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venomous breath vs. epidemic
irollones
Posts: 6 Arc User
Is there a great reason to take epidemic over VB? Epidemic seems to be preferred, but according to the wiki the numbers on average are pretty close (and VB may be a touch more energy efficient). Other than the obvious cone vs. pbaoe, is one really that much better than the other?
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Epidemic favors pure damage output, as full-maintains are going to stack those Debilitating Poison effects fast. Using it consistently, enemies will easily get up to 10 stacks and stay there until they're dead.
Venomous Breath favors, actually, control. The whole reason I feel one would take it is so that they can use its advantage, Paralytic Bile, to lock down enemies. Its mechanics do intend to make it a bit more compatable with Bestial Supernatural, but the ticks occur frequently enough that it almost always guarantees stuns against big mobs of henchmen.
Energy Efficiency is of no concern, especially in the Supernatural Tree, where Supernatural Energy pretty much ensures that you never run out of energy and can fully-maintain any attack. In fact, Defile is pretty much the only attack in the Infernal set that makes you really cry for energy when you have that return.
Which is why you spec INT and pick up Aspect of the Infernal and go LOLOLOL as you do one fully charged Defile and get enough energy to follow it up with a second one.
...I just recently realized something really disturbing. We're all eating Sodapop3's "humble pie."
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But Epidemic's FX are more obnoxious, especially in a group.
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Venom Breath also doesn't root you
Now that we no longer have insta-holds, venomous breath never gets any use for me.
Because epi's damage scales up, venomous breath does less overall. Epi's 25 ft pbaoe basically allows it to be a primary attack against single targets or groups.
Oh, must have been thinking of Devouring Essence. Still, sphere > cone for crazy mobility and not even thinking about targetting at all.
Sorry .. but DE also doesn't root you :biggrin:
But yeah .. Epidemic is just so much better, never used venom breath again since we
got that last december.
Some people believed Epidemic's OP and when they got Epidemic toon by them selves, they all know the reality.
It was a good dream. xD
Eh, what? I don't think it's OP, but it's definitely one of the top aoe powers. Since the first character I took up to 40 used infernal, I was always spoiled by it and really struggled with other power sets in terms of aoe (granted, a lot of that is because of the super-efficient energy from supernatural power). It covers a big area, it has frequent ticks, and with the adv, it quickly stacks a dot that really adds up over a long fight (if you have a defensive passive--otherwise, with pestilence, non-bosses die too fast for the dots to matter). It can also be buffed if you use fire snake. It's a maintain instead of a charge so you don't suffer as much from knocks, you can be using it while moving around...
It's probably tied with hurricane as the best aoe power. The only downside to it is that it's not a 100' power...
Maybe I'm not understanding your post right =P
He's just saying the people who think its amazingly over-powered have little experience actually using it.
But really, something like pyre would be quite nice if it were a maintain and not a chargeup - you really dont have many options for a maintained pbaoe.
Yeah .. its simply the ease of use. Just fly into the middle of the mobs and cast it as long
as everything is down.
1. is a maintain .. and i like maintains more than charges.
2. its a sphere and i prefere spheres over cones
3. its a 25ft sphere .. and most other are only 15ft
4. you can move while using it
5. you dont need a target
6. endless energy from supernatural power.
Other powers on that level are only maybe Hurricane and to a lesser degree Quicksand
sind Quicksand roots you and starts with a smaller sphere that grows with the time.
Hardly a convincing case to convince doubters that Epidemic isn't OP.
I don't do a lot of Supernatural infernal but I might use Epidemic for primary attack most of the time and Venomous Breath for kiting might based enemies. The 50ft range gives more margin for error.
On the OP front I think it's more down to Supernatural Power than epidemic itself.
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The one who can't shut up formerly known as 4rksakes
About the @handle - it's a long story.
Profound quote.. "I'm not a complete idiot - several parts are missing."
I played a lot Infernal since i started to play. My first has used 2 Energy Unlocks at that time
since Supernatural was really bad in that days, so she also had Thermal Reverb and Flashfire,
and used Vicous Cyclone.
Later after they forbid the use of 2 unlocks i went with Form of the Tempest and Venom Breath,
and after the Revamp last December then with Aspect and Epidemic.
And last after the Form revamp i switched back to Form of the Tempest
But i think its not really just Supernatural now .. its also that the energy costs are not that high.
Before on Alert i also had some Melee Builds with Hurricane for example and that worked
also great with INT and MSA and a lunge .. or now Overdrive would also work.
From pure damage of course, Lightning Storm or even more Conflag with a FB Tap before
is much higher .. but much higher Energy Costs, and you often don't hit all targets and
have to restart it then 2-3 times.
Ranged attacks of melee mobs are however weaker mostly. But instead of kiting its simply
easier if you have a flight TP and just hover above them
Venomous Breath can Stun enemies, so it's pretty good as an opening attack as well as for fighting retreat: The enemies will always follow you in a formation that is perfect for cone attacks.
Epidemic deals more damage and is best used in the middle of a fight, both offensively and defensively. It works best when you are surrounded or trying to counter attacks that could come from any direction, like in PvP.