| After some months of testing and tweaks, the Barrier Review is now live in Prime. This does not mean that everything related to damage barriers is written in stone, even though we believe at this point they are sufficiently functional to be an improved experienced. Tweaking can still happen, some spell work we wish to do will be incoming, and in general we are still happy to hear your experiences.
With that in mind, the currently up-to-date changelog is below. Spells marked as (NEW) are on a preview period.
SYSTEM-LEVEL CHANGES:
MANIFEST FORCE SPELL:
The PvE nerf has been reverted, otherwise the same.
TEMPORAL EDDY SPELL:
For those with access to TE, the chance for it to proc has been buffed.
WARD SLOTS:
This update introduces to the live game the notion of "ward slots." Specifically, these currently apply to "damage reactive" abilities, or those that direct attempt to reduce the amount of damage you are taking. For example, Cage of Light counts as a damage reactive spell (it attempts to reduce combat damage) but Psychic Shield does not (it attempts to reduce spell effectiveness).
Most abilities consume one "ward slot," while a handful as noted consume zero. If the ability is not from your guild or an AP spell, it costs an additional +1 (two normally, one if it is a nominally zero cost). Any given character can maintain two damage reactive wards on them at once.
WARD STRENGTH:
The roof on how potent percentage-based damage wards can be has been raised. With few exceptions, even a single ability will meet or exceed the previous cap.
GUILD-LEVEL CHANGES:
BARBARIAN:
Drought:
(NEW) Basic difficulty, requires two abilities in Path of the Flame, and two ability slots. A portion of incoming damage will be dealt to the next foe struck by the Barbarian. If the Barbarian is severely wounded, this damage will be increased further. In PvP, only damage dealt by the character being struck will be added to the attack. Fills 1 ward slot.
Tenacity:
Behavior unchanged. Fills 1 ward slot.
Toad:
Behavior unchanged. Fills 1 ward slot.
Volcano:
Behavior unchanged. Does not fill a ward slot.
BARD:
Failure of the Forge:
(NEW) Only token damage reduction to the caster, but also any weapon held by the aggressor (whether or not it was actually used in the assault) will be debuffed for a short time, similar in concept to the Cleric spell Curse of Zachriedek. Costs 2 spell slots.
Naming of Tears:
Significant changes. For the Bard, slightly buffed, takes less skill, and costs one less spell slot to learn. For anyone else in the Bard's party, a substantially reduced (half of what the caster gets) damage barrier, but it costs no barrier slots for them (in effect, the Bard can give anyone an extra freebie amount of damage reduction). In addition to direct damage reduction, also reduces some incoming vitality damage.
CLERIC:
Ghost Shroud:
No longer provides damage resistance, instead returned to original design where it increases the difficulty of being aimed at by ranged attacks.
Minor Physical Protection:
Substantially buffed and also reduces some incoming vitality damage. Also due for a facelift and namechange (along with MaPP) but those did not happen in time for this release cycle.
EMPATH:
Iron Constitution:
Nerfed a bit. Threshold raised for how big an attack can be before IC stops further mitigation.
Perseverance of Peri'el:
No change other than compatibility with the new stacking system.
MOON MAGE:
Cage of Light:
Significant rewrite, tantamount to a new spell. Now works as a "reverse IC," nullifying small hits but providing only token defense against larger ones. Messaging has been updated and it is now possible to cast using ambient light at the cost of a hit to duration. Scope of damage the spell will nullify increases with Potency. Spell slot costs reduced from 3 to 2.
Telekinetic Shield:
(NEW) Main function of TKSH is a bog-standard percentage-based damage resistance effect, albeit a relatively weak one (the synergy with CoL is handy, though, and TKSH should be contested first). In addition to damage and vitality resistance based on Potency, TKSH will reduce the target time of Telekinetic Storm by up to 50% based on TKSH's Integrity.
