»

LotRO PvMP Changes

By Kadin, on May 5th, 2011
lotro-pvmp-001

Even though the game was about as blue as you could get I did play LotRO a bit until the level grind finally got the best of me.  The real reason I was leveling anyway was when you do so, you also gain points which you can spend on your “monster” character of choice.  This helped out a lot as attempting to get these levels purely in the PvP side of the game was quite difficult and having higher level skills available was a huge advantage.  I haven’t played in quite a while so I am uncertain if this is still the case but I do remember having quite a bit of fun on my worg prowling around picking of unsuspecting hobbits.  Good times.

In any case there’s been a slew of “proposed” changes posted by developer Kelsen.  Seems like he wants to stir up some discussion and get some feedback before any of this goes live so don’t bank on any of it.  I went ahead and snagged the full list of changes for ease of browsing.  Enjoy.

Blackarrow

The Blackarrow is the class that needed the most love.  As it stands, the Blackarrow feels like a stationary turret with limited damage and survival mechanics.  Their stances didn’t excite, not provide interesting gameplay choices.  The revisions for the Blackarrow focused on solidifying their rotation and providing them means to both output good ranged damage as well as providing them some survival mechanics.

Skill Revisions:

  • Hindering Shot
    • Current: Movement Speed debuff on a 5s cooldown
    • Reason for Change: This is one of the Blackarrows few survival mechanics and the duration/impact of the slow is already minimal. Reducing this cooldown allows them to work it into their rotation more readily.
    • Reduced cooldown to 1.8s
  • Tangle Shot
    • Current: When a target is affected by Attack Duration debuffs this skill does additional damage. 1s Induction; 1m Cooldown
    • Reason for Change: Blackarrows have no Attack Duration debuffs, the name doesn’t make a lot of sense based on functionality, it would be nearly impossible for a player to tell when a target is affected by Attack Duration debuffs. These changes allow the Blackarrow to work this into their rotation as 2-hit attack with their Hindering Shot, while retaining synergy with other Creep (as they all movement debuffs).
    • Increased damage triggered on movement speed reduction instead of attack speed – combos with “Hindering Shot”.
    • Remove Induction
    • Reduce Cooldown to 20s
    • Increase Power Cost
  • Puncture Target
    • Current: 2s Induction with 10s Cooldown – skill has a greater chance to penetrate defenses.
    • Reason for Change: This becomes a moderate damage skill that can be used to fill any gaps in a rotation, but power cost will restrict its spam-ability.
    • Remove Induction
    • Reduce cooldown to 5s
    • Reduce Power Cost slightly (current – 276)
  • Improved Strong Pull
    • Current: No cooldown – core skill
    • Reason for Change: Basic Blackarrow skill- will often be used since it has no cooldown, but lacks excitement. Now this skill enables them get to their high impact skill more frequently without having to do anything but play.
    • Each hit reduces the active cooldown of Vital Target by (2-5s)
    • Available at Rank 7
  • Steadfast Barrage
    • This skill needs a revision, but the details on how this will change are still being worked out.
  • Revenge
    • Current: When the target is below 50% health you can make an attack that does additional damage when you crit. (2m Cooldown)
    • Reason for Change: Make a stronger thematic connection as well as providing some “out of rotation” dps that Blackarrows can use in panic situations.
    • This skill becomes active whenever you take a critical hit.
    • No cooldown
    • No induction
  • Improved Vital Target
    • Reason for Addition: Mimic Hunter’s Heartseeker, allow for more high impact moments.
    • Reduce cooldown to 2min
    • Available at Rank 8
  • Hard Hitter (Complete Overhaul)
    • Current: Stance: -10m Range for +15% Ranged Damage
    • Reason for Change: Players dislike this due to its range reduction combined with induction based skills. Blackarrows need a stance that gives them harassment/survival abilities. This stance will now allow them to move and shoot like an RK at the cost of damage.
    • Skill is renamed “Skirmisher Stance”
    • Reduces Range of Ranged Skills by 20m.
    • Removes inductions and reduces cooldowns on ‘kite’ oriented skills.
    • Allow use while moving.
  • Keen Eye (Complete Overhaul)
    • Current: Stance: -15% Damage, -15% Target Block & Evade chance
    • Reason for Change: The overall value of this skill is a wash. This revision puts this stance as the polar opposite of Skirmisher Stance- giving them greater damage output at the cost of mobility.
    • OPTION 1:
      • Toggling this stance puts a significant movement speed debuff on the player (75%)
      • While active the stance puts a stacking buff on the Blackarrow that increases Attack Speed and Damage (15 stacks- 15% increase on both)
      • Deactivating the toggle dispels the stacks and the movement speed debuff.
    • OPTION 2:
      • While this skill is active, each skill play puts a buff on the player that increases Attack Speed & Damage and reduces Movement Speed.  The buff has a duration of 10s and stacks up to 5 times (+3% Buff; -15% Speed).  Buffs cap at 15% each, and Movement speed caps at -75%.
      • Deactivating the stance does not dispel the effect.
  • Snare
    • Current: Places three traps on the ground that reduce movement speed.  2min cooldown. Usable in combat.
    • Reason for Change: 2min cooldown feels to punitive for movement speed slow.
    • Reduce cooldown to 1min

