Sorcery Pool Updates in Issue 27, Page 2

[PirateCrew]

Solid explanation of the changes and reasoning.  Based on that, Sorcery is meeting the objectives, in my judgment.  I also think these were the right goals for this pool revamp, and worth re-using for any future origin adjustments.

 

Arcane Bolt:  a valuable power for those who don't have any other option, and a viable pick for those who have limited options (epics/temps) and want to chain ranged attacks.  Thematic.  Provides a satisfying impact when Arcane Power triggers the double damage.

 

Spirit Ward:  Thank you for applying two of the requested adjustments (EndRed and stronger reactive use).  I'll have to try it in PUGs on Live to see if it really works as a life-saver, but as best I can tell, it does at least have a chance at filling this role much better than all prior versions.  Still a bit more niche than I'd like, due to the lack of self-buffing, however, with the restoration of RoP to allow more proactive use, the pool as a whole is back to having a reasonable amount of self-protective power...so a SW self buff isn't absolutely necessary.

 

Mystic Flight / Translocation:  All good!  While I'd also like the option to translocate (at full cost?) without first activating Mystic Flight, I can understand if that's stepping on Teleport Pool's territory too much.

 

Enflame:  The removal of the flee effect definitely increases my interest in this power.  While I have no positive experiences with prior version of Enflame, this version feels aimed much better than before as an option for someone who wants RoP, but cannot benefit from one of the other prereqs to reach it.  It's fitting a completely different bundle of use cases - and I think that's what a mid-tier power should offer.

 

Rune of Protection: is now fairly balanced and back to being effective for more playstyles, especially casual.  Concerns from my end are resolved, with the faster application of buffs during the casting and shift back toward some proactive uses.  I hope that others' requests for minimal FX animation are addressed, though I personally like the flashy animation.  While I'm normally not a fan of immunity to recharge, top-tier self protection powers are one of the few times I agree that it is necessary to keep the powers strong enough to appeal while also balanced for all users.  Applying these goals to armor T9s could be well-received.

[Myrmidon]

Just as a general FYI, taking an elevator cancels both Spirit Ward and Enflame, so be aware to retoggle after.

[golstat2003]

1 hour ago, arcane said:

Cannot wait to see what y’all do with the other origin pools now that we’ve arrived at such awesome buffs for this whole pool 🙂

 

A YUP. I can NOW say that I'm looking forward to the buffs to the other pools or if they intend to create new ones. 🙂 

[DoctorDitko]

Wow! Now I feel bad for not contributing to the last server donation!

You have addressed all my concerns with the Sorcery pool, in a way that feels good but not OP.

 

I use Translocation to position myself on the other side of a group of baddies, so my idiot Phantom Army will attack my intended target, rather than standing there looking damn pretty (I have the Phantom Mirror sfx, so I approve of their dress sense, if nothing else!).

Mystic Flight lets me do that without needing to dip into the TP pool. It's the best TP in the game, now.

 

(As an aside, the extended hover effect for TP is very welcome on my non-sorcerous alts.)

 

RoP now should last through a whole fight, which is all I ask of it.

 

Still haven't respecced, so Spirit Ward and Enflame are still theorycrafting to me, but they look good.

Nice one, guys!

[Gulbasaur]

2 hours ago, Myrmidon said:

Fear not, for without some form of either taunt or lockdown capability, they will still run about like scared chickens.😁

So they still try to get out of the patch that follows them? That's all I want. It's my "Look, I'll deal with you in a bit so just go on a little jog or something" power for when I pull one too many bosses on my defender.

[Myrmidon]

9 minutes ago, Gulbasaur said:

So they still try to get out of the patch that follows them? That's all I want. It's my "Look, I'll deal with you in a bit so just go on a little jog or something" power for when I pull one too many bosses on my defender.

Indeed they do. I just tested it on my Thugs/Time to avoid making a fool of myself in case some change patched at the last moment.😁

[Wavicle]

4 hours ago, America's Angel said:

 

Mystic Flight

 

Easily cap-able:

 

 

 

I think that actually might be more investment than necessary. I'm pretty sure it will cap with just 50s. They don't need to be +5. I forget right now whether it has to be 3 or if 2 will do it.

[Yoru-hime]

Spirit Ward - I like the upfront absorb boost on Spirit Ward and reduced recharge. It feels like it increases the utility past "pet protector". The cost/benefit still feels a bit high compared to a Leadership toggle that can boost an entire team, but it's closer now. I'd still probably lean toward this more on a pet AT or a character that I'm playing with a dedicated partner rather than investing in a power just for throwing it on random teammates. 

 

I'm not that familiar with Enflame, so I can't comment there.

 

Arcane Bolt - I'm not a big fan of the randomness of the gimmick (and so tired of golden rings...) but I'd certainly look at it if the build was hurting for attacks.

 

Rune of Protection - Probably about as good as it'll get. I like that it's got increased utility for many builds, though the top-end performance hit for those using it that way is still going to sting some players. The AT balance issues I feel like are being exposed here are probably too big to address with one power or pool (or perhaps at all).

