The main set of changes to the Defiler profession is aimed at increasing the versatility of the profession, while keeping the core gameplay and theme roughly the same. As the raw damage output of the profession is fairly good when used correctly, the changes mostly increase versatility - several sources of damage have been scaled down, and the new ones mostly (though not exclusively) come at the cost of forgoing existing options.

- Entropy reworked - it now causes damage or thornroot empowering instantly on hit, not when the affliction is cured, and the damage has been reduced

- The 10s entropy cooldown remains, but it now only reduces the damage by 1/3 instead of negating it entirely

- Petrification (Desecration) removed

- New Desecration ability: Splinter

- New Desecration ability: Empower

- New Desecration ability: Germinate

- Branch (Desecration) reworked

- Branch (Desecration) now continues wielding a shield, if it was held in the arm when used; the shield cannot be knocked out by disarming attacks, but if you unwield it, you won't be able to re-wield it until you cure the branching

- Altered the thresholds for thornroots to do damage or evolve into a seed

- Damage of standalone torments (Entropy, Paranoia, etc) increased a bit; I didn't do the full report 71, as the other Defiler changes should make these effects more desirable

- Thornroots now always tick 5 times regardless on the method of delivery, and they release the accumulated energy as damage even if they didn't hit the 10% threshold; additionally, roots delivered using Thornfire no longer cause reduced damage at the end

- Delivering a new thornroot now causes the previous one to cause damage/seed, exactly as if it just ticked for the 5th time

- Confutation (Shadowbinding) is no longer targetted and doesn't wear off

- Passive damage from shrouds (Torment) to attackers halved, and the percentage chance of shrouds to take effect (entangle/toxin blocking) has been reduced

- Torment shrouds no longer backfire; instead, there's an option to voluntarily cause it to explode, causing room damage to everyone who is not shielded (including allies, so be careful)

- Nurture (Desecration) now allows you to specify the vial to use

- Tainted blood has been simplified, it no longer is divided by owner/toxin; it can now also be stored in vialbelts

- Abilities that required toxin-infused tainted blood now instead consume a toxin application when used


Garryn


Penned by my hand on the 17th of Naturalis, in the year 35 AM.