As we noted in our PTS Week 1 Summary, we know there’s a desire to see the power level for Dragonknight increased. We’ve looked at your feedback surrounding some of the reworked skills and have made adjustments that will be live on Week 3 of PTS.
Below is an early look at the upcoming adjustments for DK:
Ardent Flame
- Lava Whip: This ability and the Flame Lash morph now generate 5 stacks of their empowered forms for 20 seconds, rather than enabling the ability to cast the ability as many times as you can within 7.9s (at most, 7 casts). Increased the damage by 40% to account for less casts. Overall, this should make both versions of the ability much easier to use in a rotation, rather than feeling like you must choose between uptime of other abilities and the super sick flip whip.
- Flame Lash: This morph now also grants 12% damage done to monsters for 30s after activating if you are a Dragonknight.
- In a future PTS update this will be increased to 15% for 45s but only if all stacks are consumed – to help avoid turning it into a passive buff effect and more of a reward for using the ability to its maximum effect.
- Molten Whip: This morph now grants 5% damage done against monsters per stack, rather than 85-100 Weapon and Spell Damage. This effect only activates if you are a Dragonknight. Seething Fury no longer generates stacks if you have Engulfing Dragonfire slotted on either bar.
- Developer Comment: We’re intentionally inflating some of the damage of the Dragonknight class in the short term to help the class stand up to snuff with other current meta options, while we find more long-term solutions and continue work on other class refreshes. Expect these values/effects to be adjusted over time!
- Searing Strike: Increased the damage of this ability and its morphs’ damage over time effect by 50% per tick. This takes these to the same strength as a normal 20 second DoT, but over half the duration, making their overall DPS twice as strong, rather than 50% stronger. This change was done to account for the loss of GCD activations, as the previous iterations resulted in a very minor damage gain with perfect uptimes, making the change feel more like a horizontal shift than a gain.
- Searing Claw: Reduced the damage bonus per tick to 10%, down from 24%, to account for the base increase. This damage effect is now built into the base damage calculation, rather than as an additional damage taken modifier, which should make the increase more accurate and performant.
- Core of Flame: Fixed an issue where this ability and its morphs were missing the 15% bonus potency modifier to their damage to account for their delays.
- Soul of Flame: Fixed an issue where the Stamina restore of this morph was incorrectly based off your missing Magicka.
Draconic Power
- Dragonfire Breath: Increased the damage per tick of this ability and the Disintegrating Dragonfire morphs’ damage over time effect by 50% per tick.
- Disintegrating Dragonfire: Fixed an issue where the Major Breach from this morph was not extended by Elfbane.
- Dragon Leap: This Ultimate and its morphs now determine what type of CC will play based on the type of enemy they hit. Players are knocked back 4 meters and stunned for 2 seconds, while monsters are knocked into the air and stunned for 3 seconds. This change was done based on the discussions we saw come up - where much of the powerful feeling and benefits of knocking enemies away is lost in the context of PvE.
Earthen Heart
- Magma Armor
- Corrosive Armor: Reduced the damage limit to 12% of your Max Health, rather than 8%, to better account for the raw offensive power this Ultimate provides. The damage over time effect now only targets monsters, rather than any enemy, to offer healthier PvP balance.
- Developer Comment: We’re better differentiating some of the buffs made to this ultimate from PTS 1 in efforts to help still reach our goals of making the ability more effective in PvE, while toning down how much impact it brings in PvP by reducing the defensive capabilities further and removing the high damage over time.
- Molten Weapons
- Molten Armaments: Reduced the cooldown of the damage of this morph to 1.5s to help it function better with Heavy Attack builds that are quicker than 2s completion times, to have better pairing with the Empower this morph grants.
- Blessing at the Peak: This passive now triggers off casting OR dealing damage with Earthen Heart abilities, instead of only casting. This passive now grants 5|10% Critical Damage.
We hope you’ll find these adjustments more in line with your expectations. Please keep the feedback coming and let us know what you think when these changes arrive on the PTS on Monday, January 26.
tsaescishoeshiner wrote: »I don't particularly like the skill buffs that only exist if you're a Dragonknight. I get that it's to appeal to people who feel "forced" into subclassing (which I really think is mostly in their head, as these buffs won't make subclassing obsolete). I don't think it contributed to class identity or power fantasy, it sorta just makes using subclassing less exciting and means I might have to remake/rebuild many characters based on their base class and which class-exclusive bonuses might exist now or over the next two years.
I really enjoy the freedom of mixing-and-matching in subclassing, with base classes still having the exclusive advantage of being able to use multiple of their class' skill lines at once.
