After seeing Jett get a wicked cool rework and buffs in the recent patch, it would also make sense to buff the other GMS class Beast Tamer.
I've played this class since 2016 on and off and have since then made it to level 275, so I'd like to think I know a thing or two about the class.
Ever since the rework introducing the 190 hyper skill. The class has been absolutely atrocious to play and it is not a good image. Instead I propose a rework that would introduce some new Quality of Life updates to the class.
Keep in mind this isn't a numbers focused rework, this is to make the class play closer to before the rework where you could carry certain active skills across active modes.
Bear Mode: Fort
The main focus is to use Fort as the main animal to dish out damage.
Requires Active Mode: Fort to use.
Paw Swipe(A)
Well Fed(P)
Dumb Luck(P)
Fort Follow-Up(P)
Defense Ignorance(P)
Furious Strikes(A)
Bear Strength(P)
Really Deep Breath(A)
L'il Fort(A)
Fort the Brave(P)
Fishy Slap(A)
Billowing Trumpet(P)
Table Flip(A)
Does NOT require Active Mode: Fort to use.
Majestic Trumpet(A)
Deep Breath(A)
Bear Assault(A)
Bear Reborn(P)
Reasoning:
Majestic Trumpet is your main mobbing in the later levels when you out-scale everything. It's a bit more wishful thinking to allow it be used with Lai, oh well.
Deep Breath is the same thing as Majestic Trumpet, except more utility in bosses and mobbing as opposed to main mobbing.
The biggest issue with this mode in bosses is being unable to carry Bear Assault over to Lai/Eka/Arby without Critter Crossing!
Having a self resurrection skill that's applied only while Fort is active is a little awkward, this just equalizes it so you won't be confused when you die knowing that the resurrection was off cooldown but you were just on the wrong mode.
Leopard Mode: Lai
The main focus is to use Lai for mobbing larger maps.
Utility in bosses include switching to have access to Thunder Dash, Macho Dance/Slam.
Requires Active Mode: Lai to use.
Leopard's Paw(A)
Leopard's Hide(P)
Leopard's Pounce(A)
Rippling Feline Muscles(P)
Macho Dance(A)
Macho Slam(A)
Leopard's Roar(A)
Thunder Trail(P)
Macho Incarnate(P)
Three-Point Pounce(A)
Advanced Thunder Dash(A)
Deadly Fangs(P)
Lethal Lai(P)
Leopard Reflexes(P)
Party Time(A)
Does NOT require Active Mode: Lai to use.
Thunder Dash(A)*
Bro Attack(A)
Reasoning:
Thunder Dash is another getaway option in bosses such as Lotus(Hard), Darknell(Normal/Hard) where you're constantly stunned as punishment for poor placement. Allowing the BASE version of Thunder Dash be used in any mode will make it easier to traverse boss rooms and get out of sticky situations easier.
Bro Attack is the spawn machine buff that litters little leopards all over the map. Beast Tamer's mobbing isn't the worst in the game, but it also isn't the best, so there's no harm in allowing it be used in all modes again.
Hawk Mode: Eka
The main focus of Eka is to support by allowing aerial mobility.
It offered* good burst options with Tornado Flight and unparalleled survivability through Fly.
*Being unable to carry Bear Assault has severely hindered the damage output of Hawk Mode as a whole.
Requires Active Mode: Eka to use.
Formation Attack(A)
Sky Walk(P)
Vertical Draft(A)
Eka Express(A)
Fly(A)
Max Mobility(P)
Defensive Formation(P)
Eka Glider(A)
Feather Cloak(P)
Regroup(A)
Baby Bombers(A)
Veteran Formation(P)
Feather Boots(P)
Tornado Flight(A)
Does NOT require Active Mode: Eka to use.
Hawk Flock(A)
Raptor Talons(A)
Bird's-Eye View(A)
Razor Beak(A)
Reasoning:
Hawk Flock, Raptor Talons, Bird's-Eye View, and Razor Beak are all active buffs that in theory should be allowed to carry over to other modes. Except they do not.
Is this just a design oversight?? Party members keep the buffs, but you do not. Hello?
Cat Mode: Arby
The main focus of Arby is supporting your team with strong party buffs that require you do upkeep every 45 seconds.
Meow Heal and Meow Cure both server as your run of the mill heal/dispel utility.
Requires Active Mode: Arby to use.
Friend Launcher(P)
Cat Wit(P)
Kitty Battle Squad(P)
Kitty Treats(P)
Purr-Powered(P)
Sticky Paws(P)
Meow Heal(A)
Cat's Claws(P)
Meow Cure(A)
Meow Card(A)
Friend Launcher - Enhance(P)
Mouser's Insight(P)
Fire Kitty!(A)
Meow Revive(A)
Meow Gold Card(P)
Friend's of Arby(P)
Cat's Cradle Blitzkrieg(A)
Does NOT require Active Mode: Arby to use.
Purr Zone(A)
Reasoning:
There really isn't anything that strikes out as needed for other modes. Maybe Meow Heal and Cure as well, but Meow Heal never lands first try anyway.
