Focused Feedback: Energy Melee Revamp

[Tsuko]

33 minutes ago, Infinitum said:

Try switching the build up ATO to EP I was able to average 1:40s and that was with agility as the alpha.

 

Also had body mastery.

 

Best time was 1:11

 

Oh just noticed something else, switch assault radial to core.  It favors the big dmg hits of EM more.

i m respecin' at the moment 🙂

[Neogumbercules]

I'm already late to this party. Others have provided good feedback. I think the set is strong and super fun to play.

 

My only negative feedback is on the animation of the new PBAOE. Perhaps it can be something besides the baseball pitch?

[ScarySai]

The animation/FX could definitely use some work on power crash.

 

Something with impact. Problem is finding an animation to fit the activation time.

Edited October 25, 2020 by ScarySai

[Tsuko]

2 hours ago, Infinitum said:

Try switching the build up ATO to EP I was able to average 1:40s and that was with agility as the alpha.

 

Also had body mastery.

 

Best time was 1:11

 

Oh just noticed something else, switch assault radial to core.  It favors the big dmg hits of EM more.

yeah EP is better for stalker for critical quick AS.

 

we dont want to use slow ET but Crit quick AS has priority, so priority chain is better than strict, fixed rotation.

 

Opening : Bup / AS / TF / EP / Quick ET / EP

 

And there keep using this rotation till AS "proc" and manage the ATO build up proc at the same time. Fun gameplay but it requires a lot of practice, which is nice 🙂

 

Soul mastery is a mistake : i have to admit i play more my scrappers in pve and my stalkers in pvp.

 

At then end, looking for 100% quick ET is the way to go but the more important for stalkers remains the AS gimmick.

 

I didnt notice real big diference between assaut core and radial tbh.

 

EM bio E27 beta V3.mxd

 

Average 1m35

Best without assaut 1m21

Best with assaut 1m12

 

The stalker Mini games has good synergy with "new" EM like STJ but is still very random for the AS stacks 😕

 

I feel that real stalkers (not like me :p) will do good things with EM and when stars have the good alignement and we make good offers to RnJesus, i suspect this AT to be able to go sub minute.

Not to mention that Stalkers are team beasts with their Teambuff critical %.

 

 

[ThunderCAP]

7 hours ago, Super Atom said:

I read your post, but it wasn't really anything about the set and more about you personally. Tanking wise, EM only gained from this change if from nothing else but the cone, which increases in targets if you use it after TF. TF is faster, ET can be faster allowing you to reposition quicker overall. The cone will help you keep aggro from those silly blasters paired with your whirling hands. You don't really need to monitor the gimmick outside of for maximum benefit use TF before ET, which is an extremely easy rule of thumb. The set is incredibly simplistic. and has improved your general AOE capabilities as well as lowered animation times. I see no downsides other than personal flavor opinions clashing on the way this change was done, but for tanking? the cone alone is a giant improvement.

Energy Melee is now a combo set. It wasn't. There are no more combo-free sets in the game, peoples disliking them will uninstall, whatever you care about it or not. If a person dislikes weapons (redraw animation putting weapons out from nowhere, may defeat immersion), they now only got Electric Melee, that's all.

 

 

7 hours ago, Lines said:

Have you given it a go, ThunderCAP? You can easily ignore the TF>ET combo and still be very effective - more than on live from what I gather.

 

The mechanic doesn't have to affect you if you don't want it to, and you'll still be buffed.

 

7 hours ago, Solarverse said:

I think once he/she plays around with it, he/she will enjoy it much more than they realize. The ONLY problem I have with it at this point is that they have changed something with the sound files. I am trying to make a mod for it to give it the original sound effects, but am unable to locate the files. They are not in their normal place.

 

I already said I enjoy Titan Weapons (the old one, which a good majority of players didn't want to use even when it was the top overpowered set ever existed cause it was too complicated) therefore I was already sure I could enjoy the easy 2-attacks-combo of this new Energy Melee set... but I'm not always in the mood or in the proper archetype to like combos. Plus I know several peoples that avoid sets containing combos or cones much more then I do (and for good reasons I'd say).

There was no reason to completely transform Energy Melee into a combo-set. If you want another combo-set make a new one with it, but to destroy all the "easy-smash" sets in the game is bad thinking. There are times you just want to relax, or archetypes that need a relaxing approach cause they are more intense already (tanks and supports). I would even suggest that we need new relaxing sets in the game, instead they're getting deleted one by one, by patches or bugs or far too bad performance.

