To start off, I’ll let you know that I’m a warlock main, and while I largely use warlock in PvE activities, I rarely use it in PvP for reasons I will later list. To clarify one issue, in my own opinion and from the opinions of a lot of other warlock players (I say a lot but I mostly mean ones I’ve spoken with so obviously I can’t speak for a majority of the community) Solar 3.0 was a “nerf” as it stripped Warlocks of their identity in order to distribute their power to the other classes. A lot of these players are hesitant about Arc 3.0 for the fear that Bungie will do the same thing. While the new rework will allow for new combinations and ways to play, that shouldn’t come at the cost of Warlock’s identity.
In PvE, Warlocks are designed to be energy powerhouses. A majority of their abilities (pre-light 3.0) consisted of a LOT of ability regeneration. This was largely done because Warlock’s are seen as Support, so this ability regen is often added as a way to maintain supportive capabilities at the cost of high damaging abilities. Now not all Warlock subclasses are like this, for example Nova Bomb was designed to do a decently high amount of damage while also supporting a rather powerful grenade. However, Void warlock is still capable of ability and health regen, as CotOG and Devour regen health and ability energy, making them self sustaining. But a super like Chaos Reach is currently designed to do a majority if its damage with the super, while lesser ability proc Ionic Trace so they can still be self sustaining while not dealing incredible amounts of damage. Solar Warlocks aren’t really designed for damage but largely for support (I’ll address Dawnblade in the next paragraph). So pre-light 3.0, the perk benevolent dawn was granted to warlocks to help maintain high ability regen at the cost if almost only support abilities. By giving benevolent dawn to everyone and then nerfing it, being an incredible support is less appealing. My personal fear is that with Arc 3.0, Ionic traces will be nerfed bc they’re being given to everyone.
Lets get to a big point, ability comparison. Did you know that Warlocks have 0 instant killing abilities in PvP (this doesn’t include supers)? Even with added exotics, the number is still 0. Did you know that Titans have 5, including buffs from 2 exotics? Did you know that Hunters have 3, including buffs from 1 exotic? In PvP, Warlocks largely have to focus on gunplay, because often times abilities are used to buff, debuff, or distract. Icarus Dash is a perfect example of this, so too are Stasis Turrets. While there are damage abilities, not a single one is capable of defeating an opponent without help. This often isn’t too much of a bother in PvE, but in PvP its an issue. An issue that does occur in PvE is support power. With classes now having the power to heal themselves, there’s no need to bring a warlock.
Now don’t get me wrong, Arc Warlocks are incredibly powerful in PvE and can be if used correctly in PvP so only getting one new toy doesn’t bother me. What does bother me is Bungie and the communities failure to realize that one class’s buff is another class’s push towards being obsolete.
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2 RepliesThe biggest issue I’m starting to have it seems like Hunter and Titans I’m Void 3.0 got very defined identities and rolls. And while Warlock abilities seemed to fit the class, the role and identity of the warlock seemed to be middling. By that I mean there was a time their identities were summed up in their supers. Titans protected the team. Hunters trapped and debuffed while being illusive, and Warlocks brought the unbridled power. What happened in 3.0, Titans got more overshields and a faster Ward of Dawn. Hunters got more Invis, but then got the strongest damage super in the game. Warlocks got a shove, and an aoe debuf orb. Our best grenades given out to everyone. So, what is our identity and role?? In Solar Bungie didn’t lean into anything a Warlock had been. They took our healing grenade and gave it everyone. They put Phoenix dive in a cool down length second only to our super. We didn’t become better healers. We didn’t get more in air movement or additional movement abilities, and they made daybreak a little bit worse. Our best damage grenade was also given to everyone. Scorch and Ignitions saved the class. Out of the box Hunters and Titans felt like their identities and roles were as defined as they had been. Though they lost some of their own exclusive identity in the way of grenades getting shared around. But with Titans lighting the ground on fire, and hunters either throwing knives in your head or leaving traps everywhere these classes feel didn’t feel to lose as much. Warlocks still have in air movement and heal, but non of that got better. If anything parts got worse. Muddled. Oh and again Hunters got the highest damage super in the game. With arc it looks again like Bungie doesn’t know what to make the Warlock. The new melee reads like a Titan ability. Warlocks don’t fly at the enemy, using our body like a ballistic weapon. In fact they seem to be going out of their way to make Warlocks more ranged in their play style. Which for a Wizard does make more sense. Calling down a lighting strike, makes sense. That lighting wave thing the Hive Wizard Guardian does, makes sense. Doing a lighting dash/teleport makes sense for mobility, but like blink or icarus. And yes, Ionic Blink makes more sense for warlocks than it does for Hunters. I don’t care they had it in D1, because it didn’t make sense there either. But I digress. The grenade aspect Titans are getting actually makes more sense for Warlocks, than the new melee for Warlocks. Creating storms of lighting that chase people. That sounds like a Lighting Shaman, like something Palpatine could and would do.