Sounding off on possible /psi changes


Aura_Familia

 

Posted

I have a lvl 50 plant/psi dominator I've spent umpteen hours funding and purpling and kicking tail with. Thus, since *cough* someone is considering providing them with massive changes, I would like to explain WHY I picked /psi in the first place. Honestly, I don't think PSW is the skill in /psi that needs the most change.

I picked /psi because, after looking at all the available sets, it was obvious that this one set had the absolute best offensive AOE attack in the game. Better than Foot Stomp, better than Burn, better than fireball. As far as sheer power goes, there are few competitors, and they don't generally come with the stun.

That said, to get PSW to work extremely effectively, you need to stuff a massive amount of dough by any standards into your dominator. It has a fairly high end cost if you slot it to do a bunch of damage, and the only place dominators really 'take off' is at level 50. More than any other AT, a domi needs to be well IO'd at 50 to play like a supervillain.

On its own, though, because domi's aren't generally huge on damage, PSW isn't that big a deal. The big deal is the combo between PSW and DP.

Drain Psyche is, without a doubt, the most powerful single ability in the game. NOT balancing for a set-IO'd build, you can put 2 rech, 2 heal, 2 end in it, run haste, and have it up a fairly huge percentage of the time. WITH a fully set-IO'd build, you run around farm maps with regen like the mythical regen scrappers of old. On a Blaster or Domi. Hilarious. If I were to build a character completely for farming right now, it wouldn't be a tanker, or a troller, or a domi. It would be a fire / psi BLASTER. Because of this single power. (And the way inspirations work, which is also broken, but that's a completely different issue)

The issue right now is that the best AOE set available to dominators also has the best personal buff available to dominators. Without both together, you couldn't run around with tough, weave, assault, tactics, super-speed, sprint, and patron shield on while doing massive damage.... If I were to suggest a 'fix' to the /psi set, it wouldn't be a change to the relative power of PSW at all. It would be a 125% addition to the base recharge of DP, putting it out of the range of perma.

I'd prefer the regen went lower - that way you are more reliant on a team for the health / end buffs they can provide, and still are a massive outputter of damage.


 

Posted

Sorry to "say" it, but lrn2read.


 

Posted

Besides the fact that no one has mentioned "providing massive changes," your thoughts seem to be very out of nowhere. Castle has mentioned a possible nerf and subsequent buff of the rest of the set, but that is it. If you are relying on just one or two powers in a set, then that set should be looked at and rebalanced. Adding 125% recharge to Drain Psyche and leaving Psychic Shockwave alone still makes the rest of the set pretty dreadful comparative to the rest of the Dominator secondaries (besides Energy Assault). I think you should sit back, look at the set, and think of some new ideas for now.


 

Posted

Oh, and "Castle mentioning" the nerf/buff was just him agreeing to what someone said in the lovely little thread we have. So nothing may happen at all. Speculation is pretty silly at this time.


 

Posted

*sigh*

The massive change I'm mentioning to PSW wouldn't be in the line of a flat damage nerf. You people aren't reading closely. If a pile of other sets get a big increase to base damage and the buff gets dropped from domination, but PSW doesn't get the same buff other powers get, what's the net effect?

Pay attention to EXACTLY what Castle has said. He's implying that he might do a rebalancing of domi damage while applying the increase. Since there are certain sets that contain distilled suckery, (I like to point at Grav here, because the recent nerf to pet recharge really hit singularity fairly hard) those sets get more of the increase. He used energy as an example, but it wouldn't surprise me if energy was the set to get the most buff.... I read a lot about its failings.

So he used a sample it's easy to assume everyone who plays that particular set would like a little bit. My bet is that had he used the numbers he's tentatively got for PSW, that thread would have degenerated into a full-on hatefest.


 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]
*sigh*

The massive change I'm mentioning to PSW wouldn't be in the line of a flat damage nerf. You people aren't reading closely. If a pile of other sets get a big increase to base damage and the buff gets dropped from domination, but PSW doesn't get the same buff other powers get, what's the net effect?

Pay attention to EXACTLY what Castle has said. He's implying that he might do a rebalancing of domi damage while applying the increase. Since there are certain sets that contain distilled suckery, (I like to point at Grav here, because the recent nerf to pet recharge really hit singularity fairly hard) those sets get more of the increase. He used energy as an example, but it wouldn't surprise me if energy was the set to get the most buff.... I read a lot about its failings.

