Getting over 30 levels is moderately pointless and getting over 75 levels is completely pointless.
Not sure why it matters that 225 points takes 3 years when 150 of those points (that would take up 90%+ of said 3 years) do literally nothing to contribute to the raid.
Nexon to fix "Fail to run Mabinogi". Because I've tried every solution related to "run as admin" and it didn't work. All I can do now is wait for hours.
[SPOILER="Melee Renovation"]Normal Attack:
- No longer causes invulnerability frames on the enemy on knockdown. This here is one of the main issues that negates party play due to interrupting potential combos.
Smash:
- No longer causes invulnerability frames on the enemy on knockdown.
- Animation lock after hitting an enemy removed, allowing immediate movement and/or attacking after Smash connects. The purpose here is to increase the versatility and also remove vulnerability.
- Splash damage increased to 70%. It's extremely weak, compared to Shuriken Charge, Charge, and Assault.
- Debuff either buffed tremendously, or removed since they don't benefit Close Combat whatsoever.
Defense:
- Party Defense bonus range increased from 1m -> 10m. Literally requiring players to STAND ONTOP of someone to get that bonus is ridiculously small compared to Party Healing or Enduring Melody.
- Overall damage reduction with shield removed. These values are ridiculously high and makes Magic Shields obsolete.
- Animation lock after blocking an attack removed, allowing immediate movement and/or attacking after Defense occurs.
- Rank 9 effect: After a successful Defense, gain Passive Defender effect, causing the character to passively block defendable attacks. However, it does not work while in skill motions, and Defense's def/prot is not taken into account. Only two extra attacks are negated which can be increased to three at Rank 5 and four at Rank 1. Lasts for 5 seconds. Requires a Shield, but does not work for Guard Cylinders. Point is, Defense pales when it comes to multi-aggro situations and we shouldn't always rely on Windmill for protection.
- Run no longer applies to Guard Cylinders.
Counterattack:
- No longer causes invulnerability frames on the enemy on knockdown. Also applies to Lance Counter.
- Animation sped up significantly. Also applies to Lance Counter.
- Animation lock after hitting an enemy removed, allowing immediate movement and/or attacking after Counterattack connects. Also applies to Lance Counter.
- Buff Counter's damage or make enemy skill percentages scale. It's the weakest skill in melee's arsenal.
- Rank 9 Effect: A countered enemy gets Counterstrike debuff, making them take ~50% more damage from only the person who used Counter and only from one Close Combat attack. Lasts 10 seconds. Requires a Close Combat weapon.
- Critical Hit Rate factors in user critical rate. Also applies to Lance Counter and Counter Punch. This skill only factors in enemy critical, which is either low or the enemy has more protection than critical.
Windmill:
- Windmill-Counter is now permanently active, requiring it to be no longer set up.
Evasion:
- Uncap from Rank 6 -> 1.
Final Hit:
- Renovation 400% damage per hit decreased to 150%. 400% is ridiculously excessive, especially if it can destroy Provocation Barrier Spikes in just one use.
- Renovation durability no consumption feature applied to all weapons instead of only swords, blunts, and axes.
- No longer has Advanced Heavy Stander effects, or are toned down significantly, offsetting its no longer cancelable function.
Taunt:
- Learnable by all races. There aren't many tanks in this game, even though all races have access to "the Tank". I want to be able to protect my friends when they're in danger, as a Human. Even Human Shakespeare can use Taunt.
- Range increased from 4m -> 10m at Rank 1. It's really small which makes it unviable.
- Max tauntable enemy cap removed.
Wind Guard:
- Any skill can be used during Wind Guard (EXCEPT anything that moves the character a significant distance, like Charge) other than only Normal Attack, Taunt, Windmill, or Meditation, increasing its versatility.
- Allow walking. Defense allowed running with a shield in Renovation.
- Allow items and potions to be used. Final Hit allowed this in Renovation.
- No longer usable when paired with Lances.
Sword/Axe/Blunt/Shield/Light Armor/Heavy Armor Mastery:
- Scythes are lumped into Sword category.
- Rank of equipment mastery determines what weapons can be wielded, e.g. Claymore requires Rank 9 Sword Mastery and Beam Sword requires Rank 1. The purpose here is prevent newbies from having immediate access to Beam Swords and destroy everything at novice level. It makes sense too; the newbie gets stronger as they get more experienced and that concept should apply with the equipment masteries. A similar limitation also applies in Vindictus.
- Masteries only apply half their values when Dual Wielding, but still occur twice. +20 sword min damage, +40 sword max damage, +30% sword balance, +20 axe min damage, +40 axe max damage, +30% axe critical, +44 axe armor pierce, and +60 blunt max damage, or some mix, are really high values. This already makes up 1/3rd of total Balance and Critical, and the damage bonuses easily cheese through things when Close Combat's damage output is already fine as it is.
Berserk:
- Animation lock on start-up removed.
- Intelligence, Defense, Protection, Magic Defense, and Magic Protection decrease lowered from 100% -> 75% at Rank 9 and again to 50% at Rank 1.
