Yeah I think people are getting way too fixated on the SoJ buff. For a non-LoD build, it’s going to be a 20% elemental boost to your primary skill and a 60% boost to your second element skill. Better for a LoD build if you can stack more elemental damage, but I’m not sure how many viable builds there will be that can really leverage the new SoJ like that.
For a non-LoD two-element two-skill CoE build (main reason to run a build like this is to leverage multiple CoE cycles), you’re comparing (3*1.4 + 3*1 + 1*1.4 + 1*1.4) = 10 vs. (3*1.6 + 3*1.6 + 1*1.6 + 1*1.6) = 12.8. So for a dual-skill dual-element CoE build, SoJ is a 12.8/10 = 28% DPS boost compared to running with just 40% elemental for your primary skill and 0% for the secondary skill. That’s a pretty mediocre damage boost for a ring slot. Other DPS jewelry options are more compelling.
A little better if you work in a third element skill and can so you can do 3 CoE cycles instead of 2. (3*1.6 + 3*1.6 + 3*1.6 + 1*1.6) = 16 vs. (3*1.4 + 3*1 + 3*1+ 1*1.4) = 11.6, so for a three skill three element build, it’s a 16/11.6 = 37.9% DPS boost compared to running with just 40% elemental for your primary skill and 0% for your secondary and tertiary skill. Again though, not a super compelling multiplier from a ring slot. And I’m not sure if any builds will be able to leverage three primary damage skills and give up some other potential skill buffs they could otherwise put on their bar AND take all the supporting items required to buff three primary damage skills. A 3x element skill build doesn’t seem all that feasible.
I’ve also ignored the loss of a crit stat to gain the elite damage on SoJ, which would bring the effective multiplier from SoJ down a bit. Then we could factor in the SoJ elemental damage which is a benefit in the SoJ column, but you also lose another primary ring affix to gain that, so there’s an opportunity cost there too.
LATE EDIT: corrected typo in last paragraph (meant elite instead of elemental)
I feel like they could add a 2nd defensive bonus to the 2, 4, or 6-piece that reads something like: “While Strafing you gain 90% ranged damage reduction.”
I think this would make all those things that cause DHs to pull their hair out (khazra spears, mortars, ghost + corpse raiser life drain, etc) only a modest consideration, and allow you to focus on preventing enemies from closing to melee range. You’d be quite fragile against melee attacks, but very sturdy vs ranged. And since you’d be in near-constant motion, and continuously attacking while doing so, playing “keep-away” would feel less like a big dps loss, and more like an intrinsic part of the gameplay.
This would fit in well with the DH class fantasy, and would allow the play of the set to be significantly different in feel and style from WW Barb or Tempest Rush Monk.
That’s a nice breakdown, Tinne. I actually think they should just let the new SoJ work in concert with CoE (taking the rotating bonus into account). Then it would actually be competitive with other offensive ring options. For single-element builds, I think CoE + SoJ would still be a hair worse than F+R. (I looked at a few numbers here). For multi-element, I think it would be a little better, but then of course you need to find room for an extra skill on the bar, and extra gear, as you mentioned.
If it is like ww/rend, the auto-cast primary (or the auto-applied rend) does not proc area damage. As such, it is only hard casts of rend that proc area damage.
I am not sure but I think it will constantly cast your last primary as long as it is on an enemy. If it is only upon the initial cast, it would be somewhat lame unless it simply to serve as movement/DR bonus.
4-Piece Bonus
Casting Strafe against enemies will automatically shoot your last used primary skill, and also give 60% damage reduction while strafing and for 5 seconds after. While casting Strafe, you move faster per stack of Momentum.
vs.
Ambo’s pride Secondary
Attacking with Whirlwind also applies Rend, and the total damage of Rend is dealt over 1 second.
We’ll have to see when PTR drops. Could be strafe replaces vault and you will have two gen’s on your mouse. The 5 sec Cooldown makes that easy to manage and moving once every 2 secs will build momentum stacks which would work for a ranged DH.
But, it could be just another spin to win iteration. We’ll soon see.
This could make sense. The stack lasts 2 seconds by default, but its duration increases when you apply a new stack by 2 seconds until its total duration for that stack including increases has been 10 seconds, at which point it falls off. That would mean you’d max out at APS * 10 stacks, or 50 stacks at 5 APS, at which point you’d be adding new stacks just as fast as old ones fall off. That would make the first multiplier x6 (+500%) once “charged up,” and very likely mean the 4-piece would trigger the 2-piece, as otherwise you’d have to spend 10 seconds sitting still casting primaries just to have a buff that continually decays as you strafe for 10 seconds, which would feel really underwhelming. I’m curious how much the movement speed boost is per stack. 1%? 2%?
