The "it" factor to give to MAs to increase team need...

[Ctrlaltwin]

I don't know if this topic has ever been done in a single post...but what kind of new options would help make MA an increased assist to a team?

I was sit here thinking...what if we had a 8-15% (somewhere in there) crit aura we could give to our team. Or if we had some kind of way of reflecting dmg for the team through blockers (not special).

What are some of our fellow MAs ideas to increase the need for MAs in groups?

[Nab2000]

The new fears might help a bit, but I doubt it, since crats already have that role,
in a pure dd team they can even run crit aura.

I think you are on to something though. The ma new ma template might be deciding if we are considered top damage or not. Damage seems like the only real reason to grab an ma in team. Some are amazing tanks on single targets, but then they might not do that much damage, and it's certainly not a win-win situation.

Might be best if we came up with some really kungfu stuff. Already have the fear nanos called "Presence of the Master/Domniator" and they would really make good aura names, but I see it as a problem that crats/keepers have so many auras that whatever you do, it won't be original.

Maybe a team weapon range aura? ..pretty iffy I guess.

The ma attacks were once a help in teams, but again, other professions have gotten debuffs from those in alot stronger versions.


If heal/nano-delta ticking is being changed, maybe ma could have a special ability thats would enable them to tick faster? Spirit Focus or something..

The ability to reduce certain AC types and/or temp damage change buffs for the team.

[Jekonam]

I have the ultimate MA insurance (can dual log 220doc/crat).

[Sleincour]

I think we just need more DD capacity since we dont offer anything else to a team.

Not very creative though.

[Gatester]

I tank bosses with significantly better DD than an enforcer and less need for doctors. With the taunt, I'll have a position I can personally enjoy on my MA.

As far as other uses, we have useful tools that most just do not realize are very effective. There is probably more issues with a few professions being too effective rather than MA's not having much use.

[McKnuckleSamwich]

Imo, the crat crit aura belongs to the wrong prof. And, yes, thats one place to start.

take the crat crit aura away, give it to MA and beef it up.

At 220 endgame MA crit aura should do something like:

+23% crit for
-12% crit against
50 all evades

With all others scaling up to that level.

[Soliartist]

How is it supposed to happen, a crit aura that buffs evades ? x)

[Jekonam]

Look at advies and think how they got what they have.

[Ctrlaltwin]

Imo, the crat crit aura belongs to the wrong prof. And, yes, thats one place to start.

take the crat crit aura away, give it to MA and beef it up.

At 220 endgame MA crit aura should do something like:

+23% crit for
-12% crit against
50 all evades

With all others scaling up to that level.

I agree about the crit aura...both in not belonging to crats and that what you said. I think this single handedly would put MAs back on the grid.

Who would think twice about passing up that much love?

[Weltall]

solds/docs/enfs and especially crats just need a severe nerf in pvm and other profs will start being useful

The main problem I see with MAs (and in general the other DD profs in AO) is that profs such as crats and solds and other random support profs can do sorta similar damage to MAs. Yeah I know we can OD them (sometimes) but for a DD prof, our (and other DD profs') DD should be wayyyyy ahead of support and tank profs.

[Soliartist]

Look at advies and think how they got what they have.

We're talking about balance here. Use a bit of common sense, if you can/will to. You may have noticed that, despite the constant whines from a lot of MAs, nothing major actually happened. The things that happened lately are only related to our (sane) suggestions, and mostly mine have been taken into account, because they wouldn't change the whole game drastically. You know, things that'll make MAs a bit more practical to play, but nothing that will truly give us something new, even though I took care of reporting everything we stated together. So, in a way, be reasonable. Just like when you tell me "but you cannot represent the majority of us because you are different, get real", well, it's my turn to tell you to "get real".

There are a lot of good things in what you guys offer. Definitely. But you always tend to add something totally unrelated to your original point or suggestion. Which makes it "stupid", in a way. Or impossible to ever happen.
By the way, if I recall correctly, I think that I already suggested to turn our critical buffs into auras in order to be more attractive in people's eyes. I'm not quite sure about your reasoning though. It is pretty clear that FC is trying to remake this game so everything can make a bit of "sense". No more FoR, some Buff that would boost our Evades Skills even though it belonged to a different school in the first place. Why would we have three different MA Skill Buffs when we can turn them into one single thing. Things like that. Therefore, if you feel like suggesting something that may have a chance to hit live someday, you'd better avoid to mix things here and there. Or, offer different ways, from the "must" to the "would be awesome to have", to illustrate your reasoning.

Just my two cents.

[Weltall]

No more FoR, some Buff that would boost our Evades Skills even though it belonged to a different school in the first place. Why would we have three different MA Skill Buffs when we can turn them into one single thing. Things like that.

Well as for FoR, I think it was intended to possibly be a situational nano, since it originally debuffed RS and ACs and str (still debuffs ACs and str) though so I think the idea behind it was possibly a decent one. So it being in that school did made sense.

[Ctrlaltwin]

We're talking about balance here. Use a bit of common sense, if you can/will to.

...

Just my two cents.

I get where you are coming from in your wall of text. I just think we are looking at giving us more water'd down solutions to help MA vs revamping us with 1-2 things that can be GAME CHANGING (not OP or changes the entire game...but makes the MA gaming experience change). Through this, that is this "it" factor I am speaking of.

If you have suggested any, or know any of these "it" factors...post it here. I get some people are going to say things about the "average" ma, and how we want so much to become extremely powerful...blah blah. That is for another thread/post.

