Focused Feedback: Stone Armor - Revamp and Proliferation

[BrandX]

As I look into Stone Armor on Scrappers, first thing I feel is the need for Earth Mastery Epic 🙂

[Vanden]

5 hours ago, Errants said:

How about swapping Stone Skin and Brimstone? Fire Pro low, auto power at level 35.

 

I could see that. Stone Skin is now the strongest defensive passive in the game by a fairly comfortable margin, stronger than other previous contenders like Resilience, Tough Hide, or Bane Spider Armor Upgrade, yet available much earlier.

Edited November 6, 2021 by Vanden

[InvaderStych]

  

13 hours ago, hieronymusboss said:

TL;DR I think the colors should map to either the Crystal or Rock to preserve the "Geode" theme, not to both items in the animation.

 

Echoing this.  Also, is there any way to bring the available palate of Rooted any closer to the rest of the set?  I know this is common in a lot of sets (never quite understood why though), but the different in /SA seems quite dramatic.

 

12 hours ago, Captain Powerhouse said:

This should had been fixed as part of that.

 

Yup, this looks to be working properly.

 

6 hours ago, Errants said:

How about swapping Stone Skin and Brimstone? Fire Pro low, auto power at level 35.

 

Yes, also very much into this idea.  SS, as noted, is a rather strong auto (values worth some enhancement) and slots quite a few desirable unique/global pieces.

 

More importantly, Brimstone brings the much more interesting and set-defining mechanic of +fire dmg; I'd much rather have that earlier.

 

Which brings me to Brimstone and Geode ...

 

Is it by design that Mud Pots does not seem to benefit from the Brimstone proc?  Should we expect similar from the rest of various dmg auras?  I expected it not to function with Irradiated Ground because that one is "special" (have not tested, but last time I tried, Firey Embrace didn't buff IG, irrc), but Mud Pots does appear in the regular dmg output, not as Pet dmg, as with IG.  I may have missed it just watching the scroll though. Could someone in the know set my expectation? 😄

 

On that subject - Geode suppresses Mud Pot's damage, but not the immobilize effect nor does it prevent dmg procs (Ice Mistral's chance for cold tested) from firing/applying dmg.  The latter doesn't seem in line with intent.

 

Geode is quite interesting; if one has the patience to let the stacks build up, the dmg buff feels significant.  Finding practical times to use it should be fun, if challenging in certain circumstances.

[Marshal_General]

I would love to see a crystal version of Granite.

[Enots]

Going to beg for a small taunt in mudpots. I find most melee sets unplayable without.

[Wavicle]

Just now, Enots said:

Going to beg for a small taunt in mudpots. I find most melee sets unplayable without.

Scrappers only get taunt auras on powers that have a “per foe” buff.

[Generator]

9 hours ago, BrandX said:

As I look into Stone Armor on Scrappers, first thing I feel is the need for Earth Mastery Epic 🙂

And this is where I'll once again say, "Proliferate elemental APPs!"

[Wavicle]

Just now, Generator said:

And this is where I'll once again say, "Proliferate elemental APPs!"

although I would love to have more Epic sets, like lots more, they can’t just be proliferated, they have to be designed.

[Generator]

7 minutes ago, Wavicle said:

although I would love to have more Epic sets, like lots more, they can’t just be proliferated, they have to be designed.

Good point, I misspoke in that regard.  That said, I feel like most of what we want, it's just a matter of picking existing powers to make up said pool, then making sure the numbers are on the right scale.

 

As a programmer myself, I will NOT use the dreaded phrase "How hard can that be?" The Standard Code Rant always seemed to put it so well.  😁

[Cenozoic]

On 11/2/2021 at 3:15 PM, Booper said:

Stone Skin

• The following stats were moved to Stone Skin from Granite:
• Added Resistance against Fire, Cold, Energy, Negative and Toxic damage. +10%/7.5% for Tankers and Brutes respectively.
• Added Defense to all but toxic. +5%/3.75% for Tankers and Brutes respectively.
• This power should now accept Defense enhancements and sets.

