Dreadtheft targeting issues

chadblodgett

To start off I would like to say that I absolutely love this encounter power, but it is a royal pain in the butt to use sometimes. If you cast it on a specific target it "locks on" to that target and stays there until Either the encounter or the target expires. If the later occurs first, I have a lot of trouble getting the beam to transfer a new target. Sometimes i can swing the beam around a little, sometimes the beam direction wont budge and I have to move around and try to get an angle on a new target, and sometimes it snaps to a new target under the targeting cursor. It all seems to rely on luck currently. Also something that bothers me is the fact that sometimes when you use it the beam grafix shoot off at some wonky angle even though the damage is still being applied to the target under the targeting reticle which makes it even harder to try and aim the skill.

The other annoying part of this skill is when you use the skill on a big group of mobs (can you taste the mass AOE lifesteal damage?) and someone in the group "punts" the mobs you get to watch your nice tight group of AoE damage dwindle to nothing as your beam pulls a 180 because the mob it was "locked on" ended up behind you. If we can keep manual control of where the beam is placed would be the best solution.

My suggestion..... "Lock" the skills targeting to the target cursor and not to a specific target or whichever direction your character is facing (as this can be slightly different than where the cursor is pointed in combat) that way the beam is always firing wherever you point the cursor.

midnightfang93

chadblodgett wrote: »

My sugestion..... "Lock" the skills targeting to the target cursor and not to a specific target or whichever direction your character is facing (as this can be slightly different than where the cursor is pointed in combat) that way the beam is always firing wherever you point the cursor.

I think that they mentioned on preview before that they couldn't do that, but I might be remembering wrong.

chadblodgett

if they can do it with a wizards "ray of frost", they should have no issues doing the same with this. I haven't used my wiz in a good long while so I might be remembering incorrectly but from my memory the ray of frost skill does exactly that, locks to the cursor and hits whatever you point it at. the only difference is "Dreadtheft" has an AoE component where "Ray of Frost" is single target. other than that the actual mechanics of how the skill is fired and used should be the same.

darkstarcrash

Ray of Frost and Dreadtheft are totally different skills.

Ray of Frost is a channeled at-will that is locked to a single target, with no splash damage to other nearby targets. It continues until you stop holding the mouse button or the target is dead.

Dreadtheft is a beam that is locked to a target, but passes on behind that target, continuing for 5 seconds (or whatever, not sure of the time) even after the target is dead - unless you sprint or toggle it off to cancel.

By back-pedaling and strafing, you can clear entire groups with one Dreadtheft encounter. It takes some skill, but it's an awesome encounter and it's fun to use.

It reminds me of when my CW could choose Shard of the Endless Avalanche. I read the description and put off putting any points into it because it sounded so complicated to use. :P It became my favorite encounter (until Mod 4, of course).

chadblodgett

OK So comparing to Ray of Frost wont work then. but what bothers me about the skill still stands. once its locked on target dies, the skill becomes unpredictable at best as to if it will lock a new target or just lock to whatever direction it was pointed when the target died (thus the moving around strafing and what not). As I stated before, once the "target lock" is lost, you can sometimes swing the beam around a little bit (usually in whichever direction the character is physically facing and not towards the cursor), but mostly it sticks to whichever direction it was pointed. this is where the punting groups of mobs gets REALLY frustrating. if you pop the Dreadtheft and the group of mobs immediately gets punted across the room the entire encounter power is essentially wasted because there is no way you are going to get the beam to swing back around before the timer expires.

Something else to think about here as well. If the encounter power gets manually canceled/shut off by the player early(usually due to situations like above) at least some of the cooldown timer should be refunded to the player (based on how much time remained un-used) so that the skill can be re-targeted and reused sooner.

hitmark

midnightfang93 wrote: »

I think that they mentioned on preview before that they couldn't do that, but I might be remembering wrong.

Pretty much.

Remember that it started as a hold to fire, just like the wizards ray, but in encounter form. It became a toggle when people complained that holding down the key and moving at the same time became a game of finger twister.

In essence there is a limit with the game engine that force them to make it this way.

Btw, anyone notice that if your initial target dies you can sometimes use your at-will while the beam is still going?

somebob

hitmark wrote: »

Btw, anyone notice that if your initial target dies you can sometimes use your at-will while the beam is still going?

If the target vanishes, your beam will shoot straight ahead of you (and damage mobs) IF you aren't using any other power. If you start firing off your At-Wills, the beam still shoots, but it won't deal damage as you're dealing damage anyway.

It's kinda buggy that way.

savrai

I actually like the mechanic of Dreadtheft currently. Having the beam act weirdly if a target dies forces you to maneuver around and choose the best target. I always wait a second or two at the beginning of a battle and see which mob 1) has the most HP, 2) is not being targeted by the group's heavy hitters and 3) affords me the most AoE damage if targeted. Of all classes I play, this one takes the most movement before and during battle (when using Dreadtheft).

