0.9.2 schedule and my feelings on 0.9.1 balance

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ness wrote:

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Chris wrote:

I've been reading the 0.9.1 balance reports carefully and completely agree that Rangers are currently less viable than other classes in the end-game. There are two problems that cause this:
a) Evasion.
b) The lack of good AoE Ranger skills.

Rangers bow skills got unlimited range, can deal dmg to 5 to 10 times more mobs than melee char skills could and they can be augmented and boosted by a lot more supp gems than them.

But imo it could wait, other classes don't have any viable aoe skills at all.
This should be addressed asap.

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tpapp157 wrote:

I don't necessarily mind the fact that Rangers are underpowered in AoE but they would need some serious single target skills to compensate.

Since rangers are not underpowered by any means with their AoE skills pool, their single target skills are not that big problem imo.
It could be some new single target pure dex skill but it can't be as good vs single target as duelist or marauder because those classes probably won't get any skill allowing them to hit several dozens mobs at once in any place 2 screens from them like ranger can.

..they could actually boost one skill with several supports not max 2...

..Compare that with marauder who could use only like 3 supp to increase his active skill output (stun/knockback and inc melee dmg).

Amen to all the above. I hope Chris/Jonathan gets to read this.

Any clue on when you're planning to buff the only existing fire witch skill to make the build playable? To be honest I was a little disappointed that you opted not to do so in this patch.

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Chris wrote:

I've been reading the 0.9.1 balance reports carefully and completely agree that Rangers are currently less viable than other classes in the end-game. There are two problems that cause this:
a) Evasion.
b) The lack of good AoE Ranger skills.

We HAVE what could be a good AoE skill! ; Poison Arrow with a debuff effect on affected monsters reducing their chance to hit% combined with an improvement on damage over time for kiting would greatly improve our survivability and damage output.

(I've detailed this suggestion a bit further within the appropriate section of the forum, have a look.)

Hope in the next patch he will deploy Curses, Diseases, and poison spells for the witch i was really looking forward to those. If you guys do then i will be excited. So please release them. All i can do is ask really if you are waiting to put them in later at least i will know they will be in game.

Maybe it’s just me but I still feel like customization is too systemic. That is, or at least what I mean is that it originates from a single system.

Right now everything, from gear, to skills, revolves around the passives skill point tree. There is no more or no less customization then what it allows. This means that players are essentially playing a game of tunnel – trying to find out where the tunnel will lead.

I guess I could illustrate this a little better –

What do you need to use gear?
- Stat points

What do you need to use active and support skills?
- Stat points.

Where do stat points come from?
- Passive Skill Tree.

For better or worse the only system of customization right now, stems entirely from the passives skill tree. All other customization is limited by your decisions in the passive skill tree. I think that is an entirely accurate statement.

I’m presuming that other forms of customization will be developed; I hope they will not be part of the passives skill tree though.

To be fair, there is customization in terms of gear and skills, but I only argue that those are entirely limited and stem only from choices made in the passives skill tree.

I do feel like you could separate some of these systems and make them their own – for example gear.

Gear could be its own system of customization without stat point limitation, but with solely level restrictions.

Active skills I feel need to be part of the passive skill tree, but you could make support gems their own system of customization in the same vein as gear (level restriction but all colorless).

Active skills are one of the few things that help to differentiate classes, beyond individual armor art for each class.

Anyways I have crazy ideas that no one likes, but those are my thoughts.

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Chris wrote:

There is indeed plenty of exciting stuff planned for the next patch (depending on how well things go while we're away of course). Rather than just nerfing Shock Nova *too* hard, we're going to be attempting to bring other skills (yes, including Fireball :P) up to a better power level.

This is awesome approach. So may companies follow "nerf this!" pattern when it comes to game balance. Its no fun. But is easy to do in most cases.
I appreciate that GGG will follow "buff the rest insted!" pattern. Its not easy but is definitely more fun for players and gameplay.

I'm all for buffing "bad" abilities instead of nerfing too hard good ones, but in the shock nova case, I think a slight nerf can't be avoided, since this spell is just too good at the moment.
It needs around the same thing as you did with Freezing Pulse (which is fine at the moment).

Fireball needs a huge buff, obviously.

And I don't really agree about the aoe things for ranger since Split + Pierce + MP + KB is really strong if you put the effort in getting a good 50+ bow.

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Utukku wrote:

And I don't really agree about the aoe things for ranger since Split + Pierce + MP + KB is really strong if you put the effort in getting a good 50+ bow.

Mana cost of this combination? I can see this like mana spam fest. :)

BTw. I found knocback on my ranger and i dont have req str to use it. :////// /wrist :)

And BTW2. VARIETY in skillsmy friend, VARIETY. I really want to see Explosive Shot... BOOM! BOOM! Zombie parts flying everywhere! :)

you can just get the +knockback on crit passive. skip the gem.