Another reminder that Oberon could use some QOL updates

[Kiera_Okitoshi]

Frankly speaking I don't think he's unviable. In fact due to power creep there's really not a whole lot that can't be played through steel path. But just because it's playable doesn't mean most of it isn't either weak or janky. Some of the worst examples usually don't even get to utilize their kit properly and have to min max specific builds or mechanics to get the ball rolling. I think Oberon fits into that category. 

For one his stat reliance is split which is bad. Where most frames can focus on 1 or 2 stats to mod out for Oberon's entire kit requires too much of everything. Smite and Reckoning need to be spammed so efficiency is needed. Hallowed Ground and Reckoning are AOE's so range is needed. Hallowed Ground is a lingering status/buff zone that you want to keep up so duration is highly preferred. Then Renewal and Reckoning are highly reliant on numbers so strength is necessary. At least 200% so reckoning gets 100% armor shred and doesn't eat up more casts than necessary. 

You slap together a jack of all trades build and the end result isn't even particularly impactful. Smite is just there to apply puncture procs but it does it in such small amounts at such a slow speed that you'd be better off just killing everything. Hallowed Ground gives you CC and status effect immunity but it requires you to stay on the ground in the grass and it doesn't even block the actually common and problematic effects like Eximus CC's, Leeches, Disruptor effects, and obviously null effects. Renewal is a precursor in design to Wisp mote with a comparatively not so great effect but more importantly is much harder to apply and maintain on people due to the way it works. And while Reckoning's armor shred actually isn't bad it's limited by requiring synergy with Hallowed Ground to access that effect. Otherwise it's just an AOE nuke with a huge energy cost, long cast time, and terrible damage.

The other problem I have is that on top of the limited build potential for this frame you're further limited by the fact that Oberon's best mechanics are locked to augments. Smite augment and especially Phoenix Renewal are fantastic but now that's either 1 or 2 mod slots down on a frame that already had terrible modding to begin with. 

Now I complain a lot about the frame but admittedly I have no clue how to fix him really. Support frames in general are pretty trash, especially in modern day warframe. Minor effects aren't really valuable as power creep kicks in. As mentioned before: Why would I bother spamming smite and wasting god knows how long debuffing mobs with puncture when I or my team could just wipe them off the map the moment they come into line of sight. If the orbs were more numerous, had quicker and better tracking, and applied more puncture procs per orb then it'd be good. But this frame was designed in long gone era where end game was endurance runs on pre steel path Mot. 

If you wanna make a support frame that players will play you either gotta make a kit that's fun to use (definitely not Oberon) for the casual end of the player base or a support frame with crazy mechanics for the high end of the game. Wisp does a semi decent job for both. Casual players enjoy the fashion frame and robutt while the sweat lords like Wisp's buffs to camping strats. You also have middle of the road players who main Wisp cause she can just do a whole lot in general. Buffs for missions, lots of speeds for speed running, for some reason a built in passive stealth for spy missions, ect.  About the only thing that comes to mind for Oberon is radiation damage for boss content.

TL;DR: Oberon is kind of poop but I think a rework is pointless unless he's getting nearly completely scrapped and rebuilt which I understand is unlikely to even be considered.


However he could still use a QOL update. What he needs depends on the Oberon player so it's hard to say definitively as a single individual. The one thing I've been advocating for years on though is changing Renewal. Casting it places down an invisible bubble that players have to hit to get the buff. That's already a problem since it means you have to group people up for the buff. At least with Wisp people know that walking into the funny plant makes them go brrrrrrrrr. As Oberon all I've got is looking at them seductively while making come hither motions. Oberon then shoulders an energy drain and then additional drains per target being healed. This screws you over big time if you're dealing with any sort of allied frame that creates units. Nekros will give you PTSD since he can create a ton of shadows and all of them have a constant health drain since he's normally meant to upkeep them himself. If a unit/player loses the buff due to null effects or out of bounds they can't get the buff back until Oberon deactivates it and recasts. This is basically the worst part as people have 0 survival instincts in this game and love jumping head first the abyss or running into the funny blue bubbles to shoot the bubble men. 

This has basically made me give up all together on supportive gameplay cause it's just too much of a pain. I support me, myself, and I. If you get the buff then so be it. But if you lose the buff then I ain't recasting it. Not that most people care anyway. I doubt the majority of the playerbase even know what the frames does or the fact that he's healing them/providing armor. So that only incentivizes them to just into the no no zones even more. Granted a good bit of players are self sufficient in public lobbies. Even if I'm not buffing them they're used to fending for themselves. But there's always that subset of players who can't keep themselves alive for more than 5 seconds at a time. Regardless of how much I try to hold them down and shove heals and armor down they're throat they are determined lose that buff and die by any means necessary. 

What I, and plenty of others have asked for over the years, have been asking for is making Renewal a constant aura effect, Rather than a stationary bubble like Wisp Motes make it a constant effect that radiates from Oberon and applies it to anyone near him. Then make it so that no matter how many times someone loses it they can regain the buff. One thing that differs from person to person though is the energy costs. Personally I don't care about additional energy costs for team mates but I think energy costs for pets and allied NPC's need to be removed. If not then at least a special case basis for frames like Nekros. Other than that, please gather some feedback from the community and see if you have the available development time to touch him up a bit.

This has been my Ted Talk.

[(PSN)OnionSlayer27]

I've been saying everything you have for years and more, and nobody has really acknowledged me. Even in his "hey-day" Oberon was still seen as clunky, outdated and high maintenance. I main him, but it genuinely feels like he's ignored by both DE and the playerbase. Especially with frames that are stronger, more efficient and flashier than Oberon that do "his job" but better like Wisp and Citrine. 

 

He may not always been bad, but he's horribly outdated. Even if you're thinking about Armor strip, why spend all the commitment in Reckoning when you can do it easier and faster via Unairu and Styanax? Both of which modulate to every frame now. It's like every new release makes him outmoded for use. He suffers from having no real identity or kit. To compensate for that, there are several mods that feel like mandatory band-aids that prevent you from really specializing. You need Smite augment for his 1 to be useful. You need the Umbrals. You need Hunter Adrenaline for Strength. You need to cram some form of efficiency, of which I chose Archon Shards.

 

Also if we're suggesting a full on rework, I'd love to see him get more of a Garuda/Gauss/Baruuk passive that actually ties into how you play him. I'd also get rid of Reckoning for something else, for the same reasons you listed. His 1 should keep the augment but still commits the sin of being a single target ability. And his 2 and 3 should just be the same ability, because the drain from Renewal is awful and you'll never use it without stacking it with Hallowed Ground. Which will free up space to give him a new 3 and 4 that go back to synergizing with his passive. Together his abilities are unimpressive and alone, they are just dead weight.