Siolfir

I'm guessing you meant buff? I'd think EM's already been over-nerfed, especially for Stalkers who don't even get the higher stun percentage on EP and BS that all of the other ATs with those powers have.

I would disagree with the comment about Focused Burst not having horrible DPA, though. It's a scale 1.64 attack with a 2.244 sec animation, along with Hack (1.584 sec), Bone Smasher (1.716 sec), and Vengeful Slice (2.640 sec - the only one it beats). It's DPA is lower than Assassin's Strike, roughly the same as Power Slice, a significant drop even from Quick Strike within the set, and lower than Mu Bolts and Dark Blast from the Patron Pools which can also be used to pick off runners with twice the range. It would compare favorably with Impale, which also does 1.64 scale damage on the initial hit, but the DoT for Impale pushes it past... and I don't think many people would consider Impale to be great DPA.

If you're using Placate, only Assassin's Strike comes close to Energy Transfer's DPA and even that doesn't top it. You have to add in the cast time of Placate or else your numbers are worse than useless, they're deliberately misleading.

And if you're talking from Hide on a single target and using anything but Assassin's Strike then you're either not level 6 yet or don't understand that a full critical on Assassin's Strike is far higher DPA than anything else a Stalker has access to.

The 7 DPS you mention as not being much on paper is also an 11.7% disparity which holds through as the slotting is accounted for (see below); while KM's BU is going to be around a little more often I don't see it providing enough overall +damage to make up the difference without interfering due to cast times. It's also a lot easier to hit 216% global recharge than it is to hit 279%; in other words Energy Melee does more damage while also being cheaper and easier to build.

You're counting criticals here in the chain itself (ie, quoting numbers from Mid's instead of in game - they're included even when you tell it to use minimum with the latest patch) and then saying how much of a difference criticals will make. Yes, it helps KM more, but that still leaves the gap you already calculated.

Just to show the math here, since I actually have a KM chain to work with:

The base damage of the chain, taking numbers from in-game, is:
82.30 (base SB damage) * 2 = 164.60 +
64.51 (base BB damage) = 229.11 +
46.71 (QS) = 275.82 +
197.97 (CS) = 473.79

For EM:
91.20 (base BS damage) * 2 = 182.40 +
253.58 (ET) = 435.98 +
197.97 (TF) = 633.95

KM: 473.79 / 8.316 = 56.973 base DPS
EM: 633.95 / 9.768 = 64.901 base DPS

So, let's look at 100% damage slotting (because it's easy). The base damage for each is multiplied by 2.0, while the animation times remain the same.

KM: 473.79 * (1.0 base + 1.0 slotting) = 947.58 / 8.316 = 113.947 DPS
EM: 633.95 * (1.0 base + 1.0 slotting) = 1267.90 / 9.768 = 129.801 DPS

As you can see, that "small on paper" DPS lead grows along with damage slotting because it was working with base damage. It's at 15.854 DPS difference here. Now, since criticals are annoying with both of these sets - if all of the powers had a full critical you could simply multiply by the critical rate - but still relevant, let's go ahead and look at them. The easiest way is to recalculate the chain's overall damage based on the effect of the criticals.

A 10% critical rate at a full critical provides 10% more damage after all damage buffs. Since Total Focus has a partial critical, we'll multiply that 10% boost by the amount of the critical. Here's what it looks like:

KM:
SB: (1.1) * (82.30 * (1.0 base + 1.0 slotting)) = 181.06 (each)
BB: (1.1) * (64.51 * (1.0 base + 1.0 slotting)) = 141.922
QS: (1.1) * (46.71 * (1.0 base + 1.0 slotting)) = 102.762
CS: (1.0) * (197.97 * (1.0 base + 1.0 slotting)) = 395.94

EM:
BS: (1.1) * (91.20 * (1.0 base + 1.0 slotting)) = 200.64 (each)
TF: (1.0 + (10% critical rate * 28.09% critical amount)) * (197.97 * (1.0 base + 1.0 slotting)) = 407.062
ET: (1.0) * (253.58 * (1.0 base + 1.0 slotting)) = 507.16

