Dirge and Bard changes on the Test Server for GU 32

Something looked funny about your spell pictures, NaMessiah. The damage for Jarol's Sorrowful Requiem should be the same since only the timings are changing. I created two new level 1 ratonga dirges on live and the test server. They both have 25 INT. Currently on Live Servers: Currently on the Test Server: Crypt's Quiet: about a 33% damage boost Death's Door: about a 32% damage boost and a 25% proc chance increase giving about a 65% increase in total. This proc is great for soloing groups and multimob encounters. Dissonance: Total spell cycle time changed from (2.0s cast + 0.5s recovery + 20s recast) 22.5s to (2.5s cast + 0.5s recovery + 12s recast) 15s. So a decrease in time of 33% or an increase in speed (and damage over a given time) of 50% if you look at it that way. Noxious Chorus: Increase of about 22% I know people like to complain about Allegro and how small the benefit is, but I try to look at the way it affects others in the group too. Most of our spells and CAs cast pretty fast so the change is only hundredths of a second but a summoner recasting their pet takes 10s and a shaman group ward takes 5s so those type of spells benefit a lot more from casting speed. Othesus - Dirge - Lucan DLere Vaspar - Fury - Lucan DLere

[hr]In-combat speed applies either in or out of combat but it doesn't stack with the other speed buffs, like out or combat (e.g. Selo's and SoW) or mounts. In-combat speed stacks with things like sprint, Fae and Kerran 5% racial speed, and the first monk KoS achievement. I think Furies are the king of in-combat speed. They can get 7% personal in-combat speed per rank with Enhance- Peerless Predator (total 35%) and Pack of the Cheetah Master 1 gives temporary 64% group in-combat speed that can be enhanced by 10% per rank. Those stack with sprint, so it's easy to hit the 100% speed cap for short periods. Othesus - Dirge - Lucan DLere Vaspar - Fury - Lucan DLere

I agree with using caution on things like spell haste. Especially abilities that stack with each other. It doesn't take long for things like Illusionist Time Compression, Allegro, and whatever other abilities to stack together and things can get out of control. It's still hard to justify using that many AA pts for such a nominal benefit to the group.

[p]As nice as that would be I don't see it happening. If you maxed Sonnet you would gain 20% + the 38% from Selo's=58% + Jboots=68%. You would have all the players that buy mounts if they will get a 70% mount in the next Adv Pack/Expansion. Also, if they would fix Selo's cancelling my Kerra speed I could run at 63% without boots.[/p]

Yer math is funky. 2.5% x 8 = 20, not 30. =) With jboots, you could get your 68 there. I agree, it's highly unlikely.

The increased casting time of the Dissonance line from 2 to 2.5s sucks. The spell already does crap for damage (547 - 907 @ M1 with 452 INT) and it wasn't worth waiting the 2s cast time unless there were 3 or more mobs. Now with an extra .5s casting time, it doesn't matter that the recast is going to be reduced because it's not really worth casting anymore. Also in a raid you shouldn't be using your self buff and Dirge groups don't get much help in buffing INT so the majority of the time your INT is going to be sitting in the 300-370 range and maybe even less if you use a lof of the EoF Dirge set armor. (498 - 826 @ M1 with 300 INT). This spell needs a significant boost in damage if the casting time is going to be increased. Keep the recast 20s, just up the damage to like 950 - 1400 @ M1 with 452 INT. -Kall, 70 Dirge Nektulos

[p]The question is from what dps a spell is interesting to cast as raiding dirge.[/p][p]In MT group my int is useually just below 300...then again, I suck:thumbdown: in int.[/p][p] [/p][p]This would mean that on 2 npc encounters I do 1800 (if lucky) dammage for 2.5 sec casting = 720 dps.[/p][p] [/p][p]Of course since this line should be our bread and butter to up our raid dps this is waaaay not enough.:evil: [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p]

I guess the group DD was "half-nerfed" to match the troub version of the spell, which had a 3 second cast time, and is now reduced to 2.5 secs ( 3 sec cast on a t6 damage spell, you did more damage with procs than the spell ) Can't wait to see the other changes, there must be some on the way !! - bump on a 30s recast timer, or changing the sneak attack ?? - more spells on the run ?? keep up the good work [size="x-small"] :thumbup:[/size]

I'd never use Dissonance on a two mob encounter. The math never works out. Sucks power, mediocre damage, and a really long cast time (soon to be even longer). There are things you're better off doing for a two mob encounter. Three is my minimum, and it's touch and go there. I'll have to re-evaluate it after the changes...longer cast time, shorter recast. Will three mobs still be alive by the time it refreshes? We'll see.

