2011-01-20, 07:38 AM
In my opinion, the elemental weapons should stay neutral (and have their names changed o.o).
If mages really need them to be balanced with other classes, it's not the weapons that should be strengthened, it's the skills.
Balance, to me, means that equally funded characters of different classes should be "equally" powerful. (Obviously not doing the exact same damage, but I think you know what I mean).
That means an unfunded mage should do just as well as an unfunded warrior, thief, archer, or pirate. If a mage has to have a weapon costing hundreds of millions (or rather, two such weapons, since all mages have two elements) just to even up the starting point (before scrolling and cubing), that's not balance.
So, if mages are indeed too weak without their ele weapons, buff their skills.
As for those people who've already spent resources for those weapons... not sure how a fair compensation could be worked out. It depends on so many things, mostly how long they've had their weapons. If you've been using your estaff for a year or more, I'd say you got a fair return for your money, and you still have a pretty good weapon (probably. I happen to have a crappy 85 m.att 0 slot ewand1 whose only redeeming quality was the 25% boost it gave my BW). If you just bought it in preparation for BB, though... well... if their value really dropped considerably I guess you deserve some kind of compensation, although I'm not sure how it could be determined.
If mages really need them to be balanced with other classes, it's not the weapons that should be strengthened, it's the skills.
Balance, to me, means that equally funded characters of different classes should be "equally" powerful. (Obviously not doing the exact same damage, but I think you know what I mean).
That means an unfunded mage should do just as well as an unfunded warrior, thief, archer, or pirate. If a mage has to have a weapon costing hundreds of millions (or rather, two such weapons, since all mages have two elements) just to even up the starting point (before scrolling and cubing), that's not balance.
So, if mages are indeed too weak without their ele weapons, buff their skills.
As for those people who've already spent resources for those weapons... not sure how a fair compensation could be worked out. It depends on so many things, mostly how long they've had their weapons. If you've been using your estaff for a year or more, I'd say you got a fair return for your money, and you still have a pretty good weapon (probably. I happen to have a crappy 85 m.att 0 slot ewand1 whose only redeeming quality was the 25% boost it gave my BW). If you just bought it in preparation for BB, though... well... if their value really dropped considerably I guess you deserve some kind of compensation, although I'm not sure how it could be determined.