Ego Sprites

colonelmarik · May 2016

Ok, I expect I'm late to this particular party, but I've resubbed to find something inexplicably STUPID has happened and I have to express my frustration and outright rage.

Whose idea was it to make Ego Sprites a melee ranged ability? In case you didn't notice, the Telepathy set is a RANGED power set with next to NO melee defense. Ego Sprites is a CORE power of that set, and now it's completely useless. I have three characters built around the use of Sprites who have now lost a fundamental power.

This nerf is unbelievable. I am thoroughly baffled by it. Telepathy was one of the weakest power sets, and you NERFED IT?!?!

Tell me this isn't how it's supposed to be. Tell me this is being changed back, that it's a bug, because if it isn't you guys are... well, I won't say it.

roughbearmattach · May 2016

Changed a while ago. Many complained in testing. There are no plans to change it back.

Some think non-targeted PBAoE powers are always/often better than targeted ones. In PVP, non-targeted powers can defeat stealth.

I hate the new version and no longer use the power on my two telepathy toons.

hasukurobi · May 2016

Sorry to say, but yep you are screwed. For some unfathomable reason it was decided it should be PBAoE... Then again the Telepathy Set is always the whipping boy of the sets it seems. I do not know why it is so immensely hated. You would think a Psionic killed the Dev's dog or something.

ajanus · May 2016

I dunno...I like the new Ego Sprites. I leveled a DoT tank a few weeks ago and used Ego Sprites as the Challenging Strikes and the blast rupture (Mind Break??) as the Crippling Challenge, then used all the DoTs. I really liked it. Leveled almost exclusively through Alerts and only lost aggro a handful of times from 15-40. Unfortunately this character was the one that found out about the Silver Champ Recognition price hike so I haven't had the chance to do anything endgame with her. I honestly think some powers like this one are changed to give Freeforms a wider variety to cherry-pick from.

Unknown · May 2016

This content has been removed.

roughbearmattach · May 2016

ajanus said:
I dunno...I like the new Ego Sprites. I leveled a DoT tank a few weeks ago and used Ego Sprites as the Challenging Strikes and the blast rupture (Mind Break??) as the Crippling Challenge, then used all the DoTs. I really liked it. Leveled almost exclusively through Alerts and only lost aggro a handful of times from 15-40. Unfortunately this character was the one that found out about the Silver Champ Recognition price hike so I haven't had the chance to do anything endgame with her. I honestly think some powers like this one are changed to give Freeforms a wider variety to cherry-pick from.

That's cool and all, and maybe a telepathy tank really works well. Just strange that it doesn't play very well with the rest of the telepathy set.

cyrone · May 2016

I'm quite fond of the way Ego Sprites is now. It's back to how it was when the game launched. Sleep a mob, run in with Sprites and other Telepathy DoT (they don't break sleep), and carry on with the next mob.

theravenforce · May 2016

Didn't you hear? Nerfing Telepathy has always been in. I don't think it'll ever go out of fashion.

But back to Ego Sprites...

The adjustment was a bit weird, seems to have been done to suit certain builds (like tanks) with Challenging Strikes on Ego Sprites. Makes things alot easier.

As for everyone else who isn't a tank...like a Mind AT, they'll now be forced to make use of Ego Sprites in the way outlined above.

I personally have not made use of Ego Sprites...since...well...2009/2010?

I preferred the second iteration of it, which was placed onto an AT but this reversion has perks for certain people/builds but puts an entire AT at a relative disadvantage (if they didn't make use of Sleep or some form of CC before applying DoTs...or if they simply did not want to fight in Melee range.

You should check to see how many other sets have had mechanics of a core power altered to fit a specific group of players/play style...

(In all seriousness, I'm not a fan of the change but equally it does not affect me since I can opt out of using it)

Unknown · May 2016

This content has been removed.

squirrelloid · May 2016

The ego sprites change isn't so much a nerf as totally different. It's great for cross-framework tanks. (My techno-golem uses it now). It sucks for telepaths.

Telepathy received several other far more significant nerfs (like the manipulator stack duration change and the Mental Storm nerf). But yeah, sprites is also pretty much unplayable for a pure telepath now. (Admittedly, mine wasn't using it before either).

pantagruel01 · May 2016

Ego sprites is great for builds that are designed around being able to jump into the middle of crowd of enemies and wreak havoc; I use it on my TK build. It is not so good for actual telepathy builds.

hasukurobi · May 2016

gradii said:
Since the cooldown nerf DoT telepathy has been hurting badly becuase it was balanced for Pre cooldown nerf levels of cooldown reduction, and was never adjusted to the new meta.

Telepathy has become one of the lowest dps sets in the game, and its only other saving grace is crowd control...

It is not good having CC be your saving grace when CC barely works and is around 80% useless. Most things that it effects other folks can just kill so fast it makes your head spin and on the tougher things it has no effect.

This ability could still be used for tanks and be ranged. In-fact that would be nicer. If you are a melee character, primarily, and a tank then there is nothing more annoying than having your prey run away from you because they are running after an over-healer or some DPS'er who jumped the gun. A way to grab that whole groups' attention at range is great. While this is far from the only option it would still be nice to have AS an option.

roughbearmattach · May 2016

cyrone said:
I'm quite fond of the way Ego Sprites is now. It's back to how it was when the game launched. Sleep a mob, run in with Sprites and other Telepathy DoT (they don't break sleep), and carry on with the next mob.

The old version could do that, too.

That is what bothers me--the new version of Ego Sprites gained challenging strikes, yes. But it otherwise is less functional. The ranged version could just as well be used close up.

Sorry, I think it has more to do with some folks being in love with non-targeted AoE.

Unknown · May 2016

This content has been removed.

pantagruel01 · May 2016

roughbearmattach said:
That is what bothers me--the new version of Ego Sprites gained challenging strikes, yes. But it otherwise is less functional.

It's a larger radius (25' instead of 15'); targeted vs non-targeted is something of a wash, both have their benefits.

vorshoth · May 2016

I remember it used to be really great at one point, since it had a large range if tiny damage, meaning you could sort of scatter it over fields of enemies, like cropdusting, doing okayish damage but on a huge scale. I think they're not fond of large AoEs now, so I dunno.

avianos · May 2016

I didn't mind the Two Gun Mojo rebalance and i didnt mind the revamp of Heavy Weapon frameworks

But the Ego Sprites change was the ONLY change that pissed me off
Not only CLIPS my DoT Telepath character who was using it along the new telepathy, but it force a range character to be in melee range now
I still use it since its part of the character's theme,
the Point Blank AOE Is NOT for everyone, i hate every moment of it

and im against making the power exlusivly for tanking/agro

theravenforce · May 2016

avianos said:
and im against making the power exlusivly for tanking/agro

Well I suggest you get comfortable, because we may see more adjustments to suit that play style.

guyhumual · May 2016

Ego sprites still has a bug where stacks instantly drop for no reason. I'll put two stacks on someone and then wonder, moments later, why they're still almost at full health. Sometimes they drop when I change targets, sometimes they drop when I add the second stack, sometimes the drop when I accidentally hit them a 3rd time when they already have two stacks, and sometimes when I add another DoT effect or hold. It doesn't happen all the time, just enough to be annoying.

Ego Sprites

Comments