Frostwrath, Blade of Command

Eustace

Eustace

Dalayan Adventurer
I'd like to request that this item have RNG added to it. Rangers are often called to step up and take aggro in groups or raids. However, many times when a ranger is tanking a difficult mob, they must use Blade Guard stance, which disables the offhand weapon. A ranger's main way of holding aggro on a mob is through dps - something that is not easily accomplished when using Blade Guard. Making Frostwrath equippable by a ranger would give them the opportunity to use their tank stance and still maintain aggro on the mob.

This change would give rangers a situational tool that would not affect their primary role of providing ranged melee dps.
 
I do not think this item needs any classes added to it. The weapon is already an amazing tanking weapon. Giving rangers a 10 parry mod would be something I would not like to see.
 
Rangers already have items available in the same tier range with parry mods on them.
 
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The huge aggro proc is kind of the point of this post. Maintaining aggro when your main means of gaining aggro is via dps while wearing -agg mods and having your offhand weapon locked up is rather difficult. Changing this weapon to make it ranger equippable wouldn't affect the role rangers play. It would simply give them the ability to do something very situational slightly better.
 
I dont know anything about rangers, but is there any situational gear you could swap in that would take care of that -agg mod? I keep +agg items in my bags that i sometimes will swap in when I need to get some agro.
What other swords do rangers have that your able to aquire that are comparable? As I said I dont know anything about rangers but would be interested in knowing which 1h weapons the class has for those times your talking about.
 
There's a few comparable weapons. Funeral Guardian's Tonfa; Valor, Blade of Enthann, Caex, Axe of Destruction (or was it the Glutton?). All have either an aggro proc or defensive mods on them. As for other comparable gear, Apathy of an Inferno (quite tankish arm piece) has +aggro, +parry, very excellent stats, and it's taunt-classes only.

As for gear swapping for +/- aggro, yes, I can do that and do at some times. However, when you're jumping in to tank a mob because somebody went splat, it's easier to swap in a sword and /s 4 than it is to /s 4 then fumble through 7 pieces of gear so you're gaining some aggro while only swinging one weapon.
 
can you use 2h weapon with the Blade Guard stance? if so, maybe you could use a 2h weapon with an already ranger useable +aggro proc?
 
For clarification, to use the ranger tank stance you have to be dual wielding, and the offhand weapon is disabled for an increase to evasion. Description of the stance is:

Blade Guard [Level 20, Two Weapons] <Lose Offhand Attack; Increase Parry, Riposte>
 
Eustace said:
There's a few comparable weapons. Funeral Guardian's Tonfa; Valor, Blade of Enthann, Caex, Axe of Destruction (or was it the Glutton?). All have either an aggro proc or defensive mods on them. As for other comparable gear, Apathy of an Inferno (quite tankish arm piece) has +aggro, +parry, very excellent stats, and it's taunt-classes only.

As for gear swapping for +/- aggro, yes, I can do that and do at some times. However, when you're jumping in to tank a mob because somebody went splat, it's easier to swap in a sword and /s 4 than it is to /s 4 then fumble through 7 pieces of gear so you're gaining some aggro while only swinging one weapon.
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Rangers already have a line of spells dedicated to -losing- agro, indicating their agro is pretty hefty as is, and you want more? You also want a non-tanking class to be able to tank? Can I get some 3k archery crits on my SK then too? Maybe some AE snare and heals?

Basically, it's a tank weapon, obviously. You are not a tank, obviously.

Also, to clear things up, agro procs account for a very minimal portion of a tanks threat. Anyone who has a patriarch knows that it very, very rarely procs, the majority of the agro from it lies in its low delay. Frostwrath also rarely procs, and the proc is very resistable.
 
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Yea i see what your saying Eustace and i agree its a pita to try to change that much gear around. Seems like atm your limited to the weapons you mentioned.
It really does suck when you have to throw a ranger / misc other non-plate class at a mob to hope you keep the healers from getting splatted.
 
Having RNG with the tanks isn't something unusual for a weapon that can go PRI or SEC. I understand why it could be so for Frostwrath, since it can be wielded in secondary slot which doesn't even happen for knights.
Now the problem is this weapon is really huge compared to what a ranger can get at this range except the Tonfa.
 
Your argument is basically that having ranger on frostwrath would make rangers better. You also say that this will enable rangers to do something much more easily
Eustace said:
A ranger's main way of holding aggro on a mob is through dps - something that is not easily accomplished when using Blade Guard. Making Frostwrath equippable by a ranger would give them the opportunity to use their tank stance and still maintain aggro on the mob.
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and it's my understanding that the whole point of this stance being good is because it's hard to hold aggro this way. So whether or not it suddenly makes aggro super good for rangers, I think this hurts your argument.

You also don't say why rangers need to be buffed and that makes your argument look like selfish loot mongering rather than a game balance issue. The other issue you don't address is why frostwrath needs to be improved at all. It's one of the best loots in the zone off of one of the easiest encounters in the zone, and it's the number 2 or 3 weapon for tanks in the game.

Yes, it would be good for rangers if it had ranger on it, but why should rangers or frostwrath need improvement?
 
I wouldn't like adding a non-tank class to this particular tank-only weapon (which isn't even that good for 2 of the 3 classes that can currently use it, given the ratio is pretty bad for knights and they hold aggro with spells anyway).
I know it sucks getting aggro on a mob if the tank dies when it's at 30% and you've jolted a bazillion times before, but your taunt and knight taunt cap at same number, and if you're a knight that had to deal with adds or was pulling before and haven't even hit the mob in question yet, you need to cast more than just a pair of spells, use aggro stance and pray taunt would take effect. Even though improving tanking abilities of non-tanking classes might be convenient, I feel like it's stepping on knight toes.

PS: SKs can crit for 3k with bow, even if just once in a blue moon.
 
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I like the idea, but while we're at it lets add ROG to the weapon as well.

(I'm not in anyway biased, already having one banked, honest.)
 
I'm not requesting this because rangers need a buff in evasion abilities. I'm not saying it's a game-breaking balance issue. However, I do think it is odd that ranger was not added to this item from the very beginning, as it's both primary and secondary slot and all other secondary slot hate weapons that I know of are ranger equippable.

Ytrazliarch, Patriarch, Nightjaunt, Terror-Forged Blade (half-asleep and don't recall the full name of that one), Spear of the Great Hunt, Flamescar, and the Funeral Guardian's Tonfa all have both ranger and warrior on it. No primary knight weapon has anything other than knights on it (with the exception of Whirlwind, which I believe also has NEC on it.) Adding RNG to Frostwrath would in no way bring it out of line with any other warrior-equippable aggro weapon in the game, from t1 to t10. Rather, the lack of RNG on Frostwrath in comparison to the other examples I've stated seems very odd.

Adding RNG to Frostwrath does not step on the toes of any tank classes. This weapon really sucks for a knight because of ratio and the availability of much better weapons around the same tier. Adding RNG to Frostwrath does not diminish any of the other classes on the weapon, or even add a significant bonus to rangers. This isn't a case of taking something away from a tank class and giving it to the only other class with taunt - this is a case of "weird, why isn't ranger on this weapon when they're normally on weapons of this type?"

The outrage over this request really astounds me, unless you're worried about AFK melee rangers leaving this thing equipped and screwing up the raid.
 
Eustace said:
Ytrazliarch, Patriarch, Nightjaunt, Terror-Forged Blade (half-asleep and don't recall the full name of that one), Spear of the Great Hunt, Flamescar, and the Funeral Guardian's Tonfa all have both ranger and warrior on it.
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You could equally ask why bards are only on most of these and not all of these, including frostwrath
 
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