GU36

[Tames]

<p><i> </i><b>Changes afoot!</b></p><p>- Sword of Destiny : Chapter 3 - New raid zone (Felwithe Throne Room - aka Thex Castle)</p><p>Also...</p><p><i>http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?topic_id=366382</i></p><p><i>GU36 contains a significant update to many Class Tree achievements, aimed at removing most of the equipment restrictions on achievement abilities, improving their usability with pets, and balancing out desireability between the different branches of the Class Trees.</i> <i>Weapon specific requirements were originally meant to diversify the kinds of weapons that players would want to use and identify a character with a particular achievement branch. Popular achievement branches reinforced certain weapon types, for example, it greatly lowered the desirability of axes versus swords for a particular class if the swords branch was more powerful. This introduced new problems with desirability of loot and quest rewards. We've removed most of those requirements, reserving them only for the few branches that require shields and ranged weapons. Pet Achievements were tedious to use; their buffs almost always required recasting them every time the pet zoned. The EoF achievements added new functionality for achievement buffs to be applied permanently on the pet that was not available in KoS. This has now been added to all KoS Class achievements that permanently buff a pet type. We've analyzed the achievement spending patterns of each class to determine which branches are the most popular and which ones are greatly underutilized. A large part of this update to class achievements has been to increase the power of the least desired achievements. The few cases where an achievement received a reduction were made to balance out a penalizing equipment requirement that was removed as part of the update. The test release notes will contain a list of all the changes made to class achievements. Feedback is welcome. Message edited by Lockeye on 06/11/2007 11:16:53.</i> </p><p>Also...</p><p><a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?topic_id=366605" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/...topic_id=366605</a>) </p><p>ACHIEVEMENTS The Class Tree of Achievements received a full review of their bonuses. Many of the less popular achievements had their benefits increased to better compete with the more popular achievements of each class. Removed most weapon requirements from the second set of achievements of all Class achievement trees, with the exception to shield and ranged weapon requirements. They all share the same reuse time as well. Many of these abilities were slightly improved. Achievements that required casting a spell on a pet every time it zoned are now permanent buffs on the pet. Movement speed increase bonuses now consistently apply to both in and out of combat. Fixed an issue causing Assassin, Ranger, Brigand and Swashbuckler poison debuff enhancements to not work correctly.</p><p>Crusader Strength 5 - Avenging Invigoration: Also improves recovery speed by 10%. Agility 2 - Joust: Increased range to 15, teleports you to your target to attack. Agility 3 - Trample: Increased area autoattack base chance to 5% per rank. Agility 4 - Higher Ground: Increased base defense skill bonus. Agility 5 - Lance: Also removed weapon requirement. Increased damage over time effect from horseback. Lance cannot be riposted. Reuse time speeded from 60s to 45s. Stamina 5 - Divine Aura: Stoneskin effect now takes into consideration mitigation before determining final damage. Improved reuse speed from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. Wisdom 4 - Aura of Leadership: Also increases the maximum amount of regeneration possible by the group by an additional 2% per rank. Wisdom 5 - Fearless Morale: No longer affects casting/reuse times, but all other bonuses are improved by 2%. Intelligence 2 - Legionnaire's Smite: Reuse speed slowed to 30s like other achievement attacks to account for the removal of the symbol requirement. Intelligence 3 - Legionnaire's Ward: Increases the resistibility of all taunts aimed in the crusader's direction for not being able to choose a proper class during character creation (direct 'your class sucks' jokes will still hit for the full amount) Intelligence 4 - Legionnaire's Mercy: Also increases spell resistance. Reduced healing critical chance to 6% per rank. Intelligence 5 - Reflect: Also removed symbol requirement.</p><p>PS here are the Warrior changes:</p><p>Warrior Strength 5 - Executioner's Fury: Also increases Taunting by 15%. Agility 3 - Dragoon's Cyclone: Increased area autoattack chance from 3% to 5% per rank. Agility 5 - Dragoon's Reflexes: Improved reuse speed from 10 minutes to 3 minutes, and also grants temporary non-direct area effect avoidance. Stamina 3 - Gladiator's Finesse: First rank begins with a 25% bonus, then increases by 5% with each following rank. Stamina 4 - Gladiator's Revenge: Removed block bonus: Increases Riposte Chance by 1% per rank instead. Stamina 5 - Perseverance: Renamed to Arena Endurance: Increased health gain ratio from 15% to 20% of all power consumed. Wisdom 5 - Stance Mastery: Also removes penalties associated with Hunker abilities and its upgrades. Intelligence 2 - Acceleration Strike: Is now a melee attack that triggers additional 25% Haste/Casting/Recovery speed after 3 additional combat arts. Intelligence 5 - Relentless Assault: Increased reuse speed bonus to 12%. </p><p>Enjoy! <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[Sinvaryen_1]

