Focused Feedback: Energy Melee Revamp

[Jimmy]

This is a Focused Feedback Thread

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• The most up-to-date version of the changes will be listed in the first post.
• The changes in each build will be posted as replies.
  • Changes from the previous beta build are listed in green.
    • Green text will become white text in the next set of patch notes.
  • Any changes or fixes that are only relevant to the beta builds are listed in blue.
    • Blue text will be deleted in the next set of patch notes as it is only relevant to highlight changes between beta builds, not a changes from live.
  • Known issues are listed in purple.

 

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Powerset Revamp: Energy Melee

Energy Melee has received a series of changes aimed at improving the performance of the set. Total Focus now acts as an opener for three different Energy Focus combos, including a Total Focus > Energy Transfer combo which provides fast, potent single target damage. Stun has been reworked into Power Crash, a cone attack, in order to provide a small amount of additional AoE capability to the set.

 

Power Changes

•  Barrage
  • If used with Energy Focus: 100% chance for stun and applies a weakening (-special and -regen) effect to the target
    • This effect has been moved from Bone Smasher to Barrage
•  Energy Punch
  • Recharge increased from 4s to 5s
  • End cost increased from 5.2 to 6.032
  • Damage increased from scale 1 to scale 1.16
•  Bone Smasher
  • Cast time reduced from 1.5s to 1.27s
  • No longer consumes Energy Focus, allowing it to be more freely used in attack chains
    • This effect has been moved to Barrage
•  Power Crash (Replaces Stun)
  • Power Crash is now a minor cone that can hit up to 5 targets (10 for Tankers)
  • No longer takes melee damage sets, now takes PBAoE damage sets (any existing enhancements will remain slotted until the character respecs)
  • If used with Energy Focus: Target cap increased to 10 targets (16 for Tankers)
  • If you previously had Stun in your build, you'll now have Power Crash
  • Stalkers only:
    • This power has a 16s recharge (instead of a 9s recharge for other ATs), with proportional damage and endurance cost increases per the standard damage formulas
      • Lowered recharge from 18s to 16s
    • As Stalkers do not have Whirling Hands, they rely entirely on Power Crash for AoE damage
  • Fixed some timing issues
  • Fixed a typo in the description
•  Whirling Hands
  •  Damage increased from scale 1 to scale 1.1819 (it was slightly below what the damage formula dictated)
•  Total Focus 
  • Cast time reduced from 3.3 seconds to 2.53 seconds
  • Total Focus has a 100% chance to grant Energy Focus (even if power misses)
  •  Energy Focus
    • Energy Focus is consumed when casting certain Energy Melee powers in order to provide bonus effects (Energy Focus is not consumed if the power misses)
    • Energy Focus expires after 15 seconds
  • Stalkers / Scrappers only:
    • This power only crits for 28% additional damage, but when it crits, it will also generate a backup Energy Store that will re-activate Energy Focus after the current Energy Focus is used or expires (essentially it provides two stacks of Energy Focus)
  • Fixed timing issues while flying
  • Fixed an animation issue experienced by female characters while flying
•  Energy Transfer
  • Energy Transfer self damage is now 10% of base max HP for all ATs, and no longer costs any endurance
  • Damage is now 100% energy
  • Recharge lowered from 20s to 10s
  • If used with Energy Focus: Cast time reduced from 2.67s to 1.0s
  • Stalkers / Scrappers only:
    • This power only crits for 28% additional damage, but when it crits, it will not only avoid the self-damage, but will actually heals you for 10% of your base Max HP
      • Now deals crit damage at the same level as Total Focus (28%)
    • Crit rate reduced from 20% down to 10% (the standard level)
  • Fixed various vfx and timing issues with the fast version

Stalker Power Order Changes

Spoiler

1.  Barrage
2.  Energy Punch
3.  Bone Smasher
4.  Assassin's Strike
5.  Build Up
6.  Placate
7.  Power Crash (replaces Stun)
8.  Total Focus (moved from T9)
9.  Energy Transfer (moved from T8)

 

Tanker Power Order Changes

Spoiler

1.  Barrage
2.  Energy Punch
3.  Bone Smasher
4. Taunt
5.  Whirling Hands
6.  Total Focus (moved from T9)
7.  Build Up
8.  Power Crash (replaces Stun, moved from T6)
9.  Energy Transfer (moved from T8)

 

Other Changes

• The stun chance for Energy Punch, Barrage and Bone Smasher for Stalkers was lower than the Tanker and Brute versions - this has now been corrected
• The AE version of this powerset has been updated with missing powers and to match current power effects

[Jimmy]

Build 1 - October 24th, 2020

Spoiler

 Powerset Revamp: Energy Melee

Energy Melee has received a series of changes aimed at improving the performance of the set. Total Focus now acts as an opener for three different Energy Focus combos, including a Total Focus > Energy Transfer combo which provides fast, potent single target damage. Stun has been reworked into Power Crash, a cone attack, in order to provide a small amount of additional AoE capability to the set.

