PvP Balance
I want to shift your gaze from trying to put a bandaid on parry and evasion, and tackle the root of the problem that has made pvp suck.
Currently there are about 4 strong templates.
Melee/Archer w/ evasion
Evasion Mage
Evasion Mystic
Melee/Mystic w/ Evasion
All templates only possible with a huge amount of skill increase.
I recall a few years ago, these are the templates I would see.
Necromage, Necrodexxer, Necroarcher, Parrymage,alchymage,scribemage, chivmage, ninjamage, melee dexxer, melee archer, melee/archers, mysticmage, mystic weaver, weavermage, weaver/melee, weaver archer, tamermage, tamerdexxer,tamerarcher, weaving tamer, ninja tamer, bushido dexxers, AND MANY MORE.
The difference? In those days suit building had a cost to benefit ratio for skill point increase that they currently do not have.
This is trash. Trash for diversity. Trash for fun.
You have a problem with evasion and parry? This is where you hit it. Most of these templates are not possible without completely unreasonable amounts of skill increase.
My proposal? Introduce a hard skill cap from items. Simple. Elegant.
Coupled with a few small tweaks, like a cool down period for splintering, we can make pvp fun again.
Ill pause for applause and check back later.
@Kyronix
PS Don't try to nitpick about 'strength' - Templates without weaknesses should not exist.
Currently there are about 4 strong templates.
Melee/Archer w/ evasion
Evasion Mage
Evasion Mystic
Melee/Mystic w/ Evasion
All templates only possible with a huge amount of skill increase.
I recall a few years ago, these are the templates I would see.
Necromage, Necrodexxer, Necroarcher, Parrymage,alchymage,scribemage, chivmage, ninjamage, melee dexxer, melee archer, melee/archers, mysticmage, mystic weaver, weavermage, weaver/melee, weaver archer, tamermage, tamerdexxer,tamerarcher, weaving tamer, ninja tamer, bushido dexxers, AND MANY MORE.
The difference? In those days suit building had a cost to benefit ratio for skill point increase that they currently do not have.
This is trash. Trash for diversity. Trash for fun.
You have a problem with evasion and parry? This is where you hit it. Most of these templates are not possible without completely unreasonable amounts of skill increase.
My proposal? Introduce a hard skill cap from items. Simple. Elegant.
Coupled with a few small tweaks, like a cool down period for splintering, we can make pvp fun again.
Ill pause for applause and check back later.
@Kyronix
PS Don't try to nitpick about 'strength' - Templates without weaknesses should not exist.
Comments
Five templates you listed are tamers. They aren't used because pets went from stupid overpowered, to nerfed into the ground and they're just an ineffective template. Guess how much skill increase the THREE tamers I've seen left pvping on Atlantic use? 80+
Then you list a variety of mage templates, none of which are gone due to skill increase. Why would anyone play a parry mage when they can be bush parry for increased parry and confidence on the run? Why would anyone play ANY variation of mage without parry at all when dexxers and archers can all have max damage, max swing, AND 30-60 splinter? You would never get a spell off.
People play discorders, deathstrikers, lp melee dexxers, chiv dexxers, disarm archers, weave nox archers, necro bush dexxers, stealth weave throwers, mystic shield bash mages, mystic parry weave mage, etc.
Every conversation in our discord that starts with "man I want to make a new character..." the next line inevitably is "well it has to have bush parry, what else can I fit?" We have some cool mystic evade mages and weave ninja evade mages and the like. I can guarantee you if you took away half of the 100 skill inc the toons take, it wouldn't be bush/parry we dropped. That is the single most important part.
Bokuto mage? Takes 30 skill increase to build.
Want to play an evasion mage that doesn't use specials? Doesn't take ANY skill increase to build.
Want to cause problems for people with skill increase? Run a discorder.
I will make one point at a time and let you attempt to refute it. The MAIN point of your post is suggesting that skill increase is the main issue in pvp today, correct? (yes or no answer is all I need here.) So you say this:
"Currently there are about 4 strong templates.
Melee/Archer w/ evasion
Evasion Mage
Evasion Mystic
Melee/Mystic w/ Evasion"
Melee archer the way the two people I know run it needs 0-40 skill increase depending on your preferences.
Evasion Mage needs 10 skill increase if you want to add an additional GM skill to it.
Melee Evasion Mystic needs 30 skill increase.
BOY, out of 7 slots that you can get skill increase from, you need a max of two of those slots for 3/4 "strong templates" you listed. What an absurd amount of skill increase.
Remember how splintering used to be even stronger and proccing on disarm or stacking with other bleeds, and yes when you think about it : 0 mana cost, bleed and slow , its like having a frenzy whirlwind + bleed special moves for free at same time on a single weapon property.
Also how the devs let these 9-13+mods items drop for many years in the game, maybe without even knowing about them dropping, then ninja nerf the drop on them, to tell us years later they don't want that crap in the game, well done devs well done.
absolutly agree on tamers being worthless, unless yea, unless they have parry and bush, which lead to my next point.
Bokuto, a small rod of wood doing as much damage as a metal kryss. On an average damage, if you count the base damage from the stick, nerve strike is basically a 30ish AI + paralize strike special moves together. If the speed of the bokuto was like 3.0 or somehting , I'd understand, but that much damage with the paralize coming from a 2s weapon it's just too much. Time to tune it down a little.
Evade from bushido as well could use a tune down I agree , when most templates gravitate around bushido, making a single spell like that so strong , parry and bushido together provides so much defense while having all the offense they want with nerve strike.
Lots of masteries for pets poorly designed yes, maybe it's time to review some of them and fix some of bugs (im thinking of spellweaving pets casting word of death of themselves)
Novas and conflag was fine before, alchemy was useful. Maybe they should even make nova non-vvv. It took me 6 greater cure with alchemy other day to cure lethal, whats the point of having alchemy when it takes me as much to cure without alchemy. Hell my mystic healing stone heal for more, than my alchemy greater heals.
Shatter, the potion anti-potion. How contradictory and troll this item is. What happens if you shatter someone with shatter potions in his inventory, do you remove them ? It's just being rediculous
Remove this even make alchemy worse that it is already.
or make it resistable with resisting spells like you can resist a exploding tar or greater confusion potion. Time to review all them and make alchemy great again, if you want to keep shatter in the game ( which im not for) at least make it have alchemy vs resisting spells or something , a simple calculation just so there can be a counter to it. for exemple : 100 alchemy vs 120 resisting spells would have 50% of the current shatter effect, 0 alchemy vs 120 resist would have 20% of the current effect or a strong chance to completly shrugs the effects, 100 alchemy vs 0 resist spell would have 80% of the current effect. Im just throwing ideas and numbers.