Make Wail Of Doom a Shout

Hi people.

I've noticed that if you post a motherload of suggested skill changes, they all tend to go unheard, especially since you'll have a hard time making everyone agree with everything.

Thus I'm only posting one request here to the skill balancing team. I don't know if they read this forum very diligently but it can't hurt to try.

Quite simply, as per the thread title, I request Wail of Doom to be made a shout. It makes perfect sense lore-wise, more so than the current implementation, and it would bypass spell hating. Since WoD isn't used a lot, making the skill a little more attractive could be a good thing for PvP reasons, also making the N primary a little more desirable.

My ideal change to the skill would be:

Wail Of Doom
Elite Shout
10e
<No skill activation time>
10r

Sacrifice 10% Health, and target foe is interrupted. All shouts end on target foe, and if target foe was attacking, all of that foe's attack skills are disabled for 0...12...16 seconds.

The phrase "if target foe was attacking" could be changed to "if target foe was using an attack skill" or "if target foe was using a skill" for some moderation to this effect.

However, simply retyping the skill as a Shout would be a start.

Comments, flames, anything?

Kindly, Moloch

10e/10r is too strong considering it's a ranged blackout imo.

^ Right now it's 15/15. I suggested change to the duration of the disabling, also possibly change to skill behavior. Right now it's just "stick on any attacker and boom". Still the skill is rarely used, and it's one of the only potentially interesting N primary skills for serious PvP concerns.

I do believe it would be immensely attractive were it given the power to end active shouts. Might be enough to see N return to active play in higher-level PvE. It's also a skill effect that should've existed a long time ago, in my humble opinion.

What do you feel about the main request (i.e. making it Shout)?

ummm why make it a shout?

and how does this make it more playable? its fine the way it is. I love running it in ab where these morons have no idea what hit them.

Also I think the wail of doom is from the guy you hit with it!

a necro elite going under shouts is weird
it is usable as it is now imo but noone cares to try it
if they buff it it's gonna be abused though

^ AB isn't exactly high-level PvP. God knows necromancers need a way back into that.

It would be stronger and more attractive were the recharge shorter. Shout-disabling effect would make it very strong for serious PvP. Retyping to "Shout" would make it capable of targetting spell-shielded creatures, make it immune to spell-hate and more. Since shout hate is so terribly weak in GW, this change would be a major buff.

At the same time this would actually be a viable way to "hex" frontline that was immune to HEV. The change to the skill behavior (only on attack skill or only on skill = disable) would remove the "skill-less" aspect of it.

Yes I know ab is basically as low as RA but I dont really care its still lots of fun.... but really what form of pvp hasnt been ruined by the ZOMG DOUBLES WEEKEND!

Shout doesnt make that much sense as a necro has never had any shouts.... thats more towards the warrior and paragon class. Curses and hexes :P

But I vote we change the name to Wail Of DOH!

While I like the flavor behind this idea, I feel it's one that poses more problems than is worthwhile.

As it stands, Wail of Doom has a 1/4th second activation, cannot be activated while using other skills, can be interrupted, and is affected by the Daze condition. Making it a shout would compleately change all of that. Additionally, it would introduce a PvP ready shout to the one class with three shout-hate skills; Vocal minority, ulcerous lungs, and well of silence. It would be the only shout for a spellcasting class in PvP.

Causing Wail to be a chant would provide the least disturbence to its functionality. However, even then it would create several problems and dilemas. It would be the only non paragon chant, the only chant used against foes, ect ect. As far as it goes, I think it's best left leaving it as a spell. However, I would like to see a flavor hint added to the "Wail" aspect of it, similar to that of Cry of Fustration.

Doesn't it make sense? After all it's called "Wail" of Doom. That seems pretty sensible to me.

[QUOTE=ShadowsRequiem]
Shout doesnt make that much sense as a necro has never had any shouts.... thats more towards the warrior and paragon class. Curses and hexes :P
[QUOTE]

And Rangers, rangers have shouts too.

Changing it to a shout would only eliminate the chance of it being interrupted, and it's a 1/4s cast so I don't know what good it'll do. It ending shouts would be interesting I guess, but removing shouts off rangers/warriors (which is who you'd mostly be putting this on) isn't as useful as removing them off monks and other squishies.

It has potential as a skill but I really doubt it will see play (even with the proposed changes) simply because there are stronger forms of anti melee that actually create pressure. (zzz battery running low on laptop, can't charge. i'll try expand later)

It makes sense from a flavor aspect, but as I've said, it's really too much of a functionality headache to modify it. :-\

Yes, that was the idea.
Actually N has 4 of them (Cacophony). Anyway these skills are rarely carried for numerous reasons in higher-level PvP, and if they are, you can just as easily stick them on an N secondary.

That 1/4th second cast time is increased by certain skills, and it means you cannot activate it while using another skill, unlike shouts. You can easily activate a shout in the middle of a three second cast spell, and it makes for some awkward.

it doesnt really matter for the name given to it...........


Lets make big hands come out of the sky and protect you when the w/mos use healing hands!

better yet phoenix will actually have one now!

just get away from the whole it makes sense cause of it's name thing.

True enough but wouldn't this give the spell added utility? That way it could be used as unconditional interrupt and strip against casters as well.

My feel (as I'm thinking), and I did create this thread to start discussion about the skill, is that the shout-ending effect, Attack skill disable only on attack skill usage, and modifications to R and E-cost would create a good result.

Well I can't really wrap my mind around the idea that does _not_ make sense only because it's a one-of-a-kind.

Like other people have said in other places, Wail could be very overpowered if buffed too much. Part of guild wars is countering the other team's skills, but even counters have counters. There really isn't a counter to Wail - once you've used it on someone, there's nothin they can do about it. The req on it is so easy to meet, and it's a 1/4 cast.

I think it should actually be made a hex so it's removable.....then it could be safely buffed.

Changing it to a hex would allow it to be buffable, but it wouldn't change any of what the threadstarter's concerns were. I'd still be interruptable, impossible to hit Vow of Silenced characters, ect ect.

[QUOTE=Cathode_Reborn]Like other people have said in other places, Wail could be very overpowered if buffed too much.[QUOTE]Very true. However that's why I suggest a buff-nerf. Change the disable duration down. Reduce the recharge. Make it disable only on interruption of an attack Skill.

In my opinion, Wail of Doom is a key skill that could become the base of a meaningful necromancer role for higher-end PvP.

Making it a Hex would completely destroy the skill for competitive PvP.