Unorthodox improvements for Balance & Infiltration

[Philosomanic]

I think we can all agree that, while Kinetic is in a good place, Balance and Infiltration could use some love. I have an unorthodox idea for buffing each that would add a lot of fun to the specs. These aren't well-thought-out or formal ideas, but just something to toss around. The specific numbers especially are not set in stone. Where it says "10%", that could mean "5%" if that's what balances better.

 

Other classes got/are getting new Tier 6 talents with 1.2. These changes would also be Tier 6 talents. I think it's a neat, simple way of doing things that wouldn't unbalance Kinetic.

 

 

 

BALANCE: Punishing Throw

Telekinetic Throw ticks deal 10% more damage and heal for 0.5% of max health for each of your periodic damage effects on the enemy.

 

This would do several things to help Balance. First, it would a little more defensive ability. We do DPS comparable to other classes, but we have far lower defenses. This defensive boost keeps with the theme of Balance. We already have effects involving self-heals for X% involving DoTs.

 

This would also help improve our role as a melee/range hybrid. We're ostensibly the premier melee/range hybrid class of the game. However, we have significantly lower DPS if we are unable to get into melee range. This would help raise our DPS at range, and make us able to actually put out a half-decent amount of damage at ten meters.

 

This would add a really cool dynamic to fighting as Balance. This skill may or may not be worth using in melee combat, especially since it can be interrupted easily, but it would give us another option in combat. This would add to the fluid combat style that Balance has.

 

 

 

INFILTRATION: Explosive Field

Low Slash provides the enemy with a damage-absorbing bubble (like Force Armor) that absorbs up to 5,000 damage. Damage does not break Low Slash while the bubble is up. Once the bubble is used up, it deals 5,000 damage to the enemy. Lasts thirty seconds.

 

This would make Infiltration far better at what Infiltration does. Since Infiltration's specialty is unleashing a huge burst in a short window of time, this would make that even better. You could set up procs as usual, but then use Low Slash right before your burst. This "bubble" would absorb the first hit or two, and then deal all that damage in one burst. This will take one or two skills and essentially save them up, dealing two or three GCDs of damage in one GCD.

 

This would help fill the function of increasing Shadow defenses. Having the bubble on the enemy would keep Low Slash from immediately breaking. This would make Low Slash a much more viable CC skill. It would do equivalent (or near-equivalent) CC to Force Stun. Having a strong CC (that also gives low resolve!) would give Shadows another form of active defenses. It would still take lots of skill to survive as an Infiltration Shadow, but this would give them another tool.

 

This would also make Infiltration more desirable for groups. This bubble applies to all damage. This means that you could use it on an assist target and get a large boost to the group's burst DPS. This could allow you to break a stalemate in a fight where both sides have strong heals. It would take real talent (and good tanking) to keep a player alive through focus fire with this bubble on them.

 

 

 

 

So, there are my ideas. They would each indirectly increase the defenses and utility of Infiltration and Balance. They'd make us more desirable for groups, and give us more interesting and more flexible combat.

 

What do you guys think?

[Kai-Eurah-Tird]

Interesting idea for infiltration, but how would it work against PVE encounters, such as silver/gold enemies? How much resolve would add to that bubble, since it just became a possible 30 seconds CC. >_> Edited April 3, 2012 by Kai-Eurah-Tird

[Philosomanic]

Interesting idea for infiltration, but how would it work against PVE encounters, such as silver/gold enemies? How much resolve would add to that bubble, since it just became a possible 30 seconds CC. >_>

 

Well, Low Slash only lasts four seconds, so it's at most a four second stun. So... 400 resolve (100/sec for mezzes that break on damage, if I recall correctly). It wouldn't add more or less resolve than it does now. It's only the bubble that lasts 30 seconds, although now that I think of it that should probably be lower. It would suck to fight a Shadow/Assassin, kill them, and then lose the next fight thanks to the bubble they left on you.

 

In PvE encounters, you'd use it as CC like you normally do. It would do essentially nothing in terms of DPS. Wouldn't raise it, wouldn't lower it. All it does is push damage from two or three GCDs into one GCD, for massive burst. More of a PvP-oriented skill, but then Infiltration is more of a PvP-oriented spec.