Plus the cone is another issue: you should know that putting a single cone power into a set full of single target powers with shorter range is naive and always was (for other sets too). To properly use the cone you should put yourself in a perfect position to get 2 guys instead of one and as far away as possible, to get the most of the angle.
The closer you are, the more narrow the cone area gets, therefore a combo like this "SingleTarget > Cone > SingleTarget" is disturbing as mechanic, cause the cone just creates a positional need that's not a requirement for the other 2 attacks, while the single target ones force the cone to a shorter range... diminishing its efficiency (summary: these kind of powers create problems to each other when used in combo).

And "Single > Single > Cone" doesn't make sense either cause the 3rd one will be used like it's a single target with no proper positioning.
This is one of the reasons I liked Titan Weapons, cause you can make a combo like "Cone > Cone > AoE" (cause there are several cones in that set) which is far better then the previous examples.
If the devs want to put cones, they should either create a set with more cones (3, or 2+1AoE) or not at all.

Personally, I would have avoided entirely to put more AoEs in Energy Melee, I always went totally fine with Whirling Hands alone (less powerful but with faster recharge compared to the AoE of other sets, you can spam it with the proper build), and if you want energetic hands (visually) and to concentrate on AoE there is Electric Melee already, with similar animations and elements too.
But... if you really want to add another aoe in EM, then just transform Total Focus into one and call it a day, like other players said even before me that power was begging to be transformed into Thunder Strike (or a different version of it, maybe with less radius but more damage or 100% stun etc.).
 

Edited October 25, 2020 by ThunderCAP

[Super Atom]

I'm unsure whats happening with you, My EM is doing excellent in all areas, tanking/damage wise. The mechanic is 1st grade math level easy and has improved the flow, strengths, and general gameplay of EM in every possible way. Short of people just wanting old ET back in its entirety, this change actually addresses multiple issues EM had has a set. Something many sets will still need, however not every set will need a mechanic or should get a mechanic. It works for EM extremely well however.

 

Quote

There are no more combo-free sets in the game

Super Strength

Battle axe

Broadsword

Katana

War Mace

Electric Melee

Fire Melee

Ice Melee

Spines

Stone Melee

Martial Arts

Dark Melee(?)

Claws

 

We'll stick to just tanker sets to make it easy.

 

Meanwhile, "mechanic" sets.

Staff

Dual Blades
Radiation

Energy melee

Kinetic

Street Justice

Psi melee (kind of)

Savage melee.

 

Edit-  forgot dual blades, but so does everyone so its ok 😉

Edited October 25, 2020 by Super Atom

[Troo]

36 minutes ago, Super Atom said:

The mechanic is 1st grade math level easy and has improved the flow, strengths, and general gameplay of EM in every possible way.

I would have thought you'd recognize at some point that it is more than one or two people who disagree.

Improved in "every possible way" is an pretty high bar and as such, an overstatement.

Example: Players can not use Bone Smash or Stun after Total Focus if they want to have a "fast" Energy Transfer.

Example: Hitting the wrong button after Total Focus can void the "fast" Energy Transfer Or 100% stun Or increased target cap. (not everyone picks powers with a mouse)

 

36 minutes ago, Super Atom said:

Short of people just wanting old ET back in its entirety, this change actually addresses multiple issues EM had has a set.

Sure if your issues were limited to "more AoE" on a single target focused set and 'it's missing a combo mechanic" on a combo free set.

 

36 minutes ago, Super Atom said:

Something many sets will still need, however not every set will need a mechanic or should get a mechanic.

So.. many sets still need a combo mechanic.. but don't worry about what's coming soon to a power set near you.

 

FYI - Super Strength has a mechanic in Rage, +DEF is a mechanic, etc. Your list of mechanic free sets is shorter than you've shown.

 

Edited October 25, 2020 by Troo

[Super Atom]

1 minute ago, Troo said:

no

I've asked you before and i do so again, please leave me alone. You disagree with me that's fine we have nothing left to talk about.

[Replacement]

24 minutes ago, Troo said:

I would have thought you'd recognize at some point that it is more than one or two people who disagree.

Improved in "every possible way" is an pretty high bar and as such, an overstatement.

Example: Players can not use Bone Smash or Stun after Total Focus if they want to have a "fast" Energy Transfer.

