Intelligence or Ego for damage?

williamkony

I need to determine which stat to use for my damage role. I've used both, but never paid attention to PvP while I had Intelligence set up. After changing to Ego, I started taking a little more interest in that. I'm not really using a PvP-only build, and don't expect to win every fight, but it can play along with other PvPers on occasion.

What Ego nets me currently is tremendous spike damage, when I get lucky with a critical, thanks to the Spec Tree's critical severity boost. But, I'm wondering if sacrificing the 37% severity would be worth it in exchange for 46-someodd % defense penetration off of the Intelligence Spec Tree.

There actually is a bit more to it than that, really...



Benefits to the Ego tree are:

Major luck-based spike damage
Higher listed damage overall given Ego's natural ranged damage boost
62/77 Defense in Tank/Support roles respectively, further boosted by the Guardian/Vindicator tree combo.



Benefits to the Intelligence tree are:

Large defense penetration (46% when I used it before, can't remember my exact stat layout from that time)
Higher cooldown reduction, good for a few powers (I would say Cost Discount as well, but Ego's tree gives that, too)
More stealth sight
Likely 62/77 Offense in Tank/Support roles (far, far less potent than the Defense)
About 2800 more HP in Tank mode, minor boost to healing in Support mode
Slightly better energy management via the mastery's Recovery and Endurance, plus minor (100 or so) amounts of Intelligence in Tank/Support modes.
Friend uses Ego and Constitution, as well, causing some overlap in mods between us. Changing to Intelligence would make it easier to gear us both.
I like the word "Intelligence".



The primary thing making a difference, I think, is the critical severity versus the defense penetration. The defense boost on Ego is also potent, but hopefully, the little bit of Cooldown Reduction from Intelligence would allow me to use my heals more often, offsetting the reduction in defense. ...I would definitely miss the natural 63% defense boost, though. X)

The rest of the stuff is mostly just "fluff" of sorts. Nothing that's an absolute dealbreaker in my eyes, but might make a difference.

How does the defense penetration work, exactly? Does it subtract the amount you have from their defense, or does it ignore that percentage of their damage reduction?

wrathsoul1

williamkony wrote: »

I need to determine which stat to use for my damage role. I've used both, but never paid attention to PvP while I had Intelligence set up. After changing to Ego, I started taking a little more interest in that. I'm not really using a PvP-only build, and don't expect to win every fight, but it can play along with other PvPers on occasion.

What Ego nets me currently is tremendous spike damage, when I get lucky with a critical, thanks to the Spec Tree's critical severity boost. But, I'm wondering if sacrificing the 37% severity would be worth it in exchange for 46-someodd % defense penetration off of the Intelligence Spec Tree.

There actually is a bit more to it than that, really...



Benefits to the Ego tree are:

Major luck-based spike damage
Higher listed damage overall given Ego's natural ranged damage boost
62/77 Defense in Tank/Support roles respectively, further boosted by the Guardian/Vindicator tree combo.



Benefits to the Intelligence tree are:

Large defense penetration (46% when I used it before, can't remember my exact stat layout from that time)
Higher cooldown reduction, good for a few powers (I would say Cost Discount as well, but Ego's tree gives that, too)
More stealth sight
Likely 62/77 Offense in Tank/Support roles (far, far less potent than the Defense)
About 2800 more HP in Tank mode, minor boost to healing in Support mode
Slightly better energy management via the mastery's Recovery and Endurance, plus minor (100 or so) amounts of Intelligence in Tank/Support modes.
Friend uses Ego and Constitution, as well, causing some overlap in mods between us. Changing to Intelligence would make it easier to gear us both.
I like the word "Intelligence".



The primary thing making a difference, I think, is the critical severity versus the defense penetration. The defense boost on Ego is also potent, but hopefully, the little bit of Cooldown Reduction from Intelligence would allow me to use my heals more often, offsetting the reduction in defense. ...I would definitely miss the natural 63% defense boost, though. X)

The rest of the stuff is mostly just "fluff" of sorts. Nothing that's an absolute dealbreaker in my eyes, but might make a difference.

How does the defense penetration work, exactly? Does it subtract the amount you have from their defense, or does it ignore that percentage of their damage reduction?

It lowers the target's resistance bonus. Do be mindful that it scales with Intelligence if you put points in Detect Vulnerability.

williamkony

wrathsoul1 wrote: »

It lowers the target's resistance bonus. Do be mindful that it scales with Intelligence if you put points in Detect Vulnerability.

Yup, I'm calculating the 53% defense penetration based off of Mecha Teddy's threat and an estimated 585 Intelligence in Damage Mode.

I'm guessing most PvPers will mostly just have the damage reduction from their Defense stat, yes? I know some occasionally use defensive passives, but are often sporting something else. That means the defense penetration Intelligence offers should take out just about all of the defense they have?