Sword and board... wasted potential?

drsalvation

It's official: Sword and shield is dead.
In order to get power slam to it's best you need to have the CP skill slotted. But that also means that you can do a version "power slam" with a 2H weapon, DW, Bow, Staffs.
Whatever form of identity that sword and shield had is now officially rubbish, and back to the status quo: Taunt and shield charge.



I keep saying it, support roles are garbage, move to damage dealing roles to enjoy the game's full extent.
It's like devs saw this post and decided they'd double down and go on the extreme opposite end.

Icy_Nelyan

Well to me this change doesn't mean anything since I wasn't relying on the "block buff" anyway.

From another point of view, this change solidify the will to make this skill as a spammable: reducing costs means you are supposed to adopt a "pressuring" play style instead of "burst momentum" play style. With this you are supposed to keep spamming It instead of powering It for a big burst; now is more a spammable, in my opinion, then before.

Unfortunatly no games makes you able to use everything in every play Styles, I understand there Is someone out there Who wishes to build a sword and shield big burst build, but if you want to use sword and shield and be good, you have to change playstyle and focus on pressure over a single big burst chain play style; this doesn't means the build Is lesser effective, it's just a different play style.

Anyway I guess It would be wise to try changes before judging them, let's see how this works, maybe It Is good in some way or maybe bad.

drsalvation

If the spam no longer depends on blocking, then they should make low-slash the spammable skill instead of power bash.

Icy_Nelyan

It's still based on blocking since now when you block the skill costs less, this means you can spam more

drsalvation

Using gallant charge is more effective, it reduces the cost of invasion by 25% and your next one hand and shield skill by 100%, it allows for a better rotation too.
Now I can get the same block effect from weapons with better skills, the 2H sword does about the same damage AND can stun enemies.

Even if it's so, it's still a bad skill at this point, without the added damage, it's just a 1-target close-range skill.
Spammables from other weapons not only do damage but also have a bonus side-effect. Most of 2H weapons do AoE with the passive perks, DW can heal you as well, bow keeps you at safe distance, staffs cause elemental damage, resto also passively heals. Shield bash now is just damage with nothing special other than cheaper cast if blocking, which I guess it's to make up for the stamina consumption when blocking. It won't bring any other added benefits anymore.

I guess now that I can use any weapon and any skill to riposte, low-slash would be more viable, which is cool, but in the end power slam is back to the forgotten skills that won't be of much use.
At least it still helps me pull all enemies for AoE taunts using vateshran S&S.

Icy_Nelyan

Well you are free to consider It the way you want ofcourse but you are not taking in account the fact that:
- bloodthirsty from dual world deal DMG and heal from the skill itself, can do more DMG on low hp targets and more DMG on disabled targets both from passives;
- Dizzy swing deal DMG, out off balance, stun or slow everything from the skill itself, deal ape DMG from passive
- snipe deal DMG and poison from skill itself
- resto staff heals on heavy attacks with passive
- force shock deals DMG and chance to Apple different status from skill itself
- Power slam deals DMG, gets self resource reduction, counter caster, Is instante all from skill itself, you have more armor, can block more efficiently (cost less) and you can block for more because of passive and weapon combo.

As I said Is a different play style but Power slam, in my point of view, gives good tools and of you considering everything around the skill gives a lot more then other weapons along with their spammable.

Still you can see It the way you want, but if you want Dizzy on 1h and shield, the problem isn't zenimax, probably you have to run 2H (Is an example ofcourse), Power slam DMG Is really good and now scales with wd or sp or bash damage and still isn't enough?

drsalvation

Let me be more clear on why I'm highly disappointed.
It's not about the damage dealt, it's about the identity per-se.

Low-slash should've been a spammable dps skill
Power slam should've been a big burst from blocking multiple times.

By the changes shown, power slam is a generic spammable now.
It's a different play style, yes, it's neither better nor worse, it's just less appeasing. The general changes from the whole CP rework don't really make the skill itself any more interesting other than spamming it.

And why is it so hard to simply make low-slash the one that deals the damage that power slam is dealing now and vice versa? Why is this making such a 2-paged discussion? I'm not saying power slam should be the best OP jack of all trades physical + magicka damage with AoE and DoTs to one-button tap the whole game.

And the block cost reduction comes from defensive stance, not power slam, and if you're talking about passives, then mention the passives from the other weapons as well, like the penetration/bleed/or extra weapon dmg from 2H weapons.

Icy_Nelyan

I got you, I can understand your point about identità, i'm not a fan of mainly attacking with a shield but in their point of view Power slam should be a spammable so...

Anyway of u are referinh to skill cost reduction, Power slam After a block costs 50% less, if u are refering to block costs, shield passive provided a costo reduction on block (look at the passives from that skill line).

While 2H and dual world have passive focussed on offense (with penetration, ed or sp, or crit damage; based on your weapon choice), 1H and shield are focussed more on defense and there Is still One passive which is giving you more WD, Yes not as much as the other weapons setups, but still It empowers your defense while providing a Little buff to offense too.

I totally understand the identity problem, many skills in this game suffers from It, but I think 1H & shield shouldn't be thrown to the bin Just because Power slam change, but It Is my point of view.

sharquez

This hurts my soul. I'm glad I didn't gold my jolting arms yet as now I'll need to find a new niche for my Main, My bash Sorc because his is now gone. it kills the build in BGS completely (as opposed to only being killed when fighting a traditional DD templar or DK which is all there is anyway)

This needs to be reverted and left alone pronto.

bachpain

Every S/B offensive skill should scale off of bash damage. Change my mind .

Zama666

Deadlands Demolisher...so fun!

Cheveyo

Power Slam as retaliation doesn't work in this game.

You can't create more abilities that are absolutely required to be on your bar in a game where bar space is non-existent. Retaliation works in other games because they're not as limited with bar space as we are in this game.

Ksariyu

Take the damage increase from the live Power Slam and make it a passive that applies to your next direct damage attack. Problem solved.

Icy_Nelyan

Ksariyu wrote: »

Take the damage increase from the live Power Slam and make it a passive that applies to your next direct damage attack. Problem solved.

This Is what they are doing with a new CP actually, I know It isn't a passive but still Is similar ti what you wrote.

drsalvation

Ksariyu wrote: »

Take the damage increase from the live Power Slam and make it a passive that applies to your next direct damage attack. Problem solved.

yeah, this is happening as an active perk in CP now, by making it a CP and not part of the S&S skill, it means you can essentially do power slam with any weapon and any skill now.
That's my disappointment: Something that had the potential to make sword and shield a fun weapon set is now available to all weapons and skills, meanwhile skills keep getting reworked to pander DPS and not nuanced but fun styles for other roles.