(1.3) My Wyrmic Feedback

[elboyo]

I have been desperately trying to make a weapon-based wyrmic both fun and effective, but I have been at a real loss as to making the most of their weapon-based talents.

Ignoring the Two-Handed Assault and Shield Offense trees (I don't want to play Berserker or Bulwark when I pick Wyrmic) which are both in a good place, we are left with a puzzling mix of great and lamentable attack options.


First, the good:

Swallow: (A+) -- gives good damage and helps maintain equilibrium, added insta-kill bonus against low-life
Ice Claw: (B) -- the 1-3 range cone is very awkward to use and it doesn't give the feel of a swiping claw in the same way that a 1-2 range might
Dissolve: (A+) -- multi-hitting gives a great bonus to on-hit effects and eats through troublesome bone shields while providing a damage type that synergizes very well with physical attackers
Prismatic Slash: (A) -- while the damage numbers and the explosion are great, the randomized damage type make it hard to optimize with gear. Without the passive speed bonus, this skill would be a B

Second, the unwieldy:
Wing Buffet: (D) -- the passive accuracy and physical power bonuses are wonderful. The range and weapon damage percentage are wonderful. The knockback on hit destroys the skill. Wyrmics have no way to close the gap after knocking their opponents away without using their Lightning Speed (closing with an escape is not a good idea). If the knockback were removed (not even replaced with a different effect) from this skill, I would place it right up top at B+ or A-.
Quake: (F) -- I don't know what the process was in designing this effect. The damage and the radius are wonderful. The rest of it is designed to ruin tactical decision making. The knockback suffers the same problems I described above for Wing Buffet. The terrain randomizing effect is occasionally beneficial and often suicidal. You cannot use the skill indoors with risking opening up other hallways or rooms. You can trap yourself in with scary mobs. You can lose LoS to scary mobs, allowing them a chance to get a free shot at you unless your scouting mechanism is ready for use during the fight. I think that a daze, pin, or a movement speed slow would be much better additions than the knockback and terrain shifting are.



As it stands, Wyrmics are much better off pretending to be casters because their ranged attack options are very poor and their closers are nonexistent.