Marine Affinity "Shifting Tides" question

[Scientist]

So Shifting Tides in the new Marine Affinity powerset allows slotting of Tohit Buff and Damage sets.  It seems to generate a stacking buff for Recharge, Tohit and Damage per foe.  Am I correct that any tohit buff enhancing IO would enhance stacking tohit, any damage enhancing IO would enhance the stacking damage, and any recharge, for example in a Damage or Tohit set, would enhance the stacking recharge?  Or would recharge in a set only enhance the recharge of the power itself?  

 

Trying to figure out how best to slot it in an end game build.  

[Psyonico]

You can't enhance recharge bonusus, recharge enhancements would only affect the recharge of Shifting Tides.

 

similarly, you can't enhance the +damage bonus, slotting damage will only improve the damage that Shifting Tides has a chance of doing.

[Wavicle]

1 hour ago, Scientist said:

So Shifting Tides in the new Marine Affinity powerset allows slotting of Tohit Buff and Damage sets.  It seems to generate a stacking buff for Recharge, Tohit and Damage per foe.  Am I correct that any tohit buff enhancing IO would enhance stacking tohit, any damage enhancing IO would enhance the stacking damage, and any recharge, for example in a Damage or Tohit set, would enhance the stacking recharge?  Or would recharge in a set only enhance the recharge of the power itself?  

 

Trying to figure out how best to slot it in an end game build.  

 

In addition to the stacking buff, Shifting Tides also has a chance to add extra damage to attacks against enemies in its area. This is the damage increased by slotting damage. You cannot increase the stacking damage bonus.

 

Slotting Tohit does enhance the stacking tohit bonus.

Slotting recharge only speeds up how fast the power itself recharges if it gets turned off. You cannot increase the stacking recharge bonus.

[Scientist]

Is Mids correct with the "extra damage" of 17.81 (slotted for damage for a Defender), meaning it is a complete waste to slot it for damage then?  Looks like the only thing worth slotting on it, aside from some End Reduction because it is an End hog, is tohit.  

[Laenan]

It’s not a bad spot for a three piece of the ATO set if you’re splitting it for the 10% recharge boost twice. (Vigilant Assault or the Corruptor’s Scourging Blast) Failing that, yeah, I’ve mostly focused on end reduction and/or putting leftover slots in it for set bonuses as needed.

[tidge]

On my Controller, I can't slot the ATO pieces... and that wasn't my plan. I'm thinking slotting Shifting Tides strictly for Endurance Reduction.

 

I am still leveling it up. but my end-build plan is looking like a single slot of Endurance Reduction... but I intend to do some experimenting with it. I doubt I will have the slots (final build), but because this take Universal/Ranged AoE pieces, on the surface, it looks like it could be a source of %damage from procs. Pseudo-pets are a mixed bag, with a majority being predictable upon cast but then negligible... but there are a handful of others which outpace all other slotting options... if Accuracy can be slipped into the power (to improve %proc ToHit chances), which is possible via the damage sets. The defense debuffs from Marina Affinity ought to also help (if the %damage) is reliable.

 

My assumption is that Shifting Tides would be a poor source of %damage (even considering what else I am doing with the Controller with AoE damage/control) but I won't know until I do some testing. It has such a large radius and I see so many Shifting Tide boost icons (on myself) even while fighting x0 spawns I'm willing to do some testing.

[Frosticus]

Any enemy affecting procs will break the non-aggro status. Generally not an issue, but sometimes I anchor it on AV's given I don't always plan to stand near them. Not a big deal as long as you are ready to engage.

 

I personally have 5 pc ragnarok + guassian build up.

But that's on a troller

[tidge]

On 8/19/2024 at 12:10 PM, tidge said:

My assumption is that Shifting Tides would be a poor source of %damage (even considering what else I am doing with the Controller with AoE damage/control) but I won't know until I do some testing. It has such a large radius and I see so many Shifting Tide boost icons (on myself) even while fighting x0 spawns I'm willing to do some testing.

 

I've done a little bit of testing with Shifting Tides at level 39. My Controller isn't quite ready to stand by itself among huge crowds of even-level enemies to get a lot of data, but doing the "Welcome to Vanguard" intro, as well as a few of the FF/Brickstown "store" missions and I feel like I was getting 2-3 hits of %damage every 6 seconds or so ("one one-thousand" method) when I had 6+ enemies (see slotting below). The logs are a little tricky, because the damage shows up in the "pets damage inflected" but there are no visible ToHit checks for the ticks (as expected). The coolest thing is that a defeated enemy with the Shifting Tides anchored on it will still get hit by the %damage proc even after defeated (until they de-rez).

