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View Full Version : Mentalist TL Report 1.70 (July 2004)



Oro
17th August 2004, 05:56
lo trovate qui (http://vnboards.ign.com/Hibernia_Magician_Professions/b20909/72188228/?50)

.. per i piu' pigri invece lo quoto :p



The mentalist is a versatile caster, with the potential for solid damage, as well as a fair amount of utility. Unfortunately, since ToA, much of the Mentalist’s utility has been made redundant, and at this point the Mentalist has only one truly effective specline. At the same time, New Frontiers has been a boon to ranged classes, and many Mentalists are reporting that they’re enjoying the game more than they have in a long time.

Spec line Issues

Mana
-The need for HoT and PoT spells has been drastically reduced by the availability of healing and power fonts.

-The only damage in the specline is a single-target or AE DoT, which is easily cured or healed, and is negated by standing in a heal field. A high level of Wild Power is necessary to be at all effective.

Light
-The charm tether range is too short. When a pet gets outside of the tether range, the charm is cancelled entirely and the pet returns to attack the mentalist. If an infinite tether range isn’t possible, a longer tether one would help, and the charm should start pulsing again when the pet re-enters the tether range.

-The charm can’t be quickcast and isn’t an instant. When a pet breaks the charm, it isn’t possible to immediately re-charm it as Minstrels can.

-Rate of double resist is sometimes high even on mobs that are well within the caster’s ability to charm. Charming above your ability should carry risk; charming something far below your ability shouldn’t.

Mentalism
-This specline suffers from a lack of offense, defense, or effective utility. It is useless as a primary spec and is almost never taken above 28 as a secondary. Mentalism spec mentalists cannot get into PvE groups and offer little to an RvR group.

-The baseline DoT ticks only 4 times instead of 6 like most other caster-class DoTs, and there is no damage spell in the spec.

-Its utility spells are not useful. A single-target mez on the same timer as a bard’s is rarely needed in RvR. Confusion has no effect in RvR and is not useful in PvE except in rare situations. The de-mez spell at 28 is a valuable tool, but bards get it baseline. Mana has HoTs which are more efficient than normal heals and carry no aggro. In RvR, single-target heals that require LOS aren’t effective.

Realm Ability Issues

Selective Blindness
-This ability has a tiny radius, isn’t an instant cast, and is resistable. All three of these things hinder its effectiveness.

-Because those targeted with it can still see the caster, they just follow him around until it breaks. Mentalists have no speed, so this isn’t an effective escape spell. One on one, it’s excellent, but not in regular RvR.

-Currently SB breaks if anyone attacks the target, not just the mentalist or pet.

MCL/Raging Power
-These are absolutely necessary for Mentalists to have, and are expensive. Suggest 3/6/9 progression instead of current cost, especially as the first level of each doesn’t compare favorably with the old MCL 1.

Static Tempest
-Doesn’t take effect until 5 seconds after it’s cast.

Master Level Abilities

Warlord
-The Warlord path is available to Mentalists instead of Convoker. By and large, mentalists are happy with this, but the abilities are clearly not intended for mages. The biggest example is Siegemaster; Mentalists rarely run siege equipment. Warlord has no abilities that will increase the offense or defense of the caster in RvR.

-The level 10 ability overwrites all casted absorb buffs.

Stormlord
-Only one storm can be used at a time, and storms cannot be canceled by their caster.

-Any storm in effect places the caster ‘in combat’ for purposes of regenning power, end, or hits, or using MCL or any other effect that requires the user to be out of combat, including run speed. This is true even if the caster is a zone away.

-Arcing Power: Light already has an AE DD, and Mana has an AE DoT. There’s very little reason to use this in its current form.

New Issues
-Casting range from the top of towers/keeps is decreased enough that getting LOS and range is difficult for anyone who doesn’t have a bolt-range spell.

-Pets don’t keep up with boats. Pets port with the owner, but they lag behind, which often results in the charm breaking because the pet is outside tether range. It then gets ported on top of its old owner with painful results.

-Charm is now sometimes dropping on one resisted pulse or even none.

Item Problems
-Artifacts that cast chants cancel the Mentalist charm and vice versa.

-Tartaros’ Gift is both harder to get and less effective than Traldor’s Oracle.

Documentation Issues:
-Delve information for the charm line is inadequate. It doesn’t say anything about what type of mobs can be charmed with any of the spells, or about the power drain per tick, or the level of mob that can be charmed. The Herald has the power cost, but not the type of mob.

-The HoT spell should display points healed per tick to the caster.

-Confusion still tells the target, “You can’t focus your knight viking badger helmet… aargh!” The caster sees “*target* looks a little crazy!” There is no actual effect.

Other Issues
-Spell resist rates in epic encounters.
-Higher resist rate of DoTs vs. DDs.
-Mentalist has no instant abilities or debuffs.
-Focus capped by spec.
-Guards aggro pets that break charm but don’t lose aggro when the pet is recharmed. Pets do this to each other on occasion as well.
-No way to tell from targeting a mob whether or not it can be charmed, which charm spell should be used, or what level it is.
-Spells are still interrupted by resisted effects or effects the caster is immune to.
-Free RAs for casters would be nice, comparable to tireless for melee classes. Se poi qualcuno avesse voglia di contribuire attivamente, questo (http://derangedmonkey.com/phpBB/) e' il forum del TL dei mentalisti.. ci bazzicano anche molti dei mentalisti di vecchia data.. puo' venire comodo anche per chi e' alle prime armi o vuole rollarne uno..

:wave:


p.s.
e' un TL report del mese scorso eh.. ma lo riquoto perche' sulle VN board in questo periodo si parla molto del mentalista, soprattutto luce relativamente allo charm.