Suggested Sorc utility changes.

[Hoppinswtor]

These utility changes assume that merc and sniper survivability is going to be nerfed and may seem underpowered otherwise.

 

(1) Make Corrupted Barrier as Lightning-only passive, not a utility.

My comments: Madness Sorcs have self heals (which will be getting a pretty big buff under my suggested overhauls which will be coming in a later post) and other utilities I'll be introducing will provide plenty of extra self healing for Corruption, if needed. Don't buff Corrupted Barrier, just make it a lightning passive to give it that little extra sustainability while kiting other ranged or operatives.

 

(2) Replace Corrupted Barrier with a new utility called Hallowed Restoration. Resurgence heals for more upfront but its healing-over-time effect is removed. Additionally, activating Polarity Shift grants Hallowed Restoration, eliminating the cast time and force cost of your next Dark Heal and increasing its potency by 30 percent. Lasts 20 seconds.

My comments: survivability buff that should be very useful while kiting.

 

(3) Move Shapeless Spirit into the Skillful tier and make Overload heal a Corruption passive.

My comments: The Skillful utilities suck; with this switch-up, I won't have to take three Heroic talents and can play around with an additional Legendary talent. Plus, this ninja buff to Corruption helps take the edge off the massive nerfs.

 

(4) In the void created by Shapeless Spirit in the Masterful tier, create a utility called Force Haste: Force Speed resets the cooldown on Shock and allows the next Demolish or Crushing Darkness to be activated instantly. Lasts 10 seconds. This effect cannot occur more than once per 30 seconds.

My comments: another great kiting utility that also serves as a slight ninja buff to lightning; you can now fit two shocks within a crushing darkness window!

 

(5) Move Backlash into Legendary tier (it's a dumb utility and people should feel bad for taking it) and swap it with Galvanizing Cleanse. Galvanizing Cleanse redesign: the rate limit for the insta-cast is decreased to 15 seconds (from 30 seconds). This will allow even high alacrity builds to use an insta-cast every two cleanses.

My comments: Kind of a crappy utility anyway. Should not be in Legendary tier.

 

(6) Dizzying Force added effect: Whirlwind will not be broken by your damage-over-time effects.

My comments: Yay, another Skillful utility that becomes semi-useful! Both Lightning and Madness use dots, which makes cooldown circumvention during duels kinda frustrating. Plus, it's really nice to mezz people during group ranked...

Edited July 7, 2017 by Hoppinswtor

[verfallen]

Just switching and tweaking some utilities would probably help sorc a lot.

 

I'm a big advocate of making Whirlwind instant and unbroken by dots baseline. The utility for it should keep the hardstun when it breaks, and to replace the now instant part of it, lower its cooldown by 15 seconds (putting it on par with the baseline sniper mez with an heroic utility doesnt seem to be too much to me)

 

It would allow for better dueling capacity.

 

As far as corrupted barrier goes, I'd actually slap it on madness not lightning.

 

Madness cannot use as much direct self-heal, but its main survivability is based on those coming from their DoTs and life-steal abilities.

 

In that line of thought, I'd give madness buffs that allows them to self-heal better.

 

On the other hand, lightning is based on self-healing, but a lot more DR and mobility. It REDUCE damage taken, and thus increase the efficiency of the heals it gets.

 

On this, I'd effectively change corrupted barrier to give a CD reduction on Force Barrier (removed from surging speed), then move the actual Corrupted barrier effect into the madness tree, and give lightning a slightly buffed Enduring bastion compared to the 2 other spec (last slightly longer and/or absorb slightly more damage)

 

Possibly, giving some spec unique effects to phasewalk would be nice.

 

I'd remove the Defense buff from Shifting silhouette and give it to lightning, and I'd associate a boosted instant and free Dark Heal to madness after using phasewalk, as well as a momentary boost to life steal.

 

That I think would help make sorc in a much better place in ranked by giving them tools to handle a bit more pressure while still having to kite.

[Hoppinswtor]

Hmm, I could buy corrupted barrier being in the madness tree. The Enduring Bastion passive for Lightning could be something along the lines of 5 percent DR per stack for 10 seconds after Bastion wears off. This way, the inevitable chain-cc after barrier will be punished heavily between Bastion, 10 seconds of mtigation, and stun DR.

 

Could also add cc immunity to the 4 seconds of Enduring Bastion.

 

What about Force Barrier restoring 10 force per second to help give sorcs a bit of extra self healing juice? Hmm.

 

Do you like the two added utilities? I think they're fairly balanced and would be good for kiters and self healers.

Edited July 8, 2017 by Hoppinswtor

[Jake_Chambers]

Force Hug: innervate now has four beams which can heal four allies at once, and cannot be interrupted.

