Sentinel Changes on the PTR

[oldskool]

I hadn't been as actively reading up this upcoming Issue, but I stumbled on the changes here: 
 

 

There are changes in this mix floated about from several years ago. The implementations for all of these are not the suggestions, but the outcomes are. 

For example, several of us had proposed changing the defense values to match Scrappers going from 70% to 75%. I know I had been a proponent of critical hits, but the way the implementation looks is pretty cool AND keeps to the vision described years back. I.e., the Perception benefit, the use of the meter building up, etc. 

Reigning in the critical damage to being 40% is pretty nice. I'll be testing these as I have time, but that is really limited unfortunately. Still, I encourage others to check it out and provide feedback. 

These are changes many of us asked for years ago, and I'm excited to see them. And... They make sense given the scale of the game is going to go up with the new changes so Sentinels do need damage relevance. Also, defense changes help keep pace with the shifts but will make lower levels better too. 

Other changes for other characters I play have me excited to play CoH more than I have in several years. 

[DrInfernus]

I’m excited about the changes. I’ve always loved Sentinels but I’ll be honest: I’ve been favouring my blasters a little lately just because Sentinels have felt a little too weak, damage wise. I play Sentinels for the reliability rather than damage of course, but the new critical hits and AoE vulnerability on Beta feels like a genuine game changer. 

[SenTheFortress]

It's very interesting. So far so good. Not a fan for the Master Brawler change for Sentinels specifically. They should just keep the OG Master Brawler and remove Practiced for Sentinel. There will be no 'confusion' if it's the only choice.

 

My only problem with the changes: Is balancing the meter...... trying to decide between maintaining a higher crit chance % or using Vulnerability to apply a debuff kinda made me scratch my head at first. 

 

To me it makes it it seem like tactically you really only want to use Vulnerability when you're about to nuke a group (since nukes don't crit), or if you have multiple heroes wailing on a AV, where the Res debuff + multiple people will make up for the damage lost from a low crit chance.