First of let me tip my hat to the devs on striking a pretty good balance between pve and rvr. Though rvr is the End Game, the pve progression and end game pve raid balance is excellent. The distribution of items and quests across the SI, DF, Summoners Hall and Sobekite Dungeons is superb. Utilising the fall range of zones and dungeons in the game. Which in turns gives players new and old the full daoc experience whilst lvling and growing their character. It far out shines what passes as character development and growth on live (ywain) wherein only a tiny fraction of the game is used.
However, the issues that hold Eden back and that will invariably spell its doom are not found in the pve side of the game. Each realm is balanced and capable in terms of pve content. The singular biggest flaw lies in class/realm balance when it comes to rvr. As a game developer myself the importance of class balance within a defined class structure is not lost on me. You need to remain objective and distance yourself from your favourites, and acknowledge as a developer you not producing a game for yourself but ultimately for those that play it. Here is where Eden lets itself down. Class balance has always been a sticky wicket even under Mythics stewardship, and sadly here on Eden you've fallen into some of the same traps they did.
What imbalances exist? Everyone's got their favoruite class yes. But the first most striking imbalance isn't class to class but archetype to archetype. Eden for all intent purposes is Dark Age of Castalot, with the balance between casting classes and melee classes heavily leaning in the favour of the former. When balancing classes and archetypes it's important to ensure that each is viable and the strengths and weaknesses of each exist and can through skill be exploited. Here on Eden due to nature of the variations from live daoc the casters strengths have been extenuated by the considerable nerfing of the melee classes. The most prominent of these being the Charge Skill removed as a class skill from the Light Tanks and made an RA. Given not a single mage class has had Quick Cast or insta-cast spells removed, all tanks have become nothing but kite bait. The class composition of end battlegroups is almost exclusively caster/hybrid based. Light Tanks only feature due to their climb walls ability and the heavy tanks are played by those sadomasochists out there.
Let's take a quick look at the various casting classes that possess CC:
Alb: Sorc - debuff, root, bolt range mezz, lifetap, Quick Cast
Theurg - Root, Mezz, stunning pets, DD, Quick Cast
Wizzy - Root, bolts, pbaoe, Quick Cast
Minstrel - Insta mezz, stun, castable mezz, DD
Cleric - Stun, Mezz.. Stunning RR5, DD
Hib: Chanter - Stun, Root, Snaring/Stunning Pet, DD, pbaoe, Quick Cast
Mentalist - Stun, Mezz, Root, charm, DD, Static Tempest, Quick Cast, healing
Animist - Root, Bolt range aoe root, healing pets, snaring pets, Quick Cast
Bard - Insta Root, Insta Mezz, Aoe Mezz, DD, SoS, Speed, heals
Druid - Root, AoE Root, Disease, DD
Mid: Healer - Insta Stun, Mezz, Root, Castable Mezz, Stun, Heals, Insta heals
Shaman - Disease, Root, Insta Root, AoE Root, Dot, DD, heals
Runemaster - Root, Bolts, DD, Static Tempest, Quick Cast
Spiritmaster - Aoe Mezz, Pbaoe Mezz, Root, DD, pbaoe, Quick Cast
Bonedancer - Root, Pets, DD, Dot, Quickcast, Totems, TWF
So as we can see that a poop ton of CC available and in most cases a poop ton of damage available too. For the melee classes the only way to counter this is to close the distance between themselves and the opposing casters. To aid them in this they have only 3 tools: Charge (Light Tanks), Determination and Purge. For the Light Tanks the loss of Charge as a class ability equates to the loss of 30 Realm Ability Points. Where as not a single one of the classes listed above has suffered such a set back. Those 30 RA's means a Light Tank must reduce their DPS capacity, lower MoPain, Reduced Avoidance of Magic (A must for all tanks in endgame rvr), reduced Determination and so forth. Essentially tipping the balance even further towards the CC, casting classes. As closing the distance becomes harder and harder. In group, smallman, bg vs bg and solo action here on Eden heavy and light tanks (Pally's included) find themselves severely marginalised due to the increased CC effect. The loss of charge entirely for the savage is made them all but redundant as a class. Great DPS capability but low AF, Low magic resist, low HP, total kite bait and self buffs that literally kill you.. why even bother?
For the heavy tanks their role and place is even more reduced. With every shield class with 42 shield having access to a 9 second slam the need for a slam/peel bot in a group is not required. On alb take a S/S Pally for celerity or a couple of mercs, or on hib BM's and Warden's can do their job. The only thing a heavy offers a group or rvr bg is Soldiers Barricade and/or Dashing Defence. In a smallman/solo capacity they are pure unadulterated kite bait. With access to only 1 item to help them. Even running Det 9, the 2-3 seconds that short duration mezz/roots/stuns are reduced to is enough for a caster to gain the range needed. The timer difference between Fury vs Moc plays entirely into the casters hands. Any semi well played caster will neutralise or defeat even the best played heavy. On live their are at least items like Dragon Locket or Tourney ring to allow heavies to close the gap. Even then due to Quick Cast and insanely stupid RA's like the mentalist RR5 the caster still holds most of the cards. All mage archetypes get access to Physical Defence that can reduce even a Warrior or Zerkers DPS severely. Yet AoM has a far lesser effect on caster DPS.
So, what can be done to address this and potentially save Eden from becoming a caster only server? Which if it does will be its doom and it will drift away like all the other shards. Because lets face it people like playing tank classes. They're simple, fun and actually possess a nuance to them that when mastered makes them extremely rewarding to play.
Firstly, give the light tanks (including the savage) back free Charge. It's their one and only point of difference.
Reduce Stun timers on slam for all light or hybrid classes to 5 seconds. Make a place for the heavies seeing as there is no bodyguard here (and rightly so).
Remove Climb walls from ALL classes except assassins. Make a place for the Sins in BG's. Mythic should never have given minstrels climb walls back in the day, let alone Broadsword giving Heavies, Vamps and Savages the ability.
These very simple changes won't drastically change the face of daoc Eden, but they will redress the CC imbalance caused by the changes that caused it. They will also bring back into the fold a significant number of players who came here discovered their no overpowered but beloved traditional classes had been gutted and left.
