Please don't go through with the WAR changes SE

[Rufalus]

I think it is too late to roll back at this point with the patch data almost ready to be released, and they wouldn't even be able to revert it in minor patches where they only touch things like potency numbers. It would need to come back to the next large patch to make system level changes. But the changes seem ok... it might be a little less complexity to a job that was already easy, so maybe that's boring to some people. Burst dps got reduced but sustained dps got raised, evening things out and reducing the dps loss of mistimed buff mistakes. They wanted to make things easier, there it is. I'm curious to try it out. If I don't like it, I'll just play a different tank job. Start of a new tier so haven't committed to getting weapon/gear for any particular job yet.

[DaulBan]

How did sustained DPS get raised when the changes to GCDs are a nerf when you count the change to Storm's Eye? Burst windows are now super tight so now you're 100% still going to be trying to squeeze everything into TA because of how your DPS is now just all packed into ir. Now if you mess up your buff alignments you're even more boned than before.

Changes to eye without having a sufficient buff to GCDs is just punishing anyone who has the sufficient brain cells to maintain Eye. And if you have enough brain cells to write a post on the OF you have enough to maybe use one combo every once in a while.

[AdamZ]

they've made it's damage output smoother at the cost of making it far less interesting as a job.

How is it even smoother? we have the same damage spike even 90 seconds now, while doing nothing in between. Compared to two big spikes every 60 and 120 seconds, with one much large. Over 200 seconds that's 60 seconds of burst. Now in that same window you are looking at 20 seconds of burst. We are even more spikey, and likely this all plays as a total dps down.

[Lumadurin]

How is it even smoother? we have the same damage spike even 90 seconds now, while doing nothing in between. Compared to two big spikes every 60 and 120 seconds, with one much large. Over 200 seconds that's 60 seconds of burst. Now in that same window you are looking at 20 seconds of burst. We are even more spikey, and likely this all plays as a total dps down.

Our burst window is now 10 seconds (4-5 gcd's) of guaranteed direct crits every 90 seconds (that's EIGHTY SECONDS of downtime where you freestyle your beast gauge). As well as potency bumps for regular GCD moves (30 potency buff for Eye/Path combo,, 40 for Block).
Before it was a 20 second window of 1.30x damage (with the added possibility of direct hits/crits depending on melds and party buffs) every 60 seconds (so 40 seconds downtime - that means our downtime between burst windows has DOUBLED).

Before change: ~16gcds between windows
After change: ~32 gcds between windows

Our burst windows are now shorter, less frequent, and have less variance in their damage, meaning more of our damage will now come from regular GCDs.

[Chrono_Rising]

Snip

Just to add in, all that gauge that use to be spent during berserk is now open season for use, and this free infuriate from the Berserk windows, meaning the traited version might actually have some real value. Too early to tell if this is a good thing, bad thing, or just a thing at this point.

[Wintersandman]

I think the only thing I am bummed about is the Steel Cyclone. Inner Release being able to be used in Defiance is also a welcome change which is probably why they reduced the HP gain on Steel Cyclone otherwise it would be Direct Crit Absorbtion for 3-4 GCD's depending on Skill Speed.

[Terkhev]

Well, there is still Unchained + Defiance + ToB + Upheaval as a new option. Maybe some other ways to optimize DPS that didn't exist before.

[Nedkel]

Please yes!

[ElazulHP]

Casual WAR (I main BRD and WHM) here! I'm confused by the changes. This screwed up the burst windows, but buffs overall potency correct? Is that more damage or less damage overall? Anyone done the numbers yet? Fun wise i'm not sure. Going to wait and see I guess.

[TouchandFeel]

Just to add in, all that gauge that use to be spent during berserk is now open season for use, and this free infuriate from the Berserk windows, meaning the traited version might actually have some real value. Too early to tell if this is a good thing, bad thing, or just a thing at this point.

This is a very good point that I feel is being overlooked. As I've stated in other threads, I really don't feel the WAR changes are going to end up being a nerf (except arguably to fun-factor) and will likely be more of a side-grade.

The more I look at the changes, the more it seems that the devs are trying to push WAR in the direction of using/being in Defiance more. If you look at the fact that the IR and Unchained timers are now decoupled and that IR is also now available in Defiance, it seems that in order to maximize efficiency you may have to pop over to Defiance more often.