Feedback talk:User/Mcscamper/Rethinking the Mesmer's Mechanic
I like these suggestions. I agree that Shattering one's clones and phantasms - though it may have utility in some instances - is running counter to the point of having illusions and phantasms in the first place; misdirection, confusion, etc. With the current Shatter mechanic, illusions and phantasms amount to little more than Mesmer-ized versions of Putrid Explosion minions.
However, I also see the argument that allowing a Mesmer to maintain their illusions and phantasms almost indefinitely while continuing to benefit from their presence may be a bit unbalanced. Yes, illusions are fairly weak; but they're also fairly easy to create if the plethora of cloning skills is any indication. That may have been the reason for the Shatter mechanic in the first place; all those illusions running around was making the Mesmer overpowered in play-testing. They devised the Shatter mechanic to force the Mesmer to eliminate their army of clones in exchange for some other offensive or defensive benefit.
Here are the compromises I propose:
F1 - Arcane Conundrum
- 20 second recharge
- Beguile your foe by swapping locations with one of your clones, chosen at random. One clone other than the one swapped by this skill, and chosen at random, is shattered. (Alternately, all clones except the one created by this skill are shattered. Open to debate whether or not the shattered clone(s) cause damage or some other effect to adjacent foes.)
- Range - 1200
- As an instant cast/effect (no animation), this style of misdirection screams "You won't trust your own mind." There is also the option of implementing this ability so that all of your illusions shatter after the swap. However, if all of the illusions shattered, that would remove the idea of the Mesmer weaving into his or her remaining illusions in order to confuse an enemy.
- This should NOT be able to break stun.
F2 - Arcane Mimicry
- 45 second recharge
- Beguile your foe by teleporting to a target location and summoning a clone at your original position. One clone other than the one created by this skill, and chosen at random, is shattered. (Alternately, all clones except the one created by this skill are shattered. Open to debate whether or not the shattered clone(s) cause damage or some other effect to adjacent foes.)
- Range 900
- See above, however, I do not believe that a post-shatter effect would suit this skill well at all.
- This too should NOT be able to break stun.
Making the small tweaks noted above maintains your original suggestion of the "Mesmer weaving into his or her remaining illusions in order to confuse an enemy" while simultaneously removing one or more clones from the battlefield to keep things balanced. Ths maintains a cost:benefit of using the Mesmer's profession-specific mechanic; something which was missing from the original suggestion for those two skills. Every profession has it; a Necromancer enters death shroud (benefit) but loses access to all their weapon and utility skills (cost), an Elementalist swaps attunements and gains access to a new set of skills (benefit) at the cost of losing access to their previous attunement's skills (cost), etc.
I definitely agree with your F3 suggestion; it doesn't make much sense to attempt to daze someone if it's delayed by waiting for the clones to saunter up to him from some distance away. Dazing should be instantaneous; however, maybe it already IS. As I understand it, a clone - once summoned - locks onto the enemy selected at the time of their creation; and stays locked on that target, permanently. Where the Diversion skill's description states:
- "Destroy all your clones and phantasms, dazing their target."
perhaps this already means the target the clone or phantasm is locked to will become dazed instantaneously regardless of the distance between the clone or phantasm and their target.
Then, of course, F4 is a complete clone wipe; so no problems there.
Your suggestion was so good it inspired me to write my own.
Guild Wars 3 perhaps 20:39, 4 July 2012 (UTC)
