Patch Notes for June 8th, 2019

Leandro · June 9, 2019

GENERAL

This post lists all the changes relative to the version of the game running on the five main Homecoming shards, therefore there's some repetition for the benefit of those just joining the beta.

POWERS

ToHit is no longer required to achieve fast-snipe. Now, combat status determines if snipes are fast or slow, and ToHit buffs increase how much damage fast-snipe inflicts.

The snipe will be fast if you have attacked or been attacked in the last 8 seconds; this is the same time as Stalker's Hide.

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All non-epic snipes (dominators included)

12 second recharge and 14.352 end cost.

Base 2.28 scale damage in their "quick" form, down from 2.76 scale.

Every point of ToHit buffing the player has will increase or decrease this damage, up to a cap of 2.76 scale damage with +22% ToHit buff.

Slow form will do 4.5 scale damage.

Epic Snipes:

Will now have a base 1.75 scale damage in their quick form.

Every point of ToHit buffing the player has will increase or decrease this damage, up to a cap of 2.3 scale damage with +22% ToHit buff.

Slow form will do 3.56 scale damage

Slow form crits will do 3.56 + 1.78 scale damage.

Scrappers should now properly crit 10% of the time, instead of using Stalker requirements.

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Note that PvP scale is based only around the PvP damage formula. ToHit buffs and debuffs do not change quick snipe damage in PvP.

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Misc

Mu Mastery Epic Pool: Zap now uses Melee Damage Modifiers

All versions of Beam Rifle's Penetrating Ray now has a 55% chance of spreading disintegration.

All versions of Beam Rifle's Lancer Shot now has a 100% chance of spreading disintegration.

Fixed a bug in the no-redraw version of fast-Archery's Snipe.

Psionic Lance's quick FX was completely broken and out of sync. FX has been resync but this required a slightly slower animation (1.33 seconds.)

The following fast snipe animations have been synced with their FX, no cast time changes: Moonbeam, Zapp, Sniper Blast, Proton Volley (they all remain at their original 1.33 second duration.)

Beam Rifle > Disintegration > Should [hopefully] never linger after the target dies.

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Blaster Devices:

Changed Web Grenade to Toxic Web Grenade, now deals scale 1 toxic DoT and can be slotted for damage

Taser recharge reduced from 20 to 10 seconds, duration reduced from scale 10 to scale 5, damage increased from 0.25 to 1.96 (same damage as Energy Punch)

Time Bomb animation is now 2.77 seconds, interrupt time removed, countdown reduced to 5 seconds, defiance values reduced to match (this only applies to this set, not to the Traps support set versions.)

Targeting Drone now also adds a 30% recharge buff.

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Pool > Leaping > Spring Attack: now does Containment damage when used by Controllers.

Pool > Sorcery > Enflame: Should now do damage for Sentinels

Kheldians > Inherent: Should now see Sentinels the same way they see Blasters and Scrappers, for the purpose of their inherent powers.

Controller > Ice Control > Flash Freeze: should be properly flagged as a Targetted AoE, not a Point Blank AoE.

Stalker > Savage Melee > Shred: This power erroneously said it consumed Blood Frenzy stacks. The text has been corrected. This power generates one Blood Frenzy stacks instead. All other AT versions of the power had the correct text for Shred.

Dominator > Feral Charge: Fixed a bug where sometimes it would do no damage if executed from maximum distance.

Domintoar >Savage Assault > Unkindness: This power erroneously said it consumed Blood Frenzy stacks. The text has been corrected. This power generates one Blood Frenzy stack, and it's DoT becomes stronger the more Blood Frenzy the caster has. This bonus to Unkindness makes up for the set's lack of Savage Leap and Hemorrage.

Sentinel > Ice Blast > Chilling_Ray: Should now accept Slow enhancements.

Sentinel > Regeneration > Dismiss Pain: Increased amount of MaxHP granted to 24% from 6%, should had not been that low to begin with.

Sentinel > Energy Aura > Power Armor: Now has a +MaxHP component as described in the power info. Power is now a passive and costs no endurance.

