Druid - Desired AAs for next development effort

Discussion in 'Priests' started by LS_Xegony_Dru, Aug 24, 2015.

  1. LS_Xegony_Dru Elder

    Hi,
    I am curious what other druids think would be good AAs for the next development effort.

    To get the ball rolling, here are a few that I would like:
    Hastened Blessing of Tunare - nice splash but need it more often
    Hastened Nature's Growth - need my care bear more often
    Extended Combat Initiative Aura - Need more time on that sucker
    Hastened Nature's Blessing - I need my ward availble faster

    Other thoughts or debate?

    Thanks, Larksong
  2. Brudal Augur

    Can't say I have ever heard of this.
  3. LS_Xegony_Dru Elder

    Brudal,

    Cut and pasted from Zam:

    Frostweave Aura

    Mana: 1667
    Skill:
    Conjuration
    Casting Time: 3
    Recast Time:
    1.5
    Fizzle Time: 1.5
    Range:
    0
    Location: Any
    Time of Day:
    Any
    Fizzle Adj: 127
    Deletable:
    No
    Interruptable: Yes
    Target Type:
    Self
    Spell Type: Beneficial
    Category:
    NPC

    Messages
    Cast on you: You are enveloped by a winter's chill.
    Cast on other: Soandso is enveloped by a winter's chill.
    Effect Fades: The chill fades.
    Game Description
    Surrounds your group in an icy aura, adding bursts of ice to any damaging spells they cast.


    It adds damage to a caster group's DPS. It lasts about 10 minutes and stacks with other procs.
  4. Brohg Augur

    Ten minutes!? Hax, enchanters' is 5.
  5. porky Augur

    Ours only lasts about 5 mins to
  6. porky Augur

    Something to speed up the cast time to would be nice, its a little slow now.
  7. Tinywolf New Member

    Suggestions:
    -More levels of Storm Strike (presumably MoBs will have more health in the upcoming expansion)
    -Another level of Hastened Storm Strike.
    -Another level of Blessing of Ro and/or merge the current Blessing of Ro with Fixation of Ro into a single debuff.
    -More levels of SoTW/ Convergence (effect and duration)
    -Another level of WoTW (with a much increased chance for the ATK debuff to proc)
    -Another level of Hastened Luna
    -Perhaps a level or two of Hastened Adrenaline/Resurgence
    -Swarm of Fireflies to be upgraded to trigger only if the person drops below 0 HP. It could appear as a buff instead of a song, and DI could overwrite it. Currently, this AA is not that great.
    -Spirit of Bear - eliminate the Dodge. Since when are bears known for dodging? Replace that with a 20% (?) mitigation to melee damage AND/OR add a lot of bonus hate to the buff - bears are menacing. Dodge mod has no practical effect when mobs just strike-through all the usual ways of defending. Possibly increase the HP/AC bonus? 20k isn't that much.
    -Black Wolf - Crit damage bonus mod to go up to 225% due to the increased health of mobs. Crit chance could increase a couple more points maybe.
    -White wolf - lowers the cast time of heals more than focus. Not unlike necros and some of their spells, but with a buff instead of tribute. Or failing that, increase the crit heal chance to 75%. Or, maybe increase HA while the buff is active by 5,000.
    -Tertiary bind AA would be nice
    -Superior Forage: Activated AA which when triggered gives better forage results than what happens normally. Please, no more mushrooms...







    -
    LS_Xegony_Dru likes this.
  8. Raeff the Druid Lorekeeper

    I have a level 105 druid with about 8.5 K AA and decent group gear. I am not a raiding druid, so increasing my healing potential is not high on my list of priorities. What I would like to see for the druid class, moving forward, is a more creative approach to our class, making it unique again. For instance, if we are really the 'jack of all trades' of the casters, why not make it possible for us to fully utilize all of our skills by letting us be the one class the has increased spell slots - perhaps as many as 6 additional spell slots?This would allow us to have so many options in different situations - which makes sense since none of our options/spells are really game-changers anyway. However, by being able to use more debuffs, while also having harmony or charm spells up, as well as dots, heals, and nukes, we would begin to offer more value to groups (or perhaps even raids). This is especially true if the devs put more effort into creating a variety of mobs - perhaps there could be some that respond differently to different methods of attack, or are more vulnerable to some types of debuffs, attacks, etc....

