Ken “Graalx2” Burd released the Guardian developer diary today. Unlike the previous class developer diaries released for the Riders of Rohan expansion, this one includes some fairly large changes. Admittedly, they’re not as big as the changes we’ve seen previously for the Warden and Minstrel classes, but it’s also nothing to sneeze at either. In fact Graalx2 states that these changes to the DPS aspect of the class were the intended focus this time around.
The primary purpose of this revision is to allow the Guardian to take a sustained DPS role with an increased emphasis on Damage over Time effects.
Upgraded Skills in Riders of Rohan
- Improved Sweeping Cut
- level 77
- Causes all targets to Bleed with a DoT effect.
- The Bleed can be increased with Salt the Wound
- Improved Shield Swipe
- Level 80
- Adds more threat than its previous version
- Improved Thrust
- Level 83
- The DoT effect has been “greatly increased”
Overall, the new skills are pretty “all right”. I think the most interesting one might be the Improved Sweeping Cut in now that it will add a Damage Over Time (DoT). However, really these are all pretty standard upgrades and while they’ll be appreciated they don’t leave me squealing with joy either. Instead that squealing comes with the next changes.
Skill Adjustments
As previously stated most of the skill adjustments to the class are focused on the increased DPS and usability of Overpower. As a mainly defensive Guardian myself, this really doesn’t bother me in the least. I think as tanks the Guardian class functions quite well and I don’t really think that we need a lot of help at this time (things can always change). That being said I have always thought that while Overpower was functional, it wasn’t as good as it could be. That all seems likely to have changed though.
- Parry stance (Guardian’s Parry) has been removed and all of its benefits have gone to the Overpower.
- Overpower Stance now allows the use of shields
- The power penalty has been removed (this is huge)
- Added +20% to critical damage magnitude
- Added –30% to Armour rating, Physical Mitigation Rating, and Tactical Mitigation Rating (so don’t get hit)
- Added a 2 second induction with limited knockback
Also, many of the skills that Guardians now have will change when they are in Overpower. For example:
- Guardian’s Ward will give a Finesse buff.
- Guardian’s Ward Tactics will give a +5% melee damage bonus in addition to the Finesse buff.
- Catch a Breath will be triggered by a parry event and give back Power and not Morale.
- Guardian’s Pledge will give a +25% melee damage buff.
There are a few more examples in the diary, but as you can see there are some pretty great skill changes that are focused on making the Guardian do a lot more damage. I have to say I’m pretty pleased with what I’m seeing and I have a lot of hope for Guardians being able to do an increased amount of damage.
Trait Lines
As you can imagine the only trait line that was touched was The Keen Blade (which is the DPS-focused line). Currently the bonuses for the line are:
- 2 equipped: –5% Overpower Power Cost
- 3 equipped: +3% Overpower Damage
- 4 equipped: +10% Overpower Damage
In Riders of Rohan this will be changed to:
- 2 equipped: –5% Overpower Power Cost for all attack skills
- 3 equipped: +3% Overpower Damage and +10% critical damage magnitude
- 4 equipped: +10% Overpower Damage and +10% critical damage magnitude
Overall pretty good changes in that no bonuses have been removed; just added. It’s hard to argue with that kind of change.
Legendary Items
An interesting change comes with the Legendary Items in that all of the one-handed versus two-handed restrictions that were previously placed on weapon legacies have been removed (except for Bash). This could make for some interesting changes in how Guardians play in Overpower. Although there is a part of me that will always associate Overpower with a two-handed weapon I can’t help but wonder what my critical damage might be with the right one-handed weapon and a shield. I’m interested in seeing what those of you who play Guardians think about this change as well.
Conclusion
I think that these are some pretty solid changes when it comes to the DPS aspect of the class. Graalx2 agrees and even goes as far as to make a pretty bold statement:
We feel that these changes will allow a Guardian to do almost as much damage as the Champion/Hunter/Runekeeper in DPS stance and, more importantly, be able to maintain it.
Hopefully he’s right. I still think that as a Guardian I’ll be asked to tank more than I am to just come along, but at least now I know I’ll be doing some increased damage when I’m not tanking. What do you all think?
