PvP Feedback Since Update
Just wanted to post some thoughts on my opinions that the latest patch has had on PvP.
Since the patch, Rogues feel very much underpowered. Sorcerers seem to have had a big jump in survivability and Warriors continue to be grossly overpowered.
With Rogues now dealing less damage than they used to, the weaknesses of Rogues become so much more apparent - namely, low mana and low survivability stats. Without the ability to deliver devastating damage in a quick burst, Rogue survivability has plummeted dramatically.
Sorcerers seem to have really improved. I don't know whether it is the new trend of DMG centric builds, or whether the nerfing in damage has helped them survive better, but it appears that Sorcerers have become a class to reckon with; especially when they can shield and stun with fireballs. With so many Sorc builds out there with DMG stats exceeding that of mainstream Rogues, Sorc are evolving into killing machines because they deal AoE damage as opposed to 1v1 damage (which is the specialty of Rogues). This inherent ability to stun an entire group with Fireball, followed by a Critical Strike with Lightning has laid waste to many groups. Sorcerers have always had this ability to wipe entire groups, but were easily killed, so their offensive prowess was often negated by a quick death. Now, with Sorcerers able to withstand a charged Aimed Shot, their retaliation (plus quick shielding) usually lays waste to the attacking Rogue. Sorcerers myriad of stuns and snares are often enough to take out Warriors as well, making Sorcerers a very viable class at this point.
Warriors, as was the case prior to the patch, continues to be very overpowering. I have come across many lv22 Warriors with 130+ DMG, nearly 4K health (when buffed) and ~870 Armor. This setup, in addition to shielding, self healing and immense attack range (especially on Axe Throw), makes them very difficult to defeat 1v1. I have personally hit a single Warrior with 4 Aimed Shots (2 which Crit) along with a mixture of other uncharged skills and was still unable to take him down. Obviously, with an attack barrage such as this, I ran out of mana and attempted to kite with charged auto attacks (hoping to stun) so I could flee. Being unable to disengage, the Warrior quickly beat me, using either a combination of Skyward + Windmill, or Axe Throw + Windmill. Often enough, that I'm sure it wasn't a fluke, I have been one-hit by a Warrior. It goes without saying that this was the Ribbit + top gear tactic that has been flooding the forum, but the point is that the Warrior is able to deal more bursty damage than a Rogue.
Another OP point which has been discussed nearly to death is the Wolf-Pack Warriors: Warriors who group together, buffing shields upon eachother, and the combined Heal-Over-Time and Shielding makes them invincible against any type of group. The only way to combat this tactic is with a Sorcerer launching fireball to stun the group, but with constant invincibility shields, timing is, at best, difficult. Now that Rogue's damage has been reduced, we are unable to dispense of Warriors while they are stunned, so as soon as the stun wears off, it's back up with shields and healing again.
That leaves us with the current, sad state of the Rogue. Without the ability to quickly burst damage for a kill, we have been transformed from what was once a very strong class to probably the weakest class at the moment. Without shielding, no mana recovery ability, and now a nerfing on damage, Rogues have shouldered the heaviest load from this rebalancing. Any kind of giveback, such as reduced mana usage on skills, increased speed or something, would probably go a long ways towards balance, but honestly, at the moment, we are the weakest class. At best, we are able to get single kills, but because every kill takes so much more mana than it used to, we are left with little to no mana after a kill, turning the Rogue into a sitting duck until our mana recovers.
Frankly, from what I have seen since the rebalancing, I have a very hard time trying to define the three classes.
Warrior are not just tanky, they are, often enough, offensive juggernauts. They are fast, powerful and can absorb tremendous damage. Tanks, by traditional definition are slower, more defensive classes, useful for mob control and initial contact. This current class of Warrior has those same traits in addition to overwhelming offensive prowess.
Sorcerers seem to have the correct balance of top end AoE damage, outstanding attack range, terrific group support and squishy-ness. The long duration of their shielding makes them hard to kill when they are prepared and are able to shield before the first wave of attacks. The long duration of their shields are often longer than the survival time of the Rogues who attempt to attack them. Shielding duration aside, I think that this class is very well balanced now.
Rogues used to be the most bursty, damage dealing class in the game. Perhaps they still are, but the inability to dispose of targets quickly without exhausting their entire mana pool has severely hampered the class. Once out of mana, Rogues have no defensive skills (no shielding) and are entirely reliant on their Dodge attribute for survival. At end-game, Dodging doesn't occur very often, so this attribute, which sounds nice, has very little value.
This is not intended to be a rant, but rather some observations that is open to discussion and interpretation. With that said, I would love to hear what others have experienced, especially for the Twinks, since I don't dabble there at all. I know that at different levels new strengths and weaknesses materialize.
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