Backlash "mez" in arenas

[AdmiralParmesan]

I have been playing some arenas on the pts using my sage in telekinetics (lightning) spec and I have had quite a bit of fun. That being said I bring up this spec option because I feel in its current state it is more detrimental than helpful. As can be expected of playing a sorc dps in arena I was focused each match from beginning to end. However I felt as if the mez was almost counterproductive rather than helpful. The mez on static barrier would end up easily resolving the two melee attackers focusing me making it almost impossible for my team mates to peel me.

 

Originally backlash was a mez and was made into a hard stun because it wasn't worthwhile as a mez. I feel that this is still true; all of our specs require affliction up on a kill target meaning anyone we try to focus basically gets a free break from the mez. Perhaps this is "working as intended" but as any long time player of sorc/sage dps knows we are basically defenseless against a CC immune target.

 

Honestly I feel that backlash simply needs to be reworked or removed. Simple changes like making the backlash mez not break from our dot damage or backlash becoming a stun on targets with affliction on them could really help.

 

Rather wouldn't it be nice to get some non CC based defenses? Sorc/Sage CC and positioning has been the basis of our survivability since the beginning but since the beginning of the game our CC has only become worse each patch. I don't want to make this a big QQ thread but honestly being tunneled every game will get old quickly. If backlash was too "OP" then maybe removing it and replacing it with a more reliable and controllable defense mechanism would be a better choice.

Edited August 20, 2013 by AdmiralParmesan

[skarlson]

This is just more of the same stupidity Biofail has evidenced from start; that is why this game is F2P. The nerf was because of stunbub on others which they did away with entirely mez or stun. It could have stopped there and been fine but instead we get nerfed back to the original mez which as you pointed out is often just free resolve. I don't see this changing anytime soon as Bioware is not known for their bright sunny disposition toward feedback. They are more known for their yep we hear you and want to hear what you think but we know best so nothing will change disposition.

 

Consider that literally it takes months for them to arrive at the same conclusion players arrived at before the latest poor change leaves PTR. Consider how surprised you were when they actually reverted the free cool down on CC breaker after every death while it was still on PTR. I know I was surprised. That should give you the time frame for even looking at real issues let alone addressing them if ever.

 

I am somewhat ambivalent toward the class rep system they are instituting. I do not believe it will make much difference; I challenge Biofail to prove me wrong. I can't be the only one who thinks this way. It wouldn't take much to turn us from potential not realized to potential realized but Biofail just does not seem able to get over the hump. They take a 10 steps backward for every step forward.

Edited August 20, 2013 by skarlson

[Tazmynn]

Rather wouldn't it be nice to get some non CC based defenses?

 

Yes!!!!!!!!!!! We need some proper defensive cooldowns, ones that don't require force and are on the GCD, and not ones that prevent us from doing our job. We need something we can click in between attacks/heals that helps keep us alive without taking away force. My gunslinger has 5 cooldowns i can click whenever his health is low and they do better dps than sorcs anyway. Also in 5 levels he gets the instant roll forward which i can pretty much have him escape from anything with along with his 2 knockbacks, immobilize+slow, aoe cc breaks on damage, and melee 4 second stun.

[psybernetic]

Bubblestun hybrid back in the day was pretty ridiculous, but that was only because it applied to every bubble. If they brought back the hard stun with the current application mechanics, it'd be great, but we really need actual defensive cds. The fact that we have none while being the easiest class to shut down is absurd. Sure, Lightning can do some great burst if it's left alone, but honestly, what good marauder, juggernaut or sniper doesn't see a sorc as a free kill?

 

PSi addressed our defensive issues in his questions, which I know Depreva's seen. We honestly should resemble frost mages in pvp: return Overload to 360 degrees and give us a blink to get out of those nasty situations, or buff speed to be on-par with Exfiltrate.