March 19th Balance Patch Preview

[draxynnic.3719]

It's a 22% buff to a trait that basically nobody used. Let's be realistic here. Maybe it will get nerfed, maybe it won't, but it's almost certainly NOT going to be nerfed down to where it was before. I'd consider that to be a net win rather than pre-emptively gloating over future hypothetical nerfs.

[Zacchary.6183]

On 2/20/2024 at 8:26 PM, draxynnic.3719 said:

It's a 22% buff to a trait that basically nobody used. Let's be realistic here. Maybe it will get nerfed, maybe it won't, but it's almost certainly NOT going to be nerfed down to where it was before. I'd consider that to be a net win rather than pre-emptively gloating over future hypothetical nerfs.

I'll be honest, ever since CMC thief has gotten more treats in the past year than in it's entire existence a few times over. Granted, so did every other profession. But it isn't the constant stream of nerfs, or "slight changes" from before. The nerfs are more sensible and the changes show thief might actually have some representation, as I have stated in the OP. And that is exactly what thief needed since the beginning.

Edited February 22 by Zacchary.6183

[draxynnic.3719]

19 hours ago, Zacchary.6183 said:

I'll be honest, ever since CMC thief has gotten more treats in the past year than in it's entire existence a few times over. Granted, so did every other professions. But it isn't the constant stream of nerfs, or a "slight change" from before. The nerfs are more sensible and the changes show thief might actually have some representation, as I have stated in the OP. And that is exactly what thief needed since the beginning.

Yeah, as I recently commented on the warrior forum as well, it's important to remember that the current team is in place because the previous balance lead was exposed as playing favourites with the builds he used himself while not having much understanding of elite specialisations or even entire professions he didn't use. While a bit of frustration at what happened under the previous guy is justified, blaming the current team for it is not, especially since they had more critical damage to repair in the first year or so. 

[Dagger.2035]

Since they are buffing S/D it would also be nice if they finally fixed the Thief relic so it triggers on sword #2 and #3.

[Stavros.8249]

On 2/18/2024 at 2:37 PM, BobbyT.7192 said:

I was more talking about Keen Observer than Twin Strikes.

TS also had a health threshold component for critical damage, as well as the increase crit chance from behind. Doesn't seem like the new TS will have the added crit chance anymore. So I wonder if it will be rolled in KO

KO is a total of 15% (10 pvp) currently, with TW adding 7 for total of 21% ( 17).

I don't see them making the new KO give 20% in my pessimistic opinion. 

I also think that twin strikes will lose the crit chance, cause they don't mention it. The good news is that they will increase crit damage as a compensation, i think

[Lithril Ashwalker.6230]

Now we just need to make a/d #3 a shadowstep

[Antycypator.9874]

On 2/16/2024 at 11:50 PM, Zacchary.6183 said:

Addition: Thief Axe Changes

• Axe skills that cost initiative will now correctly trigger lead attacks and assassins reward.
• Deadly Ambition: This trait will now function as expected with axe dual wield skills.
• Cunning Salvo and Malicious Cunning Salvo: Axes created by this skill will now properly gain bonuses while being recalled by dual wield skills. Axes created by this skill will no longer always inflict revealed when being recalled by dual wield skills. This skill is now a blast finisher. Reduced the bleeding stacks from 3 to 2 in PvE only.
• Malicious Cunning Salvo: Reduced the poison stacks from 3 to 1 in PvE only.
• Harrowing Storm: this skill will now recall axes to the targeted enemy instead of the user. Reduced the inflicted torment from 2 stacks for 6 seconds to 1 stack for 4 seconds in PvE only.
• Venomous Volley: Reduced the poison duration from 6 seconds to 3 seconds in PvE only.
• Spinning Axe: Reduced the bleeding duration from 6 seconds to 3 seconds in PvE only. Improved the missile targeting behavior for all axe skills.
• Increased missile velocity for all axe skills.

I hope this is all your fantasy, because I can't find this stuff on forum. It would delete condi axe/dagger thief from existence.

[bq pd.2148]

given current axe deadeye benchmarks we will likely get some nerfs to it in PvE at least.  what are your nerf predictions?

personally i think nerfs should shift some of the damage from axe 2 to the AA and potentially make the recalled malicious cunning salvo only be a cunning salvo (no malice reset).
otherwise the axe would have to be nerfed to useless on anything but deadeye or m7 would have to be nerfed which would hurt non axe builds.