G45-DarkShadow wrote: »I don´t really get this point:
Blessing at the Peak: This passive now triggers off casting OR dealing damage with Earthen Heart abilities, instead of only casting. This passive now grants 5|10% Critical Damage.
The original Passive description (on live):
Mountain’s Blessing: When you cast an Earthen Heart ability, you and your group gain Minor Brutality for 20 seconds, increasing your Weapon Damage by 10%. If you are in combat, you also generate 3 Ultimate. This effect can occur once every 6 seconds.
and the initial PTS patch notes only stated:
Blessing at the Peak (originally Mountain’s Blessing): Just a named update. The Minor Brutality effect was moved to the Elder Dragon passive to off-load how support focused this skill line was.
So if they moved the Minor Brutality and only the Ulti-Generation is left (which originaly triggered each 6 seconds if your´re in combat) and this wasn´t changed, then what does this new trigger ( now triggers off casting OR dealing damage with Earthen Heart abilities) has to do with it??? Am I missing something or are the PTS Patchnotes missing something??
MXVIIDREAM wrote: »G45-DarkShadow wrote: »I don´t really get this point:
Blessing at the Peak: This passive now triggers off casting OR dealing damage with Earthen Heart abilities, instead of only casting. This passive now grants 5|10% Critical Damage.
The original Passive description (on live):
Mountain’s Blessing: When you cast an Earthen Heart ability, you and your group gain Minor Brutality for 20 seconds, increasing your Weapon Damage by 10%. If you are in combat, you also generate 3 Ultimate. This effect can occur once every 6 seconds.
and the initial PTS patch notes only stated:
Blessing at the Peak (originally Mountain’s Blessing): Just a named update. The Minor Brutality effect was moved to the Elder Dragon passive to off-load how support focused this skill line was.
So if they moved the Minor Brutality and only the Ulti-Generation is left (which originaly triggered each 6 seconds if your´re in combat) and this wasn´t changed, then what does this new trigger ( now triggers off casting OR dealing damage with Earthen Heart abilities) has to do with it??? Am I missing something or are the PTS Patchnotes missing something??
I think I get why you’re asking and I guess that it means for the ability’s that produce damage from this let’s use armour skill that has a dot attached you get your ult for casting it and additionally once it’s cooled down the dot can also proc the ult passive again even if you don’t cast it
G45-DarkShadow wrote: »MXVIIDREAM wrote: »G45-DarkShadow wrote: »I don´t really get this point:
Blessing at the Peak: This passive now triggers off casting OR dealing damage with Earthen Heart abilities, instead of only casting. This passive now grants 5|10% Critical Damage.
The original Passive description (on live):
Mountain’s Blessing: When you cast an Earthen Heart ability, you and your group gain Minor Brutality for 20 seconds, increasing your Weapon Damage by 10%. If you are in combat, you also generate 3 Ultimate. This effect can occur once every 6 seconds.
and the initial PTS patch notes only stated:
Blessing at the Peak (originally Mountain’s Blessing): Just a named update. The Minor Brutality effect was moved to the Elder Dragon passive to off-load how support focused this skill line was.
So if they moved the Minor Brutality and only the Ulti-Generation is left (which originaly triggered each 6 seconds if your´re in combat) and this wasn´t changed, then what does this new trigger ( now triggers off casting OR dealing damage with Earthen Heart abilities) has to do with it??? Am I missing something or are the PTS Patchnotes missing something??
I think I get why you’re asking and I guess that it means for the ability’s that produce damage from this let’s use armour skill that has a dot attached you get your ult for casting it and additionally once it’s cooled down the dot can also proc the ult passive again even if you don’t cast it
No, you misunderstood me... maybe this is a bit clearer:
Initial Mountain Blessing:
When you cast an Earthen Heart ability, you and your group gain Minor Brutality for 20 seconds, increasing your Weapon Damage by 10%. If you are in combat, you also generate 3 Ultimate. This effect can occur once every 6 seconds
Initial PTS Patchnores:
Blessing at the Peak (originally Mountain’s Blessing): Just a named update. The Minor Brutality effect was moved to the Elder Dragon passive to off-load how support focused this skill line was.
So the "Blessing at the Peak" Passive after ths inital change should only be:
If you are in combat, you also generate 3 Ultimate. This effect can occur once every 6 seconds
Now the new PTS patch note states:
Blessing at the Peak: This passive now triggers off casting OR dealing damage with Earthen Heart abilities, instead of only casting. This passive now grants 5|10% Critical Damage.
There is no requirement to cast any Earthen Heart ability in this passive, so why eve stating "This passive now triggers off casting OR dealing damage with Earthen Heart abilities"???
