Somewhat self contained thought/observation - since the LMB first wave agents can hack skills like turrets and seeker mines I find that those skills are effectively "greyed out" for any game activity with LMB enemies
I actually love the idea of the enemy being able to hack the skills and it adds tactical depth to those encounters but with no way to counter it - it means the skills and their usefulness swing wildly - which isn't bad necessarily but it may be worth looking into
Ideally you'd have some level of use from every skill in every situation - especially considering the limited number of skills in the game - or if the UI was a little easier to navigate mid fight we could switch skills quickly to adapt when the LMB show up or the encounter changes
I had an idea on this.Originally Posted by Selekus16 Go to original post
There is a button that as far as I can tell is never used. The 'mark target' button.
How about re-tasking that button as a skill menu shortcut.
They could keep signature skills, but just have them as another option. So if players wanted to put any of there other skills in the supers spot they could.Originally Posted by sk4475 Go to original post
One of the aspects of skill mods I dislike most is that there are some that are specifically set up for PvP. Such as the Pulse mod that blocks incoming Pulses. It's really a false choice for all the people who are interested in PvE content, and then to go to the Dark Zone with a common skill necessary for high-end PvP content like Pulse knowing that the Rogues could be using a Pulse to counter yours is really just aggravating. Like it's not bad enough that the Rogues are going to gank you from behind without you ever wanting to PvP, but then they have skills to counter yours but they serve no purpose to you is just mind-boggling. The very first thing I'd do is get rid of and completely replace PvP-focused skill mods.
As for others being more or less useful, it's not so much that the skills are bad by design, but that they're not suitable for the content that we currently have. For example, Mobile Cover and Ballistic Shield have a ton of potential to be some of the best skills in the game, because this is a cover-based TPS, as well as an RPG. Honestly, the fact that these skills aren't used by every single team is ridiculous. There should be a single squad mate dedicated to just providing cover, since tactically it makes a lot of sense. But right now, Mobile Cover gets destroyed very quickly and is somewhat difficult to deploy, and then the cool-down doesn't begin until you recall the original deployment, which means you could get through a 5-minute firefight with Mobile Cover deployed, but you still have to wait a long time to use it before the next fight... and that's IF you even remember to recall it! Mobile Cover and Ballistic Shield should both probably be very, very tanky. It's cool that they can be destroyed with enough focused fire in PvP, but they serve very little purpose if they're just going to be thrown away within a few seconds.
Also, healing is just too weak. The only reason people use healing so much right now is that it's a necessity with all the high-damage NPCs. But if anyone has tried playing a dedicated healer build like me, which can free up skill slots of squad mates so they can be more DPS-focused, you too would know that it's nearly impossible. Being a healer just isn't viable because the HPS you can provide is so low compared to the damage. So instead, to stay alive, everyone just relies on insane levels of damage mitigation from Smart Cover and Survivor Link, and if they do get low on health, they all spam Overheal, and then run back and forth through the green to max out. You shouldn't even be able to heal more than once using the same deployment of First Aid, and to account for that, the amount that it heals should be significantly increased.
That's actually a great point. I personally am one of the few people who does use it, but I really don't know why I try, since 99% of the time I set a timer on any enemy, my teammates start shooting them 3 or 4 seconds early anyway. I wouldn't be heart-broken if it was replaced with a skill menu shortcut.Originally Posted by Hugo-FOU Go to original post
I really feel that all of the skills are situational and could be better (and used more often in End Game) if they were boosted to offer better usefulness. For instance kinda silly that the M870 does more damage than the BFB with both explosive talents set in PvE setups in DZ. As stated before it almost forces folks to go SC/Pulse, Survivor Link, Pulse.
It might also help if skills were scaleable for solo players in PvP defensive scenarios. Overdose and Survivor Link just prolong the inevitable when a solo is being rogued by more than one person. Maybe even offer a new skill such as an EMP which stops rogue skill charge and offensive skills/talents. Most solo folks have a balance to survive while still able to kill NPC's, but not enough to take on 2-4 Rogue's.
The S.
My thoughts on the various skills and suggestions (if any):
Pulse: Recon Pack
The pulse has an increased range and is capable of locating nearby loot containers.
- This one is pretty useless outside of the Dark Zone, and even in the dark zone becomes moot once you already have a memory of loot container locations. I don't really know how to change this one.
Pulse: Scrambler
The pulse protects the user and all allies from hostile pulse scans.
- The problem with this is it is DZ specific. It's useless in PVE environments.
Pulse: Tactical Scanner
Damage is increased when attacking any hostile targets identified by the Pulse scan.