    What if druids could be the only class that could cast a spell to block summoning for a short period of time? This would bring us some needed uniqueness and desirability without really making us OP. (In current content, if whatever spell we cast simply blocked summoning for a period of time, we wouldn't be getting any kind of free pass, because our dps simply doesn't allow us to mow mobs down quickly......our summoning block spell would expire before we killed the mob.) Even if, in the course of one fight, we could recast this spell, it would only make things interesting and challenging, not easy - as once we start getting summoned, we are generally in a world of hurt very quickly.

    In conjunction with this idea, if our DS and Reptile lines could become more potent (or perhaps the Reptile line has a chance to proc some kind of anti-summon debuff or jump away proc) - even if only in bursts or rare procs - it might make this kind of bouncing back and forth - blocking summon, then dealing with it for a bit, then blocking it - a pretty interesting and challenging strategy. One that only we could employ.

    Also, if we could simply uncouple our Recursive nukes and shorten the cast times, then they could be a part of this high-risk/high-reward game play.

    I would also like ROOT and snare to be worked on for Druids. It seems crazy that my root - maxed AA - gets broken so easily or resisted so often. I see wizard roots landing far more frequently and lasting longer. This seems crazy - druids are the original root and snare class. So, how about we make our snare something unique - unable to be completely resisted, but (like BST or shammy slow) able to be partially resisted depending on the mob level and difference in level between the druid and the mob.

    And, perhaps we should have an unresistable Root that could be used once per 5 or 6 minutes. It wouldn't have to last forever, but some reasonable set time that allows us to do enough damage to potentially solo a few tougher mobs. (I mean, as is, with decent gear and decent AA, I had major trouble soloing the first 2 progression tasks in Tempest Temple. Geez, those unsnareable, unrootable mobs - also uncharmable - that I had to kill for the quest took me hours....and we're talking like 6 mobs.....crazy. All the while, I saw other guys tracking and soling named mobs there - wizards, mages especially).

    I think it would be helpful to add to elements to our dps set, spells that change the weather in our local area to create increased spell damage of a certain type - fire, cold, magic. The increase to our spell damage should be significant - 25 - 30%, while offering a lesser increase to our group. This would allow us to 'call the elements of nature' to help us aid our struggle. Coupled with a cool visual, this would add some distinct flavor to our class. And this idea would be limited by our AoE of the original cast - it could be a large stationary area, but still with some reasonable limits, so even our kiting would have to be limited. (Some reasonable room for dot rooting would be appropriate).

    Another approach would simply be to flag certain sets of mobs to be uniquely susceptible to druid spells. Perhaps this would be related to what race and deity we choose. The number of 'susceptible' mob types would not have to be high.....just enough that we could often-times be knocking off some great dps in bursts. And, of course, if there were a few zones or location within zones where the druid class could outshine most others (perhaps because of a high concentration of 'susceptible mobs') I think no one would complain as long as these were limited per expansion and in area.

    Lastly, I would like to see us have some kind of spell that would consume our dots and immediately apply their remaining damage, or in some way build on their damage. Perhaps such a spell would even add increased damage depending on how many debuffs we have placed on the mob. This would ensure that casting our dots (and debuffs) remains a key part of our strategies, and, if implemented correctly, could reward us for spending the time to nail a mob with multiple slow cast dots/debuffs (ours are just way too slow!). Again, interesting gameplay, and it allows us to make use of what is becoming obsolete in our much faster paced dps world. An added idea - allow this dot/debuff burst to have some effect - not as much as on our spells of course - on necro, shammy, and BST dots. This might make a case for more classes to keep using their dots.

    Failing these more creating solutions, the druid class is being evolved out of the game. If such solutions aren't offered, then druids need an across the board increase in dps of 30% (at least), a significant reduction in spell cast times, uncoupling of our recursive nukes, combining of our debuffs into one or two at the most (and increasing their effect), a complete reworking our 'nuke the summoned' spell lines (which are never used) and Direwood guard spell lines (worthless), and some kind of compelling new group utility in order to make them compelling to play and group with.

    As is, we are the EQ class most likely to be boxed for ports, or egress, and even then, only after other dps classes are boxed.

    Please consider these ideas and give us a little boost for the future.
    LS_Xegony_Dru likes this.
  9. LS_Xegony_Dru Elder

    Raef,

    Interesting thoughts. I especially like the idea of more spell slots and uncoupling some items. One of my friends suggested that Druids get a spell similar to reluctant benevolence. So that we have a real HOT. I am also concerned that the class remain in the game and that it get some actual work. The only thing we have gotten in several expansions is the Nurturing Growth spell, which I dubbed "the Care Bear".
  10. Tarrin Augur

    As a long time druid that is currently on break (but still an active sub), there is only one thing I can think of that would bring me back to the game.

