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Official M19: Healing Adjustments
asterdahl
Member, Cryptic Developer Posts: 1,258Cryptic Developer › Cryptic Developer
Since the launch of Module 16, we have been collecting your feedback and observing how the new healing paradigm has been playing out. With Module 19 we are making a number of adjustments to healing in general and the three healing paragon paths in order to address problem areas, improve the amount of viable power choices, create more of a distinction between single target vs group healing, and facilitate more engaging moment-to-moment gameplay. Channeling divinity or casting essence drain is just not fun, so we are doing away with all 3 healer paragon path's existing class mechanics. Natural resource regeneration will be increased to compensate for this change, amounting to about 50% of the current value of holding down channel divinity or essence drain at all times. This change will allow healers more time to attack with at-wills and allow for more mobility in combat. Each healer will receive a new class mechanic that focuses on marking and healing an explicit target with a powerful heal. The full details of each paragon path's new class mechanics can be found below.
Healing is general has been too easy for well geared groups/healers; in particular group healing is simply too resource efficient for teams that manage to stay in close proximity. There hasn't really been a distinction between between focused healing on a tank or other ally and healing the group as a whole. If group members are making mistakes and getting hit with unnecessary damage, it's not really taxing the healer at all in most cases. Some of the major changes we are making to address this is that each paragon path's major area targeted heal (bastion of health, divine touch, etc.) have had their magnitudes increased, but are now split among the number of targets healed. Meanwhile, at-will heals have been made much, much better, and the new class mechanic for each class provides a high efficiency single target heal. This is a big change, so please take some time to become acquainted with it, we believe there are more valid choices when selecting your spells now. Healing should feel more dynamic, with more opportunities for meaningful choices in combat.
Addressing the major divide that exists between well geared healers/groups and players with more modest loadouts is one of our goals with the healing adjustments. To be clear, we don't want to eliminate the divide between well geared and average geared healers. We simply want that difference to be more along the lines of the differences selecting the right equipment make for a DPS or a tank. Right now, the gap between a healer who utilizes +healing% gear to its maximum potential and a healer that does not is staggering.
With these changes we aim to curtail the methods of increasing healing potential that we believe had gotten out of control. The major contributing factors to the disparity that existed between healers was the fact that critical healing was simply too strong and that healing bonuses on various passive abilities, like those on companion powers, were too powerful when compared with their item level; often dozens of times more powerful than simply increasing your power in the same slot. To address these issues, the critical severity on healing has been reduced to 50%, down from 100%. In addition, various sources of outgoing and incoming healing are being reduced to be more reasonable. These bonuses will still be better than an equivalent amount of power for the item level, but will be much closer.
Finally, we believe that the Warlock's Soulweaver paragon path was too wildly different from the Devout and Oathkeeper, making it hard to compete in some cases and significantly better in other areas. We also felt that their kit lacked a lot of meaningful choices, with many mechanics like curse feeling abandoned and out of place when choosing the Soulweaver path. As such, we've made some significant changes so that they are more comparable to the other healers, while focusing on ensuring that they still have a unique playstyle and flavor that sets them apart. The full list of changes for the Soulweaver path can be found below, but some of the major changes include: changing their resource pull to function more like divinity, moving the curse and soul puppet class mechanics from the base Warlock to Hellbringer; adding a new lifespark pet that assists with healing, a new feat choice that allows you to choose between focusing on providing heal over time or temporary hit points, and the rework and rearrangement of various powers.
There's a lot of changes to take in, but we hope you'll keep an open mind and try them out. As always, we will be paying close attention to your feedback!
Hadar's Grasp is now available to all Warlocks.
Blade of Vanquished Armies
Tier 1
Warlock
Healing is general has been too easy for well geared groups/healers; in particular group healing is simply too resource efficient for teams that manage to stay in close proximity. There hasn't really been a distinction between between focused healing on a tank or other ally and healing the group as a whole. If group members are making mistakes and getting hit with unnecessary damage, it's not really taxing the healer at all in most cases. Some of the major changes we are making to address this is that each paragon path's major area targeted heal (bastion of health, divine touch, etc.) have had their magnitudes increased, but are now split among the number of targets healed. Meanwhile, at-will heals have been made much, much better, and the new class mechanic for each class provides a high efficiency single target heal. This is a big change, so please take some time to become acquainted with it, we believe there are more valid choices when selecting your spells now. Healing should feel more dynamic, with more opportunities for meaningful choices in combat.
Addressing the major divide that exists between well geared healers/groups and players with more modest loadouts is one of our goals with the healing adjustments. To be clear, we don't want to eliminate the divide between well geared and average geared healers. We simply want that difference to be more along the lines of the differences selecting the right equipment make for a DPS or a tank. Right now, the gap between a healer who utilizes +healing% gear to its maximum potential and a healer that does not is staggering.
With these changes we aim to curtail the methods of increasing healing potential that we believe had gotten out of control. The major contributing factors to the disparity that existed between healers was the fact that critical healing was simply too strong and that healing bonuses on various passive abilities, like those on companion powers, were too powerful when compared with their item level; often dozens of times more powerful than simply increasing your power in the same slot. To address these issues, the critical severity on healing has been reduced to 50%, down from 100%. In addition, various sources of outgoing and incoming healing are being reduced to be more reasonable. These bonuses will still be better than an equivalent amount of power for the item level, but will be much closer.
