3rd Edition Force Cascade/Typhoon Spam

l1ghtstar · September 2012

The New Force Cascade & Typhoon Spamming Guide.

On Alert! Has brought many exciting new changes to the game. Many new possibilities have been presented. With that said, I decided to re-write the new Force Cascade Spamming guide, with Typhoon added due to both powers being similar in nature, costs, and functionality. As before, I don?t like to go on and on, so let?s get to it!

The Passive Selections

Let?s start with Force?s innate passive, Kinetic Manipulation. Kinetic Manipulation is nice for spiking, perhaps best suited for Imbued Force Cascade. Since you only get one Force Cascade shot every few seconds, it is best to make that shot hit hard as possible, thus Imbue spiking. Choose Kinetic Manipulation for your absolute highest spiking needs. However there are other passives that have been introduced which might be a better choice.?

Stormbringer is essentially the same as Kinetic Manipulation with added Cold + Electrical damage buff and resistances. The only thing that makes Kinetic Manipulation better than Stormbringer is the stronger ranged physical resistance. But then again, you have more resistances with Stormbringer and better all around. Stormbringer is essentially the same Energy Form passive and also geared for wind?s blast attack, Typhoon.
**Note; Kinetic Manipulation buffs all Physical ranged attacks, which include Archery + Munitions, and other random ranged Piercing/Slashing damage, whereas Stormbringer only buffs Crushing. When mentioning that KM + Stormbringer are the same, it is in regards to spamming Force Cascade, which is Crushing. **

The all around offensive choice is Quarry. Quarry might possibly be the best passive in many other ranged builds. It?s the X-Wing of passive, the staple among ranged passives. Why? It provides Ego stacking via Audacity, which gives you Ego via your Intelligence rating, and a bonus to your Dodge & Avoidance, essentially giving you near Lightning Reflexes defenses. So when choosing Quarry, you?re more flexible in gearing your toon. There?s no energy form associated with Quarry, which is good for countering Force Cascade?s Energy form consumption. So choose Quarry for the all around solution to survivability, damage, stating, and energy management needs.

Aura of Primal Majesty. Hmm. I actually grew a dislike for this passive after seeing that [the old] Enrage/AoPM combo made you look like youre constipated, not to mention the many other people running it after the old guide was introduced. Nevertheless, it is similar to Quarry in that it buffs all your stats and indirectly buffs your survivability by allowing you spam your self-heals better on yourself. The old Enrage/AoPM combo however will be changing pretty soon, as it has finally been toned down a bit, like we expected. Now Concentration has taken place, and it scales differently than the old Enrage. More on Concentration further down. Choose Aura of Primal Majesty for your team support needs and energy management.

Defensive Passives. For tanking with mainly Force Cascade/Typhoon, Defiance comes to mind. If you?re tanking, you?re most likely going to pick Constitution as your Primary Super Stat, thus naturally having Imbue, thus making Defiance a viable choice for tanking with Force Cascade/Typhoon. Lightning Reflexes; dunno about Lightning Reflexes any more, as Quarry can give you near Lightning Reflexes performance with Dodge & Avoidance gear + Evasive Maneuvers. Furthermore, you?re much more survivable picking Defiance or Invulnerability and staking dodge. Invulnerability, is good [and sparkly =p], but really, I?d recommend Defiance above all other passives still. Defiance can be stack with Pseudo Lightning Reflexes performance, with Inertial Dampening Field, and with +Defense for great all around Tanking.

l1ghtstar · September 2012

The Stats

First, let me link you to both Guide to Spec Trees & Specialization Tree Info.

I?ve found that the best combination of stats is one with Dexterity, Ego, and either Intelligence/Endurance and Recovery/Endurance. Dexterity for crits, Ego for ranged damage and making your Force Cascade/Typhoon recipient fly much farther, Intelligence/Endurance and Recovery/Endurance for the energy management/pool. The stat combo to choose most likely will depend on which passive you pick. This is so because passives really work differently and will dictate how you will experience spamming Force Cascade/Typhoon.

