Mace Mastery? What do you use it for?

[Yomo Kimyata]

I'll be honest.  Almost every character I have that hits 35 hits Vanguard first, and then goes redside (if they weren't already) to open patron pools.  For me, it's just a free option and I have to fight slightly more difficult enemies for a short time.

 

Anyway, I'm trying to figure out why I would take Mace Mastery.  I get Scorpion Shield.  It's a defense shield, as opposed to a resistance shield.  But other than that, why is my character better off pulling out an Arachnos Mace?

 

This is not a contest, just a legit query.

[Spaghetti Betty]

I'd imagine it's not really a popular choice, but there is some neat utility to be had, but other choices are probably better. Some ATs get an AoE immob that can come in handy, and as far as I know, most if not all versions of this pool have that cone blast that deals KB, so you could get creative with it's application.

 

But the main problem with Mace Mastery for me isn't that you pull out an arachnos mace, but that other pools usually do a lot better job covering holes in a build. You know, except for Scorpion Shield.

[arcane]

23 minutes ago, Yomo Kimyata said:

I'll be honest.  Almost every character I have that hits 35 hits Vanguard first, and then goes redside (if they weren't already) to open patron pools.  For me, it's just a free option and I have to fight slightly more difficult enemies for a short time.

 

Anyway, I'm trying to figure out why I would take Mace Mastery.  I get Scorpion Shield.  It's a defense shield, as opposed to a resistance shield.  But other than that, why is my character better off pulling out an Arachnos Mace?

 

This is not a contest, just a legit query.

Poisonous Ray is dope against AV’s on Controllers.

 

I think Mastermind’s Mace Mastery is where you get Power Boost?

[A Cat]

Just the shield for me. The animation time is just too brutal for my tastes. My most common epic pool is Mu. 

[arcane]

2 minutes ago, A Cat said:

Just the shield for me. The animation time is just too brutal for my tastes. My most common epic pool is Mu. 

Touche, avatar nemesis

[DoctorDitko]

I play a lot of controllers and defenders, and for whatever reason, they tend to be defense-based and recharge-starved.

 

Genie of the Ring has Scorpion Shield 5-slotted, with 4 LotGs and the Shield Wall unique.

In addition to the +7.5% recharge, that grants:

 

+21.33%% strength to smashing defense on self unresistable

+21.33%% strength to lethal defense on self unresistable

17.50%% resistance to toxic damage on self unresistable

+14.22%% strength to energy defense on self unresistable

 

Plus the set bonuses: +5% Resist (All) from SW, +10% Regen, +1.13% HP, and the +9% Accuracy for all powers.

 

Which doesn't suck. The only other Mace power sans Mace is Focussed Accuracy, which I've never seen the utility of.

So: Niche, but very helpful on the right toon.

[Brutal Justice]

I only use it on my bane for shatter armor and the pet.  I have web nade  to unlock shatter armor, it would be useful to bring down fliers, if everybody didn’t already have a jet pack, but everybody does.  On the LRSF for instance, the flier stage is actually slowed down if I ground one of the fliers.  

 

It lacks the cool factor that leviathan has which at least helps it counter its abysmal numbers.  

 

Remove the free jet pack from Posi 2.  

[KaizenSoze]

30 minutes ago, Brutal Justice said:

I only use it on my bane for shatter armor and the pet.  I have web nade  to unlock shatter armor, it would be useful to bring down fliers, if everybody didn’t already have a jet pack, but everybody does.  On the LRSF for instance, the flier stage is actually slowed down if I ground one of the fliers.  

 

It lacks the cool factor that leviathan has which at least helps it counter its abysmal numbers.  

 

Remove the free jet pack from Posi 2.  

Shatter armor is about the only good mace power besides Scorpion Shield.

 

Having said that, I almost never take SA. I find the slot more useful elsewhere.

 

Now, if you want the worst patron pool. That's easy, Leviathan Mastery. 

[ZorkNemesis]

I took it on a Archery/Energy Blaster mainly for the shield, but Mace Beam Volley is an extra cone blast to take advantage of the sexy range bonuses I get, even if the animation is a bit sluggish.  The Spiderlings are also a nice backline support, if anything gets through my barrage of arrows they can help finish off dudes that get too close

 

6 minutes ago, KaizenSoze said:

Now, if you want the worst patron pool. That's easy, Leviathan Mastery.

 

Disagree.  Water Spout is worth the price of admission alone half the time.  My Spines/Ice Scrapper uses it for Spout and Hibernate.  I also use it on a /Storm Controller for an extra mini-tornado alongside my regular tornadoes.

[Glacier Peak]

For starters, weapon draw animation aside, AoE immobs are great to use with targeted or location based AoEs. Drop a web cocoon and then blizzard or bonfire.

 

Back in the old days it was useful to use in combination with web grenades to ground flyers in PvP or when running a heavy -speed build. 

 

Now it's more of a niche PPP in my opinion. Ghost Widow almost always has better powers to offer that take easy proc fu.

[oedipus_tex]

2 hours ago, ZorkNemesis said:

Water Spout is worth the price of admission alone half the time. 

