Current Shield Polarize And How It Can Become Better

[CipherXIII]

We all know that shield polarize on mag needs a little work.

Some friends and I got to talking and we came up for a really decent idea on how it can be reworked and become much more viable.

 

First we should change the move's damage aspect into a percentage instead of a number. Why? Because it's easier to manage than a damage aspect. It won't become overkill on some enemies, but barely scratch certain bosses.

We were thinking something between 75% and 100% This is because the reduction needs to feel worth while.

This reduction won't heavily effect bosses either because they regen shields so quickly that even a temporary loss of all shields isn't really a big deal to them.

 

Which brings me to the second part of this improvement. As an  added effect the disruption of shields should cause a temporary window in which the enemy cannot regenerate shields. This is also reasonable, because the window will be small, but last long enough that the party will welcome the opportunity to attack a vulnerable opponent.

We feel that 5-10 seconds max is the most adequate limit.

 

As an added bonus, we discussed it overloading shield osprey and corrupted making them explode. Possible splash damage.

 

Now we come to the positive effects of the ability.

Once again, raising it to a percentage is more viable. It's easier to manage than a set amount because it is effective no matter what the player's shields are. Making it handy for all.

It should also on the positive side generate a temporary boost to shield regeneration, or possibly a barrier that can absorb a certain amount of damage.

This will make players feel that a mag who uses the move on them is a welcomed buff, rather than an annoying waste of energy, when they could have just used crush.

 

Now none of this is going to please everyone mind you. We just feel that it would make Polarize much more viable in every situation, and make more players interested in having mag around, or playing mag themselves.

 

As a final improvement, we feel that mag's energy pool is just too low for her stat build.

150 energy while she is built to have the same health and armor as ember and nyx is really not a viable build.

We realize she has very high shields, but her low energy pool makes her very hard to fully enjoy because players are always conserving energy for that big final crush.

 

We hope these suggestions are taken to heart, and implemented, but as always this is just feedback. Do what you will with it.

We have total faith in the Devs, and their ability to make a great game.

[unmog]

Might I redirect you to one of my earlier topics... called Shield Polarize. :p

 

https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/48814-shield-polarize/

[CipherXIII]

What my friends and I posted is different.

[unmog]

Yea I know its different. I think the AOE idea is better is all so I was sharing it with you in case you wanted to look. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

[Winterbraid]

I also think the Area of Effect idea is better. There's so much happening in this game that most normal people barely have time to aim their guns, let alone abilities.

 

But should DE opt to try to improve the ability as it is instead of changing it so drastically, I think Shield Polarize should also be able to overcap the shields of friendly warframes - let's say up to [their normal max shields]+1000. It should also provide a short burst (like 3-4 seconds) of regeneration that isn't stopped by taking damage from enemies like normally. After the burst, the extra shields should deplete over time until they go down to the normal maximum.

 

In other words, it would become somewhat of a targeted version of Rhino's Iron Skin, except without knockback resistance.

Edited June 14, 2013 by Winterbraid

[CipherXIII]

Yeah we talked about the AoE ability, but Trinity has it already. Mag should bring something new to the table, which why we suggested a % instead of a damage/shield heal number cap. And the energy regen after effect/temporary shield from damage effect.

 

What you're describing is pretty much what we said in the OP.

 

But really the most important change I can see is her energy pool. She is the only support frame with a 150 pool at 30, and the only "caster" frame that is likewise 150 at 30.

Her HP and armor, are all the same as Nyx, Ember, and Banshee. However she has the energy pool of an Excalibur? It's hard to be a support character with that build because no one wants to use shield polarize when they could be using crush or bullet attracter on bosses that are long ranged.

 

But all that aside Polarize seems to be a useless gesture at this point, it doesn't pack enough punch either supportive or offensively. 

Adding a shield regen/damage over time effect wouldn't be too hard to build into the game's combat mechanics, and a % is much more effective than a flat cap on the max it can provide on both sides.

 

When we look at characters like Vauban, or Banshee, or even Loki. Each tool in the arsenal is very useful, while mag's shield polarize is overlooked, because let's face it. It's not effective, or efficient.