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Loewe -> RE: =DF= September 13th Design Notes: Maleurous: Part II and Chaosweaver Testing (9/18/2019 7:37:38)
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Ok, so after sleeping on it and looking at the post I wrote with a clearer mind I realized I spoke a little too harshly, especially considering how much effort it must have took to make this class. So, I will be starting off this post with everything I like about Chaosweaver, after that I will make suggestions that I think might improve the class, rather than just criticise it and create a negative discussion.
First of all, the animations are beyond amazing. The image of my character wielding my favorite sword and those superbly designed soul looms in conjuction, weaving a dance of death around my opponent with those multiple strike skills while the red and black animations of Chaosweaver fills the screen, ahhhhh my eyES ARE EJACULATI-
*ahem* Easily one of the top classes in the game when it comes to artwork.
Secondly, the playstyle of a berserker fits this class perfectly. While I normally dislike glass cannon style classes, the idea of a warrior who knows his soul is damned, yet fights every battle on the edge of death, laughing at his opponent without a care is just too good of a concept to pass up. The gameplay design really lets you feel this concept. Doing your best to manage your dmg output and defensive skills, all the while sitting on the edge of your seat wondering if you will make it to your next turn, going down to 1 health just as Aegis runs out, then using rebuke and barely winning with a huge burst of damage is probably one of the most fun I've had with any class, ever.
To talk about the skill designs more specifically, I can't point out how much I like Aegis' effect enough. It's not just another "click this and don't get hit" shield. It has it's own characteristics that fit the class in a dynamic way that makes playing Chaosweaver all the more fun. Gambit's empowered version is another example of brilliant design. Taking a turn immediately after using Gambit not only fits Chaosweaver's hyper offensive style perfectly, it also effectively removes the dmg you would have taken between the turn you cast Gambit and the next one, making it more likely for you to last till the end of the Gambit buff without having to waste a turn casting Aegis.
Now, on to the suggestions;
Soul Aegis: This skill is perfect. If I have to criticise it I would say I don't understand why it dies to DoT dmg but honestly, I don't really mind it.
Soul Gambit: The very basis of the class. My main problem with this effect is the way it effects the item build. Without an inherent MPM / BPD debuff on it, it encourages potential abuse through the use of defensive items, guests or pets; however nerfing the skill this way without adding anything to it would make it a little too punishing. I would suggest either lowering the amount of turns -All lasts for, or buffing it's offensive capabilities even further (not too much though).
Soul Slice: Pretty good skill overall. All I would ask for is for it's buff to last 1 more turn. That way, if you use this skill immediatly after Gambit, it's buff would last long enough to effect every skill you use during Gambit's buff.
Hexing Wheel: Perfect.
Aggresion: Unless Im mistaken, DoT dmg doesn't work with buffs which makes it's existence in this skill really weird. I can't really come up with a way to improve this skill mainly because DoT dmg is a little too far removed from what the rest of the class is all about. The dmg on the skill is good though.
Obliterate: I came across a suggestion from LouisCyphere as I was writing this. Using the snap animation for the Annihilating does make a lot of sense, setting aside the fact that the execute mechanic itself doesn't really get used in this class because using rebuke simply deals more dmg than an execute would. My original suggestion for this skill was for it to inflict -50 bonus debuff for 2 turns, that becomes -100 bonus if it was used with a Soulthread. The reason I want a -100 bonus debuff skill is the idea behind it. I want to see my opponent desperately try to hit me, getting rid of my last bit of health while my character dodges everything, all the while laughing at his futile efforts. Seeing the amazing dodging animation is just a bonus (pun intended).
Soul Assault: Has a lot of hits, deals nice damage and recovers Soulthreads. Pretty good skill overall except for the insane cooldown on it. I would say the cooldown on this skill could be halved and it would still be a balanced skill.
Soul Siphon: This skill is in a really weird place. At first glance, it is one of your very few defensive options that heals an insane amount of health combined with Gambit and the crit buff from Soul Slice. At second glance, all the health you've recovered using this skill will most likely be destroyed by your opponents attack, making it a stall option rather than a defensive one. Again, I can't really come up with a way to improve this skill and I don't just want to say "increase the heal" so it's fine as it is.
Dominance: A standard multi-hit skill, but a weak one for an offensive class. Either increase the dmg to %200 or lower the cooldown to 2 turns.
Soul Rip: One of the skills I 'ripped into' as it were, current version of Soul Rip is underpowered to the extreme. I would say make the empowered version the standard one, and make the empowered version guarantee the stun.
Vengence: Just increase the numbers. -20 All for standard version and -40 All for empowered one would make this skill perfectly reasonable. Though TFS's idea about just removing the empower from this skill also has merit.
Rebuke: just remove the crit limitation. Honestly I love everything about this skill from the animation to the gameplay, so it's a shame it's limited by such a restriction.
Untangle: Another good skill that suffers from it's insane cooldown. Considering we have skills like Baltaelsynch and Kathool on a 10 turn cooldown, there is no reason why this skill can't be the same. If you want to nerf something to match the cooldown buff, I would suggest lowering the crit chance from 200 to 50. A lvl 90 offensive build can get 100 crit anyway and it would give some synergy between Soul Slice and this skill.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who worked on this class. Despite my harsh comments, I want you all to know I really appreciate the time and effort you put into making this class a reality.
PS: Sorry about the huge wall of text. Again. I promise this is the last one you will see from me about this subject :D
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