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Wizard Spell Rework Suggestions
kir4me8604
Member Posts: 65 Arc User
in The Library
This discussion has been on my heart to share with those that play the Control Wizard class. I will keep the intro short and to the point. If you could add, change, enhance, merge, or improve a power, feat, or aspect of the Wizard class, what would you suggest? The purpose is to brainstorm new ideas. (True Innovation does not get caught up on limitations. It should not be that we cannot have it, it should be what do we need to have or provide it.)
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I would change the last two added effects. Instead of Knockdown and 1 stack of chill, I would suggest merging the effects of Frost Wave to Ice Storm and increasing the chill stacks to 6.
Suggestion #2 - Improve the Daily Power Maelstrom of Chaos, Arcane Singularity, and Oppressive Force
I would suggest increasing their magnitudes to be optional to Ice Knife and Arcane Empowerment.
Maelstrom of Chaos: 1,400
Arcane Singularity: 1000
Oppressive Force: 750 with the Explode Magnitude: 400
do you realize that they are AOE spells? u cant give them that much magnitude.
MoC is a single target attack. Arcane Singularity and Oppressive Force are the AOE spells and at one time could nuke a group of mobs. I am in totally support of AOE with the Wizard. We are suppose to be a wrecking class when it comes to mobs. The More the Better! I should be able to know when my party is being ambushed or confronted with a large group of enemies it is my job to maintain CONTROL of them with my arsenal of AOE attacks. Not do my make -up and get dropped because my magnitude is too low for maintaining Control or delivering a devastating light show of destruction.
When you look at how much damage, these dailies mentioned, are doing to a group of mobs in lvl 80 content or scaled content, these dailies cannot kill enemies and being that they will not restore the control/stun abilities to those powers. These 3 Dailies are useless when compared to Ice Knife and Arcane Empowerment. The goal is to build more options for different daily choices.
My Wizard Guide:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JezPmehRjvkrHQKwEJ9tGGesDuekj2mcfKiWxlx56ns/edit?usp=sharing
My Arbiter Cleric guide:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UZGOcQIMLCh5I4lrH63REK5YVsa3Kpk1hOyfic21z8k/edit?usp=sharing
you cant give an aoe a high magnitude because it is... aoe? i mean i would love seeing magnitude increase for them but around like 600ish, not 1k lol. besides controlling powers shouldnt have the same damage as pure damage powers.
i agree we need more control. and the dailies we have have mob cap idk why (except oppressing). it has been like this for years. i remember when they nerfed it years ago.
we should have the option to go pure dps or lower dps with great controlling powers imo.
Depending on the Level of the Spell, our powers should have the ability to kill enemies; especially our Dailies.
Run IC, ToMM, or Zariel with those Dailies (Maelstrom of Chaos, Arcane Singularity, and Oppressive Force)......
Run Hardcore Dungeons, LoMM.....
(Intentionally Destroyed those Dailies at the end of the day)
I would even take that increasing the magnitude of those powers to what I suggested meant that the cool down would be longer. Who cares, right now they don't get used at all and that is a problem.
If a spell is not an option for the player (due to low magnitude), then why is it there?
Is it just to say our Wizard class has so many options? We Don't! It is even sadder that we are all slowly but surely being funnelled to play a certain way.
Also, "controlling powers" are a thing that died with mod 6 when elites were immune to controlling powers. Arguably, controlling powers died in MOD3 when love between Arcane Singularity and Repel was nerfed to the ground. Aside from a very shortly lived PvP in Gauntlgrym, controlling powers were dead because ppl QQd day and night.
The reason why there is no more "control wizard" as a class should speak volumes on its own.
AoE Spells should have a long CD, but deal massive damage, especially if none of them have extra procs upon extra procs. That's 101 RPG stuff basically everywhere.
Problem with Chill stacks in the game is the fact that those were optimized for a faster gameplay that predates MOD16. Chill Stacks would, in that scenario, be quintessential for dishing out just enough damage to keep Wizard somewhere 3rd or 4th on the paingiver chart.
