Thunder Storm ⛈️ how to make it shine

General Discussion
1

Thunder Storm :cloud_with_lightning_and_rain: has the best animation in D2R. It’s such a shame that it has no real purpose other than looking cool.

Its current advantages:

  • Free damage with no mana cost
  • Free damage with no animation cost (it casts on its own, so you can cast other skills at the same time)
  • It scales non-linearly because the interval between strikes shortens with levels. It’s better at high levels just like Meteor with its burn damage duration.

Here are its limitations:

  • PvP - despite it being a single-target skill, there’s a limit to how much damage a single strike can do without it being ridiculously overpowered in PvP with fly-by-tactics with auto-aim

  • Cannot provide higher DPS gain than a synergy provides a main skill because it casts on its own. Although, it is only a single target spell.

  • Cannot be used with full Lightning/Chain Lightning build because not enough skill points

  • The targeting cannot be controlled in any meaningful way

Here are some of the potential purposes it could serve:

  • Mana efficient damage for Normal/Nightmare leveling
  • Mana and skill point efficient damage when you build for max survivability with Energy Shield, points in Teleport and single-target farming. Could go well together with Charged Bolt for size 3 monsters eg. act bosses.
  • Shocks monsters into hit recovery when Teleporting - basically a defensive skill.

Here are some possible changes that stay within the limitations and facilitate the potential use cases:

  • Hostile effects on target (example values)

    • -20% Enemy Lightning Resistance
    • -5% Enemy Lightning Resistance per hit (this might not be possible to program)
    • Slows Target by 25%

  • AoE effects - for example similar to Fist of Heavens with a two-part damage. The Holy Bolts could be substituted by Charged Bolts. This would make it deal more damage in PvM without affecting PvP too much. New synergy with Charged Bolt.

  • Better targeting - prioritize monster with Highest Max Life. In a unique pack, it will target the boss. At Andy or the Countess or Baal, it will stop wasting itself on a minion.

  • Static Field effect - reduces monster life by 25% of current life. Deals this value as direct damage and guarantees triggering hit recovery. (1 point wonder).

  • Same target reduces strike interval - it will strike faster and faster if it’s the same target.

Edit: (thanks Hanz)

  • Active Cast - Can be actively cast alongside its free strike interval.
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2

Would be cool if thunderstorm got some love. But let me get this straight… You’d like to nerf Nova by making the damage a huge spread like 1-6000 and add a casting delay/cooldown, but you want to buff thunderstorm like crazy as a free casting auto-aim skill that also has slows target, AOE, and increased striking intervals?

Don’t get me wrong though, I disagree with the nova suggestions, but I think buffing up thunderstorm a little could be fun. I made a pretty cool thunderstorm build, the hit slaps pretty hard.

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3

The Nova nerfs and Thunder Storm buffs are all individual suggestions. It’s hard to predict what changes do without testing them. That’s what PTR is for.

I think you misunderstand the 1 sec cast delay suggestion to Nova. The damage should be increased with about 3x. The average DPS would then stay about the same with 37 FCR.

You’d get the same DPS with 0 FCR as with 105 FCR. But no more stunlocking a group of cows! The playstyle would probably change to TP - Nova - TP - TP - Nova

4

TS has the highest level requirement of all L tree attack skills. It should be at least on par with Nova/(C)L.

Some of those are really sexy. I doubt any ANet folks actually read the forums, but just in case: Bump.

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5

Tbh

Just let me manual cast TS along side with it’s free casts

It wouldnt do much more than nova already does

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6

That’s simple and great. Added to the post.

Just make TS strike once when you cast the buff.

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