<laugh> distinguetraces, I hadn't read your post when I posted mine. I suspect we're working on the same wavelength.
Dev Question: Mage class Feedback
Débuté par
Victor Wachter
, févr. 06 2010 12:18
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#152
Posté 09 février 2010 - 07:16
nub5
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draxynnus wrote...
You kind of have the first point already - Blizzard grants an extra 50% fire resistance, which will drop the damage you take from Inferno substantially. I suspect what you had in mind is more of a "the two cancel each other out completely" thing, though, right?nub5 wrote...
Lack of counterspelling combos. Example would be enemy wizard cast inferno on the party. In response the mage cast blizzard on the party which cancels inferno and blizzard spells.
Inability to stack enchantments upon a weapons from the same mage.
The inability to stack enhancements from the same mage seems like it's a balance thing. Now, unless your party is filled with Arcane Warriors, you need to strike a balance between the number of characters sustaining enhancements and those using them - you can have all three going with only one character taking advantage, or you could have three characters taking advantage of one. Having three characters able to take advantage of three enhancements strikes me as a fast way to have a lot of damage add up.
Yes I want the two to cancel out, not take 1/2 fire damage and the effects of blizzard. This also have a benefit of making spell combo more desirable. Enemy mage hits me with blizzard, I need to cast inferno to cancel it before I get hit with Storm of the Century (which I couldn't cancel).
I feel that the penatly of keeping up the sustain enchantments would counter the balance of having all three enchantments.
#153
Posté 09 février 2010 - 08:41
Andari_Surana
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2nd post, was trying to think what the proper solution should be to this dislike before i posted it...but alas i'll leave that up to you guys, and just say what rubbed me a bit wrong...
Dislike:
The binary utility of many mage spells. Ex.Crowd Control spells. The way the game ramps up difficulty is just to give these spells less or no duration. So, for instance, a mage spends more time casting the spell mass paralysis then enemies actually stay paralyzed...
I don't know what the solution should be, but would like to see mage spells that are interesting that don't have to be nerfed to a momentary effect to make the game challenging.
Dislike:
The binary utility of many mage spells. Ex.Crowd Control spells. The way the game ramps up difficulty is just to give these spells less or no duration. So, for instance, a mage spends more time casting the spell mass paralysis then enemies actually stay paralyzed...
I don't know what the solution should be, but would like to see mage spells that are interesting that don't have to be nerfed to a momentary effect to make the game challenging.
#154
Posté 09 février 2010 - 10:23
NetBeansAndJava
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* What do you like and dislike about the Mage?
Like: The number of "tools" the mage has are staggering in comparison to the other classes.
Dislike: I dislike the fact that good gear for mages are few and far between... and 2/3 of the head gear models look down right terrible. Libertarian's Cowl comes to mind... it's like a circus hat.
* Is there anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
Underpowered: nothing
Overpowered: Some spells were OP like blizz and CP, but those got fixed.
* What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least favorite?
Favorite: AW and BM.
Least Favorite: Shapeshifter. Honestly, taking spell casting away from a mage is like throwing out all of your spell pts. Makes no sense.
* What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your least favorite?
Favorite: Entropy and Spirit. Entropy is a box of tools that are all useful. Spirit's last row contain some of the best spells in the game, even when nerfed.
Least Favorite: Creation. Heals are nice and glyphs are nice, but you can do w/o much of the creation tree. Plus, a lot of spells are only marginally useful.
Like: The number of "tools" the mage has are staggering in comparison to the other classes.
Dislike: I dislike the fact that good gear for mages are few and far between... and 2/3 of the head gear models look down right terrible. Libertarian's Cowl comes to mind... it's like a circus hat.
* Is there anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
Underpowered: nothing
Overpowered: Some spells were OP like blizz and CP, but those got fixed.
* What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least favorite?
Favorite: AW and BM.
Least Favorite: Shapeshifter. Honestly, taking spell casting away from a mage is like throwing out all of your spell pts. Makes no sense.
* What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your least favorite?
Favorite: Entropy and Spirit. Entropy is a box of tools that are all useful. Spirit's last row contain some of the best spells in the game, even when nerfed.
Least Favorite: Creation. Heals are nice and glyphs are nice, but you can do w/o much of the creation tree. Plus, a lot of spells are only marginally useful.
#155
Posté 09 février 2010 - 11:15
Bluto Blutarskyx
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i feel the mage class was overpowered in more than a few instances.
certain spells had way too quick a recharge time that allowed for spamming.
certain specializations like arcane warrior were absurdly overpowered and broken.
others- like the shapeshifter was so underpowered due to the glitch of not using spellpower for damage instead of str its a joke.
i would suggest doing away with a char specific shapeshifter option- and leave it ONLY for morrigan, and make the change near instantaneous, no casting time. the biggest drawback was not the str believe it or not- but the casting time that made the form shifting too slow to match the speed of combat.
certain spells had way too quick a recharge time that allowed for spamming.
certain specializations like arcane warrior were absurdly overpowered and broken.
others- like the shapeshifter was so underpowered due to the glitch of not using spellpower for damage instead of str its a joke.
i would suggest doing away with a char specific shapeshifter option- and leave it ONLY for morrigan, and make the change near instantaneous, no casting time. the biggest drawback was not the str believe it or not- but the casting time that made the form shifting too slow to match the speed of combat.
