Future talent expansions

[Arcazua]

Someone is going to start this thread eventually. I figure I'll just beat that person to the punch, since the boards have felt kinda slow the last few days.


With the next expansion, the level cap will again be increasing by 10 levels. This means 10 more talent points unless Blizzard gets creative, and that probably means new talents at the ends of the trees.

So going on the assumption that Blizzard will further expand the talent trees, help design your own variation of the new extensions to the talent trees. As some ground rules, keep in mind the way talents are set up now:

1) There will be (A) a new talent added to the 35-point level that is 2 or 3 points, (B) a pair of 3-point talents at the 40-point level, (C) a 5-point talent at the 45-point level, and (D) a 1-point activated ability that does something moderately awesome. It's conceivable to alter this, but let's assume 3-3, 5, 1.

2) Talents are generally somewhat balanced. Yes, there are some talents that seemed completely unbelievable when I first read them...Serpent's Swiftness springs to mind, which is still rather imba...but let's go on the assumption that the game is not going to change fundamentally for us. You can use these talents to pump up areas of specialty, or support weaknesses, or whatever. Or you can be completely unbalanced if you're just making joke talents. Hey, whatever~

2b) There are some things that simply aren't going to happen. No "Ride Pet" skills, please.

3) Talents are thematic. Beast Mastery talents are generally related to the pet or to aspects. Marksmanship talents are based around ranged weaponry and usually damage-oriented. Survival talents are focused on the more rugged outdoorsmanship side of the class, and are often utility-based in nature.


Make one set of talents, or a slew of them. Come up with a name or not, balance the numbers or not. Whatever your happy with. But let's make up some ideas for discussion.

[Arcazua]

reserved for board favorites

[Fritti Tailchaser]

I mentioned this in another thread but I think it would be conceivable to have a 3 point talent in the upper Survival tree that reduces our dead zone by 3 yards. I think this would be the perfect opportunity to breathe more life into the Survival tree, as it is still woefully underrepresented. As to what it might be called, how about... okay, I can't think of anything. And, Arc, you can put it in as a Marks talent if you really think it belongs there - I'm more following the logic that Survival has Hawk Eye. Maybe you COULD put it in the Marks tree and call it Focused Fire or something.

-FT

[jinserai]

Child talent off of silencing shot:

Imp. Silencing shot (5 pt)
24hour cooldown. Effect lasts 1.5 days.
Reagent: Special arrow/bullet costing 50g each.
Each talent point's benefit is cumulative with the preceding.
1pt: Renders target unable to use /say or emotes.
2pt: ...unable to use emotes or /whisper
3pt: ...unable to use any public global chat line.
4pt: ...unable to use any communications line, period.
5pt: ...unable to post on the official forums.

Yeah it's a joke talent.

[Arcazua]

This is a set I put up on an Allakhazam thread a few days ago:


BEAST MASTERY

(3) Improved Kill Command: Your pet's successful Kill Commands render the opponent traumatized, dealing 100 damage each second and dazing the target for 1/2/3 seconds.

(3) Animal Empathy: While your pet is happy, you deal an additional 1/2/3% damage. While your pet is unhappy, your damage is reduced by 1/2/3%. Your Dismiss Pet skill takes 1/2/3 seconds less to cast and the unhappiness penalty is reduced by 33/66/100%.

(5) Master Trainer: The effects of your pet's trained abilities are increased by 10/20/30/40/50%.

(1) Aspect of Balance: You gain 110 attack power, 8% chance to dodge, 25% of your intellect as mana every 5 seconds, 70 nature resistance, and become untrackable. (In other words, include all aspects except cheetah. These would reflect not the top tier of each aspect, and perhaps not the talent bonuses of them.)


MARKSMANSHIP

(3) Improved Steady Shot: Reduces the cast time of your Steady Shot ability by 0.2/0.4/0.6 seconds. (Still restricted by GCD, but at least shot times are more forgiving.)

(3) Lock and Load: The bonus of your quiver or ammo pouch is increased by 6/13/20%.

(5) Piercing Barbs: Your successful range attacks pierce your opponent's armor, reducing armor by 0.2/0.4/0.6/0.8/1.0 % per shot. Stacks up to 20 times. Lasts for 6 seconds.

