I wanna say something that I don’t know if it’s been already discussed:
I find it really jarring and immersion breaking that all skeletons temporarily despawn when you get disabled. In the lore posts we read that they were even summoned when she was unconscious.
I realize having an option at self-save from a disabler is something remarkable, but not unseen before (there’s a boon in CW and IB has gromril curse): while undoubtedly useful I’m not sure that it would be OP (I’d be ok with us being unable to command the minions when disabled): especially on high difficulties they die pretty easily and they’d be hard pressed in an intense scenario (like you hooked away during a horde or a boss or something). I see this as mostly helping in those instances where you are alone and a single disabler gets you, those instances where a necromancer with a bunch of undead skeletons should be in no trouble. It would also go someway towards alleviating the idiotic bots behavior, who seem to prefer to follow a special or any other player but yourself.
This is my main gripe. Other than this I find it a bit weird that the staff that only she can use (while a very nice weapon on its own merits) is possibly the one with the worst sinergies. If it was up to me I’d restrict the scythe instead and unlock the staff for her other careers. Fits the theme better too, in my humble opinion, but I think this would be divisive.
And people who do that on pyro are, literally, below the skill floor.
The skill floor is, specifically, the minimum amount of skill required to utilize something correctly, such as play a class. The skill floor isn’t about picking up the class, running forward, and pressing M1. It’s about utilizing as many tools the class has access to to some arbitrary minimum capability, which can be relatively summed up as: “Does it make sense for a player to use this here, and are they using it at all?”
Ignoring a projectile reflect means you flat out aren’t utilizing a valuable and arguably critical tool. Just as not using a valuable and arguably critical buff to skeletons means you’re below the skill floor.
This translates into other games, such as playing Payday and not using grenades. In an MMO like WoW it would be like playing an arcane mage and not using evocation.
Using any tools isn’t enough to meet the skill floor. It’s using every tool even if it’s sporadic in use or things start drifting, E.G. not maintaining 100% uptime on the 60% damage buff on skeletons.
In contrast, skill ceiling is knowing when to use any of those tools and using it as consistently as you can in situations where it makes sense to maximize the theoretical output of the class.
Running forward and not using air burst? You’re below the floor.
You’re just getting ceiling and floor mixed up. Floor is the amount of skill and effort to contribute to the team, and ceiling is the peak that the character is capable of if you master all of its mechanics. In overwatch Lucio has a low skill floor since you help just by existing with his healing aura turned on. But his skill ceiling is much higher when someone knows how to maximize wall run usage, his knockback effects, when to ult, when to amp up his auras, when to swap auras, etc. Night and day difference between a low skill lucio and a high skill one, but a low skill one that just runs around like a chicken with his head cut off will never be useless in the same way that a an Ana who can’t aim is.
I didn’t read this whole thread so no clue if this was already covered; but does anyone else feel like Necromancer makes the game too noisy to look at? Just look at this visual nightmare:
I can’t tell friend from foe and foe from friend. I know you can enable outlines for minions but that only brings about more visual noise for the game.
It’s readable in environments without dark lighting. For example, this one looks fine, look at how cool Witch and Salt are while holding their ground.
@AsukasHeadphones check out the game options. There’s an option to give the skeletons their own friendly outlines. IIRC it’s minion outlines. There is still a bit of visual clutter but at least friend is clearly denoted.
I don’t even think any of the two weapons should be locked. The scythe doesn’t seem out of place on any of the other careers, and the staff would work just fine with regular fire, since we’ve already seen flames seeking targets and the burst works perfectly as an implosion or “spontaneous” combustion.
Well, a scythe is in its origin an agricultural tool, and it’s only associated with necromancy/death because someone somewhere illustrated death taking many people’s lives with a tool that cuts crops in mass.
What I’m trying to say… the scythe doesn’t bring dead people into servitude, it just kills them in swathes, and that can fit all of the careers. Every Sienna is death incarnate as much as necro Sienna
Also, I really think the flamethrower staff should be equippable for the necromancer. Pestilence spray go! (After they make it more fun, cooler and enjoyable to use, of course)
Well, I mean, yes, but unless I’m quite mistaken, a scythe makes for an unlikely martial weapon, so we are discussing this within the confines of the fantasy trope.
I wondered why they restricted the flamestorm, I originally thought because it’s quite hated by players wanting to get THP from a horde, but I think it might have proven to be too OP for her in testing.
Besides, I played a game with a coruscation necromancer, and it made really hard to see anything in the map. I think flamestorm might make things worse.
Yea, I would agree here. The reason why “Death” is associated with the Scythe is because of the Grim Reaper harvesting souls like a farmer harvests grain. So, the only reason “death associated” figures are using a Scythe is because of that metapher. Sure, other people could use it as well but why? A Scythe under normal conditions makes for a rather bad weapon.
I was not aware of the outline option! It does make a major difference and probably should default on, or at least show up when the skeletons are occluded.
My original prediction was that they would make a new staff for necro Sienna to complement her new kit, but that any staff she uses would get an effect of a firey scythe blade coming out of it. That way all her staffs could be used on necro and still bring the flavor, but also make sense when used on another career.
I also thought perhaps her new melee weapon would be a fire sickle, or something like that which would be inbetween between dagger and sword with a unique fire source, and reasonable for all careers.
I do find it a bit odd where they landed on design and career locking, but it’s not something that ruins immersion for me or anything. I just think there may have been better solutions.
This is clearly a lore based decision. Necromancy is Dhar, not a different wind of magic.
In regards to the staff, it’s specifically a staff that lets her use necromancy, a magic that is exclusively locked to necromancers. By using it, you ARE a Necromancer. You can’t use it without being a Necromancer. OTOH her fire staff uses aqshy, which is something necromancers can still very easily access because they never lost the ability to use their single wind of magic in their transition to necromancy. This is why Balthazar Gelt was still a Gold Wizard even when he became a Necromancer, he never lost his control over Chamon. The reverse however is impossible. Bright Wizards using necromancy by definition would make them necromancers.
As for the weapon, it’s a scythe. There’s symbolic association with death and Nurgle, but that’s where it ends. Anyone can use a scythe.
