Armor Up - Developer Diary #2

[Wizza]

Reduced. Sorry. I said dropping meaning "dropping the overall melee power bonus" but what I wrote isn't clear.

Each epic level gives 5, each innate gives 5 for a total of 75 Melee Power.

Sev~

This is good. I'd go as far as giving 60/70 MP to EDs and call it a day but 5 Melee Power per level is not that big of a deal so I think this is good anyway.

[Bridge_Dweller]

Yes.

Sev~

Wait . . . So blitzing ACTUALLY is gettin nerfed?


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

[jakeelala]

I think this is a much better change

A little modification I'd add: Maybe keep the on-kill charge effect to provide some kind of opportunity cost for its power. Removal of the swinging-at-mid-air stupidity is all we need I think. This will certainly be a MUCH needed improvement.

And, all other melee's get 3 effective permanent blitz charges rather than 6, I like it

So they go from balancing other Melee destinies to make them fun to play and level, and then backpedal making Blitz once again far superior, and you are happy.

You're really good at pigeon holing things and insisting nothing changes for the better in this game.

[Varinon]

Wait . . . So blitzing ACTUALLY is gettin nerfed?


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Please read the post I just made here -> https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post5393796

Technically, no, it's still stronger than live. Compared to proposed changes? Yes, it's a nerf.

(Both only applying pre-ten stacks of course)

[Recared]

Based on player feedback and our own internal testing:

We are reducing the bonus to melee power from the Epic Destiny innate abilities and epic levels. We bumped up Master's Blitz a bit. With the changes to Master's Blitz it is now effective against long boss fights and it is much easier for multiple melees to all have it running.

Sev~

Though no specification on the reduction is being made (reducing from 10/level to 5/level?), I think it's the correct choice for DDO (I should explain why, but anybody interested in the explanation can search previous posts with an approach to the problem) as a very veteran player. Also thanks for the great communication around this and other subjects.

Gyga

PS: I still think THF feats should give something better than 20MP total for the 3 feats (even if glancing blows are back to work while moving). The stat bonus damage working as SWF feats would be very nice.

Edit: Just saw now it was in fact specified the reduction was to 5/level. Seems good. Also the big picture is still to see as there will be several/many sources of MP we have not yet explored that will make the difference between LD and other melee destiny options the right one to represent a real choice between them. Initial perspective is nice.

[Bridge_Dweller]

Wait . . . is it 75 MP for being level 28 in a Martial ED and then + 100 for Blitz for a total of 175 or is it 75 for a Martial ED + 175 for Blitz for a total of 225?

[N-0cturn]

Reduced. Sorry. I said dropping meaning "dropping the overall melee power bonus" but what I wrote isn't clear.

Each epic level gives 5, each innate gives 5 for a total of 75 Melee Power.

Sev~

- 75 sounds like a better approach. 150 would have shifted the game balance a lot. Even 75 will be a large gain to most destinies.

However I ask myself what your exact plans with Master's Blitz are. You removed the charging and see to have changed the timer to OnHit instead or OnKill. This will allow us to use it in some cases where it was previously difficult to use because of bosses with a lot of HP. It will also probably make grouping easier.

My question would be how fast the stack expires. Will this still be an ability that can be kept active for most of the time during a quests or will it be an ability that quickly expires once we stop hitting?

If it can be kept always on I think 125 Melee Power is already enough to keep it as the main melee destiny without making it the only alternative. The damage will be a little bit less but not having to charge it and being able to keep it at max charges against bosses should balance this out.

175 is to much if there is not any drawback. If you do not want to lower the damage even one bit then please consider to change it back to require kills for the stack. Otherwise I fear that this will only make LD even better compared to other destinies, because it is still the best damage and a lot easier to use.

[Varinon]

Additionally, reducing the Melee Power per level/ED Core ability directly nerfs paladins, which is what I thought the changes were there to buff in the first place.

Let me explain:

Paladins are the only class that (as of this moment) will have Melee Power scaling abilities. It was bad enough before that to get the most use out of their knight of the chalice core abilities, they had to be legendary dreadnought instead of Divine Crusader or Unyielding Sentinel.

Not only are Divine Crusader/Unyielding Sentinel supposed to be the 'paladin EDs', but a new paladin isn't even able to start at the best ED for his own abilities (Legendary Dreadnought), because he only unlocks the divine sphere.

With the option to stay in a more paladin-geared ED with 150 Melee Power, a paladin may decide that the extra scaling on his light damage cores and other abilities (as well as normal attacks) is not worth losing the utility of one of the divine EDs.

Because of this change, you have effectively halved the effectiveness of Knight of the Chalice for any non-Legendary Dreadnought, which is not their intended ED. Every non-tank paladin now, to play effectively, must be a legendary dreadnought. This isn't different than live, but it is disappointing to see that these changes are not going to actually change much.

I don't understand the point of melee power if everyone will still be a blitzing LD with no viable alternative. Doubly so for the melee-power scaling Paladin.

[PermaBanned]

Based on player feedback and our own internal testing:

We are reducing the bonus to melee power from the Epic Destiny innate abilities and epic levels. We bumped up Master's Blitz a bit. With the changes to Master's Blitz it is now effective against long boss fights and it is much easier for multiple melees to all have it running.

Sev~

Between Epic Reincarnation and closing the gap between Blitzers and nonBlitzers, I don't think you were any more likely to see hoards of Blitzers under the (incarnation previous to the quote above) new Melee Power system - in fact I suspect you were likely to see less Blitzers per capita.

Reducing the proposed Melee Power contribution of Destiny levels and especially Epic levels is a horrible idea, as it continues to encourage the "Blitz or nothing" option for DPS builds, and does less to take the sting out of Epic Reincarnating a melee character through the nonMartial spheres.

