Mercenary Changes Brainstorming

[ShadowMudkip]

I think if we had a lower Cd on Emergency scan, that would help with healing when you have more heat than you should. I also think that peacekeeper should change to where consuming a charge of Kolto Shell vents 2 heat.

[Dajman]

Supercharged gas is such a cool tool. However I feel like someone thought it up and died halfway through finishing their thought process. Given that it is such a part of every combat medics build it just falls short for what it does. The options it provides add depth to the class and I think with a little bit of thought it could add even more. For instance:

Unload being able to heal while it is active would give us a chance to not be completely shut down by interrupts because a portion of that heal would still go through.

More options for aoe healing could be opened through explosive dart. Applying it to an ally may be an option or even leave it the way it is but while supercharged gas is active the explosion applies healing or a buff of some sort in the area around it to allies.

 

We have tons of abilities that could be supercharged to offer more diversity in supporting the battle and it would increase the skill cap of this class more. I know I play it because I feel less like an ape as a merc healer than sorc or operative and I really think that supercharged gas could offer more diversity and options to a class to raise that cap to the next level.

 

Options don't have to mean OP. Just options.

[IWantOffLineGame]

- As Snipers have an instant AoE mezz, make the single target mezz Concussive Missile instant

 

-And is just just me, or is there a delay of 0.2 seconds for Jet Boost/Death From Above to start, whereas Motar Volley & Concussion Charge is instant?

 

- Make Missile now heal up to 8 players and an instant cast like Recuperative Nanotech (Which means non-healers won't have this ability any more.)

 

- Make Healing Scan a free weak channeled heal

 

- Make the current Mercenary free heal that they shoot out of their guns cost energy, but heal for more, and make it useable on self

 

Because Mercenary healers wear heavy armor, their heals have to be the weakest, so how about making them a healer-tank spec class? That's means giving them better damage reduction, increase armor rating and self heals. If Mercenary healers are not buffed, you might as well just nerf it for a 3rd DPS skill tree.

 

UPDATE:

 

Turn our free weak mobile heal into a channeled one, that we can now use too, and turn Healing Scan into a mobile heal.

Edited November 19, 2013 by IWantOffLineGame

[cs_zoltan]

I don't even know what to say....

Supercharged gas is such a cool tool. However I feel like someone thought it up and died halfway through finishing their thought process. Given that it is such a part of every combat medics build it just falls short for what it does. The options it provides add depth to the class and I think with a little bit of thought it could add even more. For instance:

Unload being able to heal while it is active would give us a chance to not be completely shut down by interrupts because a portion of that heal would still go through.

More options for aoe healing could be opened through explosive dart. Applying it to an ally may be an option or even leave it the way it is but while supercharged gas is active the explosion applies healing or a buff of some sort in the area around it to allies.

I thought this is the most delusional idea i've ever read...then i saw this:

- Make Missile now heal up to 8 players and an instant cast like Recuperative Nanotech (Which means non-healers won't have this ability any more.)

 

- Make Healing Scan a free weak channeled heal

 

- Make the current Mercenary free heal that they shoot out of their guns cost energy, but heal for more, and make it useable on self

 

Because Mercenary healers wear heavy armor, their heals have to be the weakest, so how about making them a healer-tank spec class? That's means giving them better damage reduction, increase armor rating and self heals. If Mercenary healers are not buffed, you might as well just nerf it for a 3rd DPS skill tree.

 

So if you want to live as a healer, become a Commando/Mercenary healer, if you want the strongest heals, become a Sage/Sorcerer healer, and if you want to be a mobile little **** healer, play Scoundrel/Operative heals.

It can't be expressed how out of concept, ridiculous and wrong these suggestions are

Edited November 16, 2013 by cs_zoltan

[Rambeezy]

The most minor change they could make that would help us in pvp without affecting pve, for bodyguards, would be a combat removal move. Ops vanish, Sorcs super bubble; both give them a set ammount of time when they can avoid damage mid fight while we continue to get attacked. It's during these precious seconds that I can truly see why we are the inferior healing class.

 

Personally, I would sacrifice heavy armor, HO and kolto overload if it meant we got some sort of stealth system. Since we are bounty hunters, why not make mercs a class that can fly 40 meters above the ground infinitely until we decide to enter combat. Give us a vanish as well but on a 5 minute cd. Would work just like stealth but it would be way beter and way cooler IMO. Anyways, I wonder what arsenal mercs think about losing HO for a stealth system? And of course, is this too overpowered?

