I don’t want to sound ranting, specially because I REALLY love Amara, but she has some aspects that kind of really annoy me coming from BL2/TPS. Notice that I’ve mostly played Melee Amara as it felt like the way she “should” be played (I mean, she has 8 fists, they should be used for something).
Beginning with her action skills, I freaking love Phaseslam, it’s a perfect and new interation of Siren powers and a new way to use them. Fracture is also an interesting variation of fighting in close/mid range.
Downfall, however, is simply lackluster. You become a target that can’t do much against any decent field of opponents (you’re also vulnerable during Phaseslam as any Amara Main can atest) and even their other augments are usually more suited to her other action skill. Unlike Phaseslam, it doesn’t help you get in/out of trouble, nor does it stagger like Fracture can.
The way to fix is would be simple, make it a “better” phaseslam. Higher cooldown, around the same damage, but when you land, you create a grounded shockwave in a hexagonal pattern, dealing damage of your element. It keeps the idea of beams of energy coming from Amara’s fist, while also making it a more fit evolution of Phaseslam as well as more useful both as way to get in/out of combat and spreading anointed effects.
Phasecast, Deliverance and Tandara are pretty much a very good idea for a mid/long range Amara and I really don’t see any glaring issues with them.
PHASEGRASP (and variants) HOWEVER is probably the skill I hate the most out of all of them. It’s not because it’s weak, no… IT’S BECAUSE IF I WANTED TO PLAY MAYA, I’D PLAY BORDERLANDS 2. It’s… uninteresting to repeat the action skill, specially with so little difference compared to Maya’s version. Even Roland and Axton have more differences in their turrets. It also doesn’t really fit her “elemental” skill tree in a way that it neither helps putting status effects on enemies, nor deals elemental damage (except Fist over Matter). It also doesn’t help that it doesn’t fit Amara’s personality and style. (I mean, she’s the Tiger)
Now, It’s almost impossible making it better without nerfing the skill (Phaselock IS one of the most broken skills in all of Borderlands, specially against non-bosses) but I have a solution that might help. The name is still phasegrasp, but what happens is that 2 of Amara’s hands hold the opponent in place. They are not completely stopped, but they can’t move. The Tether deals elemental DoT to the grasped enemy and to any enemy that is in contact with the arms. The range is smaller than Phasegrasp, but is about the same as max Phasecast.
For her other skills on the same skill tree, I believe that skills which allow her to lock on to multiple enemies as well, with another one that makes it so that while one opponent is grasped, your other 4 arms start pummeling the opponent with one arm for each element your main element isn’t (so, if you’re shock, the other arms would hit for Fire, Caustic, Ice and Rad).
I’m fine with Stillness of mind, although I’d prefer if it was something other than a phaselock, maybe something on the vein of gaining invincibility for 1 second for each enemy hit by your ability.
Now on her skill points, the only one I really have a problem with is guardian Angel. Why doesn’t Amara get wings?? Pretty much every other siren in the game has wings. Lilith gets wings with Phoenix, Maya gains them with Blight Phoenix, even FR4G-TP gains one with Vaulhunter.exe. Why doesn’t Amara get wings like her Siren sisters??
This is not perfect, by a longshot, but those are things that really bother me about Amara