Example: Hitting the wrong button after Total Focus can void the "fast" Energy Transfer Or 100% stun Or increased target cap. (not everyone picks powers with a mouse)

 

Sure if your issues were limited to "more AoE" on a single target focused set and 'it's missing a combo mechanic" on a combo free set.

 

So.. many sets still need a combo mechanic.. but don't worry about what's coming soon to a power set near you.

 

FYI - Super Strength has a mechanic in Rage, +DEF is a mechanic, etc. Your list of mechanic free sets is shorter than you've shown.

 

No, it's still just a handful of people using hyperbole instead of actually playing the set and realizing it's pretty damn simple. 

 

You just declared that a damage buff is a mechanic, that parry is a mechanic, that all those other sets have mechanics to make the point that the list is shrinking. You do this while ignoring EM's stuns, the -hp on ET, and the fact that draining enemy health to zero is a "mechanic."

 

This is why your hot take is garbage. You are crying because they aren't doing it exactly your way.  You are stretching logic and obfuscating.

 

Oh, one final callout: Total Focus to bone smasher for stun.  You're claiming this is an example of not being an improvement, because it means giving up fast ET.  You didn't have fast ET as an option at all.  

So yeah, "in every possible way."

Edited October 25, 2020 by Replacement

[Infinitum]

2 hours ago, Tsuko said:

yeah EP is better for stalker for critical quick AS.

 

we dont want to use slow ET but Crit quick AS has priority, so priority chain is better than strict, fixed rotation.

 

Opening : Bup / AS / TF / EP / Quick ET / EP

 

And there keep using this rotation till AS "proc" and manage the ATO build up proc at the same time. Fun gameplay but it requires a lot of practice, which is nice 🙂

 

Soul mastery is a mistake : i have to admit i play more my scrappers in pve and my stalkers in pvp.

 

At then end, looking for 100% quick ET is the way to go but the more important for stalkers remains the AS gimmick.

 

I didnt notice real big diference between assaut core and radial tbh.

 

EM bio E27 beta V3.mxd 5.73 kB · 0 downloads

 

Average 1m35

Best without assaut 1m21

Best with assaut 1m12

 

The stalker Mini games has good synergy with "new" EM like STJ but is still very random for the AS stacks 😕

 

I feel that real stalkers (not like me :p) will do good things with EM and when stars have the good alignement and we make good offers to RnJesus, i suspect this AT to be able to go sub minute.

Not to mention that Stalkers are team beasts with their Teambuff critical %.

 

 

AS - TF - FET - EP - AS - EP - FET - EP - AS    the reason you rotate in the 3 EPs is it gives you a really good chance to get an extra build up quite a few times - one time i had 3 BU but that is a unicorn - its common to get 2 though. 

 

If you are in a mission, and need to switch for AOE   AS - TF - PC - EP - AS - EP - PC - EP - AS   or you could do this  AS - TF - PC - EP - AS - EP - FET - EP - AS

 

with a stalker unless you get an unlucky roll you are in Fast ET at least 90% of the time maybe a little more.

Edited October 25, 2020 by Infinitum

[Infinitum]

2 hours ago, Tsuko said:

I didnt notice real big diference between assaut core and radial tbh.

The following were Tests on a Fire EM tank - on Live before ET was all energy.

 

Radial Test 1  Total Focus            Energy Transfer
               139.01 sm                216.86 sm
               355.88 nrg               417.05 nrg
               227.70 fire              285.26 fire
                57.39 negnrg proc        57.39 negnrg proc

Radial Test 2  Total Focus            Energy Transfer
               172.82 sm                269.61 sm
               442.44 nrg               518.48 nrg
               276.87 fire              354.64 fire
                57.69 negnrg proc        57.39 negnrg proc
               121.99 dbl hit            67.16 dbl hit

Radial Test 3  Total Focus            Energy Transfer
               172.82 sm                269.61 sm
               442.44 nrg               518.48 nrg
               276.87 fire              354.64 fire
                57.69 negnrg proc        57.39 negnrg proc
               121.99 dbl hit            67.16 dbl hit

Radial Test 4  Total Focus            Energy Transfer
               172.82 sm                269.61 sm
               442.44 nrg               518.48 nrg
               276.87 fire              354.64 fire
                57.69 negnrg proc        57.39 negnrg proc
               121.99 dbl hit            67.16 dbl hit

Radial Test 5  Total Focus            Energy Transfer
               172.82 sm                269.61 sm
               442.44 nrg               518.48 nrg
               276.87 fire              354.64 fire
                57.69 negnrg proc        57.39 negnrg proc
               121.99 dbl hit            67.16 dbl hit

