fergjeezy357 wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2020 3:50 pm
Skyyr wrote: ↑Wed May 13, 2020 3:51 pm
4. Usable Points After Dropping FS Skills
This is not in the patch notes, but given both the 1) damage increase to Jedi and 2) the reduction of BH's taking missions, I feel this needs to at least be brought up. Currently, Jedi can drop their FS skills via a quest. This is a great improvement to Jedi from live, as the FS skills (in most cases) did little to nothing to improve a Jedi's combat ability. However, many Jedi are using these gained points to pick up non-Jedi skills, such as marksman (for the use of dot weapons, e.g. spraysticks) or, more commonly, novice brawler to spam intimidate and warcry with.
While I have no issues with dabbling, I feel the problem here is that the additional points regained from FS skills break the original intention and balance of Jedi. To be clear: I'm only talking about the dropping of FS skills, not Jedi picking up brawler. If a Jedi with FS skills wants to pick up brawler, then by all means, go for it. They're limited to the same 226 points they were before. However, if a Jedi drops FS skills and regains that 24 Skill Points, then I feel those should be forced into Jedi-only skill points - both from a gameplay balance issue, as well as storyline (the entire point is that you're using knowledge of the force to learn further and free up skills that a natural person/player could not).
Currently, it's being used as a get-out-of-jail card, as all a Jedi has to do is spam brawler intimidate and FR1 away. The intimidate in most cases is enough to cut damage so that only the luckiest of back-to-back max-damage hits would incap them (and even that is rare). Intimidate itself is not the problem, it's the use of a force-cost free intimidate.
This I do not agree with. Jedi should have the freedom to place their skill points anywhere they see fit just like any other profession in the game. They shouldn't be singled out just because it may give them an ill perceived advantage against bounty hunters.
For clarification, this suggestion had nothing to do specifically with bounty hunters; it had to do with the a change to the profession and the unbalance it allows, combined with the changes to BH. For transparency, I think it should change regardless of whether or not BH exists.
Force Sensitive points have always (overall, in the context of SWG post-pub 9) been a pre-requisite for Jedi. Dropping them gives Jedi an extra 24 skill points. Given that the 24 FS points didn't do much to enhance existing Jedi abilities, I feel this is a good thing.
The issue is when those 24 skill points are then used to enhance non-Jedi abilities that work against the Jedi vs non-Jedi combat system. Jedi's abilities have always been balanced against the use of a force bar. Basically, Jedi are no longer bound by the HAM limitations of other classes; they are only limited by their force bar. They can do (mostly) anything, provided that they build it into their template: enhanced running, healing, dot removal, wound removal, state removal, damage reduction - really, most anything. The trade is that is balanced against their Force pool.
Brawler breaks this system by allowing Jedi to cut damage by 50%, while costing no force. While the issue is largely with novice brawler (and I feel that major changes to Intimidate are needed, such as moving it out of the Novice box and maybe into the fourth-tier boxes of brawler or into the novice advanced class boxes), the fact a Jedi can pick up a skill that they otherwise could not afford and then use that force-free to major effect is game-breaking, IMO. Especially when combined with passive skills such as saber block and ultra-low force cost escape specials, such as FR1.
Once again, this isn't entirely about BH; this is about Jedi vs all non-Jedi combat professions, especially ranged professions. As it currently is, the Jedi can spam brawler intimidate constantly and this makes virtually all ranged classes completely useless, save for exceptional weapons. I will gladly log on test center and stream video of 3 ranged players (any 3, you pick) shooting a Jedi spamming brawler intimidate. It's laughably unbalanced - the Jedi can tank them all day long.
With force intimidate, (I believe) there is both an accuracy component as well as a force usage component; it's not an infinitely-spammable skill. Brawler intimidate IS infinitely spammable. While there are issues I have with this for non-Jedi, at least non-Jedi can't heal mind and they have a battle fatigue component that eventually wears out their effectiveness. Jedi can side-step both of these.
That's my concern. While some of the examples do center around BH, as that is the primary non-Jedi profession that Jedi fight, it's not based on BH. This concern is based around making non-Jedi useless in general PvP, especially ranged classes.