Cone Powers

[Zep]

I'm not asking for a Buff to Cones, I'm asking for them to do their job, AoE.

I don't think that is their job though.

If an AoE Cone's job is not to do AoE, then what is it's Job? Why should I be spending a power choice and slots on an AoE Cone that is not really for AoE?

 

 

Well it depends on the cone. The melee cones with a large 180degree radius are clearly intended for AoE damage but the ones with narrow cones (19, 30 or 45 degrees) are more like single target attacks that can occasionally hit a second target. They generally have their damage balanced closer to a single target attack than an AoE attack.

 

In the Scrapper set the only Melee Cone with a 180 was Axe's Pendulum, there are one each at 130 in Broadsword and Katana. Something to note is even at the larger arc they are still set to 5 max, just like every other short melee cone.

 

As for damage lets look at Dark.

 

            Smite                Shadow Maul

DPA      13.95                      7.2             

Act        .97                        3.07

Rech    6.00                      8.00

End      6.86                      8.53

 

So if SM is not made for AoE, then what is it made for, because it sure as hells does not compare to Smite for single target.

 

Until someone brings some facts to this argument, instead of opinion, I will continue to believe that an AoE Cone's job is to do AoE, just like in every other RPG I have played. And if AoE Cones are consistently not doing AoE then they are broken, and need fixing.

 

You know Shadow Maul is a DOT, right? How many times does it do that damage?

 

Hero Designer shows Smite at 12.64 and shadow maul at 13.13 at base levels.

[Jeuraud]

As for damage lets look at Dark.

 

            Smite                Shadow Maul

DPA      13.95                      7.2             

Act        .97                        3.07

Rech    6.00                      8.00

End      6.86                      8.53

 

So if SM is not made for AoE, then what is it made for, because it sure as hells does not compare to Smite for single target.

 

No it doesn't compare.  It's better.

 

Smite does one hit of damage.  Shadow Maul does four.  I just tested this on a couple of random mobs and one activation of Smite was doing 2/3 of the damage of one activation of Shadow Maul against a single enemy.  Also for what it's worth I also managed to hit two targets more than once when fighting a group.

 

You asked for facts.  There's your facts.  Shadow Maul does more damage than Smite, and if you make the effort to line up your attacks you can double that damage (or more) by hitting multiple targets.

 

I used DPA for a reason. It's average damage divided by actuation time.

 

In the time that SM is flailing away I could activate Smite, and possible two other attacks. Add recharge reduction and Smite has the potential to hit twice, with another fast attack in between, while SW is flailing away at the same activation time. Also when Smite misses I can pretty much immediately go to another attack, while when SM misses you are locked into its flailing away at nothing for over three seconds. Now add the time your moving around trying to get that two shot.

 

Also lets talk about the debuff; they both have a stackable 5.63 To Hit Debuff that last for 10 sec. In this lowb build or if I was a Brute, I would have Shadow Punch as well. With the P2W E's I could make SP-S-SP in the time that SM is flailing away, at level 3. In that time frame I just put out a 16.89 debuff, compared to SM's 5.63 debuff.

 

None of what I'm stating is new info. SM has been talked about since CoH released.

[Jeuraud]

Well, for Scrapper, a Crit Shadow Maul is quite painful because all the damage it triggers is applied at the start + it continues its normal damage over several tics.

Yeah, it can be beautiful to see.

Of course sometimes you got that crit and spent the next three seconds beating on a arrested/dead MOB. Or sometimes you activated SM and wished you hadn't, because you want to activate your 'Oh Shit' power, or run away. This is made even worse if Murphy decided to mess with you and you missed, and are flailing away as your HP plunges to 0.

 

Granted, the power itself is niche.  Usually min/max players don't take it but overall, not every power in the game is meant for min/max purposes.  Some are just cool or fun.

 

My current Altaholic trend is MM Beasts, using Swarm and Hawk in melee, with my Wolves in bodyguard. I'm having a blast with it, trying different secondaries.

 

I'm not saying don't use SM, I'm just saying it's not the heavy hitter it appears to be and that it needs to be and is a Cone AoE. And when I say need, I mean hit at least 2 MOBs every time you activate it, and every once in a while hit the max number that it is supposedly designed for.