Focused Feedback: Shock Therapy (Build 1)

[Duloth]

T1: This is a fairly sub-par ability. Corruptors would feel bad they had to take it, Defenders would skip it. Perhaps tacking on some energy damage over time, or a stun effect if you have static; or making it chain to other enemies if you have it.

 

T2: Needs to be more consistent about who it heals; and to heal you, as well, before chaining to anyone else. Honestly, this is the case for most of these sorts of abilities. You're probably going to spam this one just enough to keep you maxed out on static for buffing purposes.

 

I think I'm going to cut it off here. This set, if released as-is, would have some momentary popularity for being new, but is frankly just not that useful. Two of these guys would be less effective, solo or in team, than a single kinetic, dark, or time. Either it needs its endurance drain jacked up enormously to the point that Shock essentially acts as a stun by making a minion or LT completely endurance free for a few seconds, or honestly it just needs to be reworked from the ground up.

 

 

[Trickshooter]

Got a chance to play some tonight, but didn't team so I can only comment on the 3 powers that can be used solo.

 

Shock: Feels like it's missing something, probably because the Endurance Drain doesn't feel like it's adding much. The -Recovery helps, especially with a Discharge follow-up, although I would frequently use it on an enemy and 1-2 seconds after applying it, I could see them recover some Endurance. I don't know if that's just a server timing thing, but it was kind of a lengthy delay.

 

Discharge: I can see the potential of the Endurance drain on this power, however it's absolutely useless without -Recovery. With 5 stacks of Static I could get even con enemies down to about 40% endurance left, I think, and that's while not slotted for EndMod, but even on lower con enemies who I could drain in one application, it was as if I did nothing. They immediately recover endurance and attack as if nothing happened.

 

Faraday Cage: I understand the goal was for something different, however I don't think it really works for the way people play. I tried to preemptively use it before fights, but it was a bit frustrating that if I tried to leave, and was already under the effects of a mezz, I would end up mezzed and vulnerable just out of reach of the bubble. It feels like that would also be a bit annoying for an ally. If they get mezzed outside of it, I have to wait for it to recharge and then resummon it by them to free them. Feels a bit inconvenient. If the goal is to keep this a location AoE, I like the idea of making it work as a quick-recharging toggle like Lifegiving Spores.

[WhalePuncher]

What about adding an unenhanceable recharge slow to the drains to give the appearance of it keeping enemies from having the energy to attack without putting it in the realm of a control, since in practice end drain isn't a huge debuff?

[oedipus_tex]

Perhaps an option would be to have the anti-mezz duration if you leave a Faraday Cage last 30 seconds so allies only need to "visit" it for a moment to pick up the anti-mezz. I kind of like the need to hide in it currently, but I can this working. 

[General Idiot]

Finally got on to make a character and play around with the set a little. I was only soloing through the early Atlas Park arcs so most of this is subjective only.

 

Shock: I have to echo the other feedback I've seen and say it feels weak, especially as the power other ATs won't be able to skip as a secondary set. Perhaps add a self recovery buff or endurance return, like many electric attacks have? Drain endurance from enemies and return some to you. Or make the recovery debuff larger, given it's the only source of -recovery in the set. Though given the debuff stacks (I think?) increasing it probably isn't the best possible option.

 

Rejuvenating Circuit: Was able to sort of test this on Icedrone in Sondra Costel's arc, and on random players I saw running about. And I think it needs to be able to chain back to the user, somehow. Or something like if you use it with a hostile target it activates on you and chains to random allies if there's any around. Also is it a bug that the chain powers won't chain back to you? Or at least Rejuvenating Circult doesn't seem to, which is particularly odd as the original version of it in the Sentinel electricity mastery epic pool can and does chain back to you from an ally.

 

Discharge: Seems to not actually do much? I was using it more for the health and endurance return from consuming static than anything else. The endurance drain isn't terribly useful without -recovery to keep it drained, and the only -recovery in the set is in the single target power that otherwise does the same thing Discharge does. Also is it possible to make the ingame detailed info display something other than 'special' for the effects? As is I know it does -endurance and -damage but how much? I can't help but feel like I shouldn't have to buy temporary power analyzers or look at sources outside the game just to find out what my powers actually do, that was the whole point of the detailed info window.

Also in general, for soloing it just seems like a really bad set. Empathy level bad. Six of the nine powers are only usable with a teammate or at least a friendly target - that'll make it vastly better on Masterminds and to a lesser extent Controllers than on Defenders or Corruptors, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Without a friendly target you have only two endurance drain/damage debuffs and the mez protection patch. Admittedly the patch is pretty powerful given it gives full mez protection on a support AT but really I still think there needs to be a way to use some of the other powers while solo or the set barely functions at all.

[Haijinx]

This seems a hard one to balance.

 

Since if you combined it with a set that does a lot of End Drain you could probably have the best sapper possible? 

