Spell Symmetry and Siphoning Attacks

SmellyUnlimited · May 2018

I’ve done a little brainstorming on Nightblade sustain, especially after strife changes. Not to mention the fact that Siphoning Attacks has gotten progressively weaker over the years.

Pros and cons I see to Spell Symmetry vs Siphoning

Pros:
-Magicka on-demand (no 20 second wait, or need to attack to gain resource)
-Generally in a group, you will be getting healed. Plus your self-healing via strife.
-Mage guild recovery passives, and 100% empowerment passive
-Spell cost reduction after skill use, which can be used to better effect with a mana heavy skill right after

Cons:
-Siphoning heals caster
-Siphoning Skill Line passives (but fairly moot, since you get the same via Strife front bar/Crippling Grasp back bar. Plus there is a cooldown on ult gen passive).
-Potentially more strain on healers

Am I missing anything? Thoughts?

Silver_Strider · May 2018

The thing is, NB magic skill are relatively cheap to cast, even with the Strife Nerf, that the reduction on their cost is somewhat redundant. There are exceptions like Sap Essence but that already has a risk and reward already associated with it since the potential damage you receive from being in melee range is negated by the healing Sap does that using Spell Symmetry with its health cost as well as the lower healing received from Sap would make it just too risky on average for anyone other than a NB tank to effectively use.

Magic sustain on a Magblade isn't the issue, its Stamina sustain that's the killer.

SmellyUnlimited · May 2018

Silver_Strider wrote: »

The thing is, NB magic skill are relatively cheap to cast, even with the Strife Nerf, that the reduction on their cost is somewhat redundant. There are exceptions like Sap Essence but that already has a risk and reward already associated with it since the potential damage you receive from being in melee range is negated by the healing Sap does that using Spell Symmetry with its health cost as well as the lower healing received from Sap would make it just too risky on average for anyone other than a NB tank to effectively use.

Magic sustain on a Magblade isn't the issue, its Stamina sustain that's the killer.

I’ll agree with that; Stamina has far fewer options for sustain. It’s strange they have the Balance skill, but not a stamina equivalent (except for Sorc’s). Seems like that skill should be completely revamped, and have instead a Balance stamina variant.