The need for paladin class.(or druid)

boomba66 · July 2013

Right now there is a very vast shortage of healers in the game. Most dps classes when GG tombs go off sit around due to the fact there are not enough Devoted Clerics to go around. If a second healing class could be created with different Mechanics this would encourage more groups and less waiting around.

This would be fairly easy class to add in terms of equipment and appearance as they could share the Guardian Fighter gear look. Have them apply a debuff to monsters that each time a character hits that mob they heal for a certain percentage. Provide the paladin with Aura's for a passive type of healing or defense buff that fits in with the Lore of DnD. For example the paladins "Aura of Good" or Protection from Evil could apply a deflection buff or a pulsing shield. Have different strikes and daily's that all Splash healing. This gives a different type of none targeted heals.

Give them three tree's
Divine Defender-Healer Tree
Justicar-Single Target DPS, Group Buff
Sworn Shield- Tank

Fourth Edition book has all abilities for daily's clearly and easily listed. Healing while swinging a sword might encourage others to play a healer role and give more groups a chance to hit dungeons with a different dynamic. Lore wise DnD has always had paladins and could badly use them again.

darkhorsereign · July 2013

Good post. I agree 100% pretty much. Even though I don't like paladin class types in any game, I agree it'd be best for the game overall to introduce another type of healer with a different mechanic. And paladin would be by far the easiest to implement as all the mechanics and even graphics really, are already in game. As you said.

Their tab could be their auras.

A. Ward- use the already existing wizard spell Shield but for the entire group. But when he/she hits tab, instead of having a knockback effect, it can give a damage shield to all group members.

B. Protection from Evil- add defense and protect from controlling effects. When he/she hits tab they go immune to CC for a short while.

C. Holy Fire- Some sort of group damage buff.

D. Tactical strike- pulse combat advantage or something

E. Wrath- proc brief stuns

They could switch them out the way wizards switch out their spell master tab encounter slot.

Encounters could all be some sort of dual role of damage and heal. Or CC and heal.

Class pretty much makes itself.

abombination247 · July 2013

There is a strong need for the current classes to work first. Then for them to be complete and have paragon paths. After that happens ill enjoy the thought of new classes. Rather not have another class that is bugged trying to wear a armor set that doesn't work with broken enchants. Just saying - Priorities.

arcmoon99 · July 2013

The paladin class could end up being a pargon path for the cleric.

dardove · July 2013

When they add new healers, I hope they add classes that are actually healers in 4th edition like bards and warlords. Paladins are defenders and druids are controllers.

sturmwaffel2 · July 2013

Yeah.. paladin. Woo. Can they "bubble"?

timmbeer · July 2013

The important thing here whether players wants to play a healing class. Even the game has one thousand and one varieties of healers, it still has to entice players to select them (and currently healing in Neverwinter and all mmos are thankless jobs)

petpet2 · July 2013

arcmoon99 wrote: »

The paladin class could end up being a pargon path for the cleric.

I'm not too good with DnD. but iirc, the Cleric and Paladin are 2 different classes altogether

derpaderpist · July 2013

Nah druids are boring and paladins are just lame .

khatzhas · July 2013

I'd guess that Paladins are likely to be defenders, and Druids Controller/leaders.
If you're after a pure Leader companion like the Cleric, the Bard might be your best bet.

temjiu · July 2013

As an ardent fan of paladins in just about every game I play, and a fan of melee classes (and melee style healing), I support this with passion. cleric in this game is more of a slightly squishy/caster style. having a tankish style healer would do the game justice.

goddessunique · July 2013

Yeah, having a REAL healer class sounds nice. I just want a healer that's not a pvp meat puppet.

grimah · July 2013

BARD! i would pay to play a bard healer. Clerics never had any style.

They need to hire a new team to work exclusively on new classes and paragon branches. 5 classes is just not very AD&D.

masterawol · July 2013

timmbeer wrote: »

The important thing here whether players wants to play a healing class. Even the game has one thousand and one varieties of healers, it still has to entice players to select them (and currently healing in Neverwinter and all mmos are thankless jobs)

Its a thankless job and its always the healer's fault no matter what. This is the biggest reason people don't play healers with the second reason that every healing mechanic is in game is the same. Click a button to heal a person with the lowest health bar and repeat.

temjiu · July 2013

timmbeer wrote: »

The important thing here whether players wants to play a healing class. Even the game has one thousand and one varieties of healers, it still has to entice players to select them (and currently healing in Neverwinter and all mmos are thankless jobs)

True. But in this game specifically, there seems to be a great gap for healers. In most games, the gap is for Tanks, which shows that they didn't do a bad job on tank development here (or they made it so multiple classes can fill that role in specific situations effectively). the problem were set with here is that all the other roles can be met by multiple classes...but there is only ONE class that can really fill the role of the healer.and it has a very specific playstyle.

