It seems to me the majority of times we’ll already be hitting a target perfectly well, then get a range boost, okay thanks, I guess; like the inconsequential “helpful” priest healing when you’re already at maxHP. If we’re hitting with a non-pierce weapon, we won’t even realise we’ve got extra range, and most players have ally projectiles off, so weird to now bring in an ability that affects something we can’t even see. Lol.
Organised/voice chat groups will be able to make the most of it more than casual players of course, ensuring they have enough Bards to extend range as&when required “on demand” so it does seem designed with them in mind. And there will be some few clear situations where it’s useful (like the players unwilling to dance at O2).
Strikes me as it will be a bit like stasis when the Mystic themself can plan to use it for their own benefit, but other players usually can’t anticipate/plan for it, it will be something most Bards activate at times when they themselves want it, whereas other players have to: realise we’ve been enhanced, then we can move back a bit, then it wears off so we go back in to normal range. Or the weird scenario where we’re clustered around the Bard saying “Range pls”? Lol.
So yeah, it’s a funny choice, gives an extra thing to consider when designing/balancing the game too. Not outright bad, just, a bit like samurai, feels trying to crowbar in more party effects when something simpler could be hugely more satisfying to play (press space get paid type thing).
I said in the original testing for Bard it might be more straightforward to make the range boost (Inspire) be a solo effect, and keep the party effect as the Energised, so repeating that here. Or as others suggest, ATT/DEX/shotspeed increase instead. Party range boost also seems to bring with it a few needless complications (like O2 granting fame is still annoyingly tied to proximity of the killer, giving everyone more range spaces us out more, so we’ll miss the XP even more often than now); (melee becomes another notch easier to play); (shots travelling beyond sight which WS realised was bad design). All that said, I enjoy safety-first play, and helping newbs, and a good Bard would be a great use to a weaker group, and Inspire also helps those with lower pets. So yeah, we’ll see.
We’re running at a quite shameful 12-3 M/F on the champion select screen, and the last “her” class added was Trickster (2011)… so… yeah, am hoping for not another default=him.