 

Thank you

 

I'd also sac stealth scan for this change.

Edited November 16, 2013 by Rambeezy

[Dajman]

I don't even know what to say....

 

I thought this is the most delusional idea i've ever read...then i saw this:

 

It can't be expressed how out of concept, ridiculous and wrong these suggestions are

 

Out of concept? What is the concept to supercharged gas other than amplifying other abilities while it is active. All I said was that it could offer more options. And then I gave 2 examples. I don't care what they do with it but there is an area to give us more options. I never thought I would hear someone who plays a support class say that they dislike an idea that would only offer more support.

 

Both abilities in my suggestion are on CD timers as it is and the numbers don't have to be ridiculous to be helpful. The problem with healing in MMOs is that everyone wants to be able to heal through everything. If you cant your under powered. I don't think the numbers have to allow us to heal through everything. But if channeling rapid fire on an ally for 1 second that gives them 1 more GCD to fight with before your interrupted your not at an OP level but you are able to offer 1 more GCD in support.

 

If you just want to talk about buffs to our already used skills then I think bumping our 5% damage reduction to 10% would be good..... however that would get out of hand really fast in groups... We could add more people for kolto shell to affect... but that already is 100% effective healing and the best scaling heal in the game which would allow it to get out of hand very fast. How about heal on the move? The hate we would pull would be off the charts, not to mention healing while moving doesn't solve the problem of being slowed and interrupted all the time.. Increase all healing done by X%? or increasing all of our heals healing done? Easy to program just change some numbers.... still leaves us in the pickle for pvp and would again invite more attention than we need in pve.

 

I have been reading other suggestions and I post one that wont pull ban hammer aggro right away with mere examples and I am delusional. Much better to stick to suggestions that will make us OP in pve in the hopes to bring us on par in pvp.

 

Though I guess it doesn't matter. Were gonna get 1 class change at the release of the expansion and then every 2 weeks after that will be patches dedicated to an in game store instead of the game itself.

[Dajman]

The most minor change they could make that would help us in pvp without affecting pve, for bodyguards, would be a combat removal move. Ops vanish, Sorcs super bubble; both give them a set ammount of time when they can avoid damage mid fight while we continue to get attacked. It's during these precious seconds that I can truly see why we are the inferior healing class.

 

Personally, I would sacrifice heavy armor, HO and kolto overload if it meant we got some sort of stealth system. Since we are bounty hunters, why not make mercs a class that can fly 40 meters above the ground infinitely until we decide to enter combat. Give us a vanish as well but on a 5 minute cd. Would work just like stealth but it would be way beter and way cooler IMO. Anyways, I wonder what arsenal mercs think about losing HO for a stealth system? And of course, is this too overpowered?

 

Thank you

 

I'd also sac stealth scan for this change.

 

Your right about making it something that has very little affect in pve. This is the problem with suggesting flat number buffs. I don't think I would give up what we already have but a drop that takes us out of the fight (we cant heal and we cant deal damage just move and re position) would be awesome. Out of everything ops have I will be honest. Only one ability has ever made me want to level and play one. The roll. Perfect for re positioning and the enemy can see you do it on top of everything. But it gives immunity to burst when timed right and you are offering your team more support just by forcing the enemy to drop major DPS trying to catch and keep up with you. Completely leaving forces a second to re target someone else. Taunting the enemy with the knowledge that if they can just reach you they can get you out of the way for good... that is priceless.

[cs_zoltan]

Out of concept? What is the concept to supercharged gas other than amplifying other abilities while it is active. All I said was that it could offer more options. And then I gave 2 examples. I don't care what they do with it but there is an area to give us more options. I never thought I would hear someone who plays a support class say that they dislike an idea that would only offer more support.

 

Out of concept is healing with Unload and Explosive Dart. What will be next? Death from Above? Flame Thrower? Fusion Missile? Or you want all Merc healers to spec into Arsenal and heal with Tracer and Heatseeker?

[Dajman]

Out of concept is healing with Unload and Explosive Dart. What will be next? Death from Above? Flame Thrower? Fusion Missile? Or you want all Merc healers to spec into Arsenal and heal with Tracer and Heatseeker?

