My first thought: as a player with a lifetime subscription, the fact that the latest expansion abbreviates to “ROI” is just… amusing. Maybe you need to be exposed to marketing and management speak a lot to appreciate it, but yeah… funny.<\/p>\n
Anyway. Here’s the stuff in the patch notes that caught my eye.<\/p>\n
The caps on Primary characteristics — Might, Agility, Vitality, Will and Fate \u2013 have been Geiri (guardian) and Tyelaf (hunter) like this change. No one else really gives a crap, because the no one else has any stat remotely close to the cap.<\/p>\n There are few-verging-on-no games in which simplifying such things doesn’t make the game more enjoyable and less of a pain in the ass for players both new and old. I’m looking at you, EVE Online.<\/p>\n My notes on individual class changes are inline…<\/p>\n Am I using a lot of exclamation points? I feel like I am. These are good changes. I’m excited.<\/p>\n I don’t play a champion, but this patch note made me laugh:<\/p>\n Skill: Improved Feral Strikes:<\/strong> Once again uses the correct animation. The animation\u00a0issue was an artifact of a bygone stage of development where the skill was going to\u00a0merge with… are you actually still reading this?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Heh. Turbines knows their Champions… and knows what their attention span is like.<\/p>\n I will say this, though: there are a LOT of Champion changes. A lot. I hope it’s all good stuff, cuz… Wow. Four pages of notes.<\/p>\n Seriously? Even if there was no change to the level cap (there is), these changes would be huge.<\/p>\n I only wish Turbine had put these changes into effect a few weeks before they raised the level cap, the way they did when Mines of Moria came out. There’s so much here to get used to, and doing all that in addition to new levels and new content is going to be crazy.<\/p>\n
\ncompletely removed.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
Stat Consolidation<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
Captain<\/h3>\n
\n
\nAs the primary “oh crap my tank is dying” skill for captains, this is a great change.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\nConsidering the level cap went past 50 two years ago, allow me to say “About frelling time.”<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\nThis is good. I never used this trait because it just wasn’t enough pay-off, given my mediocre chance to crit. This change, however, makes it quite worthwhile. Kate (as the Power of Optimism) will be thrilled.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\nInstead of a skill you have to renew every five goddamn minutes? Hurrah!<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\nI had missed this change! This is great! I can have a self-heal without giving up my Herald – sweet!<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\nConsidering Blood of Numenor is a “rez” trait and Hand of Healing is the (duh) healing trait line, this just makes sense.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nNice.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\nWhat? Subtle Command reduces the threat you generate form Healing… it’s a terrible trait that no Captain I know ever really used, but why would you put it into the Tanking trait line? Unless…<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\nWhich turns an AoE Attack into an AoE Attack + Taunt. Nice. I see what you did there, Turbine. Now if only we could use Routing Cry more often, or at the start of a fight, instead of only after we defeat someone…<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\nEvent.
\n… fair enough.<\/em>Still, it’s a pity that a tanking-traitline Captain won’t be able to use a nice big two-handed sword when they’re doing their job, the way Aragorn does…<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\nWell-played, sir. Well. Played.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nYes! You just got rid of the most rarely used Legendary Trait in the class, and replaced it with the most sought-after ability from the Leader of Men traitline! Well done! This is going to make my selection of Legendary traits much more difficult, and that is a Good Thing!<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Guardian<\/h3>\n
\n
\nTanking buff is best buff.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\nAww, MAN… I used that thing all the time to ignore broken ankles!\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
\nEh. I need to get into the game to grok what they actually did, but it looks like more consolidating the lines into “Use this one to tank lots of smaller dudes” and “Use this one to tank one big horrifying Thing.” Which is fine.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\nWHAAAAAT?!? I can protect the NPCs I’ve been tasked to protect? Inconceivable.\u00a0I wonder if I’ll be able to use it on “This guy that must live” NPCs in Skirmishes…<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\nWow. That’s two additional ways for a Guardian to interrupt casters. Nice.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\nWhat’s that, Turbine? You’ve realized that a dude with a two-handed weapon can ALSO protect someone? Good thinking.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nI love this. In PvE, this puts a slow effect on the Boss’s that go wandering off to kill your healer, giving you time to get them back on you. In PvP, there’s ACTUALLY SOMETHING FOR A TANKING GUARDIAN TO DO to protect his allies. I also like that it’s a slow, not some kind of actual root or something that interferes with the crowd-control classes.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\nAnd this… Same deal. Brilliant.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nSweet.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Hunter<\/h3>\n
\n
\nThis is good.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\nAww… Strength-stance hunters won’t pull aggro like a magnet and die horribly all the time? Sheesh, what will I do for chuckles during raids?<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nBut…<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\nOkay then.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nSweet.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
\n\/me high-fives other hunters.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n