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My observations of the GWF.
umcjdking
Member Posts: 276 Arc User
I think the entire GWF class is completely unbalanced and it's due to a few mechanics that should be adjusted. I have some pretty well geared GWFs (70 Instigator, 70 Sentinel, and formerly BIS 68 Destroyer). I'm a firm believer that every feat path should have it's place in Neverwinter, but alas that is not the case.
Destroyer should be flat out renamed Destrontinelagtor. It does everything every other feat path does, but better and with tremendously more damage which is cause for balance concerns amongst the class. There is almost no point in picking a non Destroyer over a Destroyer. The reasons why Destroyer is simply so much more powerful is as follows:
-Focused Destroyer
-Determination gain from attacking, more damage in Unstoppable.
-Unstoppable Temporary HP being based off damage bonus.
I don't want to see any dramatic nerfs happen to the destroyer with the exception of the <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> Temp HP mechanic, but rather a rebalancing of their damage to help open up some builds to diversity as well as provide both the Instigator and Sentinel some damage options.
Destroyer Class Feature & Focused Destroyer
My suggestion is to somewhat mix these two up a bit to make it a legitimate option of Sents and Instigators. Destroyer should be modified to - On each attack, you have a chance to gain a stack of destroyer, increasing your damage by 2.5/5/7.5/10% per stack and lasts 6 seconds. This chance increases as the enemy's health decreases (100%hp = 10% chance. 75%hp = 20% chance. 50% HP = 40% chance 25% HP = 100% chance. Destroyer lasts 6 seconds . And Focused Destroyer should be modified to Destroyer stacks now last twice as long. In addition, each stack provides an additional 2/2.5/3.5/4/4.5% damage. While this is certainly a nerf (minor, but it's there), this redistributes some of the Destroyers potential damage to the other feat trees, giving them an option to do what's required.
Each Feat Path should have a method of gaining determination
I'm going to say it. It's flat out UNFAIR that a Destroyer can use WMS one time followed by an IBS and have 1/2 a determination bar while the other two paths just swing away with at wills, and might get half a bar 5 Daring Shouts later. Sentinel should have a built is mechanic to the capstone skill that allows the individual to gain Determination at an increased rate if he has targets marked. Each marked target by the Sentinel gains the Sentinel 2% determination per second. Meh vs bosses and good vs. mobs which is what we want for the Sentinel as the offtank.
Instigator gets nothing amazing from unstoppable. Like, flat out nothing. Unstoppable should give Instigators 40% reduced cooldowns OR 20% movespeed or some combination of both. In addition, they should gain 2% determination each second a mob is controlled by them. Again, Instigators don't need/want the destroyers job, but they need a job, and per their description it should be melee Soft CC and generally controlling the melee field.
Temp HP
This mechanic makes no sense, and is largely dumb. Simply put, the temp HP you get should be based upon your defensive stats, say your Deflect and Damage Resistance combined? That means things like Bravery and Warrior's Courage become very enticing to maintain and utilize amongst ALL builds.
Devs, whatever you do, just give the GWF some options please.
Destroyer should be flat out renamed Destrontinelagtor. It does everything every other feat path does, but better and with tremendously more damage which is cause for balance concerns amongst the class. There is almost no point in picking a non Destroyer over a Destroyer. The reasons why Destroyer is simply so much more powerful is as follows:
-Focused Destroyer
-Determination gain from attacking, more damage in Unstoppable.
-Unstoppable Temporary HP being based off damage bonus.
I don't want to see any dramatic nerfs happen to the destroyer with the exception of the <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> Temp HP mechanic, but rather a rebalancing of their damage to help open up some builds to diversity as well as provide both the Instigator and Sentinel some damage options.
Destroyer Class Feature & Focused Destroyer
My suggestion is to somewhat mix these two up a bit to make it a legitimate option of Sents and Instigators. Destroyer should be modified to - On each attack, you have a chance to gain a stack of destroyer, increasing your damage by 2.5/5/7.5/10% per stack and lasts 6 seconds. This chance increases as the enemy's health decreases (100%hp = 10% chance. 75%hp = 20% chance. 50% HP = 40% chance 25% HP = 100% chance. Destroyer lasts 6 seconds . And Focused Destroyer should be modified to Destroyer stacks now last twice as long. In addition, each stack provides an additional 2/2.5/3.5/4/4.5% damage. While this is certainly a nerf (minor, but it's there), this redistributes some of the Destroyers potential damage to the other feat trees, giving them an option to do what's required.