Recommendations

Kinetic Manipulation-Constitution Primary with Ego +Presence or Intelligence as Secondaries, gear/talent for Recovery + Endurance.
As previously mentioned, Kinetic Manipulation is great for spiking and not spamming. Kinetic Manipulation is really only for Force Cascade and not Typhoon (Typhoon uses Stormbringer). Kinetic Manipulation means that Force Cascade will be eating up your Kinetic Manipulation temporarily, which means you got to output as much power as you can from each Force Cascade shot. Constitution will boost your Imbue severity, and Ego buffs your knock and ranged damage. The other secondary is up to you. If presence is chosen, it?ll buff your shields and heals to kind of help you stay alive. But if you killed everything in that one Force Cascade shot, then you probably won?t need it Presence, therefore, Intelligence. Intelligence will lower all your costs and allow you to use Molecular Self Assembly for your energy needs. Since you?re only spiking Force Cascade at a reduced cost once every so often, you won?t need a huge energy pool, thus allowing you to gear & talent for Recovery and Endurance as your build needs.

Stormbringer-Ego Primary with Dexterity + Recovery Secondaries, talent & gear for Endurance.
Stormbringer is nice, and is best suited for spamming Typhoon at its peak. Typhoon is really nice and I suspect that it might have better DPS than Force Cascade. More on that soon. Typhoon knocks are awesome and with Ego as Primary, duels will be FUN to see people flying all over! The Ego spec tree helps lower your costs via Insight, and helps you get near 50% crit chance when you have Dexterity + Sixth Sense along with Severity being high via Follow Through. You won?t need Dexterity as a primary because if you do take Dexterity as a Primary, you?ll get hit hard with Diminishing Returns. Your Crit chance will be good with the mentioned Spec tree picks + Crit chance gear. I?d prefer Recovery secondary vs. Endurance because with Higher Recovery, you can alpha strike better, use energy builder less since it scales off of Recovery. Not to mention I really, really dislike Dark Transfusion for being really out of theme in most my toons. Talent & Gearing for Endurance has not hindered my performance at all, as one of the Videos below shows.

Quarry- Dexterity Primary with Intelligence + Recovery/Endurance Secondaries, Talent & Gear for Endurance/Recovery & Ego.
OR
Quarry- Ego Primary with Dexterity + Intelligence Secondaries, Talent & Gear for Endurance & Recovery.
Two choices. The first one allows for the energy management and spamming more often while the latter provides stronger hits with either Force Cascade or Typhoon. Unless you?ve got the absolute best gear, possibly even rank 9 mods, the latter choice is probably better since you can gear & talent more easily. I suspect that not everyone will have the best gear so, either choice will probably get you the same results due to sacrificing some of your super stats to talent & gearing for energy management. The first choice doesn?t super stat Ego either in the Primary of Secondary slot due to Audacity stacks. Therefore, to maximize your crits, you?ll have to go Primary Dexterity to achieve high levels of crit chance. Intelligence doesn?t have higher crits in its spec tree so unless you rather forgo crits all together and go Primary Intelligence + Recovery/Endurance (btw, the absolute best spamming combo, but not the strongest) there really isn?t not reason to use Intelligence Primary. High Intelligence coupled with cooldown reduction gear, you can make your Molecular Self Assembly proc often and endlessly! The other Secondary is really up to you, but you need either recovery or Endurance for energy management and talent & gear the other. The other choice, if you can pull it off, will hit harder. Ego Primary with Audacity stacks can go well into the ~350ish range enjoying Intelligence benefits plus crits. You really have to gear & talent good enough to have a decent energy pool to spam Force Cascade/Typhoon.

Aura of Primal Majesty- Ego Primary with Dexterity Secondary, the other secondary is up to you =p
Aura of Primal Majesty Force Cascade/Typhoon might be strongest hitting one, but the passive allows a great deal of flexibility which is why the second Secondary stat is up to you! Ego Primary and Dexterity Secondary are picked for almost the same reasons as Stormbringer stats.

Defiance- Constitution Primary with any combination of Ego/Dexterity/Recovery/Endurance Secondary. Gear & Talent for the left over.
Constitution Primary for Imbue + Defiance Scaling. Might want to Ego as a Secondary due to Concentration if you pick it up instead of Inertial Dampening Field. Dexterity allows for the crits, but your crit severity won?t be at its highest so you might just want to stick with Imbue. Recovery & Endurance for energy management.

l1ghtstar · September 2012

Specializations

Most of the offensive choices will be best coupled with Guardian & Vindicator.

