I really like the Open mode changes. The Jedi/Sith vs Gunner balance has shifted to only slightly favor saberists now. That being said, I do think that Jedis are getting boned harder than Siths due to Mandos and SBDs getting huge buffs this patch, but that's a whole 'nother discussion on team vs team balance issues.
All things considered, I'm happy that gunners are a lot stronger now. I'd say 1.5 is the best patch for Open Mode there has been in a long time. I especially love the way I can somewhat viably use Red in open versus more than just wookiees now.
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The Saber versus Saber is still a complete mess however, and here's why:
.: 1. Perfect Block is regenerating 8 BP on all styles
-- This is too strong in general but especially so on tankier stances.
-- If kept at all, the amount regenerated should either be lowered to insignificance or be different depending on the stance.
.: 2. Mblock spamming is even better / less punishing to the defender than it used to be.
-- For an "I Win Button," Mblock has little to no risk associated with its massive reward.
-- The devs need to either increase the risk involved or change the reward associated with a successful Mblock.
-- If it stays as-is, Defenders should be punished, and big time when they mess up their insta-kill cheese.
-- Suggestion: Nerf MBlock to ( -8 BP + Stagger + Disarm only if dropped below 33 BP) so that you can only be cheesed if BP = 40 or lower.
.: 3. Swingblocking is still required on almost every swing, and not swingblocking isn't rewarding enough to omit immunity to mblock.
-- It's nice that not swingblocking nets the attacker an extra 10% damage, but avoiding instant death is better than an extra 1-3 BP damage per swing.
.: 4. Arbitrary swing restrictions, specifically: not being allowed to swing more than twice per side
-- It was kind of cool on Red stance back in the day, but it feels out of place now, especially on all stances.
-- What is the reason for changing this? It strikes me as completely unnecessary.
.: 5. Purple's stab's hitbox is idiotic and buggy at best.
-- People avoiding the saber entirely are still struck by the attack
-- The hitbox is too wide and long, the user is immune to saber collision from behind.
-- The attack can't be punished as the attack remains active long after the thrust animation finishes.
.: 6. Red is under-tuned defensively considering its lack of either stagger or nudge.
-- Red has long periods of vulnerability after its swings/combos that stagger/nudge used to cover-up and make less exploitable.
-- The offense/defense stats seem fair on paper, but they ignore the crippling mechanical disadvantages Red has as a stance when compared to say, Yellow.
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Things I like about the saber changes:
- Longer Slap cooldowns!
- Side-kicks functioning differently from slaps!
- Slower BP regen!
- AP generation is slower, making shadowswing spamming less viable!