Quote Originally Posted by Mokeil View Post
Trust me, I am very aware of the deplorable state of our buffing Wards. Nearly universally, we pay more MP for less potent effects - and I'm talking about SCH or /SCH Accessioned spells, so it's direct comparisons of cost and potency between two AoE buffs! Oh, but we win out in duration, for what it's worth. If the BP timer is to be the number one thing that needs to be addressed for SMN, Ward potency would be a mighty close second.

(Also, as a side note, Phalanx is not a percentage -DT. It is a flat number taken off the amount of damage you would take. I.E. if you would take 20 damage from a hit, then after a 13pt Phalanx you would instead take 7 damage. And while we're still stuck at a 13 pt Phalanx, anyone else capable of casting the spell can reach a 30pt Phalanx with a very moderate 400 Enhancing Magic.)
Ah is that how phalanx works? I had thought it was a % like how gear does it.

And yes. Ward potency IS the next thing to adjust after the time.
But like you said, while out potency is crap.... the duration is hella long.
So with a shorter timer... we'll gain a sort of potency in that we'll be able to reapply the buffs when they are actually needed. (thinking of SS, specifically)
After that is done, we can then adjust the potency with the new timer in mind.
Because which you you rather have: sch level buffs.... but with a 45s timer. or current buffs with a 30s timer.
I'd pick the latter myself... and then SE can look at how much the BPs should be adjusted with the new limit.

SMN is basically stuck at lv75.... and it may very well be because of they are afraid of where it can go.
Which I can understand. I don't want to see smn become better at buffing than SCH, that's SCH's primary role. SMN's primary role is DD, then support (buff and heals).
But what I DO want (and expect to see) is something comparable.

Kinda like how it is gonna be for the REMs.
With Mythic being "the best" (it's like 1-2pts of dmg higher than delve weapons).
Delve gear being just a nudge below them.
Relics being just slightly below that.
And Empyreans below that just a bit.
But the difference is something like 131, 130, 126, and 121 iirc... meaning that unless you're parsing out all the DPS, all four are basically the same.
And that's very similar to how I think SMN should be in terms of buffs.

let's look at phalanx. Diabolos pimps out a -13 currently, going with your SCH number: they can pimp out -30.
I don't think Diabolos should be boosted to -30... BUT boosting him to say, 27 or even 25 (since I'm assuming sch's have to put some effort much like a SMN's "Alexander" gear to get the skill needed for a -30) is where he should be.

On the opposite hand, there's wards like Garuda's blink.
I would NEVER want/ask/expect this to ever be turned into an utsusemi shadow.
BUT seeing as how BLU is capable of giving themselves 7 blink shadows... Garuda at 99 should be capable of at least 5 blink shadows for everyone. If not a full 7... I mean... she IS a god.

But I think this might have been ignored for so long... because the devs are afraid of where to draw the line.
And I think the line should be drawn a little bit less than what every other mage can do.
Basically, we are the "empyrean weapon" of buffing:
The least potent... but the longest lasting.

As it is now, the timer is too long to make out pathetically weak buffs be worth it. But if the timer was raised... just to 50% (30s)... then I think that would be a huge leap in the "percieved potency" of our buffs. (due to the ability to readily reapply them as actually needed.)