NECROMANCER:
Calcified Hide (Forsaken):
As a regular ol' damage reducer this was nerfed, but it still has all of its bells and whistles: baked in stamina bonus, a flat reduction to physical damage on top of everything else, and a small immunity chance. Spellslots were reduced from 4 to 3.
Emuin's Candlelight (Redeemed):
Significant changes. A bug that effectively magnified incoming damage when using the spell was removed. The amount of damage the spell will contain is now capped, and if it is dispelled it will only immediately discharge a portion of that before the rest continues to bleed off like normal. Even if the spell's damage containment is full, it will still continue to function as an Evasion buff.
Ghoulflesh (Forsaken):
(NEW) Requires than the caster have an active Risen or Call From Beyond zombie in the room. Has a chance (based on Potency, reasonably high likelihood up to 100% at max Potency) that any wound the Necromancer takes gets halved, with the other half going to the pet.
Siphon Vitality (EBotS mod -- Redeemed):
Substantially buffed. Note this only takes a slot when cast in conjunction with Ebon Blood, and even if maxed out in slots the TM portion of the spell still fires.
Solace (Redeemed):
No change other than compatibility with the new stacking system. Note that this takes zero warding slots, making it a freebie for Redeemed.
PALADIN:
Aspirant's Aegis:
Buffed a bit, but it is still fairly weak compared to most "main" damage barriers, on account of alternative sources of damage reduction and shenangins in the Paladin kit. Also directly reduces incoming vitality damage.
Glyph of Dueling:
Not a warding spell, but being released with this round of changes. New glyph available at 1st circle, gives +Parry on a Short duration based on Conviction, and enables using the parry defense against TM spells.
Tamsine's Kiss:
(NEW) Has a chance (based on Potency, high likelihood up to 100% at max Potency) that half of any wound the Paladin takes is converted into a scar instead.
RANGER:
Bloodthorns:
(NEW) Ritual spell that has a chance to proc a tiny amount of damage to the aggressor and a "true healing" (ala the spell Heal) effect on the caster on melee hit. Chance of proc is based on the size of the weapon; coming at a Ranger with a dagger is much more likely to get you poked than with a halberd. Natural attacks from creatures has a 50% chance to proc. Number of pulses of healing per proc is determined by Potency.
River in the Sky:
(NEW) While active, will cause the first hit registered in X seconds to be completely negated, where X ranges from half a minute to exactly one minute based on Potency of the spell. On cast you can select a range of damage options for the spell to engage at, so that you can, for example, choose not to use the RITS charge on milder hits.
THIEF:
Adaptation:
(NEW) Basic difficulty, requires Hasten, and one ability slot. Reduces damage from multiple strikes in a short period of time. Each subsequent strike within the time frame is reduced more than the last. Fills 1 ward slot.
Evanescence:
Behavior unchanged. Fills 1 ward slot.
Sagacity:
Behavior unchanged. Fills 1 ward slot.
TRADER:
Elision:
Much the same, but now offers an activation toggle. Traders can SHIFT INERT to stop the spell from firing while still keeping the spell on them, and SHIFT ACTIVE to let it resume function.
Trabe Chalice:
The penalty non-Traders received while using the spell has been removed, and direct vitality damage reduction was included.
WARRIOR MAGE:
Ethereal Shield:
Buffed a bit. Only affects elemental damage, but affects it very strongly. No longer a group-cast spell, but can still be cast upon others individually.
Gam Irnan ("Salt Wall"):
(NEW) Only affects physial damage, with a unique ablative mechanic. Flat damage resistance that builds up and declines per hit location on the caster. After taking a hit, that specific body part builds resistance back up over the course of a handful of seconds. All other body parts are still fully protected (unless they, in turn, take hits).
Grounding Field:
Rewrite, tantamount to a new spell. Does not resist damage, but instead converts incoming damage into Elemental Charge. Does not occupy a warding slot, and spell slot cost is reduced to one slot.
-Armifer
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