, third dot casted but medium damage, and forth dot casted and high damage. Have to cast in order, 1, 2, 3, 4. First has to hit before moving to second dot. Dot cures are a counter. Dots stack, so 4th dot will be large damage (600+ after resists). 2-3 second cast time per dot – probably.

Bonedancer

• Darkness and Suppression ok for now. Maybe look at LT RUT in Suppression, though.
• Bone Army changes:

• Totem change increase end drain to 50% and power to 25% and drains current value not max value of target.
• Change BA commander to be level 50, yellow pet. Allows the casting of up to 6 sub pets for 7 total pets. Have to spec 50 BA for this. This commander allows sub pets to not assist.
• Charge removed from all baseline commanders but add new baseline commander at 40 with charge.
• BA melee pets lose charge also.

Sorceror

• Add baseline matter DD – either matter or heat DD, still being considered.

Cabalist

• Add baseline matter DD – either matter or heat DD, still being considered.
• Group Utility buff for Cabalist that tie into pet reclaim ability – still discussing.

Light Tanks

• Consider adjusting melee snares on melee DPS to not be both positionals but maybe a side only, or followup, or reactionary.
• Proposed “stance” style gameplay, controlled by offensive proc:

• Normal stance – straight buff to accuracy.
• Interrupt stance – gives an offensive proc that gives chance to proc pets, tied to damage debuff so they do less damage, and tied to a damage taken increase, but gives movement speed increase.
• Sturdy/Burst Damage stance – offensive proc that debuffs random armor of any melee class linked with small to medium damage increase buff, small to medium damage taken decrease, large movement snare to self while in the stance (possibly). Large quickness debuff and bladeturn bypass so swing slow but always land hits.

• Charge given as free class ability – scales with class level up to charge 4 or 5 at 50 (does not include Reavers/Valks non light tanks).
• CL disease range decreased.

Heavy Tanks

• Arms/Hero we’re pretty happy with.
• Solid classes.
• Warrior: add throw weapons similar to Battlemaster with snares attached.

Champion

• Not performing as well as we’d like.
• Str/Con debuff dispel BT from target, every time it fires.
• Dex/Qui tied in with 5-10% magic debuff – secondary magic.
• Approx. 20 secs duration on debuffs.
• Haste debuff 2.5% melee crit buff chance.
• Acuity debuff linked with power heal.
• Adding PBAoE Group buff that changes damage type of Champ and those around them to energy or body that applies a proc that debuffs energy 5-10%. Including changing DD to energy, possibly.
• Removing/adjusting positional snares but leaving Pin.

Reaver

• Acuity debuff linked with power heal.
• Dot insta changed to DD to not break CC.
• Removing/adjusting melee positional snares.
• Keep pulsing PBAoE DD but remove other pulses abilities.
• Larger radius (700) 20/30 sec duration effects similar to Banelord interrupts. 2-3 min cooldown. Add PBAoE pet scare, smaller radius than Warlord.

Skald

• Acuity debuff linked with power heal.
• Change to pulses/chants (in general) increase to 8 with no need for twisting and improve in general – more to come on this.
• Shot duration buff with cooldown that lets speed work through speedwarps – single target or group still to be decided.
• Speed buffs that ignore combat status, single target.
• Possible Shield spec.
• Maybe Det.
• Melee snares still being debated.

Paladin

• Change to pulses/chants (in general) increase to 8 with no need for twisting and improve in general – more to come on this.

Minstrel

• Half duration of Flute mez.
• Happy with how pet charm works currently.
• Shot duration buff with cooldown that lets speed work through speedwarps – st or group still to be decided.
• Speed buffs that ignore combat status, single target.

Bard

• Shot duration buff with cooldown that lets speed work through speedwarps – st or group still to be decided.
• Speed buffs that ignore combat status, single target.

Heretic

• 179 delve baseline dd – heat or matter.

Necromancer

• Just tweaks for now.
• Shade casted PBAoE, uninterruptible.
• We’re going to look at really diving into necros possibly in 1.122.

Valkyrie

• Odin’s Will more a choice versus Mending.
• Battlemaster ML path instead of Stormlord.

Thane

• Damage type switch possibly.

Valewalker

• More style utility.
• Possible instant single target disease interrupt.

Vampiir

• Possibly Det 9.
• Remove unused abilities – no list right now.

Other Classes

Spiritmaster, Mentalist, Enchanter, Eldritch, Wizard, Theurg, Thane, Mauler, and Healer are still on the table with nothing to report just yet, but we consider them to be pretty balanced so nthing major planned.

Siege

• Increase oil damage.

Keeps & Towers

• Want players to fight rather than stand around waiting, or one realm can’t compete in attacking or defending keeps.
• New system around the 6 coastal keeps (Surs/Eras/Bolg/Behnn/Blend/Hlid) will have resources that will spawn around the keeps. The resources will drop in the form of a crate and include items such as wood for repairs, chest keys, crafting essences, crafting ore, etc. Only the realm that owns the keep can collect the crate resources. Drop rates and amount of the resources in the crates will depend on keep level.

Future RvR Potential Changes

Short term plans (most likely after 1.121, aiming for 1.122):

• Removing RPS for taking keeps.
• Increasing RPS, drastically, for defence RPs.
• Siege will no longer work on center keeps at 0%.
• Preventing recalling or teleporting while a keep or tower is under siege.
• Increasing oil damage.

Long term plans (after 1.122):

• Adding an ability to remove someone from a ram.
• Realm Loyalty (RvR kill based – possibly) and making relics important but large project so possibly 1.123 for these.
• Layout and tower changes – no details yet.
• Chapter 10 improvements – no details available yet.

1.121 Crafting

• Alchemist poisons will be sellable back for price they cost to make.
• Increase speed on all crafting, specifically alchemy. Sub crafts 4 seconds at low end, 9.5 seconds at high end. Main crafts start at 4 seconds at low end, and 23 seconds at high end. These are speeds before any bonus including item or location bonuses.

Visual Effect Changes 1.122 and Beyond

• Working on more and better effects on some abilities including charge, mez, etc.

1.122 Patch – 15th Anniversary Patch

• 15th year anniversary illustration.
• New website release.
• New RvR tournament with statues as reward but possibly different goals.
• Class balances issues if/as needed.
• Major housing update including, but not limited to:

• 5th tier of houses.
• Reskin existing tiers.
• Rent re-enabled.
• Removing CM from explorers if house is full.
• Looking to improve search filters and/or enable cross server purchasing – one, probably not both.
• Would love to do mail but may not make it – will try!
• Fix items in inventory that can’t be vaulted in house vault.
• More trophies.
• More inventory space with 5th tier house.
• 20% CM fee reviewed.

New Herald

• Leaderboards and Realm War pages – updated live.
• Character search.
• Events and upcoming events listed on homepage (excluding certain things date sensitive like Traveling Merchants).
• Media page including podcasts, streams, guides, wallpapers, etc.
• Guides page covering classes, crafting, champion abilities, etc.
• Community page with resources and tools including Item Database (exportable), SC Calc, Housing directory, Maps, Spell/Ability database (exportable but possibly not with launch of new site) etc.

Official Forums

• Coming – will need an active game account in order to post.

Account Center

• Still in process and will include character transfers – no timeline available.