Curse

JoeKnowMo · Dec 12, 2008, 08:05 PM // 20:05

Anet reworked 4 elite skills in this update. Only one of the changes is unworthy of attention. The rest ought to get some consideration depending, of course, on where you plan to use them.

So let's lookie and discuss.

Quote:

Boon Signet: recharge time increased to 8 seconds. Functionality changed to: "Heal Target ally for 20..80 Health. Your next Healing Prayers or Protection Prayers spell that targets an ally heals for an additional 20..80 Health.

We decided to change Boon Signet from Energy gain to a cheap, reusable heal that allows Monks to set up for a big burst of healing, provided they can plan effectively.

Really, Anet? Is this the best you could do with this skill? It's cheap, but an 8s recharge doesn't make it as "reusable" as it would need to be to see any action.

The +64 healing (@ 11 Divine) is less than the conditional healing from WoH if the target is below 50% health. And WoH has a 3s recharge.

I can see it being useful for adding an initial heal to Pat Spirit and RoF but not in its current form. And good luck planning ahead for a big heal with this.

To get any serious attention, recharge needs to be lowered, and maybe the effect ought to be changed to adding an AoE heal for the next spell. That wouldn't compete directly with something like WoH where it just gets thrased on both effectiveness and bar compression.

Quote:

Life Sheath: recharge reduced to 2 seconds, casting time reduced to .25 seconds. Functionality changed to: "Remove 0..2 conditions from target ally. For 8 seconds, the next time target ally would take damage, that ally gains that amount of Health instead (maximum 20..100)."

Life Sheath's lack of good UI feedback to attackers made it frustrating, while its numbers made it weak. We decided to, essentially, make it an elite version of Reversal of Fortune which both heals for more and removes conditions. This allows Monks to compress their bar without needing a separate condition removal skill.

I like Anet's thinking here. Heals for more than RoF and removes 2 conditions as well! Great for dealing with conditions, although not as good as RC, with its low 2s recharge. You can self target, which is a bonus.

Certainly deserves attention in pvp but will also likely be useful in pve HM.

Quote:

Peace and Harmony: functionality changed to: "Target ally loses 0..9 conditions, and 0..9 hexes. For 1..5 seconds, conditions and hexes expire 90% faster on that ally. All your Smiting Prayers are disabled for 20 seconds."

Peace and Harmony gets a new functionality entirely, being the last word in effect removal, with the added bonus of shortening incoming conditions and hexes.

In the right circumstance - hex and condition stacks - this skill is godly. With a 7s recharge and a .25s cast as well as the fact that it reduces condition and hex duration for 4s (@ 11 Divine), I see a lot of monks giving it some love.

It provides no healing and is therefore inferior to RC and Life Sheath when dealing with only conditions. And probably inferior to Divert Hexes when dealing with a few hexes. However, when hexes and conditions are piled on, PnH will be the one monks turn to.

It maybe more useful in single monk teams (RA/TA) but there are very few pve areas where it will see any play.

Quote:

Ray of Judgment: Energy cost reduced to 10, casting time increased to 2 seconds, recharge time reduced to 20 seconds. Functionality changed to: "For 5 seconds, target foe and all foes adjacent to this location take 5..45 holy damage each second and begin Burning for 1..3 seconds."

Ray of Judgment was undesirable by almost all standards previously. We've changed it into an elite version of Symbol of Wrath, making it targetable and adding Burning with each pulse. This is a PvE-oriented change that we hope will find some fun applications in solo and smite Monk builds.

The skill that will make the undead dead.

joshuarodger · Dec 12, 2008, 10:04 PM // 22:04

RoJ = the sweetest animation of all times. it will be on any smite bar i use just for that reason.

-Lotus- · Dec 12, 2008, 10:27 PM // 22:27

I am sooooo excited to use the new life sheath. RoF has always been the best monk skill in the game. An elite version is just scary.

Age · Dec 12, 2008, 10:44 PM // 22:44

I agree with what you said JoeKnowMo about all the changes.

Luminarus · Dec 13, 2008, 12:14 AM // 00:14

Life Sheath = good

Others = Pretty much meh

Grammar · Dec 13, 2008, 02:50 AM // 02:50

Meh, I still like RC better than Life Sheath.

Peace and Harmony is a niche skill, but a ridiculously powerful niche skill. I can see it being a waste of an elite slot in some situations, and completely game breaking in other situations.

The other updates don't interest me.

Lishy · Dec 13, 2008, 03:33 AM // 03:33

ray of judgment could be better..
But it seems nice.
Holy damage is armor ignoring, right?
5x40= 200+burn damage.
Compare that to, lets say, savanna heat, and you got a kickass skill.
Though it'd need proper setup or else enemies will scatter.

Combine with gale?

-Lotus- · Dec 13, 2008, 06:07 AM // 06:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grammar

Meh, I still like RC better than Life Sheath.

RC has always been overkill, there was just n other option for multiple-condition removal. now we have one, ad it is much more functional and it self targets.

smilingscar · Dec 13, 2008, 05:27 PM // 17:27

Boon Signet needs buffed to the point where it's actually better than [signet of rejuvenation], not just the same healing in two packets.