Each Feat Path should have a method of gaining determination
I'm going to say it. It's flat out UNFAIR that a Destroyer can use WMS one time followed by an IBS and have 1/2 a determination bar while the other two paths just swing away with at wills, and might get half a bar 5 Daring Shouts later. Sentinel should have a built is mechanic to the capstone skill that allows the individual to gain Determination at an increased rate if he has targets marked. Each marked target by the Sentinel gains the Sentinel 2% determination per second. Meh vs bosses and good vs. mobs which is what we want for the Sentinel as the offtank.
Instigator gets nothing amazing from unstoppable. Like, flat out nothing. Unstoppable should give Instigators 40% reduced cooldowns OR 20% movespeed or some combination of both. In addition, they should gain 2% determination each second a mob is controlled by them. Again, Instigators don't need/want the destroyers job, but they need a job, and per their description it should be melee Soft CC and generally controlling the melee field.
Temp HP
This mechanic makes no sense, and is largely dumb. Simply put, the temp HP you get should be based upon your defensive stats, say your Deflect and Damage Resistance combined? That means things like Bravery and Warrior's Courage become very enticing to maintain and utilize amongst ALL builds.
Devs, whatever you do, just give the GWF some options please.
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Comments
You can't leave it alone because the other two feat paths work so fundamentally different that any buff to their damage and survivability buffs destroyers into Godmode which gets the entire class nerfed in the long run.
Destroyer feat sucks for anything non-destroyer yet it is one of the biggest DPS boosts the GWF needs due to his terrible damage. This change provides the Instigator to be a legitimate second source of single target DPS and provides the Sentinel enough damage to maintain threat.
Also, you provided no suggestions of your own. You acknowledged a problem without delivering anything.
In the short or long term its probably better to think of appropriate rebalances so maybe, just maybe the devs will have some ideas to work with and be aware of them rather than thinking up a new balance independent of any player feedback. We all know that's always the least balanced outcome and regrettably the most likely.
The Destroyer Feat suggestion is barely a nerf, maybe 2-3% in total and adding the utility for it to work on single targets which is HUGE for Sentinels and Instigators. The Destroyer feat change here will not alter your playstyle, nor will it alter your survivability by any fight-changing amount.
The temp HP nerf is certainly a nerf because in it's current form it DOES NOT WORK FOR ANYONE BUT DESTROYER. Sentinels are lucky to get 1/5th temp HP, Intigators, maybe half a bar. Destroyers? 150% temp hp that they can refresh every 5-7 seconds. The supposedly squishiest feat tree is made into the tankiest. This was universally panned on test server by people who actually care about all classes and trees.
+1... other classes protect your bugs, gwfs are against your buffs.
since beta instigators are not a viable. sentinels never are a requested to tank in pve. why both are arguments?
note: temporary hp seens some barbarian inspiration.
True Unstoppable is a classic enrage mechanic, but somewhat badly introduced into the game and through Destroyer capstone totally different. You gain determination from dealing damage or maybe daring shout and less from taking damage as you do not want to take damage at all in PvE anyway.
Closing I want to say that yes more diversity would be nice and surely I want to see more viable featpaths myself. However, there will always be one that is better than the others and balancing is one of the hardest things. Balance itself is a concept you reach for but you cannot actually achieve thats not hard to figure. As of now you might know that Cryptic is heavily understaffed to develop Neverwinter as well as we might want. It is not the Devs fault they work every day and every week on this game and for now it seems to be the goal to make every class in Neverwinter viable. (Example: TRs are <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> in PvE really really <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> and the last update to them just made them broken as hell and PvPers went full riot.) I would say GWF is viable, its actually good and top 5 for PvE which it wasn't since module 3. I think the way it plays out is good, personally I learned to not ask for thaaaaat much in Neverwinter, as I said Cryptic is Cryptic and not Blizzard Entertainment.