Delvonshi

And that is what early access is for. Lets see how they react to the meta that falls out due to their changes before we make any suggestions or decisions. Could be worse.. could be better.

Delvonshi as always! Keep'em coming.

I'd like to refer back to my original suggestion for clerics exactly one page back. I think this is the route to take.

That is just terrible. I understand the need for a class to "bring" something to a party that is tangible like a buff but I don't think they understand the lengths people will go to for optimizing gameplay. Look at the new FLYFF. The buff class in there can't really buff enough until 102ish so people just drag around multiple copies with the missing buffs (skill point system). It is another game that feels bad when you don't have the appropriate buffs while leveling. If this is the case we are better off just having one buffing class or the buff potion idea. Something else of note, this always works in a vacuum but when actual gameplay happens buffs are not created equally. This causes disparity in party play for some classes outside of their normal roles, why they would want to open this box further as an "improvement" is beyond me.

I assume that the classes won't be buffing each other but themselves, that is how I'd do it anyway compared to now. I figure as long as everything is done right they won't need the entire roster of buffs to be functional. Just give them enough of what stats they typically use. Will probably help with various balancing as well.

Why do we need buff pots if it is likely to be redistributed to the classes? If you are worried about the newbie experience it is probably much easier to just redo the stats on the earlier mobs than to find a way to "buff" new players. You could also buff newbie equipment to get the same effect. I doubt it will be an issue with the type of direction things are going.

So I know I'm a bit late to this party but as an original battle cleric main I'd like to toss my hat in the ring. I'm very for removing the buff slave aspect of the cleric as long as that power is distributed (however you want weapons, stats, or innate class buffs) or modifications are made to monsters to narrow that gap. That is all I have to say on that as it is pretty cut and dry. Now in order to keep the cleric in it's own identity we should probably not focus on the battle portion as it was just a glorified auto attacker with magic damage. I want to focus on the summon aspect. I know this is shared with the Bourgeois but with the knowledge that summon control is something they are working on and the cleric already having an established identity with summons we could do something else.. steal a page out of Dofus's Osamadas class book. They are a summoner who provides buffs to their summons and team. What makes them unique is that the buffs on the summons work differently than those on players. The buffs for the summons often take the form of longer more generic buffs while the same spell on a player provides short term strong benefit. This lets them solo and have an active role in a party. I feel this direction would preserve both the buff and summon aspect of the summoner while providing strong reasons to be active in a party and retain strong solo power with the summons (option of chill or active playstyles). The main drawback is how hard it would be to code a skill to work differently on a summon vs a player. Some examples would be: -Shield of Arua: Provides X% (or +X) defense on a summon for Y minutes. When used on a player provides a 2-3 second invulnerability (or heavy damage reduction). Has uses in both pve and pvp. Specifically an over heavy pull's initial hit could be mitigated on your puller etc etc. -Might of the Firegon: Provides X% (or +X) attack on a summon for Y minutes. When used on a player the next X abilities gain damage. Good to put on your best aoe'er during a pull or to alpha strike a troublesome target in pvp. Anyway thats just a rough idea. Depending on implementation difficulties and reception it could be tweaked. At the very least hope it sparks some inspiration!