Knights, Claymores, and Runelore
Which is why I'm pretty pissed off to find that my claymore's taken a definitive backseat to my one-hander when it comes to actually damaging people. All three of my damaging(or pseudo-damaging) runeflares require a 1h weapon now. My claymore's going to find itself on the bench for a solid 50% or more of my damage rotation, which bothers the hell out of me. I've tied 800cr up in an artifact claymore to help my damage and now my go-to weapon for damage is the battleaxe. While I've also got an L2 axe, knights who aren't so fortunate are going to be forced to bench a 350-1600 credit damage weapon in favor of a forged weapon when it comes to damage. Knights who've chosen their class-based weapon proficiency as 'claymore' already are going to have to shell out another 100 lessons to use their skills properly.
This seems so horribly shortsighted.
If you want to get rid of claymore's problematic burst damage, I'd much rather you just did it outright, instead of trying to classlead the claymore into the backseat by linking new skills to a wielded item. And claymore damage is problematic. I'm aware of this. Right now, a claymore DSL against me is 136 damage, through fullplate, runemastered algiz, surcoat, and 10% evasion. And I'm one of the tankier people you'll find. I hit less armored people for way more damage. It's everything that people were afraid it would be. I can see why you'd want to limit its effects. It needs it, frankly.
I'd just much rather you say "Claymore DSL was an experiment that didn't work out like we hoped it would, the damage is too high and it's limiting our design space in ways we don't like." Then just pull claymore DSL entirely and issue full refunds. Or say "Future knight skills are going to be based around the idea that using your skills to full potential is going to involve a 1h+offhand combination, because claymore damage is proving too difficult to balance around the damage of 1h weapons, and so we're going to offer a refund on artifact claymores for the next month."
Whatever you decide, please stop devaluing my artifact purchase by classleading it into the backseat. Had I know what direction Garryn was going to take Runelore, I'd have decided against an 800cr damage focused weapon that doesn't actually see use in my damage combos.
"On the battlefield I am a god. I love war. The steel, the smell, the corpses. I wish there were more. On the first day I drove the Northmen back alone at the ford. Alone! On the second I carried the bridge! Me! Yesterday I climbed the Heroes! I love war! I… I wish it wasn’t over."
1
Comments
Khizan secures his previously wielded items and instantly draws a mithril
battleaxe into his right hand, with a runic tablet flowing into the left.
With a lightning-quick motion, Khizan slashes you with a mithril battleaxe.
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Damage report: raw damage 98 cutting, physical. Attacker: Khizan
Modifier Value Result
Armour Resistance (51 reducible) 56% 70
Surcoat 15% 59
Toughness 10% 53
Earthshield 15% 45
Evasion Skill 10% 40
Strength Modifier 11 52
Total Resistance 47% 52
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Damage Taken: 52 cutting, physical (raw damage: 98)
Your hearing is suddenly restored.
Khizan swings a mithril battleaxe at you powerfully.
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Damage report: raw damage 98 cutting, physical. Attacker: Khizan
Modifier Value Result
Armour Resistance (51 reducible) 56% 70
Surcoat 15% 59
Toughness 10% 53
Earthshield 15% 45
Evasion Skill 10% 40
Strength Modifier 11 52
Total Resistance 47% 52
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Damage Taken: 52 cutting, physical (raw damage: 98)
Sparks fly out at you from a mithril battleaxe and your nerves feel jangled.
A prickly, stinging sensation spreads through your body.
Khizan concentrates, and a searing image of the sowulu rune suddenly flares on
your skin.
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Damage report: raw damage 58 unblockable. Attacker: Khizan
Modifier Value Result
Sensitivity -33% 77
Total Resistance -32% 77
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Damage Taken: 77 unblockable (raw damage: 58)
That's 181 damage on a four second cooldown. Every four seconds that can be done. There is no diminishing mechanic, there is no RNG. If he chooses to combo every four seconds, every four seconds he will do 181 damage to me. It's important to note that Khizan is in strong in this instance, which is totally viable because his mechanic, sowulu, is noblock. He does not intelligence to use that, so he can just be a huge tank and still do that damage.
Templars have access to claymores in conjunction with flare which can deal absolutely punishing damage in the correct statpack, one that trades survivability for raw DPS. It has six high DPS combos before needing to re-rite. If it does not, it sits around dealing no damage. It also does not have new runelore gimmicks for teamfights where you can do moderate damage + inflict a status ailment such as sip for less/no toadstool. Templars, post reliable bcry, are a damage class with a short window that can be tanked through if the target is diligent. It's not great, but it is what it is until Garryn puts us in line for some new stuff.
