Temporary HP Tank

[Kitru]

Just because the abilities are weak doesn't mean they aren't key to the identity of the class.

Except that, if this were true, people wouldn't be complaining about the WAR having an identity crisis because the number of self heals that a WAR has available is actually the same. If you want to talk about *usable* self-heals, that number is actually going up because, right now, there's no reason to use Storm's Path because it's both expensive and provides laughable self healing.

The amount that certain abilities actual impact performance is *exactly* what makes them key to the class's *actual* identity (as opposed to imposed identity applied based upon perception). The people that think that WAR is defined by self-healing only believe that because Inner Beast throws up a big self-heal number. If all that the class had was Bloodbath and Storm's Path, no one would say *anything* about WAR being a self-healing tank. It's the big number that Inner Beast throws up *alone* that makes people think that WAR is a self-healing tank, and, if you've actually looked at how much it really contributes, you'd realize that Inner Beast (in its current implementation) *isn't* actually key to the WAR playstyle.

WAR is, and always has been, defined by Wrath, not self-healing. It isn't bad implementation of the concept of a self-healing tank that is being fixed. They're addressing the fact that the wrong mitigation mechanic (self healing) was chosen to be placed upon the primary tool used as part of the playstyle mechanic (Wrath) that actually defines the class.

Calling a WAR a self-healing tank is like talking about a person's sequined shoes when asked to describe them: yes, it *does* describe their appearance in some way, but it completely misses the big picture of what you're actually supposed to be describing because you're so focused upon a tiny fragment that drew your attention.

This debate has very little to do with my original topic anyway.

I already explained exactly why your original idea was bad and what would need to be done to make it actually work. Keep in mind that you did actually say, in your original post, that you think that 2.1 is "on the verge of dangerously homogenizing WAR/PLD" so you opened it up for discussion. Anyone that has actually played the two classes or looked at anything concerning the changes beyond the terms "damage reduction" and "self healing" would realize that the two tanks are *still* going to play completely differently. WAR and PLD aren't being homogenized; the only reason you'd believe that is if you think that a class is defined by arbitrary attributes like damage type instead of the actual mechanics of the class: having a MNK deal slashing damage wouldn't do anything more to change its identity than what 2.1 is doing to WAR (except that WAR is also getting some much needed buffs to its *abysmal* CD suite, which, unless you think that a terrible CD suite is part of the WAR identity, is purely a balance change).