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Feedback Thread - Electricity Changes

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    revanantmoriturirevanantmorituri Posts: 391 Arc User
    kaizerin said:

    Build FC.31.20170802.11



    ​​
    Um... are there any details for this? I see people talking about it in subsequent posts, but Kaizerin's post is just a single line with the build number.
    -
    Formerly @Seschat pre PWEmerger. @Seschat on the Titan boards.

    Supporter of the Titan Project.
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    theravenforcetheravenforce Posts: 7,065 Arc User

    kaizerin said:

    Build FC.31.20170802.11



    ​​
    Um... are there any details for this? I see people talking about it in subsequent posts, but Kaizerin's post is just a single line with the build number.
    Think this was just a cut off to signify all feedback after it will be related to the latest patch.

    The patch details are on another thread
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    kamokamikamokami Posts: 1,633 Arc User
    qawsada said:



    Looks pretty sweet. I'm glad that some of powers no longer self-root, esp given the movement speed buffing advantages in the set. I wish Storm Summoner did not self root either, but would not want to make any further sacrifices to its damage to get this.

    It seems like the set would benefit from having the powers be a lot more expensive energy-wise and also slightly harder hitting damage-wise.

    It'd be great if Gigabolt got an update. Like if you could do anything about its charge cd by completing a circuit or something similar.

    Lastly, it'd be nice to see some cross-set advantages that Sorcery and Infernal got. Possible passives for the Elec set would include Stormbringer and Quantum Stabilizer so it'd be great to see some advantages linking those powersets with Elec.
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    aesicaaesica Posts: 2,537 Arc User
    spinnytop wrote: »
    Absorb Heat consumes Clinging Flames, Electrical Siphon consumes Negative Ions. That's a very important difference ;)
    I honestly can't tell if you're trolling or being serious.​​
    (Hopefully) Useful CO Resources: HeroCreator (character planner), Cosmic Timers/Alert Checklist, Blood Moon Map, Anniversary Cat Map, and more (eventually, anyway).
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    spinnytopspinnytop Posts: 16,450 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    aesica said:


    I honestly can't tell if you're trolling or being serious.​​

    I'll clear it up for you: use a power that applies NI to trigger the heal from Absorb Heat. Oh, what's that? You need an entirely different power set to do that? See, significant differences don't need to involve tons of changes. The most subtle change can have huge implications.

    Now let's look at your version of ES... oh, you just click it and it heals you and does nothing else, just like Conviction. Carbon copy.
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    aesicaaesica Posts: 2,537 Arc User
    spinnytop wrote: »
    I'll clear it up for you: use a power that applies NI to trigger the heal from Absorb Heat. Oh, what's that? You need an entirely different power set to do that? See, significant differences don't need to involve tons of changes. The most subtle change can have huge implications.

    Now let's look at your version of ES... oh, you just click it and it heals you and does nothing else, just like Conviction. Carbon copy.
    Then here's a better solution for you since you seem to hate duplicating powers so much:

    Absorb Energy: Consumes clinging flames, chilled, negative ions, deadly poison, plasma burn, stagger, bleeding, illuminated, fear, and the kitchen sink from nearby enemies to heal you. Cannot consume more than one debuff per enemy, so no crazy insane heals for using some weird-**** frankenbuild capable of applying all of those. Power is shared across all Energy Projector frameworks.

    There you go, now you can have your awkward, niche heal regardless of framework focus! You won't even need to pollute the power pool with a dozen copies of something that's basically the same power, only with a slightly different flavor, since your response to my alternate conviction suggestion makes it clear that you don't like that approach. :D​​
    (Hopefully) Useful CO Resources: HeroCreator (character planner), Cosmic Timers/Alert Checklist, Blood Moon Map, Anniversary Cat Map, and more (eventually, anyway).
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    waybig#9760 waybig Posts: 76 Arc User
    aiqa said:

    dps on lightning is a bit difficult to test with the bugged debuff, but so far:

    - dps is about 10% lower then a munitions (with TC) or ranged tk (and of course far lower than PA).
    - ball lightning is pointless now, the damage/"time invested" is not worth it for actual dps, and ions is managed by powers that apply the debuffs (this makes takes away from the visuals of the lightning rotations a lot)
    - Thunderstrike is pointless in a dps rotation, having 2 seconds of no ions is quite significant. That would lower overall dps by about 3%.
    - As for Lightning Storm (and all other higher damage AoE attacks) being "in line with single target damage". That is a problem that was created by lowering single target damage and forcing single target debuffs in so many sets to make up for the lower base damage. Now since most sets don't have good AoE debuffs you get a weak AoE power, that only does ok ish damage against 1 target after you apply the debuff, but for the actual AoE use it's weak and often not worth using over single target attacks. And even when available you probably wouldn't add a dedicated AoE resistance debuff to your build, since with the added forced synergies you are often already short on powerslots. Reconsidering the generic synergy setup might be a good idea.

    All in all there is very little to like in this review. It's mostly just a bunch of nerfs and messing up existing rotations and synergies (that were already in line with other sets), and not much to make up for it.

    Well i do agree.
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    flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,742 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    Just some quick takes before I hop off the ptr-

    Due to the changes to Storm Summoner's channel time and it being a 1-sec tick, it doesn't appear to proc Concentration or Chilled Form via the '4-tick rule' for maintains anymore (this can make the toggle not proc reliably if all targets are too close, ala Crushing Wave). Not a bug, technically, but it kinda creates a new issue where there wasn't one before.

