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Suggestions / Feat: Fend is Flawed
« on: October 12, 2019, 12:09:11 am »
Currently using Fend(Spear Guard) is actually disadvantageous compared to Attack(Spear Guard), simply because you can't maintain 100% uptime of Fend(Spear Guard) and you can't override it with Attack(Spear Guard).
"Math"
using my character stats (assuming 100% Block chance, 1 melee hit):
Attack(Spear Guard):
16 Blocked Amount * 95% uptime (Based on melee hit chance) = 15.2 Blocked damage per turn.
Fend(Spear Guard):
40 Blocked Amount + 50% uptime (maintained every other turn ==> (100% Block chance+0% Block chance)/2*100% activation rate)) = 40 * 50% * 1= 20 Blocked damage on average.
As you can see Fend(Spear Guard) only offer 25% more Blocked damage compared to Attack(Spear Guard) on average, which is a negligible increase, and at what cost?
- Fend does no damage, lowering your damage output.
- Cost 1 feat.
- Huge blocked amount is wasted against small hitting enemies.
- Even against big hitter, the turn when Fend is used may be wasted (enemy missed, attacks didn't crit, used non/small-damaging attacks..etc).
- Every other turn will leave you completely vulnerable to melee attacks, big and small.
- Attack(Spear Guard): faster kills = less damage.
- Cost 20 AP (or 10 AP+5 Specialization Points) while Attack(Spear Guard) is technically free.
- All other forms of blocking are free too (if I'm not mistaken), most of them can reach the same effective blocking chance as Fend, e.g. Riot Shield:
Riot Shield 35% + Shield Arm 15% * 100% uptime(0AP cost) = 50% effective block chance.
Fend(Spear Guard) 50% + Spear Guardian 30% + 2 SP (Spear Guardian) 20% * 50% uptime(20AP cost) = 50% effective block chance.
IMO, it's a complete waste to acquire and incredibly risky to use (locks you out of Attack(Spear Guard)), I advise Spear Builders to avoid this feat (unless there is huge benefit from it I somehow missed...).
3 Solutions (maintaining Fend(Spear Guard)) :
- Allow Attack(Spear Guard) to override Fend(Spear Guard):
Smart override or not, "smart" checks type/duration and override accordingly otherwise it doesn't care and it will be dependent on the player to use it probably (Fending last), this solution will alternate the 2 spear guard buffs, but the benefit is still small (why bother? might as well stick with Attack(Spear Guard)).
- Reduce Fend cooldown by 1 turn:
Constantly Fending every turn is a huge decrease on damage output, may requires 5 SP alone to reduce it's cost so you can weave it in each turn.
- Extend Fend duration by +1 turn:
Best solution, allows full uptime of Fend(Spear Guard) every other turn or more, it has to be like this IMO, since we already have a "free" source of Spear Guarding that is better in many ways AND can be maintained indefinitely.
"Math"
using my character stats (assuming 100% Block chance, 1 melee hit):Attack(Spear Guard):
16 Blocked Amount * 95% uptime (Based on melee hit chance) = 15.2 Blocked damage per turn.
Fend(Spear Guard):
40 Blocked Amount + 50% uptime (maintained every other turn ==> (100% Block chance+0% Block chance)/2*100% activation rate)) = 40 * 50% * 1= 20 Blocked damage on average.
As you can see Fend(Spear Guard) only offer 25% more Blocked damage compared to Attack(Spear Guard) on average, which is a negligible increase, and at what cost?
- Fend does no damage, lowering your damage output.
- Cost 1 feat.
- Huge blocked amount is wasted against small hitting enemies.
- Even against big hitter, the turn when Fend is used may be wasted (enemy missed, attacks didn't crit, used non/small-damaging attacks..etc).
- Every other turn will leave you completely vulnerable to melee attacks, big and small.
- Attack(Spear Guard): faster kills = less damage.
- Cost 20 AP (or 10 AP+5 Specialization Points) while Attack(Spear Guard) is technically free.
- All other forms of blocking are free too (if I'm not mistaken), most of them can reach the same effective blocking chance as Fend, e.g. Riot Shield:
Riot Shield 35% + Shield Arm 15% * 100% uptime(0AP cost) = 50% effective block chance.
Fend(Spear Guard) 50% + Spear Guardian 30% + 2 SP (Spear Guardian) 20% * 50% uptime(20AP cost) = 50% effective block chance.
IMO, it's a complete waste to acquire and incredibly risky to use (locks you out of Attack(Spear Guard)), I advise Spear Builders to avoid this feat (unless there is huge benefit from it I somehow missed...).
3 Solutions (maintaining Fend(Spear Guard)) :
- Allow Attack(Spear Guard) to override Fend(Spear Guard):
Smart override or not, "smart" checks type/duration and override accordingly otherwise it doesn't care and it will be dependent on the player to use it probably (Fending last), this solution will alternate the 2 spear guard buffs, but the benefit is still small (why bother? might as well stick with Attack(Spear Guard)).
- Reduce Fend cooldown by 1 turn:
Constantly Fending every turn is a huge decrease on damage output, may requires 5 SP alone to reduce it's cost so you can weave it in each turn.
- Extend Fend duration by +1 turn:
Best solution, allows full uptime of Fend(Spear Guard) every other turn or more, it has to be like this IMO, since we already have a "free" source of Spear Guarding that is better in many ways AND can be maintained indefinitely.