Massive step in the right direction with PVP TTK changes

Just wanna say after my multiple posts, comments and rants about how bad PvP TTK was in the past year, it feels great that Intrepid is addressing the issue!

This is something I've had very strong feelings ever since Alpha One and Pre Alpha Two testing, its refreshing to finally see Intrepid taking a Huge step in the right direction making TTK longer, GJ on that.

After extensive testing in 1v1 and group fights I can say it does feel like a huge improvement, especially for support classes, TTK still a little short, but having reaction time now and not being nuked in 2 seconds is great!

There are still some issues that need to be addressed in the following weeks, like making sure Power stat isnt the only viable option, currently it seems the meta is to focus on items with Power instead of INT or STR like it was before, but ignoring pretty much everything else for the most part, so making sure Wis, Dex, Con and Men are also viable options, making sure power doesnt scale back up to what it used to be on legendary enchanted lvl 20 items and beyond, and tweaking certain items that have very unbalanced numbers compared to others.

I might make a deep dive in a later post, for now just wanted to express its great for the team to listen and address issues like this.

Gives me hope that the ridiculously overtuned corruption system we have now and bosses still respawning on server restarts might get tuned before P3

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Comments

Imnotkio

I have some issues with the gearing and stats, but the improvement on TTK is incredible.

I also agree that TTK might be too short on some occasions (especially DPS survival), but overall, on the scenarios I tested (duels, group v group, old level 10 BiS enchanted gear), great start, it feels mostly ok.

I am worried tho, once elixirs and pots become more common, players adjust to the meta with the new level 20 gear, we are going to go back to some low TTK. Hope that doesn't happen.

I also worried about a larger scale. While on small-scale pvp feels ok, the highest TTK goes is 8v8s. After that, with increased DPS proportion on parties over support classes (and some support abilities being limited to party only, not stacking) TTK is going to go downhill fast.

I hope for 40v40s and bigger, TTK don't devolve into press W and throw damage abilities again. But if it does, I believe TTK can be increased by increasing defensive abilities power, increasing debuffs (wounds, shaken, volatile, etc) power to balance it so TTK is higher at a base value, but can be decreased by proper skill and coordination. I don't think this will make the smaller scale bad, and it could significantly improve the large-scale.

But that remains to be seen for now. I still think we should increase it a bit more until players unanimously decide "now it's too much" rather than stop at a place players are familiar with (players won't ask for higher because they haven't experienced higher)

Imanek

Intensive testing? Seriously?
Two days on the PTR, one day on the alpha… we’re clearly not using the word "intensive" the same way.

Definition – Intensive Test
An intensive test is a rigorous evaluation method that pushes a system, product, or individual to its limits, in order to measure resilience, performance, or reliability under extreme or prolonged conditions.

Honestly, I don’t understand the enthusiasm around this phase. How can we talk about thorough testing when:

Lifesteal still works at 100%,
Evasion stats are just as effective,
Three-star mobs can be soloed,

Some items still show up with six stat lines, despite attempted balancing.

Even then, the balancing feels very shaky. We’re seeing level 10–20 gear with absurd values. Item colors have lost all meaning—why bother going for epic gear when heroic already gives you everything?

TTK has been increased, but the method used is questionable. They just inflated numbers across the board, without setting caps, in an already complex system. Take the "Strength" stat for example: it increases Power Rating, and then there’s a separate Power Rating line below. It’s just stacking effects with no real logic behind it.

In any well-built MMO, the foundations rely on a coherent stat system. Here, to fix the TTK issue, they simply multiplied values. And the consequences are immediate:

- Mobs are no longer threatening,
- PvP is dominated by evasion and lifesteal,
- Healers can easily keep entire groups alive.

And yet people are calling this progress? I really don’t get it.

I honestly don’t see how Steven can approve this direction. If I were in his shoes, I’d be concerned. He’s funding a team that’s supposed to build solid foundations, with reliable formulas and balanced systems. But the more layers you add, the harder it becomes to maintain balance.

Once again, everything depends on having a strong foundation. Here, it feels like they’re just buying time—"look, we increased TTK"—but without any real long-term vision.

Personally, I stick with what works. You sit down, do the math, and build a clean system. When I see level 20 weapons with 2,000 physical power and 345 Strength, I have to wonder: what will things look like at level 50?

- Armor should provide defense (magical, physical, crit reduction, mitigation),
- Jewelry should offer offensive or defensive bonuses based on role (magic, physical, tank, healing),
- Weapons should give offensive stats—magical, physical, or maybe even both for future hybrid classes.

Keep stats simple, with realistic caps. For example: 15 Strength at level 10, 17 at level 11, and so on.

The enchantment system feels better now, even though it was far too strong in its earlier form. Again, the root issue was a lack of consistency.

And above all, stat separation is crucial:
- Intelligence for magic damage,
- Mentality for healing.
- Otherwise, we’ll once again end up with healers doing way too much damage.

To sum up, I’m genuinely surprised to see so much satisfaction about what’s being called an "intensive test," when we’ve seen no sieges, no large-scale PvP, no real mass combat. Three days of testing under these conditions don’t qualify as intensive by any serious standard.

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