If you're in a group that likes to punt mobs, then maybe have a quick strategy session at the beginning of the run and suggest that your tactic will be to gather them, not scatter them.

I like that it isn't a 'spam when it comes off cooldown' power. It takes a little patience to use to its full potential. And it forces the CCers in the party to set up the battleground more in order to take advantage of the potential huge damage of the beam.

And after running with Blue (who is a DC, not a thief) a couple times the last couple days, we've discovered that some of us SW's are not making it easy to be buffed. Because of the huge demand for us to move around a lot to use the beam, we either sacrifice our buffs from DCs or sacrifice best position in order to be buffed.

Before I started using the beam, I figured it was being spammed because it looks cool and numbers tick off it like crazy, but I've gained respect for it when used correctly. It takes skill, patience and finesse to get the most out of it.

demonkyuubi

i remember someone used it on me in pvp. i hid behind a wall for 2 seconds (still aiming at me but no damage) and as soon as i came back out, the beam started spinning all over the place like it was on drugs. kinda funny that i made him waste an encounter like that xD

twilightwatchman

Leave DT alone. It's a ridiculously powerful encounter and the trade-off is that it requires a little skill and planning to make the most of it. Remove the skill element and it will most likely get nerfed to compensate.

Just learn how to use it properly.

alkemist80

It's fun having to move around and position yourself, including having to swing around to catch everything that you can. Though it can be slighty risky in dungeons with the long range and accidentally pulling something you don't want.

As for knockbacks.. it's a nuisance, regardless if I'm a sw or not. Unfortunately it's a common thing in this game. In WoW, if you used knockbacks in PvE, people didn't like you much.

DT can be buggy though, I seem to be a good candidate at making my beam shoot up into the sky..

hitmark

alkemist80 wrote: »

DT can be buggy though, I seem to be a good candidate at making my beam shoot up into the sky..

I guess you are using HoB as your at-will. Thing about that at-will is that one of the hits is a backhand slap. And DT for some reason do not properly reset the hand position before firing, meaning it will shoot out in whatever direction the palm is pointing. Note that this has no impact on the DOT direction as best i can tell, it will still hit whatever is in line with you and your initial target.

xianclinn

The beam, should not clothesline. It should follow enemies and it should bend. It also should not handle and aim, like a kite blowing in the wind and trying to steer it.

It takes for too long for it to get back on targets, when you aim. Almost makes me want to drop the power even though I like it.

mrhinkypunk

Well currently the power is technically rather OP so I wouldn't drop it if I were you.

Too be honest I think it should work purely by aiming it, where ever you are looking it will go. Problem is that this makes it much worse against stealth in PvP let alone anything moving. The way it currently is gives it a pretty buggy feel I've found.

hitmark

The more i play the more i feel that everything else was balanced as if we would be constantly stacking them on top of DT.

End result is that the DPS goes to the dogs whenever i'm facing something that i can't maintain DT on (like those pesky giants with their immunity to CC and knockback spam).

passionbreeze

It's still an awesome thing to watch when DT doesn't cacle after a target dies.. Whether i'm still dealing damage or not I hope this doesn't get fixed because on the occasion my target dies b4 my DT beam, I get to feel like a duel-wielding <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> and throw down other skills at the same time.

passionbreeze

I've found that dread theft seems to work best as a delay power. I don't take it as a finisher but more as a filler move to distract other players while I wait for my encounters to recharge. That way i'm still dealing dos while moving to avoid their targeting. After DT finishes my encounters are usually back up and I can lay down the pain while they recover from it. Also the other classes are starting to get used to this giant death laser of ours and they've learned to hide behind the nearest wall until it fades out. This is another reason I use it as a filler because it's a lot more effective if u can lay down your initial damage and then throw DT down after their defenses have dwindled significantly. Aim aside this power is incredibly useful when you need a moment to get back in rhythm. While you run DT you can check your hp and encounters, get ready to drop pots and artifact power, check on the battlefield and then return to the fight without missing a beat. Basically it allows you to ignore your surroundings for a split second without wasting precious combat time. If you think about DT this way it becomes more of a way of saying "BTFU i've got other things to worry about." rather than a true dps power.
_Mal'iz Witchbane

twilightwatchman

xianclinn wrote: »

The beam, should not clothesline. It should follow enemies and it should bend. It also should not handle and aim, like a kite blowing in the wind and trying to steer it.

It takes for too long for it to get back on targets, when you aim. Almost makes me want to drop the power even though I like it.

You're using it wrong.

Stop chaining it on to Hand of Blight spam and it will stop pointing at the sky.

It isn't an aimed power and never will be as it's too powerful. It channels at a single target whether that target dies or not. Just strafe around to hit other targets.

Honestly - I don't consider myself particularly skilled but I have no problems whatsoever using Dreadtheft.

geltab

Personally when my DT beam shoots into the sky i just think my SW wants to melt God's face Pure EVIL!!!