[Wavicle]

1 hour ago, Myrmidon said:

Just as a general FYI, taking an elevator cancels both Spirit Ward and Enflame, so be aware to retoggle after.

No problem. And with the lowered recharges it really is no problem.

[Mezmera]

11 hours ago, Captain Powerhouse said:

We've now adjusted the power to have a fixed duration and recharge time (60s / 180s), not unlike Willpower's Strength of Will and Shield Defence's One With The Shield, with it ignoring all recharge enhancements, buffs, and debuffs. This fixed setup allows us to balance the power around a wide range of builds, rather than extreme recharge builds, and ensures that it's incredibly useful out of the gate at all levels and without much investment. 

 

Awesome!  Can we apply this rationale to t9 nukes as well in the short future please.  Since we're fixing OP things and all.  

[archgemini24]

6 hours ago, PirateCrew said:

Rune of Protection: is now fairly balanced and back to being effective for more playstyles, especially casual.  Concerns from my end are resolved, with the faster application of buffs during the casting and shift back toward some proactive uses.  I hope that others' requests for minimal FX animation are addressed, though I personally like the flashy animation.  While I'm normally not a fan of immunity to recharge, top-tier self protection powers are one of the few times I agree that it is necessary to keep the powers strong enough to appeal while also balanced for all users.  Applying these goals to armor T9s could be well-received.

 

Just pretty please, with a cherry on top, don't hurt my Lightform. I think it is the best armor T9 in the game, and should be the lens through which others are adjusted.

[Katharos]

I pulled out my test thugs/cold with the latest changes - and I'm thrilled with them! Unlike in my last run, I was able to save my arsonist every time he pulled a stunt because of the burst of absorb on cast. The endurance improvements for spirit ward were noticeable too, even with heatloss to help me out. As it is, I could see taking spirit ward on other MMs to shore up pet healing and using it on an as-needed basis instead of all the time, because of how much more responsive it is now. I think it can co-exist with teamwork under these conditions fine. The spirit ward changes also make being mezzed less punishing!

Spirit ward does seem to double stack on the caster. I think it's just a visual error, because my endurance consumption seems to track with single spirit ward. Not a biggie, though. 

 

Enflame is much better without the forced fear effects, and I think I'm getting the full value out of it now. It does feel *weird* that it gets detoggled when I'm mezzed in a way detoggling damage auras doesn't, though, and I'm really hard pressed to put logic to why it feels weird. On one hand, when I use, say, claw's spin, and I get stunned mid animation, it does its full damage anyway. Spin doesn't do, say, 1/3rd damage just because I got stunned while casting. On the other hand, enflame isn't spin! It just isn't. I want to say, when I cast blazing aura, I fully expect it to drop when mezzed. But, blazing aura only has to pay the animation tax once and it does damage into perpetuity. Enflame has to cast it a whole lot more. So it's not *quite* blazing aura either, and it feels weird to make it operate by blazing aura's rules too. Damned both ways, I suppose. I don't think it needs to be changed on the basis of feeling weird, though.

I remain ambivalent about ROP. Again, probably because MMs don't feel mez the way other ATs do.

[America's Angel]

10 hours ago, Wavicle said:

 

I think that actually might be more investment than necessary. I'm pretty sure it will cap with just 50s. They don't need to be +5. I forget right now whether it has to be 3 or if 2 will do it.

Well that's the Soaring set. But yeah 2 flight IO's should cap it. 

 

(Doesn't need the IO in swift, either. I just left that in because I was duplicating a friend's build to show them they were still at the flight cap with no need to respec.)

Edited April 11, 2021 by America's Angel

[Dahkness]

I had really bad flair of tendinitis so I couldn't play beta for a few weeks. I was finally able to test arcane bolt on my PeaceBringer.

A few things that seem to be buggy. When you proc Arcane Power and if you go into nova or dwarf it completely cancels the proc.  
And It does not proc what so ever in Nova or Dwarf mode or even give you the text "You feel Arcane Power crackle at your fingertips" 
I was hoping with all the PB clicks I could have a higher chance to proc Arcane Bolt in Tri-Form to set up a Human form heavy hitting combo when I'm shape shifting every so often. I'm sad to see that this mechanic does not work for PBs to well.

Edited April 11, 2021 by Dahkness

[aethereal]

Sometimes when I get the Arcane Power proc, Arcane Bolt does not recharge.  Here's an example in my combat log:

 

 

You Immobilize Button Man Buckshot with your Ring of Fire.
You hit Button Man Buckshot with your Ring of Fire for 3 points of Fire damage over time.
You hit Button Man Buckshot with your Char for 3 points of Fire damage over time.
You hit Button Man Buckshot with your Char for 3 points of Fire damage over time.
Arcane Power bursts through your body!
Arcane Bolt is still recharging.
You hit Button Man Buckshot with your Char for 3 points of Fire damage over time.
You hit Button Man Buckshot with your Char for 3 points of Fire damage over time.
Arcane Bolt is recharged.

 

[Zed]

Hi there, jumping on the moving train...

 

Testing this whole pool, this looks pretty good 🙂

Just when using Rune of Protection, the ring stays there until it fades off.

