Jibikao
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Posts
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Joined
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I am sorry. I can't think of any situation except for Apex where you can snipe that pylon at very long distance but you know what I do in that situation if I play a stalker? I invite range specialists. That SF requires 8 people and range damage is very common and required.
Stalker snipe sucks. I just can't think of any situation where I need it.
1. Pull? Most vet attacks work and dark blast works better and can be used in an attack chain and can be used to finish off a runner. Trying to finish off a runner with a 7s casting snipe is just.. . stupid? I rather hide and wait for that runner to come back.
2. Damage? I am not going to waste build up on it and wait for 7s to cast it. Its base damage isn't that high to begin with so you need to slot it. If I need to slot snipe for decent damage, I rather save the slots for something else.
3. To say Snipe works well it's like saying slotting Brawl for damage works well too if you have the patience for it.
4. Let's just say you successfully pull a boss from a group. Well, that boss is aggroed so you are not likely to set up BU + AS on him. You can get interrupted and waste endurance. This is the same as pulling with dark blast.
I already have a big problem with Snipes in general. Adding extra 3s casting time makes me want to PUKE. I have more problem with the casting time than the damage itself. The damage vs casting time ratio is just terrible. -
It's been a while since I played DA content. I don't recall them having extra stronger lethal resistance (unlike Longbows, Malta, Rikti).
If lethal resistance extra strong, Spine can be a good choice. If your goal is x8, I would go with Elec, Spine and Staff. Staff has decent enough aoe and you get extra +defense too on top of your SR's. -
I still wish Focus could last for about 12s though. With 10s, sometimes I feel like I just have to dump my 3-focus right away even though that's way overkill. If I have a bit more time, I would rather find a more suitable target to use it on.
I think the difference between Brute and Stalker is that Stalker should have more time to release that massive damage on a target of his choice. Before the new change, it was taking way too long (and interruptable) to release that massive damage. -
Patron/Epic attacks cannot build Focus so I don't plan on taking them unless I am MA or EM with zero aoe and I need one badly.
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Quote:The worst thing about Snipe is that it takes almost 7s to shoot... so to make it do "good" damage, you need to add Build Up. Spending 7 out 10s during build up for just ONE attack seems very pointless to me. If I want to pull, a vet staff would do or even dark blast.Originally Posted by DMystic
The Snipes use the Stalkers Ranged damage mod (which is .5 or .6) so the snipes end up doing 75 damage, 150 with crit at the base. Not worth the power slot
Overall, Snipe on Stalker is completely waste of time IMO. There is no reason to nerf it by making it 7s. 4s is already long enough. And doesn't Shark attack in patro do more damage than Snipe? -
This is an older thread but I've been playing with my Staff/Elec a lot and I just love it so much! I've teamed with 2 other Staff Stalkers and one time, I was leading a team of 3 Stalkers (two staff, one claw). It was so fun to start the fight with that much burst damage. That truly feels like a group of assassins, sneaking in and taking out targets so quick! One of the missions is a +2 elite boss with that big ugly Wailer Lord. He went down soooo fast with 3 stalkers gangbanging him. lol
How do I fight with my Stalker? It's all about that Orange Ring around Assassin Strike man. That is just like Fury for Stalker. I just want to keep attacking and unleash that massive damage.
I've seen a lot more Stalkers asking for teams now. I think the buff has a positive effect on the Stalker population. What do you guys think? Have you seen more stalkers? Have you converted more people to play stalkers? I've converted two so far who did not like stalkers. -
Quote:But if Beast's ST damage level is on par with Robot, then there is something wrong.. don't you think? Robot is 100% range (even though they may run in).Originally Posted by Jeremia_Bane
I didn't say bots have great ST damage, i said i feel my beasts are on their level as far as ST damage goes. My thugs does a bit more, but i have achilles heel proc in the enforcers so that muddies it a bit.