They were more potent in combination with Chilling Advantage because the buff would increase the overall damage, albeit for a very short time. optimizing this, and playing with people that knew how to utilize this was actually fun to a certain degree. However, playing with people that'd lure out or kite mobs away from the Icy Terrain was the absolute worst experience for a wizard. This is something that a lot of warlocks are experiencing right now.
Even at the time, Wizard would still have a very hard time keeping enemies frozen, especially in fast groups. Icy Terrain wasn't that useful at a certain point.
Stacks currently are left in tact the way there were before MOD16, meaning that they are slow to apply, clunky, and inadequate for any serious end-game content. By serious I mean a fast group that knows how to use all mechanics properly, does not exploit, goes forward and tries to somewhat speedrun the dungeon.
Chill Stacks are currently only useful in boss fights due to Ray of Frost being used exponentially. Other than that, they've no real benefit to anyone except Thaumaturge builds.
There is no other practical use of Chill Stacks in end-game content, and the only way I can see anyone benefiting from chill stacks, it'd have to be a low level Wizard that struggles with the game around levels 40-60, so it helps to keep the enemies frozen for a brief period of time only to pop health potion or similar rejuvenating option. I won't say it is useless, but it is borderline useless.
1, at most 2 chill stacks can be applied in fast TIC groups. You just have to play with such groups that do not stop, nor wait for the enemies to gather before everything's dead.
Majority of people do not play like this, however. But even at that point, Chill Stacks are useless as Icy Terrain's radius is 15ft.
There is just no optimization for different styles of the gameplay for Wizard at the moment. One way to go around it, and I can't stress this enough, would be to allow Icy Terrain to be used as a channeling power.
Hold Encounter for 2-3 sec, and upon releasing, a 50' wave of ice freezes the enemies for the duration based on the percentage of AP, for instance. And, thus, suddenly, you got some skill gameplay in Wizard class, no? Then you can choose to either use Daily to dish out the overhauled 1.7K mag Daily Ice Knife, or some alternative like Fanning the Flame.
There are so many interesting options to go for or choose.
Icy Terrain below 50% charge would apply DoT based Cold damage for mag 100 per tick, 200 if on Spell Mastery tab.
Icy Terrain above 50% charge would freeze enemies in 10'-20'-30'-40'-50' radius (fully charged 50' when more than 95% charged bar) dealing 450mag damage with a 100mag DoT that ticks twice in 1 sec. 800 mag damage if on Spell Mastery, DoT's become a 150mag dmg and tick 4 times in 2 sec.
And just like that, instantaneously Wizard is a desired class in both PVE & PVP content. And just like that, it becomes a skill-based class to play. And actually EVEN THOU Wizard still wouldn't be anywhere near the top damage class, at least it'd be fun to play to some extent.
Therefore if you want to channel "Chain Lightning" there you go, looking for a "FireStorm" there you go, or "Blizzard" there you go. Giving up AP as a percentage to cast such spells, I would do it in a heartbeat.
My bad @c1k4ml3kc3 if this addition was not the direction you were heading but I enjoyed your suggestion and ran with it. (lol) It does open the mind to new possibilities, and definitely would make game play unique for each Wizard you encounter.
Just one small correction
It is not about giving up AP to cast a power such as an encounter like that, but that Encounter's attribute "Freezing" lasts that many seconds based on how much AP there was @ Wizard, starting from 20% AP for 1 sec, 40%AP 2sec, 60%AP 3sec, 80% AP 4sec, and finally up to 5 sec for a full AP. When I wrote about giving up AP, I meant in a strategic scenario when you'd have to figure out whether you need to use Daily, or get that extra "Freeze" duration on enemies, since you'd have to figure this out per dungeon.
If that'd be too long, then 0.5sec per 20%ap. I mean, it is just a thought I made on the spot, really. But anything similar to that would be most welcome imo.
Some classes have this system implemented already in relation of Encounter's duration of powers to AP or Stamina ratio.
We also have similar stuff in various equipment we use, for instance the relation between the additional damage on Lionheart weapon sets to the stamina bar.
