How are they doing? How viable are they? What are their strengths? What do they need? I would like to begin collecting data and ideas for either the next patch or the one following. What I need to know is what people feel is too strong (Groble Strike Force) and what is too weak (Lodestone Armory). How runes should be changed and what direction people want the theme to head in.
I have zero experience with playing Constructs so far, but during my theorycrafting/brainstorming sessions, I ended up building an IS/SP deck with a Construct module made out of 2x Groble Dervish, 2x Metallic Slag, 1x Silverclan Tinkerer and maybe 1x Silverclan Protector (I've also noted Overcharged Golem exists, even though I didn't get to include him). So, I'd like to take this chance to bring the IS/SP Construct Split into discussion and to ask how it works/how viable it is. And I especially want to know how "independent" Constructs can really be (like in the module I described above); as in, do I generally need to dedicate a lot of space for them, or can smaller modules work?
- Tinkerer and engineer need a more clear distinction made between them. Too similar in purpose role and execution. Suggestions will be edited in soon.
Constructs need too much from IS and get too much nothing from SP. I've made/ran the deck and it's just not worth it. I've got a successful SL stux split that builds a super protector with ragebands but it's weak to spot remove. You can sometimes steamroll before spot removing is used. Skeez Machi are Tink class to help with CM activation.
Are dragon engines any good anymore? I would think they would be used in a deck like that but after a single Mobilize it costs 70 already and its only going up from there.
Dragon engine is too expensive on offense, and outclassed as a stationary font defender. I feel if its speed was a bit higher, allowing ap gain through invigorate, it would be manageable. Even 3 might do it.
A bug fix to the forge hammer would be helpful as its stands the 2 Nora reduction per attack is procing and giving the symbols but is not correctly reducing the cost of the constructs. Dragon Engine is just way to inefficient mobilize engine is a good idea but not worth the cost causing this guy to be pretty shoebox perhaps a 10 Nora reduction if adjacent to an engineer on activation would be helpful Earth Golem could do with losing lumbering and a slight Nora increase to compensate Fault-breaker feels overly efficient perhaps a 10hp reduction Dwarven Tinkerer feels it has no individuality Overall there is to much unequipable perhaps remove it on some champs such a rock eater Melt down a slight Nora reduction to maybe 25 spare parts feels unique now but is perhaps still a little expensive that's what i can think of after playing structs for the last few weeks
At best they are half a theme and require non-constructs/tinkerers to fill out. Constructs need a better ranged option. Protector is crazy powerful but also crazy expensive. Siege engine is the best ranged unit and he can't even attack things directly Constructs need a BARBARIAN tinkerer. It would be cool to run a construct/barb bg. Some constructs are just way too damn tanky for their nora cost. Stone Dragon can be really tough to kill. Im guessing this is a 2x2 problem in general though (looking at you, colossal boa) I'm not sure why the Cavalier is 78 nora but he's terrible, I suggest a rework. Then again buffing legendaries is always a bad idea. (until they become more available to everyone) Needs more alt-damage.
You put Talgar's equipment on RR, after some tough up grades. I dunno what happens next, unless they have magic bomb and 5 champs, he is going to be around for while.
All I know about Constructs is that RR has the most amazing sprite. Also Build 'Em Tough is the most annoying ability to have to use every turn.
I'd like to see Magnetic Rover return, even if that means removing Magnetic Pulse. Constructs could use a cheap harraser/side font grabber, or as a full support construct. So, any ideas to bring our little car to the field of battle? Here are mine: - move Magnetic Pulse to upgrades. - remove Helpless - Healing deficiency to base (to keep it balanced and give him Power Store) Upgrade path 1: Magnetic Pulse, Planar Hold, Tremor Upgrade path 2: Electricity Aura 3, Power Store , Bastion of Mobility Now you have plenty of ways to build him. Planar Hold and Bastion of Mobility for bringning full support across the battlefield; Electricity Aura and Tremor for harraser, Power Store if you wan to risk him and generate some nora. And the option to grab Magentic Pulse if you still want him for a negative equipment BG. I haven't still costed it properly, so suggestions are welcome.
War-Enchanted Groble is also crazy strong to me. You run him with nora vitality and spell swallower. His hp gets up there quick.
