Server hotfix notes 06/08/2018

[Bozzax]

Why did you add dodge strikethrough to it? (Cant rly stack ini to signifficant levels plus all prdps have great tactics already)

My .2€ on this is that you really should look at reducing the avoidance gain from stats again instead of this dps must have band aid. (Tested as melee and caster).

[Hat]

The new True Strike cost is way, way too much for too little gain and honestly the problem has ALWAYS been how Deft Defender is practically an auto pick for every single class in the game since Resolute Defence + Cleansing Wounds were removed from RoR. 20 points of RR investment for huge gains in defence? It's a complete no-brainer.

If your goal is to make caster classes enjoyable (because they certainly haven't been ever since the changes to disrupt/willpower were pushed last year) then something has to change with both Deft Defender (nerfed heavily or made to cost a LOT more) and how insane the +disrupt gains healers get from willpower.

Also, the proposal I saw a while back of giving caster staffs a flat 10% disrupt strikethrough also seemed like a great idea, why wasn't that pushed?

[Renork]

[Abilities]
- Detaunts now reduce the damage of any of your effects on detaunted targets by the detaunt's reduction value.
- The Close Combat tactic now correctly triggers on single target melee ability damage rather than all melee ability damage.

Slayer/Choppa
- Retribution and Bring It On now correctly scale with rage.

Witch Hunter/Witch Elf
- Stealth now correctly has a chance to break when attacked rather than when receiving any damage.

[Renown]
- Backend work on sending renown packages from the trainer correctly.

True Strike
- Costs modified to be in line with crit abilities (5, 10, 15, 15) = 45 total.
Enough people seemed to think TS was an excessive addition that I'll make this tweak, but we will now see how things go.

[Scenarios]
- Fixed the bonus experience gain mentioned in the last patch and increased the value. Scenario XP gain formula is now TeamScore * Math.Pow(Tier, 1.67) * ScenarioSpecificRewardScale instead of TeamScore * Tier * ScenarioSpecificRewardScale. This means 2.5x more win XP in Tier 4.

The renown investment is not worth it when someone can counter invest for 20 RA points. Deft Defender should also be increased to 5 10 15 15 = 45 total, no? Why not just make it a disrupt strike through and minimize it to specific classes that do not have access to disrupt strike through?

[GodlessCrom]

I wouldn't mind seeing some actual data on how often you dudes are getting disrupted, and versus which targets. If you make deft defender a wash with true strike, its pointless to spec into deft defender because the equivalent investment in true strike, plus the strikethrough they gain from gear and Int, will mean everyone except high willpower healers and SnB tanks with Hold the Line! up will essentially have 0-5% disrupt chance. This on top of the fact that Magus, BW, and Sorc can already crit for 2k+ with a single ability, from range, hitting against resists that softcap at 40% damage reduction (and are easily debuffed by the classes that hit against said resists).

When ranged dps can just delete you without any chance to swing back or counterplay, it makes the game pretty damn boring. They've all already received a massive buff (un-nerf, maybe, but still) with the (rightful) reversion of the dot defense-on-tick changes.

So if someone could do some testing, that would be cool.

[Aurandilaz]

I'm still not sure if there should be Parry or Dodge strikethrough renown ability, because of various in-game abilities covering these areas.
Not to mention most mdps classes hover easily at 900-1000 STR, and due to being in close combat also all the time seek to hit enemy from behind for various flanking etc related bonuses or skills requiring enemy rear to fire.
Then you have pierce defences for phys rdps classes, -15% to enemy Dodge/Block/Parry (not Disrupt!) - and abilities like BG Furious Howl -10% Block/Parry. Not to forget that Dodge is countered by Initiative, which for most classes hovers in 200-400 range max, would be interesting to see someone get over 500 of that. Meanwhile Willpower, which is healers mainstat is commonly hovering between 600-900, even higher if so geared. Weaponskill giving parry, well some mdps get lot of it, others do not due to various mechanics acting as substitutes for high WS when it comes to dealing with enemy armor stacking.

Past months (or year), I've at least personally hardly had issues with permanent Parrying; since you always seek enemy back in first place, and stick as well as you can behind them - getting parried is thus issue of suboptimal positioning. Ofc some defensive specced mdps provide issues but that is if their whole spec is based on being high parry duelist build, you learn to avoid RiposteFTW players.

For Dodge I cannot say much due to not playing SW/SH much, but when you look at numbers like having -25% dodge to enemy from abilities/tactics stacking, and then add maybe 800-900 BS hitting against enemy with 300 Initiative... should be hardly an issue compared to 1000 Int caster facing 800 Willpower healer (and complete lack of Disrupt lowering abilities apart from few tiny Willlpower debuffs the game has).

