Changing the PvP tree to Planar Attunement is a worthy -- but not easy -- task. This is something that could easily go horribly wrong if some muckity-muck high in the organization, but out of touch with the game and player-base, takes it in his teeth. So, some dos and don'ts.

DO
Create lots of new ranks. Grinding out 8 ranks is tough and progress comes slowly. SWTOR has 65+ PvP ranks where progress comes quickly and benefits are seen constantly. This multi-rank system makes more sense in the context of a PA tree, where many points are needed, and its more rewarding along the way. Too many companies forget that the game is about the journey, not the destination.

DON'T
Make everyone start over. I ground out Prestige 8, and so have a lot of other hardcore players. We did it to attain an advantage over our fellow players, and worked hard to get here. If you think we're going to start from scratch -- you're wrong.

DO
Translate current Prestige ranks into new PA levels. You could give everyone 10% of their total PA for each Prestige Rank (10% for rank 2, 20% for rank 3, etc.). This will keep the ranks in order, but still get P8s playing again.

DON'T
Remove any "core" abilities from the PvP trees. Rogues still need Anathema, Cleanse Soul and Camouflage, or at least the option to get them. Clerics still need Deathwings, stun shields and heal spreading. Yes, you can add things like minor vengeance/valor increases, damage against players, crit damage, against players, etc. but don't remove the cool PvP moves that we all love to use and hate to be used on us.

DO
Add new abilities. At least 1 for each class. Also consider pulling PvP-oriented abilities from other souls, and adding them to the PvP PA. Obvious candidates are Deep Wounds from the Warrior Champion tree, Neddra's Essence from Mage Warlock tree, Fell Blades from the Rogue Nightblade tree, and Slumber from the Cleric Druid tree. I'm sure there are others as well. This will make the PvP PA more interesting and rekindle some interest in PvP.

DO
Consider this an opportunity to fix problems that have always existed in PvP but were hard to address in the current system. PvP healing is a nightmare to balance around. Maybe its time give everyone a passive PvP healing debuff through their PvP PA. Something between 30-50% seems about right. If everyone is always heal debuffed in PvP, it will be easier to balance and will make for more fun and interesting gameplay. This could be balanced by allowing vengeance on healers to partially pierce this healing debuff, and make sure this stat is just as important for them as everyone else.

DO
Make sure people have many options for gaining PvP PA experience. Warfront grinds are inevitable, but lets encourage some world PvP or even strange tasks like invading capital cities or enemy territory. PvP PA experience is a new reward for doing stuff, so give it to us as a reward for doing new and interesting things. If you're worried about exploiting, put a cap on the amount that can be earned per day on the new/experimental things, so we don't have something like the PvP Rift exploits happen again. Learn from your mistakes, dont repeat your mistakes, but also don't be afraid to make new mistakes. New mistakes mean progress, which is something we all want.
Posted by Dunsparrow Labels:

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dunsparrow for PvP soul Dev.

The changes were enough to bring me back for a bit as BF3 isn't enough for me lol.

In all honesty they need to keep crucial abilities like cleanse soul, as melee rogues cannot function without it. Range rogues... eh not so much.

They should hold off 1.7 for at least half a month to get proper testing in on the PTS.

Its a good chance to work out the kinks in the PvP souls as well.


-Shadowprison/Crithax

January 15, 2012 at 8:38 AM  
Anonymous said...

I grinded my a$$ off for 4 months to get R8 and all my gear. If Trion dumbs down Rift, like Blizzz did with WoW, I'll just be moving along...

January 15, 2012 at 1:01 PM  
Michael Siciliano said...

Most of these are actually already on the PTS: There are now 40 PVP ranks, and your current rank will transition over accordingly to match the cap.

January 15, 2012 at 2:10 PM  
seanas said...

On the PTS, the levelling part of your request has been answered affirmatively:

there are now 40 levels, Rank 8 = level 38 (although I've read that might be going down to 36), no high rank person is losing advantage/ time invested.

On the skills side however, I strongly suspect you'll be disappointed. The whole point of the re-vamp is to smooth the gap between the higher and lower ranks (and to give some progression, but the levelling answers that). If Trion make the PvP soul skills available via PvP PA, all they will be doing is remaking the gap they're seeking to close.

For example, if a Rank 8 51 SIn/15 Inf can now be 51 Sin/ 15 BD +effectively 15 Inf (from PvP PA), then there's no way a lower rank player will be able to touch them.

I don't play deep Sin on my rogue, so the excample might be off, but the general argument is valid - my R7 mage is 31 Dom/31 Pyro/ 4AM; if I can get enough points from AM via the PvP PA tree to get Overload (15 pts into AM, gives +30% crit damage against players), not to mention Double Tap (10 pts into AM, next cast after an interrupted cast is instant) *plus* have 4 pts to spread as i want *plus* a Break Free, then my damage will go through the roof.

Thus, given that the goal is to *diminish* the gaps between ranks, rather than increase them, this won't happen. We have to expect that many of the tasty PvP soul skills will be going away, ad replaced by PA0like skills of, say +1 Vengeance on MH/OH/Ranged; with the remaining tasty skills being, most likely, locked behind PA T2 and requiring 600 PA pts to acquire.

It just can't work any other way if the stated goal, of diminishing the gaps between the ranks, is going to be achieved.

I do actually hope I'm wrong; I just don't think I will be, unfortunately.

January 17, 2012 at 1:51 AM  
Anonymous said...

Diminishing the gaps is fairly alright, imho. Dun spoke about the point being the journey and not the destination, and I pretty much aggree with that statement.

That said, being at the highest PvP Rank and having unlocked anything we might judge edge giving in the PvP PA should be enough. We can't just rely on gear and talents to consider ourselves to be at the top of the food chain. Teamplay, leadership, reflexes, skill in a word has to be there too.

About the journey, that's just it, learning to play better by defeating or being defeated by better players - instead of just better equiped player - is the key, I think.

When I was grinding my ranks, I did not feel the journey was very interesting when I would be killed by hoping deep MM rogues with R8 bows, while I was using the same spec, trying to maximize my stillness time, keeping my movements to the strict minimum, in order to gain advantage of Master Archer as much as I could.

A bad rogue should stay bad, no matter what rank he is, until he learns the ropes. Overgearing should push people to play better, not to become lazy and sloppy, while still being able to win.

January 19, 2012 at 5:16 AM