    Storm Summoner's final Lightning Blast seems to not have a hit cap on each target when there's multiple targets close together. This can cause it to do a surprisingly large amount of dmg to groups via that final strike.

    ^ that was 25-26 procs on 5 targets packed together w/ the pull-in adv. I assume this is because the 10ft reach on the final strike emanates from each target individually instead of sharing a universal cap of one hit per target. If its intended to work that way, then, well.. that's quite powerful vs. clumped groups :x

    Elec Shield's description still contains the old blurb about it having reduced Physical dmgRes.

    Unfortunately, w/ the shorter delay to TStrike (and Storm Strike) re-applying NI, you can now potentially have NI be consumed after its been refreshed, due to latency and/or the timing of NI's duration counting down.
    I'm not if sure this can be completely fixed w/o reverting to the longer delay, but the bug occurring is more the exception than the rule at least.

    Changes to Ball of Lightning (and Frag nade's scaling) also welcome.
    <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
    - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
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    aesicaaesica Posts: 2,537 Arc User
    flowcyto wrote: »
    Unfortunately, w/ the shorter delay to TStrike (and Storm Strike) re-applying NI, you can now potentially have NI be consumed after its been refreshed, due to latency and/or the timing of NI's duration counting down. I'm not if sure this can be completely fixed w/o reverting to the longer delay, but the bug occurring is more the exception than the rule at least.
    You know, given the issues that seem to crop up around making this work as intended, I almost wonder if it might be better to just redesign that part of TS: Instead of consuming NI, maybe it might be better if it just applies NI and interacts without consuming them instead.

    flowcyto wrote: »
    Due to the changes to Storm Summoner's channel time and it being a 1-sec tick, it doesn't appear to proc Concentration or Chilled Form via the '4-tick rule' for maintains anymore (this can make the toggle not proc reliably if all targets are too close, ala Crushing Wave). Not a bug, technically, but it kinda creates a new issue where there wasn't one before.
    Storm Summoner's ticks in general are pretty strange. Against a single target (to ensure minimal shenanigans) the hits seem to happen about like this:

    1: Two hits in quick succession (reminiscent of older Celestial Conduit)
    2: One hit
    3: One hit + the final payload in quick succession

    Overall, it feels kind of weird and should probably be normalized to the 0.5 tick model (adjusting any pre-finale damage and tick costs to compensate). That would allow it to work better with Concentration/Chilled form as well as any other mechanics based on X number of maintain ticks. Plus, what's hopefully the eventual addition of NI interaction per tick will allow the power to better support itself due to the unique way in which Ionic Reverb works.​​
    (Hopefully) Useful CO Resources: HeroCreator (character planner), Cosmic Timers/Alert Checklist, Blood Moon Map, Anniversary Cat Map, and more (eventually, anyway).
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    spinnytopspinnytop Posts: 16,450 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    aesica said:


    Then here's a better solution for you since you seem to hate duplicating powers so much:



    Absorb Energy: Consumes clinging flames, chilled, negative ions, deadly poison, plasma burn, stagger, bleeding, illuminated, fear, and the kitchen sink from nearby enemies to heal you. Cannot consume more than one debuff per enemy, so no crazy insane heals for using some weird-**** frankenbuild capable of applying all of those. Power is shared across all Energy Projector frameworks.



    There you go, now you can have your awkward, niche heal regardless of framework focus! You won't even need to pollute the power pool with a dozen copies of something that's basically the same power, only with a slightly different flavor, since your response to my alternate conviction suggestion makes it clear that you don't like that approach. :D​​

    That's a terrible solution. All you've done is take your carbon copy idea and altered it slightly, the result being a reduction in the number of powers we have hence a reduction in choice and build diversity ( notice how you are supporting the "everyone uses the same 1 power" meta ). No good. The way they're doing it now is much better since it gives us multiple powers that are just different enough to be meaningful. Nice try though, but you kinda lost the plot :p

    Personally I'm happy to just say that you only care about visuals, and I care about both visuals and mechanical diversity. Sound good? Or we could go around in circles a few more times.
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    aesicaaesica Posts: 2,537 Arc User
    spinnytop wrote: »
    That's a terrible solution. All you've done is take your carbon copy idea and altered it slightly,
    If you honestly can't see the difference between my original proposal (a universally-useful heal with the consume-X BS as an optional advantage) vs what's effectively Electrical Siphon, Absorb Heat, and any future knockoffs of those powers to come all rolled into one, then there's really no hope for you. ;)

    Or is your support for this power a veiled attempt at make sure you can lump Absorb Heat, Conviction, and Electrical Siphon all onto the same character for some silly healing shenanigans?

    Anyway, having said that, "Absorb Energy" wasn't a serious suggestion. It was mainly meant as a way to illustrate how stupid it would be to have a different Absorb Heat for every random framework-specific debuff out there.
    spinnytop wrote: »
    the result being a reduction in the number of powers we have hence a reduction in choice and build diversity
    1) How does locking a heal behind specific a debuff create "build diversity?" All it does is say, "most of your powers need to be able to apply this debuff for this heal to be reliable." It doesn't matter if you have a universal power like this that works with every generic debuff or one power for each specific debuff--any that don't work with whatever debuffs your build uses are non-choices that might as well not even exist because you can't properly use them. A Hobson's choice, if you will.