Diavlous are in their own spot which I frankly won't get into because I outlined it in another thread, and maybe someone more current on them could comment.
‘Every sword’s a weight to carry. Men don’t see that when they pick ’em up. But they get heavier with time.”
I agree with a couple of facets of your argument. It would be nice if the admin refunded RGs for claymores bought. Here's why. They cannot be used with the DPS runeflares sowulu, nauthiz or pithahkan. By the numbers, the changes to runelore made it totally pointless to own a claymore unless you're RPing with it, or something. It's a pointless weapon. There is no play style with RGs it works with.
That brings me to another point. When things get changed, I'd like patch notes explaining the decisions. If I can dish out something in the vein of 220 damage flare combos and use a claymore, why can't a RG use a claymore with sowulu? What's the ceiling where the dev team decides, this is too much? I just want to know the circumstances. If I knew, it would be easier to make stances because right now, I'm just confused. I think claymores have a place with Templars, but I can't really tell Khizan why they don't have a place with RGs.
I do not agree with out and out removing claymores though, mostly because all Templars are at this point are damage cannons that can be turtled through, and once that happens, their DPS mechanic is gone. It doesn't make sense to me (again, the need for patch notes imo) as to why other Knight classes should lose claymores because RGs got sustainable, high DPS that doesn't use claymores.
tl;dr I kind of agree with Khizan but I also don't
‘Every sword’s a weight to carry. Men don’t see that when they pick ’em up. But they get heavier with time.”
**By no means am I saying it sucks for wytchen. Runeguards are rolling with platinum balance factors and can faceroll through this crap. Wytchen are rolling Silver and have to juggle a small honda, a flaming badger and Kanthari while trying to not die.
"On the battlefield I am a god. I love war. The steel, the smell, the corpses. I wish there were more. On the first day I drove the Northmen back alone at the ford. Alone! On the second I carried the bridge! Me! Yesterday I climbed the Heroes! I love war! I… I wish it wasn’t over."
‘Every sword’s a weight to carry. Men don’t see that when they pick ’em up. But they get heavier with time.”
Aside from now when Khizan is FORCED to put his claymore away, I have not seen any Knight toting a sword and board in PvP besides Risca. Doesn't it stand to point that this is a good piece of evidence to see how appealing and powerful claymore DSL is - i.e, everybody is willing to pay the opportunity cost (which is negligibly low for at least Runeguard, due to their other tanking benefits) to use a claymore, because it is just that good. The function needs to be scrapped, or claymores need to have their damage formula tweaked.
‘Every sword’s a weight to carry. Men don’t see that when they pick ’em up. But they get heavier with time.”
You rub some oxalis on a shimmering amethyst claymore.
You swing a shimmering amethyst claymore at yourself with a powerful strike.
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Damage report: raw damage 110 cutting, physical. Attacker: Bathan
Modifier Value Result
Armour Resistance (66 reducible) 56% 73
Surcoat 15% 62
Toughness 10% 56
Earthshield 15% 47
Evasion Skill 20% 38
Strength Modifier 2 40
Total Resistance 64% 40
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Damage Taken: 40 cutting, physical (raw damage: 110)
Your vision and hearing are suddenly restored.
You rub some strychnine on a shimmering amethyst claymore.
With a lightning-quick motion, you slash yourself with a shimmering amethyst
claymore.
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Damage report: raw damage 110 cutting, physical. Attacker: Bathan
Modifier Value Result
Armour Resistance (66 reducible) 56% 73
Surcoat 15% 62
Toughness 10% 56
Earthshield 15% 47
Evasion Skill 20% 38
Strength Modifier 2 40
Total Resistance 64% 40
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Damage Taken: 40 cutting, physical (raw damage: 110)
A prickly, stinging sensation spreads through your body.
Balance Taken: 3.91s
3:34 379/460 520/520 1989 2263 e- 97
Raising your arms in a beckoning gesture, you cause the Rite of Seance to burst
into flames and wreathe itself around yourself.
Damage Taken: 100 fayth, mental (raw damage: 64)
That's in clever. That's my highest possible DPS output. It does like 4 less than what Khizan can do all day in strong mode with no magick collar. I'm lollin'.
‘Every sword’s a weight to carry. Men don’t see that when they pick ’em up. But they get heavier with time.”