Currently most classes have self-only buffs where the duration outlasts an average gameplay-session. Those buffs are only casted after a death, after a dispell or if they were overwritten by something else, or if the duration is running low and they need a refresh. The last part is probably done in the guildhall, in the start or end of a gameplay-session, It is tedious, contains no strategic element, and can be done without danger, and where mana-usage is irrelevant. I propose that all self-only buffs that does not require any spell-components and already lasts more than 2 hours(focused), gets the duration changed to infinite. This will remove the boring guildhall preparation, without changing any gameplay elements regarding buffs, that actually matters. They can still be dispelled or overwritten and they will still need to be recast after death. Runes, spell-shields and anything with counters, will still run out for other reasons and will probably not be affected(at least not during normal gameplay, they will still remain on afk-peeps) by this change. The change can be tied to a specific expansion, so that it does not interfere with TLP-servers.
That would be awesome. Also, there are some self only buffs that are in the 10-20 minute range that are SO annoying. You always recast them. What if all self only (non combat buffs) got extended to infinate durations. Like mages symbiosis or enchanters ward of the enticer. You always have to cast them, and its just a chore...
Slight derail/question here (though I love the suggestion)..... My druid has to constantly re-cast his DD auras (every 10 minutes or so), which I always regarded as kind of OK, since you're getting more group DPS out of it. However, my chanters auras (mana regen, twincast) would last a very long time (multiple hours). That was before my break at the beginning of the year. When I returned last month, I see my chanters auras last just a short while (probably ~20 minutes). Is this on purpose? It's kind of annoying, because I like to just leave short duration buffs on my spell bar semi-permanently, but that's one gem for the druid, but 2 for the chanter. Tat
The reason why I excluded short-duration buffs, is to avoid it becoming an actual balancing issue that affects "active adventuring" outside the guildhall. Deciding if a short-duration buff deserves a spellgem in your "active adventuring"-spellset is a strategic gameplay decision, that DBG wants you to make. Then it becomes a discussion about what a "non-combat buff" is, which might be a complex issue(I don't know that many classes that well ). Im not against the idea, but it is a different issue.
No problem with approaching it that way, but it's a pain to use 2 gems for a chanter vs. all other classes, for auras.
You really only need one aura gem on an enchanter. There is the short duration one which you might keep a spell slot for, or might swap in on occasion. The longer term one is on a very similar timer to several other buffs. Take a 3 minute break every two hours to refresh group buffs and do the twincast aura at that time. It's not that big of a deal.
yup. Also, the spellgem argument doesn't hold water. With saved spell slots, you just switch out a single spell, cast and switch back. You are not making a choice of which combat ability to use. You are simply dealing with bad game design.
I propose that any buff constituted as the OP describes be done away with entirely, and its constituent parts be distributed to class features & AA. Further, that any buff folks can reasonably expect to carry away from the Lobby to do their battling with ~full time face the same fate: destruction; distribution to various non-bookkeeping venues, i.e. gear, class features, and AA.
Pretty sure that aura will last hours if you zone every 45 minutes or so. But if you stay in the same zone for 1hr+ it will fade.
Lets say they take every self-only-buff, regardless of duration, that does not have a cooldown, (and does not require components), and turn them into passive AAs, like they did with item-clickies such as expanding mind. (Runes and counter based buffs etc. would still need regular refreshes) That solution would bypass the stacking mechanism of the original buffs, that used to get overwritten by other classes buffs. The net result would be a powerboost to all classes that previously had a self-only buff. Im not against it, but then it would be more than just a "quality of life"-improvement.
The net result would be nothing except reduced aggravation, if the "other classes buffs" didn't exist either. I"m not talking about "item AA" style. I mean deleting them. There's other venues for core gains like AC, HP, Atk, regens
Exactly what Brohg said. Classes with self-only buffs wouldn't gain any power. They'd only have the benefits that their self-only buffs already gave. Except the aggravation of constantly recasting them would be removed.
Yes. As a rubric, anything that can reasonably be carried away from the Lobby. Yep. If class features (Defense, Offense skill, et al) can give the same boost based on /who, and if AA can also give the same boost based on time invested, and gear can give the same boost based on content level, and progression rewards can give the same boost based on content specifically beaten, then in my opinion we don't need one more way to get that boost with the special feature of being based on hitting up the lobby or a logged-out alt character once every four hours. As another way to approach it, if the buffer doesn't have to be in the battle for you to have it? It shouldn't be there. Fighting with some amount of shaman power (druid, enchanter, ranger, beastlord, etc power) on side should mean you have a shaman (dru/enc/rng/etc/whatever) on side, not that you just heard about a shaman once three game days ago. Developers even have to assume that characters have these buffs when balancing content. It's not like they can assume the opposite, since anyone that feels like can go get the bonus and carry it into their battles. The effect of that balancing, the bit harder hits, the bit higher mob hp, is somewhat subtle (which subtlety is another feature I consider problematic with buffs), but it can seriously effect the play experience especially for those who are really pushing their characters' capacity to engage with fun new stuff. The game even provides a number we can crib as a threshhold - the typical mob repop time of 18.5minutes. The game has so forgotten about your actions in that time that your enemies have been RESURRECTED. If you can carry an effect across that duration, then friend that effect is part of you. Intrinsic, by the cosmology of our digital avatars. You can be said to not fully be yourself without that power, without those buffs. And so it becomes correct-ish to interrupt playing the game to go get that part of yourself back. So, yeah. If a buffed 105 character has... +6742+4839+4014+3256hp +2044mana +1479end +348+210+216ac +164+386+337+706+188atk +778+97hp/tick +48+88+122mana/tick +5+7end/tick +146int/wis_cap +274str/dex_cap +246sta_cap (why are those different?) +68% haste +11% hit damage +11% skill damage +11% avoid +4% doubleattack +22+30% tripleattack +35% criticalchance +15% criticaldamage +11% spellhaste +somepileofresists ...for HOURS after leaving behind all the characters that gave them those bonuses, then those should be built into gear, AA, and class features. There's lots of options, most of them have scaling built in in an acceptable analogue to buff ranks. The buffs should be deleted, and EQ moves forward from there with less cluttered spellbooks, with fewer timers to monitor, many fewer stacking issues, with character power that little bit more evened out across players. Any "buffing" power that doesn't meet the duration threshhold? should have its existence reconsidered, juxtaposing its worthiness as a tactical consideration versus real combat abilities like …whatever, another nuke, a dot, another heal, a debuff or summoning a new companion. It's pretty sure that, as an easy example, Divine Indemnification meets the worthiness bar. Some other effects Do Not.
Buffing is one of the worst parts of this game. I could understand it being a hassle in the lower levels when you have to pay your dues, but at higher levels, I can't imagine why after all these years they haven't given us super long lasting buffs. Every buff should last like 5 hours apart from the stuff you have to cast in combat.