From Guardian

- Fortified Gear (3) grants more +Defense boost, making you sturdier and going well with The Best Defense.
-Ruthless (2) increases your Crit Severity, and since most of the builds are Crit centered, increasing how hard your crits hits is only natural.
-The Best Defense (3) Pairs well with Vindicator?s Aggressive Stance. Further increasing your offense is nice.
-Find The Mark (2) Exposed Debuff making it easier to crit, Yes Please!

From Vindicator

-Aggressive Stance (2) Coupled with Guardian?s The Best Defense, all the combo between these two trees will make your offense easily hit ~280-300ish (possibly even higher), and defense hit above ~200 making you stronger and tougher.
-Merciless (3) buffs your crit severity even further. Why not? With this and Guardians Ruthless, and either Ego?s Follow Through or Dexterity?s Deadly Aim, your crit severity should be close to if not passing the 100 crit severity mark.
-Mass Destruction (3) Force Cascade and Typhoon are both AoEs. You definitely should take this, crit more often!
-Offensive Expertise or Modified Gear (2) whichever your build needs more of. Offensive Expertise will allow more frequent use of your Active Offenses and Modified Gear will improve your Offense rating, though Offense gets hit hard by Diminishing Returns at around ~300 and above.

Now for Tanks, take Guardian specs and grab Protector if you choose to. Sentinel Spec is only worth it for the Sentinel Aura, but even then it now received quite the nerf, so maybe it?s not a great choice, unless you?re a dedicated healer. For the Ego and Dexterity Primaries;

From Ego

-Insight (3) Lower your costs. Um quite obvious as to why.
-Mental Endurance or Force of Will (2) Mental Endurance for the Recovery Secondaries and if having trouble Talent & Gearing for Endurance. If not, Force of Will is better than Aggression as +Defense doesn?t get hit hard from Diminishing returns, and Guardian?s The Best Defense scales your Offense rating better with the more +Defense you have.
-Follow Through (3) Increase your Crit Severity, hit harder.
-Sixth Sense (2) Increase your Crit Chance. Crit more often.

From Dexterity

-Gear Utilization (3) Increase your Defense and Offense ratings, which both pair with Guardian and Vindicator specs.
-Combat Training or Power Swell (2) Combat Training increases your Crit chance, although not by much, even you rank it up to 3. Power Swell to help your energy management.
-Deadly Aim (3) Crit Severity buff.
-Quick Reflexes (2) Makes you a bit more durable by granting you more dodge.

As far as which to take as a Mastery, I enjoy taking the Ego or Dexterity Masteries, as they give you more flexibility in Talent & Gearing. Vindicator?s Mastery is useless, unless you?re a melee hybrid. Guardian?s Mastery might also be useless, especially since you?ll be using Force Cascade or Typhoon as your attack, and not your Blast power.

Force Cascade or Typhoon?

Your choice really. They?re both identical in that they are 100ft, AoE?s, energy intensive, and most importantly, the knock epicness! However the topic here is what sets them different.

-Force Cascade is pure Crushing damage, and gets resisted once instead of twice in Typhoon?s case. Force Cascade also hits harder therefore costs more. Force Cascade?s cost is reduced if there is an Energy Form to consume.
-Typhoon deals Crushing & Cold damage, which gets resisted twice. Hits a bit less in comparison, costs less than Force Cascade and it doesn?t eat up an Energy Form.

Now, DPS. As previously mentioned, I suspect, let me repeat that, I suspect that Typhoon has more Damage output over a given time rather than Force Cascade. Typhoon isn?t all that much less powerful. It damage output is really close to Force Cascade?s. Where Typhoon really, really shines though is that it costs less to cast and that makes all the difference. Since Typhoon costs less you can spam it longer, using your energy build less frequently, giving your Energy Unlock power less of a strain to give you energy. So you can probably dish out more Typhoons than you could Force Cascades.
Again, these are just suspicions, and need a working parcer to go against Kigatilik to verify it. I?d really suggest you take your pick based on personal preference.

l1ghtstar · September 2012

Builds

Kinetic Manipulation

1. Force Bolts
1. Force Shield -- w/ Force Sheathe
5. Kinetic Manipulation -- Rank 3
8. Force Geyser -- Rank 3 or Rank w/ Nailed to the Ground
11. Molecular Self Assembly
14. Conviction -- Rank 3
17. Concentration -- Rank 3
20. Imbue -- Rank 3
23. Masterful Dodge
26. Bountiful Chi Resurgence -- w/ Resurgent Reiki
29. Force Cascade -- Rank 3
32. Lock n? Load
35. Evasive maneuvers -- Rank 2 w/ Sleight of Mind