    2) My original proposal (Conviction alternative with an advantage to do additional healing by utilizing Electrical Siphon's current mechanics) promotes actual build diversity because most people get a reliable heal with different aesthetics, while those who can make full use of the special interactions are able to do so as well.
    spinnytop wrote: »
    ( notice how you are supporting the "everyone uses the same 1 power" meta ). No good.
    No, but I support the "everyone favors powers that are reliable and get the job done" meta. Having multiple Conviction-style heal options, each with different theme-based advantages and visuals to set them apart, really does bring the best of both worlds together. If you can't understand it at this point, I'm not sure how else I can help you.

    Besides, where's your criticism for the tethers, the melee stuns, the self-resurrections, and the lunges? This shows that the devs are pretty much fine with power reskins for the sake of theme.​​
    (Hopefully) Useful CO Resources: HeroCreator (character planner), Cosmic Timers/Alert Checklist, Blood Moon Map, Anniversary Cat Map, and more (eventually, anyway).
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    spinnytopspinnytop Posts: 16,450 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    aesica said:


    Or is your support for this power a veiled attempt at make sure you can lump Absorb Heat, Conviction, and Electrical Siphon all onto the same character for some silly healing shenanigans?

    It's not veiled at all, I absolutely intend to make a cross-framework build that mixes these powers. You still support that right? Cross-framework builds? Just checking. And yeah, that's a big problem I have with your "suggestion", it reduces meaningful player choices. You still support those too right? Juuuuuuuuuust checking :'3
    aesica said:


    Anyway, having said that, "Absorb Energy" wasn't a serious suggestion. It was mainly meant as a way to illustrate how stupid it would be to have a different Absorb Heat for every random framework-specific debuff out there.

    Not only did it fail at that, it was also a pointless endeavor - there's no indication that they're going to make an absorb heat style heal for each framework... I mean come on Aesy, this is only #2.
    aesica said:


    1) How does locking a heal behind specific a debuff create "build diversity?" All it does is say, "most of your powers need to be able to apply this debuff for this heal to be reliable." It doesn't matter if you have a universal power like this that works with every generic debuff or one power for each specific debuff--any that don't work with whatever debuffs your build uses are non-choices that might as well not even exist because you can't properly use them. A Hobson's choice, if you will.



    2) My original proposal (Conviction alternative with an advantage to do additional healing by utilizing Electrical Siphon's current mechanics) promotes actual build diversity because most people get a reliable heal with different aesthetics, while those who can make full use of the special interactions are able to do so as well.

    1) It doesn't say that. Why would "most" of your powers need to be able to apply that debuff? Factually speaking, only 1 of your powers would need to be able to since nothing in the power description says "you must apply NI with multiple powers". It's your choice to make your entire build electric, it might be someone else's choice to only make part of it electric. Oh look, two different builds based around this power, and it hasn't even gone live yet! Diversity.

    2) Conviction is already in the game. Making a copy of it doesn't make new builds, it just makes more builds with Conviction, it just happens to have a different name and some zappy visuals. Name one way that someone would build differently with your version of ES... yeah we both know there's nothing there.


    aesica said:


    No, but I support the "everyone favors powers that are reliable and get the job done" meta. Having multiple Conviction-style heal options, each with different theme-based advantages and visuals to set them apart, really does bring the best of both worlds together. If you can't understand it at this point, I'm not sure how else I can help you.

    Good news, absorb heat and electric siphon are reliable and get the job done. Go watch my video for more information on that ;) Considering you recently admitted that you're kind of new to this game it's amazing how you already settled into the groove of wanting to use the same thing every single time and not wanting to adapt to something new.. usually takes people a while to get there. Glad I avoided that groove since I like to have some diversity in my characters ( that goes beyond graphix ).

    aesica said:


    Besides, where's your criticism for the tethers, the melee stuns, the self-resurrections, and the lunges? This shows that the devs are pretty much fine with power reskins for the sake of theme.​​

    The tethers have different effects, as do the lunges. I actually criticized the copied self rezzes when we were discussing them in the suggestion box long before any of them even showed up on pts - seeing as that debate had been had I didn't really see a point in starting up again since the devs had clearly made up their mind on the matter. Same with the melee stuns, I'm not happy with how samey they are - you could literally swap one out for another and it wouldn't make a difference... but what am I supposed to do, repeatedly complain about them even though it's clear the devs have made up their mind on the implementation? You'd have to be a pretty silly person to do something like that ;)
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    flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,742 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    aesica said:


    Storm Summoner's ticks in general are pretty strange. Against a single target (to ensure minimal shenanigans) the hits seem to happen about like this:
    1: Two hits in quick succession (reminiscent of older Celestial Conduit)

    2: One hit

    3: One hit + the final payload in quick succession

    Overall, it feels kind of weird and should probably be normalized to the 0.5 tick model (adjusting any pre-finale damage and tick costs to compensate). That would allow it to work better with Concentration/Chilled form as well as any other mechanics based on X number of maintain ticks. Plus, what's hopefully the eventual addition of NI interaction per tick will allow the power to better support itself due to the unique way in which Ionic Reverb works.​​

    Yea, there's always an extra tick thrown in there under the first second for all maintains, but that tick doesn't count towards the 4-tick proc rule for Conc/CF. So, there is 4 ticks total, but effectively only 3 count and then the toggle won't proc that way. I don't mind having 1-sec tick maintains for variety's sake, but if so then they need 4-sec mininum channel times to work smoothly atm. Otherwise, yea just revert it to a 0.5 sec tick and adjust from there.
    <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
    - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
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    superalfgornsuperalfgorn Posts: 558 Arc User
    deadman20 said:

    ...
    I would like if our new form was different from the others in terms of the bonuses it provides. I'm not sure about everyone else, but I'm sick of most of the toggle forms providing damage bonuses to both Ranged and Melee. I recommend replacing the Melee Damage portion of this form with a minor Crowd Control Strength boost. This would allow for an easier time to make use of the new Crowd Control synergies that Electricity is providing.



