I want to update you all on the status of the 1.52 patch, what our intentions were, and exactly what we've done. As we all know, 1.52 is the version that is intended to streamline melee combat in RvR, and above all make it more fun. The intention of the patch was - among other things - to take a look at RvR melee overall and make changes to underlying game mechanics as appropriate. There's some confusion out on the fan site message boards about exactly how this version helps RvR melee combat in the game.
First and foremost, we've changed the basics of combat to adhere to the new PvP (Andred/Mordred) server rules, which have shown to be a lot of fun on those servers, and are much more lenient by allowing players of disparate levels to join in combat. This change determines how players hit other players in RvR combat. Lower level characters will now hit higher level players (under the old ruleset, they could almost never hit them at all). Ask anyone who is enjoying the PvP servers how "loose" and fun combat is on those servers - that's the same kind of feel we want to bring to the regular RvR servers.
Second, and maybe most importantly, we've taken steps to alleviate mesmerization spells in RvR. In all our polls, the #1 melee complaint was that it's no fun standing around mezzed all the time - and we agree. We've given most of the classes that can cast mez spells the ability to "cure" their friends who are mezzed. This should mean that everyone will be mezzed far less in RvR than they were before. This also should lead to melee fighters finding themselves being able to "get to" enemy casters (or anyone else for that matter) that were previously unreachable because they literally couldn't move.
Third, we've changed and spread out the damage tables, which is how the game calculates how damage against a specific armor type is assessed. Currently in the game, armor tables are not balanced correctly across the board. Now we've added in more armor tables to balance damage across the three Realms so that one damage type is no longer the best to use in all situations. This means that some of the time, you (as a melee) will be taking less damage than you were before, because your armor will be protecting you more.
There were other changes as well, but you can read through the release notes for those - the purpose of this message is to impress upon everyone that we've changed a lot of behind-the-scenes game mechanics, each of which should result in a more fun melee experience in RvR. If this proves not to be the case, we'll make further enhancements as necessary. We still have a few non-specialization related changes we want to make in 1.53 (making combat styles easier to use, and melee class-specific resistances to certain spell types are two examples of items we're exploring right now).
So, to sum up, these changes will have a larger impact than it seems at first appearance; however, if melee classes still aren't fun to play in RvR, then we'll take additional steps as necessary.
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