#156
Posté 09 février 2010 - 11:42
jpdipity
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I really enjoy playing as a mage. I played a mage in my first play through and she is still my favorite PC. I think that the schools and spells within them were well thought out.
I don’t think that spells for Mages are overpowered at all. It makes sense that someone with the ability to shoot fireballs from their fingertips should also be able to take out or immobilize a handful of enemies at once.
Although useful, it bothers me that you can get to level 4 of a tree within in a school without knowing a lick about any of the other very basic spells within that same school. If someone was learning spells, it is likely that they would learn the easy ones first and advance to the higher ones only after mastering the easy ones.
For example, you don’t learn how to add whole numbers and move onto adding decimals without first learning how to subtract, multiply and divide whole numbers. Likewise, I find it unrealistic that a Mage would learn a Blizzard spell without knowing a very basic fireball spell.
Currently, I cherry-pick a select few trees and master them without even bothering with the other basic spells. This allows my mage to learn from a variety of schools with a handful of very powerful spells.
To even this out a bit, perhaps force the player to learn all level 1 spells within a school before moving onto any level 3 spells. Learn all level 2 spells before unlocking level 4 spells within the same school. This would force me to pick and choose my level 4 spells very carefully, I would have fewer at my disposal and it would take a lot longer for me to get them. Although I didn’t do the math, the limitations on leveling up may be too strict right now for a system like this.
Overpowered: the Arcane Warrior is overpowered. Mages have great power at their fingertips. Their weak constitution and strength is what balances them. If you remove their fragility, you have removed any weakness and they become too powerful, in my opinion.
Spirit Healer is my favorite, but overall I am not a huge fan of the Mage specializations. I would prefer to see the specializations focus on the specific schools of magic. Give bonuses to primal spells when the Mage who specializes in Primal casts a primal spell. Or perhaps give the Mage with an Entropy specialization a set of anti-entropy spells to counteract the effects of spells within that school on their team.
I like a little bit of each talent tree. Most of my mages are well-rounded because I like to keep only 1 mage at a time in my group.
Overall, I am very pleased with the mages in DAO.
I don’t think that spells for Mages are overpowered at all. It makes sense that someone with the ability to shoot fireballs from their fingertips should also be able to take out or immobilize a handful of enemies at once.
Although useful, it bothers me that you can get to level 4 of a tree within in a school without knowing a lick about any of the other very basic spells within that same school. If someone was learning spells, it is likely that they would learn the easy ones first and advance to the higher ones only after mastering the easy ones.
For example, you don’t learn how to add whole numbers and move onto adding decimals without first learning how to subtract, multiply and divide whole numbers. Likewise, I find it unrealistic that a Mage would learn a Blizzard spell without knowing a very basic fireball spell.
Currently, I cherry-pick a select few trees and master them without even bothering with the other basic spells. This allows my mage to learn from a variety of schools with a handful of very powerful spells.
To even this out a bit, perhaps force the player to learn all level 1 spells within a school before moving onto any level 3 spells. Learn all level 2 spells before unlocking level 4 spells within the same school. This would force me to pick and choose my level 4 spells very carefully, I would have fewer at my disposal and it would take a lot longer for me to get them. Although I didn’t do the math, the limitations on leveling up may be too strict right now for a system like this.
Overpowered: the Arcane Warrior is overpowered. Mages have great power at their fingertips. Their weak constitution and strength is what balances them. If you remove their fragility, you have removed any weakness and they become too powerful, in my opinion.
Spirit Healer is my favorite, but overall I am not a huge fan of the Mage specializations. I would prefer to see the specializations focus on the specific schools of magic. Give bonuses to primal spells when the Mage who specializes in Primal casts a primal spell. Or perhaps give the Mage with an Entropy specialization a set of anti-entropy spells to counteract the effects of spells within that school on their team.
I like a little bit of each talent tree. Most of my mages are well-rounded because I like to keep only 1 mage at a time in my group.
Overall, I am very pleased with the mages in DAO.
#157
Posté 10 février 2010 - 12:53
Mummolus
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* What do you like and dislike about the Mage?
I like the fact that the mage specializations are each entirely unique - they do more than provide a boost to certain kinds of combat, they can completely alter how your character functions. I also like the fact that you can play through the game as a mage several times and still not have tried each talent tree. There is far more variety for mages than for any other class.
I dislike the fact that there is only one mage origin. I can see why it was done this way, but given that mages allow for more variety and different builds than any other class, having one origin we have to play through repeatedly seems counter-intuitive.
I also dislike the very few equipment options available to mages. There's basically nothing that looks unique, and in the case of headgear there's nothing that looks even reasonably good. It would be nice to be able to play a mage which doesn't look ridiculous and isn't an arcane warrior.
* Is there anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
Underpowered and overpowered are mostly meaningless terms when it comes to single-player games. That said, the shapeshifter specialization is essentially useless, since having a ranger in the party can give you the same benefits without costing you a party member.
* What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least favorite?
Blood mage is a very interesting specialization which seems like a lot more could have been done with it. The abilities available to them right now are neat and useful, but given that blood magic is advertised throughout the game as an entirely separate school, it seems like there should be more of them.
Shapeshifter is an interesting concept but sadly lacking in-game. If the shapeshifter could still cast spells while shifted, it would fix many of the problems with the shapeshifter spec, but right now a ranger can do all the same things without any penalty.
Arcane Warrior is intriguing and enjoyable to play, but having to sheathe weapons to cast most spells is a huge and irritating downside.
