Air Shield users

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Barugon, Dec 2, 2020.

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  1. Cora Cuz'avich

    Cora Cuz'avich Avatar

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    ....aaaaand QA patch failed, now going 0->1168. :rolleyes:
     
  2. Cora Cuz'avich

    Cora Cuz'avich Avatar

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    Depends on how you define mid-level, I suppose. I think it's probably more fair to say mid-level endgame players.

    Regardless, I have no reason to believe it will end here. Some player in the 150s with 500 dex will still be soloing all the content with an air/tactics build after this happens, and other players will complain, and Chris will nerf it again. And again.

    I'm not even mad anymore. Just resigned. I'd rather figure out a crap archer build that won't be able to go anywhere near Episode 2 content until I hit level 140 in three years than spend the last two weeks of every month forever wondering how bad the new release is going to be for me. Instead of being excited for the new content.
     
  3. FrostII

    FrostII Bug Hunter

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    Um.... ok Violet....
     
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  4. Violet Ronso

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    I would define mid level to be 80-120.

    With the recent changes to loot, there is no reason to need to be able to kill those top level bosses solo, as you can get artifacts from way lower mobs now, and the loot was made better. I've went back to T5-T10 scenes and have been spending my time there a lot. In just over a week and a half, I have a bunch of artifacts, most that I don't need, but plan to trade with other players.

    Coswald streamed with a new toon today, got 4 artifacts in 35 minutes after creating his character.

    While they made late game content less achievable, they also made early and mid game much more rewarding, insanely more rewarding, and if you stop and look at those things, you might actually enjoy the game a bit more rather than chasing what is no longer required for good loot.

    If last patches loot change didn't happen, maybe this change would be too much (doubt I would consider it too much and yet 90% of my survivability relies on a non air spec air shield), but with the loot change, I think being pushed back a bit is no problem at all.
     
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  5. Cora Cuz'avich

    Cora Cuz'avich Avatar

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    It's less about loot than about doing new stuff. I don't need to kill any certain specific mob or boss or get artifacts, but I've done everything else so many times the only things left of interest are new content, and content I haven't previously been able to do. My complaints about nerfs have never been about losing power in and of itself, it's losing access to content I've already struggled to get to. It was fun as hell figuring out how to best the clockwork dragon. It was kinda fun figuring it out the second time. Now it's back to killing me most of the time. Except now, I have no desire to figure it out a third time. Sure, I can tweak things, make some changes, grind out a set of epic bandit armor (though, that's getting nerfed next release as well) and maybe get that content back in a month or two. (Or six.) But only so many times- eventually, there will be no more changes left to make, outside of dropping the build entirely and playing whatever the flavor of the month is. Or sitting motionless in ERG or whatever the new xp party scene is for months and months.

    If this had been about three years ago, it would indeed be pretty awesome. That's not to say it isn't now, but aside from a few really tough to get things, finding artis hasn't been that tough for a while. Admittedly, if Elgarion continues rolling out changes and improvements to crafting, that will give me something new to do, for a while. Eventually, though, I'm gonna want to go out and kill stuff again, an it'll be back to, "yay, the mage room for the eight bombillionth time." (Actually, I haven't done the mage room since the last nerf; though I don't think that will be out of my reach yet.)

    And eventually, those new scenes are going to have a story. I'd like to be able to play through it when (if) that happens.
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2021
  6. Barugon

    Barugon Avatar

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    Good luck.
     
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  7. Cora Cuz'avich

    Cora Cuz'avich Avatar

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    I wish we had a luck stat.

    No, scratch that. The way SotA math works, no one would ever crit again if they implemented an actual luck mechanic...
     
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  8. FrostII

    FrostII Bug Hunter

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    That's exactly what will happen with this huge SoA nerf.
    I don't think Chris has thought this through enough, personally.
     
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  9. Vero

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    I like the idea of demaons using chaos magic like Torpid Torment if it could be partly resisted by us. Let's say a high tiered deamon could TT away only a few 0-x points of a shield.
    say you run around with 0.5 shield, deamon hits you with an TT and your shield gets lets powerfull (rather then completely removing it)

    would love this in pvp aswel :)

    party lower power of shield
     
  10. FBohler

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    Then continuously lose focus because it's uncomfortably hot.
    Water magic users with cloth armor should get drenched and lose focus as well.
    Oh and don't forget the need to sharpen your blades before fights because they can get dull pretty quickly!

    All of those may make sense, but do they add anything to a gameplay standpoint?
     
  11. Barugon

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    Just to be clear, I wouldn't have a problem with it if it worked like the obsidian cabalist (I forget which one), where you receive damage for using focus but it doesn't affect Shield of Air at all.
     
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  12. Duke Gréagóir

    Duke Gréagóir Legend of the Hearth

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    I know exactly what you mean. When the Bard class came out I suddenly had a DPS mechanism to complement my Taming specialization. You cannot solo all end game content in SotA with just a Taming Specialization and a pet out. Not possible. I was not able to solo end game content with the Bard Spec and Taming Spec but I was able to finally to Cabalists, the barbarians in Ulfheim, and some other lower high level stuff.