Finally, we believe that the Warlock's Soulweaver paragon path was too wildly different from the Devout and Oathkeeper, making it hard to compete in some cases and significantly better in other areas. We also felt that their kit lacked a lot of meaningful choices, with many mechanics like curse feeling abandoned and out of place when choosing the Soulweaver path. As such, we've made some significant changes so that they are more comparable to the other healers, while focusing on ensuring that they still have a unique playstyle and flavor that sets them apart. The full list of changes for the Soulweaver path can be found below, but some of the major changes include: changing their resource pull to function more like divinity, moving the curse and soul puppet class mechanics from the base Warlock to Hellbringer; adding a new lifespark pet that assists with healing, a new feat choice that allows you to choose between focusing on providing heal over time or temporary hit points, and the rework and rearrangement of various powers.
There's a lot of changes to take in, but we hope you'll keep an open mind and try them out. As always, we will be paying close attention to your feedback!
Devout Adjustments
The following adjustments will be made to Devout in accordance with the goals and solutions listed above.Mechanics
Channel Divinity- After choosing the Devout paragon path, Channel Divinity no longer restores divinity over time.
- Instead, Channel Divinity now has two functions:
- Tap briefly to activate Mark of Divinity.
- Hold down and release to activate Light of Divinity.
- Bestow a nearby party member with Mark of Divinity. This mark is only visible to you and increases the effect of your healing on the target by 5%. The effect remains until you or the marked target move more than 100' from one another.
- Holding down Channel Divinity will heal the party member affected by your Mark of Divinity. The magnitude and cost of the heal increase the longer you hold down Channel Divinity, up to a maximum of 3000 magnitude for 200 divinity at 2.5s. You may continue to hold down Channel Divinity for longer to store the heal, but the effect will not increase.
- Tap briefly to activate Mark of Divinity.
- In addition to its existing effects, righteousness now increases divinity regeneration rate. This increase is significant, and is equivalent to half the divinity regeneration rate increase that was previously granted by holding down Channel Divinity.
At-Wills
Soothe- Magnitude increased to 500, up from 50.
- Divinity cost increased to 30, up from 10.
Encounters
Bastion of Health- Magnitude increased to 2200, up from 700.
- Healing is now divided among the number of players healed.
- Magnitude cannot be divide more than 5 times, i.e. has a floor of 440.
- Divinity cost increased to 200, up from 100.
- Magnitude of heal over time increased to 300, up from 250.
- Duration of heal over time reduced to 18s, from 21s.
- Divinity cost increased to 280, up from 240.
- Magnitude increased to 1800, up from 1600.
- Magnitude decreased to 300, down from 400.
- Divinity cost increased to 150, up from 100.
Feats
Rhythm of the Heavens- In accordance with the changes to Channel Divinity, this feat has been completely reworked and is now called "Cycle of Prayer."
- Cycle of Prayer increases divinity regeneration rate every 3 seconds. This effect stacks up to 4 times and is reset whenever any action consumes divinity.
- In accordance with the changes to Channel Divinity, this feat has been substantially reworked.
- The effect of Battle Prayer now reduces the cast time of your next Light of Divinity by 2s and decreases the divinity cost by 50.
- The duration of Battle Prayer has been extended to 12s, up from 6s.
- Magnitude of heals increased to 600, up from 500.
- Guardian may now cast 6 heals before dissipating, up from 5.
- In accordance with the changes to Channel Divinity, this feat has been completely reworked and is now called "Gathering Light."
- Gathering Light extends the cast time of Channel Divinity to 3s, and holding it to its full cast time now casts Gathering Light, healing the party member affected by Mark of Divinity and nearby party members for a heal of 1000 magnitude.
- Light of Divinity may still be cast by releasing Channel Divinity before 3s.
- In accordance with the changes to Channel Divinity, this feat has been substantially reworked.
- Angel of Life grants the effect of Angel of Life Ready which extends the cast time of Channel Divinity to 4s. Holding Channel Divinity to its full cast time now immediately activates Angel of Life, allowing the casting of healing spells without a divinity cost. The duration remains 12s.
- You may only activate Angel of Life once every 180s, between uses, Channel Divinity functions like normal.
- Light of Divinity may still be cast while Angel of Life Ready is in effect by releasing Channel Divinity before 4s.
Oathkeeper Adjustments
The following adjustments will be made to Oathkeeper in accordance with the goals and solutions listed above.Mechanics
Channel Divinity- After choosing the Oathkeeper paragon path, Channel Divinity no longer restores divinity over time.
- Instead, Channel Divinity now has two functions:
- Tap briefly to activate Aura of Divinity.
- Hold down and release to activate Hand of Divinity.
- Bestow a nearby party member with Aura of Divinity. This creates a mark on the target only visible to you and increases the effectiveness of your auras on the target. The effect among your party members and the effect remains until you or the marked target move more than 100' from one another.
- Holding down Channel Divinity will heal the party member affected by your Aura of Divinity. The magnitude and cost of the heal increase the longer you hold down Channel Divinity, up to a maximum of 1500 magnitude for 200 divinity at 2.5s. You may continue to hold down Channel Divinity for longer to store the heal, but the effect will not increase.
