Aura Reservation and Reduced Mana Support Gem Change

We're trying out a change to aura costs, the Reduced Mana support, and the Enlighten gem on Beta. This change involves reducing the base mana reservation on reservation skills, changing the Reduced Mana gem to only apply to costs but with a much greater reduction, and having the Enlighten support gem reduce reservation and cost at lower values than Reduced Mana gave.

These are the intended results of the change:
As they no longer work with Reduced Mana, we can make reservation costs less mana intensive for characters that previously wouldn't have access to Reduced Mana, and reduce socket pressure for players that previously would have needed a Reduced Mana support to reach the same reservation levels.
Enlighten becomes a much more desirable support. It now gives an option for end-game builds that are willing to give up sockets to reduce reservation, without the support being so impactful that every build that uses auras feels that it's absolutely necessary.
Reduced Mana can have much higher values than previously, making it a better choice for reducing skill mana costs.

It's worth noting that a very high level Enlighten gem can reduce aura reservation costs to the point of the old Reduced Mana support and below, and that aura reservation costs are now often lower than otherwise possible until player level 45. We're also planning to increase the power of Mana passives in the tree that will give mana constrained builds more access to larger total mana pools.
Balance & Design
Thanks for the detailed explanation Rory.

I think that most of us are concerned primarily because this would mean high level Enlighten gems would be insanely expensive, and would significantly add to the cost of low life and aura heavy builds.

Are there any planned mechanisms to ensure that a high-level corrupted Enlighten isn't a necessity for these builds?

"
It now gives an option for end-game builds that are willing to give up sockets to reduce reservation,


so every build that uses auras with Reduced Mana currently? What's the difference, every build that uses auras already give up sockets to reduce reservations. Auras are strong, the removal of inner force shows that you guys at GGG don't like people stacking passive stat buffs.

I think you guys just need to straight up remove aura reservation reduction gems and balance around that, especially since EVERYONE already links reduced mana to any aura/herald available
I am a Mirror, I do not exist.
Last edited by SwordDivine on May 7, 2015, 11:33:41 PM
Well.

I can see the reasons for removing the mandatory slot for reduced mana...except that you didn't. You just replaced with a much, much more rare and expensive option that (still) prevents you from balancing auras as if reductions from gear and dedicated passive were all that was available.

Nothing changed...if you have 50+ exalts in your stash and can buy up a lvl 4 Enlighten gem. Otherwise, welcome to screw town, population: you.
Last edited by C0Y0T3_SLY on May 7, 2015, 11:34:14 PM
"
Rory wrote:
We're trying out a change to aura costs, the Reduced Mana support, and the Enlighten gem on Beta. This change involves reducing the base mana reservation on reservation skills, changing the Reduced Mana gem to only apply to costs but with a much greater reduction, and having the Enlighten support gem reduce reservation and cost at lower values than Reduced Mana gave.

These are the intended results of the change:
As they no longer work with Reduced Mana, we can make reservation costs less mana intensive for characters that previously wouldn't have access to Reduced Mana, and reduce socket pressure for players that previously would have needed a Reduced Mana support to reach the same reservation levels.
Enlighten becomes a much more desirable support. It now gives an option for end-game builds that are willing to give up sockets to reduce reservation, without the support being so impactful that every build that uses auras feels that it's absolutely necessary.
Reduced Mana can have much higher values than previously, making it a better choice for reducing skill mana costs.


It's worth noting that a very high level Enlighten gem can reduce aura reservation costs to the point of the old Reduced Mana support and below, and that aura reservation costs are now often lower than otherwise possible until player level 45. We're also planning to increase the power of Mana passives in the tree that will give mana constrained builds more access to larger total mana pools.


So you decided to make a super rare gem that takes forever to level replace reduced mana and this was done because some character don't have access to reduced mana. yet a higher tier gem is its replacement, Okay. Also now you say it will also help with reducing socket pressure for players, yet people who play at a high level end game will still need to use that socket for enlighten, makes sense.

This change makes me feel like I am going to be forced to play EB if i want to run 2 heralds and 1 aura (100% mana reserved there).

I understand why things might be needed to change, but you we have to have healthier options to replace the ones you are removing. Beta testing needed and will give more input then.

Last edited by papas88063 on May 7, 2015, 11:36:39 PM
There are enough changes coming that I don't honestly think it will be a problem. People are being so melodramatic. Let the new meta come and stop clinging to the old one!



"
papas88063 wrote:
"
Rory wrote:
We're trying out a change to aura costs, the Reduced Mana support, and the Enlighten gem on Beta. This change involves reducing the base mana reservation on reservation skills, changing the Reduced Mana gem to only apply to costs but with a much greater reduction, and having the Enlighten support gem reduce reservation and cost at lower values than Reduced Mana gave.

These are the intended results of the change:
As they no longer work with Reduced Mana, we can make reservation costs less mana intensive for characters that previously wouldn't have access to Reduced Mana, and reduce socket pressure for players that previously would have needed a Reduced Mana support to reach the same reservation levels.
Enlighten becomes a much more desirable support. It now gives an option for end-game builds that are willing to give up sockets to reduce reservation, without the support being so impactful that every build that uses auras feels that it's absolutely necessary.
Reduced Mana can have much higher values than previously, making it a better choice for reducing skill mana costs.


It's worth noting that a very high level Enlighten gem can reduce aura reservation costs to the point of the old Reduced Mana support and below, and that aura reservation costs are now often lower than otherwise possible until player level 45. We're also planning to increase the power of Mana passives in the tree that will give mana constrained builds more access to larger total mana pools.


So you decided to make a super rare gem that takes forever to level replace reduced mana and this was done because some character don't have access to reduced mana. yet a higher tier gem is its replacement, Okay. Also now you say it will also help with reducing socket pressure for players, yet people who play at a high level end game will still need to use that socket for enlighten, makes sense.

This change makes me feel like I am going to be forced to play EB if i want to run 2 heralds and 1 aura (100% mana reserved there).

I understand why things might be needed to change, but you we have to have healthier options to replace the ones you are removing. Beta testing needed and will give more input then.



yeah well remember coming from the peeps who call this a "small" balance patch.
"
UHF wrote:
There are enough changes coming that I don't honestly think it will be a problem. People are being so melodramatic. Let the new meta come and stop clinging to the old one!





No one will use the first, it's already hard enough to get enough Life without having your tree sprawl across at least half of the tree.

The second is only 2%, and the other parts of it are more niche.

The third doesn't directly affect mana reduction.
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Balancing auras without reduced mana is a great step forward.
Making enlighten the new reduced mana is a big step back, it will become as mandatory as RM is, but just stupidly long to levelup and difficult to obtain for most players.

One step forward and one step back: it's not what i'd call 2.0 GGG.
"
UHF wrote:
There are enough changes coming that I don't honestly think it will be a problem. People are being so melodramatic. Let the new meta come and stop clinging to the old one!





I really don't like that jewels will now be the replacement for keystones or reduced mana for that matter.

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