August 7, 2012 at 5:28 pm
i think that they are making it so that pretty soon there will be no point in picking a class at all, if they keep heading in the direction of all these hybrid roles. pretty soon you will just be creating a toon, and it won’t matter what you choose since you will be able to do it all anyway. i suppose this stays consistent with them making the game more and more solo-friendly. ironic since it’s based on content where the main story-line focused on a group of people from different backgrounds and different abilities working together. personally i like the idea of different classes having different roles, and being needed to fill that function. have trouble finding groups? maybe there are too many servers online that aren’t all that active. maybe some need to be consolidated. there are plenty of people playing, that might need to do the same things, or are willing to help out, but they may just not be on your server. next thing you know, they will be coming up with a way to have RK’s and Hunters tanking too.
August 7, 2012 at 5:37 pm
This reminds me when mini’s got a huge buff last year, people thought that minis would all of a sudden stop healing. If anything, I see the improved dps being used to quest solo and most importantly, PvMP. Guards will still be asked to tank and I doubt they will be asked to come along to DPS much, if at all.
August 7, 2012 at 9:33 pm
I see what you are saying, and i agree that it may be a similar reaction, however it seems my point was missed. i feel like overall this sort of thing hurts the overall experience. in a sense it’s taking the an MMORPG and turning into something more akin to a single player game with optional co-op play and a persistent chat room. i started playing pretty much the day it went f2p, so i didn’t get to play “back in the day”, but what remnants of it i saw, and what i heard about… well, sounded much more challenging. each class had a much more specific role and if you wanted to be awesome, then you needed to work together and play your intended role that you chose to play day one. the game not only encouraged it, but pretty much demanded it at times. now you can roll a new toon, and get to level cap, and even get decent gear without ever joining a fellowship even once.
As for pvmp, i agree that a change to the guard would be helpful there, like maybe make up for the fact that the taunts and so on just don’t work on MP’s, so maybe have it so that in the moors they up the defenses of your group, or give a penalty of some sort to your target if they attack anyone other than the guard. there are ways to make the class relevant in that situation without turning them into a slightly watered down champ that can take more hits.
Sorry for the long post. just thought i would clear it up a bit.
good hunting!
August 8, 2012 at 9:11 am
I think people too easily confuse “class” and “role”. I have no objection to them strenthening classes alternate roles. One look at the overpower stance and you’ll see that you can’t be a viable DPS and a viable tank at the same time.
Well designed content still needs you to have a well balanced group covering the whole spectrum of roles, it just gives you more choice of what class can acomplish what role.
Example for a Mistrel to fullfill a DPS role, they need a good number of Red traits and warspeech stance. They also need to have put the time into making the right LI and learning HOW to play a minstrel as a DPS class. Even if you were to allow every class every role, they are still unique. I heal very differently on my minstrel to my RK, and a Warden tanks very differently to a champion or Guardian.
August 8, 2012 at 3:59 am
Ok, but what is the point of specialized DPS classes then? If guardian can do ‘almost as much damage as the Champion/Hunter’, will Hunter be able to tank ‘almost as well as the Guardian’?
August 8, 2012 at 5:23 am
Goodness I hope Hunters won’t ever be able to tank. I resent the sexy medium armour wearing tanks LotRO already has. I couldn’t handle another.
From what I know from Hunter friends, you DO have another viable role- CC. If a Hunter traits deep in CC and gives up their dominating DPS, they can be quite effective in that role, from what I understand it’s just that few Hunters want to give up their crit quotes.
Maybe that role isn’t as effective as you’d like it? That seems a fair thing to bring up then.
August 8, 2012 at 4:32 am
Exactly my thoughts. Then the one with horses that can make the loremaster tank and such. All going down the easy single player game where every class can do everything. Every class gets good dps, many classes get good/ok heals, warden,champ and guard can tank etc.
In parts this migth be good – so friends that have not the “perfect” class combination can play, it might be that there will be less waiting for a guard/mini because otherwise you cannot start an ini etc.
But it all goes down to like you said – single player with persistent chat and optional coop. I think this can work out for something like Diablo or some game where this decission was made upfront and the game is build around this decission (guild wars 2). But going step by step into such a direction but keeping the roles in place – i do not like this.
August 7, 2012 at 7:18 pm
My guard isn’t high leveled, but I don’t like the changes as much. It seems as if they’re making the guard more champ like, where for ROI they made the champ more guard like.