 

My slotting: 2x (attuned) Acc/Damage/End (Positron's Blast, Frozen Blast) 2x %damage (Javelin Volley %Lethal, Positron's Blast %Energy)

 

My current build plans don't have room for these slots, so I have to continue my evaluation... but so far I've been pleasantly surprised.

 

 

[Psylenz0511]

Do players not put shifting tides on allies?

[Psyonico]

24 minutes ago, Psylenz0511 said:

Do players not put shifting tides on allies?

In teams, I always put it on a melee ally first.

[Seed22]

10 hours ago, Psyonico said:

In teams, I always put it on a melee ally first.

It makes the most sense and gets me mad stacks since everyone’s in melee anyway 

[Bionic_Flea]

On 8/19/2024 at 3:55 PM, Frosticus said:

I personally have 5 pc ragnarok + guassian build up.

But that's on a troller

 

I slotted two Adjusted Targeting for endurance, recharge, tohit, and the minor 2% damage boost.  I slotted Gaussian Proc in Tidal Forces, the aim clone.

 

I've seen a few people slot Ragnaroks.  Is the increased damage noticeable from slotting or is it more as a set bonus mule for Recharge and Acc?

[Hedgefund]

I just did a test with Gaussian's BU proc in this power and didn't see it fire off once.  It's possible I wasn't monitoring something correctly.  Does anyone have hands-on, empirical evidence (plz no "well it should..." responses) that the BU proc works and who does it effect, friendly entities within the tide?  The player?  I monitored both my MM pets and myself.

[tidge]

12 hours ago, Psylenz0511 said:

Do players not put shifting tides on allies?

 

I'll apply Shifting Tides to allies (or melee henchmen) but it detoggles if the caster is far from the recipient, such as by going through an elevator.

 

52 minutes ago, Hedgefund said:

I just did a test with Gaussian's BU proc in this power and didn't see it fire off once.  It's possible I wasn't monitoring something correctly.  Does anyone have hands-on, empirical evidence (plz no "well it should..." responses) that the BU proc works and who does it effect, friendly entities within the tide?  The player?  I monitored both my MM pets and myself.

 

I tried this slotting. The nature of the power is such that I expected that it might proc on cast, but once it is on a target I don't think it will ever affect the caster. I never observed the Build Up on my caster... and after seeing how Whitecap has a slightly wonky timing with %damage, animation, and subsequent effects I wouldn't be surprised if Shifting Tides won't ever trigger the Build Up for the caster.

 

I meant to do some testing on a pet (I have a Plant/Marine Controller) to see if a pet (or ally) with Shifting Tides applied would occasionally get the Build Up, but I never got around to it, as my single pet would not benefit that much from it and I found dedicating slots to %damage was working reliably enough that occasional Build Ups on the Fly Trap would do nothing for my clear times.

[Frosticus]

3 hours ago, Bionic_Flea said:

 

I've seen a few people slot Ragnaroks.  Is the increased damage noticeable from slotting or is it more as a set bonus mule for Recharge and Acc?

 

For me I tried full procs, guassian and +5 purple damage + musc radial

Single target defeat time was no different than 5pc rag+guassian. 

 

I guess the next question would be if unslotted makes a major difference. Dunno honestly, haven't tried it. 

 

*procs may/may not be fantastic against a full spawn. I didn't test that

 

So for me Ragnarok is mostly there for the set bonuses I think. 

 

[Frosticus]

3 hours ago, Hedgefund said:

I just did a test with Gaussian's BU proc in this power and didn't see it fire off once.  It's possible I wasn't monitoring something correctly.  Does anyone have hands-on, empirical evidence (plz no "well it should..." responses) that the BU proc works and who does it effect, friendly entities within the tide?  The player?  I monitored both my MM pets and myself.

 

 

 

It fires 2x in this vid over ~2.5 min.

 

Edit: it affects me. My combat attributes are open to see.

 

If you are asking why I keep it, I'll upload vs a full spawn later which should provide ample justification.

Edited August 27 by Frosticus

[Hedgefund]

I gave it a second test and see the BU proc go off fairly frequently on me, never on a pet.

 

No need for a video, thx though.

[Frosticus]

10 minutes ago, Hedgefund said:

I gave it a second test and see the BU proc go off fairly frequently on me, never on a pet.

 

No need for a video, thx though.

Coolio. I just check and it fired 5x over 60 seconds in a mostly full spawn scenario.

[Hedgefund]

I'm sure my testing was flawed the first time, that's why you test a second time!