    I completely second this suggestion. Keep Concentration/Enrage for general damage forms and give us more hybrids!

    PLEASE :)

    ______________________________________________________________
    My Characters

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    aiqaaiqa Posts: 2,620 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    With the latest changes, dps is on par with other sets, and ball lightning is useful again, and the overall dps rotation feels good.
    So my biggest concerns are now fixed.
    Post edited by aiqa on
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    flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,742 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    flowcyto said:

    aesica said:


    Storm Summoner's ticks in general are pretty strange. Against a single target (to ensure minimal shenanigans) the hits seem to happen about like this:
    1: Two hits in quick succession (reminiscent of older Celestial Conduit)

    2: One hit

    3: One hit + the final payload in quick succession

    Overall, it feels kind of weird and should probably be normalized to the 0.5 tick model (adjusting any pre-finale damage and tick costs to compensate). That would allow it to work better with Concentration/Chilled form as well as any other mechanics based on X number of maintain ticks. Plus, what's hopefully the eventual addition of NI interaction per tick will allow the power to better support itself due to the unique way in which Ionic Reverb works.​​

    Yea, there's always an extra tick thrown in there under the first second for all maintains, but that tick doesn't count towards the 4-tick proc rule for Conc/CF. So, there is 4 ticks total, but effectively only 3 count and then the toggle won't proc that way. I don't mind having 1-sec tick maintains for variety's sake, but if so then they need 4-sec mininum channel times to work smoothly atm. Otherwise, yea just revert it to a 0.5 sec tick and adjust from there.
    Oh, I guess since we were on the topic of this, even if its a bit OT it may be worth the quick attention to correct: The detailed descriptions for Concentration and Chilled Form contain misinformation, such as: a maintain must be fully channeled as a proc condition or a charged power must be fully charged as a proc condition, when this is not actually the case, and/or forgetting to list the 25ft range proc condition. Conc's tooltip also contains some of this misinformation. Chilled Form's tooltip (not its description) is more up-to-date and accurate w/ regards to the proc conditions, though.
    <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
    - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
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    aesicaaesica Posts: 2,537 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    spinnytop wrote: »
    It's not veiled at all, I absolutely intend to make a cross-framework build that mixes these powers. You still support that right? Cross-framework builds? Just checking. And yeah, that's a big problem I have with your "suggestion", it reduces meaningful player choices. You still support those too right? Juuuuuuuuuust checking :'3
    So you'll be using all 3 on the same character, got it. Now your bizarre position on this makes sense. Didn't you try to criticize me for supposedly wanting 2 convictions before I clarified the part about them using a shared cooldown?

    Oh well, I suppose my work here is done. ;)

    Besides, we're just arguing religion/politics at this point, so we should probably just agree to disagree.

    Edit: Oh wait, I almost forgot!
    spinnytop wrote: »
    Same with the melee stuns, I'm not happy with how samey they are - you could literally swap one out for another and it wouldn't make a difference.
    So a guy using TK blades should just whip out a heavy weapon to stun his target? While I'll agree that they could all be more like the Laser Sword version and have at least one advantage to set them apart, aesthetics alone are a perfectly acceptable reason to offer them to multiple frameworks. But this is a discussion for another topic.​​
    (Hopefully) Useful CO Resources: HeroCreator (character planner), Cosmic Timers/Alert Checklist, Blood Moon Map, Anniversary Cat Map, and more (eventually, anyway).
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    kunkanekokunkaneko Posts: 17 Arc User
    My 2 cents:

    Bugs:

    - Power - Ionic Reverberation: Negative Ions' minor energy tick (the one that doesn't consume) is supposed to tick 3 times per second, as per the Energy Unlock's description (and as is happening on Live Server, too), but testing Lightning Arc on PTS shows it only triggers once every 3 seconds. This makes Lightning Arc completely unsustainable on a build similar to Live (EGO/CON/REC, 2-R7 mods each) (though it works well with 6-R7 END mods and the new toggle). It's basically the Two-Gun-Mojo debacle as it stands.

    - Power - Power Source: This power is automatically scaling to 8 stacks even at rest.


    Suggestions:

    - Power - Power Source: Endurance scaling is just what I was looking for (I can now spam Gigabolt without Arcane Circle), but that's for a Hybrid build. Maybe you should allow this toggle to work on either END or one of EGO/INT/DEX, whatever you think is appropriate, so as to avoid breaking Live builds. But please don't remove the END scaling, it's pretty awesome for thematic builds :)

    - Power - Electrocute Aoe buff still doesn't make this power useful enough, since the 50ft range conflicts with most of the set's ranged powers. Consider having an advantage to increase its range to 100ft.

    - Power - Lightning Arc: This power is now pretty much mediocre, yet unlike its Munitions maintain counterparts (like the assault rifle power), is very expensive, roots, is Single-Target-Only and requires alot of setup from both Negative Ions and the Superconductor Debuff. Honestly, just spamming Gigabolt seems to do more ST damage. I'd love to see a 1-point advantage to trade the 20% damage on NI-targets with a 20% chance to *apply* Negative Ions, making it a stand-alone ST power, just like Chain Lightning (even if it'd still need to apply the Superconductor Buff for max damage).