Yeah, I’m thinking a UE build that alternates between Entangling Shot and Hungering Arrow will work quite well.
Still need Dawn in cube but we won’t need Seethe to keep hatred up so will pick Dark Heart. No need for Visage of Gunnes so can use Aquila for more DR or fit in Depth Diggers.
You can do that but you lose out on depth diggers, trading 100% damage for 50% toughness.
In seasons, UE MS players traded out gunes for CoE (seasons theme), and CoE is worth less than what depth diggers would be for generators, then again UE MS has CC3.
Yeah, I realised that a few minutes back and updated my post above. These changes seem to make UE an easier set to gear up for during seasons. You won’t believe how many ancient Leonines or Odysseys I usually get before an ancient Yangs.
I haven’t read the whole thing, but I assume the 2pc bonus will work similarly to the 6pc bonus on Tal Rasha. One hit gets you 2 seconds; the next hit within those 2 seconds extends it to 4, and so on up to 10 seconds.
The arrows have a set distance they can travel paired with their chance to pierce. For now, what we don’t know is the satchel’s effect guarantees a pierce for every hit after the first or just the initial.
Given engine issues, I’m inclined to feel it’ll only apply to the first hit. Otherwise, I’m not sure how the game would really like having 8+ HAs from a single DH zig-zagging into a single target.
I can almost guarantee you the pierce chain will end on the 4th pierce.
Travel time/distance and numbers of pierces is already limited.
The only thing, the quiver will change, is the percentage for a pierce.
Because it will be guaranteed, you are guaranteed to see the maximum number of 4 everytime now.
If you want to test it before the PTR hits:
Pick Hungering Arrow and use the 2nd rune. 50%
Pick Ninth Quirrel. 25%
Pick Buriza in cube. always 2 pierces (3 hits)
That means, your Hungering Arrow is now guaranteed to see 2 pierces with additional 2 pierces of a chance of 75% each , which in general lets you most likely see 4 pierces always.
The Quiver simply kills that 35% or 50% or 75% chance, it simply guarantees you a Buriza efffect that would give you 4 pierces instead of 2.
That’s why for Hungering Arrow itself, it won’t be necessary to cube or wield a Buriza.
The chance, that the mechanic would somehow change with the upcoming changes is like 0 and it would also be too strong.
The 100% pierce chance itself is super big, combined with these new multiplier on quiver and belt.
My UnderStanding:
2pc: Only generate momentum Stacks if you use primary skill your self:
Stand: 300% Strafe: 0% alternating : 200%
4pc: Will fire primary skill when strafe. 4 shot for each casting:
Strafe: 300% stand: 0% Alternating: 150%
So the damage will be
1: Only shot and stand : 400%
2: Alternating: 750%
3: Only Strafe (Which is impossible due to hatred) : 400%
I doubt there will be incentive to alternating strafe/primary skill [Strafe,Bolas,Strafe,Bolas,Strafe,Bolas…] – that’s wonky like the Fires of Heaven stutter step and if it yields more 2pc stacks it will see a swift nerf.
My guess is that you’ll have full incentive to hold down the Strafe button, Strafe becomes a generator, you won’t have to worry about resource or wraps of clarity uptime, you’ll only tap a primary skill to change the output of strafe.
I agree it might be a possible outcome. But I don’t like this
Because:
1: Madly boring
2: Chances are odd that the triggered primary skill will have AD
3: If each strafe shoot 4 shot, the damage is too much 1600? If only 1 shot, the damage is 400 weaker than UE.
4. People can cube Echoing Fury, and use the strafe snap shot when it has full furry buff. Blizzard won’t like that play style.
5. In the patch notes, the 4pc is “Casting Strafe against enemies will automatically shoot your last used primary skill”. So it seems like strafe only shoot primary skill when it target an enemy. When there is no enemy, it stays as regular strafe. That’s my thought.
Thats strange to me, how are you supposed to aim strafe when you move in the direction of your cursor while strafing? I’d assume strafe still targets closest monster to you. And if you’re gaining movement speed from momentum stacks that makes it that much harder to “aim”. Aiming strafe as a mechanic seems too wonky to me.
And look at Barb WW/Rend, “madly boring”, yet its probably the most played class/build right now.