[Anelyn]

You will never channel TK as balance because you will get interrupted. There is nothing else to be interrupted in balance doh, so apart from knockdown / knockback / stun / incapacitates, you will also be a good target for interrupts :>

 

For infil they really need to up the force regen rate outside of blackout, make the Profundity talent refund 25 force and with internal CD of 5s for example.

[Philosomanic]

You will never channel TK as balance because you will get interrupted. There is nothing else to be interrupted in balance doh, so apart from knockdown / knockback / stun / incapacitates, you will also be a good target for interrupts :>

 

For infil they really need to up the force regen rate outside of blackout, make the Profundity talent refund 25 force and with internal CD of 5s for example.

 

Nah, that's the point on Infiltration. You get a whole bunch of force restoration up front, but then you have force regeneration issues later on in the fight. And anyways, your sustained DPS right now is like 8% lower than Balance. That much of an increase would put you equal with Balance, which would be unfair. The whole point of Balance is that, while you have far less burst damage, you have better sustained damage. If they had equal sustained damage, there'd be no reason to go Balance.

[anstalt]

I think for balance, rather than allow TK to heal, allow TK to be used on the move.

 

So, for example, up damage by 5/10/15%, allow TK on the move, but reduce your movement speed by 50/25/5% whilst channeling.

 

So, fully specced in to this talent would give you more damage (15%) from TK and allow it to be an excellent kiting tool. It would reduce your movement speed though, so only powerful in 1v1.

 

Good balance shadows could then essentially stay at range permanently using force slow / tk rotation but the average balance shadow would probably struggle doing this and only benefit from the damage increase

[jbuschell]

My idea for balance:

 

Retool Twin Discipline, instead of the weak buff that we get when we project make it a shield comparable to sorc bubble that absorbs the same amount of Dmg that a lvl 50 sorc bubble absorbs and upon it breaking you absorb 15%/30% of the damage it took to break the bubble, and put it on a 15 second icd. You would still project to activate

 

This would help with balance survivability and would work well with our other self heals.

Edited April 3, 2012 by jbuschell

[Zintair]

If I was looking for Unorthodox improvements with Balance or Infiltration I would look for more utility to bring to the table.

 

Balance:

 

Improves the DoTs from Everyone with a talent by a %

Improves the kinetic damage applied to the target

Armor Reduction by a small %.

 

DoTs heal friendly targets around the mob your fighting by a small %. Maybe half of what heals yourself.

 

Infiltration -

 

I think Battle Readiness should activate a HoT based on +Willpower on Self along with the damage increase component.

 

Also something that improves the Kinetic damage applied to the target or at least white damage. Not just armor ignore but armor reduction by a small % maybe.

[Fuggles]

maybe this doesnt count as unorthadox but id like to see sever force's damage increased. unless your talking about a tank with a very high armor ratiing forcebreach, wich is spammable, does more damage. since it has a cooldown maybe make it a aoe dot with 3 target max, to synergize with force in balance.

 

for infiltration, ive always felt that all it needed was a little self healing. if you look at a infiltration shadow and a watchmen sent, both in reality are going to be tasked with taking down healers in pvp. sentinel gets a healing debuff and has self healing on dots as well as a shorter interupt cd.

 

if we could say instead of debuff healing recieved wich might be op, instead leach a percentage of the healing to ourselves. it would make us alot more formidable to a healer if they can survive our initial butst and not really change anything 1v1.

[dronepilot]

Only thing I need is better defences, I recall bioware nerfed our bursting some update's ago, so can't even get a decent burst any more anyway. We actually in fact do the worst dps in the game, and were the weakest in defence. So I take it this is as Bioware intends it to be. Kinetic and Balance, don't moan about Infiltration, knocking out your spec, because your spec is fine.

 

Sure we want a fair and balanced game, but in fairness, Infiltration needs working on, it is one of the least suitable and questionable classes in the pvp world. Warzones are just not set up for Infiltrators do actually contribute much to a WZ.

 

I simply ask for the Infiltrators, NOT Kinetic or any other tree of shadow to be given a defence buff. Kinetic, your tanky as it is, and you often mix your talents in with balance making hybrids. I do not like or want a hybrid build, I am pure Infiltrator, and proper specs like this need help in the game. Hybrids are ruining PVP.

Edited April 4, 2012 by Meluna
rude