    - Advantage: Superconductor on Chain Lightning / Electrocute : Changing this buff to 20 seconds, therefore matching it with a normal duration of Negative Ions would be awesome, I hate juggling different cooldowns....

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    flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,742 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    Gigabolt, assuming you even have the energy to spam it long-term, should still deal less single-target dps than LArc + NI.

    LArc is actually not that bad w/ these changes. As Aqia pointed out, the buff to Ball of Lightning and now having easier ways to roll NI and Superconductor from even 100ft away do help equalize things. It does mean you'll have at least one more step in complexity (opening w/ a Superconductor apply- prob gonna be Chain Lit w/ adv for most), but once you initially get NI and Superconductor up, you can settle back into a simple LArc + Ball of Lit or TStrike rotation and be fine. LArc is harder to afford now, but if using Ionic Reverb then more End/Rec gearing can help w/ that.

    Also, Ionic Reverb doesn't always tick 3 times per sec, rather the description stipulates that it can tick that many times at maximum (though that cap may not be consistently enforced, judging from stuff like the new Elec Current's crazy NI/energy adv, but that's prob also not intended).
    <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
    - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
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    zamuelpwezamuelpwe Posts: 668 Arc User
    With Electrocute being an AoE now, it might be best for it to be one of the powers that doesn't arc. That way it doesn't risk damaging its own cc.
    "Interesting builds are born from limitations not by letting players put everything into one build."

    -Sterga
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    kunkanekokunkaneko Posts: 17 Arc User
    flowcyto said:

    Gigabolt, assuming you even have the energy to spam it long-term, should still deal less single-target dps than LArc + NI.

    I agree that it should, but it isn't on PTS, hence why I mentioned it. On the END-stacked build I tested, Elec/Regen Hybrid, Gigabolt was criting 2k on tap, whereas LA was criting 1.3k. Maintain vs Tap playstyle might still make a difference, moreso on Live with a bit of lag, but the damage difference is significant enough to note. Also, END-stacked build means you *can* spam Gigabolt indefinetely.
    flowcyto said:

    LArc is actually not that bad w/ these changes. As Aqia pointed out, the buff to Ball of Lightning and now having easier ways to roll NI and Superconductor from even 100ft away do help equalize things. It does mean you'll have at least one more step in complexity (opening w/ a Superconductor apply- prob gonna be Chain Lit w/ adv for most), but once you initially get NI and Superconductor up, you can settle back into a simple LArc + Ball of Lit or TStrike rotation and be fine. LArc is harder to afford now, but if using Ionic Reverb then more End/Rec gearing can help w/ that.

    That's still 3 fully ranked powers dedicated to make LA a mediocre ST attack. On Live it was max criting 3k per tick on my hybrid (with 2-stack supercharged from Electrocute). Same exact build on PTS only reaches around 1.7k, plus it's puffing for air after 3 maintains (on Live it can maintain forever as long as NI are on). Numbers'wise, I don't think it's worth it. IMO.
    flowcyto said:

    Also, Ionic Reverb doesn't always tick 3 times per sec, rather the description stipulates that it can tick that many times at maximum (though that cap may not be consistently enforced, judging from stuff like the new Elec Current's crazy NI/energy adv, but that's prob also not intended).

    I don't know whether it's intended or not, but it's still a noteworthy difference. On Live, LA consistently triggers NI 3 times per second, giving around 36 energy per sec, or 108 energy per 3 seconds (plus Concentration), meaning I can maintain it forever. On PTS, LA consistently triggers NI only once every 3 seconds for a meager 12 energy (plus Concentration), meaning on my Elec/Regen it can't be maintained more than 3 channels with EGO/CON/REC.

    LA can be maintained indefinitely on an END-heavy build with the new toggle, but as I was reading on the thread, END's not everyone's cup of tea. It can also be maintained if you use Electric's offensive passive, and I imagine a Defiance or AoPM build might work too, but if you dabble into thematic hybrid builds like Regen or Super-Reflexes, you'll struggle with energy, as well as with the significant power and rank investment needed to make LA work. Picking an assault or plasma rifle seems alot less complicated, with similar results.

    If these changes go Live, I'll probably go END heavy and drop LA, but I'm basically halving my current Live ST damage, so I'll take it as a nerf with a bit of flavour. I longed for an END-only "I have the power" build, and spamming Gigabolt without Arcane Circle is pretty awesome by itself :)

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    flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,742 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    kunkaneko said:


    I agree that it should, but it isn't on PTS, hence why I mentioned it. On the END-stacked build I tested, Elec/Regen Hybrid, Gigabolt was criting 2k on tap, whereas LA was criting 1.3k. Maintain vs Tap playstyle might still make a difference, moreso on Live with a bit of lag, but the damage difference is significant enough to note. Also, END-stacked build means you *can* spam Gigabolt indefinetely.

    dps, not just raw dmg, is what matters for the long-term. Taps of Gigabolt are listed at 0.67 sec, but there's also input delay that adds around 0.2 sec from tap-spamming the power in tandem, whereas the maintain will be closer to 0.5 sec on avg w/ its ticks (input delay matters less since ur channeling most of the time instead of re-activating the power back-to-back constantly). So, LArc should still beat Gigabolt vs. 1 target, and esp if you add NI's 20% dmg bonus on top of that.

