OK, as I see, a lot has been added already in this thread and many ideas and suggestions, some of them interesting and valid.
I have been playing Commander since 2009, virtually it has been my main (and only) character during all these years. Perhaps I know a few things about the class, what is for sure I have seen all the changes it has gone through. I am less familiar with the Protector class, but I do have a fair idea about it too.
Right, let me start with a basic argument. The most important thing is, how would you classify these two classes, by design, and how do they fit in the whole concept of the game and how they related to the background story and such. The answer is quite simple: they are tanking classes. Of course, the Protector is the true and superior tank. However, people tend to forget completely, that the Commander, although a lot more dps (and thus also PvP) oriented, is still a tanking class.
Any class that carries and uses a shield, a melee class that is, in any game I know and I have played in the last 20+ years, is a tanking class, to a lesser or greater degree. So, if we begin with this assumption, then maybe we can move forward.
I will not say much about the Protector, so let me start with this class and get it done. In a few words, I believe the Protector is fine as it is now. Some people moaning about their inability to do very well in PvP, ah well, sadly the Protector was never designed as a PvP monster. They are there for support, distraction, they have high survivability, but nope, they are not killing machines. If you want to view them as team players, and protecting their party members, they can be pretty good in this role.
Protectors used to have absolutely insane healing capabilities, this was fixed (or "nerfed" as people like to say), because, well, it was a bit over the top to have a toon with massive HPs, def and blocks, running around also spamming heals with over 2k per tick, wasn't it...
The only thing that Protectors need, and every other class with tanking capabilities needs, is a massive boost to their aggro-keeping skills. Not that they are not capable to do the job now, but it is indeed possible that some funky caster will spew out such insane dps that not even a Protector can do the job without sweating or losing attention for a few seconds.
Which also brings me to the Commander now. Why on Earth would you have the class use taunts and aggro-keeping skills in the first place, if it isn't meant to be a tanking class? Why you give them a shield to block incoming attacks? Why do you give them plate armour and skills so they can also have very high def? Oh, for a moment I thought... because they are supposed to withstand punishment... thus... tank?
Then, in this context, perhaps, their aggro skills could have a real effect too, and not be there as a joke. I will agree, you can fine tune it, you can change the effect and the level you get the upgrade, you can change the DNA, you can do anything, so that the Protector using the same skills is better, and the Commander is less effective. But still, should be able to do the job. What this means, how about the aggro skills have a much higher power by a factor of 5, 10, whatever?
I have been tanking with my Commander for years, done countless raids, even the hardest bosses, it all used to be alright (yeah, I know, my character has been a "+30 mallwhore" for a very long time indeed). Except with the emergence of the "+30 mallwhore" caster and the combination of advanced debuff effects, those darling casters can just about sit there and throw spell after spell with enormous damage, that no aggro skill can keep up with. Ah, I forgot to mention that a good dps Commander isn't exactly powerless, can certainly deal some decent damage too, although, wait for it... most high-end bosses have such huge def that any melee dps is going to be far less than any magic based dps, since, yep, resis cap is 80%, and you can smash this down with debuff combos a lot easier than you can decrease a 3k+ def.
I guess, it is not really just a problem with a particular class anymore. It is a problem that has to do with the whole game now. It is a problem that started to pop its ugly head years ago, and has turned into a farce. A farce where any freaking magic based class is the real deal. Requiem is maybe a unique case, where melee (physical dps) classes are so left behind magic using classes. You can go and test all you like, try different situations, but when you really get to the "+30 everything" case, there is not much to be said.
Requiem is unique, in that just about any "fragile" and cloth wearing mage, is actually a rock solid beast, give enough +30 items and enough beneficiary buffs. They can get their lovely def up to very high values (cap?), capped resistances, have 30k HPs, and at the same time spew out annihilating damage. All-in-one, one lovely package. All strengths, no weaknesses. Just go out and compare classes in most other games, even the pay-to-win ones, anywhere, you will not find any madness like this. Sure, magic classes can and should be uber damage dealers. But, no, nope, they will NOT tank the bosses, they will run for the love of their lives when the attention and attacks are set upon them, and yes, they will also die very fast indeed in such situations. Yes, even with the very top gear for their class and level. Now, I would like to see where this is the case in our lovely Requiem.
OK, enough with that, and back to the Commander, I have a couple more points I would like to discuss. Commanders have a little stun, using their shield, I read some comments that people think this is... too much? Sure it is, you can certainly compare it to an assassin, for example (although, of course this is the very trade of the assassin).
I read a lot about the silencing effect. OK, this one is probably where I would even agree that with full DNA invested, the duration is probably too long. I would not mind if it got shortened, although, again, read above about the uberness of mage classes. Besides... it is a 1-to-1 ability, it isn't really going to ruin a whole party is it.
And for those people who also seem to forget, the Commander is not an "aoe class". They have skills with aoe effects which are, at best, a good laugh. Seriously... you would compare even the strongest Moonlight and its lol DoT, to some true aoe magic skill? Commanders are quite good and can be deadly 1-to-1. So, yep, tough poops, if some weaker (???) caster somehow engages into a waltz with a good Commander in a 1-to-1, it would be expected that the poor caster would receive some smacking... Oh dear! How people get sooooo frustrated about this!
The Commander is a shock troop, sure. Will rush into enemy lines, and create some distraction and fuss, may even down one or more weaker people there. In the process, will have probably lost up to 50% of the health through all sorts of aoes, and targeted ranged attacks. And here comes the "adamant mind" issue. People also tend to forget that this very skill is the epitome of the class. What Commanders have is adamant mind, this is ALL they have got.
And for those with short memories, the adamant mind has already been toned down, a lot. It used to be that you had full 60 seconds of it. Now even fully DNAed you have 10 seconds without its protection between cooldowns. 10 seconds is an eternity in mass PvP. Chances are during those 10 seconds, something is going to hit you, hard, there are endless skills and options. Unless you play the "pussy way", keep hiding and only picking on single / weak targets, and only doing so, when adamant mind is in full effect. I didn't even mention that some assassin could always kick it just like that, out of nowhere. Plop goes the awesome Commander.
So, no, leave the freaking adamant mind skill as it is, do not even think to touch it, ever, again. Unless you want to screw the class totally, in that case just tell everyone to not bother building a Commander (at extreme cost).
Finally, I also read several suggestions about the use of 2-handers. I don't know really how this would work. You want to turn the Commander to what? A half-arsed, weak Berzerker? The Commander will never be a Berzerker. Commanders lack the skills, and even if given some parallel skill chain...what for? You could not possibly replace or match the skills a dedicated 2-hander class uses and is very good at. And what about all the 1-handed and shield skills? The Commander was created with a 1-hander and a shield for a reason, replacing this will lead to a real screw up, will mess the whole class up and destroy its "flavour" and unique character. This is Requiem, not Elder Scrolls, HELLO???
I could have gone on and on, with more points but I think they are fairly minor.
Bottom line: the Commander is more or less alright, except for a little bit of fine-tuning. What really needs to be addressed, is the aggro-keeping skills and capacity, but this is a general problem (don't forget the Druid too, hell where are the tanking Druids of past days?) that is really screaming for a solution and is important for the whole game.
These are my very long and very cheap two cents. They can be ignored, laughed at, mocked, you can also write your very own abuse and spite, as usual, sure why not, it is always fun. After 5 years in Requiem (this coming June) these are my suggestions and testimony. Have a very good day and awesome gaming experience!
Edited by Ninnghizhidda, 19 April 2014 - 02:04 AM.