Spirit Healer has its place, but like blood magic it seems like there should be more spells available to the spec. Something to do with harnessing the power of benevolent rather than demonic spirits, perhaps - blood mages throughout the game (although not player controlled bloog mages) summon demons and shades, why not have spirit healers able to invoke a spirit of valor or something similar to fight alongside the party?
* What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your least favorite?
I enjoy each talent tree depending on how I'm playing a given character. That said, the tree ending with the 'haste' effect is almost entirely useless except for haste, which is so good as to be almost essential. Raise dead does not make much sense where it is, either, and crushing prison should probably be switched with force field given how powerful force field can be.
I like the fact that the mage specializations are each entirely unique - they do more than provide a boost to certain kinds of combat, they can completely alter how your character functions. I also like the fact that you can play through the game as a mage several times and still not have tried each talent tree. There is far more variety for mages than for any other class.
I dislike the fact that there is only one mage origin. I can see why it was done this way, but given that mages allow for more variety and different builds than any other class, having one origin we have to play through repeatedly seems counter-intuitive.
I also dislike the very few equipment options available to mages. There's basically nothing that looks unique, and in the case of headgear there's nothing that looks even reasonably good. It would be nice to be able to play a mage which doesn't look ridiculous and isn't an arcane warrior.
* Is there anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
Underpowered and overpowered are mostly meaningless terms when it comes to single-player games. That said, the shapeshifter specialization is essentially useless, since having a ranger in the party can give you the same benefits without costing you a party member.
* What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least favorite?
Blood mage is a very interesting specialization which seems like a lot more could have been done with it. The abilities available to them right now are neat and useful, but given that blood magic is advertised throughout the game as an entirely separate school, it seems like there should be more of them.
Shapeshifter is an interesting concept but sadly lacking in-game. If the shapeshifter could still cast spells while shifted, it would fix many of the problems with the shapeshifter spec, but right now a ranger can do all the same things without any penalty.
Arcane Warrior is intriguing and enjoyable to play, but having to sheathe weapons to cast most spells is a huge and irritating downside.
Spirit Healer has its place, but like blood magic it seems like there should be more spells available to the spec. Something to do with harnessing the power of benevolent rather than demonic spirits, perhaps - blood mages throughout the game (although not player controlled bloog mages) summon demons and shades, why not have spirit healers able to invoke a spirit of valor or something similar to fight alongside the party?
* What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your least favorite?
I enjoy each talent tree depending on how I'm playing a given character. That said, the tree ending with the 'haste' effect is almost entirely useless except for haste, which is so good as to be almost essential. Raise dead does not make much sense where it is, either, and crushing prison should probably be switched with force field given how powerful force field can be.
Modifié par Mummolus, 10 février 2010 - 12:54 .
#158
Posté 10 février 2010 - 01:22
Nachoman Randy 666
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Victor Wachter wrote...
* What do you like and dislike about the Mage?
* Is there anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
* What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least favorite?
* What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your least favorite?
1) I really, really liked the origin and the background of the mage. Being gifted/cursed, great power great responsibility thing is awesome. "Magic must serve the man, and never rule over him" That was awesome, no less I expect form bioware. But what I truly dislike about the mage is the gear. I play arcane warrior, a baddass who use magi as steroidzzz, however i must play the first 7 levels like a normal mage, and the robes just suck. Even if y played a normal mage, I would have a real problem with the robes... the only ones cool are morrigan's and that was for her alone. The cowls looks awful, really awful, why not capes like the sacred ashes trailer? That would be good enough for a mage.
2) Too much CC. This is both good and bad. Good when you are using it, bad when enemy mages are using it. The hit rating of the arcane warrior just want me to stab my face. And in the xbox version I can see my aracen warrior attack rating, so I just don't know if I need more dexterity or magic, and that kinda blows.
3) Arcane Warrior is the most awesome thing ever. Shapeshifther is bad. I most of the time ignore those talents form morrigan and just make her a control caster with curses. The problem is the cast time, and combat is so god damn fast thant you mostly dont have time for depleting your mana bar and the shapeshifting. Also most nightmare ppl tend to kill you very easy in bear form.
Blood mage is as awesome like arcane warrior, and both play very, very well.
4) HASTE IS AWESOME! The only problem are those lame spells, 3 in fact, that you must get. I get it really, haste is just that goddamn good, but still would be nice some useful stuff while you are leveling to get it. The primordial line is all well, no complains there except the chain lighting, cast time and not that much damage.
Blood sacrifice should let you target controlled monsters, but maybe is overpowered, i dont know.
#159
Posté 10 février 2010 - 03:08
SeanMurphy2
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* What do you like and dislike about the Mage?
I thought the system was well designed and worked well. I could zoom out and precisely aim my spells. The sustains, cooldowns and mana system were intuitive. I also could easily understand what was happening during combat. There was variety in the type of spells.
* What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least favorite?
I always used the Spirit Healer. I did not use the other ones that often. Though they do offer a different style of play.
* Is there anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
People seemed to have difficulty with some of the ambush encounters. Where it would seem like they would need to have a mage who picked the right spells. This would be more of an issue early in the game.
Spell formulas or better descriptions could be useful on a first playthrough trying to pick spells. (though I realise there were translation issues)
* What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your least favorite?