Although, question, does boon signet add healing to skills that normally don't? Like RoF? If it did that it maybe, might be worth it.

Burst Cancel · Dec 13, 2008, 09:38 PM // 21:38

Buffing Boon Signet runs into efficiency issues - you have to remember that it's a signet, so they need some way to limit its usefulness. If they lowered its recharge or increased its healing strength to be on-par with spells, it would likely to overpowered, especially as signets are easy to modify using Mes skills. Right now, the biggest problem I see is overhealing; it's hard to control its usage so you get its maximum effect, although this is likely much easier in PvE (where damage is more-or-less predictable) than in PvP.

I confess that I fail to see what the major hype about Life Sheath is all about. Sure, it's a good skill now, but at the most it's a moderate bar compression skill and a strong replacement for RC in PvP. Aside from that ... it's +17 over RoF @14, +15 @10 (Or +34/+30 total, respectively) - not exactly anything to write home about. And it still doesn't obviate your plain redbarup slots. In PvE, you'd be giving up WoH so you could take Dismiss off your bar; that's not a good trade in my book.

P&H is such a niche skill that I have a hard time imaging where or when it would see play. It would take an incredible amount of hex/condition pressure to make P&H worth the all-important monk elite slot. The PvP environment is simply too random to bet on a skill like P&H, and there are very few hex/cond pressure situations in PvE that can't be healed through.

Ray of Judgment was a nice try. We might see a farming build pop up, but it will never see normal play.

Daenara · Dec 13, 2008, 10:09 PM // 22:09

After playing around with the new monk elites in RA and PvE, I think I'll just stick with WoH. Life sheath is fun, Boon signet was underwhelming, and there was never a situation where I could find to use Peace and Harmony to it's full effectiveness.
So, for me, nothing has changed.

Trylo · Dec 13, 2008, 10:52 PM // 22:52

our HA team decided to run all the new skills together.

which meant; reaper's sweep conjure, Ray smite hero (maybe 2), LS Prot, 2xDragon RI Spam

and we won halls twice... which was interesting. Ray is on par with SH imho (42+14 each sec armor ignoring, just smaller aoe). also giant heaven jesus beams are just legit.

LS really shines mid spike. its the perfect skill for it. most people dont use more than 2 conditions unless theyre trying to be condition pressure. it also let me (prot) and the HB bring hex breaker for all those hexway popping up. the heal from RC was definitely missed though, but luckily our HB didnt fail.

going to have to try it more before i come to an answer. many teams are pretty lenient on the fact that ive taken LS over RC, so go try it out.

Tyla · Dec 13, 2008, 11:04 PM // 23:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trylo

also giant heaven jesus beams are just legit.

I concur be it soul, mind or heart dear citizen of Guild Wars.

-Lotus- · Dec 13, 2008, 11:22 PM // 23:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burst Cancel

I confess that I fail to see what the major hype about Life Sheath is all about. Sure, it's a good skill now, but at the most it's a moderate bar compression skill and a strong replacement for RC in PvP. Aside from that ... it's +17 over RoF @14, +15 @10 (Or +34/+30 total, respectively) - not exactly anything to write home about. And it still doesn't obviate your plain redbarup slots. In PvE, you'd be giving up WoH so you could take Dismiss off your bar; that's not a good trade in my book.

it gets rid of dismiss and RoF. then you can bring gift to replace WoH, or Dkiss and patient if you want lots of redbarsgoup.

anyways, its not so much of a replacement for WoH as for RC.

Age · Dec 14, 2008, 01:54 AM // 01:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by smilingscar

Boon Signet needs buffed to the point where it's actually better than [signet of rejuvenation], not just the same healing in two packets.

Although, question, does boon signet add healing to skills that normally don't? Like RoF? If it did that it maybe, might be worth it.

You don't have to use anything from the healing line and no need for point in it but there was alway signet of devotion if needed.

bhavv · Dec 14, 2008, 04:31 AM // 04:31

Boon signet has its usefulness on a prot bar to add more 'red bar up', but after comparing it to sig of rejuvenation it is really weak.

Maybe also allow each of its two heals to return 1-2 energy each, which isnt really too overwhelming (+4 energy over 8 seconds).

Ultimate Sacrifice · Dec 14, 2008, 07:48 PM // 19:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhavv

Boon signet has its usefulness on a prot bar to add more 'red bar up', but after comparing it to sig of rejuvenation it is really weak.

Maybe also allow each of its two heals to return 1-2 energy each, which isnt really too overwhelming (+4 energy over 8 seconds).

Yeah that sounds good, in its current form it's just too weak for an elite slot. I would definately prefer that or make its heal effect last for your next 2 Protection or Healing Prayers spells instead.

Snow Bunny · Dec 14, 2008, 08:44 PM // 20:44

The new monk elites work in ways that they're best on non-main monks.

Something like a Mo/D runner

bhavv · Dec 15, 2008, 06:07 AM // 06:07

^^

I disagree, I think that the new elites are great to run on a main monk, particularly PnH or Life Sheath.

For a runner monk, Spellbreaker or Shield of Regeneration are better choices.

Snow Bunny · Dec 15, 2008, 06:39 AM // 06:39

RC heals for a lot, PnH will not.