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Ratbeard Dev Diary: Karamelle PvP Update

1
AuthorMessage
Administrator
Ratbeard has posted another dev diary! Get a look at our ideas of how PvP will change when Karamelle is released:

https://www.wizard101.com/game/dev-diary/karamelle-pvp-update

Let us know what you think in a reply below.

Astrologist
Sep 19, 2013
1006
How do you foresee this affecting the use of Pierce/Accuracy enchants in the main deck? Since we'll be limited massively on high-damage hits, will players migrate to using the enchants that give 15% pierce as well? Since we'll have to train those, how do you see that affecting the balance of training point usage?

Survivor
Oct 09, 2020
1
I don't know whether I will like this change or not, but in all respects, could you please think about changing the card image of the new spell Solar Surge? Since we will be seeing the card a lot, I think this is very important. I really dislike the look of the card (just like the new Karamelle damage spells). For example a fist similar to Epic or Collossal in a different color would look a lot better in my opinion.

Survivor
Aug 08, 2020
1
Long story short, I am not liking the sound of this possible up-coming change. This is going to make just getting the best stuff for PvP a lot more time consuming. Since we will have to farm, buy, or craft TC’s, it’s going to be a longer of a grind just to get the best stuff in PvP (which can be the deciding factor of who wins the match). I think that if damage needs to be nerfed, then enchants should just be nerfed, but not completely excluded from PvP. I love this game, and I really don’t want this to happen, and I feel like it could hurt the game’s PvP.

Thank you

Survivor
Dec 08, 2014
1
I feel like this is gonna make the game more rng then it already is, because in pvp (at least at max) you already pack dispels, set shieldsC, blades, aegis, sharpen, shrike, and maybe weakness or an aura, but having to put hits and enchants is going to make this even more rng. Thus, matches could turn to whoever has the best deck luck, rather than skill.

Survivor
Apr 02, 2020
1
I really hate that you cannot keep enchanted spells in your side. Wizards who play agro need that in order to pull the hits when needed. The new enchant should be sold in the Arcanum as a replacement to Gargantuan, and make the regular enchants no PVP. That way the side deck remains useful to keep enchanted spells. Having a big main deck is a problem for many.

Defender
May 16, 2009
104
If we're going to fix the damage enchant problem with the scaling enchant solution, than you need to do the same for Pierce/accuracy or allow pierce enchants in PvP too.

Mutate cards also need to remain PvP-enabled because not only do they not increase damage, and thus aren't really part of the problem, they are mostly utility. They are also the only cards that need to be pre-enchanted, since you cannot train some of the mutates offered.

Also consider allowing Solar Surge TC to be put into the side deck since it scales properly on cards. There's many utility spells needed in the sidedeck, so while there isn't a hard limit, there will be a soft limit since its contesting sideboard space. It will also make people consider adding more hits into the main deck or to use the slightly enhanced TC versions.

Mastermind
Mar 19, 2011
344
There is not one single thing in this PvP update that I like.

I was already not liking the direction the new gear is going. By weakening hits, while also greatly increasing our health from gear, I think this will make matches drag on. We will just nibble away at each other. It was not that long ago that people were complaining about matches being too long.

Secondly, the idea of having different functions for side and main deck gets fuzzy. They may as well just get rid of side decks altogether.

Finally, as a Balance wizard, I was already annoyed that I can no longer put pre-enchanted Scorpions in my side deck, because...for some reason. There is no way that I am aware of to get scorpion spellements in the main game anyway. I would have to play Deckathalon or something. Loss of the ability to have pierce-enchanted supernova in side deck is a loss for me, will be welcomed by schools other than Balance, I suppose.

I don't think we will be hearing Diego say "I pronounce the winning side-by outright Triumph" very often, especially if you are facing an Ice wizard.

After ten years playing this game and running two accounts, this could be what finally makes me hang up my wand.