Does this mean I can get 3 Ultimate whenever I cast OR do damage with an Earthen Heart ability without any cooldown at all?
Considering I can do damage with the Spiked Armor and / or the damage from Igneous Weapons, I could theoratically do damage once every second.
Renato90085 wrote: »OMG PVE big buff dk
you delete whip 300 weapon and spell damage is predictable,they just a other free back bar damage like grim focus for sublcass
edit:the 300wd maybe only 5% dps buff in pve,so this change just free buff dk 10% dps in pve
G45-DarkShadow wrote: »So the "Blessing at the Peak" Passive after ths inital change should only be:
If you are in combat, you also generate 3 Ultimate. This effect can occur once every 6 seconds
wilsonwjesse wrote: »I absolutely agree with tye77732145
Onslaught was already too powerful IMO. It allows you to build basically no pen and be as tanky as possible and rely on 1 ult and some hard hitting abilities to blow up entire ball groups with a pull or just a single target.
It's not skill, game sense, knowledge, or even luck. It's just who ults first. This will make PvP less fun.
Onslaught and Corrosive should just ignore half of each targets resistance, but they shouldn't do ALL the heavy lifting and let you build extremely tanky and kill anything every 21 seconds. The 100% crit chance should just be removed entirely.
I think I speak for everyone where we don't want a meta with unkillable tanks that only die to Corrosive + Acuity or Onslaught
I don’t see anyone mentioning this but it has been mentioned to me… people are going to prebuff with whip in its current state. They’re going to gain stacks in trash, use it in trash or use it once on boss, and burn with a now free 15% damage boost. If this ends up being more effective than other subclasses with Arcanist, this would make meta more restrictive by enforcing base class DK.
Same with the other morph probably, that’s what, 25% damage for 30 seconds? If there’s trash in the same room that’s definitely prebuffable.
tye77732145 wrote: »wilsonwjesse wrote: »I absolutely agree with tye77732145
Onslaught was already too powerful IMO. It allows you to build basically no pen and be as tanky as possible and rely on 1 ult and some hard hitting abilities to blow up entire ball groups with a pull or just a single target.
It's not skill, game sense, knowledge, or even luck. It's just who ults first. This will make PvP less fun.
Onslaught and Corrosive should just ignore half of each targets resistance, but they shouldn't do ALL the heavy lifting and let you build extremely tanky and kill anything every 21 seconds. The 100% crit chance should just be removed entirely.
I think I speak for everyone where we don't want a meta with unkillable tanks that only die to Corrosive + Acuity or Onslaught
100%, I truly appreciate you my guy. No lies told.
I know some players on both PTS and Live are mad at me for exposing this, but in truth they’re not angry at me, deep down they’re angry that I’m likely the reason these broken mechanics are finally being exposed and noticed: Onslaught, Heart and Home, and Corrosive.
I’ve been seeing builds with 40k health, paired with Heart and Home skill in which effectively makes them unkillable, heal any damage you do dont matter if you have 2 damage sets like i did or even have max pen and damage. Major Protection, Major Heroism, absurd healing, and Major Vitality from Healing Soul and Burning Embers (which scales off max health) turn these setups into walking tanks. They just sit there, absorb everything, wait for Onslaught or Corrosive but it's usually Onslaught and then boom: a 16k-17k Whips on top of everything else. First thing i say is "i BET it was onslaught or corrosive", recap comes up and there it is i am proven right you then seem them jumping around as if they did something lol.
The amount of toxic builds I’ve dueled and dealt with on PTS is honestly insane. The crazy part? Almost every single match I’m actually winning, outplaying, pressuring, controlling and then out of nowhere: BOOM!!, Corrosive or Onslaught. Every time. No warning. No counterplay. Just erased.
I’m probably on a few other YouTube clips because of it by now, I already know of a couple. And if anyone stumbles across one and sees my @ name, you’ll notice the same pattern: I’m handling them cleanly until Corrosive or Onslaught gets popped out of nowhere in which they hide the animation by getting super close with all the flames, and that’s the end of it. Without those ultimates, it would’ve been GG, no problem. Some players, because of Heart and Home, straight up eat my damage. You can literally see the healing numbers explode even after I Leap them.
In any PvP game, victory should come down to skill, talent, and intelligent execution, not “first to ultimate wins” crutch duels. That kind of gameplay undermines competition and turns good players and PvP into a waiting game instead of a test of mastery. I know i am one man but ill do my best to make the change for us all, I will not rest till it's changed, its better if its changed now before it goese live and theres a massive backlash about it and thats never good.