 

About as much sense as your auto healing people.

[ShadowMudkip]

I saw an interesting proposal on the Commando forums, to change advanced medical probe (healing scan), into a channel. It would heal the same, and the reduction in cost to rapid scan would be applied at the beginning of the channel, same with the armor buff and HoT.

[Dajman]

I saw an interesting proposal on the Commando forums, to change advanced medical probe (healing scan), into a channel. It would heal the same, and the reduction in cost to rapid scan would be applied at the beginning of the channel, same with the armor buff and HoT.

 

This would be really awesome also. A change that wont break us in pve but increase what we can do in pvp.

[ShadowMudkip]

This would be really awesome also. A change that wont break us in pve but increase what we can do in pvp.

 

I thought it was really awesome to, but it occurred to me last night that it would mess up the healing scan/ rapid scan spam when under the influence of supercharged gas . But I am sure that another change could happen to allow for healing scan to become a channel. Like Emergency scan also grants the reduction in cost for rapid scan.

[ShadowMudkip]

The dreaded double post! But seriously, making healing scan a 2.5 or 3 second channel would allow us to vent more heat while channeling, due to it being a channel over about 3 seconds. The problem with Bodyguard is that it is cast heavy, changing a cast to a channel helps in this aspect from a pvp perspective.

[Dajman]

The dreaded double post! But seriously, making healing scan a 2.5 or 3 second channel would allow us to vent more heat while channeling, due to it being a channel over about 3 seconds. The problem with Bodyguard is that it is cast heavy, changing a cast to a channel helps in this aspect from a pvp perspective.

 

If you make it channel over 2.5 or 3 seconds would significantly lower our hps which is something we really have to work for in the first place. The proposed applying heat reduction and Hot on the beginning of the channel would be a huge buff however it would quickly be countered if we had to wait twice as long for the heal to complete. Give the spell a proc every half second and leave the activation time the same as it already is. Enemies can still lock it down but the hot will already be applied and the heat reduction will already be applied while lowering their chances of brainlessly locking us out of our spells.

 

The buff would be awesome but we need to be really careful with how long of a channel we want to see. Unless the heal is doubled or the channel takes the exact same time as it currently does to cast... we would be taking a hit to our HPS.

[ShadowMudkip]

If you make it channel over 2.5 or 3 seconds would significantly lower our hps which is something we really have to work for in the first place. The proposed applying heat reduction and Hot on the beginning of the channel would be a huge buff however it would quickly be countered if we had to wait twice as long for the heal to complete. Give the spell a proc every half second and leave the activation time the same as it already is. Enemies can still lock it down but the hot will already be applied and the heat reduction will already be applied while lowering their chances of brainlessly locking us out of our spells.

 

The buff would be awesome but we need to be really careful with how long of a channel we want to see. Unless the heal is doubled or the channel takes the exact same time as it currently does to cast... we would be taking a hit to our HPS.

 

I think if we increased the healing slightly, maybe to just under the healing of an innervate, that would suffice as a 3 second channel

[Rambeezy]

I would be down for giving us a channeled ability, but I am against changing healing scan into a channeled ability. It would eliminate healing scan spam when we pop SCG, which is great for busting up people without using all of our heat.

 

If we got a new heal, that was channeled, it would probably be 2 seconds long and cost about 15 heat. Whatever amount of healing it does would be up to the combat team.

Edited November 18, 2013 by Rambeezy

[IWantOffLineGame]

I would be down for giving us a channeled ability, but I am against changing healing scan into a channeled ability. It would eliminate healing scan spam when we pop SCG, which is great for busting up people without using all of our heat.

 

If we got a new heal, that was channeled, it would probably be 2 seconds long and cost about 15 heat. Whatever amount of healing it does would be up to the combat team.

 

Our current free heal could be channeled, but I didn't want to lose out on the ability to run around and heal. Perhaps Healing Scan could become a mobile heal?

[IWantOffLineGame]

I don't even know what to say....

 

I thought this is the most delusional idea i've ever read...then i saw this:

 

It can't be expressed how out of concept, ridiculous and wrong these suggestions are

 

YW

[DarthBloodloss]

Lowring key CDs would help us a lot in ranked arenas. Most of the time (in solo queue), the fight doesn't last long enough for a 2nd electro net or a 2nd power surge. Lowering these CDs would give us a huge boost if we survive until the later stages of the round. (And we frequently have to use all CDs just to last that long.)