Average        1013.44                  1209.14

 

 

Core Test 1  Total Focus            Energy Transfer
              210.86 sm                328.95 sm
              539.81 nrg               632.60 nrg
              337.80 fire              432.69 fire
               57.39 negnrg proc        57.39 negnrg proc

Core Test 2  Total Focus            Energy Transfer
              204.52 sm                319.06 sm
              523.58 nrg               613.58 nrg
              327.65 fire              419.68 fire
               57.39 negnrg proc        57.39 negnrg proc

Core Test 3  Total Focus            Energy Transfer
              210.86 sm                319.06 sm
              539.81 nrg               613.58 nrg
              337.80 fire              419.68 fire
               57.39 negnrg proc        57.39 negnrg proc

Core Test 4  Total Focus            Energy Transfer
              204.52 sm                319.06 sm
              523.58 nrg               613.58 nrg
              327.65 fire              419.68 fire
               57.39 negnrg proc        57.39 negnrg proc

Core Test 5  Total Focus            Energy Transfer
              204.52 sm                319.06 sm
              523.58 nrg               613.58 nrg
              327.65 fire              419.68 fire
               57.39 negnrg proc        57.39 negnrg proc

Average       1126.22                   1418.09

Edited October 25, 2020 by Infinitum

[Bill Z Bubba]

8 hours ago, Bopper said:

Have you tested the rotation i offered here?

 

It requires a lot of recharge, but it will beast.

Tried it with a slapped together em/bio scrapper. Getting about 1:40 pylon time. Build needs more recharge. It works. I get around 1:30 with my mace/bio scrapper.

[Bopper]

16 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

Tried it with a slapped together em/bio scrapper. Getting about 1:40 pylon time. Build needs more recharge. It works. I get around 1:30 with my mace/bio scrapper.

Nice. For Scrapper, you might want to try something that maximizes your ability to crit TF for double EF. Not sure if you're building with epics in mind, but you might consider filling your chain with a quick snipe. It should relieve some of the recharge requirements. In general content, you might look to put your ATO in WH then roll into a TF>double fast ET rotation. But if you're looking for ST Supreme, you could throw the ATO proc into Energy Transfer and minimize your slotted recharge to try to maximize your crit proc uptime. 

[nihilii]

Apologies if this was mentioned upthread: what is the reasoning behind Power Crash being roughly twice as powerful on Stalkers as on other ATs?

 

(The actual stats being something like, 9s recharge on Scrappers/Tankers/Brutes, 18s recharge on Stalkers. With damage to match, not 1:1 of course, but according to the formulas.)

 

I am guessing the idea is: Stalkers don't have Whirling Hands. But because we are bound by animation times more than anything, doubling a power's recharge and increasing its damage isn't quite the same as having 2 AoEs. I would argue it puts Stalkers in a *better* position.

 

On Scrappers/Tankers/Brutes, Power Crash is near pointless as anything but an AoE (unless you like it for a place to slot PBAoE procs). On Stalkers, it becomes potent as a ST attack with the AoE being free bonus. If I was given the choice, I'd happily trade Whirling Hands on other ATs for this version of Power Crash.

 

I'm not saying this is good or bad, mind you. Just saying. As this wasn't explicitely mentioned in the patch notes, I was surprised to see Stalker Power Crash being so much better.

[csr]

21 hours ago, Jimmy said:

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.
• 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 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.

 

---

 

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

•  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
•  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

  Reveal hidden contents

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

  Reveal hidden contents

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)

 

There appear to be changes from Live that aren't included here.

 

Energy Punch has it's Recharge, Damage and End Use increased (Tankers/Brutes/Stalkers).  Whirling Hands has it's Damage upped (Tanker/Brutes).

[Solarverse]

6 hours ago, ThunderCAP said:

Energy Melee is now a combo set. It wasn't. There are no more combo-free sets in the game, peoples disliking them will uninstall, whatever you care about it or not. If a person dislikes weapons (redraw animation putting weapons out from nowhere, may defeat immersion), they now only got Electric Melee, that's all.

 

 

 

 

I already said I enjoy Titan Weapons (the old one, which a good majority of players didn't want to use even when it was the top overpowered set ever existed cause it was too complicated) therefore I was already sure I could enjoy the easy 2-attacks-combo of this new Energy Melee set... but I'm not always in the mood or in the proper archetype to like combos. Plus I know several peoples that avoid sets containing combos or cones much more then I do (and for good reasons I'd say).

