The Official Druid Enhancements Discussion Thread!

[Atremus]

Is there any chance we can get a Dev comment on Crown of Summer being Friend Only? This is a big change from what we have on the Live servers today.


Edit: Bug reported

[OverlordOfRats]

They have intimidate for bears but not bluff for wolves.

Wolves have bonuses to sneak attack and there is a bluff enhancement, but no bluff as a class skill.

[Vargouille]

Is there any chance we can get a Dev comment on Crown of Summer being Friend Only? This is a big change from what we have on the Live servers today.

This is not intended and being addressed.

[Atremus]

This is not intended and being addressed.

Epic Appreciation for the response. See you guys tomorrow night!

[Grailhawk]

This is not intended and being addressed.

Great news thank you.

[chrisdinus7]

Thanks for fixing the cooldowns on Word of Balance and Sunburst. Sunburst still seems a bit useless at a 26s cooldown - but that probably has more to do with the lackluster power of the base spell than anything. Overall, Druid SLAs are excellent.

Any chance of possible allowing a choice between heighten and empower for the 2nd efficient meta-magic selector?

[~rex_havok]

celerity strike (tier 5) should that not be for wolf and BEAR?

the top tier wild healing, when u get hit u gain 10% heal amp and 10 temp hit points..not sure about others but can this be higher..10 temp hit points at lv 28 is insignificant. (this can be gained at lv 12 but is suppose to be your top tier for the toon lv 28)

essence of the shrike 10/20 temp spell points for 8 seconds on a crit, wolf only.....why wolf only? alto it's not important 20 temp spell points for 8 seconds is not useful anyhow and only on crits.

[Atremus]

Overall, Druid SLAs are excellent.

Yes, thank you for address the SP issue with Druids.

Is it possible to consider reducing the cool down on the Storm of Vengeance SLA any further to be closer to the regular spell cool down?

[Calonderial]

alpha strike is broken atm, cant take it even though all prereqs are 3/3

[thegreatneil]

twf in animal form (with perfect twf, itwf, gtwf & ptwf) was giving me offhand attacks? (well double strike)
and using the double strike action boost (and clarity) I was getting three hits per attack.
WAI?

[Pilgrim1]

I heard some talk by the developers that they are going to take a look at natures warrior prestige class, so i thought I would give some feedback in hopes they would consider it in there next installment.

First some general suggestions and the secondly responses to specific enhancements currently on the test server.

--natures warrior---
A animal form druid is the utmost of a gish toon, one who does both melee and spell casting abilities. That means that this tree should include boosts to both. In addition a druid in this tree should be encouraged to change between animal forms easily. The way the animal forms are set up - with no possibility for glancing blows or off hand attacks - means that a fully melee specialized druid will have difficulties out damaging a sword and board focused toon and be miles behind a classic melee stile. In otherwords melee clerics/FvS/sorcers/artificers/wizards will all likely have better melee and just as good self healing.

Specific sugestions:
*Do not have any enhancement that just boosts wolf or bear form, make sure that each enhancement does something for each form. Their is no way that this will be to strong as you can never be in both forms at once, all it will do is encourage flexible play - which is the best part of a druid!

*Consider adding in 0.5 or 0.75 USP per point spent into this to allow some spell casting viablity.

*The D&D version of wildshape allowed druids to gain full physical stats of the animal they were changing into, perhaps increasing the stats given while shape-changing may be a possibility. Maybe a tear thing: +2str/con to bears and +2 dex to wolves, select 3 times.

*Reflex saves are a bane of druids, having a way to boost them would be very nice.

*A capstone ability that increases the crit threat range of unarmed (and animal form) would make this very appealing for druid/monk splashes.

*Remove all the pet abilities from the tree, most of the time a druid pet is a hindrance because when it dies it costs so much SP and HP. Alternatively put in an enhancement that removes that, like the artificer uncaring enhancement but make it thematic (like a auto reincarnate or something).

*Extend wild-empathy stuff to vermin (like the other animal spells) and allow the use of wisdom instead of charisma.

*Make an enhancement to improve on the natural fighting feet. Perhaps a 3 tear that each tear increases double strike by 3% and reduces spell coldown timer by 0.5 times. A capstoned natures warrior would have no increase in spell cooldown with this enhancement.



