Nerf Stick

[Trapdoor]

Firewall is being increased in cost. More importantly, this update is the biggest improvement to casters since prestige enhancements and you're whining about one spell that despite getting nerfed is still very good? Ridiculous.

Sorry to sound like a newb, but how are casters being improved? your telling me the COST of firewall is going up, but your not telling me how casters are being improved?

[hityawithastick]

Firewall would have really helped against all these troll posts complaining about firewall nerfs.

[Hirosue]

Turbine said that the earlier change to firewall, i.e new crit per tick chance. was made to stop player from throwing down lots of firewalls and then fishing for a critical firewall.

The players most likely response to the 50% reduction in duration and reflex save chance is going to be a return to the very behaviour the devs dont appear to like.

That is caster throwing down multiple FW in a chain over and over and kiting mobs through them , And while the jury may still be out on the overall impact of the changes casters are getting. One thing is certain is that customers playing sorc/ wizzy are fed up with the continual changes to the class and spells.

[oberon131313]

Sorry to sound like a newb, but how are casters being improved? your telling me the COST of firewall is going up, but your not telling me how casters are being improved?

the cost of other spells is going down, and the usefulness of some currently useless spells is going up.

[DevHead]

Did you seriously bring up the laws of physics in a game that uses various types of magical spells?

[KillEveryone]

While I'm not too crazy about all the changes, I'm happy that there are changes to a lot of spells that were just useless when you were at a level that you could cast them...HD dependent spells for example.

I'm looking forward to having many other spells having their damage upped also.

Firewall kiting is really boring but other spells were not as good. Now they have been changed to be more useful and less costly to use.

They could probably change metamagics a little but I'm going to wait until I try things out for myself before I start to cry about it.

Also...applying the laws of physics to magic is a complete and total failure. Really, just really.

[hityawithastick]

Sorry to sound like a newb, but how are casters being improved? your telling me the COST of firewall is going up, but your not telling me how casters are being improved?

The COSTs of single-target spells (e.g.: "the spells that are actually fun to use") are being decreased, making it cheaper to spam chain lightnings or DBFs than it is to drop max/emp'd firewalls. And because hurling large amounts of energy at people is more fun than just setting the floor on fire and running in and out, I am in favor of this change.

[Trapdoor]

What about them nerfing mass hold to Non Auto Crit? that will be fun wont it ? Kind of like taking away the paralize auto crit... where does it end... k, ill fill you in on a little secret.... if someone was immobile, it shouldnt be auto crit, it should be Auto Death..... after all, your standing there, looking at a HELPLESS target, how hard is it to just casually walk up and slit the mobs throat? hard!!!! you have to slash and hack and slash and hack for 10 minutes to kill them? wow.....

[oberon131313]

What about them nerfing mass hold to Non Auto Crit? that will be fun wont it ?

Since they are making it increase spell damage and they are reducing the hitpoints of Epic mobs, I think it'll be fun. Mass Hold and see who can roll the highest Polar Ray numbers!

[Mark_G]

IM(very humble)O, firewall was overpowered. Any 7th level wizard or 8th level sorcerer without firewall was undoubtedly questioned as to why. If one spell (which leads to one specific tactic) is considered a must have, then it is probably too good. I'm eager to try out new tactics with new spells on my arcane casters!
Your mileage may vary...

[Hirosue]

Yes but the point is this. Why bother to nerf Firewall at all. It’s a great spell and loved by many casters.

If the idea is to bring more variety and new tactics to the game. Then all that is really needed is to increase the other spell type’s damage.

The reason why mid level casters have relied on Firewalls is because they had to. None of the other spells available to them were particularly good.

If that is being changed. I.e. lower spell point cost and more damage, then why bother to nerf firewall at all?

They have introduced competitive spells. So let the players who love firewalls continue to use them and give some useful and varied alternatives to the other caster who are sick of it

[SynalonEtuul]

Sorry to sound like a newb, but how are casters being improved? your telling me the COST of firewall is going up, but your not telling me how casters are being improved?

Held monsters will take 50% more damage from all sources, including magic. You could mass hold some mobs then lay a FW down on them, and it will be doing more damage on them than it does now. This combined with epic monsters' HP being reduced and buffs to and lowered SP cost of many damage spells, nuking is back on the table in epic content and even better in normal content.

