Closed UnknownOneMS closed 3 years ago
Khalhys
commented
4 years ago I have yet to have tried out the Star Dreamer, mainly because I never was able to craft it, so I don't have anything to say about that. Also, the chances of getting the Star Dreamer are just too astronomical for me or almost anyone to test it reliably.
combativeGastronome
commented
4 years ago I'm very new to the game, so my experience isn't very far reaching. However, I am a professional QA tester IRL so I hope my insights might hold some weight because of that!
Warrior / Masochist Like many others I picked Warrior to start because Warrior is always an easy, middle-of-the-road, dependably average class in most games. Boy was I surprised! It's very effective when you figure out all of its mechanics but I feel like I didn't have a handle on those mechanics until almost Lv. 10. That's a long way to go for a starting class. Like sure, looking back on it I 'get it' but when I started out I felt like I was going down every 20s.
Some of this can be attributed to a lack of conveyance about stats in general: HP, Mana, etc. are self-explanatory but even to this day I don't really know what Pain and Arousal do, where they come from, whether they're beneficial or not, etc. So Warrior having its central mechanic based on Pain, while a player doesn't know what Pain is or how it works, is confusing.
Of course, my friend who introduced me to the game started me out with Brutal challenges... It was an eye-opening way to introduce a cishet dude to the game. :P
Warrior / Berserker This is my favorite class that I've played so far. I don't know that I'd necessarily change anything with the class, but I have been frequently frustrated by GCD timing and lag not letting me know exactly when Execute gets its instant CD from a crit. There's a ~1 second delay between switching from the Execute button on CD to the Execute button on ready, when a player low on HP needs to know right away if they can smack Execute or hit Rage Strike instead hoping it crits.
With Berserk only lasting 8 seconds, waiting a full second to see if you should press a button feels pretty bad.
That's more a SL issue though, and I'm not sure that can be changed beyond having Execute change colors when it gets an insta-refresh.
EDIT: I unlocked Paladin tonight and Judge (2) plays a sound effect when it refreshes Plea (3). Something like that would be perfect!
Shadow Knight / Vampire The main issue I have with Vampire from a player perspective is that while the HP buffs are huge and effective they last a VERY short amount of time and don't feel connected to actually playing the class since they're available on-demand. They feel like panic buttons, not something you work toward using your main rotation. If a player decides to conserve Doom or Crimson Pact as 'emergency buttons' they're little more than a Warrior/Masochist with no Battlecry.
This is something that FFXIV struggled with in Dark Knight's setup. The problems I perceive with executions of similar concepts like Shadow Knight/Vampire are:
1. HP Drain Heal mechanics as a self-heal on their own are pretty ubiquitous among Tanks, so Blood Siphon doesn't feel particularly unique.
2. HP Drain Buff mechanics on their own quickly wander into OP territory as a player that can minmax and floss, say, 300 standing HP between fights unbalances the fights for other classes.
3. I feel like I have yet to see self-harming buff mechanics (exchange HP for Mana/stat buffs) actually work out well.The Max HP increases on their own work great because they effectively serve as +RES%: say an enemy's attack does 10 damage per hit. That's 10% of 100 HP but only 5% of 200 HP, meaning when the MaxHP buff wears off you've only taken 5% damage; thus the +100% MaxHP buff is functionally the same as a +50% Damage Resistance buff. The trick is figuring out how to make the HP buffs a regular part of the class.
I wonder how it would feel if Shadow Knight/Vampire came with a MaxHP reduction (say 20%) and had its 1 and 2 attacks add stacking temporary Max HP and stacking temporary Regen (HOT) as the base of the class. I like the idea that as the Shadow Knight attacks enemies he or she is consuming their life force and adding it to his or her own.
For example: Shadow Knight/Vampire starts at 80 Max HP and 0 HP/sec regen. After stacking multiple Blood Strike (1) and Blood Siphon (2) bonuses, the same character now sits at 1** Max HP and regenerates x HP every y seconds. Blood Siphon's 8% heal on hit would be removed, meaning the player would rely on the stacking +Regen in coordination with the HP buffs from Doom and Crimson Pact (again, functionally equivalent to Damage Resistance) to stay alive. I don't know the DPS numbers for any of the enemies so I don't know what would be feasible numbers for unenhanced MaxHP and Regen.
