Zephyr Tweaks #608/7000

[Terrornaut]

Zeph is my second favorite frame, and has been next to Ember. I'm in both their threads all the time everywhere and well, i had some time, so here is my take on changing Zeph. 

Zeph isn't as bad as people say, but she's out of date and eclipsed by most frames, especially the new highly powerful frames. While I don't feel a frame has to be extremely great in every or one area, I feel like a frame should have its own feel and be significantly impactful on the battlefield. She doesnt have much going for her, and has been ignored for years. She does have Turbulence though, which the community majorly agrees doesn't need to be touched (or much).  And in engineering and software development, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, so I'm trying not to deviate from what she and her abilities are about.

Still I some propose ability tweaks that don't remove functionality or replace abilities entirely.

They do of course add functionality.

Passive: Increase the rate of slow fall/decrease gravity slightly BUT allow players to double press crouch (need to be careful not to mess with the ability to bullet jump or air crouch) to cancel slow her fall passive and drop normally. This would go so far towards helping her mobility and navigating tight environments with TW.

Tailwind: Allow this to be the supreme mobility ability it can be and give respect to Zephyr in light of Parkour 2.0. 

The damage is inconsequential at all levels but I guess it is there just for the sake of having damage on it. You can't build for it, but I don't think that should really be the focus. 

Add a timer (maybe 1.5s max) at the end of TWs distance where you do not fall/suffer from gravity.

Further recasts receive a 25% energy discount. Up to 75% max by third cast. 

If you collide with a wall, automatically engage wall latch as a toggle, so once you press a movement or duck or jump it ends. Refresh wall latch meter on cast.   This would greatly encourage bird play and allow for some really awesome, original gameplay where playing Zephyr would be even more unique from other frames.  Colliding and facesmashing a wall for several seconds is also aggravating.

While I wish Zephs TW left wind tunnels similar to novas portal use for allies, and while it would be lots of fun, its probably too much.

Why no hold/anim lock?

I prefer my addition over non animation lock and holding button, even though its nice for PoE, because its just easier to control and we don't have to engage no energy from EV/Harrow/Zen etc by having it hold to cast and drain. It will slow down gameplay that way imo. Also, you're not going to get a ton of good shots in with no animation lock anyway, unless you're using Astilla/launchers, you're still going to lose a couple or part of a second by having to reorient to aim. The short moment of no gravity after TW solves this I feel.

Divebomb: With max range and the augment, or with very high power and range and heavy impact at low levels this can accomolish something, but otherwise, it is one of DE's many cases where 1/4 a kit is not present. It is ineffective for damage, has no ground functionality, and has such short range it is just not effective for CC currently. It is one of the worst abiltities in the game currently. When I hear divebomb, I think something serious is going to happen from on high. Death from above. Currently, never the case.

Increase base damage, damage scaling with height, increase base range by about 1/4 its current distance. On impact, launch enemies vertically in the air by a base range that scales with range mods and distance travelled. Do not ragdoll outward from point of impact.

I badly want enemy armor reduction on this ability but I will refrain.

Allow Ground Cast. Having to hop just to use this is a little silly really. Just be cool and let us use it while grounded or possibly animation locked. It will not get the scaling of course, but that is a fine sacrifice. Can even bump the energy back up to 50.

I don't know how this ability will be affected by upcoming IPS changes, and how divebomb vortex will be affected (if at all). the changes could create some weird interactions they have to look at.  Would probably be safe as blast damage instead of impact.

If increasing its cast to 50 energy means it can be much more effective, that's fine and worth it.  

Turbulence: Leave it alone or allow recast while active. I might just need to brighten my energy color, but would be nice to have some swirling streak lines that appear on the edge its range so we can all gauge the safety zone better. It would be nice if Zephs inner protection did not suffer from negative range.

 

Tornadoes: An ability that can be effective, but also chaotic and irritating both to the player and team. It currently blocks enemy bullets, and funnel clouds have awful pathing and seeking (need them to be aggressive and reliable and not ice skate at enemies, too much inertia), and using choice elements for procs is difficult. I do not feel like status priority is a bad thing, but it needs to be manageable.

For status changing:  Restrict a tornado from having its element changed for 3.0 seconds (unaffected by mods) every time its element changes.

Add a minimum duration that the clouds hold enemies for, like 6 seconds (allows 2 rounds of several procs to affect it). Hold or eject afterwards. I generally find it will hold reliably, but sometimes enemies get launched straight up and out. Other times they trampoline on top.

