I am working to gear my Cleric past 15k GS
since the Devs said they wont forget about us (DC) and TR
because the class mechanics if not one of the best and who ever made it really thought about it to create non typical type of healer i have ever seen on any MMO
However I am Sad as a PVE Cleric because we don't have a Good Capstone Feat
unlike other Classes and To Be Specific
I mean this one
In Faithfaul Feats Tree --> The Tree that is made for healing and all of us who are into PVE use it
So Here is something to why I don't like its Caps Feat called Greater Divine Power which adds a 4th Pip to our Divine Charges
We got 3 Encounters that can be used with 3 charges so no matter what we wont benefit from the 4th Pip because till one of the 3 Encounters come back we have already built more than 2 charges besides the extra one as such it is becomes useless
Thus every proper build we see does not use it
Suggestion
Make another proper feat instead that is fit for the healing feat tree this is one of the reasons we (DC) are under powered because all of other classes got their Feats Capstone Feat that they benefit from while we don't because it is practically not useful
Comments
Really they're the worst and provide little to none benefit.. compared to other classes' capstone (even before mod 4). I'm sure it is already in their mind to change it to become more inline with the recent changes towards capstone feats of other classes.
Also, while we're at it.. Since healing now can be done pretty greatly by some scourge warlocks thru lifesteal, (moreover they also have good DPS)... would it be too much for DCs to add a little more capability beside those TOP-UP heals and mitigation? Say, add Resurrection capability to one of our targetted healing encounters.. like for example, Healing Word.
I propose that such heal can :
* bypass those downed with / without revive sickness..
but also apply limitation such as :
* Consume ALL HW charges
* include longer cooldown when we actually use the resurrecting HW.. say, 40-50 sec base cooldown for the first charge(and the normal 12sec-ish for the next charges)... so that it's not really gamebreaking and we can still be wiped if the pt is actually too weak to defeat a boss.. It just enable a more forgiving gameplay when mistakes are done if there's a cleric around..
*Probably gonna include casting time too for such 'big' spell.. Maybe with half the range, but full HW range in divine.. Or no change in range, but more HP regained or more immunity period if cast in Divine.. etc etc..
Idk, just an idea ..
4th pip is quite handy WHEN a situation does arise... in prolonged/persistent/exhaustive kind of combat (which happens often in PvP or some boss fights), 4th pip barely helps, if at all. It's a whole another story if max pip affect divinity building speed. So, i'd say , it pales in comparison with other classes' feat, esp the reworked ones... We just gotta be patient until the devs implement the changes toward DC that's currently in development.
It will be deeply appreciated if we have capstone feats that really DEFINE a cleric from one another, like what they're doing now in mod4 to HR, CW, etc. As of now, a faithful tree cleric isnt that much different from a righteous one.. still using the same base skills with a little boost here and there 5% 10% <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font>.. I mean, look at HR's 30% encounter reduce in archery.. Now that's what I call a feat..
I'd like to see something like this for clerics (not necessarily this way, but just an example of what really defines a cleric from one of another) :
Virtuous : Really excell at DPS / Debuff or whateva.. because the current 10% damage increase for DC is still nothing since DC lacks base DPS even with the current virtuous build (ranging from no AoE at-wills to a weak single target debuff with long recovery-bypassed cooldown [PoD].. Which is the main reason Lifesteal is never a good stat for DC)
Faithful : 30% - 50% more healing than the other clerics
Righteous : Maybe an increase in buff/debuff range
Here is the issue.. This current DC was really designed to handle a game from 2 years ago, with spot mechanics designed to bolster a mostly melee type group (with the exception of the CW at that time, which handily enough learned to play with that meta).
Now what is happened, with the expansion of both the HR and SW, you may have groups scattered ALL over the place, using small area mechanics like Ashield, Divine Glow become almost useless. As they implement new design mechanics (look at ghost stories, find me a area NOT in red, having mostly spot area damage effects like DG, Chains/SB and DL becomes ever harder to use)
. Fix the feat lines by actually having them be useful, stop implementing similar mechanics but in a small range, that basically require you to pick 5 different feat classes to adjust your powers to a very small extent. CHANGE powers like DG, Ashield,BoH to PARTY wide mechanics, the party has changed, our powers really need to as well. Dont give me .2 increase on a stun, fix CLEANSE back to the way it was.. you know stuff like that.
Almost every feat you choose from is a matter of , "this one is less terrible then the next, sigh, will pick this one".
I really really want a rework to our heroic feats though. Like how about some actual options. there pretty much one single way to set up your heroic feats and everything else is absolute junk. Like maybe some feats that allow you to buff healing more, or become more tanky, increase area of debuffs, etc. Like how did initiate of the faith ever even become a feat? 5 points for 1% stat increase to crit....
