Force Field Beta Changes and suggested "improvements"

[Sarn]

Hello,

 

I wanted to say that I am very appreciative of the attention Force Field (FF) is getting. I was excited to read about the changes and jumped on Test. I honestly feel like someone is trying too hard with this set. One of the beauties of FF is it's passive play ease, similar to Sonic. And some of the changes appear to remove key unique strengths of the set, such as force bubble for positioning. Additionally, some of the changes make me feel like there is a bleed toward sameness of powersets. I, for one, don't want that with this lovely and unique powerset.

I think these proposed changes accomplish much of the same, but in a more elegant and cottage rule-respecting manner. Instead of the listing the new powers, I'm listing the former powers.

 

1. Personal Force Field: I think this power deserves a 95% defense debuff resistance (DDR) and perhaps a lower enhanced max value and it is fine. Yes, it's an escape power, but that's part of the uniqueness of the set. Adding the DDR here allows for incorporation of the DDR-themed bonus which I think is central and critical to the set (more on that later). Yes, it will also allow some "weak" defender "tanking", but eventually cascading defense debuffs will catch up with you in higher content. In lower content w/o defense debuff attacks, it doesn't really matter anyway.  

 

2. Deflection Field: Add a small absorption amount at application that does not stack (maybe 10%).

 

3. Force Bolt: No change to this power. FF doesn't need a -resistance that makes it feel like everything else. The beauty of this power is its high knockback value and rapid use, which can come in handy as knockback resistance is being raised for bosses and others. If anything, give it a slight chance for a stun. 

 

4. Insulation Shield: Add a small absorption amount at application that does not stack (maybe 10% ).

 

5. Detention Field: No proposed change although the idea of life steal here is pretty entertaining. 

 

6. Dispersion Bubble: Keep the 15 second lingering effect that is proposed. Add the DDR protection and the -to hit/perception and -regen protections proposed for Dampening Bubble, which I really don't like as it makes the set feel clunky. Apply the 15 second lingering effect to these too. Drop the enemy debuffs, as there are enough sets that do that and it feels like infringement. The protections offered here are pretty rare. That should suffice and maybe is a suitable tradeoff for making this a toggle that follows the caster rather than a placed bubble (that can be moved with sufficient recharge). Also drop the slow/recharge protection. 

 

7. Repulsion field: Keep as on live but add a modest pulsing application of absorb that can build to perhaps 20%. 

 

8. Repulsion Bomb: Keep the QoL change for activation time but otherwise make it the same as live. The -resist is not necessary nor thematic. 

 

9. Force Bubble: Restore to live version, including endurance cost per target, except add a second pulsing absorb power that can stack with repulsion shield. This is a very situational but powerful and unique ability. It SHOULD be expensive to use!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 12, 2022 by Sarn