Easy quick fix to lacking build diversity?

What if they take the consecutive skill combo tag, remove the damage penalty and make all tagged skills prorate as normal damage?

 

that would make the other tags even more useless. consecutive is already the most popular tag as it is now.

although a different tag to change a skill's damage type and/or element sounds like a good idea.
supposedly the adjustment of combo system is "currently pending",
so to my understanding it should be updated soon.
i hope they do some more and better changes than what they did last time. undoing the changes to smite was a bad move.

 

It would make the other tags more crappy by comparison but to be fair, the other tags should have been better designed to be more unique. The reason why other tags suck is because they don't provide much in the way of assisting MP management or make no difference from using the skill as is.

Tenacity: Skill uses HP pool solely. **Would have great synergy with blood sucker.

Save: Instead of reducing succeeding skill damage, maximize following skill proration effect until MP saved is consumed. Cannot save more than 50% of MP pool. Cannot use more than once in a combo.

Mind Eye: Recent change is good, with guaranteed graze and if target is not affected by ailment, can remove MP cost from skill or recover the MP if ailment is applied.

Smite: The 50% damage penalty is supposed to apply for the rest of the combo duration. That's it.

Swift: Combo count * 10% chance to increase the motion speed of succeeding skill by 25%.

Tough: Restore 10% of damage taken as HP, once.

Reflection: If survived the attack, returns the damage (except fractional bonuses) back to the target once during skill use.
Succeeding skill MP is halved if no damage taken.

^ Just some ideas, may not even be practical but a little creativity spawns a lot.

Tbh, if players want their impact > Smite so bad and the game is faltering for it (Because knuckles really won't be able to keep up with that meta as it goes on as stat growths get higher) then buff everything else to make Impact smite an option to boost damage. What knux needs is higher damage rates. What mages need are more options for when Impact > Finale is not an option.

The meta is too centered on Impact Smite. They just need to make alternative damage methods now. Reason I chose consecutive is because it is the most used skill combo tag. Prorating neutrally helps everyone in the party or solo so there would be no consequence really.

 

making combo shortcut and make it triggered when used maybe would be an okay band aid for every class survival. press the combo shortcut and it will use the skill based on the combo line. if it too long not used, the combo break.

sure it doesnt help the biggest issue because i got no better idea on how to deal with it.

 

Best adjustment? They allow evasion during skill animation for 2x cost.

 

Coming to the original topic of build diversity, how about making a lot of skills in lots of skills trees affect lots of skills on other trees?
For instance,

• Sneak Attack when used with Assassin skills grants invincibility for all animations in attacking skills (Assassin stab, Arcane Strike) used, and consumes 2 stacks.
• If Shadowwalk is used while Sneak Attack is active (and you're not the main focus), Reduce Aggro to 0.
• Using Slide + certain skills (skills that seem to depend on velocity like Arcane), increase pierce by 100%
• Poison + Slow/Stop also Inflicts Paralysis.
• Using Chakra with Qi in Barehanded gives various boosts.
• If Using Staff + Shield, reduce Chariot's Cost by 300.
• If Shot mastery is learnt, Give the ability to create multiple Magic:Arrows portals, and only release when Magic:Javelin is used.
• Sanctuary and Magic:Wall creates a circle where you heal from the HP lost by mobs.
• If Eternal Nightmare is on, All Priest skills turn Dark.
  • Bless reduces ALL Mob HP at the same rate.
  • Gloria reduces mob defense (because I want Gloria to be 8x increase in DEF, well say it reduces Mob by 8x and Boss DEF by 4x)
  • Royal Heal will take away 10% HP from boss and reduce your MaxMP in Half for the rest of the duration of Eternal Nightmare. (Eternal Nightmare is still on)
  • Holy Fist has now 100% Physical pierce.
  • Holy Light removes 10% HP from all Party members and deals damage based on HP reduced.
  • Prayer can't be used.
• If Prayer is used, all Dark skills turn light, giving similar effects.
  • Eternal Nightmare can't be used.
• If Flashblast and Shadowwalk are used in Unison with Mirage Evasion, Deal an additional strong Attack on top.
• Magic Mastery + Martial Mastery + Throwing Dagger + Power wave+ Decoy shot = Decoy can throw Daggers.

 

I like that light and dark thing going on with the priest and dark tree though at the same time, dark tree has me wondering if they'll release a dedicated light tree. That holy light dark attunement would be really awesome in that you could probably run a beefcake party with holy light spam. Problem would be proration though. Arcane Strike for the absurd MP cost it has should be 100% pierce and always inflict damage to maximum proration effect. You use all remaining MP for it, the least they could do is that. Or make the buff skill trees function as buff skills as opposed to having main damaging skills there (Like soul hunt). In the view of acting like a buff skill, arcane strike would boost the next attack skill damage based on remaining MP before MP Cost.

For ailments, maybe they can do something like an ailment hierarchy? Katana already has it for pommel strike but I think it can be more globally effective, eg:
Slow > Stop > Tumble
Paralysis > Stun
Lethargy > Flinch

Disability ailments take the top of the hierarchy. Should allow a lot of builds access to ailments and knux would be able to actually use their skills knowing how to pace themselves with certain combos.

 

a nerf for smite: when used adds a buff for 10s
if used again with the buff active the +50% dmg decreases to +40% and adds another stack to the buff to decrease even more down to +10% damage(each buff have their own duration)

new combo tag:
conversion: changes the damage type (physical attacks become magical, and magic skills become physical) no change in dmg system (physical finales cant crit unless they have the passive and a lot of crit rate, and a magic meteor can miss and etc)
i would use that in a ktn character (spam tenryu then use magic dmg magadachi)

 

that or: smited skill have less stability, -50%/-30% if in the first combo tag and increaces 10% each combo tag (-40%/-20% in the second combo tag)

 

fix the smite penalty as intented (ex. finale ender should ripping all mp since it would be cost 3200mp)

and scalling spirit bloodsucker depend on max hp cost for additional multiplier dmg also buff the initial multiplier like 20% + total hp/500 (if you no longer able to pay hp cost you cant get dmg bonus from hp additional multiplier) remove the very weak version new-smite in spirit-suck since dev keep the smite in non long combo format merit

lastly if you use melee skill trick for being range your not allowed to do any action until you continue the combo sequence or getting interrupted by enemy (ex. fts , fear)