So 4 months or so until Mod 5 and the DC/TR rework? that's what I'm guessing
Despite the utter rubbishness of the feat you mentioned in itself.. Most likely at the time of the making, DC can be very TANKY and uber (pvp wise, requiring even 4 people to defeat), therefore not requiring a good feat will do. (Read : the base of the class is already strong at that time (sunburst tabbed Linked Spirit + the still unchanged 11% DR from feated foresight with almost 100% uptime [DO only] etc)). Proof of that is they then introduce Righteousness (at that time it was worded transparently as a nerf instead of a buff).. followed by the nerf to regen stat, healing depression, then some boost of other players, etc etc... major rework to DC is due to be in line with other classes (TR too).
I didn't exactly understand all of that. I've played my Cleric since open Beta so I'm well aware of the various tools at our disposal and how the class has changed throught the various Mod's and their subsequent metas. Righteousness has always been around, it was just worded differently before. Healing Depression was added latter on for PVP and it was much needed, along with the rework to regeneration.
Obviously PVE/PVP are not the same, but currently if you're geared enough you can run PVE with a PVP set up and have no issues whatsoever. Yes clerics are tanky, or can be, if you build them that way but no you're not going to hold 4 people in PVP by yourself, at least not comparably geared people. The only time I ever remember DC's being almost unkillable was mod2 pre healing depression and regeneration nerfs when you'd roll in with 50k worth of blue items on and that was all you needed.
Faithful is the healing spec. It is the paragon path that rewards a DC who focuses on using healing powers by also granting the target/s various positive effects. Such a DC would be sacrificing much in terms of personal offensive/tactical power, so any (indirect) damage boost would be welcome.
Personally I too would say that it's too early to start suggesting major changes. The meta has yet to stabilize and already the devs are talking about more rebalances/fixes.
If you are using Sacred Flame or Spamming Brand of the Sun and you got high crit reaching 42% without a TR buff
then you will never run out of building divinity
in fact you would have divinity built before an encounter cooldown because there is a very good Feat called Righteous Rage of Tempus that builds divinity based on your crits so here is the 4th pip achieved through crit and every PVE DC got that feat for it is marvelous
If you are using the Fourth Pip for soothing light that is weak healing at slow rate for usage in PVE and does not heal for the amount of damage a teammate could be taking from a mob
If there is one thing i would rather put instead of the Greater Divine Power Feat that would be Rising Hope Feat like make it a capstone feat with improved duration or buff it a little instead this feat should be in the faithful tree because it procs on using divinity when the faithful tree is focused on healing with divinity
so you can mix whatever path you want
not many classes have the luxury of having such a #$%^ feat that they can completely ignore
they could make feat that give 1 sec immunity if you crit heal
or increase you control resist by 200% if you heal using divinity
or your fire damage have 10% chance to blind a character for 1 sec
or your crit at will attack have 5% chance to remove all buff from the target (including soul)
etc.
but honestly if they will change it it most likely be worse
I have no trouble building Divinity in normal fights, but sometimes things get out of hand and that's when the class is at its most useful. Yes, it would be great if they fix all the broken and worthless feats, but the Faithful capstone isn't one of them. It would be great if they buff it to do more than just the extra pip, but the extra pip is worth it when you need it.
Nobody fires off all three encounters, sequentially, in divine mode then switches back to normal, builds up to three pips, and then fires off three encounters in D-mode again. You're switching between the modes constantly, and divinity goes up and down constantly. How MUCH up and down you can tolerate is what's in question here.
Sure, under ideal situations you'll just roll with competent people and you'll probably mostly be blowing divinity on DG with the odd blue circle here and there, and it'll rarely be a problem. You'll probably be looking for opportunities to waste divinity because you'll have loads.
However, in sustained fights, or a team of morons or a ton of HRs or something, being able to fling a whole bunch of divine HWs around and still be able to muster an astral for your melee dudes (without stopping to generate any divinity in between other than perhaps that from divine fortune) can make the difference between an epic fight and an instawipe. Plus you feel awesome. Going into a big fight with an extra pip frontloaded can make all the difference.
Basically, ask yourself this: if divinity is that easy to manage, wouldn't two pips be exactly the same as three? Why not one? You can just fire off a divine encounter and then make the divinity back for the next one, right? If you're good at divinity management (i.e. you can fill your tank at about the same rate you empty it) it shouldn't matter how much your tank can hold.
But it does.
And a bigger tank lets you start with more, and tolerate much greater fluctuations, than a smaller one.
Makes you wonder why we even have capstone feat it at all, doesn't it?
You have your point, and those explanation made sense, but still think it's underperforming compared to capstone feats of other classes which really improve performance, than management natured benefit.. At least make it to also improve divinity gain a bit
You need to ask yourself this, why most people can get by with just 3 pips instead of 4? 3 is plenty, and it is sufficient in most situation. I switched to other build and not take the faithful capstone.. i never really missed it to be honest.
Sure it is nice to have, but it's never necessary in Faithful build... Just compare it to GWF/CW/HR/SW/GF's capstone feat.. They are true benefit.. it affects performance directly.