Let's remake the Defender

Maybe add a new blue item, let's call it 'Buoy', which is something like a "taunt" ability as known from MMOs. When activated, the Defence-value is doubled (or another, higher factor) and the ship absorbs a higher percentage of AOE damage and is automatically targeted, when an unfriendly ship tries to target friendly ships around him. Such an item might also be used by Enforcers and Shooters, because you can activate it while nobody is around you (and you just double your defence). This would make Defenders work like real "tanks".

 

Great suggestions guys, let's keep it up! For the defense point problem, I suggest a simple solution , rework defense points specifically for the defender : In addition to providing passive aoe defense points to nearby teamates, for every 5 defense points, the defender gains 1% absolute defense.

Absolute defense is the reduction of all non-fire damage by percentage. So since defense points are capped at 100, the said defender would gain an absolute defense of 20%, so for example a normal sniper crit which does 2k damage would only deal 1,520 damage instead.

Before you guys say it's gonna be so OP, remember that the defender has to sacrifice most of his hp perks for defense in order to achieve that.

 

Is that true that defense points are capped at 100? I had no idea...those perks are even more worthless than I thought!
Does that include ship trait defense?

 

Yeap iirc the total defense from perks + ship will be capped at 100, just like how they cap a ship's max speed.

 

How about, the defender gets 3 yellow points, and 1 slot. The 3 yellow points are for the "Tesla Wall". Added to mk4?

 

Maybe the goal of the developers in nerfing speeders and defenders is to force players to use other load-outs and other boats. It forces those players to spend money to level up a completely different set-up or slog it out over several months.

We've already seen it with the speeder to enforcer migration. Defenders are on the table this time. Your boat is next.

Dev's trying to improve that cash flow. The pain we feel matters not at all compared to their bottom line.

 

Hmm..that a interesting idea. Unlike a attacker it could became a support class.
1. It should lose some red slots for new violet slot. Maybe 1 blue and one red for two violet slots
2.violet slot items:
a) focus bubble - large bubble any damage taken in bubble area will be diverted to defender. Aoe effect will be disabled. For motars defender will take the blind spot damage without extra 30% damage.
I wont put exact number but it will be a low cooldown weapon around 10 sec.
b) ice age- it will have reverse range of a frost laucher. I.e it will frost all enemy in circular area defender as center.
C) Hell circle- like napalm only it put water on fire in circular area defender as its center.
To balance defender it would only have 2 red slot with 2 red points.
This idea is complete rework of defender. It will became a area controller and ultimate defender.
No ship will die who stay close to it before defender.
This idea is open to improvement.

 

Bro we r saying to make something for defender..... If the Tesla wall will be of yellow slot thn enforcer can easily use it even if it will take 3....... as enfo. Mk5 has 2 yellow slots with 4 points

 

I think this is a good thread even though Defender is the least interesting boat to me, and maybe that is because of the lack of a defined role. I'm still not a fan of kamikaze boats, which is largely where Defender is being positioned, simply because there's so little skill involved. Push. Shoot. Die. Boring. What I would like to see is a Defender that requires skill, that acts as a support to other boats, if it is, in fact, supposed to be Defending something besides itself... and in that vein of some of these new item ideas are good.

 

That makes sense. Defender is a blue boat that means the boat of passive items. Defenders are weak a bit right now. That must be resolve with blue items. Also i have an idea about charge problem. They can give defenders %10 speed boost while going forward, not get back. It can make rudder more useful for defender.

 

i dont see defender too much ,but when i see them that mean i need to do better than normall battles

and the abillity of using 3 items and 2 2 slots items ,make it powerfull ,so i dont think defender need any changes,

but players should know that defender meant to be slow and low in ships stats (apart from HP) so they stop using 2 turbo ,or using turbo+gear lub +ruddar together ,that make it a very bad ship,and players dont use it for that ,

that is what i think.

 

What about making the frost launcher a 1-slot weapon but nerf the radius/diameter by 1, but nerf the enforcer mk6's yellow slot by -1 point. So enforcer mk6 can use 1 tesla shield, over boost, and tesla bolt/nitro/frost launcher/frost blaster. No double walls. And, will the wall block torpedos?

