Skill suggestions: making thrash skills useful and fun
Plenty of talk about top GvG nerfs needed and tweaks to make metagame better. Unfortunately, what i really feel is lacking, are the zillion of thrashy skills which are not used in absolutely any form of GW gameplay. Considering that there wont be new skills for PvP (except few) until GW2, i decided on making a list of thrashy skills with buffs which might make them playable, but in no means overpowered in GvG (estimate). The changes are not even with GvG in mind, nor HA, but all other areas. They are not meant to present a threat in the mentioned arenas and are meant to be fun elsewhere.
I know that some would prefer GW to be chess with several different pieces, but i like variety. And no, the game doesn't necessarily need to be more difficult to balance with more playable skills.
Anyway, lemme point out some thrash skills and how they should be reworked. Keep in mind that i will not touch those skills which can be made better with
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Dervish
Balthazar's Rage - Too unreliable to be useful. Rework skill: "Whenever you take damage, the damage you deal is increased by x..y% for 0..3 seconds."
Eremite's Zeal - Useless. Rework skill: "Enchantment Spell. When your melee attack hits more than one foe, those foes take x..y additional damage."
Irresistible Sweep - Useless right now, buff in a wrong way would be too strong. Slightly rework skill and add: "Target foe loses Preparation." Let's spice things up. No, it's not like people would take this skill for gimmick, really i dont see it happening. But the additional effect is nice to have.
Attacker's Insight - top3 most useless skill in the game. I cannot imagine what substances was skill balancer using upon creation of this skill which to this day has absolutely no use. Rework skill: "The next time target foe uses an attack skill on you, that skill is disabled for xx..yy seconds and this enchantment ends."
Grenth's Grasp - Risking gimmick, but add: "..and target foe losses 1 shout/enchant/ or echo".
Mystic Corruption - Rework skill: Whenever you suffer from a Condition from a foe, that foe is inflicted with the same condition. Duration of the enchantment 5..30.
Ritualist
Clamor of Souls - Useless thrashy skill, absolutely horrible and a copy of ele non-elite skill. Rework skill: "Each Spirit you control deals xx..yyy lightning damage to adjacent foes." There. See? It's not that difficult to make a useful and fun skill. What does this skill do? Risk and reward system. Rewards grouping spirits, for a possible spike since each spirit will do that dmg on it's own. At the same time, grouping spirits is risky because AoE easily kills em all.
Lamentation - Totally useless now. And before that, a horrible skill which promoted only spiking and nothing else. Rework skill: "This skill is recharged each time someone in earshot range dies". And adjust damage.
Defiant was Xinrae - Lower cost to 5 energy, increase duration. And even then it will be underpowered but maybe more playable.
Dulled Weapon - Also removes a Weapon spell when cast.
Restoration - 3sec cast. Lower recharge. The skill is atm too conditional. You need to 1) cast it 2) someone has to be in range 3) spirit needs to die which means one needs to have a spirit-consuming skill to be reliable 4) and even if it does the job, recharge is huge. This skill maybe had some use with EoE bombs, but right now i just don't see it.
Xinrae's Weapon - Active defense for the win. Passive defense = lose. Reduce cost to 5 energy. Reduce recharge to 3 seconds. Reduce duration to 2..5 seconds. Come on, the guy has a weapon icon on him, it's not possible to cover it all the time. They can just avoid hitting the guy with a weapon. Skills like these should promote variation, ie dont bring 6 Rt channelers together.
Tranquil was Tanasen - 1/4 cast time plus "You cannot be knocked down". Even then i dont see it used..
Mesmer
Persistence of Memory - Ah come on you're kidding me, this skill in Fast Cast line? For start: "Whenever a spell is interrupted, ALL your spells are recharged". Let's spice it up.
Air of Disenchantment - Also removes Weapon spell.
Ranger
Archer's Signet - Utter thrash. Rework skill: "Your normal attacks (non-skill ones) deal -xy..yy% damage on nearby foes, +xx..yy% more damage on foes outside nearby range, and +xy..xy% more damage on foes outside area range." Adjust duration and recharge. Same cast time.
Monk
Word of Censure - Utter thrash. There are plenty of non-elite skills which are better. Seriously, how do these skills get designed? I understand that a skill can be overpowered by mistake, or be less strong than desired, but being utter thrash right from the start? Rework skill: "Target foe takes xy holy damage. If that foe was casting a skill, that skill is disabled for xx-yy seconds after it is casted." (meaning, the skill isnt interrupted)
Protective Bond - Skill needs to be reworked. Im not good with monk changes so wont suggest anything. But in its current state it's obvious that this skill wont see any play. Too easily abused in PvE.
Paragon
Leadership - rework primary. In a game where teams vary from 4-12, primary such as this one is flawed. It has become quite obvious, as well as the non-interruptibility and/or counterbility of 90% of Paragon skills, which led to skills either being utterly useless or in the right situation overpowered. A classic design flaw, big one at that, even though i don't think anyone will actually admit it. Tons of Paragon skills promote herding, aka teaming up with other paragons, which kills diversity and should definitely not be promoted.
I am too tired of even going through all Paragon skills which would need reworking.
etc..
Last edited by Servant of Kali; Jun 21, 2007 at 07:15 PM // 19:15..
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