3 reasons that druids feel nerfed.

[fatherpirate]

notice, I did say feel.
Is druid under powered for DDO, just right or over powered?
no, clue...really too early to tell.

but this is why they feel nerfed.

1. Extremely limited armor selection.
2. Even more limited weapon selection. (half elf with Fighter Dili can get around this)
3. If you violate #1 you are subjected to a very harsh penalty.

you can add

The best druid spells come very late so splashing any class further delays good spells
and Druids get zero bonus feats.

So

you are basically forced to play...pure wolf build, pure bear build or pure caster build
with no variation. If you deviate even a little...you are nerfed hard.


It is basically the most restrictive class in the game.
I think, too much so.
--------------------------------------

How do you fix this without over powering druids or make them less druid ?
There are a few options, but please do not think they need this entire list..they need maybe
one thing from the list.


Bonus feats. similar to arty or monk

Add Darkleaf armor types back to the loot drop list, dark leaf breastplate / halfplate

Modify drudic oath, if you violate it, you cannot change into an animal but you can still
throw spells with a casting time penalty - still no runearms, that is an arty thing.

add sling and spears to the game

also a feat or enhancement to reduce casting time penalty in animal form.

Druids could use 1 or at most 2 of the above things to give them some breathing room in developement.

[sephiroth1084]

You're using the word 'nerfed' wrong.

[Expalphalog]

Bonus feats. similar to arty or monk

What would you give them though? Augment Summoning? People would still complain because they think it's worthless.

Add Darkleaf armor types back to the loot drop list, dark leaf breastplate / halfplate

100% agreed. Darkleaf and Hide both need to be brought back posthaste. Hell, I'd also like to see a nonmetal Heavy Armor even if it's a named item just for those Druids that choose to take proficiency with it.

Modify drudic oath, if you violate it, you cannot change into an animal but you can still
throw spells with a casting time penalty - still no runearms, that is an arty thing.

I disagree with this one. Druidic Oath should be harsh from a flavor standpoint. A Druid wearing metal armor would be akin to a Cleric praying to the wrong god.

also a feat or enhancement to reduce casting time penalty in animal form.

This could definitely help. An enhancement where each tier reduces casting time in animal form by .5, so the third tier would reduce you to standard casting time. (the penalty is 1.5, right?) It would be costly, but it would open up Animal Caster/Healer as a valid build option.

[fatherpirate]

Exactly !

Just one of those items, would help give more flexability to druids.

like returning darkleaf armor.

That would be perfect.

[Ertay]

1. Extremely limited armor selection.
2. Even more limited weapon selection. (half elf with Fighter Dili can get around this)
3. If you violate #1 you are subjected to a very harsh penalty.

#1 and #3 are the same thing. #2 is not even true.

Also, are you sure you know what "nerf" means?

[Maxallu]

[SisAmethyst]

What would you give them though? Augment Summoning? People would still complain because they think it's worthless.

Not useless but has been less important than other things in the past or there would be better options than that. Like I would take heighten before augment summon on a caster. I guess you refer mainly to the feedback about the PL, and to be honest I am happy that it is finally changed to provide +2 instead of +1, as +1 itself wouldn't have made much of a difference.

100% agreed. Darkleaf and Hide both need to be brought back posthaste. Hell, I'd also like to see a nonmetal Heavy Armor even if it's a named item just for those Druids that choose to take proficiency with it.

Dunno but don't we have Dragontouched, Gianthold crafted and Dragonscale armor that work? I mean you usually not spend too much time below level 9 anyway. However Drakleaf and Hide would be indeed a nice addition if they would come back!

I disagree with this one. Druidic Oath should be harsh from a flavor standpoint. A Druid wearing metal armor would be akin to a Cleric praying to the wrong god.

I agree to your disagree. Druids are restricted like that already in the pen and paper version and there is nothing wrong with this. In return they get a nice mix of abilities like being able to cast firewall in a wooden armor, while regeneration fill continuously your HP back as you fight the monster with a scimitar.

This could definitely help. An enhancement where each tier reduces casting time in animal form by .5, so the third tier would reduce you to standard casting time. (the penalty is 1.5, right?) It would be costly, but it would open up Animal Caster/Healer as a valid build option.

