Virus Nerf - Possible silver lining or suggested change

[peaches]

The problem being people normally chain cast it. In Titan, myself (as a Scholar) and at LEAST one other person alternate Virus casts when it expires. We normally save it until after the heart phase to lower the damage of MB and tummults, resulting in a nearly constant damage reduction which was awesome. Now we're going to have to choose when to use it. We can't use it every MB, possibly not even every other MB. I suppose the change WAS necessary though. It's not like a tank can spam a damage reduction ability, or Scholars can keep Sacred Soil up constantly. Makes me wonder when they'll change Eye for an Eye.

[ArcaneNova621]

I guess Eye for an Eye is significantly weaker requiring a proc, can't rely on it being up when it's needed. In honesty, damage intake control has just been shifted around. 2 PLD groups will definitely be needing one to switch to WAR to make things easier, as Warriors can now drop 30% (20+10% Inner Beast/Storm's Path) damage reduction on demand. Bard's can't contribute Rain of Death anymore, and Virus usage has been limited.

Yeah, if you /need/ Virus for every Death Sentence, you might be doing it wrong, the problem is that isn't the only ability you have to deal with, there is the possibility of a Swoop/Auto-attack finishing things off. Virus is a safety net, and maybe we don't need it, but it's nice having it around.

[Wizhard]

It's not like a tank can spam a damage reduction ability

Enter the new Inner Beast.

[GilbertLapine]

For reference, the change;

'When the effect of Virus expires, enemies will now be granted the effect Antibody, making them immune to the effects of Virus for 60 seconds.'

Possibility: Antibody is a beneficial effect that can be dispelled.

Result: Keeping Virus on a target requires abit more co-ordination and abilities which dispel effects are actually useful in PvE.

I suspect this probably isn't the case and Antibody is probably gonna be undispellable but one can hope.

Welp, that just made another cross skill for BLM semi-pointless, or at least a lot more niche-y. W000T!

SCH gonna rage against the casters now "DONT USE VIRUS" so he won't run into antibody.

[Teleniel]

I have said before I am hoping that Super-Virus either does not generate antibodies, or will affect the target even with antibodies. This will give Smn/Sch a bit more nich usage out of the ability rather than it being Blm/Whm/Smn/Sch basically interchangeable (really how often did you notice the -Int/Mnd?)

[SeraviEdalborez]

What happens if you refresh virus before it expires? IIRC, if another application of virus is cast before the previous one wears off, then it just extends the duration back to 10sec.

Tested this today with Apocatastasis being "refreshed" before the duration is up. It works. So probably works for Virus. Will have to see if Fever wearing off will also apply Antibody though.

I have said before I am hoping that Super-Virus either does not generate antibodies, or will affect the target even with antibodies. This will give Smn/Sch a bit more nich usage out of the ability rather than it being Blm/Whm/Smn/Sch basically interchangeable (really how often did you notice the -Int/Mnd?)

-INT matters for, notably, Titan's stomps. Those are magical.