Nature Buffs Requested

Here are the items I tried pushing on the devs at SOE Live.

1) More crowd control when stacking poisons. WM has good crowd control with terror via Serpents Call, Voracious Plants and Weapon finishers. But Vine Lash, Briar, Swarm and Harvest all mean you're taking a beating since they have minimal CC and/or are single-target. This mostly benefits duos.

2) Better burst when stacking poisons. I suggested that the DoTs be reduced while powers like Vine Lash and Savage Growth receive an up-front burst component similar to Briar. It would be better if they were AoE. However, once you spread poisons with Harvest your DoTs go back to full-strength. That's an example of better acceleration of burst damage against mobs without necessarily raising the top end of sustained damage against bosses.

3) Shapeshift forms receive some form of weapon mastery combos. Maybe it checks if you have a single WM combo enabled and gives you one pair. If you have a second WM combo enabled it give you the other pair. This would be for Wolf and Insectoid form.

As you can see, my recommendations were minor fine-adjustments and not wholesale (make me OP) buffs. I'm personally fine if they wait until all the other powersets awaiting advanced mechanics have their turn.

Only thing I'd add is an adjustment to the power return mechanic. Harvesting poisons is where most of our power goes. Not the set up.

Restricting our power return to the set up abilities that have no burst, renders the power return useless for 90% of the fight.


Anyway, +1 for approaching the devs directly. Did they have a response?

After the other powers have gotten their AM, I'd like to see at least some of this get looked into. It would be nice to see Animal Forms have more use by players.

Oh yeah...

4) Be less restrictive about the order of powers cast for AM power refunds. SG, VL, Briar and Swarm should be allowed in any order. I'm okay if Harvest must be at the end.

I had a very favorable response but it was as non-committal as I would have been if the roles were reversed. I would consider that promising.

I'm hesitant about advocating Harvest getting power refunds after the initial spread. Power refunds aren't meant to replace a controller feeding you power. I view them as enabling you to use stacking in duos and solos without draining yourself dry after the first mob. After stacking, you're meant to use your weapon unless you have a controller handy. If you do have a controller in the group, you're not hurting for power at all. I kinda think that suggestion doesn't help Nature at all, it only helps the controller.

There's also a technical challenge. WM doesn't grant power cost reductions to DPS roles, just support roles. That means weapons aren't designed to setup recovering power for a tray ability. Power refunds are designed to allow "play from tray" styles from tray abilities. It's easier to tie into as there's a pattern established. It's not like after spreading we're sitting there just casting Harvest and Voracious Plants back and forth without weapons in-between.

But I do respect your opinion on that topic. I just wanted to share my concerns.

Don't need 3) as once you set them up they become not used. Would rather a strengthened Poison Spore (or at least the same strength as it has now) instead of adding unneeded burst damage which is added to the beginning of a fight only (assuming of course a smooth run).

Should add in:

5) Be able to get Power refund even in Primal Wolf. Currently you do not get it.

Personally I don't think dots are even worth the time anymore. I personally think focusing on terror would make nature better off at the end of the day. Dots losing crit makes them useless when it comes to doing dmg fast enough that is actually worth it.

Getting rid of shapeshifting IMO is the best option to making nature better. Also getting rid of thorn burst since it has become seriously useless now. Replacing with terror based moves. Also make Swarm useable with weapon mastery crit also make it dmg harder when terrorizing. Make roar dmg like plasma retch also allow it to be jump clipped like it. Then nature will be completely fine and be able to keep up with almost every power.

Maybe even add a better buff to rampage and making it 35%. Like electrics SC which is basically the same thing.

There are numerous changes that should infact be made because there's alot of waste sitting in the Nature pool. However it will never happen this way because they think the powers is completely fine.

What I would like is a buff to harvest. I have over 5k might and I get hits of 500 with it? That's prety sad. It would also be nice if escalating might worked with it to. And i was always for vl and sg having initial hits and think it would be nice but I would rather they gave our dots a little upgrade.

The terr loadout is no where near as good as a dot one. And they should just give nature the WM crit. Then all would be good

I think our dots should get a slight buff, nothing over the top but just a tiny bit.

No they shouldn't because giving dot WM crit like it was in test when it first came out would be to much. And also terror destroys dot in specific content especially if theres multiple natures. Terror will be dot if the terror user knows how to stack there buffs.

Wait... What? Nature needs a buff? Oh, my... This is so unexpected... COMPLETELY did not see that coming. I know this guy in my league - you see - and he does this beast damage with Nature. BEAST. Only a million or 2 per raid behind any Rage or Sorcery DPS that happens to PUG along...

But we have t6 raids now. Nature's DOTs are always top DPS in raids, right?... Therefore all must be well with Nature DPSing - as has been stated months ago, when WM was launched and limited for most of Nature's powers (and that was even before that awesome power recovery thing that happens when you press all the buttons in order)...

Ugh...

Just forget it. Wait until the Wheel Of Nerf does full circle and Nature may be - however briefly - a top-tier DPS again. Let's hope that happens before the game goes offline. Or not. Whatever.

A terr loadout would never beat a dot loadout unless you where doing lower content. But in top teir raids dots will always out preform a terr setup.

RIIIIIIGHT!!!!!

RIIIIIIGHT!!!!!

Maybe you need better people to play against if you think by any means nature can compete with anything. Right now.

Maybe you need to play against better nature players. I agree with crappy, nature is top tier for these high health bosses right now.

Nature def does need some help though there a lot of things that can be improved since it doesn't get the WM crit with poisons.

Nature needs no help, its definitely one of the top tier powers atm.

I'm mainly a nature healer and don't concern myself massively with the dps side of it but I do agree massively with (3) and I believe the insect form should get its dmg penalty removed as well to put it in like with normal healing dmg out. I created a few posts about that I just hope the dev's see these. And thx Sore for bringing these things to the dev's attention at Soe Live