The Issues with Chosen and Knight Auras
Issue 1: No sacrifice/reward balance
In RoR the Chosen or Knight player simply selects 3 auras from those available to him by level or spec, slots these auras, and the group he is playing in receives all the benefits. Once slotted, there is no real management of these auras aside from the occasional swapping of one for another based upon factors like number of magic users in the opposing group or PvE Farming.
What these classes have in RoR is 3 free abilities that cost no AP, require no GCD, and no sacrifice whatsoever to obtain 6 of the 9 auras available with only 3 requiring a 4-point spend in a Skill tree to obtain. These are class defining abilities that place them, on the whole, ahead of other tank classes in terms of their utility to groups.
Issue 2: Utility
Slotting 3 Auras that best match your group composition needs is simply put the “easy street” to utility. This utility and the lack of any sacrifice to gain this utility are one of the aspects that force the changes to auras. With the added utility at no cost, the Knight and Chosen are simply the hands-down favorites. The “Set it and forget it” ease of Auras and the utility they provide are the biggest issues at hand when you consider the benefits the party members gain from them.
Issue 3: Availability
This for me is a huge problem. No other class that I can think of has access to class defining abilities within all 3 trees without having to spend a single point in that tree to obtain them. My point is that a full defensive specced Chosen can still use the Dreadful Agony and Dreadful Fear auras from the Dread Tree even though they have not specialized a single point into that tree. The choices the Knight and Chosen have to fill the gap and facilitate his party in nearly every situation make the 3-free aura system a game breaking design when compared to other tank classes.
Solving the Issue with Knight and Chosen Auras
I believe there are multiple changes that need to be made in combination to create a solution to these issues. I will break these changes down into 6 key changes that, if implemented, will not only bring the use of auras back in line with other tank classes, but also have the side effect of making Guard essential for Chosen and Knights.
Change 1: Separate Aura Rules for PvE versus RvR
I have never heard anyone complain about either class in PvE. As such, I propose that there be two sets of rules regarding Auras.
In making changes to Auras across the board, we must also consider the viability of these classes in PvE as well as balancing for RvR. As such, I would suggest that the core of these changes revolve around an “RvR Flagged or Not RvR Flagged” character disposition. What I mean is that when a player is not flagged for RvR, the current aura system will remain intact. This allows for AoE farming, PvE soloing, and eventually Dungeon play as it was initially designed by the AoR Team. However, when a player is RvR Flagged, these changes are implemented so as to better balance these classes with the other tanks.
As I am not sure if this type of alt-ability usage based upon “flagged or not-flagged” character disposition is even available (like tactics and gear in combat), I will leave it to the development team to consider and respond. I will state that if the proposed changes here are made without consideration to PvE, solo-PvE and AoE Farming for these classes will require costly re-specs.
Change 2: Changing Availability of “Standard” Auras
A “Standard” aura is one that the Chosen or Knight “gets” access to by simply leveling. Each skill tree has two of these auras, and they are roughly mirrors between the two classes with some differences.
I propose that when not flagged for RvR, all of these standard auras, as well as any they have specced for, are available to the Chosen or Knight.
I further propose that when RvR Flagged, the Knight or Chosen only have access to “Standard” auras based upon three factors;
2-handed Weapon Equipped: Equipping a 2-handed weapon and being flagged for RvR would gain the Flagged Chosen or Knight access to the “Standard” auras in the “DPS” tree (Path of Conquest for Knight, Path of Dread for the Chosen), but lose access to the “Standard” auras in the middle “Tanking” tree.
Shield Equipped: A Shield Equipped and RvR Flagged would gain access to the middle or “Tanking” Tree (Path of Conquest for Knight, Path of Corruption for the Chosen) “Standard” Auras, but lose access to the “DPS” tree standard auras. This a Chosen with a Sword and Shield would have access to the Corrupting Retribution and Corrupting Wrath auras, but lose access to the Dreadful fear and Agony auras.
Guard Applied: This third qualifier would require that the Tank in question have guard applied to a valid target in order to have access to the “Standard” auras in what I call the “Guard” tree (Path of Discord for the Chosen and Path of Glory for the Knight)
Simply put, you limit the utility of the classes by limiting the selection of “Standard” auras as determined by gear and guard choice.
As you can see, by limiting the Knight or Chosen that is RvR Flagged to only 2 out of 3 “Standard” Aura Sets based upon weapon type, shield equipped, and if Guard is applied or not, we will have effectively killed two birds with one stone. By defining what “Standard” auras are available in this way we not only further clarify the role of the Knight or Chosen, but eliminate the use of one tree of “Standard” auras. This re-definition of what auras are available forces more of a risk/reward situation upon the player as he or she selects the trees in which to place their points. By making a decision in one tree/weapon type, you eliminate access to the other set of “Standard” auras. By leveraging the Application of Guard for access to the “Guard” tree “Standard” auras, we help to ensure all Chosen and KotBS are using Guard.
