Before I start, this post could really have used insert table function, but from my previous experience, it just doesn’t work, producing a text separated by | symbols, or am I doing something wrong?
IMO there is a problem with sentinel’s moveskills, namely that there is only one, maybe two, depending on build, really good skill, while the rest have one or more significant downsides.
Mana cost:
Shield Rush can be lowered to about 23 via skilltree.
Javelin can be lowered to 12 via skilltree (you have to get +12 mana node to get to moveskill)
Smite costs 23, mana can be cast when out of mana via skilltree node
Lunge costs 8 mana, more the further the target is (number unspecified)
Void Cleave costs 15 mana
Healing Hands can be lowered to 0 mana via skilltree
Can target ground (don’t have to travel to enemy)
Shield Rush +
Javelin +
Smite -
Lunge -
Void Cleave +
Healing Hands +
Safety
Shield Rush -20% damage taken while traveling via skilltree
Javelin none
Smite instant teleport
Lunge can be invulnerable while traveling via skilltree
Void Cleave instant teleport
Healing Hands can be invulnerable while traveling via skilltree
Cooldown w/o passive points in Valiant Charge (with it divide by 1.3)
Shield Rush 4.5 (node that removes cd is behind a node that returns you to starting position, which is not desirable for a moveskill
Javelin 8
Smite 6
Lunge 4, can be lowered by hitting enemies in melee via skilltree
Void Cleave 5, can be lowered to 3.8 via skilltree
Healing Hands 6
Utility:
Shield Rush has unlimited range, requires a shield, can be removed via skilltree
Javelin very clunky, requires double tap, has a significant delay from firing projectile to start of the movement
Smite can have various buffs via skilltree (base 60 healing, increased attack speed)
Lunge heals 40% missing HP via skilltree
Void Cleave requires 2h axe or 2h sword, good damage skill, gives erasing strike 100% crit
Healing Hands base healing 100 + 80 over 3 sec, can be increased via skilltree, can be triggered for healing by melee attacks or smite even if you have moveskill node.
Overall there is one “best” skill that is Healing Hands:
- 0 mana cost
- Invulnerability
- Free targeting
- No requirements, huge healing, triggered through regular attacks and does decent damage as a bonus
Void Cleave is also good, but is limited to certain builds, and has a mana cost.
It feels like Healing Hands, being the most recent of the abilities on the list, just got more attention, and is therefore superior to all of them in most components.
All other skills have one or more flaws that make them either unusable for bosses, where you want a skill that allows you to safely dodge mechanics (need invulnerability and free targeting)
In arenas you will probably want the same just for additional safety, you might want to dodge some ground attack or offscreen hit, but have no enemies in sight to lunge/smite towards them. Having 0 mana cost helps as well, as it removes the possibility that the skill will be unavailable after casting some high cost ability.
Proposed changes.
This section is not me demanding specific changes to abilities, more like suggesting what can be done, the actual changes are up to developers of course, if they decide that this issue needs addressing.
Shield Rush:
Giving it invulnerability will be too much, cause player would be able to be constantly invulnerable, with a node that removes cooldown, albeit making them return to starting position. But buffing it in some other way, like replacing the node that increases stun chance, with a node that gives less mana cost, up to 100%, and less damage dealt, up to X%. That way you could get a fully specialized movement skill that is free to use, but can’t be used as a damaging ability.
Javelin:
Remove the need to double tap, make it dash to the flag as soon as you press the button, even before the flag lands, maybe make this a separate node in case someone wants to have an option to not dash immediately. Optionally add reduced damage taken while moving, maybe as a separate node. Optionally remove the +2 sec to cooldown from the moveskill node.
Smite:
No idea here, if you make it a free targeting, it would just become a better healing hands, and it already has all the upsides except for that one.
Lunge:
Add nodes / add effect to existing nodes that reduces mana cost to 0, or just give it a baseline 0 cost. This ability cannot be spammed and is not a main damaging ability (if there are builds that use it as such, add reduced damage to the nodes that reduce mana cost).
Void Cleave:
Can probably be left as is, cause it is a main damaging ability of some builds, so messing with it can lead to undesired consequences, and it is pretty good as a movement skill as it is, for those builds that can utilise it.
Healing Hands:
This ability feels a little too universal, it is present in pretty much every sentinel build, either as a main damage source, a ward generator, healing, travel skill, or a combination of the above.
1 Fix the OP ward generation. This is pretty obvious, and the developers should already be aware of the problem.
2 Add extra mana cost (for direct uses only) to the moveskill node. Something like 20 for smite will be fine.
3 Optionally add a healing penalty to Searing Light node. This ability is just too good at all roles at the same time, and this probably needs to be nerfed.
4 Remove a healing penalty from trigger on melee attack node (made a separate thread on this).