I have nothing against different playstyles, however, you have to back up your claims with theory and explinations rather than saying "Just because".

Fact is, these are all single target spells. Also, spells that are situational at best, and something that can be combined with a current skills set of damage spells or a melee type character.

The reason I am against promoting the "support" character, is not how people build their characters, but how they play them - which is passively.

In sieges, EVERYONE, not just "Key" players should be crosshealing. Unless you are in plate, infernal or dragon - I can't think of any justification that says you can't heal when the moment is right.

What is the role of support players in sieges anyway? Healing? Everyone can and SHOULD do that. Keeping everyone buffed? I can buy that, but what happens in combat? It is hard to keep proper "battle lines" in close quarters pvp because of the simple fact that you need some survivability.

The reason Priests and heal classes were effective in Shadowbane pvp is because they had Crowd Control Abilities that allowed them to kite and heal.

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The only viability of a "Support" type character, would be if we are going the "Dominion" style of pvp - which is level up your nukes, keep your distance from enemy, and single target call targets.

This is not the case in KGB. Our best pvpers are rush types, and even those that have high magics end up kiting and kill targets of opportunity rather than calling targets.

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I am not knocking people's playstyle, I am trying to emphasize the fact that Darkfall is a different MMO.

If you want to play a support "class" that's fine. State your arguments here so we can understand your role and so we can play accordingly.

Right now, all the arguments center around the idea that, in sieges, you will be buffing and healing - and in small group pvp, you will be buff bots before the battle and heal bots during the battle. (Which, I believe, is impractical)

Can you heal teammates versus people that are doing figure 8s around them? I sure can't. If it's a 2 on 2, can you keep your teammate alive long enough to sway the battle?

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IF I were to force a support spec, I would do the following instead.

Primary Spell Usage (In no particular order)

Confusion
Eye Rot
Pestilence
Stormblast
Air Magic (For Stamina Drain)
Heal Other
Sacrifice
(All Elemental Debuffs, depending on who you group with)

Secondary Spells

haste
hymn of might
hymn and vigor
spirit fingers
and jazz hands

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The justification of this template is simple. You are not a DD (Direct Damage) character, instead you are focused for confusion/eyerot, pestilance debuff, and Air magic for the stamnia drain. The heals are helpful, but a SECONDARY priority - in that, it's situtational. Sometimes, you can't stand by and watch your teammate get greatsworded up the ass, you have to get in there with him, or eyerot confusion the other guy. (Or something you can think of)

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We have to get serious guys. And this means BACKING up playstyle suggestions with facts and templates rather than just "winging it".

This was my mistake early Darkfall, I tried to go Full Archer and I couldn't. I tried to force something into a system that just plain didn't exist.

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Look, here's the truth of the matter. I am not against ANYTHING that can be justified or shown to me in-game as valid.

However, if you cannot explain it and give a plan of action during battle (Like I did in the above template), then chances are you are forcing something that doesn't work.

Here's an example from Shadowbane.

Someone made a 30 con Vamp Scout (or something like that once) after a patch, and I dismissed it as bullshit. I mean a low con scout that can be killed in a couple of hits? WTF, that's gimp right? However, he posted the two vamp drains, racial resistance, and explained to me the playstyle in a spec group trumped the weakness of the hitpoints, and I was sold.

However, there was another guy at launch that insisted on creating a staff melee user. He leveled that sucker up as much as he could and insisted it was great. It wasn't. It never was. And he was a liability in combat every time we stepped out onto the field.


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We need more support characters? I don't get the argument. Support characters can be valid if planned accordingly. But blindly training spells without justification sends the wrong message to our newer players.

Give me an argument and I can back it up if it's valid. (Hell, we might find that template that no on uses)

However, if we want to be the best, we have to accept the fact that some things in Darkfall will never be. (Like the 100% Archer that I've always dreamed of)


Last edited by Syloc; 01/15/10 06:55 PM.
Former KGB Member