Hotfix ideas for some underperforming melee sets

[Wavicle]

Some quick ideas (quick to think of, not necessarily to implement):

 

Dark Melee: Significantly increase the damage of Dark Consumption.

Dual Blades: Add bonus damage to each Combo effect.

 

Martial Arts: Create a simple combo system for MA. In addition to its current effects each attack provides a buff called Chi Flow that will improve the damage of one of several other attacks if used within a few seconds. The effects don't stack, but can be chained.

For Scrappers, Brutes, and Tankers:

Thunder Kick buffs the next Storm Kick, Cobra Strike, or Crane Kick.

Storm Kick buffs the next Thunder Kick, Cobra Strike, or Crane Kick.

Cobra Strike buffs the next Crane Kick, Crippling Axe Kick, or Dragon's Tail.

Crane Kick buffs the next Cobra Strike, Crippling Axe Kick, or Dragon's Tail.

Crippling Axe Kick buffs the next Dragon's Tail or Eagle's Claw.

Dragon's Tail buffs the next Eagle's Claw, Thunder Kick, or Storm Kick.

For Stalkers:

Thunder Kick buffs the next Storm Kick, Crippling Axe Kick, or Assassin's Blow.

Storm Kick buffs the next Thunder Kick, Crippling Axe Kick, or Assassin's Blow. (Also, add a small AoE to Storm Kick when it crits for Stalkers)

Crippling Axe Kick buffs the next Assassin's Blow, Cobra Strike, or Crane Kick.

Assassin's Blow buffs the next Cobra Strike, Crane Kick, or Eagle's Claw.

Cobra Strike buffs the next Crane Kick, Eagle's Claw, Thunder Kick, or Storm Kick.

Crane Kick buffs the next Cobra Strike, Eagle's Claw, Thunder Kick, or Storm Kick.

Energy Melee: Give all EM attacks except Energy Transfer and Assassin's Strike a chance to give a buff called Power Spike that makes the next ET within a few seconds use the original animation. Activating Build Up or Placate significantly increases this chance. Gaining Power Spike causes a small AoE.

 

Stone Melee: Add moderate damage to Fault.

Super Strength: Add moderate damage to Hand Clap and reduce the recharge somewhat. Slightly increase the base damage of all other attacks.  Slightly lower the damage bonus of Rage, but also remove or greatly reduce the crash. Or make it a toggle maybe.

Edited January 25, 2020 by sacredlunatic

[DR_Mechano]

I will point out that Super Strength is going to be looked at.

 

The problem is Rage. The entire set is build around having rage constantly active, which means that out of rage it deals just trash damage. The devs tried numerous Rage changes but both them and the community couldn't agree on what was good. Some wanted to keep the double stacking with crash, others wanted it to not be able to double stack but lose the crash cost, others wanted it turned into a toggle...

 

So basically the entire set is going to be looked at and rebalanced, how? No idea but that is what has been said.

[Leogunner]

29 minutes ago, sacredlunatic said:

Some quick ideas (quick to think of, not necessarily to implement):

 

Dark Melee: Significantly increase the damage of Dark Consumption.

This was certainly something I was considering when I was making a thread on a melee/support AT suggestion. Maybe even lower the END return and recharge as well. 

[Burnt Toast]

No thank you - I have no issues with the way MA is now. Adding a pseudo dual blades system is not anything people have asked for in MA. I don't like to be told that to get the most out of a power I have to do a different specific power before it - THAT is one of the reasons people don't play dual blades. IF anything were to be done to MA (which I don't think it needs) I would prefer a looser combo/stack building system where you have builders and finishers. 

[Wavicle]

30 minutes ago, Burnt Toast said:

No thank you - I have no issues with the way MA is now. Adding a pseudo dual blades system is not anything people have asked for in MA. I don't like to be told that to get the most out of a power I have to do a different specific power before it - THAT is one of the reasons people don't play dual blades. IF anything were to be done to MA (which I don't think it needs) I would prefer a looser combo/stack building system where you have builders and finishers. 

Please look carefully at what I did. It’s pretty loose. Every attack has multiple options to follow it.

[Burnt Toast]

9 hours ago, sacredlunatic said:

Please look carefully at what I did. It’s pretty loose. Every attack has multiple options to follow it.

I did... and I don't like it. I don't think sets need to become gimmicky in order to buff them. MA was my main on live and now on HC - I have zero issues with the set as it is. My SG runs an all MA scrapper team for trials/tfs - all with different secondaries. I am not objecting to a buff... just not a fan of these types of gimmicks which dictate when you should use certain powers in order to buff other powers. 

[Galaxy Brain]

An all MA team sounds fun as hell lol

 

For MA, the only things I'd like to see are maybe porting some effects from newer MA powers (lethal DoT on a hard hitter, a cone), but also the suggestions I put in from the MA thread on page 2 of this subforum:

 

1) instead of a strict combo system, just expand on what Eagles Claw does where it grants a +crit or +damage boost to the next power. This could be a variety of things like end discount, +stun, whatever and will let you be much more freeform than needing to use X into Y.

 

2) Focus Chi is build up in disguise. Personal peeve of mine, if it is named different it should have a new effect. Keep the damage/tohit of course, but also add in a new effect?

[0th Power]

23 hours ago, Galaxy Brain said:

2) Focus Chi is build up in disguise. Personal peeve of mine, if it is named different it should have a new effect. Keep the damage/tohit of course, but also add in a new effect?

Could add some minimal defense or resistance.  Would make sense if one was focusing their chi.

[siolfir]

On 1/25/2020 at 10:50 AM, sacredlunatic said:

Dark Melee: Significantly increase the damage of Dark Consumption.

Amusing note: per the design formulas, if Dark Consumption was treated as an attack, it should be doing scale 11.664 damage based on its 180 second recharge and 10' radius*. That's 729.71 base damage as a Scrapper.

 

The same formula has Whirling Hands doing scale 1.18 damage instead of scale 1: Dragon's Tail  is the only one of the 14 sec recharge, 8' radius PBAoEs that meets the formula.

• Whirling Axe and Whirling Hands each do scale 1. To do scale 1 damage the radius should be 10 ft, 8 inches.
• Whirling Sword and The Lotus Drops do scale 1 base, with differing amounts of guaranteed DoT over the same time span (scale 0.3 total for Whirling Sword, scale 0.36 total for The Lotus Drops).
• Whirling Mace does scale 1.12.
• Spin from Claws has different recharges based on AT and uses different formulas for all versions.

 

* - it would also cost 151.63 endurance.