Hi Aethilmar and everyone reading this,
RR 83 2h deftard SM otp here.
I tried to make a case in a constructive manner about 2h SM being butchered after the 5s cd added to WODS but my post was met with resistance from one of my "biased fans", won't get more into this because it's not related to this topic and I won't wash my laundry in public.
I have uploaded my post from discord in the form of some screenshots to see the progress I got with that post from gameplay-advice channel. If you feel that you want to add something constructive to it, instead of shutting me down on everything I say or write, please do reach the gameplay-advice channel in ROR official discord and leave your input there because I will be deleting my discord account soon.
Here is the link with my post from gameplay-advice:
https://imgur.com/a/oOjG7sn
Also, I posted a bug report some time ago about WODS being interrupted by random dmg (excluding interrupt skills or taunt) and here is where the 5s cd proves detrimental and is butchering the class. I think it's fair to get interrupted by taunt or that the enemy might position behind you to avoid your parry, as this is strongly related to game knowledge and positioning but this random dmg interrupt of WODS is simply unfair.
I want thus to raise awareness of the bug that I have submitted, if you have felt that way too, please feel free to add a note to the bug:
https://bugs.returnofreckoning.com/view.php?id=21953
I will re-post here what I posted in one of the notes from that bug:
"In the recent patch, WODS underwent a change, introducing a 5s cooldown. While one might argue that this cooldown aims to "counter" the WODS ability, the real issue lies in the ability's malfunction. Any damage, not just taunt interrupts, can disrupt WODS, impacting the Swordmaster's survival in large-scale fights due to the 5s cooldown required for reuse. I'm not talking about an animation disrupt, the ability itself gets interrupted completely.
Additionally, Whispering Wind's cooldown was recently increased by 50%, now at 30s instead of the previous 20s. Some may suggest using Winds to mitigate the 5s cooldown on WODS, but timing Winds is crucial for team support, not just for personal use to bypass WODS cooldown after random damage interruptions.
While classic counterplays involving taunting or attacking from behind require skill and positioning, being interrupted by random damage feels unfair, especially considering the recent 5s cooldown on WODS. This cooldown becomes a significant drawback, severely impacting the 2h SM's survivability in situations where it is crucial. It's worth noting that a 2h SM inherently possesses less durability than an SnB one, making any means to boost parry temporarily without interruptions during the channel highly desirable.
In summary, WODS plays a crucial role in short-term survival during large-scale fights, helping to mitigate guard damage or MDPS AoE balls that are causing critical-mass. While I understand and accept the addition of a 5s cooldown to the skill, what concerns me as unfair is the fact that virtually anything can interrupt WODS during the channel when executed on-the-move."