---current enhancement comments---
*I like the inates, they work well.
*Rangers get extra positive spell power with there improved wild empathy, maybe druids could to?
*Both aggravate and shifting rake are pore abilities. Scrap them or combine them into one enhancement.
*Bestial nature does not stack with parrying items. Change the bonuses to primal perhaps?
*I like Flight, consider reducing the cool down on higher tears.
*Vengeful hunter is fine.
*Hide of the crock needs a rework. Long cooldown abilities that last for a long time are fine, short cooldown abilities that last for a short time are fine, long cooldown abilities that last a short time are not. Change the duration and/or the cooldown timer.
*Blood moon Frenzy is just bad. The boost is small and pets/hirelings do poor damage already and it competes with better stances.
*Action boost: double strike - I like it.
*Reaving Roar: its fine, i noticed you toned it down from live. Amazing early game ability till it gets almost useless at end game. TR nuts may splash 3 levels of druid for this ability.
*Fatal harrier: this has to stack 4 times before it even overcomes haste, making it really sub optimal. I would strongly suggest you replace this with the killer ability in the rogue and ranger enhancement line. Having the killer line in natures warrior would fit very thematically.
*Improved dodge: this requires a feet AND requires you to be in animal form AND is high up in a tree. Compare it to many other dodge boosting abilities which give dodge and other stuff as well as being low in a tree. Please change how this ability works to make it more assessable.
*Essence of the shrike: cool ability, maybe allow bears to have something useful in hear as well.
*Essence of the turtle: combine it with shrike.
*4 good legs: nice one, aside from improved dodge requirement.
*Alpha strike: Cant test it but - To limiting in its targets, requires a wild empathy use, and is a tear 5 ability. Its a very poor tear 5 ability. Allow it to hit anything and remove the wild empathy use or put it at tear one where maybe someone will use it.
*Wild healing: Also include when you crit to make it in line with the essences of the shrike/turtle?
*Celerity: the cooldown on this ability is waaaay to long, especially for a tear 5 ability. Make its cooldown like 1 min or 45 seconds. Also give some bear form ability mixed in with this as well.


----some general comments to improve shape shifting and other druid bugs----
*When you change forms all the buffs that were form specific are lost and must be re-cast upon gaining that form again. This is just irritating.
*Many form attacks/abilities have low DC's, please find a way to increase them - nothing is more bothersome then failing on your attack.
*I noticed that water/fire elemental forms were being modified for sorcerers, will these same forms be available for druids?
*Druids have a very limited number of elemental spells in any one element so having -3 max caster levels while in an elemental form is very painful and more then often not worth being in that form.
*Word of balance (lvl 6), Sunbeam (lvl 7), Sunburst (lvl 8) are all blocked by mantle.
*Ice flowers has a duration of 8 seconds but is a one time cast making this a terrible spell.
*Add Acid rain to the druid spell list!

Cool thanks for reading hope this helps with your next iteration of this prestige.

PS. I really liked it when kookieKobold would reply to threads with "Read by QA" it made me feel that the work I did to figure out a bug was not falling on def ears. <hint hint>

[SerPounce]

Excellent points by pilgrim1! I agree with all of them (though I remain down on the static number nature of reaving roar, make it based on druid level, say 1d10/druid level fort save for half DC 10 +druid level +WIS).


I'd just reiterate the importance of getting some increases to animal attack "spells" DCs and/or ways of debuffing (a way of causing an automatic fear effect to those in your presence would be thematic). Special attacks like that should really have very solid DCs that can be obtained by hybrid toons. Like stunning fist on a monk. You don't need to go in for every possible stunning fist buff and fort save debuff to make stunning fist work even on most EE mobs (or you can go all out and have it work on even the hardiest EE mobs).

If the special attacks don't work (e.g. takedown, cold breath, baiting bite, jaws of winter, howl of terror, snowslide, etc) it feels really pointless to be an animal, you're just medocre DPS, and you could do that without the cooldown restrictions while swinging a big sword.

[psteen1]

Live- reaving roar is 15d6 and it is still being reduced to 9d6 max? Cmon now. I'm level 14 now on live and it is not that powerful anymore, and I'm guessing by level 20 it will just be a nice touch. Keep the max level at 15d6 please, or have it scale even higher as you get to higher levels. Why not make it adjustable so it does 1d6 for every level, if being OP is a concern?

Or make it a tier 5 ability, and it does 1d2, 1d4, and 1d6 per level depending on the ability level. As far as I'm concerned, it has been the most fun part of playing a wolf.


I am playing a wolf right now on live. I am 95% sure I will be using the free LR to get out of druid altogether. I think this tree is a major nerf to animal builds, which were quite weak in the first place.

Other complaints:
The usefulness of fatal harrier was also greatly reduced.
Bestial nature is an insight bonus... Basically worthless if you get the widely available parry bonus on an item.
Alpha strike- very limited uses on something that is not that powerful.
No spell power bonuses.


You have only taken away from animal forms without adding to them. This just does not make any sense for a class that was not powerful in the first place. If I do stay as a wolf, season's herald will be my primary tree and I'll only dabble in nature's warrior.

[SerPounce]

twf in animal form (with perfect twf, itwf, gtwf & ptwf) was giving me offhand attacks? (well double strike)
and using the double strike action boost (and clarity) I was getting three hits per attack.
WAI?

Wow, I just tested this and it's indeed correct. We could really use a dev response on this, if this is WAI it really changes everything regarding how wolves work.

