Focused Feedback: Electrical Affinity - Powers (Build 6)

[Jimmy]

This is a Focused Feedback Thread

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• 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 Support Powerset: Electrical Affinity

You are able to control and manipulate electricity to aid your allies and weaken your enemies. Some Electrical Affinity powers build Static, which increases the number of targets your Circuit powers can chain to.

• The set has been built around chaining powers and a stacking / combo system that's similar to those found in many of the more modern melee and ranged damage sets, with a focus on wide variety of buffs for the whole team as well as damage and endurance debuffs for your enemies.
• Electrical Affinity also introduces and makes use of a brand new mechanic which allows powers to dynamically change the number of targets they can hit - in this case, the four Circuit powers hit more targets for every stack of Static that you currently have.
• Electrical Affinity is available for Defenders, Corruptors, Controllers and Masterminds.
• Electrical Affinity has both a Hero (blue) and Villain (red) default theme available for all ATs, along with the light and dark customisation themes.

General Changes

• Increased endurance cost for Mastermind versions of powers (to match other Mastermind secondary sets)
• Added a Doppleganger version of the set for the missions that require it

Powers

•  T1: Shock (Ranged, Foe -DMG, -End, -Recovery, -Regen)
  • Strike a single foe with a highly-charged electrical shock, draining some endurance and moderately reducing their recovery, regeneration and damage output. Recharge: Slow
•  T2: Rejuvenating Circuit (Ranged (Chain), Ally Heal, Self +Static)
  • Create a circuit of healing energy between several nearby allies, healing them for a small amount. Every stack of Static you have will cause this power to chain to additional allies. The first few targets in the chain receive a more potent effect. Rejuvenating Circuit grants 1 stack of Static. Recharge: Moderate
•  T3 (Defenders, Controllers and Corruptors): Galvanic Sentinel (Summon Galvanic Sentinel: Ranged Debuff Special)
  • Summons a Galvanic Sentinel to your aid. The Galvanic Sentinel shocks and weakens your foes, draining some endurance and reducing their regeneration, recovery, and damage output. The Galvanic Sentinel can be buffed and healed, and may be targeted with your Circuit powers. Recharge: Slow
    • Now displays a buff icon for the caster
•  T3 (Masterminds): Discharge (Ranged (Targeted AoE), Foe -Dmg, -End, -Recovery, -Regen)
  • Unleash a blast of electrical energy around your target, draining them and all nearby enemies of some endurance. This will also reduce their regeneration, recovery, and damage dealt for a short period of time. Recharge: Slow
    • Masterminds now get Discharge instead of Galvanic Sentinel at T3
    • The Mastermind's Discharge is a stronger version of the power used by the Galvanic Sentinel
    • The VFX & animation not yet final
•  T4: Energizing Circuit (Ranged (Chain), Ally +End, +Recharge, Self +Static)
  • Create a circuit of pure energy between several nearby allies, restoring a small amount of their endurance and significantly increasing their attack rate for a short time. Every stack of Static you have will cause this power to chain to additional allies. The first few targets in the chain receive a more potent effect. Energizing Circuit grants 1 stack of Static. Recharge: Slow
•  T5: Faraday Cage (Location (PBAoE), Team +Res(All DMG but Toxic, Status, Knockback, -Rech, -Rec, -End))
  • Create a large energy barrier at your location which provides all allies within resistance to all damage except Toxic. They are also protected from status effects, knockbacks, endurance drain, recovery debuffs and recharge debuffs. Casting this power again will move the energy barrier to your location. Standing inside your own Faraday Cage will grant you a stack of Static every 5 seconds. Recharge: Moderate
•  T6: Empowering Circuit: (Ranged (Chain), Ally +DMG, +Tohit, Self +Static)
  • Create a circuit of empowering energy between several nearby allies, increasing their damage output and chance to hit for a short time. Every stack of Static you have will cause this power to chain to additional allies. The first few targets in the chain receive a more potent effect. Empowering Circuit grants 1 stack of Static. Recharge: Slow
•  T7: Defibrillate (Melee (Targeted AoE), Ally Rez, Foe Sleep, -End, -Recovery)
  • Strike a target with a highly-charged jolt of electricity, reviving all nearby allies and draining all nearby foes. Any enemies affected will be drained of some endurance, have their recovery reduced and be put to sleep for a short time. Defibrillate consumes all stacks of Static, and the strength of the offensive component of this power scales with the number of stacks consumed. Allies will always be revived with full health and endurance regardless of the number of Static stacks consumed. Recharge: Long
•  T8: Insulating Circuit (Ranged (Chain), Ally +Absorb, Self +Static)
  • Create a circuit of protective energy between several nearby allies, granting them a small protective shield. Every stack of Static you have will cause this power to chain to additional allies. The first few targets in the chain receive a more potent effect. Insulating Circuit grants 1 stack of Static. Recharge: Slow
•  T9: Amp Up (Ranged, Ally +Special, +Recharge)
  • Empower an ally with raw energy, causing all of their abilities to unleash chained bolts of electricity at nearby foes. These bolts drain a small amount of endurance and have a chance to knock up the target. Amp Up also moderately increases their attack rate and greatly boosts the secondary effects of their powers. Their power effects like heals, defense debuffs, endurance drains, disorients, holds, immobilizes and more, are all improved. Recharge: Very Long
•  Static (Circuit Boost)
  • Every stack of Static you have increases the number of targets your Circuit powers can chain to by 3.