One free power slot and 5 adv points left. Perhaps grabbing another damage power to help supplement Force Cascade while energy form on cool down might be a good option. Make sure to proc Force Geyser often to fuel your energy via Molecular Self Assembly (especially awesome with cool down gear). Force Sheathe?s lingering effect will grant some energy back. Concentration and Imbue would hit hard. Masterful Dodge Bountiful Chi Resurgence + Conviction should keep you healed. Lock N Load isn?t an energy form so it won?t be eaten up by Force Cascade. Could be replaced by something else if you?d like.

Stormbringer

1. Wind Lash
1. Hurricane -- Rank 3
5. Stormbringer -- Rank 3
8. Wind Reverberation
11. Force Shield -- w/ Force Sheathe
14. Sparkstorm -- Rank 2 w/ Electric Personality
17. Conviction -- Rank 3
20. Masterful Dodge
23. Bountiful Chi Resurgence -- w/ Resurgent Reiki
26. Typhoon -- Rank 3
29. Evasive Maneuvers Rank 2 w/ Sleight of Mind
32. Lock n? Load -- Rank 3
35. Concentration -- Rank 2

One power and 3 adv points left over. Hurricane and Sparkstorm combo obliterates any mob QUICKLY. Open with a Typhoon, and nothing lives long to go up against you. You?ll be triggering Wind Reverberation often with Hurricane and Typhoon, so energy won?t be any issue. Lock N Load really does buff up your crit chance, so enjoy it!

Quarry (Force Cascade)

1. Force Bolts
1. Force Shield - w/ Force Sheathe
5. Force Eruption/Protection Field/Force Blast
8. Force Geyser - Rank 3 or Rank 2 w/ Nailed to the Ground
11. Quarry - Rank 3
14. Molecular Self Assembly
17. Conviction - Rank3
20. Masterful Dodge
23. Bountiful Chi Resurgence - w/ Resurgent Reiki
26. Force Cascade - Rank 3
29. Concentration - Rank 3
32. Evasive Maneuvers - Rank 2 w/ Sleight of Mind
35. Lock N Load - Rank 3

One power and 5 Adv points left. This build is much of a hybrid of the Kinetic Manipulation and Stormbringer.

Quarry (Typhoon)

1. Wind Lash
1. Hurricane -- Rank 3
5. Gust/Wind Breath
8. Quarry Rank 3
11. Force Shield -- w/ Force Sheathe
14. Sparkstorm -- Rank 2 w/ Electric Personality
17. Conviction -- Rank 3
20. Masterful Dodge
23. Bountiful Chi Resurgence -- w/ Resurgent Reiki
26. Typhoon -- Rank 3
29. Evasive Maneuvers Rank 2 w/ Sleight of Mind
32. Lock n Load -- Rank 3
35. Concentration -- Rank 2
38. Molecular Self Assembly

3 Adv points left over. Almost the same as Stormbringer build except your using Molecular Self Assembly for energy. The rest, well see above builds lol.

Aura of Primal Majesty

1. Force Bolts
1. Force Shield -- w/ Force Sheathe
5. Protection Field/Force Eruption/Force Blast
8. Force Geyser
11. Concentration
14. Molecular Self-Assembly/Overdrive
17. Conviction -- Rank 3
20. Aura of Primal Majesty -- Rank 3
23. Lock N Load
26. Force Cascade -- Rank 3
29. Masterful Dodge
32. Evasive Maneuvers -- Rank 2 w/Sleight of Mind
35. Bountiful Chi Resurgence -- Resurgent Reiki
38. Open (Intensity)

l1ghtstar · September 2012

Videos

Stormbringer build vs tough mobs in Therakiel's Temple

Quarry Force Cascade in Mandragalore, solo

Quarry Force Cascade in PvP, non crit spec

Kinetic Manipulation, one-shot **Note: this build is quite old, only posted it to get the gist of what Kinetic Manipulation Spiking looks like.

ventani · September 2012

Dope build as always. I love this build, I hate this build in Nemesis alerts lol.

bladesta · January 2013

Thank you very much for these builds - it was nice to know I was on the right lines with my spam build; what you add just makes so much sense lol. The video was good to; I was using EM completely wrongly. And lastly, I tried your build (or my variations on it with no crit) and OMG, I have never actually felt as powerful since lvl 11!

it was weird having such a yoyo-ing energy bar and winning at the Bartlstation Hard 4 player (tho I am only lvl 26 so...)

