Link me a Lifeline

I was under the impression that the idea of changing timers to recycle was that it would improve versatility and of course give players options and things to do. (i.e buttons to press)

What is linked:

Shield of Gold ----> Refreshing Breeze = 50% timer

Bite ----> Drainstrike - Using drainstrike gives bite a 50% recycle? But using bite only gives Drainstrike a very minor recycle?

Ravage ----> Tailwhip - Using tailwhip gives ravage a minor recycle but using ravage gives tailwhip a 25% recycle?

Its not that I mind some shared timers to a lesser degree, and if they were linked with evenly shared recycle times. But now ALL of our breaths too? They were unlinked a few years ago so dragons could be a bit more useful in combat.

And linking Shield of Gold to Refreshing breeze (and visa versa) at 50% is not helpful at all! Those are purely defensive abilities used to keep a dragon alive. Its something that dragons need both of available and unlinked.

I would like to understand what the logic is behind linking all of a dragon's different abilities together in groups with unevenly shared timers like this? Could we players please have an explanation on how this benefits dragons and leaves them without the problem of having no abilities to use due to them all being on recycle, because you run out of melee abilities to use in about 10 seconds now.

What is the logic and reasoning behind these linking of abilities when the idea of changing abilities' timers was to allow players more buttons to press so dragons don't get put in the position of waiting as their abilities were on recycle?

To further my point... No biped school has this many abilities of theirs in a single school linked in groups together like this. They have many schools with mastered abilities in each, and dragons have one single school to rely upon and only around 27 abilities that are learned via trainers and quests purely to do with the dragon school. How does linking all of these with each other into groups help a dragon efficiently contribute with a multi-classed biped in end-game content? (I.e. doom or in a group for something like an epic hunt?)

I don't mind having bite and tailwhip linked together. That's fine. Don't even mind if Drain Strike is linked to them as well, just means I'll only use Drain Strike. But when you link ALL the breaths together, that severely impacts the viability of literally every dragon out there now that strength and power affect breaths equally. However much I dislike the breaths being linked, I could live with it... albeit with much grumbling about it.

But I draw the line at Refreshing Breeze and Shield of Gold being linked. Both are vital in sticky situations and keep you alive in emergencies. Using mylocs as an example, there's a reason I didn't grind any of them for anything while GR and Shield of Gold were linked: I need both ready if I get swarmed - which is a VERY real possibility in all myloc hunting. Same issue with Refreshing Breeze and Shield of Gold. In a swarm, you need both to be available or you better run. I'm not saying that anyone should be able to survive a swarm of 10 mylocs alone or anything ridiculous like that but swarms of 3, 4, and even 5 are regular occurrences and should be something a player can handle (with difficulty of course). No matter what build I play on Refreshing Breeze, Shield of Gold, and BoFB are at the core of being able to fight more than one myloc at a time. The other breath attacks play a smaller but still important role in handling multiple opponents at once. Less buttons to push is a problem for anyone, whether they're a dragon, biped, low level, high level, new, old or whatever. Because just auto-attacking and repeat-casting spells doesn't really cut it when you're hunting above your level, you need your abilities functioning.

People were concerned about the GR change affecting Elial hunts for ARoP, I wasn't concerned then... but I am now with this change. I can safely say Shield of Gold and Refreshing Breeze are really the only reason dragons survive Elial without a biped. Killing him quick is the best way to ensure no deaths, but deaths happen regardless even with Refreshing Breeze and Shield of Gold up. Having to choose just one equals more deaths, which means fewer people who have rezzes up from the higher death rate, which amounts to less chance of success for each Elial hunt.

Please, please take another look at this developers.

the clone wars:
All dragons wear the same superscales and fight the same tactic: The game tells which button to push^^
Write a macro and then you can go afk and do the laundry^^

I do not mind timers*shruggs*
but a bit more freedom of "artistic expression" would be much appreciated.
I hope this is not the last word on timers- would be a pitty for all who love to figure out new tactics.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Machaeon

I don't mind having bite and tailwhip linked together. That's fine. Don't even mind if Drain Strike is linked to them as well, just means I'll only use Drain Strike. But when you link ALL the breaths together, that severely impacts the viability of literally every dragon out there now that strength and power affect breaths equally. However much I dislike the breaths being linked, I could live with it... albeit with much grumbling about it.

But I draw the line at Refreshing Breeze and Shield of Gold being linked. Both are vital in sticky situations and keep you alive in emergencies. Using mylocs as an example, there's a reason I didn't grind any of them for anything while GR and Shield of Gold were linked: I need both ready if I get swarmed - which is a VERY real possibility in all myloc hunting. Same issue with Refreshing Breeze and Shield of Gold. In a swarm, you need both to be available or you better run. I'm not saying that anyone should be able to survive a swarm of 10 mylocs alone or anything ridiculous like that but swarms of 3, 4, and even 5 are regular occurrences and should be something a player can handle (with difficulty of course). No matter what build I play on Refreshing Breeze, Shield of Gold, and BoFB are at the core of being able to fight more than one myloc at a time. The other breath attacks play a smaller but still important role in handling multiple opponents at once. Less buttons to push is a problem for anyone, whether they're a dragon, biped, low level, high level, new, old or whatever. Because just auto-attacking and repeat-casting spells doesn't really cut it when you're hunting above your level, you need your abilities functioning.

People were concerned about the GR change affecting Elial hunts for ARoP, I wasn't concerned then... but I am now with this change. I can safely say Shield of Gold and Refreshing Breeze are really the only reason dragons survive Elial without a biped. Killing him quick is the best way to ensure no deaths, but deaths happen regardless even with Refreshing Breeze and Shield of Gold up. Having to choose just one equals more deaths, which means fewer people who have rezzes up from the higher death rate, which amounts to less chance of success for each Elial hunt.

Please, please take another look at this developers.

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/seconded

Tanaros

Update on the Shield of Gold/Refreshing Breeze linking:
Amon has confirmed that was not intentional and it will be unlinked.