Powers since publish 8

[Kelec]

Tried out powers with the respec, sad to say its not in a state that it can stand on its own still.

High force costs and 3+ second GCDs makes competing very hard. Seems that 3xxx powers is popular saw many jedi spamming me with that but everything else feels basically the same.

Tried to make it work with MP/4xx4 LS / 4xx4 Healer / 3xx2 Enhancer

Things good
Lightning single 2 (1k hits)
Force KD 3 - (not useful vs jedi with clear states)

Things bad
Force Intim (FC/Timing)
Lightning cone (Timing)
Mind blast (Just bad)
Choke (FC/Timing/Damage)

Happy to test with folks but I wont be that active on live until changes so my remaining XP is perserved (hunters robbing me of 7m jedi xp would trigger me)

[Celt]

Glad to see you back, old friend.

[StepoKedur]

Tried out powers with the respec, sad to say its not in a state that it can stand on its own still.

High force costs and 3+ second GCDs makes competing very hard. Seems that 3xxx powers is popular saw many jedi spamming me with that but everything else feels basically the same.

Tried to make it work with MP/4xx4 LS / 4xx4 Healer / 3xx2 Enhancer

Things good
Lightning single 2 (1k hits)
Force KD 3 - (not useful vs jedi with clear states)

Things bad
Force Intim (FC/Timing)
Lightning cone (Timing)
Mind blast (Just bad)
Choke (FC/Timing/Damage)

Happy to test with folks but I wont be that active on live until changes so my remaining XP is perserved (hunters robbing me of 7m jedi xp would trigger me)

I too remember your name from the mists of time! Welcome back from me too

Lightning 2 cone should have the same 2 second space between casts as lightning single 2 has.

Choke as I mention - well I would love to see it add states that were harder to clear etc. As I mention two or three posts up.

As a master skill it's certainly wanting.

Compare how hard it is to kill an mHealer and mDefender (defenders are easier than healers though as long as you are clever and KD them ).

Put an mPowers up against an mEnhancer too, boy is that a bugger! That's why choke should do other things, debuffs, state sticking - you get my drift.

However, coding is involved (I'm not a coder but looking into things!), balance is needed so it's not OP (mHealer isn't?) and we don't know yet what original Awakening jedi stuff didn't make it to pub 8 nor what is coming in pub 9.

With luck we can have powers as that viable alternative to LS but still be a glass cannon (as it has no LStoughness).

[Kelec]

Best I can tell Lightning Single 2 is on a 1 second gcd, I was basically able to spam this on a hunter last night for almost 1500 damage per hit while he was downed. The power of force intim is strong vs non jedi classes, in fighting the 3 hunters that came for me last night I didn't see it miss once. Mind blast is extremely weak in comparison in fact the entire x4xx line needs a rework as it just dead space in the build.

Notes
Force cost is extreme when relying on powers for both cc and damage, using 4 or 5 skills can easily put you down 2k force which seems okay until you think about what the other classes can do with that force cost. For example MLS Dervish 2 has a force cost multiplier of 4.5x off the base of your LS so if you have a full -9 LS pearls it cost you roughly 55 to 60 force to dervish for 3K+ on npcs or 500 to 1k on players every second while applying 3 states. Compare that lightning cone on a 2 to 3 second gcd costing 300 force and doing 2 to 3k to mobs and costing 150 to 100 force a second with no states.

I understand the specs need trade off and powers give jedi a bit more range so some increase is warranted. Damages and force costs are fairly easy to tweak so I'm sure that the team is already looking that the exact things I've described. The harder thing to deal with is the CC mechanics that powers needs to keep its opponents at range. This is almost solely a balance issue vs Jedi as they are the only archetype class with constant state clears.

Outside of PVP, I encourage the devs to examine the sustainability of the class. Go have someone tank a krayt for you and spam powers until your force runs out, do the same with MLS, I think you'll see what I mean.

Some balance options
1. Adding a force injection skill in x4xx line (1 to 2k force on 1 to 2m CD) - Helps offset high FC for sustained fighting Channel is not nearly close enough with current FC
2. Adjustment to timings and damage of LC2, Choke, & MB
3. Some toughness adjustment at Master Powers
4. If your open to some serious code changes x4xx could be reworked as a power force cost reduction tree with a damage scaling multiplier. Its a hell of a lot of work but it would be extremely unique (I'd try to work this myself but I'm still a code newb as far as writing is concerned)

Anyways these are just some extra thoughts I had on the matter, as always happy to debate/discuss/test anything at anytime

[T3hAdmiral]

Some balance options
1. Adding a force injection skill in x4xx line (1 to 2k force on 1 to 2m CD) - Helps offset high FC for sustained

I never understood why Force Drain was in the Enhancer tree. Seem's like this could be moved over to Powers and adjusted.

[StepoKedur]

Actually kind devs - the xXxx branch of powers, are there any tidbits that could be shared with us, any thoughts of things that might not have made it to pub 8, or are being considered? Any tweaks to powers coming up?

[skyhunter11]

I can confirm that thak food works against force knockdown post publish 8. Before publish 8, i do not recall that thak ever had a resistive effect against force knockdown. Currently, BH consumes 100+ defense against knockdown thak, 4/5 attempts are resisted. It's alot of wasted force power and long delay time getting pounded for nothing.

