Singularity Question

[Arnabas]

I haven't played my gravity controller for some time, but having used him recently, I notice that Singularity seems to have changed. Rather than repelling enemies (great for keeping me safe when solo), it pulls everyone closer (great for killing me when solo). 

I'm guessing that the rationale for this was to make it more team-friendly, but it's less helpful to me now as a solo player. I'm wondering if there are any plans to continue adjusting it. Maybe something could have been done using Knockback to Knockdown, rather than (seemingly) eliminating the Repel?

Edited October 19, 2023 by Arnabas

[PeregrineFalcon]

I have a Grav/Storm controller. Singularity pulls the enemies to it and then knocks them back. I have mine slotted with a Sudden Acceleration Knock back to knock down IO. This causes the enemies to constantly flop around near Singularity and makes it very easy to AoE them to death.

 

One tactic that I often use while soloing is to Wormhole enemies to Singularity or TP Singularity around a corner into a group of enemies. This disables them and they're not able to attack me at all. I also recommend taking Arcane Bolt from the Sorcery power pool. When the combo ring lights up it's his highest damaging attack.

 

Obviously I don't know if the developers have any plans to change Singularity further, but they haven't expressed any plans to do so.

Edited October 19, 2023 by PeregrineFalcon

[arcane]

The new pull-in effect is the best thing about Singularity…

[roleki]

12 minutes ago, arcane said:

The new pull-in effect is the best thing about Singularity…

 

That's only because they neutered Singularity to be much less durable than it used to be, otherwise THAT would be the best thing about it.  Pull effect versus repel effect is a tactical wash, in terms of advantages gained and lost, but if you spent years running Singularity the old way,  its new behavior can take some getting used to.  

[Hjarki]

10 hours ago, roleki said:

That's only because they neutered Singularity to be much less durable than it used to be, otherwise THAT would be the best thing about it.  Pull effect versus repel effect is a tactical wash, in terms of advantages gained and lost, but if you spent years running Singularity the old way,  its new behavior can take some getting used to.  

I disagree.

 

Conventional Repel just isn't all that useful. If you want to maintain range, options like flight and Immobilize already work just fine. Repel, on the other hand, has a tendency to scatter mobs - and there's rarely ever a good result that comes from scattering mobs.

 

Negative Repel, on the other hand, concentrates mobs. When it is attached an ability - like Singularity - that can place the center of the effect somewhere other than the player, it accomplishes everything normal Repel would ordinarily accomplish. Drawing mobs into a central point is incredibly useful - it's part of the reason you want a tank in your group - in a way that pushing them away from a central point is not.

[Uun]

The new power is called Gravitational Pull. It has an outer radius of 45 feet and an inner radius of 7 feet. (If you keep Singularity beyond 45 feet, the power won't take effect.) The Repel power (which isn't new) is a 9-foot radius KB aura around Singularity. Normally foes are knocked away, but if you slot a KB>KD IO they will be stuck flopping in the overlap between the two powers.

 

If you want to experience it from the other side, fight high-level Family (lvl 30+) on a set without repel protection. The Prima Consigliere bosses spawn Singularities. They're pretty common red-side in St. Martial and also show up in a number of story arcs.

[roleki]

10 hours ago, Hjarki said:

I disagree.

 

Conventional Repel just isn't all that useful. If you want to maintain range, options like flight and Immobilize already work just fine. Repel, on the other hand, has a tendency to scatter mobs - and there's rarely ever a good result that comes from scattering mobs.

 

Negative Repel, on the other hand, concentrates mobs. When it is attached an ability - like Singularity - that can place the center of the effect somewhere other than the player, it accomplishes everything normal Repel would ordinarily accomplish. Drawing mobs into a central point is incredibly useful - it's part of the reason you want a tank in your group - in a way that pushing them away from a central point is not.

 

All valid points, but for years we found ways to use Singularity's repel, and nobody that I know of was like "This is awful."  Gravitational Pull isn't awful, either.  All it is, is a change in where you position yourself as the caster.

 

Where Singularity used to function as a rearguard or haven for squishes, now you just bring it into the pile... and you have to bring it into the pile (or, bring the pile to it) because if it isn't IN the pile, you'll soon find you have two piles, which is less useful than one pile.

 

One could argue that Singularity's owner has to put themselves closer to harm's way to make effective use of the new behavior, but really, what's harm's way in this game anymore?

 

To my mind, they're a wash, but that doesn't mean people can't be nostalgiac for the old ways or fapping handily over the new ones.