Balancing Damage Healing and Survivability

umagon

One of the problems with the combat system is the lack of control between damage/healing output and survivability. It leads to builds were players end up having too much of more than one for example builds where the damage output is high and the healing output is equally high. There is little comprise one value to gain the other. I think there is a way to rectify the situation without having to dramatically change the way skills function or have to add a new resource pool and still allow for magicka and stamina build flexibility. Rather than completely overhaul any of the systems, the armor traits could possibly be utilized to accomplish this balance.

First, they need to be recategorized:

Survivability: Impenetrable, Reinforced, Sturdy
-Sturdy changed to reduces block cost and increases self healing by X% (self healing portion only active in pve areas.)

Healing: Invigorating, Training, Nirnhoned
-Nirnhoned changed to reduce damage taken to targets healed by X% for X amount of time.
-Invigorating changed to increase magicka, stamina and health recovery on targets healed.
-Training changed to increases critical healing output by X% and renamed.

Damage: Divines, Infused, Well-Fitted
-Infused changed to increase armor enchantment effect and increases experience gain form kills.

Secondly, a three new rule sets could be added. Any armor trait (helm, chest, hands, legs, boots, shoulders, belt) that falls into:
-Survivability: Outgoing damage and healing reduced by X%.
-Healing: Outgoing damage is reduced by X%, physical, spell and critical resistance is reduced by X%.
-Damage: Outgoing healing is reduced by X%, physical, spell and critical resistance is reduced by X%.

Players would have to give up one value for another and could not stack max stamina/magicka, spell/weapon damage and have the best of all three categories. There would have to be some adjustments to end game npc health values maybe some skill mechanics; but they would be less than changes needed if the whole combat system was redone. The X values could be percentages or fixed number values which ever will work.

ZeroXFF

I agree with the core issue and find the idea of addressing the problem via traits worth exploring, but I don't think the specific suggestions are very good.

With the categories it could be as simle as damage traits increase damage by X%, healing traits increase healing by X% and defensive traits reduce damage taken by X%, and do all the nerfing via base values. It would achieve the same goal, but would feel better when you are actually picking traits.

Furthermore, if this option is taken, the gear drops that are meant for a specific role could be made to drop in only the traits beneficial to that role, reducing the grind. That's what most people would use anyways, and for exotic builds we have transmutation.

However if this change were to happen, there should be a transitional period with free or very low transmutation costs, because currently there is significant overlap between the traits used by healers and DDs, and it would be a pain to transmute all sets healers have gathered over the years if it wasn't done this way.

Stibbons

Mainly a class problems. Play wvw or pvp and you soon see what classes need toning down.