There was no reason to completely transform Energy Melee into a combo-set. If you want another combo-set make a new one with it, but to destroy all the "easy-smash" sets in the game is bad thinking. There are times you just want to relax, or archetypes that need a relaxing approach cause they are more intense already (tanks and supports). I would even suggest that we need new relaxing sets in the game, instead they're getting deleted one by one, by patches or bugs or far too bad performance.

Plus the cone is another issue: you should know that putting a single cone power into a set full of single target powers with shorter range is naive and always was (for other sets too). To properly use the cone you should put yourself in a perfect position to get 2 guys instead of one and as far away as possible, to get the most of the angle.
The closer you are, the more narrow the cone area gets, therefore a combo like this "SingleTarget > Cone > SingleTarget" is disturbing as mechanic, cause the cone just creates a positional need that's not a requirement for the other 2 attacks, while the single target ones force the cone to a shorter range... diminishing its efficiency (summary: these kind of powers create problems to each other when used in combo).

And "Single > Single > Cone" doesn't make sense either cause the 3rd one will be used like it's a single target with no proper positioning.
This is one of the reasons I liked Titan Weapons, cause you can make a combo like "Cone > Cone > AoE" (cause there are several cones in that set) which is far better then the previous examples.
If the devs want to put cones, they should either create a set with more cones (3, or 2+1AoE) or not at all.

Personally, I would have avoided entirely to put more AoEs in Energy Melee, I always went totally fine with Whirling Hands alone (less powerful but with faster recharge compared to the AoE of other sets, you can spam it with the proper build), and if you want energetic hands (visually) and to concentrate on AoE there is Electric Melee already, with similar animations and elements too.
But... if you really want to add another aoe in EM, then just transform Total Focus into one and call it a day, like other players said even before me that power was begging to be transformed into Thunder Strike (or a different version of it, maybe with less radius but more damage or 100% stun etc.).
 

Hey, man. As long as ET has the original animation and I have a way to access that original ET animation I honestly couldn't care less what they do to Energy Melee. So honestly I don't have much of a dog in this fight.

However, my point being in my quoted post above is this; the combo's happen so often with the way the set is, you don't even have to think about it. I don't. I barely pay it any of attention. The only thing I pay any attention at all to is in that I do not click ET unless my powers light up....that's it. And they are constantly lighting up, so every time ET recharges, it's ready to go for the Quick Fire ET.

This is why I said, I think you might actually like it. As far as the cone power, to be honest I may not even pick it up, at least not on my Tank. The set is just fine without it since I have Whirling Hands. My Stalker on the other hand may like it and it might be good for the Stalker. My Scrapper, absolutely will take it, especially since he doesn't have Assassin's Strike. But for my Tank? Nah, I don't need it for my Tank. The new Energy Melee does not even require you to take the new Cone, which is the same animation as Stun. So my Tank doesn't even miss it and I did not have to change my playstyle or how I played the set in the slightest. The ONLY difference now, is that I can use Total Focus AND ET in less time it took to use the two of them with the ugly animation it used to have.

Trust me, man. Energy (both melee and ranged) has been my main for my Blaster and my Tank since day 1 of this game. If energy means to you what it means to me, I honestly think you would love the changes if you just give it an honest try and play the set like it doesn't even have the mechanic. I think you will find it plays the same. You can ignore the mechanic and the set works just fine.

Seriously...I'm asking you to trust me on this one, man. From one Energy Melee lover to the next.

[summers]

I'm not sure if this is mentioned, but is it intended that Power Crash deals so much more damage on a Stalker (18s recharge on the power) than it does on a Scrapper (9s recharge)?

[Golden Azrael]

1 hour ago, csr said:

There appear to be changes from Live that aren't included here.

 

Energy Punch has it's Recharge, Damage and End Use increased (Tankers/Brutes/Stalkers).  Whirling Hands has it's Damage upped (Tanker/Brutes).

I thought I wasn't imagining things.  So Energy Punch is faster and more damaging?  'Bout time.

 

😄

 

Energy Melee used to be a dull, lumbering dinosaur.

 

Now it has more damge, more disorient, more aoe and access to choice of big hitters thanks to the total core revamp of Total Focus.

 

The end cut from ET is a revelation as is the lower recharge time.

 

The whole set plays smoother and is far more exciting.  

 

I was absolutely gripped by the Energy Melee tanker changes.

