MOD 19 Hellbringer Warlock Discussion

dlynn334 · July 2020

All,

Wanted to take a moment to discuss what your guy's thoughts are regarding the DPS path now.
For now I've been running the below layouts:

AOE
Hellfire Ring, Fiery Bolt, BOV
Dark Prayers, NPNM
Double Scourch, Warlock's Curse, Risky Investment, Creeping Death, Soul Spark Recovery

ST
Hellfire Ring, Killing Flames, Hadar's Grasp/BOV
All Consuming Curse, Deadly Curse
Power of the Nine Hells, Warlock's Curse, Risky Investment, Creeping Death, Soul Spark Recovery

I am running Hellfire Ring on single target because of power of the nine hells. With this new feat I am able to get 5 stacks of Soul Investure in one rotation because as long as you place the hellfire ring well, the hell fire ring will generate 5 stacks of soul investiture all on it's own (5 seconds to max stacks!!!). Feel free to test this for yourself.. I will then follow up with killing flames and Hadar's grasp or BOV.

I am still debating if I should stick with BOV or simply run Hadar's Grasp.

Please share what you have been experimenting with this MOD.

thanks!

hadestemplar · July 2020

Delete Comment.( stopped being relevant)

xavior44 · July 2020

@dlynn334 Here is a mod 19 guide that should help you out, it is getting updated about every 2 weeks or so

https://cloakalliance.wordpress.com/2020/06/30/warlock-in-the-ninth-hell-module-19/

mongol69 · July 2020

Infernal spheres still constantly broken and becomes unusable till new power reslotted in its place to fix it. The small magnitude increase and 5% 10 second added buff with 10 second increased cd makes it worthless as a power choice now. Before it could be utilizing it if willing to deal with it constantly breaking. Now it's still broken and performs way worse. Would prefer they just replace it outright and make a viable single target power that isn't outperformed by aoe powers.

Bova now broken also. If enemy target not withing range on initial hit, then it will do no damage to any target that enters its range. Targeting an ally with high crit avoidance makes it uncritable, the fact you now have to look in the air to apply it to self is tragic. Needs to make it only targetable on soulweaver while dps isnt.

Hfr still has casting self cancellation and delayed activation issues. Its targeting get erratic at times. I would personally prefer if activated faster and like pillar of power without targeting. Why have a targetable location ranged aoe dot power if where mobs run at you out of it unless cast on self anyways. Most combat isn't really ranged in such a manner, in group content dps are behind mobs tank hold agro of.. Just still awkward and clunky.

Vampiric embrace still a gimmicky lackluster power. Needs magnitude adjusted upwards to even be usefull, its gimmick doesnt make it very desireable in solo content either. Simple fact that most aoe powers outperform it is just bad all around.

giz · July 2020

The new BoVA is a PITA. I can't understand why they made it to be able to use on a team player. Is terrible for a DPS to aim to the sky to cast it on myself. But i like that it doesn't cancel when controlled.

zebulondaktoid · July 2020

giz#2086 said:
The new BoVA is a PITA. I can't understand why they made it to be able to use on a team player. Is terrible for a DPS to aim to the sky to cast it on myself. But i like that it doesn't cancel when controlled.

As long as you tatget an enemy or nothing, you should be able to cast bova on youself no problem. I found bova can also helpful for targeting the healer for the bore worm healing phase of lomm if they are constantly getting attacked, although I admit that is of limited use.

tgwolf · July 2020

BoVA has never worked particularly well in any of its forms.

There needs to be a consensus on whether it will be an Offense or Utility power, as of right now it fails at both.

hadestemplar · August 2020

tgwolf said:
BoVA has never worked particularly well in any of its forms.

There needs to be a consensus on whether it will be an Offense or Utility power, as of right now it fails at both.

Can't agree on this statement.

Both BoVA and Shadow slip worked fine in mod 10.
Shadow slip at first second use grant total immunity ( 100% immune to CC effects and fully nullify/negate incoming dmg.).
Then from 100% dmg resist, it declined every second down to 40%.
Also need to remind this totall immunity worked only at very first second of shadow slip use.

As for BoVa - it lasted longer than current version, but best part where it granted 25% chance deflect when power is up.

tgwolf · August 2020

hadestemplar#9918 said:

tgwolf said:
BoVA has never worked particularly well in any of its forms.

There needs to be a consensus on whether it will be an Offense or Utility power, as of right now it fails at both.
Can't agree on this statement.

Both BoVA and Shadow slip worked fine in mod 10.
Shadow slip at first second use grant total immunity ( 100% immune to CC effects and fully nullify/negate incoming dmg.).
Then from 100% dmg resist, it declined every second down to 40%.
Also need to remind this totall immunity worked only at very first second of shadow slip use.

As for BoVa - it lasted longer than current version, but best part where it granted 25% chance deflect when power is up.

BoVA has never been a Power that stands on its own, it has always been a Supplementary Power that exists to enhance or be enhanced by another Power to have any kind of meaningful effectiveness.

Powers like that, while fine most of the time just can't be taken seriously when they are so interchangeable with anything that does something even remotely similar.

