Avoidance Nerf Inc?

[Seolta]

<DIV>Recently the monks started a thread recently asking for a nerf to *other classes* avoidance skills:</DIV> <DIV><A href="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=6&message.id=13301#M13301" target=_blank>http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=6&message.id=13301#M13301</A></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Moorgard responded:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"It was never our intent that avoidance is a 100% thing, but that's basically how it is currently being used. This isn't just a problem with raid mobs, one that is present at all levels of play. There is, at every level range, a spot where you can select opponents that have little to no chance to hit you. Once again, that's not our intent.</DIV> <DIV>A change that makes everyone not as good at avoiding damage isn't the solution in and of itself. When our mobs hit, they tend to hit for high amounts of damage, so suddenly even common fights would become a slaughter. Therefore any change to the way avoidance works will be accompanied by other changes that shift game balance such that mobs could hit more frequently but for much less damage." </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>This all = nerf to plate tanks.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Let me explain...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>ATM we can solo so well (not talking about kiting but actually solo tanking a mob) because the hits we take are very erratic.</DIV> <DIV>We mostly get hit by special attacks and the odd melee hit. This suits SK's and Paly's well because our healing is erratic as well. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>SK's use Lifetap procs, Lifetaps and Wards to make up for the damage we take. Lifetap procs are erratic because well, it's a PROC and we are only able to proc these when Decree effect is up. Wards and regular Lifetap are erratic because they are very mana in-efficient and only used occasionally to "take up the slack" perhaps once or twice per fight.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If we are getting hit consistently but for smaller amounts (which is basically what these monks are asking for and Moorgard is basically agreeing with) our erratic heals will not work as well. This is becuase the mob will ALWAYS be hitting us at a constant rate...yet our lifetap procs will be subject to the RNG in order to cover this constant damage.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Furthermore...our Ward and regular Lifetap can't be used consistently to cover the damage because they simply consume too much power. ie. it's much more efficient to rely on lifetap procs and avoidance for defense and use your power for offense.</DIV> <DIV>If this nerf goes through, we will basically have to run from solo fights(of all types) on a regular basis...whenever you fight a high hitpoint mob for instance and end up spending too much power on Defense, OR if you simply get bad results from the RNG on your Lifetap Procs.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The only way we can avoid this is if we ask them to up our mitigation skills even higher to coincide with the nerf to avoidance (which from the looks of it has a good chance of happening) OR we get them to make our wards/lifetaps more mana efficient.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. <BR></DIV>

[Pheeb]

I think we solo just right - we're tanks and we can cast - therefore hybrid... I got strong AC and I saw a chanter of the same lvl (35) taking down mobs much quicker than I do without getting hurt at all...of course, his/her DPS are higher...that was quite impressive indeed....would be much harder for him/her to solo a group though I think... Our lifetaps are not that great - the multi-mob lifetap u get at 35 is not even working (Swarming Spirit)...and our power runs down like crazy - something not right about certain of our abilities in respect with power consumption... The wards are great though... <div></div>

[Gontho]

<DIV>The way I read that quote was different.  I did not think avoidance was a big factor for SKs, being a heavy plate class we basically stand there and suck up hits.  I DO get hit alot by mobs , either green / blue solo all the way up to red mobs my group is hunting.  Point being we are mitigation based tanks, where as the Monks are avoidance based tanks.  So if they make changes to the way avoidance works I dont think it will make much difference to our class.</DIV>

[Deadjest]

<DIV>    I have to disagree about our Wards.   After I put up a Ward on myself or another player, it is nocked down in nothing flat.   I will be taking 80 points of damange and toss up a ward and see it hit for 150+ constantly and then poof its gone.   </DIV> <DIV>    Second, it has a life tap effect, with like a 5% chance of proc.  Well if its gone in one or two hits, how helpful is a effect you almost never see?    Now if it was upgrade in damage absorbion some (say 30%), had the same mitigation of the tank that casts it AND was reduced to only stoping about 35% to 45% of the damage coming in.  It might last long enough to actualy proc and soften the damage on a more consistant level and let the different Priest Class's have their own version of healing without other people running around with lesser versions of it and we would have somthing really useful.</DIV> <DIV>    But the lack of mitigation on our Wards is my main grip.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>    As to the Avoidance issue.  I think there is going to be a major problem in the future with the player population that are tanks.   Alot of tanks (not all) are calling for the equal ability to tank the same mob.   Well there is a problem if that happens, and that is DPS.   If all tanks, tank equally, then the tanks with the highest DPS will be the ones highly sought after for grouping with.   And once again the scales of balance will take a hit and the tilt light will start blinking.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>    If Sony wanted to avoid the EQL tank problems they should have let all tanks, tank equally but in different ways and the DPS would be the same for all tanks to.</DIV> <DIV>What would be different is how the DPS works for each tank and how the mitigation/avoidance works for each type of class.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>    DPS wise, mobs would be coded on what type of armor they are wearing just like we are.   The higher armor the more effective slow hitting powerful weapons come into play in defeating it.   The lower  the Armor Type, the light and duel weapons would take over the advantage.  And you can take into effect weapon damage type (slicing, blunt, etc) sorta like we do now.  And the last factor would be pure meele vs hybrid spell casting.   </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>   And when it comes to defense, just like they intended it now only it didnt happen that way, that being Guardians with the highest Mitigation and Monks with the highest Avoidance and everyone else is between.    And of couse, what type of weapon is used against us effects the damage coming in.   The was a reason why Knights slowly evolved to broad sword, axe, mace and other heavier weapons, plate armor just got tougher and tougher and light weight, fast weapons become less and less effective against it.   (Lets not bring up the long bow, I am sure that is a sore point with any Knight since it was the down fall of the Knight).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>   But that is my opinion on this subject and I forsee problem in the future.   Tanks vs Tanking, and Tanking vs DPS Tanks.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>   Haruchai</DIV> <DIV>  Shadow Knight</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>