Change 3: Limiting the Flagged Knight or Chosen to 2 Active “Standard” Auras, not 3.
As it sits now, 3 “free” auras with no AP cost, no GCD, and no management in RvR, we can all see just how out of line this is with all the other tank classes. I propose that we limit the RvR Flagged Knight or Chosen to two “Standard” auras by limiting the access to these “Standard” auras based upon how the Knight or Chosen is equipped (see Change 2 above). By eliminating the third “Standard” aura, we have taken a huge step towards leveling the playing field for other tanks in RvR. With only access to two auras, it leaves a gap another tank class could fill or replace.
Change 4: Points Spend for Access to Standard Auras in each tree.
By making the Application of Guard mandatory to obtain access to the “Standard” auras in the “Guard” tree, we essentially have made any Knight or Chosen wielding a 2-Handed Weapon choose to use Guard and thereby greatly reduce their Time-to-Kill by adding in guard damage that they cannot block.
In an effort to allow for access to other trees that the flagged Knight or Chosen would not normally have access to I propose we allow access to the “Standard” auras in each tree after a total skill point spend of 10 points in the respective tree. In this way, a Knight or Chosen who wishes to have access to the “Guard” tree “Standard” auras would have to dedicate 10 skill points to obtain them. Once his spec has the required 10 skill points spend, he need not Guard a player, equip a 2-hander, or equip a shield in order to have access to the “Standard” auras in that tree. Conversely, an RvR Flagged Chosen who wants access to the Dreadful Fear aura would have to spend 10 points in the “Dps” tree in order to have access to these “Standard” auras in that tree.
Having access to the “Standard” auras for each tree through a 10 skill point spend allows for players to still create a unique build, but at a cost commensurate with the benefits. This, again, adds to the Sacrifice/reward equation and makes the auras they choose more important because of the cost.
It is important to note that: Having access to all 3 sets of “Standard” auras does not increase the number of active “Standard” auras. It remains at 2 active “Standard” auras. You would have to decide which 2 “standard” auras to run out of the 6 available in this example.
Change 5: Allow a third “Spec” Aura.
The mastery paths of both Chosen and Knight include 1 “Spec” aura each. I propose that if the Knight or Chosen chooses to spend the skill point to learn the “Spec” aura, he or she should be able to have one of these “spec” auras active. This brings the Chosen or Knight back up to 3 active auras (2 “standard” and 1 “Spec” aura) By requiring a point spend to obtain the “Spec” aura, it further clarifies the sacrifice to reward ratio for these classes. As you will see in Change 5 below, based upon the “Activation” requirements, I believe a 3rd “spec” aura is warranted.
Change 6: Activation Requirements
This will probably be the biggest change and have the largest impact upon how the Knight and Chosen stack up against their competition. Currently, once an aura is selected, it is “on” and “Working”. There are no AP costs, no downtime. It's all reward with little to no risk.
I propose that the two “Standard” auras and the “Spec” aura (if available) only be activated when the Chosen defends an attack, lands a critical hit, or is checked for incoming guard damage. Each Tree in the mastery path would have 1 unique aura “trigger” along with a few overlapping aura triggers. This concept was more easily conveyed through a chart that concisely describes each classes “Standard” aura(s) and the “Spec” auras along with what will “Activate” or trigger the aura effect. I have also set an aura duration of 7 seconds. This means if the Knight or Chosen does not have a “trigger” event within the 7 seconds, the aura fades. This is impactful because it leaves party members “unprotected” should the knight or chosen be punted and ignored, thus also changing and multiplying the value of Guard, the rides back to the front in a Scenario, and coming into combat “cold” without active Auras.
Please see the chart below for the overall “Activation” requirements by Tree.
New Aura Chart:
Spoiler:
These are broad and deep changes to the current Aura system. Many of these changes distill the classes of the Knight and the Chosen down to highly specialized roles. As the two best “utility” tanks in the game, it was this utility that needed to be addressed and toned down, as well as increasing the cost of the benefits - the sacrifice to achieve this “utility”. In essence, the power and reach of the class auras remain untouched, I have simply forced the players into making decisions as to how they are going to play the class, and raised the cost of having access to all 3 auras again. With the addition of an activation trigger, it removes the “set it and forget it” aspect to auras, and forces the Knight or Chosen to actively participate in order to have the benefits of his auras. These triggers move Knights and Chosen further down the path of each role in terms of gear, spec, and renown spec in order to maximize the number and consistency of the triggers. By making Guard a part of the equation for these classes, I have made it nearly mandatory for Chosen and Knight players to maintain Guard, while still giving the 10-point spend option for specs that would find guard damage too detrimental to play. It’s not perfect. It needs more work, I’ll agree, but it is a start to a good system in my opinion.