Balance Patch Preview (Reaper)

[KrHome.1920]

In general:

- damage and stability heavily reduced for all classes

- hard cc skills deal negligible damage

 

for reaper:

- life force generation untouched

- heals untouched

- some tolerable cooldown increases on sustain skills

- heavy corruption nerfs

- heavy duration increases for hard cc skills

 

This sounds interesting. The new effective way of playing reaper will be to invest in damage modifiers since corrupt utility won't cut it anymore. And marauder could finally become a viable gear choice. But I think demolisher spite, soul reaping, reaper will be the new meta for the spec. Something like this:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PSwAc2FlJwsYcMPWJOOXnNbA-z5gXGZmC9WB2OA

 

Btw.: Whoever thought **foot in the grave** was bad, should take a look at this: =)

- Foot in the Grave: This trait has been retired and been replaced by Eternal Life.

- Eternal Life (NEW): Gain life force constantly up to a threshold while not in shroud. (66% in PvE, 20% in PvP & WvW) Gain protection when you enter shroud.

[Dadnir.5038]

Their acid trip on hard CC isn't funny. The consequences of the change they did way back on stability should have taught them that it's a bad idea to favor that much CC. It's already not fun for anyone to be CC locked, yet they just made it easier to CC lock players.

[Flumek.9043]

> @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> Their acid trip on hard CC isn't funny. The consequences of the change they did way back on stability should have taught them that it's a bad idea to favor that much CC. It's already not fun for anyone to be CC locked, yet they just made it easier to CC lock players.

 

Yea but damage is 30% lower GLOBALLY.

 

So the feeling may be similiar to 2012-15, you are stunned for 2+2s but you "only" take 10k dmg, which is enough to run away alive.

Right now youre scared cz everything does 15k hits with quickness.

[KrHome.1920]

Overall I think the changes are good with one exception and that's thief which will be even harder to catch - maybe not even worth trying to kill.

[Leonidrex.5649]

> @"Flumek.9043" said:

> > @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > Their acid trip on hard CC isn't funny. The consequences of the change they did way back on stability should have taught them that it's a bad idea to favor that much CC. It's already not fun for anyone to be CC locked, yet they just made it easier to CC lock players.

>

> Yea but damage is 30% lower GLOBALLY.

>

> So the feeling may be similiar to 2012-15, you are stunned for 2+2s but you "only" take 10k dmg, which is enough to run away alive.

> Right now youre scared cz everything does 15k hits with quickness.

 

the problem is that skills like rapid fire, whirling defence, soul spiral exist.

the kind of skills that deal 200% of your HP over its duration, nerfing them by 20-30% doesnt do much does it?

2 days ago ranger hit me for 4k with each tick of WD. that is 48k dmg over its duration.

[Dadnir.5038]

> @"Flumek.9043" said:

> > @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > Their acid trip on hard CC isn't funny. The consequences of the change they did way back on stability should have taught them that it's a bad idea to favor that much CC. It's already not fun for anyone to be CC locked, yet they just made it easier to CC lock players.

>

> Yea but damage is 30% lower GLOBALLY.

>

> So the feeling may be similiar to 2012-15, you are stunned for 2+2s but you "only" take 10k dmg, which is enough to run away alive.

> Right now youre scared cz everything does 15k hits with quickness.

 

The feeling won't be similar to 2012-2015 because in 2012-2015 stability was present for it's whole duration preventing an unlimited number of incoming hard CC. It's a thing to take a beating while you can react, it's a whole another to be helpless in front of the beating and this patch is another push toward being helpless in front of hard CC.

 

I am not scared of taking damage, I am scared of being helpless for 4 seconds while taking damage. If you think you'll enjoy such thing, good for you. I know that I won't, thought.

 

As for damage, it was possible for thiefs to one shot you (even against tank stats) from stealth in 2012, it's still possible and it will still be possible after the patch. Same goes for mesmer (well it's not a one shot technically but a lot of "small" strike in a short time). What motivate this "number tweaks patch" won't disappear even if the patch will somehow end up creating a meta that sPvP player positively hate: bunker meta. (And I'm sure the necromancer will be quite the cockroach as a bunker with these change. Probably enough for players to complains about it's "high" survivability for a very poor gameplay.)

