Focused Feedback: New IO Sets (Build 3)

[Jimmy]

This is a Focused Feedback Thread

• Please note that Focused Feedback threads are heavily moderated to ensure they remain on topic.
  • Any off-topic posts in these threads will be removed without warning.
  • The thread will be locked when no more feedback is required, but you are more than welcome to continue the discussion in a new thread.
• Changes from the previous build will be listed in green.
• Any changes or fixes that are only relevant to the beta builds (as in, not changes relevant to the live version of the game) will be listed in blue.

 

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New IO Sets

•  Synapse's Shock (Endurance Modification, Rare, 21-50)
  • The first of two new Endurance Modification sets with a damage focus, designed to be useful in endurance-draining attack powers.
  • Enhancements: 
    • Endurance Modification
    • Damage / Recharge
    • Endurance Modification / Recharge
    • Damage / Recharge / Accuracy
    • Damage / Accuracy / Endurance Reduction
    • UNIQUE: Endurance Modification / 15% Increased Run Speed
  • Set Bonuses: 
    • 2: 7.5% Movement Speed
    • 3: 10% Slow Resistance
    • 4: 8% Regeneration
    • 5: 6.25% Recharge
    • 6: 4.5% Energy / Negative Resistance + 7.5% Mez Resistance
•  Power Transfer (Endurance Modification, Rare, 21-50)
  • The second damage-focused Endurance Modification set.
  • Enhancements: 
    • Endurance Modification
    • Damage / Recharge
    • Endurance Modification / Damage
    • Damage / Accuracy / Endurance Reduction
    • Damage / Recharge / Accuracy / Endurance Reduction
    • UNIQUE: Chance to Heal Self (2 PPM)
  • Set Bonuses: 
    • 2: 6% Regeneration
    • 3: 1.35% Max Endurance
    • 4: 1.875% Max Health
    • 5: 9% Accuracy
    • 6: 7.5% Recharge
•  Preemptive Optimization (Endurance Modification, Uncommon, 21-50)
  • An Endurance Modification set with a focus on ally buff abilities that don't deal damage.
  • Enhancements: 
    • Accuracy / Recharge
    • Endurance Modification / Endurance Reduction
    • Endurance Modification / Recharge
    • Endurance Modification / Accuracy / Endurance Reduction
    • Endurance Modification / Accuracy / Recharge
    • Endurance Modification / Endurance Reduction / Recharge
      • All enhancement values have been adjusted to replace the Range component with an Accuracy component
  • Set Bonuses: 
    • 2: 1.8% Max Endurance
    • 3: 1.5% Max Health
    • 4: 3% Toxic / Psionic Resistance + 5% Mez Resistance
    • 5: 3.75% Recharge
    • 6: 3.75% Ranged Defense + 1.875 Energy / Negative Defense
•  Bombardment (Targeted AoE, Rare, 30-50)
  • Enhancements: 
    • Damage
    • Accuracy / Recharge / Endurance
    • Damage / Recharge
    • Accuracy / Damage / Recharge
    • Accuracy / Damage / Recharge / Endurance Reduction
    • Chance for Fire Damage (3.5 PPM)
  • Set Bonuses: 
    • 2: 5% Increased Range
    • 3: 2.25% Smashing / Lethal Resistance + 3.75% Mez Resistance
    • 4: 7% Accuracy
    • 5: 5% Recharge
    • 6: Increases area effect defense by 3.75% AoE Defence + 1.875% Fire / Cold Defense
      • This set had its Ranged Defense swapped for AOE Defense set bonus instead, as the combination of Recharge and Ranged Defense is considered slightly too strong in a set that can be slotted multiple times easily