Arbitrary blanket immunities being removed means instant death spells can be used again - necromancy just got a lot more powerful as well. Now it should rival enchantment in usefulness. It'll even do more damage on a failed save.

Many spells that were previously useless have been increased in power. Power word kill will be able to deal with many otherwise difficult orange nameds, especially those without SR, or could be used to thin out the most dangerous monsters in a given encounter (like spellcasters). Circle of death is like a mass enervation/death effect. Who knows how the symbol spells have been buffed?

We even get a tiny mana regeneration effect.

[learst]

Understandable, but to introduce these changes after YEARS of play??? that just doesnt seem right... they should have thought of it many years ago or at least in the first 6 to 12 months, same with the scrolls and such.... otherwise /shrug, i just dont know what to think.... it really makes me think that they wont stop there and just change stuff to influence their player base, if the nerf trolls complain enough, things get nerfed, if the hard core players complain about the nerfs, more nerfs

On behalf of Turbine, I apologies that from the start they have not been able to develop the most perfect, balanced game system where all classes/races/gear/ combinations of all 3 cater to every single player just nicely.

Turbine should be ashamed of themselves for not coming up with a perfect game system, just like WOTC had with the very first edition of D&D. Or the economists who should have come up with the perfect economic systems since the dawn of trade. Or politicians who ..

/sarcasm

[Falco_Easts]

Hi All.
I for one have invested hundreds and hundreds of dollars into this game. And what do i get for it.

1) Casters get nerfed by programming changes that do not allow the said casters to buy very important scrolls such as Cloud Kill, Firewall, Solid fog, other such things.
How is this "nerfed"? Take them at level up or buy off AH. They took away an easy button. Years ago I might add and you are still whinging about it? Boo Hoo.

2) Casters get their spells nerfed, Firewall for example, A crit firewall doesnt last the length of the spell, which is rediculous! and against the laws of physics, each tic has a chance to crit ? Really? now, i have to wait the entire length of the spell for those crits to tic every so often, Instead of burning my mana to get that crit firewall, to solo eye of the titan end boss and other.
You actually use the term "laws of physics" in reference to a magic spell? That aside, I think it makes more sense this way.

3) now! they plan on nerfing firewall again and making mobs running through get a save?
No more easy button. It has been on the cards for a while. We will adapt.

Anyone Agree!??!?!? Put your name to this and tell the devs what to fix in this game that they are maybe unknowingly making less enjoyable for people.
And yet more enjoyable for others.

Deathsbreath.

Comments in red.

[Four20]

it's the game, it just hates you.

[Hirosue]

My point is that it isnt necessary or desirable to introduce change by swinging the nerf bat.

if you change a system of gameplay that has been in existance for a number of years you are going to inevitably irritate and frustrate a lot of your player base/customers.

If they want to bring more variety by making other spells do more damage that is great. But dont do it by nerfing an old favourite that has been around for a long time.

And dont do it a few months after nerfing casters fogs disco balls cloud kills and firewalls

[WielderofGigantus]

I for one have invested hundreds and hundreds of dollars into this game.

/point
/laugh

[Clay]

not signed.

Casters, as they currently are, are extremely 1-dimensional. The efforts of Turbine to make more than a limited few spells useful are to be applauded.

Until the PREs came out you wonder why there there so few Wiz around? Because there was no real need to change spells. (aside from casting time etc).

Why not at least test it out before the Doom and Crying?

I am puzzled by some of the changes (nerf Enlarge?) but am hopeful that casters will be a little more fun to play soon.

My [Fi'Wall] burns at both ends;
It will not last the [fight]
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends--
[Let's not get too uptight!]

[KillEveryone]

I am puzzled by some of the changes (nerf Enlarge?) but am hopeful that casters will be a little more fun to play soon.

I'm not totally understanding this nerf either but at least they increased the range of those spells.

I had thought about taking it on a TR but there really isn't any need now.

[elujin]

can't the doom wait thill it hits lamaland plz

you don't know.
for all you know there is a new spell coming that looks like a fire wall casts like a firewall and does x10 dmg you don't know what will happen.
in the off chanse they didn't include "the not a firewall" spelll well then you need to buy a keybord with more then 1 button