Not just his post count, the way he spoke in some replies wasn’t really indicative of a new player, especially the part where he found some videos to back up his claims. And we all know how we love causing debates out here when it comes to buffs/nerfs. This whole thread wasn’t about helping a new player find his stride in the game. It’s about someone suggesting something and other ones countering his suggestions.
The ability is fine the way it is, not under powered and not op.
Not to get all necro-crazy - which I am - but here’s one really simple solution for this that’d satisfy both camps, and not change the actual power of the skill one bit either way.
Example: Blood of Dreeg
Put a skill transformer node on the skills page - i.e. like Frenetic Throw for Phantasmal Blades - but for Blood of Dreeg. Let’s call it “Lingering Taint” because that sounds messed up. If you take that modifier, Blood of Dreeg becomes two skills. One, Blood of Dreeg Aura, would encompass all the persistent effects - and would act as a standard aura with max mana reduction, active cost, yadda. The other, Blood of Dreeg Heal, would heal you for the stated amount with the 15 second cooldown for a lesser cost. (You’d kinda have to reduce the costs as you’re not getting nearly as much from that keypress as when it auto-included persistent effects or heals respectively.)
Problem solved? And the transformer controlling that would mean that if you like it the way it is currently, you just don’t put a point in the transformer. People can do it how they want to. Plus you have to spend a skill point for the convenience so there is some (albeit minor) cost. I’m sure there are better names for those skills, but you get the idea. It’d really be a bigtime lessening for annoyance for many of us, without forcing a change on the oldschool or go home crowd - and at least doesn’t sound like it’d require some major reprogramming or technical effort, the mechanism for modifying skills already being present and established. Best of all, it doesn’t alter the numbers behind the skill, that’s not necessary. (Ok, barring mana costs etc. - but BFD. It’ll still heal the exact same amount and provide the exact same persistent benefits - just in two slots not one.)
*Long-time Grim Dawn player, infrequent poster. So yeah, I do understand the mechanics, the reasons why it can’t be fish or fowl, etc. I can’t see any reason why it can’t be fish AND fowl, barring the always specious, “I don’t need it that way, so you shouldn’t either.” argument.