Shadow of Fear update

[Nusa]

There's no NDA this time around, so it's ok to discuss it. Eqresource has already been putting up the beta info on their site. Here's the page that applies to beastlords: http://preview.eqresource.com/shof/beastlord.php

Those of you with beta access can, of course, see this info directly in the beta forums, along with bug reports and feedback. And everything is subject to change...for instance, Quickened Feralgia has already been removed as unimplementable due to the cap on spell haste.
Beastlord specific beta threads, if you have access (RoF beta people still have access, and I think signups are open):
http://forums.station.sony.com/eq/index.php?threads/new-beastlord-spells-feedback.4755/
http://forums.station.sony.com/eq/index.php?forums/beastlord.83/

So, things that jump out for me are:
- New AA version of slow
- New AA giving us stun resistance
- New AA ability to cannibalize health for mana!
- Maelstrom upgrade, moving all the damage to the same tick
- New attack that recourses endurance restoration for the group. Not huge for the beastlord, but gold to pure melees in the group. Essentially another form of ADPS.
- New pet proc that cripples the mob.

Of interest:
Gelid Rending is being changed so it procs on 1HB as well as H2H. Which means you'll have to use Piercing or 2HB if you want to turn it off. The idea is to make 1HB a viable weapon choice again.

On the minus side:
You have to have read the beta forums to know this, but it looks like the pet block lines for all of the pet classes are headed for a nerf. Most of the spells that block X hits of any size, will get changed to block an amount of damage per hit. Still a largish number, but it may not be the same, especially in raid situations.

[Khauruk]

Boo on that nerf, but it's not shocking.

A very good set of boosts for bst overall w/ SoF.

[nedoirah]

I tried to access beta this morning but kept getting kicked out. Is the stun aa activated or passive?

[Zunar]

I tried to access beta this morning but kept getting kicked out. Is the stun aa activated or passive?

passive AA.
It's not a class AA, so I think it's shared with most/all classes.

[Inphared]

I've been following the changes to Gelid Rending, and what you guys might try and ask for is to change the AA from a passive one into an activated buff that lasts permanently.

Bards have an ability called Sionache's Crescendo. It costs 2AA (not that Gelid Rending should cost that) and extends the range on all songs cast by the bard. It lasts forever, and goes into the shortbuff box. The same restrictions could apply (would still only proc off of HTH/1HB) to Gelid Rending, but it would allow you to turn it on and off at will.

[Khauruk]

Are there any fights since Brell's Temple where it is a bad thing?  I can't recall any offhand, and given this lack, I'm not sure it's worth anybody's time to bother with.

[Ranar]

far as i remember the Brells Temple was last major problem with the proc... since we still have option to switch in a dagger to stop from procing gelid (just in the rare chance they implement another event script). we should be fine ..

I'd be careful pushing too hard getting gelid proc turned into an activated AA ... war's have done just that this beta with there new taunt (sneering grin i think).. eli turned it into a 5 min duration with 15 sec refresh..... I'd be afraid he would give us same very short duration... I know i don't want another click every 5 mins... so i'm happy just keeping it passive. as long we have at least 1 option to swap out weapons to turn it off....

[Krinsh]

Beastlords have enough clicking to do. Leave it as passive.

[Zorthaz]

Played some last night in Beta and first off things hit so hard in the Shadow zone that I had to have a merc tank.  This meant I really could not tell if the stun AA was doing anything.  The cannibalize AA eats 12K worth of HPs and gives back about 10K mana.  This is a rough estimate, but it was enough mana to start buffing after a death.  The combat ability that does damage and returns endurace, refreshes so slowly and the amount of endurance it returns is so low that you hardly notice it.

I am not sure if disease resistance is higher in the Shadow zone, but I did notice the new Naks Malestrom the disease portion was resisted often.  This also seemed to affect the AA slow as I had to cast the AA slow 4 times to slow a mob in one instance.  The duration on the AA slow seems lower as it had to be re-applied before the mob was dead almost every time.  The group was not a big DPS group by any means, but with a merc tank, myself, merc cleric and a mage mobs didn't take long to kill.

Unlike most people, I didn't pile on the AAs.  I just purchased the new AAs so I could have a good comparison of the difference they made.  As a consequence, I only have the first 3 ranks of the AA that reduces resists on disease and poison spells.  I may have to purchase the last few ranks to see if it helps.

Take everything above with a grain of salt, as they were just observations and not measured results.  I may be better off going to a know zone like Feerott to perform testing.

[Khauruk]

Slow uses a magic resist check, not a disease.  It's only cured w/ by disease cures.

