Last balance chances - good reasoning, bad implementation

I want to thank @Cal Cohen.2358 for one of the best balance, "breaking down explanation" I have ever seen from the devs(https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/100557/soulbeast-damage-adjustments/p1). The post presents some solid points but the actual implantation the devs chose is just contradictory the presented points.

Instead of the nerfing the BM traitline for SB, reducing power coefficients for both Maul and Worldly Impact and nerfing the Ferocious arch type, I think they should have done the following.

1) Sic 'em - CD increase to 40sec from 35sec, for SB 20% damage bonus instead of 25%, .
2)Attack of Opportunity - reduce bonus damage from 50%-40% , reduce bonus damage the maul SB version from 25% bonus damage to 20%.3)Smokescale arch type changed from "Ferocious" to "Versatile".4)Gazelle charge, SB version, changed from 12 sec to 15 sec.5)Birds swoop, SB version, changed from 18 sec to 15 sec.

The suggested changes to Sic'em will not destroy the skill but will reduce the destructive potential of a successful combo with Attack of Opportunity(which also is being reduce)+ Remorseless . The two changes together will reduce the big combo by 10%.

The suggested changes to Attack of Opportunity are also to address situation where core ranger combo with maul and specific pets is can also be quite destructive and much of the forums QQ is actually about that and not the SB.

Smokescale is problematic as a Ferocious arch type, giving also utility and immunity frame to what supposed to be a squishy glass cannon setup. If the SB will pick Smokescale with its Versatile arch type, the overall damage will be reduce. If the SB will pick any of the other "Ferocious" pets, its survivability and utility will reduce.

Gazelle charge increased CD to 15 sec will reduce the setup potential movement capabilities(reducing survivability),birds Swoop reduced to 15 sec as making eagle so much weaker than Gazzale, doesn't make sense.

Attack of Opportunity was reduced to 25% long ago in one if the patch. The recent patch just makes GS not a good choice of weapon. With Swoop, Kick and Hilt Bash doing almost no damage, GS is left with auto attacks(slow and can't dodge) and Maul(nerfed).

(3) is unlikely to happen, each SB pets have different types of pets for each stats types.

@"Eramonster.2718" said:Attack of Opportunity was reduced to 25% long ago in one if the patch. The recent patch just makes GS not a good choice of weapon. With Swoop, Kick and Hilt Bash doing almost no damage, GS is left with auto attacks(slow and can't dodge) and Maul(nerfed).

(3) is unlikely to happen, each SB pets have different types of pets for each stats types.

Hi,There are 3 versions for "Attack of Opportunity".

1)Given by the "Moment of Clarity" trait. This version will give 50% damage bonus to both ranger/SB and pet if the condition are met. - https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Moment_of_Clarity

2)Given to pet by the maul skill. This version will give 50% damage bonus to pet only. - https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Attack_of_Opportunity_(effect)

3)Given to SB by the maul skill. This version will give 25% damage bonus the SB only. - https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Attack_of_Opportunity_(soulbeast_effect)

My suggestion was to nerf version 1+2 to 40% and version 3 to 20%. Hope it clears this up. I think it is much better option than nerfing the maul coefficient. The current version basically say that you must trait "Moment of Clarity" in order to do damage with maul. A weapon cannot be relied completely on a single trait(which is even not the specific weapon dedicated trait).

Regarding 3, there is no complete overlap between pet stats and pets arch types. Arch type distribution is also not even. Basically, A.net can decide to give any pet, any arch type. In case of smokescale, I cannot think of a pet more suitable for the "Versatile" Arch type.

Reread the notes. The reason why cmc stated they didn't want to nerf Sic em is it requires a utility slot and is a core ranger skill.

Nerfing the beast mastery traitline was the right thing to do, it provided too much to merged soulbeasts whereas the improvement to core ranger and druids was far lower. While running greatsword it is also providing 10% damage and if also running axes it provides a large ferocity bonus (+240 , +120 if not using axe), so it's not like a reduction in bonuses makes it useless. I don't know why anyone refutes that.+150 to 5 stats reduced to +75 merged is a reduction in damage (power/precision/condition damage) and sustain (toughness/vitality) ; 20% pet skill reduction is intact+300 ferocity reduced to +150 is in line with most other classes

However , hitting maul damage was unexpected because nerfing beast mastery along with Maul (which has a huge tell) and Worldly Impact is a bit heavy handed.

