Champions

[Graalx2]

Champions are a DPS class. They do top tier single target damage and are far and away the best AoE damage class in the game. Power use is not generally a concern. Heavy armor allows them to survive damage that would destroy other dps classes and gives them the ability to instantly convert from DPS to tank for even more survivability. These advantages are balanced out by removing all avoidance abilities while in DPS mode.

The post Moria world leaves us with two issues. First, the reduction in overall B/P/E has greatly reduced the penalizing effect of removing the Champions avoidance. This leads to an imbalance between DPS output and survivability especially in group encounters. If average Fellowship healing can keep a DPS mode Champion alive while the Champion is tanking an entire group encounter the purpose of the tank classes is jeopardized.

To correct this issue we have chosen to add a penalty to incoming healing to Fervour, as that specifically penalizes the behavior that is upsetting class balance. It has minimal impact on solo or small group Champions but does restrict the ability of Champion’s in Fervour from tanking multiple mobs. Bracing Attack and the Man skill Strength of Morale have been modified to ignore the penalty. Dire Need never took the penalty because it isn’t technically a heal. Potions and foods are just too numerous to modify in the same way but it is easy enough to avoid the penalty to potion use and food isn’t a major source of healing.

Heavy AoE environments are a concern. It is not the intent of this change to force Champions out of Fervour entirely, even in these situations. It does introduce some tough choices and teamwork challenges which are both good things from our viewpoint though maybe not from yours. This is something we will be watching to make sure the challenges introduced by this change are not insurmountable.

[EDIT] The incoming healing penalty on Fervour will not be in effect in any PvMP areas. Creeps can sufficiently penalize Champions in Fervour without adding additional problems.

The second issue for Champions is the legendary skill Controlled Burn. In essence, this skill allows the Champion to negate the class's inherent disadvantages for a short period of time resulting in a character with maximum damage output and near maximum survivability. It was blatantly overpowered but with some restrictions that were supposed to balance its use. Over time, as Champions learned to take full advantage of the skill and the style of content being created tended towards more long continuous fights, the need to address the issues presented by the skill grew until we reached the present requirement to take some action to rein in the skill's power.

We tried several different versions of Controlled Burn but we came to the conclusion that reducing the effectiveness of Controlled Burn left us with a skill that just wasn’t all that Legendary. We finally came back to one of our original ideas of making it a duration buff. This directly addresses our concern with the skill, while retaining the skill’s full power though in smaller doses. We added a few frills to address some issues that a shorter duration raised. And so we have the version that will be on Bullroarer.

Controlled Burn
Duration- 2:30 min
ICPR= Same as Fervour
Damage bonus = 15% (retains fervor legacy bonuses)
Fervour Pips- 1/5 sec
Additional Effects: Applies Ardent Flurry and Glorious Exchange effects on activation.
Removed- 20% morale restriction. In combat only restriction.

Controlled Fury Trait
Extends Controlled Burn duration +1min to 3:30 min
Additional Effect: also adds Red Haze effect on activation of Controlled Burn.

We know these changes are not going to make you happy. We believe they are necessary to retain inter-class balance. I know it is against Internet tradition but please try and keep the hyperbole down in your responses. It doesn’t help your case and in extreme cases can actually hurt whatever point you were trying to make.

[Chroner]

....wow....

what magnitude -incoming healing are we talking about, 5%, 50%?

[Radardog]

Well.. at least you took the time to explain your actions and thoughts. Great post.

[shel27]

Graal,
From a minstrel's perspective can you give us an idea of the incoming healing penalty in Fervor for a level 60 Champ? Just want to start thinking about the adjustments we're going to have to make.

[mmogaming]

Very disappointing to hear of the changes.

For big AE encoutners, the minus inc healing will be an issue. This changes the turtle encoutner somewhat for champs. DPS race but a champ will be receiving minus inc healing. You bring it up (minus inc healing to mobs AE abilities) so you believe it might be an issue as well. So why have a change like this?

My question, will there be a bonus to use the champs other stances (ardour, etc)? The issue I see, champs do not gain much in using other stances.

