If not buffs, then what?

[Kalcei]

What I would like to see for Bst that would make us more usefull on raids is maybe a group cure for Poison / disease quick cast like 2 seconds. I find that more and more I have been put in groups in Anguish and stuff to cure dots due to only 1 or 2 shammys being on raids and cleric/ druids healing and not curing as much. Pallys got RGC bst seemed to get semi descent poison and disease cures why not get us a cure that would make us usefull on high end raids

[Shieara]

I always felt like it would be interesting if we could command our pets to /shield us on command.  Of course it would have to be balanced with some sort of reuse timer, as well as be somewhat restrictive on range, but I can think of times when having my pet take some of the damage I was getting would have made a huge difference for me.  Like when I tanked one of Xegony's guards that decided to come to us with her.

(ouch, ouch, not the tail, ouch...not there either!)

[Clawbound]

I've taken a lot of very useful info from this site over the past year or two, and would like to contribute something in return.

Looking at Tast's original post on this subject, this line is what I believe to be the crux of the matter ..

We need something that makes a second and maybe even a third bst desireable to a raid

Having recently joined a full time raiding guild, I feel I've identified what I consider to be the main weakness in our class. It's what the beastlord is all about - warders.  Picture the scene - the raid has spent 5 mins or so buffing everyone to raid level, including our pride and joy. The fight starts and the target being raided casts their first AE - next thing you know our warder is gone!

I'm not professing to have the solution, but certainly our warder needs some form of AE mitigation (confirmed by other replies in this thread). But what about increasing our warders survivability overall? How about a warders defensive disc, purchased through an AA? Combined with an improvement in AC/HP (and AE mitigation), it might give the warder a temporary "off-tanking" ability. Combine this with the advanced pet discipline (possibly revised), and we may have the option to have our beefed up warder guard that essential cleric, or chanter in the raid.

Oh yes, and please can we have the option to click off pet buffs..... :wink:

[Jili]

Actually with Demi-plane pet foci your pet is quite tough and has little problems staying alive except from some AE ramp bosses. But having a pet by your side does not help Bst desirability on raids, me and our other Bst is still just there to SA the raid. Everything we can do on a raid someone else can do better. Oh except from SA... yay?

Why recruit another Bst discing 1k dps on Harrier when you can get a rouge discing 1800. DPS is our only other raid utility apart from SA atm, to bad we kinda sux at it =/

[Oiingo]

Saying that a Demiplane drop is the solution to our warder problem definately isn't correct.  There are lots of beastlords that still suffer with AEs that have yet to even begin progressing towards this zone.  Odds are that the problem will become worse in the next expansion.

[Dummkopf]

Of course it isnt a solution for all but it is a first step in the right direction as the demiplane focused pet is able to survive pretty much all encounters except with heavy ae ramp. After all it more than doubles the hp compared to the next lower focus. As we all know that is only a part solution since pets still mitigate like we do, not at all...

[jitathab]

Whereas I am pleased that about 5-10 bsts a server may have got warders than can resist AE's, it really doesnt help anyone else.

It also shows the underlying trend to "fix" things by making you buy a new expansion.

[hughman]

I can understand people's feeling sin now wanting to be spending all their time buffing, or even a significant amount of time doing that.  I play a BL because it's good, constant damage.

I would like to see 2 things of BLs:

First I would like to see them able to handle adds for a short time, long enough to get an off tank onto it, then allow them to get agro and keep it off me. 

Second I would like to see the BLs become the kings at debuffing.  I have long wanted an effective Debuff other than slow in the game.  Slow is an inherently limited way to decrease mob's damage.  You can only slow so much, and SoE appears to agree as they seem to have a cap on the amount of slow that can be applied.  (isn't the highest slow 80%Ish?)  But what about something like an overpowered Cripple or a pair or stacking spells that will measureably decrease the damage dealt by a Mob?

Just my thoughts from a part timer BL and Most timer Necro.

