- Proposal
- Dread Strike should be usable with Special Heavy Weapons.
- Justification
- Taking on high end bounty targets is more difficult for a Commando/BH than conventional BH builds, especially when a target using ranged attacks is too mobile for mines to be useful. Adding Dread Strike to the menu would take a step towards making the build more viable compared with MBH/MCH and MBH/Carbine builds. It's not a significant enough change to alter the profession landscape, but would make a niche build more capable of doing BH work.
Regarding party play, Commando/BH is limited against elite enemies because of the slow rate of fire of Special Heavy Weapons. While the Commando skills are able to help manage adds in boss fights, a BH's stock debuffs become redundant because they're typically applied to bosses more quickly by other players. As a result, Dread Strike is the only skill that a BH can use to make a meaningful contribution to boss fights.
- Motivation
- I like Commando/BH, and I like Dread Strike.
MCommando/MBH builds are balanced, and arguably underpowered against elite single targets, by the (understandably) slow rate of fire for Special Heavy Weapons. With MBH being a supplemental line for enhancing other weapon specializations, having an MBH with Dread Strike makes it possible for Commandos to contribute against higher end single targets/boss fights. Given the slower rates of fire, and with Bounty Hunter being a costly line (in skill points), preventing Commando/BHs with SHWs from using Dread Strike seems unnecessary, from a balancing perspective.
MBH skills are all single target skills, including Dread Strike, so nothing game-breaking would result from letting a Commando get access to that skill, especially considering every other weapon specialization can use it. Factoring in Dread Strike's long cooldown, and comparatively short active time, there seems little opportunity for significant balancing issues, other than the MBH/MCommando getting to use the BH side of the build to its fullest.
Conceptually, the Bounty Hunter is a job for individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds, who find a way, in their own particular style, to take down heavy hitters. With the overpowered template, compared with its peers, of MBH/MCH being alive and well, throwing a bone to the lowly 'Mando/BH seems fair.
Thanks for your time.
MBH skills are all single target skills, including Dread Strike, so nothing game-breaking would result from letting a Commando get access to that skill, especially considering every other weapon specialization can use it. Factoring in Dread Strike's long cooldown, and comparatively short active time, there seems little opportunity for significant balancing issues, other than the MBH/MCommando getting to use the BH side of the build to its fullest.
Conceptually, the Bounty Hunter is a job for individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds, who find a way, in their own particular style, to take down heavy hitters. With the overpowered template, compared with its peers, of MBH/MCH being alive and well, throwing a bone to the lowly 'Mando/BH seems fair.
Thanks for your time.