Trait Revisions:

  • Enhanced Skill: Hindering Shot
    • Current: Adds a 4s root to Hindering Shot
    • Reason for Change: The 8s duration of hindering shot does not provide enough of a window to use Tangle Shot
    • Increased Slow duration to 20s
    • Adds 4s Root
  • Trait: Battle Tested (NEW)
    • Reduces the cooldowns of Moving Target and Center to 2min.
    • Available at Rank 9

 

Defiler

The main healer of the Creep army.  Being a HoT based class gives Defilers strong survival skills, enabling them to react on the fly.  The biggest issues I noticed with this class pertained to skills with severe cooldowns and the inability to stack their HoTs.

 

Skill/Rotation Revisions

  • Blight
    • Current: Places a hotspot on the ground that debuffs incoming healing by 50% (10min cooldown).
    • Reason for Change: Debuff is removed when the player leaves the hotspot, drastically reducing the impact of this skill, and cooldown is far too severe.
    • Drastically reduce the cooldown on the skill (from 10m to something like 30s)
    • When a player leaves the hotspot they have a potent DoT is applied to them.
  • Curse of Rotten Flesh
    • Current: -1200 Crit Defence debuff 2min duration (5min cooldown)
    • Reason for Change: Crit Defence is primarily useful against Tanks and NPCs.3
    • Replace Melee Crit Defence debuff with a 5% Incoming Damage debuff.
    • Reduce skill Cooldown & Duration to 30s/30s
  • Fungal Spores
    • Current: Instant cast HoT that requires traiting.
    • Reason for Change: Give more impact to the skill that requires traiting- this makes this skill the start of the rotation.
    • Increase Incoming Healing on the target for 30s (this effect does not stack)
  • Make all HoTs stackable
    • Reason for Change: This puts them more akin to the way Rune-keepers heal and without stacking it makes having multiple Defilers less valuable.
    • Consideration will need to be made to HPS of the skills, but on initial review it looks like we won’t need to make many changes to the function of the heal
    • Impacts the following skills:
      • Fungal Spores
      • Fertile Slime
      • Efflorescence
      • Fungal Bloom
  • Blessing of Darkness
    • Current: Channel skill that redirects damage from an ally to the Defiler and pulses a HoT on the defiler (10m cooldown)
    • Reason for Change: It’s a really neat skill but the lack of potency and extreme cooldown reduces its viability.
    • Reduce time between HoT pulses (from 4s to 2s)
    • Increase HoT potency from 146 initial/pulse to 200 initial/pulse
    • Increased power cost
    • Reduce cooldown from 10m to 3m
    • Add additional FX to call out when a Defiler is using this skill.

