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 May 31 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 June 1 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 June 1 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 June 1 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 June 1 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 June 1 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. 

[KaizenSoze]

I have teamed with several Pyro users, sometimes two at a time. The set's FX do not cause me any nausea.

Edited June 2 by KaizenSoze

[Marshal_General]

I started out at level 1 to do the Habashy arc up to 6 and then I will jump to 10 for the King's Row arc. I paired it with Marine which should gel together once I get the Marine knockdown abilities to go with the Happy Sparkle Blast KDs.

 

So far and this is without slotting or any other enhancements that a new player will not have, the endurance use can get close to problematic.

[Specta Phantom]

I like the FX. I wish it was a bit more obvious but it’ll do. I think this works well as a light control spec if you color it correctly, which is what I want. Illusion has always been my go to for that but it’s not the perfect fit. This fits that much better. 
 

Since I was looking at this from an end game “main” perspective I loaded up two ideas. A /Poison and a /FF with IO sets.

 

For the /poison I would open with glittering column. Then I would hit Hypnotizing Lights which started containment. With both Venomous Gas and Incendiary Aura rolling I’d drop a poison trap with 4 procs. Then it was bouquet, fire ball, and sparking chain. Most things died by the time I went to cast fireball.  It was mainly bosses left which I used envenom, dazzle, a proced paralytic poison and arcane bolt. It melted mobs. The -to hit and -res on everything worked really well together. I slotted for damage in all but bouquet which didn’t take damage enhances. I think fitting envenom in during the start would melt them faster too. Didn’t try it. Weaken will also help floor that to hit. 
 

The /FF toon struggled a bit more in the damage department. I think it’s more with FF though. It’s not really solo oriented set. It worked okay though. End was an issue. 
 

I think glittering column’s recharge amount is okay. It did really well gathering up the mob for the cone. Then you can switch to better control with bouquet and/or missiles. I never had an issue with a mob turning on my if I placed down the controls correctly and was in the correct position. I really like how that plays with the set. It’s a busy set. I def like paring it with a secondary that isn’t as busy or one that you only need a handful of powers. 

[Agorazium]

The new FX on Hypnotizing Lights and Explosive Bouquet look great 🙂 

[Aoleleb]

Thank you for fixing the particle trail on Dazzle!

[OverkillEngine]

Love the new changes and new Dark FX set, though maybe tone down the cloudburst particle cloud effect a bit on Incendiary Aura a little bit. It tends to blot out the screen very easily. The attached pic wasn't even at the worst part of the pulse cycle for that and it's still very distracting/obfuscating.
 

[Nathic69]

Sharing thoughts on build 4

 

New SFX and FX is great !

 

Hypnotizing Lights SFX and FX feels missing and underwhelming currently and could do with a little explosive animation on hit similar to the rest of the powerset or firework missiles like Explosive Bouquet

 

I worry Glittering Column not having a pulse taunt especially on Doms or when everything else is on cooldown as the set is very active and we only having glittering as our field / automatic control, or be melee to have  -acc.

 

The overall set is very active and I worry about end, mainly from Aura. I feel that power should have 0 end cost because not many people like to play melee on controllers and the trade off is high risk because I can't spam the sleep cone and cycle that power in my rotation at melee.

 

Or keep Aura as it is but allow it to blast off 2 targets at a time that would make it worth the end and being in melee

 

Catherine Wheel is still casting its AoE at ranged 🙂

 

Explosive Bouquet new animation is 🔥 and fits the set as a whole much more

 

An option for min FX on Aura would be greatly appreciated for those who keep asking as I've seen many request this

 

Another reason I worry about end is I feel to spam everything including the chain immobilize for blast off chances

 

Overall the set is shaping up nicely looking forward to build 5 👍

Edited June 4 by Nathic69

[Agorazium]

This is very minor, but for consistency's sake: the descriptions for Column and and Incendiary Aura say "reduced ToHit" whereas Dark Control, Dark Blast and similar sets call it "chance to hit reduced" or something similar, which I think is a little more clear to new players who don't know what ToHit is.

[Kai Moon]

Looks like some of the vfx for Dazzle, Explosive Bouquet, and Catherine Wheel (summon) are ignoring customization. Tested with dark/black/black.

[Kai Moon]

Some typos

 

Sparkling Chain:

"Ranged (Targeted AoE)" should say chain instead of targeted

 

Hypnotizing Lights:

"If The Hit check" with "The" capitalized should say "If the Hit check" or "If the To Hit check"

 

Brilliant Barrage:

"bombared" should say "bombarded"

"hit by shrill noisemaking rocket" should say "hit by a shrill noisemaking rocket" or "hit by shrill noisemaking rockets"

 

Some combat log messages still say "Multipurpose Missiles".

 

An incorrect "Smoke" message appears in the caster's combat log when summoning Glittering Column.

 

Incorrect Cold Snap messages in the caster's combat log when casting Hypnotizing Lights. "Hypnotizing Lights (Narrow)" should say something more like "Hypnotizing Lights (Close)".

 

The Catherine Wheel's "Twinkling_Blast" power should say "Twinkling Blast".

Edited June 5 by Kai Moon
another combat log typo