Curse

Bowstring Badass · Aug 22, 2008, 07:54 PM // 19:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Doggy

/signed
They should just revert it to the way it was for PvE and have a different PvP version.

You = fail. They changed it for PvP only.

Winterclaw · Aug 22, 2008, 08:20 PM // 20:20

I'd make it 5e, 30 second recharge, 10-20 second duration, and it lasts for only 2-5 spells.

Shayne Hawke · Aug 22, 2008, 08:21 PM // 20:21

It was a problem when it was as it was before, it's totally useless now, and there's no point in changing it to elite.

Option two is the only viable one, and it's generally the right course of action with any skill that they should tweak.

Ursan got a smaller nerf than this skill.

HawkofStorms · Aug 22, 2008, 09:48 PM // 21:48

So many clueless reponses.

Anyways, yes, it should have been nerfed, but not into oblivoion. I think SEVERAL of the ideas on this thread are much better balanacing ideas then what we actually got.

Still, I'm kinda surprised Smitway was a flavor of the month, but it was NEVER as much of a problem as some of the other gimmick builds that were around (IWAY) and A.net killed it quickly, dirrectly, and ludicriously. It's just kinda a change in A.net policy.

PS. can some "leet" PvPer explain to me why people just didn't run [[Mirror of Disenchantment]] to counter this on some spare support character (a E/Me) who doesn't need to spec any points for this rather then whine about it in the first place? Sure, it would only keep it down for half the fight, but it would be enough. Was doing that just too much of an independent thought that required non-cookie cutter mentality?

rohara · Aug 22, 2008, 10:06 PM // 22:06

lolbalance. SB clearly needed a kick in the nuts, but this nerf is simply lazy. every skill should have a purpose and a place in the game. if the function of smiter's boon was the problem - then change it, make it do something completely different. however, i think the function of the skill is fine and just needs tweaking so its not so uber.

personally, i think all that needed to happen was an increased recharge (30 sec should do it) so that it became worth hitting with an enchant removal, and in addition:
a) a slight nerf to the divine favor bonus (reduce healing)
OR
b) increase to 10e cost (make the skills that compliment it a little less spammable)
OR
c) increase to 1 sec cast (add interrupt ability)
OR
d) decrease the duration so that it cannot be permanently maintained

Tyla · Aug 22, 2008, 10:07 PM // 22:07

Because just because it has a counter it doesn't mean it's not imbalanced.

That, and Mirror of Disenchantment has a recharge of 20, and Smiter's Boon a recharge of 10 with an energy cost of 5.

Puebert · Aug 22, 2008, 10:25 PM // 22:25

Just make it so it can't be up 100% of the time. Give it a longish duration and a longer recharge.

Its still a really funny nerf. =]

Age · Aug 22, 2008, 11:06 PM // 23:06

I went with no 2 as it set to 15e and 30 to 45 recharge cast time 2.There is not one Elementalist skill or Elite that cost as much as this and they have more energy.

Bowstring Badass · Aug 23, 2008, 12:05 AM // 00:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Age

I went with no 2 as it set to 15e and 30 to 45 recharge cast time 2.There is not one Elementalist skill or Elite that cost as much as this and they have more energy.

Wrong. Eles have at least 2 skills I can think of that cost 25e. [rodgorts invocation] and [meteor shower].

The Last Windseeker · Aug 23, 2008, 12:28 AM // 00:28

Wow... Just wow... I've been away from Guild Wars for the majority of this year, been signing on about once or twice a month to see how things are going and when I checked the skill update today I was, to be honest, in shock because of the changes made to Smiter's Boon. First I thought, I was thinking of a different skill. Nope, I checked in game. It was the skill I was thinking of. Then I thought it was just some sort of April Fool's joke in August... Sadly, I guess it wasn't.

Seriously, lets look at this update.

Quote:

Smiter's Boon: recharge time increased to 90 seconds, Energy cost increased to 25, duration reduced to 5 seconds.

All that really comes to my mind is no. No, no, no, no. And maybe one more no thrown in there somewhere, just for good measure. What is Anet thinking? Alright, I understand that the skill may have been pretty good before; I used to use it in my smiting build. But this drastic of a change!? It seems to me like Anet is trying to pull some joke or they simply lost their minds. I for one am somewhat hoping it is the latter. Then, at least I know they didn't have a conscious choice in their decision. The skill is not even usable now. I am now forced to watch a game I once really enjoyed to play be destroyed by the hands of its creator.

This is not the way skill updates should be made and Anet knows it. I just hope they can get their act together. This update is just lazy.

Ariena Najea · Aug 23, 2008, 12:36 AM // 00:36

I like the thought behind the solution, but take a look at [divine boon]

The problem with the skill was most evident in TA, where 3 smite Monks were able to effectively heal, damage, and remove conditions/hexes with few counters. If your suggestion was implemented, the same spam would still occur, the energy loss you're proposing would not slow down a 3 monk team.

zelgadissan · Aug 23, 2008, 01:15 AM // 01:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Age

I went with no 2 as it set to 15e and 30 to 45 recharge cast time 2.There is not one Elementalist skill or Elite that cost as much as this and they have more energy.

