DFA, an AOE without "Area of Effect"

[Wancholo]

Yesterday I witnessed something humiliating. In Voidstar, after our team had planted the bomb at the door, I used DFA in the center of the door, to prevent the bomb is defused. I could see that the enemy was able to defuse the bomb from both sides of my AOE.

If melee rank is 4m around the player, how can an AOE has a radius of 5m???

 

I prefer don't talk when in PVE you try to attack a group of NPCs and you make only one tick of damage because they were pushed back out the "Area of Effect".

 

I really don't understand that.

[TheNinjaboy]

DFA pre-1.2 was great for a number of reasons.

 

It really was solid for busting up people turtling or "abusing" LoS.

 

Arc Mercs are effortless to kite because of the turret mechanic.

 

 

The previous DFA gave Mercs an added play mechanic that would allow you to AoE around key areas that had objects players would use for LoS when they were almost dead.

 

The previous radius was just enough to finish someone off attempting to hide in key spots on the Warzone maps.

 

 

DFA 1.2 is just bad. The slower interval high-burst mechanic is gone and the radius has been overnerfed. All they needed to do to DFA in 1.2 is have the damage start immediately instead of the tail end of the tick intervals.

[Humankeg]

Funny they left other classes with aoe area's much larger than DFA. A sorc's lightning storm looks to have a 10m+ range, with no cool down.

[bahdasz]

What???? Melee range is seriously 4 meters around the target? That means an 8 meter circle?

 

And my rockets flying every which way from hell makes a 5 meter circle?

 

WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THIS GAME? Whoever it is, take their crack pipe away!

 

 

PS- I'm not being sarcastic. I don't know because I don't PvP much and I HATE glowbats, so I will never roll a sith or (even worse) jeedai. But if this is the way it is, someone is either hitting the pipe waaaayyyy too hard or just freaking flat out retareded. I gave them the benefit of the doubt that it's a controlable/correctable problem.

Edited April 15, 2012 by bahdasz

[clearsighted]

I think the radius is actually 5.5 meters.

[Mithraw]

I didn't think the nerf to DFA would be so bad, but after the past 20-something warzones I have come to the conclusion that it's not worth using anymore unless you're up against total idiots that like to bunch up on eachother.

 

People have always moved out of the big imperial symbol on the floor, but you'd still hit a few people, even if only for a tick or two. Now when you cast it you have to be lucky to hit more than 1 player, and the last ticks usually don't hit anybody which makes it a waste of heat/time to cast it.

 

In PvE the max targets I seem to hit is 2, it can hit 3 but because of the knockback it always knocks the third enemy out of the area of effect.

 

DFA is a signature move for the bounty hunter and added to the fun of playing one, it's pretty disappointing that the developers did not take this fun-factor into account when they decided to make this ability inefficient.

 

Oh well, the time not spent casting DFA can be used for 2 more Tracer Missiles... sigh...

[Jestunhi]

I think the radius is actually 5.5 meters.

 

From patchnotes:

 

Death From Above now has a 5-meter radius to bring its range in line with other Bounty Hunter Area of Effect abilities, and it now begins dealing damage sooner after activation.

[exphryl]

I honestly do not understand the change considering how Orbital Strike and Sorc AOE (although not as powerful, but with no cooldown). Is still able to be in like that.

 

It's like we got a Ranged Smash which is just as easy to move out of =/

[DeathDiciple]

Its useless for 99% of things it was useful before. Can't AOE packs cause it misses most of them, nerf to damage makes it pointless on single target/bosses anymore, just one more 'shoulder slam' type of thing i'll take off my quickbars i guess... RIP

[ounkeo]

I'm sure people conveniently forget that pre 1.2, DFA was always supposed to be around 5m radius. In practice, it was more like 10m. It was quite obvious it wasn't working as intended, but we got used to it.

 

Yes, I liked pre 1.2 DFA a lot more, but I accepted it long ago that it was eventually going to get rebalanced to actually do what the tooltip says.

[Redat]

I have left my BH alone since it was nerfed, DFA was my main tool for pulling agro and was good for catching those sly LOSers........tried using it yesterday and it missed 90% of the time and when it did hit, well it was mediocre at best. Both classes I play have been hit hard in this patch and I really am struggling to find a reason to play.

[Moosimoo]

DFA used to be 8m, now its 5. The dmg is still the same afaik, but now ticks twice as fast for half as much, resulting in the same amount of dmg in a perfect scenario.