    Gigabolt is a fine attack on its own, but LArc is still the powerset's best boss-killer when its optimized.
    kunkaneko said:

    That's still 3 fully ranked powers dedicated to make LA a mediocre ST attack. On Live it was max criting 3k per tick on my hybrid (with 2-stack supercharged from Electrocute). Same exact build on PTS only reaches around 1.7k, plus it's puffing for air after 3 maintains (on Live it can maintain forever as long as NI are on). Numbers'wise, I don't think it's worth it. IMO.

    Well, Ball of Lit can be good even outside of using LArc, but regardless its really just adding one extra attack to what the old Elec ST rotation was (Ball of Lit or TStrike + LArc). I dun really see how that's a big burden. Ball of Lit also will be hitting significantly harder now, to help bridge the gap to make LArc more what it was before (w/ the added benefit of not losing as much dps from having to interrupt channels).
    kunkaneko said:

    LA can be maintained indefinitely on an END-heavy build with the new toggle, but as I was reading on the thread, END's not everyone's cup of tea. It can also be maintained if you use Electric's offensive passive, and I imagine a Defiance or AoPM build might work too, but if you dabble into thematic hybrid builds like Regen or Super-Reflexes, you'll struggle with energy, as well as with the significant power and rank investment needed to make LA work. Picking an assault or plasma rifle seems alot less complicated, with similar results.

    If these changes go Live, I'll probably go END heavy and drop LA, but I'm basically halving my current Live ST damage, so I'll take it as a nerf with a bit of flavour. I longed for an END-only "I have the power" build, and spamming Gigabolt without Arcane Circle is pretty awesome by itself :)

    I was testing around w/ diff SS setups w/ Elec on the PTS, and a number of combos can work, but you will have to devote more to Rec/End for Ionic Reverb and w/e ur toggle stat is than before. But if gear is good enough even LArc rotations are still fine. EGO/End/Con with Conc_CF as the toggle and mostly Ego + some Rec/End can work, as can the same SS setup but taking Power Surge as the toggle + 3/3 Sixth Sense and focusing purely on End. INT/End/Con can also work, and DEX/End/Con can be good w/ the End-focus setup. There's a number of ways to go about it w/o resorting to End PSS and/or taking CoAP or dropping Con SS- it'll just take stronger energy-related stats than usual.
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    aesicaaesica Posts: 2,537 Arc User
    I should've probably said so sooner, but I was too busy enjoying all of the nifty aoe stuff. :D

    +1 for Lightning Arc being woefully unable to properly sustain itself, even compared to energy hogs like Lightning Storm. I'm finding that LArc can partially be fueled by using ball lightning's NI interactions + form returns, but that leaves anyone who'd rather use Thunderstrike for the NI apply/SC refresh out of luck.

    Lightning Arc--and Storm Summoner--absolutely need better NI interaction. As things stand now, neither of these powers can sustain themselves properly enough to be playable.​​
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    kamokamikamokami Posts: 1,633 Arc User
    With the current changes, LArc+Ball Lightning+debuff seems significantly stronger than it is on Live. I was just derping around and got 6.4k without even trying.

    With a serious test, pretty sure it could break past 7k DPS - which I have not pulled off on Live.

    With enough determination, you can stretch any change to make it seem like a nerf. But let's be clear - this is a buff.
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    aiqaaiqa Posts: 2,620 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    > @kamokami said:
    > With a serious test, pretty sure it could break past 7k DPS - which I have not pulled off on Live.

    Not without adding some significant out of set DoT/spikes/debuffs.
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    redobsidianredobsidian Posts: 48 Arc User
    Recently i played on the PTS and tried out the new powers mentioned for electricity and i have to say i'm very excited with the direction that's being taken. :)
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    kamokamikamokami Posts: 1,633 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    gradii said:

    What people mean to say Hyperbole aside is the nerf to electric dps isn't that bad.​​

    Then "people" would be wrong. The set deals more damage and has more utility both in terms of single target damage and AoE...that's called a buff.
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    baelogventurebaelogventure Posts: 520 Arc User
    kamokami said:

    But let's be clear - this is a buff.

    Oh yeah? It's almost like what I said would happen. ;)

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    kamokamikamokami Posts: 1,633 Arc User
    aiqa said:

    Not without adding some significant out of set DoT/spikes/debuffs.

    I'll give it a shot once I get home, but I think it's doable without out of set debuffs, dots, or spikes.
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    spinnytopspinnytop Posts: 16,450 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    aesica said:


    So you'll be using all 3 on the same character, got it. Now your bizarre position on this makes sense. Didn't you try to criticize me for supposedly wanting 2 convictions before I clarified the part about them using a shared cooldown?

    Yes I did criticize you for that. What's your point? Are you trying to say that a build with 2 Convictions has the same build and gameplay implications as a build with ES and AH? Try again.

    Or what... did you convince yourself I was criticizing everyone who takes more than one heal in their build? You seem to have forgotten what the conversation is even about.
    aesica said:


    So a guy using TK blades should just whip out a heavy weapon to stun his target? While I'll agree that they could all be more like the Laser Sword version and have at least one advantage to set them apart, aesthetics alone are a perfectly acceptable reason to offer them to multiple frameworks. But this is a discussion for another topic.​​

    spinnytop said:

    Personally I'm happy to just say that you only care about visuals, and I care about both visuals and mechanical diversity. Sound good? Or we could go around in circles a few more times.