- Hand of Divinity applies a divine barrier, like other Oathkeeper healing spells, creating a shield equal to the value of the heal.
- Tap briefly to activate Aura of Divinity.
- In addition to its existing effects, Oath of Devotion now increases divinity regeneration rate. This increase is significant, and is equivalent to half the divinity regeneration rate increase that was previously granted by holding down Channel Divinity.
At-Wills
Cure Wounds- Magnitude increased to 500, up from 50.
- Divinity cost increased to 30, up from 10.
Encounters
Divine Touch- Magnitude increased to 1000, up from 350.
- Healing is now divided among the number of players healed.
- Magnitude cannot be divide more than 5 times, i.e. has a floor of 200.
- Divinity cost increased to 200, up from 100.
- Magnitude increased to 450, up from 400.
- Divinity cost increased to 220, up from 180.
- Now transfers 50% of healing, down from 100%.
- Magnitude increased to 300, up from 200.
- Divinity cost decreased to 40, down from 50.
Feats
Critical Touch- Now only triggers on casting a heal.
- Now also grants automatic critical to divine shelter.
- Grants a 150 magnitude bonus to cure wounds cast on a shielded target, up from 50.
- In accordance with the changes to Channel Divinity, this feat has been substantially reworked.
- Prayer of Opportunity now has a 20% chance to activate on any encounter that costs divinity, reducing the divinity cost of your next Hand of Divinity to 0. This effect lasts 12s.
- In accordance with the changes to Channel Divinity, this feat has been substantially reworked.
- Divine Focus has been renamed "Battle Focus."
- Battle Focus increases your divinity regeneration for 6s whenever you damage an enemy.
Soulweaver Adjustments
The following adjustments will be made to Soulweaver in accordance with the goals and solutions listed above.Class Mechanics
- Curse has been moved to the Hellbringer paragon path.
- Soul Puppet will be moved to the Hellbringer paragon path.
- Upon choosing the Soulweaver paragon path, warlocks now gain the class mechanic "Soul Manipulation."
- Soul Manipulation replaces the soul spark resource with a soulweave resource. Soulweave is a pool that works more like the paladin and cleric's divinity. It has a maximum value of 1000 and regenerates passively in and out of combat.
- Soul Manipulation also reduces the threat generated by the warlock's healing spells.
- Soul Manipulation replaces the soul spark resource with a soulweave resource. Soulweave is a pool that works more like the paladin and cleric's divinity. It has a maximum value of 1000 and regenerates passively in and out of combat.
- Soulweaver also gains the "Lifespark" class mechanic which summons a companion to your side that automatically heals wounded party members with a spell "Inspirit."
- Inspirit heals for a magnitude of 100, has a 0.5s cast time and a 2.5s cooldown time.
- Inspirit heals for a magnitude of 100, has a 0.5s cast time and a 2.5s cooldown time.
- The class power "Essence Drain" has been replaced with "Command Lifespark."
- Passive soulweave regeneration is substantially higher than soul spark regeneration was for Soulweaver before these changes.
- Command Lifespark has two functions:
- Tap briefly to activate Lifemark.
- Hold down to channel Lifepact.
- Tap briefly to activate Lifemark.
- Lifemark
- Bestow a nearby party member with Lifemark. This mark is only visible to you and your lifespark will now focus on healing the marked target before other party members. The effect remains until you or the marked target move more than 100' from one another.
- Bestow a nearby party member with Lifemark. This mark is only visible to you and your lifespark will now focus on healing the marked target before other party members. The effect remains until you or the marked target move more than 100' from one another.
- Lifepact
- Holding down Command Lifespark will force your lifespark to cast Lifepact on the party member currently affected by your lifemark, healing them for 1000 magnitude every second at a cost of 60 soulweave.
- Holding down Command Lifespark will force your lifespark to cast Lifepact on the party member currently affected by your lifemark, healing them for 1000 magnitude every second at a cost of 60 soulweave.
- Passive soulweave regeneration is substantially higher than soul spark regeneration was for Soulweaver before these changes.
- All spells which cost soulweave now have a 0.5s cooldown.
- Soul Defiler has been removed.
At-Wills
Soul Reconstruction- Healing magnitude has increased to 500, up from 200.
- There is no longer a charge up time until the healing effect begins when channeling this spell.
- There is now a 1 second cooldown on this spell that cannot be reduced.
- This spell no longer heals oneself when targeting an ally; however, it is now possible to use Soul Reconstruction on yourself when you have no target.
- This spell costs 30 soulweave a second when channeling.
- This power has been removed and replaced with "Infernal Barrier."
- Grants the target or self a barrier that absorbs damage equivalent to a 450 magnitude heal for 20 seconds.
- This spell costs 20 soulweave.
Encounters
Arms of Hadar- Resolved an issue wherein Arms of Hadar would sometimes not hit the expected area if one's camera was facing up or down at an extreme angle.
- Resolved an issue wherein Arms of Hadar would sometimes not hit the expected area if one was rotating while casting the power.
- Arms of Hadar is now a cylinder instead of a cone. The general width and length of the damage area is generally the same, but the tooltip will now specify a radius rather than an arc.