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If you don't plan on putting the expensive pvp -resist proc in it, it is ok to skip once you have all the other attacks and set bonuses. However, pbaoe sets have good bonuses so I would rather keep it and drop either Initial or Heavy. I rarely use Initial because I want higher chance to build Focus.
I only use Sweeping when I can line up for two targets. On a large team, I mostly only use Spinning Attack. -
Quote:Yes, mine is also Beast/Time and it is hard to tell if Beast is performing well or not because I simply find /Time extremely strong. I can't imagine any primary with /time can do horribly.. ok, Merc will do less damage but Time offers more controls.Originally Posted by Jeremia_Bane
I just hit 32 on my beast/ MM, and yes the second upgrade helps alot. Maybe not as much as robots, but its very very noticeable. Judging by feeling ST damage is about Thugs or Robots level, durability is much much higher though.
Then again im running /Time, hitting farsight and pack mentality at once just saved my behind when i accidently pulled 2 arachnos groups with 2 bosses each. Its pretty much godmode for all your pets. Suffice to say without the second upgrade i wouldn't have killed much by the time pack mentality ran out ...
Edit: I have a beast/time, ninja/dark and a bots/traps all around level 35. Ninja really, really stands out. Its not just the dps, but the amount of knockdowns/stuns etc. Once you got them in melee they can burn a Boss down so fast its unreal. Faster than either of the other sets can kill a LT and im not exagerating, sometimes the boss doesn't even get to fight back ...
Yes, Ninja can burn a boss fast and they can also get burned faster than any primary. :P Two blasts from most bosses = dead Genins.
Robot does not have great ST damage. They have very good aoe damage. What makes them good at soloing AVs (besides their survival) is that Assault Robot has -500% regen which translate into more dps for Robot. In normal boss fight, Robot's -regen doesn't affect as much and it's natural to feel their ST damage is lower and they should be lower! When you have a 100% range set that does more ST and AoE damage and survive the best... it calls into questions! -
Trust me, we've asked this many times before.
I don't think it's going to happen so I give up already. At this point, I don't even know what is the "hold up". Too good? Too bad? I say just let the players decide.
The fact that they chose not to port it to Dominator in last round of proliferation (Dom didn't get anything) proves that they don't plan on porting Illusion. -
Quote:Originally Posted by Jeremia_Bane
I remember a comparison of the attack chains of the different pet sets, and if i remember correctly Beast had some trouble due to a lack of attacks. It literally would run out of attacks with the individual pets standing there waiting on attacks to recharge, which wasn't something ninja suffered from.
How much practical application this has outside of soloing AVs/GMs i don't know since the pets might very well burst an enemy down and spend the recharge time of their attacks running to the next, ranged attacks might delay the closing in to a new target or not.
Subjectively i have to say my beasts don't FEEL that much weaker than ninja dps wise. I also think that while the Jounins might be pretty awesome, the lions are also extremely good and i feel the dire wolf deals a bit quicker with the bosses i sic him on than the oni.
Having less attacks doesn't mean they deal less damage in general. It just means they don't use "weaker" attacks when they are recharged. I've tested Genins before and while they do very good damage for tier 1, they tend to cycle too many throwing stars when they could have done a bit more dps with the kicking.
I know Dire Wolf does more damage than Oni.
It will be interesting to find out for sure. It's very hard to look at the raw damage numbers because Beast has a lot of +damage buffs and we need to figure out the up/down time. -
The two Blast sets that I think can use a good re-visit is Energy Blast and Electricity Blast. Energy Blast is just sooooooo average and Electricity Blast is missing that "chain of lightning" effect that you see in so many games and in Elec Melee.