Survivor
Apr 01, 2009
39
A few things based on storm & balance wizards in the L30-L70 range:
- Mutates need to create TCs usable in the side deck. They don't have gargantuan damage boosts, but are more utility useful. Expanding the mutate system & card drop frequency would make things more interesting in my eyes.
- Many long time competitive wizards will need some crown compensation for their plant & crafting industrial complex they built on crown plants (EMPeas, Deadly Helephants, Ivy League) to get the TCs or the Sun/Sandstones to craft the TCs. There is also a huge store we have of the TCs themselves, since we used to burn them up in huge volumes.
- There needs to be a free skill point re-allocation, since the sun school is apparently only for PvE now.

This movement towards a slower Damage meta will be good as long as Damage over time is reasonably greater than Healing over time. Too much damage and you see super glass cannons and games over in 5 turns. Too much healing and you see the return of the Jade turtles.

As a suggestion to support this new meta, I might consider leveraging the needed skill point re-allocation by Adding an equipment buff to the old mastery amulets and allowing more/higher school spells to be learned through training points in other schools. The current high speed / high damage meta does not reward folks for using off school spells that consume pips. If the mastery amulets were scalable to the DM level, this would encourage alternatives. There's been very successful balance/fire and storm/myth wizards at the L30-50 range. In contrast, L70 wizards have 10+ training points unused/unallocated.

Survivor
Jul 31, 2009
14
Hi ratbeard. First of all I would like to say I have played wiz since right after Beta I was 12 years old and have grown up on wiz through all the changes. I have 8 max level characters that I use to keep up with your storyline and do new worlds and I have other characters at all levels. I have done pvp at all levels as well. Over the last few years I have been doing journeyman level and it is my favourite. I worked hard farming loremaster and other bosses until I have every spell. On my ice I have farmed for sunions and I have bought sunions. At the beginning they doubled so now I have a good supply. A lot of which I added to with crowns or getting through packs in other words I have worked hard to get my character where she is. I had to adapt when you nerfed reindeer and nit deer ( which is very unfair ) I was upset but I adapted and basically became a life except in classic. I have adapted through all the changes you have made over the years. I am a med student and I use wiz pvp as a stress relief. Now what I want to say is. I have fought every level of pvp. The one I find I enjoy the most is journeyman. Ki needs to stop concentrating on max level pvp and realize that their paying customers should have a choice of the level they pvp at. If you go ahead with the change of not being able to enhance your cards you are literally taking away the lower level choices. You have allowed people to build pets to a point where a lot of people have 80+ resist It is hard even with enhancements to overcome this. The decks for lower levels , initiates and journeyman are very small the max you can have is 30 main and 12 side. Ice doesn’t have blades at lower level and I’m sure other schools are the same so they need go in side. Shields need go in side. I do 2v2 and up so a heal for your partner needs go in side. At this point not much room for hits If you use deckathalon deck you have room but you need buy all your tc with the new update. Right now it is impossible to get tc for some spells in the bazaar and each person would need large amounts. There are people even now selling tc for actual crown things in the arena. It will also mean that at low level some schools will just not be played and everyone will be using the 7 pip spells of fire storm and myth. You will literally be ruining low level pvp. I seriously think this should be thought through. It definitely won’t make low level pvp better it will destroy it. I am number 6 on your tournament boards as it is I do tournaments because you can’t get 2v2 and up in ranked. I enjoy tours Most of the people I know and I know a lot of ardent low level pvpers all say the same thing. I for one , although I really enjoy your game will be thinking hard about giving up my 5 accounts and saying goodbye to wiz if these changes happen and right now every low level person I have talked to says the same. Please I employed you this is my stress relief. I need wizard 101 please think twice before you ruin low level pvp

Adherent
Mar 12, 2010
2831
Sparck and Ratbeard: There is also an interesting conversation with feedback on the Wizard101 Central Forums here: http://www.wizard101central.com/forums/showthread.php?513830-Ratbeard-amp-PvP-new-Dev-Diary

