If I were you, I wouldn't skip it. It has a slow animation but it compensates for massive damage. It can do up to 30% more when used while hidden. It just seems like such a high powered move, unless you have a power in mind that you think would be better, I suggest you don't skip it.
in all honestly, i would skip energy transfer, and get TF. Couple of reasons.
TF can crit, ET can't.
TF does about the same damage without critting as ET does, yet, it doesnt hurt you, and as an SR, you don't have a heal to counter it.
TF is only about .5 seconds longer animating.
BU -> AS -> Placate -> TF will down a boss, before they can do anything to you. Or, rather, just about.
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TF with a crit equals the damage of ET.|
Originally Posted by Arbegla
in all honestly, i would skip energy transfer, and get TF. Couple of reasons.
TF can crit, ET can't. TF does about the same damage without critting as ET does, yet, it doesnt hurt you, and as an SR, you don't have a heal to counter it. TF is only about .5 seconds longer animating. BU -> AS -> Placate -> TF will down a boss, before they can do anything to you. Or, rather, just about. |
If bu>AS>placate>TF kills a boss you can sub out placate and tf and replace it with ET and it will do the same damage, but much faster.
I don't personally like ET on a set that can't heal, but it is what it is.
IIRC TF is part of an optimal EM attack chain, but optimal and what you enjoy or can fit into your build don't always coincide. Not to mention how often a stalker is or isn't in a position to just sit and wail on something to the point an optimal dps chain would matter.
I seem to care less about longer animations than most people I know, but I find Energy Transfer and Total Focus to be must-haves. The two solid heavy-hitters. Then again, I'm also not known to pare down my attack chains to just what's necessary, so I'm probably not someone to listen to about this... 
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How often do you plan on teaming, and how much do you care about a fast-feeling set?
Here is a post on why I ask - due to the long animation and reduced-damage critical, Total Focus can either be the second best DPA attack in Energy Melee, or the second worst. Which means, if you team a lot, it's not a great filler in your attack chain and makes it totally skippable - you'll actually perform better by skipping it.
But if you solo a lot, it's one of your best attacks. So then you have to decide if you want to have an attack chain with a pair of 3-second attacks in it.
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Originally Posted by Brillig
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I actually second this! I don't understand why people are so afraid of long animations. In my world, long animations=cool animations |
Originally Posted by Patteroast
I seem to care less about longer animations than most people I know, but I find Energy Transfer and Total Focus to be must-haves. The two solid heavy-hitters. Then again, I'm also not known to pare down my attack chains to just what's necessary, so I'm probably not someone to listen to about this...
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Especially ET! It looks violent as damn, due to the whole 'I charge ALL ENERGY IN THE UNIVERSE into my fists and annihilate that little rikti monkey over there!!!' :P
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On my cold/ice defender and plant/ice dom I loathe the animation time of frost breath and being rooted for it accounts for over 90% of the times I go down.|
Originally Posted by JanusFrs
I actually second this! I don't understand why people are so afraid of long animations. In my world, long animations=cool animations
Especially ET! It looks violent as damn, due to the whole 'I charge ALL ENERGY IN THE UNIVERSE into my fists and annihilate that little rikti monkey over there!!!' :P |
On my melee types I've never been afraid of slow attacks. But they annoy me very commonly. For instance, I can barely stand to play broadsword. And I'd dearly love to have an axe character, but I've never been able to get one of any AT past elvel 6 or 7 without deleting them the attacks are just soooooooooooooo slloooooooooooooooooowwwwwww.
On my dark/dark stalker, I will use shadow maul when I need some time for other attacks to recharge. I don't like it, and I don't like being rooted for it (and I NEVER manage to get more than one enemy with it). But I like having Oblit in it, so I haven't traded it out for something else. But I really do wish there was a faster option. and it is used only slightly more often than brawl.
Then again, I guess all sets can't be as fast as claws or fire as much as I'd like them to. hehe.
Edit: Also keep in mind if you team, any attack that takes more than 2 seconds is quite likely to not land on a living enemy. that's really my biggest gripe about broadsword. on teams more than 33% of my attacks do no damage because someone kills the guy first. Parry and hack are my only realy "useful" attacks.
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I agree with this. TF is awesome and ET too, even after the nerfs to both powers (cmon bring TF's mag 4 stun back, S. Smash has a mag 4 hold dammit |
Originally Posted by Patteroast
I seem to care less about longer animations than most people I know, but I find Energy Transfer and Total Focus to be must-haves. The two solid heavy-hitters. Then again, I'm also not known to pare down my attack chains to just what's necessary, so I'm probably not someone to listen to about this...
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). I'd never skip either of them.And as Frosticus said, TF crits does equal damage to ET so if you skip one, skip TF, since it doesn't stun bosses anymore and it's not like a /SR will care a lot if your ET manages to stun a lt or not.
Also, I may be wrong because I'm still learning about attack chains since I almost always team, but E. Punch is better than Barrage imo even after the changes.
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For a while i skipped Bone Smasher... then later found a way to bring it back. That was on an Energy Energy stalker.
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Originally Posted by Von_Doom
Ive made a new EM stalker and was wondering if total focus was skippable with a high recharge build. I know it does a ton of damage so I feel kinda dumb for asking but on a /sr stuff is tight. What are good attack chains? I was hoping that AS, Energy Xfer, Bone smasher and barrage would suffice or is it just dumb to ditch TF? Ive never played the set to a high enough level to get it but the animation time on it looks bad.
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Ive made a new EM stalker and was wondering if total focus was skippable with a high recharge build. I know it does a ton of damage so I feel kinda dumb for asking but on a /sr stuff is tight. What are good attack chains? I was hoping that AS, Energy Xfer, Bone smasher and barrage would suffice or is it just dumb to ditch TF? Ive never played the set to a high enough level to get it but the animation time on it looks bad.