- Reworked into "Revitalize."
- Revitalize is a targeted area rather than a radius around the caster.
- Magnitude increased to 1500, up from 400.
- Healing is now divided among the number of players healed.
- Magnitude cannot be divide more than 5 times, i.e. has a floor of 300.
- Costs 200 soulweave.
- For base/hellbringer:
- Healing increased to 100% of damage absorbed as hit points, up from 50%, and no longer caps (without any indication) at 20% of the caster's maximum hit points.
- Curse consume now doubles the amount of hit points absorbed, instead of adding temporary hit points.
- Healing increased to 100% of damage absorbed as hit points, up from 50%, and no longer caps (without any indication) at 20% of the caster's maximum hit points.
- For soulweaver:
- For soulweaver only: now costs 200 soulweave, and has no cooldown.
- For soulweaver only: now heals nearby party members as well.
- For soulweaver only: now costs 200 soulweave, and has no cooldown.
Hadar's Grasp is now available to all Warlocks.
Blade of Vanquished Armies
- You may now target other players with blades of vanquished armies.
- Reduces target's damage taken by 5% instead of adding deflect.
- No longer provides a heal over time of 20 magnitude.
- Now grants 5% increased damage, 5% increased outgoing healing, and decreases damage taken by 5% for all allies within.
- Recharge time increased to 25s, up from 15s.
- No longer deals damage over time, deals 380 magnitude damage immediately.
- No longer applies a heal over time to nearby allies.
- Now slows the target for 6s.
- Now decreases the target's damage dealt by 5% for 6 seconds.
- This power has been reworked into "Soulstorm."
- No longer deals damage.
- It is no longer possible to have more than one storm active at once, summoned storms will disappear if the spell is recast.
- Heal magnitude increased to 500, up from 200. (Heals 3 times for 500, over 6s.)
- Costs 220 soulweave.
- No longer deals damage to self.
- Now sacrifices soul spark, it will disappear for the duration of this spell's effect. (10s)
- No longer heals nearby allies for 200.
- Now restores some soulweave.
- Now increases outgoing healing by 10%.
- No longer costs soulweave, but instead has a cooldown.
Dailies
Accursed Souls- Accursed Souls has been renamed "Soul Siphon."
- The functionality of this daily is unchanged for Hellbringer Warlocks.
- This daily now clearly states that it delivers a twofold attack, for a total of 900 magnitude damage.
- The effect of summoning a soul puppet and applying curse is now added to this daily when choosing Hellbringer paragon path.
- Upon choosing the Soulweaver paragon path, this attack loses it second hit, reducing the damage to 450 magnitude but now heals self and nearby party members for 800 magnitude.
- Brood of Hadar once again summons shadow imps, as it had before Module 16.
- Imps summoned by Brood of Hadar no longer occasionally use attacks other than "Brood of Hadar's Bite."
- The duration and number of shadow imps summoned by Brood of Hadar is now explicitly stated in the tooltip.
- Brood of Hadar has always stunned the target for 2s, it now states that it does so in its tooltip.
- The duration of the stun was increased to 3s, up from 2s.
- The 4s slow effect was removed.
- The magnitude of the damage dealt to targets adjacent to the primary target is now stated explicitly. (The damage itself has not changed.)
- This power is now only available to Hellbringer Warlocks, it has switched places with Flames of Phlegethos.
- This power is now available to the base Warlock, it has switched places with Tyrannical Curse.
- The tooltip of Flames of Phlegethos has been updated to explicitly state the amount of damage dealt to enemies near the target, rather than stating a percentage.
- This power has been replaced with "Soul Barrier."
- Soul Barrier orders your lifespark to create a barrier around itself, reducing the damage allies within take by 10%. It also grants a heal over time effect of 200 magnitude. Both effects last 12 seconds. Each heal grants an infernal barrier on the affected ally, absorbing damage equal to the amount of hit points restored.
Feats
Feats have been heavily reworked, as such, this section is written as if this is a list of entirely new powers. Note that some feats may share names or feature functionality similar to a previous incarnation.Tier 1
- Essence of Power
- Whenever you deal damage to an enemy increases soulweave regeneration rate. Duration: 6s
- Whenever you deal damage to an enemy increases soulweave regeneration rate. Duration: 6s
- Essence of Time
- Increases soulweave regeneration rate every 3 seconds. This effect may stack up to four times. Effect is reset whenever an action consumes soulweave.
- Increases soulweave regeneration rate every 3 seconds. This effect may stack up to four times. Effect is reset whenever an action consumes soulweave.
- Focused Spark
- Casting soul reconstruction on a target makes them take an additional 100 magnitude heal from inspirit and forces your lifespark to target them with heals for the duration. Duration: 6s.
- Casting soul reconstruction on a target makes them take an additional 100 magnitude heal from inspirit and forces your lifespark to target them with heals for the duration. Duration: 6s.
- Soul Reclamation
- When your soulweave is below 30%, your lifespark will stop casting inspirit and instead channel soul reclamation on you, increasing your soulweave regeneration.
- When your soulweave is below 30%, your lifespark will stop casting inspirit and instead channel soul reclamation on you, increasing your soulweave regeneration.
