Curse

Skye Marin · May 09, 2007, 09:58 PM // 21:58

With the invent of PvE-only skills coming soon to Nightfall and EotN, we can use them to solve some PvE-only problems. In hard mode, an ele or rit boss can easily hit for 400+ damage. I've come up with a skill that will help protect against that.

Protective Shell
Enchantment Spell
15/2/30
For 2..17 seconds, all party members are enchanted with Protective Shell. Each party member cannot take damage higher than 10% of their total health. This enchantment ends on each party member after damage to that party member is reduced in this way 10 times.

Remember, PvE only skill.

MercenaryKnight · May 09, 2007, 10:01 PM // 22:01

I think it still is a bit too powerful unless it's an elite. It is like a party wide protective spirit. Yes I know that it can only last for 10 times, but if damage is spread around that 10 times could last until a recharge. Especially combined with a skill like serpent's quickness or something to boost recharge speed.

Skye Marin · May 09, 2007, 10:15 PM // 22:15

That's why it's PvE-only. Because it's powerful.

tenshi_strife · May 09, 2007, 11:28 PM // 23:28

well...... even pve only have to be somewhat balenced or we may as well make a skill

GODS HAND
1/4 cast

kill all enemies on the map*pve only*

but i dont think this would be that broken if you make it longer recharge or shorter recharge and elite.

bhavv · May 10, 2007, 12:31 AM // 00:31

/unsigned.

too overpowered and imbalanced even for PVE.

Elly and rit boss's hit for over 400 damage, and have you ever heard of shutdown mesmers?

And would it it be possible for me to request that the mods make a single concept skill thread as a sticky, because having so many threads on mostly useless skill ideas is starting to get annoying.

gameshoes3003 · May 10, 2007, 02:53 AM // 02:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhavv

/unsigned.

too overpowered and imbalanced even for PVE.

Elly and rit boss's hit for over 400 damage, and have you ever heard of shutdown mesmers?

And would it it be possible for me to request that the mods make a single concept skill thread as a sticky, because having so many threads on mostly useless skill ideas is starting to get annoying.

(whisper) I think he hates all of the skills I posted... (end whisper)
But yeah, this skill is a wee bit powerful...

OhCrapLions · May 10, 2007, 03:14 AM // 03:14

its a little (understatement) on the broken side. how about making it so your healing ability and enchantments cast by you only have half their potency and in amount healed, casting time and duration?

LifeInfusion · May 12, 2007, 03:37 PM // 15:37

It's stuff like this that gets us mobs with double damage and other lame buffs.

more overpowered players = more overpowered mobs...just to let you know

B Ephekt · May 12, 2007, 06:55 PM // 18:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skye Marin

With the invent of PvE-only skills coming soon to Nightfall and EotN, we can use them to solve some PvE-only problems. In hard mode, an ele or rit boss can easily hit for 400+ damage. I've come up with a skill that will help protect against that.

Protective Shell
Enchantment Spell
15/2/30
For 2..17 seconds, all party members are enchanted with Protective Shell. Each party member cannot take damage higher than 10% of their total health. This enchantment ends on each party member after damage to that party member is reduced in this way 10 times.

Remember, PvE only skill.

Hard mode is supposed to be challenging, but your skill takes away any semblance of challenge out of monking against these bosses. How about simply not sucking with prot spirit? Or making use of interrupts, daze or any number of shutdown skills?

IMO, hard mode is there to make you think. Pve has been pretty mindless, c-spacebar = win for nearly 2 years. Now pve comes along that can actually offer a bit of challenge and people think up crappy skills to bring the level of skill required back down to almost nil? Come on.

pnumm · May 12, 2007, 07:08 PM // 19:08

Wasn't there a skill called "Shelter"?

TGgold · May 12, 2007, 07:10 PM // 19:10

Am I the only one who remmebers why Shelter was nerfed? This skill would be ridiculous with a chance to proc 40-80 times. It's like a "we suck at monking, so can we have it really easy for more than half of the time we play" skill.

PvE skills are hopefully not going to be overpowered garbage like this.

B Ephekt · May 12, 2007, 07:26 PM // 19:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by TGgold

It's like a "we suck at monking, so can we have it really easy for more than half of the time we play" skill.

Indeed. This game needs less skills that reward crappy/lazy players and more skills that reward players who are good at the game. Skills like Frenzy and Diversion are pretty good examples of the latter, Shelter was a horrible instance of the former.

Crimso · May 12, 2007, 08:00 PM // 20:00

The spell is majorly OP even if it was Pve only compare it to [skill]"Incoming!"[/skill] which is only 1/2 damage for 1-3 seconds Since most mobs can do more then 10% of your health with their skills and hard mode bosses killing casters in at least 1 hit this would completely outclass incoming(during Incoming you usually wont get hit 10 times before it ends). This skill could be fair if it effects the whole party but only makes them take 33% of their max health in 1 hit But it should require 25 energy considering its not even an elite.

This would makes its purpose specific for limiting damage from bosses but not to the extent of prot spirit on the whole party.

Skye Marin · May 12, 2007, 09:06 PM // 21:06

Rework time.