On my first playthrough I used Ice (a lot), Fire and Sleep. On my second playthrough I liked the Glyphs, Spirit healer and the Heroic tree. It was an entirely different playstyle.
I thought the system was well designed and worked well. I could zoom out and precisely aim my spells. The sustains, cooldowns and mana system were intuitive. I also could easily understand what was happening during combat. There was variety in the type of spells.
* What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least favorite?
I always used the Spirit Healer. I did not use the other ones that often. Though they do offer a different style of play.
* Is there anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
People seemed to have difficulty with some of the ambush encounters. Where it would seem like they would need to have a mage who picked the right spells. This would be more of an issue early in the game.
Spell formulas or better descriptions could be useful on a first playthrough trying to pick spells. (though I realise there were translation issues)
* What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your least favorite?
On my first playthrough I used Ice (a lot), Fire and Sleep. On my second playthrough I liked the Glyphs, Spirit healer and the Heroic tree. It was an entirely different playstyle.
#160
Posté 10 février 2010 - 05:05
AngryFrozenWater
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What do you like and dislike about the Mage?
I like its ranged combat, crowd control and healing capabilities. I dislike the mage's robes and especially the hats. There isn't variety and the hats look silly.
Is there anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
The Arcane Warrior has no armor dedicated to the class and thus you are forced to use armor which does not benefit that class or wear silly robes and a hat. I usually wear the Helm of Honnleath in combination with the Tevinter Mage Robes. I don't want the Reaper's Vestments because I won't give up the spellpower bonus of the Tevinter Mage Robes. I don't want the Staff of the Magister Lord either, because I am not willing to give up the spellpower bonus of Final Reason. And please don't nerf the cheaper items. Instead improve the expensive ones to have an upgrade path. But again, please don't nerf. In that respect the class is underpowered. The class really needs some good tier 7 armor. Not one set, but at least light, medium and heavy. And the class needs a tier 7 blade. Six won't do for a legendary class. It would surely make me want to use the sword some more. It also seems that the blade skills need some attention. If the Arcane Warrior is a swords wizard too than his skills should refelect that. Some spells require the Arcane Warrior to sheath his/her weapon. For the love of Andraste, please remove that. I still can't figure out which spell belongs to which weapon state. Look at this page: Arcane Warrior Spellcasting. It clearly sums up what state belongs to what spell.
What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least favorite?
My favorite is the Arcane Warrior. My least favorite is the Shapeshifter. I often use Blood Mage just for the stats, but I rarely use its spells. I also find it odd that being a Blood Mage doesn't impact the game: I can make Wynne a Blood Mage and she still keeps getting angry whenever she talks about blood magic. She should clearly change her attitude or object.
What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your least favorite?
I rarely complete an entire tree. I use the spells that I think are best. But I always make sure to complete the Mage tree (i.e. reach Arcane Mastery) and the tree of my specialization class (i.e. for Arcane Warrior reach Fade Shroud) The ones I use most are:
Winter's Grasp
Cone of Cold'
Blizzard
Stonefist
Arcane Bolt
Lightning
Heal
Mind Blast
Weakness
Paralyze
Miasma
Mass Paralysis
Vulnerability Hex
Sleep
Waking Nightmare
Drain Life
Death Magic
Curse of Mortality
Death Cloud
Group Heal
Revival
Lifeward
I like its ranged combat, crowd control and healing capabilities. I dislike the mage's robes and especially the hats. There isn't variety and the hats look silly.
Is there anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
The Arcane Warrior has no armor dedicated to the class and thus you are forced to use armor which does not benefit that class or wear silly robes and a hat. I usually wear the Helm of Honnleath in combination with the Tevinter Mage Robes. I don't want the Reaper's Vestments because I won't give up the spellpower bonus of the Tevinter Mage Robes. I don't want the Staff of the Magister Lord either, because I am not willing to give up the spellpower bonus of Final Reason. And please don't nerf the cheaper items. Instead improve the expensive ones to have an upgrade path. But again, please don't nerf. In that respect the class is underpowered. The class really needs some good tier 7 armor. Not one set, but at least light, medium and heavy. And the class needs a tier 7 blade. Six won't do for a legendary class. It would surely make me want to use the sword some more. It also seems that the blade skills need some attention. If the Arcane Warrior is a swords wizard too than his skills should refelect that. Some spells require the Arcane Warrior to sheath his/her weapon. For the love of Andraste, please remove that. I still can't figure out which spell belongs to which weapon state. Look at this page: Arcane Warrior Spellcasting. It clearly sums up what state belongs to what spell.
What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least favorite?
My favorite is the Arcane Warrior. My least favorite is the Shapeshifter. I often use Blood Mage just for the stats, but I rarely use its spells. I also find it odd that being a Blood Mage doesn't impact the game: I can make Wynne a Blood Mage and she still keeps getting angry whenever she talks about blood magic. She should clearly change her attitude or object.
What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your least favorite?
I rarely complete an entire tree. I use the spells that I think are best. But I always make sure to complete the Mage tree (i.e. reach Arcane Mastery) and the tree of my specialization class (i.e. for Arcane Warrior reach Fade Shroud) The ones I use most are:
Winter's Grasp
Cone of Cold'
Blizzard
Stonefist
Arcane Bolt
Lightning
Heal
Mind Blast
Weakness
Paralyze
Miasma
Mass Paralysis
Vulnerability Hex
Sleep
Waking Nightmare
Drain Life
Death Magic
Curse of Mortality
Death Cloud
Group Heal
Revival
Lifeward
Modifié par AngryFrozenWater, 10 février 2010 - 05:14 .