•  Shrapnel (Targeted AoE, Rare, 30-50)
  • This new AOE set provides the Ranged Defense set bonus that was removed from Bombardment. This is the first pass and is currently using the same icon as Bombardment.
  • Enhancements: 
    • Damage
    • Accuracy / Damage
    • Damage / Recharge
    • Accuracy / Damage / Recharge
    • Damage / Endurance / Recharge
    • Accuracy / Endurance / Recharge
  • Set Bonuses: 
    • 2: Improves your Regeneration by 10%
    • 3: Increases Energy and Negative Energy resistance by 2.25% and Mez Resistance by 3.75%
    • 4: Increases damage by 2%.
    • 5: Improves the accuracy of all of your powers by 9%.
    • 6: Increases ranged defense by 3.75% and energy and negative energy defense by 1.875%.
• These sets are not yet available for free from the merit vendor for testing purposes. This will be rectified in an upcoming patch.
  • In the meantime you can use the /boost_set command with any of the following names to get a copy of the set:
    • Synapses_Shock
    • Power_Transfer
    • Preemptive_Optimization
    • Bombardment
  • For example, to get a level 50 set of Synapse's Shock:
    • /boost_set Synapses_Shock 50

Edited March 4, 2020 by The Curator

[The Curator]

Addressing some previous feedback:

• Synapse's Shock continues to not have the greatest damage values. This is by design; you can still use it on a damage power by spending another slot to fill the hole in this set, but damage powers are not its main intended target.
• Power Transfer, on the other hand, is intended to be used in damage powers, and the enhancement values reflect that.
• Preemptive Optimization used to have a Range component, but previous feedback made a good case that the list of powers that would benefit from range without requiring accuracy was negligible to non-existent, so the set has been reorganized to provide Accuracy instead.
• Bombardment has gone through the most changes so far, possibly because it was the only new Targeted AOE set. The addition of Shrapnel is intended to provide another Targeted AOE set so the feeback can be better balanced between the two. It may be worth considering removing some of the Endurance Reduction that was added to Bombardment in order to restore the Recharge set bonus to 6.25%.
• Shrapnel does not currently have a proc, as the intention is to provide solid enhancement values that make it worth six-slotting in order to reach the Ranged damage bonus. Its current post-ED values are 68.9% accuracy, 100.67% damage, 42.4% endurance reduction, and 88.07% recharge. If a proc is desired, it would not be a Damage proc (Bombardment already got one) but rather a Chance for Immobilize, Chance for Knockdown, Chance for -Defense or something else not exceedingly common.

[Bopper]

It's looking good. I think the sets could roll out any time. 

[Novacat]

I rather liked the Range components, although it's true not all that many powers would find any use for it without accuracy also. Could it have gone half and half perhaps?

Range/Recharge, with the two accuracy being in the triples maybe?

 

Some obvious recipients for having ranged buffs in the set would be the electric cones so many patron pools offer. Static Discharge and friends would definitely want some of that, though it's true they also need *a bit* of accuracy too (not much though, many ATs that get those powers have some hit or acc gained from elsewhere)

Edited March 4, 2020 by Novacat
Example cones.

[Mr. Vee]

The ranged damage and more options are welcome but taoe is still looking like the red-headed stepchild of the damage family. Was really looking forward to bombardment, even in its second form. Now it's two more mediocre rares added to the two mediocre rares, worst of the damage purples and worst of the damage winters. But at least we know where to put our ATOs.

[Novacat]

Now I wanna see what happens if I frankenslot all my AoEs for that 5% range buff...

[Mikewho]

I'm not happy about the Bombardment changes. I'll never take it now that it's only AOE defense. It'll be useful on melee characters, but I only play ranged really. And the Shrapnel set doesn't help since it has no recharge. Very disappointed with the changes 😞

[Anubis_TD]

Love the new IO's

Please don't take next bit as being ungrateful. 

 

Both AoEs look useable, but I have to wonder about the choice to do another target aoe in the first place. It already had 2 good choices, only one with 2, for rare IOs now it has 4. 

[ROBOKiTTY]

Bombardment in its current state will make Annihilation largely obsolete, as the non-overlapping set bonuses are more desirable, and the enhancement values are also better, trading a little accuracy (made up for with its accuracy set bonus) for more recharge enhancement, which is fairly low in all non-unique TAoE sets, with Annihilation formerly being the best (but still mediocre). Bombardment also gives more recharge enhancement than the purple version of the winter TAoE set, and its set bonuses are almost entirely superior to the the winter TAoE set when uncatalyzed, in addition to having a much better proc.