Trait Revision:

  • Enhanced Skill: Plague of Flies
    • Current: Reduces the duration of the countdown
    • Reason for Change: This is a situational skill, so a bump in potency will help make it more desirable.
    • Increased damage & power restoration
    • Reduce Countdown by 5s
  • Fast Lob
    • Current: Reduces Gourd inductions by .3 (all gourd skills are 2s inductions)
    • Reason for Change: Defiler dps is pretty low as is, this will allow them to participate in battle a bit more.
    • Reduce Gourd skill inductions by 1s
  • Enhanced Skill: Curse of the Sticky Feet
    • Current: -10% Fire Mitigation
    • Reason for Change: This trait is not enhancing the primary purpose of the skill.
    • Increase Movement Speed debuff to 25%

 

Reaver

After examining the Reaver, I felt that the was in pretty good shape.  His role on the battlefield is clearly defined and his skills generally suit that purpose.  This ended up being mostly a polish pass on skills that I felt were sub-par our could use updating.

 

Skill Revisions:

  • Thrash
    • Current: FAST 3-Hit attack on a disarmed target. 5m Cooldown.
    • Reason for Change:Skill was identical to “Ravage”, but came with more punitive costs.  This skill needs to have its costs reduced and it’s impact revised to make it worth using.
    • Each attack of the skill applies the “Savage Wound” bleed.  The bleed stacks up to 3 times, increasing in potency with each stack.
    • Cooldown reduced to 15s
    • Power Cost is removed
  • Charge
    • Current: Out of combat, increase movement speed & gain immunity to CC
    • Reason for Change: Reavers don’t have many ways to lock a target down, this allows them initiate combat and lock down their primary target.
    • First “Sudden Strikes” used while charging applies a 3s Stun.
  • Sudden Strikes
    • Current: No Cooldown, 2 hit attack.
    • Reason for Change: This is the Reaver’s basic attack but lacks anything exciting. Revisions to Wrath will make it a skill players will want to use more often – this provides them way to gain access to it through play.
    • On hit: Reduces the active cooldown of Wrath by (2-5s)
  • Wrath
    • Current: Enables with Defeat Event – Lose 50% of your health; 75% of that is turned into power. (30s cooldown)
    • Reason for Change: This is a similar skill to “Time Out” but with a large punitive cost that makes it undesirable. Instead of a less efficient way to generate power, this skill will now be a way for the Reaver to stay in the battle longer.
    • On Defeat Event: Reaver heals when he uses attack skills
    • Heals 150-200 Health per hit
    • 2min Cooldown
  • Improved Gut Punch
    • Current: Low damage induction interrupt.
    • Reason for Change: Adds additional impact to the skill through a jackpot mechanic.
    • Improved Skill is available at Rank 7
    • Increase damage by 10%
    • On Crit: Resets the cooldown of Devastating Strikes

 

Warg

The Warg is in a pretty good place and does a great job serving its purpose.  This revision mostly focused on revising skill cooldowns to enhance their combat rotations.

 