If i recall this is an old bug that has been fixed before, but maybe it is intended this way now ?

 

 

[Bopper]

1 hour ago, aethereal said:

Here's an example in my combat log

Can you reproduce this with Timestamps turned on in your combat log? You want the one that shows 24 hrs w/ seconds.

[SwitchFade]

19 hours ago, Mezmera said:

 

Awesome!  Can we apply this rationale to t9 nukes as well in the short future please.  Since we're fixing OP things and all.  

That seems unnecessary, considering that the long recharge was one of the reasons nukes were skipped so often on live, coupled with the insta-gib.

 

Returning nukes to that 180s recharge as a means of addressing balance issues would instantly cause me to strip and delete any blaster or sentinel I have.

[Mezmera]

9 hours ago, SwitchFade said:

That seems unnecessary, considering that the long recharge was one of the reasons nukes were skipped so often on live, coupled with the insta-gib.

 

Returning nukes to that 180s recharge as a means of addressing balance issues would instantly cause me to strip and delete any blaster or sentinel I have.

 

Oh you mean like how almost no one uses their defense t9s nowadays?  If we're going to hold powers accountable to certain ones it's only fair we look at how out of whack nukes have made the game, we don't need them to go back to what they were but using this same logic to One With The Shield I'd think would be fair.  

 

If we're going to be calling out minor OP things and then ignoring the bigger issues then I'd think that's pretty hypocritical wouldn't you say?  

 

I don't care either way if nukes or RoP get nerfed but there's one REAL big outlier here and it ain't RoP.  I've been on the side of not nerfing things because I can see this is one of the very things that needs addressed and I'd rather just get more incarnate content to enjoy.  A bunch of us were sticking up for you, you just didn't realize it.  

 

Sucks when the shoe is on the other foot eh?

Edited April 12, 2021 by Mezmera

[SwitchFade]

2 hours ago, Mezmera said:

 

Oh you mean like how almost no one uses their defense t9s nowadays?  If we're going to hold powers accountable to certain ones it's only fair we look at how out of whack nukes have made the game, we don't need them to go back to what they were but using this same logic to One With The Shield I'd think would be fair.  

 

If we're going to be calling out minor OP things and then ignoring the bigger issues then I'd think that's pretty hypocritical wouldn't you say?  

 

I don't care either way if nukes or RoP get nerfed but there's one REAL big outlier here and it ain't RoP.  I've been on the side of not nerfing things because I can see this is one of the very things that needs addressed and I'd rather just get more incarnate content to enjoy.  A bunch of us were sticking up for you, you just didn't realize it.  

 

Sucks when the shoe is on the other foot eh?

Uh... Most of this wasn't entirely cogent, and I think you're mistaking me for someone else.

 

I'm not sure who you're "sticking up for" but I'm not being attacked by anyone, you may need to review who you're referring to.

[Wavicle]

On 4/10/2021 at 7:12 PM, archgemini24 said:

 

Just pretty please, with a cherry on top, don't hurt my Lightform. I think it is the best armor T9 in the game, and should be the lens through which others are adjusted.

I think Lightform basically already got the treatment the others should receive.

[America's Angel]

I know this isn't 100% sorcery related. But I've seen a few people comment about armour T9s being given the same treatment as Rune, and I have to object strongly to that.

Invulnerability, Elec Armour, Energy Aura, and Ninjitsu are not in need of buffs. (Super Reflexes possibly is, although plenty of people manage it fine in PVE.)

 

PVP players of those sets completely rely on the T9s to survive.

 

So, giving PVE players a buff they don't need, by changing powers that PVP players absolutely need, seems pointless at best, and actively harmful at worst.

 

There are some parts of the T9s that could use tweaking. But this is not the place for that conversation. I just wanted to point out that while I love the new Rune changes. (Both in PVE and PVP). I'd hate to see them ported over to the armour T9s.

Edited April 12, 2021 by America's Angel

[Coyote]

17 hours ago, SwitchFade said:

That seems unnecessary, considering that the long recharge was one of the reasons nukes were skipped so often on live, coupled with the insta-gib.

 

Returning nukes to that 180s recharge as a means of addressing balance issues would instantly cause me to strip and delete any blaster or sentinel I have.

 

Generally, powers that have a fixed recharge will have a shorter recharge time than enhanceable ones. If they were to set up nukes with a fixed Recharge value, I would very much expect them to be lower than the original base recharge, but higher than the current "high-Recharge build" recharge, maybe 60-90 seconds. Definitely not 180.

[Carnifax]

While I don't believe Armour Tier 9s are sacrosanct because PvP exists, and that certain sets really need them revamped (Elec Armour is NOT a strong set and does need a solid Tier 9) I really don't want to go down the Fixed Duration / Recharge as a solution to them either. 

 

The Ice Armour revamp was a good example of a good change. Give it a new power with a useful boost. I think the crap-no-one-loves-them tier 9s should have something similiar done on a case-by-case basis (What is thematic and would help bolster the set in general).

[Troo]

Proliferating the Rune of Protection adjustments to select T9s could allow for greater usage on <50 non high recharge builds. It's worth exploring.