 

So, DFA was shrunk to be the same size as other BH AOE's. What other AOE's? O.o

[Atsaka]

DFA used to be 8m, now its 5. The dmg is still the same afaik, but now ticks twice as fast for half as much, resulting in the same amount of dmg in a perfect scenario.

 

So, DFA was shrunk to be the same size as other BH AOE's. What other AOE's? O.o

 

 

both sweeping blasters and fusion missile have a 5 meter radius

Edited April 16, 2012 by Atsaka

[Kodosong]

WE were on Tattoine tonight as a guild killing MOB's and the difference between DFA and lightning storm was a joke. Everyone was commentating on it, even the other classes that didn't have the ability.

 

It really did like a huge reduction and not really sure why it's a good idea. Who knows..

[-Kraxis-]

Bioware should NOT have nerfed DFA - I'm sorry but it was totally unnecessary. What a classic example of a blatant "nerfing fun".. NO REASON it should have been "fixed". You shoulda FIXED it by making the tool-tip say "8 meters".

 

You suck, Bioware.

 

Jerks.

 

Yes, QQ.

Edited April 16, 2012 by -Kraxis-

[AAmedeo]

I have an 50 Arsenal Merc.

 

Although I do notice some diff in DFA and the other "nerfs" - I find I play pretty much the same as I used to. For one thing, DFA in PvP was only a "Bust them up" skill that I would only use when the enemy packed up. And as for the nerf to TM, if you tried using that to much in PvP, you would get interrupted or your target would LOS or move out of range to fast. So in 1.2 with more Unloads and better HSM, it makes for more tools to use more often.

[Splaktar]

Even before the nerf, I always had my DFA interrupted. Now it isn't even worth casting in most situations. Players move too fast, the radius is too small, and the dmg is weak. I'm better off just using Fusion missile or Explosive Dart if the target can't be knocked down.

 

This thread should be labeled with PVP in the subject since it really only focuses on the PVP aspect.

[Mancer]

Anyone who says that they don't notice a change in DFA is not being honest.

It was an extreme ninja nerf. Please put it back where you found it!

[Kelenan]

Anyone who says that they don't notice a change in DFA is not being honest.

It was an extreme ninja nerf. Please put it back where you found it!

 

They Made DFA suck

[Katahn]

Avoiding hyperbole I can safely say as a powertech I just do not see any kind of good use for it anymore. If I am lucky it will hit two enemies, if I am bad with placement I can entirely miss all of them with it. The nerf in the radius essentially eliminates what I used it for: to secure solid initial threat on all enemies in a fight. The damage was never its selling point for me, and as a tank I'm not expecting massive damage, I just wish I could use it as a tool for starting certain group fights and as it stands now I really can't.

[Jaxarale]

The dmg is still the same afaik, but now ticks twice as fast for half as much, resulting in the same amount of dmg in a perfect scenario.

 

and the damage is now Kinetic instead of Elemental... which does not bypass armor so... um ya it is a nerf, and quit saying it isn't.... it does not do the same amount of damage just because of the armor of a mob is now reducing the damage.

I have seen this happen a TON... dailys on Bel and Illum where I could DFA a pack and they all would die... the 1 or 2 I can actually get into the aoe and take full ticks do not die... usually at 20% or so now... That is because they are taking less damage due to their armor mitigating the kinetic damage...

 

Its a nerf, please stop saying its not.

[CoyoteSixGuns]

i really think we should start a petition to get this reversed. (the BH healer thing is a whole different can of worms) this ability completely lost its usefulness in game. DFA has become like leveling the unarmed ability in WOW useless.....

[Katahn]

Honestly its a bunch of explosions and I can see pressure waves being a kinetic type attack (in an explosion, that's the deadly bit, that it is hot is rather besides the point).

 

However, its a series of explosions... it should have a much wider radius of effect (for Troopers and Bounty Hunters). I can live with the damage type change, but the radius nerf doesn't pass real world verisimilitude.

[Mulgero]

DFA aoe range should be reverted back or increase somewhat. It's really annoying that can't barely ever now hit all mobs in 3-4 mob groups. Typically it will hit only 2 and knockback effect almost always throws 3 target out of range. With so low area it starts to be pointless to use whole skill anymore and Im serious.

 

Before 1.2 I use DFA everytime it was off CD, now I barely ever use it cause its just faster to use single target skills or fusion/missile combo instead.

 

Increase area to 6.5m, change knockback to knockdown and adjust damage if it's "overpowering" high with that range. Saying making it match to other skills range is stupid cause skill mechanism is different.

[JhonZorn]

They Made DFA suck

 

!! give us back our iconic ability.