[1.2] Brilliant & Cipher + some rogue feedback

[Takkik]

Overall the patch look like nice, with lot of interesting balance. the new trickster look interesting, but I think the rogue need another balance pass on it's core abilities, ring the bell, whittering strike, positioning & sap.

 

- crippling strike : the +25% dmg feel a lot for a 1 guile cost attack compared to other 2guiles attack.

 

- Ring the bell is great for ranged but feel bad with one handed weapon (the dot is really low & don't stack, don't worth the 2 guiles). Each ring the bell upgrade boost a different weapon type (they don't stack) so why we can't take the 3 upgrades?

Perhaps just keep ranged bonus for all weapons and make it your piercing & high dmg ability?

 

- Whithering strike : the 3 cost feel too much. Boost the dmg bonus compared to others attacks? Or make it you main DOT ability as a base.

 

- smoke cloud + dot : the dot is like inexistant. 3dmg / tick at lvl 20

 

- Positioning & sap : Positionning feel to situational, but the main problem these abilities doesn't feel like PL 6 & 7 abilities. Sap could perhaps worth it if it was merged with the upgrade. If you multiclass you have far better options for confusion or even better charm/domination with cipher.

 

BUG : I loaded a save game with a trickster lvl 20, he didn't get the extra trickster spells.

 

 

Cipher & Brilliant : a way to boost cipher attraction and pl7 choices, but... Cipher always suffer from spells on allied target only. For a pure cipher that not a problem, but for a multiclass one that don't really fix the problem at all. How cipher generate focus make martial classes a really attractive choice of multiclassing. And with allied target only buff, a cipher is stuck to a support role (for these spells) and can't buff he's second half.

 

PL 7 for an offensive cipher is still 'trash' and not attractive at all. It's a way to nerf brilliant? but you can still take 2 ciphers that buff each other (not necessary fun).

[mammasaura]

I don't find the Ring The Bell dot that bad, it stacks with the other rogue's dots, it's raw damage and the duration is decent with some Intelligence, once upgraded you can easily hit +20sec. It's also for One Handed, that means the weapon is going to crit, so the entire package is pretty decent. My Edwin does 10+7 raw dmg from Gouging Strike and Ring the Bell per tick, is not bad.

 

Whitering Strike's cost perfectly reflects what you get from the ability, bonus accuracy +10; weakened for rogue is just...killer and interrupt on hit.

 

I don't know for crippling strike, sometime I think is too good but I think rogue needs something valuable at low cost, surely its upgrade, arterial strike, is a problem.

 

All these skill have interrupt on hit and for some ability is too much.

Ring The Bell has interrupt on graze, but I think that's ok, it's the purpose of the skill to interrupt.

This skill together with Withering Strike are balanced.

Finishing Blow doesn't need an interrupt on hit, but on crit should be better.

Blindind Strike already heavily debuffs accuracy, don't see why should have an interrupt.

Crippling Strike, I don't know, but probably is fine.

 

For the cipher, sometime I'm feel lost. Some skill has self buffing and some has ally buffing. In any case only 1 skill buff in AoE, the rest is single target, so I don't see how can fit the support role.