 

Also we could use an Execute-type finisher.

 

And maybe a skill box that changes Rocket Punch into a Kockback so you can choose between KB or Root.

[ScytheEleven]

I run with a very good Merc DPS on my server. He more than holds his own in ranked. He plays a more defensive style though because he knows he is going to be focused.

 

I can't say I'm a beacon of knowledge about Mercs, but would increasing their range to 35m help? I feel like it would help them get off a Tracer before someone leaps to them, then use jet boost + electro net.

[ShadowMudkip]

I would be down for giving us a channeled ability, but I am against changing healing scan into a channeled ability. It would eliminate healing scan spam when we pop SCG, which is great for busting up people without using all of our heat.

 

If we got a new heal, that was channeled, it would probably be 2 seconds long and cost about 15 heat. Whatever amount of healing it does would be up to the combat team.

 

Yes, your point is valid and I had realized this myself. Bodyguard suffers from two distinct problems. In PvE, its our heat, and in PvP its our cast times and heat. As long as we are so cast dependent, we will suffer.

[Lalainnia]

I would be down for giving us a channeled ability, but I am against changing healing scan into a channeled ability. It would eliminate healing scan spam when we pop SCG, which is great for busting up people without using all of our heat.

 

If we got a new heal, that was channeled, it would probably be 2 seconds long and cost about 15 heat. Whatever amount of healing it does would be up to the combat team.

 

UNLOAD!!!! already shoot ppl with rapid shots I see no difference with unload being made a baseline heal for bodyguards only:confused:.

[Majspuffen]

Suggestions for Pyrotech:

 

These suggestions are largely for PvP.

• Change the Suit FOE talent. I suggest giving us a flat 15% damage reduction to DoTs and remove the cost of Cure.
  
• Add a penalty for dispelling Thermal Detonator, be it Direct Damage ala Unstable Affliction style or a debuff that increases damage taken.
  
• Stabilizers is a boring talent and ability pushback is an outdated and annoying mechanic. The game has enough interrupts, ability pushback isn't required.
  

[AdmiralParmesan]

I'm not merc expert but a few changes I would like to see are....

 

General

Elimination of spell pushback

Lower power surge cooldown

Unload slows by 50% baseline

 

Pyro-

Thermal Det explodes double damage if dispelled, cannot be resisted

Suit FOE provides 8/16% damage reduction whenever something is dispelled, a successful dispel also refunds the cure cost.

 

 

I would also like to see some functionality for the flame thrower ability. It seems like pyrotech would use this ability, but it doesn't. A few couple ideas to implement it would be.......

 

1st flame thrower idea

Make a proc off of rapid shots/termal det that would make flame thrower a 30 meter, single target move instead. The proc would make flame thrower uninteruptable and would dispense heat over the duration. It would also snare the opponent; the snare would be stronger or weaker depending on the distance of the merc. Example at less than 6 meters it would be a 80% slow but at 30 meters it would be a 10% slow. This would give the move some defensive functionality and help it with pyro's heat problems.

 

picture from KOTOR of what the ranged flame thrower would look like

https://www.google.com/search?q=hk+46+plasma+thrower&espv=210&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=DM-LUs-LHdXh4APYkoGQDA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=954&dpr=1#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=75o9Q8hH8hTpiM%3A%3Bb6s94xNViQ7JEM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fscreenshots.filesnetwork.com%252F68%252Fpotd%252F1155197975_89.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fknightsoftheoldrepublic.filefront.com%252Fpotd%252F65681x%3B1024%3B768

 

2 nd flame thrower idea

Make a tree talent that makes flame thrower uniteruptable and heat free. While being damaged by flame thrower the enemy's accuracy drops by 45% and their speed is reduced by 70%. This would make flame thrower a anti melee defensive talent that could also help a pyro merc peel for an ally. (the ability might need a longer cooldown if this was implemented)

 

None of these changes would really positively affect pyro pve (which from my understanding needs help) but they are just a few things I think would be cool to see.

Edited November 19, 2013 by AdmiralParmesan

[Hell_Kaiser_Fett]

Honestly I would love to see my PYRO Merc use some FIRE abilities, such as Flamethrower, and it being used as an anti melee ability would be perfect. I wonder if anyone can do the math to make it a plausible skill.