Note: a very early version of Savage Assault's Shred did have an RNG 20% chance per stack to recharge itself. This was universally hated in practice, as it always ate all blood frenzy even if the recharge did not trigger. In addition, feedback also stated there were not enough frenzy builders and too many frenzy consumers. This led to it being to Shred (and Unkindness, that is technically a spiritual ranged cone version) to become Blood Frenzy builders instead.

INVENTIONS

New PVP IO Set "Experienced Marksman"; includes proc that will always turn your Snipes into the fast version.

Adjusted Targeting has new art by Flashtoo.

Novacat · June 9, 2019

Wait, the device changes aren't listed anymore though - were they rolled back (patching right now) or did you just forget to write'em here?

Edit: they're certainly still in the beta at least

Leandro · June 9, 2019

Added the Devices changes back to the patch notes, nice catch.

scran · June 9, 2019

I'm fairly unhappy with the dom changes. Theirs should be on a higher cd/dmg scale. Unlike other sniper users that mostly focus on their damage rotation, doms are pretty busy with their primary stuff so high activation or low cd tends to hinder them more than others. Not to mention doms generally build for recharge to begin with.

csr · June 9, 2019

I tested Dom Snipes using SO builds to get a better balance idea, as most of the complaints on the boards I've seen imply high +Recharge IO builds suffering. I used a /Elect at level 22 and a /Dark at level 40.

(1) BUG! Moonbeam does the same damage as a "slow" Snipe as it does as a "fast" Snipe. So that sort of spoiled the testing there. It appears to be the Slow Snipe Damage Scale.

(2) "Fast" Moonbeam's cast is quite fast, nearly instant, whereas Zapp's seems slower than the listed 1.33s. I didn't use demorecord to come up with numbers as I don't have the time to spend to re-learn how to use it.

My general take is that the "fast" Snipe is useful in an attack chain, especially if you want to be pure ranged. However, the "slow" Snipe doesn't hit hard enough to be worth the extra time; given that Dominators have plenty of tools to deal with especially dangerous Minions and Lts that are better than the Snipe. So the Snipe is just a long range pull tool, and for that the fast Snipe could do the same job without the extra 2 seconds. The Snipes feel like a failed gimmick on Doms to me, especially since most of them don't come until level 35, when pulling for a Dom is far less important than earlier in the game when the AoE controls are weaker. It's now just a solid attack power with exceptional range that you don't want to use lead-off as it wastes time and you have better lead-off powers (AoE controls or even ST Confuses).

Pzn · June 9, 2019

Why is dom snipe damage still being reduced? It doesn't seem necessary. I agree with the other poster above that Dom snipes should be longer cooldown but harder hitting. They have less time to attack if they are using their primary effectively. The snipe damage for other ATs is staying the same if they still have 22% tohit and it seems unfair to reduce dom snipe damage on builds that can already achieve instant snipe on live. Could you try putting the damage (with the tohit bonus) somewhere between what it is on live and 2.76?

I like the changes to devices. Any chance that the countdown on time bomb could be reduced slightly further? 5 seconds is still a little slow on faster paced teams. Just another second or two could make a huge difference.

Dan Petro · June 9, 2019

I really think this change is the best of both worlds.

2.28 scale with a 12 second recharge essentially follows the traditional damage formula (as it mirrors Bitter Ice blast).

Snipes are still special as you can directly increase the scale from 2.28 to 2.76 with additional to hit values. Defenders corrs and blasters all tend to have access to a pile of to hit.

I'd still lean towards Dom's getting at the least a 2.5 scale attack with a 15 second recharge and allowing it to scale up to a 3.0 scale attack with to hit buffs. Maybe even take it as far as 16-18 as they are the only ranged AT currently really losing damage off the snipe changes. More fluid attack chain yes, but like some of the blaster secondary sets (Martial Eagles Claw 18 second recharge vs. Golden Dragonflies' 12) you tend to want your higher tier attacks to have more recharge / damage because you have so much to cycle as it is.