Skill/Rotation Revisions

  • All Howls
    • Removed inductions & allow use while moving
    • Revise animations for movement
  • Rend Flesh
    • Current: +10% Incoming Melee/Ranged Damage debuff that last for 1m with a 5m cooldown
    • Reason for Change: Making this a reactive skill allows me to add this to their standard rotation while not having to rely on a heafty cooldown.
    • Change skill to trigger off crit events
    • Remove cooldown
    • Add moderate damage
  • Maul / Bloody Maul
    • Current: Light damage skill with a DoT that is amplified by stealth. (5s Cooldown)
    • Reason for Change: Provide a healing debuff skill to compensate for the Burglar’s Insignias.
    • Add a critical effect: “Festering Wound” which reduces incoming healing by 25% for 30s
  • Dire Howl
    • Current: On Defeat Event AoE heal. (15min cooldown)
    • Reason for Change: Weak AoE heal with short range, induction, and rooted anim. Cooldown was far too severe for the skills limited use.
    • Reduce cooldown from 15m to 2min
    • Increase range from 7.4 to 10m
  • Flea Bitten
    • Current: -143 Agility, -1300 Wound Resist Rating or 2m. (2m Cooldown)
    • Reason for Change: The animation causes this skill to take awhile to trigger and a reduction in Agility has limited uses.
    • Increase impact of Resistance Debuff
    • Effect Duration & Cooldown changed to 45s/45s
    • Replace Agility debuff with an induction debuff (+10% – fleas are distracting!)
    • Make AoE (7-10m, 3 targets)
  • Howl of Unnerving
    • Current: 1s Induction Howl that applies 2 Dread to 4 players within 10m (1m Cooldown).
    • Reason for Change: Players dislike this skill because it requires traiting and the effect does not stack.  These changes allow this skill to be a combat initiator, while at the same time creating tension for Freeps as they will hear and see the effects before the battle begins.
    • Does not break stealth
    • Reduces B/P/E ratings of targets
    • 25% Chance to Fear each target for 3-5s
  • Shadow Howler
    • Current: Stance: +15% Melee Damage, Increased Armour, Negates 12 damage from every attack
    • Reason for Change: Negating 12 dmg in a world of 1-4k crits is not attractive.  They forgo stealth to use this, so the damage negation should make them feel more tanky.
    • Increase the damage negation effect.

Trait Revision

  • Pack Elder
    • Current: Provides increases to weapon damage types.
    • Reason for Change: Bonuses are pretty weak, netting the player less than 1% defences.
    • Increase damage type bonuses (currently +195 each).
    • Increase the Warg’s chance to penetrate target’s defences.

New Traits

  • Enhanced Skill: Disappear
    • Current: Player is able to stealth in combat (10m cooldown)
    • Reason for Change: Mimic the updated functionality of HiPS.
    • Reduced cooldown – 5min
    • Adds a cleanse to Disappear (removals all harmful effects)
    • Available at Rank 9

 

Warleader

I really like the Warleader and feel like has a very interesting roll to play on the battlefield. Durable and aggressive he is both a tank and the primary support of the Creep army.  While his ability to survive and keep his allies alive is strong, he lacks ability to really stand on his own in an effective way.  Additionally, there is a lack of synergy between his Offensive and Defensive abilities.  I don’t want to make him a straight up DPS, but focus on making an attrition fighter.

 

Skill/Rotation Revisions

  • Brawler Stance
    • Reason for Addition: This was overlooked in the previous revision of Brawler Stance. This stance is designed to maximize their dps and 60% of their offensive skills are Black Speech.
    • Reduces cooldowns of Black Speech skills by 50%
  • Menacing Roar & Call the Shadow (Combination/Revision)
    • Current: Menacing Roar is an AoE shadow attack and Call the Shadow is a ranged single target Shadow Defence debuff.
    • Reason for Change: Menacing Roar is a low impact aoe skill and Call the Shadow serves limited purpose as just a single-target debuff.
    • Menacing Roar
      • AoE damage and debuffs Tactical Defence
      • Reduce Power cost by 25%
    • Call the Shadow
      • Buff: 100% Crit on your next “Tactical Skill”
      • Increase power cost (at least 100 power) and cooldown to 45s
      • Change skill category to “Buff”
  • Purge
    • Current: Costs 1500 Morale and 1400 Power (more than 50% of total power) to remove CC from all allies within 15m (10m Cooldown)
    • Reason for Change: Too many downsides to a skill that also requires a trait slot to be used.
    • Reduce cooldown to 5min
    • Change skill cost to 20% of current Morale/Power
    • Add a tail immunity of 5s
    • Make skill Immediate

Trait Revisions

  • Lead the Charge
    • Current: Allows Banners to be used to in-combat at the cost of duration.
    • Reason for Change: Command Post and Point Defense are not attractive to players because of their 3s induction.  This skill is designed to make all banners/posts more effective.
    • Removes the inductions on Command Post and Point Defense
  • Power of Fear (NEW)
    • Whenever you crit with a “Tactical Skill” your next heal has 0 inductions/power cost
    • Available at Rank 3

 

Weaver

The Weaver is another class that doesn’t need to much in the way of an overhaul; just some smoothing of the rough edges. This mostly came in the form of cooldown revisions. Additionally, I wanted to continue to build upon the idea of the Weaver as a pet class and provide players with more options.