#161
Posté 10 février 2010 - 07:07
Cyr8
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Let me put my two cents in
* What do you like and dislike about the Mage?
I love the story and lore behind mages. That they are so powerful that they must be kept away from others. Some say it's overpowered but I like it. What I don't like are the outfits. They just don't look visually as exciting as the ones for the warrior. And what is there for the Arcane Warrior? I downloaded an armor set for it (mod), but I feel that I'm somehow cheating. It would be nice if there were a few good armor sets (you know, recharge health and mana, add willpower, etc) for the Arcane Warrior.
I also like that, of all the classes, this one is the most customizable.
* Is there
anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
Underpowered? there's not much underpowered about the mages. Overpowered? Well, I do like the balance of health vs. might. But sometimes it seems like they are too powerful. For example, I can set up earthquake to get a group of enemies so they keep on falling. Then I set up the inferno power/blizzard power/electric storm power and it's over. That's good, but sometimes it seems like cheating. Don't know exactly if you can do anything about that, but just sayin.
*
What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least
favorite?
Let me start with the worst. Oh god, the shapeshifting. Many people have harped on it already, but I just need to add my distaste. Hopefully you'll just nix it all together because it's ****ing useless. I like the swarming bees (at least the look) but it seemed very useless when I did it. I wasn't sure if I was hurting the enemy or not. And it takes FOREVER to turn into something. Leave the animals to the rogues.
I like Arcane Warrior and the Healer specs. Arcane Warrior is awesome. I have three playtrhorugs. On my rogue one I have both Morrigan and Wynne as AWs. I just want more full armor sets (there are none) for them. And, when the user makes a mage AW, let them decide if they want them to be sword and shield or two handed, and thus choose one or two talents from their trees (no more than two). And for God's sake, let the 'Mage' (arcane bolt, etc) skill tree, when full, allow the mage to cast spells faster with armor on. With the way things happen in the game, one character can lose half their health in the time it takes to put the weapons away and cast.
The healer is good for obvious reasons. Like all the powers. The blood mage is interesting, but when I make Wynne a blood mage would like some story stuff. When I did that, i thought she would freak out that she was a blood mage and try to kill me, or that she would be hunted down by the Templars. And i didn't really have a lot of occasion to turn it on. Maybe , when you change to Blood mage, take out 30 points from Willpower and put those points automatically into constitution for the blood aspect. That would make it more useful.
* What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your
least favorite?
I haven't yet chosen a single tree and stuck by it, due to the customization (love it) but I do like some things from all of them (primal and entropy ones ar the best). I think the creation one seems the weakest and is my least favorite. I like the one of heal thing, and it compliments the healing spec, but I'm not really a fan of the rest. They seem kinda useless. All specs should have offensive spells, and each time I glance over it, it doesn't seem to have one.
* What do you like and dislike about the Mage?
I love the story and lore behind mages. That they are so powerful that they must be kept away from others. Some say it's overpowered but I like it. What I don't like are the outfits. They just don't look visually as exciting as the ones for the warrior. And what is there for the Arcane Warrior? I downloaded an armor set for it (mod), but I feel that I'm somehow cheating. It would be nice if there were a few good armor sets (you know, recharge health and mana, add willpower, etc) for the Arcane Warrior.
I also like that, of all the classes, this one is the most customizable.
* Is there
anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
Underpowered? there's not much underpowered about the mages. Overpowered? Well, I do like the balance of health vs. might. But sometimes it seems like they are too powerful. For example, I can set up earthquake to get a group of enemies so they keep on falling. Then I set up the inferno power/blizzard power/electric storm power and it's over. That's good, but sometimes it seems like cheating. Don't know exactly if you can do anything about that, but just sayin.
*
What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least
favorite?
Let me start with the worst. Oh god, the shapeshifting. Many people have harped on it already, but I just need to add my distaste. Hopefully you'll just nix it all together because it's ****ing useless. I like the swarming bees (at least the look) but it seemed very useless when I did it. I wasn't sure if I was hurting the enemy or not. And it takes FOREVER to turn into something. Leave the animals to the rogues.
I like Arcane Warrior and the Healer specs. Arcane Warrior is awesome. I have three playtrhorugs. On my rogue one I have both Morrigan and Wynne as AWs. I just want more full armor sets (there are none) for them. And, when the user makes a mage AW, let them decide if they want them to be sword and shield or two handed, and thus choose one or two talents from their trees (no more than two). And for God's sake, let the 'Mage' (arcane bolt, etc) skill tree, when full, allow the mage to cast spells faster with armor on. With the way things happen in the game, one character can lose half their health in the time it takes to put the weapons away and cast.
The healer is good for obvious reasons. Like all the powers. The blood mage is interesting, but when I make Wynne a blood mage would like some story stuff. When I did that, i thought she would freak out that she was a blood mage and try to kill me, or that she would be hunted down by the Templars. And i didn't really have a lot of occasion to turn it on. Maybe , when you change to Blood mage, take out 30 points from Willpower and put those points automatically into constitution for the blood aspect. That would make it more useful.
* What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your
least favorite?