[edit] and I should add it would be a really, really great change! please say WAI

[Candela90]

Druid changes I spotted: (I might have miss a few)

Season's Herald:
Tier 1:
Wands DC one now also gives 25/50/75% to scrolls and is called Wand/Scroll Mastery Great change for healer druids bcs wasting 3 points into useless DC wands did hurt.

Tier 2:
Instead of Wand/Scroll Mastery here as it dropped down - Spell Pen +1 (up to +3). Well... Honestly - I know no druid who use fod and its the only spell its needed for xD. So I doubt many will take it.

Now I like these. even if these are little changes. But Im waiting for adding +1/2spell poinrs per point spent in tree or sth like that. And rlly - I bet more druids would use one more efficent metamagic rather than spell pen. Almost none of our good spells use spell pen.


Nature Warrior:
Core:
2,3,4 and 5 bow also give +1 base melee dmg while in wolf or bear form and +10 positive spell power (no matter if in form or not). Positive change for sure .
Capstone now gives:
Wolf form: +2 base melee dmg, 10PPR, +2d6 sneak
Bear form: +2 base melee dmg, 15% attack speed, 10 PPR
Other bonuses: +1 STR and DEX and CON, +2 Bluff and Intimi.

Tier 1:
Extra Wild Empathy - +1 Wild Empathy, +1 Imp. wild empathy, +5 Positive Spell Power (up to +3, +3, +15)
Bestial Nature - now every tier grants only -2 Will Save. So on 3 its still -2 will.
Athletic - Also grants on tier 3 +1 Imp. empathy

Tier 3:
Fight: Also gives +1/2/3 AC

Tier 4:
Essence of the Shrike: Also grants +5 positive spell power (passive)
Essence of the Turtle: As above.

Tier 5:
New one - Natural Adept - You have mastered the art of wielding divine magic in animal form, and using it to empower your body in physical combat. While in animal form, the cooldown penalty for non-animal form spells is reduced from 2.5 times the usual length to 1.5.
So covering previous capstone.



So overall I think all changes will make ppl happy At least I rlly like them.
If ure up to change anything more Id add:
- 2sp/per point spend in seaons... Bcs druid has so much less spell power than wizzard/sorcs AND less sp - so doing dmg is hard without drinking lots of pots.
- Id add sth with heal amp somewhere.
- Idd change transmutation DC for Evocation in Seasons Capstone .

Ty for all changes - whoever did them its pretty good job.

[maddong]

Looks good.

[HatsuharuZ]

While I like the changes to the Nature's Warrior tree, there is one thing I don't understand...

Bestial Nature provides up to a +3 Insight Bonus to reflex and fortitude saves in return for a penalty to will saves. Insight bonuses to saves are now very common in loot. I've seen up to +4 insight bonuses to *all* saves on an item or ten before. Instead of changing the bonus type, why did they just make the will save penalty a set -2?

[dejafu]

Love these additions and changes. Nature's Warrior finally acknowledges that for a melee druid, having a good healing ability is vital.

General damage boost is always appreciated.

Moving the spell cooldown reducer to Tier 5 instead of capstone was also a smart move, very nice for multiclassers (who seem to make up the majority of the druid population).

Finally, giving bear form a +15% speed boost is greatly appreciated, and may finally make bear form fighting (...wait for it...) bearable

Now just let us see what our damage is in the UI when wildshaped, and I'll be a very happy druid player!

[Failedlegend]

These are all nice changes (I'm being serious my friend in our static group playing a druid is ecstatic) but I'd like to see them get around to making the bear/wolf form abilities actually physical abilities instead of spells. It doesn't make any sense that my bear can't roar,etc. if he's raging, out of man or ion an anti-magic cone.

Another thing I'd like to see is that stupid summer/winter mechanic abolished...make two versions of Seasons Herald SH-Summer and Sh-Winter and like savants have them lock out the other one than have the tree focus on the relevant element. Its not fun to have to keep switching your element.

[dlsidhe]

Druid changes I spotted: (I might have miss a few)

Season's Herald:
Tier 1:
Wands DC one now also gives 25/50/75% to scrolls and is called Wand/Scroll Mastery Great change for healer druids bcs wasting 3 points into useless DC wands did hurt.

Tier 2:
Instead of Wand/Scroll Mastery here as it dropped down - Spell Pen +1 (up to +3). Well... Honestly - I know no druid who use fod and its the only spell its needed for xD. So I doubt many will take it.

Now I like these. even if these are little changes. But Im waiting for adding +1/2spell poinrs per point spent in tree or sth like that. And rlly - I bet more druids would use one more efficent metamagic rather than spell pen. Almost none of our good spells use spell pen.

Word of Balance uses spell pen, so more spell pen is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. Efficient metamagics are nice, yes, but given how many SLAs Season's Herald gets they aren't totally necessary. The only metamagic I use frequently on a standard spell is heighten on Earthquake.