Protective Shell
Enchantment Spell
15/2/30
For 2..15 seconds, all party members are enchanted with Protective Shell. Each party member cannot take damage higher than 45..15% of their total health. This enchantment ends on each party member after damage to that party member is reduced in this way 10 times.

Shelter was nerfed because of its clout in turtling until VoD in GvG, as well as it giving invincibility to the catapults. This is a PvE only skill. Simply, the bosses are insanely overpowered, and Heros and Hench doesn't have the common sense to not crowd together versus AoE damage bosses.

I'm going to go over the idea of the skill, the values involved, and why I chose them.

Why 15/2/30? I took these values from Aegis as a base point. I knew it was going to be a party-wide enchantment. A cost of 25 would be too prohibitive, especially for a PvE only skill. It's a baseline to balance the rest of the skill off of.

Why 2..15 seconds? In PvE, many bosses you encounter are surronded by many very strong mobs. In Forum Highlands, a few heavy-hitting bosses are surrounded by several handfuls of Ruby/Sapphire/Diamond Djinn, and Roaring Ethers. The Roaring Ethers have Burn/Surge, and the Rubies can do some serious damage, especially if they are in a pair. Many of these mobs can be pulled and killed off separately, but not all of them. Sooner or later, you're going to have to face 5 or 6, plus the boss at the same time. Now, Why 2..15 seconds? Because, in 15 seconds, how many of the boss' allies are you going to be able to kill? I know you won't be able to kill everyone there. Now, tie that with:

Why end after 10 damage reductions? So that a single ally hit by multiple attacks will lose this enchantment faster. Many allies under direct pressure won't actually get the whole 15 seconds out of it. An ally being hit hard still needs to be defended just as vigourously, but the team as a whole is protected from a random Spirit Rift. And finally...

Why 45..15%? This number has been lowered and scaled to emphisize that the skill was intended for protection against the 415 searing flames and 572 Destructive was Glaives.

After reading that, I hope folks here no longer equate this skill idea with "All things on the map die." It's a skill invented from necessity, because Hero and Hench AI is limited. It's PvE only because it would be too darn potent in PvP, but note that in PvP, you don't encounter 400 AoE damage on a semi-regular basis.

B Ephekt · May 12, 2007, 09:21 PM // 21:21

This skill is not a necessity. If you're getting owned by aoe spells, bring a ranger with daze (either Broad Head or Conc Shot), or a mesmer with Migraine, Frustration, Signet of Humility for elites, Blackout or Diversion for spamable skills.

Skills like this come from players looking for lazy, passive counters to things that counters already exist for, not necessity.

A party-wide prot spirit is an ill conceived skill, no matter what % of reduction you set it at. It encourages skillless play rather than thinking and adapting.

No offense intended to you, but your suggestion is a rather poor one.

Skye Marin · May 12, 2007, 09:30 PM // 21:30

Mods, lock/delete.

Hexes last half duration, as do conditions. Many Bosses have half a dozen mobs surrounding them that are bound to them, so you can't daze them all. The Hero/Hench AI doesn't have the common sense to spread out. This has been argued countless times.

Honestly, I would rather have a "spread out" button to command my allies with that this skill.

B Ephekt · May 12, 2007, 09:57 PM // 21:57

OK, time for some simple math.

Broadhead Arrow at 16 Marksmanship lasts 21 seconds. Due to rounding, the duration on Tyrian and Elonian bosses is 10 seconds. With a silencing bow string you can extend the daze duration to 13 seconds. As you can see, it's possible to keep a boss dazed for 13 out of 17 seconds (15s recharge, 2s activation time).

Migraine at 16 Illusion lasts 21 seconds. Due to rounding, the duration on Tyrian and Elonian bosses is 10 seconds. With Mantra of Persistence at a modest 10 Inspiration, you can increase the duration to 17 seconds. As you can see, it's possible to keep a boss Migrained nearly full time (nearly due to .75s after cast and cast time).

With a little bit of thought, it’s easy to see that bosses are quite manageable even with the dreaded half duration.

As for Heroes, they have flags that allow you to spread them out individually. Henchmen are sadly all bound to a single flag, but this still allows you to protect most of your party from aoe. Heroes can also be micromanaged to apply prots, shutdown or damage where needed.

Players already have the tools available to hench/hero Hard Mode, they just need to put a bit of thought into it. Don't tell me ridiculous skill like this are a necessity, they're not; they're an easy win button.

Frazzy · May 12, 2007, 10:08 PM // 22:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhavv

/unsigned.

too overpowered and imbalanced even for PVE.

Elly and rit boss's hit for over 400 damage, and have you ever heard of shutdown mesmers?

First of all, not everyone has a Mesmer and nobody on Europe actually plays with other players. Also, what if there are 2-3 monsters with SF? Heroes and Henchies cannot be spread out...So what now? Europe can't use Hard Mode? Maybe if they just balance out the damage done my elementalists/ritualists/dervishes Hard Mode would be a lot more successful.

qwe4rty · May 12, 2007, 10:20 PM // 22:20

So make a Mesmer, don't whine cuz no one else is.

Or just add an HoH chest to RA so the people who use mending can actually get some items or sigils they normally wouldn't get.