Quote Originally Posted by Nubrication View Post
I don’t think you understand the implications of the nerf other than at face value. Duration and damage nerf? That’s cool, I get it.

Range nerf, hell nah. Because now in order for you to successfully burst down a target (without having to rely on your teammates aka when you feel like playing casual), you need to get in close where even poor players can automatically swap to you, forcing you to guard, or backstep, purify, etc. So instead of using the toolkit at their disposal for various situations, bards now have to use their entire toolkit just to burst:

Instead of using paean on tank, melee - you have to use it on yourself to make sure you can finish your burst without getting CC’d or bursted down more easily due to being in closer range.

Save backstep for a dangerous melee or to secure a kill? Nope, now you have to use backstep to make sure that your perfect pitch can hit max dmg (8000) due to everyone constantly closing/opening you.

Replenish your emp arrow with powerful shot? Nope, now in order to help your teammates secure a kill, you have to get in close resulting in more dmg taken, resulting in more time used to elixir/avoid getting obliterated which in turn results in lower overall dmg output.

If they make it so that powerful shot does max dmg regardless of range, it could possibly offset the nocturne range nerf. Powerful shot does max dmg at 15y but it has a range of 25y.

Basically, bard’s toolkit synergy is what really got nerfed.
I very much do understand the implications this entails, I simply do not believe BRD to be so down the gutter as everyone here seems to believe.

While I can totally see the compromise and general issue with the reduced Nocturne range down to 15y, I feel like it is still very playable - as you said, PS/Pitch reaches max damage at 15y, which is Nocturne's range. So in a situation where you don't get attacked, you can do something like Burst Arrow > move in and Nocturne > move out then Pitch. And in situations you may need to peel with the backstep it will reposition you for that.

What Im trying to say is BRD now similar to DNC is bobbing back and forth, but with other strengths such as access to CC, AOE buffs and an additional defensive party utility.

I find the CC range fair. What I will rather suggest is potency increases or narrowing the scaling for PS/Pitch or other compensation.