[Asra.8746]

13 hours ago, bq pd.2148 said:

given current axe deadeye benchmarks we will likely get some nerfs to it in PvE at least.  what are your nerf predictions?

personally i think nerfs should shift some of the damage from axe 2 to the AA and potentially make the recalled malicious cunning salvo only be a cunning salvo (no malice reset).
otherwise the axe would have to be nerfed to useless on anything but deadeye or m7 would have to be nerfed which would hurt non axe builds.

My predictions are that they will nerf it, but not fix the actual bugs and issues that makes the weaponset basically the most irritating and garbage thing to use.

I also predict that they won't buff power axe (A/P is kinda bad); even though they claimed it will be good as a power build as well - which it isn't.

There's no reason for them to touch M7 since M7 is not the problem with the benchmark.

[Lithril Ashwalker.6230]

12 minutes ago, Asra.8746 said:

My predictions are that they will nerf it, but not fix the actual bugs and issues that makes the weaponset basically the most irritating and garbage thing to use.

I also predict that they won't buff power axe (A/P is kinda bad); even though they claimed it will be good as a power build as well - which it isn't.

There's no reason for them to touch M7 since M7 is not the problem with the benchmark.

id have to agree...nothing ever gets dragged out of the cracks like the countless bugs, then theyll double back and band aid patch which will break things further the next 6 months

[Poki.8235]

1 hour ago, Asra.8746 said:

There's no reason for them to touch M7 since M7 is not the problem with the benchmark.

I don't think you know what's you're talking about. M7 is an incredibly powerful crutch trait that several deadeye weapons have to be balanced around, ergo the axe nerfs from the beta.

Is there any other PvE build that uses axe, riffle or (power) d/d that's not a M7 Deadeye? Do you not wonder why that is and that's the connecting tissue in these builds?

M7 Should be removed so that other things can be buffed. M7 is also the cause of incredibly annoying and unflexible rotations that fall apart whenever you stop hitting a golem.

 

In other news, still waiting for a Bounding Dodger buff.

https://i.imgur.com/WqT3EIb.png

[draxynnic.3719]

1 hour ago, Poki.8235 said:

I don't think you know what's you're talking about. M7 is an incredibly powerful crutch trait that several deadeye weapons have to be balanced around, ergo the axe nerfs from the beta.

Is there any other PvE build that uses axe, riffle or (power) d/d that's not a M7 Deadeye? Do you not wonder why that is and that's the connecting tissue in these builds?

M7 Should be removed so that other things can be buffed. M7 is also the cause of incredibly annoying and unflexible rotations that fall apart whenever you stop hitting a golem.

 

In other news, still waiting for a Bounding Dodger buff.

https://i.imgur.com/WqT3EIb.png

The quickness-on-mark trait is fairly common on open world trash killer builds, but it naturally falls off quickly when you're fighting one target with a lot of HP. Of course, M7 falls off quickly when things are dying too quickly to get seven pips in the first place.

[Lithril Ashwalker.6230]

Just now, draxynnic.3719 said:

The quickness-on-mark trait is fairly common on open world trash killer builds, but it naturally falls off quickly when you're fighting one target with a lot of HP. Of course, M7 falls off quickly when things are dying too quickly to get seven pips in the first place.

i want to find a way for ToF CM and thieves only to use QCdps DE, heal alac specters, cDPS DEs with shadowsteps to get in and out of wall/slams

[draxynnic.3719]

4 hours ago, Lithril Ashwalker.6230 said:

i want to find a way for ToF CM and thieves only to use QCdps DE, heal alac specters, cDPS DEs with shadowsteps to get in and out of wall/slams

Ambitious, since world first period wasn't too long ago and you're already looking to do a monoprofession run.

[TheThief.8475]

8 hours ago, draxynnic.3719 said:

Ambitious, since world first period wasn't too long ago and you're already looking to do a monoprofession run.

I think he's referring to the new nerfed CM version they will ship

[AlphaReborn.1567]

On 3/12/2024 at 8:56 PM, Poki.8235 said:

I don't think you know what's you're talking about. M7 is an incredibly powerful crutch trait that several deadeye weapons have to be balanced around, ergo the axe nerfs from the beta.

Is there any other PvE build that uses axe, riffle or (power) d/d that's not a M7 Deadeye? Do you not wonder why that is and that's the connecting tissue in these builds?

M7 Should be removed so that other things can be buffed. M7 is also the cause of incredibly annoying and unflexible rotations that fall apart whenever you stop hitting a golem.

 

In other news, still waiting for a Bounding Dodger buff.

https://i.imgur.com/WqT3EIb.png

 Can we please not dumpster things just to get buffs that should be done anyway? That’s such a bad way to balance games, and why we always end up with only one or two viable builds most the time.