I don’t see anyone mentioning this but it has been mentioned to me… people are going to prebuff with whip in its current state. They’re going to gain stacks in trash, use it in trash or use it once on boss, and burn with a now free 15% damage boost. If this ends up being more effective than other subclasses with Arcanist, this would make meta more restrictive by enforcing base class DK.
Same with the other morph probably, that’s what, 25% damage for 30 seconds? If there’s trash in the same room that’s definitely prebuffable.
MXVIIDREAM wrote: »tye77732145 wrote: »wilsonwjesse wrote: »I absolutely agree with tye77732145
Onslaught was already too powerful IMO. It allows you to build basically no pen and be as tanky as possible and rely on 1 ult and some hard hitting abilities to blow up entire ball groups with a pull or just a single target.
It's not skill, game sense, knowledge, or even luck. It's just who ults first. This will make PvP less fun.
Onslaught and Corrosive should just ignore half of each targets resistance, but they shouldn't do ALL the heavy lifting and let you build extremely tanky and kill anything every 21 seconds. The 100% crit chance should just be removed entirely.
I think I speak for everyone where we don't want a meta with unkillable tanks that only die to Corrosive + Acuity or Onslaught
100%, I truly appreciate you my guy. No lies told.
I know some players on both PTS and Live are mad at me for exposing this, but in truth they’re not angry at me, deep down they’re angry that I’m likely the reason these broken mechanics are finally being exposed and noticed: Onslaught, Heart and Home, and Corrosive.
I’ve been seeing builds with 40k health, paired with Heart and Home skill in which effectively makes them unkillable, heal any damage you do dont matter if you have 2 damage sets like i did or even have max pen and damage. Major Protection, Major Heroism, absurd healing, and Major Vitality from Healing Soul and Burning Embers (which scales off max health) turn these setups into walking tanks. They just sit there, absorb everything, wait for Onslaught or Corrosive but it's usually Onslaught and then boom: a 16k-17k Whips on top of everything else. First thing i say is "i BET it was onslaught or corrosive", recap comes up and there it is i am proven right you then seem them jumping around as if they did something lol.
The amount of toxic builds I’ve dueled and dealt with on PTS is honestly insane. The crazy part? Almost every single match I’m actually winning, outplaying, pressuring, controlling and then out of nowhere: BOOM!!, Corrosive or Onslaught. Every time. No warning. No counterplay. Just erased.
I’m probably on a few other YouTube clips because of it by now, I already know of a couple. And if anyone stumbles across one and sees my @ name, you’ll notice the same pattern: I’m handling them cleanly until Corrosive or Onslaught gets popped out of nowhere in which they hide the animation by getting super close with all the flames, and that’s the end of it. Without those ultimates, it would’ve been GG, no problem. Some players, because of Heart and Home, straight up eat my damage. You can literally see the healing numbers explode even after I Leap them.
In any PvP game, victory should come down to skill, talent, and intelligent execution, not “first to ultimate wins” crutch duels. That kind of gameplay undermines competition and turns good players and PvP into a waiting game instead of a test of mastery. I know i am one man but ill do my best to make the change for us all, I will not rest till it's changed, its better if its changed now before it goese live and theres a massive backlash about it and thats never good.
Can agree with this for the most part but the thing out of all of this that’s been shafted for no reason molten whip why that took the brunt of the nerf and made more aimed at Pve has annoyed me
Absolutely should have made the additional effect less but additionally pretty poor move on their part that I hope the go back on because those of us that aren’t abusing things like corrosive onslaught are extremely reliant on whip, felt like such an unnecessary nerf thatliterally no one asked for
We all know most of the skills aren’t the issue corrosive and onslaught however
MashmalloMan wrote: »I don’t see anyone mentioning this but it has been mentioned to me… people are going to prebuff with whip in its current state. They’re going to gain stacks in trash, use it in trash or use it once on boss, and burn with a now free 15% damage boost. If this ends up being more effective than other subclasses with Arcanist, this would make meta more restrictive by enforcing base class DK.
Same with the other morph probably, that’s what, 25% damage for 30 seconds? If there’s trash in the same room that’s definitely prebuffable.
5 stacks is just for Flame Lash. (12%)
3 stacks is Molten Whip. (15%)
I also agree though, very problematic and why I suggested shifting that bonus from Whip to Draconic Power where that line is currently underperforming.
If they're against Engulfing Dragonfire using that bonus:
- Nerf Engulfing Dragonfire by ~12% to account for the new passive.
- Add in the tooltip: "Does not affect Engulfing Dragonfire". (Less intuitive imo).
Honestly, both Whip morphs are crazy strong even without these damage done buffs, so sending the buff elsewhere in the kit that prevents subclassing from being as easy, buffs Draconic Power, and buffs pure classing is a triple win in my book.