Question to the old followers and players. Why some transmuters need 3 points, like SWF to convert phys to chaos, or cadence to convert phys to elem; and others to completly convert a skill need only one? Why make you lose 2 aditional points to benefit from some option? What are the devs explanation to that?
Also all transmuters either change damage type, or change skill properties, or add new attributes. I dont get why they made PH frenetic throw convert to vitality? (forcing any build who use it as a main attack to be vitality, or loose part of damage from that conversion)
Plenty of transmuters feature conversion as well as other stats.
As for the several points thing, I’d imagine it’s something to do with balance in point allocation density. Back in the day transmuters used to benefit from +all skills but that was changed so you could “more easily fine-tune exactly what you wanted to get from it.” But today there isn’t really any reason not to max a transmuter if you’re using it. Quick Jacks is the only one you may wish to leave at 2/3 instead of 3/3 if you don’t have the gear to support the energy cost.
These days if you’re using discord for cadence for example you would always want it to be 100% conversion as you would be loosing out. I can’t see any viable builds that uses 1/3 or 2/3 point allocation as it makes zero sense. When you look at ring of frost for ring of steel which gives 100% pierce to cold conversion for 1 point it makes you think why are the others not the same? I hope this is being looked at in FG.
As Ceno has pointed out the only real exception is quick jacks but even then most people probably have 3/3.
Only reason I can think for some transmuters being 3 points is that Crate thought they provided too much of a benefit for 1 point. I don’t expect this to be the reason for every 3 point transmuter but it’s likely the reason for a few. For instance, this was the case for Fire Strike’s transmuter long ago.
From the patch notes for v1.0.0.5:
…In addition, Searing Strike provided a little too much power for a 1 point Transmuter, so it is now a 3-point ability just like Might of the Bear, with its % Crit damage bonus reduced.
I made sure to look before to say what i did about PB. All transmuters with conversion have a few changes, without changing the skill role. PB is the only one to lose the cooldown to become a main skill, and getting a damage conversion, forcing it to be used only as vitality.
Well discord add elemental damage, giving a reason to the cost, but if it wasnt the case, like you said, nobody will allocate 1 or 2 points.
Sensible, but that was also during a time when you had far fewer skill points to throw around and that 1 vs 3 cost actually could significantly impact a build.
On the note of weird point costs, why does War Cry’s completely useless transmuter take 3 points for what is effectively a savings of 30 energy over 7 seconds and CC that goes against everything the skill is used for? If it added physical damage or something, people might actually use it.