- Oversoul
- Increases your damage dealt by up to 10% the higher your soulweave.
- Increases your damage dealt by up to 10% the higher your soulweave.
- Soultheft
- Whenever you are struck, regain some soulweave. 10s ICD.
- Whenever you are struck, regain some soulweave. 10s ICD.
- Bright Spark
- Whenever you use a daily, your lifespark's inspirit heals are increased by 300 magnitude for 12s.
- Whenever you use a daily, your lifespark's inspirit heals are increased by 300 magnitude for 12s.
- From the Brink
- Increases your healing by 15% when targeting allies with less than 25% hp.
- Increases your healing by 15% when targeting allies with less than 25% hp.
- Feypact
- Revitalize, soulstorm, and inspirt now bestow a heal over time effect.
- Revitalize: 900 mag/12s (magnitude is divide among healed targets, similar to the main heal of revitalize)
- Soulstorm: 400 mag/12s
- Inspirit: 200 mag/12s
- Revitalize, soulstorm, and inspirt now bestow a heal over time effect.
- Hellpact
- Revitalize, soulstorm, and inspirt now bestow an infernal barrier on the target which absorbs damage.
- Revitalize: 50% of the amount healed
- Soulstorm: 50% of the amount healed
- Inspirit: 100% of the amount healed, *does not apply if the target is already affected by an infernal barrier or divine barrier.
- Revitalize, soulstorm, and inspirt now bestow an infernal barrier on the target which absorbs damage.
Class Features
Class features have been heavily reworked, as such, this section is written as if this is a list of entirely new powers. Note that some class features may share names or feature functionality similar to a previous incarnation.Warlock
- The unlock order of certain class features has been changed to support overall adjustments.
- Dark Prayers
- In correspondence with the adjustment to curse and soul puppet mechanics, Dark Prayers is now a Hellbringer feat.
- In correspondence with the adjustment to curse and soul puppet mechanics, Dark Prayers is now a Hellbringer feat.
- All-Consuming Curse
- In correspondence with the adjustment to the curse mechanic, All-Consuming Curse is now a Hellbringer feat.
- In correspondence with the adjustment to the curse mechanic, All-Consuming Curse is now a Hellbringer feat.
- The unlock order of certain class features has been changed to support overall adjustments.
- Flames of Empowerment
- This class feature is now available to the base warlock class.
- This class feature is now available to the base warlock class.
- Dust to Dust
- This class feature is now available to the base warlock class.
- This class feature is now available to the base warlock class.
- All soulweaver class features have been reworked and replaced.
- Soulbond
- Whenever an ally within 30' is below 50% health, they are healed for 300 magnitude. 10s ICD.
- Whenever an ally within 30' is below 50% health, they are healed for 300 magnitude. 10s ICD.
- Souleater
- Deal additional necrotic damage after most attacks. 20 magnitude, drains 10 soulweave.
- Deal additional necrotic damage after most attacks. 20 magnitude, drains 10 soulweave.
- Swift Command
- Allows movement at a reduced speed when channeling Command Lifespark.
- Allows movement at a reduced speed when channeling Command Lifespark.
- Borrowed Spirit
- Whenever you are healed by anyone other than yourself, regain some soulweave. 10s ICD.
- Whenever you are healed by anyone other than yourself, regain some soulweave. 10s ICD.
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Comments
Formatting Your Feedback and Bugs
For posting feedback and bugs, please follow the following format to ensure your feedback and bugs are seen clearly and processed in a timely manner, thank you!Type: Bug/Feedback (Please only choose one)
If you are listing a bug please have this text in RED, if you are posting an opinion or feedback please use CYAN. If you are replying to another user's post, asking a question, or just engaging in general discussion, please do not color your posts, general discussion is welcome and we will read all of it, regardless of color! You can use BBCode to color your text:
<font color=cyan>This text will display in cyan.</font> <font color=red>This text will display in red.</font>Examples:
Bug: I can't cast Blades of Vanquished Armies on party members despite the tooltip description.
Feedback: I preferred the old version of Pillar of Power.
I'd rather that they excised Bastion from Arbiter entirely. It has no place on a DPS class.
Contagion - Cleric
Testament - Wizard
Pestilence - Ranger
Dominion - Paladin
NIGHTSWATCH
Also the battle focus feat not working properly.
If you die and get rez there is a strong chance that you won't regenerate divinity and your heals will take the divinity but the heal comes up with a 0 instead of any type of heal. This last for about one minute and I don't know if last longer since we all die since we don't get healed
Feedback -I am unsure how to make it cyan at this time, will edit later
The new healing system has potential and I think a good job has been carried out here so far, but there are some issues that should be addressed from my point of view as a paladin healer.
-You claim the removal of channeling divinity allows healers more time to attack with at-wills in combat, but why would we want that? this damage is irrelevant in higher level content, and no longer procs effects such as prayer of opportunity or critical touch if it is a damaging at-will on paladin for example, I would much rather be able to channel divinity during this time. Even the new feat for paladins 'battle focus' does not support this change, it provides minimal divinity regen and only requires hitting the boss once every 6 seconds, this could have been easily achieved without the removal of the old channel divinity. -I suggest re-working this feat to provide more divinty regeneration with a somewhat less achieveable requirement than simply hitting an enemy, perhaps sustained damage for a few seconds for example.
