Curse

makosi · Dec 13, 2007, 12:35 AM // 00:35

[skill]Avatar of Melandru[/skill][skill]Wild Blow[/skill][skill]Wearying Strike[/skill]

There have been numerous requests for Anet to balance Melandru Dervishes and they did so by reducing the health. It was never the additional health but the immunity to conditions that gave Melandru's too much advantage.

Wild Blow is Stance removal, unblockable and a guaranteed Critical Hit all in one spammable 5 energy skill. The drawback is that it drains all adrenalin although Dervishes don't require any adrenalin for their skills so this is a 3-function, cheap skill with no drawbacks.

Wearying Strike is just as spammable as Wild Blow and provides a Deep Wound. It is 10 damage short of Evisverate and costs only 5 energy. The drawback is that you suffer Weakness for 10 seconds which significantly reduces your damage output. With Avatar of Melandru there is no drawback.

I'd like to propose changes which people may contest. This is not an I'm-quitting-for-WoW-if-Anet-doesn't-do-this-for-me-thread.

Wild Blow: If it hits, this attack removes any Stance being used by your target. This attack cannot be blocked.

Removing the adrenalin-loss and the guaranteed Critical means that a warrior can use this skill. I feel that a guaranteed on-demand crit on a Scythe is too strong although removing Stances is a vital tactic. How about moving this to Strength and adding damage to compare with [skill]Wild Throw[/skill]?

Avatar of Melandru: For 10...58 seconds, you have +100 Health, you lose a condition upon successfully using a Skill, and your attacks deal earth damage. This Skill is disabled for 120 seconds.

Reduce to 15 Energy. This change would align Melandru to Dwayna and encourage a more active approach to dealing with conditions instead of no-brainer immunity.

Changing Melandru would then balance Wearying Strike as it would force the Dervish to use a skill (and consume time and energy) or add to the backline's pressure. Otherwise the Dervish would suffer the effects of Weakness.

Please bash me. I mean, err, discuss.

Wasteland Squidget · Dec 13, 2007, 12:48 AM // 00:48

Melandru, as a template, is fine. Actually a pretty weak choice currently, outside of pure 321spike builds.

Contrary to popular belief, Blind and Cripple are not what keep people from dying in this game.

Keekles · Dec 13, 2007, 12:49 AM // 00:49

I like your proposals. Especially the change to Avatar of Melandru. I'm fine with losing my "instant crit" off wild blow (I used it primarily to remove stances not for the critical hit anyhow), and getting rid of the "lose all adrenaline" clause would make it a lot more appealing to be placed on a warrior bar.

mrmango · Dec 13, 2007, 01:09 AM // 01:09

Your changes aren't solely buff/nerf, they're both. Which is what I wish Anet would do, and not double nerfs. And for Trees, I think they're not so bad.

ensoriki · Dec 13, 2007, 02:27 AM // 02:27

Might as well buff melandru back to +250 (was it that or 200)
hp again then. Considering Dwayna heals and removes hexes.
Makes sense than Melandru would have you had high hp (still making you pretty hard to spike)
BTW I think Wild Blow should critical
that or make it 1/2c so that its a fast skill for a warrior.

bungusmaximus · Dec 13, 2007, 02:13 PM // 14:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keekles

I like your proposals. Especially the change to Avatar of Melandru. I'm fine with losing my "instant crit" off wild blow (I used it primarily to remove stances not for the critical hit anyhow), and getting rid of the "lose all adrenaline" clause would make it a lot more appealing to be placed on a warrior bar.

It would make warriors so incredibly powerful it wouldn't be funny anymore. There's a reason it makes you lose all adrenaline. I don't want to be on the receiving end of 'shock/frenzy/new-improved-wildblow/eviscerate/executioners strike', it would be pretty damn deadly. Need to hit the dervish when you want to nerf the tree without causing collateral damage.

makosi · Dec 13, 2007, 02:46 PM // 14:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by bungusmaximus

It would make warriors so incredibly powerful it wouldn't be funny anymore. There's a reason it makes you lose all adrenaline. I don't want to be on the receiving end of 'shock/frenzy/new-improved-wildblow/eviscerate/executioners strike', it would be pretty damn deadly. Need to hit the dervish when you want to nerf the tree without causing collateral damage.

I agree. That's why I removed the guaranteed-critical part of it because it would be too painful on an axe. I like criticals on fleeing foes because it makes people think about their positioning and movement more but Wild Blow on a tree is an undisputible, guaranteed critical if you're team isn't a hex-pressure team. We all know that hexes are off as fast as they're on in the current metagame, you can't blind or cripple a tree. It's my personal view and it may not be what everyone else thinks but I feel a change would be healthy.

bungusmaximus · Dec 13, 2007, 05:09 PM // 17:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by makosi

I agree. That's why I removed the guaranteed-critical part of it because it would be too painful on an axe. I like criticals on fleeing foes because it makes people think about their positioning and movement more but Wild Blow on a tree is an undisputible, guaranteed critical if you're team isn't a hex-pressure team. We all know that hexes are off as fast as they're on in the current metagame, you can't blind or cripple a tree. It's my personal view and it may not be what everyone else thinks but I feel a change would be healthy.

Hmm dont know, it's the stance removal that hurts more, they nerfed wild blow before because of melandrus dervs. I don't think theyre all that threatening anymore anyways. It's just that condition immunity sounds lame to me. On the other hand, dervishes have no viable means of KD and their attack speed is dreadingly low. I wonder if they really deserved to get nerfed any more? If you would make melandru's work like, say, assassins remedy it wouldn't even matter so much because the form can't be removed.

ensoriki · Dec 13, 2007, 10:41 PM // 22:41

Assassin's remedy removes conditions before your attack skill hits I believe.
Meaning the only thing that would really affect melandru dervish is cripple.

Something like this would be nice I guess
For 10...58 seconds, you have +200 Health, whenever you use a skill you lose two conditions and gain 1 energy and your attacks deal earth damage. This Skill is disabled for 120 seconds.

Its another form of Dwayna, but with +200 health and gaining 1 energy means your 5 energy skills really cost 4.

Probably needs some tweaking though.

makosi · Dec 13, 2007, 11:16 PM // 23:16

How about:

Avatar of Melandru: For 10...58 seconds, you have +100 Health, you lose a condition upon successfully using a Skill, and your attacks deal earth damage and you have +20 armor versus Elemental damage. This Skill is disabled for 120 seconds.

?

ensoriki · Dec 14, 2007, 12:32 AM // 00:32

+30 elemental damage be nicer =P

Lets the dervish become pretty much a ranger!

Winstar · Dec 14, 2007, 12:37 AM // 00:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wasteland Squidget

Melandru, as a template, is fine. Actually a pretty weak choice currently, outside of pure 321spike builds.

Contrary to popular belief, Blind and Cripple are not what keep people from dying in this game.

_____________________________________

placebo overdose · Dec 14, 2007, 12:51 AM // 00:51

i think wild blow should stay as is except fails if lower then 3 str
i think melandru should have "you loose a condition on hitting with and attack" and gain "your attack skills cost 2 less energy" but loose the health bonus
i think wearying strike should have blind instead of weakness then to remove it they would have a 9/10 chance hitting with melandru

ensoriki · Dec 14, 2007, 03:53 AM // 03:53

wild blow doesn't need to fail.
Just leave the skill be.

The health bonus should stay