---

AdamG wrote:
Greetings,

 

As many of you are aware, WAR's 1.3 patch is rapidly approaching! Before we open up the Public Test Server and release the patch notes, we wanted to sit down with each career's community and give them a rough idea of what to expect from 1.3.

 

Patch 1.3's major balance changes focus on the balancing of direct damage vs. area-of-effect abilities.   All careers should expect to see AoE effectiveness reduced across the board. This reduction can come in a change to damage/healing, AP cost, or effect radius, and will vary from ability to ability.

 

RDPS careers were initially planned to only have minor adjustments to AoE radius values for 1.3; however, due to feedback from our internal testers, we are moving forward with more significant adjustments to direct damage/AoE  abilities. Due to the scope of the changes, they will not arrive with the initial launch of 1.3's public test server. Instead, they will be released in a patch to PTS shortly after testing begins. 

 

Bright Wizards will see a number of AoE adjustments including, but not limited to, the following:

Many AoE abilities have had their effective radius reduced, returning their radius to pre-1.2.1 patch values.Below is a list of changes that are currently pending for version 1.3, but will be updated to PTS after the initial launch of the test server.

 

• Bonus damage from Intelligence will now have a much greater effect on abilities with high base damage, but a reduced effect on abilities with low base damage. Does this mean you are nerfing dots, again?

 

• A number of AoE abilities have been reduced in effectiveness through reductions in damage, or increase in AP cost/cooldown. Use a scalpel here please.
  

 

• Balance changes to Tactics and abilities that are allowing players to stack extremely high proc damage on top of AoE abilities for devastating effect. This includes adjustments to Funnel Power and Wildfire. If the damage is getting reduced, then why mess up proccing effects??
  

 

• Improved overall damage for Immolation and Incineration Mastery Paths. <3 Pure Win!
  

 

• Minor adjustments to "mirror" abilities to bring them more in-line with their Sorcerer counterparts. More detail on this please!
  

 

Finally, we are investigating the following items that will potentially be added into 1.3 during the PTS phase, or in a follow up patch after 1.3.

 

• The Close Quarters Tactic will be reviewed to ensure that its bonus does not brokenly increase the effectiveness of PBAoE and AoE abilities for ranged careers. When has this tactic not worked properly?
  

 

• Ruin & Destruction will have its stun value reduced. As long as the dok's get similar treatment...

---

More detailed info would be a major plus guys! Really excited to see you aren't ignoring the single target lines.

Details will be the patch notes. Hence the "precursor to patch notes"  thread ;-p

I wouldn't freak out about the radius change. Everything's going back to pre 1.2 levels. 

The question to ask is whether or not those levels are effective.

One thing I'm going to point out (since these threads can get out of hand) is that the primary hit you will see is to AoE damage, Its just somthing that has to happen. However everyone in the entire game is going to feel that sting.

That being said there are some very decent improvements to your single target spells on the way, most of it coming from stat factor b/c every last one of those abilities tend to have high base damage. This includes DoT spells b/c remember DoT's base damage is very high just spread out over time.

-Adam

Has anyone considered making the BW more mobile? I can see that you want to make BW basically single target characters and I have no problem with that, but the damage we can put out with the exception of dots, is all standing still and those spells are a joke to what any melee class can do to us. For example a WE, Maurader, BO or a Chopper, heck even a dok attacking me and I try to cast a fireball (3sec cast) must stand still I'm dead and even if it landed would do like 1200 on a crit while I take well over 4k damage from said classes in the same amount of time.

And the increase in dot damage is all well and good, but remember dot damage is alot easier to heal then getting smacked for 1600, 1100 from a witch elf in like 2 seconds. So you should really consider trashing the conflag line, since no one will be specced in it now and add some short cast or insta cast dds that we can cast while trying to run away from tanks and mdps (who btw can all stare us or suck us in.

Maybe even (to put on my role play hat for a sec) move our armor up as well. A Bright Wizard would burn through cloth, now tempered leather may be a good alternative and maybe we can shield some of those blow a little better.

Can you clarify what  "Minor adjustments to "mirror" abilities to bring them more in-line with their Sorcerer counterparts." means? It reads as though BW's abilities will be buffed to be more in line with sorcs which other than our WoP tactic is pretty silly.

Ruin & Destruction will have its stun value reduced.

Gah, finally.

---

AdamG wrote:

One thing I'm going to point out (since these threads can get out of hand) is that the primary hit you will see is to AoE damage, Its just somthing that has to happen. However everyone in the entire game is going to feel that sting.

 

That being said there are some very decent improvements to your single target spells on the way, most of it coming from stat factor b/c every last one of those abilities tend to have high base damage. This includes DoT spells b/c remember DoT's base damage is very high just spread out over time.

 

-Adam

---

Bright Wizards will see a number of AoE adjustments including, but not limited to, the following:

Many AoE abilities have had their effective radius reduced, returning their radius to pre-1.2.1 patch values.Below is a list of changes that are currently pending for version 1.3, but will be updated to PTS after the initial launch of the test server.