 

Take a bow, HC!

 

Azrael.

[LQT]

20 hours ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

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

It seems like the perfect 1' for regen scrappers!

Step 1: MoG

Step 2: ET

Step 3: Have the rest of the team cast Vengeance on you >.>
 

21 hours ago, Vanden said:

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.

 

Regarding the animations, is there meant to be a visual difference for the t1/t2 attacks when Energy Focus isn't active? If so that's fine, otherwise it felt like using a different 1' attack set as the "Pom-poms of DOOM™" were missing sometimes when checking things out on an em/nin stalker I was curious about.

[Hew]

11 hours ago, Infinitum said:

Try switching the build up ATO to EP I was able to average 1:40s and that was with agility as the alpha.

 

Also had body mastery.

 

Best time was 1:11

 

Oh just noticed something else, switch assault radial to core.  It favors the big dmg hits of EM more.

That is, interesting... I have always thought that doing "alternate" slotting was viable, using agility over musc. Here, you  have not just agility, but body mastery?! That is very interesting!

 

Why BM? EM nuking your end with fast casts?

[Safehouse]

Haven’t had as much time to test it out as I would like - wife and I are on baby watch (she was due Thursday) - but I have tinkered a bit and have some initial thoughts:

 

• Tested out a kitted out (not min/max but pretty nice) scrapper energy/invuln/body. It played like butter. I absolutely loved it. Just running a few of the level 50 mishes felt like a revelatory experience. TF, ET, BS, and PC all feel pretty good to use.
• played with a stalker and I second the questions on whether the stronger PC was intentional.
• I have yet to see how the leveling experience feels - I was too keen to check out endgame. Still have to test pylon times but I’ll be checking out leveling in the side (will use the chance to check out the accolade teleport and new stories while I’m at it).
• overall I’m having so, so much fun with revamped Energy Melee on my scrapper. I see rerolls in my future depending on what goes to live after beta is over.

I’ll come back to discuss leveling when I get to it, but my plan is to take all attacks except for confront, take all invuln skills except for T9 (I’ll stick to invuln since that’s where I started), and then slot over time in the same fashion I slotted my “jumped to max” character. It’s easy for me to say “I can’t wait to play this character on live” when I already have all the IOs, incarnates, skills and slots I would play at live. In truth I can’t feel confident saying “it’s good” if I haven’t really checked out how the experience from lvl 1 feels.

 

But right now, I ADORE new energy melee.

[Myrmidon]

After testing these changes, I returned to live and informed my EM/Rad Brute (level 45) of three guarantees.

 

1) She will be waiting for this patch to continue her journey.

2) There will be more Energy Melee relatives arriving if the changes hold true.

3) She will be deleted if the changes are reverted, because I will never go back to the complete shit that the current live set is compared to this update.

[Olympus]

Well, so far I'm loving almost all of the updates. The change I was most afraid of for character powers was the changes to energy mele. I didn't have stun in my build and still won't have room for the cone attack. Moving the position of the rather underpowered total focus makes total sense since it was so weak in relation to it's animation and recharge times. I enjoy the power much more now. I was most worried about energy transfer. Although I don't quite agree with the changes on that one I can live with it.

 

If it's not too late to rethink the set changes here's what I'd rather have seen. Move the powers around the way you did but keep stun instead of power crash. Give it a 100 percent chance to disorient the target with the ability to do stun those around the target (4-5 enemies) at around a 60 percent chance to stun. Energy Transfer stays top power, keeps the recharge improvement, but stays the same damage level as before. I'd be fine if Energy Punch and Bone Smasher stayed the way they already were.

[Safehouse]

1 hour ago, Myrmidon said:

After testing these changes, I returned to live and informed my EM/Rad Brute (level 45) of three guarantees.

 

1) She will be waiting for this patch to continue her journey.

2) There will be more Energy Melee relatives arriving if the changes hold true.

3) She will be deleted if the changes are reverted, because I will never go back to the complete shit that the current live set is compared to this update.

So far I’m in total agreement and will be one of those energy melee relatives. I have an energy/inv brute I think I may totally reroll into a scrapper. Heck, I’m considering a reroll of my kinetic/energy scrapper. I’ve always kind of liked EM warts and all, but even for me this is a game changer.

[ScarySai]

1 hour ago, Safehouse said:

played with a stalker and I second the questions on whether the stronger PC was intentional.

It definitely was intentional, that much is certain. It has a longer recharge and is the only AoE in the set.