Not sure if this is really needed. I mean if you need to spam healing that often, then you shouldn't probably be in Form and will run out of mana anyway pretty quick. The pace of the druid is different. You not heal one time quick with a huge value like a mass heal of a cleric, but you use the mass vigor which give the HP over time. Till this spell is done your timer is done too. Also you would probably loose a lot of DPS if you break combat for casting as long as it is not part of your natural attacks.

[SisAmethyst]

notice, I did say feel.
Is druid under powered for DDO, just right or over powered?
no, clue...really too early to tell.

but this is why they feel nerfed.

1. Extremely limited armor selection.
2. Even more limited weapon selection. (half elf with Fighter Dili can get around this)
3. If you violate #1 you are subjected to a very harsh penalty.

you can add

The best druid spells come very late so splashing any class further delays good spells
and Druids get zero bonus feats.

So

you are basically forced to play...pure wolf build, pure bear build or pure caster build
with no variation. If you deviate even a little...you are nerfed hard...

Neither the Armor nor the Weapons are an issue for the Druid. I was able to play the druid on Lama to level 20 and with a Quarterstaffs (including the new ones) and Shillelagh or a Scimitar you have already two very nice weapon options. For the armor you have already a huge selection of leathers like the Duelist's Leather, Black Dragonhide Armor, Parasitic Breastplate, Dragontouched or the Leathers of the Woodsman to just name a view.

The issue is that the overall performance isn't that great, but got already better with the introduction of the two prestige enhancements. You can get with a certain investment into a nice direction, if it is caster or fighter, but compared to other options/classes this investment is just to big. However I believe it only needs some adjustments, not a complete overhaul.

The casting abilities of the druid should not exceed the ones of a sorc and the fighting abilities not the one of a barbarian or fighter. For example the buff while in bear/wolf form where you get SP back is nice, but just to short and miss a visible component. You have to actually watch all the time your SP bar to notice it and then only have seconds to make use of it. In other words a nice idea and all, but 95% of the time it won't save you any SP.

Its those small things that need adjustment... well at least in my opinion

[TreknaQudane]

The armor situation definitely isn't helping druids any. Leathers are almost all balanced against high dex scores for determining total AC... And the did is not a high dex class... Plus the lower PRR from using light armor instead of medium.

[Chai]

but this is why they feel nerfed.

A tad underpowered at cap, but not for these reasons.

1. Extremely limited armor selection.

Most of us played DDO for 6 years now with 95% of all builds not having anything to do with AC and getting hit on a 2 by just about every mob.

2. Even more limited weapon selection. (half elf with Fighter Dili can get around this)

There are multiple ways around this. Multiclassing is the primary one.

3. If you violate #1 you are subjected to a very harsh penalty.

Not a first for DDO. Monk has been around for quite some time now with similar conditions/harsh penalty for violating armor rules or becoming medium encumbered.

[Zorth]

You all look stupid as a wolf.

You who all owned dogs are going to just hate me to just hate me, but you still look ridiculous.

Maybe the game should try a different graphic than the one already in the game. LAME!

Wolf graphics for Druids should look more genuine than that from (REALLY!) water works.

[SiliconScout]

The point on armor is valid

WHY do they get medium prof when there aren't any mediums they can use any more???

They need some love there.

Basically though they are the utility class. They can be a secondary DPS / Healer / Magic DPS. And push come to shove a weak primary but they can manage it.

This is their strength. I wouldn't mind some free feats though, I think for example that they should just be granted augment summons (say at either level 4 or 6) as a standard feat.

I'd rather see some class granted feats over free feats myself.

[Xyfiel]

New hide armor is still obtainable in game. Got one from STK end reward, crafted it to +4 invulnerability(BTA). Still weak though considering what options others have now.

[SiliconScout]

You all look stupid as a wolf.

You who all owned dogs are going to just hate me to just hate me, but you still look ridiculous.

gee thanks for that insightful comment. What a wonderful contribution to the discussion that was. It really cleared things up for all of us who are participating.

[mwgarn]

It would be nice to get a bonus feat or two so you can have a few melee feats and meta magics..