Adding everything back up, we get:
KM: 181.06 * 2 + 141.922 + 102.762 + 395.94 = 1002.744 / 8.316 = 120.580 DPS
EM: 200.64 * 2 + 407.062 + 507.16 = 1315.502 / 9.768 = 134.675 DPS

Now yes, having Build Up more often will help KM out, but Build Up isn't free - it has its own animation time during which you aren't doing damage. With the chain listed for KM, you would need (134.675 DPS * 8.316 sec = ) 1119.9573 damage to hit EM's DPS numbers. Remember that 11.7% from before? 1119.9573 / 1002.744 = 1.116892... or roughly an 11.7% difference.

For fun:
Not that it's likely to happen but just for giggles, let's say that Build Up recharges every time you use Concentrated Strike (note that either chain will fit into a BU window)

KM + BU: add 1.320 (BU's animation time adjusted for Arcanatime) for a total chain time of 9.636. Since SB is the next attack, it'll start with a stacked BU.
SB: (1.1) * (82.30 * (1.0 base + 1.0 slotting + 0.8 BU)) = 253.484
SB: (1.1) * (82.30 * (1.0 base + 1.0 slotting + 1.6 BU)) = 325.908
BB: (1.1) * (64.51 * (1.0 base + 1.0 slotting + 0.8 BU)) = 198.6908
QS: (1.1) * (46.71 * (1.0 base + 1.0 slotting + 0.8 BU)) = 143.8668
CS: (1.0) * (197.97 * (1.0 base + 1.0 slotting + 0.8 BU)) = 554.316

Total damage: 253.484 + 325.908 + 198.6908 + 143.8668 + 554.316 = 1476.2656 / 9.636 = 153.203 DPS while accounting for criticals, 100% damage slotting, and with BU recharging every time you hit CS - essentially a perma-BU situation.

So there you go, in a best-case scenario KM can do significantly more damage than EM*, and do it while not damaging itself with ET. So what does this prove? EM needs to be buffed. Bring back old Energy Transfer!





* - although on the average EM is going to do more damage than KM, and MA and DM with similar investments will put out similar results

The best EM Stalker chain I could come up with was ET->BS->TF->BS; it requires a good amount of recharge but not as much as some of the top chains in other sets. Brutes would want to try to fill with Gloom if they could get the recharge for it instead of BS.


I didn't account for procs, just high recharge chains. I'm sure they alter things and push EM even farther down do to long animations, but I suppose you could always throw procs into EP. My EM/Elec Brute has at least 1 proc in every attack but I can cheat with the taunt procs there.

• Neither Concentrated Strike nor Energy Transfer critical and of those ET hits much harder with a shorter animation and the same recharge.
• The numbers you provided for DPA included criticals over time already, since you used the average numbers from Mid's
• Build Up will be up more often for KM but the instant recharge only happens when the best attack in the set has just been used and has the longest possible recharge time and +dam affects both sets equally
• KM's 4th best DPA attack is Assassin's Strike - which is EM's worst, even with a longer animating version

However, using your own numbers:
EM:
Bg: 50.98
EP: 57.93
BS: 58.46
ET: 87.32
TF: 59.30

KM:
QS: 48.66
BB: 53.76
SB: 62.35
Bs: 26.33
FB: 44.71
CS: 65.21

Now, unless your attack chain consists of CS->SB only, EM is going to win out. ET is considerably higher than CS, TF and BS - or, for that matter, EP - aren't that far behind SB, and nothing else in KM is even competitive. I never bothered to create a chain based on those observations since there wasn't a need to - you're welcome to make one, though I think unless you proc it out (which is the only reason NB and DB can even enter the discussion) it's just going to show a worse chain.

It's better all around, no doubt - but it's probably* not better in single-target damage. I actually like my KM Stalker, but that's because AoE is much nicer than single target... which is what this thread is about.




* - like I said, I haven't run chains for KM. What can I say, I'm lazy and haven't cared to...