- This one however works in both PvE and PvP, but becomes the obvious choice for PvE because the other two don't do anything. Also because enemies are so spongey that the extra damage is a must.
First Aid: Defibrillator
The device can revive downed allies and grant them a portion of their normal health.
- This one is decent, but really it should work on "dead" allies as well to really shine, including dead allies in the DZ. Not many people use this as the normal revive is often sufficient.
First Aid: Overdose
The device heals targets more efficiently, and may even extend the target's health beyond its normal rating.
- Probably the most used First aid enhancement. It doesn't really need to change, but the other two need to become more viable.
First Aid: Booster Shot
Temporarily increases the damage for affected targets in addition to the normal healing effect.
- I tried this one out, but the damage boost feels underpowered and is too short of duration. One would be better off slotting regenerating smart cover than this.
Support Station: Life Support
Drops a revival station that automatically revives any allies who are downed within the affected area.
- this station can be viewed as a bit overpowered, as in when you are being revived by the station, you cant be "killed". A shot would have to take you from up to dead while within the station to actually drop you completely.
Support Station: Immunizer
Drops a recovery station that removes Status Effects and makes allies immune while within the affected area.
- This is a good underused station. Underused because there are little situations where you actually need to be immune to something. In the end-game area where you are battling lvl35's and such, attacks that would cause status effects that you would want to heal are pretty much going to 1-shot you anyways. These are the APC mortars, every grenade ever, Flame throwers, etc. For these things, exotic damage resilience is the only thing that saves you, and being immune to the after effect doesn't matter because those are also exotic damage. In the long run, this station is only really good against those pesky shock drones and whatever tactical DZ encounters you happen to come across.
Support Station: Ammo Cache
While close to the device, allies regain their ammo as they reload, and skill cooldown recovery is faster.
- Probably, or at least it should be, the 2nd most used healing station, primarily because spongey enemies take way too much ammo and this is the only thing that will keep you shooting.
Sticky Bomb: BFB
Increases the damage and radius of the explosion and may cause targets to bleed.
- Here is were things go down hill in the PvE arena. Skills that are designed to do damage are really weak vs NPC. the only way to see some decent numbers is to be a tacticians authority user, and even then there is a damage cap. These items should do more damage in the PVE realm without having to be a tactician, but have a vs player damage modifier so 1-shot won't be a thing.
Sticky Bomb: Flashbang
The bomb explodes with a non-lethal effect that blinds and disrupts all targets in range.
- This skill at times does not blind the enemy at all. It gives the disruption effect, but will not blind. I have stuck this to the face of an enemy and it did not blind it, only disrupt. There needs to be a different color for all ally sticky bombs too so it wont cause your friends to duck to cover whenever you shoot one out. Same goes for grenades as well.
Sticky Bomb: Proximity Fuse
The bomb explodes automatically when a hostile target is within range.
- The silliness of this one lies with the fact that you lose a ton of already weak damage from not picking the BFB mod. It doesn't really matter that you don't have to manually detonate it, its neither going to hurt nor cause a bleed. This one just needs to be something different.
Turret: Active Sensor
Increases the turret's damage and pulses attacked targets, making them visible to all allies.
- Like sticky bombs, at high end-game turrets just don't do enough damage even with this extra damage mod to be looked at. Not only that, but they are too flimsy. You either have them being 2-shotted by a bullet gun, or the guard-type enemes will just go and kick them and they blow up. Seriously? why is kicking it for an insta-kill even a thing. That should definitely stop happening, for every active skill.
Turret: Dragonbreath
The turret has reduced range but shoots a column of fire.
- This one could have been a good thing, but unfortunanly the more base health an enemy has the more impossible it is to light them on fire. There have been times where it just doesn't light anything on fire at all before it gets destroyed. Not only that but the actual streams of fire insignificant amount of damage. The whole point of it is CC, but if fails to CC so many times it isn't even funny. Needs to do at least half of the bullet damage of its turret counterpart and light enemies on fire quicker.
also with both of the top turrets, they will often not even fire at an enemy that is in plain sight of them. It will just have the laser pointed at an enemy and just stare it down. Needs to be fixed to where it will immediately shoot at what it sees within range.
Turret: Zapper
The turret shoots electrical darts that damage and shock multiple targets.
- Even after it's fire-rate nerf, it is the obvious choice of CC, because it takes 1 shot to CC, not 10 seconds of streaming and hoping. But still, it is too easily destroyed. I wouldn't say raise the health, because it would be indestructible vs players, but make it so NPC's do less damage to player skills.
Seeker Mine: Airburst
Upon impact, the mine is launched into the air and releases a cluster of small incendiary explosives.