Attack of Opportunity from the trait isn't as much of a problem because the setup is far harder , once you CC someone unless their stunbreaks and defense are on cooldown you have a small window of damage ~3s. In typical soulbeast build with smokescale you only have greatsword 5 (hilt bash) and longbow 4 (point blank shot). That said, the damage bonus is an outlier so I would not be surprised if it was reduced to 15-25% from 50% for the Greatsword skill when merged.

The charge skill had daze along with damage, so having damage removed or reduced from it would be inline with other skills.

P.S. IMO It should be mandatory every player posting these threads play the class AND against it.

The best part is, people still want more ranger nerfs. They want to see Maul reduced to an auto -level of damage. They want to see Sic 'Em gone, pets reduced to bone minions and ranger's already low sustain not compensated by any form of utility, block or evade.

I've been on various streams these past few weeks, and I can confidently say a lot of the community hates ranger for no other reason than not understanding how the class functions.

Imagine if we didn't have Sigil of Intelligence and Lesser Quickening Zephyr; just for F'd we'd be.

Why would you nerf core for a soulbeast issue?Soulbeast's issue come both from the fact that they got access to the pet's specific buffs and that they have tools that make them a bit to tanky for a low cost.

• SB stances are overloaded, nothing more, nothing less. There is a need to shave off a bit of the power put onto these stances.
• SB just shouldn't interact with core commands and pets buff on weapon skills like they are a pet.

It's not a matter of nerfing the core skills, they are fine. It's a matter of nerfing the abusive interaction of the soulbeast with some core skills. 7-8 years of balance by shaving numbers around the true issues proved again and again that this kind of balancing don't work. (And it's true for every single profession of the game)

@Infusion.7149 said:Reread the notes. The reason why cmc stated they didn't want to nerf Sic em is it requires a utility slot and is a core ranger skill.

Nerfing the effect of Sic 'em in beastmode has absolutetely no effect on core ranger.

Normaly I would agree with not nerfing a core aspects of a class unless the core aspects is the problemmaker. Which is also why I think they could have spared the additional GS nerfs for now. But as far as Sic' em or any other effect that would normaly only apply to the pet, it's completely irrelevant.

@"Dadnir.5038" said:

• SB just shouldn't interact with core commands and pets buff on weapon skills like they are a pet.

That's a core design feature of the elite specialization. You're dumbing down an elite spec to simply be "here, get rid of that dumb AI, get a couple of skills in return... oh, and your weapon effects now have no effect when you use this mechanic".

No. What they need to do is to individually balance all the effects as they are when you're merged, like they've already done several times. It doesn't affect core ranger anyway. The only real problem with Soulbeast (granted that we can't redesign it) is that Anet CLEARLY never sat down and properly balanced every single trait and skill that would affect a merged SB (including the pet skills themselves). It's ridiculous that Sic 'Em originally had its full 40 % modifier outside of PvE (it's also kind of ridiculous that this "overpowered spec" depends on that modifier in PvE, but that's a whole other story).

If all the woe is from sic' em, just give it the treatment they gave to protect me and signet of renewal, where the full effects only work un-merged. The merged player gets no bonus damage from sic em whatsoever (and as before it would never make it on to any utility bar again). It would fall in line with protect me's no barrier and signet of renewal's no condi clear or extra health regen while merged. Leave the bonus stats to ferocious pets, maul, and worldly impact alone. Shaving the stat bonuses from the beastmastery line down is tolerable and by doing so makes other traitlines slightly more inviting.

Smokescale is still the number one choice of most competitive and pve players even after the nerf to ferocious, and that is because it was never just chosen for the damage. It is more durable than many pets, has a smokefield for itself and player, connects with attacks and often with the knock-down and has useful skills while merged as well. Even if it was switched to one of the other archtype lines it would still probably be the number one choice, since it is arguably the only real working pet. I think it is fair to say the nerf to ferocious was pretty much a nerf for smokescale and since they have nerfed smokescale about a billion times already, they probably didn't want it to seem like they were targeting it again.