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Improve the GF Class Mechanic: Encounter Interactions with Mark and Related Reworks.
todesfaelle
Member Posts: 1,370 Arc User
The Guardian Fighter class has received its fair share of balancing reworks, and I can say that the devs have done a very good job in improving the class. However, the GF has one of the worst Class Mechanics in the game to date and I'm pretty sure we can all agree that it needs a rework to be of more use and flexibility. Mark is a great mechanic due to it not being limited with meters just like how the Class Mechanics of other classes work, but at the same, it's also terribly lackluster due to this.
Which is why I propose that Mark should play a bigger role for the GF's combat capabilities, and right now, the optimum way of imposing this is to make our Encounters interact with our Mark Mechanic, and possibly give GFs the option of modifying Mark according to their slotted Class Features or chosen Feats.
My list of suggestions are as follows.
Mechanic Changes/Reworks
GF Additional Feature: Taunt.
- Taunt reduces the damage mitigation of your foes by 10%, conversely it also increases their damage by 10% against the Guardian Fighter.
GF Additional Feature: Hard Taunt.
- Hard Taunt reduces the damage mitigation of your enemies by 25%, conversely it also increases their damage by 15% against the Guardian Fighter.
Normal Mark Rework: Normal Mark now disappears after 3 unguarded strikes instead of 1.
Normal Mark Rework: Normal Mark also disappears when you use an Encounter with a Mark Interaction Mechanic.
Encounter Interactions with Mark as well as Possible Changes
Lunging Strike:
- Mark Interaction: Marked targets struck by Lunging Strike are briefly Interrupted.
Griffon's Wrath:
- Mark Interaction: Griffon's Wrath deals 15% more damage to Marked Targets.
Knee Breaker:
- Mark Interaction: Knee Breaker ignores Control Immunity and Resistance if the target is Marked.
Knight's Challenge:
- Mark Interaction: Marked Targets affected by Knight's Challenge are placed under a Hard Taunt for the remainder of its duration.
- Change: Knight's Challenge is now a Toggle skill like Knight's Valor.
Anvil of Doom:
- Mark Interaction: If Anvil of Doom is used against a Marked target, its cooldown is reduced by half.
Iron Vanguard: Frontline Surge:
- Change: Frontline Surge normally Stuns enemies in both PVE and PVP.
- Mark Interaction: Marked Targets are rendered Prone instead of Stunned.
Swordmaster: Flourish:
- Mark Interaction: If Flourish is used against a Marked target, its cooldown is reduced by half.
Bullrush:
- Mark Interaction: When used against a Marked target, the distance of the Knockback effect of this Encounter is increased by an additional 10 feet.
Skill and Feat Changes/Reworks
Enforced Threat:
- Additional Effect: This Encounter can be used while Blocking or Moving.
Into the Fray:
- Additional Effect: This Encounter can be used while Moving.
Iron Warrior:
- Additional Effect: This Encounter can be used while Blocking, but will only regenerate 25% Stamina.
Conqueror: The Conqueror Path feels the most balanced out of the three paths. It offers a lot of ways to dispatch opponents with increased DPS.
- T3 Cruel Cut Style Rework: Your At-Wills now deal 2%/4%/6%/8%/10% more Damage.
Protector: These feat reworks are designed to make the Protector Path feel more like a tank.
- T4 Overwhelming Impact Rework: When you are struck by a Critical Hit, deal 5%/7.5%/10%/12.5%/15% of that damage to foes within 10'.
- T5 Iron Guard Rework: You are now Immune to all types of damage (including Piercing damage) whenever you are Guarding. Damage is still calculated normally for Reflected Damage.
Tactician: This feat tree, in my opinion, is the one that needs the most rework out of all three paths. I imagine the Tactician Path to be more like an effective leader path that concentrates on pulling out as much utility and buffs as possible, and increasing their uptime through various means. It also aims to modify the utility of the Mark Mechanic even further.
- T3 Powerful Strike Additional Effect: Targets struck by Lunging Strike are now also Marked.
- T3 Inspiring Leader Additional Effect: Reduce the CD on Into the Fray by 1/1.5/2/2.5/3 seconds.
- T4 Surging Tide Rework: Whenever you are struck, you have a 33% chance of reducing your Encounter Cooldowns by 0.2/0.4/0.6/0.8/1 second(s).
- T4 Terrifying Menace Rework: You have a 10%/20%/30%/40%/50% chance of inflicting a Mark on opponents that strike your allies within 50'.
- T5 Martial Mastery Rework: Each time a Marked target strikes you in combat, you and your allies within 50' gain 2% AP. In addition, you gain an Aura that increases the Encounter Recovery Rate of you and your allies by 25%.
And that's about it. I may add other things in the future but so far that's how I'm imagining the GF class should be, a class with a better Mechanic and more defined Paragon Feat Paths. If you have any ideas to add or feedback, please do not hesitate to post.
Here's to us hoping that a dev would take a look at some of our ideas and possibly incorporate some of the ones in which they think would work well in the game.
Which is why I propose that Mark should play a bigger role for the GF's combat capabilities, and right now, the optimum way of imposing this is to make our Encounters interact with our Mark Mechanic, and possibly give GFs the option of modifying Mark according to their slotted Class Features or chosen Feats.
My list of suggestions are as follows.
Mechanic Changes/Reworks
GF Additional Feature: Taunt.
- Taunt reduces the damage mitigation of your foes by 10%, conversely it also increases their damage by 10% against the Guardian Fighter.
GF Additional Feature: Hard Taunt.
- Hard Taunt reduces the damage mitigation of your enemies by 25%, conversely it also increases their damage by 15% against the Guardian Fighter.