 

 

Seconded. Water Spout is fantastic and often overlooked. IMO it's especially amazing on a Controller or Dominator.

[TheZag]

Mace mastery is only there so my crabbermind can have a matching spider pet.  And pulling out a mace to summon a spider is dumb so i need a alternate animation for no mace.  Basically take the mace out of mace mastery and you have a halfway decent set.

[ForeverLaxx]

I always thought it was weird that Arachnos, Black Scorpion in this particular case, were so dang proud of their mace that they made it shoot lasers. It's basically a utility belt disguised as a mace and it's so jarring to use on anything but a Bane Spider. Nobody other than Arachnos agents even "look right" when using it and I'd argue that much of the time, even they don't look right. I mean, who pulls out a 40 pound slab of metal, shaped into a bludgeon, to stand 60 feet back and fire lasers out of it, other than Arachnos?

 

It doesn't even fit the theming you'd expect of a "spidery organization." What, are the maces supposed to be spinnerets? If so, that's gross.

 

Anyway, people take Mace Mastery almost entirely for Scorpion Shield. It targets the most common damage types in the late game. Beyond that, it has some decent powers but the animations stink and I'm sure most of the time, those powers are used for sets and not much else. I do like the Spiderlings, though.

Edited February 12, 2022 by ForeverLaxx

[Crysis]

You already said Scorp Shield.  On Just about all AT’s that one power trumps almost anything else you can get from any other epic pool.

 

But also, the mace attacks are very proc’able.  On a low dps AT like a MM, Controller etc….that’s some decent firepower.

[Saikochoro]

Scorpion shield

[MTeague]

I only take Patron Pools if the powers feel like a thematic extension of my primary or secondary. 

 

Plant/Psi dominatior declined all patron pools, took Psi Mastery. 

Water/Sonic corr, only concievable choice was Leviathan Mastery. 

Thugs/Traps MM, there Mace Mastery actually fits the character, so took it.

etc.

 

What's "optimal" or provides "best" slotting options is not even a factor for me.

[Clave Dark 5]

I've only taken anything other than Scorpion Shield once, and I was underwhelmed by the blasts, but that was back on Live when I didn't have to much knowledge about what I was doing.  Still it was nice having something for range attacks on my stalker. 

 

(Being something of a contrarian, I sort of try to avoid falling back on Scorp Shield to save every squishie toon build form the dreaded condition of "not at cap"; it feels like a boring crutch that I have to put up with rather than going for something more thematic perhaps, or at least to avoid repetition (same thing goes for fixing all your Endurance woes with an Incarnate power).  So these days I often just don't, instead I do something like take all the shark-based powers from Leviathan  for my Beats MM, who obviously doesn't have enough beasts to command to bite you yet.)

[KaizenSoze]

We'll have to disagree about Leviathan Mastery. My opinion is probably because of which builds I have tried it on.

 

Mace: Scorpion Shield has been very useful for me many defenders and blasters.

Leviathan Mastery,  I have tried it on Banes, Stalkers, and Grav doms. Grav being the perfect test case as they can clump mobs like no one else.

The cones are narrow, slow casting, and expensive.

Water spout caused so much scatter and I was not impressed with the damage. It filters about too much.

 

I'm glad to see some people like it. No pool should go unloved. 🙂

[Ukase]

I only ever pick the shield. There's nothing else in the pool except the Spiderlings which I may choose on certain characters to get an HP boost with 3 purples slotted in. Just a set mule. they're largely useless pets. (to me anway)

[Clave Dark 5]

1 hour ago, KaizenSoze said:

The cones are narrow, slow casting, and expensive.

But the style is off the charts!

[Bill Z Bubba]

18 minutes ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

But the style is off the charts!

 

Ya know... I've actually been pondering this a lot lately.

 

Why does it seem that most of the coolest looking powers/archetypes are also the worst performing?

[MTeague]

39 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

Ya know... I've actually been pondering this a lot lately.

 

Why does it seem that most of the coolest looking powers/archetypes are also the worst performing?

 

In the code itself, each power only has six slots. 

The devs can either 6-slot it for Style, or 6-slot it for performance, or go 3-and-3.

[Brutal Justice]

2 hours ago, MTeague said:

 

In the code itself, each power only has six slots. 

The devs can either 6-slot it for Style, or 6-slot it for performance, or go 3-and-3.

Which is why /bio should be nerfed  by removing the minimal fx options.  It’s currently using too many slots.  

[oedipus_tex]

Someone said it already, but Mace Mastery's Poisonous Ray is very attractive on certain Controllers. It's got -18.75% Resistance and is very likely to proc the Achille's Heel proc for an additional -20% Resist. That's great if you're playing a set where debuff rules the day, like Illusion Control. -18.75% Resistance is just barley shy of as much -Resist as Sonic Resonance's T1 before the proc, and since that power can't slot Achille's Heel, potentially its a better debuff than an actual secondary set power.

Edited February 13, 2022 by oedipus_tex

[Ironblade]

On 2/11/2022 at 4:58 PM, Spaghetti Betty said:

Some ATs get an AoE immob that can come in handy,

This is why my fire/fire brute has it.