Purr Zone is the only skill I could think of that could carry over since it doesn't deactivate when you swap modes off of Cat.
Hyper Skill Changes
All Together! Critter Crossing!
Duration: 60 seconds -> 30 seconds
Cooldown: 360 seconds -> 180 seconds
Reasoning:
Being a SIX MINUTE cooldown is just absolutely unplayable. The skill isn't a 30 second invulnerability skill like Sacrosanctity or Team Roar. It offers no additional survivability beyond Bear Reborn. Thus it should get a cooldown and duration cut to line it up with the class' other skills like The Greatest Show on Maple World Is Coming!, Maple World Goddess' Blessing, and Aerial Relief.
After the proposed changes, All Together! Critter Crossing! will still be the main burst focus, as it still applies all the passives. Only specific scenarios apply for non-active skills which is Thunder Dash receiving Advanced Thunder Dash's additional passive properties.
A couple of skills I didn't address because I feel that it is janky to use, but the purpose is clear.
Champ Charge - It is clear that Bear/Leopard have almost no purpose. But Hawk and Cat have a clear purpose and it is enough to warrant the use of the skill, especially Cat.
The Greatest Show on Maple World Is Coming! - The skill... isn't great. But it's free unconditional damage so no complaints here.
Comments
We need to keep certain characteristics of the classes in rewamps, otherwise it would be like aion in which the only skill that provided debuffed and the game practically died.I'm a main beast tamer and she has the potential to be handled right.For the moment I see that I shouldn't diminish anything.
As far as buff duration stacking goes, all buffs remain untouched, so buff duration will affect the same buffs it currently affects.
There isn't a major focus shift in this rework. This rework in theory reinforces the idea that you command the four animals and utilize their strengths together by allowing players to use a part of each animal's skills across different modes. Major playstyles between each active animal shouldn't be too different if this rework goes through.
Before All Together! BT had a bug that made all animal passives active in every stance. Why did they not make this a constant feature instead of making it a mediocre Hyper Skill is something I'll never understand. Making some skills being usable regardless of stance also makes sense, its an animal TEAM not a bear solo.
Champ Charge needs to be reworked completely, imo if you want the least amount of changes just make it so that when you use it you pick a direction and then only the final animal attack comes, instead of the long unnecessary animation it has, also add some invincibility during casting, if they are going to make BT a tree stuck on the ground might as well give us some breathing space.
A major issue in the class, damage values aside, is how janky it feels in bosses.
Its main bossing animal, Bear, suffers from a lack of additional mobility. To make up for this downside it relies on Furious Strikes to apply %mitigation which works to an extent, but it isn't enough to keep up with the constant onslaught of attacks that modern bosses throw at you on top of all the stuns/seal.
The fix to this issue is to give it additional mobility such as a dash/teleport/back-step, which is already included in the kit through Leopard mode as Thunder Dash.
Given Thunder Dash be made as a generic skill means you don't need to switch modes which has a cast time, and is subject to a high error due to server lag, or human errors like choosing the wrong mode.
In Bird mode, it can be a different form of mobbing through Fly, Defense Formation, Baby Bombers, and Tornado Flight. In bosses it has a history of being weaker than Bear even after the original Tornado Flight buff it received. But since losing the ability to carry Bear Assault over, there is no reason to invest so heavily into Bird just for a skill that does less than half the damage output as Furious Strikes.
If Bear Assault from Bear mode is made generic, Bird will receive a huge boost in damage output such that you won't have a total DPS loss while flying during bosses. (I say total because Baby Bombers + Defense Formation added together currently is basically negligible damage.)
As for mobbing aspects, Leopard Mode is essentially the class' main mobbing form boasting great mobility skills and wide areas of attack. The biggest downside is the innate crit% of 0%. This is offset slightly through the built-in link skill giving 10%. Of course you can fix this by giving more crit% sources from links and legion. But allowing Bird's buff Bird's-Eye View carry over (as well as the other three buffs it provides), will give an additional 15% crit% such that you wouldn't need to invest so heavily into external crit% sources.
If the skills Hawk Flock, Bird's Eye-View, Raptor Talons, and Razor Beak were to be made passable without Critter Crossing! then not only will Leopard have additional crit% sources, Bear also benefits from the attack bonuses that Raptor Talons and Razor Beak provide. Hawk Flock is just a rebranded Haste, which sort of matters if you're on Tyrant Boots... I suppose.
The only mode I feel doesn't require auxiliary mode support is Cat mode. Cat card, Purr Zone, and Cradle all can be carried over to other modes by switching. Its biggest issue is a server sided reliance to apply the auras, which none of the other modes could get around anyway.
As you can see here, there is no reducing aspects in playability, damage, versatility or playstyle by allowing skills be split between active required and generic skills.
We have the technology already in this game as shown through classes such as Zero and Ark, even the new KMS class coming out in January, Cain. Even Xenon to an extent have this same system by allowing you to change the mode of your modal skills to give it different functionality.