 

Skill Revisions:

  • Lethal Kiss
    • Current: Moderate damage ranged attack that cannot be used while moving.
    • Reason for Change:This skill does not suit their nature as harassers.  The moment they are immobile they are in trouble.
    • Usable while moving.
  • Venomous Haze
    • Current: Short range debuff that reduces the range of the target’s skill plays
    • Reason for Change: The close range nature of this skill is makes the effect irrelevant to the Weaver themselves.
    • Increase range to 30m
    • Skill now requires a target to be selected
    • Cleanup tooltip to formalize the functionality of the skill (only impacts skills with range of 20+)
  • Feast
    • Current: On Defeat Event: Restore 800-900 Power (Fast Skill). 5min cooldown
    • Reason for Change: Long cooldown for moderately impactful skill.
    • Reduce cooldown to1min
  • Lie In Wait
    • Current: Allows the Weaver to hit and set up ambushes.  10s Induction.
    • Reason for Change: Induction lasts about 7 seconds longer than the animation.  Ambush effect is only useful for group fights.
    • Reduce induction to 2.5s
    • Add a -10% Induction buff to the Ambush effect
  • Necrosis
    • Current: 2m Shadow and Resist debuff on a 2min cooldown
    • Reason for Change: Long duration/cooldown skill that can have its effect cured reduces the value of this skill. Additionally, Shadow Defence synergizes with other Creeps, but serves little purpose for the Weaver.
    • Reduce cooldown and buff duration to 30s
    • Alter debuff to benefit the Weaver themselves

Trait Revisions:

  • Scytode Brood (NEW)
    • Reason for Addition: Wanted to provide the Weavers with play-style choices based on the type of pet they choose to use.  This allows the Weavers to choose between a tougher melee pet or a more fragile ranged pet.   Additionally, wanted to provide a direct benefit to the Weaver for traiting a Hatchling trait.
    • NOTE – Only one “Hatchling” trait can be traited at a time.
    • Trait is available at Rank 7
    • Weaver gains the “Scytode Brood” buff granting them 5% Max Power.
    • This changes the base hatchling into a ranged pet with new skills, and a larger power pool.
    • Pet gains the following stats:
      • 10% Morale
      • 20% Power
      • 5% Attack Speed
      • 15% Outgoing Damage
      • 5% Crit Chance
      • 5% Evade Chance
    • All basic attacks are ranged.
    • Scytode Brood as the following skills:
      • Poisonous Silk (20m)
        • Places a movement speed slow on the target for 10s.  After 10s the target becomes rooted for 4s.
      • Contact Poison (20m)
        • Applies a stacking Poison DoT on the target.  Stacks up to 3 times, with each stack increasing in potency by 25%.–If the target has the “Necrosis” debuff, the debuff is consumed and the max stacks of “Contact Poison” are applied.
      • Devour (30m)
  • Strong Brood
    • Current: Enhances the base hatchling to be a more melee/tank pet
    • Reason for Change: With the addition of a ranged pet option, the Strong Brood needs some additional value to make it competitive. The master buff adds an additional level of synergy and interest in each pet.
    • Weaver gains the “Strong Brood buff granting 5% Max Health
    • Poison Cloud
    • Upon defeat the Strong Brood hatchling explodes in a cloud of poison.  The cloud size is 3m and does Morale and Power damage every second for 10s.
    • Strong Brood pet gains +20% Mitigations