Survivor
Apr 01, 2009
39
dreameeaver5274 on Nov 13, 2020 wrote:
Hi ratbeard. First of all I would like to say I have played wiz since right after Beta I was 12 years old and have grown up on wiz through all the changes. I have 8 max level characters that I use to keep up with your storyline and do new worlds and I have other characters at all levels. I have done pvp at all levels as well. Over the last few years I have been doing journeyman level and it is my favourite. I worked hard farming loremaster and other bosses until I have every spell. On my ice I have farmed for sunions and I have bought sunions. At the beginning they doubled so now I have a good supply. A lot of which I added to with crowns or getting through packs in other words I have worked hard to get my character where she is. I had to adapt when you nerfed reindeer and nit deer ( which is very unfair ) I was upset but I adapted and basically became a life except in classic. I have adapted through all the changes you have made over the years. I am a med student and I use wiz pvp as a stress relief. Now what I want to say is. I have fought every level of pvp. The one I find I enjoy the most is journeyman. Ki needs to stop concentrating on max level pvp and realize that their paying customers should have a choice of the level they pvp at. If you go ahead with the change of not being able to enhance your cards you are literally taking away the lower level choices. You have allowed people to build pets to a point where a lot of people have 80+ resist It is hard even with enhancements to overcome this. The decks for lower levels , initiates and journeyman are very small the max you can have is 30 main and 12 side. Ice doesn’t have blades at lower level and I’m sure other schools are the same so they need go in side. Shields need go in side. I do 2v2 and up so a heal for your partner needs go in side. At this point not much room for hits If you use deckathalon deck you have room but you need buy all your tc with the new update. Right now it is impossible to get tc for some spells in the bazaar and each person would need large amounts. There are people even now selling tc for actual crown things in the arena. It will also mean that at low level some schools will just not be played and everyone will be using the 7 pip spells of fire storm and myth. You will literally be ruining low level pvp. I seriously think this should be thought through. It definitely won’t make low level pvp better it will destroy it. I am number 6 on your tournament boards as it is I do tournaments because you can’t get 2v2 and up in ranked. I enjoy tours Most of the people I know and I know a lot of ardent low level pvpers all say the same thing. I for one , although I really enjoy your game will be thinking hard about giving up my 5 accounts and saying goodbye to wiz if these changes happen and right now every low level person I have talked to says the same. Please I employed you this is my stress relief. I need wizard 101 please think twice before you ruin low level pvp
There are different PvP communities that I think you can define based on their high end hat-cloak-boot combinations: Diego's Original Warlord gear (L1-L45), Glendemming gear (L50), Waterworks/Zig-zag (L60-L90), and Darkmoor (L100+). These gear sets grant health and resistance levels that are not being reduced or affected by the general power reduction created by this proposed elimination of Gargantuan (+300 hit).

Original Warlords (already) suffer from a basic problem that healing is more efficient than the damage that can be naturally produced. This is further aggravated by tanking wizards using a "fortify" pet (Proof-Defy, plus Storm, Fire, and either Myth or Death-proof, and a MC Fortify aura). In tournaments, a tanking wizard could scout and hard set against your school with a school resistant Proof-Defy, plus 3x school specific resists, plus fortify). Original Warlords only have 4-5-6 pip hit spells they can enchant with Gargantuan and only have TC/Pet infallible pierce available to deal with this 65% - 100% resistance tank wizard. 7-8-9-10 pip TCs are used to (barely) "spike" damage enough to close out games against tanks.

Waterworks/Zig-zag folks and Darkmoor folks have very high speed games, with decent equipment pierce, 5x Damage pets, and shadow magic at the highest level wizards. Honestly, all my L70 storm duels are over in 5-6 turns - The hitting power available, with decent pierce, quickly overpowers the defending 35%-50% resistance available. These duels are boring, since everything is a mad YOLO fight, defined by who can generate enough pips to hit hardest the quickest.

The Glendemming folks sit in between the Originals and the Waterworks/Zig-zag - Darkmoor folks. I could actually play a "tanky" Storm L50. There were encounters with high damage "glass cannons" and long games with tanky turtle life-ice wizards. The problem of healing efficiency is in this community, too.