Doom (3) could remain exactly as it is, with perhaps an increase to its PBAOE heal to serve as a low-strength emergency heal. Both Blood Strike (1) and Blood Siphon (2) could come with low Mana costs to encourage frequent use of Hemostasis and encourage players to actually get hit to take advantage of it. It would discourage splitting up large mobs with LOS pulls (e.g. the start of Gurglebobble). Transferring the Taunt from Blood Siphon to Doom could help with this, and encourage players not to save it just for emergency moments. Does any other Tank class have a PBAOE Taunt?
The main concern with this setup would be getting the number just right so that a Vampire maxed out with the +MaxHP bonus and +Regen bonus on top of enchants doesn't just become unkillable.
Shadow Knight / Necromancer This one's fun. My one reservation is I rarely if ever bother to collect Spirit Crystals for mana; I always use them for HP. The class is low on the DPS spectrum but its ability to heal others and provide a punching bag balances that out well.
Assassin / Ninja Agreed. Having only played Tank classes before acquiring Assassin, I was astonished how much damage it does - then I realized how well balanced that is against how little self-healing power it's got.
Describe what you'd like to see here!
Jasdac asked me to help him play test every class right now (besides Paladin and Slimelord) in the game right now for balancing them out after the Tentacle overhaul came out.
For this reason, I’ll be making sure that each class and their specs are being balanced out by judging their play styles, pros and cons, and how well they do in the game currently.
Tentaclemancer Summoning & Siphoning
-Summoning:
This class seems to have a high DPS rate along side with how it can summon an ally monster, and up to 3-4 Eyestalks if the user can Time their abilities well. Using their 3rd ability along with 3-4 Eyestalks active within Line of sight of the enemy deals 12 damage times that by 2, 3, or even up to 4 times sometimes.
I suggest placing a limit on how many eyestalks can become active, and only allow up to 2 to be summoned at most.
Furthermore, the summonable fiend pet needs to have a longer CD timer, but buff it up to have more HP in doing so. Bowman has Decoy, which taunts all monsters, regardless if there is a tank in the party or not (and this is a design choice too, by the way). However, whetever it dies or stays alive for 20 seconds. It still deals damage, gives the enemy a debuff, and still has a long CD to insure that it can’t be spawned again so quickly.
The only main issues that need balancing for this spec are 3rd, 4th, and 5th abilities that need balancing, or nerfing.
-Siphoning:
Not a lot of issues or problems with this class. The only real marking issue with this spec is that the 4th ability’s duration, despite the fact that it can be stacked, is really short. 4 seconds of duration is too short, too punishing, and needs to be extended more. Furthermore, I think the 3rd ability too needs to be increased more for the duration when using the debuff on enemies. There’s also a bug that doesn’t lower down the user’s HP whenever using your 3rd ability on the monsters.
Windflame Windwalking & Pyromancy
-Windwalking:
Ironically enough, this spec is actually pretty well balanced out. Not much to really say, but yeah, it doesn’t need much balancing. I’d still take a look at it, regardless.
-Pyromancy:
This spec too doesn’t need a lot of balancing either too. I couldn’t find much wrong with it. Still, take a look at it if so needs be done so.
Swordsinger Blade Dancer & Bard
-Blade Dancer:
The only real issue with this class is the low HP recovery only being allowed through the 5th ability. And even then, it’s the ONLY way to recover HP making it harder to master, and play, only because of a single design flaw that prevents it from being able to heal HP on demand.
I’d suggest adding in a passive to the 5th ability. Dodge heals 5% or 10% of the user’s max HP, upon a successful dodge. This will link up well with the luck based design of the spec too.
-Bard:
Only real “issue” with the 4th ability is the lowering of the CD timer for the 5th ability. Only when the user has an “Resilience” enchant equipped on. Possible of making the CD timer for the 5th ability almost become instant by filling up the arousal status up to full, using 5th ability, then using 4th ability with max arousal to almost completely make the user recover all of their 5th ability to reuse it again.
Monk Brawling & Medicine
In General:
I found it hard to want to balance out this class. Both specs are equally balanced out, and don’t feel like a hustle or a chore to play with. Maybe only Expel Weakness gets an increase from healing 20% HP, up to 25%. Due to the recent nerf it got, and just to help balance it out. Food for thought anyways.
