So by now i'm sure you've all heard that SoE is/has taken over officially.

This means overpowered classes like the ranger that were favored by Brad and co. might be getting the shaft now and some REAL class balancing might kick in in the next few weeks.  I think you guys should keep that in mind when you are starting your suggestions and also realize that some of the new people might have ideas for classes that, you know, make sense.   Perhaps we'll even get someone working on Vanguard that actually knows what the word "balance" means.  I'm not proposing nerfs for anyone, because the power classes feel powerful and thats a good thing.  The weaker classes should be made so they also feel powerful.  Rangers walk through 2 and 3 dots like cake, while monks struggle to defeat most 3 dots.

Let me again put this thought out there that i have argued for so long.

Monk damage SHOULD be > ranger damage.

In order from most to least damage light fighters
Rogue>Monk>Ranger>Bard.

Here is why I feel that way....
Rangers have ranged damage, buffs for others and themselves, debuffs (such as snares, 2 roots i believe) invis, etc.

The monk right now, has pure DPS and a little run speed.  The drunken style can hold aggro and tank ok (but who can't tank with a cleric healing, bah).  My point is the monk sacrifices utility, buffs and debuffs and gets nothing in return.  The ranger outdamages the monk damage style and that simply should not be. 

The bard has the greatest utility (clearly) and therefore should have the least straight up DPS.  The rogue actually has more utility than the monk, but rogues are pretty weak, can't tank at all or hold aggro, and if they lose invis they lose their DPS, so they should have highest DPS since its so situational.  Monk has less utility than ranger so he should have more DPS potential. 

I don't see any valid arguments on why the ranger should have so much more DPS than us.  There simply are none.  The only reason they do is simply because dummies running Sigil favored the ranger and they had like 1 person doing class balancing?  If you somehow have the misconception the ranger should have more DPS than the monk, even over time, realize you have been brainwashed by the Rtards at Sigil to think that, because i find it hard to believe anyone with any sense thinks its fair and balanced to put all the eggs in one basket to make that class better than every other at everything. 

Hopefully SoE will come in and set this game right.

Taliskar is still running the show, so Ranger >>> all no matter what we say.

Maybe he will give us another 8dps buff on Iron Hands if we whine loud enough but he'd probably slap a 30min recast timer on it while he's at it too.

Yeah it was sarcasm...

Still feeling pretty bitter that after repeated plea after plea we get mostly cosmetic and insignificant buffs and upgrades, then they turn around and gave Clerics godly melee skills. 

- Stance +30% damage, +10% accuracy, +15% block chance. Heals -75%.
- Three 400%+xxx finishers.
- Ten minute reuse that causes all melee to hit TWICE.
- Ten minute reuse that adds ANOTHER 20% dmg, 10% crit and immunities.
- 300% + XXX counterattacks.

I support this topic.

You know I have been lurking in the shadows but have been always present.

I have sprung from the shadows when the time was right and things needed to be said or suggested.

I have suffered as you have suffered but have come to realize something.

Vanguard was meant to be a challenging and involving game, this is what all the fans and 'core' players wanted some to the extreme, "Give me a loin cloth and a stick and send me on my way", (shoot some might even say give me nothing i will craft my own loin cloth and harvest my stick).  As I see numerous posts on those 'core' gamers making the mad dash to 50 and then whinning that there is no content, no groups, no nothing to do end-game and that it was all to easy.
We have all seen these posts but you know there is one class that this theme is rarely if ever communicated - that is from the Monk/Disciple community.

People say we are gimped and the bastard child of the game, I say we are not gimped but are actually the 'core' of the 'core'.  We Monks/Disciple's have taken on the challenges of Telon as the 'Vision' was described.  We above all have tasted the hardships and frustrations of the 'Vision' and are still here to chew bubble gum and kick ass.  The other sphere of the game that can feel our pain is Crafters, Geez thats a brutal progression.  But wasn't that how it was suppossed to be, difficult, challenging not something everyone was going to reach end level without paying their dues?

So what I'm trying to say is that even though we may need some bug fixing and tweaking in the world today to really fix us is to "Balance" all the other classes to our level of power.  That way every class will barely survive 3dot mob battles and pulling two without CC is certain death, 4dots are out of the question solo even 10 levels above the mob, etc...
Then all will be balanced, content will not be rushed through, death because of stupid play or high risk ventures becomes a serious reality.  The player base will tend to remain more constant throughout the level ranges thus solving the LFG issue current today.  This will also afford the chance to allow players that are mainly Crafters or Diplomats to do a little adventuring, they are not on this hell bent grind to level their main sphere just to keep up with the main of the population.

So the answer is simple:  Nerf all the other classes to the power level of Monks or Raise the Monk to the Power Level of all other classes.

Quinn, can you have them take a look at your overall evasion too? I still feel, even though we are a dps classe that monks should be the master of evasion. Base evasion should def be looked at it and is imo currently one of the problems we can't really solo well.

What is pitiful is what a disaster Sigil turned out to be.

I would've never thought this to be the case, but they were completely in over their heads.

Why do I think/Hope it things will get better?

I've been in the middle of a couple aquisitions as a software Engineer.  After each aquisition the management of the company that acquired us met with each and every software Engineer and asked very frank questions about the state of things.  Things about our software process, management, were we happy, things that needed to improve etc.  In once case they obviously took things we all were saying to heart as a manager was eventually let go.

SOE aquired Sigil knowing things were messed up, it would be silly for them to just give them more money and say, "carry on". 

It is also hard for me to think of Sigil/Vanguard as an utter and complete failure,  I like the game, better than any out right now, it is fun , has huge potential.  Yes they messed up made mistakes but what is out there this very moment isn't bad.  I'm also judgeing this overall not just in terms of my monk .

Finally while it sucks and I feel for the devs that were let go (and it sounds quite heartless the way they did it, parking lot fine, being cold and callaous after folks giving so much to the game, inexcusable )  This is not the first software company to flounder and have to downsize , run in to trouble, be mismanaged and have to  lay folks off.  It would be quite irritating to see folks that you consider responsible for much of the failure  still have their jobs while you don't.  At the same time it doesn't seem like this is a case where mngtment were screwing over the employees to make money for themselves, (e.g. Enron).  Apparently some of them were just in over their heads.

I've had many friends laided off over the years in this industry (software in general not gaming co) , it sucks, it is depressing but in every case they ended up in a better job, and end up happier with the change.  Typically when a company is going down the tubes it aint a fun place to work..

Anyway I'm rambling,  please forgive

Kydan