This here is about what can we get SOON, to help US become more viable for teams. I always think of it as Shade > soldier > engi > crat (Crat > high armor, MA > low armor) / MA > the rest in terms of dps. So our DD isn't the primary reason for invites...MoP is all we got. Just like you RARELY find ADVYs getting invites for heals...yet they want to buff our heals to put us almost on the ADVYs level of healing.

You can take away ALL these changes...and I would be very sad...but if we were given something for teams that truly changed our role, I'd take that > released changes. Bold statement...but unless you got good buddies you aren't doing crap with a MA in raiding.

[Vgman01]

solds/docs/enfs and especially crats just need a severe nerf in pvm and other profs will start being useful

The main problem I see with MAs (and in general the other DD profs in AO) is that profs such as crats and solds and other random support profs can do sorta similar damage to MAs. Yeah I know we can OD them (sometimes) but for a DD prof, our (and other DD profs') DD should be wayyyyy ahead of support and tank profs.

Gotta agree with this. Crat init debuffs are way over the top in pvm and their dd is very high also. Doc's should (i think) be getting healing nerfs with not being able to spam certian nano's any more so maybe that will give other profs with team healing cababilitys (like us ma's) more value in a team. Not sure how we could nerf solds or enf's though tbh.

Edit: Also gota agree with the crit arura, it could run like umbrall dose depending on the nano skill rec. So long as the actual aura part that our team mates get takes up a very small amount of ncu i think most would like it. Currently every one thinks " we gota get that crat cauz init debuffs are awsome" or "we neeed that sold because of reflects" why not grab an ma for a fairly large team dd boost?

[Obtena]

Nerfing other profs will never give any other prof some preferred position in a teaming situation. That's dumb think.

MA's, or other profs for that matter, want to be more useful for teams? Then FC needs to escalate the intoduction of more interesting PVM encounters, in general that takes advantage of the toolset the profs have. Controlling aggro are obvious routes forward for MA's because of their access to fears and taunts, without inventing some obvious and un-inspiring crits/evades aura that would just make PVM even more /AFK than it is now.

In addition, the 'stances' idea, to improve healing is a great concept.

[Ctrlaltwin]

... un-inspiring crits/evades aura that would just make PVM even more /AFK than it is now.

In addition, the 'stances' idea, to improve healing is a great concept.

Then that is on FC if they made it /afk after you get the said needed classes. I don't buy into buffing heals in stances to make us on par with adventurers. I don't see adventurers getting any more invites, just like I wouldn't see MAs.

Back to square one then? If auras aren't right, if healing isn't right...then how does the MA profession get properly fixed to be more useful in teams? Even if PVM isn't exciting...getting groups due to being DD, or being the taunt tank, or having crit auras is something IMPORTANT imho.

[AGPEcko]

I once read a make-believe situation-conversation in a team like thing.
And at one point in the convo. an add appears in the raid. And the MA's like "Awesome! 'Q'"
That's pretty much all we do. Just Q. And occasionally hit my "Perk everything" button. CD buff at times too!

[Youfirst]

We do(or should) at least use short damage buff too.... other than that it is indeed q afk-ish

[Jekonam]

There is a clear difference in our thinking. We don't obviously share the same belief of what MA's are at the moment. In my opinion, MA's are at the moment are one of the weakest professions in anarchy online, let it be pvm or pvp, since we have to consider the overall situation. We can do some DD, but thats it.

In order for us to be viable in both of these categories, we need something strong. There is no reason to take MA for optimal team for any instance, if we are truly speaking about optimal. MA's role is basically wannabe DD whore outdamaged by many professions. We don't have anything realistic to offer for a team. We are inbetween healer(what a joke) and DD, not the best, or second best, or third best on either of these roles.

When the base point of view is srewed, it leads to wrong assumptions which can lead to drastically wrong decisions later.

If you consider something "impossible" to get, its better to go with the truth than say that we don't need these things, which obviously is far away from the truth.

Im not going to bend over on this issue. MA's need some serious attention.

[Ctrlaltwin]

There is a clear difference in our thinking.

I am guessing you don't mean me, as I think the same on the weakness of MAs.

In my opinion, MA's are at the moment are one of the weakest professions in anarchy online, let it be pvm or pvp, since we have to consider the overall situation. We can do some DD, but thats it.

Agreed partially. As I've said before there are a lot of weak professions right now, and it shouldn't feel like we are the only ones. A guy referenced D&D in another post. AO has 14 professions...yet you only need 4 for raiding. 10 fill in professions. 10 professions looking for the "it" factor...or a change of mechanics.

MA's role is basically wannabe DD whore outdamaged by many professions. We don't have anything realistic to offer for a team. We are inbetween healer(what a joke) and DD, not the best, or second best, or third best on either of these roles.

I wouldn't say "many"...name a profession outside shades/soldiers/engis/crats that are out'dpsing us...let alone on aliens. SL and/or high AC...yeah, we are not much better them doc and the rest of the professions just fit in the thick somewhere.

But with this...what do you do about MA dmg in general? Increase it a lot and forget the other professions needing a DD increase?

Im not going to bend over on this issue. MA's need some serious attention.

I think you hit some crucial points, and then hit some bias points that really are generalizations and angry rants. Those don't usually prove points any more then screaming at people.

Edit: Another point, never saw you once really mention a solution to give us an "it" factor. None.