There simply isn't any options. we need another class that has that ability. no matter how "fixed" the current classes are...if people don't like the cleric, they won't play it. we need another healer with a different feel to it that could appeal to a different audience.

@abomination247, while i can understand the desire to make sure the other classes "work", and I agree, at the same time balance is an ongoing unobtainable goal that is different for each person. one persons "perfect" class is another's "completely broke" class. if MMO's stopped development until every class was perfect games would not progress. that's why one team does fix and another does new dev. no reason we can't have new class while the old ones get polished.

jacksoon · July 2013

The need of paladin -..- Maybe we need the fix on the current class first. And btw, ht eparty go now on TR, CW and DC. Do you think's someone will take another semi tank class, when 2 CW can take perma control the mob.

zahinder · July 2013

I think we need about three times as many classes.

I'm sure it's just a matter of time, there are PLENTY to draw from in 4e.

mytgroo · July 2013

I'd think Druids would be a paragon class for clerics, Paladins would be a paragon class for GFs, and Rangers would be a paragon class for thieves.

alaerick · July 2013

I thought paladins were defender/leader hybrids?

timmbeer · July 2013

temjiu wrote: »

True. But in this game specifically, there seems to be a great gap for healers. In most games, the gap is for Tanks, which shows that they didn't do a bad job on tank development here (or they made it so multiple classes can fill that role in specific situations effectively). the problem were set with here is that all the other roles can be met by multiple classes...but there is only ONE class that can really fill the role of the healer.and it has a very specific playstyle.

There simply isn't any options. we need another class that has that ability. no matter how "fixed" the current classes are...if people don't like the cleric, they won't play it. we need another healer with a different feel to it that could appeal to a different audience.

@abomination247, while i can understand the desire to make sure the other classes "work", and I agree, at the same time balance is an ongoing unobtainable goal that is different for each person. one persons "perfect" class is another's "completely broke" class. if MMO's stopped development until every class was perfect games would not progress. that's why one team does fix and another does new dev. no reason we can't have new class while the old ones get polished.

Uh-huh, I am understand what you are conveying. Maybe the paladin and both tank and heal, while the cleric can aoe and heal, giving players more choices, though they have to realize that tey are ultimately a healbot

silveralucard · July 2013

paladin will be a true tank XD facetanking bosses and having a lot of lifesteal bonus and some party defense bonuses, can be created as a another path for GF if you want it to be easy to implement, but as they mention we would need a true healer probably in that arrange

the1tigglet · July 2013

There's a strong need for more classes period! They need to seriously sit down and do that LONG before coming out with their next Fey like content patch. Seriously. They don't need to sit around and wait on this because they will lose out if they don't do something quickly.

Paladins, Druids, ranged rangers, Runepriests, Bard Debuffers All necessary in the DnD world. It's not just those who didn't pay to play who are demanding this, I'm waiting on this to show as well.

smbryant916 · July 2013

As a gamer and a Game Designer I have to look at NW in many lights I understand how much money it cost to make and support an MMO, but with that in mind if you advertise a game to be 100% free than why charge for races, races and classes are part of the game and should not be sold, sell keys,mounts, companions ,clothing,packs, all day but don't sell stuff that should be part of the game. NW has the possibility of longevity of WOW if they would listen to there community witch are the ones supporting the game.

NW is need of some new classes or new trees or lines to give players more options and duel specs, the pvp needs some love such as new maps and new modes. 10 man 20 man epic dungeons, raiding that's why we play MMOs and make guilds.

Don't get me wrong NW has one of the best F2P models i have seen to date, I have spent my share at the cash shop but people need to speak up they will not change a thing if we keep pouring are money into the cash shops that's just the nature of this business.

temjiu · July 2013

timmbeer wrote: »

Uh-huh, I am understand what you are conveying. Maybe the paladin and both tank and heal, while the cleric can aoe and heal, giving players more choices, though they have to realize that tey are ultimately a healbot

sort of. Cryptic shot themselves in the foot with this healing build. the design of the game forces you into a healbot mode...when Clerics have 3 trees (one that boosts damage considerably), the idea that they are just a healbot is silly....but cryptic forced them into it with the current group design. Now that I think about it...I think one of the issues isn't with just one healer class, but with the limitations of the talent system. unlike most modern MMO's, you are charged through the teeth to respec here.

