Energy Melee Power Crash Feels Bad to Use

[Bugsydor]

I have had an energy melee scrapper, stalker, and tanker since the one big update that gave us Energy Focus, and Power Crash hasn't felt good to use on any of them. The radius, arc, and damage have felt fine, but the "bonus" ability to expend energy focus to increase its target cap has never felt impactful to me. Even running a tanker solo on x6, I am hard-pressed to find a time that I can make use of boosting the target cap from 5 to 11 (or 10 to 16, including overcap). And even if the screen is absolutely packed with enemies, I would probably prefer to spend that energy focus on either a guaranteed stun or on speeding up Energy Transfer. Using it on Power Crash doesn't feel impactful.

 

I basically only ever spend energy focus on Power Crash on accident, and that always feels bad when I do. I feel like I wasted that energy focus. I would take it off my bar, but I still want to have that second AoE attack.

 

So, I propose changing Power Crash's Energy Focus bonus somehow. I don't know what would be the most fun or the best balanced, but here are a few different ideas I have for it:
 

• Boost its range or radius on EF
• Have it do more damage to one or more targets on EF
• Give it a chance for KD on EF
• Reset its cooldown (once only) on EF, like water blast's Water Jet
• Convert all of its damage to Energy on EF
• Have it apply some kind of self-buff or enemy debuff on EF

 

I figure any combination of the above changes would make the power a lot less of a drag to burn EF on, and I'm also open to any other ideas for improving/balancing the ability that people might have.

[Lazarillo]

2 hours ago, Bugsydor said:

Boost its range or radius on EF

This, to me feels like the most in-tune with also boosting its (already more than sufficient given its small AoE) target cap.  That or, yeah, maybe more damage against the primary target, though that feels a little banal.  Either one would make it not feel like I have to hold it back during EF lest I "waste" it.

 

I'll anti-vote the chance to KD, if only because I almost always slot it with a proc for that anyway, and I'd have to change that so I didn't knock stuff back...

[Uun]

Power Crash already has one of the largest radii and widest arcs of melee cones (excluding those that accept range enhancements). It's unlikely they would make it larger. Personally, I don't bother using Energy Focus on Power Crash and just save it for Energy Transfer.

[Psyonico]

It is a 120 degree arc already, so I suspect altering its arc is a non-starter.

 

I'm not against the other changes, but if the devs feel all of them are too powerful, then I'd suggest just removing the interaction between focus and power crash.

[Troo]

Adding the janky mechanic was not the best. @Bugsydor you are not alone.

[Bugsydor]

2 hours ago, Psyonico said:

I'm not against the other changes, but if the devs feel all of them are too powerful, then I'd suggest just removing the interaction between focus and power crash.

While I agree that removing the interaction would be preferable to the current state of affairs, I feel like there's still interesting things the devs could do with it and would be kinda disappointed if that's the option they end up taking.

[tidge]

The tea leaves left after the HC rework of Energy Melee pretty much indicate that there won't be any changes to that set. From my PoV, the cone Power Crash was added explicitly because (a) "Where is all the AoE for Energy Melee?" and (b) "Who wants Stun, anyway?". The Energy Focus mechanic was added to try to add a little something-something to the single-target focus that EM had in the distant past... I half-suspect that the tie to the new cone was to make the new mechanic more 'relevant'. (Because 'combos' are the new 'fetch')

 

Personally: I kinda like the EM updates, even though they aren't what I wanted and I have yet to respec or start a character to include Power Crash. For whatever reason (lingering resentment over EM from the first days of PvP on Live?) we were not going to get EM as the pinnacle of single-target DPS, plus a Disorient.

[LightMaster]

4 hours ago, tidge said:

The tea leaves left after the HC rework of Energy Melee pretty much indicate that there won't be any changes to that set. From my PoV, the cone Power Crash was added explicitly because (a) "Where is all the AoE for Energy Melee?" and (b) "Who wants Stun, anyway?". The Energy Focus mechanic was added to try to add a little something-something to the single-target focus that EM had in the distant past... I half-suspect that the tie to the new cone was to make the new mechanic more 'relevant'. (Because 'combos' are the new 'fetch')

 

Personally: I kinda like the EM updates, even though they aren't what I wanted and I have yet to respec or start a character to include Power Crash. For whatever reason (lingering resentment over EM from the first days of PvP on Live?) we were not going to get EM as the pinnacle of single-target DPS, plus a Disorient.

If Energy Melee isn’t pinnacle of Single-Target DPS today, then it sure still is punchy.

 

Either way, what was / would be the pinnacle of ST DPS if NRG Melee isn’t?

Edited Tuesday at 03:55 PM by LightMaster

[Bugsydor]

I feel like we're getting a little off-topic.

 

My main points are these:

• I am very tired of needing to dance around Power Crash to avoid having it eat my EF for no effect
• I think there's some interesting design space to be explored here

Heck, I'd be fine with just adding -regen on EF for Power Crash (since that seems to be the debuff most associated with energy/disorient).

[Uun]

34 minutes ago, Bugsydor said:

Heck, I'd be fine with just adding -regen on EF for Power Crash (since that seems to be the debuff most associated with energy/disorient).

I wouldn't complain if it did both, but I'd rather have the 5 additional targets than the -regen if it's one or the other. Keep in mind that Barrage also gets 100% mag 3 stun with EF.

[Bugsydor]

1 hour ago, Uun said:

I wouldn't complain if it did both, but I'd rather have the 5 additional targets than the -regen if it's one or the other. Keep in mind that Barrage also gets 100% mag 3 stun with EF.

I don't find myself hitting more than five targets with Power Crash on tanker with any kind of regularity, even on solo x8. On the rare occasion that I do, it has never pushed far into Overcap territory. I am open to tips on how to properly make use of EF on Power Crash, though, if those are forthcoming.

 

My problem is not that I dislike EF; I love it on both Barrage and Energy Transfer. My problem with the status quo is that I only ever burn EF on Power Crash on accident, and that it always feels like a wasted opportunity to me.

[kelika2]

im still waiting for the day where all melee set cones and such become taoes like battle axe got

[Steampunkette]

Step 1) Take Hover

Step 2) Press Spacebar

Step 3) Hit 10 targets every time.

 

Cone downward is a Circle

 

Or, y'know. Arrange your bar so you never accidentally hit it.

 

[Sancerre]

On 7/15/2025 at 5:15 PM, kelika2 said:

im still waiting for the day where all melee set cones and such become taoes like battle axe got

agreed

 

although i would say 120 degree 10 foot cones usually feel relatively fine.  7 foot cones of any arc size are a crime against humanity.