Priest Morality & Depravity
-Morality:
Purge no longer increases DPS damage done on enemies for Smite. DPS side of things for this spec might need adjustments.
-Depravity:
5th ability needs stack cap for how many times it can increase the DPS and healing it does. When equipping a “Resilience” enchant, it can allow the user to reach up to dealing 11 DPS or 12 DPS, when min-maxed, and even in brutal mode too.
Adding in a stack cap will be important to prevent it from being too overpowered.
Bowman Hunter & Sniper
-Hunter:
This spec already got balanced out a lot before the Tentacle overhaul.
Decoy by design is suppose to taunt all enemies, regardless if there is a tank in the party or not. It’s suppose to be a trap that helps lay off pressure from the team.
Lay Trap also used to help root enemies in place, and stop them in their tracks to give distance and space for ranged classes.
All of the other abilities have already been properly tested and balanced out. So the skill curve for this class is still there, but it’s pretty much balanced out.
-Sniper:
Couldn’t find much to balance for this spec. Maybe Jasdac might find something.
Star Dreamer Starcaller & Moon Dreamer
Starcaller:
Astral Ray used into Prism Bell deals a lot of damage. And with the extra crit too that player can gain and use in combat. It’s very strong offensively, but it’s very weak in healing, and defense too.
For this reason, I don’t believe that much is needed to be tested or changed for this spec. Please let me know later Jas.
-Moon Dreamer:
When mix-maxed with the following enchants on, Haste, Power, Healing, and Brute. The user can heal back up to 30% or 50% of HP from using Dream Ray, or Lunar Shard. This will be looked at later, and will be discussed if to allow it and keep it, or change it.
Shadow Knight Vampirism & Necromancy
-Vampirism:
I think the main issue with this class for its HP mechanics is that they are very effective, but there’s not enough space in between using the abilities to allow the class to become a slow, but powerful HP draining tank that is very effective in its tank role.
Increasing the effectiveness of the abilities, while making the CD timers only a slight bit longer is okay, and allow the user to learn to master the class in due time.
-Necromancy
Soul Shard don’t explode on a timer, they stack, and always stay on the field forever. Allowing the user to COMPLETELY, heal themselves or others back up to 30% or 40% HP if there’s a lot of them around in the field. This is furthermore broken by equipping the following weapon, Dreamer’s Sight Wish.
Use mostly 4th and 5th abilities to trigger a chance of Astral Sight to recover 10% mana back per second. Spam the hell out of 2nd ability, and allows the user to use 3rd ability, pulling in a ton of Soul Shards to heal themselves, or the whole party by a lot.
Furthermore, please give the Skelton Lasher a taunt effect, whenever a tank is not in the party please. And allow the skeleton to be forcefully summoned next to the targeting enemy so it can focus that enemy and help the user lay off pressure from themselves.
Warrior Masochist & Berserker
-Masochist:
This one has went through so many changes, and yet, for some reason, it’s still poorly designed with how it handled the mechanics for the pain system.
The problem with this class isn’t the healing, it isn’t about changing up the 5th ability’s effects and how they work, and it isn’t about making it play as a tank spec that focuses on using pain as their increase to damage. It’s how the class is DESIGNED that makes it such a hustle, a chore, and a problem to deal with too.
The idea alone of using pain as your increase for damage for Battle Cry is fine. The major issue with the spec is HOW it plays out when healing is being taken into consideration. And the problem and issue with how warrior is handled is just not good.
2nd and 4th abilities give pain status increase to the user. 5th ability converts 50% of damage taken into healing. However, making it be so that you can spam the 2nd ability, and only heal 10% HP at most is mediocre at best.
Do the following to fix the major issue with this spec’s healing and pain limit problem.
Give the tank more healing, and survivable. This is a starting class, NOT an expert leveled tank class that has a high learning curve.
There’s a reason why StormBringer was created to bring more of an edge, and a higher skill curve to master that class.
-Berserker:
I didn’t find much issues with this spec, but that’s mostly due to my time being limited right now. And I haven’t had a chance to play test it yet.
Reminder to self to come back, and edit in what needs fixing.
Earthmender Watermending & Earthwarding
-Watermending:
Class is more focused on being a party healer, but there isn’t much that can be noticed by me to adjust.
Jas can take a look at it later and see if anything needs fixing.
