Nyx Rework (Doctor Xavier)

[xZeromusx]

Saw a Nyx rework idea, got inspired, then got carried away... Feedback welcomed, especially if you have a better 4th ability idea.

 

Nyx Rework

 

Stats: No change. In this build, I will attempt to only change Nyx’s abilities to improve her kit so that it indirectly improves her survivability, thus making any changes to her stats unnecessary.

 

 

Currrent Passive: Evasion: Enemies are 20% less accurate when targeting Nyx (Except while Absorb is active)

 

Changed Passive: Pacification: Nyx’s enmity priority reduces over time while not attacking or channeling abilities until she is the lowest priority target.

 

Reason for the change: Evasion and accuracy is so unreliable and wonky in this game, that Nyx might as well not even have her current passive and perform about the same as she does now. Part of my goal in this rework suggestion is to improve her survivability in methods that aren’t just straight forward buffs to her damage or her stats. Thus, being allowed to become the lowest enmity target fits her theme of enemy manipulation, greatly improving her ability to survive, primarily in group play, or to divert the enemy attention away from her towards a companion, her mind controlled target(s), specters, etc. Thus, with this change, Nyx’s survivability is less dependent on her negating damage, having health, or just controlling enemies, yet she will still have the ability to negate damage and control enemies as well.

 

Abilities (Energy Cost)

 

Current 1^st Ability: Mind Control (25): Nyx invades the psyche of a target, confusing enemies and making them fight for the Tenno cause. Targets then fired upon by Nyx receive a damage multiplier.

 

Changed 1^st Ability: Psychic Control (25): Nyx launches a cluster of psychic bolts at enemies, using telekinesis to adjust flight path and seek nearby targets. Hits mind control targets to fight for Nyx.

 

Details: Nyx fires 3/4/5/6 bolts of psychic energy that seek out enemies within 20/30/40/50 meters. When struck, the minds of the hit targets are invaded to turn them against their allies for 10/15/20/25 seconds. When there are more than 3/4/5/6 enemies within range, bolts prioritize higher threat enemies (like how Nekros’ Shadows spawn priority enemies).

 

Reason for change: This is quite obviously a combination of Nyx’s current 1 and 2 abilities. Pairing this with the change to her passive, this allows her to further divert attention away from her by placing up to 6 mind controlled targets in the field which enemies will attack instead. I did, however, remove the additional damage due to friendly fire within 4 seconds after being mind controlled, given the significant increase in the number of targets you can control.

 

Ability Duration affects duration

Ability Efficiency affects casting cost

Ability Strength has no effect

Ability Range affects the range of the bolts

 

 

Current 2^nd Ability: Psychic Bolts (50): Nyx launches a cluster of force bolts at enemies, using telekinesis to adjust flight paths and seek nearby targets. Hits strip some enemy defenses.

 

Changed 2^nd Ability: Chaos (50): With a powerful psychic blast, Nyx causes mass hysteria on the battlefield by confusing all enemies to attack random factions.

 

Reason for change: Chaos is objectively a great ability by combining crowd control and damage by turning enemies against one another. The primary issue I have with it is its energy consumption. And now, being able to mind control more than 1 target at a time in a large area, dispatching enemies under the effect of Chaos no longer requires Nyx to carry out the killing herself. This is also further improved by her passive giving her less enmity.

 

 

Current 3^rd Ability: Chaos (75): With a powerful psychic blast, Nyx causes mass hysteria on the battlefield by confusing all enemies to attack random factions.

 

Changed 3^rd Ability (75): Psionic Armor: Nyx creates a barrier around herself and allies that absorbs a percentage of incoming damage. Absorbed damage is added to their next weapon attack.

 

Details: Nyx and Allies within 10/15/20/25 meters are shrouded in a psychic shield which absorbs 30/35/40/50% of incoming damage for 10/15/20/25 seconds. 100% of the damage absorbed is added to their next weapon attack.