Things like corrs/defenders tend to lay out 1 or 3 powers, then go to town blasting. Things like scrappers/brutes/stalkers/tanks tend to activate 1-3 click mitigation powers over the course of a fight and go to town hacking and slashing. Blasters and Dominators are pretty unique in that they are always firing an attack of some type that fits the situation presented to them. AoE. ST, Ranged, Melee, ST CC, AoE CC, etc. From that nature, they can generally afford some longer recharges on damage powers.

Mezmera · June 9, 2019

We can explain the play style as a means for justification not to nerf the damage so harshly until we're blue in the face. Fact is this is a change they've been wanting to push through ever since fast snipe came about there was just more influential push back if they had tried to change it before I take it. Fine, there needs to be a performance enhancement on every dom secondary aside from /fire kind of like how devices is getting a buff as their relevance is being taken away.

I really don't understand why we can't just leave this nice new trick for doms well enough alone or even a halfway compromise? Titan Weapons overperforms, spines/fire brutes overperform, nukes on every mob overperforms. The list goes on with the things that could be brought into line, so we're starting here with Doms? What's next? City of Blandness here we come.

senseichen · June 9, 2019

I'm not as demoralized, but I do wish Doms hadn't gotten hit so hard by this. It does seem like they're unwilling to leave Doms working different from other ATs.

Powerhouse said they'd be reviewing the Dom secondaries. So hopefully Power Burst and Blaze get some love (as well as /NRG in general,) they're the real losers with this change.

scran · June 9, 2019

Most secondaries have snipes too... Different ats have different working powers for a reason =/

Captain Powerhouse · June 10, 2019

I have talked to Leo about this in the last few days: Assault set buffs are top priority right now. Dont have a full list to share yet, but in Energy Assault in particular looking at shortening the cast time for Total Focus, increasing the recharge and damage for Power Burst significantly, and possibly make Power Boost be a bit more like Gather Shadows.

Novacat · June 10, 2019

IIRC Total Focus is avoided no matter what your AT due to that casting time, so if Assault sets get a usable version that would be a nice buff there.

Device changes are overall pretty nice, though better interrupt-redux compatibility in the trip-mines would be amazing.

The fast-snipe damage seems alright - it's easy enough to at least get it back up to the 2.5 scale region without even trying to go for a proper 22%, so it makes for good, efficient powers overall even if a little weaker for some than the previous iteration a few days ago.

- although as noted in the Bug Reports, Beam's snipe won't be spreading anything if the spread-delay bug sticks around.

At least from the blaster side of things, the changes feel pretty good.

Catmint · June 10, 2019

Most scrappers have few sources of consistent +ToHit unless they take and run Tactics, so it does kinda feel like a flat reduction of the damage to just 1.75. or 1.75 + whatever a Kismet gets you, I think an extra .15 if it's scaling linearly. But 1.75 for that cast time is still very strong, it's just ... a lot of recharge and endurance for it, by the recharge and endurance formulas? Scrappers who aren't Claws, Dual Blades, Invuln, or Bio Armor in Offensive Adaptation will never get all the way to 2.3 scale outside of Build Up.

Feels like the Epic pool snipe's damage and recharge should pick an expected damage number and be set assuming that. Like, the base damage the attack deals without a specific pool power or specific unique IO buffing it. Fire attacks and the like don't take a hit to the formula on the basis of their DoTs, or anything. Ranged snipes are, y'know? Recharge in keeping with the unboosted damage, endurance in keeping with the boosted damage, but they do stick to the formula. A 1.75 scale attack, even in an epic pool, should have the specs of ... well, Brute/Tank/VEAT Soul Mastery's Gloom. Which is 1.76 scale damage, 10.66 endurance, and 12 second recharge.

Also, the wording of "Every point of ToHit buffing the player has will increase or decrease this damage" makes it sound like, if we're catching significantly ToHit debuffs from something, the damage will decrease below that baseline? Is that accurate? It's kinda hard to test that.

