Aecdotal test of combat changes

[Frens]

<DIV> <DIV>Please note I do not like the public discussion of combat changes at this early stage of the game.  Therefore, I ask the forum moderator to lock or delete my posts rather than moving them if neccessary.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I have a level 20 brigand.  Just for ha-has I logged him in after the patch to see just what he could do.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I'm using the Brigand's Bargainer and Blerton's Crate Opener for my weapons.  Not impressive at all, but still decent, considering I haven't worked my weaponsmith through T3 nor had that much interest in playing my brigand.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>For testing, I went to CL and found some elephants.  I read over my arts carefully.  Then I commenced attack.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Level 18- elephant lasted less than 5 seconds.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Level 19- elephant lasted just less than 10 seconds.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Level 16++ vulrich took about 15 seconds.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>None of these mobs did signifigant damage to my health or power.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Then I went to Nektulos Forest.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Level 21- cackling cadaver took about 15 seconds.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Level 23- cackling cadaver took about 25 seconds.  I nearly died (5% health left).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>After that, I had to go to work.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The following are my observations about why my results tuned out like this:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>1. My Cheap Shot (app4, green con) is no longer broken by melee damage on most solo mobs.  It broke from damage only on the level 16++ vulrich I took on.  The level 23 (orange con) didn't break it.  Therefore I was able to duck behind and unleash Backstab, Rake, and Locke's Careless Sideswipe.  Plus, because I use Cheap Shot as part of my HO, the backstab finished the opportunity and hit it with Ringing Blow damage.  This seems to be to be largely imbalanced in the favor of brigands (as opposed to, say, assassins or rangers who need to pop stealth off to unleash their best attacks).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>2. All my damage arts (that I used: gouge, quick flurry, bludgeon, quick strike, backstab, rake)except the training one (Locke's careless sideswipe) have no cast time.  Not only does this allow me to put out huge bursts of damage, but because there is no cast time the reuse timers start insantly as well, allowing me to use each art more often.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>3. Mobs are using a much wider array of combat arts.  As such, the abilities possessed by the level 23 cadaver were owning me and hard (much as I'd expect to own a level 17 scout-type mob attacking me).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I need to rotate through my characters (for class variety) and test against casters as well, but it seems that con color is much, much more important than it used to be.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Frens</DIV> <DIV>Secret Cleric of Magar, Inc.</DIV> <DIV>Fhir Rhuen</DIV></DIV>

[Grimsore]

Playing my 35 warlock I could drop a group of green linked solo mobs with 1 aoe spell, sometimes it took 2. But your right, Blue con solo mobs took a bit more work and a bit more of my health. Anything white I had to root to fight because of there damage output. (root was working better than before patch but was not out of balance). My stuns seemed to not last as long which really hurt on white and over cons. Overall I had much more fun playing my warlock with the changes in place. Many of the new spells were more interesting as well.However, as Fleeona, 50 bruiser, I hate hate hate the instant casting CA. Making fighting way to boring and does away with the cool animations I like to watch in third person.Both Fleeona and my warlock have aoe spells/abilities that do more damage to each multiple target than their best attack on a single target. This makes no since to me. AOE damage did need to be increased, especialy for casters to make them even worth using but now I'm using aoe vs single targets because they are so much better.35 warlock, saw the aoe hitting each target for as much as 900+ damage when his DD nuke only hits with max of 750.50 Brusier, well- Her best single attack is hitting for maybe 600 if im really lucky while his aoe has the chance of doing almost 2k to each mob in encounter. It's made of multiple hits so some usualy miss ending in around 1k damage average but thats alot more than 600.Finaly, Fleeona's power usage is way out of whack on many items. Her fear, 12 seconds, is a waping 144 power now and so is her 12 second mez. Makes them not worth using and this is uped from like 50 pre combat patch.