I would Not move forward with this gargantuan change until you have a better roadmap/solution for all four of these communities.

Survivor
Jan 26, 2018
1
Please answer the following questions:
1. What is the purpose of these changes?
2. What is the purpose of the deckathalon deck if you can’t use your own spells during PvP?
3. Will you have unlimited treasure cards of every spell at bazaar?
4. Do you know how hard it is to get deckathalon deck and how much they cost?

I would suggest you start with your own dungeons, i.e deckathalon events, they start using high spells on the second round, they start with power pips on their first round, tell me more about fairness. If you want to give everyone a chance to win during PvP, then go back to classic PvP, take away pets, take away gear and everything that creates an advantage. Let’s face it, PvP will never be fair, there are people who want every spell you have and will spend countless hours farming just to get those spells and there are those people are just too lazy to farm and are the first ones to complain about the game not being fair. People don’t do deckathalon events because they enjoy doing it, they do it because they want to craft that level 5,6,7,8, and even level 10 deckathalon decks and if we’re not able to pre-enchant our spells, the ones we farmed long hours to get, the deckathalon event would no longer be something PvPers will look forward to do.

You're not getting too much feedback on these changes because people don't know you're making them, if you want feedback, post the changes on facebook just to see how unpopular this is.

You will chase away PvPers with updates like this, I ask you to think before making drastic changes to PvP.

Astrologist
Sep 19, 2013
1006
PvPLord689 on Nov 14, 2020 wrote:
Please answer the following questions:
1. What is the purpose of these changes?
2. What is the purpose of the deckathalon deck if you can’t use your own spells during PvP?
3. Will you have unlimited treasure cards of every spell at bazaar?
4. Do you know how hard it is to get deckathalon deck and how much they cost?

I would suggest you start with your own dungeons, i.e deckathalon events, they start using high spells on the second round, they start with power pips on their first round, tell me more about fairness. If you want to give everyone a chance to win during PvP, then go back to classic PvP, take away pets, take away gear and everything that creates an advantage. Let’s face it, PvP will never be fair, there are people who want every spell you have and will spend countless hours farming just to get those spells and there are those people are just too lazy to farm and are the first ones to complain about the game not being fair. People don’t do deckathalon events because they enjoy doing it, they do it because they want to craft that level 5,6,7,8, and even level 10 deckathalon decks and if we’re not able to pre-enchant our spells, the ones we farmed long hours to get, the deckathalon event would no longer be something PvPers will look forward to do.

You're not getting too much feedback on these changes because people don't know you're making them, if you want feedback, post the changes on facebook just to see how unpopular this is.

You will chase away PvPers with updates like this, I ask you to think before making drastic changes to PvP.
I don't see a huge issue with nerfing the deckathalon decks. You can still use them, you just won't be able to make use of spells that aren't available as a TC. Since damage enchants are mostly going the way of the dodo, you won't be massively outgunned when you use a TC. Besides, they were a mistake in low level pvp anyway. At least now you'll have to make a real decision of whether or not the deck is worth it instead of jamming a level 10 deck into every wizard. Seriously, if someone handed me a level 10 life deck for my 130 death wizard, I'd definitely think about using it. 10% damage, 500 health, an extra starting pip, and three jewel sockets? Sign me up!

Deckathalon decks also provide a large barrier to entry for PvP. You can only farm for it for a week every month, and the deckathalon that provides a bonus to your school only comes around every few months. So even if you're willing to farm for it, you may not be able to. I think it's incredibly unfair to characterize those who think that the barrier to entry for PvP shouldn't be a giant steel wall covered in poisoned spikes that are on fire as "lazy." Dragoon gear, lore spells, a good pet are already important. How much more should one have to work before having the audacity to step into the arena?

Survivor
Oct 26, 2020
1
This seems great!
The enchants have been a plague since Celestia came about. Keep up with changing the pvp scene, it really needs it!

