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Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place five days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Shields Block Chance is Fundamentally Breaking the Tank Archetype
greek
Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
"Seriously, January 29th! That's when shield block rating went kaput, and we're still waiting for a fix, or even a peep of acknowledgement. My tank's turning into a health potion dispenser for mobs; I'm getting demolished. It's not a "minor issue," it's a core mechanic that's completely busted. The silence is deafening. Are we just screaming into the void? Fix it, acknowledge it, do something! This isn't a "quirk," it's a game-breaking problem, and the lack of response is infuriating." -Hamlet
This sentiment is being echoed amongst many of the tanks across our guild and the Ashes space. Nyce gaming is also well known for bringing up these issues.
Pre-Nerf Block Chance:
Post-Nerf Block Chance:
Essentially Block Chance has been nerfed by 13% chance(using Shield of Briamore), a 78% nerf, making tanks much, much less tanky. To the point almost every tank agrees that it is never worth using a shield. "Just use a great-sword and do more damage", is constantly told to me by the tanks I play with. Also statements like "We are just fighters now" and "Whats the point of my naming us tank, we aren't given any items that allow us to become one".
Many people don't know about how big of an impact this is going to make on leveling. Tanks weren't unkillable before the nerf, and after they feel like wet-tissue paper. Shields allowed tanks while leveling and during endgame to survive, at a great loss to damage. Now shields giving a very minor boost to defense at the same loss of damage.
Please intrepid fix this before P3 tank is already a thankless job don't make it even harder, and un-fun to play.
This sentiment is being echoed amongst many of the tanks across our guild and the Ashes space. Nyce gaming is also well known for bringing up these issues.
Pre-Nerf Block Chance:
Post-Nerf Block Chance:
Essentially Block Chance has been nerfed by 13% chance(using Shield of Briamore), a 78% nerf, making tanks much, much less tanky. To the point almost every tank agrees that it is never worth using a shield. "Just use a great-sword and do more damage", is constantly told to me by the tanks I play with. Also statements like "We are just fighters now" and "Whats the point of my naming us tank, we aren't given any items that allow us to become one".
Many people don't know about how big of an impact this is going to make on leveling. Tanks weren't unkillable before the nerf, and after they feel like wet-tissue paper. Shields allowed tanks while leveling and during endgame to survive, at a great loss to damage. Now shields giving a very minor boost to defense at the same loss of damage.
Please intrepid fix this before P3 tank is already a thankless job don't make it even harder, and un-fun to play.
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Comments
By the way, GIVE US MAGICAL SHIELDS. The only source of magical block chance/mitigation is food which can be purged mid-fight and uses up a consumable slot.
It's funny my AI generated rant made the post. In all seriousness as someone who has spent hundreds of hours playing a tank in AOC, written guides, and tried building both mitigation and damage builds I feel qualified to drop my 2c.
Prior to the changes, tanks were already very squishy and building mitigation by focusing in constitution, and mitigation jewelry just felt.. BAD. The damage reduction was not felt but the huge lack of damage an inability to contest any world spawn made tank unrewarding to play.
On the flipside, going full damage felt a lot better in the sense of playing a game, a tank could combo characters with above 400-450 power, but the low range on our abilities and unreliability of abilities like Indomitable Spirit not always giving you HP, Grapple being a slot machine and active blocking being ineffective compared to dodge just made tanks significantly viable in only niche situations. Large scale combat requires some luck, incredible positioning, and knowledge of how stamina regen from dodging to even have a chance to get close enough to pull the grapple slot machine lever... and when the slot machine gave you the first dopamine shot you'd have to hope it pulled your target close enough to you to land a trip.
In small scale, very small scale.. 4 v 4s in open world tank can really shine with its limited CC options.
In the spirit of offering some suggestions, I'd like to see tank fill a battlefield control role in the game.. I expect to do less damage and not be able to secure kills with my own damage, but to secure kills for my allies through control of the battlefield.
Grapple
Make grapple reliable, if I was in range to cast it, it NEEDS to land, dodging or immunities being the exception. Add a short duration root to address reliability during large scale lag to ensure we can follow up with additional CC. If you get close enough to be grappled, you should be punished.
Wall
Increase the size and the speed of the cast, give us the option to spend skill points to improve it by increasing duration or changing shape. Another option would be to give it a control effect, debuff in proximity.. either a slow or a gravity type ability that makes being near the wall itself a threat (make it destroyable to create counterplay for the receiving end)
Grit
Revert the change or redesign, during PVP courage generation can be very inconsistent and spending grit on an ability that marginally increases survivability does not make it a valuable ability to use. I'd like to see grit be a longer cooldown defensive, something a long the lines of converts X amount of damage into damage over time that can be healed.. this would allow tanks to use a defensive to survive with the ability to counterplay through healing reduction on enemy side and create synergies by using indomitable spirit to increase health and coordination with your healers to burst heal the damage.
Intimidating Aura
Previously it was a reliable way to apply stagger to large groups, with the change it isn't as reliable but it doesn't feel rewarding to use. I'd like to see a control effect added through a snare or application of humiliation like taunt.. snare only being effective when moving away or towards based in designers class fantasy would work.
I have more thoughts i can update when I get home.. forgive my mobile formatting
- Nyce
It’s honestly embarrassing how incompetent Intrepid has been at prioritizing what actually matters in a test environment. Core systems like tank survivability are broken, dynamic server meshing is still just a carrot on a stick, and every meaningful feature feels like it’s been pushed aside for smoke-and-mirror showcases. Stop hyping promises and start delivering substance — or just admit you’re building a trailer, not a game.
Blown past falling sands…
I excel at getting and keeping aggro, but not surviving. Everyone is angry at the wet noodle, and the wet noodle cannot do anything useful about it.
It's extra fun when you get comments like "You're doing great but try to take less damage!"
Why yes, I roll out of the way of the busters and all but there's only so much (nothing, essentially) I can do when we have to stay at a very specific spot. A careless move could very well cleave half the group and the Active Blocking is simply not a good idea because I can't build Courage through weapon swings and I rob myself of the precious resource to survive tank-busters (dodging).
We can have either Dodging or Active Blocking. Not both. I vote to keep Dodge.