Support Herald Feedback and Suggestions

[Za Shaloc.3908]

With the recent attention herald has received, it has been made clear that they intend to improve its support capabilities and to give support herald a defined role. While the direction of the balance patch was a good direction for the future vision of support herald, I personally don't consider its present state much better than it was pre-patch. In fact, in ways I feel like I can't perform as well as I was in the past. I am speaking mostly in terms of WvW here, so please keep this in mind. I think that a Ventari healing herald still has a very long way to become even somewhat close to firebrand. I understand that Anet's desire is to shave down firebrand to get it to the level of other support specs, but I personally don't believe that this will ever happen due to how much support bloat was introduced with the spec. In order to compete with firebrand, support herald needs to see significant buffs in both the elite spec itself as well as in core revenant. Some of these are my previously suggested changes, adapted from months back. I figure now is the best time to renew this as we have extra attention focused towards us.

 

SALVATION

The Salvation line has been changed significantly. Currently the Salvation line only appeals to healer specs, and many of the options available are subpar. My goal here is to diversify choice for support specs, but also to make it a more viable traitline for non-support builds. While I was previously against the idea of condensing healing modifier traits, the previous Druid change to Lingering Light has shown us that ANet is not against providing a large modifier in one trait. There is not enough variety in choice in Salvation, and with the removal of a few traits in Herald, it opens up some options for Salvation, such as a revival and stunbreak trait. Salvation is all about support to allies, but shouldn't be so restricted to just Ventari.

MINOR ADEPT• Blinding Truths: Blind nearby foes when you use a healing skill (5 targets, 240 radius). Your healing skills have reduced cooldown (10%).MAJOR ADEPT• Tranquil Benediction: Increases movement speed by 25% whenever wielding a staff. Renewing Wave (staff 4) now grants regeneration and vigor (8s).• Disarming Riposte: Disabling a foe blinds them. Blindness you apply heals in an area around the affected foe. (heal ~300; per-target ICD of 1/4 sec)• Preservation of Life: Cast Energy Expulsion when you begin reviving an ally. Gain increased revive speed (10%). Downed allies near Ventari's tablet are revived faster (10%).MINOR MASTER• Hardened Foundation: Gain increased healing power (180). Reduces the energy cost of your heal skills by 100%.MAJOR MASTER• Nourishing Roots: Grant regeneration (3s) to allies near Ventari's tablet (5 targets, 300 radius). Additionally, Project Tranquility (the passive pulse healing from the tablet) has its effectiveness increased by 100%. • Eluding Nullification: Now removes two conditions.• Invoking Harmony: Increase healing done (20%) to yourself and allies for a short duration after invoking a legend. MINOR GRANDMASTER • Selfless Amplification: Increase healing to allies by 35%. Natural Harmony also applies alacrity to the area.MAJOR GRANDMASTER• Blessed Stride: Breaking a stun on yourself breaks stuns for nearby allies (5 targets, 360 radius). Stuns you break grant superspeed (2s).• Momentary Pacification: Using an elite skill immobilizes nearby foes (3s, 5 targets, 360 radius) and grants resistance to nearby allies (3s, 5 targets, 360 radius).• Selfless Amplification: Increase outgoing healing based on a percentage of healing power.

INVOCATION

Invocation for the most part is a very solid traitline. However, it could use some polish. Song of the Mists was, thematically speaking, a fantastic implementation for the traitline, but its execution is poor. This is the trait that I believe needs the most attention.

• Spirit Boon: Now also grants 10 seconds of swiftness to nearby allies.• Spirit Boon (Shiro): Now grants 5 seconds of vigor instead of might.• Rapid Flow: Has been removed and replaced by Equilibrium.• Equilibrium: Has been reintroduced, but the healing component has been reworked. "Invoking a legend triggers a burst from the Mists that damages foes if your energy is above the threshold. If below the threshold, inflict a condition on foes based on the legend invoked." >• Legendary Assassin Stance: Vulnerability [5x] for 5 seconds.>• Legendary Dwarf Stance: Weakness for 5 seconds.>• Legendary Demon Stance: Slow for 3 seconds.>• Legendary Centaur Stance: Blindness for 5 seconds.>• Legendary Dragon Stance: Chill for 4 seconds.• Song of the Mists: Each legend's skill has been modified to emphasize utility. The damaging components have moved to Equilibrium.>• Song of the Mists: Call of the Assassin: Damaging and vulnerability components have been removed. Now grants a flat amount of quickness (3.5 sec) to yourself and nearby allies. You also gain 25 endurance. Radius increased to 360. >• Song of the Mists: Call of the Dwarf: Damaging and weakness components have been removed. Barrier application no longer scales based on number of enemy targets hit. Base barrier has been increased by 350%. Now applies to nearby allies. Radius increased to 360.>• Song of the Mists: Call of the Demon: Reworked. Now corrupts 3 boons from nearby foes. Radius increased to 360.>• Song of the Mists: Call of the Centaur: Radius increased to 360.>• Song of the Mists: Call of the Dragon: Has been reworked. For 3 seconds, boons on you cannot be removed, stolen, or corrupted. After 3 seconds, this effect applies one instance of any boon on you to yourself and nearby allies (5 targets). Radius increased to 360.

