Bubble stun doesn't need a nerf

Your first statement is exactly what I said, it was filling up resolve on the other team unpredictably and entirely too fast to be effective. The fact that it was a mez could still have been utilized effectively by teams (i.e. they are focusing one guy, so the other 3 that are mezzed aren't being hit and remain CC'd) if the amount of resolve had been acceptable, which it wasn't.

I agree that resolve filled properly based on it being a mez as opposed to it being a stun now, but it still doesn't change the fact that being hit by multiple bubbles before filled twice as much resolve, whereas now it would only fill 300 resolve from two simultaneous bubble pops. That change is what made the unpredictability of who would get CC'd acceptable.

As for using bubbles intelligently, that really isn't an option. It is far and away our best heal regardless of the stun affect. When I'm kiting, it's basically the only heal I can use on others. If they made an ability off GCD that allowed you to apply the effect to certain bubbles then your statement would have some validity. An animation attached to the stun bubbles would be welcome as well.

It really has nothing to do with paying attention. I can't think of any way at all to kill a rootkick/bubblestun sage, either heal or balance as second tree, as operative or scoundrel. Well, assuming equal gear and such, obviously. Maybe I'm just not thinking outside of the box enough *shrugs*

Plus, even seeing the bubble and moving away from it to pop it from a distance won't help, because competent players just stun you by cancelling the buff as soon as you pose a threat. That's what makes it most frustrating: The effect is tied to a damage absorbing mechanism, but can be triggered without any damage being absorbed.

YEs you are not, use your ranged attacks =)

Okay, I crouch and deploy explosive probe on the sage, start to snipe, and... oh, what's that, the focus guardian just pushed me away from his healer. Well, that's a shame. Oh, the guardian cancelled his bubble buff and I'm stunned for 3 seconds... eh, more luck next time.

Alternatively: Oh boy, I really hope that sage doesn't LoS me for the next 6 seconds while I point a red laser at him and try to get that bubble down.

The frustrating thing is that you need to START the fight from range, or you're stunned.

Hmm, I am liking where this is going. So you can pre-load a bubble, similar to flechette round before backblast, and make it a stun bubble. Then up the resolve to where it should be.

This idea has legs.

I still maintain the hybrid wasn't useful when bubbles mezzed you because it would break on damage. This made speccing full heals the better option (or maybe going up to electric bindings). How much it matters at this point is questionable.

First, its not up to me to suggest some replacement for bubble stun calling for the modification or remove of a bad mechanic is not dependant on anyone having a replacement ready.

If the mage/sorc could only use this talent to bubble themselfs, then ok, it also should fill resolve, but since thats not the case we have to look at how its being used, its being put on everyone they can, beat through the bubble of anyone as melee and you are stunned for 3 seconds, beat on and little to no resolve is given. Now you are out of the stun but your target has his bubble back up and whats worse is his team mate pops their bubble manually and you are stunned again for 3 seconds and beat on.

So the real problem is damage doesnt break it, it gives very little resolve, its applied to multiple team members, manually popping it causes the stun, and it is in most cases is reapplied before you can come out of the stun.

Bubble stuns used this way have nothing to do with any type skill, its just a "I win" talent, granted ranged can pop some bubbles and not be stunned, but how does that work out when someone runs up and pops their bubble and your ranged is stunned.

I think most everyone agrees sages/sorcs need something to beef them up or make it possible for them to keep distance on an attacker, but this is just a badly designed talent.

I've been killed lots of times by ops/scoundrels. They are highly situational/opportunistic classes.

If you want to kill me, you need to wait until my bubble is popped but I still have the lockout. If I know there are dps op/scoundrels in a warzone, I do everything possible to keep the bubble up on myself, but I still can't get 100% uptime because others will attack me and pop it before I can replace it.

THAT is when you strike--when I am weakened. If I can't get my bubble for another 8 seconds and you stun me when I get up and try to run away from you (which you should expect me to do), you will kill me quite easily.

Again, this presents a l2p issue of target selection...

Sure, I can kill a sage who has blown his bubble cooldown, his knockback cooldown, his force lift cooldown and his regular stun cooldown. Oh, and the force speed cooldown. The only thing that's as annoying are op/scoundrel healers.

But it's not about killing a healer as a single DD, which *should* be difficult. It's about an additional 3 second area stun for the entire team on an 18 second cooldown which generates half the resolve of all other stuns. In an already stun-heavy game.

So why did you say you couldn't think of anyway to kill a rootkick sage as an op then? I'm confused.

We can't knock you back when you're behind us anymore (that got nerfed), and you should be opening from behind...
Same applies for the stun...
Force lift is casted unless we're madness, interrupt that...
Force speed is hardcountered by timely stun...

And in addition to all of this, you knock us down for a GCD when you pop out of stealth, and we have to turn around when we get back up to do anything other than run, which is why you should have your stun handy to make sure we don't get very far.

The only thing a DPS operative needs to worry about when engaging a bubblestunner is the status of the bubble lockout. Bubblestunners laugh at the bads, of which there are many because op is a high-skillcap class to dps with, but the good ones who wait for the proper time to strike are very much a threat to us.

I tried it on my sorc healer and tbh I didn't like it. Meh, seems dumb relying on that and its almost certainly going to be nerfed anyway.

You're not just giving up revification too, there's a substantial boost to bonus healing and force crit up there as well...