[KrHome.1920]

> @"Leonidrex.5649" said:

> > @"Flumek.9043" said:

> > > @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > > Their acid trip on hard CC isn't funny. The consequences of the change they did way back on stability should have taught them that it's a bad idea to favor that much CC. It's already not fun for anyone to be CC locked, yet they just made it easier to CC lock players.

> >

> > Yea but damage is 30% lower GLOBALLY.

> >

> > So the feeling may be similiar to 2012-15, you are stunned for 2+2s but you "only" take 10k dmg, which is enough to run away alive.

> > Right now youre scared cz everything does 15k hits with quickness.

>

> the problem is that skills like rapid fire, whirling defence, soul spiral exist.

> the kind of skills that deal 200% of your HP over its duration, nerfing them by 20-30% doesnt do much does it?

> 2 days ago ranger hit me for 4k with each tick of WD. that is 48k dmg over its duration.

Might and vulnerability application is reduced as well. Overall we will see about 40% less damage.

 

The bigger picture is also important (no-brainer): right now it is necessary to stunlock a ranger over the stone signet duration with a combo of grasping darkness, chilled to the bone and executioner scythe. After the patch a single chilled to the bone or executioner scythe will stun for the whole stone signet duration.

[Yasai.3549]

I hate how Anet is gutting corrupts.

 

Like hello? Boonstack is still a very big issue?

 

This is going to further push players into the boon spam direction.

[Drarnor Kunoram.5180]

> @"Yasai.3549" said:

> I hate how Anet is gutting corrupts.

>

> Like hello? Boonstack is still a very big issue?

>

> This is going to further push players into the boon spam direction.

 

But...but lower Might duration!

 

NGL, I can see Core Necro having a bunker build in PvP, but I doubt it will be better than the current standby of "some version of Guardian." Especially since, aside from Might duration, Guardian is getting its boon application *buffed* ever so slightly in PvP. Stand Your Ground target cap nerf is irrelevant in PvP.

[KrHome.1920]

> @"Drarnor Kunoram.5180" said:

> Guardian is getting its boon application *buffed* ever so slightly in PvP.

Everything on guardian gets nerfed: damage, boons, conditions, cooldowns, healing. That's not surprising because guardan is currently a class that can have extreme damage as well as extreme healing.

 

In contrast to that core necro heals, cooldowns and life force generation was not touched at all besides the slight cooldown increase of spectral wall and armor.

[Anchoku.8142]

Balance patch preview: Necromancer = minion buffs.

 

Not sure how the rest will play out but there are a lot of changes in other professions to review. I suspect status quo will be maintained.

 

Death Magic is what it is, tyvm4nothing.

Scourge is... still what is left of it.

[Drarnor Kunoram.5180]

> @"KrHome.1920" said:

> > @"Drarnor Kunoram.5180" said:

> > Guardian is getting its boon application *buffed* ever so slightly in PvP.

> Everything on guardian gets nerfed: damage, boons, conditions, cooldowns, healing. That's not surprising because guardan is currently a class that can have extreme damage as well as extreme healing.

>

> In contrast to that core necro heals, cooldowns and life force generation was not touched at all besides the slight cooldown increase of spectral wall and armor.

 

Show me the Guardian boon nerfs. Might duration is going down, but nothing else is getting touched on that front.

[Flumek.9043]

> @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > @"Flumek.9043" said:

> > > @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > > Their acid trip on hard CC isn't funny. The consequences of the change they did way back on stability should have taught them that it's a bad idea to favor that much CC. It's already not fun for anyone to be CC locked, yet they just made it easier to CC lock players.

> >

> > Yea but damage is 30% lower GLOBALLY.

> >

> > So the feeling may be similiar to 2012-15, you are stunned for 2+2s but you "only" take 10k dmg, which is enough to run away alive.