I'm assuming you're talking about to all types, since Fiery Aura and Electric Armor both hit the resistance hard cap of the "specialty" type (Fire and Energy damage) for their respective ATs without god mode powers. With that assumption, even Tankers don't resistance cap everything and the only qualifying AT is a Warshade using Eclipse.

From the issue 20 patch notes:
It took long enough, but the exception you mentioned doesn't exist anymore.

Plus you get to blow up their friend's corpse in front of them!

I haven't specifically taken screenshots, but I'm pretty sure Fulcrum Shift hits more than just you and your team. At any rate, I seem to recall having lots of extra damage from Fulcrum Shift during several raid events where I was playing a solo Brute. So unless i20 specifically changed that, which I don't recall seeing in the patch notes, they both affect friendlies and not just teammates.

It also produces a buff around the caster as well, whether the target dies or not - in that manner it is similar to Siphon Power.

Begone with your logic and maths, they have no place here!

Besides, the primary purpose of Speed Boost is to provide forum-goers something to complain about: kins for how short the duration is, and everyone else to whine about how their whole play experience was completely wrecked because while they were in a zone someone hit them with it.

Also, be careful about saying replace Repel with anything else. I'd do that one just for giggles, and still be "giving [the players] what they want".

Note that the heal doesn't come until 28 on a Brute. 20 is Lightning Reflexes.

10% means that he probably did have floored to-hit.

From here you get the the accuracy modifiers for an AV (*1.50) and whatever level modifier applies (* 1.1 to * 1.4 based on level shift and incarnate shifts).

5% (lowest to-hit) * 1.50 (AV modifier) * 1.3 (+3 modifier) = 9.75%; that assumes you have one level shift applied and the attack used doesn't have a high base accuracy. Without the level shift, it would be 10.5%, and with the level shift and both incarnate shifts applied it would be 8.25%.

If it were something like Energy Transfer, which has a base 1.2 accuracy, you'd take those numbers and multiply by 1.2 for a final chance between 9.9% (all shifts) and 12.6% (no shifts).

Self Destruction.

It's almost exactly like Disneyland: you go out of your way to do it thinking it will be fun, and while you're there you spend the overwhelming majority of your time waiting in line to ride (grinding for shards/threads in game) for a few brief periods of fun (wow, look how cool this power is!), then go back to waiting (grinding) again for the next one.

Some people enjoy the rides enough to not care about the lines. Some people get annoyed that with a 10-hour visit they wait in line for over 9 of those hours. For me, it depends on the company I have while I'm waiting.

Right next to the quote button is a little toggle button for multi-quote. Click it on all the posts you want to quote, then click the quote button on any one of them.

Just expanding on this a bit.

The -recovery part of Power Sink isn't a 100% chance (it's 30%) and can't be kept indefinitely (it only lasts 4 seconds), but even still keeping your enemies at low endurance helps a lot in limiting the number of incoming attacks. Especially if you slot Lightning Field with one or two slots for Endurance Modification, which will drain the endurance that normal mobs up to +2 recover between ticks - they start just using Brawl and weaker attacks because it's all they have endurance for.

For Brutes and Tankers, it's also an autohit taunt on up to 10 things around you, which is useful to keep things on you if your to-hit is floored or the mobs are high defense, because Lightning Field and Gauntlet attacks need to hit.

Then you add in the unlimited endurance (the more recharge you have, the more end you need, but Power Sink recharges that much faster too) and it really becomes a question of why you'd skip it instead of why you'd take it.

The same thing can be said about Synapse, only it's longer, you're even lower level, the mobs drain your endurance and recovery*, plus as a bonus to having more defeat all missions, one of them uses a bugged map that a spawn frequently loads outside of on large teams.

I prefer Dr Q's long string of ridiculous defeat-alls and hunts just because there's some variety, and put Citadel over Dr Q just on the basis that for people who run TFs for xp it's no more boring than running paper missions for the same level range.




* - at a level where the endurance drain and recovery is capped to stupidly low levels; WHY does this cap scale with level?!?!

That's why I call it the Weekly Task Force instead of Weekly Strike Target: it makes a much better acronym. Especially when you're usually running them with a pug.