Make more active: Primalist: Summon Bear

[JustLoveHnS]

Hi there, people.
I apologize in advance for my English as it’s not my native.

I think current buff and minion skills, like Fire shield or Summon Bear, are too simple in effect they cause and are completely lack of tactical part. So, why not grant them some basic passive part and ability to be used to provide visible advantage to its user?

For example (trying to keep current effects) …

Summon Bear -> Bear Spirit.
While this skill is on the panel, you have a primal bear on your side that follows you into combat. If it’s killed it becomes a spirit which can’t fight and can’t be targeted. It consumes 2 mana / sec for 15 seconds and then recovers its physical form. Recovers longer if character has no mana to consume (passive effect).

Terrifying roar: use this skill (active effect, enabled only while Bear is alive) to make him roar for 2 seconds (but after 1 second preparation ) and terrify (stun) all enemies around it in average area. Also all damage taken is decreased by 60% while preparing and performing the roar. Preparing and performing this skill makes character immune to such effects like stuns, terrify, pull, knockback etc. Cost: 15 mana. Cooldown: 10 sec.

Specialization node examples …

Brothers’ bond: 10% of all damage taken by character is transferred to his Bear brother (if he’s alive). Also when character’s health drops to 30% Bear roars and terrifies enemies in much larger area (+40% radius). This effect can’t occur more than 1 time in every 45 seconds. (requires Thick hide level 4).

Stronger bond: +5% to amount of damage transferred and -5 sec cooldown per node-level (3 levels, requires Brothers’ bond).

Brother’s roar: with active use of Terrifying Roar character also prepares and performs the Roar. Additionally preparation time is decreased by 0.5 second and performing time is decreased by 1 second, though duration of terrify effects remains 2 seconds. (requires Stronger bond level 1).

Primal roar: +10% damage reduction during preparation and performing roar and +0.3 seconds duration of terrify effect per node level. (3 levels, requires Brother’s roar).

[Sirris]

Hey man. Your idea’s are not necessarily bad or anything. However, I think you lack actual play testing experience. I can tell you that some of these ideas just wouldnt work the way you lay them out. I do really like where your mind is at and I’ve thought in a similar manner. I think you’re being way to specific. Perhaps think of more general concepts and combinations without worrying so much on the exact numbers.

Ill take this opportunity to give my general advice on skills. I think there should be a synergy with skill use “combos”. If you use certain skills together within a given time frame or even with a more specific timing- A hypothetical example: summon bear , thorn shield, thorn shield, then thorn burst cast within 5 seconds. Or even more specific combos to increase the skill cap. Summon bear wait one second thorn shield thorn shield wait 2 seconds thorn burst. Against just a non sense example. The result would be a highly effective beneficial effect. This would allow more emphasis on precise gearing…for example cast speed break points even with minion builds. Not all skills need this, and the ones i choose are certainly not great examples. But you get my point. This system would not only make skill casting more dynamic - even with builds where it would otherwise be pretty boring, but also gives real satisfaction to hitting certain combos. Like hitting a sick combo in a fighting game for example.

I like where you are coming from. Also the devs have already stated that they will change how fire shield and ice ward work to make them more active.

I also understand that changes like these are very difficult to implement and will come far in the future. I just think they are the only way of making passive/boring builds more dynamic without destroying balance.

[JustLoveHnS]

@Sirris

I think you lack actual play

@Sirris

If you use certain skills together within a given time frame

Fair enough. I’ve been playing pre-alpha demo mostly and gained current game access only last week. And I totally agree that there IS a lot of ways to create various synergies between skills, or just ways to use every skill more effectively depending on situtation.

Though you can’t deny that mentioned skills are passive in their basic state. And wich is more important, they may STAY passive even being improved through their trees, as long as you’re able to improve minion’s HP, Dodge, Armor and so on. It’s pretty common picture when minions are used as a meat wall between you and your enemies and grant you an opportunity to attack freely; or when a character rushes with one or 2 active skills, re-buffing himself with other 3+ skills every several MINUTES. And I understand, it’s your own choise to make such a build, but the problem is that it’s often very effective way to play, and often more effective than playing through full-panel combos.

So, the main idea of my suggestions: make all skills active at their core. And that’s why I suggest make passive bonuses even more passive but give an active part to every such buff-skill.

P.S. now I’m focused on Sentinel but I’ll try to reproduce my thorn-totem shaman from demo. It’s one of the most uninteresting examples of what I’m talking about. Just stay behind your minions, re-summon totems and clear 150 arena-waves .

P.P.S. and yes, current waves are much more difficult, I know .

[Sirris]

For sure:)

Ill save you some time. Thorn totem is a horribly underpowered skill in the current build. It just has shit flat damage and no possible way to add to it. Completely garbage trust me. Non melee shaman in general to be honest.

Sentinels on the other hand have lots of fun stuff you can do with the right gear.