    Then the first Bard nerf hit halving everything. Now I could not do the things I suddenly could do. Today with sticking hundreds of millions in Bard and Taming I am now able to do Cabalists again and those barbarians. I can also to Razorback Destroyers so I can get the pieces of tamer artifact gear myself. MYSELF. I used to never be able to kill the Razorback so I have to do lower level areas and just save money for months or sell pledge items (which I always received pennies on the dollar for). Right now I am get the armor I want myself.

    Second Bard nerf is probably coming and then I won't be able to do Cabalists again , nor probably complete my Epic tamer artifact armor. I don't like going backwards just because I am not a fire mage with 400 Att.

    I tried fire and it was way too slow burning to cause any real damage. I found out later that 150 att in fire was not enough and it needed to be a lot higher. Worse case I will have to ditch my taming artie suit and get a high Fire att suit.
     
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  13. Cora Cuz'avich

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    It didn't go well. I gave up when I couldn't even get the Lamech's hard mode blessing, just running in and trying to hit the switches and get back out without engaging. I like that light armor in SotA isn't just heavy armor with a different visual, but it's just too pitiful when you actually do take a hit. Best I could get it to with skills and gear was around 75DR. DR MWs are useless, leather DR is so low that getting +25% results in basically an extra 1.6 DR or less per piece- there is really no reason to take a DR masterwork over a stat buff. DPS was only down maybe 15-20% without air spec, but armor that only knocks 75 points off of 500+ hits just isn't enough to keep you alive against mobs in t10 or higher scenes. With the lower overall dex, I was dodging a lot less, too. I might mess around some more tonight, but I'm not hopeful.
     
  14. FBohler

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    Try the Outskirts, you may be able to solo it.
     
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  15. Krovakin

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    Well I tried SOA on qa and they finally did it.... they broke Shield of air.... if this goes to the live server I am dropping it faster then a hot potato. Not only does it cost a TON of focus to cast now (I had berserker stance on and had to buff it 2 times due to a fail and was at 1/2 focus) but then they also added Torp to mobs and also root removes SOA. So if you are a SOA user you can lose your shield and get 1 - 2 shot while all other shield users cannot lose their shield..... really fair.... and then to top it all off on the qa server I had 560 dex and 170 SOA and was still at 0.4 ratio with 130 air spec and 200+ attunment..... so basically 0.4 is the new 0.2. Not to mention with all the focus increase to all archery skills (and no one else) its almost impossible now to solo ANYTHING as an archer. SOA making it almost useless now because its a constant focus battle now, and heaven forbid its one of the new mobs with torpid to instantly take it away (which will take 1/4 your focus to put back on) and if you don't rebuff fast you'll be 1 or 2 shot. Better to go with earth shield now....

    Just so all the devs are aware this change will mean a few things .... #1 SOA is now going to be a skill like most of the water tree that no one uses. #2 this is very unfair that everything in this game now is targeting SOA and nothing else. #3 no one will use brittle brawn ring anymore once they stop using SOA so another useless artifact that was once good. #4 because of the crit dmg increase from its negative affect most likely no one will use the gambler ring so again another useless artifact.... #5 This makes it very hard to stay alive without SOA in leather armour then good by to all leather wearing archers, because currently leather has horrible survivability without SOA (and I have 130+ dodge modifier buffed), and #6 this is coming from a LONG time player and its this hard for me on the qa server so this change is going to ruin the experience for A LOT of new players if me a 145+ adv lvl player is finding it hard.

    If these changes go live, its the death of SOA. IF you wanted to single it out..... congratulations you did and then some if this sticks.
     
  16. Cora Cuz'avich

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    Yeah. I get that it shouldn't be as good as heavy, but it's too much weaker. I'd have never started using SoA if I could take more than two hits from a boss (or an ep2 mob) in leather armor, even if SoA was categorically better than Leather.
     
  17. Krovakin

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    yes and the fact that torpid can get rid of it in less then a second for almost no focus yet you'll lose 1/4 focus trying to put it back on so 3 torpids and you're OOM and no SOA anyways..... name 1 other shield in this game that can be dispelled..... so unfair. If this goes live most likely myself (and other archers) will drop all light armour completely and become heavy armour archers..... seems the only viable way to stay as an archer without being 1-3 shot...
     
  18. Braunfeltd

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    I don't think it will ruin anything for new players. just means new players will never know what once was :)
     
  19. Xee

    Xee Bug Hunter

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    I may have to take a look with my sun build to see how it will affect my deck vs undead. sounds like it may not work for me any more too based on what I am reading. I dont mind if mobs drop it, but if the cost to recast it is as bad as you say it may not be worth it. will see. I patched up the server will have to go test :)

    ok I just finished testing on QA with my Sun deck which uses Air Shield I see no difference for me, mind you mine is no where near where yours is for level and I for sure dont fight what you fight nor do I solo much with my Sun deck. its more for group play and or basic bosses. Spindle cog would kill me as it always did before. So that said I guess I can keep using it as is for my mage.
     
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2021
  20. Krovakin

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    More like they'll never notice it because it'll be another forgotten useless skill.
     
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