 

Yus

[verfallen]

Hmm, I could buy corrupted barrier being in the madness tree. The Enduring Bastion passive for Lightning could be something along the lines of 5 percent DR per stack for 10 seconds after Bastion wears off. This way, the inevitable chain-cc after barrier will be punished heavily between Bastion, 10 seconds of mtigation, and stun DR.

 

Could also add cc immunity to the 4 seconds of Enduring Bastion.

 

What about Force Barrier restoring 10 force per second to help give sorcs a bit of extra self healing juice? Hmm.

 

Do you like the two added utilities? I think they're fairly balanced and would be good for kiters and self healers.

 

Well I guess you could leave the barrier cd reduction in surging speed and use the change to resurgence and the dark heal proc there. I'd however link the proc to Cloud mind, and not polarity shift. But it would make a decent alternative to taking the DR and small CD reduction on UP.

 

But they're not bad ideas, and at least in line with the kiting philosophy of the class.

 

CC immunity, tbh so long as map like odessen exist, the long CC immunities are retarded, especially if it comes also with an interrupt immunity. I could see an immunity to stuns and mez with enduring bastion up, but physics and interrupt would need to keep going through to keep it fair (pushed/pulled).

[Hoppinswtor]

Well I guess you could leave the barrier cd reduction in surging speed and use the change to resurgence and the dark heal proc there. I'd however link the proc to Cloud mind, and not polarity shift. But it would make a decent alternative to taking the DR and small CD reduction on UP.

 

But they're not bad ideas, and at least in line with the kiting philosophy of the class.

 

CC immunity, tbh so long as map like odessen exist, the long CC immunities are retarded, especially if it comes also with an interrupt immunity. I could see an immunity to stuns and mez with enduring bastion up, but physics and interrupt would need to keep going through to keep it fair (pushed/pulled).

 

That sounds fairly balanced. CC Immunity is more key to survivability than interrupts, I think; it allows the sorc to disengage a bit more after everyone gangs up on them during barrier while preventing cheese when it comes to capping or activating.

 

Linking the proc to cloud mind is probably a good thing; it'll double the proc's frequency (ever 30s instead of every 60s+) and provide really good synergy with the cloud mind DR utility.

[ottffsse]

This is what I would like to see, not saying all of these should be implemented by any of these would help in some shape or form:

 

1.) I hope they make the damage reduction feature of suppression just a standard default part of cloud mind -no brainer really should be done-suppression utility can add another 15% dr and immunity to cc/interrupt as long as it is used after force barrier ends

2.) no dots breaking whirlwind is a great idea (as part of a whirlwind modifier talent in the proficiencies window)

3.) Force barrier should not be a channeled ability as of now (I still think it is the way to go when I compare this ability to DCDs of other specs at the moment-this can change if those get nerfed a lot though, but right now Force Barrier is very underwhelming)-you should be able to at least heal a significant chunck of health during it and not just stand there stupid waiting for the channel to complete and be jumped on again.

4.) All for Swift Rejuvination being moved down a tier! (it is actually a great utility but you really have to take other legendary tier utilities at the moment unless you are say TK in PvE-there I use it for instant TkW on the move)

5.) Lightning Barrier or whatever is kind of underwhelming in PvP at the moment just don't use it at all. In PvE it is kind of a filler ability, maybe reflect more damage without going overboard-like in PvP your shield goes down really quick, and in PvE as dps you only take damage in a few global AoE attacks anyways.

6.) corrupting barrier should be at least 2%/8% (on 4 stacks enduring bastion) again, given the nerf to Healers, there is no reason not to make this a bit stronger again-given that you Force Armor was nerfed anyways in 5.3. I am basically fine if they rework the ability that it heals you faster -1%/4% is nothing, but maybe with a cap to health restored ie 50%. so 3%/12% for instance with a 50% cap or something like that for instance, just throwing numbers out, but right now that utility is pointless.

7*.) (experimental) rework force mobility utility to include Lightning Bolt and Force Lightning maybe, but at a hefty penalty to movement speed to balance it out.

8.) for PvE I would like a utility that gives a gap closer actually to a target-I know this is counter-intuitive for sage, but for a lot of boss mechanics you actually want this, and maras/ops/sins anything really is at a big advantage because of this (I know this is out of left field but why not?-as long as you have to use a utility point to get it)

Edited July 23, 2017 by ottffsse

[Kingsbount]

Force Hug: innervate now has four beams which can heal four allies at once, and cannot be interrupted.

 

Yus

 

I like it.

Even if this changes will replace useless puddle.

[Hoppinswtor]

I like the idea of Force Barrier being a mobile channel. Edited July 30, 2017 by Hoppinswtor