ToS also getting changed for Guards. Tower of Stone: Now has a percentage chance to trigger (100% at Master I), Mitigation is now calculated in determining if the Stoneskin triggers its damage threshold. Damage done to shields has been removed. Trigger count reduced to 2.

[Boli32]

Agility 3 - Trample: Increased area autoattack base chance to 5% per rank. that's..... 80% chance untill we die 40% chnce when we do to proc damage on surrounding enemies.... seriously thinking of respecing to AGI line now - whicvh I suppose was the entire point of it all.

[Cyrdemac]

<cite>Tamesan wrote:</cite><blockquote><p><i> </i> Intelligence 3 - Legionnaire's Ward: Increases the resistibility of all taunts aimed in the crusader's direction for not being able to choose a proper class during character creation (direct 'your class sucks' jokes will still hit for the full amount) </p></blockquote> Nice joke on this one.. Any ideas how Reflect will be working on raids now? As they use mostly non-profession spells, its just another -nice to have but not needed- ability?

[Vulkan_NTooki]

<cite>Boli32 wrote:</cite><blockquote>Agility 3 - Trample: Increased area autoattack base chance to 5% per rank. that's..... 80% chance untill we die 40% chnce when we do to proc damage on surrounding enemies.... seriously thinking of respecing to AGI line now - whicvh I suppose was the entire point of it all. </blockquote> Umm.. wasnt the base chance 4% ? i.e new is 40/20 whereas old was 32/16? 80% would be just .. well.. *droool*

[redi]

Base chance was 2.3% and right now.....all i gotta say to these update notes.....wow

[Rast]

I, too, am interested to see how this all turns out...  it could really turn Paladins upside down for a while trying to figure it all out...  But if I gather this correctly, since Im AGI/STA/INT specc'd, that means I will be able to use joust, hammer ground AND leginaire's smite?

[Eriol]

Jalathan@Lucan DLere wrote: <blockquote>I, too, am interested to see how this all turns out...  it could really turn Paladins upside down for a while trying to figure it all out...  But if I gather this correctly, since Im AGI/STA/INT specc'd, that means I will be able to use joust, hammer ground AND leginaire's smite?</blockquote>I can't speak for crusaders (I'm not on test), but based on other threads <i>for other classes</i>, most/all of the "2nd level triggered abilities" share timers now.

[khufure]

It's 40% AE autoattack with horse having no effect.  Very good change!! Divine aura takes into account mitigation now and also recast dropped to 10m.  Another great change!! AGI4 defense bonus increased but no idea on how much.

[Rast]

<cite>Eriol wrote:</cite><blockquote>Jalathan@Lucan DLere wrote: <blockquote>I, too, am interested to see how this all turns out...  it could really turn Paladins upside down for a while trying to figure it all out...  But if I gather this correctly, since Im AGI/STA/INT specc'd, that means I will be able to use joust, hammer ground AND leginaire's smite?</blockquote>I can't speak for crusaders (I'm not on test), but based on other threads <i>for other classes</i>, most/all of the "2nd level triggered abilities" share timers now. </blockquote>Yes, but at this point, I couldn't of used any of them as I do not have the applicable weapons and such (I'm a sword waving paladin and proud of it (most of the time <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />))

[Rast]

<p>I've been thinking (I know, dangerous concept here. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />), with all the changes to dehate and warrior agro nerfs, I'm wondering if SoE is giving us our 'niche' for tanking, both in groups and raids.  With these changes, it would become easier for a pally to hold agro in high damage groups than a guard or zerker (both of which are getting hit with dps nerfs, and some block nerfs as well).</p>