Mezmera · June 10, 2019

My very first dominator when villains came out was /nrg loved it to death. The enhancements to Total Focus and Power Burst sounds like it may be nice, maybe they'll be able to get a Total Focus off now while everything else around them gets disintegrated. I play /dark now only for the ranged heal and Gather Shadows. I don't know how I feel about sharing the unique power for a particular secondary across other dom secondaries. That's like sharing Boost Range or Eagle Eye across other blaster secondaries. Sure I'll share Gather Shadows if you trade me for Eagle Eye as my t9.

Jimmy · June 10, 2019

@Powerhouse: I think the +ToHit scaling needs to apply to both slow and fast snipes, couple of reasons:

[*]Adds more choice as to when to use Aim / BU / etc (currently you're somewhat shoehorned into saving them to get the additional bonus damage on in-combat snipes)

[*]Two different scaling mechanics for the fast & slow snipes will cause confusion & wasted buffs (this is a classic 'noob trap')

[*]Allows /devices to retain its unique benefit for slow snipes

From a purely subjective standpoint: Hitting Aim and Build Up into a slow snipe and hitting like an absolute freight train to open a fight is just plain fun and that fantasy needs to be embraced.

Leandro · June 10, 2019

Pretty sure that's not going to happen because slow snipes already get a lot of bonus damage on top of the damage formula due to the interrupt time.

Golden Azrael · June 10, 2019

1. Assault sets getting some love. That sounds like a good idea. On Domi's? I always felt that some of the assault sets felt a little...'cobbled together.' Others? 'Just fine.' (Really like my elec/elec Domi. *Beams with pride. And the Stone domi? Fine. Though I would have liked Built up instead of Power Boost. But there are some great control powers in stone control that can be power boosted. So I can understand why 'some doms' want to keep power boost. I used Power Boost myself to enhance my control powers on Stone Control Domi.) Whilst I'm at it, I wouldn't mind some trickle damage over time on some of the elec control powers. I find the damage on that set underwhelming for the elec' domi.

2. On a blaster? Total Focus takes an 'eon' to execute. Meanwhile the Freak show have stunned you, pulled your cape over your head and given you a kicking. Shortening the cast on that? 'Yes please.'

3. Power Boost. It's a subtle power and one that's under appreciated by me. It can boost your healing, to hit etc for 15 seconds. And one poster said it helped boost the control sets on a domi'. 'Not that long' but I've been using it as part of the 'auto-snipe' prior to the new snipe development. So the healing and to hit boost I've learned to appreciate. I'd like it if you could put the knock back element back into it. I know the devs took it out. However, on an en/en blaster, Knock back is erratic and ineffective a lot of the time and it is the only mitigation against the mob hordes.

4. As for Power Burst. When I discovered they'd increased the range I thought it was great. A punchy blast power WITH range. What's not to like. That came around 'soon enough' to use again in your attack chain. As for it not hitting hard enough? I never felt that. But if the devs want to give 'us' more damage? Yes please. But I now know the formula is more damage? more recharge. And us en/en blasters NEED to keep hitting because Knock is so erratic. As a one-two punch with the new auto snipe, great stuff. If it can be made better? :)

How do I feel about an increased cast time and more damage? I'd have to try it on test. Think it gives a good bang for book dam/recharge as is. But I've an open mind on this one.

5. Energy plays like smooth butter. It's a great set. But maybe a little slow in places...and lacks a bit of punch in areas with mediocre damage at times. Definitely feels dated compared to the water set. Which has far punchier powers, hard hitting single attack and some great AOE powers with good utility and a kick ass nova. It all feels 'newer' more dynamic and harder hitting with more zest and bite. It's just all round better. Both Energy and Elec (both sets I've played extensively) could learn from this set. So maybe any mods to bring these into line could view the water set as inspiration. The Auto-snipes and the energise power revamps have been transformational, yes. Made an en/en blaster 'fun' again. But I don't think these are the final solutions. There's more to do.

