So I had written up a masterpiece of thought on this subject and then when I went to post it, it disappeared. So sad.
I'll try to recreate it as best I can though!
The problem with the DPS WP is in consistency and role in PVP play. Currently, DPS WP are only viable for play in small scale engagements - 10 players per side or less. Beyond that number of people you get focused by 4-10+ DPS classes immediately following a knockdown and you die instantly. Perhaps the same can be said for Slayers and White Lions. I know I've seen it happen when I've been in Salvation Spec. So what's the real issue?
In 6v6 play the DPS WP can shine. I say "can" because it's not always a certainty. The skill cap for the class is extremely high and the Action Economy is TERRIBLE. When I go Wrath spec I have a rotation of 8-10 abilities that I use depending on the situation. It takes me around 10-14 seconds depending on if I channel Divine Assault (and I better be or I'm dead) to do anything significant in the fight usually. I'm pretty sure a Choppa has to press 1-3 buttons... There's just a lot to do even within the first 4 seconds of battle to ensure I'm effective (Smite as I run in, Sigmar's Vision, Sigmar's Fist, Absence of Faith, Bludgeon, Hammer of Sigmar would be a bare minimum if it's an ideal 1v1).
The real issue is that the DPS WP, in the hands of Highly geared out and skilled players is very nearly a 1v1 king/queen. Any major buff would ruin the balance, especially for 6v6 competitive play. How can we accomplish that? As much as I want the DPS WP to be an OP OP beast that destroys everything 1v20, I also know this isn't realistic. And as a Dungeon Master, the idea of balance is important to me.
Weaknesses
- Action Economy
---- Also applies to Tactic Economy. For DPS WP we have very specific must haves for tactics. As such, things like Endless Guilt NEVER get used.
- Mirror Imbalance: DoK Utility
---- DoK has the tactic to apply Anti-heal on Crit (Curse of Khaine) vs. having to use an ability. This helps their action economy, but it also means they can apply anti-heal to 10+ people via High crit chance and Essence Lash! With both abilities having the same cooldown, you could potentially keep an enemy team permanently anti-healed with ONE ability usage. OP OP OP
---- DoK's Covenant of Celerity not only applies damage, but applies a Cripple effect to assist their other abilities AND a 20% slow. Anyone in their party can now slow enemies with any attack. WHUT?!
---- DoK's Covenant of Vitality applies damage as a Lifetap proc for your party? This means two DoK's in the same party can increase the party damage by 250 (base) PLUS give the party utility unseen elsewhere.
---- DoK's Morale 2, Khaine's Withdrawal, is an awesome ability unseen by any other class. But isn't a DoK about APPLYING curses/cripples? Why are they the Super-Cleanser???
- DPS WP is a very MAD Class (Multiple Attribute Dependent)
---- NEED 800+ STR, 400+ WS, ~800 WND, ~250 INIT, Crit Hit Chance, PLUS Armor (Tali management is eww... RR Management focuses on Crit/Anti-Crit)
---- Creates a spec that is only "viable" at RR70+ and in Bloodlord or better
------ Spec is fun in T1/T2, just not in T3/4 until that late late point
- Survivability
---- Our self heal is unreliable as it gets parried/blocked/dodged so much and the damage that does get through is mitigated enough that we often still die. A 2H Chosen can kill a DPS WP no problem if in Invader/Oppressor gear!
- No initiation to the fight (unless you use FLEE and then an AP Potion)
- Easily held in place or neutralized via abundant enemy CC
---- I can't count the amount of times I've been rooted/slowed, then staggered, then knocked down, then silenced, then punted, and finally died in mid-air... But I suppose that's everyone?
- Tactics choices
---- Wrath WP is stuck choosing 4 tactics to make them viable and one of those tactics is only a minor help (Hastened Divinity). Tactics like Endless Guilt just don't get used.
(pretty sure I had others on my original write-up, but this is good for now)
Strengths
- Fun if you don't die immediately
- Human so you look cool and not like a goofy Elf
- You get to wield a big hammer which looks cool
- You can hit like a truck with said hammer provided you have very good gear and don't die immediately (Armor pen ability + Spirit damage)
- Lots of utility is brought to the fight by DPS WP that is hard to find other places on Order (Slow, Silence, Anti-heal, Purge, Heals, and Buffs in one package)
(this is the same as my other write-up. A lot easier to remember a small list
)
So what to do about this spec?
