Devastation is an ability used by most if not all arcanists. While on the surface it might look like an AoE skill. But any experienced player would know it’s a type of shotgun skill used against bosses.
PRM, CT and even AAR builds used it for single target due to its fire and forget nature.
I personally felt that devastation was a little too good at everything. But recent conversations with other members compelled me to make this poll.
The main reason i am beginning to re-consider is because zero CDR builds have been hit hard due to the nerf now that i think about it.
I think Devastation needed a nerf, I just think they nerfed the wrong thing about it. Adding inconsistency is never a good choice.
Second, a Devastation nerf should have been accompanied by buffs to all (not OP) classes using it to support their own lackings. Like poor PRM. Supercharged should just flat out get more flat elemental damage for PRM, electrocute doesn’t help much when PRM itself is a Cast Speed skill. Or the fact that PRM has more flat aether damage than flat elemental damage says how shitty it’s elemental component is.
The problem is that the developers intended it to be a “slight” nerf (per Zantai). What’s the reality?
For targets with radius < 2.2 m, it’s a constant 1-(5/6)^2 = 30.6% nerf.
For targets with 2.2 m <= radius < 3.2 m, the nerf is 1-((radius+2.8)/6)^2.
For targets with 3.2 m <= radius, there is no nerf.
So, the reality is that the nerf is only “slight” (let’s say around 10%) if the target’s radius is around 2.89 m or so. In other cases it’s either too much or nothing at all.
Devastation should either be a channeling spell or have no elemental damages.
Fire damage probably is the easiest damage to build up in the game (I believe one could end up with a maxed bonus of +1200% at level 85 with full gear and devotion. Not sure if physical and acid/poison can go much higher), and since fire damage is also very common among many abilities the masteries have to offer, this makes the search for its bonuses pretty obvious for many builds and therefore its addition in such powerful spell very challenging to balance.
Since the caster is free to move around and attack with other abilities once the casting of the spell is done, this makes such spell pretty open for abuse and indeed pretty multipurposed over the whole game. I believe that making it a channeling ability (like eather ray) would fix things, but I am not sure if this would also not kill the point of this spell. Maybe removing its fire damage and making it a pure eather damage skill (and therefore requiring more dedicated builds for it) could help.
I have a similar opinion. It’s like the previous post said it really depends on the size of your target.
The problem is it was the only good Arcanist skill and it was a long CD ability, so builds w/o CDR are screwed. They should’ve buffed the other skills in single target damage to compensate.
-Arcanist has good skills i know, i made two non-devastation builds- one with PRM and the other with CT.
-CT seems like a good skill if you can stack defenses and stand next to your target.
-PRM on the other hand only shines when you go full aether (or mostly aether). Going the elemental route kinda reduces the potential imo.
-My point is PRM is still lacking single target damage potential.
And PRM builds were the one who relied on devastation. On a long-CD spell, there’s a big difference b/w one cast and two cast.
-I am not saying devasation nerf wasn’t needed, that skill was too good at everything. But many builds relied on it for single target damage, now i don’t want the changes to be reverted. I honestly felt like i was playing a modded character when i used that skill and watched as the boss was sent to hell with just one spell.
-My point is they need to buff the other skills a little more. I don’t know how those builds i made would do had i not gone full aether. The only good single target skill besides Devastation is AAR even now.
-CT seems like a good skill if you can stack defenses and stand next to your target.
Which you can.
-PRM on the other hand only shines when you go full aether (or mostly aether). Going the elemental route kinda reduces the potential imo.
So what?
-My point is PRM is still lacking single target damage potential.
And PRM builds were the one who relied on devastation. On a long-CD spell, there’s a big difference b/w one cast and two cast.
They can still use devastation just fine as it is now. On top of that PRM’s damage was greatly improved in 1.0.0.7 both to the skill itself as well as from gear.
-I am not saying devasation nerf wasn’t needed, that skill was too good at everything. But many builds relied on it for single target damage, now i don’t want the changes to be reverted. I honestly felt like i was playing a modded character when i used that skill and watched as the boss was sent to hell with just one spell.
Contrary to how it is often used devastation was designed as an AoE ability, not a single target ability.
-My point is they need to buff the other skills a little more. I don’t know how those builds i made would do had i not gone full aether. The only good single target skill besides Devastation is AAR even now.
Sure and I disagree based on my own experiences using them.
When i said i made two builds, i meant i know a non-devastation build is definitely possible even w/o AAR. But just because one build can work really well w/o devastation doesn’t mean the skills are pretty strong.
Bad phrasing on my part, wasn’t criticizing it. I meant that’s the only way to use it imo. And i like it. Probably my second favorite spell in the game atm.
Let me repharse this, going the elemental route you’d lack fire-power to take on the big guns as compared to aether route. Not saying it’s not doable, just saying it’d be inferior. Elemental PRM needs a buff especially in the devotion department.
I noticed it, not saying they didn’t buff it. Just saying it doesn’t feel strong enough. Although, i have only been using PRM on a non-devastation build.
Wait, what? :eek:
The description calls it the most powerful ability of Arcanists, i thought it was meant to be all-round skill.
Are you sure, i thought it’s a shotgun skill?
Sure and I disagree based on my own experiences using them.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, i guess this will always remain. Different playstyles, different way of perceiving things.
Great to have had this discussion with you and since you’re here can you fill me in on one thing? I just keep adding to my warder’s death count in the testing and keep hitting a wall. How much OA does the Avatar have on Ultimate? He has around 100% chance to hit me when my DA was 3.1-3.2k.
Devastation: increased Target Radius to 6. Overall, Devastation is a little too effective as a single-target killer, so this will spread its damage out a bit more over a larger area, maintaining its intent as an aoe skill while slightly reducing its single-target potential.
Seems pretty clear to me that it was designed with area in mind and not single, small targets. I agree that the nerf was justified and could even go further.
Could, but shouldn’t imo. The current nerf was required. But another nerf would make it useless. Devastation on trash is pointless, they die to procs most of the time. And trash includes flesh hulks as well. So it’s current state seems perfect imo. I don’t mind using it a few times more than i used to, atleast now it doesn’t feel like cheating
I don’t know what his OA is, but Mog is not an enemy that you overcome through stat scaling. To kill Mog you need a combination of debuff effects and the ability to consistently lifesteal off of his pets as they swarm you. If you can’t do that, especially the lifesteal part, then you can’t win.
Well i knew that much. I still hoped i could beat him through stat scaling. My retaliation battlemage killed him on veteran like that. But we all know he’s child’s play on veteran and it didn’t go so well on Elite :undecided: