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Nexus... -> Blood Mage -- The Dilemma (1/6/2012 1:36:20)
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Alright everyone, this could be my longest post yet, but I hope you stick around to read it, because it really matters to me and all of the other Blood Mages out there.
First of all I would like to state a few things. This is not a balance suggestion, it is a balance discussion. I know there is a thread designated for balance already, but feel it is absolutely necessary that everyone see this. Secondly, this is not a flame or hate thread, I do not intend to criticize (and don't believe I do). Therefore, I will ask that everyone remain composed, and constructive :)
Lets get this started. As you may have already seen, I am a Blood Mage, I have been for about a month now. Blood Mage is actually an okay class, with a lot of potential. This being said, it has been neglected, and many find it on the bottom of their list when comparing classes. Those who consistently play Blood Mage are some of the best players we have, as it is one of the hardest classes to use, and requires a great amount of innovation when selecting a build.
Mercenary
Lately I have seen many people also listing Mercenary (the original)as one of the worst classes around, but let me make something very clear. Before class evolutions, Mercenary was on top, and afterwards nothing really changed. Yes, some of the changes to TLM have been reflected on Mercenary, weakening it a bit, but really there havn't been many changes to the class at all since the beginning of Delta. I think the reason why people see Mercenary as "underpowered", is because Tactical Mercenary is the most abused class this game has ever seen. While Mercenary is definitely not on top any longer, I do not think it is horrible either. In fact I am willing to say that it is still on par with the 2 other original classes, Tech Mage and Bounty Hunter.
So what does this have to do with anything? Mercenary shares two of the same skills with Blood Mage, as well as the physical counterpart to plasma cannon. However, the two classes are completely different in terms of playing style and build type because of one thing. Hybrid Armor. Hybrid is widely considered to be one of the top 3 passives, and to many is considered the strongest passive ever. Since Mercenary almost automatically gets a +12 bonus to either energy/defense, the class behind it (TLM, Merc) is able to withstand a huge amount of damage. Because of this, Mercenary is adequately outfitted with Intimidate, a non-defense/res weakening debuff.
Intimidate
While Intimidate is not a weak debuff (no pun intended), it has no real offensive value. Where debuffs such as Smoke and Malfunction both have an offensive and defensive bonus, Intimidate is entirely defensive by nature. While this is fine for a class such as Mercenary (which can take large amounts of damage due to Hybrid Armor), Blood Mage hasneither an offensive debuff, or a defensive passive. While bloodlust could be considered a defensive passive because it regenerates health, the means by which the regeneration occurs is solely based upon damage output (offense). As I stated, I have nothing against Intimidate, nor do I have anything against bloodlust. This being said, I believe together the two form the worst core passive/debuff combination in the game. Yes, Deadly Aim does add towards bloodlust that much more, but even with a MAX Deadly Aim and MAX bloodlust (a very rare combination), the added HP is -- (.23*10)--, which adds a total of 2 health per sidearm turn.
Berzerker
So what is the biggest issue with giving Blood Mage an offensive debuff? It could be extensively abused beyond compare. A one turn cooldown on Berzerker means the would be available in a faster manner then any other major damage dealer, and a lower energy cost would mean it could be used more then once per game. This is why Blood Mage never got the offensive debuff it needed; its combination with berzerker would have been far to powerful. Skills such as Massacre (which can do more damage then berzerker) are given a three turn cooldown and massive energy requirement (not to mention stat requirement.) So did I just disprove my own point? No, just because there is a reason why they didn't give it to us, does not mean there isn't still a problem. In fact, I am sure that if Blood Mage does not get its offensive debuff or defensive passive, it will be seeing its darkest days yet (considering its recently announced changes).
Defense Mechanisms
Aside from the basic class mechanic problem outlined above, recently *announced* changes will also contribute towards what I consider a "loss for the class". Currently, Fireball is a rarely used skill, and while I acknowledge its buff, its practicality still remains sub par at best, with the amount of defense based hybrid armors running about in the form of Tactical Mercenary. Yet, the real problem I have with the coming balance update is Energy Shield. Currently, Blood Mage contains two buffs which directly impact stats; Reflex Boost and Technician. This not only helps with defensive measures, but also with the effectiveness of skills. Plasma Cannon and Plasma Rain are both effected by technology, and are both the least used skills on the Blood Mage tree in terms of level cap builds (majority of the player base). This being said, the only valid reason one would use either of these skills is if they could enhance there effect using another skill, said skill being Technician.
The Energy Crisis
Well, I know what you are thinking right now. Firstly, "when is this going to end", the answer being "soon", and secondly, there MUST be a better reason for the hatred towards energy shield, and its intended implementation on Blood Mage. There is. As Energy Shield implies, its cost boosts your "energy" resistance. However, it also costs energy! So does technician though doesn't it, so whats the big deal? The big deal is that Energy Shield starts at 1 more energy than technician and increases by twofold, where Technician only increases by 1. Because Blood Mage has no means by which to recover energy -- other than Reflex Boost, which doesn't count because it wastes as much, if not more energy then it regenerates -- every EP (Energy Point) counts more than it would with any of the other classes. But there is more! Technician increases with Dexterity, a stat which is vital to hitting your opponent, and therefore a necessity in almost every strength based build. This makes Technician powerful enough to negate pretty much any Malfunction, unless your opponent has an has an extremely high support stat. Furthermore, Technician lasts 1 turn longer than Energy Shield, yet another reason why it is better suited for Blood Mage (as it adds towards that defensive passive it is lacking). To further aggravate the situation, Energy Shield gets stronger via support, a stat that a Blood Mage will rarely use. So Energy Shield will end up giving roughly the same amount of resistance as technician would have (on a normal Blood Mage build), while not improving any set stat or skill, and also requiring a good 25% more energy per use (energy being vital beyond compare to a Blood Mage).
The Energy Crisis II
I would also like to point out that Blood Mage is also the ONLY class that is currently unable to take any of its opponents energy. This means that the class must be extremely quick about taking its opponents health, something that it is unable to do without that offensive debuff. This makes a Blood Mage's energy even more vital, as it must commit a maximum amount of damage in a minimum amount of time in order to stop skills like Supercharge and Massacre from taking their massive toll.
Conclusion
I think that about wraps this up. Blood Mage remains unique in that it doesn't have many of the things that the other classes do. While Cyber Hunter will receive its long awaited second passive (and rightly so), putting it on par with the rest of the classes, Blood Mage has yet to receive a defensive passive, or offensive debuff, either of which would dramatically increase its playability and build options. Furthermore, we now see that Energy Shield will take a larger toll then at first glance, biting into a Blood Mages already coveted energy pool, and decreasing the effectiveness of its weakest skills. I really do like this class, and as I have already said, I think those who play Blood Mage are some of the best we have. Unlike other classes, Blood Mage currently takes quite a bit of thought and skill to play. However, there comes a point where no amount of skill can compete with the further evolved skill trees that represent the other classes. I hope Wiseman and Ashari see this, as it was intended for them, not as a slap in the face, but as a something that is hopefully thought provoking.
I hope you have learned something, or have found clarification in the words written above.
If you have reached this point, congratulations, you are almost done.
Thanks For Reading
Prophet
*Sorry of the typos
*Please do not flame
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