This round of changes will include 3 experimental changes, in one case the experimental status is because of disagreement in the other two it's because the changes might have unintended and/or far reaching consequences or because the values/cost are unclear.
A change being experimental means that we will closely monitor their effects and might even decide to scrap the concept entirely after about a week of testing or that changes to their values/cost are very likely.
The primary purpose of these changes as well as the next couple rounds of changes is to open up classes or even entire setups to become competitive in group fights. The next set of changes will do something for the hib heat train and we will have some more discussions about mid setups in general.
With this set of changes we believe the hib energy train to be very much competitive and that there is now an actual choice in some setups to pick up a paladin and even the necro or thane look like they might be an interesting choice.
Paladin
Experimental: A new instant group heal that does not heal the paladin and on the highest level has a value of 3% per group member (making it a 24% instant in a full group) at a cost of 60% base mana on a 60 second cooldown. This means the actual cooldown is the mana cost.
Experimental: A new instant group damage add with a duration of 15 seconds of 2.5 dps per group member that will overwrite the damage add chant, 60% base mana cost and 60 second cooldown. This means the actual cooldown is the mana cost. As this overwrites the chant damage add this effectively adds a 12.5 dps damage add when in a full group.
In both cases the mana cost is very much subject to change, it might even become 60% max mana or more. The intent is to make the pala choose which spell to use as well as create a new synergy between paladin and necromancer.
Mentalist
The mentalist will receive nearsight in their mana spec line, starting at 10 mana spec.
Experimental: The mentalist will receive the spiritual (as found on the eld/sm/cab) resist debuffs in their mentalism line.
Berserker
Will receive OF charge like mercs and blademaster
Resist Debuffs
Experimental: All classes with 3 resist debuffs in a line will instead only have a single resist debuff that will debuff those 3 resists. That means the cabalist, wizard, sorcerer, eldritch, enchanter, spiritmaster, runemaster and new in this change the mentalist will have their 3 individual resist debuffs replaced with a single debuff that covers all 3 resists. The duration of this triple resist debuff will be 8 seconds and for duration purposes the resist type will be an elemental resist type for spiritual resist and vice versa, e. g. the triple body/spirit/energy debuff itself would have cold as damage type.
This changes nothing about the thane energy resist debuff or the bonedancer body debuff, those remain as they were.
This change had disagreement, largely on account of how it changes certain playstyles not necessarily because of the balance implications. The primary / intended beneficiaries for this change are the light eld on the hib heat train and the arb animist on the hib energy train and the thane in mid caster groups. The welcome "unintended" beneficiaries are necros and air theurgists, the unwelcome beneficiaries are the theurgist ice pets.
The implications for debuff cc are not only acknowledged but very much welcome. One argument against this change was that it would "dumb things down", the primary argument against this is that it would make debuff cc much more common / expected.
A change being experimental means that we will closely monitor their effects and might even decide to scrap the concept entirely after about a week of testing or that changes to their values/cost are very likely.
The primary purpose of these changes as well as the next couple rounds of changes is to open up classes or even entire setups to become competitive in group fights. The next set of changes will do something for the hib heat train and we will have some more discussions about mid setups in general.
With this set of changes we believe the hib energy train to be very much competitive and that there is now an actual choice in some setups to pick up a paladin and even the necro or thane look like they might be an interesting choice.
Paladin
Experimental: A new instant group heal that does not heal the paladin and on the highest level has a value of 3% per group member (making it a 24% instant in a full group) at a cost of 60% base mana on a 60 second cooldown. This means the actual cooldown is the mana cost.
Experimental: A new instant group damage add with a duration of 15 seconds of 2.5 dps per group member that will overwrite the damage add chant, 60% base mana cost and 60 second cooldown. This means the actual cooldown is the mana cost. As this overwrites the chant damage add this effectively adds a 12.5 dps damage add when in a full group.
In both cases the mana cost is very much subject to change, it might even become 60% max mana or more. The intent is to make the pala choose which spell to use as well as create a new synergy between paladin and necromancer.
Mentalist
The mentalist will receive nearsight in their mana spec line, starting at 10 mana spec.
Experimental: The mentalist will receive the spiritual (as found on the eld/sm/cab) resist debuffs in their mentalism line.
Berserker
Will receive OF charge like mercs and blademaster
Resist Debuffs
Experimental: All classes with 3 resist debuffs in a line will instead only have a single resist debuff that will debuff those 3 resists. That means the cabalist, wizard, sorcerer, eldritch, enchanter, spiritmaster, runemaster and new in this change the mentalist will have their 3 individual resist debuffs replaced with a single debuff that covers all 3 resists. The duration of this triple resist debuff will be 8 seconds and for duration purposes the resist type will be an elemental resist type for spiritual resist and vice versa, e. g. the triple body/spirit/energy debuff itself would have cold as damage type.
This changes nothing about the thane energy resist debuff or the bonedancer body debuff, those remain as they were.
This change had disagreement, largely on account of how it changes certain playstyles not necessarily because of the balance implications. The primary / intended beneficiaries for this change are the light eld on the hib heat train and the arb animist on the hib energy train and the thane in mid caster groups. The welcome "unintended" beneficiaries are necros and air theurgists, the unwelcome beneficiaries are the theurgist ice pets.
The implications for debuff cc are not only acknowledged but very much welcome. One argument against this change was that it would "dumb things down", the primary argument against this is that it would make debuff cc much more common / expected.
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