Force lightning and force intimidate are the only powers that I find working correctly. Lightning could hit for more damage, but thats a small issue.

I dropped powers completely for healing and more enhancer, but I already miss the fun I have with powers.

"Help me publish 9, you're my only hope"

Narrk.

[StepoKedur]

You had a powers jedi too Narrk? Awesome!

You know, and we may have chatted about this in game - I have with others - I felt that force KD3 wasn't working properly. I was starting to pull my hair out going crackers thinking it must just be me. fKD 3 (at least) is SUPPOSED to be immune to any anti KD devices. It's part of a power jedi's defence.

I suggested in another thread what I would like for powers currently (in the Alpha Class Problems thread).

I wrote this:
"It is also why powers needs that little boost in DPS (the casting is very slow for a lot of attacks at tier 3) along with specialised targetting attacks, such as choke being mind damage, mindBlast being mind damage and forceThrow being a mix of all three. Not necessarilly for jedi v jedi but for anything else really!

All boosted slightly, less casting time and less force use (but still higher than an LS attack - although some could say not much more, as the force is used heavilly to guild the lightsabre in a fight if one looks to canon and the old expanded universe, or 'Legends' series.

This would make powers a viable alternative to LS AND keep them a glass cannon, as the devs have so often said they want for powers. Examples of the low DPS in powers currently are (damage may be slightly diffferent on Awakening):

MindBlast1: Tier 1, casting time 4 seconds. Random pool hit. Damage 750-1000 (say 875). DPS 219. FC around 70.
MindBlast2: Tier 3, casting time 4 seconds. Random pool hit. Damage 1125-1500 (say 1312.5). DPS 328. FC around 160.

ForceThrow1: Tier 1, casting time 4 seconds. Random pool hit. Damage 375-500 (say 437.5). DPS 109. FC quite low.
ForceThrow2: Tier 3, casting time 4 seconds. Random pool hit. Damage 750-1000 (say 875). DPS 219. FC 56.

Even without any mitigation from force shield or PSGs these are still very low at the top end".

The aim was always to make powers a viable alt to LS and a glass cannon. Just need the force cost reducing (maybe a little bit more than LS...the force is still used to guide a lightsabre in a fight!... choke to be mind damage only with a bigger tick, mindBlast to be mind damage only and throw to be all 3 HAMs.

I honestly didn't realise you were doing things with powers

[skyhunter11]

I like the force lightning the way it is for the most part. The devs have improved it immensley and I praise them for it. The casting delay is faster but not speed capped and the force cost is high, but it should be.

I feel the damage can be a bit more to make it a very fearful power. It should be the hardest hitting jedi power, but at a cost. It should do more damage than a lightsaber over time, difference is a lightsaber is sustainable and force lightning is not. Just like the movies. That kinda power needs alot of gas. The tank empties fast. It should be used strategically and not a spammed attack like a lightsaber.

Force knockdown shouldn't have those long delays and only can be resisted by other force users. Thak food should have no effect against it.

Force intimidate I like for the most part, the delay should be the same as clear all states. i think the problem is the clear states ability from healer. That should have higher force cost like force intimidate so it is also used strategically and not hit constantly to clear states.

I am not saying it's easy, but it is easier to edit code than to write new code. It's changing number values on existing code.

The hard stuff for code fixes for powers is the mind trick / blast line. I never liked it, even in its different pre-cu and Post-CU versions.

Mind blast should be like force lightning on the mind bar, not as hard hitting as force lightning, hits harder than a one handed light saber special but not sustainable over time.

Mind trick, in pve it turns hostiles into nuetrals for 45 seconds unless you attack them. In pvp, make it work like 20 second warcry that breaks on damage. Can be resisted by other jedi with force defense. In live, I think it made you invisible which was way over the top.

Force choke could root a target for 10 seconds, do more damage over time ( 3 ticks )and apply dizzy, stun, and blind. It should really suck getting choked. Force cost should be high. Use it sparely.

The nuts and bolts of jedi is lightsabers. The other 4 disciplines should compliment it, not replace it. I am not in the glass cannon camp, but it should be a hard hitting cannon used as an ally of the lightsaber.

We all have different ideas for powers. The small tweaks have been good so far. I think the devs are right to be careful with powers, because it could upset the balance we all so want to see played out in our star wars candyland.

Narrk.

[Kelec]

The nuts and bolts of jedi is lightsabers. The other 4 disciplines should compliment it, not replace it. I am not in the glass cannon camp, but it should be a hard hitting cannon used as an ally of the lightsaber.

We all have different ideas for powers. The small tweaks have been good so far. I think the devs are right to be careful with powers, because it could upset the balance we all so want to see played out in our star wars candyland.

My god Narrk, I love you!

[skyhunter11]

Thanks you Odr for kind words.

I wouldnt get too warm and fuzzy though. I just want folks to play their jedi more on awakening so I can hunt them. I log on bounty hunter and business is in a lull. So I end up playing other chracters including my jedis and experience it from the other side of the fence. I unlocked alts to be training dummies for my bounty hunter, to "attempt" to get high end loot, and get some pvp from the other perspective. I do my best to keep them out of public view and play them in remote locations in keeping spirit of the timeline.

Narrk.