Concise Tank Balance Changes

[Shurrikhan]

"Hitting slightly more than a Fell Cleave" is also a strange qualifier. That's a weird niche, don't you think? That was my thought. That was how you wanted to qualify them. I instead chose mine. "DoTs stronger per GCD than a combo line" because that's what every other comparable, stand alone, sans mechanic non-combo DoT is.

Okay. But that's not remotely the topic I was discussing, and I believe I made that clear. Fell Cleave was a sort of "gold standard" of damage to be dealt in a single GCD. It was iconic. I did not pick the analogy arbitrarily.

I'll admit, I could have been clearer when discussing the other open DoTs available to melee. My point was that few others are so often able to flex their use of their DoT. Touch of Death and Mutiliate are both low pps advantages, allowing them to be delayed a few GCDs if it means securing greater potency elsewhere in their rotation. Phlebotomize, being strong, but rigidly bookended by the rotation, could not be, which is why I did not include it. It is not, in practice, an open DoT. Once work has started on a focus target, it was part of the DRG's combos, firmly embedded in its rotational string (HT, ID, Db, CT, FC/WT; Pb, TT, VT, FT, FC/WT) until playing in low-count AoE with a GCD of 2.33 or less (for extra Geirskogul from 3x CT management and dropped Pb).

They did compensate. But whether or not that compensation is wanted is another matter.

Mind the italics. Consequent. There was no consequent compensation. No part of what we got had anything to do with what was taken.

Low Blow in raids I steadfastly hold my ground we aren't losing anything with its loss.

Fair enough. I personally liked its synergy with Anticipation and Dark Dance (whereas Bulwark could provide no such gameplay for the CD-bound Shield Swipe), but I'll wholly admit it turned into pure oGCD damage there, which was a bit disappointing.

I think that is our primary disconnect.

When it comes to the tanks, I don't care much for the potency. I care about impact. Thinking on it further, that is the bigger sin with Reprisal compared to Low Blow. The impact isn't noticeable. It's a Dark Arts hit, and a damage debuff, but if the reduction doesn't save a healer GCD or prevent a death, it's not all that different from a Veil that breaks but you're still at 95% health.

I am an old mind tank. I'll play the tank they want me to here, but I wont' like it.

I won't lie and say big numbers don't get some childish glee (Black Mage For Life) but in this regard, Scourge fails. Because it's a DoT. It adds up to a big number, sure, but ultimately it's just a lot of little numbers.

Honestly, bring Scourge back as a 500 potency aoe Weaponskill that costs like 500 TP and I'll take that. If you found it fun to be a Cleave tank, then by golly, I'll sign off on that. The animation lines up for it, and it gives Dark Knights a TP dump between Blood and MP dumps.

Alright. Yep. I get that. I too prefer impact, but, for now, most of our impact will be through damage, so I'm taking what I can get, and finding enjoyment in the nuances of that where I can.