 

Shrapnel has similar issues in terms of the enhancement values being better than anything else currently available. The enhancement values are better than Ragnarok across the board.

Edited March 4, 2020 by ROBOKiTTY

[Draeth Darkstar]

1 hour ago, ROBOKiTTY said:

Bombardment in its current state will make Annihilation largely obsolete, as the non-overlapping set bonuses are more desirable, and the enhancement values are also better, trading a little accuracy (made up for with its accuracy set bonus) for more recharge enhancement, which is fairly low in all non-unique TAoE sets, with Annihilation formerly being the best (but still mediocre). Bombardment also gives more recharge enhancement than the purple version of the winter TAoE set, and its set bonuses are almost entirely superior to the the winter TAoE set when uncatalyzed, in addition to having a much better proc.

 

Shrapnel has similar issues in terms of the enhancement values being better than anything else currently available. The enhancement values are better than Ragnarok across the board.

IMO, this is way more of a problem with the TAOE sets that already existed being weak when compared to other damage sets than one of these new sets being too strong. They're both toward the "meh" end of damage sets now that Bombardment lost it's Ranged defense and that's the only especially good set bonus in Shrapnel.

[The Curator]

Remember that it's better to suggest changes, rather than just say that you don't like the current version. Most (all?) of the changes to the sets have been the result of feedback from previous threads.

[Mr. Vee]

My suggestion would be to go back to the original bombardment. I don't see why it can't be the ranged analog of obliteration - 5% rech with 3.75 defense as the 5th and 6th slots. Like obliteration the weakness of the set would be the lack of endurance help rather than the set bonuses. 

[Vanden]

Here are the new total enhancement values for the latest build, after ED:

 

Synapse's Shock

Accuracy: 42.4%

Damage: 68.9%

Recharge:  73.8%

End Cost: 21.2%

End Mod: 91.8%

 

Power Transfer

Accuracy: 39.7%

Damage: 89.9%

Recharge: 45%

End Cost: 39.7%

End Mod: 68.9%

 

Preemptive Optimization

Accuracy: 68.9%

Recharge:  91.8%

End Cost: 68.9%

End Mod: 97.5%

 

Bombardment

Accuracy: 61%

Damage: 96.3%

Recharge:  85.7%

End Cost: 39.7%

 

Shrapnel

Accuracy: 68.9%

Damage: 100.7%

Recharge:  88.1%

End Cost: 42.4%

[Vanden]

I couldn't help but notice that Shrapnel is a Rare set, but it doesn't have a proc. Shouldn't it be an uncommon set then?

 

I think the change to Bombardment is okay. The impetus for making it was of course that the targeted AoE sets were lackluster, but that didn't mean it had to blow them all out of the water and be better in every way.

[Parabola]

Shrapnel as it stands seems to lack a bit of identity. I would love to see a set that was tooled up to be the go to set for cones which to my mind would have a combination of ranged defence, +range set bonus and range enhancement. As shrapnel already has the ranged defence and is a no proc set so there is plenty of enhancement to play with would this be a possibility?

[DarckRedd]

I have to disagree with the changes to Bombardment. First, very few if any endgame builds actively slot for AoE defense, since so many AoE attacks are also tagged as Ranged or Melee; many players will simply ignore that set bonus and add a proc. At that point, the set is strictly worse than Positron's Blast; it'll join the dustbin of all the unused targeted AOE sets that can't compete with Posi.  See downthread; it appears this is a myth. Still, I think AOE defense is of limited utility. 

 

Moreover, the ranged bonus, though strong, was entirely reasonable. Simply put, the sixth set bonus in a set has a higher opportunity cost than all the others; by taking it, you are choosing not to slot other useful enhancements, like the -Res in Annihilation or KB conversion; by taking that last piece, you are closing the door on any other unique or proc the power might have slotted. This means that the sixth bonus has to be balanced accordingly, which is why the sixth-piece ranged defense was a fine choice.