-Earthwarding:
This class plays more like a mobile battle tank.
2nd ability can lower down 4th ability’s CD timer by 2 seconds.
4th ability can increase the effectiveness of 3rd ability’s healing.
5th ability resets the CD timer for 4th ability, and deals an AoE attack.
I haven’t played tested this class yet without any enchants on. I’ll be sure to see what I need to edit in soon.
Druid Growth & Feral
-Growth:
5th ability for Bramble Patch still silences the enemies and their abilities. This is connected to the mesh object used for it.
Flower Patch still heals back 30% mana, and HP too. Connected to the mesh object that is used. Please look into that.
Furthermore, replace the effects with something that HELPS THE TEAM DURING COMBAT. Enemies who stand in Bramble Patch get lowered movement speed, haste, and their abilities take 50% longer to finish while casting in Bramble Patch.
Flowery Patch heals back 25% mana, actively removed a debuff every 3 seconds, and heals HP when the user stands in the flowery patch.
-Feral:
Bite needs a bit of fixing because no abilities longer down its CD timer by much. 1st ability already lowers down the CD timer for the 5th ability. So, something needs to be added in.
Assassin Ninja & Pirate
-Ninja:
It got balanced out very recently, and there isn’t much that I can think of that needs balancing.
Jas can take a look at it later.
-Pirate:
Designed as a jack-of-all-trade. This class can be a bit harder to learn. It’s one of the harder classes to manage, and use as a tank that won’t do well.
I’ll need to replay this spec later without enchants on, and see what sees the issue.
Mage Arcane Magic & Explosion Magic
-Arcane Magic:
Definitely one of the harder ranged DPS classes to play as, but it’s still a bit more simpler to learn.
I think only the CD timer for the 4th ability should be lowered down from 30 seconds to 20 seconds. A 30 second cooldown for a 4th ability is overkill, and way too long. Please fix it.
I couldn’t find much issues with balancing this one. Maybe on your side instead Jas?
-Explosion Magic:
Okay, this spec is basically the “easier version” of Starcaller.
3rd ability can be used for healing with a low CD timer for easy free healing.
4th ability reduces down damage by -80% for 6 seconds with a lower CD timer compared to the 1st spec’s 4th ability.
Only 1st and 5th abilities are not instant cast.
That’s just what I noted that needs fixing, and adjustments.
Stormbringer Lightning & Frost
-Lightning:
Ah...the biggest class that has brought a lot of changes to the overall dodge system, and has been a class that is tough to balance out.
However, Lightning has always been balanced out a lot. I think the only noteworthy change to Lightning is to Static Field. Lower it down from 60% to 50% dodge so it’s more evenly balanced out.
Otherwise, not much else that I can notice that needs fixing or changing.
-Frost:
Okay...this class is great when it’s mix-maxed...but it’s horrible when it doesn’t have any enchants on.
The healing isn’t very effective either too. The main problem with Frost is that it has a great mana defense buff for using mana as a shield to guard against the enemy. However, the overall self-healing for this spec is ridiculously low.
I played as Frost against Machines of War, AND Gnoll Fort for their bosses.
Barely stayed alive with only 20% or lower HP for machines of war boss. And I had only around 10% HP near the end of the Gnoll Fort boss fight. And I lost at the end, EVEN after I killed him. All because my HP went from 10% to 0.
The major issue and problem with this spec is the long CD timers, the low healing, and how ineffective this class can be without additional party members.
Frost is great in a large party, but it sucks in solo play for challenge dungeons.
The following abilities need fixing later, Jas.
Ice Claw: Add in an additional buff to the passive. Remain and keep the 200% mana regen. Also, passively increases max mana by 45%.
Ice Blast’s healing needs to be increased. Lightning has speed for more healing, Frost is slower in nature by design.
Crystallize needs to be lowered from from 10 seconds duration, to 8 seconds duration. Remove max mana increase buff. This will be a new buff included into the 1st ability. Instead, give Frost a new damage reduction buff of -40% damage taken to help balance out the mana effect for this ability.
Blizzard needs to be lowered from 60 seconds CD timer down to 40%. Remove the movement speed and haste debuff for enemies. Instead, just deal damage, and root enemies in place for 10 seconds. Keep the 100% mana instant heal, but lower down the damage reduction from 50% to 35%. That way, it isn’t completely useless of an ability.