Advance Prototype [FIXED] ;)

[Kiyasu]

An AP fix I just thought of. Basically. AP doesn't really have heat management issues at all as long as your careful even just a bit. And the free rocket punches are nice but their not really a dps increase since heat isnt our primary issue and it doesnt refresh the CD. So make the talent that makes it free instead make it cost but remove its existing cd and either A) make it crit (or increase crit chance by like 50% idk) B) make the next rocket punch not set off the cd. It's not a masssive buff since the rocket punch will cost heat and we still kinda have 2 pay attention. (so if it is the proc one that ignores the cd we cant spam them) and I really feel like this is a cool way to fix the spec that makes it feel more meleeish and dynamic.

 

Of course the easiest way is still just buff our cylinder but thats kinda lame.

 

I mainly pvp so idk how this would affect pve but I hear my pve AP brothers arent competitive with pyro either.

 

I love AP overall. I think its a fun spec and while I know most pvpers dont like the flamethrower buff when you do get it off it is pretty awesome if rare (epic voidstar move). I'm just not a fan of a heavy RNG resource system like Pyro and I *********** love all my ap tools. ( ily ret blades 15 second dot )

 

What do yall think?

[Athilias]

I've never had damage problems with AP, and the point of AP is not damage, but mobility and versatility. That's why you see a lot of higher up players part spec'd in it (Mainly for cooldown on quell and grapple, and of course the bonus crit chance for fire techs, armor piercing of rail shot, finally the prototype cylinders. AP is still underrated, because it requires you to actually manage your heat well to put out very noticable DPS. The best part about it is that you can go deep into it, and still be using another Cylinder. Right now I've been running a 10/31/0 spec that uses ion cylinder. It works great for pvp and pve.

[Krondorf]

I'm only lvl 43 and just can't let go of AP at the moment.

Even though the damage is weaker than pyro, every time you connect your blade onto the enemy, the sound it makes is sweet to hear.

You just move like the wind sometimes and for me, it seems so much more fun than pyro.

I know that pyro is deadly in damage, but I prefer the excitement of fighting rather than the joy of seeing my damage points at the end of each warzone.

 

I think I'm going to be one of the few who is gonna stick to AP at 50.

Just hope something will be done to the AP tree. Give it some love.

[Kiyasu]

Don't get me wrong I like the utility alot. But viewing it as a pure utility spec isn't how I view it. I view it as a dps spec with a nice set of tools to manage its close range style personally.

[Morbidar]

Look, like the rest of us, including ME, I want to make it work. I've tried it and had fun but ultimately for what I am trying to accomplish it doesn't work for me. If I had support around me constantly backing me up I could play any spec, even an AP spec with average DPS, and do very well.

 

Since I am solo 99% of the warzones I'm in I cannot rely on backup I have to either go full defense (which I've never done in MMOs) or full offense. Offense it is and that means I need to line up damage; damage that can spike. And that means Pyro up to 31 to get TD. It's just too sick.

 

I just dinged 50 valor and landed 370k damage in one huttball where I wasn't even trying to focus on it. That doesn't seem like much considering I believe Pyros have thrown out 500k + damage if they try. I realize Huttball is not all about damage but when I can at a dime switch tactics from protecting or carrying the ball and then land some serious damage it's what I prefer.

 

That coupled with the kiting tactic that I do relentlessly against melee types it makes for a spec that I have grown to love.

 

I can't imagine going full AP and running ION with it. The ONLY reason I liked AP is because of the heat management being tolerable. With the damage being non spikey and 'Ok' coupled with having to manage heat I'd go crazy.

[Kiyasu]

^^^^ Hence why I think my change could really help it! Anyone have a direct opinion on my change?

[Mhak]

AP is a DPS tree made with PvP in mind. However, a Pyrotech has all the tools an AP has with only very slightly longer CDs, and slightly less mobility. In turn, the Pyrotech gains about double the raw damage potential, and some other tools like 50% snares that AP doesn't have.

 

The problem is the damage tradeoff is simply so severe that no level 50 PT who PvPs competitively can justify AP over Pyrotech right now. The only large benefit AP has over Pyrotech is Hydrolic Overrides, but that single talent simply doesn't compensate for the massive loss in DPS.

 

What AP really needs is just a huge increase to its damage in many areas. My recommended changes to bring it in par with Pyrotech are these -

 

- Increase the effectiveness of HEGC to give a total of 15% more internal/elemental damage dealt while talented instead of the current 8%

 

- Double the potency of Retractable Blade's bleed effect

 

- Change Prototype Flamethrower to have Flame Bursts decrease the channel time of Flamethrower by 5/10%, stackable up to 5 times, while maintaining the current increase in damage by 5/10%, stackable up to 5 times. This would allow for +50% damage FTs to be done in 1.5 seconds fully talented.

 

These changes are pretty hefty and STILL would leave AP's damage lagging pretty far behind Pyrotech's...but would at least make it enough of a threat to combine with it's current utility to make it viable in endgame PvP. Currently, Pyrotech gives you the capability to kill most level 50 opponents in full champ gear in seconds, and that FAR outweighs any minor utility gained by AP.

Edited January 17, 2012 by Mhak

[Kiyasu]

I will say 8 seconds of snare/pushback immunity and a 30% movement speed increase on a 30 second timer is hardly minor.

[Loytal]

Snare/pushback immunity is only useful when you have a full resolve bar.... and I can barely notice the increased move speed. I am not sure why stuns and fears arent considered movement impairing effects, but it was a huge letdown for me to find out that I wasnt immune to them.

 

I feel like I have 100 times more mobility with rocket jump, and I can even carry the ball better since I don't die in 10 seconds flat.

 

Kolto vents also mislead me... here I was thinking that I was going to vent heat every six seconds and be constantly regenerating .7 percent of my life per second. Which at 20k HP is still only 140 life per second... but much to my befuddlement that passive only works with the actual 2 minute cooldown vent heat skill. 7% of my life over 10 seconds every 2 minutes? What a useless skill. It wont ever save you from anything. Immolate is barely better than flame burst.

 

I for one thought the skills sounded good... but the mobility you think you would get does not really exist when you are constantly stunned rooted feared and snared anyway.

 

Also in order to use rail-shot on someone in this spec you have to stab them first or hope someone else incapacitated them for you. So your ranged damage is seriously limited... as well as your ability to stop people from getting away from you. All you have is grapple and your 2 stuns. One of which gives an instant full resolve bar.

 

 

You give up rocket jump with a 3 second root / grapple with 3 second root, a 50% snare/ 12 second dot which procs about 50% of the time you use rapid shots, and a ridiculous amount of survive-ability. Also guarding someone else gives you an easy 2-3 medals a round and mitigates a ton of damage from someone.

 

Losing rocketjump is basically the biggest thing for me though. 12 second CD with interrupt and 3 second root. Just too good.