Simple fix suggestion for Guardians

[Rouncer]

Cross-posting and "translating" from Juggernaut thread - http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=1338287#post1338287

 

I've always been a big believer in the engineering principle of K.I.S.S.. That the best solution to any problem will also be the simplest one. Guardians have issues that feel like they require multiple tweaks to fix but I don't think that is actually the case. I think their issues all stem from focus starvation in content where they are not being actively damaged.

 

Defense specced guardian's can't offtank effectively because when they are not taking damage their focus generation is reduced to just what they can generate with their strikes and the occasional use of Combat Focus.

 

Vigilence/Focus spec's suffer in PvE dps because they feel balanced around the focus generation while taking damage yet successful endgame content is all about avoiding damage whenever you are not actively tanking.

 

Seems to me that the simplest solution is to change one talented mechanic that is found in a different form in each of the three talent trees. I'm referring specifically to a mechanic associated with Visionary, Cyclonic Sweeps, and Shien Form. Each of those talents generate focus when taking damage. I suggest they be revised to passively generate focus when in combat. Leaving focus generation from damage specific to Soresu Form alone.

 

 

 

Visionary

 

You now generate 1 focus when attacked in Shii-Cho Form. This effect cannot occur more than once every 6 seconds.

 

 

would change to something like

 

 

 

Visionary

 

You now generate 1 focus every 6 seconds while in combat. This effect only occurs in Shii-Cho Form

 

 

Shien Form would change to something like

 

 

 

Shien Form

 

Enters an aggressive lightsaber form, increasing all damage dealt by 6%. All attacks that cost focus will refund 1 focus when used. In addition, you generate 1 focus every 6 seconds while in combat.

 

 

and Cyclonic Sweeps would change to something like

 

 

 

Cyclonic Sweeps

 

Cyclone Slash and Slash have a [33.34 / 66.68 / 100.02]% chance to reduce the active cooldown of Combat Focus by [1 second / 2 seconds / 3 seconds]. In addition, while in Soresu Form, you generate 1 focus every [18 seconds / 12 seconds / 6 seconds] while in combat.

 

 

Make those changes and then Defense specced guardians can off-tank more effectively. Make those changes and dps specced guardians will be able to deal more effectively with limited time on target situations in flashpoints and operations and they won't need to seek to be actively damaged to be at their most effective. Smoothing out the focus generation also feels like it would be very helpful in PvP for all 3 specs.

Edited January 8, 2012 by Rouncer

[invispoet]

From the looks of it, if you REALLY wanted to keep it simple, All knights would have a passive that caused them to generate 1 focus every 6 seconds while in combat, and remove that particular bonus of the specific stances. It may have some interesting side effects in pvp, but i dont think it would be anything disastrous.

[MimicUnleashed]

This is extremely well done, honestly. It would certainly make my life easier. I know I'd enjoy it more than I do at the moment where I need to be getting smacked around to get focus reliably. Usually getting whacked on means you die fast (Vigilance)

[Rouncer]

From the looks of it, if you REALLY wanted to keep it simple, All knights would have a passive that caused them to generate 1 focus every 6 seconds while in combat, and remove that particular bonus of the specific stances. It may have some interesting side effects in pvp, but i dont think it would be anything disastrous.

 

 

I can agree with that in principle but the notion fails in practice. An ancillary reason for the existence of those talents is to help define which stance each tree is meant to utilize. If it was just a passive effect then Focus specced in Soresu would be generating just as much focus as a Defense specced causing the connection between the tree and it's intended stance to blur.

 

Also it is simpler to change the effect of something already in place then to make a new passive ability replacing that effect as well as come up with replacements for the talents/mechanics that revolved around that replaced mechanic. For example, adding some form of passive and then removing Visionary leaves a hole in the Focus tree that would have to be filled. Which is a lot more complicated then just changing the effect of Visionary from active (being damaged gives) to passive (being in combat gives).