For years agents have requested a higher damage output, a fix to misdesigned perks and higher speed on some perks.
Now we get changes that is infact the exact oposite.
Less damage, new perk-chains that slows us down and a significant damage-reduction on endgame-perks.
AssassinateProjectile -8376 .. -17556
Proposed change: -6280.. -13222 (less than FA/SA etc)
Death StrikeProjectile -8776 .. -18298
Proposed change: -5102.. -11338 ONLY if AS-skill is 3000
The ShotEnergy -6500 .. -8000
Proposed change: -3664.. -4414
The Shot
The perk will again be stealth-friendly as intended and how it originally were, but faster and crippled for damage.
Now, to the agents that want speed:
I am not that overly concerned with speeding up this partiqular perk.
When we execute this from sneak, it's balance in my eyes to have a a little window to fail as our target can run away from us, forcing us to unsneak and follow and thus make our opponents aware of incoming damage.
It adds a bit of thrill and exitement waiting the original time for the perk to land, and strategy.
Now, a faster The Shot with same damage is of course prefered.
Assassinate and Death Strike
We wanted these perks to be fixed for the damage-output, end of story.
Full Auto, other specials, nukes etc does almost same damage as the peak (yes, most the time it is under 10k damage infact) of these perks _ which as for now mostly can be used in endgame pvm-encounters like APF, Biodome, _ and they recycle MUCH FASTER.
Agents have been known for high burst/explosive- direct damage in pvm/pvp.
30% every 11 sec in pvp of dd that most players feel if opening fail, this is also why agent is high-priority target :>
For example The Shot/Concussive/AS/Fling and Consentration-Crit opening. (We still loose agg to most other dd's).
Still, in pvp we only got a fair chance to kill good single-targets fast using melee-weapons...somethings wrong.
The class is seem designed for it and it co-relates with consentration and escape-lines.
As Aimed Shot pre-sl was ment for a high-damage opener (and must be seen in relation to agent-role, mob/player hp and the damage of other classes back then) these two perks were ment for finalising damage and looks like a continuation of agent signature high damage with "around" the same recharge aimed shot had, AND THE INTENTION WAS FOR THESE PERKS TO LAND WITH THE DAMAGE OUTPUT THEY ALREADY HAVE!
It was a cool concept, but it didn't work so years later you fix the execution but reduce the damage, what for?
In pvp, they will still do helluva high damage, close to cap or cap.
In pvm we will just be able to use them more often every 3 mins or so, a higher AS in some sense.
A fix to bad perks (that actually works in practice many places as opposed to what many claims, including pvp-scenarios. so this IS a nerf for many who actually finds use to these two perks) is a good thing, thanks Funcom, but a direct damage-reduction on endgame perks is something very diferent and require an additional reasoning, explain!
Agent-attacks should do more damage than soldier-specials, who got the taunts and who got the detaunts?
And that is also the paper-design. Agent got the best damage-perks. No exception. This is a groundbreaking change.
Please leave the damage alone, repair them and fix the % requirements, but jeez!
I am also not troubled by having these perks at same speed if you speed up other perks.
Like called shot, pinpoint strike (at max dd) and snipeshots.
Snipeshots
Current damage:
1: Projectile -3145 .. -7841
2: Projectile -5608 .. -12416 (or a little less, depending on other perks).
Now these are crippled too into 3k-7k damage or 4-10k, but then they need to be a part of a chain to do this high damage so they are actually not speeded up either as we have requested for a long time.
As an addition to that you need 3000 Aimed Shot skill for this high-damage scaling.
Most agents will actually loose this damage with this change, as it is a DD- decrease.
You also loose out on a lot of damage by ditching the crit-gear for gaining the damage-capacity as that gives you low AS-skill, the gear you get so high Aimed Shot numbers in is actually pvp-gear mostly for offensive agents.
But in pvp, everything is limited to 30%.
Funcom, wth? Are you making agent into assault doctors?
Leave the damage untouched and just fix the perks, we forgive you for that The Shot fail.
Funcom, you are actually phuking with the core-group of AO-fans and change legacy-features in professions.
We did NOT request this, get a grip devs!
What exactly is your concern? That our detaunt-tools actually will make sense in pvm? Right, riiiiight....
I just fail to see how this is "balance" in any way.
We're so low on dd, even when buffed to the teeth compared to other classes and you reduce the damage more...
Some lame evade-perk inc since you fail (miserably) to re-design agent unique toolset to become effective?
Bear in mind many people plays this class for the design and description. And a cactus to you FC!
Stop the crippling of agent endgame perks:
- Statisticly they do less damage than specials like Full Auto, Sneak-Attack at endgame.
- The cap, which rarely are reached, is only 2-3k above FA on two SL-ones
- Other attacks, like special-attacks/nukes, that OD's these or are comparable are not difficult to use.
- These other attacks recycle much faster whereas some have lesser def-checks.
- Other comparable attacks are often instant.
- The Shot will speedwise, damagewise and mechanicly not differ from generic AI-perk openings.