[Scholar] Its time we talk about Selene

[Riyshn]

Yes, let's give a 10% party DPS boost to Scholar after they just took one away from AST. Sounds brilliant.

Actually, they just took a 20% buff away and replaced it with a 10%, and a new different 10% buff.

(Not arguing that 10% Fey Wind would be a good idea; I haven't thought much about what Selene could use. Just that your argument is wrong.)

[ZonHoodn]

Actually, they just took a 20% buff away and replaced it with a 10%, and a new different 10% buff.

(Not arguing that 10% Fey Wind would be a good idea; I haven't thought much about what Selene could use. Just that your argument is wrong.)

To add to that... this is just Balance before they buffed it..

[Shurrikhan]

Actually, they just took a 20% buff away and replaced it with a 10%, and a new different 10% ~3% buff.

Have we forgotten that a critical strike is not double damage, and therefore a critical strike increase is not an equivalent damage increase? Moreover, the multiplier was nerfed in 4.0. It's unlikely it'll even return to its previously base +50% this expansion. You now have a 10% added chance to deal up to a third more damage. Its strength would need to be nearly tripled to compete with Balance even now.

[Riyshn]

Have we forgotten that a critical strike is not double damage, and therefore a critical strike increase is not an equivalent damage increase? Moreover, the multiplier was nerfed in 4.0. It's unlikely it'll even return to its previously base +50% this expansion. You now have a 10% added chance to deal up to a third more damage. Its strength would need to be nearly tripled to compete with Balance even now.

And 10% weaponskill haste doesn't translate directly to 10% damage buff either. My point still stands.

[Shurrikhan]

And 10% weaponskill haste doesn't translate directly to 10% damage buff either. My point still stands.

It also affects Spells and Auto-attacks, meaning some 63% (NIN) to virtually all damage sources (BLM). It tends, therefore to have more around 2/3s the contribution of Balance and at least benefits healing and resource generation for NIN, SwO PLD, and Warrior. Spear similarly affects healing and mechanics for Monk and Bard, but otherwise amounts to less than 1/3 of the contribution of Balance. So what would be so wrong with it at least being equal to Arrow, at, say, an increase of 12% Critical Strike Rate and 12% Critical Strike bonus?

That something is at least faintly better than it was is hardly a reason to ignore an effect's balance from then out.

EDIT: My bad; I forgot that Spear is also only 2/3s the duration of Arrow and Balance, making it closer a mere fifth of Balance's contribution, or 1/3 of Arrow's.

But I mean, at least that buff from vaguely situationally useful to always inferior will definitely change its being RR fodder, right? ...Right?

[Indiction]

I have no problem with her AoE Esuna, but her other skills....way too weak to even matter.

A 3% speed buff can't compare to an AoE regen, a healing % buff, and a magic % def buff. It just can't. Faeries (and summons in general) in this game are far too unresponsive to put something as critical (or even just as on-the-fly) as a silence or stun. The hit time has too much variance for it to be reliable. With Eos, you can use her skills to your advantage (and cohealer's advantage) and more than make up the dps for whatever 3% speed would give the party.

A buff that increases shields placed on party members, a self-pet buff that changes a % of her embrace heals to a shield, literally anything that could play into that utility and dps theme selene. With Fey Wind, do something else. It's so neligible, and selene is honestly so underwhelming you could put her on sic and have her do her own thing and really barely notice it.

[Cupcakesu]

Actually, they just took a 20% buff away and replaced it with a 10%, and a new different 10% buff.

(Not arguing that 10% Fey Wind would be a good idea; I haven't thought much about what Selene could use. Just that your argument is wrong.)

Uh, no. I'm talking about AST's AoE buff (because Fey Wind is equivalently an AoE buff). Reducing Balance to 10% made the AoE buff 5% since Expanded Royal Road reduces potency by half. Boosting Fey Wind to a 10% buff would be equivalent to 20% Balance (cut in half to 10%), which was just nerfed because it was evidently overpowered. Percentage wise, my argument wasn't off.

Could it be argued that 10% Speed isn't directly equivalent to 10% Damage and thus might be more acceptable? Sure. But it's closer to it than the crit buff we just got on Spear.

[ChairGlue]

Actually, they just took a 20% buff away and replaced it with a 10%, and a new different 10% buff.

That new 10% is Crit. Ran some napkin maths and it's around 2% increase to damage-per-minute (including randomness of draws). Chain Strategm is around 3%. I'm not impressed.

[Feidam]

That new 10% is Crit. Ran some napkin maths and it's around 2% increase to damage-per-minute (including randomness of draws). Chain Strategm is around 3%. I'm not impressed.

It is still a decent buff to Ast. Overpowered? No but it took a useless card and gave one in return that will boost dps. So now the Ast has three options for boosting dps and two of those options help healers as well. I think the new spear is a good thing for Ast but I love how people are all poopoo about it. Even with the potency changes to the buffs Ast don't really have much room to complain. They are in a really good position.