Suggestions for MPs

[Xtremtech]

I've never posted to this board before, but thought I'd just throw in a post with suggestions for MPs (beyond the obligatory pet-pathing whine ):

1) Make MP skills debuffs effective in PvM - possibly including a distinction between PvP and PvM by making the debuffs twice as effective in PvM.

2) Add base damage to the high QL 1HB creations at the same time as reducing/removing the nanocost/pool modifiers.

3) Reduce the 3s/12s attack/recharge on the 2HB Creations

4) Add Brawl and/or Dimach specials to the creation weapons

5) Add Creation Bow (better mods at low QL and better damage at high QL)

6) fix/improve mez pet effect

That's all.

X

[__________Wraith God]

I have a 100+ MP so I can relate to some of these suggestions, but as a general note, it would be useful if you added some rationale to your suggestions. Other than to create discussion, why do you think these changes are important?

One example. You suggest adding brawl and dimache specials to creation weapons. Presumably, if you did that, it would mean that there would be brawl and dimache equipping requirements on these items too. However, even though I use these creation items, I use them for the the added effect (nano pool, etc); I don't attack with them. So the brawl and dimache requirements would merely be another IP sink for me, and effectively remove creation weapons from my repertoire.

Of course, the reason I don't bother to attack with creation weapons is because the damage they do is so pitiful. I'm better of using my nano attack (and yes, I agree that the lack of new nanos makes this strategy useless at higher levels). That means adding the specials would be useful only if the damage of creations weapons was significantly improved, and better creation weapons were available as you get beyond level 125 or so. You sort of suggest this, but only for high ql iHB. Why is this?

On another point, I like your suggestion of a creation bow, but preseumably, it would have to have comparable stats to the existing line of material bows, and have some other benefit to offset is limited lifespan and creation cost. Creation arrows would be one such item; that is, you wouldn't need arrows, but use your nano pool to shoot bolts of energy or something. This would be a fun item, and hopefully, an effective one.

Anyway, an interesting list, but frankly, I haven't played my MP in ages because the pathing problem is just too frustrating. Soloing is frustrating, and teaming is even worse. I don't see pet pathing as a whine. For me its a killer. There is simply no point pursuing these other interesting ideas while you can't play the character.

[Xtremtech]

Hi Wraith God,

These are quite established ideas from the MP Profession board, so I didn't elaborate extensively, but for those who don't visit the professions boards:

1) the MP Nanoskills debuffs have little or no effect in PvM. Firstly, the skill levels of Mobs are often so very high that the debuff would have little effect anyway. Secondly, it seems that Mobs' nano selection and casting is decided when the Mob is spawned, so reducing skill would have no effect anyway. Thirdly, there is little reality to the type and frequency of nano that Mobs use (NTs/Crats and MP mobs should nuke a lot more they do for example) and as a result even if you could reduce their skills and affect their casting, the benefit to the team would not be as great as it should be.

The MP should be a strong Support Profession but in PvM we lose a very large part of our ability to support by not having the skills debuffs and nanocost debuffs as useful tools. There are I believe one or two unique mobs on whom Nanoshutdown is effective, but in general thes skills debuffs are of little or no use in PvM.

2) The request is for high QL 1HB creations to have damage increased and modifiers reduced. Up to around about level 125 an MP needs little in the way of secondary damage and can use pets and nukes. The balance of the creations weapons is that their damage is very low but they give nanopool/cost benefits and so help MPs below level 125 to deliver more nukes.

Above level 125 MPs find that they need to begin adding weapons damage to their palette in order to effectively contribute to a team. In addition, the benefits of the nanopool/cost begin to be lost due to having much more NCU free to use nanocost reduction buffs and because the MPs nanopool begins to rise to the point where it is no longer a limiting factor.

So at high levels MPs don't need the nano benefits but do need a weapon for damage. The result being that most MPs drop creations from around level 125 upwards and move to normal weapons. MPs have dark blue weapons skills which means that any weapon they had will max out at an attack rating of around 750 to 800.

At the high levels and in the context of the new high level content up to QL300 Mobs, an MP hits rarely with a normal weapon and when he does hit he will hit only for base damage 90% of the time. However, the creation weapons have an attack rating based upon 80% Time and Space and 20% 1HB (or 2HB). With these weapons then the MP can reach an attack rating that would allow them use creation weapons as reasonable damage dealers in the high level game.

In discussion with the designers during the professionals programme, it was pointed out that the Creation Weapons were given such low damage because of the modifiers, so the suggestion was reached to have the nano beneifts reduce as the QL went up and the damage increase as the QL went up.

3) the 2HB creation weapons have a reasonable damage output already, so for this range the speed of the weapon should be improved to make it viable as a secondary weapon. The modifiers could be balanced on this too - although the modifiers on the 2HB range have always been somewhat suspect compared to the 1HB creation range:

Top of Range 2HB: -6% Nanocost, +1021 Nanopool (cannot wield shield)

Top of Range 1HB weapon and shield dual wielded: -14% Nanocost, +1003 Nanopool, +37 Nanoresist.

4) Adding Brawl and Dimach to the weapons would add requirements to the creation weapons for wearing them. These requirements should scale along with the damage increase toward the higher QLs. Both Brawl and Dimach fall into the cheaper IP cost weapons skills for the MP (though still dark blue) so they would make sense as specials.

The idea would be that at the higher QLs the weapons would gain more damage so at the higher QL creations would have quite high Brawl and Dimach requiremens, which would not be an issue as high level MPs have IP to spare for this purpose. At lower QLs the requirements would be much lower thus allowing the MP to equip the low QL creations quite easily with an implant or helping buff and relatively low IP cost.

Keep in mind also that the Metaphysic Shield - which one supposes is our intended weapon and which Mob MPs carry - has the following skill requirements: 1HB, Brawl, Melee Energy, Dimach, Fast Attack......

5) The creation bow idea is very keenly sought. 95% of high level MPs choose a ranged weapon when they finally pick up a weapon. The MP fighting style is essentially a ranged fighting style. We order pet attack from range, nuke and debuff from range etc. Unfortunately, all of the creation weapons are melee weapons. Our HP, evades etc are not really good enough to be able to deal with melee combat especially when the MP is from the chosen breed: Nanomage. Some specialised MPs do manage a melee style (as in fact do I as an MA MP) but it is a hard business indeed.

As a result, many MPs would like to see a Creation Bow added to the line (similarly with an 80% T/S 20% Bow attack rating) that would allow the MP to fight alongside his pets from the more naturally MP ranged standpoint.

6) The mez pet is twice broken. About 3 months ago the devs stated that the Mez Pet was not working as intended in that the mez effect wasn't lasting as long as intended and the mez pet itself breaks its own mezzes by trying to re-mez a calmed target. In addition to this issue, the mez pet now also causes phantom damage to occur. When a mez is succesful, the moment it is broken all of the damage that the mob would have done while mezzed suddenly arrives..... which is less than desirable.

So there you go. Hope this gives you a better understanding of the background behind the suggestions.

X