 

Power Changes

•  Energy Punch
  • Recharge increased from 4s to 5s
  • End cost increased from 5.2 to 6.032
  • Damage increased from scale 1 to scale 1.16
•  Bone Smasher
  • Cast time reduced from 1.5s to 1.27s
  • If used with Energy Focus: 100% chance for stun and applies a weakening (-special and -regen) effect to the target
•  Power Crash (Replaces Stun)
  • Power Crash is now a minor cone that can hit up to 5 targets (10 for Tankers)
  • No longer takes melee damage sets, now takes PBAoE damage sets (any existing enhancements will remain slotted until the character respecs)
  • If used with Energy Focus: Target cap increased to 10 targets (16 for Tankers)
  • If you previously had Stun in your build, you'll now have Power Crash
  • Stalkers only:
    • This power has a 18s recharge (instead of a 9s recharge for other ATs), with proportional damage and endurance cost increases per the standard damage formulas
    • As Stalkers do not have Whirling Hands, they rely entirely on Power Crash for AoE damage
•  Whirling Hands
  •  Damage increased from scale 1 to scale 1.1819 (it was slightly below what the damage formula dictated)
•  Total Focus 
  • Cast time reduced from 3.3 seconds to 2.53 seconds
  • Total Focus has a 100% chance to grant Energy Focus (even if power misses)
  • (Stalker / Scrapper only) This power only crits for 28% additional damage, but when it crits, it will also generate a backup Energy Store that will re-activate Energy Focus after the current Energy Focus is used or expires (essentially it provides two stacks of Energy Focus)
  •  Energy Focus
    • Energy Focus is consumed when casting certain Energy Melee powers in order to provide bonus effects (Energy Focus is not consumed if the power misses)
    • Energy Focus expires after 15 seconds
•  Energy Transfer
  • Energy Transfer self damage is now 10% of base max HP for all ATs, and no longer costs any endurance
  • Damage is now 100% energy
  • (Stalker / Scrapper only) When this power crits it will now not only avoid the self-damage, but actually heals the caster for 10% of base Max HP.
  • Recharge lowered from 20s to 10s
  • If used with Energy Focus: Cast time reduced from 2.67s to 1.0s

Stalker Power Order Changes

Spoiler

1.  Barrage
2.  Energy Punch
3.  Bone Smasher
4.  Assassin's Strike
5.  Build Up
6.  Placate
7.  Power Crash (replaces Stun)
8.  Total Focus (moved from T9)
9.  Energy Transfer (moved from T8)

 

Tanker Power Order Changes

Spoiler

1.  Barrage
2.  Energy Punch
3.  Bone Smasher
4. Taunt
5.  Whirling Hands
6.  Total Focus (moved from T9)
7.  Build Up
8.  Power Crash (replaces Stun, moved from T6)
9.  Energy Transfer (moved from T8)

 

 

[CrudeVileTerror]

With Stun disappearing from Energy Melee and Power Crash having a very low chance to Stun, are there plans to restore Martial Arts to its former Stun'ing glory?

[Vanden]

Needs attention:

 

1. Fast Energy Transfer doesn’t sync its damage with the animation; the hit FX and damage are applied a fraction of a second later than they should

 

2. Fast Energy Transfer still plays the “power up” FX on the player character’s fists from the slow version. These FX are not even close to synched with the animation.

 

3. Power Crash shoots a projectile at the target, despite not being a ranged attack. This means the hit FX and the FX that always plays to indicate the General AoE never play in sync.

 

4. The Bright customization theme for Power Crash produces blobby, blurry-looking FX on the target. The Original and Dark themes look fine.

[Myrmidon]

6 minutes ago, CrudeVileTerror said:

With Stun disappearing from Energy Melee and Power Crash having a very low chance to Stun, are there plans to restore Martial Arts to its former Stun'ing glory?

It looks like Energy Focus-boosted Bonesmasher now has the guaranteed Stun.

[Vanden]

8 minutes ago, Myrmidon said:

It looks like Energy Focus-boosted Bonesmasher now has the guaranteed Stun.

Yes, the guaranteed 1-2 punch for a boss stun cottage has been preserved by moving the 100% chance for single-target stun to Bone Smasher.

[Arcadio]

My beloved/shitty em/regen stalker is not so shitty anymore! 

[Lex Talion]

 

I'd like to point out that this reaction is directed at the devs, whoever that may be in this case, not at @Jimmy.