Most other MMOs recently have been trying to move towards giving healers and tanks more options to actually attract people to the class(es), and one of those is giving them the choice of switching from a heal/tank role to a damage role cheaply (free for the most part) but it seems cryptic wants to de-evolve the progression of the genre, and relegate healers to a slow and painful solo experience if they want to heal in a group.

I could chat about changes to the cleric class that could help out, but that's a subject for a different thread. on the OP topic, we could use another healbot

something different at least, so I'm in support of the OP's idea.

wingofbenu · July 2013

the1tigglet wrote: »

There's a strong need for more classes period! They need to seriously sit down and do that LONG before coming out with their next Fey like content patch. Seriously. They don't need to sit around and wait on this because they will lose out if they don't do something quickly.

Paladins, Druids, ranged rangers, Runepriests, Bard Debuffers All necessary in the DnD world. It's not just those who didn't pay to play who are demanding this, I'm waiting on this to show as well.

yeah..I mean, I'm sorry. But a D&D game with 3 functional classes and 2 nonfunctional variations on the same class is kinda pitiful.

boomba66 · July 2013

This is about just balancing the party system. You have Sentinel GWF, Rogues and GF that can all tank. You have 4 classes that can dps. You need another class to heal. The easiest one to implement in terms of development is Paladin at this point. As you have animations and gear already in the game. I really have enjoyed this game due to the foundry. I would love to see people keep playing. My guild is starting to dwindle because there is not enough ALT classes for them to level and the dungeon dynamic is always the same.

nyghoma · July 2013

I would love to see the old school AD&D classes. I'm just surprized the Scourge warlock or Archer isnt in with the new mod.

riqita · July 2013

Paladin and Druids were not always in D&D.
Classes are much more difficult to code and "balance" for an action-MMO than races.

Moon Elf is just a minor, mostly cosmetic, variant of Sun Elf.
No reason not to put a price on the variant when the base version, Sun Elf, is free.

xiphenon · July 2013

temjiu wrote: »

True. But in this game specifically, there seems to be a great gap for healers.

There is no gap for healers. In 4E of D&D which this game is based on, any class is quite self reliant. GWFs and GFs can heal them self by temp. hitpoints. GFs can even block damage directly. TR, CW, and DC can use dodge to avoid damage.

The cleric is not meant to heal against any damage, but to buffer or migrate damage. Direct healing is done by potions.

That you might have a problem to find a cleric, is that the class is currently quite frustrating to play. There are not only many buged feats, but due to the recent change of astral shield cleric (escpacially not high geared players) have to focus much more on other healing powers then before, which degradete them to a real heal bot. Few wants to play the unthankful role in NWN, escpacially if it comes to PvP.

So, the solution for this problem would be to fix cleric's role in group, stronger heal, stronger offense.

boomba66 · July 2013

xiphenon wrote: »

There is no gap for healers. In 4E of D&D which this game is based on, any class is quite self reliant. GWFs and GFs can heal them self by temp. hitpoints. GFs can even block damage directly. TR, CW, and DC can use dodge to avoid damage.

The cleric is not meant to heal against any damage, but to buffer or migrate damage. Direct healing is done by potions.

That you might have a problem to find a cleric, is that the class is currently quite frustrating to play. There are not only many buged feats, but due to the recent change of astral shield cleric (escpacially not high geared players) have to focus much more on other healing powers then before, which degradete them to a real heal bot. Few wants to play the unthankful role in NWN, escpacially if it comes to PvP.

So, the solution for this problem would be to fix cleric's role in group, stronger heal, stronger offense.

I agree if this was using table top rules. However the Epic dungeons for the most part are requiring some of the holy trinity. In a game like this with endless content created by the users, the more classes the better. People will log more hours leveling up alts in foundry and redoing content for gear of there other toons.
I know if they added a Paladin class I personally would buy additional character slots so I could level one up.

etherealj · July 2013

Obligatory current need fixes before new classes come in post.

The need for paladin class.(or druid)

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