August 7, 2012 at 8:05 pm
I am thrilled to say the least, I love the fact that shields will be allowed while in OP, which I havent used to any extent since lvl60. I cant wait to see how this will play out. yey!
August 7, 2012 at 11:47 pm
… that’s a picture of a Warden, Merric.
August 8, 2012 at 12:06 am
LOL, I wondered why the “guardian” looked like a warden when Potent.
August 8, 2012 at 12:08 am
You noticed that too
But not having a guard, I can’t really comment in the Dev diary, the guards I’ve talked to find it a silly Dev Diary.
August 9, 2012 at 10:38 am
shhhhhh
August 9, 2012 at 10:45 am
OK, changed to something more appropriate
August 8, 2012 at 2:15 am
I am pretty much deadly in riddermark so far… now +40% damage? really? it’s ridiculous… I will love it for sure, just saying is ridiculous because they will remove the Pledge skill. Now if i just can get more dps i can get more Agro By Dps, with no pledge that’s a suicide. i will be killing myself all the time getting the attention of all the adds.
August 8, 2012 at 4:27 am
There better be some proper changes to the hunter in the dev dairy then. We are the only class who isn’t good in multiple roles. all other classes got already revised to take on multiple roles. While we got nothing….
August 8, 2012 at 5:17 am
I want Champs to be dps and Guards to be tanks, HOWEVER.
As a tanking Guard who regularly groups with a wonderful, skilled and geared tanking Champ (and before you flame me for being dumb and why would I do that blah blah, it’s because we’re friends, and like playing together. Duh.), I have been gnashing my teeth in jealous frustration for a while now that she could tank, just as she wants to, but I couldn’t switch to a viable DPS role to balance it out.
Since they decided to make tanking possible for Champions already, I am beyond thrilled that now I will have a similarly versatile possibility.
I do think a lot of the changes are really positive, like combining OP and Parry (something I’ve thought made sense for ages now- 4 stances is a lot of stances) and skills like Fray the Edge becoming de-threat skills in OP is pretty nifty as well. I’m excited to see how it plays out!
August 8, 2012 at 5:51 am
The way i see it is they are having the guardian fill a traditional fighter/warrior role and a champion is starting to fill the whirling berserker role. I actually like were they are going with classes being able to adapted multiple directions if need be. I can’t wait to see the hunter dev diary, because the guard and hunter are two of my fav classes.
August 8, 2012 at 6:01 am
When i mean whirling berserker i mean it in the sense of taking as much as giving.
August 8, 2012 at 8:46 am
it sounds to me like they are trying to make all the classes (sorry hunters!) more solo survivable for the next phase of LoTR. I bet the group instances will be scaled accordingly to make it as challenging for the group play as well.
August 8, 2012 at 12:54 pm
Hey- we hunters can solo just fine
If we can’t, we trap them, fear them or DF out. I’ve tank SH on my hunter- but needed a lot of heals. Had no problem getting aggro! Was grouped with a mini and a rk. Now that I have a lvl 75 guard- much prefer tanking on my guard.
The changes sound very promising
August 17, 2012 at 6:15 pm
well, I can’t say I’m excited. I’d love to see some changes concerning my tanking abilities, since that’s what I like doing with my guardian (dah). I mean, what’s the point in all this? I can solo better? Big deal. While in op stance, a guardian could easily solo, not being the best dps of course, but in a decent way in my opinion at least. To be 100% honest, I kind of dislike these changes. I was expecting something that could make me a better tank. Anyway, I don’t like the role of mr. Grumpy, so let’s just say I was slightly disappointed, that’s all.
September 16, 2012 at 2:34 am
my guild is sticking with guild wars 2 until they make this game more solo friendly. the raids at 2-4 am on the server we all play (we aren’t transfering) is dead. We would rather duo the raids no one cares about anymore and all the skirmishes since no one is around at the same times. Hopefully some day the devs do that with this game. I mean the emulator makes it possible but I’d like to give turbine my money… just they just not making it solo friendly enough. so much stuff no one wants to do in lotro i want to do. 1000s of hours trying, getting no where. took everyone to gw2. we all play different hours but the crafting is what we care about. killing monsters should be easier. not some yahoo chat with some kid from another state or country telling me how to play. forget that.