I know the DoK and WP are supposed to be NEAR mirrors of each other, but what's the focus of each? Is it supposed to be in line with the Lore? More Curse/damage vs. more Healing/cleansing?
Question: Is the extra utility that the DoK gets such as a tactic for built in anti-heal on crit or Slows and life-tap procs on prayers better than the additional 25 damage or 75 healing? Answer: that was a rhetorical question. Of course the utility is better!
If the intent is to make the class a DPS MONSTER, then let's do that! If I'm going to run into battle and die in 4 seconds, at least let me get off 4k damage in that 4 seconds. One way to do this is to increase the damage specific to the Wrath tree. Make a few more of the Wrath skills require 2H-Hammers and then increase ability scaling AND base damage on those skills. This helps avoid any possible Grace abuse and helps the DPS of a true Wrath WP. Something in line with the Marauder buff would be fine as a start I'm sure.
If the intent was to make the class a frontline Holy Crusader who brings the Word of Sigmar to their allies and Fury of Sigmar to their enemies, then let's add some flavor there. There are opportunities to provide things similar, but opposite, to what the DoK has in terms of team utility without making the solo Wrath WP an invincible juggernaut. Things that will assist the Action Economy of the class as well.
- Prayer of Righteousness change: "Any time one of your groupmates within 100ft hits an enemy, there is a 20% chance that they will deal an additional 125 Spirit damage (base) and remove one Curse or Hex from themselves."
---- This fits the idea that their faith in Sigmar is their holy shield and their Righteousness is not only fueling their fury but protecting them from evil as well! **This is possibly my favorite Idea so far**
- Maybe make Prayer of Devotion grant the cleanse instead? After all, healing and purifying go hand in hand. Then make Prayer of Righteousness restore 10AP to allies on hits. AP is a big problem for Wrath Spec, so this would benefit them greatly. Almost no one uses Relentless Assault M2 anyway, so this would be helpful to the whole of Order and moderately counter all the AP drain that Destro has. By the way, DoK has a tactic that makes their Consume Strength drain 50 AP from a target in addition to the 50 STR drain (base) …
---- This cleansing ability may make the Tactic "Cleansing Power" obsolete. Perhaps it would be better to give Prayer of Righteousness a 20% speed boost to all party members within 100ft? Or a speed boost on Hit? This would balance the slow the DoK has.
------ Everyone has already talked about Unstoppable Wrath getting a speed buff already. This would solve that problem near-perfectly.
- Could get rid of Hastened Divinity and give Prayer of Righteousness the speed buff proc instead. Would help with some tactic options.
A Guilty Soul Change like everyone has been talking about could be beneficial to assisting in survivability of the WP, even when Knocked down for 12 million seconds or rapid fire punted/pulled as seems to be the norm. You ever been punted, then immediately punted again by a Squig Herder, then Pulled by a Choppa pull? I feel like a damned pinball bouncing around everywhere... Adding healing to Guilty Soul is more in line with what the THEME of the class "seems" to be (more healing than DoK vs More Damage). But I worry that it could overshadow Prayer of Devotion or become too powerful when combined with it. What to do?!
- Guilty Soul change: "Any time you critically hit with a direct damage ability in the Path of Wrath, you will regain 150 health (base) over 9 seconds and gain a blessing which increases your Path of Wrath abilities by 5%. The blessing and healing effects stack up to 4 times and refresh duration after each critical hit."
---- If the healing maxed at 300 then that would be 1200 over 9 seconds. That doesn't sound like a lot of healing but it is when combined with everything else. It can be debuffed by anti-heal, so it wouldn't be unstoppable.
---- Overall damage will go down, but survivability would (should) go up. This would make many people happy. I have mixed feelings about such a change... the current guilty soul is a lot of damage to give up.
I'm not even going to talk about Morale 4's because no one even uses them. They take too long to get to and have so little actual impact it's silly. Divine Amazement Seems like the only one that MIGHT be good. Go Grace Spec!! WOOOO!!!
---- P.S. - I just saw the shield changes yesterday and I really like the new looks. Thanks! Too bad I have not once used them.
If the intent is to not change anything and leave it how it is, leaving one-third of a class option fairly unused and underpowered, then can we at least make the mirror version the same and nerf one-third of their class also? I'd much rather just even the score than nerf. Nobody likes nerfs except your enemies. But balanced buffs are exciting!