Official: Assume Aspect: Owl (650) Nerf (From 6/2/09)

[Fallen]

Not sure if this has been posted here, but this was discussed recently and I didn't see it in the Ranger folder.
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One benefit of the recent enhancive changes and subsequent modifications to Assume Aspect allows for Rangers to regenerate spirit via the Owl aspect. While the added utility is a desirable one, the long-term magnitude of spirit regenerated was a bit over the top.

The aspect was therefore adjusted this evening to continue to provide the spirit gain, but to a slightly lesser degree. The first shift to Owl will still preserve the disparity between the Ranger's maximum spirit and current spirit (as it currently does). When the shift ends, the extra spirit will be maintained.

Subsequent shifts to Owl within a 10 minute period will only provide 1 spirit to the Ranger's current pool, which will be retained when the aspect ends.

For example:
Initial Owl Shift:
Ranger has 7/10 spirit.
Ranger assumes Owl, and is now at 9/12 spirit.
Owl aspect fades, leaving Ranger at 9/10 spirit.

Subsequent Owl Shift, within 10 minutes of the first:
Ranger has 7/10 spirit.
Ranger assumes Owl, and is now at 8/12 spirit.
Owl aspect fades, leaving Ranger at 8/10 spirit.

The health-gaining portions of the Bear aspect are unaffected by this modification.

-M.

[Bhuryn]

I wonder how many of these changes are going to be retracted when they nerf wracking.

[Fallen]

I wonder how many of these changes are going to be retracted when they nerf wracking.

Depends on how they do it. If they stick wracking on a timer, then yah. If they make it cost more spirit, then no. If there was any justification for ranger guild skills, it would be awesome if they could make totems/talismans which can be used to augment the duration/benefits of 650.

[NocturnalRob]

I wonder how many of these changes are going to be retracted when they nerf wracking.
i'm not worried about it because it's never gonna happen.

RIGHT?!?

[Bhuryn]

You know they're going to put a timer on it =P. To me spirit regen rates are the one old world thing I think they still need to change.

[Bhuryn]

i'm not worried about it because it's never gonna happen.

RIGHT?!?

They'll do it just to spite Viril

[NocturnalRob]

hahaha...i usually only get one shot of it in the Rift (fucking spirit drain), so I guess it won't matter until I leave. I can see how a timer would be a massive pain in the ass though.

[Bhuryn]

I actually moved most of my decent con/affordable PT toons over to GoS. My wizard is really the only character I play that's still in COL and thats mostly because I can't afford to to train anymore PT.

[Renian]

I don't think I would mind too much if they made it so wracking's timer was you having to regenerate 5 spirit points, thus making it vary on race. That way small races with massive spirit regen don't get screwed.

[Drew]

Good nerf guys, the spell is already worthless but let's just make sure that no one has any desire to use it (this is why my ranger doesn't even know 650).

[Bhuryn]

I don't think I would mind too much if they made it so wracking's timer was you having to regenerate 5 spirit points, thus making it vary on race. That way small races with massive spirit regen don't get screwed.

Or giants, or humans, or dwarves. It's basically just elves that get shafted on spirit regen.

[Fallen]

If they put wracking on a timer, it basically makes + spirit items and spirit regen items marginally useful, if that. Touchy subject for me, but whatev. It wont happen until 2012 anyway.

[NocturnalRob]

Right after monks

[Drew]

If they put wracking on a timer, it basically makes + spirit items and spirit regen items marginally useful, if that. Touchy subject for me, but whatev. It wont happen until 2012 anyway.

It's like changes to armour and hiding. Those have been coming since Warden mentioned them in 2003. If you had actually worried about it that would have been a long wait for a train that don't come.

[Asha]

armour
!??

[Drew]

!??

My mom taught me British spelling because she was raised in the England. If I don't proofread I usually end up spelling it the English way.

[Asha]

:)

[graysun]

There wasn't much substantiative discussion of this on the officials.

