Focused Feedback: New Powerset - Pyrotechnic Control (Controllers, Dominators)

[Mezmera]

Gave this another go.  I respec'd back in the Glittering Column, it did feel like a distraction opener and mid fight refresh, decent little semi-situational power I'll give the -tohitt suggestion a try.  Fighting those new Blackwing +4x8 Pyro actually felt like I was clearing the mobs a little faster than my Mind dom with the primary being different but pretty much everything else matching.  That's pretty impressive considering I haven't trained the best deployment of the CC powers quite yet.  Although it does feel a lot looser and a good deal less safer than my Mind dom which is a fine tradeoff, also those new Blackwing are rough too.  

 

I do still think it may use a little bit too much endurance otherwise yeah it feels good to play.  I also agree about the ranged aoe hold fx it looks funny superman punching the ground when the targets are far away and seems more appropriate if the targets are surrounding you.  All in all yeah this is cool I'd play it.  

[Aoleleb]

The -ToHit in GC is crazy strong. It's -30% base on Controllers. It's I think the strongest single ToHit debuff that Controllers get that isn't on a pet (It matches Fluffy's Chill of the Night)

 

Unfortunately it only lasts 8 seconds unless enemies are also hit by the explosion, which makes it last another 20. So it's really solid lingering control on things that got close to it, but bad at corralling any ranged stragglers. 

 

Feels like a great centerpiece though. Toss it in a mob and then slap anything that doesn't hug the column with your other controls.

[ExeErdna]

10 hours ago, Kaballah said:

It sure doesn't feel like a good opener, it just feels bad to try to leverage. I feel like it should be more like 10-15 seconds or more, especially in a team you would have to have super tight coordination for it to be at all helpful. Oh hey guys wait, let me open with this power and then all of you immediately blast away in the 3 or so second window it creates

  

 

imagine trying to use this in a team of 8 people, like on a task force. imagine everybody knows what to do and is playing hard ball, not just following the controller passively. where is the "oh wow what was that?? that rules!" power in this set?

 

That's why I said I just ended up using it to pull mobs it's short fuse and large aggro range is good for that. It's still a good opener depending you have something that can work with it. IMO the best sets for Pyro are the classical strong Storm and Time. How I've used it is dropping it right on a Heavy and if there's a mob in the room I can pull them back to us. 

[tricon]

I need to test it  for the lower levels and with more dif. enemy types but so far, at lvl 50 Incarnate and some standard mssions from Number Six. I swing between that's complete garbage from my Dominator pov to that's super cool and completely op for my controller. 

 

Took a few changes on my part to how I normally approach it to make it work but after it, not a bad set. You are complete save from a alpha retalation to setup your follow powers.

The cone sleep/confuse makes it more to a problem if you are a melee Dominator but if you can stay at a distance, it works so much easier.

 

 

 

[PFlux]

Really do love the new powerset.  But it feels a bit overpowered on endgame.  I am fighting 0x8 with no incarnate powers and pretty much destroying everything I fight.  I usually fear being controlled.  But for some reason this is a non issue ATM.  Glitterning Column works almost too well.  Again, this is my opinion.

 

To expand a bit.  I have made and ran 3 controllers with Pyrotechnics so far.  Pyro/ice, Pyro/kin, and Pyro/time.  They all have been extremely op.  This is with access to the best enhancements too.

 

Come to think of it.  I also have the amplifiers running.  That probably explains the lack of being controlled issue.

Edited Saturday at 08:45 PM by PFlux

[High_Beam]

Yeah, one thing is for sure, something has to be done to improve the visual indicators that a target is immobilized or held.  I get that it was probably brighter in close beta before it was toned down for the eye people.  Maybe if occasionally it threw off a specifically colored spark (like a single firework, red for immob or whateva and blue for Hold (again or whateva).

 

EDIT

 

Okay maybe there is a rendering issue on my end, because now I an seeing the swriling body ring on those that are held.  Immobilize is still super faint.

