Sentinel/Druid changes

Sena

Doesn't hunting with an axe drain your endurance extremely fast?

Rom

Yes, but the slower that axes have gotten (slower speed, no reflexes) has made that less of an issue, but made maul more appealing comparatively. Before the weaponry changes I would use about half my endurance clearing Tenwat, but the bashing speed was ludicrous.

Kresslack

So what does Thrust rely on for its effectiveness, Strength, or Dexterity?

Comitis

Hunting with the throwing axe does drain endurance like crazy. But, campfire/sloth/endurance ring makes it no issue.

Alaskar

What does Reclamation Wrath do?

Sarathai

Alaskar said:

What does Reclamation Wrath do?

Sacrifice all reclaimed land (so if you've got a 100+ room network, you'll have a lot of work to rebuild) to deal damage to everybody standing on it. When Lala and I tested it once (she reclaimed most of Eleusis first to see if there was a difference, but it didn't seem like the number of rooms changed anything) she did a little over a third of my health. Frankly, I was kind of unimpressed with it on the whole. I mean, yeah, it might be useful as a "screw you" if you're outnumbered, but I don't know that sacrificing a Reclamation network is worth it, particularly in a raid scenario when you can use it to keep tabs on where people are, get healing with refresh spores, and so on.

Plus, if you have a large network you could catch innocents/newbies in the crossfire when using it.

(Although, since reclaiming your grove is instantaneous, you could Reclaim + Wrath much faster there.)

Athelas

I've used reclamation in combat several times now, at best, it's an RP mechanism. Which I'm exploiting to the max with the Creville gardens thing. In combat though, you either stick to managing your reclaimed network, or you get involved in the combat. There's no way of using both.

IMNSHO, reclamation is a nice idea, but thoroughly impractical.

I was very excited by the theoretical application of it. In practice though, it's pretty pointless, because you heal/harm your friends as much as you do your enemies, and as a hunting aid it has zero value. So yea, the Druid as a class is still a skill down on everyone else.

Jarrod

Reclamation's purpose is controlling a small area to either disrupt your enemies or assist your allies.

Eventually people that the intent is not to have sprawling networks everywhere, but it hasn't happened yet.

Yae

This is based off what I've been told, what I've been using it for, and whatever..

I find I use Reclamation mostly for security purposes, particularly Omniscience. Though the only time this is useful for me is when I have Eleusis reclaimed. I'll be disappointed if the admin nerf it further, given that some people are complaining about it. And, if I have the vines ready, I use Constrict for the double rope/web bind. I've noticed the tears. Yes, druid is a very hinder-y class.

For one versus one, Lash and Pollen are probably used to chip away at health for an Incinerate (if you manage a few seconds of reprieve to turn them on). It's a fair passive damager, combined with Bees. Though Bees have an issue where they stop attacking for whatever reason, even when aggressive. (Help?)

I like Reclamation for roleplay reasons, though most of the skill is pretty limiting and extremely situational. Who is going to reclaim an entire location for Smother, when they can just walk through and Freeze the ground with Icewyrm? 

I also dislike Wrath. What is Wrath except a really easy way to kill a novice and your allies? I see this as used as Inferno in its previous form, and more limiting than a holocaust. It takes four seconds to regain balance from claiming a room, though six-seven seconds for a non-forest room to be claimed, three-ish for a forest room, instant for grove, in which no interruption can take place or it'll fail. It's very dependent preparation, as there's no chance your enemy will let you sit through several seconds of claiming unless it's a duel or something.

It also takes four seconds to recover from Wrath, which I highly doubt you're going to use it in the middle of a group other than to die? Eleusian groups tend to focus on one person together, and that person will generally die without Wrath. One versus one, perhaps, if you're not in wyvern for the incinerate or the last few mauls. Can't really wrath + incinerate well, seeing the equilibrium time. 

Consume kind of makes me lol, because it eats corpses unanimously. I can see this being interesting though as a way to spread and also prevent resurrection on both sides if played terribly/well. Just give druids a way to easily turn off vines in a room instead of this weird ALL OR NOTHING thing going on?

I'm not sure how to feel about Forestwalk. Can't take groups with you, limited by monolith both sides and flying people, and where you've claimed. I suppose surprise bind works if they're in range?

Also, it's really awkward that Nature-aligned folks get damaged by Nature abilities, but I can probably sort of mark it off as Nature being blind in these sort of situations. IDK. Again, the all or nothing. 



I've had an idea sitting since 11/2014 for hydra balance to be added to class queue, which would be useful for Embrace, but that hasn't gone anywhere yet. Another druid tossed it into classleads, so we'll see?

For the Grove changes, Eleusis tends to use allied groves for defensive purposes when enemies arrive/exterm. Now we have to port like 5-6 rooms away due to taken groves or try to navigate a group to your grove somehow. By that time, usually the exterm's already gone through. 

Sarathai

Jarrod said:

Reclamation's purpose is controlling a small area to either disrupt your enemies or assist your allies.

It tracks raiders pretty well. For security purposes, it more than does its job. I think I might have voiced the possibility of keeping the wings exit, defendable and first few rooms of Eleusis reclaimed as often as possible back when we got the skill.

Smother's pretty useless compared to Icewyrm, though. Especially since Icewyrm isn't near the end of the learning tree now (it's back where Jaguar was, I think). The Regrowth ability isn't amazing either, unless you don't have any elemental ice with you at the moment (I usually do).

Athelas

The Regrowth ability is a counter to people like Ayoxele who like to troll with exterminations, because they know it costs more to fix than it does to damage. Regrowth can stay.

Daeir said:

I knew there'd be complaining about Reclamation as a skill, since it requires intelligent foresight and situational awareness to use properly.

@Daeir As I said, the Druid has a choice, they either get into combat and get some recognition and XP, or they spend the encounter playing Mr. Backup-Bench-warmer while they manage the network, in which case they might as well go bashing, because they'll get nothing more than an occasional "Thank you" from their fellow players. There are little bits of the skill that are really nice or provide a balance for things that have been major irritations. The skill as a whole though, makes no sense, because the cost vs. benefit is way out of whack.

Krypton

Sarathai said:

The Regrowth ability isn't amazing either, unless you don't have any elemental ice with you at the moment (I usually do).

Regrowth is so freakin' fast (albeit for a high willpower cost), though. And it gives the anti-exterm vine protection, which came into play when Ayo tried to re-exterm a room I had immediately Regrowth'd.