A potential change I'm keen to hear your thoughts on

This feels over-complicated and clunky. I like how it is now more.

It's 100% obvious whats happening, they dont want you to roll with CoD as BiS for every build together with level 21-23 AA and dont have any real downside from doing this.

Everyone who likes build diversity is superhappy since its a nerf to "meta".

I dont want to play exactly the same build again as i have allready done 4-5 times in the previous leagues.


Just realize its a big nerf and get over it.

Time for a new build / meta.

On a positive sidenote it somewhat nerfs incinerate and thats a big bonus in my book too.

How I understand the mechanic as it is: ES now is reduced prior to mana for all the reductions of mana, while spending it or getting it damaged. Mana regeneration only counts toward the regeneration of the mana pool but the very high regeneration speed of the ES could compensate it when ES is unused for a while (you see here the issue, yeah). Mana reservation is made on the mana pool only, letting the ES untouched.

Changes that will happen from a game-play point of view:
- you can get up to 100% of your mana reserved and still have ES to spend (probably a good thing for the game, as it increases available game-play options);
- Clarity (the only flat mana reservation aura) is no longer a nearly free aura for EB keynode users (probably a good thing, as it was nearly a mandatory choice for EB keynode users, which reduced game-play options instead of increasing it), turning Clarity into a compromise-making choice between high mana pool and high ES pool;
- EB keynode users now don't lose anymore the incentive to get some nodes like faster start of ES recharge (probably a good thing for the game);
- you have to wait a few seconds between each complete use of the ES/mana pool, which slows down the game pace (probably a bad thing for such a game).

So it is overall a good mechanic change, but it may be improved to tackle the issues it introduces as it is designed.

How I think it could be solved: a double mechanic of spending and damaging. Thus, it would mean:
- when spending mana, mana is reduced prior to ES until there is no mana left, then ES is reduced;
- when getting mana damaged, ES is reduced prior to mana until there is no ES left, then mana is reduced.

This way, when you have spent all your mana, you still have your ES full and you still can use a flask any time you want to resume using your mana and let your ES recharge itself.

A few more ways to increase ES recharge speed and to get faster start of ES recharge should also be added (maybe a cry? Or even the lightning golem, if it ever gets available? Or very generic unique items - even jewels - could be considered). It would be a very nice touch for more than one build as it could be used by EB keynode users and by high ES pool users. Just be careful ES doesn't get too easy to recharge all of the time.

Interestingly enough, the same double mechanic could be applied for the Blood magic keynode users. It could lead to more incentive to use a high ES pool as a Blood magic keynode user.

I like the idea, but I don't understand why I would pick this keystone ever.

It comes with some cost, you lose energy shield on life and you need to put at least a few passives into getting it.

For what? A very unreliable way to potenially get more mana for skills/Mom? It is the mana regen you want, but you will no longer be getting it.

My first impression is I would not do this to my builds.

As things stand (with available mana% and mana regen%) availability on tree & gear, many builds become much worse if you cant get that additional mana regen from a bigger mana pool.
Additionally, a lot of the time I take EB, is so I can afford an extra static aura (clarity) because I have more base mana available. If aura's can't be taken off the ES portion, then that becomes impossible.

Finally, I don't like it thematically. You're swapping one Energy Shield for another that is essentially just Energy shield for MoM (with bonus blood magic when using it).

Essentially, all you seem to achieve by not applying it directly to mana is less multipliers on the base amount (its no longer scaled by mana % in tree), and it has a cooldown. Cooldowns on resources aren't fun. I'd much rather you just said that ES converted to mana can only be scaled by Energy shield % or mana %, not both. Thats what makes it crazy.

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Nutius wrote:

I like the idea, but I don't understand why I would pick this keystone ever.

It comes with some cost, you lose energy shield on life and you need to put at least a few passives into getting it.

For what? A very unreliable way to potenially get more mana for skills/Mom? It is the mana regen you want, but you will no longer be getting it.

My first impression is I would not do this to my builds.

This makes it so you can get 0% increase mana and 0% mana reg, conserve 100% of your mana and still attack on your ES. this is a very big boost for many builds.

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whitw0rth wrote:

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Nutius wrote:

I like the idea, but I don't understand why I would pick this keystone ever.

It comes with some cost, you lose energy shield on life and you need to put at least a few passives into getting it.

For what? A very unreliable way to potenially get more mana for skills/Mom? It is the mana regen you want, but you will no longer be getting it.

My first impression is I would not do this to my builds.

This makes it so you can get 0% increase mana and 0% mana reg, conserve 100% of your mana and still attack on your ES. this is a very big boost for many builds.

True, but will it be reliable enough? Mana regen just keeps giving, if you know what I mean.
Perhaps you are right. Need to think more.

...actually, I need to test it (hint-hint!)

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Nutius wrote:

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whitw0rth wrote:

"

Nutius wrote:

I like the idea, but I don't understand why I would pick this keystone ever.

It comes with some cost, you lose energy shield on life and you need to put at least a few passives into getting it.

For what? A very unreliable way to potenially get more mana for skills/Mom? It is the mana regen you want, but you will no longer be getting it.

My first impression is I would not do this to my builds.

This makes it so you can get 0% increase mana and 0% mana reg, conserve 100% of your mana and still attack on your ES. this is a very big boost for many builds.

True, but will it be reliable enough? Mana regen just keeps giving, if you know what I mean.
Perhaps you are right. Need to think more.

You would have to sacrifice gear slots to get a decent ES pool but this also gives a big boost to life/es nodes in the tree for users without MoM or AA. Getting 1000es is not a hard thing. But i also see the problem of getting it back in intensive gameplay.

This makes voidbringer VERY very good. (High ES and also ES on kill) aside from the obvious +1 and high crit.

Can somebody tell me how to sustain traps or even totems with this? seems quite hard without taking insane amounts of reduced ES delay (for EB) or mana/mana regen nodes (if u dont take EB)...

Oh and another question: Does ghost reaver still convert your life leech into ES leech or does it take mana leech as ES leech (if u have EB)? The old GR states "Life leech applies to Energy shield instead of Life".

Perhaps this would shift EB towards melee.

Reserving all your mana and still benefit from Mom is interesting, and "green warriors" could pick up both keystones relatively easily.

You probably wouldn't want ghost reaver, though -losing life leach sounds painful, but who knows -fortyfy and all....)

It is an interesting idea. I like it more now.