So he used a sample it's easy to assume everyone who plays that particular set would like a little bit. My bet is that had he used the numbers he's tentatively got for PSW, that thread would have degenerated into a full-on hatefest.

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Ummm no.

If a nerf to PSW means a buff to the rest of /psi I'm all for it.

However, it depends of course on how much of a buff the rest of /psi gets.

Couldn't care less about the rest of the other sets. They'll probably get buffs/nerfs as needed.


Blazara Aura LVL 50 Fire/Psi Dom (with 125% recharge)
Flameboxer Aura LVL 50 SS/Fire Brute
Ice 'Em Aura LVL 50 Ice Tank
Darq Widow Fortune LVL 50 Fortunata (200% rech/Night Widow 192.5% rech)--thanks issue 19!

 

Posted

I'm guessing PSW will have its damage decreased or its recharge increased (I wouldn't be surprised if it were doubled). I don't expect anything to happen to DP, but an increase in damage across the board for the rest of the powers in the set would be in order - I'm looking at you, Psi Dart.


@macskull, @Not Mac | XBL: macskull | Steam: macskull | Skype: macskull
"One day we all may see each other elsewhere. In Tyria, in Azeroth. We may pass each other and never know it. And that's sad. But if nothing else, we'll still have Rhode Island."

 

Posted

Just out or curiousity did Castle say anything about the effectiveness of a kin controller? If CoH devs mess with PSW with Going Rogue I imagine that Fire/Kins will become even more popular. Although everything mentioned isn't set in stone, I imagine some "major" changes are coming. Not that they are needed IMO.

Thankfully I still have my Fire.Kin since vills and heroes will be able to play together in the Going Rogue...

But, I imagine Psi secondaries for doms are gonna suck if castle has anything to do with it. I mean just take a look at what he did to PvP.


I PL myself! YAY

 

Posted

sorry bub, AT changes != PvP changes

case in point, Stalkers last buff.

anways, his latest bit said if there was going to be change, it would be balanced around the Blaster version.


 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]

If a nerf to PSW means a buff to the rest of /psi I'm all for it.

However, it depends of course on how much of a buff the rest of /psi gets.

Couldn't care less about the rest of the other sets. They'll probably get buffs/nerfs as needed.

[/ QUOTE ]

How exactly is buffing the rest of /psi going to remotely come close to making up for a PSW nerf?

Even if you doubled the dmg of dart, mental blast, tk thrust, mind probe, subdue, psi scream and psi lance, PSW would still be better then them combined. It hits more targets, recharges faster and has a superior DPA than those attacks. It also complements the melee control sets of fire and ice like no other power.

You seriously need to think about what you're saying.


Please buff Ice Control.

 

Posted

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If a nerf to PSW means a buff to the rest of /psi I'm all for it.

However, it depends of course on how much of a buff the rest of /psi gets.

Couldn't care less about the rest of the other sets. They'll probably get buffs/nerfs as needed.

[/ QUOTE ]

How exactly is buffing the rest of /psi going to remotely come close to making up for a PSW nerf?

Even if you doubled the dmg of dart, mental blast, tk thrust, mind probe, subdue, psi scream and psi lance, PSW would still be better then them combined. It hits more targets, recharges faster and has a superior DPA than those attacks. It also complements the melee control sets of fire and ice like no other power.

You seriously need to think about what you're saying.

[/ QUOTE ]

You've pointed out the problem right there.


 

Posted

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If a nerf to PSW means a buff to the rest of /psi I'm all for it.

However, it depends of course on how much of a buff the rest of /psi gets.

Couldn't care less about the rest of the other sets. They'll probably get buffs/nerfs as needed.

[/ QUOTE ]

How exactly is buffing the rest of /psi going to remotely come close to making up for a PSW nerf?

Even if you doubled the dmg of dart, mental blast, tk thrust, mind probe, subdue, psi scream and psi lance, PSW would still be better then them combined. It hits more targets, recharges faster and has a superior DPA than those attacks. It also complements the melee control sets of fire and ice like no other power.

You seriously need to think about what you're saying.

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You've pointed out the problem right there.

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So its fair that villians lose their equivalent of a Fire/Kin controller. Because thats what it will amount to. And let me tell you I have a level 26 Psi/Energy blaster. Please go and read the blaster forum. Most blasters are NOT satisfied with how the Psi blast set works, its considered subpar aoe damage.


