Quote:
Smoke Flash is an amazing and under-rated power, in my opinion. You can use it on a pet that may die soon as a form of mitigation, but its most awesome use is on your Oni just before combat starts.|
Originally Posted by Lucky666
I picked it up but it seems to cost alot of end to use for the little benifit it provides. What are the thoughts on this power?
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Position your Oni just outside of a herd, drop a couple of reds into him if you have them, use Smoke Flash on him, and then target a mob in the middle of the group and tell him to attack (or herd the mob up around a corner and position your pets so that when they attack out of BG mode his attacks will be toward the center of the group.
The result, if you pull it off correctly, is absolute decimation. A Smoke Flashed Oni Firebreath with a red or two can wipe out an entire spawn, or if your difficulty is cranked very high it often results in the death of every minion in the spawn.
This combo is up every pull and if you invest the time in learning how to use it, it can be amazing not only for damage, but for mitigation. Ninjas excel at single target damage and when you suddenly wipe out everything except LTs and Bosses you let them focus what they're good at.
My recommendation is to go to a zone with -2s or -3s and practice herding and burning.
The typical setup is to toggle on a snowstorm or other enemy based toggle and then run around a corner before they return fire (or click the toggle AS you're jumping around a corner so they CAN'T return fire). If you're using the darkness secondary you have to gather them after the toggle goes off by dropping tar patch around the corner before they get there.
Once you learn to do it, the set up is very rewarding.
So, given that it can double your AoE alpha strike, wipe mobs away, and can be used as a stopgap measure for incoming damage on your pets, I rate the power very highly. If you were to just hit it when it's up and you're in combat you'd get a LOT less out of it and it would probably be a big waste of endurance.
The big thing with Smoke Flash is 'when' and 'which pet'. Figure that out and you'll probably love it just as much as I do.
Note: The Oni will not always initiate Breath of Fire when he is at range from a mob.
Smoke Flash can be mitigation, extra damage, or even a surprise tool. With the critical rates it gives you can happily place it on a Jounin for varried results (usually good ones). If you slot Smoke Flash for endurance reduction and recharge you can have it perma on a pet of your choice (with hasten up it can easily stack if slotted for 2 or 3 recharge reduction enhancements).
I picked it up but it seems to cost alot of end to use for the little benifit it provides. What are the thoughts on this power?