Balance question

[Phaseo]

Hi guys. i'm just starting out as a mystic (currently lvl 25). I quit my fury to roll one mainly because there are so many furies around and I don't really like playing the most popular classes. So far I am having a good time and speccing him melee but as I lvl I am noticing some troubling things. What do we get to balance what furies get. I know furies do more damage. They get regen vs our wards although I think our wards are better. It is early to tell but it seems that they heal better, at least at my lvl. I know we buff and debuff better and get a pet. but I think this overtaken by the fact that they do more damage and can kite anything and possibly heal better. Another part that bothers me is utility. I know they get teleports and group invis. What do we get to balance this. I could be missing something but it seems that we don't get anything. Just to clear up, this is not a complaint, just a question. I like the mystic and just want to know if i'm missing an aspect of the class or if furies are just more balanced.

[Jaedynn]

I wish I had something helpful to add, but I just wanted to second the question. =) I actually just rolled up a Mystic today, coming from a mid-60's fury. I'm pretty much seeing the same things you are at this point - a noticable drop in dps (which I expected, of course, but I don't think I was prepared for THAT much of a difference) and minimal healing thus far. So far I'm on the fence about the class, but I'm not far enough along to make a definante call. Anyone else come from a fury background to a mystic? I was looking for another healer since I enjoy them the most, but with a different play style for variety. =D I should note that my fury mostly duos with my husbands warlock, and he rolled up a ranger to duo with the mystic. Good combo? Bad combo?

[Rythen16]

<cite>Phaseout wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Hi guys. i'm just starting out as a mystic (currently lvl 25). I quit my fury to roll one mainly because there are so many furies around and I don't really like playing the most popular classes. So far I am having a good time and speccing him melee but as I lvl I am noticing some troubling things. What do we get to balance what furies get. I know furies do more damage. </p><p>They get regen vs our wards although I think our wards are better. It is early to tell but it seems that they heal better, at least at my lvl. I know we buff and debuff better and get a pet. but I think this overtaken by the fact that they do more damage and can kite anything and possibly heal better. Another part that bothers me is utility. I know they get teleports and group invis. What do we get to balance this. I could be missing something but it seems that we don't get anything. Just to clear up, this is not a complaint, just a question. I like the mystic and just want to know if i'm missing an aspect of the class or if furies are just more balanced. </p></blockquote><p>You are very correct in your observations.</p><p>Furies will always do tons more damage than Mystics. We now have some AA melee skills that help, but still will not even come close to a Fury.</p><p>Our wards are (I feel) a better way to keep our group-mates alive and our buffs are pretty good. Our debuffs are top-notch. </p><p>Utility- In SoE's mind, shaman are the "ugly stepchildren" of the healers when it comes to utility. All of the other healer types get ports, evac, invis, odyssey, great run speed. The shaman get ZERO utility. Nothing. Nada. Zip. The Mystics used to be able to get a 50% run speed with our SoW and AA points in SoW. They decided that we shouldn't have any utility and nerfed it back to 40% (yes, the Fury SoW with AA is 45%) So, they didn't just nerf our SoW to be like the Fury's, they even made it slower than that. </p>

[Bobbette]

A friend of mine who has both a druid and a shaman has told me he sees the shaman as more of a pure healer than his druid.  However, he feels his druid is more well rounded and actually prefers playing the druid over the shaman. He's had both archetypes betrayed to each of their subclasses at 70 (warden -> fury -> warden) and (defiler -> mystic) and played each for awhile before betraying to the other. Shaman get excellent debuffs, some neat tricks like bolster or cannabalize, and their wards are very powerful.  My mystic does achieve 50% run speed by stacking her jboots on top of her AA'ed SoW, but if she were a warden she'd be running at 55%, that's true. Druids get alot more utility in the way of traveling ... SoW, ports, evacs, invis.  It doesn't sound all that important on the surface but moving around the game world quickly and safely really does impact leveling speed of yourself and your group.  In that respect we're lacking as shaman.  But I would say clerics are lacking also except for odyssey. I love my mystic, she's alot of fun to play, and the impact she has on groups is undeniable. I do have a low level warden, but she's not nearly high enough for me to make an accurate comparison in the fun factor.

