Feedback on v1.1.3.0
Briefly: the changes to TSS are fairly good, but the state of TSS sets has not changed.
TSS
- TSS: 3-4% higher damage through improved Shattered Star.
Overall, I think TSS damage is in a good position after this second pass of straight buffs. Mostly it’s the sets that need updating. - TSS: 0.2m radius increase. (Like Skybreach.)
A small but welcome change that addresses the frequent complaint of poor AoE. - TSS: up to 45% slow from Frozen Core. (Like Skybreach, but more.)
A perplexing addition. Frozen Core now slows mobs… on top of freezing them, and assuming they don’t melt on hit. Bosses are largely unaffected: at rank 22, FC will apply some 5-13% slow depending on resistance.
Solid changes overall, except for the no-op slow on Frozen Core. (It’s practically unnoticeable in testing.) Also note that, regardless of utility:
- Skybreach already has a slow modifier that now overlaps with the global slow. Neither seem to accomplish much.
- Allagast can’t really take advantage of global slow because it doesn’t invest in Frozen Core.
A more effective alternative would be to change global slow to global fumble, keeping in mind that Allagast can’t afford high ranks. Even so, I’m not persuaded that additional CC on TSS would suffice to address the defensive issues shared by TSS sets.
Skybreach
Skybreach, the only powerful TSS set, is now slightly more powerful. Its defensive profile remains outdated, but the set already works well as a glass cannon.
The recommendations from the first post still apply: fumble would work better than slow, movement speed is a bit too low, and better physical/cc resistances wouldn’t come amiss.
Allagast
- Storm Box: 1-2% damage lost.
Nominally, Mage Hunter and Purifier are most affected, while Vindicator is less affected and Apostate is buffed. Practically, the difference should be unnoticeable (as tested for MH and Purifier only).
Allagast remains an Inquisitor set rather than a Mage Hunter set, and some individual attention is sorely needed: tweaking global TSS damage is not enough to compensate for the combined loss of Frozen Core, unsupported aether TSS, and heavily skewed modifiers.
In testing, Allagast MH needs TSS with RR and 15-20% more damage to be competitive with Purifier, Apostate and Vindicator from a purely offensive standpoint.
Recommendations from the first post/test mod still apply, with minor tweaks. I’ll add another, en passant:
- Take the damage removed from Storm Box and add it to Lightning Tether, which is seldom maxed and has limited AoE. (I like tethers.)
Iskandra
- TSS: 40% WD (up from 20%), 20% chance of double-cast (up from 15%).
A net damage increase approaching 10%, depending on how heavily you invest in Frozen Core. Lifesteal is now noticeable against mobs.
Unfortunately, tweaking %WD is not a very effective approach to find the damage Iskandra needs to work in its current design.
To give you an idea of how far we are from a working solution, consider that granting TSS 200% WD per shard would still yield about 30% less damage than Skybreach TSS, with marginally better AoE. (I tested this in Crucible, and the times were as expected: still more than half a minute slower than Skybreach despite Seekers + Currents.)
If the goal of Iskandra is to be a sturdier, conversion-driven Skybreach with medium-CD TSS and the odd double-cast, I’d consider the following:
- A radius modifier. (Tested: 0.5m.)
Further improving AoE would differentiate Iskandra from other sets, which work best with Rolderathis’ tome. - Damage, damage, damage. (Tested: 15% total damage.)
TSS needs to be a nuke. The most straightforward way to find enough damage would be a total damage modifier à la Ulzuin’s Chosen. - Adjust %WD for lifesteal only. (Tested: 100% WD.)
40% is noticeable against mobs, but higher values would start being effective against bosses. 100% WD with 9% lifesteal decidedly removes the dependency from Twin Fangs, but lower values should also work.
In Crucible, the indicated values result in clearing times around 7 minutes (3-4b + vb), with TSS becoming a fairly reliable source of healing.
I still maintain that low chances of double cast don’t work for TSS and that an alternative design would be more interesting, more fun, and more befitting a single-skill, single-mastery set, so for those who fancy them, the recommendations from Iskandra as a set for spammable TSS still apply.