 

Reason for change: Just a heads up, this would replace Absorb. One of the most annoying things in this game that truly makes a frame feel boring are cast and forget abilities. That’s what Absorb feels like. I am also not entirely fond of channeled abilities like Absorb where you’re stationary, channeling something, doing nothing but maybe refreshing your Youtube video on another screen. Cast it, go make some tea, come back and clear a room, boring. Instead, I wanted to take a page from Mesa’s Shatter Shield, but decrease its strength while increasing its support utility significantly. Now, 50% might not seem that significant, but consider the mechanics of the ability as I described above. Nyx AND Allies. Meaning Tenno, Warframes, Companions, and… Psychic Controlled Targets so long as they are still considered allies. So, by decreasing damage reduction, but decreasing Nyx’s enmity, we can increase the damage of Psychic Controlled enemies without needing the initial 4 seconds of invulnerability to ramp up their damage while also providing strong support for Nyx and other players while in party play.

 

Ability Duration affects shield duration

Ability Efficiency affects casting cost

Ability Strength affects absorb percentage (maximum of 95%) and by proxy, the percentage of damage converted to additional weapon damage

Ability Range increase the range to affect allies

 

 

Current 4^th Ability: Absorb (25 + 7/6/5/4): Nyx absorbs all incoming damage and channels that collected energy into an explosive radial discharge.

 

Suggested 4^th Ability (100): Psychic Speed: Nyx greatly slows the perception of time for herself and allies, increasing their action speed relative to everything around them.

 

Details: Nyx and Allies perceive time slower, increasing their action speed relative to the reality around them. Has infinite range to affect all allies in the session and a 4/8/12/16 second duration. Does not dispel if an ally enters a nullifying barrier, but does if Nyx enters one. Cannot recast while active. Unlike speed up abilities like those that Volt, Wisp, and Nova have, this ability does not simply increase your character’s speed while time passes at the same rate. This ability instead affects the perception of time for allies, and this has several unique effects that make the ability worthy of an ultimate ability. Time appears to slow for Nyx and Allies. Enemies appear to move slower, their projectiles move slower. Timers such as data destruction, protection, survival timers and atmosphere degrade, etc. move slower for Nyx and allies, effectively granting them 2x/3x/4x/5x their base movement, action, speed, everything relative to enemies. Players still feel as if they are moving at their normal pace, but everything around them appears to be moving at a slower pace. In “reality” they are moving at an incredible pace from the perspective of the enemies.

 

Reason for change: This ability is something we haven’t really seen before. Rhino’s stomp is somewhat similar. However, for the first time, an ability could have a real effect on timers such as data destruction. It doesn’t entirely stop time from passing, merely slows it, so that 4 seconds seem to pass for every 1 second that passes on the timer. The concept for this ability comes from X-men, Doctor Xavier. Doctor X has demonstrated, on screen, what appears to almost be the ability to completely stop movement and time. But, if you know better, you’d realize that in fact, Doctor X is not stopping time at all, but instead slowing the perception of time for select individuals, so that to them, it appears as if time has slowed or even stopped, but in fact, they are merely moving at an incredible speed. Meanwhile, they perceive their movement as normal, while everyone who is not affected by this psychic manipulation appears to be moving either incredibly slow, or not at all.

 

Ability Duration has no effect

Ability Efficiency affects casting cost

Ability Range has no effect

Ability Strength has no effect

 

Reasons for mod effects: Because this ability is quite literally the recreation of an alpha level mutant’s incredible, reality warping ability, the only mods I felt would be balanced or fair to use on this ability is efficiency. I actually kind of discourage its use outside of maybe Spy missions and Capture missions, due to the headache it can cause for other players dealing with a slowed timer for Survival missions or slowed enemies in Defense. Thus, a low duration which cannot be increased seems like a good trade-off for a significant ability. Given it affects all players in the session, range is meaningless on it, and I felt that changing the relative passage of time by a factor of 4 was significant enough of an effect to warrant making strength mods ineffective as well.

Edited July 11, 2019 by xZeromusx