So hai,
We finally got the much anticipated green light from Kintaii to share our Sekrit Information with you. Of course, it's all still preliminary, things may and probably will change and need fine tuning before it's released, you know the drill.
First off I want to give a global look at some known changes, before going into detail about ... our Mimics! I personally don't like every change, probably neither will you, but the overall outcome is great for the profession.
- Aimed Shot: Agents exclusively will get access to a secondary Aimed Shot special, sort of like Backstab. Name will probably be Snipe Shot, and it won't deal more damage than a Burst. I have no other details yet, it's a work in progress.
- Ruse of Taren: size reduction and Concealment buff will be separated, and size reduction can be cancelled at will (about 1 NCU for the -size).
- Detaunts: revampage, apparently for all levelling ranges. No details.
- Bailing nanos: they're getting a revamp, again not much details.. especially durations will be changed.
- Damage over Time: they will be "fixed", but noone has a clue how that's going to work out.
- Snares/roots/stuns: shorter duration, faster casting, and they'll finally work in the Shadowlands.
The Agent rebalance thingie will have a heavy focus on our Mimic lines. Biggest change, really, would be that we're finally getting to Mimic a form of perks. A form of, because they technically aren't perks, but specializations.
The plan is to enable us to Mimic every profession effectively, including Shades and Keepers.- Shadow Profession: aside from the existing False, Assume, and Mimic Profession lines there will be Shadow Profession for endgame Agents.
- NanoInit: this particular debuff will be heavily modified on the whole line of nanos, and might even be completely replaced by other debuffs tailored for the Profession you're mimicking.
- Static (de)buffs: there will be static buffs and debuffs attached to each profession you choose to Mimic, for example Mimic NT could give you some %nanodamage and extra MatCrea, at the cost of attack rating. These bonuses scale as you level, until you hit the "upper limit" for your line and pretty much have to move on to the next version to reap higher benefits.
These actions will change based on the Profession you choose to Mimic, it could be a DD action but also in the sense of classic perks a defensive option like a heal or evades. Basically this is how we'll get access to nanos, perks, items, et cetera that the Devs don't just want to give us a direct copy of. Basically the thing we've all been hoping for, finally we can compete to a certain degree with the real deal.
Another plan out there is making it a viable choice to *not* use a Mimic nano, and remain a normal Agent.
As for Mimic Doctor, there has been no news of a specific nerf to our current bread-and-butter yet, but it's safe to assume this one will be affected by the same changes other healers are undergoing. Going from Means' statements in the past that will for example include no more end-less healing.
We haven't received any further details about other key Agent abilities: I don't know what's going to happen with our AR and damage, or Concealment/Perception, or RunSpeed, Snare perks, and kiting.
In summary, it seems Agent will be one of the least cookie-cutterish Professions. We'll have a wide range of choices how to build your Agent once again, and won't be forced into one mold.
So, what do you think? They're all theoretical ideas at this point, and need a lot of work. What static (de)buffs would you like to see on each profession? What about the "actions"? Keep in mind, you aren't restricted by the existing borders: we won't be getting the perk line benefits from "Careful in Battle", or perk action "Bio Cocoon", or quest nano "Superior Nanobot Shelter", but rather a fine-tuned version designed and balanced especially for Agents!