I haven't yet chosen a single tree and stuck by it, due to the customization (love it) but I do like some things from all of them (primal and entropy ones ar the best). I think the creation one seems the weakest and is my least favorite. I like the one of heal thing, and it compliments the healing spec, but I'm not really a fan of the rest. They seem kinda useless. All specs should have offensive spells, and each time I glance over it, it doesn't seem to have one.
#162
Posté 10 février 2010 - 08:25
draxynnus
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Arbitrary restriction. More elegant by far is to allow both lines to be taken, but to make them interact in antisynergistic ways - say, by making cold spells douse fire damage and fire spells thaw out enemies slowed or frozen by cold.Pubknight wrote...
- Some mutual exclusivity in spells would be nice too... for example, taking the ice elemental line excludes you from taking the fire elemental line
Ack. And here people, including myself, have been saying that one of the big advantages is that you aren't forced to acquire spells along arbitrary division lines, and can pick up what you think is fitting for your character.jpdipity wrote...
Although useful, it bothers me that you can get to level 4 of a tree within in a school without knowing a lick about any of the other very basic spells within that same school. If someone was learning spells, it is likely that they would learn the easy ones first and advance to the higher ones only after mastering the easy ones.
For example, you don’t learn how to add whole numbers and move onto adding decimals without first learning how to subtract, multiply and divide whole numbers. Likewise, I find it unrealistic that a Mage would learn a Blizzard spell without knowing a very basic fireball spell.
Currently, I cherry-pick a select few trees and master them without even bothering with the other basic spells. This allows my mage to learn from a variety of schools with a handful of very powerful spells.
To even this out a bit, perhaps force the player to learn all level 1 spells within a school before moving onto any level 3 spells. Learn all level 2 spells before unlocking level 4 spells within the same school. This would force me to pick and choose my level 4 spells very carefully, I would have fewer at my disposal and it would take a lot longer for me to get them. Although I didn’t do the math, the limitations on leveling up may be too strict right now for a system like this.
Why would a Snow Queen-type character want to pick up fire spells, let alone need to to learn more powerful spells in a branch which, apart from being under the general "elemental" banner, is pretty much its direct opposite? Why would a goody-two-shoes wouldn't-hurt-a-fly healer and support mage be required to dabble in death magic in order to learn advanced anti-magic techniques? Mathematical techniques have the thing that they often build on each other - although not as linearly as your analogy claims (it may not be the generally done thing, but I can see it being possible to teach, say, decimals without fractions, and at more advanced levels it becomes quite possible to have an advanced knowledge in some mathematical branches while being completely ignorant of others. I know.) - while when it comes to the magic schools... there simply is no clear progression from being able to conjure a wisp of magical power and bestowing the gift of regeneration on your allies. Learning from the full range of Primal spells may give you a greater understanding of the elements, but is being able to turn your skin into stone really a prerequisite of generating a lightning storm?
Sure, I'm willing to accept that some incentive to specialise in a given school is worthwhile - greater access to good spell combinations, say, or has been suggested earlier, a bonus that is granted for spells within a school proportional to the number of spells known in that school. However, if you start making it a restriction rather than an incentive, than some of the non-traditional locations of spell lines such as Death being in Spirit rather than Entropy are going to start to matter.
#163
Posté 10 février 2010 - 09:55
AngryFrozenWater
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I don't like the trend of nerfing single players games. You will step on toes of people who like the features and in the worst situation you end up with blowing up all stats like they did in ME2 - leaving you with an almost empty RPG shell. It's just something to consider. I don't want DA:O to become an over simplified fantasy adventure with RPG elements. 
Please try to dream up features that solve the problems by improvement. and not by taking away or restricting stuff.
Please try to dream up features that solve the problems by improvement. and not by taking away or restricting stuff.
#164
Posté 10 février 2010 - 10:01
Tekkaman Saber
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Specialisations....
I felt that near to the end game my Arcane warrior was abit over powered.
I noticed a glitch wherecertain spells would not be castable without a staff, perhaps this could be purposly implemented for non specialisation higher tier spells so that the Arcane warrior would be more balanced.
Perhaps some weapons/armour could be implemented that are class specific this isn't just for arcane warrior but all specs.
I have not made a blood mage yet so I cannot comment on the talents it offers.
Shapechanger I feel is underpowered in comparison to AW, perhaps a systemm could be implemented where the new forms stats are based on the mages initial magic stat?
I felt that the summoning abilities was under powered.
I felt that near to the end game my Arcane warrior was abit over powered.
I noticed a glitch wherecertain spells would not be castable without a staff, perhaps this could be purposly implemented for non specialisation higher tier spells so that the Arcane warrior would be more balanced.
Perhaps some weapons/armour could be implemented that are class specific this isn't just for arcane warrior but all specs.
I have not made a blood mage yet so I cannot comment on the talents it offers.
Shapechanger I feel is underpowered in comparison to AW, perhaps a systemm could be implemented where the new forms stats are based on the mages initial magic stat?
I felt that the summoning abilities was under powered.
#165
Posté 10 février 2010 - 10:14
AngryFrozenWater
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Ow... I am not sure if this is the right place or not, but there is an awful bug in the end game which causes nearly all spells to fail. No matter who casts them. It feels like there is a limit to the number of spells that can be cast at a time and it seems to be worse if you call the Circle Mages to your aid. I stood there incapable of casting 99% of the time. I just avoided the enemies and casted spells onto the dragon and waited until the health bar of the dragon finally dropped to near 0 to slay it with a sword. Very tiresome.
