wargrimnir wrote:They will likely become active abilities with different uses based on your target and buff/debuff uses.
With all due respect, this would really kill my desire to play the class. When I think "Mechanic" I dont think "active ability GCDs" that was one of the problems with Twisting. I frankly think you guys are leaning too far to the side of "creative" and forgetting the FUN factor. To put it simply, I think you are over thinking it and its going to make this less fun in the end... Its like what Biotek said below:
biotek wrote:
I'm not a fan of the system on the drawing board at the moment. It doesn't match up with the class concept and it completely changes positional requirements, etc. of the chosen or kotbs and their groups.
biotek wrote:
The first major problem, in my opinion, is stacking auras. Only the strongest of any specific aura should have any effect and the icons for the weaker versions shouldn't show as buffs/debuffs.
This is already the case. Only the strongest of the auras applies. I think what you are referring to is just a visual buff, but auras do NOT stack. The reason people talk about "stacking auras" isnt the same aura but you grab 2 Chosen or 2 Knights and you can run 6 full time active auras that buff AND debuff the targets without any management, downtime, etc. Which is just flat out better than anything the other tanks bring to the table.
I may differ in the "direction" of this game the DEVs want to take, but my personal opinion is this game is already very "spammy" with significant GCD management. I have been working on a BG proposal, but if this is the direction you want to take classes - more GCDs - then my proposal will not be seen as attractive.
When I count all the "active abilities" (not including guard, flee, throw, OR Mastery abilities) I get 18 active abilities you are cycling through.... So add maybe 3 mastery abilities, some guard swapping, etc. And make auras "castable" like you want... you are building like a 30 second "full ability" rotation. Which I know the response - you are supposed to choose not have it all. I propose you already have this though. Things like guard swapping, taunt, challenge, snare, repel, suppression(chosen), Sever Blessing etc. are all VERY active skills. I could build probably an entire rotation just on ~8 abilities (guesstimate) that doesnt leave much room for some of the other ones....
IDK, maybe its just who I am, but I see and like some of the "trend" in the gaming industry ATM where they are focusing on less sheer # of abilities but more "timing" required behind them.... So its easy to pick up and play, but difficult to truly master.
This was my inspiration behind the idea I proposed - Tying auras into the abilities in their own tree.
So Dreadful Agony + Dreaful Fear only procced if you hit a target with: Cleave, or Suppression, or Tooth, or Withering Blow, Rending, or relentless.
So now you DO have to build in atleast 1 or 2 of these abilities into a rotation and manage the uptime... But it doesnt require MORE GCDs, merely just the TIMING of those GCDs.
Same with Path of Corruption, in order to proc Wrath or Retribution you need to use Repel, Enraged, Dizzying, Bane Shield, Downfall, or Oppression. I would envision moves LIKE Bane Shield would merely be an "On Use" proc of the aura.
Heck, even dropping these auras down to 50 feet for the buff side of things, or even 30 feet would still be more FUN - require less GCD consumption, but still VERY active management.
thats just my take on it all, and I hope you guys are not set in stone on this direction because it really seems not appealing to me at all..