Necros can't even use their own elite since last update... a fix

arredondo

arredondo

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2005

How ridiculous is it that Necros get screwed in trying to use Offering of Blood now that it's been gimped because of Monk abuse. Monks still may consider enduring the 20% sacrifice, but Necros can't do much with it anymore.

The best Necro builds for handling regular sacrifices when Monk healing isn't readily available must include Grenth's Balance or Aura of the Lich, which are also elites. It's just not worth using energy to heal yourself for up to 100 HP because of a skill that is supposed to provide energy. There's little net gain in that. Arena.net, bring it back to a 10% sacrifice.

To control Monk abuse of the elite, just apply special rules to it like you have for the Necro skill Rend Enchantments. A Necro takes damage for each enchantment on a Monk when he uses Rend. For the new Offering of Blood, have a base 10% sacrifice and include a penalty of and additional 5%-2% sacrifice for each Monk enchantment on the caster, normal or maintained. So those Boon Monks with, say three enchants on them would sacrifice 16% - 25% of health with each use. Five enchants? A 20% - 45% sacrifice. However the Necros still only deal with the base 10% sacrifice and no more.

It makes no sense that Necros aren't even the best at using their own elite. Please fix this when you next make skill adjustments.

Kool Pajamas

Kool Pajamas

Forge Runner

Join Date: Aug 2005

Maryland

Mage Elites [MAGE]

I like it. I thought the nerf was dumb. Just make the other energy options better and this skill wont be overused so much.

Wrath Of Dragons

Wrath Of Dragons

Burninate Stuff

Join Date: Aug 2005

New Mexico

E/Mo

maybe link it to soul reaping

Mandy Memory

Mandy Memory

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Mar 2005

USA

Xen of Sigils [XoO]

W/

so all those necro/monks get screwed even more...or if you have a monk on your team you get screwed....

Good idea there! You earn a cookie.

arredondo

arredondo

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2005

<stomps on cookie, flings the crumbs back in her face>

Obviously Arena.net gimped it because of protect Monk abuse, so I conceded that they won't change it without it still being detrimental to Monk builds when I posted the idea. Here you still have it neutered for the Monks, the obvious goal of the nerf, but it is still useable by Monks if they aren't enchant heavy such as some Healing Monk builds.

For the Healing Monks, the penalty in my system is much less of a sacrifice than it is now (only -16% total if they have just two enchants at the time of use with L8-11 in Blood). The main goal, however, is achieved. We once again have an elite actually useable by the class that owns it, unlike now. The overpopulated world of Necro-Monks (???) may take a hit if they have three or four enchants up, but better one subset be affected than the entire profession as it is now. If Monks want near care-free energy management, they should petition Arena.net to improve their own skills in that department.

And save your stale pastries for someone else.

Undivine

Undivine

of Brackenwood

Join Date: Oct 2005

Ontario, Canada

Arredondo, you've got a pretty damn good solution there. We need to get someone like you working on privatising some of the mesmer skills!

mariano

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Aug 2005

Hello ^^

My impression with the last changes to skills in the game is favorable. Nevertheless, my impression is disfavorable with the changes of Offering of Blood life sacrifice, and Gale's change from 5 to 10 energy.

I think that offering of Blood is no more usefull for a prot boon monk, still may be usefull for a heal boon monk, but, it is the prot boon monk the more interesting; and these may sift to monk/mesmer. May be, neither will be it easy for mesmer/necros or necro/monks blood magics builds to bear this Offering.

May be, now, Offering of Blood with its 20% life sacrifice is more in the line of Blood is Power's 33% life sacrifice! But, I like more the idea of the starter of this thread, that of increasing the amount of life sacrificed with the number of enchantements being hold, instead of increasing directly the amount the sacrifice.

I think that another side of the last changes is favorable for necros, but not for monks, it is that using conditions and hexes have been somewhat boosted.

unclepunchy

unclepunchy

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Jun 2005

Dwarven Ale Company

R/Mo

most nec monks i know are either MM or SS/55

MM: yes the build has OoB and its a heavy hit while linked to the sacs from BoTM and Verata's...(next thing you know your down pretty quickly) saw this 1st hand doing a few Queen runs yesterday...ouchies

as for the SS/55 you do have 3 enchants but we all know there can be only 1 elite


/signed


i really like the idea from Wrath of Dragons; of linking it to soul reaping instead of blood magic...

it would be like a nec/mo using any divine favor skills...not practical (well most of the time)

SirJackassIII

SirJackassIII

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Oct 2005

Belgium

none

N/E

See, there's a problem with that skill nerf. The only thing it did was put back all Mo/N to Mo/Me for Mantra of Recall for their energy management, while Necros got screwed more. All ANet did was shift the problem, and by the next skill rebalance people will be screaming to nerf Mantra of Recall.
Now necros have lost their only energy management skill (safe from soul reaping to gain energy), which is rather bad.
15% would have been more acceptable for a necro, or a change similar to the OP's suggestion. Now, as a MM, it's sad that monks complain about having to heal me more than the tanks... (VS + BoTM + OoB to get some energy back = -45% of my HP)

TehTomato

TehTomato

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jan 2006

NBK

R/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wrath Of Dragons
maybe link it to soul reaping
Quoted for truth

Vilaptca

Vilaptca

Pre-Searing Vanquisher

Join Date: Jun 2005

Fifteen Over Fifty [Rare]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wrath Of Dragons
maybe link it to soul reaping
Would have been a much better way to fix this skill than adding extra sacrifice.