I do believe I may go INT/WIS with this new set up, as much as I'ld hate to see Blade Dance go my main goal for the group is to push out as much DPS as possible. here are the reason's why I think INT/WIS is a very Viable alternative to the standard STR/WIS set up. Full INT line (or possibly ignoring Coin and using the 2 points for something more useful). Riana's will get an extra 13 DPS mod and Boon an extra 2 or 3 effective Combat Lvls for the group when it is up. The pierce attack is great when you are a group debuffer because less of the group will resist with the added Ordination buff. Full WIS line synergizes quite nicely with INT. DPS MOD only effects Auto Attacks. Auto Attacks are slowed down by casting times. CoB speeds up the attack speed to the point that normal Combat Arts actuallly place a very small delay on the next Auto Attack which in turn lowers CoB full Damage potential. Allegro, now that you can put all 8 points into it, is now very powerful, expecially with the group debuffs. If you are a debuffer and have Degradate that knocks 50% off it's casting times so now they are .5 seconds. With Full Allegro and the Nightchord Cap you take another 10~% off the the casting times so the end result is .4 seconds per debuff. Now if your in a group with an illusionist and a monk and have CoB going and you can still use your debuffs without impacting your CoB DPS because they fit right into the gaps between autoattacks more easily. It's interesting to note that even if you have 5 points into decreasing the stealth casting time Allegro and other casting time shorteners still concider it a 2.0 second casting time spell. So if you have the Nightchord Cap and full 8 points in Allegro it's taking 10~% off 2.0 casting time, not the 1.0 second casting time it now is. which means you can stealth at about 0.8 seconds. You shouldn't think of Allegro as a way to get your Combat arts and spells out faster. In fact you should be seeing Allegro as a way to lower the amount of time your Auto Attack is quequed. So if you think of Allegro as an "adds 7~% to your auto attack Damage" then you are more closer to the truth about the ability. Now with the DPS Mod boost and Allegro you (and your groups auto attacks) will be doing a great deal more damage. Add in DKtM and your auto attacks will be doing even more damage not to mention all the other attacks that will be done. Finally with faster casting times people will have a little more time to complete HO's and the Coin ability will make it even more easy to complete. (Though I seriously doubt Coins utility, not when you have fast recasting group debuffs that cover almost all the deferent HO symbols save one) So though I hate to see Blade Dance go I'ld love to parce with this set up. Of course if it just looks good on paper that's what the AA restart is for. At least now I can cheaply run different AA builds now.

Just discovered something interesting. Because of the new /respec monthly timer up coming I desided to use some of the free and cheap /respecs to see how some AA interact with one another. Turns out I was wrong about the stealth casting speed timer. It has a hard cap of 1.0 Seconds and will not go down below that even with the Nightchord Cap, 8 Points in Allegro and 5 points in the stealth speed increaser. First I though "oh crud I just wasted a point in stealth"...then I though "Oh, I JUST WASTED A POINT IN STEALTH". I then respeced again with this time only using 4 points in the stealth AA ability and low and behold, with Nightchord Cap, 8 points in Allegro and 4 points in Stealth, the stealth timer was now 1.01 Seconds. By putting 8 Points in Allegro I get a "free" AA for that ability.

While they're looking at dirges, change Hyran's back to how it was. Either make it non-togglable or lower the recast to like 6s like the other buffs. Waiting 30s while it refreshes because of AE dispels is stupid. -Kall, 70 Dirge Nektulos

[p] i could care less if the change it back to haveing STR but agreed wouldent mind it on a shorter recast and being able to split it again[/p][p]and um lol be carfull as of cause if you talking about wanting the str back you may be flamed by your own guild i can hunt you down the responce if you like lol[/p]

Where did I even infer to wanting the STR back? All I said is it's stupid and unecessary to have Hyran's take 30s to refresh because of the frequency of dispels. Really, who the **** cares about 78 STR on a tank that has like 600? -Kall, 70 Dirge Nektulos

[p]You said, "change Hyran's back to how it was"[/p][p] [/p][p]Hyran's used to buff STR[/p][p] [/p][p]There you go[/p]

Clearly you guys are too stupid to realize I meant non-togglable. -Kall, 70 Dirge Nektulos

[p]I totally agree with the statement that Hyran's refresh timer be set to a shorter time, like 6 seconds or less.[/p][p] The refresh is an old legacy timer back when Hyran's was completely different to what is is today, same with the Dirge self buff.[/p][p] Hyran's used to be one of those, what the "hell does it do" abilities. It was like an blue AoE effect that said it increased agro to the mobs around you but it really didn't specify who the agro was increased to. Most popular theory was that it increased the agro toward the dirge and what usefulness would that be? After a while the game designers agreed and changed the effect to a single target buff but they never changed the casting time.[/p][p] The Dirge Self buff was on the same boat. It used to have no concentration slot and was a short term self buff. They changed the entire mechanic but failed to change the refresh casting times. That's why you can still use it without breaking stealth, so you could buff up before you sneak attacked.[/p]

Hyran's is still buffing STR although it is not mentioned in the spell description anymore. I think on A3 66 STR.

Does it??? Mine has no impact on STR anymore (I targeted myself and STR does not change)- only does hate gain and aggression

Yes, the strength is still increasing when I use this buff on me or someone else in the group. I am on a PVP-Server...I dont know if the buff is different to the PvE servers.