Report 943

Report #943
Skillset: Blademaster Skill: Pinleg
 Org: Ebonguard Status: Completed Oct 2012
Furies' Decision:
Solution 1.
Problem: Pinleg is a skill which is excessively powerful, especially in group
situations. It blocks escape (its primary purpose) but it also prevents many
methods of curing that are not blocked by Impale (the gut pin), as well as being
accessible on two different limbs (splitting parry). Further, because it is at
heavy, is a jab, and is so debilitating it leads the class to become fixated
upon spamming this one affliction over-and-over with poisons & rend, while also
making it very difficult to adjust the class in any other way due to its
strength.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #1: Switch Pinleg to Critical wounds, and SeverTendon to
 Heavy. Make SeverTendon -require- the pierced-leg
 affliction before it can be delivered.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #2: Switch Pinleg to Critical wounds, and SeverTendon to
 Heavy. Make SeverTendon achievable by a swing only.
Player Comments:
---[Rivius on 10/13 @ 13:20 writes]:
I agree with this report. Pinleg's been a problem to the blademaster skillset
for quite a while. It's too powerful in groups and needs to be less easily
achieved. In 1v1, blademaster has no sprawl before critical, unlike every other
warrior specialization which means it has to rely on pinleg and combinations of
morphite in order to achieve the same effect. As a result, it is one of the most
poison dependent specs and faces some problems with reliability 1v1 against
competent opponents. As someone who's played blademaster for the entire time
he's played this game, I support solution 1. This is the most elegant way of
improving blademaster 1v1 while balancing it in groups.
---[Ushaara on 10/13 @ 14:50 writes]:
Concern I had was that Blademasters would be able to greenlock in one combo, but
solution #1 seems to address that quite nicely. Supported.
---[Celina on 10/13 @ 15:29 writes]:
Supported. I'm honestly not really worried about greenlock issue. Can't green
lock with lunges, so they would need to bypass stance and parry and rebounding
on the two most commonly protected body parts, hit two swings (both have a
chance to hit the wrong body part), have a poison not rub or shrug, and hit both
affs. Either solution is fine.
---[Vladimere on 10/17 @ 18:33 writes]:
Solution 1 supported and much needed.
---[Tacita on 10/17 @ 18:51 writes]:
Solution 1.
---[Llandros on 10/18 @ 02:07 writes]:
Solution 1
---[Thoros on 10/19 @ 14:59 writes]:
Solution 1
---[Zynna on 10/21 @ 16:49 writes]:
Solution 1
---[Inagin on 10/23 @ 20:50 writes]:
I don't think either of these solutions solve the problem of PinLeg being
excessively powerful. Instead, I feel like this is a nerf to LegTendon, despite
it being moved to heavy wounds. If the goal is to tone down PinLeg's power, I
suggest making the effects of PinLeg identical to that of Impale.
---[Rivius on 10/24 @ 00:17 writes]:
Solution 1 complicates being able to double-tendon, but the trade-off is that it
is moved to heavy. As solution 1 intends to be used on a jab, this makes it
actually a very viable replacement for blademaster and an actual improvement to
the flow of the class (which it greatly needs). Pinleg being made exactly the
same as impale won't change why it's powerful in groups (which is the ONLY place
where it is a problem). Moving it to critical wounds however means it won't be
achieved by a single blademaster nearly as easily and therefore removes the
"insta-pin" scenario that is often brought up.
---[Inagin on 10/24 @ 09:42 writes]:
You just said that toning down PinLeg's effects won't change why it is powerful
in groups. Then, you say that moving it to critical wounds makes it harder to
achieve by a single Blademaster. So, what exactly is it that you want to
accomplish then? Do you want to tone it down for groups or for an individual?
You should make that point clear. If your goal is to tone it down for groups,
moving it to critical doesn't help much. You'll just delay the excessively
powerful effects for a few seconds. We should just nerf those excessively
powerful effects instead.
---[Rivius on 10/24 @ 10:31 writes]:
I think adding 2500 minimum wounds to a warrior affliction people view as
powerful in groups is actually an excellent middleground to improving the
affliction and not completely wrecking the specialization (provided you give
them something in exchange). Saying this delays pinleg for a couple seconds is
actually a bit of an exaggeration (a lot of one actually). This would
effectively -destroy- the "insta-pin" phenomenon that people are so quick to
complain about. If someone manages to get you to critical leg wounds after that,
they deserve to harness whatever effects they've worked up to at that point. You
had plenty of time to run, especially now that pinleg doesn't stop you in 1-2
volleys! Of course, I thought I made myself sufficiently clear in my last
comment that pinleg is only a problem in groups. In 1v1, pinleg is actually a
complete hindrance to the flow of blademaster and its design is the reason why
the spec is so terribly linear. By having no sprawl until critical wounds, the
blademaster has to improvise with pinleg and morphite in order to get anyone on
the ground. Of course, with ridiculously high shrug rates, immunity to morphite
and sleep and the compounded problem of the RNG, the blademaster's sprawl is one
of the hardest to achieve, maintain and take advantage of. By replacing pinleg
with tendon, you'd be strengthening the class in a 1v1 situation, while delaying
how quickly people get pinned in groups. Your suggestion of simply weakening
pinleg is actually the very WORST thing you could do. It would create more harm
than good as all it does is further weaken an already very weak specialization
and give them nothing else to work with (especially seeing how reliant
blademaster is on pinleg as it is now).
---[Inagin on 10/24 @ 14:33 writes]:
In that case, wouldn't we need to change Impale to critical wounds also? If you
are claiming 4 Lunges in a group instead of 1 Lunge as an individual makes that
much of a difference, we need to get rid of being able to Impale at 1 Lunge too.
Otherwise, your problem about groups still exists.
---[Rivius on 10/24 @ 17:47 writes]:
Unlike pinleg, impale cannot be stacked upon itself which makes it considerably
weaker. Though I suppose if others feel it is necessary, it can be discussed as
well.
---[Xenthos on 10/31 @ 23:25 writes]:
I do not see the same need for doing Impale as well. It is one body part versus
the two available options for legs, and when all three are heavy and in play it
allows for more stacking. I believe I said this earlier on in here somewhere.