ANet should do this.

Angel Develin

Angel Develin

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Sep 2005

Lions Arch

Minions of Kronos

N/Me

Link to soul reaping = Very good idea


/signed

/signed

/signed

Carinae

Carinae

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jun 2005

Inside

Fifteen Over Fifty [Rare]

Oh I'm so glad someone started this thread!

I like the idea that the monk takes damage for each enchantment. Here's another idea:

Lose All Enchantments

This condition usually isn't a problem for a MM or necro in general, but very very bad for a prot monk.

kdhoney44

kdhoney44

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Oct 2005

Currently vacationing in reality....

Sith Jedi [SJ]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wrath Of Dragons
maybe link it to soul reaping
Totally agree there

Carinae

Carinae

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jun 2005

Inside

Fifteen Over Fifty [Rare]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wrath Of Dragons
maybe link it to soul reaping
No... bad idea. I don't want to run 16 in SR to get the full effect.

It should stay in Blood, because people actually MAX Blood for builds anyway. Either make it do damage/enchantment or strip all enchantments when used.

Numa Pompilius

Numa Pompilius

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: May 2005

At an Insit.. Intis... a house.

Live Forever Or Die Trying [GLHF]

W/Me

Quote:
Originally Posted by arredondo
How ridiculous is it that Necros get screwed
Well... I still use OoB & veratas sacrifice on my minionmancer, and it works just as well as it ever has, no problem with health. Minionmancers are IMO pretty much unaffected by this nerf.
I don't know, pehaps it's worse for other types of necro.

EDIT: Agreed, OoB should be linked to SR. That'd only be logical, IMO.

LifeInfusion

LifeInfusion

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: May 2005

in the midline

E/Mo

ought to be 17% like Dark Fury, Orders, and blood ritual IMO

Kybos

Academy Page

Join Date: Aug 2005

AZ

SCC

I still dont know why it was nerf'd. It was an ANet build to begin with!

arredondo

arredondo

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2005

Soul Reaping skills are coming with the new chapter, and while I agree it'd be nice to link OoB with it, it makes no sense to do so logically. Soul Reaping energy bonuses and the leaked skill descriptions of SR spells are directly related to "souls". OoB has nothing to do with souls so i doubt Arena.net makes that illogical connection.

Losing all enchants is nice though, if they don't scale sacrifice punishment for each enchant maintained. The one thing that 99% of us seem to agree on though is SOMETHING needs to be done.

zoozoc

zoozoc

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: May 2005

Beaverton/OR

Disciples of Birkler [BIR]

It was already overpowered as it was for necros. Most the time natural regen or 1 of the many self healing attacks (like vamp gaze or life siphon etc.) will easily take care of the extra 10% sacrifice. Monks are really the hardest ones hit since they will be the ones attacked (or shutdown) 90% of the time.

Soul Shaker

Soul Shaker

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Aug 2005

Sunshine Coast, Australia

Soul Crusaders

well, that's when you pop out some surprises...sure, it usually only works in RA, but smite for once and watch them run...

but, yeah, that simple fix would be good. there's a point where a skill is just overused...

Maddie

Maddie

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Sep 2005

Netherlands

[천상캐슬]

Mo/

/signed

tafy69

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Sep 2005

N/Me

20% sac is nothing to a blood necro

/Not Signed

Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jan 2006

Wisconsin

dth

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kybos
I still dont know why it was nerf'd. It was an ANet build to begin with!
Anet and its testers can't test every possible out come of every possible variation of skill setups, thy can't predict everythign that will happen, anet doesn't nerf things to make the game worse, they don't nerf things for fun, they nerf things to keep the playing field even. They are doing their job to keep tinks even for players. They are doing it well by following through with this game while producing a whole new game that I am sure will sweep us all off our feet.

mariano

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Aug 2005

Well, I disagree with the idea of liking Offering of Blood to Soul Reaping. Because, I think that linking OoB to SR implies a lesser flexibility in making energy efficient buildings, because, OoB is an alternative way to get energy to SR.

Say, if I put points in SR then I dismiss using OoB, and viceversa... I use OoB to free points from SR.

Still more, I do not see any wrong in the prot boon monk + OoB. If it was too simple to get lot of energy with OoB, (and it was!), make it a little more difficult, or less efficient... as suggested above.

P.S.: Now, many monks use a combo of mesmer's skills: Channeling + Inspired Hex. One may feel fear that "Channeling" may be nerfed in the future ^^, but, "Channeling" it is not so often used by primary mesmers.

Burakus Lightwing

Burakus Lightwing

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Oct 2005

W/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wrath Of Dragons
maybe link it to soul reaping

Good idea!! I was thinking the same thing then I saw your post. This would fix the OP's problem. Just link it to Soul Reaping with 10% sacrifice and Necros should have no problem using the skill.

MasterThrawn

MasterThrawn

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Feb 2006

Gryffindor

I dunno - I never have problems with health even after the "fix". True - I liked it the old way MUCH better, and I don't think it was right that it was changed because of a different profession, but there are so many ways a Necro regains life, this isn't really an issue. Especially if your a MM as mentioned - Soul Reaping takes care of almost all energy needs, so this is only there in those rare instances you need it. Plus there are other skills that will regain energy, just not as effectively.

After all that - I agree that it should not have been changed (at least not so drastically)- but oh well. Don't think they'll change it back.