Siphoning Strikes Suggested Alternative Morph

cmabouaf

I know this is a little late for me to give suggestions for certain ability changes, but I think that siphoning strikes nerf was a little too hard and didn't change the things about using the ability that needed to be changed. The problem with siphoning strikes is that people would use it to AOE bomb zergs while having high damage and unlimited resource management. However, the new non toggle form of the ability still allows people to do that, they just now have no toggle, but in place just have to press a button and not get a damage reduction.

I feel that the only nerf that was needed for the change was that each single attack casted should've had a 15% chance to give back 15% max magika and 15% max stamina, not proced based on all people hit with an ability. Almost the exact way that Engine Guardian set procs, except only with attack abilities. For example, casting a steel tornado should only have a 15% chance of getting resources back from casting it, not 15% x 20 people, because of course that is infinite resources.

The change to the ability has now prevented potential Nightblade Sword and Board builds from arising and if anything has forced people to run even less unique builds. All I have seen nbs running around the PTS is bowers, 2hers, dual weild, and ofcourse staffs for the new magika builds.
Dk's now have a pretty balanced stat return based on their max stats which allows them to be preety viable this patch. The strip of the percentage amount of siphoning strikes was unnecessary as well as the toggle.

Please give me your opinions Devz.

Alucardo

I just started a nightblade a couple of days ago and sitting at level 30 with Siphoning Strikes currently blacked out. As a new NB I ignored it because 3% doesn't seem like much, and as a magicka NB (no destro staff even) my light and heavy attacks are pretty weak. With 25% decrease in spell and weapon damage, I'd be even weaker. So this spell seems more like a hindrance than anything. I liked the idea of getting resources back more often, because magicka is hard to maintain at the moment, even with seducer/magnus sets. Unfortunately Siphoning Strikes doesn't seem like the answer. I won't even tell you what I think about Lotus Fan..

cmabouaf

Alucardo wrote: »

I just started a nightblade a couple of days ago and sitting at level 30 with Siphoning Strikes currently blacked out. As a new NB I ignored it because 3% doesn't seem like much, and as a magicka NB (no destro staff even) my light and heavy attacks are pretty weak. With 25% decrease in spell and weapon damage, I'd be even weaker. So this spell seems more like a hindrance than anything. I liked the idea of getting resources back more often, because magicka is hard to maintain at the moment, even with seducer/magnus sets. Unfortunately Siphoning Strikes doesn't seem like the answer. I won't even tell you what I think about Lotus Fan..

with the lvl 4 morph, its only like 15% dmg reduction or something, that only decreases your weapon and spell dmg, not the dmg you get from having max stam and magika, so in reality, the dmg nerf from the ability isnt that bad and can help you sustain quite a bit. i think the cast instead of the toggle is a waste of magika, you preety much have a 10% chance to get the magika you spent on the ability back or less, They really turned it into a useless ability.

If anything, i think the cast one should restore, health, magika and stamina, and the toggle should have a 10% chance on damage ability casts to proc a percentage of max stat return. At the moment, both morphs of the ability are completely useless.

hrothbern

cmabouaf wrote: »

I know this is a little late for me to give suggestions for certain ability changes, but I think that siphoning strikes nerf was a little too hard and didn't change the things about using the ability that needed to be changed. The problem with siphoning strikes is that people would use it to AOE bomb zergs while having high damage and unlimited resource management. However, the new non toggle form of the ability still allows people to do that, they just now have no toggle, but in place just have to press a button and not get a damage reduction.

I feel that the only nerf that was needed for the change was that each single attack casted should've had a 15% chance to give back 15% max magika and 15% max stamina, not proced based on all people hit with an ability. Almost the exact way that Engine Guardian set procs, except only with attack abilities. For example, casting a steel tornado should only have a 15% chance of getting resources back from casting it, not 15% x 20 people, because of course that is infinite resources.

The change to the ability has now prevented potential Nightblade Sword and Board builds from arising and if anything has forced people to run even less unique builds. All I have seen nbs running around the PTS is bowers, 2hers, dual weild, and ofcourse staffs for the new magika builds.
Dk's now have a pretty balanced stat return based on their max stats which allows them to be preety viable this patch. The strip of the percentage amount of siphoning strikes was unnecessary as well as the toggle.

Please give me your opinions Devz.

First... AOE Spamming in Zergs is easily possible with enough Magicka Recovery and Jewelry for all Classes and Racials.
Like you I do not think that these Zergs are great to have, but they are the result of structural choices of the current system.

But the Siphoning Attacks of 1.7, heavily nerfed compared to live, is still the only way for a NB Siphoning Tank to exist at all.
This is because blocking costs are proportional to the number of adds AND the return of Stamina of Siphoning Strikes is ALSO PROPORTIONAL to the nr of adds.
IF that is changed to a fixed or percentual return per Attack, a NB Siphoning Tank will not survive anymore between many Mobs.
And that would mean the end of an archetype Tank role of NB's in PVE.

cmabouaf

hrothbern wrote: »

cmabouaf wrote: »

I know this is a little late for me to give suggestions for certain ability changes, but I think that siphoning strikes nerf was a little too hard and didn't change the things about using the ability that needed to be changed. The problem with siphoning strikes is that people would use it to AOE bomb zergs while having high damage and unlimited resource management. However, the new non toggle form of the ability still allows people to do that, they just now have no toggle, but in place just have to press a button and not get a damage reduction.

I feel that the only nerf that was needed for the change was that each single attack casted should've had a 15% chance to give back 15% max magika and 15% max stamina, not proced based on all people hit with an ability. Almost the exact way that Engine Guardian set procs, except only with attack abilities. For example, casting a steel tornado should only have a 15% chance of getting resources back from casting it, not 15% x 20 people, because of course that is infinite resources.

The change to the ability has now prevented potential Nightblade Sword and Board builds from arising and if anything has forced people to run even less unique builds. All I have seen nbs running around the PTS is bowers, 2hers, dual weild, and ofcourse staffs for the new magika builds.
Dk's now have a pretty balanced stat return based on their max stats which allows them to be preety viable this patch. The strip of the percentage amount of siphoning strikes was unnecessary as well as the toggle.

Please give me your opinions Devz.

First... AOE Spamming in Zergs is easily possible with enough Magicka Recovery and Jewelry for all Classes and Racials.
Like you I do not think that these Zergs are great to have, but they are the result of structural choices of the current system.

But the Siphoning Attacks of 1.7, heavily nerfed compared to live, is still the only way for a NB Siphoning Tank to exist at all.
This is because blocking costs are proportional to the number of adds AND the return of Stamina of Siphoning Strikes is ALSO PROPORTIONAL to the nr of adds.
IF that is changed to a fixed or percentual return per Attack, a NB Siphoning Tank will not survive anymore between many Mobs.
And that would mean the end of an archetype Tank role of NB's in PVE.

PVE tanks are supposed to be using the leeching strikes morph by the way.
In PVP the new siphoning strikes is only useful for sap tanks. It sucks for anyone who just wants to be a stam build tank. This nerf makes it less useful overall and now only helps people who are planning on using it to aoe spam.

I really dont think it needed a huge nerf, they nerfed it at the same time as roll dodge was nerfed and block stam recovery was nerfed, too many nerfs at one time that are unnecessary.