[wushupork]

<p>Just to correct the post above me, Furies don't get an enhanced SoW, that's wardens (fury's runspeed aa self only).</p><p>Overall, however, yeah Mystic doesn't get a much in the line of 'utility', w/out going through some very specific AA lines (Immunization/Scourge) . We get more melee oriented type buffs, some really great debuffs, and a glass dog <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> We also have a lot more resilience in toe-to-toe melee, with chain armor, and a significant amount more HP. We don't really need to kite, though through AGI line we get a brief root that can help step back and reapply a ward/heal/whatever.</p><p>Regarding our healing, yes we can't heal as well as a Fury, if by heal you mean replenish lost HP,  because we have half as many tools to recover said HP. That said the healing style is definately a bit different as a Mystic with the slow cast times, and the nature of the ward mechanism- we're not the reactionary type healers as Furies are. Ward to start, get them debuffs in (if mob a challenge) and you'll find you never even have to "heal".</p><p>DPS wise, unless you go full on melee spec, you're not going to even compete. Although, I admit I haven't looked at the new Spell Crits line, seems to me to be more viable for the Defiler side of the equation.</p>

[rvbarton]

<p>I cannot compare a Mystic to a druid class.  I've never played one.  I do have a level 38 Templar, and my main is a 55 Mystic.  I feel I"m just starting to come into my own as a Mystic.  I have passed that phase where every spell is a copy of it's predecessor, and am starting to get new spells (Torpor, Oberon...).  It's true, we do not have the obvious utility of druids (ports, super runspeed, DPS), but our abilities lie beneath the surface...</p><p> I constantly get a kick out of grouping with swashies and other classes that aren't really great tanks, and hearing things like:</p><p>"Man, this is so much easier than I remember it being...  I must be getting tougher!" I hear this from swashies after I debuff a mob..  The classes don't realize it could be because Mystic debuffs are the best combat debuffs in the game!</p><p>I wish there were a parser available to parse true Mystic participation!  Something that would report the amount of prevention a Mystic performs, from their wards, all the way to their debuffs.</p><p>Mystics are one of the most under-appreciated classes around.</p><p>Keep playing your Mystic!  They really are much fun!  Make sure you group, and once you get a good name in your community, you'll never be without a group again!</p>

[rumblepants]

<p>We are fairly close to what the original Shamans were in EQ1. They didn't have much utility either other then slow, debuff, and stat buff which is what we do (minus some other minor skills and spells). Our healing ability relies solely on us being able to prevent damage than really recovering lost health. I also can chip in decent DPS since I'm spec-ed for that. By tossing a few points into all of my combat arts, I can quickly fire off 5 combat abilities (with 100% criticals and our two STR buffs they do decent damage) before I can redo my wards again. I can debuff pretty good as well, on both solo and group encounters. All in all, maybe the Mystic isn't as multi dimensional as other priest classes but they can definitely hold their own.</p>

[Zeliedog]

I have a 70 mystic and a 70 fury. I love them both; the difference is in what's more fun to do with each.  If I am raiding or single healing a tough instance I would much rather be on the mystic for the wards and debuffs.  The value of our debuffs cannot be overestimated with tough mobs.  I don't really even like raiding with the fury; I'm not quite sure what my unique contribution is supposed to be.  With the mystic that isn't even a question. If I am duoing with my favorite berzerker or in other faster moving situations, the fury is much more fun.  I can heal, I can nuke, I can AoE...whereas on the mystic, I am still casting my ward and the fight is already over! I think they are both great classes, it just depends on what is fun for you and what you want your role to be. EDIT:  I mentioned this post to the zerker and he laughed...he said he would always rather have the mystic there in any tough situation.