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Quote:I was only thinking of making Parry a decent ST attack but with +defense or maybe a combination of other buffs to distinguish Ninja and Broadsword. Yeah, Guarded Spin (a good cone attack) is indeed a very high standard to match but it sets a good example of how a +defense power could be like.Originally Posted by PleaseRecycle
I don't agree with you here for the same reason I don't agree with much of the criticism of staff fighting that compared it to titan weapons: guarded spin is far and away the best parry-style power in the game. Defensive sweep is, I suppose, the new "average" one while the old ones "trade" better buffs for worse utility as an attack. One of the problems with saying that everything should be like the best example of its type is that this would rapidly lead to power creep if everything were held to that standard. Another problem is that considering a power in isolation is unfair since they're all just components of full sets and the real question is whether they are balanced as parts of those sets. Finally, I think it would be more interesting to distinguish these sets from one another in ways along the lines of Leo's suggestions rather than homogenizing them by "upgrading" them to be more similar.
I don't even care if it has to be +defense. I would trade for half +defense but with +tohit or +recharge or +recovery. -
If you want to do +1x3, then you may need a bit more defense than 29% because you may see +2x3 and that will require inspirations, which is nothing with it. Great inspiration management wins half the battle! One thing you can tell from an "experienced" and an "inexperienced" player is how they manage their inspirations. I am not saying I am "great" but I have quite a few people asking me in the game why my stalker survives so well. Truth is = inspiration usage. :P
When I solo as stalker, I usually just do +2 or +3x1.
Spines/Ice are definitely late bloomer though. Even if you are not dealing as much damage, you are debuffing the hell of their recharge and speed. I can see Spines/Ice as a very valuable teammate on a large team. -
I can't believe I just found out today that there is a "Stay" command. lol All I know is I use Goto, passive a lot when I want to reposition my pets (to avoid explosion, to avoid aoe, etc).
I've never used "stay". I use "follow, passive" all the time when I try to speed run past something.
I guess if "stay" still doesn't stop pets from running in, then there's really not much point. -
I am very curious about Beast (10 PMs) VS Ninja in terms of damage. I feel Beast with 10 stacks of PM does very good ST damage but Ninja with both Jounins at melee is no joke either.
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The BEST power in /Dark is definitely your very first power. That AoE heal has large radius, debuff and it heals better than most aoe heal (although requires acc check). This aoe heal is the reason why robot/dark can tank well.
The second best power is Fearsome stare and then Tar patch. -
Would you guys pay (maybe less points than 800?) for a pretty dramatic "revisit" of the old sets like the ones suggested here? I would.
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I would love it if the dev can re-visit some of the old sets instead of creating new ones all the time (although it's hard to charge people money for the old sets. )
Yes, I think Broadsword and Ninja Blade need to be more different. Guarded Spin sets a good example of how "Parry" type of power should be. Parry should do more damage so it doesn't seem that bad of an attack in an attack chain.
And yes, Force Field needs to be a bit more versatile. -
Quote:I have to say I like your ideas a lot but this seems like even more work for the dev.Originally Posted by Neogumbercules
Thinking about my rant last night I figured I would add something constructive/useful to the discussion.
Serum: The Super Soldier serum is designed to amplify the inherent abilities already found in an average soldier. Because every person is unique, the Serum has a different effect depending on who it is administered to.
Duration: 120 seconds Recharge: 300 seconds
If administered to...
Soldier: When the Soldier is exposed to the serum, he gains a large boost to his damage and damage resistance. Additionally, all of his powers recharge in half the regular time and he unlocks the ability to use a flamethrower attack. He becomes a one-man firing squad. Other mercenaries in your command will be so emboldened by his actions they gain a bonus to their attacks in the form of Assault and Tactics. When the Serum wears off the Soldier is left so exhausted that he must dismiss himself to recover.
Medic: When the medic is exposed to the serum he abandons his offensive abilities and devotes himself completely to supporting the Mastermind and his fellow Mercenaries. He gains the ability to cast ST and AoE heals, as well as Empathy based buff powers like Recovery Aura, Adrenaline Boost and Fortitude. He also gains the ability to summon a force field generator that will protect the entire team for as long as it is active. When the serum wears off the Medic is left exhausted and drained of all endurance, but he will not have to dismiss himself.
