Right now the matador class suffers from several issues, and it may rightly considered subpar. Here i will point out some of those issues and some ideas to rework the class.
But first, the issues.
- Scope. What is a matador supposed to do? They’re defined as masters of threat and of hit-run tactics ingame. Herein lies one of the major issues: only one people at a time can have threat. Thus having mechanics depending on threat - like banderillero - makes having more than one matador in battle penalizing, as in the best case only one Matador will make use of those bonuses. Also, while defined as masters of threat, they really aren’t better than other classes in that regard (and the immunity caused by forced threat skills makes that meaningless, anyway). Thus i plan to approach the matter in a different way.
- Focus. The skills are all over the place. A forced threat with accuracy/evasion debuff that hardly ever sees more than 1 point, a counter that doesn’t work if you dodge, a back slide that makes dodging easier, a crit buff, a clunky attack skill that locks in place and it’s even bad damage-wise, a good attack skill that synergizes with back slide, a large aoe attack/pull with pitiful damage. While it’s good to have several options at your disposal, it’s meaningless to do many things if you end up lacking in all of them.
- It’s outdated. SFRs of other classes have ballooned with time. Even some mechanics changed - Faena used to work versus bosses before since they were considered large enemies…not that it was good even then. The only saving grace is the crit rate buff given by Ole, and even that isn’t much stronger than what other classes already provide.
So, let’s go with the changes and additions, along with explanations in italic. When an attribute or skill uses certain values, i provide example values that i think may work.
They’re aimed to further the hit and run/agile fighter focus, and to develop a single target/enrage
New Attributes:
Rapier Mastery. It works as all the other ones - 25% of the subweapon attack is added to physical attack.
Any other one-handed weapon got it by default. So there is no excuse. If they’ve got issues with epee garde, change epee garde instead (along with the whole class, since the offensive potential of fencers wholly depends upon it).
Rapier Mastery: Buckler - If a rapier and shield are equipped together, adds X% (5%?) of the shield defense into evasion, but the shield’s defense is decreased by Y% (25%?).
As agile fighters, you aren’t fighting bringing tower shields along; so having an attribute that trades some defense for added evasion makes sense.
Changed class attributes:
Banderillero: when using a rapier, deal 2% more damage per stack of banderilla debuff on the enemy (max 20%).
Banderilla(debuff, 20s duration): applied by matador skills. Some skills may apply multiple stacks. Decreases attack and defense by 1% per stack. Max 10 stacks.
By changing how Banderillero works, multiple matadors fighting the same enemy aren’t penalized anymore.
Picador: When you hit an enemy with Muleta, Faena, Paso Doble, Corrida Finale or Estocada, apply 8s of bleeding.
As above. Also, since it applies only when hitting with Matador attack skills, the duration is slightly increased.
And now the skills.
Capote: Max level changed to 5, cooldown changed to 20s. Still threatens up to 10 nearby enemies, prioritizing bosses, like it does now. In addition, inflicts (skill level/2), rounded up, stacks of banderilla to the enemies (so up to 3). Inflicts Capote debuff to enemies, reducing their accuracy and evasion by 2% per Banderilla stack (calculated at the time of skill use, after its own banderilla stacks are inflicted) for a duration of 10+(1*skill level) seconds. “Capote enhance” attribute further increases the accuracy/evasion reduction, up to 32% (so, it keeps the same value as now).
It brings it more in line with Swashbuckling, albeit targeting less enemies; also, by tying skill efficency with banderilla stacks, it forces the player to properly use Matador skills.
Muleta: Max level changed to 10. Works like now, but it prevents dodging or blocking during the channel - so that you cannot fail countering by dodging an hit you were deliberately trying to get (never tried if blocking has the same issue, to be fair). Critical rate per successful counter is changed to 3% per level. Also inflicts 2 banderilla stacks on successful counter. Doesn’t inflict SeeRed status on beast enemies anymore. SFR changed to 914+(150.9 * (skill level-1)) (max 2423%).
No changes on Muleta attributes.