Just a few posts following the announcement.

https://www.play.net/forums/messages.asp?forum=102&category=27&topic=13&message=4785

I agree that the utility of this will depend largely on how wracking is changed.

[Warriorbird]

Way to nerf a useless spell.

[graysun]

It was "nerfed" because anyone with 20 ranks of blessing lore was able to get 9 additional spirit back every 12 minutes. Now such a ranger can still get 5 additional spirit in the same time frame.

Not bad, IMO.

[Fallen]

It was "nerfed" because anyone with 20 ranks of blessing lore was able to get 9 additional spirit back every 12 minutes. Now such a ranger can still get 5 additional spirit in the same time frame.

Not bad, IMO.

Anyone with 50 ranks in the Ranger circle, you mean. Mana costs as well.

[graysun]

Anyone with 50 ranks in the Ranger circle, you mean. Mana costs as well.

Anyone with 50 ranks in the ranger circle would have gotten 6 back, that is 2+2+2, in a 12-minute duration.

The 20 ranks of blessing lore increases the stat gain associated with Assume Owl from +20 to +25, which could result in 9 spirit over the course of three assumptions - 3+3+3.

Now the first ranger, with no lore, only gets 2+1+1=4, instead of the previous 2+2+2=6.

The ranger with lore now gets 3+1+1=5, instead of the previous 3+3+3=9.

[Fallen]

Anyone with 50 ranks in the ranger circle would have gotten 6 back, that is 2+2+2, in a 12-minute duration.

The 20 ranks of blessing lore increases the stat gain associated with Assume Owl from +20 to +25, which could result in 9 spirit over the course of three assumptions - 3+3+3.

Now the first ranger, with no lore, only gets 2+1+1=4, instead of the previous 2+2+2=6.

The ranger with lore now gets 3+1+1=5, instead of the previous 3+3+3=9.

Heh, my point was that it takes a ranger training up to 50 ranks in his circle to get the spell in the first place. Not an insignificant investment. I don't really consider rangers being able to recoop a lot of spirit over the course of 12 minutes all that unbalancing. Especially considering this is an ability coming from a level 50 spell. It isn't like they are wracking like crazy in 90% of their builds anyway.

[Belnia]

I was originally planning a bottomless Wracking/Spikethorn build, but Sunfist came along and it was more interesting.

[graysun]

I was originally planning a bottomless Wracking/Spikethorn build, but Sunfist came along and it was more interesting.
Since archery isn't really my thing, I'm still holding out for the possibility of the bottomless wracking/thorn build in the event I ever get sick of ambushing.

Depending on how CoL is changed, will probably ditch it for GoS when I burn out on war griffins and Nelemar.

[Fallen]

Since archery isn't really my thing, I'm still holding out for the possibility of the bottomless wracking/thorn build in the event I ever get sick of ambushing.

Depending on how CoL is changed, will probably ditch it for GoS when I burn out on war griffins and Nelemar.

I think that build is a lot like the Immo build for wizards. Very powerful, but only for the later levels.

[graysun]

I think that build is a lot like the Immo build for wizards. Very powerful, but only for the later levels.
No doubt.

The mana-intensive nature of spikethorn makes it undoable until a ranger has a couple/three hundred mana. And it's way more effective with a pile of Summoning Lore.

[Stunseed]

It's what I do with Stun right now in Nelemar.

[Stunseed]

Of course...Spikesorcing is more fun when you can do this.

With a quick flick of your wrist, you deftly send an eonake-spiked fang into flight.
You throw an eonake-spiked fang at a siren!
AS: +504 vs DS: +373 with AvD: +25 + d100 roll: +48 = +204
... and hit for 113 points of damage!
Massive blow smashes through ribs and drives the siren's heart out the back.
The siren gives a plaintive wail before she slumps to her side and dies.
The brilliant luminescence fades from around a siren.