Ideas to Make Stamblade AoE and Cleave DPS Competitive in PvE

waitwhat · May 2017

Taking into account the excellent summary of our situation presented here and assuming massive community backlash to buffing stamblade single-target burst damage, what are some constructive suggestions for boosting stamblade AoE and cleave DPS with a view to making us worth the risk of competitive vet trials?

In other words, how can we make the AoE and cleave abilities unique to stamblades significantly stronger in damage output without creating undue backlash in PvP?

Suggestion to get started:

Power Extraction:

Why buff?
- Power extraction lacks any defining quality to warrant slotting it over several alternatives not specific to stamblades. It does less damage than steel tornado with less range. It only provides one of the buffs provided by its magicka counterpart (major brutality) without providing any health. It grants the one buff of Shrouded Daggers without inflicting hindrance, and again with less damage, less range, and without the increased damage to low health targets from the DW passive. Since stamblades need a buff to sustained AoE DPS, this ability represents a choice opportunity to improve stamblade viability in end-game trials.
How to Buff
1. Increase range to 12 meters to coincide with reduced range of new caltrops, and to eclipse the range of steel tornado. This buff grants Power Extraction a unique, and significant, edge over Steel Tornado, and allows the the stamblade to effectively rotate the ability with the new caltrops.
2. Enemies hit are inflicted with minor fracture and minor breach, reducing their physical and spell resistance by 1321 for 20 seconds. This will allow the stamblade to provide even more benefit to their trials group by reducing the physical resistances of large mobs, and the boss, by an amount which will stack with Night Mother's Gaze, Twice Fanged Serpent, and Major Fracture/Major Breach. The duration must coincide with the duration of the major brutality bonus, otherwise the rotation becomes too complex, expensive, and inefficient. Applying minor fracture over such a large range will not unduly buff stamblades in PvP, as the AoE requires the stamblade to be on the same elevation, and in the midst of, enemy players to efficiently apply the bonus, which imposes a significant risk to the stamblade's survivability. Incidentally, this also provides utility to the stamblades group behind ganking and fearing, further diversifying the class's build potential.
What Must Not Change
1. Damage. Any reduction in damage whatsoever amounts to irrecoverable neutering of the ability in direct contravention to the goal of improving stamblade AoE damage. The damage need not increase, but make no mistake, any reduction in damage renders any reasonable buff to the ability a callow farce.
2. Cost. This ability is already expensive enough, and with the continued nerf to Siphoning Attacks per the latest patch notes, it is outright unfair to further punish stamblade sustain in light of the other sustain reductions already planned for stamina.
3. No Health Return. In line with the goal of making abilities uniquely useful, we should not attempt to turn Power Extraction into a stamina copy of its magicka counterpart. All the more so given that Siphoning Attacks will now provide a health return. It would just be redundant to stack two weak HoTs on a stamblade, all the more so when bosses and mechanics render such weak HoTs irrelevant with ultra-high burst and punishing one-shots.
4. Major Brutality As with damage, any loss of major brutality will neuter the ability in direct contravention to the goal of increasing stamblade AoE DPS. If Power Extraction granting major brutality raises concerns about its uniqueness vis-a-vis Sap Essence, then remove Major Brutality from Sap Essence. Let the magblades have Major Sorcery, and let the stamblades have Major Brutality, if we must go that far. Make no mistake, however, no reasonable buff can possible compensate for the loss of Major Brutality. Stamblades need AOE damage BUFFS, not exchanges or tradeoffs.

cjhhickman39 · May 2017

Well thought out and presented have to agree that would be helpful without going into the op range

waitwhat · May 2017

@cjhhickman39

Thank you. I'm hoping we can get something implemented soon that will help us provide our groups with unique benefits as DPS characters.

MartinDeShade · May 2017

While this is interesting it doesn't really change that much. Minor Breach will add like 2% more damage to adds. That is a rounding error. 2% of 30,000 is 600. While having a larger area is nice, it is still less damage than Steel Tornado. Secondly, 12 meters will sometimes be too big, and I think the Devs didn't like anything bigger than Steel Tornado. If the Devs could get away with it, they probably want even Steel Tornado smaller.

GiuEliN0 · May 2017

Could be work. But i will not hold my breath... Cause we all know how many devs play the stamblades(stamina in general)...

waitwhat · May 2017

Well, the idea of giving it more range is to make it unique and help it perform a group burn with the new caltrops. Caltrops applies hindrance, and this idea would apply resistance debuffs.

Also, I data was a bit hard to confirm on the values of Minor Breach and Minor Fracture. I think it might be the 2500-something value? My references in the OP were coming from inferences made on the Crusher enchantment effect. Higher debuff values, or even a unique debuff that stacks with Minor/Major Fracture/Breach could help.

At this point, IDGAF what the devs want for stamblades, because they seem to feel the same way about how we feel.

Any ideas for changes to the Siphoning Morphs that would benefit stamblades?

I was reviewing the other class skills we have, but I worry that if I mention any other suggestions for buffs, they'll just institute some debuff change that reduces damage and utility.

cjhhickman39 · May 2017

Just another idea agony seems to be a little used skill so change it to a group buff skill that would restore magicka and stamina to your group after taking from a mob