I really don't like the sniper changes.

I don't like the proposed sniper changes. They range from too good to clunky.

After some testing, these are my thoughts on them, they're kind of raw, and I might edit the wording later.

Most sniper-archetypes could already get snipe as an instant-cast in bursts, such as when popping build up, aim, domination or simply by being in a team with +tohit buffs. Of course, you could build to have it up all the time, too. Now, everyone can do it all the time, and it's less impactful overall as a result.

The "Out of combat/in combat" dynamic is nonsensical. You'll maybe land one of the 'slow snipes' maybe once-a-mission. If nothing else is to change, this bit needs to go and the ability just needs to do X amount of damage. The whole point was that a character with good aim could fire instantly without taking a few seconds to aim.

It strikes me as a change that really didn't need to be made, and I think it takes the reward out of building your character properly.

Furthermore, non-sniping powersets will fall further behind, which, while I'm sure that can be addressed later, is an immediate issue that comes to mind when massive "everyone gets instant snipe" change is made.

The "Out of combat/in combat" dynamic is nonsensical.

Fifteen seconds is a real long time. We typically move from one group to the next in like 5...

If it was too easy to achieve already, non snipe sets were already unquestionably behind and this does not make it anymore so.

But ice is definitively not behind, and I have to take others word for it, but i keep hearing water is also top tier with no snipe, when compared to perma-snipe sets.

The "Out of combat/in combat" dynamic is nonsensical.

 

Fifteen seconds is a real long time. We typically move from one group to the next in like 5...

Haven't had a chance to play with it, but if you do typically move from one group to the next in 5, and then one time you get over that 15 seconds mark and suddenly your favorite opener takes 3 times as long to cast... Wouldn't it get annoying?

If it was too easy to achieve already, non snipe sets were already unquestionably behind and this does not make it anymore so.

 

But ice is definitively not behind, and I have to take others word for it, but i keep hearing water is also top tier with no snipe, when compared to perma-snipe sets.

To your first point, it practically will, as everyone with a snipe-set will no longer have to build for it.

Second, ice is not bad raw single target, but it isn't competing with most of the snipe-sets.

Water blast is okay, but mostly at AOE.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19VuZ9zJ_8eKN11JytgaK9mt9Fy-8pjANopb-FGh68Uw/edit#gid=983294472

Ice blast is some of the strongest ST DPS in the game. A single snipe won't make sets with Snipes better than the blast oriented sets. If anything, it will catch a lot of sets up and make it so Snipes aren't practically useless in leveling teams.

Ice blast is some of the strongest ST DPS in the game. A single snipe won't make sets with Snipes better than the blast oriented sets. If anything, it will catch a lot of sets up and make it so Snipes aren't practically useless in leveling teams.

Ice requires less investment to be great at single target, but very quickly loses it's throne.

Also: Snipes weren't useless to begin with on a leveling team, especially if you had people with +tohit buffs. You could pop build up, you could aim, you could have targeting drone, pop yellows, there was a lot of ways to get it to work without really doing anything complex.

I'm really not sure I see the problem. Slow Snipes may be hard to get off in teams, but the guarantee of Superior level damage is pretty handy, especially if you are solo.

Fast Snipes, barely anything will change if it's truly that easy.

I keep seeing the same people argue: it’s that easy, everyone can do it, but ... letting anyone doing it is bad!

I keep seeing the same people argue: it’s that easy, everyone can do it, but ... letting anyone doing it is bad!

If we oversimplify any argument to such an insulting degree, of course you'd get that impression.

Snipes were openers that were later changed to be close to 'burst cooldowns/ranged Assassin's Strike' you could build to always have ready, now that's just the default.

Building your character to perform great things is a highlight of the game, taking that away and giving it to everyone isn't necessarily a good thing.

I also say this as someone who plays a plant/fire dom. This change will make my dominator even more of a god, practically. Why would I be against it? I think it's a clunky mess that achieves nothing.

On one hand, I can agree with wanting it to feel special. On the other hand, I like the mass amount of windows this opens up in old builds I have that were factoring for perma snipe. Maybe kismet won't feel like such a necessity IO anymore.

I keep seeing the same people argue: it’s that easy, everyone can do it, but ... letting anyone doing it is bad!

Not quite. We're saying it's already fairly easy to do, but don't punish people for having invested the time into building for it by making their power choice of Tactics close to useless. There are alternatives if you wanna make it more intuitively accessible, like buffing Aim's uptime and making permadom give some permanent ToHit bonus.

Besides, that's far from the only critique people have raised.

I have to agree that it doesn't seem like an over simplification. If your teammates can give it to you so easily or a simple build up/yellow, why is the autosnipe change so bad?

I keep seeing the same people argue: it’s that easy, everyone can do it, but ... letting anyone doing it is bad!

 

Not quite. We're saying it's already fairly easy to do, but don't punish people for having invested the time into building for it by making their power choice of Tactics close to useless. There are alternatives if you wanna make it more intuitively accessible, like buffing Aim's uptime and making permadom give some permanent ToHit bonus.

 

Besides, that's far from the only critique people have raised.

That just seems like a fancy way of saying "I want it to work for MY builds but to still keep the plebs out". What's the point of gatekeeping like that?

The to hit requirement only exists as a kludgey backdoor way to buff Devices in the first place.