My level 50 Dominators:
Madame Mindbender 50 Mind/Energy
Fly Agaric 50 Plant/Thorn
Nate Nitro 50 Fire/Psi

 

Posted

PSW is your favorite attack and you are afraid it will be nerfed, therefore you nerf-herd to Drain Psyche, which is far less important (not saying its unimportant, just less) in a heavily IO'd build due to the abundant Recov/HP/Regen/Def/etc bonuses available.

And:

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NOT balancing for a set-IO'd build, you can put 2 rech, 2 heal, 2 end in it, run haste, and have it up a fairly huge percentage of the time.

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this says its been so long since you played a non-purpled out build that you've forgotten some of us don't have +438392% Accuracy bonuses. Your entire perspective seems unbalanced this way.


 

Posted

Don't nerf mah PSW or I will /ragequit






Yeah, I said it


 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]
PSW is your favorite attack and you are afraid it will be nerfed, therefore you nerf-herd to Drain Psyche, which is far less important (not saying its unimportant, just less) in a heavily IO'd build due to the abundant Recov/HP/Regen/Def/etc bonuses available.

And:

[ QUOTE ]
NOT balancing for a set-IO'd build, you can put 2 rech, 2 heal, 2 end in it, run haste, and have it up a fairly huge percentage of the time.

[/ QUOTE ]

this says its been so long since you played a non-purpled out build that you've forgotten some of us don't have +438392% Accuracy bonuses. Your entire perspective seems unbalanced this way.

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1 heal 1 end 2 acc 2 rech would probably work just as well. I only have four slots in mine, and they're frankenslotted, but I still hit regen cap occasionally.


 

Posted

STOP ASKING FOR NERF'S PEOPLE

Doms are fine just have to know how to play them and they are the greatest


 

Posted

I have three 50 /psi doms. Fire/ Earth/ and Plant/.

I'd hate to see any change to /psi. It's THE dominator set.

As DarkCurrent said... I can't see ANY change to the rest of the set that would make nerfing PSW anything but a nerf to the set as a whole.

Changes to Doms in general, I can live with. Specifically targetting /Psi... I'd HATE to see.

Of course, they've never cared when people said stuff like this on the boards before. They've always just went ahead and nerf the stuff. Guess I'll be gutting some doms. On the bright side... gutting my doms, I'll have a spare 4 billion or so worth of IO's to use elsewhere.


 

Posted

i wish i could delete this pointless post about psi all you people do is give *COUGH* Castle nerf idea's as if he needs anymore

i have a 50 ice/psi dom i love it i have no complaints
and a 50 mind/fire dom i also love that toon and have no issues with either besides the fact i love playing them both


 

Posted

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sorry bub, AT changes != PvP changes

case in point, Stalkers last buff.

anways, his latest bit said if there was going to be change, it would be balanced around the Blaster version.

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*Shudder*

I just ran some numbers - if he does exactly the same thing it will amount to a gutting of PSW.

Radius Cut from 25' to 15'
Recharge doubled from 10s to 20s
Damage going from 70.8 to 39.7

That last one worries me a bit.


Deamus the Fallen - 50 DM/EA Brute - Lib
Dragos Bahtiam - 50 Fire/Ice Blaster - Lib
/facepalm - Apply Directly to the Forehead!
Formally Dragos_Bahtiam - Abbreviate to DSL - Warning, may contain sarcasm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shubbie View Post
Im very good at taking a problem and making it worse.

 

Posted

This thread doesn't jump the gun - it digs up the ore that will be refined to eventually forge the gun that would have been jumped.


 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
sorry bub, AT changes != PvP changes

case in point, Stalkers last buff.

anways, his latest bit said if there was going to be change, it would be balanced around the Blaster version.

[/ QUOTE ]

*Shudder*

I just ran some numbers - if he does exactly the same thing it will amount to a gutting of PSW.

Radius Cut from 25' to 15'
Recharge doubled from 10s to 20s
Damage going from 70.8 to 39.7

That last one worries me a bit.

[/ QUOTE ]

With the damage scale increase, base damage would be 58.11 dmg. (This assumes a direct port, of course.) Still, it would be less damage since it wouldn't have Domination buffing it, and it would still deal less damage at the cap.

Btw, the Blaster version does have a 16 target cap vs the 10 target cap of the current Dominator version.


(To be clear, I'm not making any judgment on the speculated changes.)


 

Posted

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This thread doesn't jump the gun - it digs up the ore that will be refined to eventually forge the gun that would have been jumped.

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Never developed software of any size, have you?