6. Energy, to me, could do with a bit of a speed boost to make it snappier. When the dev's took away 'perma-hasten' in issue 4, I didn't really feel the same about my en blaster after that. Energy may not have hit the hardest but it was quick with perma hasten. Perhaps...in the way they've transformed 'Conserve' into a heal/end red' discount power...they could...(See below.)

7. Part of me wonders why Power Boost and Boost Range (surely, a '2ndary' effect?) couldn't be the same power. In the 2ndary, you get 3 successive powers that are underwhelming compared to what precedes them. You get Power Boost, Boost Range and 'Stun' three powers that (back in the day...I was bit 'meh' about.) So why not combine boost range and boost? And with the omitted power have 'BOOST SPEED!' so you can have access to perma-hasten? A power that unlocks perma hasten..? That would stack nicely with the energise buff/power. Instead of perma-hasten being behind a pay wall. What blasters need most to make them more competitive with Scrappers? Melee? Is speed. 70% would tip the balance in our favour somewhat. You can get much faster speed recharge with an uber IO build. But 70% is respectable and speed the game up somewhat. I can't believe that snipe, of all powers, is given the 'democratisation' of auto-snipe but I can see the rational for it. Hasten. For me, on energy, would be great to have perma-hasten back as an optional power for an energy 2ndary power. Something for thought. It's low hanging fruit.

8. Stun. And why stun for minor damage or no damage when you can TF? A great animation for stun but 'meh' damage. Why not high damage? Or Superior? Or give it an ace component like Whirlwind AoE mob punch? (In fact, I'd like that one to come into the energy set from the tank melee set and replace 'Stun'. Maybe Stun's animation could be used for a shorter Total Focus cast? Stun falls into the category of never picked powers because something better comes after. So, how to make it more compelling? Give it an AoE component. Give it moderate damage. (Hardly game breaking...) Give it both so it's an moderate AoE version of Power Thrust which has a great animation as has most of the energy 1st and 2nd sets.

9. Total Focus is good but takes forever. It was so slow I got to the point of just not selecting it. In the era of 'auto-snipes' why not have an 'auto-punch' that triggers super quick. Do what you've done for auto snipe. Trim the activation time. And have a juicy big punch up front and have another when in combat that triggers fast (and gives an 'old' energy transfer animation from energy melee from tank) And I'd have liked it to be AoE like ThunderStrike with knockback. Ironically, TF doesn't do knock back. Or at least knock down! I prefer Thunderstrike. It's multiple opponents and crashing knock back. Great stuff. What TF should have been.

10. In fact, I'd like Power Thrust to do AoE knock back instead of just single target. eg. A melee energy torrent effect.

11. Nova. Ice and Elec get to place or point their novas. But en blasters have to wander into a dangerous mob. Get slapped out of it...and then go boom half way in the air after the War Wolf has slapped me into the next planet. There is a cool energy animation from the pop up menus in Paragon Chat that allows you to sink your hands into the ground to do an energy fx power. It's only an emote. But wouldn't that be a great way to activate the nova power? And have the nova animation explode from a selected mob? I'll have to hunt down the name of that energy emote. But it made me think if ever an energy blaster could have a placeable nova? That's what it would look like. You sink your hands into the ground...energy build up. BOOM! Mob erupts and scatters!

If people want 'knock down' let them have an enhancement set for that. Re; some not wanting knock back in Power Boost.

Assault sets and Energy are due some attention. You can really see it and 'feel' it when you play a Water Blaster. Ice? I love ice. The new end mod regen buff is heaven. Transformational. I'm not immediately sure where the improvements could be. The end regen buff changed everything. Elec blast? Short Circuit? Faster execution? (Compared to Energy's Power Burst, it's a bit of a suicide power...even though I like Short Circuit stacking with ball of lightning. It lacks that 3rd big hitting blast power.)

Azrael.

Golden Azrael · June 10, 2019

It's pretty embarrassing to still be up in the air whilst the Simpsons at meal time eat all the mobs around you.

I'm not sure what Gather Shadows is. Never had it.