-Similarly, channeling divinty's restriction to movement added another layer of skill to gameplay, allowing better players to know when they have time to restore some divinty, and when they must focus on repositioning, just as one example.
-You also state that these changes allow for more 'engaging moment-to-moment gameplay.' - where from my experience so far on preview, this is the complete opposite of the truth. I now feel much more restricted in my game play, it feels as though there are too strict and specific points where I can afford to cast a heal other than my at-will and if I deviate from this it will end in an empty divinity bar and dead players. It is though there is a set pattern that needs to be followed for my gameplay for each engagement (ToMM, Zariel's Challenge, etc.), a blueprint of when to cast a healing encounter if you will. This is far from engaging, and stems from the lack of ways to actively replenish divinity (2 encounters with 30s cooldowns that are just use and wait, alongside just waiting itself for passive regeneration). I have found myself literally just standing on the platform alongside Zariel just waiting for divinty.
-The yellow wing-like marking for whoever you have marked as a healer are very difficult to see as the HP bar overlaps it, there should be a more clear indicator somehow.
-The new prayer of opportunity feat on paladin is poorly designed, it only procs upon encounter use, I have just used one of my very div-taxing encounters to heal, why would I then want a free heal within the next 12 seconds that doesn't even factor in cast time? On top of a low 20% chance, when you take into consideration how often we can use encounters now compared to before.
-I suggest if you are looking for an easier change rather than changing the feat altogether, allowing it to proc from at-wills similarly to how crit-touch does, and lower the chance, or make it last for longer, say 30s.
-Take into consideration the removal of channel div and prayers of opportunity providing div regen for a paladin healer playing solo content, with the strength of new zone mobs and solo events such as Hell Pit this is becoming more of an issue especially for less-geared players, as paladins lack having a dps paragon, and no way to provide themselves with CA bar daring to use a non-augment in their current state, so perhaps something to greater buff paladin damage when not in a party?
-I understand the need to reduce the potency of incoming healing sources with the changes in magnitude, but the change to tactical enchantments specifically seems a little too harsh, though personally I think there is work to be done on utility enchants as a whole.
As I said I think these changes have great potential, and wrote this post on the off-chance it will provide insight into making more informed improvements. As it stands for both paladin and cleric healers at least, there is just not enough ways to recover from a divinty deficit, which leads to unengaging fights and a very restricted gameplay, where you often either sit there because you can't afford to use your divinty, or have no way to get it back to then be able to use it and perhorm healing.
I will update if I think of more,
Thanks.
-
Nobody expects an archer to suddenly become a magician as a counterexample. And so a paladin through the back door should not suddenly become a warrior.
I expect changes: Either the Justicar's abilities are adjusted to still have meaning. Or we get a DPS loadout now. You are welcome to play this "Paladin" Justicar or the Healer yourself.
I'm just fighting to keep my current playing style. There's a lot of energy in this character. If nothing happens, I'm out for good. In other games there are real Paladin Tanks.
Now, in Mod18, companions that give (at legendary) +10% outgoing healing are BiS because it's equal to +10.000 power.
In Mod19, that same companion give (at legendary) +3% outcoing healing, equal to +3000 power.
But then, there are companions that give (at legendary) +4000 power and more. So outgoing healing companions are not BiS anymore (so A LOT of AD wasted)? And, honestly, what the point in ther existance if not even healers take them?
Nerf them, but make them stay BiS, until something better comes out from new content.
So is there a change in how the healing is calculated (aside magnitude increase and critical severity halved)?
If you have 170k power, your heals are increased by 170% = multiplied by 2.70 (1 + 1.70).
If you have 178k power (adding deepcrow), your heals are increased by 178% = multiplied by 2.78.
2.78 is just ~2.9% higher than 2.70 (because 2.78/2.70 = ~1,029). So it only increases your heals by 2.9, lower than an outgoing heal comp (provided your outgoing healing is currently 0).
This effect is called "relative increase" and can be observed in any additive stat, even if no explicit "diminishing returns" mechanic exists. It also happens with outgoing healing but power is more affected by it.
However, 3% is too close to the margin and will be less effective for players with less power. I think it should be increased to 4% or 5% so that they are better and not "overpowered".
The first is the overshield. It is a problematic, divisive mechanic and it needs to go away. Completly. For real. Overshields are a proactive form of preventing damage. That in itself negates the reason for a heal role to exist. If no one takes damage, no one needs heals, no one dies. Overshields are better than healing in every way because they prevent the need for healing entirely. If you are serious about healing existing in this game as an active, required role, then overshields need to go the way of powercreep. I don't want smurf bars added to cleric and sw. I want them removed entirely as a mechanic. Because only then will there actually be a need for heals. YOU said that's what you want. Smurf bars have become the new AA spam. They completely negate pretty much every mechanic you can ever throw at us aside from flat out killing us in the same way AA+powercreep did. What are you going to do about it? Secondly, there is a real definitive difference in how to build a character to run with a pallyheal as opposed to a healheal. Smurf bars can cover a deficiency in HP and defense. Clerics/SW cannot. People who are going to run with a healheal need to have capped defense and approximately 25k+ additional HP. People are not going to rebuild their character every time they switch healers. They simply won't won't run with the healers who can't smurf bar. You gave a baby shield to SW, yay for them right? Actually no. Since Pally still does it better, it's not going to change things much. So not only is your mechanic negating the intended role functionality, it's divisive and problematic for people. People are getting left out and not having fun because of it. And I'd like to remind you that this was pointed out in M16 beta that the overshield would be a problem going forward. Many of us pointed this out.