Software development comes in cycles. And the earlier you have input into a cycle, the more likely you are to see your input somewhat represented down the line. As time passes, decisions get made and the time it has taken to make those decisions is considered 'wasted' if you revisit them in any major way. This is because the software development lifecycle takes 3-6 months to complete minimum when you have such a broadly installed client that requires complete interoperability.

Any actual customer input (gleaned from the thousands and thousands of people of indeterminate skill screaming about what they want to be able to do) is continuously filtered and ignored for any of a multitude of reasons. People playing MMO's tend to complain that their input isn't listened to, which is partially a combination of these two factors... Mainly, though, it's the fact that if you ask any individual player, "Hey, you know this meaningless little bit of data in our database that you've spent 300-1,000+ hours working on? What do you really want from it?" that player will probably end up answering, "I've worked on it forever. I want it to be able to do everything I had ever dreamed of in this game, thank you."

Thus I'm asking for the people who have little bits of data like my favorite one to think about it, look at all the other bits of data that aren't nearly as powerful as theirs, and say, "Hey, you know, I want to keep this little tiny chunk of my capability more than any other piece. It's what makes the thing I've worked on for a looooooong time unique. And worth the time I have spent to me."

Then maybe some of it will get retained, instead of having my favorite power suddenly have 1/4 its original effectiveness.


 

Posted

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This thread doesn't jump the gun - it digs up the ore that will be refined to eventually forge the gun that would have been jumped.

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Never developed software of any size, have you?

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Have you? Is it relevant?

Q: How many Vietnam vets does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A: YOU DON'T KNOW MAN! YOU WEREN'T THERE!

An assumption that one doesn't understand development cycles if one isn't a developer is false. On the contrary - I fully believe that devs are already making plans for Issue 17-20, since Issue 16 has been in the works since at or before HeroCon last year.

Another problem:

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gleaned from the thousands and thousands of people of indeterminate skill screaming about what they want to be able to do

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People screaming about video games are hard to qualify with any seriousness. It reminds me of something Yahtzee says about fans:

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Fans are clingy complaining dipsh**s who will never be grateful for any concession you make. The moment you shut out their shrill tremulous voices the happier you'll be for it.

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One could get information from a thousand chattering monkeys, but only a fraction of it would be useful information. I'm not saying everyone is a chattering monkey, but there is a certain qualifier for signal-to-noise ratio. Right now, without much quantifying data, or making a call to action based off of one half-heareted developer comment, I'm just not seeing the point.

There again, I'll be the first to admit that I've been wrong on several occasions, so type away, for what it's worth. Hell, I don't even play a Dominator, so there's not much need for me to go on about something so floccinaucinihilipilificatious, from my secular point of view So I'll go ahead and move on to more verdant fields.


 

Posted

I felt like I had to sig that line, Obsidius I hope you don't mind.


This thread doesn't jump the gun - it digs up the ore that will be refined to eventually forge the gun that would have been jumped. -Obsidius


I am a Dominator,
And I am a Jerk 4 life.

 

Posted

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I'm guessing PSW will have its damage decreased or its recharge increased (I wouldn't be surprised if it were doubled). I don't expect anything to happen to DP, but an increase in damage across the board for the rest of the powers in the set would be in order - I'm looking at you, Psi Dart.

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Ok, I know I'm opening a firestorm but. . . I posted this elsewhere in the Dom forum but it's more apt here.

I've been running Oroboros missions on my Mind/Psy and my thoughts on Psy Dart have changed, let me explain.

I, like many here on these boards, don't slot up Psy Dart because I have other "tastier" powers that need the slots. I put a recharge in it (for Dom building) and called it good. Well, being exemplared down, I don't have many choices of what I'm going to attack with so I put dart on my main power choices and I find now that I have to take back all the bad things I said about dart.

First of all, it's an awesome pulling power. That little "dink" of damage is far more likely to pull just one than other harder hitting attacks. The next thing I noticed is that it recharges so fast and costs so little end that you can constantly use it as melee-orientated mobs as they come towards you. On yellow Hellions, I generally have them down to just above half before they reach me, on Orange a little below a quarter (minions). Add in the quick building of Domination from Dart and it's not a bad power at all. (for fairness sake I must say that I have +20% acc, +20% recharge and +4% damage when exemplared down to the 9-15 range)

If the Devs are going to change Psy assualt I hope they leave this power alone. I wouldn't have said that 3 weeks ago but some play back at the lower levels has completely changed my tune.