(1) Archer's Shield: While active, ranged attacks are 5% less likely to hit you, and non-physical damage is reduced by 10%. Lasts for 20 seconds. (No cooldown, fairly exorbinant mana cost)


SURVIVAL

(3) Flanking: Your pet deals an additional 10/20/30% damage while attacking from behind. Your pet takes 10/20/30% less damage while you are attacking from behind.

(3) Preservation Instincts: Your chance to parry while dual wielding is increased by 2/4/6%. The range of your melee abilities is increased by 1/2/3 yards while using a two-handed weapon.

(5) Self-Preservation: You are 2/4/6/8/10% less likely to be crit, and there is a 2/4/6/8/10% chance of a lethal blow putting you into a feigned death state with 1 HP with all debuffs removed.

(1) Void Trap: When triggered, all targets within 15 yards are cleansed of all removeable effects.




Here's another list of more extreme ideas:

BEAST MASTERY

(3) Animal - Your Aspect of the Beast ability increases the effect of agility on your melee attack power and chance to dodge by 33/66/100%. Your Aspect of the Wild ability grants you a 33/66/100% immunity to poisons and diseases.

(3) Nature's Protection - Your pet receives 2/4/6% less damage and has a 10/20/30% chance to resist harmful effects.

(5) Like One Mind - While attacking the same target, you and your pet deal 1/2/3/4/5% increased damage and receive 1/2/3/4/5% less damage from that target.

(1) Challenging Growl - Your pet emits an intimidating noise, challenging all targets within 10 yards to attack it for the next 6 seconds. During this time, the pet takes 50% less damage. 5 minute cooldown.


MARKSMANSHIP

(3) Calm: Mana burn abilities drain 20/40/60% less mana from you, the mana cost of your Steady Shot ability is reduced by 20/40/60%, and you retain 33/66/100% of your mana regeneration from spirit while using Shot abilities.

(3) Improved Silencing Shot: Your Silencing Shot burns 3/6/9% of the mana of the target, dealing additional damage equal to half the mana lost, and has a 33/66/100% chance of interrupting targets immune to silence effects.

(1) Immolation Arrow: Your shots each consume 10 mana and add an additional 1% of your damage as fire damage. (Toggleable effect, remains active until deactivated.)
(4) Improved Immolation Arrow: Your Immolation Arrow ability consumes 20/30/40/50 mana per shot and add an additional 2/3/4/5% of your damage as fire damage.

(1) Sniping: Your maximum range is doubled for the next 8 seconds after the next shot you take. (3 min cooldown from the first shot.)


SURVIVAL

(3) Longevity: Effects from you lasting less than 15 seconds have an extended duration of 33/66/100%. Your Thrill of the Hunt ability returns 10/20/30% more of the mana spent.

(3) Natural Selection: You deal 5/10/15% increased damage against targets that are immobilized or frozen.

(5) Predation: You deal 1/2/3/4/5% additional damage and receive 1/2/3/4/5% less damage from targets that appear on your minimap (by tracking or hunter's mark.)

(1) Determination: For the next 15 seconds, damage that would kill you reduces you to 1 hit point instead. At the end of the duration, you are winded for 15 seconds. During that time, any damage will kill you. 10 minute cooldown. (Keep in mind, with Readiness, this could be extended to 30 seconds.)

[Arcazua]

Wow, did it really take me an hour to put up the follow-up post? Shame on me. Ah well, I got two different sets, and I think both are interesting in their own way. I especially like Longevity -- it's a perfect talent for the survival tree and all its little short-term effects.

I'm eager to see what the rest of you have to say. (*bonk Jinserai*)

[Znodis]

I look forward to doing this tomorrow, but I want to suggest one more rule. You'll notice that most trees also got a 3-2 point talent at the 25 point level. May I suggest adding a new 35 point 2/2 or 3/3 talent as well as the 3-3 5 1 before too many replies come in?

[Arcazua]

Hmm, good point. I was tempted to suggest also commenting on earlier talent changes in the tree on the whole, but was worried that would water down the discussion too much into whining about weak talents. However, there should definitely be another 2- or 3-point talent on the last real existing rows.

