Making conc buffing less cumbersome.

After playing many more RPGs I'm always struck by how clunky the buff system in DAOC is.

Ideally, I'd suggest removing conc stat buffs from the game entirely and just normalizing stat buffs into character progression. At 50, each char would receive the standard +145-155 stats. Enhance lines would be revamped with active, casted/instant spells (think Celerity, live Enchanter group buffs, Focus Shell, minor stat buffs, live Sham Buffs).

For pets, the charm/summon spells would apply the buffs automatically, expiring once those effects drop.

I feel like this would make the game move much more smoothly. Right now having buffs is a massive advantage on one hand, but it's just a chore to get them all onto a groupmate (I play a lot of healer archetypes). It's a relief playing most games where you only need to put on one or two buffs rather than having to press 1-5 in succession and then wonder if your target has self buffs, you skipped a buff, etc. Side note, I'm so glad shears don't exist .

But if this is too radical a change, perhaps reduce cast times? Base buffs to 2.2, spec to 2.5. I think I've spent dozens of hours of my life just pressing spec buffs.

Thu 17 Jan 2019 1:18 AM by Lairirian

What would be nice would be multi-buffs for baseline (and combinations for specline too).

For example, there could be a dex/con buff spell. It would apply both the dex and the con baseline buff.

In practice, baseline buffing is pretty repetitive. Casters get con + dex and tanks get all 4.

There could be a slash command so that it could be macroed.

/castbuffs dex 45 str 50

That would cast the dex level 45 buff and the str level 50 buff on the target.

/macro D-C /castbuffs dex 45 str 50

That would create a macro for the double cast.

The multi-cast buff spell wouldn't even need to be faster. If you cast 2 buffs at once, then it means that cast time is doubled.

It would mean that you could queue up multiple people for buffing.

target tank
cast AF+Dex+Str+Con first spell
target caster
cast Dex+Con as queued spell

Thu 17 Jan 2019 1:29 AM by teiloh

I had the same idea - preferably they'd be both combo'd and see a reduced cast time

Thu 17 Jan 2019 7:09 PM by Turtle006

Macroing 2 buffs to a single key is perfectly legal, what you are asking for already exists.

Making buffs automatic is a MAJOR balance change that would require changing basically every class in the game. Assassins and Archers would be extremely effective with full buffs, self buffing classes have no reason to spec into buffing lines, etc. A class like a Ranger or Hunter that is both a self buffer and an archer is majorly affected.

Thu 17 Jan 2019 7:29 PM by teiloh

Of course, we would replace the self stat buffs with similar but alternative self-buffs. Damage adds, haste, damage redux, health cap increases are all live-implementations that could work.

As for macroing, keying two buffs to one button doesn't spare you the time.

Wed 13 Feb 2019 8:15 PM by teiloh

After playing for several weeks, definitely feel that conc stat buffs should be outright removed from the game.