Developer Update: Class Changes and Balance in Game Update 1.4

Almost full War Hero Sorc heals here. I'm pretty expert at staying alive by kiting (as good as one can be against melee types that have lots of gap closers), and I have to warn you that the changes to Overload and Electrocute are going to significantly reduce survivability for Sorcs/Sages.

Overlord is a "skunk's tail"-like defensive cooldown in kiting: I turn my butt toward the enemy, knockback, and then create separation by moving away, usually in search of a LOS breaking obstacles. With the new ability, I'll have to face my foe and then trigger Overload and then turn around and then run away. That's hard to do in practice because lag prevents quick movements like that. Another use of Overload was to knockback an enemy while standing at a corner of LOS and then going around that corner. Not possible with your new cone effect. Adept close-range fighters are already skilled in moving through you, making it difficult to use forward-facing effects on them consistently (particularly with a narrow aperture cone at very close range, I imagine). So this is a major nerf to an ability that, talented with Electric Bindings, was one of our few escape mechanisms. We're already very squishy, and melees already have lots of gap closers. Why you want to reduce survivability is beyond me. I've heard lots of complaints, but "sorcs always get away" was not one of them.

Similarly, Electocute was a preemptive opener at 30 meters. If you could get it off before the leap, you could try to run away. Not so at 10 meters. The leap has likely occurred already and some melded have CC immunity after leaps.

These two changes favor melee types at he expense of a class already regarded as too squishy by most. I meant his feedback in a constructive light and not as a complaint. I Enjoy the class and it's limits as is. But less survivability against melees is not the right direction for balance.

Why do developers let PVP mess up PVE?