Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 7444890" data-attributes="member: 996">I know there was a lot of complaining about the wizard getting 'nerfed' in 4e, initially, and there never was a solid definition of what being a controller meant.The way I saw the wizard as controller in early 4e included using targets-creatures AEs as a form of interdiction.&nbsp;&nbsp; Once you've established that you can blow up a bunch of enemies if they're close together, and that you have to be cautious to avoid hitting your allies, the enemy is left with the strategy of spreading out a lot, and unable to support eachother, or with the tactic of engaging closely with your allies...&nbsp; ...which a lot of defenders and strikers (especially PH1 fighter + rogue teams) just love enemies to do.Targets-enemies AEs are actually less nuanced controller support.&nbsp; They do let you blast as many enemies as you can, every round, regardless of your allies' tactics or positioning, which is fine for minion-sweeping and multi-target DPR.&nbsp; And half damage on a miss (the most prevalent change in the Essentials-adjacent update)?&nbsp; Nothing to do with control I can see.&nbsp;If you do find yourself melee'd with no ally right nearby to help, pushing the enemy away, so you can then take a full move to a safer position isn't bad, at all.&nbsp; And it does work for the same kinds of tricks as BS does - set up a zone, push enemies back into it &amp;c - it just isn't quite as prone to abuse, since it's a smaller area/push and you do have to look out for allies, so those tricks become more about interdiction, making certain positions bad places to be that enemies will avoid, than about inescapably doing nasty damage with some vicious zone.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Tony Vargas, post: 7444890, member: 996"] I know there was a lot of complaining about the wizard getting 'nerfed' in 4e, initially, and there never was a solid definition of what being a controller meant. The way I saw the wizard as controller in early 4e included using targets-creatures AEs as a form of interdiction. Once you've established that you can blow up a bunch of enemies if they're close together, and that you have to be cautious to avoid hitting your allies, the enemy is left with the strategy of spreading out a lot, and unable to support eachother, or with the tactic of engaging closely with your allies... ...which a lot of defenders and strikers (especially PH1 fighter + rogue teams) just love enemies to do. Targets-enemies AEs are actually less nuanced controller support. They do let you blast as many enemies as you can, every round, regardless of your allies' tactics or positioning, which is fine for minion-sweeping and multi-target DPR. And half damage on a miss (the most prevalent change in the Essentials-adjacent update)? Nothing to do with control I can see. If you do find yourself melee'd with no ally right nearby to help, pushing the enemy away, so you can then take a full move to a safer position isn't bad, at all. And it does work for the same kinds of tricks as BS does - set up a zone, push enemies back into it &c - it just isn't quite as prone to abuse, since it's a smaller area/push and you do have to look out for allies, so those tricks become more about interdiction, making certain positions bad places to be that enemies will avoid, than about inescapably doing nasty damage with some vicious zone. [/QUOTE]

Verification