PS:
THANK YOU!!

l1ghtstar · January 2013

Glad to have come to assistance. Wll be updating some sections in this uide, as there a few things that need to be updated, as well as some one or two builds that I've come up...

If you have any questions, lemme know!

mysticfloater · January 2013

Another options for a passive is Night Warrior. It is weaker than Quarry in this build but the ability to disappear and then fully charge an attack is very nice.

ulyana13gru · June 2013

I am currently at test live trying this stormbringer build, looks immensly fun.

My gear is fairly good but a few pieces are with constitution. I'm at 6,3k hp - do you really get by with so low hp in solo elites (vikorin) or like therakiel? Or did I miss something?

Also, how come you go for end? I have ~137 energy equilibrium and only like 10 more max energy. When would I need more?

Is there any idea to perhaps go PSS Ego, SSS Dex Const and talent for req (and gear som req until comfortable equilibrium?

mehob · September 2013

I love this build! This is the build that made me come back to CO, so there's some bragging rights for you. I have some questions though...

I know you don't give out talents but could you give some suggestions? I am wondering if I'm doing this build right. I am getting 18K crits without good gear. So I think I'm doing something right.

Speaking of gear, what stats should I get? Having quarry, should I boost Int to 300? I don't really understand the stats aspect of the game and could use any and all help.

Here's my build currently. It's mostly yours, with a few minor changes.

PowerHouse (Link to this build)

Name: Paralaxis

Archetype: Freeform

Super Stats:
Level 6: Ego (Primary)
Level 10: Dexterity (Secondary)
Level 15: Intelligence (Secondary)

Talents:
Level 1: The Disciple
Level 6: Coordinated
Level 9: Academics
Level 12: Shooter
Level 15: Wordly
Level 18: Negotiator
Level 21: Impresario

Powers:
Level 1: Force Bolts
Level 1: Force Eruption (Gravitational Polarity)
Level 6: Force Blast (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Force Shield (Force Sheathe)
Level 11: Quarry (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 14: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 17: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 20: Masterful Dodge
Level 23: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Resurgent Reiki)
Level 26: Force Cascade (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 29: Concentration (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 32: Evasive Maneuvers (Sleight of Mind)
Level 35: Lock N Load (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 38: Ego Surge (Nimble Mind)

Travel Powers:
Level 6: Jet Boots (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Athletics (Rank 2)

Specializations:
Ego: Mental Endurance (2/3)
Ego: Insight (3/3)
Ego: Follow Through (3/3)
Ego: Sixth Sense (2/3)
Guardian: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Guardian: Ruthless (2/2)
Guardian: Find the Mark (2/3)
Guardian: The Best Defense (3/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: Offensive Expertise (2/2)
Vindicator: Mass Destruction (3/3)

l1ghtstar · September 2013

Hi,

Currently, from looking at your stats, you might opt for some Rec/End to make FC more spammable. It'd be easier if you can link a screenshot of your stats, or post your overall stats...

Btw, Imbue, imo, is better than Ego Surge when no Constitution is present. Plus Imbue doesn't get eaten up by FC.

Hope that helps.

mehob · September 2013

There you go. I don't have the best gear at the moment. So far I have +110 End, +55 Int, Ego and Rec on my primaries. I need to get one more rec.

l1ghtstar · September 2013

If you're getting 18k Crit in the open world, then i'd say you're fine. Your stats are spread out some, but that's ok, since Quarry will boost both your Int and Ego. Have you tried DEX/Int/rec plus a bit of end? I'm currently using that combo and's it's working great, more spam of FC. Maybe I do need to update this thread...

mehob · September 2013

Oh I know they are spread around. But reading your guide it says to gear for Endurance & Recovery... so I feel like I have 5 stats. And that's part of what is kinda driving me crazy. I feel like I'm doing it wrong...

3rd Edition Force Cascade/Typhoon Spam

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