Can you expand on “Universal energy threshold”? I’m not sure if you mean having 30-35 as a cap on energy or not.
I think a simple and elegant solution is a refund. For example, Rite of the Great Dwarf is expensive(50 energy). The stunbreak occurs at the start of the cast. If it gets interrupted, have it refund you 25 energy. It seems like a rip-off when you spend 50 energy to break a stun, only to be instantly CC’d afterwards. What then? You hope you’re specced Invocation and have you legend swap off cooldown. I’m not suggesting this refund is a fixed 25 energy, half would be fine.
The idea of getting what you paid for in terms of energy is something I’ve been thinking about for a while. What if our energy isn’t “spent” but “drained” Say instead of spending 50 energy instantly for RotGD, it would spend it over the 1.25 sec cast time? At any time it gets interrupted, whatever is left over would still be in your pool. This would not only solve the stun-break problem, but other problems such as interruptions of Mallyx leap, Pain Absoption, etc.
Basically, as you mentioned, there are very high energy costs for stunbreaks at the moment, and they are varying from legend to legend. The proposed solution with the “unviersal” energy cost would mean that when you are stunned, you can use any utility skill and it will use at least 30-35 (just an example number), but it doesn’t mean that all skills would have to cost 35, they can have higher costs as well, although i think 50 energy for any skill is too much anyway. In essence, you could break stun with Impossible Odds (costing the universal cost to break stun though, in this example 30) and escape any post-stun cleave with superspeed/quickness. You could also break stun with Jade Winds, but it would cost 50 energy with the current costs. You could even break stun with the universal stun break activation cost with Mallyx elite skill (costing 30 energy) applying instant torment and burn (via trait) pressure. This mechanic would add strategic and tactical aspects on revenant gameplay and improving the current problem with defensive energy usage deteriorating offence. This idea is just one example, there could be multiple ways to solve the problem.
The refund idea is good. I think the revenant designers/devs should re-test either energy costs, energy regeneration or some refunding mechanic. Good players can avoid your burst damage attempts that are severly limited by energy costs and slow skill animation, while pressuring you into using defensive cooldowns, even forcing legend swaps for defence. This will usually mean that you will have to disengage. In this regard revenant is currently an underdog in theory against many builds, mostly because of the nerfs that some revenants took in the past and lack of stability + condition cleanse. The aforementioned things have been probably heard too many times.
I definitely think that revenants lack that little extra energy to be completely viable. The defence just negates too much of your counter pressure. Hopefully something will be done, and no I don’t mean in the next expac, which not many will probably want to acquire if this is the balancing policy.
Forgot to mention, staff 4 skill “Renewing Wave” has 15 energy cost, use the skill and stow weapon, no effect and you will lose the energy. Same goes for sword 3. This is similiar to the aforementioned problem. What if you need to dodge mid-cast of that staff 4? Lose 15 energy for mainly trying to condi cleanse, not even completing it. Sword 3 energy cost and cooldown is just completely wasted, if the opponent dodges a millimeter too, energy is also wasted if you stow it mid cast when you notice someone is too far/ avoiding it.
(edited by Alzurr.3741)