[xandez]

<p>yah, the cast times for wards are horrid... but then again, i have a warden... maybe they are just fast? <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> </p><p>++Xan</p>

[rumblepants]

Yeah, cast times on wards are pretty horrid especially on the group versions. Single target wards aren't bad. It's all about timing. At lower tiers you can probably get by using just your single target ward if the fights aren't overly difficult. I can usually get a group ward to land a second or two right after my tank fires off his group taunt and then single ward as needed from there.

[AziBam]

I actually think it's almost odd how our casts are handled in the game.  The other slow cast healers (clerics) have AAs to speed up casting time.  The one AA ability we have to speed up casting....can't be cast on ourselves.  ?!?  Clerics also get what I consider to be the best 6 piece set bonus in the game off of the legendary gear pieces which reduces cast times.  We get 50+ to our damage?  Um...huh?  Being slow in and of itself doesn't make us unique.  Not being able to do anything about it does.   Sorcerors, known for slow casting spells can choose their AA lines to speed up casting.  The devs just seem to think it's appropriate for us to cast really slow.  I don't understand.  I'd love to throw out one of our very weak EoF AA lines in exchange for a line that accelerated our wards and heals.  Frankly, there are several KoS lines that could easily be replaced by a tree that gave accelerated casting speed which would be of much greater benefit to us than the existing ones do. Clerics and sorcerors received those AA options for a reason, they need them.  We just haven't received the same type of options.  I'd love to have ports or anything remotely like that.  We are fantastic raiding and great at the core job of healing (by which I mean warding).  We don't have a lot of the nice tools to play with that some of the other healers do though. 

[Dragmoon]

<p>I (for myself) love the mystic cause of 3 things..</p><p>1: Great damage prevention aka Wards</p><p>2: Very good debuffs and buffs (yaya Defilers buff more raw HP.. jeez I cant hear that anymore)</p><p>3: Immense DPS for a healer... (depends on group and gear 700-1600 dps)</p><p>I dont mind the slow cast times.... just a timing thing... but faster recast times would own... and I mean not those 8AA% and the 5% on the Wind Ring... 2-3% per AA would be nice...</p><p>Drag</p>

[zaun2]

I've found the slow casting times not so bad.  Once I get the group and single target wards in the air, I can sling a slow or other debuff which lessons incoming mob DPS by a substantial amount. On my warden, I can do much other than spam my fast-cast HoTs, other than pop a CA or two between them.

[Triyton]

<p>Yes, the Pet is a utility Druids don't have, very useful for pulling sometimes, and now that AAs (apart from the Strength line) don't depend on it you can afford to lose it on the pull.</p><p>Another advantage over Druids is the chain vs leather armor.  With a good set of chain you can train through a zone that might bury a Druid, even if there are some stuns along the way.  And while I wish I had Invis, that's what totems are for.</p>

[Inphina]

I have a mid level Mystic, 39 as I type this, however I've never had a Druid higher than level 20 so I can't really compare them. When it comes to DPS, Druids, especially Furies, are definitely better. Only with full melee spec a Mystic can be compared to a Druid, but honestly a Mystic beating a Druid in terms of DPS is unheard of. It seems that SoE is somehow trying to make shaman unwanted, judging from what they did to their AA and that their DPS is one of the lowest in the game. Mystics, on the other hand, shine in groups. It takes skill to play a Mystic properly though, as all you need to play a reactive healer like a Druid is a fast computer and of course, fast reactions. Wards are definitely great, and they get even better at high levels when you get spells like Oberon and Torpor. Even though Mystic heals' casting times are slow, they are quite powerful, especially when used with some AAs that improve heals. And like elmost everyone has said, Mystics' (and shaman's) debuffs are probably the best of the game. So, maybe not as balanced, but very valuable in groups. And even though Druids' DPS is 10x that of Shaman's, Shaman can survive better thanks to powerfull buffs and wards.