This is the actual problem with the Warlock Class, not Damage or anything else; too many Powers are constantly split between Offense and Utility, leaving them lackluster in both regards while the few left that have a defined purpose are hindered by some kind of downside that makes them less useful than they could be.

Warlock DPS is great, its CDs are mostly a non-issue with Scorch CD feated as long as you're willing to work around with things that aren't at all great alone.

There's nothing inherently wrong with BoVA, it's not useless or anything by any means but as a stand alone Power, it has never been anything special and it's entirely because there is never a consensus on what kind of Power it should be.

hadestemplar · August 2020

tgwolf said:

BoVA has never been a Power that stands on its own, it has always been a Supplementary Power that exists to enhance or be enhanced by another Power to have any kind of meaningful effectiveness.

Powers like that, while fine most of the time just can't be taken seriously when they are so interchangeable with anything that does something even remotely similar.

This is the actual problem with the Warlock Class, not Damage or anything else; too many Powers are constantly split between Offense and Utility, leaving them lackluster in both regards while the few left that have a defined purpose are hindered by some kind of downside that makes them less useful than they could be.

Warlock DPS is great, its CDs are mostly a non-issue with Scorch CD feated as long as you're willing to work around with things that aren't at all great alone.

There's nothing inherently wrong with BoVA, it's not useless or anything by any means but as a stand alone Power, it has never been anything special and it's entirely because there is never a consensus on what kind of Power it should be.

I don't know how long you play or when started play as warlock, so here quick history.
scourge warlock as class where introduced in mod 4, and it's first paragon path where hellbringer..
Now he had way higher magnitudes for all it's power, way higher than wiz and others..

IF you would take warlocks powers and compared to other classes, warlock where beast, but that where on paper/theory.

When comes real combat, it's not about one power, it's not about three strong encounters sloted in power bar.
It's about their synergy. While wizard had weaker ( by magnitude) powers, due their combinations and that each of them supplemented other powers. Wiz outdps warlock in most cases, for warlock in that time to outdps other only due Tyrannical Threat dps loop effect and lot of DoTs when comes boss fights.

Now some strory about BoVa.

From mod 4 to mod 9 to prock and build up Creeping Death feat stack you needed to use Necrotic type powers.
And there where only>
At will: Hand of blight, Dark aura spiral.
Encounter: BoVa, DT, Warlock's bargain, wraiths shadows.
Daily power : Brood of hadar and Tyrannical Curse and Accursed souls. And curse bite ( not sure can't remember, was not using it)

BoVa where not just dps power, it where also tool to spread and apply/build up Creeping Death feats and also proc lfie steal mechanic and restore HP.

Other thing the very desing of this encounter is about that, you cast power and you free to use other powers. Why do you think at will Hand of Blight have close range mode?? It's due this encounter. It was desing to be used together..

Up to mod 10, BoVa had no defensive or any other survivability increasing effects, only feat: darkness ( temptation tree) granted 4% dmg reduction to enemies who are hit by BoVa.

Also up to mod 10, main warlocks' survivability where life steal, not shadow slip. So BoVa where key for warlocks..
Also with mod 5 introduction of SoulBinder path, BoVa also worked as tool to gather Soul Sparks.

During mod 10 testing, after talks with Former Senior Designer Chris “Amenar” Matz.
He agree to add extra effect to BoVA, cuz without SoulBinder's HP regeneration effect it was almost impossible to utilize this encounter..

Also Amenar did other important thing, prior change, you where unable to cast this encounter and walk in same moment. He not only added this mechanic, but also reworked shadow slip..

Originall Shadow slip granted ~30% dmg resist while using it.. What Amenar did is added effect>
When using shadow slip, at start warlock had 1s total immunity. Thats mean, any CC or incoming hit are fully negated.
That's mean valindras, or ECC hit or any other boss hit where fully negated. But only at first second of Shadow slip use.
Then every second dmg resist declined, down to 60%.

Now combined Shadow slip and BoVa, warlock become beast. Not only you could go through hit's which usually would kill you, but while keeping BoVa up you where landing hits and applying CD(fury build) in Temptation build case you apply Darkness feat which reduced enemies dealt dmg even futher if they got hit by BoVA.

Pillar of Power where also one reason why warlocks build ( temptation) rised like phoenix from ash. But main power still BoVA.

In mod 13 former lead desinger Tony "Balanced" Marasco buffed temptation warlock further, Darkness feat gained effect, so all enemies who got hit by BoVa received debuff,( darkness) which reduced outgoing dmg by 10%, and in same time increased incoming dmg by 10%.
In other words if you hit enemy with BoVa, you where doing 10% more dmg, and enemies where doing 10% to you..

WIth mod 16. Shadow slip nerfed. No longer 1s totall immunity.. Just 1s CC ressist( like anyone would care about it).
And BoVa grant 5k deflect, which with latest change where replaced with 5% dmg resist..

This power does everything well, does decent dmg on his own and also proc other warlock ellements..

Yet I still think mod 10 version where best ones..

MOD 19 Hellbringer Warlock Discussion

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