Loketh 70 nec, Tahnel 57 BL, Mahnk 53 Monk.

[Jili]

The problem with that Hughman is if they implement a new debuff that decreases mob dps alot, they would have to change the fight system completely. With new Bst debuffs every fight would become so much easier that every raiding guild would finish Demi-plane in a month.

The raidmobs as it is are calculated to make it interesting for clerics to keep ppl alive, with a uber Bst debuff we all could watch Oprah while raiding.

[recoil silverclaws]

Alltho i realy do love our current defence disc (the fast reuse timer is just awsome and has save my ass more times then i can count) i would realy like to see the duration extended to something more useful on raids like a 30 sec duration would realy be awsome. Maybe in a form of a second defence disc with a longer reuse then our curent. Would give use the abilaty to grab that extra add that a knight dident get and keep it off softys till thay can get to it  class can grab it off us. I kinda do this allready on some events and would love to beable to do it more effently.

[recoil silverclaws]

Ohh sorry i know i just posted but this thought just came to me.
One thing that no one has atm is the abilaty to regin endurence thay took it out some time ago for what reson im not totaly sure of but if thay would somehow make fero or even add in a new buff that  only bst's could use to add to stam regin this would greatly incress the need for  haveing that second or thrid bst it would have to be a single target buff so it wouldent be to over powerd of course. Would make fero realy a wanted buff for dps and tank class's for not only the atck/dps incress but the abilaty to do one more enernce useing atck disc would be well worth haveing a bst cast fero on you. Just a idea if im totaly wrong on this idea let me know lol

[lmd]

what if we had an aa that would allow our pets to  shield others on the raid and absorb some of the dmg that player would take. just thought i would toss it out there see what people say

[Dummkopf]

Aye, something like that seems to interest a lot of beastlords. However the problem with that is that all of our pets mitigate very bad and dont avoid much so they are very bad tanks, the second problem is that all but the spire servant focused pets have pretty low hp so they cannot take much damage in the first place.

If pets would receive a substantial tanking upgrade (something mages ask for for years now) it would be a viable way to increase our utility. Substantial here means that they increase the pet avoidance and mitigation by a big factor, around 5 would be good.

[Purrs]

first off if any of the idea's i post have been posted already, i apoligize. It's been a while since i have actively raided seriously, and only recently started playing again.

Prior to the 2 most recent expansions, multiple bsts were always wanted, not just because of  drops going to waste, but because of the usefullness of  MGB and Paragon.   It couldn' be used every raid target but normally you could use it every other boss mob depending on how fast or slow the party moved. again this isn't to debunk anyone, but just a reminder that there are other things we can do on raids. 

With that being said, I do also agree there is a noticable downward slope in DPS and usefullness,  (If it still works) mgb Paragon even fully upgraded, isn't anywhere near as useful as it used to be. Getting group Fero spells would be nice and I would love to see it. Other things, which I think I mentioned once before, targetable proc buff, stackable with weapon procs, on the same timing schedule as Fero line.  Single target,  most you will get at any 1 time is 3 people, and unaffected by SCR.  Having 2 or 3 people procing an extra 160+ damage from time to time should over all benefit both soloing(buffing yourself) group(yourself and 2 others) or a raid while not being too overpowering.  Leave the -agro in so it will at most benefit yourself and others attacking while not being able to cast it on the MT.  depending on how much it actually adds, possibly extending the duration, and recast time to keep from having to recast it every x seconds.  Or in a different fassion,  an AA that will allow you to cast pet buffs on others/self.   Minor attunements to existing abilities we already have should help tremendously.   

Purrs,
70 bs of Stromm

[jitathab]

As much as I want DPS and not be a debuff class, the one line of spells we could look at are enhancements to the cure lines.
e.g. curing poisions, diseases and so on.
These buffs save raids and make the casters valuable, sure other people have this stuff but i dont think its a spell line that any class is protective of.

However would still say DPS boost please!