Neglected class ultimates

robpr

PVE perspective, with PvP concerns in mind

I guess its already too late for this, but there are some class ultimates that could get some love. Subclassing could increase their usage but in their current state they are simply too weak or provide redundant buffs/debuffs.

1. Negate - Mainly used in PvP to stop peaceable ult dumps, but won't stop all of them. In PvE does not do much other than weak damage morph or healing.
Proposal:
Absorption Field - Allies inside are immune to AoE damage from monsters. Enemy players healing apply Healing Absorption to them instead. No longer silences.
Suppression Field - Monsters do less damage. Silences players and removes random buffs from them.

2. Nova - It is a weird mix of defensive and offensive ultimate. It used to be a go to ult that greatly reduced monster damage, but with more and more Major Maim sources it quickly became obsolete.
Proposal:
Base Nova: reduce cost to 200. Remove/change the 'flashbang' effect on synergy
Solar Disturbance: Applies Burning each tick
Solar Prison: Increase synergy damage. When synergy is used, remaining dot damage is increased by % of damage caused by the synergy. Owner can self-synergy.

3. Consuming Darkness - quickly became irrelevant when Major Protection was reduced to 10%
Proposal:
Base Consuming Darkness: Increase the radius to 12m
Bolstering Darkness: Spawns a stationary shadow that takes % damage from players when attacked. Synergy is still there.
Veil of blades: Enemies in the ring take damage. The ring itself stores damage dealt to players inside. When it expires, shadow spawns that Ambushes nearest enemy and performs an AoE Shadow Slash dealing % of damage stored. Can be dodged.

Not listing the healing ultimate because they are straight-forward what they do and can be seen used in PvP. PvE in general do not need very strong healing outside specific heal-check mechanics, and even there is better to cast Barrier or Horn.

necro_the_crafter

Negate should also absorb projectiles. Like old beckoning steel armor, or old guard skill. ZoS can simply create hidden invisible entity in the negate center and copy paste this old set mecanics to it, so it will redirect all of the projectiles from ally targets inside the radius. This way it will feel much more like anti-magic field.

Nova cuold also use an AoE pull on synergie, would make for a cool and unique group interaction.

Consuming darkness and veil of blades should provide user with unbreakable/unrevelable invisibility while user is in the circle, old vamp-ult style. Also to prevent any shenanigans ZoS can disable ult gen while darkness is active.

Teeba_Shei

Negate is an insanely strong pvp ult. It doesn't need any buffs. Maybe it needs some buffs in pve, but it shouldn't be buffed at all in pvp.

YandereGirlfriend

Negate and Nova both need at least one morph that is useful for PvE. But both are quite strong in PvP.

Bolstering is simply a meme ability at this point. And it gets pointed out every PTS for like literal years and years. For some reason this ultimate is just meant to be bad and forever preserved that way. I would like to see a mobile morph of it like a shadow version of Northern Storm or something. But for sure the base radius needs to be buffed to at least 10m. The synergy could also use a buff/rework while we're at it because it is very random and has little place in either PvE or PvP.

Foxtrot39

Consuming Darkness needs a total rework at this point

Bolstering darkness is only good in PVP when casted at the door of a castle so all ally rushing in gets major protection during its entire duration

Veil of blade is too mediocre damage wise even on static targets

The ult is overall unusable without coordinating entirely around it

Markytous

Maybe the one good thing about the rebalancing coming to the game post-Subclassing is the possibility of Consuming Darkness actually finally getting much-needed attention from the combat team. Many people including myself have been hoping for and suggesting reworks to this ultimate to make it at least viable as a slottable skill.

MashmalloMan

I'd add Ultimates that have morphs that are way too similar to this list making the decision feel like a nothing burger. Usually 1 morph gets abandoned completely.

Death Stroke morphs are both very similar, but they do a lot of minor things to separate themselves while both competing in similar spaces to great effect. Even a simple change like the element type helps it stand out for different builds.

Overload morphs on the other hand are just terrible imo, they could be combined to make room for a new ability. Power Overload increases range of light attacks from 28m to 32m, heavy attacks from 4x6 to 6x8, and damage by +10%. Energy Overload wins out most of the time because +4m is unnecessary when most skills cap out at 32m, heavy attacks are mostly only useful for RP or bugging out your character, and 10% damage is pitiful. Frankly it's already burst enough in PVP and doesn't do nearly enough for PVE outside dummy cheese.

I'd delete Power Overload, delete +4m light attack, delete +10% DMG, then give the 6x8 heavy attack to the base skill and Energy Overload.

I'd personally do more than that and change overload from a skill that overrides your light/heavy attack into more of a Crystal Weapon/Crushing Weapon situation where your light/heavy attacks retain their functionality, but get buffed by +x shock damage that forks to up to 3 nearby enemies.... But I think a there is still a decent amount of people who still enjoy the light/heavy attack override.

Maybe that could be the Power Overload morph, but make it last 12s for 100 ult cost. Kinda boring, but might be useful in pve, can't cheese it either. Would be like Sorc's version of Death Stroke.

I once had an idea where Power Overload became a melee option. Your light attacks change into 10m gap closers where you punch at the enemy, and your heavy attacks change into ground slams that leave behind a dot. Would be a fun brawler skill, dealing phys damage with Wind like VFX.

But that's my personal choice. Even both Atro's are pretty similar, but at least competitive so less of an issue.. I'm sure other classes have similar situations.

Orbital78

Nova does seem irrelevant other than very niche uses. I think they've made better sources of major maim though so it might just be totally irrelevant. I mained a Templar for years and I think I always just used shooting star.