 

 

2 hours ago, Jimmy said:

 

Power Changes

•  Bone Smasher
  • Cast time reduced from 1.5s to 1.27s
  • If used with Energy Focus: 100% chance for stun and applies a weakening (-special and -regen) effect to the target

Cast time reduction is a reasonable change, considering Bone Smasher being useless in comparison before.

-Regen and -Special have absolutely no business in melee or armor sets whatsoever. I thought Bio and Radiation Armor made that very clear already. And now you want to create the opportunity to combine EM with the aforementioned power sets?

 

2 hours ago, Jimmy said:

•  Power Crash (Replaces Stun)
  • Power Crash is now a minor cone that can hit up to 5 targets (10 for Tankers)
  • No longer takes melee damage sets, now takes PBAoE damage sets (any existing enhancements will remain slotted until the character respecs)
  • If used with Energy Focus: Target cap increased to 10 targets (16 for Tankers)
  • If you previously had Stun in your build, you'll now have Power Crash

There already is a power in the set, called Total Focus, that screams ME! ME! ME! as an additional AoE candidate loud, clearly and desperately. It even has a fitting animation, but instead of using it out of nowhere a new power appears, taking away the synergy between Stun and other powers (yes, some players used that) and shoehorning every EM player into the New & Improved (not) Total Focus instead.

A quick animation for Stun would have worked wonders to neutralize nasty debuffers in high levels.

 

2 hours ago, Jimmy said:

•  Total Focus 
  • Cast time reduced from 3.3 seconds to 2.53 seconds
  • Total Focus has a 100% chance to grant Energy Focus (even if power misses)
  • (Stalker / Scrapper only) This power only crits for 28% additional damage, but when it crits, it will also generate a backup Energy Store that will re-activate Energy Focus after the current Energy Focus is used or expires (essentially it provides two stacks of Energy Focus)
  •  Energy Focus
    • Energy Focus is consumed when casting certain Energy Melee powers in order to provide bonus effects (Energy Focus is not consumed if the power misses)
    • Energy Focus expires after 15 seconds

Cast time reduction was overdue, but now everybody better pick that power OR ELSE.

What EM used to be, and what I personally want it to be, is the single target Hammer of the Gods. If I use that power as a Stalker or Scrapper, I want it to Crit. Period. I do NOT want it to reenergize my smartphone, bind my shoe laces or buy me dinner. The practice of denying the light melee classes their due crit damage with high tier attacks was and is ridiculous, unjustified and literally prevents player from playing the sets.

Give Total Focus the same treatment as Electrical Melee's Thunder Strike, full Crit ability on the main target and let it prepare enemies (with a fancy Energy Focus ring, if need be) for Whirling Hands. Done. Under no circumstances shoehorn players into picking and using a specific attack just because you liked your own ideas so much.

 

2 hours ago, Jimmy said:

•  Energy Transfer
  • Energy Transfer self damage is now 10% of base max HP for all ATs, and no longer costs any endurance
  • Damage is now 100% energy
  • (Stalker / Scrapper only) When this power crits it will now not only avoid the self-damage, but actually heals the caster for 10% of base Max HP.
  • Recharge lowered from 20s to 10s
  • If used with Energy Focus: Cast time reduced from 2.67s to 1.0s

I always considered the HP cost a quirky idea that some Dev didn't want to let go and nobody else really cared, because they just wanted to justify the name. It adds nothing to the flavor of the set. What DID add to the flavor of the set was its single target focus and the crisp sounds and look.

Again, all I care about is that the power hits like Judgement Day and crits on Scrappers and Stalkers they way it should. Considering PPM mechanics, particularly with regard to ATO procs (EM doesn't lend itself for dmg proccing well), I would prefer Energy Transfer and Total Focus at a base recharge of 16-18 seconds for better, more diverse, attack chain options.

 

Not every set has to have a PBAoE and a cone. Not every set needs combos, and not every set needs to feel the same. Synergies are nice, but practically forcing players into build styles and attack chains is bad practice. Also: generally NO -Regen -Special and whatnot for armor classes. From a balance point of view releasing /Bio and /Rad Armors in their current form was not less a mistake than releasing Titan Weapons. The ONLY exception I could see at all is using those effects to update Fiery Melee without significantly increasing its base damage.

 

I'm not thrilled.

[Bill Z Bubba]

Initial thoughts. I really dislike having two different animations times for ET. It completely screws with the flow of attack chains. It makes planning for chains annoying. It *forces* us into making TF/ET a 1-2 combo even if we change targets between the two in order to benefit from EF.

 

It also knocked about a minute off my pylon time with my EM/SR brute. So, there's that.

[Maxzero]

 

Power Crash is a pretty legit AoE. 10 range 120 arc is not what I would call a 'minor' cone. On Tankers thats a 240 arc and basically a full PBAoE.