Constructs This is my opinion. As a theme this is what I have noticed. Weaknesses: Mostly melee theme, needs boost to reach its full potential, needs specific boosting from specific units to receive full potential, units that boost are extremely weak targets that can be easily picked off at any time, weak to summon counters(raven speakers demolish the deck), SUPER SLOW START(most of the time, automatically on defense slow). Strengths: Many units in the theme fill weaknesses(I.E. catapult with mobility weakness, silverclan protector being a one robot ranged carry, mortar crew stalemates). Dominates Melee combat, units seem to live forever when buffed right, repair leads to some momentum shifts. Ill come back later to fill more...
the biggest problem is to STOP having everything get unequipable and no basic atks. 1 impenetrable unit can wreak havoc on a construct deck. also ive not noticed any other theme with so many multi drawback champs. try to find ways to streamline champs with out adding on unimaginative and repetative drawbacks. lethargic/lumbering/unequipable.... its getting old ranged constructs suffer most from a lack of basic atks.... we have robodog which is expensive as hell and glider which is cheap but often ineffective due to reckless flight for those with basic atks. on the flip side we have TT and DMC which arent bad but neither are that good and impenetrable units will ignore these champs. then we have the seige engine which can hit non-champs at its range but otherwise is limited to its aoes to be effective. none of these units are bad but when they comprise the whole of your ranged arsenal you start to have problems. this isnt saying that constructs are week exactly but i havent noticed another theme with so many drawbacks and alt atk types instead of basic atks. to compare the worst of our offenders against an arguably OP champ: DMC vs snaptooth ancient range 7-9 vs range 6-8 dam 16 vs dam 10 artillery strike vs poison cloud 2 alt atks on cd 2 vs 1 basic atk declare hunted vs phase shift and multiatk and poison dot drawbacks 3 (ponderous unequipable & lumbering) vs none cost 74 vs 86 whatever needs to happen to make these champs fall in the middle ground of good but not bonkers needs to happen. a rework on some level to remove at the least unequipable and then downgrade lumbering to lethargic is the starting point. getting a basic atk reinstated if only to the knockback upgrade chain is another minimum necessity. stats can then be tweeked as needed. however the only champ that could argueably not need a basic atk is the seige engine but otherwise they all need a closer looking at. for TT give basic atk phys and range 2-4 like the original design and perhaps remove siege to compensate cost some. then replace channel damage with barrage 1 on robodog to have a slightly cheaper useful option that isnt a sandbag upgrade. there has been much discussion about defining and differentiating the dwarven engineer and tinkerer. ill just quote my suggetion from another thread and move on. as far as the mellee they are ok but missing the flair they used to have..... and put detection back on at least 1 of the melee guys. yes there are a few alt methods of detection but we still need at least 1 champ with it. finally as a pet peeve... if they are constructs and dont have construct immunities then please make them also dwarves or give it to them for consistency sake.... im looking squarely at the catapult and seige engine here. they used to have dwarf and lost it in the revamp for some reason. although earth golem needs fixing too. on the good side of things is the spell selection and even though its too few targets the equips can be nice if we could only put them on the actual combat champs.
What are constructs suppose to be/do in comparison to Humans or Dwarfs in IS? What makes them play different or be different then any other race/theme we have? How do they go about dealing with game mechanics or situations? How do they fit into IS? Questions like these would help drive any construct development and help make them less generic if that is seen as an issue.
I've always seen Constructs as the "Impossible Factor' of IS. They can exceed the limitations of living things, because they aren't. They can be built to do things that would kill or severely harm the puny fleshbags. The abilities don't have to be as cut-and-paste as they should be on something else because it's just built that way.
play style aside.... they have no limits. you cant give a barb or dwarf random abilities that don't tie into their class theme and role. sure a dwarf can use magic or a human can make a lightning blast but there is an intrinsic logic involved in its internal synergy and style. a groble on the other hand can have whirl of blades, atk lightning, searing touch, running start, construct immunities and magic aura and still be any class or none if it was wanted to be built that way. I would like to see them as the anything goes creatively theme. what are these engineers gonna come up with next kinda of wow factor. sure there are balance issues to consider and the need to avoid swiss army knifes but they can fill holes in a bg by being able to potentially be anything. assuming the devs where willing to design them that is.
lol I think they should put grant death nova physical as an upgrade on the dwarven handler as a tribute
