How do people feel about the Bloodmancer?

[Wickednick]

I've been trying to play the Bloodmancer when it comes around, but I'm just not feeling the build. It's got an interesting idea, but I'm just not sure about the implementation in a game like this.
The problem is that avoiding damage is already hard with every other character, but now were adding multiple extra sources of damage on top of the normal stuff. Your rings are killing you, and the blood orbs are killing you, and yeah you get some life back, but it doesn't feel like enough to balance everything out.
I could see it being a potentially good build if you can get all the right equipment, but that's a crap shoot in this game. Even with the rest of the characters getting a good build going is a bit of luck.
I feel like the primary issue is the blood orbs, they're way to much to manage when your trying to kill stuff, open up blocked passages, pots, etc. You constantly need to dash to get rid of them, and if you want to hurt enemies with them you have to dash towards harm, which is a general bad idea in this game, and is against the way every other build plays. And the life returned is far to small.
So here's my idea to make the Bloodmancer better: ditch the blood orbs as a starting skill and make them a piece of equipment instead. Next make life leech a percent of attack damage and give the Bloodmancer a starting ability that increases critical hit chance at low life. Also the Bloodmancer has a special ability where the player damage from equipment can only drop the players life down to one, so they can't kill themselves. This only applies to equipment that has life leech. To help balance this rings will do more player damage at higher tiers and Bloodmancers get a penalty on life.
But that's just my idea.

[Superintendent Pemr]

All blood drinking spells do not go past 1 hp atm. If we get more info from more people in this thread we will consider changing it, it might be that it isn't strong enough atm.

[Wickednick]

Well that ring stats say it costs 1hp and gives back 2hp if it hits, but I don't know how much the blood orbs are leeching off you. Is it 1hp for each orb?

[Михаил]

Originally posted by Gordon:

All blood drinking spells do not go past 1 hp atm. If we get more info from more people in this thread we will consider changing it, it might be that it isn't strong enough atm.

how do I open bloodmancer?

[Robinerd]

The orbs keep taking 1 hp over time, which also raises its explosion size and damage. On explosion you get back a percentage of the hp cost, no matter if it hits or not.
So my overall advice to get into the class more is to try and dash through monsters and not spending too long without dashing when you have orbs on you (unless you have a high HP pool).

@punisher, the bloodmancer is unlocked later in the game, you will know it when you find it! Don't wanna spoil anything here on the forums though :P

[Robinerd]

@punisher that said I mean it's not obscurely hidden so you probably won't miss it

[Wickednick]

Originally posted by Robinerd:

The orbs keep taking 1 hp over time, which also raises its explosion size and damage. On explosion you get back a percentage of the hp cost, no matter if it hits or not.
So my overall advice to get into the class more is to try and dash through monsters and not spending too long without dashing when you have orbs on you (unless you have a high HP pool).

You can see though how the current way everything is implemented can be frustrating, right? All your dashes are on cool downs and you're constantly trying to get rid of those blood orbs so they don't kill you. Which means that the blood orbs will be constantly draining life while I wait for the cool down to reset, or waiting for a window to dash into an enemy. Add also that I'm constantly dashing towards enemies, or away from them just to get rid of the blood orbs, which means I'm always putting myself in harms way, so it makes for very hectic, haphazard fights, which end up costing you more life. It's not a fun way to play.

The idea behind the class is cool, but everything I have experienced regarding how this game plays, and what you need to do to survive, doesn't support this type of class well as it is currently designed. Also the Bloodmancer get's far fewer equipment unlocks than the other classes, why?

I've played other games with classes like the Bloodmancer and I know from playing those games life leech is almost always a percentage of attack damage, and life to cast is a percentage of life, or a flat cost. Often the spells are DoT, and summon spells because constantly casting drains life far to fast for the life leech to negate. Just something to think about.

[Ancallagon]

Originally posted by Gordon:

All blood drinking spells do not go past 1 hp atm. If we get more info from more people in this thread we will consider changing it, it might be that it isn't strong enough atm.

Caviat:
I havent unlocked the bloodmancer yet. That said i use the rings as DIY- healing: if a creature is cornered/crippled/spazzes out i pocke it to death with the ring and gain a health profit of +5-+20. Its usefull but tedious.

The following is a mere suggestion to spice it up
The bloodmancer could utillize the blood in 3 different ways "Stances".
1. Vanilla-Stance
Basicly how it is now.
2. Feeding-Stance
Damage increases moderatly / healthgain increases drasticly, but no bloodcurrency is collected (or the collected blood heals instead of beeing currency)
3. Purging-Stance
Damage increases insanely / healthgain increases drasticly, but stored bloodcurrency is used for spells (Bloodcurrency is collected) if blood currency is depleted health is used.

Progression wise these stances could be tied to items/rings/etc

Also +1 OP`s original idea to give more crits on low health