Nidus QOL and identity.

[2wentyThre3]

Nidus. My old main. My old friend...

Nidus exists now in a world of Overshield and reworked frames he used to look down on... Is Nidus bad? Truthfully no. I sat in Sim today, built him to a point where he could handle 180+ and with my weapons collection found some synergy. Now, if the argument for a starting point I wanted to make was "Is Nidus bad?" then we'd be done. Problem solved. Nidus can survive beyond base Steel Path and therefore is not bad. Case closed...

However... This isn't my issue with Nidus. I thought it was when I started thinking about this but it isn't.

Nidus isn't bad. His Identity isn't as well established as it seems.

Now wait a second before you start hate posting at me and if you yourself are still a Nidus main hear me out. The inconvenient truth is health tanking has had it's day and without additional layers of resistance you can be one shot very easily, additionally the likely hood of being picked off grows if you're chained to one room. His visual presence is good but his gameplay with within that fantasy is something I'm going to explore as we go on. He just begins to feel more and more helpless the deeper into a survival you go, but honestly he should feel the opposite - gathering momentum gaining the ability to keep pushing back. Refusing to die but in a way that feels more active, like you're foaming at the mouth rabidly as you claw at anything with a pulse... Not just sat in the corner of a map waiting for stuff to come to you...

Starting it simple, The QOL change Nidus NEEDS.

Nidus is entirely reliant on his 3 - Parasitic Link. You cannot survive without it and challenging higher level content is a no go without it. Parasitic Link has a major issue. It anchors you to the ground. It stops you from being as mobile as you need at times and requires you to manage two things on one ability - The distance you are from your targeted Link and the duration / upkeep of that tether. Three things if you want to count the infestation stacks needed for it, which we should really count despite it being something you should be actively building in every interaction.

So how do we change one thing and fix it.

Nidus is a parasitic Warframe who is more infested than he is complete. Well we have evidence that some Parasites can control their hosts and even more precedence for it within the realms of science fiction. I propose the target of Parasitic Link follow us around. That's it. No augment, a simple base change that forces the target to follow us. This leans more into a fantasy AND gives better QOL freeing Nidus' feet from the floor.

If this is all you wanted to see, I've been 2wentyThre3 and thank you for attending my TED talk... discuss below. But if you wanna know what else I think, please, keep going.

The Nidus rework he deserves. The strive for a strengthened identity.

Nidus' identity is that of the infested. A mutating ever strengthening, parasitic wall of flesh. It's a unique idea, however, it is currently rotting in a corridor instead of barrelling down it like an enraged juggernaut. His physicality should be feared, but in truth if you looked in the corridor where he was stood, you could close the door at the end and walk away knowing he couldn't do a damn thing about it without losing all he'd worked for. My interpretation of the infested are that of frenzied all consuming monsters. No logic or reason, just consumption. So of all the manic and crazed lifeforms do we have Nidus who is sat around in a room locked to his Link and his Maggots. I personally think the Link and the Maggots should be working for Nidus, not the other way round. Mutation should serve Nidus for the work put in, not be a well to be drained. so with my opinions of his fantasy on show, lets tweek his tech...

1-Virulence

I propose with each stomp Virulence should spew maggots. throwing them up out of the ground onto the path in front. This way it makes the next stomp more potent at creating Mutation stacks. The maggots should be no different to that from Ravenous - clinging to enemies for CC and being free roaming - however as you will see I would prefer to remove Ravenous as it currently exists in the hope of expanding on the idea of the ever growing state of the Infested monster he is... Virulence should still behave as it does now - hitting multiple targets allowing you to build energy (to be adjusted to help maintain my proposal for Ravenous)

2-Larva

Honestly with the augments that exist for Larva on top of it already being a great grouping tool as it is I wouldn't change Larva at all.

3-Parasitic Link

As you read above and if you didn't... Allow the target of Parasitic Link to follow the player. The fantasy being that Nidus has invaded the hosts body and is puppeteering it as some sort of twisted extension of himself - DE, you wanna blow everyone's mind on this? Make the hosts body fully mutate into one of the infested in an explosion of guts. Hell make a new model, a specific Link mutated monster. Cost should remain at 3 stacks. 

4-Ravenous (new)

Nidus sacrifices 7 mutation stacks for Ravenous entering a frenzied hungering state and increasing in presence (scaling the model to show this). Nidus is now head and shoulders taller, wider and bulkier than other frames in a similar way to how Titania Shrinks. Self healing rate increases and the ability to build stacks becomes easier as Maggots fall continuously from Nidus' open orifices making him a walking tower of infested threat. The open areas of Nidus should have reaching tendrils similar to that of his Larva for further visual enhancement/ notification of active ability. Casting Virulence in this form no longer costs energy however maintaining this form drains your energy. If energy drops to 0 or you are killed in this form you will revert to Nidus' base form where you will need to have or build resources to achieve it again. If skilful enough, this form can be maintained permanently through use of Virulence, Larva and Parasitic Link.
I would also recommend additional changes such as an increase in movement speed by say 0.2 and an amount of Overshield on cast/Recast. The ability should be re-castable to regain Overshield. Being re-castable over an active period is the best option as casting again to cancel would hold no benefit. 

-Passive- 

Nidus' passive should remain as it is with one alteration. If Nidus is killed with 15 or more Mutation stacks available, 15 of those stacks will be consumed: This will grant 5secs of invulnerability and will instantly restore 50% of Nidus' Health and 100% Energy. The inclusion of the energy allows the player to recover from their death IF they had enough stacks of Mutation to cast Ravenous again. Currently if you die there is a lot of pressure on your recovery and if it fails you lose 15 more stacks to another death and it can snowball. Being able to cast Ravenous again on event of death and fight back also falls into the fantasy of an ever growing pile of flesh that refuses to give up.


Well, if you stuck with it this long, thank you and I'd like to hear what you think. I'd especially love to know what you think Pablo - I invoke your name in the hope you can be summoned oh great one...

Anways, Peace Xx

Edited March 28 by 2wentyThre3