[Deep Freeze], [Ether Prism], [Rodgort's Invocation], [Lightning Hammer], [Meteor Shower], [Earthquake], [Maelstrom], [Dragon's Stomp], and [Eruption] all say hi. Hell, even Mesmers have a 25e skill: [Panic].

BUT, I agree that this is ridiculous. I'm very glad to see Smiter's Boon removed from meta, but it should really be balanced - even if that means completely changing the purpose of the skill - not buttraped as it is now.

HawkofStorms · Aug 23, 2008, 01:20 AM // 01:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyla

Because just because it has a counter it doesn't mean it's not imbalanced.

That, and Mirror of Disenchantment has a recharge of 20, and Smiter's Boon a recharge of 10 with an energy cost of 5.

Yeah, I mentioned that in my post. You could only keep it down for 50% of the time, ON THE ENTIRE TEAM. For a skill that is so vital to the survival of the build, that one skill would be really helpful. Half the healing 50% of the time means that one skill could reduce smiteway's healing ability by 25% over the course of the battle. That is such a key component of that build, that that would make it crumble.

Yes, the "just because it has a counter" arguement can be used, but that still doesn't explain WHY the counter was never seriously used.

Mesmer in Need · Aug 23, 2008, 03:47 AM // 03:47

Why not just change it completely?
5e 1Cast 30r
For 10 seconds, you gain 1...5...7 Health regeneration. This skill gets refreshed each time you cast a Smiting prayers spell.

Tempast · Aug 23, 2008, 03:50 AM // 03:50

but smiters boon is so gud right now

icedwhitemocha · Aug 23, 2008, 03:57 AM // 03:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyla

Hi, you are clueless. It heals for 90, mitigates damage / removes a condition or hex and deals damage. Put a couple more on your team, and your melee are unsnarable or can't have any anti-melee because all that happens is you get a shitton of damage, and your Warriors can't properly spike while in Frenzy because he gets hit for 140, with that damage mitigated and healing for 90 at the same time. A heal of 90 directly is slightly 20 less of a heal than a Patient Spirit, although I guess you're more used to powerhealing the shit out of everything and seeing heal numbers of 200?

Making it elite will only remove the ability to use an elite on your bar, which the Smiter didn't have much choice in the usage of Smiting Prayers anyway.

Leave this dead.

/thread

Skill needs a complete rewrite before it can be viable in competitive play. People suggesting that higher recharges and such will make it balanced are clueless.

DarkNecrid · Aug 23, 2008, 05:36 AM // 05:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by cgruber

What smiter's boon mechanic changed it's exactly the same as it was 1 year ago? Rank 4000 guilds running 3 axe rao's and 4 smites isn't exactly meta.

Um.

Did I say Smiter's Boon mechanics?

They sorta removed VoD, made NPCs not walk, and removed gates so now the game is more 8v8 oriented at the stand where all those Smite skills are guaranteed to hit someone, and you can split but you're not getting much out of it, and if you split the RaO guys will rape your guys at the stand.

Then there is the additional changes to the other smite skills.

However, yes Smiter's Boon needed to be killed and not the other smite skills unbuffed. The smite skills buffed are pretty balanced now for what they cost and do, however Smiter's Boon is a synergy skill and makes them imba, just like Deadly Paradox did etc.

Synergy skills are hard to balance because they change the balance state of all the skills they improve. If a skill sucks it becomes less bad with a synergy skill. If a skill is less bad it becomes average/balanced. If a skill is average it becomes good. If a skill is good it becomes really good. If a skill is really good it becomes near broken.

So in order to make these balanced you have 2 options:
-Make all the skills the Synergy skill is related to "less bad" (ie: pretty below average) and force people to basically take the Synergy skill to be useful. Note that technically this would force all the related people to basically have 7/6 skill bars cause you need Synergy and in the case of non-monk: rez.

OR
-Make the Synergy skill suck and make all the skills related to it balanced.

Hey, guess which one is generally a better idea. (hint: the second one.)

Arkantos · Aug 23, 2008, 05:40 AM // 05:40

Completely change the skill function. Either that or leave it dead.

Age · Aug 23, 2008, 05:51 AM // 05:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bowstring Badass

Wrong. Eles have at least 2 skills I can think of that cost 25e. [rodgorts invocation] and [meteor shower].

Nope.I am talking about the updated pvp version of it.

upier · Aug 23, 2008, 06:36 AM // 06:36

I am quite a fan of the change now.
It's like one of those fail- or lolcats pictures.
Just for GW.
It's just one of those true signs of making the game worse on purpose (contrary to the game being worse being the side-effect

).

Keep it the way it is.