[hawsecav19d]

All I can think is WOW they didnt give us everything we wanted but they sure made things interesting. They increases our dps, they fixed DA to work everytime, and they made the end ability with Int possible by not having to have symb in your hand while you tank and they made the heal crits a spell resist increase as well haveing high wisdom didnt do much for us but we may become a real resist tank with this. And they changed things to gaurdians and berserkers that give us a advantage over them in agro in almost every setting cept mem wipe mobs and made ToS more like a chance than a for sure thing that it was. If they dont nerf it down the road this might be the patch that puts all plate tanks on a [I cannot control my vocabulary] near even playing field again. I will be spending next few months going thru parcers lol trying to see what works better than what. I have been STR/STA for long time now but AGI and INT are going to have to get some  real consideration now.

[Tames]

<p>Hotkey equip weapon, followed by that weapons restricted spell AA and you can cycle through the lot atm. Just by imbued Xeg weapons etc for the non main weapons so they can trigger the hotkey when you hit it. </p><p>If they all grey out (because they share the same timer) after Gu36 then theres not going to be much point having multiple level 2 AA except to get to level 3 AA. Once again we are stuck with useless AA points unless they make level 2 AA not all grey out as soon as you use one.</p><p>Gu36 will matter to you depending on your Guild and your role in it. If you are in a casual raiding/group tank situation then versatility will be important, if you are a high end raid Guild tank (not likely as a Crusader but I am told there are some niches still around) then they prefer DPS as your group buffs (hp regen and skills) arent worth a cracker compared to other classes. Therefore you wont be useing end AA line abilities, just the 488/448 mix many have now.</p><p>I wish they would increase the casting range for rez, with particles turned down for raids I cant see the player position arrow and its impossible to find bodies to rez before another class does it. Fast cast heals/wards would also give us a pinch healer role but theres fat chance of that. Giving a class thats buildt to be hit lots and then giving them slow cast spells, is the height of stupidity!</p><p>One of our "problems" is our versatility, in the same way we need to get ALL stats high (unlike other classes) to be best at being versatile we need another 10AA more than other classes! <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> Either that or we specialise and become Zerkers or Templars... </p>

[hawsecav19d]

I am sorry if you cant see this for what it is they are balancing things and makeing it a closer field. As for not having a end ability if you dont think a fixed DA that takes into account mit and on a 10min timer is a massive boost then rethink mate. End ability STR you knock off 1 min to that DA making it 9min Shaman AA buff will knock that a additional 3mins to 6 min Jesters Cap from a Troub your down to a 4min recast on a 10sec invunrability our raids still take awhile so thats at worst case having DA up ever other fight more than likey up 80% of the time. A mitigated DA means that if your at 64% which raid tanks tend to get to at 14k hps its going to take a hit of 10,938 damage or greater to get thru to 7001hps 50% of your hps. I know that numbers dont allways work way spells say it should but its going to be a hell of a improvement on what we got now. As far as not being able to use 2 or 3 2nd lv AA in a row so what when I am mting a raid I rarely hit more than 8 buttons or so, in instances ya its going to drop your dps some if your not mting in a raid its going to drop your dps some. Once this goes live I think most crusaders are going to love this. If you go gaurdians and berserkers forums they are [Removed for Content] off they just got reigned in while we got a boost.

[Tames]

<p>Actually I agree with you I think DA is great especially when you get amends agro (when not MT) and want to dodge dying or to dive in when the MT/OT snuffs it and hope a healer notices you. If you are actually a MT then it is great also if things get wobbly.</p><p>However it seems that to raid tank a Pally you must boost DPS above all else so end abilities get thrown out. My problem as a supporting tank is that agro = death if not OT with designated healers. High DPS plus amends = agro. However I am a liability if I dont go DPS as parses rule all apparently, so using another 5 points for DA takes away from DPS AA. </p><p>This is in the context of being in a guild that wont let a Pally on any EOF raids (insane DPS required for top mobs) and a server whose top end EoF raiding Guilds never advertise for Pallies. Family guilds are happy to have Pallies since they often have their Bards stripped from them by higher end Guilds and may need the patch healing apart from any actual tanking roles.</p>