BTW: I have played the end game 4 times with mages. The problem is reproducable in any of those games. If BioWare wants the saved games then I can upload them. I am a bit of a lunatic so I have saved games of nearly any step I make in a playthrough.
BTW: I have played the end game 4 times with mages. The problem is reproducable in any of those games. If BioWare wants the saved games then I can upload them. I am a bit of a lunatic so I have saved games of nearly any step I make in a playthrough.
Modifié par AngryFrozenWater, 10 février 2010 - 10:20 .
#166
Posté 10 février 2010 - 11:28
Haplose
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Hmm... I think the solution to the general lack of focus and cherrypicking the best spells of the Mage class could be in making multiple new specializations, such as for example Elementalist, Warlock, Shaman and Conjurer (alongside the already existing one).
Not having those specializations wouldn't prevent you from selecting these spells, but a specialist would learn to magnify these effects and add some secondary effects. Maybe alter the shape and range as well. Maybe enable more spell combos.
This would mean that picking Aracane Warrior, Blood Mage or Spirit Healer actually has some cost of lost opportunities - your other spells could be more potent/effective from a more spellcasting school focus instead.
Not having those specializations wouldn't prevent you from selecting these spells, but a specialist would learn to magnify these effects and add some secondary effects. Maybe alter the shape and range as well. Maybe enable more spell combos.
This would mean that picking Aracane Warrior, Blood Mage or Spirit Healer actually has some cost of lost opportunities - your other spells could be more potent/effective from a more spellcasting school focus instead.
#167
Posté 10 février 2010 - 03:56
Thourton
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* What do you like and dislike about the Mage?
My favorite thing about the mage is the variety. My first mage was a CC/healer, and I was certain he was the greatest thing ever. Then I played a Primal mage, and he was equally powerful but in completely different ways.
As stated many times, the mage armor is lousy. Warriors and Rogues get spiffy armor sets, and though it's nice to be able to freely mix and match armor pieces, the mage armor design is... odd? Feather shoulderpads?
* Is there anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
Mage aoe is definitely overpowered. Whether it's CC or straight dps, a mage can completely neutralize an entire room with 2-3 spells.
The only thing underpowered would be Shapeshifting, and really that's only because of the cast time. If my mage could cast Paralysis Explosion and then instant Swarm form, he'd actually be able to contribute to the fight before it ends.
* What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least favorite?
My favorite specialization is Spirit Healer -- all the spells provided are useful and Group Heal is almost a must.
Least favorite is of course Shapeshifting -- and again, only because of the cast times.
* What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your least favorite?
Favorite talent tree would definitely be Spirit. The entire Telekinetic line is just fantastic, and the Death line is a lot of fun. Creation is another good tree simply because the first Healing spell is a staple to any mage build. But the Glyph line is also extremely useful.
Least favorite tree would be Entropy -- I've never used it and never considered it. There just seems to be too many other better spells.
My favorite thing about the mage is the variety. My first mage was a CC/healer, and I was certain he was the greatest thing ever. Then I played a Primal mage, and he was equally powerful but in completely different ways.
As stated many times, the mage armor is lousy. Warriors and Rogues get spiffy armor sets, and though it's nice to be able to freely mix and match armor pieces, the mage armor design is... odd? Feather shoulderpads?
* Is there anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
Mage aoe is definitely overpowered. Whether it's CC or straight dps, a mage can completely neutralize an entire room with 2-3 spells.
The only thing underpowered would be Shapeshifting, and really that's only because of the cast time. If my mage could cast Paralysis Explosion and then instant Swarm form, he'd actually be able to contribute to the fight before it ends.
* What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least favorite?
My favorite specialization is Spirit Healer -- all the spells provided are useful and Group Heal is almost a must.
Least favorite is of course Shapeshifting -- and again, only because of the cast times.
* What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your least favorite?
Favorite talent tree would definitely be Spirit. The entire Telekinetic line is just fantastic, and the Death line is a lot of fun. Creation is another good tree simply because the first Healing spell is a staple to any mage build. But the Glyph line is also extremely useful.
Least favorite tree would be Entropy -- I've never used it and never considered it. There just seems to be too many other better spells.
#168
Posté 10 février 2010 - 05:04
RedBaron3
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Arcane Warrior is way, way overpowered on the mages.
#169
Posté 10 février 2010 - 05:06
RedBaron3
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Shapeshifter, on the other hand, is significantly underpowered. I lose all of my spellcasting abilities for the ability to DPS or tank? Admittedly, I'm the best tank, but by the time my spellpower is at a place where I can do some serious damage, I already have a massive array of magical might that I can use with impunity anyways.
#170
Posté 10 février 2010 - 05:42
Pyltsi
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I think shapeshifter is actually quite interesting specialization. Sure you lose your ability to cast spells but think of the storyline. A wilder chasind mage who was send to the circle despite his/her wishes. Learned in the forgotten arts and other shamanic spells like glyphs, hexes and other entropy spells.
I mean ofcourse it doesn't fit to the nightmare level but what about normal-hard. You don't have to think only about the tactical difficulty. Try to explore the world and such.
I mean ofcourse it doesn't fit to the nightmare level but what about normal-hard. You don't have to think only about the tactical difficulty. Try to explore the world and such.
#171
Posté 10 février 2010 - 07:06
Nerdage
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Seems to me mages should be overpowered, makes more sense than having them balanced with the other classes, especially considering some of the stories you hear in the game, like some of the things about the tevinter imperium.