Puzzled why a minus inc healing, there is no class out there that has minus inc healing when they are using a skill/trait/etc (I might be wrong as I do not play ALL the classes).

[MataTahu]

Well, chalk me up as one happy minstrel. Thank ERU I won't be healing fervour champs anymore. At least, so I can hope.

[FutenCake]

Good post. My roomate is going to be displeased but the way you explained why you did what you did was fantastic.

Personally, I find it sad that we have to have nerfs to classes to maintain class balance instead of buffing the inferior classes. Nerfing a class hurts everyone who fellows with them. Nerfs are also joyless occasions, as opposed to buffs which are a cause for celebration.

Originally Posted by Graalx2

We tried several different versions of Controlled Burn but we came to the conclusion that reducing the effectiveness of Controlled Burn left us with a skill that just wasn’t all that Legendary.

This line cracks me up, I was discussing this with a guardian friend and he pointed it out too. You guys should turn the "not all that legendary" lens on some other classes around here

[Hakon_Stormbrow]

What is the incomming healing nerf?

(guess the rumor I heard of incomming damage was wrong.. I guess this is slightly less bad.)

And this change is confuzzling..

So how am i supposed to AOE but not get aggro? especially with skills that hit 8-13 mobs? Seems like our AOE roll is obsoleted by this. We can AOE a lot, and guards can only aoe aggro once in a while...... Not sure how we are supposed to do our job now. Drop out of DPS stance to do AOE DPS?

Does Ebbing work to move aggro with all mobs over to the guard?

Since you are changing CB can you make it so the 4 trait bonus of pips applies to CB?

And can you make the controlled fury bonus add 1:30... then we can get through the whole turtle fight (almost).. course whether i want to do this depends on the incomming healing hit.

Also, does this incomming healing hit stack witht he CBR one? What happnes with incomming helaing reductions over 100%?

An interesting detriment to group play you have created is negating the need to get song of aid and the other one i cant rememebr from mins at start of a fight to activiate Red haze and flurry in CB.....

[Reillan]

I don't know about you guys, but these changes make *ME* happy.

[Valinerya]

Minstrel here as well... concerned about the reduction in incoming healing.

Example... Right now, when our Champ uses Continuous Bloodrage to help burn through mobs faster, he announces it, and I don't waste my power on healing him till he tells me it's off.

Are we talking that kind of reduction to incoming healing? Or less than that? More?

[ScrappyTheGreat]

Hmm, removed morale and in-combat restrictions to controlled burn, huh? Well, if controlled burn lasts 2 and a half minutes, is there a cooldown? maybe a 5 minute cooldown?

[be0wulfe]

Shades of SWG combat revamps and CoH ED nerfs.

I don't quite grok how suddenly post-Moria the class is now deemed OP. I have grouped with plenty of champs and I can tell you, when they're DPS'ing away, they're no where near as survivable as your post indicated they might be.

I'm playing a champ now and just based on what I've seen, a champ in AoE DPS is a race between killing the mobs before you yourself die.

What I WOULD like to see Turbine address is the broken proc system, where even gray mobs proc specials on characters with no PERCEIVED reduced proc chance.

And don't come back to me with that's not how the code is written, the perception is there, has been validated by many.

[Reillan]

Originally Posted by ScrappyTheGreat

Hmm, removed morale and in-combat restrictions to controlled burn, huh? Well, if controlled burn lasts 2 and a half minutes, is there a cooldown? maybe a 5 minute cooldown?

There's always been a fairly lengthy cooldown for CB. It probably didn't need to change.

[Hakon_Stormbrow]

Originally Posted by ScrappyTheGreat

Hmm, removed morale and in-combat restrictions to controlled burn, huh? Well, if controlled burn lasts 2 and a half minutes, is there a cooldown? maybe a 5 minute cooldown?

You better go now.

[ScrappyTheGreat]

Originally Posted by Reillan

There's always been a fairly lengthy cooldown for CB. It probably didn't need to change.

I was kinda hoping that the cooldown would be 5minutes now (instead of 10).

Wishful thinking, huh?