Edited yesterday at 12:51 AM by High_Beam
additional testing notes.

[Quasar Seraph]

Maybe a hot take but I'll see what people think.

 

I don't think the name Pyrotechnic Control is a good fit for this powerset. It implies an origin to the powers, with that being something man-made and generally restricts 3/5 of the in-game origins. The visuals and animations don't show anything that supports the firework namesake, which is how it should be to allow for player concepts to takeover. Additionally, it is uncharacteristically specific in a game that tries to have elemental set names (ice, fire, time, etc.). 

 

As for a replacement name, I don't think this set is Light Control (or Flare, Glitter, Sparkle...), especially with the Blow Up mechanic. I'd suggest Explosion or Detonation Control, because that seems to split the design of the set with being elemental enough to satisfy the sandbox concept crowd. 

 

Then again, I'm the weirdo that rerolls at all levels to change origins and names in games that don't allow name changes (thank you Homecoming).

Edited yesterday at 03:28 AM by Quasar Seraph
formatting, punctuation

[Nathic69]

I really think Explosive Bouquet should get made into a patch, this set lacks an AoE field

[Wavicle]

Unfortunately being a patch would not be very thematic…

 

Glittering Column and Incendiary Aura seem to fill the spots where a patch would go…

[StarkWhite]

1 hour ago, Quasar Seraph said:

Maybe a hot take but I'll see what people think.

 

I don't think the name Pyrotechnic Control is a good fit for this powerset. It implies an origin to the powers, with that being something man-made and generally restricts 3/5 of the in-game origins. The visuals and animations don't show anything that supports the firework namesake, which is how it should be to allow for player concepts to takeover. Additionally, it is uncharacteristically specific in a game that tries to have elemental set names (ice, fire, time, etc.). 

 

As for a replacement name, I don't think this set is Light Control (or Flare, Glitter, Sparkle...), especially with the Blow Up mechanic. I'd suggest Explosion or Detonation Control, because that seems to split the design of the set with being elemental enough to satisfy the sandbox concept crowd. 

 

Then again, I'm the weirdo that rerolls at all levels to change origins and names in games that don't allow name changes (thank you Homecoming).

It's literally just a name. You can define it however you want for your character (both of my planned characters using it are controlling light, not fireworks).

It's no different than people who define their Willpower as a magical protection spell or Dark Armor as a mobile sandstorm.

(Or, it belatedly occurred to me, the plethora of people with Water Blast who are blasting with something other than water. I have a blood-controlling vampire character myself!)

Edited yesterday at 04:59 AM by StarkWhite

[ExeErdna]

From what I've been playing with on Trollers I'm really understanding how this wants to be slotted

Sparkling Cage: is either a skip or 5 slots with Decimation taking a build up proc is up to choice. 

Dazzle: is a 4 slot with Basalisk's Gaze

 

Sparking Chain: is either a 5 slot purple immo set or 6 slot immo set or add a 50 dmg piece in place of the hold proc. Then Overpowering Presence.

 

Glittering Column: Either 2 slot d-sync/hami (end/-def/-tohit), 5 slot dark watcher or 6 slot with a 5 piece dark watcher and a 50 dmg piece. 

 

Hypnotizing Lights: 6 slot with either Overpowering Presence or Overwhelming Force

 

Multipurpose Missiles: 6 slot with Will of the Controller

 

Incendiary Aura: 2 slot with d-sync/hami (end/-def/-tohit)

 

Explosive Bouquet: 6 slot purple hold set or use a 6 slot Lockdown

 

Catherine Wheel: 6 slot Cupid's Crush

 

 

Edit for Doms

Put Dominating Grasp in Sparking Chain, Ancendency of the Dominator in Hypnotizing Lights and Ragnarok in Multipurpose Missiles 

 

Edited 20 hours ago by ExeErdna

[Cheli]

9 hours ago, Quasar Seraph said:

Maybe a hot take but I'll see what people think.