Please recant that change quickly.

[Recared]

Wait . . . is it 75 MP for being level 28 in a Martial ED and then + 100 for Blitz for a total of 175 or is it 75 for a Martial ED + 175 for Blitz for a total of 225?

The way I read it:

25 (or 30?) for the core LD levels, rest 150 total 175 so total of 45 per Epic level + 175 = 220-225.

[Recared]

- 75 sounds like a better approach. 150 would have shifted the game balance a lot. Even 75 will be a large gain to most destinies.

However I ask myself what your exact plans with Master's Blitz are. You removed the charging and see to have changed the timer to OnHit instead or OnKill. This will allow us to use it in some cases where it was previously difficult to use because of bosses with a lot of HP. It will also probably make grouping easier.

My question would be how fast the stack expires. Will this still be an ability that can be kept active for most of the time during a quests or will it be an ability that quickly expires once we stop hitting?

If it can be kept always on I think 125 Melee Power is already enough to keep it as the main melee destiny without making it the only alternative. The damage will be a little bit less but not having to charge it and being able to keep it at max charges against bosses should balance this out.

Hmmm, how about making Blitz work (for the charges) in relation with hits but to new targets? You get a charge everytime you hit a new target? or everytime you hit 3 or more times a new target? No clue on the code ramifications. Just a thought.

[Varinon]

Wait . . . is it 75 MP for being level 28 in a Martial ED and then + 100 for Blitz for a total of 175 or is it 75 for a Martial ED + 175 for Blitz for a total of 225?

75 + 175 = 250. Not 225. Just so you know. ^_^

[ArcaneArcher52689]

Reduced. Sorry. I said dropping meaning "dropping the overall melee power bonus" but what I wrote isn't clear.

Each epic level gives 5, each innate gives 5 for a total of 75 Melee Power.

Sev~

I think aiming for 100 melee power @ 28 (or even at 30) would be a better idea.

changes:
lvl 20 doesn't count, the increase in availabe epic gear/items is plenty of boost.
21-28 provide 5/level for a total of 40
Certain ED's will still provide 10/core, giving you 60 total.
Blitz provides 15/stack, for 150 @10 stacks.

This also helps non-28's lvling w/ blitz.

[Xaxx]

Yes.

Sev~

congrats on trying to make everything viable but giving into the crying of a few people about waaah blitz and making blitz the most important again.

Oh and your own internal testing... uhuh... 3 days later NOW your internal testing says reduce the numbers by half.... sorry I dont buy that one at all.. no one drops that info and then 3 days later goes oh wait now our testing shows we need to half it..... if you think most of us buy that, then do you have a big island some where in new york to sell us to????

[Bridge_Dweller]

. . .then do you have a big island some where in new york to sell us to????

Didn't that get wiped out by a Sharknado?

But I agree, caving in to the Blitz whiners was a bad call.

[LrdSlvrhnd]

Reduced. Sorry. I said dropping meaning "dropping the overall melee power bonus" but what I wrote isn't clear.

Each epic level gives 5, each innate gives 5 for a total of 75 Melee Power.

Sev~

So instead of improving *everyone* in melee while still letting Blitz reign supreme - just not by as much - you're making it so that 1) it's even easier to Blitz, and 2) non-Blitzers still aren't even in shouting distance.

So basically you're shoe-horning everyone back into Blitz? Yeah, still not gonna ever Blitz, thanks. All you've done is pushed me back to being irrelevant. And this from a primarily melee-oriented player. Who feels like he just got kicked 'tween the legs by a Blitzer. Wearing Spiked Boots.

[R1ncewind]

While we are it, can any DEV take a look at the Attack delay of Adrenaline? its like a 3 to 4 hits time missing, while there is 0 delay for ranged attack with adrenaline...
Just saying...

[Coldin]

Based on player feedback and our own internal testing:

We are reducing the bonus to melee power from the Epic Destiny innate abilities and epic levels. We bumped up Master's Blitz a bit. With the changes to Master's Blitz it is now effective against long boss fights and it is much easier for multiple melees to all have it running.

Sev~

So...everyone will still be blitzing because it will provide over double the melee power from epic levels and destiny cores combined. And all the people complaining about blitzing being nerfed really just ended up being nerfed even more by this change.

I don't really understand this change around, as I don't feel it suits the goal of the original change anymore. LD will still be top DPS, especially with Blitzing being easier.

[Qhualor]

Based on player feedback and our own internal testing:

We are reducing the bonus to melee power from the Epic Destiny innate abilities and epic levels. We bumped up Master's Blitz a bit. With the changes to Master's Blitz it is now effective against long boss fights and it is much easier for multiple melees to all have it running.

Sev~

So the devs tested a variety of builds with and without Blitz right after you tell us about this proposed change and decide to back pedal BEFORE players could test it for themselves on Lamania? Melee power is brand new to us and all we have access to for data are the numbers you present to us.

Sorry, but no. This is giving in to players crying Blitz nerf without seeing for themselves if its good or bad. As always when the game suggests changes, people directly affected will be the loudest screaming nerf. I suggest actually testing before presenting suggestions from the devs to avoid this kind of drama in the future.

[maddmatt70]

Yes.

Sev~

I think Blitz should be removed personally and a more party friendly epic moment put in. I said this when Blitz was previewed 4 years ago and I say this now. It is not party friendly and it is about E-peen. I see no reason why you changed Blitz back a bit here. It still will be the most popular melee epic destiny from what I can tell other then divine crusader. Primal Avater, Fury for melee, shadowdancer, grandmaster all will be second fiddle.