Good Morning!
First I'd like to say that I enjoyed that ToA inputs. Although you guys ultimately removed them, I think some tweaking would be beneficial. Like PBAE silence on clerics and druids. Zo on support classes. Traitors proc on support classes, classes like warden friar, etc.
Moving onto the topic. Albion.
I believe mid and hib need minor adjustments (ala hib needs pets, chanters need some reason to be played), but ultimately in a good spot. I think some of the recent changes, ala wardens getting greaters is a bit much considering druids, mentalists, wardens and bards can heal and they're all staples to the group. I think giving shamans cure NS is a bit much because both meta healer specs are 40+ mending. I think BD pets need a con buff.
Albs... let's talk about albs. The thought process of add'l buffs on certain classes was not completely thought through.
Example: You give friars endu dampening, this inadvertently nerfs the paladin. Why would I run a paladin when I can run a friar with that buff, plus an armsment that can anytime snare?
You give mercs back snare in their DW line that they already raise to 50. So what you did is basically said you want zero counterplay to getting caught. One simply does not not get caught in a fight, question is, once caught, should there not be any counterplay?
On top of all of this, you give custom inadvertent buffs to the theurgist. A theurg legit doesnt' have to do a damn thing in a fight for the first minute, but once the double merc, arms, minstrel and sorc gain control, a theurg is able to chuck an obscene amount of pets down range with little to no risk. one thing that I keep reading from the GM's is that the theurg runs out of power after 8 pets. This is not true because of how the power mechanic works. moderate EB, no acu, no + power = a pet costing 5-7% power based on EB level
These pets run at speed 7, and have a chance to resist a spell. So the theurg can cast a pet, that runs on speed SEVEN, on someone with 100%, that is root, snare, disease, mezz immune, but the counterplay has a chance to resist? Earth pet resists and now I need to melee it down?
With the current setup:
Mercx2, arms, theurg, sorc, cleric, friar: Defensive and offensieve heal proc, 10.0 melee dps (BASELINE) and haste, endu dampening, red con pet, yellow con pet, zerg of pets, range...
what is the ounterplay to this?
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Suggestion:
remove friar buffs (endo dapeninging, heal proc)
remove backsnare from merc
remove cabalist pet cycle for power back, or at least make it so the cablsit doesn't gain more than the cost of the pet
lessen the pet buffs on the cabalist
cap mini pet to oj
make theurg pets cost more
move DA/haste out of baseline and into a specline
make theurg pets casted range to 1500
remove warden greater
remove shaman cure ns
raise hp on bd pets
At the rate it's going, fighting albs is 95% PvE. For all of you that say theurgs have been this way since 2001. Sure. But ToA gave tools to combat theurgs. Old RAs that were even removed from live, like sever the tether, combated theurgs.
These changes made alb far more easy and forgiving to play at the competitive level and made, particularly hib, very unforgiving of mistakes.
It's very disheartening to continue to lose winning fights because a single theurg halted any sort of push/nulified any caster dps/consistently causes casters to clear pets for the duration of the fight.
First I'd like to say that I enjoyed that ToA inputs. Although you guys ultimately removed them, I think some tweaking would be beneficial. Like PBAE silence on clerics and druids. Zo on support classes. Traitors proc on support classes, classes like warden friar, etc.
Moving onto the topic. Albion.
I believe mid and hib need minor adjustments (ala hib needs pets, chanters need some reason to be played), but ultimately in a good spot. I think some of the recent changes, ala wardens getting greaters is a bit much considering druids, mentalists, wardens and bards can heal and they're all staples to the group. I think giving shamans cure NS is a bit much because both meta healer specs are 40+ mending. I think BD pets need a con buff.
Albs... let's talk about albs. The thought process of add'l buffs on certain classes was not completely thought through.
Example: You give friars endu dampening, this inadvertently nerfs the paladin. Why would I run a paladin when I can run a friar with that buff, plus an armsment that can anytime snare?
You give mercs back snare in their DW line that they already raise to 50. So what you did is basically said you want zero counterplay to getting caught. One simply does not not get caught in a fight, question is, once caught, should there not be any counterplay?
On top of all of this, you give custom inadvertent buffs to the theurgist. A theurg legit doesnt' have to do a damn thing in a fight for the first minute, but once the double merc, arms, minstrel and sorc gain control, a theurg is able to chuck an obscene amount of pets down range with little to no risk. one thing that I keep reading from the GM's is that the theurg runs out of power after 8 pets. This is not true because of how the power mechanic works. moderate EB, no acu, no + power = a pet costing 5-7% power based on EB level
These pets run at speed 7, and have a chance to resist a spell. So the theurg can cast a pet, that runs on speed SEVEN, on someone with 100%, that is root, snare, disease, mezz immune, but the counterplay has a chance to resist? Earth pet resists and now I need to melee it down?
With the current setup:
Mercx2, arms, theurg, sorc, cleric, friar: Defensive and offensieve heal proc, 10.0 melee dps (BASELINE) and haste, endu dampening, red con pet, yellow con pet, zerg of pets, range...
what is the ounterplay to this?
--------
Suggestion:
remove friar buffs (endo dapeninging, heal proc)
remove backsnare from merc
remove cabalist pet cycle for power back, or at least make it so the cablsit doesn't gain more than the cost of the pet
lessen the pet buffs on the cabalist
cap mini pet to oj
make theurg pets cost more
move DA/haste out of baseline and into a specline
make theurg pets casted range to 1500
remove warden greater
remove shaman cure ns
raise hp on bd pets
At the rate it's going, fighting albs is 95% PvE. For all of you that say theurgs have been this way since 2001. Sure. But ToA gave tools to combat theurgs. Old RAs that were even removed from live, like sever the tether, combated theurgs.
These changes made alb far more easy and forgiving to play at the competitive level and made, particularly hib, very unforgiving of mistakes.
It's very disheartening to continue to lose winning fights because a single theurg halted any sort of push/nulified any caster dps/consistently causes casters to clear pets for the duration of the fight.