 

I realize that isn't the greatest thing ever.  But I've teamed with multiple Electric controllers and sometimes when they got lucky it was pretty awesome. 

 

Seems like because of this possible thing there is a lot of caution in the numbers atm. 

[csr]

I played a bit more at L25-26 then L40 on a Shock/Elect Defender.

 

The testing I did was to try to maximize the value of Faraday Cage.  Based upon what I saw I think the buff duration needs to be pushed out to about 10s so that at the extreme Recharge you can recast it as you move and have it perma.  And the tick rate should be dropped to 2s or less so that those entering the cage get the buffs more quickly.  The buffs shouldn't stack of course.

[summers]

I don't know if there are engine limitations, but making Faraday Cage instant (or near instant) cast would relieve the significant action economy / opportunity cost it incurs.

[Menelruin]

Regarding the usefulness of sapping as a strategy.....

 

There are 2 possible debuff effects that, if either were applied to Electric attacks across the board (excluding maybe Melee, which is already strong), would increase the viability of blue-bar attacks.

 

The first is a negative-value "conserve power" applied to mobs (but not necessarily pvp), significantly increasing the cost of every ability they use.  This would mean even after they get that "tic" of Recovery, it won't last for many attacks, and they'll be drained again.

 

The second is kind of out of the box, and again wouldn't apply to PVP.  What if we make a new debuff for PVE, that makes it so that every time a mob uses a power, it ALSO costs some HP?  That would mean either 1:  They slow down their attack rate (the main goal), or 2. They die faster (thus making Sapping still an effective killing strategy).

 

Whichever debuff is used, I suggest a good name for it is "Power Bleed," suggesting that rather than conserving power, the target is losing/wasting power with each action.

Edited February 28, 2020 by Menelruin

[Coyote]

Players also suffer no effects from End Drain until they reach 0, at which point they suffer some big penalties due to toggle dropping. NPCs generally don't suffer from toggle drops, but perhaps we can simulate that by giving them debuffs when they're drained to 0 (regardless of whether they regain End or not). Something like:

 

1: -50% Special for 10 seconds

2: -20% Resist (all) for 10 seconds

3: -20% Damage (all) for 10 seconds

[JayboH]

3 hours ago, Menelruin said:

The second is kind of out of the box, and again would'nt apply to PVP.  What if we make a new debuff for PVE, that makes it so that every time a mob uses a power, it ALSO costs some HP?

Oof, that would be a monstrous mountain of work for balance methinks

[Bossk_Hogg]

12 hours ago, oedipus_tex said:

Perhaps an option would be to have the anti-mezz duration if you leave a Faraday Cage last 30 seconds so allies only need to "visit" it for a moment to pick up the anti-mezz. I kind of like the need to hide in it currently, but I can this working. 

I'd add in all the effects (resist) to make it more worth slotting. 

[VileTerror]

Another idea for Faraday Cage; make it similar to Disruption Field:  Cast it on an ally, who then becomes the anchor to the AoE.  Retain the ability to cast it while under the effect of Hard Control, as a cunning player can use it as a Breakfree.

Still think the duration and Cooldown should both be bumped up to the 90'ish seconds area in either case.

[Blackfeather]

1 hour ago, VileTerror said:

Another idea for Faraday Cage; make it similar to Disruption Field:  Cast it on an ally, who then becomes the anchor to the AoE.  Retain the ability to cast it while under the effect of Hard Control, as a cunning player can use it as a Breakfree.

Still think the duration and Cooldown should both be bumped up to the 90'ish seconds area in either case.

I'm pretty sure Faraday Cage can be used whilst mezzed.

[siolfir]

1 hour ago, VileTerror said:

Another idea for Faraday Cage; make it similar to Disruption Field:  Cast it on an ally, who then becomes the anchor to the AoE.  Retain the ability to cast it while under the effect of Hard Control, as a cunning player can use it as a Breakfree.

Still think the duration and Cooldown should both be bumped up to the 90'ish seconds area in either case.

It's not a bad idea in a vacuum, but with how few other powers in the set work without an ally... hard pass on that for now.

[VileTerror]

Hence the use of "retain" at the beginning of that sentence, Blackfeather.

 

But you do make a very good point, siolfir.

Is it possible to make a power self-target if you don't have an ally selected?

[Leogunner]

40 minutes ago, siolfir said:

It's not a bad idea in a vacuum, but with how few other powers in the set work without an ally... hard pass on that for now.

Agreed.

 

In that respect, what if Faraday Cage summoned a pet that then spawned the AoE?  Would be a +1 if you could also target that pet and use your powers off of it.

[Wavicle]

On 2/27/2020 at 1:09 PM, Dispari said:

That I won't deny, Faraday Cage is one of the most unique and valuable powers in the set (although it needs to be fixed for how it doesn't position itself properly in the air). The rest of the set however can't be carried by one power.