 

 

Amazing updates!  Respectfully request that this is changed the following:

• The following stats were moved to Stone Skin from Granite:
• Added Resistance against Fire, Cold, Energy, Negative and Toxic damage. +10%/7.5% for Tankers and Brutes respectively.
• Added Defense to all but Psionic and Toxic. +5%/3.75% for Tankers and Brutes respectively.
• This power should now accept Defense enhancements and sets.

[Wavicle]

It’s true though. There ought to be like as many Epics as there are Primaries and Secondaries.

[Wavicle]

Is Minerals really supposed to have 30 points Confuse protection? Seems very, very high.

[Generator]

1 hour ago, Wavicle said:

It’s true though. There ought to be like as many Epics as there are Primaries and Secondaries.

The way I've always figured it, if a given "element" is in your Primary & Secondary, it should be available as an APP.

[Sylapsis]

I haven't played a Stone Armour anything (at least, not above level 10), so I don't know whether this has always been the case, buuuuut...

The constant, rumbling sound from having all your armour toggles running (Rock, Crystal, Mineral, Brimstone), it doesn't fade out. It just keeps on going.

To my ears, it gets a bit grating after a while. Does anyone else experience the same thing?

It reminds me of Kheldian shields before they mercifully got a fade-out change to quiet the constant space-sounds.

Could the sound effect of the Stone toggles get a bit... milder, after a few seconds, pretty please? 🙂

[Arcadio]

I wish minerals could be used with granite. I can appreciate that stone is much stronger outside granite now, but I wish granite was a little less harsh still... The defenses are amazing, but most armor sets can be built for that level of mitigation. While it's still nowhere near as easy to make up for the granite penalties. 

[Wavicle]

1 minute ago, Arcadio said:

I wish minerals could be used with granite. I can appreciate that stone is much stronger outside granite now, but I wish granite was a little less harsh still... The defenses are amazing, but most armor sets can be built for that level of mitigation. While it's still nowhere near as easy to make up for the granite penalties. 

Seems like now you can build to not need Granite, just like you don’t need Unstoppable or Elude.

[InfamousBrad]

I don't understand why Granite even still has the +rech and -dmg penalties. It's not THAT impressive a power.

[Glacier Peak]

1 hour ago, Wavicle said:

Seems like now you can build to not need Granite, just like you don’t need Unstoppable or Elude.

Exactly this! I copied my Stone/Stone Tanker over to beta and was pleasantly surprised that while out of Granite, and all my shields up I capped all resists and went fairly deep in to the 30 and early 40s in defense to all. When things got dicey in the back part of the newly opened Cimerora, I toggled on Granite to keep the -def cascade at bay. Really swell updates to the set. I think I'll even try a second build on the same character that is offensive focused because I really want to take advantage of the new synergy between the armors.

[JayboH]

1 hour ago, InfamousBrad said:

It's not THAT impressive a power.

That was kind of the goal - to not make players respec out of everything just to be in granite all the time.  Scrappers don't even get Granite as an option.

[Glacier Peak]

Also, how is there no cacophony about the biggest change to Granite armor!? YOU CAN JUMP!!! Has anyone tested whether the jump height is affected by enhancements or buffs?? When I tried it out, my first reaction was wow, but now after using it a bit I think the curb hop height is appropriate.

[Wavicle]

2 minutes ago, Glacier Peak said:

Also, how is there no cacophony about the biggest change to Granite armor!? YOU CAN JUMP!!! Has anyone tested whether the jump height is affected by enhancements or buffs?? When I tried it out, my first reaction was wow, but now after using it a bit I think the curb hop height is appropriate.

After all these years

[Hjarki]

Why can you play a Claws/Stone Scrapper but not a Stone/Claws Tanker?

[Wavicle]

11 minutes ago, Hjarki said:

Why can you play a Claws/Stone Scrapper but not a Stone/Claws Tanker?

Because Scrappers don’t have Granite armor

[Super Atom]

3 hours ago, JayboH said:

That was kind of the goal - to not make players respec out of everything just to be in granite all the time.  Scrappers don't even get Granite as an option.

 

instead players respec'd out of the armor set and now you barely see them, unicorn armor set.

[JayboH]

25 minutes ago, Super Atom said:

 

instead players respec'd out of the armor set and now you barely see them, unicorn armor set.

In all seriousness I wonder if any of the other game servers out there figured out how to allow that to be a possibility.