> > Right now youre scared cz everything does 15k hits with quickness.

>

> The feeling won't be similar to 2012-2015 because in 2012-2015 stability was present for it's whole duration preventing an unlimited number of incoming hard CC. It's a thing to take a beating while you can react, it's a whole another to be helpless in front of the beating and this patch is another push toward being helpless in front of hard CC.

>

> I am not scared of taking damage, I am scared of being helpless for 4 seconds while taking damage. If you think you'll enjoy such thing, good for you. I know that I won't, thought.

>

> As for damage, it was possible for thiefs to one shot you (even against tank stats) from stealth in 2012, it's still possible and it will still be possible after the patch. Same goes for mesmer (well it's not a one shot technically but a lot of "small" strike in a short time). What motivate this "number tweaks patch" won't disappear even if the patch will somehow end up creating a meta that sPvP player positively hate: bunker meta. (And I'm sure the necromancer will be quite the cockroach as a bunker with these change. Probably enough for players to complains about it's "high" survivability for a very poor gameplay.)

 

Sorry, ill explain.

 

What I specifically meant was that in preHOT, it was normal to tank SOME hits.

Youd die by the 2nd or 3rd time you get CCed. In current times, you die from 1st. 100-0 fully. Even with 30k hp, toughnes, protection and some shroud on top. Thats why the mentality and playstyle is centered around evading at all costs.

 

I dont think it will help necro. On paper it should, but we simply have trash counteratacks to random blind and its only getting worse with adding cast times.

I dont think either poeple enjoy facetanking playstyles, especially if theyre a CCed punching bags instead of slow but unstoppable force.

 

Especially in 1v1,

evades and CC scale in bigger fights but that was a scary flaw of necro 2012-15 already and they did 0 about it.

 

[KrHome.1920]

Core necros could oneshot thieves too in 2012 and it was ridiculously easy. In that state of the game the fight was over, when the power necro got you below 50% health because the autoprocs kicking in at that threshold instakilled you.

 

We have a different game now. Every single necro build that was viable pre hot isn't anymore. The class got basically reworked. Every single traitline and lots of skills saw huge changes. Meanwhile the old core d/p thief is the strongest thief build currently.

 

I am doing pretty good on paladin in pvp and soldier in wvw against most encounters and simply switch to a zerker burst build against thieves and bunkers like sword weavers. There are very few encounters I lose to. Most of them are builds that will see heavy nerfs in the patch - like power shiro, which finally (!) loses its absurd damage on surge of the mists in wvw and some other broken stuff.

 

Dragon hunters (Yes this spec is viable! Just find a good one. You realize you found one when he kites every single ncsy! and you look like an idiot.) and warriors will lose a lot of their frustrating pressure because they can't kill you two times anymore in that 10 seconds until their blocks and invulns run out and you can finally hurt them.

[Obtena.7952]

> @"Flumek.9043" said:

> > @"Dadnir.5038" said:

> > Their acid trip on hard CC isn't funny. The consequences of the change they did way back on stability should have taught them that it's a bad idea to favor that much CC. It's already not fun for anyone to be CC locked, yet they just made it easier to CC lock players.

>

> Yea but damage is 30% lower GLOBALLY.

>

> So the feeling may be similiar to 2012-15, you are stunned for 2+2s but you "only" take 10k dmg, which is enough to run away alive.

> Right now youre scared cz everything does 15k hits with quickness.

 

Great ... maybe I can go take a bio while I'm stun locked and I won't be dead when I get back.

 

Exaggeration aside, slow paced PVP game is a significant downgrade in the experience and that's what you get with lower DPS and hard CC all over. Maybe we aren't there yet ... but that's the direction Anet just took. Hopefully they don't push more into that 'solution' ... watching paint dry is better than games that play like that.

[James.1065]

I like the changes and feel it's a move in the right direction.

 

However, reducing the stability on Reaper "terrify" is going to make it more of a ping pong ball than it already is.

