A Chat About Judgement

Not sure there's much to say about Judgement powers, they all look cool so you just pick the one that works best for your character? Right?

I was pleasantly surprised that after doing 3 BAFs and opening my Judgement slot I had enough stuff to make an ION. I suspect Pyronic does most damage, but I just went for the look I liked most. Though its a shame I can't make ION red. Maybe in a future issue

Judgement is colorable at the tailor. Is red not an option?

I always tend to go for Pyronic for my Judgement choice. The only exception is my DM/Regen Scrapper who will get Void, just to keep with the dark theme. There is just something awesome with Pyronic and that targeted AoE goodness. Especially on my Fire/Kin/Fire controller.

I use either Pyronic or Ion. They both have the same range but Pyronic fires quicker (1 second vs 2.5 for Ion). Ion I believe has the more damage potential since it can hit more targets (40 vs 32 top for Pyronic) and has a 20% damage proc. The biggest problem with Ion, beyond the activation time, is that if the initial target is un-hitable or dead you get a fissle and do nothing.

Void is a PBAoE so if you are in melee it is a good choice, it tops at 32 targets but has the 20% damage proc in it. It has a KB effect depending on the path you choose which most won't like.

Cryoic is a cone for that reason alone most avoid it except for theme purposes. 32 targets top again, has the 20% damage proc or a spd/rech and chance for hold.

Ion has the greatest potential number of targets to hit over the greatest area it can affect due to the chaining mechanic. The Radial tract and has a chance to Hold and end drain. This is your go-to for thinning large crowds quickly.

Pyronic excels at doing damage to tightly clustered enemies. The Radial tract has a chance to Stun. The Core tract can cause a Superior DoT afterburn. This is the Judgement you want for targeting an AV and dealing heavy damage to them and those around them.

Void is PBAoE. The Negative Energy damage is attractive and often less resisted and the Radial tract causes a damage debuff to the enemies it doesn't kill.

Cryonic is a cone and deals Cold damage. The Radial tract slows and has a chance to hold enemies. Because of the issues people have with cones, it's generally regarded as the least attractive Judgement


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All useful stuff, as ever!

Cheers guys

For my melee character I went Void

An as yet unflaunted perk of ion is that despite the devs' best efforts, it still frequently hits the same target multiple times. This can be good or bad for damage depending on your tastes, but what it does mean is that in certain situations ion will sap targets all by itself. It happens most often if you've got a medium-large number of hardish targets for it to work with: the boss and EB spawns on an ITF and most trial spawns come to mind. If you've got radial ion it is not unusual to be surrounded by half-dead minotaurs who are consumed with a fiery hatred for you but too tuckered out to do anything about it. Actually that still sounds sort of unusual by most standards.

Yes, but even if a bad guy is totally drained of endurance, they can still attack you, where if you are out of endurance, you can't. It's like they really aren't dependent on endurance.

Now, unless the endurance drain gives you back some endurance, it's not really worth banking on that end drain having any meaningful effect on the enemies. Outside of PVP, of course.

I'm happy with the AoE niceness of Pyronic.

Only take them if they fit in the concept..

So my Inv/Nrg and my Shield/SS have nothing.

My opinions of Judgement:

Looking at T4's, here's how I rank them.

Void is by far the easiest to use. As a PBAOE, you don't even have to have anything targeted: Just punch the button and boom. Further, it is probably the most 'defensively' oriented, as the 50 percent damage debuff for 30 seconds is HUGE. So, I tend to take it on less-sturdy melee toons, like a fire tank. It's a nice 'ooops' button that gives you some damage, and a better chance to survive.

Ion is by far the most damage. 40 jumps, and it can spread to a HUGE area, and if you go extra damage, the crits will wipe out minions and even some lts, especially if the jumps hit things a few times. However, it pays for this awesome by being by far the most unreliable: If your initial target dies during animation time, you lose all damage. If the jumps go badly, it can squib on you pretty easily. So take it if you want the glorious, glorious damage, and are willing to suffer the occasional fizzle.

Pyronic is middle of the road: Quite a bit more reliable than Ion, but you have to pick your targets more carefully than Void. It's range makes it a LOT safer to set up than Void if you're not on a hard-shell toon, though. However, unlike Cryonic, it can be used effectively at point blank range if the situation is cramped. It's probably the 'best' all around choice, and will not often leave you unhappy.


Cryonic is the blasters choice. It has HUGE range, even more if you take Cardiac. It can reach all the way past the charging melee guys in the front rank and smash a spawn before they even get to it. As a result it takes a bit more thinking and positioning to use well, but if that's your cup of tea, it works well. The biggest downside is that it requires a lot of space to work at it's best: Like all cones, most of the attacked area is far away.