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I don't like %HP mechanics

Krinu·10/16/2015, 11:05:47 AM·14 votes·1,023 views

As the title says.

I mean, I understand what it's for. It gives a champion a relatively fixed power level on an ability regardless of target, and helps reduce the whole "feast or famine" problem that champions have. But... it's really annoying to play with and against. In a game where gold - and the items that gold buys - matters so much, it's pretty frustrating to have a widespread mechanic that massively reduces the effectiveness of my item choices.

Put simply, I don't like it that regardless of how successful I am, a champion can simply push a button and do the same portion of my life. I don't like that abilities cost the same portion of my health regardless of how much I have, because it renders my upgrades less meaningful.

It would be less frustrating if the prevalence of %HP mechanics didn't make building health actively bad in some cases. Take Soraka, for example: It's one thing to have stats that are useless, but it takes a huge chunk of the pleasure of picking up an upgrade when you know that upgrade is wrecking your efficiency... and that you need the upgrade, because it's mandatory for your role as a support. She's not the only one, either. Mundo, Vayne, Kindred, Blade of the Ruined King... there are a ton of items and enemies that do %HP damage.

I'm not sure there's a really good solution. Maybe reducing the difference in maximum health between tanks and non-tanks to prevent burst abilities from being nonthreatening to tanks and lethal to squishies. Maybe having health regeneration scale with maximum health innately in some way. I don't know. I just know it's not fun buying an item and not only seeing no improvement, but instead seeing my power go down because of the prevalence of %HP mechanics.

27 Comments

THE RlVER KlNG10/16/2015, 11:33:25 AM4 votes

I have no problem with it, unless its true damage, like Vayne's and Fiora's, which means it has no counterplay. :P But Elise, Tahm, Zac, Sion, etc. are all fine with me.

blkKalameet10/16/2015, 8:45:22 PM3 votes

In regards to soraka, building health is not as bad as people make it seem. Yes, she will always take an chunk out of her own health. But that extra health keeps her alive when taking damage, and often times comes with resistances too.

Warmogs + spirit visage + Randuins omen = a good deal of survivability and spam heals at a now negligible health cost.

WyvernEgg10/16/2015, 2:28:10 PM2 votes

"it's a team game" That might be riots argument. I'm not a riot person though so...

SolusInCadere10/17/2015, 3:04:01 AM2 votes

I agree. I thought that ADCs are supposed to be the ones that can take out tanks due to the nature of their damage. Also, if someone falls behind they should have less impact on the game, that's just common sense. I worked to kick them out of lane, and now they can still jsut chunk my health down without any damage items? That doesn't sound right.

Loco Little10/16/2015, 12:05:35 PM2 votes

Having an anti-tank setup is healthy In any RTS game I believe, %health is a useful trait as long as it is balanced properly.

In it's current state, the scaling that champions have on their %health abilities completly overwhelms a tanks ability to build against it. What I mean by this, is during the early-mid game, a tank simply does not have the items yet to negate it. For example after lvl 16 the 10%health will only do roughly 4% true damage due to items. However in the early to mid game as tanks are scaling up, the ability most likely already do about 8% at this point based on lvling which is only reduced to about 7% true damage.

Tanks struggle to do their job because of this.

Actually xPeke10/17/2015, 9:54:17 PM1 votes

The only issues i got is with Tahm and Vayne. Tahm does SO MUCH DAMAGE and he's a support/tank/top. 32% max health as magic damage. That hurts the enemy ADC a lot.

Vayne is just stupid. She has range, builds AS so triggers her W fast. and also builds BOTRK. Yay, more % health dmg. Not to forget her passive (extra movement) which is trippled in ulti (30x3=90) and then her low cd Q. She's pretty hard to escape, since she also has a stun. and BOTRK Slow.

Sigh, i can QQ all day about Vayne. -3 AD. gg we did it boyzzz vayne nerfs

Dealth10/16/2015, 11:13:52 PM1 votes

So you would rather have the game full of snowball champions that rely on a lot of kills to stay relevant?

IcyPepper10/16/2015, 11:24:33 PM1 votes

Honestly, I prefer ones that have a secondary effect but a reasonably low scaling. Wish we had more of those, and not overtuned.

Ekko and Vi's passives are ones that I kind of like, although while cool Vi's passive is just more damages, while Ekko's passive has something impactful that be used in a variety of ways beyond uber damage.

Seenan10/17/2015, 7:58:49 AM1 votes

Just from regular observation, every champion that could deal % hp damage is literally always extremely relevant. Especially the true damage % hp ones.

TheHobbits10/17/2015, 9:09:48 PM1 votes

% HP damage? I'm fine with.

True damage based on % HP? Now you've got issues.