 

Good ideas all. Yes the defender cannot defend.

Once nitemare league all players are good enough to shoot whichever boat they want. So there is not protection for teammates hiding behind my boat while I charge.

Leaving us to the current role of defender. A charging meat shield to divert enemy fire while unfriends take advantage. Its a primary diversion tool. When my big blue knocks on your door at 18k. Every unfriend has to turn attention to me.

Is base hp too low. Are friendlies not recieving enough defense from me. Absolutely.

So charging is the name of the game for defender as it currently is. And also why my average battle time is the lowest or close to lowest in the game. I hope this boat improves its abilities. Until then I will create damage and charge.

 

If you made defense percentage based rather that point based, it would make it equally effective against high and low dmg weapons. It would be a slight buff to weapons like carronade, missiles, and cannon but they already do so little to defenders.

 

https://replay.battlebay.net/JTVRPTGC#HTHQMPDK

It's not easy to take them down,make sure Ya'll ask for reasonable buffs

 

Anyone can find a video where a defender wins. That particular map is defender paradise. Wayward plains. Love it.

Also. General nuisance. Good player. Has hit 5k? If memory serves me well.


Yes all buffs have to be reasonable.

But in this case. Everyone here has to notice all the Defender forums threads showing up. Everywhere. Players are taking note of the imballance.

Players from multiple boats saying. Its not successfully being a tank. Not successfully being a defender. Or a Charger. The boat is kind of failing to have an adequate role. Except to be a meat shield.

So solutions lately have been about making all blue items percentage based. Or to make absolute defense percentages. The higher the dps or aoe of the weapon the more % protection the defender receives.

All great ideas. The community is really challening the developer team to improve the role of defender. Or have it be more clearly defined. Thru buffs and adding unique elements to the defender that no other boat receives.
This would create balance. At end of the season. I will create season recap of boats used top 100. The results will be predictable. Defender. Next to nada. And fixer close to nada.

So lets fix the Big blue. Then we can imrpove fixer. Just my 2 cents.

Jaws

 

I've said it before: fix the hitbox, make bandages heal by % of health, done.

 

Guys, defender ok for now. It's bad for rest people just becouse they don't understand how to play ...
Move across a map it's a like defender play... so good luck with this strategy ...

Last update fix ex cannon and what ? defender can play anymore ?
3 weapons for 11 cd it's nice load. yeap burst removed like flame for 1.5 + ex 2.5 + ex 2.5 = so in 3 sec u do over 5.3 k dmg ... so it's ok
I think defender needs heal ) and after this patch fixer can't heal defenders becouse reducing healing ... - 51% after 2 stack
and defender just collect this stacks from all enemy... nightmare player all load flame... so after 3 stacks dafander just a punshing bag >> kick him and collect gold and sugar )

 

I agree that Defenders have a major problem that requires a major overhaul to fit within the team. They do not live up to their name. An enforcer with 2x tesla shield can tank tremendously better than a fully tanked defender. Shooters have a 80% higher damage output. In 1v1, defender can at best tie against both speeders and even fixers due to the low damage output and speed. As a team, defender's hit box is so big that even the splash damage will most likely hit nearby teams so even teammates do not want to come near defenders. The only positive point with defenders is that they have couple 1000 more HP and 30-50 more defence which is completely useless at Ace and Nightmare league.

Now that I stated the major problem, I'd like to add my personal inputs for fixing the defender ship class.
1.) I think defenders mainly need their defence stat boosted by percentage rather than a straight number.
2.) I also think defenders need their HP boosted to compensate for the lack of DPS. In a 1v1, damage output vs damage absorbed should be equal against shooters.
3.) And I think defenders need to have a special ability to absorb/resist aoe and splash damage. Defenders are so slow that its difficult to outrun it even with max speed of 1.38 since the acceleration is so slow. This way, it can truly tank and defend the team. This way defenders will truly live up to the name of a "Defender".

I think the direction my ideas especially #3 would truly make defenders more desired by teams.