For me the biggest down side is that it just feel wired fighting in form.. I don't feel like I am hitting and half the time I can't seam to even break a barrel.. Have to stand facing right on it and be still for half a sec before I swing.. Something isn't right there

Plus the dog sucks.. Artie dog seams to be more aggressive and more durable, the wolf is week low HP attack once every two seconds dies to the first mob... My summon does a better job then my wolf.

[Nyxianne]

Yeah, not sure why people are saying these guys are underpowered.
Yes, like all casting classes some of the best/most desirable spells come at later levels. But that doesn't mean that the lower level spells are anything to sneeze at!
Medium hide armor still drops in game - there's even named loot that's hide armor!
The weapon selection is rather limited, but certainly not the most limited in the game. PLUS they get a spell that conjures a weapon that uses their wisdom score for attack AND damage.

Bonuses:
Only class in the game now that gets full on poison immunity. Healing over Time spells. And many debuffing spells that include a vulnerability to choice elements (I know not the only class that gets this). And as stupid as they look, the forms have many many bonuses to accommodate different play styles.

As far as play being limited ... same thing can be said for all the casting classes. And druid definitely feels like a casting class to me.

[JasonJi72]

It would be nice to get a bonus feat or two so you can have a few melee feats and meta magics..

For me the biggest down side is that it just feel wired fighting in form.. I don't feel like I am hitting and half the time I can't seam to even break a barrel.. Have to stand facing right on it and be still for half a sec before I swing.. Something isn't right there

Plus the dog sucks.. Artie dog seams to be more aggressive and more durable, the wolf is week low HP attack once every two seconds dies to the first mob... My summon does a better job then my wolf.

I tended to feel the same way about the wolf in the early levels, but I have been noticing a significant increase in damage and survivability at level 13. The wolf also does not seems to have near the amount of bugs that the arty dog had/has.

In the early levels, I think the Druid is very strong, and seems to be just fine in the mid-teens. I put my Druid on hold for a bit to play the new content, but recently started playing it again, and it is fun.

The Druid is definitely a caster class, and I think the biggest thing they need is more sp, especially since they are doing so much with their blue bar... well mine is anyway lol.

My Druid is Jryad on Thelanis.

[Alaunra2010]

100% agreed. Darkleaf and Hide both need to be brought back posthaste. Hell, I'd also like to see a nonmetal Heavy Armor even if it's a named item just for those Druids that choose to take proficiency with it.

Ooh! Ankheg Plate Mail! Anyone remember that from Baldur's Gate? I loved that armor.

[AbyssalMage]

Bonus Feats would be the most useful of all of the original suggestions. Most classes are tight on Feats and Druid's as a generalist class are hurting just as bad as some other classes. That being said, I don't expect to see them get any bonus feats now that the U14 launch has come and gone.

Bonus Feats: Augment Summoning, Natural Fighting, Combat Expertise, Power Attack, Any Metamagic, Spell Pen., Spell Focus, Dodge, Spring Attack, Improved Critical, Toughness, and Cleave would all allow a Druid to focus on 2 "schools" whether that is Tank, DPS, or Caster instead of 1. Say, bonus feats at level 1 (maybe?), 5, 10, 15, and 20.

But this is only a dream!!! Sleep well

[twiliteslayer02]

I shall I say "feel" as if the druid class is kind of repressed.

There are several things that simply don't make them feel quite right.

The list:

Weaponry;

First and foremost, monks got wraps, why cant druids have slings/staff-slings/spears? And secondly, with what appears to be only a few specific types of druid, why not give each some sort of specific weapon competency according to that perticular enhancement tree?

Armoring;

Although hide armors are ok, not everyone wants to wear an animal hide, bring back darkleaf, or something else amicable to the Druid, please.

Looks;


In all seriousness, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, make the animal forms unique , just as the toon itself, I am sooooo, sick of the cookie-cutter graphics in this game its making me physically ill.

you guys(DEVS) can do ALOT better in this department, I mean yoiu can make three different types of troll, AND allow the freakish look to the half elven toons, so why not allow us to customize our animal forms?


Even if its a simple color/headshape/tail type, whatever it is would be better than my dire bear being attacked by party members in the kings forest because he looks like one of em, or my wolf form and pet being subjected to similar behavior in the harbor.

THIS is where we need to have something done, the rest , we'll live, but the look part........ you can and should do much much better.