Avoids the issue of dodging hits while trying to counter. By reducing the amount of points needed and raising the max SFR - from 1668,5 to 2423 - it makes getting additional levels more enticing on a skill that was usually got only due to the cooldown reduction attribute. Faena will work around Banderilla stacks, so there is no need for SeeRed status to exist anymore.
Faena: Cooldown changed to 20s, 2 OH. Delivers 5 hits plus 1 hit per banderilla stack (max 15 hits). 20% bonus damage on boss monsters. SFR scales with skill level (for example, 310+(28.2* (skill level-1)), for a max value of 10572% SFR with all the banderilla stacks applied).
No changes on Faena attributes.
Faena right now is really bad; This makes it useful, and by tying it with banderilla stacks it makes it require some ramp-up before you can deal the full damage.
Ole: Same critical rate increase as now. Increase critical chance by (skill level + banderilla stacks)%.
It decouples Olè from threat, making so all the matadors can get the second bonus, albeit according to banderilla stacks on the enemies. Since the condition is more lenient, the amount of crit chance obtained is reduced.
Paso Doble: Also inflicts a banderilla stack on the last hit.
One of the few skills that works well, no need for change aside from making it work with the new banderilla mechanic.
Back Slide: Max level changed to 5, cooldown reduced by 2s per skill level (so it ends up having the same effect as now)
Raising this skill has the only effect of lowering the cooldown; since there are more useful skills around now, requiring less points lightens the burden of getting it
Corrida Finale: Max level changed to 10. Targets changed to SR+8. SFR changed to (672+192*(skill level-1)) (thus max 14400% SFR with encore). Also inflicts 2 banderilla stacks on the last hit (thus up to 4 banderilla stacks with encore).
Requires more levels and hits less enemies, but also deals more damage. Also deals an high amount of banderilla stacks.
(New Art(replaces the Flaming Bull): Corrida Finale: Ferret Marauder): A Ferret Marauder (along with several ferrets) comes instead of a bull, and then goes back. Deals half of the SFR per hit, but hits a maximum amount of 15 targets. Corrida Finale:Encore calls it for a third and last time. Inflicts 1 banderilla stack on the last hit (thus up to 3 banderilla stacks with encore).
The Flaming Bull art and its 35% SFR was, plainly put, terrible. And didn’t really change much about the skill,as it plainly added an AoE. This art is meant to change the normal skill from one that hits few targets to one with a longer duration and larger amount of targets, but that deals less damage per target.
New skills:
Estocada:(max 5 levels). Deals an accurately aimed hit to the heart of a maimed foe to induce a quick death. If the enemy is bleeding, adds mimimum critical chance (15%+2%* banderilla stacks)% (Max 35%). Applies a single banderilla stack. 1790+(1560*(skill level-1))% SFR (Max 8030%).
12s cooldown.
New final skill of the Matador tree. Meant to be a strong single target hit with high chance of critting, but relatively low cooldown to make use of muleta (albeit, by having different cooldowns, you can’t just put them in a rotation; that’s on purpose). The requirement of bleeding is there mostly for lore purposes, and to justify the existence of Picador.
Montera (max 1 level): Equip a montera, the traditional bullfighter’s hat. Raises damage of skills using rapier and evasion by 30%, but increases damage taken by 10%. SP-30 per 5s, 10s cooldown, 30m duration.
(New art: Montera: Traje de luces): Removes the evasion bonus from Montera. Adds 15% mimimum crit chance instead.
An helmet for rapier classes; maybe not the most original idea, but appropriate for the situation.
The normal version offers some offensive and defensive buffs; values are lower compared to the dragoon helmet, but the drawback is also relatively low (a movement speed debuff wouldn’t make sense for a matador after all, so i came up with that instead). The art makes the buff purely offensive.
Well, that’s it. I doubt it will ever see some use, but at least it made for some fun theorycrafting. It opens up defensive builds for rapier/shield matadors that want to rely more on evasion and would get paso doble, backslide and the normal Montera, or you could go for the offensive route and max the new faena, estocada and the Montera art, for example. Hope you’ll like these ideas.