    ^ I already tried that agree to disagree thing, remember? Posting it again so you might bite this time.

    Also you brought up off-topic powers. If you had an issue with that then why'd you start it.
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    kamokamikamokami Posts: 1,633 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    aiqa said:

    Not without adding some significant out of set DoT/spikes/debuffs.

    Here you go: 9.9k DPS with no out of set spikes, debuffs, or dots. I've only spent a few mins with this rotation and I'm sure it can be optimized further. Those massive drops on the DPS-over-time graph are for summoning sigils.





    If we used an elec device or 2 + disintegrate then it'd be much higher....but that would break the conditions.

    9.9k dps with in-set Elec attacks is impossible on Live, but very doable on PTS.
    Post edited by kamokami on
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    flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,742 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    A lil misleading there, as you'd have to play an up-close build using Storm Sigils and Sparkstorm's toggle on top of LArc + Ball of Lit. Its impressive, though that scenario is pretty idealized. That, and one can tack-on sigils and Sparkstorm to any close-range build w/ enough energy.

    Also:
    "....but that would break the conditions."
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIl_BNIJcFg
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    aiqaaiqa Posts: 2,620 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    Oh right didn't consider the sigils and melee stuff, nicely done.

    The 9.9k dps is more a design thing about how much damage a power should be allowed to do compared to the time you invest. In the case of sigils or sparkstorm, that is obviously quite high, and is buffed up even more with the new debuff.

    That isn't really tied to the original claim about LA though. On my own dps build I am getting 5.9k with lightning (LA+BL+CL), with the same build I got 5.8k for the new ranged tk. So that part is pretty well balanced (funny how none complained about tk dps being too high).
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    jaazaniah1jaazaniah1 Posts: 5,431 Arc User
    Anyone got a sense of whether Lighting Sheath will be worth taking over Impact/LnL/Ice Sheath? It would be nice if the in set AO was more worth taking.
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    kamokamikamokami Posts: 1,633 Arc User
    flowcyto said:

    A lil misleading there, as you'd have to play an up-close build using Storm Sigils and Sparkstorm's toggle on top of LArc + Ball of Lit. Its impressive, though that scenario is pretty idealized.

    What would be not idealized enough for you?
    flowcyto said:

    That, and one can tack-on sigils and Sparkstorm to any close-range build w/ enough energy.

    Yes you can tack on anything to anything with enough energy.
    aiqa said:

    That isn't really tied to the original claim about LA though.

    What original claim about LA?
    gradii said:

    Not to mention storm sigils die to aoe instantly at bosses, and stop doing damage once dead.​​

    You can 0-out the row with Sigils and still be 7.4k DPS....in fact considering the massive summon time....you'd be at or above 8k DPS.
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    pantagruel01pantagruel01 Posts: 7,091 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    kamokami said:


    What would be not idealized enough for you?

    Broadly speaking, builds that only function at melee range should be compared to melee builds. Not that 9.9k dps isn't good even for a melee dps, but if you want to look at how something functions as a ranged set, do it at range.
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    aesicaaesica Posts: 2,537 Arc User
    Not gonna lie, I'm unsure whether Sparkstorm's toggle advantage should even continue existing. Yeah, it's pretty cool, but now that it doesn't come with the drawback of kicking enemies out of your AoE, there's no real drawbacks for using it, provided your character has the energy to pay for it. The above test shows that it's not only a straight-up boost for AoE, but also for single target, so you're literally doing yourself a disservice if you don't include it and it strongly encourages you to play your ranged character as a melee character.

    What does everyone else think about this power? I'm pretty on the fence about it and what should be done. I like it, but I also...kinda don't. :x​​
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    kamokamikamokami Posts: 1,633 Arc User
    edited August 2017

    Broadly speaking, builds that only function at melee range should be compared to melee builds. Not that 9.9k dps isn't good even for a melee dps, but if you want to look at how something functions as a ranged set, do it at range.

    At what range?

    100ft? Elec wins easily vs everything but PA.

    50ft? Elec has no reason to be at 50ft while other sets do. The comparison would be advantageous to those sets, but Elec can still match if not beat them.

    15ft? Elec wins against every ranged set and matches most melee sets.

    Given the direction the set has taken....25ft Ultimate, Lunge, updated PBAoE...it would be unfair to simply leave out the possibility of getting close to the target from the evaluation.

    There are a lot of instances (most) where being far away from the target does not justify the loss in DPS, the new Elec set provides the option to take advantage of those scenarios and get close to deal more damage...while other ranged sets do not.

    Point is: the set got a massive buff. I'm not saying it's too high or too low. I do not care either way. But I am saying that calling the changes a nerf is outright wrong.

    The new Elec set gives you the flexibility to deal more damage than every 100ft set, except for PA, and at least match but probably even beat every 50ft set as well with a very simple rotation and no requirement to be at 50ft. Then it also gives you the option to get close to achieve melee-level dps in encounters where that would be beneficial.
    Post edited by kamokami on
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    flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,742 Arc User
    I could take or leave Sparkstorm's toggle option. Atm its dps is kinda 'meh' if used as a normal AoE instead of a toggle used on top of something else, but at the same time I can understand why the toggle option reigns in the attack's base dps a bit. If the toggle was to go then I'd want it replaced w/ something more compelling than a special adv that knocks enemies out of it :p

    Anyone got a sense of whether Lighting Sheath will be worth taking over Impact/LnL/Ice Sheath? It would be nice if the in set AO was more worth taking.