[Replacement]

Thanks, Jimmy, for trying out the Mastermind change we've all been suggesting! Now to see if we actually like it as much as we said we would.

[Wavicle]

I'm playing it on a mastermind now at the low levels and I am enjoying it, but one thing I will say is it is Very Loud.

[Myrmidon]

8 hours ago, Jimmy said:

 T3 (Masterminds): Discharge (Ranged (Targeted AoE), Foe -Dmg, -End, -Recovery, -Regen)

• Unleash a blast of electrical energy around your target, draining them and all nearby enemies of some endurance. This will also reduce their regeneration, recovery, and damage dealt for a short period of time. Recharge: Slow
  • Masterminds now get Discharge instead of Galvanic Sentinel at T3
  • The Mastermind's Discharge is a stronger version of the power used by the Galvanic Sentinel
  • The VFX & animation not yet final

Just reading that makes me want to make another Mastermind (#2) if this goes live.

[Vanden]

I had a look in the powers preview for Masterminds, and found that Discharge doesn't have Heroic or Villainous themes, only Bright and Dark.

[Jimmy]

3 hours ago, Wavicle said:

I'm playing it on a mastermind now at the low levels and I am enjoying it, but one thing I will say is it is Very Loud.

Specific feedback here (from a variety of people!) would be very helpful. Which specific powers do you feel are too loud?

[Jimmy]

@Replacement, @Wavicle, @Myrmidon, @Vanden, @oedipus_tex, @Bopper, @Galaxy Brain

 

Mass ping!

 

If any of you have time, it would be incredibly helpful to get some heavy testing done of Defibrillate to ensure it's working properly under various different circumstances.

• Do all components of the power work no matter who the initial target is?
• Do all components of the power work while exemplared?
• Do all components of the power work if cast while you or the target is moving?
• Do all components of the power work in PvP?
• All components = 
  • Allies resurrected
  • Foes drained
  • Static consumed
  • 20ft radius
  • VFX on everyone involved

There's a lot of technical complexity (and new tech) being used in the implementation here, so it needs a thorough looking over 🙂

[oedipus_tex]

I did my best to test Defibrillate. It works as far as I can tell, altho there is a lot going on with this power so I couldn't confirm everything. For example it's not clear to me how much endurance it should be draining per stack of Static.

 

 

• Do all components of the power work no matter who the initial target is?
  • The end drain and sleep work correctly when the power is cast at an enemy target or at a dead player.
    • What's the Mag of the Sleep supposed to be? Power descriptsays Mag 3 but It seemed to be Sleeping bosses (Warhulks), altho its not super easy to tell if that's what's happening. I don't think that enemy has a special weakness to Sleep. 
  • The resurrection effect seems to work if you cast directly on the dead player.
    • When I used Defib on an enemy target, it failed to rezz the player consistently. Meaning it sometimes worked sometimes not. Here's the range the dead player was at when it failed, tho it seems like it should be within 20 feet:
  • Possible discrepancy: the power is auto hit when used on dead players but rolls to hit when used on enemies. I can't tell if this is an actual issue in practice though.

Overall: it might be a good idea to just make Defribrellate a PBAoE with no target at all and resolve any discrepancies with different target types.