If it worked like Lifegiving Spores, it could only be placed on the ground. I'm not sure I'd want that limitation.

I didn't mean including the only on the ground limitation. I just meant it's a toggle you can turn off and turn back on again very quickly, so you can have it up on every spawn.

[oedipus_tex]

2 hours ago, Blackfeather said:

I'm pretty sure Faraday Cage can be used whilst mezzed.

 

It can.

 

It's probably one of the best powers in the game to be honest. It's anti-mezz to all that lasts 30 seconds and at base recharges in 32 seconds, and it can be cast while you are mezzed. Unless you are playing one of the 3 Control sets with a PBAoE aura, you can just cast it whenever you get mezzed to instantly bust out and be back in action. You just can't leave the area of effect until you're sure you're in the clear or the Cage is recharged again.

 

A good end game build will have power on around a 10-7 second recharge. Total anti mezz protection on 10-7 second recharge on a squishy. That's gold. 

I wish they'd tune up the rest of the set, but that power is unique and cool and powerful as hell. 😄

 

I could see extending the duration to 45 or 60 seconds as long as it keeps its current Recharge, or the anti mezz effect lasting longer beyond the time you leave the cage (say, 30 seconds). But I don't want to lose the panic button aspect of it it currently has. Right now Shock is really, really good at breaking out of mezz, and can do it with just SOs.

Edited February 29, 2020 by oedipus_tex

[Bopper]

2 minutes ago, oedipus_tex said:

 

It can.

 

It's probably one of the best powers in the game to be honest. It's anti-mezz to all that lasts 30 seconds and at base recharges in 32 seconds, and it can be cast while you are mezzed. Unless you are playing one of the 3 Control sets with a PBAoE aura, you can just cast it whenever you get mezzed to instantly bust out and be back in action. You just can't leave the area of effect until you're sure you're in the clear or the Cage is recharged again.

 

A good end game build will have power on around a 10-7 second recharge. Total anti mezz protection on 10-7 second recharge on a squishy. That's gold. 

I wish they'd tune up the rest of the set, but that power is unique and cool and powerful as hell. 😄

Agreed. Too much talk over a power that is quite strong. It has one drawback, but that's the cost of power

[Shadowsleuth]

5 hours ago, Leogunner said:

Agreed.

 

In that respect, what if Faraday Cage summoned a pet that then spawned the AoE?  Would be a +1 if you could also target that pet and use your powers off of it.

What kind of look did you have in mind for the pet?

 

Voltaic Sentinel from Electrical Blast, Gremlin from Electric Control,  Sprite/Will O' The Wisp from Croatoa, or Storm Elemental from the Shadow Shard?

[Tater Todd]

5 hours ago, oedipus_tex said:

 

It can.

 

It's probably one of the best powers in the game to be honest. It's anti-mezz to all that lasts 30 seconds and at base recharges in 32 seconds, and it can be cast while you are mezzed. Unless you are playing one of the 3 Control sets with a PBAoE aura, you can just cast it whenever you get mezzed to instantly bust out and be back in action. You just can't leave the area of effect until you're sure you're in the clear or the Cage is recharged again.

 

A good end game build will have power on around a 10-7 second recharge. Total anti mezz protection on 10-7 second recharge on a squishy. That's gold. 

I wish they'd tune up the rest of the set, but that power is unique and cool and powerful as hell. 😄

 

I could see extending the duration to 45 or 60 seconds as long as it keeps its current Recharge, or the anti mezz effect lasting longer beyond the time you leave the cage (say, 30 seconds). But I don't want to lose the panic button aspect of it it currently has. Right now Shock is really, really good at breaking out of mezz, and can do it with just SOs.

Same!  I love the power in every way (except the visuals lol) I hope it remains the same or at least gets slightly modified not too far from the way it is now. 

[Mystic Fortune]

Faraday Cage

 

Obviously the outlier of the set. This is the only power in the set that is not altered by the Static mechanic at all. I can't help but wonder if it needs more synergy with the set itself? Perhaps when you have it placed, and are standing in it and begin to generate Static you could receive a minor HoT (Heal over Time) affect that gets stronger the more stacks of Static you have? I might go so far as to say make it the center piece of the set. If you want the Circuit powers to chain back to you. You have to have this active and be standing in it.

 

Defibrillate

This might need something more other than just being a group rez? Perhaps make it a PBAoE power centered around you that does knockdown, -end and -recovery to foes around you while also rezzing your fallen allies who are within range when you have 5 stacks of Static? Stop looking at me like that! I think it's high time the game gets another autohit "debuff" rez. Howling Twilight has been standing alone in the spotlight long enough!

[Jimmy]

A new build is available. Please use the new focused feedback threads going forwards:

• Focused Feedback: Electrical Affinity - Powers (Build 2)
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