Normal Mark Rework: Normal Mark now disappears after 3 unguarded strikes instead of 1.
Normal Mark Rework: Normal Mark also disappears when you use an Encounter with a Mark Interaction Mechanic.
Encounter Interactions with Mark as well as Possible Changes
Lunging Strike:
- Mark Interaction: Marked targets struck by Lunging Strike are briefly Interrupted.
Griffon's Wrath:
- Mark Interaction: Griffon's Wrath deals 15% more damage to Marked Targets.
Knee Breaker:
- Mark Interaction: Knee Breaker ignores Control Immunity and Resistance if the target is Marked.
Knight's Challenge:
- Mark Interaction: Marked Targets affected by Knight's Challenge are placed under a Hard Taunt for the remainder of its duration.
- Change: Knight's Challenge is now a Toggle skill like Knight's Valor.
Anvil of Doom:
- Mark Interaction: If Anvil of Doom is used against a Marked target, its cooldown is reduced by half.
Iron Vanguard: Frontline Surge:
- Change: Frontline Surge normally Stuns enemies in both PVE and PVP.
- Mark Interaction: Marked Targets are rendered Prone instead of Stunned.
Swordmaster: Flourish:
- Mark Interaction: If Flourish is used against a Marked target, its cooldown is reduced by half.
Bullrush:
- Mark Interaction: When used against a Marked target, the distance of the Knockback effect of this Encounter is increased by an additional 10 feet.
Skill and Feat Changes/Reworks
Enforced Threat:
- Additional Effect: This Encounter can be used while Blocking or Moving.
Into the Fray:
- Additional Effect: This Encounter can be used while Moving.
Iron Warrior:
- Additional Effect: This Encounter can be used while Blocking, but will only regenerate 25% Stamina.
Conqueror: The Conqueror Path feels the most balanced out of the three paths. It offers a lot of ways to dispatch opponents with increased DPS.
- T3 Cruel Cut Style Rework: Your At-Wills now deal 2%/4%/6%/8%/10% more Damage.
Protector: These feat reworks are designed to make the Protector Path feel more like a tank.
- T4 Overwhelming Impact Rework: When you are struck by a Critical Hit, deal 5%/7.5%/10%/12.5%/15% of that damage to foes within 10'.
- T5 Iron Guard Rework: You are now Immune to all types of damage (including Piercing damage) whenever you are Guarding. Damage is still calculated normally for Reflected Damage.
Tactician: This feat tree, in my opinion, is the one that needs the most rework out of all three paths. I imagine the Tactician Path to be more like an effective leader path that concentrates on pulling out as much utility and buffs as possible, and increasing their uptime through various means. It also aims to modify the utility of the Mark Mechanic even further.
- T3 Powerful Strike Additional Effect: Targets struck by Lunging Strike are now also Marked.
- T3 Inspiring Leader Additional Effect: Reduce the CD on Into the Fray by 1/1.5/2/2.5/3 seconds.
- T4 Surging Tide Rework: Whenever you are struck, you have a 33% chance of reducing your Encounter Cooldowns by 0.2/0.4/0.6/0.8/1 second(s).
- T4 Terrifying Menace Rework: You have a 10%/20%/30%/40%/50% chance of inflicting a Mark on opponents that strike your allies within 50'.
- T5 Martial Mastery Rework: Each time a Marked target strikes you in combat, you and your allies within 50' gain 2% AP. In addition, you gain an Aura that increases the Encounter Recovery Rate of you and your allies by 25%.
And that's about it. I may add other things in the future but so far that's how I'm imagining the GF class should be, a class with a better Mechanic and more defined Paragon Feat Paths. If you have any ideas to add or feedback, please do not hesitate to post.
Here's to us hoping that a dev would take a look at some of our ideas and possibly incorporate some of the ones in which they think would work well in the game.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
Just some critical notes though:
This would still leave the difficulties associated with a GF who could toggle it on to deal more damage and toggle it off before the enemy retaliates. Perhaps the effects could persist for a set duration (such as 5 seconds) after KC is toggled off to counter this? If i'm reading it right, this would mean that irrespective of the Prot GF's DR and Deflect etc., the Prot GF would take no damage at all while they are Guarding. Correct?
If this is so, what happens for those builds that easily obtain and manage a perma-guard status? Would that unbalance the game too much for a GF to be completely immune to all types of damage indefinitely? Could this instead be placed on a timed 'buff' system where once Guard is raised, for a set duration afterwards the GF is Immune to all types of damage for 20 seconds but include an ICD such as 1minute?
Does this apply to flank attacks?
Hey, damnacious. Thank you for your reply, these are just some rough ideas that I have in my head so I'm pretty sure they'd still have room for improvement.
As for the KC's effects persisting after 5 seconds, I guess that would be reasonable. Would it seem better if it worked like this?
Knight's Challenge:
- Change: Knight's Challenge is now a Toggle skill like Knight's Valor.
- Change: Toggling Knight's Challenge off within 10 seconds of its activation will wear the GF down, and while it is under cooldown, the GF will take 10% increased damage from all sources.
This way there would be consequences to using such a powerful ability and toggling it off immediately.
Correct! But I think I should have made it clearer that the GF will be immune to damage only on Blocked attacks. They still receive full damage when hit from behind or when flanked. I believe that we can still cook up a better effect for "Iron Guard" that fits the "Iron Guard" theme better than the current effects we have in the game.
Iron Guard's effects doesn't seem like it deserves the name "Iron Guard."
If anyone has any ideas for reworks, please fire away. Perhaps we can use this thread to compile ideas that the devs can look at one of these days.