Overarching balance changes

[roadkillrobin]

The sugested change to guard would mean that it would give any chance a decent pug tank and mdps have to even fight a premade would be thrown away. First they will knock the tank away, and if by any miracle the mdps survive the punt time they will knock the tank down and finnish the job. We're talking 7-10 seconds were mdps will be unguarded. Its just gonna give premades more advantages over pugs. As they can cordinate this much much better.

[Landaren]

So just leave it as is because it wont matter.

Please don't nerf my OP ability so I actually have to play the game with some level of awareness, not just follow along full deftard snare bot soaking up damage for free.

If we arent going to make meaningful changes that enhance game play, then the team should have left this game in the graveyard.

[th3gatekeeper]

I am not saying get rid of guard, I am suggesting to put in direct hard counters for it, make is have draw backs, and or more limitations. I believe small tweaks can bring this into line, no need to gut the skill. Personally I would lean towards the mitigation and avoidance of damage it grants.

Guard is one of the coolest skills in game, I just feel and I don't believe I am alone in thinking this, that it needs to be brought under serious consideration for change. Even in live there was talk of changing the way guard worked, before it all went to hell.

I was refraining from this entire thread until I saw you guys all talking about Guard. This, to me, is one of the coolest but biggest issues with the game. I may take a different perspective than others, but I see a few who I think, think along the same lines as I do.

Guard is too critical, arguably the most important skill in the game but there is zero "in game" support for guard. There are no 'animation tells' to SEE if someone is guarded, you have to pick out the buff animation, then locate the possible tank that is guarding them to then see if in range or not etc. Its all a pure guessing game half the time. Also when playing in many groups, you get players who DONT coordinate guard and many players dont even realize if they are inside or outside guard range.

For being such a crucial part of play, I have always been so frustrated at the lack of support, animation, etc this game offers towards guard AND the amount of coordination it takes to use guard. It basically REQUIRES addons as well as external voice ability to us. When you compare a coordinated group to PUGs. The two biggest advantages they have are guard and assisting - neither of which are really supported well in game.

Anyways, ive posted on it before, but if you want this game to appeal to more players there is a "tight unwillingness" it seems to me, to alleviate the REQUIREMENT to play with a full group of people. Many players (like myself) often get discouraged in playing competitively because they cant get a full group together.

I get it, WAR is balance surrounding classes working together, its VERY unfriendly to the solo player or the duo players who get on to get in a warband or SCs, but this is also why it struggles with population issues. People dont want to feel forced to have to get premade groups together and coordinate times to play just so they have a fighting chance.

I voted for a guard rework because frankly its the strongest ability in the game that requires too much external support and communication for casual or even semi-casual players to be able to use where as it completely tips the scale in favor of the premade team who can use it easily to the best of their ability.

I have offered suggestions in the past of things like - creating a permanent animation while guard is actually APPLYING to the target so you can SEE when you are hitting someone with guard or not, or when you punt someone away. Or other ideas (that prove not to be feasible) such as a "total guarded damage" meter at the end of SCs to promote guarding.

I know another game "Neverwinter" made its "guard (called Knights Valor) work for any ally in the party within X range. So rather than guard applying to just 1 person it was like an AoE damage split - this forced tanks to ALL go defensive considering they would soak up a TON of damage. I dont think this is the best option either as AoE would eat them for breakfast.... In Neverwinter it also has a very distinct animation so you can visually see when you hit a target that a portion of the damage actually goes to the tank. So you know your hitting a guarded target.

But I do think something needs to be done for guard. I think it should try and accomplish the following:
1) Be much easier to use for all players effectively.
2) Provide a meaningful selfish benefit of sorts - currently its a pure selfless skill.
3) Create visual cues that tell you when its working or not working.

This will promote team play and lessen the "gap" between the 2-2-2 premade groups and other groups... Which is what this game needs to appeal to a larger audience.

[Jaycub]

Making it more obvious to players that a target is under the effect of guard would be a great change imo. I think this is an example of a change that helps pugs without effecting premades.

[roadkillrobin]

Well it helps everyone, but I like the idea, maybe some kinda glow effect when tank and guard are whitin range of each other. Grey for Choen. Purple for BG, Green from BO, White SM, Yellow from KOTBS and Blue from IB.

[th3gatekeeper]

Making it more obvious to players that a target is under the effect of guard would be a great change imo. I think this is an example of a change that helps pugs without effecting premades.

Yeah this would be a huge QOL improvement, and has far reaching ramifications as well as you can legitimately yell at tanks who do NOT have this animation on them as it will be obvious if they are not guarding someone. Thats atleast how I envisioned this working, is the "animation" would appear on both the guard-ee and the guarded person to show the relationship there.

That animation should also not be visible if they are too far apart to split damage. Also, it would be great if the "buff" icon of guard didnt show on the tank and guard-ee if they are not actually in range of guard. I also think there should be some sort of selfish benefit to guard as well as that will, even further, promote people to want to make sure they are guarding and being in guard. While that may not be 'necessary' and better to do baby steps first with the animation side of things, I do think promoting a selfish benefit to guard would get more people guarding and in theory reduce the "gap" between full premades versus other groups. I am so sick of seeing 2H tanks who dont guard anyone, or even SnB tanks who throw guard on a MDPS but then dont stay in range and do their own thing.... After taking a break from my beloved tank classes to try a MDPS for fun, I realized how big of an issue that really is....

[Tankbeardz]

So just leave it as is because it wont matter.

Please don't nerf my OP ability so I actually have to play the game with some level of awareness, not just follow along full deftard snare bot soaking up damage for free.

If we arent going to make meaningful changes that enhance game play, then the team should have left this game in the graveyard.

Read back a few pages for suggestions. Thanks.

[Penril]

All you need to do to notice if a tank from your realm is guarding someone is to click on them. All you need to do to notice if an enemy is being guarded is to check his buffs, or use an addon that immediately tells you.

Seriously, I have always hated when people ask devs to fix something that they can fix themselves.

[Jaycub]

You need to be using buffhead to do that reliably, you'd be surprised how many people don't. And of those that do, you need to put in all the ability codes for guard?

Also this could go a ways to encourage pugs to actually use the mechanic, instead of playing "Tank: A MDPS adventure!"

[Penril]

You need to be using buffhead to do that reliably, you'd be surprised how many people don't. And of those that do, you need to put in all the ability codes for guard?

Also this could go a ways to encourage pugs to actually use the mechanic, instead of playing "Tank: A MDPS adventure!"

You only need to add 2 (Guard and Save Da Runts).

How is that gonna encourage tanks to use the mechanic? You think they will care if people yell at them for not guarding someone?