Spec Ops: When the Spec Ops Soldier is exposed to the Serum he gains a multitude of controlling and stealth strike capabilities. Spec Ops stealth will allow opening attacks to deal critical damage as long as he attacks from a hidden state. Under the effects of Serum though, the Spec Ops soldier will prefer to use stun grenades, AoE glue Bombs that slow and immobilize foes, as well as Venom Grenades that eat away at enemies' armor, reducing their damage resistance and defense. When Serum wears off the Spec Ops soldier is left tired, losing half of his endurance, but is able to carry on immediately afterwards.
Commando: When the commando is exposed to the serum he becomes an offensive juggernaut and fearless leader. His attacks gain a large special bonus damage (mechanically identical to fiery embrace), and a large defense bonus seems to make enemy attacks bounce off of him. Additionally, he gains powerful versions of the Leadership abilities Assault, Tactics, Maneuvers and Vengeance, emboldening his fellow mercenaries and avenging those that fall in battle with righteous vengeance. Additionally, enemies targeted by the Serum boosted Commando may be cower and be overcome by fear. The commando suffers no penalties when the Serum wears off, but he will be unable to accept another dose for 60 seconds afterwards.
I wish Serum had different effects like the ones you suggested. Serum could be a "tier" buff but only one active at one time. -
The truth is if it's just for "casual", both should be fine. I don't find Beast particularly weak but it could be because I pair it with /time. I find /time really strong. lol
I've been grinding sig arc 1 for purple merits and I find Beast's damage pretty good against the last elite boss. I just used my Merc/Storm this morning and man, their damage is way less comparing to Beast's.
I know Beast/Time is great. I do think Beast/Sonic has good synergies but you will need healing. Ninja/FF definitely works well in casual situation. My Ninja/FF is Incarnate +3. I don't particularly do bad. The problem is that there are quite a bit auto damage that /FF can't deflect/avoid. -
Quote:Yeah I always use follow passive to slow down my pets chasing but that's not the same as "stay" is it?Originally Posted by Awesome_Clawsome
I always edit one of my commands into "follow + passive".
I've used goto but pets may still run in. -
I didn't know there is a "stay" command for pets? I know there is goto, follow, dismiss...
Is "stay" the same as "goto, passive"? -
It is a good question. Which area(s) should Merc shines in? I mean MMs are so versatile that each set pretty much has aoe, some controls and some debuffs.
I honestly don't think the dev has the time/energy to re-design Merc. Yes, Merc doesn't have the greatest design but I have two level 50 Merc/Poison and Merc/Storm and they are still very playable. They need buffs but not complete overhaul. If they want to spend the time to overhaul something, I am sure they rather just create a new set.
The things I suggest pretty much just make those tiers do better job. The biggest problem is Spec-Ops. If dev only has time to work on ONE thing, it's gotta be Spec-Ops.
- Spec-Ops needs to control better and do much better ST range damage since they have no aoe.
- Medic needs to be more medic-like, whichever way dev wants to do. Get rid of Frag or improve healing/buffing.
- Soldier's problem is the easiest. Their full auto cone simply needs to be larger arc.
- Serum may need some re-design but it's a power that I never enjoy so even if it sucks.. it sucks. Most Robot players I've seen don't aid that robot heal so Merc is not the first set that people skip lvl 18 power. However, the ideas I have for Serum can potential set Merc apart from other sets. They get +maxhp because Merc has the least innate resistance. -
Quote:Yeah, funny how Leadership makes more sense in Soldier theme... much like how a god-mode works better on Bruiser who can actually grab aggro than on Commando who is all range and doesn't generate taunt. lolOriginally Posted by Dz131
I like how a bunch of thugs have assault, tactics and maneuvers while actual soldiers of none of it. herp
In highsight, Thug's design works better as an Army.