HERALD

The Herald line now has the groundwork for a great support spec, but it still falls short. The line itself could have better synergy to emphasize strong healing capabilities and a diversified boon repertoire. In my opinion, Elevated Compassion and Draconic Power both have great support potential, but they are competing with each other in the same line, and in larger scale groups, Elevated Compassion loses its appeal.

MAJOR ADEPT• Elder's Respite: Regeneration heals for more (20%). Grant regeneration to nearby allies when using a healing skill (2s, 10 targets, 600 radius).• Core Value: Improved effects are now baseline. True Nature now grants you 10 energy and gains reduced cooldown (20%).MAJOR MASTER• Shining Aspects: Now combined with Elevated Compassion. Elevated Compassion's ICD has been reduced to 2.5 sec.MAJOR GRANDMASTER• Enhanced Bulwark: Reintroduced and buffed. Has taken the place of Elevated Compassion. Using an elite skill grants stability to yourself and nearby allies (3 stacks for 5s, 10 targets, 30 sec cooldown). When you gain stability, gain an additional stack.

 

FACET OF NATURE

Facet of Nature is currently very lackluster. For most legends, the upkeep cost is far too much for its benefits. The upkeep cost needs to be reduced in order for it to see any real play and relevance. Glint's Facet of Nature was severely nerfed and is arguably the most underperforming of the legends. I personally believe that herald's old F2 should be reimplemented, but for Glint only.

• Upkeep has been reduced to -2.• Now instantly deactivates upon swapping legends.• Ventari: Healing now occurs every 1 second. Healing has been reduced by 33%.• Shiro: ICD of lifesteal has been removed.• Glint: Facet of Nature's previous effects have been restored: Increases boon duration by 33%.

TRUE NATURE

• Ventari: Conditions cleansed has been increased to 3.• Shiro: Boons ripped has been increased to 3.• Mallyx: Conditions transferred has been increased to 3• Jalis: Stacks of stability has been increased to 3.• Glint: One with Nature's old effects have been restored: Grant fury, might, regeneration, protection, and swiftness to nearby allies (600 radius, 5 targets).

LEGENDARY CENTAUR STANCE

Ventari excels at healing, but falls short when there is a high amount of mobility involved, which is a constant in any PvP/WvW environment. While the tablet does not need an increase in numbers, it does need an increase in perfomance and reliability.

• Ventari's Will: Visual Indicator has been updated to include a directional indication on where the tablet's current location is. Travel speed increased by 33%. • Project Tranquility: Radius increased from 240 to 300.• Natural Harmony: Radius increased from 240 to 300. Delay reduced to 0.5 seconds. Bug fixed that causes this skill to fail while jumping.• Purifying Essence: Radius increased from 240 to 300. Cooldown reduced to 3 seconds. Now is a self stun-break. • Energy Expulsion: This skill has been reworked and is now called Keeper of Sacred Lands (see below).• Keeper of Sacred Lands: You embody Ventari, causing all Legendary Centaur skills to trigger at your location as well. Number of targets is reduced per area. (Cast Time: 1/2 sec, Upkeep Cost: -2, Targets Affected per Location: 3)

STAFF

• Rejuvenating Assault: Healing orbs have been removed. Now heals 5 targets in a 240 radius around the foe. Amount healed remains the same as an orb. • Punishing Sweep: Cast time reduced from 0.75 seconds to 0.5 seconds. Now also leaps towards the target and is a leap finisher, 300 range. Cooldown increased to 7 seconds. • Renewing Wave: Reduced cast time from 1 second to 0.75 seconds.

SHIELD

The shield still needs a lot of attention. Shield 4 is extremely clunky to use on anybody but yourself and stationary allies, and Shield 5 is generally more of a death sentence than anything. The new trait is a nice addition, but it is the functionality of the shield that needs changes.

• Envoy of Exuberance: This skill now also applies blindness. Now functions in a large cone in front of the player. "Release the energy of Glint in a cone in front of you, blinding foes while healing and granting protection to nearby allies." Skill's affected area is similar to that of the Mesmer's Phantasmal Mage.• Crystal Hibernation: Can now move while channeling.

 

Well, that's it. Thoughts and opinions?