 

I'd also note that there is a case to be made that Bombardment is one of the stronger targeted AOE. There is some truth to this, but this is simply because most of the targeted AOE sets are poorly designed. There is no reason to continue designing new sets according to a flawed design simply to keep them consistent with sets made under the old system; it's akin to throwing good money after bad.

 

As to Shrapnel, I think it will also see little use. It's mainly a victim of structural problems with the IO set system; regen, resists, and damage are all not worth slotting for, and accuracy is only marginally more useful. For example, a 4% damage bonus is barely perceptible to a human player, especially in an environment where abilities like Aim, Build Up, and Fulcrum shift exist. Conversely, rech and defense come in useful amounts. This would require a more substantial revamp of the IO system to fix; until that happens, I think Shrapnel isn't going to be appealing to most players.

 

In light of all this, I would recommend going back to the previous version of Bombardment and scrapping Shrapnel entirely. That said, I do agree that the 3.75% ranged defense may be a bit too high, so I could also see reducing it slightly. 

Edited March 4, 2020 by DarckRedd
Correcting misinformation

[Vanden]

If Bombardment goes back to Ranged Def in the 6th slot but with a lower value, I think either the Accuracy, Recharge, or Range set bonuses should be bumped up to a higher value in exchange.

[Generator]

41 minutes ago, DarckRedd said:

so many AoE attacks are also tagged as Ranged or Melee

Could you point to an example of this?  It was always my understanding that for positional defense, an attack is only ever tagged as one of the three.

[Vanden]

4 minutes ago, Generator said:

Could you point to an example of this?  It was always my understanding that for positional defense, an attack is only ever tagged as one of the three.

If this post is accurate, it's actually a pretty short list:

 

 

[Generator]

Wow, thanks for the pointer.  A short list, and not especially common to boot.

 

Again, thanks @Vanden.

[DarckRedd]

Huh. Seems I fell victim to an urban legend. I'll adjust my post to account to it. 

[Gorgar]

I agree that I prefer the original Bombardment.  As it stands now, I'll wind up slotting Shrapnel but not being too happy about it, but I can't really turn down the ranged defense.

 

On melee characters, I usually wind up with one targeted AoE at most, and that gets Ragnarok.  On the rare occasion there is a second one (claws comes to mind), I slot 5x Positron's because I might as well, at least there's good recharge in it.  They might switch to Bombardment but I don't generally build for AoE defense anyway.  They wouldn't care if Bombardment went back to ranged defense, either.  So I don't know that I'd use either new targeted AoE set on melee characters.

 

On ranged characters, ranged defense is the priority, and generally there are one or two ATO sets with at least some ranged defense, and those go in the targeted AoEs for that reason.  Bombardment looked good enough that I was expecting to replace some ATO sets with it.  The range bonus was a big plus, and recharge of course never hurts.  Shrapnel, I'm not sure if I'll bother replacing any ATO sets, but I will probably use it on squishies whose ATO sets don't both provide ranged defense, I guess.  And, I might be alone in this, but I'd prefer it not have a proc.  It looks like there's way more damage in the set than ED will allow, so maybe the straight damage one could be damage/range?

[Bopper]

2 hours ago, parabola said:

Shrapnel as it stands seems to lack a bit of identity. I would love to see a set that was tooled up to be the go to set for cones which to my mind would have a combination of ranged defence, +range set bonus and range enhancement. As shrapnel already has the ranged defence and is a no proc set so there is plenty of enhancement to play with would this be a possibility?

I really like that idea. Replace the damage with a DMG/Range and swap out the 2% damage bonus with a 10% range bonus. 

Edited March 4, 2020 by Bopper
Apparently a set bonus of +2% damage equates to +10% range. Updated numbers

[JayboH]

Curious also why Shrapnel is a Rare set instead of an Uncommon

[Mikewho]

6 hours ago, The Curator said:

Remember that it's better to suggest changes, rather than just say that you don't like the current version. Most (all?) of the changes to the sets have been the result of feedback from previous threads.

I would suggest going back to the original Bombardment.