Objectives:
-Promote build diversity, and effective team build diversity.
-Remove concerns of non-condition builds lowering effective DPS of pure condition builds by stealing stack positions.
-Make sure every stack ever added adds some benefit to the total damage being done.
-Make it viable without being overpowered, considering Epidemic.
-Require no split for PvP.
-Require no big changes to existing skills, nor adding new skills.
(For example: consuming conditions to do a pack of damage is an okay skill idea, but may interfere with the other condition-reliant builds of your teammates, and the skill would need to be added to the game)
Current system:
-Last in, first out.
-25 stacks max for bleeding.
-No duration limit for burning or poison – damage is determined by current instances in order.
Proposed system:
Bleeding:
-Instances of bleeding are sorted by base DPS, then duration.
-New instances get inserted into the order by base DPS, then duration.
-Base damage is the average of the strongest 25 stacks, by base DPS.
-Stacks beyond 25 add 2% extra damage to that base for as long as they last.
Example: Your group piles on about 34 stacks of bleeding. Damage done is the strongest 25 stacks, +18% bonus damage
Burning:
-Instances of burning get sorted by base DPS, then duration.
-New instances get inserted into the order by base DPS.
-Base damage is the strongest next second of burning damage.
-Can now be used on inanimate objects, like carts and barrels.
-Damage per second is divided into four ticks in that second, for more pretty numbers.
-Beyond the first 25 seconds of burning, 1% extra damage per extra second.
Example: 34 seconds of burning does base damage of the strongest second, +9% bonus damage
Poison:
-Instances of poison get sorted by base DPS, then duration.
-New instances get inserted into the order by base DPS.
-Base damage is the strongest next second of burning damage.
-Healing prevention is held constant.
-Damage per second is divided into four ticks in that second, for more pretty numbers.
-Beyond the first 25 seconds of poison, 1% extra damage per extra second.
Example: 34 seconds of poison does base damage of the strongest second, +9% bonus damage
Removal:
-Behaves as before, removing all instances, starting with the newest condition type introduced.
Regeneration:
-Strongest instances are applied first.
-When approaching limit, weakest instances (by Healing per Second) are discarded first.
Epidemic:
-will only transfer the strongest 25 stacks of bleeding (by DPS).
-will only transfer the strongest 25 seconds of burning (by DPS).
-will only transfer the strongest 25 seconds of poison (by DPS).
Vulnerability:
-now adds to the base damage of all condition damage.
-Still caps at 25 stacks.
-New instances with a longer duration overwrite the instance with the shortest remaining duration.
Other concerns:
What if a monster dies too fast?
I feel the real game design objective of a condition build is to be able to pledge damage over time upfront, ignoring armor and protection, with the risk that it may be removed with removal, where the time saved could be used elsewhere, like utility or extra direct damage. Fighting weak monsters is part of that risk. If your monsters are too weak, try fighting stronger monsters. If your monsters have strong condition removal, it will also affect the strength of your condition build. Promoting diversity should be the goal.