Shattered Kingdoms

Okay I know I posted this in the Q&A code update but it keeps getting buried and such, so I post it here to also gather your thoughts.

Simply put, I think the code update helped warlocks but they could still use a bit more help. There are 2 major changes that I'd like to see done that, in my opinion, would help warlocks. Here's the thing.

First off, put elementals on concentration and reduce the timer. Warlocks actually have so few spells that they have to hold, I think this could be a good thing. Also, I never understood the whole point of elementals having a timer to begin with, especially not so one as horrid as they have now. Currently they last about 27 minutes real time if I recall (it may have been changed since i had my last warlock) and actually last lesser time than wraiths. They're also not even as strong as wraiths seeing as they can't really do anything but tank. (No zerk or fury.)

Secondly, make elementals immune to respective element. This boggles my mind to no end. Fire elementals are immune to fireball in it's entirety. Why aren't air elementals immune to lightning attacks (Such as chain lightning and lightning bolt), water elementals immune to cone of cold, and earth elementals immune to earthquake (needs buffed in some way imo.) As it stands now, once you get fire elementals, there is no reason to use any other elemental at all. I personally never understood this as why give them the ability to cast multiple elements if some get weaker as you grow stronger to begin with?

Now I can potentially see how some people would say the second option might make them overpowered. I mean, imagine a lock behind an elemental spamming chain lightning or so. But I say this, isn't that what is supposed to make warlocks so dangerous in the first place? Spell damage from a warlock can easily be mitigated with MP and such (with the exception of magma of course) and I say that there is no point balancing a class around 1 spell. Simply because Magma ignores MR doesn't mean warlocks are good. In fact far from it as that becomes more a hindrance and liability than anything else. Anyways, share your thoughts. Do you agree with the changes? Why or why not? Also what do you think could be done to help improve warlocks?

I would support a change making elementals held with concentration. That seems reasonable in terms of game-balance and is also consistent with how other spells like that work.

It's not clear to me why an earth elemental would be immune to earthquake (ground beneath him shaking and tossing him around), or an air elemental immune to lightning (electricity could hurt a being made mostly of air, right?), or a water elemental immune to cone of cold (ice and cold freezing would freeze the water and have adverse effects). It's also not clear to me that any of those changes would make it so that warlocks used anything besides fire elementals. Fire elementals are superior in much more important ways.

I'll explain the reasoning in this way. First off I'll address earthquake / earth elementals. Elementals are made of earth / rock. Even though an earthquake could toss an earth elemental around, it wouldn't do any damage because the elemental can reform itself. (After all broken dirt is still dirt as broken rock is still rock.)

Second although electricity passes through air, it doesn't actually hurt it in any way. It essentially passes through it much a kin to a blow passing through an ethereal person. Unless electricity strikes something solid, such as a tree or rock, it continues on it's path and then when it strikes something solid all that energy collects and creates the impact. An air elemental is by no means solid, especially after reading the description of it.

Thirdly, although water is frozen, its still water. What's to say that it wouldn't strengthen a water elemental (actually making it an ice elemental or so since Ice really is just another form of water..It wouldn't hurt a water elemental as it'd melt and only add to it instead.). I know those are far fetched, but that's just how I view the class when it's played. Granted that's just my opinion.

I know fire elementals are used for their weapon invulnerabilities, but why couldn't all elementals gain those as the warlock grows in power? I mean imagine this. Say an earth elemental starts with obsidian hide then ends up with adamantite hide after the warlock reaches master level or so (when a fire elemental is obtained.) Same with air elementals and their energy hide, much like Fire elementals. Theres a way to splice it for every elemental really. I just don't feel that there should be one superior elemental because every elemental has its weakness. Water erodes earth, earth stands fast to air which air is consumed by fire and doused by water and such. It creates a circle or so if you think about it that way. I just don't think there should be one superior element of the bunch is all.

I think we'd have to know a lot more about the biology of these fantasy creatures to say whether or not they'd be harmed by these different types of attacks, as well as more information on the type of attack. The fact is that we don't really know what a creature made of air is like, or what an attack made of lightning consists of, exactly. Why should anything be able to hurt an air elemental? A punch should pass right through air, etc. There's also no reason to think that an earth elemental can "reform" itself, and it still seems much more likely to me that you would be able to damage a water elemental by freezing it. Your arguments don't make it especially obvious that things should be different. Only that one could imagine it being possible that things would be different. There's nothing there as obvious as "balls of fire don't burn creatures that are already made out of fire."

I'm not really "arguing" with you about what "should" happen when an earthquake hits an earth elemental or whatever. I'm just saying that you don't have an especially convincing argument.

I suppose I see where you're coming from. I just always have thought it's strange that a warlock is supposed to be master of the elements, yet their own elementals are vulnerable to elements of their own nature. Typically in most fantasy games lightning is considered air element w here ice is water element and such. I can see earthquake being a neutral spell because of the force created, but I still don't see why an air elemental should be harmed by lightning is all. I just think it'd give a new layer of strategy for warlocks than they already have. Most AoE's that a warlock can cast is death because it hurts the elementals. I mean, I know they have healing rays and all but it's not the best healing spell by no means (especially not for a single target.) When you're having to cast something like chain lightning, healing rays, fireball, healing rays etc because your elemental spells also hurt your elemental not to mention your pet now, it makes warlocks more vulnerable in my mind than they should be.

It might be more op though than I'm thinking. I'm planning on rolling a warlock though to test the new changes. That and I really do enjoy the class.

Warlocks are so fine now that they have pets too.

The only warlock addition I'd support would be an added save against dispel for elementals.

I think an earthquake should still damage an earth elemental(unless they are flying, which, come on is not that difficult to get one to do). A broken rock is still broken. Earthquakes still break rocks. Water elementals should still take damage from cone of cold. It has an effect, after all. Air elementals should not however take damage from a lightning bolt or chain lightning and fire elementals should stay the same.

In the spirit of prioritization we should leave warlocks alone for now. They've been brought up to par and beefed up. And even though I do agree with kin that some versatility in regard to elemental choosing would add a fun element to the class and ultimately the game, there are more pressing matters our part-time coder has to deal with.

I'd like to see what effect the current changes make in playability before making more tweaks. It sometimes takes awhile before we really know how much difference they make.