Allow Range to increase not only the cast distance, but increase the vortex distance. Also make tornadoes not roam from a radius equal to Zephs initial cast area, unless there is an enemy close to it to seek. Then roam towards the original cast area.

Allow tornados to add some punch through to ranged attacks when they enter the cloud. Similar to bullet attractor but with no damage multiplying. So basically it allows allies and enemies to just shoot at the clouds and hit whats inside. No more shooting into moving walls that enemies can shoot you through.

Allow tornado movement speed to be affected by Zephs current movement speed, increase or decrease. This will create some interesting interactions with teammates or having to avoid cold damage.

 

Overall

She doesn't need energy management features or base stat tweaks beyond passive cancelling, or to become a major damage frame, she's a mobile generalist that controls movement on the battlefield.

Edited December 24, 2017 by Terrornaut

[Birdframe_Prime]

It's Christmas, I'm going to come back later ^^

[Ajwf]

Not a Zephyr player myself but Divebomb has always seemed kinda stupid, like an entire ability was devoted to being a Rhino passive. IMO there have to be better ways to utilize the 'storm god' and flight figure Zephyr should be instead of having the old bird poop 2. Maybe an ability similar to Wukong's cloud walker or allow Zephyr to phase through some walls/ignore all collisions? 

For her passive, why not just make her glide GAIN altitude instead of lose it for the normal durration? Seems like a more effective way to give Zephyr flight. 

[(XBOX)TogetherTurtle]

I REALLY like the tailwind change you have in mind. Zephyr would go from my least favorite frame to something I would consider using if just that change was put in.

[Versa]

One quick thought that does not entirely encompass my thoughts on your changes is specifically about that passive change. Having it disable on crouch is a very problematic design as it would no longer be possible to slide in the air while using her floatiness to STAY in the air. This will severely reduce a good Zephyr player's ability to micro maneuver in the air and get horizontal motion without falling or casting an ability for more energy than they would currently need.

[Terrornaut]

 

18 hours ago, Ajwf said:

Not a Zephyr player myself but Divebomb has always seemed kinda stupid, like an entire ability was devoted to being a Rhino passive. IMO there have to be better ways to utilize the 'storm god' and flight figure Zephyr should be instead of having the old bird poop 2. Maybe an ability similar to Wukong's cloud walker or allow Zephyr to phase through some walls/ignore all collisions? 

For her passive, why not just make her glide GAIN altitude instead of lose it for the normal durration? Seems like a more effective way to give Zephyr flight. 

I agree in that its effectiveness is questionable and redundant, but redundant elements can be ok. It would be nice for it to be more than just a 'cool thematic' ability though.

They don't want to give her flight though. That wasn't ever really their intent or aim.

14 hours ago, (Xbox One)TogetherTurtle said:

I REALLY like the tailwind change you have in mind. Zephyr would go from my least favorite frame to something I would consider using if just that change was put in.

I have another addition I've just considered. If you could press 1 while holding back left or right, it would dash you that way. I would use it, I use side rolling often, and a backdash while beimg able to pop off some shots would be great, but in my version its still animation locked so its fine as is I suppose.

9 hours ago, Kurayami_No_Yenshi said:

One quick thought that does not entirely encompass my thoughts on your changes is specifically about that passive change. Having it disable on crouch is a very problematic design as it would no longer be possible to slide in the air while using her floatiness to STAY in the air. This will severely reduce a good Zephyr player's ability to micro maneuver in the air and get horizontal motion without falling or casting an ability for more energy than they would currently need.

True, though there are other reliable and noninvasive ways to impliment cancelling the passive. I think that this, or providing Zeph a different dodge function (more of a quicker standing air dash like many other games) could really make an amazing difference on gameplay and capturing that concept of mobility and air control.

[Birdframe_Prime]

5 hours ago, Terrornaut said:

True, though there are other reliable and noninvasive ways to impliment cancelling the passive.

I've always favoured ignoring the passive, even ignoring  cancelling it and giving 1 more use overall by having the landing mechanic, the idea being that as long as Tailwind is going to continue at an angle that would cause you to impact the ground, it instead cancels out at 1m above it, allowing a player to do whatever they want. It means you could use conservation of momentum to sprint out of it, you could stop movement on a single point for precision movement, you can use parkour movement, or you can aim a little short of doorways instead of at them, meaning you'll never get stuck over the top of them again.

Honestly speaking this would make Tailwind one of the best dash movements in game, because there is literally no other dash ability that doesn't have a recovery period.