Rebalancing Threat Generating Skills

[Harperelle]

Here's a chart I put together to rebalance the threat generating skills:

Gambit	Current	Update
Precise blow	T1 threat + T0 ToT +penetrate bonus	T2 threat + T0 ToT +penetrate bonus
Piercing Strike	T2 threat +penetrate Bonus	T2 threat + T0 ToT +penetrate bonus
Spear of Virtue	T3 treat +penetrate bonus	T3 threat + T0 ToT +penetrate bonus
Brink of Victory	T2 threat DoT	T2 threat DoT +evade buff
War Cry	T0 AoE threat T0 AoE heal T0 AoE DoT	T0 AoE threat T0 AoE heal -no DoT-
Fierce Resolve	T1 Pulsing Lifetap	T1 Pulsing Lifetap T0 ToT
Resolution	T3 AoE Single Lifetap	T3 AoE Single Lifetap T0 AoE Threat
Exultation of Battle	T3 Pulsing Lifetap T1 ToT	T3 Pulsing Lifetap T1 ToT
Offensive Strike	T1 threat	T1 threat

Basically, the changes boil down to giving Precise Blow a little more initial threat and adding T0 threat over time to Piercing Strike, Spear of Virtue, and Brink of Victory. Buffing precise blow a bit does make it more attractive than using Piercing Strike, but its offset by the higher power cost of Precise Blow. Piercing Strike and Spear of Virtue really need a little more love, since their FiSh brethren of Brink of Victory and Surety of Death majorly outperform them with big DoTs. The logical balance would be add ToTs to Piercing Strike and Spear of Virtue. Fierce Resolve could use a ToT component to make it as a "baby" exultation of battle that wardens can use for the first 74 levels. As it stands, its really a solo-only gambit at low levels. And if we are adding threat to Fierce Resolve, then Resolution should get some to make it all even.

I won't tackle the threat Xfer stats. They look pretty good on paper, but I'm not sure how well they really perform. I'd like to see aggression work on threat differentials rather than percentages or fixed chunks. In other words, if I'm on 2k threat and the next guy is 8k threat, then aggression might give me 500 threat + 25% of our differential (1500 in this case). When I'm at 4k threat and the next guy is 8k threat, I get 500 + 1000 threat. When we both have 8k threat, then I only get 500 threat. Basically, it makes it so aggression powerful when you have little or no threat, and not very useful when you have established the lead.

--Harper

[thunderchickn]

I like these ideas, especially I would really love for WC to deal no damage in Determination and for SoV/PS to be more attractive. I think we may need to invent a tier above "Greatly Increased Threat" for that to happen though.

[cpdm]

I pretty much agree with Harperelle's post. The way I see it, the lowest tier gambits should give the largest up-front threat, and the higher tiers should give reduced up-front threat but would supplement that with increasing ToTs and/or threat generated from damage or heals.

A simplified look:

Precise Blow -> 3x
Piercing Strike -> 2x + .5xToT
Spear of Virtue -> 1x + 1xToT

These numbers are just theory. If a skill does a large amount of damage, the up-front theat could be reduced. If it has a DoT or HoT, the ToT does not need to be as big.

The longer gambits would still be stronger threat generators and they do more damage and/or have other beneficial effects, which keeps them attractive, but the short (one mastery) ones would be the best for the first 1-3 seconds of a fight.

Frankly, ToTs have always been the best way to build threat once you've got the mobs on you. Let's get their attention quickly, then work on keeping it.

[Harperelle]

A simplified look:

Precise Blow -> 3x
Piercing Strike -> 2x + .5xToT
Spear of Virtue -> 1x + 1xToT

That's a really nice way to do it! When you want threat -now- you can get is quickly, but it will cost you lots of power and won't be sustainable. When you are working on the long haul, you get ToT for maintenance on longer gambits. Makes a lot of sense to me. Any honestly, PB was used for its up front threat, the ToT component was just gravy.

--Harper