So now we are back to a situation where 20 renown invested in Disrupt/Dodge is the way to go, and you need to be +45 to get best possible odds of landing magic dmg on target... I don't see any mdps investing 45 points to avoid getting parried nor SW/SHs going for max True Strike, but as caster I just don't feel there is much choice if I want my spells to display something apart from Disrupt Disrupt Disrupt. (when targeting high defence targets and any healer...)

[Qwack]

This detaunt change is turning out to be a significant nerf for Hybrid-LIfetap style Shammies/AMs. It weakens heals to the point of making Detaunt unusable. This puts the Hybrid style in peril. Unlike a healer which can Detaunt and Heal, the Hybrid style has to decide to do one or the other, but not both.

[dur3al]

The new True Strike cost is way, way too much for too little gain and honestly the problem has ALWAYS been how Deft Defender is practically an auto pick for every single class in the game since Resolute Defence + Cleansing Wounds were removed from RoR. 20 points of RR investment for huge gains in defence? It's a complete no-brainer.

If your goal is to make caster classes enjoyable (because they certainly haven't been ever since the changes to disrupt/willpower were pushed last year) then something has to change with both Deft Defender (nerfed heavily or made to cost a LOT more) and how insane the +disrupt gains healers get from willpower.

Also, the proposal I saw a while back of giving caster staffs a flat 10% disrupt strikethrough also seemed like a great idea, why wasn't that pushed?

Just quoting for truth and letting it sink in.

My opinion, which I'm sure 95% of people disagree with, is to just make the old renown abilities available, but at a higher price and in a way where if you get RD, you can't get CW or QE - so that way you can still beef up your play-style but not to be overall OP by having all of them if you're high rr and also making DD less of usable in full capacity for most players etc.

[Bozzax]

I'm still not sure if there should be Parry or Dodge strikethrough renown ability, because of various in-game abilities covering these areas.
Not to mention most mdps classes hover easily at 900-1000 STR, and due to being in close combat also all the time seek to hit enemy from behind for various flanking etc related bonuses or skills requiring enemy rear to fire.

Both slayers, choppas and SWs (possibly BOs, kniggs) can hit 0.8-1k mark of weapon skill. They will parry a lot if they are strafing you like a pro. Most other classes will never reach those lvls afaik

Lifetaps maxing willpower and getting both attack power and high disrupts is another problem with sh/am imo.

Not to mention armor tallies + willpower stacking wps with 10% disrupt and +20% heals tactics. Dok to some extent but no way near as extreme.

[Aurandilaz]

I'd prefer; having the 20 renown point True Strike from weekend, but make it only work against Disrupt, as often Parry is just a situational issue and against Dodge you can already get high strikethrough from pierce defences + enemy usually having only meagre Initiative providing Dodge

but
on the other hand
rework all existing racial resistance buffs (6 of them granting about 250 of specific resis) into giving 250 of the old main resis and as well 200 of the two other resistance, e.g 250 spiri 200 ele 200 corp resis tactic. Yes, it would cost a whole tactic slot, maybe you don't need it if you running with a Kotb/Chosen aura or Am/Shaman buffs, but maybe it might help players otherwise, say you see your enemies have 5-8 magic dps in sc and now you realize "aha I got that resis tactic, time to switch it on". (similarly how the new mdps tactic is very meh for players with normal party and Guard/Challenges, this would mostly just aid pugs otherwise lacking resistances)

and

raises resistance softcap from about 40? to ~50. Or even 55 for new "hard" cap. Meaning if you want to specialize in lessening incoming magical dmg, the barrier isn't somewhere at 42 but you can now get even more of it mitigated.

[Renork]

I wouldn't mind seeing some actual data on how often you dudes are getting disrupted, and versus which targets. If you make deft defender a wash with true strike, its pointless to spec into deft defender because the equivalent investment in true strike, plus the strikethrough they gain from gear and Int, will mean everyone except high willpower healers and SnB tanks with Hold the Line! up will essentially have 0-5% disrupt chance. This on top of the fact that Magus, BW, and Sorc can already crit for 2k+ with a single ability, from range, hitting against resists that softcap at 40% damage reduction (and are easily debuffed by the classes that hit against said resists).

When ranged dps can just delete you without any chance to swing back or counterplay, it makes the game pretty damn boring. They've all already received a massive buff (un-nerf, maybe, but still) with the (rightful) reversion of the dot defense-on-tick changes.

So if someone could do some testing, that would be cool.

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