Should Destro Staff Synergize Better? (Pre-emptive 1.6 Feedback?)

Draehl

So quick background for my perspective: I play a full light armor NB healer/caster hybrid. Mostly PvE with some PvP. I run either 2x Resto or Resto/S&B (solo grinding Craglorn) Periodically, I pick up a Destro Staff and always end up putting it down because the skills are just so inclusive to "with Destro skills" and many of the Destro staff skills overlap with class skills. Now, maybe this is mostly a NB problem, but at least Resto Staff and S&B have benefits that matter regardless of where your damage output is coming from. Blocking and at a minimum self-healing is useful to everyone.

Some examples: (Crushing Shock is comparable to Funnel Health) and Elemental Ring is obviously a solid skill.

Destructive Touch: These effects are largely outclassed or at least reasonably matched by Mass Hysteria or Shadow Cloak + Veiled Strike combo. Shock Reach does have some niche use on casters/archers that aren't in convenient range, but hardly worth the skill/weapon slot when you can just assassinate them outright before the melee. And as is the case with everything, anything you would REALLY want to CC is probably immune anyway.

Wall of Elements: This is a little better, but still lacking. Unstable could be more useful if it could at least do better single damage over its duration than an instant cast nuke (Funnel Health) does. Blockade admittedly can be useful, particularly frost if you need to kite mass numbers of mobs and Lighting for the Concussion effect (its just easier to tank them, though even when I went into Craglorn at VR2). Still, most AoE pulls aren't that bad for a tank and if I'm soloing I get a greater benefit from Combat Prayer or throwing on the S&B.

Weakness To Elements/Penetrating Magic/Ancient Knowledge: Maybe if these applied to spells in general to support an "offensive caster" style, rather than specifically Destro Staff skills? I could see these effects getting looked at in 1.6, particularly Weakness to Elements applying a general spell resist or spell damage received debuff?

Now, again, maybe this is a NB problem, or a hybrid problem, or simply Destro Staff rewarding finesse whereas I tend to brute force via Resto/S&B, but I can't find nearly enough redeeming qualities to bother with this weapon, particularly in a build largely built around class skills. Perhaps it offers marginal/moderate DPS increases for glass cannon/dps speciality trial builds, but at the cost alone of not having Combat Prayer on my damage bar (let alone other reasons) I just can't justify it. This is my long-winded way of asking again should Destro Staff synergnize better with class-based damage skills?

Wisler89

I think this is a NB problem

I have a Sorc and a NB and the Sorc needs the Destro staff to deal substantial damage. The NB uses 2x Resto or Resto/SnB, same as you.