 

Also reducing reaper great sword damage by so much, should also warrant an increase in it's attack speed. Half time you use it enemies have high animated swings and nearly 1,5 secs react time so they either dodge or walk out of range, with the changes now when you do finally land a hit it will not even do damage

[KrHome.1920]

> @"James.1065" said:

> Also reducing reaper great sword damage by so much, should also warrant an increase in it's attack speed. Half time you use it enemies have high animated swings and nearly 1,5 secs react time so they either dodge or walk out of range, with the changes now when you do finally land a hit it will not even do damage

I think that's something a lot of people are not aware of. The GS damage transformed to abysmal levels. Grave digger will crit around 5K on average. The nightfall damage will be negligible and grasping darkness will deal no damage at all.

 

I will use mainhand dagger as a GS replacement not just on yolo days but quite a lot in the future. One big pro argument for GS will be the life force generation which is unmatched.

 

[dceptaconroy.7928]

-Makes both legendary greatswords, waits for incoming balance patch-...I myself might give dagger a go, + my wh will breathe life again.

[Maven.1690]

Executioners Scythe loosing all its Damage is a HUGE nerf and I would rather ANET keep the damage cleave than keep the ice field.

 

[Anchoku.8142]

> @"Drarnor Kunoram.5180" said:

> > @"KrHome.1920" said:

> > > @"Drarnor Kunoram.5180" said:

> > > Guardian is getting its boon application *buffed* ever so slightly in PvP.

> > Everything on guardian gets nerfed: damage, boons, conditions, cooldowns, healing. That's not surprising because guardan is currently a class that can have extreme damage as well as extreme healing.

> >

> > In contrast to that core necro heals, cooldowns and life force generation was not touched at all besides the slight cooldown increase of spectral wall and armor.

>

> Show me the Guardian boon nerfs. Might duration is going down, but nothing else is getting touched on that front.

 

Saw on the Wiki that amulets with concentration or expertise look like they will be removed and runes will have duration roughly halved.

[Stand The Wall.6987]

i'm guessing reaper quickness spam will get removed but if it doesn't... big lol. expect a flood of tears.

[Vlad.4513]

That new trait (Eternal life) is looking juicy ?

[Nimon.7840]

> @"Vlad.4513" said:

> That new trait (Eternal life) is looking juicy ?

 

To me, the new trait is looking completely useless. Unless there are some really big numbers behind it.

 

On power builds the middle trait will always be better and on Condi builds the bottom trait. And there's no tank build.

 

The only reason to take that trait might be on support scourge for pve.

But even then. This would allow to play without much vitality, but then you loose dmg from dhuumfire or from the whole curses traitline. So even there it seems lackluster to me

[Sigmoid.7082]

> @"Nimon.7840" said:

> > @"Vlad.4513" said:

> > That new trait (Eternal life) is looking juicy ?

>

> To me, the new trait is looking completely useless. Unless there are some really big numbers behind it.

>

> On power builds the middle trait will always be better and on Condi builds the bottom trait. **And there's no tank build.**

 

Not yet but there will be. Technically there is but damage is so high is doesn't matter for the type of defense necro has. It will be a strong trait for any build looking to be more tanky.

 

Also the fact it gives protection, I'm going to say like 2~3s, making for a 67-74% total damage reduction for the duration is interesting in a post patch world where CC does no damage so you can use shroud to properly soak the follow-up.

 

For me it's already a good trait but how good will depend on how quickly the LF regen is.

 

 

 

[Vlad.4513]

> @"Nimon.7840" said:

> > @"Vlad.4513" said:

> > That new trait (Eternal life) is looking juicy ?

>

> To me, the new trait is looking completely useless. Unless there are some really big numbers behind it.

>

> On power builds the middle trait will always be better and on Condi builds the bottom trait. And there's no tank build.

>

> The only reason to take that trait might be on support scourge for pve.

> But even then. This would allow to play without much vitality, but then you loose dmg from dhuumfire or from the whole curses traitline. So even there it seems lackluster to me

 

Forgot to add, is looking juicy for PVP/WvW at least from my perspective, I don't do pve.