 

It seems very strong in ST and AoE with a little soft control with no real downside.

[Lines]

Would it be correct to say that Total Focus is the only way to get Energy Focus? (Unlike in the Dom variety where any ST attack on a stunned target has a chance for Energy Focus?)

[Replacement]

@Lex Talion Test it out.  You'll find Bone Smasher is your new guaranteed Stun, so you have lost no synergy.  If you find a situation where Bone Smashing for the -Special/Regen is more powerful than fast-ET, certainly post those results.

 

Making TF into an AoE would totally undermine the traditional setup of the set as ST-destroyer.  

[Bill Z Bubba]

2 minutes ago, Replacement said:

You'll find Bone Smasher is your new guaranteed Stun, so you have lost no synergy.

Except now the choice is between guaranteed stun or short ET animation.

 

More thoughts: I've always wanted an EM scrapper. I am grateful as can be to finally be able to get it.

Should be interesting to see what a fully kitted out EM/Bio will be capable of.

[skoryy]

1 minute ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

Except now the choice is between guaranteed stun or short ET animation.

Scrapper has the potential to do both!  Wonder if it'd be worth finding a way for tanks / brutes to also get a second stored focus.

 

I tested out a kitted out 50 scrapper for a bit, and I'm realizing just why everyone wanted Energy Melee upgraded.  The FX are stupid crunchy, and now the damage matches!  I'll have to run a few more tries to see if there's anything buggy, hard to tell animation problems when your character turns into a class A star the instant combat starts up.

[Vanden]

7 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

Except now the choice is between guaranteed stun or short ET animation.

Fast ET wasn’t a choice you had before, though.

[Indystruck]

EM is good now, thanks. Some people are just gonna keep dragging their heels until you use Ouroboros to get them back to 2006.

[Galaxy Brain]

@Infinitum, want to post your Pylon times? 😉

[Bill Z Bubba]

5 minutes ago, Vanden said:

Fast ET wasn’t a choice you had before, though.

Agreed. And -regen wasn't a choice for BS either. Still absolutely hate the momentum mechanic and always will.

 

Why do we have to go this route? Why can't we just find a happy medium on animation time and stick to it for ET? Give EF something else to do for ET for those that want to play micromanagement during battle.

 

I'm not in that crowd. I want a nice static happy AV crunching attack chain that lacks gimmicks.

Edited October 24, 2020 by Bill Z Bubba

[Maxzero]

 

Energy Melee with 1 sec ET and Shadow Maul. I can feel the balance.

[Replacement]

2 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

Agreed. And -regen wasn't a choice for BS either. Still absolutely hate the momentum mechanic and always will.

 

Why do have to go this route? Why can't we just find a happy medium on animation time and stick to it for ET? Give EF something else to do for ET for those that want to play micromanagement during battle.

 

I'm not in that crowd. I want a nice static happy AV crunching attack chain that lacks gimmicks.

Err.  It's not momentum?  All this really does is affect your ideal attack chain and give you one decision point: "what do after TF?"  Give it a spin!

[Infinitum]

4 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

Agreed. And -regen wasn't a choice for BS either. Still absolutely hate the momentum mechanic and always will.

 

Why do we have to go this route? Why can't we just find a happy medium on animation time and stick to it for ET? Give EF something else to do for ET for those that want to play micromanagement during battle.

 

I'm not in that crowd. I want a nice static happy AV crunching attack chain that lacks gimmicks.

have you tried it?

5 minutes ago, Galaxy Brain said:

@Infinitum, want to post your Pylon times? 😉

So far, I'm averaging in the 1:40s on a build with agility not musculature.  Best time so far was 1:11 and thats without epic pool chicanery.

 

That's a EM EA stalker.

 

I'll post more as I get them

[Infinitum]

Wow these changes as an overview is better than old EM.

 

Takes a bit of getting used to but I love it.

 

It helps to have specific attack chains, but usually fast ET is always ready.

Edited October 24, 2020 by Infinitum

[Maxzero]

3 minutes ago, Infinitum said:

have you tried it?

So far, I'm averaging in the 1:40s on a build with agility not musculature.  Best time so far was 1:11 and thats without epic pool chicanery.

 

That's a EM EA stalker.

 

I'll post more as I get them

 

So goodbye TW hello EM?

[Galaxy Brain]

Just now, Maxzero said:

 

So goodbye TW hello EM?

For raw ST damage, probably. TW still does a lot more than EM in the grand scheme tho.

[Infinitum]

Just now, Maxzero said:

 

So goodbye TW hello EM?

For ST yes, it excels at that again it appears.  Stalker hide for an almost guaranteed TF crit gets 2 units of focus, and put critical strikes in WH and lead with that has a high rate of TF crit for double focus.