Dear Bungie, Parts of this was originally posted as a comment in another thread, which can be found here: [url]https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/164835022/0/0/1[/url] After reading other posts, playing around with Hammer of Sol, and discussing this with some of my hardcore Titan friends, I'm re-posting under a new thread and adding suggestions for revising (and yes, I do have a 40 Titan with Sunbreaker unlocked, even though he isn't my "main"). [b] First, the Good News:[/b] On the one hand, I am glad to see the Sunbreaker Titan enter the ranks of the crucible and provide a distinct play experience for Titans. The Sunbreaker fills a gap in Titan-based PVP, namely the ability to have an offensive super that lasts over time and has range. And just to note, Taken King did a great job of providing roles to classes previously held by other classes: Shadowshot provides Hunters with a fire-and-forget ranged AoE attack that produces tons of orbs (just as Nova Bomb does for Warlocks); Stormtrance provides warlock with a short/mid-range high-threat attack (just as Arc Blade does for Hunters); and now Sunbreaker provides titans with a new super that fills a missing gap for Titans. [b]Sunbreakers and (the lack) of Limits[/b] The problem with Sunbreakers, and with Hammer of Sol in particular, is that Hammer of Sol has zero limitations. It has all of the good and none of the bad; it's "broken" in the sense that it's strong in every possible area of gameplay for Supers: range, damage, extra armor, duration over time, area of effect, health regen on hit/kill, damage over time with burn effects. Hammer of Sol possesses every possible bonus trait you can give a super. This isn’t just unbalanced, it’s bad design. It completely ignores any principle of parity between supers and gives Hammer of Sol the biggest collection of gameplay traits in the game. [b]Maximum Values in (almost) Every Category[/b] To make matters worse, each trait (range, AoE, regen, duration, etc) is either the max value seen in Destiny or close to it. It’s not enough that Hammer of Sol provides every possible quality to Hammer Attacks (AoE, ranged attack, homing, regeneration on kill, multiple attacks over time, roaming attacks, etc); Hammer of Sol also provides some of the largest bonuses while in Super mode: as pointed out by many other posts, the armor bonuses are topped only by Sunsinger; unlike the Sunsinger, which has to specifically select the traits to provide high armor, Hammer of Sol simply provides a huge armor bonus simply by entering Super. Other supers gain some armor bonus, but no other super can survive being hit by Heavy Weapons or other Supers. [b]Gameplay Limits with other Supers[/b] Every other super in the game has SOME kind of limitation: Arc Blade is limited to melee-range (or you stop moving while attacking with Showstopper and Razor's Edge); Golden Gun has only minor AoE at best (with Combustion) and receives no Armor bonus; Nova Bomb is a 1-and-done one-shot; Fist of Havoc is a 1-shot; Ward of Dawn is stationary; all of these have SOME kind of limitation on their use that requires the user to think about how to use the super most effectively. Not so with Hammer of Sol. To paraphrase the eternal wisdom of Master Ken from Enter the Dojo, Hammer of Sol has "the best of all and the worst of none." [b]Poor Gameplay Design and Experience[/b] Ultimately Hammer of Sol suffers from woefully poor judgment in its core design. It detracts from gameplay because it doesn’t require the user to think or plan how to best use the talent, and it doesn’t allow opposing Guardians any meaningful choices about how to react to the skill. Every other super has some kind of limitation that allows opponents to respond in some kind of intelligent or meaningful manner. Every other super can either be shut down or evaded to some degree. Hammer of Sol resists high-impact snipers, shotguns, heavy weapons, and even other supers. Evasion isn’t even a guarantee, due to Sunbreaker’s high mobility while in Hammer of Sol and the tracking, AoE, and trajectory of the Hammers. Every super should present some risks and some reward. As of right now, Hammer of Sol is all reward and no risk. The reason it isn't fun to witness as an opposing player is because there isn't any limitation on Hammer of Sol that provides any kind of feasible gameplay in response. Hammer of Sol doesn't just create a moment of excitement or tension, it creates a moment of pure domination. It's an instant-win button that presents no risks to the user and no rewards to skilled opponents. [b]Suggested Revisions[/b] 1. [b]Alter projectiles to only kill on direct hit and inflict lesser damage in area of effect: [/b]No other super in the game provides a[u] roaming [/u]super with projectile AoE kills. This is much stronger than Showstopper or Razor’s Edge; both of these abilities are grounded, lack homing, and force the Bladedancer to become a standing open target; Nova Bomb and Fist of Havoc are one-shot abilities that requires AoE for multiple kills. Even Shadowshot’s anchoring AoE doesn’t kill directly, it simply immobilizes and can be avoided. The damage model for Hammer of Sol should be similar to the Sunsinger’s solar grenades while in Radiance: heavy damage on direct hit and lesser damage in AoE. 2. [b]Increase energy loss for each hammer[/b]: if Titans want to go full offensive the offensive that decision should result in decreased active time. 3. [b]Eliminate Flameseeker and replace it with Fire DoT or Solar Vulnerability Debuff: [/b]No other roaming super possesses homing AoE; providing the same to Hunters or Warlocks would result in homing Golden Gun shots or homing Solar Grenades. In terms of gameplay Flameseeker eliminates the single challenge you have when using a ranged AoE: you should have to have some minimal aiming capacity. Flameseeker removes the need for any skill in the ability and reduces Hammer of Sol to button mashing. One possible alternative would be to place a minor DoT on Hammer of Sol, equivalent to the DoT on solar grenades. Call it something like “Stoke the Flames.” 4. [b]Eliminate Cauterize and replace with Heal on Cast: [/b]This goes back to the problem that no super should simultaneously provide maximum offense and maximum defense. A one-time instant heal on cast is reasonable, and would be similar to Transcendence. And note that even Transcendence requires some additional condition be met in order to activate (you have to cast with full grenade and melee energy). 5. [b]Reduce Armor Buff[/b]: No super should ever be capable of surviving a direct hit from any other super. Period. Competing supers should result in a super-fast paced battle where each guardian is striving to make the first hit; this provides for the most excitement and draws out the best gameplay from both parties. It’s also fair: if Hammer of Sol can resist supers, then why not other classes? The idea that Titans have to be “invincible” is bogus – no class should be invincible, because otherwise we aren’t playing a game, we’re just playing someone else’s wish-fulfillment. And I don't mean that facetiously; a good game provides a rewarding experience for both the victor and the loser, because both sides have gained something through the experience of playing the game that isn't captured simply with victory or loss; that something is the thrill of danger (not the despair of unavoidable doom), the risk of trying daring plays, and the satisfaction of seeing your own (or someone else's) choices resolve in a satisfying manner. There may be flaws with individual pieces of information in this post but I stand by all the claims. Bring Hammer of Sol back to "reality" within the gameworld, and make it be a meaningful, enjoyable part of PVP.