Icy Terrain should really be a channeling power with twofold mechanics since in its current state it is weak and almost not useful when compared to other classes' AoE powers.
Direct Freeze should be harder to obtain (for example a daily, or in certain conditions or feats)
Then you can play with this conditions to create feats, or powers with sinergies. If is freezed, if has chill, etc. But this should make the wizard more fun and dynamic to play.
Arcane stacks are ok, and usefull for bosses or minibosses, as a mechanism over time.
Also, obsolete spells should be changed, like shard, lightning bolt, conduit of ice, imprisonment, maelstrom, etc.
And finally, I should add something interesting to lightning spells, like a ministun for example.
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Mod20 Combat rework Survivor
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COMMON SKILLS
Magic Missle: Change to affect multiple targets on third hit.
Shard of the Endless Avalanche: (moved to shared skills and changed to a cold power)
remove: 'every 4 seconds adds a stack of arcane mastery'.
new added effect: Magnitude increases by 50 every 4 seconds.
new added effect: When shard explodes, all damaged foes gain one Chill stack, and their Chill stacks are refreshed.
Shield: (reworked)
Push effect decreased to a quarter of its current value. (becomes a 'bump back')
magnitude: 125
added effect: Deflection rating increases by 10,000 points. (equates to 10% damage reduction)
added effect: magnitude increases by 5 for each percent of health you are missing.
added effect: when shield explodes, enemies are bumped backward and you recover 15% of your missing health.
mastery effect: base magnitude increased to 250
Ray of Enfeeblement: (now deals Ice damage, but generates one Arcane stack)
new added effect: Target deals 3% less damage per stack of Chill.
new added effect: Your damage against target is increased by 3% per stack of Arcane Mastery.
new Mastery Effect: Allied damage against target is increased by 3%.
Evocation: Encounter AoE skills recharge 10% faster.
Mysticism: (replaces Arcane Presence) Fire and Lightning deal 10% more damage.
Orb of Imposition: Increases Control and Control Resistance by 20%
ARCANIST SKILLS
Arcane Bolt:
new Added effect: Deals +2% extra damage per Arcane stack.
Engangling Force: Moved to Arcanist from common, swapping places with Shard of the Endless Avalanche.
new mastery effect: Gain 2 arcane stacks
Lightning Strike: (replaces capstone "Imprisonment" skill)
Cast: .40 seconds
Recharge: 15 seconds
Range: 80 feet
Magnitude: 400
additional effect: target is stunned for 2 seconds.
additional effect: Arcane damage versus target increased by 10% for 6 seconds.
Mastery effect: enemies within 15 feet of target are struck by 100 magnitude lightning arcs.
Sudden Storm:
Increase magnitude from 140 to 225.
Disintegrate:
new added effect: Deals up to 20% extra damage as target health diminishes.
new Mastery effect: Deals up to 40% extra damage as target health diminishes.
Eye of the Storm: (Class Feature)
added effect: also increases critical severity by 25% for 5 seconds.
Feat2(top) -Arcanic Chill: (replaces Snap Freeze - This "counter feat" keeps the common ice skills viable for Arcanist)
Chill now deals 25 magnitude damage each time a stack is applied to an enemy. You deal 1% more damage per stack of Chill on your target.
Feat3(bottom) - Arcane Lightning: (replaces Frigid Winds) For each Arcane stack, Lightning and it's arcs deal 3% extra damage.
THAUMATURGE
Ice Bolt: (Icy Rays changed to Ice Bolt)
Cast: .35 seconds
cooldown: 8 seconds
Magnitude: 250 (single target only)
Added effect: Chill stack damage bonus is doubled
Chill Strike: (Helps manage chill stacks to further differentiate from Ice Bolt)
magnitude: decreased by 25
new added effect: target gains two stacks of Chill
new mastery effect: Target gains three stacks of Chill instead of two.
Swath of Destruction - changed to: Targets affected by Smolder take 5% more damage from all sources.