I guess this means I can have a third passive non-mega talent on each set now. Rather than edit the post, just figure I additionally add these talents:



BM) Natural Resilience: The chance for your pet to suffer a critical strike is reduced by 2.5/5%.
Natural Tempering: Pets that have a natural bonus to damage will generate less threat and gain a bonus to their Avoidance ability. Pets that have a natural bonus to health will generate additional threat and gain a bonus to their Natural Armor ability. Pets that have a natural bonus to armor will gain additional attack power and gain a bonus to their Great Stamina ability. The degree of these benefits depends on the natural bonuses of the pet, and will affect neutral pets to some degree. Additional ranks increase the effect. (Wow, that's a mouthful.)

MM) Keen Eye: Your chance to land a critical hit is increased by 0.5/1.0% of your intellect.
Arcane Archery: Non-physical damage you deal is increased by 2.5/5%.

SV) Recoil: Your Mongoose Bite and Counterattack abilities knock your target back 5/10 yards.
Toughness: You have a 20/40% chance to resist most damage over time effects.

[Kaelvanas]

Originally Posted by Arcazua

(3) Improved Kill Command:
(3) Animal Empathy
(5) Master Trainer
(1) Aspect of Balance

Nerf AoB -- hehe. A triggerable DAZE effect on KC would be absolutely awesome (I'd like to see this be a trained effect for higher KC ranks ... ), esp since it would let us predictably get a buffed Steady Shot effect.

Originally Posted by Arcazua

(3) Lock and Load: The bonus of your quiver or ammo pouch is increased by 6/13/20%.
(5) Piercing Barbs: 0.2/0.4/0.6/0.8/1.0 %
(1) Archer's Shield:

Lock'n'Load sounds like a HUGE buff, as it's basically serpent's swiftness. (well, wait ... no. But it's a miniature version for only 5 more points, instead of the whole BM tree.)

I don't think I'd spec Shield. *shrugs*. Still, interesting effect. Barbs would be interesting -- on a 20k armor tank, that's a pretty beefy armor reduction. In fact ... 20% armor reductionsounds incredibly overpowered. It might be better as an on-crit effect.

Originally Posted by Arcazua

SURVIVAL
(3) Preservation Instincts: Parry/range extension
(5) Self-Preservation: You are 2/4/6/8/10% less likely to be crit, and there is a 2/4/6/8/10% chance of a lethal blow putting you into a feigned death state with 1 HP with all debuffs removed.
(1) Void Trap: When triggered, all targets within 15 yards are cleansed of all removeable effects.

If that were true, I'd be Survival for LIFE. :-D That's a nice balance to the effects in PvP of other specs. Especially a mass dispell trap. Self-Preservation would more than make up for the sucking of Master Tactician.


On your other talents, a pet AOE-taunt is pretty neat. The mana effects of Calm are just ... astounding, too. (100% spirit effects!? Holy crap!)

(1) Sniping: I'm rethinking Survival for Life.
(5) Predation:
(1) Determination:

Wait, no, still Survival for life. Hehe.

Scary part is ... imagine what Warlocks and Warriors will be getting ....

[Arcazua]

AoB specifically excludes cheetah for, well, balance reasons. THAT would be unbalanced, as well as potentially annoying. Otherwise it's not grossly overpowered, unless you consider having both hawk and viper active (with no Quick Shots) overpowered.

The steady shot side of the KC daze effect was what I was mostly thinking about when I came up with the idea, although it is appropriate to simply what Kill Command represents, so I think it works well overall. I'm glad you agree.

Lock and Load is a 20% bonus to the QUIVER's effect. If we presently get 15% haste from our quiver, that would increase to 18%. 3% haste for 3 points is not exactly overwhelming. Quite the opposite, and probably needs to be increased, except I'm betting that our quivers will stop seeing increased haste bonuses and start seeing other effects.

20% off 20k still leaves them with...16k. That's still ungodly high mitigation considering I can't even break 6k.


As for the second set, yeah, they're a little more drastic. Calm might need to be fine-tuned a bit. It's funny how pvp-centric the marks talents are overall, though, considering I don't pvp.