#172
Posté 10 février 2010 - 09:56
Morroian
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Exactly, IMHO the power level is about right. I'm playing on nightmare with 1 mage in my party and its still hard, especially against boss level enemies.nerdage wrote...
Seems to me mages should be overpowered, makes more sense than having them balanced with the other classes, especially considering some of the stories you hear in the game, like some of the things about the tevinter imperium.
#173
Posté 10 février 2010 - 10:09
Omoplata777
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* What do you like and dislike about the Mage?
I like the mage because it's a class that should be part of every group, but I also dislike the fact that Mages in DAO have way to much utility versus their weaknesses.
I wish there would have been a priest class for healing/buffing instead of Mage. Just another reason Mages offer so much more then any other class.
Not so much a Mage dislike but potions really need to cool-down timer. Being able to use them any time you are low just ruins the strategic value of managing your Mana or Health.
* Is there anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
Underpowered -
Shapeshifting - It doesn't make sense to shapeshift when Mages have so much more to offer otherwise. It would be nice if you could cast certain spells while shapeshifted maybe certain spells when in certain forms, or at least give the different forms some unique abilities for that form.
Overpowered - Where do I start.
AOE damage spells (like Blizzard) don't require LOS. (I refuse to use them because of this)
Way to much crowd control.
Arcane Warrior is just over the top OP.
* What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least favorite?
I like Blood Mage and Spirithealer (As I mentioned before, I wish there would have been a priest class for healing)
Shapeshifting is my least favorite in the current state of the game.
* What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your least favorite?
I like the glyphs, heal line, any of the sustained abilities, and sleep line.
Dislike the summoning line, and any of the AOE damage spells do to lack of LOS.
I like the mage because it's a class that should be part of every group, but I also dislike the fact that Mages in DAO have way to much utility versus their weaknesses.
I wish there would have been a priest class for healing/buffing instead of Mage. Just another reason Mages offer so much more then any other class.
Not so much a Mage dislike but potions really need to cool-down timer. Being able to use them any time you are low just ruins the strategic value of managing your Mana or Health.
* Is there anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
Underpowered -
Shapeshifting - It doesn't make sense to shapeshift when Mages have so much more to offer otherwise. It would be nice if you could cast certain spells while shapeshifted maybe certain spells when in certain forms, or at least give the different forms some unique abilities for that form.
Overpowered - Where do I start.
AOE damage spells (like Blizzard) don't require LOS. (I refuse to use them because of this)
Way to much crowd control.
Arcane Warrior is just over the top OP.
* What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least favorite?
I like Blood Mage and Spirithealer (As I mentioned before, I wish there would have been a priest class for healing)
Shapeshifting is my least favorite in the current state of the game.
* What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your least favorite?
I like the glyphs, heal line, any of the sustained abilities, and sleep line.
Dislike the summoning line, and any of the AOE damage spells do to lack of LOS.
#174
Posté 10 février 2010 - 10:12
1varangian
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I forgot something!
One thing I really miss is the mages reciting their spells. The verbal part goes a really long way into making spellcasters feel more mystical and intriguing.
The Dragon Age casting system could have more variation in casting times, making recitals possible. Some spells could be instant while others, more powerful stuff especially, could have words spoken while the mages conjure up the spells.
For instance, Glyph of Paralyzation could have a longer casting time, but be more potent than Paralyze. That would make the glyph more defensive and potent instead of both spells being used in a similar fashion.
The DA spell system is more flexible than the DD spell system and I think that flexibility could be used a bit more!
One thing I really miss is the mages reciting their spells. The verbal part goes a really long way into making spellcasters feel more mystical and intriguing.
The Dragon Age casting system could have more variation in casting times, making recitals possible. Some spells could be instant while others, more powerful stuff especially, could have words spoken while the mages conjure up the spells.
For instance, Glyph of Paralyzation could have a longer casting time, but be more potent than Paralyze. That would make the glyph more defensive and potent instead of both spells being used in a similar fashion.
The DA spell system is more flexible than the DD spell system and I think that flexibility could be used a bit more!
Modifié par 1varangian, 11 février 2010 - 01:09 .
#175
Posté 10 février 2010 - 11:17
silver-crescent
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* What do you like and dislike about the Mage?
I like the variety of magic that there is avable, though a significant part of it really isn't that useful. Dislike that there is such a minuscule amount of clothes/headgear/staves, and that none of the available ones look particularly interesting.
* Is there anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
The Shapeshifter spec is definitely underpowered.
* What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least favorite?
Favourite is by far the Spirit Healer spec, it's quite possibly the most useful set of 4 skills mages can get.
To be honest I'm not too keen on any of the other 3. Shapeshifter is especially bad.
* What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your least favorite?
I like the variety of magic that there is avable, though a significant part of it really isn't that useful. Dislike that there is such a minuscule amount of clothes/headgear/staves, and that none of the available ones look particularly interesting.
* Is there anything that you feel that is underpowered or overpowered on the Mage?
The Shapeshifter spec is definitely underpowered.
* What are your favorite Mage specializations? What are your least favorite?
Favourite is by far the Spirit Healer spec, it's quite possibly the most useful set of 4 skills mages can get.
To be honest I'm not too keen on any of the other 3. Shapeshifter is especially bad.
* What are your favorite Mage talent trees? What are your least favorite?