 

• Bonus damage from Intelligence will now have a much greater effect on abilities with high base damage, but a reduced effect on abilities with low base damage.

 

So can we expect word of pain crits for 6000 now?  Base damage with the tactic is about 1100 as an instant, compared to only 600 for fireball as a 3 second cast.  This sounds good though, depending on how it's implemented.

 

• A number of AoE abilities have been reduced in effectiveness through reductions in damage, or increase in AP cost/cooldown.

 

I'm fine with this, as long as AOE healing is hit hard.

 

• Balance changes to Tactics and abilities that are allowing players to stack extremely high proc damage on top of AoE abilities for devastating effect. This includes adjustments to Funnel Power and Wildfire.

 

Do NOT nerf funnel power's ability to help single target damage.  Funnel power works out to be a 10% damage increase for me, which is not overpowered considering it takes a spec point and a rather heavy investment in the Incin tree to do so, not to mention it harms me in the process.  If anything, FP should be improved for single target spells with long cast times like fireball.

 

• Improved overall damage for Immolation and Incineration Mastery Paths.

 

Yes.  Immolation in particular needs big buffs due to the extremely poor stat contribution DOTs receive.

 

• Minor adjustments to "mirror" abilities to bring them more in-line with their Sorcerer counterparts.

 

I hope you'll be looking at the things that Sorcs get that we can only dream of, like Word of Pain crits.  Boiling blood is a joke in comparison, with twice the cooldown timer.

 

 

Finally, we are investigating the following items that will potentially be added into 1.3 during the PTS phase, or in a follow up patch after 1.3.

 

• The Close Quarters Tactic will be reviewed to ensure that its bonus does not brokenly increase the effectiveness of PBAoE and AoE abilities for ranged careers.

 

Don't go nerfing it's ability to affect single target damage.

 

• Ruin & Destruction will have its stun value reduced.

 

Fine, but make sure you nerf the DoKs for the same amount, since they have the mirror morale ability.

Oh the travisty! Bright Wizards are getting nerfed to be just as effective as Sorcs! Poor bright wizards!

I see no preview notes for Sorcs...I guess that means the nerf bat is being swung at Bright Wizards! *ducks the nerf bat*

---

AdamG wrote:

One thing I'm going to point out (since these threads can get out of hand) is that the primary hit you will see is to AoE damage, Its just somthing that has to happen. However everyone in the entire game is going to feel that sting.

 

That being said there are some very decent improvements to your single target spells on the way, most of it coming from stat factor b/c every last one of those abilities tend to have high base damage. This includes DoT spells b/c remember DoT's base damage is very high just spread out over time.

 

-Adam

---

Constant nerf's as if the last one wasnt enough. Games arent supposed to sting there for fun. I guess the sting you will get from me is a cancelled account.

---

Constrictor wrote:

• Minor adjustments to "mirror" abilities to bring them more in-line with their Sorcerer counterparts.

 

I hope you'll be looking at the things that Sorcs get that we can only dream of, like Word of Pain crits.  Boiling blood is a joke in comparison, with twice the cooldown timer.

 

 

---

Actually Slow Boil is the mirror to WoP, not Boiling Blood.. learn your class, man. 

With respect to Slow Boil, though, no thank you to extra damage.. I would rather keep the 5 second cooldown it adds to every ability the target uses.

Sorc's can keep their damage considering it requires a tactic slot to even produce that kind of damage.

---

Veldriuss wrote:

---

Constrictor wrote:

 

• Minor adjustments to "mirror" abilities to bring them more in-line with their Sorcerer counterparts.

 

I hope you'll be looking at the things that Sorcs get that we can only dream of, like Word of Pain crits.  Boiling blood is a joke in comparison, with twice the cooldown timer.

 

 

---

Actually Slow Boil is the mirror to WoP, not Boiling Blood.. learn your class, man. 

 

With respect to Slow Boil, though, no thank you to extra damage.. I would rather keep the 5 second cooldown it adds to every ability the target uses.

 

Sorc's can keep their damage considering it requires a tactic slot to even produce that kind of damage.

---

Obviously I typed the wrong spell by accident - no need to be a DB about it.  I'm quite sure I know more about the BW class than you do.  I don't want WoP removed from Sorcs either.  I just hope the patch is not an excuse to remove more of the things from BW that make us unique and give them to Sorcs.  I would like a ranged disarm or a health stealing DOT or a group 10% damage buff, or a WoP equivalent, but I recognize that sorcs are going to have some things we don't have.

If this turns out to be a patch that further weakens BWs while letting Sorc keep all of their toys, I'll be annoyed.

I am deeply concerned. High AoE damage (with GTAoE, while hiding) is the only thing that compensates for extremely low survivability, at least for me. I run with 988int, 750wounds. DD/DoT spells would require gross overhauls to make up for the loss in AoE effectiveness.

I hope you guys get this right, for everyone's sake. I enjoy WAR, and you enjoy my subscription.

---

Constrictor wrote:

 I'm quite sure I know more about the BW class than you do. 

---

Pfft... ridiculous.