[FaeLenx]

Main Problems:

Razor Rune:

Where it works:
-It's a solid damage dealer that feels gratifying to use.
-Strong in PvE like every other AoE.
-Pretty solid in PVP if you can get a large runestack off and someone is close enough to hit them with it.
-About as much damage potential in two turns as a charge minded evoker spell.
Where it doesn't:
-It's incredibly hard to break with melee skills. Warding runes and smoke runes make this nearly impossible. A large, overstacked rune link can decide a PvP and PvE fight both.
-The damage is on par with a charged up evoker spell, but it's the gift that keeps on giving unless someone can destroy it.

Suggested Changes:
- Make Melee skills destroy it in one shot. This could be the same as any rune link, or maybe just null links. This might be hard to code, but it would make large runestacks more counterable. This could be a good idea in general.
-Make the damage higher but only hit once per round. It could apply a debuff or something of the sort to make that easier to track. This means there wouldn't be the super beyblade roundabout that can decimate well over 800 HP, but you also wouldn't be able to kite them as effectively to make them deal 80 damage only. The difference between damage when it comes to positioning is overtuned.
-Make the damage scale off of SWA so people can stop complaining about it being stat independent. It'll probably end up doing the same damage regardless for most runemages.

Anchor Rune:

Where it works:
-Singular solid force of Crowd Control on Runemage besides warding.
-Runemage doesn't have a source of innate silence so this isn't too oppressive against most builds unless they're comboing another item or class.
Where it doesn't:
-Situationally useless because immobilize is often countered entirely through moves that aren't tagged as movement or blink.
-Engraving is broken and does not function at all.
-Nerf immobilize. This is just a problematic status effect in general.

Suggested Changes:
Nerf immobilize

Other suggestions:

-Make attacks in melee range deal 20 damage to runes.
-Smoke is an incredibly oppressive effect on the battlefield. Combine that with warding and you have the ability to lock people without teleportation in a death circle where they can't easily see you to attack you. An AoE blind would be okay but weak. At least making the area of smoke smaller might be good. Or a ring effect so that anyone inside can see inside it.
-Void Assassin Extend void becomes an incredibly oppressive force with the rune mage and ramps the class's damage dealing capabilities up to an insane degree. Two and a half turns of one momentum runecasting is devastating. Making Swift Rune Casting not work with VA alone would do wonders in balancing this class in the immediate moment. If nothing else, this needs a hit first.
-Make warding rune a ring effect so that anyone trapped inside can go tap the rune out of existence if they have no other options. Being stuck in the outside wing of the rock area is a traumatic experience.


TL;DR:
-VA mixed with Rune mage is an incredibly oppressive thing.
-Rune mage has a lot of versatility and while that's good, it can be oppressive to deal with for a lot of classes even if razor rune gets nerfed.

I'll leave any suggestions for the class to another thread. I'm gonna keep messing around with builds and the like, but I've managed to tear through perfectly reasonable builds without taking damage while underleveled and wearing piecemeal gear collected while leveling.