On The Imbalance Of Mend & Maim And Its Incoming Augment

[(PSN)Xewkeryx]

I'm gonna skip the colorful opening paragraph here. I'm tired, you probably are too. I've got a simple point to make:

 

 

Mend is a very underwhelming power. With the need to charge your healing pulse and continuously spend energy to save it for a dangerous situation, the range limitations, and the comparatively brief benefits of casting it, it's no wonder Maim is the popular twin between them. With Blessing to compare it to, it brings nothing unique to the table.

 

Maim stuns enemies. This stops them from shooting you. This is good defensively. Maim has an active benefit while it's storing damage. Provoke usually leaves you more energy to use than Pacify. It brings scaling damage, which very few powers offer.

 

 

Between the two, Mend is bad

 

Really bad

 

Even alone, it's pretty bad

 

 

 

So, now we have news of an upcoming augment for Equinox's ult that allows her defensive half to drain enemy shields while restoring those of teammates. Okay.

 

But Maim's equivalent? The exact same benefits, except her offensive half constantly drains and restores health.

 

Health, which every enemy faction has. Health damage, which ignores shields altogether.

 

The scales would already be tipping in Maim's favor at this point were the benefits wholly offensive, but to put the final nail in Mend's coffin, the augment allows Maim to fill the singular niche Mend filled: Healing teammates

 

 

 

Are we seeing the problem here?

 

Instead of steps being taken to improve Mend and making the twin powers of a balance-themed frame, y'know, balanced, we instead got to witness the precise opposite. Mend is just further overshadowed while its substantially more useful twin grabs the spotlight.

 

Mend needs more love. Maybe offer Mend an innate shield regeneration, or offer overshields if you've gathered some excess power, or some form of crowd control, but it's just not acceptable in its current state. Not even close. The game has set the bar too high for a power so unimpressive.

 

 

 

TL;DR Buff Mend

 

Okay, that's all. Peace

Edited November 26, 2015 by (PS4)Xewkeryx

[tnccs215]

Thank you

Also, if you allow me some self advertising: https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/564142-an-unhealthy-analysis-and-tweaks-proposal-thread-for-equinox/#entry6391957

You might be interested in the changes I propose.

Edited November 26, 2015 by tnccs215

[Dobermann92]

This is a good idea +1

[Paradoxbomb]

Well, the upcoming augments are subject to change according to DE, so hopefully they'll have the foresight to see how imbalanced that augment is in favor of the already superior Maim. But yeah, the base skill itself could use some love, at the very least Maim's stagger should be swapped over to Mend, or it should offer some other form of CC to make up for it's inability to directly damage enemies.

[tnccs215]

Well, the upcoming augments are subject to change according to DE, so hopefully they'll have the foresight to see how imbalanced that augment is in favor of the already superior Maim. But yeah, the base skill itself could use some love, at the very least Maim's stagger should be swapped over to Mend, or it should offer some other form of CC to make up for it's inability to directly damage enemies.

I've seen a very interesting proposition that basically made Mend work as Quickthinking, but depleting the pool of Hp stored instead of Energy. Quite ironically, it was proposed on the same day Wukong (with his Defy) was released (but before his release). Edited November 26, 2015 by tnccs215

[Soketsu]

I think instead of health, it should give energy to allies each time an ennemy die in the aura

[DoctorWild]

Don't see any problem, they aren't 2 different frames, you aren't obbligated to play only a side of equinox. Mend is balanced because it also has Maim, you can't put 7 awesome skill in a frame, too op. And even if they would do it, you can heal all of your mates with chargind mend with 2 kill, don't see the reason to keep it (panic button? With his 3rd active, a panic button isn't request).

[Soketsu]

the "problem" i think is that many (noob) players tend to stay in day form and don't go in night form in order to heal allies sometimes, this augment may increase this "problem" since it deal even more damage in a large area, the thing is to ake equinoxcooperate a little more with his teammates in public pick up mission i think

[CocoBunnies]

Health restores > Mend, this should not be an issue for a warframes ultimate

Edited November 27, 2015 by WriggleNightbug

[MotherofHermes]

buff mend 2015.

[(PSN)Xewkeryx]

@DoctorWild

 

I disagree. Creating a warframe separated between halves doesn't mean their powers should be half as useful or interesting as a full frame's

 

There have to be upsides alongside Mend's associated downsides. It shouldn't be flat-out weaker than Blessing in every respect

 

 

But that's just me

[tnccs215]

@DoctorWild

I disagree. Creating a warframe separated between halves doesn't mean their powers should be half as useful or interesting as a full frame's

There have to be upsides alongside Mend's associated downsides. It shouldn't be flat-out weaker than Blessing in every respect

But that's just me

Agreed. Admitting that its balanced because there is Always the mirror ability is the same as admitting any "normal" frame ability is also balanced because there are other abilities.

Besides, we are asking for congruence between the ultimates of the same frame. We are asking for both aspects to be equally useful. I think it makes sense that a frame with dual forms is has useful in one as another.