- I haven't made use of this one, but I have seen that like with the flame turret, there are times where it blows up in the enemies face but does not light them on fire, possibly due to not hitting the damage threshold needed to light the target on fire. The base damage doesn't need to increase, but when faced with enemies with too much health for these to actually work on, they need to just work.
Seeker Mine: Gas Charge
Upon impact, the mine moves between multiple targets and releases a cloud of gas.
- This one has been my favorite CC for a long time. IMO the best of the seeker mines, only countered by the few rogue agents that are either immune to disorient or can hack player skills. Is totally meh vs players but can really help keep NPC's from shooting accurately at you. And, unlike Flashbang sticky, when it pops the smoke on the enemies it is designed to work against, they get disoriented. There haven't been any times where it didn't work on something, and all the other CC skills need to reach that level.
Seeker Mine: Cluster
The mine separates into smaller mines that seek out multiple targets simultaneously.
- Even though Airburst may fail to burn, I don't see this one as good as that one by far. This is primarily because skills that are designed to do just damage just don't do enough damage to be viable. Anyone can put a few bullets into an enemy and do more damage than this skill. Like I said earlier, more VS NPC damage without changing vs player damage to make it more viable in PvE.
Ballistic Shield: Reactive Targeting
Equips a stronger and lighter shield that pulses hostiles who shoot at it.
- Considering the possibility of having someone in your party that can keep pulse up indefinitely, this mod is pretty worthless other than the stronger and lighter portion. Instead of pulsing, make it reflect some damage back.
Ballistic Shield: Assault Shield
Equips a shield that grants the user's sidearm increased damage, knockback, increased accuracy, and faster reload speed.
- This + First wave X-45 = OP. Other than that, this is a good mod to increase side-arm use.
Ballistic Shield: Kinetic Breaker
Grants the user a small portion of incoming damage as healing.
-No comment.
Smart Cover: Trapper
Hostile targets using a reinforced cover deal less damage, while taking increased damage.
-I haven't used this smart cover, primarily because it is a bit more efficient to increase your own damage and mitigation that maybe 1 or two enemies in the room. I think if this had a dot effect and cooldown increaser added to it, to be counter to the healing effect/cooldown reduction of the recharger mod, this one would be better to use.
Smart Cover: Recharger
Allies using a reinforced cover slowly recover their health and get their skill cooldowns reduced.
- The only real smart cover for PvE, that's all there is too it. Nothing needs to change about this one, but the prior one needs to be better. Because doing damage with your own gun is obviously better than doing it with skills, smart cover is easily a choice over most other skills.
Smart Cover: Concealment
Allies using a reinforced cover are hidden from hostile pulses and have reduced threat. Hostiles shot by allies from behind the cover are pulsed.
-This one, though I never used it, is pretty useful in both PvE and PvP. It simply does enough extra stuff, unlike most skills, to make it useable in multiple environments.
Mobile Cover: Extension
The cover provides more protection and extends to protect two persons.
-I'd like this one more if it were at least 3 person coverage.
Mobile Cover: Blast Shield
The cover is fitted with remote explosives that damage hostiles in front of it when the shield is disabled.
-damage is meh, as usual. So meh it would be better if it didn't damage the hostile, but instead blinded them.
Mobile Cover: Countermeasures
While using the cover, the user deals increased damage and becomes immune to pulses.
Signature skills:
Recovery Link
Heals and cures the user and nearby allies. Revives downed allies within range. Can "overheal" beyond maximum health.
-Imo better to use rather than Tactical link, but still not as good as survivor link. The over-heal doesn't protect you like the raw mitigation of survivor link can, partially because like tactical link, the duration of the HOT is way too short. Like the Defibrillator mod of first aid, this one would also really shine if it revived "dead" allies as well as downed ones within range, as well as dead allies in the DZ.
Tactical Link
Increases damage and critical hit chance to the user and all nearby allies.
-Duration is too short, and even within the duration it is easily thwarted by the much stronger Survivor link. It's decent for the short burst of extra damage in the PvE environment, but even then it is way too short of a duration, considering you'll have to take cover to avoid getting killed while it is up, something you don't have to worry about at all with the next skill survivor link.
Survivor Link
Increases damage resistance and speed for the user and nearby allies
-Everyone knows this is the only one you need to be using, especially in the DZ. The longest duration and makes you practically unkillable, less so since 1.3 but is still a much needed signature.
This too. It hurts enough that most of your placed skills practically suck at doing the damage or CC they need to do, then you have the LMB hacking them. And even when it isn't a hacker rogue, its an immune or highly resistant to CC rogue.Originally Posted by Selekus16 Go to original post