Fencer Archive

I highly encourage all of you to list your issues here.. Your top 5, list them in YOUR EYES the top 5 issues.

No, not KD issues =P KD timer is there to stay, I think.. Just say class-issues you think need attention. =) Tomorrow I'll make another post regarding it.

We don't have knockdown in the first place... -_-

=P You get Lunge with dizzies.. When i was a fencer, Dizzy/Lunge basically WAS a knockdown =P (Lunge timer = KD timer.)

lunge2 is a knockdown attack, Master Brawler/Fencer is a great combo, the dizzy/lunge combo works just got to have good stats. Once ya get Master Brawler helps alot

Sethlin Netril

Space Pirate Inc

Kauri

warcry2 is broken

Top 5 issues: (in no particular order)

1. Special attacks do more damage to myself then to my target.

2.Lunge is being resisted far too ofen it seems.

3. One hand body hit seems useless.

4. Scatter hit seems useless.

5. The you are too far away message when you are standing right next to the target.

Master Fencer/Master Doctor

1. we actually need to DODGE, DEFENSE UP, and skill mods that don't seem to add to anything.
2. Speed increase, considering Master (any other brawler) is as fast as Master Fencer in speed, and that Fencers SHOULD be faster than any other (except maybe TKA.)
3. Variety in weapons, toward SWORDS/RAPIER... we are fencers, not Stick Boys.
4. give us some love
5. give us some love

THE HAM issue.
- use a good VibroBlade. I can get between 500-1000+ damage using the Novice Fencer attack (was it melee hit 1?) using a 44-153dmg vibroblade. The HAMS are about 13/25/13. With my increased secondaries my HAMS barely drop with continues SPECIALS use (don't use armor when using specials, you will drop HAM like crazy). When fighting a lot I drink a Tatooine Sunburn and Chardre to buff my Action and Mind. When running short I heal myself for about 800hp with B-Stims that have 300+ base heals.
- if you compare to other melees, Fencers are still one of the lowest HAMS users. Then again our damage is pretty low too which evens out.

I think the biggest issue is our dodge/parry/block/speed that we Fencers should have.

Well,

I dont find lunge /dizzy real effective...and If I have to use lunge 2 I would count that as part of the fencing tree profession, because it isn't.

My top issue:

Why post any more threads when they wont even respond to the 22 page one in the discussion section. Won't respond to PM's and basically ignore us.

That is my biggest problem with fencers right now...we are being ignored.

My top issues:

1. Fix bugs that impede effective targeting and combat. There are three principal bugs contributing to ineffectiveness of melee generally. FIrst is the combat stutter step. Whenever a fencer attacks or is attacked, movement ceases, you assume a combat stance for a second before you can attack or move. When attempting to flee you can get several successive stops while additional creatures aggro. The second component is combat stoppage during movement. Even short movements are sufficient to cancel combat and cause loss of queued special attacks. This does not effect mobs (including melee ones) or ranged users. The third component is the ineffective implementation of the follow command as applied to melee users. It does not keep you in melee range, causes circling on hillsides and interrupts attacks and line of sight.

2. Adjust the effect of defensive skills to provide meaningful protection against damage that allows fencers greater survivability in melee. This is only secondarily a ranged defense issue. Fencers have anemic damage that in theory is compensated for by greater speed and defensive skills. If the defensive skills are insufficient to allow fencers to stay alive long enough to cause equivalent damage then the class is basically receiving a damage penalty uncompensated for by any other abillity. A fencer would be somehat effective and helpful to have in groupsifthe fencer had the ability to stay glued to an opponent longer so that the fencer could serve as a distraction/irritantto the target throughoutcombat. This creates the potential for a fencertohinder the targetfrom effectively engaging others for fear that the fencer will wear the target down. Fencers are not going to be putting opponents down quicklyhe way thatother melee can. Giving them greater protection against beingput down quickly by melee opponents (ranged attack survivability is much more an overallissue for all melee users) makes the profession much more of an asset in a group and is more consistent with what one thinks of when you talk about a fencer...that is someone who makes use of finesse and technique to prevail rather than brute force.