Bash:
- Removed from the game completely. All this has done is just replace Smash and has some extremely overpowered variables.
Rage Impact:
- Removed from the game completely. It kind of replaces Berserk and Melee, especially Lances, doesn't necessarily need a huge damage boost and some instantaneous survivability.
Dual Wield Mastery:
- Removed. It's really just more unneeded spoon feeding and already gives half of the necessary balance and critical when combined with combat mastery and weapon masteries x2.
Dual Wielding:
- Axes can be dual wielded. Three NPCs can do it and Milletians are supposed to be stronger than NPCs due to their relentless growth.
- Humans can dual wield blunts.
- Giants can dual wield swords. One NPC can do it.
- Elves are able to dual wield.
Restrictions Lifts:
- Two-handed Blunts and Axes for Humans and two-handed Swords, Blunt, and Axes, but not Lances, for Elves. They're already capable of using some two-handed weapons like Brionac, and it opens up more melee options for them. Also, both races can wield the 2h Renovation Celtic weapons.
- Dual wield for Elves.
- Heavy Armor for Elves. They're already capable of gearing with Royal Knight Armor and Bhafel Slayer Guard, which are the best heavy armors in the game.
Other:
- Rapiers and Wooden Blades now benefit from Close Combat weapon stuff. I know they announced they planned to do something to the former, but why the hell can't the latter be used?
[/SPOILER]
They missed a lot of the key issues with melee and made some things overpowered.
I would nerf the STR/DEF ratio and effectiveness of the piercing stat while simultaneously bringing Final Hit and Bash back down to earth.
Concerning your proposal:
Defense: I would retain shield damage reduction, though I would reduce the extent to which damage is reduced. Perhaps reducing it from 50/75/100% to 20/40/60% would be much more feasible. In addition, it would be interesting if the resisted damage reduced the player's stamina.
Beserk: The ideal solution would be to merge berserk and rage impact into one skill. The strengths of the latter would be nicely offset by the weaknesses of the former.
[SPOILER="Melee Renovation"]Normal Attack:
- No longer causes invulnerability frames on the enemy on knockdown. This here is one of the main issues that negates party play due to interrupting potential combos.
Smash:
- No longer causes invulnerability frames on the enemy on knockdown.
- Animation lock after hitting an enemy removed, allowing immediate movement and/or attacking after Smash connects. The purpose here is to increase the versatility and also remove vulnerability.
- Splash damage increased to 70%. It's extremely weak, compared to Shuriken Charge, Charge, and Assault.
- Debuff either buffed tremendously, or removed since they don't benefit Close Combat whatsoever.
Defense:
- Party Defense bonus range increased from 1m -> 10m. Literally requiring players to STAND ONTOP of someone to get that bonus is ridiculously small compared to Party Healing or Enduring Melody.
- Overall damage reduction with shield removed. Alternatively, nerf it to 20% for small shield, 40% for medium shield, and 60% for large shield, but no longer reduces magic/alchemy damage. 50%/70%/100% are ridiculously high and makes Magic Shields obsolete.
- Animation lock after blocking an attack removed, allowing immediate movement and/or attacking after Defense occurs.
- Rank 9 effect: After a successful Defense, gain Aegis buff, causing the character to passively block defendable attacks. However, it does not work while in skill animations (excluding loading/loaded skills) and Defense's def/prot and hidden shield stats from successful Defense are not taken into account. Only one extra attack is defended, which can be increased to two at Rank 1 for Humans and Elves; Giants get two extra attacks are defended which can be increased to three at Rank 5 and four at Rank 1. Lasts for 5 seconds. Requires a Shield, but does not work for Guard Cylinders. Point is, Defense pales when it comes to multi-aggro situations and we shouldn't always rely on Windmill for protection.
- Run no longer applies to Guard Cylinders.
Counterattack:
- No longer causes invulnerability frames on the enemy on knockdown. Also applies to Lance Counter.
- Animation sped up significantly. Also applies to Lance Counter.
- Animation lock after hitting an enemy removed, allowing immediate movement and/or attacking after Counterattack connects. Also applies to Lance Counter.
- Buff Counter's damage or make enemy skill percentages scale. It's the weakest skill in melee's arsenal.
- Rank 9 Effect: A countered enemy gets Counterstrike debuff, making them take ~50% more damage from only the person who used Counter and only from one Close Combat attack. Lasts 10 seconds. Requires a Close Combat weapon.
- Critical Hit Rate factors in user critical rate. Also applies to Lance Counter and Counter Punch. This skill only factors in enemy critical, which is either low or the enemy has more protection than critical.
Windmill:
- Windmill-Counter is now permanently active, requiring it to be no longer set up.
Evasion:
- Uncap from Rank 6 -> 1.
Final Hit:
- Renovation 400% damage per hit decreased to 150%. 400% is ridiculously excessive, especially if it can destroy Provocation Barrier Spikes in just one use.