Survivor
Nov 28, 2010
1
I have been doing pvp for about 8 years. A lot of updates make certain strategies irrelevant, or harder to win with. I remember when shatter was added and many people thought that would be the end of pvp, but I don't think it really changed it that much. I stopped playing for a long time when shadow magic was added, but nothing was done to make match-ups fair. I was a level 60 life wizard getting level 100's with shadow magic constantly. Another user pointed out that not enough is done to promote pvp at lower levels, and that is just one example. I really like low-level pvp, so I do my best to adapt and move on. Some changes seem like a bad idea at first, and then turn out to be really good. I can see where disallowing pre-enchanted cards could make pvp more interesting. A lot of people have one or two cards they hit with and they are so over-powered they don't really need a defensive strategy. However, this particular update makes a lot of things I have spent a lot of time and money on pointless. I farmed lore master (and bought packs) for spells that I can't use on my initiate unless I don't use my deckathalon decks. (So I wasted time farming lore or I wasted time on deck events). I wasted time farming sunions and sword ferns. I wasted crowns buying those plants in the first place. I have been farming other plants for other enchants. I have literally hundreds of enchant tc that I can't use, and they are now so worthless I can't even sell them at the bazaar. This will most likely be the end of me spending crowns on plants and packs. I don't plan on buying more once the crowns I have are gone. I don't understand the point of crown plants anymore. When changes like these are made, crown plant drops need to be reevaluated as well.
In addition to focusing on high level pvp, KI also seems to really favor Ice and Storm. I do pvp as Balance and Life, and I don't think either set up could be called "aggressive." So, if a match goes to decision, I will most likely lose. And I really dislike the idea of 45 minute matches. 30 minutes is perfect, but make Diego fair to all schools. And why is it such a mystery how Diego works? Make it more transparent, so people aren't upset when they lose. Have it calculate certain things and give those as an itemized list at the end of the match.

Survivor
Jan 13, 2014
2
My entire experience on this game is PVP. It is the one and only reason I play and maintain a monthly membership.

As an Ice, I naturally have higher resist and lower damage. The only way I can be competitive with the damage of other schools is through ENCHANTS. Preparing my enchants ahead of time is part of my strategy - and allows me to get the full use of all my other spells, since I don't have to carry hits in my main deck.

I absolutely HATE this change. You have completely annihilated my strategy and any hope I have of being at all competitive in PVP. I've played Wiz for years, and this is the one and only update that will drive me out of the game. Please reconsider this change.

Survivor
Jan 13, 2014
2
Since posting my earlier comments, I've now discovered that Veteran level is required to even train the card that replaces all the enchants!

I only do practice PVP, and have for years, due to the toxic environment that existed for so long - and may still exist - in the ranked arena. Why take away a staple of PVP - then replace it with something only ranked players can use??

Practice PVP is a haven for people like me, who love playing against others but are not serious enough to expend the time, effort and stress to advance through the ranks. For many of us, PVP is simply fun and relaxing and not the competitive blood sport it is for others.

I believe this change has utterly failed to take into consideration the thousands - maybe millions - of players who simply want to enjoy the experience without an intense level of competition. I implore you to reconsider this change and reinstate the system of enchant tcs pre-enchantable in the side deck.

Survivor
Nov 22, 2014
1
Enchants are in the game for a reason. This takes the entire purpose out of the Sun School in my opinion. I understand there are the Accuracy enchants in there but the damage ones have always been there. If you are worried about them affecting Shadow Spells them simply don't make them usable on those specific Shadow spells for either just PvP, or not at all. The entire Sun School Damage Enchants shouldn't be punished for making new spells. I understand as well that evolution is needed and will happen, but this is something that shouldn't have happened to PvP. Too many changes have been happening to PvP. I took a break for a year in 2019 and came back to a completely different world of PvP. I can tolerate many of the changes but this is going too far.

Survivor
Aug 05, 2009
12
This new Enchant spell is not the way to go. Its forcing people to PVPs just for an BUFF to make their attacks stronger then their opponents.

