Zen Master Sneak Preview Review!

Well well, it seems the matrix was 'hacked' and in doing so, new
abilites showed up! Since this is the best thing since sliced bread for
some of us, I figred this 'sneak peak' needed a review




Technique:100 VD for 4 cost under operative?!? Sheerly amazing, but not
broken amazing. The clothing required for a full VD set, (banana) and
then a simple viral shielding buff later, and you effectively have a
tank that when fully buffed up, might be near broken with all the VD,
DR, full belief, and CT buffs. Leg10n's already working on a
'perfection' build. with this. (An MA build (more then likely Karate or
kungfu) with an assortment of Awaken, Side MA, and even an outside
combat punch.) This need to be looked at because it can become very
powerful very quickly. But for usefulness? Check the grade cause this
will be apart of the game come release. Grade: A-







Balance: It has potential. But it's run life was far too short. 30
seconds and you'll maybe use it once or twice once in interlock.
Outside of combat, unless you have a plague zone on you, it doesn't
seem to have too much use, but makes a great dam. over time counter.
BUG: It reacts to ALL damage. So jumping off a 10 foot ledge and doing
4 damage, might yield 100 hp.  Grade: B-





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Sweep the Floorersonally I had no luck with. It was rolling far too
low (a +15-25 SP.T bonus at best.) For putting someone in offbalanced. 
Plus, to get them offbalanced, requires a Green grab move, which has a
chance to disarm anyways. Making it's disarm abilites and roll abilites
completely worthless in favor of other special moves. But for it's
position and cost. (a mid 20's special move) it is fair, but isn't
anywhere near ground breaking as it's gunman 'line up the shot'
comparison. It is a pass at best, especially at higher levels. But we'll see what happens between now and release. Grade: C-




Purity: So far so good for the 'free' antibiotic. Not broken, but not
pointless. The chance for a sweep is truely nice. It doesn't get around
stun or pasf. Even worse, it isn't constantly running like an
antibiotic. But it does have what seems to be about a 40% chance to
remove a condition. Even better, it sweeps things like offbalance,
dazed and staggered as well. (which I tested, and thought was
brilliant, and a headache give to the KF's out there.) but the fact
that it is a chance, makes it a chance. And as a PVPer, counting on a
'chance' move, is something I feel less then comfortible with, but it
is far better then nothing. Grade: A-



Spinning Flower: Pretty cool animation first off, and secondly, this
has potential. As what looks like a +30 Spec.T bonus, this has some
potential for the splashers (like me and my suicide sniper build) who
jump into interlock and need a nice stong first ability. The powerless
bunching with it is a great anti-ma killer, but the fact that they more
then likely will be rolling out of combat once this is applyed, is a
bit of a downer.Definately needs to akido style 'engraged' 'chance'
with it to see some use other then as a desperation style move over
higher rolling power moves like EFK (a +45 Spec Tact) and Tomo Nage
(another 45+) But for you Akido fans out there, this might be your
Punch Reverse Catch Slam killer. Especially because it seems like it
might  be an armor piercing move. I was constantly doing 700+
damage with very little absorbed. For now,  I'm putting this under
a "We'll see" catagory. And will wait for a final copy before I pass
too much judgement. Grade: B



Zen Master: This ability classes seemed unfinished. A chance to regen
IS is nice, but for most MA's, IS isn't a problem. For a splicer,
someone who might throw this ability in for the VD, going down the
whole tree for something like this might be worth it. For a
Rifle/Sniper/Zen builder (One I tested this on, and easily had the most
luck in.) This might have some potential. But gaining maybe 5 IS when
being dealt 600 damage and using 65 IS for an ability back, gaining 6
IS seems fruitful at best. Plus, where are the Ability bonuses! Where
are the  + Akido tactics! Where is the IS Regen. This seems like
an ability that is too incompletely to be properly judged. Grade: I



Overall: Zen master seems like it has ALOT of potential. This sneak
preview alone got the whole community up and cheering SOE for the sole
reason that they have done something (willing or not) that Monolith
completely didn't do, added content! But as a class, it definately
shows potential. Even better, it will get people thinking, changing
there builds and going away from the static splices we have had since
beta.



Overal Grade: B

Message Edited by Hymirwolf on 08-17-2005 10:22 AM

Seems pretty solid, but could stand to have half of the bonus to VD
come at Zen Master to avoid templetes like: Technique, Karate Master
and Expert Rifles. Apart from that, the concept is sound, all it needs
is some tweaking and its golden.

I wouldn't base my opinion of SOE simply on Zen Master being in game
for a few days. They didn't put it in as a 'sneak preview,' it got in
accidentally.



Anyway, on to my thoughts of it.



From what I have seen, Zen Master seems like a great class. Finally MA
will be able to hold our own against those **bleep** hackers wiithout having
to go halfway down the hacker tree to get some VD.



I'll agree that Sweep the Floor isn't terribly useful, but I'm a big
fan of Spinning Flower. It's replaced Punch Reversal Catch Slam as my
opening interlock move, since it has the 25% chance of a CT downgrade.
Purity is great for removing the tactics downgrade from Swirling Ki
Summon, and although I don't use balance that often, it seems pretty
useful too.



The one complaint I have is with the Zen Master ability. It never works
for me. The only time it works is when I lose health after going
through a Hardline.  Although even if it did work, 5 IS isn't much
help. I can make up plenty more by using Power Shot.

It's funny if people actually used the QA server at one time, they
would have had this 'sneak' preview months ago when it was first
mistakenly released in a patch.



But great post Hymirwolf

I would have used QA if they made a way to login to it without copying our entire MxO install.

Yeah people -- Zen Master is NOT a SOE change.  This was set up a
few months ago and was on the QA Server.  It was designed in house
at Lith.



I also dont see any problems with it (balance wise) Hackers are so
horridly unbalanced I would never have the nerve to nerf cry anything
else.  Especially an IL class like MA, who have to deal with
another crap as it is.  Most fundamental things dont work,
Withdraws without winning the withdraw roll, enraged not keeping people
in IL, same for powerless.  IL's inability t orealyl deal with
multiple opponents.



ZM is good but unfortunately its not going to be left as is.  So
it will either end up being whored out or useless, either or, doesn't
seem like the end result will be good in that case.

Thanks Draconis, I actually had fun writing this up, so might do a few
more. I made a few spelling/grammer errors that I thought I got, but
other then that, I'm happy with what I posted.





And Yeah, it was on QA for a time. (Rumbaar has a semi list of it on
there site if I recall ) But you needed to have akido, money in the
bank to code, level 30, and of course, other pc's to play test this
againist for pvp quality. For a QA server which most people gave up on shortly after go
live, as Cal pointed out, was a true rarity to find anyone fitting this condition. You had a few coders to 
'look' but apparently none of them knew of Nano's ability 'loophole',
other wise this would have been posted months ago.

Looking forward to Zen Duelist - tried it out on some ballistas at lv50
on Recursion, and it worked even better than I expected.  Max
deflection without having to gimp my build is like a dream come true.



Dual Pistol Dash --> Spinning Flower --> Pistol Aerial -->
Dual Pistol Execution --> Ride Retaliate to Victory, refresh Debuffs
as necessary.

I agree, it is a much needed addition to the game.  It will open many new possibilities.