Reactive Combat

[Estellios]

They are making combos specifically so you can solo and won't need all these reaction abilities. All the front lines have their own reaction ability now so it makes playing them all more unique.

[Kiote]

They are making combos specifically so you can solo and won't need all these reaction abilities. All the front lines have their own reaction ability now so it makes playing them all more unique.

These abilities do not make classes unique. The affinity for a specific defense makes a class unique, restricting the ability to react to a defense serves no purpose.

Combo are probably going to be great for solo Combat, but it is not the same kind of heavy user engagement combat that reactionary skill offers. There is no reason not to have both. This is the equivalent to the Instance Only vs. Instance and Open World argument. There is Zero reason to have one of them when you can have both. There is no benefit to this restriction.

[Nagamaki]

Making the abilities class specific isn't removing them from the game, it just gives the different classes a specialty instead of having every class be able to abuse the advantageous TP to damage ratio of abilities like Haymaker. They actually are removing Haymaker (or at least converting it into a regular WS if it is one of the unnamed combo elements in the PGL list) but Jarring Strike will remain and I suspect it'll probably receive a bit of a damage buff in the process.

All melee classes will retain a reactionary skill, they just won't all be blended as one so you'll actually need to be aware of which class you are on when reacting instead of "hey the mob missed, time to punch with my (axe|spear|sword|hth)" across the board. This also opens the door for greater specialization in gear per class for maximizing opportunities for one specific event per class.

Voicing potential concerns about how things will be balanced is legitimate but going off and making wild leaps ahead when we are missing tons of variables is something else entirely. All we have is basic descriptions with really no idea about skill potency, additional effect proc rates, recasts, traits, all of which are at the absolute core of combat balance and hugely important for both soloing and party play. Feedback on general concepts can be helpful but wild speculation is just useless filler and reduces the chances of any constructive ideas being discussed and having an impact.

[Kiote]

Making the abilities class specific isn't removing them from the game, it just gives the different classes a specialty instead of having every class be able to abuse the advantageous TP to damage ratio of abilities like Haymaker. They actually are removing Haymaker (or at least converting it into a regular WS if it is one of the unnamed combo elements in the PGL list) but Jarring Strike will remain and I suspect it'll probably receive a bit of a damage buff in the process.

All melee classes will retain a reactionary skill, they just won't all be blended as one so you'll actually need to be aware of which class you are on when reacting instead of "hey the mob missed, time to punch with my (axe|spear|sword|hth)" across the board. This also opens the door for greater specialization in gear per class for maximizing opportunities for one specific event per class.

Voicing potential concerns about how things will be balanced is legitimate but going off and making wild leaps ahead when we are missing tons of variables is something else entirely. All we have is basic descriptions with really no idea about skill potency, additional effect proc rates, recasts, traits, all of which are at the absolute core of combat balance and hugely important for both soloing and party play. Feedback on general concepts can be helpful but wild speculation is just useless filler and reduces the chances of any constructive ideas being discussed and having an impact.

There isn't any speculation going on here. There certainly isn't any wild speculation going on. All of these abilities are listed as Class Specific. I believe that there is no point to this change because:

1. These skills do not effect party balance as they can only be used by a person who has Hate
2. They are Highly effective for Solo Players
3. They allow for a more in depth and engaging form of solo combat
4. They offer a more well rounded experience for Tanks(instead of waiting to voke)
5. There is no significant benefit from restricting these to a single Class
6. Their Combat Style is not Replaced by Combos (they are different mechanics)
7. They can co-exist along side combo for an even more in-depth combat experience.
8. A Classes higher Skill at the Defensive aspect of these skills is more in line with Class Distinction than these skills themselves

I personally cannot see any benefit to this change.