Explorer
May 14, 2011
58
I honestly am very happy with this update in general. It is forcing some schools who have just been spamming their 4 pip spells to have to develop strategy. I think solar rage should be a private spell that is level locked at level 50 instead of needing veteran status. I also feel a gear rebalance specifically for ice and fire should be in store since these schools have gear that is disproportionately better than all the other schools. For example ice damage boots is 30 on dragoon boots while it is 33 on storm. Back in waterworks days, it was a 50-60% difference between the damage of the schools, not the around 10% it is today.

Astrologist
Sep 19, 2013
1006
uberloot on Nov 23, 2020 wrote:
This new Enchant spell is not the way to go. Its forcing people to PVPs just for an BUFF to make their attacks stronger then their opponents.
It's forcing people to PvP so they can PvP? You can't use Solar Surge in PvE so I don't know what the issue is here. If you're PvPing to rank up and get the spell you're already PvPing.

Astrologist
Sep 19, 2013
1006
Kyle Legend514 on Nov 21, 2020 wrote:
Enchants are in the game for a reason. This takes the entire purpose out of the Sun School in my opinion. I understand there are the Accuracy enchants in there but the damage ones have always been there. If you are worried about them affecting Shadow Spells them simply don't make them usable on those specific Shadow spells for either just PvP, or not at all. The entire Sun School Damage Enchants shouldn't be punished for making new spells. I understand as well that evolution is needed and will happen, but this is something that shouldn't have happened to PvP. Too many changes have been happening to PvP. I took a break for a year in 2019 and came back to a completely different world of PvP. I can tolerate many of the changes but this is going too far.
Low rank spells are more of the problem than shadow spells. A troll has average base damage of 190. If you enchant it with Epic, now it's 490. That's ~2.5x as much damage. You still have Solar Surge which isn't nearly as powerful on a lower rank spell, and you have pierce enchants (and you can still use damage enchants in PvE), so the Sun school is far from useless. If you want to talk useless, you should see polymorphs.

Survivor
Apr 01, 2009
39
DerHundErste on Nov 12, 2020 wrote:
A few things based on storm & balance wizards in the L30-L70 range:
- Mutates need to create TCs usable in the side deck. They don't have gargantuan damage boosts, but are more utility useful. Expanding the mutate system & card drop frequency would make things more interesting in my eyes.
- Many long time competitive wizards will need some crown compensation for their plant & crafting industrial complex they built on crown plants (EMPeas, Deadly Helephants, Ivy League) to get the TCs or the Sun/Sandstones to craft the TCs. There is also a huge store we have of the TCs themselves, since we used to burn them up in huge volumes.
- There needs to be a free skill point re-allocation, since the sun school is apparently only for PvE now.

This movement towards a slower Damage meta will be good as long as Damage over time is reasonably greater than Healing over time. Too much damage and you see super glass cannons and games over in 5 turns. Too much healing and you see the return of the Jade turtles.

As a suggestion to support this new meta, I might consider leveraging the needed skill point re-allocation by Adding an equipment buff to the old mastery amulets and allowing more/higher school spells to be learned through training points in other schools. The current high speed / high damage meta does not reward folks for using off school spells that consume pips. If the mastery amulets were scalable to the DM level, this would encourage alternatives. There's been very successful balance/fire and storm/myth wizards at the L30-50 range. In contrast, L70 wizards have 10+ training points unused/unallocated.
Welp, PvP isn't as much fun nowadays and I don't have any real way of improving the situation for myself until the next free skill point reset/buyback.

As I'm seeing the matches in 1v1, it looks like the Life/Ice and balance wizards just took over the situation with there (still) buffed healing / tanking abilities. There's something inherently broken when 4 pip heals can erase 6-7-8 pip hits.

Crafting seems to be pointless, except for the craft-able spells. The plant thing is pretty aggravating too, since I cannot even trade my plant TCs between my various wizards. Got lots of towers, triage, or tritons on the wrong wizard? Just sell them on the bazaar and hope they are still there for your PvP wizard at an inflated price.

Survivor
Sep 11, 2010
1
1