The second major point I'd like to make, knowing it's too late, is that console players have less precise aiming capability. This new precise, single target and heal-divided-by-targets paradigm is going to absolutely punish us. I'm a very unskilled PC player. I only play NW on PC to preview. But even I can notice the difference in ability to aim. Take ToMM as an example. Ask anyone on console how often they've wiped on Permafrost because the attacks hit Halaster instead of the ice even though the targeting recticle was highlighting the ice. It happens even in the best groups. And that's in a controlled environment. Everyone is standing still in predetermined spots. You take a chaotic environment like a heroic encounter, and it's impossible. There is quite literally no way to pick out a particular target effectively every time you need to. Sometimes I'm gonna get lucky and hit the person, but more often I'm not. People are going to die because heals are missed, and it won't be the player's fault. This precise targeting problem will also affect AoE heals since you've now made all AoE heals targeted as well. (This was the one shining star of SW in that Shatterspark did not target at all. Hit button, heals go. This functionality needs to be restored to SW.) Nine times out of ten I'm either going to miss someone with a heal because I have to err on the side of hitting fewer targets or I'm going to hit everyone because I don't have five minutes to finangle the circle to only hit the two people who need heals. In addition to hitting everyone who plays on console, this will hit especially hard people who have less than perfect fine motor skills. You will be removing three entire classes from being a possibility for some people to play. I actually know a few people who currently play heals because it's more forgiving on targeting things than the other roles, and they struggle to target because of fine motor problems. This is a MAJOR compatibility problem with your changes.
Praying to regain divinity is not fun. Standing around doing nothing when I would have been praying is not fun either because I have nothing meaninful to replace praying with in that time span. So taking away "resource management" did not change how fun it is to play heals.
Taking away the ability to actively manage divinity (which I already said was meh and I really don't care) makes divinity feel like a pointless holdover on a failed experiment. My divinity bar is nothing more than a recharge timer on the screen. If that's all divinity is going to be now, a recharge timer, then just admit it and put the powers on cooldowns so the thing can get off my screeen.
Lastly, you have absolutely gutted the SW and it now feels like you tried to make the cleric and pally have a baby. Like ugly, Atropal baby. If I want a divinity bar, I'll play a cleric. Put the soulspark spiral back. As a matter of fact, I prefer the soulspark spiral because it is easier to visually determine how much I have total/left because it is incremented. It's actually a better designed mechanic than the random HAMSTER bar that's indeterminately filled/empty. And more aesthetically pleasing because it's different and functional. Also, cleanse needs to be returned to bargain. Or another of the powers. It is completely unacceptable that this functionality has been removed. Shatterspark being changed to a targeted heal is terrible. This is the shining star of SW heals is that it's easy and functional in group play. Need heals? Hit button, group health goes up. Need more? Keep going. Full, good, now recharge those sparks. Shatterspark is my FAVORITE heal power in the game because I don't have to HAMSTER with a stupid circle on the ground. Trying to place a tiny cirlce exactly is not fun on console. With dps power, whoops I missed, but with heals, hey sorry you died. My circle wouldn't cooperate. I am ridiculously sad to see Essence Defiler removed. This animation was my favorite of all at wills. I could make my character dance!
Divine Touch is in a bad state
In the current state Divine Touch has no use as an AoE heal compared to Divine Shelter. In group content it is sure that it heals less than Divine Shelter and Divine Shelter does a much better job in getting the heal to everyone (due to its 4x more radius).
Divine Touch becomes worse than Divine Shelter if it hits 3 targets. Especially in trials there is no chance that Divine Touch will be used because it hits up to 10 targets. Now Divine Touch is basically a worse version of Divine Shelter.
As a single target heal Divine Touch is also useless. Cure Wounds now heals for 500 maginutude for 30 Divinity. Divine Touch heals 1000 magnitude for 200 Divinity. No one will cast Divine Touch on a single target because of the huge Divinity waste it is. Furthermore if you want to have a high single target heal a paladin will use Hand of Divinity for 1500 magnitude.
tl;dr Divine Touch fits in no situation where it can be usefull.
Heres the thing: Soulweaver warlock doesn't feel at all like a necromantic warlock weaving the souls of the damned into your heroes. From a game design and feel perspective, the old one felt much in tune with the concept entirely. This one is just a reskinned cleric, the old one could actually bring out a storm to transfer souls from enemies to allies. The mechanic of killing and taking in your soul or your opponent's soul to heal others was unique to the warlock, and most especially, to the game. I had hoped you leaned more to it in a future mod, the concept of your damages giving out heals, or slain enemies giving out heals or buffs, or even a sort of aura of lifesteal. Perhaps lean more into its capability to increase damage, a thing that no other healer in the game could do. It's severely disappointing that you are trying to fit it as a healer that coincides witg the others when all classes could have had a unique thing about the way they heal and how they heal. I will not sit around waiting for my Hell Divinity to restore. I will not target my aoe healing. I will not wait around for my lifespark to go and heal an ally, especially in heroic encounters of 15 people. I will not have a sad shield that overwrites the others. I will not be a burden. I am not happy with the changes, but I will accept it and only play the Hellbringer. After all, clerics and paladins could do it better.