 

• Do all components of the power work while exemplared?
  • Didn't test
• Do all components of the power work if cast while you or the target is moving?
  • As far as I can tell, yes
• Do all components of the power work in PvP?
  • Didn't test

 

 

 

Edited March 18, 2020 by oedipus_tex

[Replacement]

1 hour ago, oedipus_tex said:

When I used Defib on an enemy target, it failed to rezz the player consistently. Meaning it sometimes worked sometimes not. Here's the range the dead player was at when it failed, tho it seems like it should be within 20 feet:

A neat trick you can do for finding party member range is to click on their icon on the map, so they become your waypoint target.

 

@Jimmy it might be nice if you, or someone else on the team tries to organize something if you'd like to try some bits of multi results (e.g. 5 dead allies).  Just send out an informal message any time you intend to hop on beta, since we seem incapable of forming up on our own.

 

To anyone: I'm on the discord, you can ping me (@Replacement) in the Beta channel any time you're around and want to test things together. 

 

I'm busy at work catching up on mundane tasks this morning (can you imagine what 300 different storefront websites' worth of requests have looked like this past week?), but I expect I'll be around most of this afternoon/evening.

Edited March 18, 2020 by Replacement

[Wavicle]

7 hours ago, Jimmy said:

Specific feedback here (from a variety of people!) would be very helpful. Which specific powers do you feel are too loud?

So far I'm high enough level to use the first four Electrical Affinity powers. They are all very loud.

[Wavicle]

I also noticed that Shock and Discharge last much longer than the easily noticeable visual effects from the debuffs.  Is there any chance of making the lingering visual effects a little more prominent or make them last as long as the debuff does if they don't already?

 

Not game breakingly essential, obviously.

Edited March 18, 2020 by Wavicle

[Replacement]

Some Defibrillate testing on a Defender, completely ignoring the Ally revive (because I have no friends).

 

The good: Defibrillate is taking stacks, is sleeping targets, draining end from all targets, is playing FX on all targets (I only attempted against a pack of 3 freakshow.  I have no idea what the target caps are, here).  Stacks are definitely affecting the end drain:  544.43 points of their endurance with 10-11 stacks.  Versus 60.48 points of endurance each without any stacks.

 

The weird: As I think @Myrmidon mentioned, the description should be updated taking a cue from the electric melee attacks or electric control's static field to explain the Sleep portion.

 

The bug: Jousting causes the power to waste.  

Steps to reproduce:

1) Fly toggled on

2) Activate Defibrillate from far away from target enemy

3) Fly past enemy (buzzing close enough that the power tries to activate)

 

Result: Power goes on cooldown, Static stacks are lost, sound effect and animation plays, no hit chance is played in chat log, no effect on enemies (no idea if allies are revived).  Enemies don't even register a hostile action occurred.

Edited March 18, 2020 by Replacement

[Coyote]

So.... you can't buzz the tower with it? You have to use a Tomcat?

[Wavicle]

I'm a little unclear on precisely how Empowering Circuit works. The buff lasts a minute, but it doesn't stack with itself, right? but are the primary buff and the secondary buff different that they can stack? I'm confused.

[TheSpiritFox]

Why don't masterminds get the Sentinel? I see it was talked about for player feedback but I was kinda looking forward to a demons/electric and having an extra pet. 

 

Make sure to look at the endurance cost, cause having a pet out to cast the power regularly costs MMs alot less endurance and our powers cost alot more, so adding an extra power to the rotation is going to cause more endurance issues for us than other classes. 

Edited March 19, 2020 by TheSpiritFox

[Bopper]

11 minutes ago, TheSpiritFox said:

Why don't masterminds get the Sentinel? I see it was talked about for player feedback but I was kinda looking forward to a demons/electric and having an extra pet. 

 

Make sure to look at the endurance cost, cause having a pet out to cast the power regularly costs MMs alot less endurance and our powers cost alot more, so adding an extra power to the rotation is going to cause more endurance issues for us than other classes. 

Think of this as a trial period for MMs. They experienced what it was like with the Sentinel, now they can see what it's like without the Sentinel (instead using a stronger Discharge they cast). I expect there will be feedback from those who played with both and will provide their preference. I strongly recommend you try it yourself and compare to how you liked it with the Sentinel and provide your feedback.

[TheSpiritFox]

1 minute ago, Bopper said:

Think of this as a trial period for MMs. They experienced what it was like with the Sentinel, now they can see what it's like without the Sentinel (instead using a stronger Discharge they cast). I expect there will be feedback from those who played with both and will provide their preference. I strongly recommend you try it yourself and compare to how you liked it with the Sentinel and provide your feedback.