Feat2(bottom) = Arcane Induction: (replaces Glowing Flames - This "counter feat" keeps common arcane skills viable for Thaumaturge)
For each arcane stack you deal 10 magnitude damage whenever smolder or a chill is applied. When under 50% health, damage taken is reduced by 5% per Arcane stack.
Feat5(bottom) = Flame Caller: (replaces Directed Flames) Smolder now deals 75% of its total damage instantly when applied. Smolder's flames then radiate dealing 25% of the total damage to afflicted enemies within 15' of the primary target.
My Wizard Guide:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JezPmehRjvkrHQKwEJ9tGGesDuekj2mcfKiWxlx56ns/edit?usp=sharing
My Arbiter Cleric guide:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UZGOcQIMLCh5I4lrH63REK5YVsa3Kpk1hOyfic21z8k/edit?usp=sharing
It won't happen though. We'll stick with this "everything is fine" party line for another two years and then they'll change how the game works a 5th time and have all the same problems as before...
And especially classes are not balanced one bit. So, it's time to ask those questions and to really press them forward. There are prevailing bugs with the Wizard class.
:ranton:
Balancing classes requires a constant dedication and constant communication with the players. I don't recall when was the last time this did exist in a true sense. Maybe MOD2. Asking for actual proper class balance here, now, would be crazy. However, that's not to say that there is no at least some point of reference that is still possible to solve many things. We've history of changes, we've changelogs, we've knowledge of what was bugged before and what might bug out tomorrow. This should be used and communicated.
It should also be widely known that not all developers worked on all classes equally, and as such have little or no knowledge of the classes themselves.
Optimization also exists for various content, and at this point Neverwinter has so much content that it'd be a very big take to optimize classes for each and every content itself.
Suffice to say, when ppl seek balance this is usually referring to the end-game content that tends to be most important loot-wise. At the moment, and at the moment only, this seems to be somewhat irrelevant as very good prizes are dropping at various locations.
Dropping a few items is always good, need not be too great, 2-25 tarmalune is perfectly fine for old content. Legendary mounts also a very good drop from chests and dungeons.
But, let us hope that they won't be superseded once M20 hits. History teaches us that as soon as there is an abundance of something, it gets superseded fast for the sake of the economy.
But even so, it still makes it reasonable to guide developers towards what we feel/sense/logically deduce would be the best scenario for us to play, and most fun, too.
At the point we can arguably and logically conclude that M16 DID NOT solve anything in terms of class balance nor it helped either Developers nor Players.
Points are clear:
- Debuffs didn't become obsolete and are still potent, broken, and sought after. Although classes are not sought after because of the debuff abilities, these are still used on the basis of artifacts and mount powers. That would be OK on its own and actually fun and beneficial to variety, however some artifacts and mount powers tend to be broken, stacking more than what looks intended, and exploited of course. Some things that were nerfed before are now stacking in another fashion. I won't say which ones, as I'm pretty sure everyone knows, but the lack of fixes now makes me to wonder why were those fixed before? There's no way that devs did not catch up to this. And if these get fixed now, that tells me just how slow devs are to actually fix gamebreaking mechanics EVEN in content that's post M16. This is demoralizing as it basically sends a message that people should wait for the exploits in order to advance further in the game. Even Xuna and Chicken right now, these things are left so much that people might invest around 15-20-25 mil ad to switch and then what? Nerf? Goodbye AD? Seems like that's the general idea.
- Classes' balance is not happening, as some classes are left in dirt whilst others are way too potent. (many agree that this is a dirty trick to make people migrate from a class to another class, and spend more resources. Weirdly enough, some people are OK with this form of masochism, which I'll never understand)
- Even though the powers are halved and basically dissected at this point, there are so many bugs present. Even with the classes that are fairly smooth to play, like Rogues, you still get some weird clipping whenever roll/evade is used every now and then.
Seeing what and how Wizard and Guardian Fighter (again) took the biggest hit in this entire mess, all I can say is that M16 did not fix anything and playing as a Wizard is tremendously boring.
:rantoff:
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