    Not for dps as much. Still has a potential defensive benefit over the others w/ E-M Union, though.
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    jaazaniah1jaazaniah1 Posts: 5,431 Arc User
    Bummer. I hope that all the AOs will get a review at some point to give us a real reason to use other than the big 3
    flowcyto said:


    Anyone got a sense of whether Lighting Sheath will be worth taking over Impact/LnL/Ice Sheath? It would be nice if the in set AO was more worth taking.

    Not for dps as much. Still has a potential defensive benefit over the others w/ E-M Union, though.
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    sergeantmahoff1sergeantmahoff1 Posts: 138 Arc User
    So uh, not gonna lie. With the evidence given, I feel like Electricity might be too strong now. Unless you plan on getting every ranged set to be like this, I don't think its a good idea to let this get to live personally. That's PA levels of DPS with a LOT less effort. And it also seems kind of odd that Electricity gets even stronger when reworked sets like sorcery are still kinda low end. That's just my two cents.
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    flowcytoflowcyto Posts: 12,742 Arc User

    So uh, not gonna lie. With the evidence given, I feel like Electricity might be too strong now. Unless you plan on getting every ranged set to be like this, I don't think its a good idea to let this get to live personally. That's PA levels of DPS with a LOT less effort. And it also seems kind of odd that Electricity gets even stronger when reworked sets like sorcery are still kinda low end. That's just my two cents.

    Well, LArc base dps is quite lower than before, relies on debuffs even more heavily to be optimized, and its pretty costly now. The 9k+ parse you saw above was ballooned by 2 powers that any close-range build can use (sigils and sparkstorm toggle). Debuff + LArc + Ball of Lit rotations are prob close to where LArc + NI was before when optimized (talking 100ft range here), and LStorm is doing less dps for upfront AoE (but is also less costly). Otherwise, some non-optimal stuff got buffed in diff ways, and buffing 'weak' stuff doesn't necc make it OP- just good/decent.

    Also, I wouldn't label Sorcery low-end now. It has decent a single-target dps option now (didn't really have that before- it was mostly in spamming Skarn's.. assuming you could afford the old one's cost), and is even more versatile than what it was originally. Skarn's was nerfed to be a more normal cone AoE, but that was bound to happen.
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    qawsadaqawsada Posts: 739 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    aesica said:

    Not gonna lie, I'm unsure whether Sparkstorm's toggle advantage should even continue existing. ​​

    flowcyto said:

    I could take or leave Sparkstorm's toggle option. Atm its dps is kinda 'meh' if used as a normal AoE instead of a toggle used on top of something else, but at the same time I can understand why the toggle option reigns in the attack's base dps a bit. If the toggle was to go then I'd want it replaced w/ something more compelling than a special adv that knocks enemies out of it :p

    Toggle allow the user to use the power while block. Combine with the knock back (inherit before this patch and an advantage after this patch) and you got an auto Enrage that stack up to eight while the user is blocking, not to mention grabbing aggro without targeting anything. It one of the main power in this tank build I use.
    https://www.arcgames.com/en/forums/championsonline#/discussion/1206736/kaiser-behemoth-tank-build

    The disadvantage is that you can't use any other damaging toggle like the Dino Injection or Ego Blade Pandemonium. Obviously, I would choose to leave it there.

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    sergeantmahoff1sergeantmahoff1 Posts: 138 Arc User
    edited August 2017
    flowcyto said:


    Well, LArc base dps is quite lower than before, relies on debuffs even more heavily to be optimized, and its pretty costly now. The 9k+ parse you saw above was ballooned by 2 powers that any close-range build can use (sigils and sparkstorm toggle). Debuff + LArc + Ball of Lit rotations are prob close to where LArc + NI was before when optimized (talking 100ft range here), and LStorm is doing less dps for upfront AoE (but is also less costly). Otherwise, some non-optimal stuff got buffed in diff ways, and buffing 'weak' stuff doesn't necc make it OP- just good/decent.

    Also, I wouldn't label Sorcery low-end now. It has decent a single-target dps option now (didn't really have that before- it was mostly in spamming Skarn's.. assuming you could afford the old one's cost), and is even more versatile than what it was originally. Skarn's was nerfed to be a more normal cone AoE, but that was bound to happen.

    I appreciate you breaking that down for me a bit more. I kiiiinda went on the assumption that everyone would try this and kinda realized after your explanation it would take some serious tryharding to consider doing this.

    Additionally, after seeing how much lower the parse would be excluding the non 100 ft damage abilities, it actually does roughly come up to where Sorcery is. Granted, that may also be because of the pauses and delays caused by using the other three attacks. Though given that the same tools are in sorcery as well, it seems like I was wrong. But in that case, I see no reason to buff or change much else about what we have here. Other than potential bug fixes and what not.
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    aesicaaesica Posts: 2,537 Arc User
    flowcyto wrote: »
    I could take or leave Sparkstorm's toggle option. Atm its dps is kinda 'meh' if used as a normal AoE instead of a toggle used on top of something else, but at the same time I can understand why the toggle option reigns in the attack's base dps a bit. If the toggle was to go then I'd want it replaced w/ something more compelling than a special adv that knocks enemies out of it :p
    Yeah, plus if it were to lose its toggle in favor of better damage, it'd need something to make it feel less redundant with Storm Summoner as a maintained PBAoE. I could think of a few ways to set the two apart, but I don't think it's really on the to-do list.​​
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