Thanks a million to Carapace and the team for having yet another open discussion! It's awesome to know our voices are being heard. I know I speak for many when I say that we appreciate the thought, time and effort you put into making the game fun to play.
It is disappointing to hear that the team is currently content with Dragon Hunter Staff. Though it may appear that way, this is not a case of buff-envy. Due to the complex nature of the staff, it took a little time to discover its weaknesses. Many players still may not recognize what they are. In the case of the Dragon Hunter Blades the weaknesses were obvious and, let's be honest, Rogue players tend to be more impatient and demanding than Sorcerer players. However, I trust that you'll let this case be decided on it own merits.
Staves are notorious for generating more sorcerer deaths than guns because staves are hand-to-hand combat weapons. Because sorcerers are extremely vulnerable at close range, a gun is almost always the smarter choice. The only type of staff I'd ever consider using as my main weapon is an arcane staff - nothing else comes close to properly addressing that extreme vulnerability. The Ker'shal Scepter made up for that vulnerability quite nicely. The Dragon Hunter Staff may have a shot if Consecrate is sufficiently improved.
How to Fix Consecrate
Unfortunately, Consecrate cannot replace either Fireball or Arcane Shield. Fusing inferior versions of two existing skills does not necessarily create a better spell. In the case of Consecrate, it overlaps significantly with both skills (and Nekro!) but isn't as powerful as each individual skill. During hardcore gameplay (Elites, PvP, timed), Sorcerers
must have those skills at maximum strength. Few sorcerers will remove Arcane Shield or Fireball from their specs because of Consecrate. Arcane weapons exist to be used during fast-paced, hardcore gameplay. An arcane staff that takes 1.25 seconds to cast a weakened fireball and an immobile damage reduction field feels sluggish and is not up to par. Casting Consecrate is a huge sacrifice for Sorcerers who often must retreat from the AoE immediately after casting.
However, I think that Consecrate can be tweaked a little to make it remarkably useful while still keeping it in balance with the game as a whole. The idea behind the word "consecrate" is to bless, to make make something sacred - in this case the ground on which the spell is centered. Why not take the concept just a little further? In folklore, all manner of foul creatures cannot traverse consecrated land without enduring severe penalties.
- Create a Perimeter - Drive back (push back) all enemies to the edge of the area of effect. This allows Sorcerers and other team members to stay within the AoE without having to retreat and lose the benefit of the spell that cost the Sorcerer mana and time to cast.
- Slow Enemy Movement Speed by 40% - Once enemies have been driven back, they can re-enter, but moving through consecrated ground is like travelling through muddy swamp water.
- Add Damage over Time - Enemies take damage walking on consecrated ground. It doesn't have to be a lot of damage, but at least a token amount. The spell shouldn't be too OP.
- Reduce Damage Reduction to 15% - for the purposes of spell balancing. If #1 and #2 are implemented, allies within the AoE will take less damage anyway.
- Reduce Initial Spell Damage by 33% - to help balance out the DoT feature.
- Reduce casting time to 1.125 seconds - just a little shaved off will make a big difference in how it feels to cast.
- Keep mana cost the same - the above changes would make it well worth the expense.
I hope my suggestions are well within the 'feasible' range, thus increasing the probability that they will be implemented. I understand and appreciate the overhead costs involved with re-examining and altering content that has already been released. I encourage other players to comment on my suggestions.
Edit: Based on feedback altered #2 from 70% msr to 40% msr. Increased #4 from 10% Damage Reduction to 15% to compensate.
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