Devs,
This is the build (variants exist):
http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0M...ogRss.VcdcuR0o
44 points in Nightblade, 22 points in Riftstalker.
Problem:
This build exploits the fact that most of the useful tanking abilities in the Riftstalker tree are:
1) Available for a modest investment in the RS tree
2) Can be used when the rogue is using his dps aura instead of his tanking aura
This results in creating a PVP build that is grossly imbalanced (there's a video in the PVP forums of a Rank 2 RS/NB nearly defeating a Rank 8 warrior in a duel - less than 5% health left on the warrior).
A rogue with this build has:
6 seconds of 100% damage reduction
8 seconds of 80% damage reduction
4 seconds of 50% damage reduction
10 seconds of 30% damage reduction
Indefinite 15% damage REFLECTION
Indefinite 36% damage reduction
Indefinite 15% fire/death damage reduction
4 second self-heal for 50% hp
This build has 51% damage mitigation on top of valor with 100% uptime. When using cooldowns, this build has 28 seconds of 65-100% damage reduction, on top of valor. This can be repeated every 2 minutes, worst case.
This is does not include the self-heal this build has.
Against a mage (pyromancer, warlock, necromancer), this build has a passive 66% damage reduction, on top of valor, basically giving this build upwards of 80-90% passive damage mitigation.
As a result of this, most rogues don't even bother with using the guardian phase and stick to using their DPS aura (stalker phase).
To give an analogy, this would be similar to increasing the duration of Neddra's Essence (85% damage reduction for 7 seconds) by over 4x AND reducing the cooldown by 50%.
Here's what this build grants in terms of defensive abilities:
- Blackout - 6 seconds of 100% damage immunity with no damage output reduction, 2 minute cooldown
- Twillight Transcendence - 50% damage reduction + 50% heal over 4 seconds, 2 minute cooldown
- Twilight Shelter - 80% damage reduction, 40% damage output reduction, lasts 8 seconds, 2 minute cooldown
- Fire/Death Attunement - 15% death/fire damage reduction, passive
- Guardian Phase, 30% damage reduction, +50% armor,+50 resist, +30% endurance, no cooldown
- Exceptional Resilience, passive 6% damage reduction
- Rift Guard - 15% damage absorption shield up to 50%hp, lasts 30 seconds, no cooldown
- Rift Barrier - 15% damage REFLECTION shield up to 50%hp, lasts 15 seconds, 13 second cooldown (effective)
- Planar Refuge - 30% damage reduction, lasts 10 seconds, 2 minute cooldown
Developers, I submit to you this is a game-breaking PVP build that needs to be brought into line post-haste.
I'd recommend:
- changing Blackout to reduce incoming AND outgoing damage by 100%, and increasing run speed by 30% and making the rogue immune to all CC. This should be a defensive ability. It's currently used as an offensive one.
- remove the damage reduction portion of Fire and Death attunement. This unfairly punishes classes that use fire and death damage (who dont have any similar abilities or talents).
- change Rift Barrier, Rift Guard and Planar Refuge to require Guardian Phase to be used. These are tanking abilities and should be restricted to tanking use. They are currently used heavily in DPS modes and are breaking PVP.
- Decrease the 'damage caused' portion of Guardian Phase to 30%, increase the threat to 230% and also give the aura a stacking 0.7% damage buff to all party and raid members to compensate for the DPS loss
These changes would still allow the build to maintain its tremendous damage reduction abilities but at the cost of damage output without impacting the tanking abilities in the tree.
Edit: The most recent proposed changes on the PTS exacerbate the problem.
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