3. Adjust fencer abilities to take account of the loss of speed bonus caused by the one-second cap on attacking. Essentially, the one second cap cheats fencers. If you watch or review combat logs withthe time stamps on, you will see clearly that other melee users catch up to fencers on base attacks in weapons speed. Since the lower damageof fencers is putatively compensated for in part by a speed bonus, that bonus is wasted by the time that meleeusers have filled in a substantial part of the skill tree. In general, there are a few possible ways to compensate for this wasted capability. One is to provide a larger defensive bonus that takes the effect of the attack speed cap into account, and the other is to increase damage. I think defense is more consistent with what fencers were apparently intended to be, but anything that puts fencers on a par with other melee users would be desireable. One possibility would be to allow fencers to equip a lower end weapon (dagger or sword perhaps) in the off hand and use the the excess speed to increase teh speed of the offhand weapon. Another possibility is to increase weapon damage. Yet another is to use any excess speed to discount HAM usage on special attacks. The point is that one of the class defining skills is a waste and needs to be compensated for elsewhere.

4. Revise special attacks. Much of fencer capability was centered around the effectiveness of lunge/dizzy. The knockdown timer effectively eliiminates this attack combination's effectiveness. In a post-knockdown timer world, a second look ought to be taken at the combination of special attacks available to a fencer. In my opinion, anyway, the primary fencer specials should focus on things that diminish opponent effectiveness and not damage. Blind is good, although it does not seem to me that it has a substantial effect, and probablility of actuallly blinding the opponent has been reduced since the knockdown patch. Bleed is also a good special and works more frequently than blind. Dizzy also seems an appropriate special, but the knockdown timer has rendered the posture change portion of the special useless. If dizzy is not going to be an exception to the knockdown time, it ought to impose other offense-impairing effects to make it worthe using. Lunge is now tantamount to worthless. To make lunge useable again, it should have damage scaled up to other special attacks and some other effect substituted for the posture change. I would suggest possible that lunge roots an opponent briefly. I also would suggest adding a stun creation option for fencers. I would prefer that it be associated with using a stun baton (see 5 below) if not made into a separate special.

5.

1. Damage types, Range weapons way out number melee weapons in the types of damage they can do, thus making weapon choice for meleers a mindless effort. Kinetic needs to be divided into pierce, blunt and slash, plus the Elemental Damage Types needs to be added.

2. Postures, Posture of target does not affect damage

3. Lunge, Fails 80% of the time even against blues and see (2. Postures)

4. Charge, Need a short targeted burst run

5. Off Hand Shield, We need shields likethe gungans had in SW Episode 1

Oops accidentally posted while typing

5. Revise fencer weaponry. First, retain vibroblade in about their present configuration but with a different graphic. I think a low HAM, low damage, armor piercing weapon should be one of the fencer options at least to administer a high speed series of specials to get binds, bleeds and dizzys.But please do something about the appearance! Sport fencing only uses three types of weapons. All of them are long (foil, epee and sabre) not butter knives. How about using one of those as the model? The curved blade design is inadequate. It lacks the damage and armor piercing capability of the two handed version without HAM costs or speed advantages that are meaningful. I would prefer to see HAM costs lowered to something halfway between its current configuration and the vibroblade.I think the idea would be to have a higher damage option without armor piercing ability that would alllow one to be freer withspecial attacks. Ryyk blade is just not different enough from the other fencer choices. I think the minumumand maximum damage should be raised on the Ryykbut otherwise leave it the same. I also think the Rantok should be available as a craftable option. I think if it had AP1 it would be fine as is. Finally the stun baton. It really needs some work. I would recommend increasing the damage slightly, making it AP1 and giving it a chance of administering a stun effect instead of a wound effect someplace around the 20% range. I have never used the other weapons so really do not have ideas for it. I like the idea of fencers not doing as much damage, but only if their other capabilities make up for it.

But we look so cool with our butter knives. I prefer to think of mine as a cute little mini Rambo knife..makes me feel better about it.