I agree I don't like it at all.  If it was just giving "Everyone instant snipe" than cool.

Seems a bit easy but whatever its a private server.  But by giving everyone Insta snipe they are changing things they shouldn't.  An IO to make it so you can insta snipe out of combat even though you already could.  Waste of an Ench slot.  Changing the recharge time because now everyone has it?  Great a longer snipe for no reason.

It was fine the way it was, changing it just unnecessary.  Or if they are going to change it so it's more available to everyone just give it to everyone, don't change a bunch of other stuff about the power.  Quite frankly I think it was perfect as it was.  I am not stoked that the character I built just so they could focus on Insta snipe as low as possible now has a longer recharge, made targeting drone a useless power, and I can't control when I want it on and off without wasting an Enhancement slot.  Like should we start giving everyone Perma Hasten too?  I like a lot of QoL changes Homecoming has done.  But this one I think it unnecessary and will change the way blasters play for really basically no reason at all.  Instant Snipe was perfect as it was already.

I have to agree that it doesn't seem like an over simplification. If your teammates can give it to you so easily or a simple build up/yellow, why is the autosnipe change so bad?

Because the autosnipe doesn't just give you fast snipes in combat. It affects the numbers both in and out of combat and the snipe power will end up being a far different power than it was before.

I keep seeing the same people argue: it’s that easy, everyone can do it, but ... letting anyone doing it is bad!

 

Not quite. We're saying it's already fairly easy to do, but don't punish people for having invested the time into building for it by making their power choice of Tactics close to useless. There are alternatives if you wanna make it more intuitively accessible, like buffing Aim's uptime and making permadom give some permanent ToHit bonus.

 

Besides, that's far from the only critique people have raised.

Permadom does give perma +ToHit. I have it on my Fire x3 Dom(w/no snipe because...why?) and I read under the domination power that it gave +ToHit

I was under the impression that the ToHit part of the buff only lasted 15 seconds.

I was under the impression that the ToHit part of the buff only lasted 15 seconds.

You're correct, the +tohit only lasts a little while after popping dom.

I'm just going to put this out there. If you are trusting the math of someone who puts dark blast ahead of ice blast for single target damage, you are going to be in for a bad time. 

Dark blast has exactly 0 follow up attacks to its snipe that get anywhere near breaking 100 Damage per animation second. (Gloom with ~ 66 is painfully average).  Unless you are cycling a 129 DPA/S moonbeam every other attack you aren't going to get even close to Ice's single target damage which can cycle an 133 DPA/S BiB and a 125 DPA/S Freeze Ray. 

Even at something like ~400 % recharge the cycle time for dark's fast snipe is nearly 4 seconds (3.79) so you are going to need more fillers than gloom to make a ranged chain. 

*edit* Also that spreadsheet that was linked is riddled with errors.  I think I caught 4 or 5 with a cursory glance .

Also that spreadsheet that was linked is riddled with errors.  I think I caught 4 or 5 with a cursory glance .

I'd rather stay on topic, so I'll only address this part. The creator of that sheet is constantly working on it to keep things accurate to the game, PM me and I'll let him know what those errors are.

Dark blast does seem iffy, but I know for a fact that assault rifle, psy and fire all DESTROY Ice on single target, so meh.

In that spreadsheet Blaster Freeze Ray does 6.26 damage.

That power does 11 ticks of 12.51 damage, or 137.6

That also says Bitter Freeze Ray is 82.58 damage.

It’s actuality 172.67.

These powers literally got buffed the day paragon shut down. Still remember finding out about the shutdown in the thread it was discussed.

It seems the poster is working of an archive of lives city of data. Didn’t check but would not be shocked if it also thinks Assault Rifle quick snipe is 0.67 second cast when it’s (and has been since before SCORE) 1.5 seconds.

It strikes me as a change that really didn't need to be made, and I think it takes the reward out of building your character properly.

Not really. Any character I consider built properly usually doesn't include snipe. This change allows me to actually work it into builds.

It strikes me as a change that really didn't need to be made, and I think it takes the reward out of building your character properly.

 

Not really. Any character I consider built properly usually doesn't include snipe. This change allows me to actually work it into builds.

This is me as well. I can't remember the last time I did include a snipe, because I don't really use them. Now though? My /MA dom is very very happy with this change.

It strikes me as a change that really didn't need to be made, and I think it takes the reward out of building your character properly.

 

Not really. Any character I consider built properly usually doesn't include snipe. This change allows me to actually work it into builds.

This is me as well. I can't remember the last time I did include a snipe, because I don't really use them. Now though? My /MA dom is very very happy with this change.

Not sure how you like to build your doms but for PvE mine always go leadership pool for the easy LoTG mules in manuevers and vengeance and take tactics for the to-hit.  If you had taken your snipe and I do believe /MA gets a +tohit buff in envenom blades then you can toggle up two nasty strong insta-snipes usually by the time that buff wears off.  With tactics and the kismet +6% to-hit any very small addition to to-hit would get you to the insta-snipe, meaning whenever you popped your domination, envenom blades or even vengeance for a longer buff. 

I suggest you don't play it on live quite yet because if the proposed changes go through it's quite a loss on that QoL buff doms got.  Or please do play it on live as it currently is and realize it's damage is proposed to be cut by 1/3 so we can add your voice to the small amount of us dominators asking for a compromise.