Azrael.

Golden Azrael · June 10, 2019

And finally, 'on topic'.

The snipe changes are good. I've played them on test. Now that the range and recharge are back(?) to where they were. I tested last night with the count down timers on. So it's back to 12 seconds, right? Feels good with the auto power. I don't miss the AIM/BU/PB activation as much as I thought. The in-out combat is very well executed. The 'slow' snipe is much better. A sound example of CoH democratisation and not needing to hack powers into your built or zillions of spare slots or an expensive IO. Well executed by TEAM SCORE.

I don't like keeping the 'same' animation for the 'fast snipe.' I liked the old one better. (Can't we have 'that' one as a 2nd snipe animation choice in the power customisation screen?) I know why it appeared like that. But I like the 'shoot from the hip' style. It made more sense. 'Ker-PoW!' Fastest 'gun' in the west style. 'PULL!'

There doesn't seem to be any 'real' noticeable delay in activation. However, perceptionally, it's still a little bit there.

Combat feels 'good' and other than the animation preference, it seems good to go.

Azrael.

SarelFox · June 10, 2019

Enjoying the fast snipe last patch, haven't gotten around to testing it in this one. Having a cast time won't bother me thematically; I enjoy watching the animations in the game. I agree that on paper doms should have different snipes, as it's more of an 'oh shit what do I need to do now' playstyle instead of a high dps rotation, but I think that the extra-high damage on the dominator snipe is not really 'necessary' to the set to be whole, it's the one kid who is scoring so high on a test it brings the class average up.

Not snipe things: currently on live, Shinobi from the blaster secondary Ninja Training incorrectly says it gives run speed and jump modifiers in the description, but lacks it in game. Instead, the power gives 5% to hit as a constant buff, an additional 15% to hit every 30 seconds for one attack, 6.75% constant damage buff, and 43.25% damage to one attack every 30 seconds. These are basically unlisted. Can we have the description fixed to mention it gives a latent to hit buff and damage buff outside of the big burst, and removal of jump and run speeds? Or just add jump and run speed in too. I'm okay with that.

senseichen · June 10, 2019

That's great, Captain. Thanks for the info. If Power Burst turned into something like our current fast snipe, that would help a lot. Love for Power Boost and Total Focus would be awesome. I took /Energy Assault because of how much I loved TF back in the day on my blaster. But losing the Mag 4 Stun killed its wow factor. PB also lost some lustre at double the recharge of the blaster version, and has me tempted to drop it, even though it was one of the draws of the set. I'm not sure what more like Gather Shadows would mean, just adding a damage buff? They seem pretty similar to me on paper.

marcussmythe · June 10, 2019

While your visiting with Energy Assault, Energy Melee (in all its forms) might benefit from some attention, given that its noteworth attributes are terrible AOE damage, terrible single-target damage, and an attack you can kill yourself with. :)

Golden Azrael · June 10, 2019

Ouch. I can see i was being diplomatic. :P

Lol. But true, though.

Compared to the Water set, it hasn't aged well. Some great animations. Brilliantly fluid gameplay.

I thought most attacks on energy you could get yourself killed with. ;)

Knockback always kinda of annoyed me because it's the mitigation is en's only protection. It's very erratic. Eg. Force Bolt from the Defender set HITS and there IS knockback. Sometimes with Torrent mobs go over like skittles and it's whoo-hoo...and other times? They stand there? 'So, you hit me with a mediocre AOE power with erratic knockback? Don't you know that can lead blasters to a dark place in the back of a skip?' *(You've just angred a heap of Freakshow who will (!) drain you, beat you, stun you, knock you over etc. If only my blaster could do (?) all that...)

Be nice to have guaranteed knockback with a stun element.

Azrael.

scran · June 10, 2019

I Also have an elec elec.. remember part of the elec theme is sleep, and DoTs would break it... im fine with more damage, just not in a way that breaks the elec sleeps

_NOPE_ · June 10, 2019

...do Blasters dream of electric sleeps?

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