- Renovation durability no consumption feature applied to all weapons instead of only swords, blunts, and axes.
- No longer has Advanced Heavy Stander effects, or are toned down significantly, offsetting its no longer cancelable function.
Taunt:
- Learnable by all races. There aren't many tanks in this game, even though all races have access to "the Tank". I want to be able to protect my friends when they're in danger, as a Human. Even Human Shakespeare can use Taunt.
- Range increased from 4m -> 10m at Rank 1. It's really small which makes it unviable.
- Max tauntable enemy cap removed.
Wind Guard:
- Any skill can be used during Wind Guard (EXCEPT anything that moves the character a significant distance, like Charge) other than only Normal Attack, Taunt, Windmill, or Meditation, increasing its versatility.
- Allow walking. Defense allowed running with a shield in Renovation.
- Allow items and potions to be used. Final Hit allowed this in Renovation.
- No longer usable when paired with Lances.
Sword/Axe/Blunt/Shield/Light Armor/Heavy Armor Mastery:
- Scythes are lumped into Sword category.
- Rank of equipment mastery determines what weapons can be wielded, e.g. Claymore requires Rank 9 Sword Mastery and Beam Sword requires Rank 1. The purpose here is prevent newbies from having immediate access to Beam Swords and destroy everything at novice level. It makes sense too; the newbie gets stronger as they get more experienced and that concept should apply with the equipment masteries. A similar limitation also applies in Vindictus.
- Masteries only apply half their values when Dual Wielding, but still occur twice. +20 sword min damage, +40 sword max damage, +30% sword balance, +20 axe min damage, +40 axe max damage, +30% axe critical, +44 axe armor pierce, and +60 blunt max damage, or some mix, are really high values. This already makes up 1/3rd of total Balance and Critical, and the damage bonuses easily cheese through things when Close Combat's damage output is already fine as it is. Furthermore, dual wielding in real life is logically impractical since it weakens focus on both weapons compared to when used individually.
Berserk:
- Animation lock on start-up removed.
- Intelligence, Defense, Protection, Magic Defense, and Magic Protection decrease lowered from 100% -> 75% at Rank 9 and again to 50% at Rank 1.
- Alternatively, keep its Int/Defensive values and merge with Rage Impact, replacing its Strength bonuses.
Bash:
- Removed from the game completely. All this has done is just replace Smash and has some extremely overpowered variables.
- Alternatively, revert it back to pre-buff values but keep its no combo reset for switching targets and nerf its stun to around 2 seconds so it isn't stun locking large groups of mobs.
Rage Impact:
- Removed from the game completely. It kind of replaces Berserk. Melee, especially Lances, doesn't necessarily need a huge damage boost and some instantaneous survivability.
- Alternatively, merge it with Berserk, replacing its Strength bonuses and nicely offsetting RI's power, but make the damage bonus only apply to close combat skills and/or only apply to the user's attacks, with other attacks not cancelling the debuff.
Dual Wield Mastery:
- Removed. It's really just more unneeded spoon feeding and already gives half of the necessary balance and critical when combined with combat mastery and weapon masteries x2. Also why the hell does it give Auto Defense when that's supposed to be a shield's job?
Dual Wielding:
- Axes can be dual wielded. Three NPCs can do it and Milletians are supposed to be stronger than NPCs due to their relentless growth.
- Humans can dual wield blunts.
- Giants can dual wield swords. One NPC can do it.
- Elves are able to dual wield.
Restrictions Lifts:
- Two-handed Blunts and Axes for Humans and two-handed Swords, Blunt, and Axes, but not Lances, for Elves. They're already capable of using some two-handed weapons like Brionac, and it opens up more melee options for them. Also, both races can wield the 2h Renovation Celtic weapons.
- Dual wield for Elves.
- Heavy Armor for Elves. They're already capable of gearing with Royal Knight Armor and Bhafel Slayer Guard, which are the best heavy armors in the game.
Other:
- Strength to Defense ratio changed from 10:1 to 20:1 or 30:1.
- Rapiers and Wooden Blades now benefit from Close Combat weapon stuff. I know they announced they planned to do something to the former, but why the hell can't the latter be used?
[/SPOILER]
I actually like most of the ideas... Except for mastery parts... Trying to restrict equipment is quite a bad idea... Just as bad as the game forcing you to have a master talent and be active in it to actually tailor/blacksmith/carpentry certain stuffs... Demonic weapons should be the only one facing the restrictions...
The point is to prevent newbies from immediately being able to wield top tier weapons such as Beam Swords, breathing some life in the currently obsolete weapons. No one uses Short Swords anymore, no one uses Battle Swords, no one uses Claymores, etc., no they just jump immediately to Beams.
The point is to prevent newbies from immediately being able to wield top tier weapons such as Beam Swords, breathing some life in the currently obsolete weapons. No one uses Short Swords anymore, no one uses Battle Swords, no one uses Claymores, etc., no they just jump immediately to Beams.
Giants able to duel wield blades
Giants have a melee skill similar to final hit, like a Warrior Rage or something