I'll leave it to yall, I don't have enough time to spend beta testing, I just wanna throw my vote in the hat for having the sentinel specifically because I want an extra pet. 

[Felis Noctu]

I'm on the fence about that one myself. It's not unusual for the occasional MM secondary to have another (temp) pet. Dark, Storm, and even technically Traps can fall under that. On the flip side of things it's interesting to see MMs get what's basically a direct-cast version of what the sentinel does.

[Bopper]

17 minutes ago, Felis Noctu said:

I'm on the fence about that one myself. It's not unusual for the occasional MM secondary to have another (temp) pet. Dark, Storm, and even technically Traps can fall under that. On the flip side of things it's interesting to see MMs get what's basically a direct-cast version of what the sentinel does.

I agree. I don't play MMs personally, but I am fascinated by the responses of wanting more or less pets. It would be nice if they could make Brainstorm have the Pet version for MMs, and Aeon have the non-Pet version for MMs, and have MM players try it out on both to gauge how they really feel between the two options before coming to a consensus.

[Wavicle]

12 hours ago, Wavicle said:

So far I'm high enough level to use the first four Electrical Affinity powers. They are all very loud.

I gues theyre about the same as electric attacks. It's fine.

[Doc_Scorpion]

2 hours ago, Bopper said:

I agree. I don't play MMs personally, but I am fascinated by the responses of wanting more or less pets. It would be nice if they could make Brainstorm have the Pet version for MMs, and Aeon have the non-Pet version for MMs, and have MM players try it out on both to gauge how they really feel between the two options before coming to a consensus.

I didn't get much chance to try the pet...  But after trying the direct blast, I have a mild preference for the pet.  That's partly the cool factor, partly the "one less thing on my plate" factor.

[Knottewe]

I haven't tried it myself but I assume the Sentinel could have slotted the non ato pet auras, which would have been pretty handy the sets that don't have a 4th summon power.

[Hjarki]

24 minutes ago, Knottewe said:

I haven't tried it myself but I assume the Sentinel could have slotted the non ato pet auras, which would have been pretty handy the sets that don't have a 4th summon power.

The Sentinel cannot slot pet sets, only endurance modification sets.

[Replacement]

Sapping: I feel silly for feeling like the set needed more direct Sapping capabilities. 2 Recharge IOs gets defibrillate down to 1 minute cooldown, and will absolutely floor a boss' endurance when it comes up, along with everyone else nearby. Without it, Shock and my little buddy can also bust a lieutenant down to size.

 

Part of me thinks the stack contributions to defibrillate need seriously nerfed... But part of me feels like Sapping is already stupid hard and maybe it's worth it when you're sacrificing all your stacks AND your Revive move.

 

Mastermind: I don't actually MM on live. I've tried them all and I don't think I've ever got past 20. Can anyone give good comparisons on busyness of /electric vs other Support sets? It seems to me like it's about in line with Kinetics, but with you jumping into the thick of things to Discharge instead of for all your healing. To me, it seems like the right move to remove the sentinel, since your primary leaves you comparatively less busy than a Controller.

9 hours ago, Bopper said:

I agree. I don't play MMs personally, but I am fascinated by the responses of wanting more or less pets. It would be nice if they could make Brainstorm have the Pet version for MMs, and Aeon have the non-Pet version for MMs, and have MM players try it out on both to gauge how they really feel between the two options before coming to a consensus.

I don't think aeon/brainstorm split is possible, but they could push this build to Staging and revert it in Beta.

[Doc_Scorpion]

1 hour ago, Replacement said:

Mastermind: I don't actually MM on live. I've tried them all and I don't think I've ever got past 20. Can anyone give good comparisons on busyness of /electric vs other Support sets? It seems to me like it's about in line with Kinetics, but with you jumping into the thick of things to Discharge instead of for all your healing. To me, it seems like the right move to remove the sentinel, since your primary leaves you comparatively less busy than a Controller.

MM's can be less busy than a controller, especially if they're of the "summon and forget" persuasion.  I tend to be busier as I play more like a heal-and-buff defender with a side order of managing my pet's targeting.  It's been a long time since I've played anything other than an /ff (my only current MM), so it's been a bit of learning curve to shift to a slightly more "offensive"*/clicky playstyle.

*"Offensive" in the sense that Electrical Affinity is a mix of buffs and debuffs.  Full use of the set means switching between "heads down" (concentrating on my pets) and "heads up" (concentrating on the mobs) modes.