Curse

Jeydra · Oct 13, 2008, 11:15 AM // 11:15

To solve the longstanding issue that Nuking is terrible, without unbalancing Elementalists and other ranged DPSers altogether, here's an idea. I don't know how balanced this will be and have not given much thought to the numbers, just the general concept.

Move Frenzy to a universal skill ala Res Signet (i.e. every class can use it).
Change Frenzy to: 5 energy, 4 second recharge, stance. For 8 seconds, you attack 33% faster and cast spells 50% faster. While in this stance you take double damage.

Intended result is that Elementalists get to output some spike damage on their own, at the same cost as Warriors.

Possible problems -

Mesmers become useless since you can now duplicate Fast Casting with Frenzy, but Frenzy is still a stance and will require a cancel, taking up two slots on your skill bar whereas a Mesmer can just sink points into Fast Casting.
Caster spike becomes too dangerous when there're enough Elementalists around. A possible problem, although I'm hoping the double damage on AL60 targets, as well as the 1-second cast on most nukes under Frenzy (still interruptable) will at least compensate.
Lack of a cancel stance in builds would force the casters' secondary profession. A possible fix to this would be to move a cancel stance - I'm thinking Sprint or Dash - to be universal too like Frenzy.

Thoughts and comments?

McMullen · Oct 13, 2008, 11:22 AM // 11:22

50% faster would be stupidly overpowered. Elites such as stolen speed would become near useless (not that it's great anyway) and as you said before, fast casting would be near useless too.
Not too keen on the idea, sorry.
Also, nukers have Glyph of Sacrafice if they really want to nuke things quick.

Lyssa Apate · Oct 13, 2008, 11:41 AM // 11:41

No, tyvm.

<Would not like to lose utility for faster casting + cancel stance.

Holly Herro · Oct 13, 2008, 11:42 AM // 11:42

I think a universal frenzy is a good idea, but this may be overpowered towards casters, and this would make the assassin spikes very hard to protect against in any kind of battle.

Faure · Oct 13, 2008, 12:16 PM // 12:16

If you wanna fast cast nuking, take a fast cast nuke build at primary.

N1ghtstalker · Oct 13, 2008, 12:17 PM // 12:17

that sounds like mindbender
and that's quite powerful
imagine in PvP, a monk with 50% faster casting, his WoH's will be flying!
/notsigned
play mesmer with signet of illussions if you wanna cast fast
and ele's still nuke like hell
no further comment needed
mind blast + rodgort's invoc = pain

Hyper.nl · Oct 13, 2008, 12:56 PM // 12:56

50% faster casting is overpowered. Period.

A 33 faster 'anything' could be nice in the form of some bullet time related feature, like you have in the Max Payne games. This includes a limited use of it to prevent players to use it all the time. It might need to be PvE only as well.

MagmaRed · Oct 13, 2008, 01:00 PM // 13:00

Everyone throw out your 40/40 weapon sets.
Numerous skills, most being PvE only, become useless.
There is a reason spells have a particular casting time. Changing that cast time by any amount results in balance issues. Skills like Glyph of Sacrifice and Stolen Speed have already been addressed for balance. We don't need more power creep.

MithranArkanere · Oct 13, 2008, 03:29 PM // 15:29

Skill activation speed is 'more expensive' than attacking speed, like bleeding and poison are easier to apply than dazing or blindness.

If a skill like Frenzy, with no attribute requirements and low cost, had to add spell activation speed, it could not be more than 10%.

foozdood · Oct 13, 2008, 04:01 PM // 16:01

Something like this would be overpowered... but how bout a new skill (in energy storage perhaps) that is something like:
Frenzied casting
Stance
5E
Recharge 10
For (10..25) seconds you spells cast and recharge (10..25)% faster but cost twice as much energy.

Would still allow for some quick nuking, but wouldn't be sustainable for ny large length of time.

wind fire and ice · Oct 13, 2008, 04:25 PM // 16:25

No way any of this could ever work,only possible option would be 10% faster casting and recharge,5 sec duration 10sec recharge.

In the end,bad idea.

Dre · Oct 13, 2008, 04:35 PM // 16:35

mindbender, anyone?

turbo234 · Oct 13, 2008, 04:52 PM // 16:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dre

mindbender, anyone?

exactly what i was thinking about.

lets not complain about the casting times of elementialists. theres a reason most of the skills take long to cast. they give more damage. i think fire eles should stick to pve anyway. and if your in pve then use mindbender problem solved.

Da Rk Bl Ad E · Oct 13, 2008, 04:56 PM // 16:56

Frenzy is balanced for melee classes as they aren't the primary target in most situations....whereas casters are, see what I'm getting at?

If not you're bad.

4040 set > Double damage

/notsigned you didn't think this through.

Snow Bunny · Oct 13, 2008, 05:50 PM // 17:50

I'm pretty sure that 40/40 sets take care of fast casting.

I don't want warriors hitting for 300+ because I was in frenzy.

Winterclaw · Oct 13, 2008, 07:30 PM // 19:30

Why muck with casting speed when it is the recharge time that is the big limiter in getting lots of firepower off. If it reduced recharge time on spells by 25%, that would make it more interesting.

snaek · Oct 13, 2008, 07:42 PM // 19:42

encourages bad play

imo eles already have potential to deal dmg faster due to attacking at range

shru · Oct 13, 2008, 08:20 PM // 20:20

Too powerful. Too much possibility for abuse. Removes the need for weapon swapping. There are already solutions to long cast times in PvE, and the type of nuking this skill would encourage would not be beneficial to PvP. Blah Blah Blah... etc...

Dreamwar · Oct 13, 2008, 08:34 PM // 20:34

No. Simply too overpowered. And that way casters would be way overpowered, imagine, a mesmer with fast casting AND frenzy?!

Shadow-Hunter · Oct 13, 2008, 09:17 PM // 21:17

Nah, imagen some Ele trying to Frenzy cast some meteor showers in AB or something. And alone comes a mesmer doing nearly 300 damage with his Power spike.
Or imagen a sin suddenly comming out of the shadows, with an unsuspecting strike crit on a 60 AL double damage target <3

Man that would be hillarious :P