Well, I’ve recently acquired a good bit of free time, and could think of no more productive way to spend it then making another post about how DPS Warrior would be an awesome addition to the game.
Currently, every DPS class in the game is exclusively ranged. There is no reason to be near the boss, and half the DPS classes in the game benefit from being further away. For players that want to experience a melee approach to the game, their only choice is to tank or play the joke that is small shield warrior.
I don’t think I need to justify myself in saying that DPS warrior isn’t a thing. A quick look at the DPS leaderboards for each class can quickly show that it isn’t viable. The top mages pull 120k+, top scoundrels pull 100k+, top rangers pull 90k+, and top shamans pull 80k+. The top DPS warriors, on the other hand, pull roughly 30k with maxed gear and full pots.
I’m not going to make a post about raising the number of hits per second that a warrior can do, that’s a different topic. I believe that the best fix would simply be to give warrior a substantial DPS boost when using the small shield.
I would propose 3x damage when using the small shield, and if this would impact the leveling process by making small shield warrior too good for new players, then make it a level 30 talent instead. This would make the new warrior DPS cap at around 100k, on par with the other top DPS classes with the downside of the enemy needing to be stationary, needing to be in melee range and being incredibly physically strenuous.
Possibly something along the lines of “Gain a buff depending on your shield type” where large shield would gain the overheal effect, and small shield would gain the 3x damage bonus.
Or, just remove Counter Attack and make the new talent a 3x damage bonus regardless of shield type. Warriors already do a pathetic amount of DPS with large shield, and going from 1k to 3k won’t be an issue for balance.
I believe this change would:
- Give warrior a new layer of viability, where it isn’t just seen as the harder tank class.
- Attract new players to the game, that would have been turned off by the lack of endgame viability for melee DPS.
- Give the ability for new strategies for bosses with by having another DPS class to work with.
- Help introduce more content for older players that have already learned the other 4 DPS classes and are looking for something new.
Making this change should have a substantial positive impact on the game, without any clear downsides. It is also a relatively simple change, being a simple damage multiplier.