    More remote based healing. I don't want more tools that copy other classes. If I wanted all the other tools other classes have, I'd have picked the other class. Weird concept I guess.

    I don't want a worse version of current remotes that share lock outs, but it is on a different resist.

    More ranks of what we already have is nice and everything, but it ignores the core issue I have had with the class for a long time.
  11. LS_Xegony_Dru Elder

    Tarrin, What is your "core issue" with the druid class?
  12. Zarakii Augur

    didnt know druids were in such a rough spot? what with there mad healing mad debuffs mad solo ability and dps as well as adps.... yeah so much wrong with the class roll a shaman
  13. Iila Augur

    My issues is that druids end up playing clr jr or wiz jr and don't get an area to shine on our own. Due to the nature of game balance, we can't ever be as powerful as those classes while DPSing or healing, so we're always a crappier alternative when trying to maximize a group or raid.

    Expanding remotes would give us an arena to ourselves, that isn't putting us as worse versions of the better class for the situation. Give us a spell set that allows full or full minus one remote casts. Add AAs to encourage mob-targeted support/priest behavior. Adjust dmg/dps/heal-per-sec as needed, but if we're doing both dmg and healing, having lower numbers than dedicated classes is fine, because we're not dedicated to just one side.

    What I don't want to see are any more garbage situational spells or anything else that wants me to swap spellsets constantly.
    Perplexed and Tarrin like this.
  14. Brohg Augur


    Are we pretending in this thread that Intervention heals and Contravention nukes aren't a thing?
  15. Tarrin Augur

    Iila summed it up better than I could.

    I don't want have to choose between being either a Junior Wizard OR a Junior Cleric. I want dps and heals to mix together fluidly. I am not asking to nuke like a wizard and heal like a cleric at the same time. I am not even asking to heal for 100% of druid potential while doing 100% of druid dps potential at the same time.

    Unlocking remotes is an example of giving druids a quality healing method that would be unique.

    If you are content with doing nothing but asking for the status quo ( upgrades to spells/AAs already in place ). Go for it. But that isn't for me.
    Perplexed likes this.
  16. Brohg Augur


    Unique … if we pretend Contravention nukes and Intervention heals don't exist?
  17. Rykard Augur

    All,

    Read some of the posts here and on another related thread. I personally would also like unlinking of the remote line and would also like Luna's unlinked. It would give us better healing overall.

    Another idea for some different healing, was a rework or maybe change to the promise line. Either through AAs or rework, we could have the promise line changed to have the heal affect the group vice single target. This would give us more pre-emptive healing allowing us to possibly do more damage.

    Was also wondering if it would be worth asking to combine the debuffs into the remote line. This would be in addition to the AA and spell line but not be stackable. This would allow us a unique twist to the nuke/heal line to differentiate us from clerics. By keeping it unstuckable with the AA or other debuffs, it would not overpower our debuffs or give us too many debuffs to cast. The AA or non damage/low damage spells would give us the option to use them when more aligned to healing vice damage.

    Rykard
  18. Tarrin Augur

    Are we pretending that cleric healing is based around contravention and intervention? That a cleric can basically heal around those alone?

    To clarify, I am not asking for specific spells no one else has. I am using unique to describe a standard method of healing others don't necessarily use. Having a very strong remote line would actually set druids apart from clerics in shamans in the healing department. Something that has basically never happened. Right now, druids basically heal like a cleric with one arm tied behind their backs.
  19. Brohg Augur

    I opine that a healing pattern of Resurgence>Adrenaline>Remote>UnlinkedRemote is so highly analogous to SR>GR>MysticalIntervention>VirtuousIntervention that to observe differences to the point of calling the former unique would be (ahem, is) very silly.
  20. Rykard Augur

    Brogh,

    I believe that their intention is to go to more of a remote only healing with no other healing spells. I think at least.

    I am only level 93 but I just started using the remote line. I usually start off casting grip of ro followed by skin line. Then, I cast roar, remote, and winters. I occasionally sprinkle in a fast heal. On tougher mobs, I had been doing sunrise followed by two heals which were either adrenaline or sanavida. I guess I should rethink the healing there as I see your line looks pretty good.

    Rykard