 

I don't think the name Pyrotechnic Control is a good fit for this powerset. It implies an origin to the powers, with that being something man-made and generally restricts 3/5 of the in-game origins. The visuals and animations don't show anything that supports the firework namesake, which is how it should be to allow for player concepts to takeover. Additionally, it is uncharacteristically specific in a game that tries to have elemental set names (ice, fire, time, etc.). 

 

As for a replacement name, I don't think this set is Light Control (or Flare, Glitter, Sparkle...), especially with the Blow Up mechanic. I'd suggest Explosion or Detonation Control, because that seems to split the design of the set with being elemental enough to satisfy the sandbox concept crowd. 

 

Then again, I'm the weirdo that rerolls at all levels to change origins and names in games that don't allow name changes (thank you Homecoming).

It's not really any different than arsenal, or dual pistols, or traps. From a theme perspective it's actually probably way more versatile than those because there's not really anything requiring the 'pyrotechnic' to be mechanical or manufactured. Jubilee from X-Men shot mutant fireworks at people, Zatanna Zatarra makes flashy fireworks with magic spells. You're also not required to RP the powers as fireworks just because it's named 'pyrotechnic control'. A friend of mine RPs dark armor as Moon Magic, I RP spines as glass/obsidian shards, I know someone who recolored their Water Blast to look like blood and RPs a vampire blood-mage. 

 

I actually like the set's theming as it is tbh.

[Quasar Seraph]

1 hour ago, Cheli said:

It's not really any different than arsenal, or dual pistols, or traps. From a theme perspective it's actually probably way more versatile than those because there's not really anything requiring the 'pyrotechnic' to be mechanical or manufactured. Jubilee from X-Men shot mutant fireworks at people, Zatanna Zatarra makes flashy fireworks with magic spells. You're also not required to RP the powers as fireworks just because it's named 'pyrotechnic control'. A friend of mine RPs dark armor as Moon Magic, I RP spines as glass/obsidian shards, I know someone who recolored their Water Blast to look like blood and RPs a vampire blood-mage. 

 

I actually like the set's theming as it is tbh.

From a theme perspective it is way more versatile, and that is the reason I think the name should be changed. The name doesn't fit the visuals of the powerset. It's not like you are placing mortars on the ground from which fireworks are launching, and there are no noticeable rockets being seen traveling to the enemies. So why does the set need to be named explicitly after fireworks?

 

As far as your counter examples, this is not the same as changing Water Blast to blood or Dark Armor to moon magic or sand. Those sets allow for that by at least attempting to be seen and called the simplest thing possible. Spines are spines, it doesn't matter what material you are imagining they are made out of. And the difference between this Pyrotechnic Control and Arsenal, Dual Pistols, etc. is the lack of hardware. Imagine Dual Pistols but you are not holding pistols. What would you call it then? Definitely not Dual Pistols.

Edited 17 hours ago by Quasar Seraph

[StarkWhite]

You can be a Dual Pistols user who uses crossbows, actually.

[Agorazium]

I ran missions at 20 and 30 today. +1/x2, no amplifiers, standard SOs. The endurance use is still rough. Even with Accelerate Metabolism from /Rad I was running out of end frequently. In fact the only times I died were because I ran out of end and blue insps. I can’t figure out exactly what the problem is but it feels like a combination of low ST damage and short duration controls that need to be spammed/cycled more often than other sets. I’m going to try respeccing out of Sparkling Cage and replacing it with a pool attack and see if that helps. 
 

Got to play around with Missiles, Explosive Bouquet and Catherine Wheel. Bouquet is really satisfying to use, I like this one a lot. Missiles is fine, the implementation of a dual-AOE is interesting although I’m not sure this power was the place to do it. I might end up skipping this one instead of Hypnotizing Lights. Catherine Wheel does what it says on the box, although I second that its TAOE seems to actually be a PBAOE.

 

Still begging pleading and crying for changes to Dazzle’s animation, even if it originated from the enemy rather than the character throwing it that would be better. Though it seems like I’m the only one with that opinion so I understand if it doesn’t get changed.