Riftstalker Crystal

[MoonfireSpam]

I mentioned it on alpha, I've submitted feedback during beta... and I'm pretty sure I've posted about it sometime after SL went live.

I waited for a while, since it wasn't a pressing issue as getting 3-4 piece raid wasn't happening for a bit... but I'm about there now. So, I'ma bring it up again =P

Would it be possible to get something other than an absolutely ridiculous 2 piece bonus for the raid riftstalker crystal?

Gaining 80 hp everytime I hit my CP spam button does practically nothing. It isn't even enough of a bonus to help solo specs survive in a non-group environment, nevermind it being absurdly useless anywhere else. Any situation where that 80 hp per planar strike/phantom blow would save you is a situation where things have gone horribly wrong already and you would die a second later anyway.

Its not even a -minor- bonus like some of the other crystals; it flat out may as well not exist in its current form.

[Mantiss]

Haha agreed, it should be something that goes along with the scaling we've seen in SL. Something more around the 500-800 and maybe give it a 1-3 second internal cooldown. Wouldn't make it OP but at least it would make it noticeable in longer fights.

[Muspel]

Yeah, the sad truth is that this crystal bonus would have been pretty awful for tanking even at level 50. At 60, it's completely useless.

The goal of self-healing abilities is to allow your healers to heal you less, because you're picking up some of the slack. Unfortunately, the crystal bonus does ~80 HPS, and because it comes in such tiny ticks, it's not enough for a healer to ever NOT heal you when they otherwise would. This means that every single tick ends up just adding to overhealing, either directly from the crystal bonus, or causing the healer's next cast to overheal for the same amount.

I think there's two possible things you could change it to that would remain balanced, but keep it useful.

The first is to make it so that it instead causes Soul Coalescence to heal you for a small amount per stack when it's expended. Even if the overall amount of healing remained exactly the same (80 per stack), it would become somewhat useful, because the individual heals would be large enough to make a minor impact.

The other alternative is to change it into something like the Paladin and Reaver 2pc bonuses, and make it give a slight bonus to damage somehow (perhaps a small boost to Planar Vortex). This has the advantage of not upsetting tank survivability balance in any ways, because Riftstalkers are somewhat overpowered at the moment and arguably don't need a stronger self-healing option.

[McWaffles]

Agreed, it's been completely underwhelming since alpha even.

I'd actually like to see it as an increase to the personal bonus of physical wellness. In addition to the flat bonus have it increase the rogue's hp by an additional 10%, or to actually heal the players affected by it in addition to boosting their health.

[Muspel]

Agreed, it's been completely underwhelming since alpha even.

I'd actually like to see it as an increase to the personal bonus of physical wellness. In addition to the flat bonus have it increase the rogue's hp by an additional 10%, or to actually heal the players affected by it in addition to boosting their health.

I think that's too powerful compared to the other tanking 2 piece bonuses in other souls.

[McWaffles]

I think that's too powerful compared to the other tanking 2 piece bonuses in other souls.

The self boost probably is, but I don't think it healing for the same as the health boost is OP considering it's really how the ability should function.

[Muspel]

I agree that Physical Wellness should work that way, but a synergy crystal isn't the way to fix it.

[Kedon]

Going to have to agree with this. The heal proc from the 2pc bonus really is 100% useless. Not just underpowered but ineffective to the point it may as well not exist at all for all the good it does in an actual group/raid fight at level 60.

I like the suggestion above; some kind of small damage boost to Planar Strike or Planar Vortex instead would at least have some small effect, without risking upsetting tank balance.

Though, personally, I'd love a small boost to the range of Shadow Assault, Blitz and Stalk. But that may be too much for just a 2pc bonus and perhaps have potential PvP consequences.

[Dunharrow]

The bonus is 100% useless, but it doesn't matter. I'll take the 65 endurance and be on my merry.

[Arlore]

The heal should be bigger but it shouldnt be a heal, myself I would like it to be a Health leach and add a little extra threat. I dont know if they have addressed the threat of other tanking classes yet, but even during invasions I sometimes get overzealous DPS that burst to early and pull aggro( which would be thier fault, but still).

[Gamby]

Wear a shoe

[MoonfireSpam]

The bonus is 100% useless, but it doesn't matter. I'll take the 65 endurance and be on my merry.

That's kind of a poor argument.

Those bonuses are the whole point of the synergy crystals; and while they were intentionally toned down so that they don't make or break specs, having a 2 piece bonus on the raid tier crystal that is the equivalent of not having one just isn't right.

[MoonfireSpam]

With the changes to raid pieces being upgradable, this should affect a whole lot more people now =P

[Waseem2k]

Our threat and mitigation is right where it needs to be. More damage on Planar Strike/Vortex will just make us even more OP. I'd personally like to see the 5% HP bonus brought back, at least that won't break anything.

[Delmlord]

Yeah, the sad truth is that this crystal bonus would have been pretty awful for tanking even at level 50. At 60, it's completely useless.

The goal of self-healing abilities is to allow your healers to heal you less, because you're picking up some of the slack. Unfortunately, the crystal bonus does ~80 HPS, and because it comes in such tiny ticks, it's not enough for a healer to ever NOT heal you when they otherwise would. This means that every single tick ends up just adding to overhealing, either directly from the crystal bonus, or causing the healer's next cast to overheal for the same amount.

I think there's two possible things you could change it to that would remain balanced, but keep it useful.

The first is to make it so that it instead causes Soul Coalescence to heal you for a small amount per stack when it's expended. Even if the overall amount of healing remained exactly the same (80 per stack), it would become somewhat useful, because the individual heals would be large enough to make a minor impact.

The other alternative is to change it into something like the Paladin and Reaver 2pc bonuses, and make it give a slight bonus to damage somehow (perhaps a small boost to Planar Vortex). This has the advantage of not upsetting tank survivability balance in any ways, because Riftstalkers are somewhat overpowered at the moment and arguably don't need a stronger self-healing option.

Why hasn't Trion hired you yet?

Wear a shoe

That was my first though as well until I was informed synergy crystal heals don't cause it to proc. if it did then it might be viable.