You can check duration in the HOTT window pretty readily.

Nice mana return - that's the reuse timer on that?

[nedoirah]

Slow uses a magic resist check, not a disease.  It's only cured w/ by disease cures.

You can check duration in the HOTT window pretty readily.

Nice mana return - that's the reuse timer on that?

It's a 3 min timer. I've finally managed to get into the beta so I'll have updated charts soon. But for some reason my counts are coming up way off, I'm chalking it up to Beta issues. I will need alt activate numbers for the following AA:

1. Consumption of Spirit
2. Frenzied Swipes
3. Sha's Reprisal

I'll try to find them but please post them if you get them.

[kharthai]

Some of this may have been changed recently or may be before it goes live, but:

[38075] Playing Possum
Classes: BST/254
Skill: Abjuration
Endurance: 300
Target: Self
Beneficial: Blockable
Casting: 0s
1: Feign Death (Success: 95%)
Text: You play dead.

[38076] Bestial Bloodrage
Classes: BST/254
Skill: Abjuration
Target: Pet
Range: 100
Beneficial: Blockable
Casting: 0s
Duration: 5m (50 ticks), Extend: No
Dispellable: No
Hate: -1200
1: Decrease Current HP by 300 per tick
3: Cast on Fade: Bestial Bloodrage Recourse [Spell 23696]
4: Decrease Hate by 2400 per tick
5: Increase Chance to Hit with 1H Blunt by 30%
6: Increase Pet Chance to Flurry by 55%
7: Increase Melee Haste by 35%
10: Increase Hit Damage by 250%
Text: You send your warder into a bloodrage.

[38077] Sha's Reprisal
Classes: BST/254
Skill: Alteration
Target: Single
Range: 200
Resist: Magic -40
Casting: 1.5s, Recast: 6s
Duration: 90s (15 ticks)
Dispellable: No
2: Decrease Melee Haste by 66%
3: Increase Disease Counter by 24
Text: Your arms slow down.
Causes your target to fall into a lethargic state, slowing their attack speed for %z.

[38078/38078] Consumption of Spirit
Classes: BST/254
Target: Self
Beneficial: Blockable
Casting: 2s
1: Decrease Current HP by 12000
2: Increase Current Mana by 6800
Text: Your body aches as your mind clears.

[38079] Frenzied Swipes
Target: Self
Beneficial: Blockable
Casting: 0s, Recast: 0.5s
Duration: 12s (2 ticks), Extend: No
1: Unknown Effect: 264 Base1=5 Base2=247 Max=0 Calc=100 Value=5
Text: You attack with incredible fury!
Reduces reuse timer on Feral Swipe to 1 second for up to %z.

36451/2542] Reflexive Rending Rk. II
Classes: BST/100
Skill: Hand to Hand
Endurance: 360
Target: Single
Range: 200
Resist: Unresistable
Casting: 0s, Recast: 10m, Timer: 18
1: Hand to Hand Attack for 269 with 1000% Accuracy Mod
2: Hand to Hand Attack for 182 with 1000% Accuracy Mod
3: Hand to Hand Attack for 131 with 1000% Accuracy Mod
4: Hand to Hand Attack for 305 with 1000% Accuracy Mod
5: Cast: Reflected Rending II [Spell 36454]
Text: You are rent by a flurry of strikes.
You steel your reflexes, delivering four hand-to-hand attacks to your target and restoring a large amount of endurance to your group.

[36454] Reflected Rending II
Target: Caster Group
Range: 200, AE Range: 200
Beneficial: Blockable
Casting: 1s, Recast: 30s
2: Increase Current Endurance by 3014
Text: Your endurance is restored.
Restores up to @2 endurance to your group.

[Nusa]

AA focuses apply to AA abilities, but gear focuses do not, which would explain why the AA version of slow doesn't last quite as long. Of course AA abilities never fizzle on casting, so that's a plus.

Can't etch anything in stone yet. AA purchase costs in particular often get a lot of changes toward the end of the beta cycle.

[nedoirah]

Are reflexive/reflected rending aa or discipline?

Can't etch anything in stone yet. AA purchase costs in particular often get a lot of changes toward the end of the beta cycle.

That's very true. Those things ALWAYS were my bane when it came to doing my aa charts w/ costs. I used to play around with beta and provide feedback now if I decide to join beta, it's only to test costs and make up my charts. Seeds of Destruction was my favorite beta test. I got to play alongside Ngreth in a tower raid.

[Khauruk]

So....did he suck? :D