There are so many mechanics to keep healing unique for all classes. Make a chain healing that jumps from one target to target. Make one have an aoe targetted heal. Make one have an aoe heal around them. Give one shields, give one buffs, give one the highest healing. So many games before have shown that healing classes can be unique from one another. Make all of them favorable, dont make all of them be comparable to one another. If you were to make them all comparable, perhaps just make one singular healer class because it feels like the choices were already made for us as players.
I suggest 2 cases
1 - to switch places with exaltation. Exaltation now should increase damage by 10% and reduce cooldown down to 12 secs to compensate for its "boost lose" -> Devout doesn't use this for its damage boost but for its heal boost.
With a tooltip mentioning that upon choosing devout, exaltation now boosts outgoing heal by 10%.
2 - Upon choosing arbiter, bastion now deals magical damage - not burning or radiant (wouldn't benefit from judgement), rename to something like bastion of power with 600 magnitude damage and 15 CD.
I will try the new mechanic and see how bad or good it is, however I have always thought that many of devout builds need an urgent rework or a push to make them useful
My suggestions are
Class features
Base
Soothing prayer
With these changes, soothing prayer HoT should increase to 40 magnitude at least.
Hallowed armor
As we can no tab longer for divinity, we can't benefit from this feature anymore.
I suggest to grant the bonus by a 10% resistance for 10 secs whenever activating divinity, either by an arbiter or by devout activating mark.
Pilgrim light
Shouldn't have a penalty while in a party.
Expanded faith
Should increase divinity to 200 at least considering the divinity costs are now higher.
Devout
Desperate prayers - rework
Whevever your divinity drops below 40% of its maximum, you are granted "desperate prayers" which increases your outgoing heals by 20%, desperate prayers no longer functions when divinity passes over 40%.
Hallowed guide
Should switch place with desperate prayers.
Should increase heal by 5% without a cap.
Overflowing spirit - rework
When you land a critical heal, you gain overflowing spirit for 10secs, during this time your heals are increased by 15%, 15secs cooldown.
Feats
Tier 1
Repeated blessings
Should reduce the divinity cost down to 200 and extend the heal for 5 secs.
Empowered Soothe
Witht its new boost, the minor 100 magnitude from this isn't necessary.
Rework - Soothing light
After using Cleasing light, affected target become immune to negative conditions for 5 secs
This way devout has 2 considerable options.
Tier 3
I Find these 2 feats utterly unnecessary
My suggestions
Blessed armaments
When landing a critical direct heal, you gain a stack of blessed armament, stacking up to 10 times, upon reaching 10 stacks you consume them and restore 500 divinity
Towering light
Whenever you heal an ally for 10% of their maximum Hit points, both are granted towering light for 5secs, reducing damage taken by 10%.
Both feats rework are bad
Battle prayer feat paired with gathering light causes a probem, whenever an encounter is used, the healer can't cast gathering light, because the effect of battle prayer remains for light of divinity and its 200 divinity cost, this will suffocate divinity and leaves no timing for desired divinity cosumption while running out of it.
Additionally, it is harder to gain divinity while in battle, At what moment is righteousness working? cause the divinity regen seems lower and bastion and healing word still consume their exact divinity cost.
Circle of power gives no chance for a real divinity regeneration, we will aways consume divinity, at will, encounter and now tab, resetting it without benefits at all and out of combat it regenerates fast, but we don't need it to be good out of combat.
Warlocks could give temp HP (yellow bar) instead of shield (blue bar) so they are allways compatible with paladins and have something more unique. So clerics could be the most healing effective, and others adding more survability with damage mitigation could give each class something different and compatible.
Balancing this could be hard but I think can be done, for example adding some kind of "true dmg" for bosses that bypass shields and temp hp (some attacks, not all ofc)
Also, giving more zone spells (for clerics or auras for warlocks (not like paladin auras, something more in line with warlocks lore) would be more creative and fun to play.
Last, I think it could be a good idea to give a way to restore divinity faster, something like AP gain, that could be in companions or artifacts (called divinity gain for example)
Caturday Survivor
Elemental Evil Survivor
Undermontain Survivor
Mod20 Combat rework Survivor
Mod22 Refinement rework Survivor
There is no passion in Lore. There is no passion in lore. There is no passion in lore. There is no passion in lore. It's true.
I've had enough of this disrespect. I find it ridiculous that no one even thought of adapting the Justicar. I see where this journey is going. If I had wanted to, I would have created a warrior. No, thanks.
I'll see you in mod 20 or not at all. Who can plan that today? On a template Paladin, mage, hunter or something else: What you can expect apparently doesn't matter here.
The worst Dungeons and Dragons game I ever played. Unfortunately I have to say that now.
Have fun with Mod 19.