[Review] Guard at Level 5

[Dabbart]

How much parry/block could a lvl1-9 tank create though? Yea, they split damage, but being in range and so little avoidance precludes anyone being "unkillable" no? It's not like you are getting the lvl16 bolster in T4. T1 already goes to 15, so "super parties" are already possible down there, it's just not a big deal, cause T1. And if that tank is guarding a lowbie healer, then they'd only have 1-2 heal spells to choose from anyways.

[dansari]

On the other hand, what Lucca said about unkillable healers is probably what will happen. Can you imagine double guard in t1? Perhaps there's a way to kind of 'level' up guard as the character lvls up, giving it more damage reduction. But this is something else to think about I guess.

You can already have two level 10+ tanks guarding 1 healer in T1 and it hasn't been an issue so far.

[peterthepan3]

Don't people get abuse regardless of the archetype they play, or the abilities they have at their disposal? Isn't that what the ignore/filter channel functions are for? Does this really have that much of a bearing on giving a player the opportunity to use an archetype-defining ability that they would do well to familiarise themselves with from an early level onwards?

I don't see how encouraging tanks to use guard from the get-go and, ultimately, noticing how different straight away the gameplay is from a DPS (up until level 7, you are essentially a mediocre DPS, i.e. not very appealing to play), can necessarily be countered by arguments pertaining to potential (I am sure for every potential asshat moaning about guard, there will be 3 others applauding their efforts) verbal abuse. Ignore works wonders on such people.

(Note: If I come across overly defensive, let it be known that my opinion on this is leaning to somewhat-neutral. I just want to be as thorough as possible!)

[Odaop]

Spoiler:

It doesn't take much effort getting level 10

This has been established. It's also not what we're talking about. We're discussing the pros/cons of giving specific abilities (the ones you normally get at 10 being the primary skills being reviewed) at a lower level - Dan

[Wretch]

Isn’t tier 1 basically an introduction to the game , I mean I know you can get a significant head start on your rr in t1 but your skill sets come from your actual level and that is capped at 16 . What happens next is you are thrusted into a mashup of t2-4 players . I think the real question should be , are 6 levels enough time to get a true understanding of your class and it’s core abilities before you are thrown in at the deep end ? I also believe tank abilities are a different case to healers Rez etc , mainly for the fact that tanks in this game have a far more vital role in sc and rvr than I have experienced in most other mmos and therefore new players should be familiarised with them early and had enough time to practice with them .

[wargrimnir]

I'll go ahead and make this point while it's still early.

Rank 1 will not be receiving new abilities.

At extremely low levels that bolster mechanic can overcompensate quite a bit. Rank 5 would probably be the lowest we would go for making adjustments like the one being suggested for "core" class abilities. For a new player that would be around the level range they would run into the warcamp anyway and naturally engage in RvR.

[Wretch]

Was actually about to say rank 5 is more suitable a level by the time new players hit the lakes

[Luuca]

Don't people get abuse regardless of the archetype they play, or the abilities they have at their disposal? Isn't that what the ignore/filter channel functions are for? Does this really have that much of a bearing on giving a player the opportunity to use an archetype-defining ability that they would do well to familiarise themselves with from an early level onwards?

I don't see how encouraging tanks to use guard from the get-go and, ultimately, noticing how different straight away the gameplay is from a DPS (up until level 7, you are essentially a mediocre DPS, i.e. not very appealing to play), can necessarily be countered by arguments pertaining to potential (I am sure for every potential asshat moaning about guard, there will be 3 others applauding their efforts) verbal abuse. Ignore works wonders on such people.

(Note: If I come across overly defensive, let it be known that my opinion on this is leaning to somewhat-neutral. I just want to be as thorough as possible!)

The Abuse argument is ceded. No need to bring it up. Players will abuse, and more or less abuse is not your concern clearly.

I would agree with Guard being available at level 5.

[Athergic]

I think lower level guard will really be benefiting the people who already know what there doing most. So your fresh on the server and run into a premade of level 5s cross gaurding with a healer killing pretty much everyone. I don't think it will be a huge issue either way, but I say leave it the way it is.

[Martok]

I don’t think Guard ability should be pushed to lvl 1. I remember that sweet sense of becoming a real tank with lvl 10. Same goes for stealth and resurrection. It’s not that hard to get to lvl 10 but this little achievement gives you so much satisfaction.

For what it is worth I agree. Granting Guard at level 5 certainly wouldn't be a game breaker in any sense, but it is true the time required to reach level 10 isn't that restrictive. In addition by the time a player achieves level 10 he/she has acquired other relevant gear and abilities which serve to enhance the application of guard. If the Devs decide to implement a change granting Guard at level 5 then fine, all well and good. However I lean toward not implementing the change because as already evidenced doing so would lead to like request concerning Stealth and/or Group Heal, and due to my belief Tanks should have some meat on their bones before attempting to directly assist in helping to keep others alive. I just don't see that a level 5 tank is going to mitigate that much damage to make the change worthwhile, and whatever value a player may gain via application of Guard is as easily learned at level 10 as level 5.