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Torchlight II |OT| Good things come to those who wait

TheExodu5

Banned
I really, really like this game...I just wish the game was more upfront about certain things. You know, finding out that Strength is not nearly as good as Focus for my tankgineer is kind of a bummer.
 

erragal

Member
I think that's why Grell's are so easily farmable, to be honest.



Not entirely sure how Dynamo Field benefits a ranged build given it is a point blank area of effect with a relatively small (initial) range; I suppose it applies at Tier II or Tier III but those are typically only gotten in melee builds anyway. Dynamo Field gives better Charge returns on average than Shield Bash which turns into more Forcefields which gives better survivability for Elite.

This isn't saying Shield Bash is useless, just that Dynamo Field is better at generating Charge. And, for a Focus Engineer, the better damage option, though the damage isn't exactly a primary concern in the first place. You have other options for CCing groups. Focus Sword/Shield is basically an offensive Tank :x



Outlander shouldn't either. Just the two melee classes should have the default 25% Damage Reduction. That said, I never
actually checked my Outlander's DR%.

Are you playing with multiple people on elite? Forcefield doesn't keep you alive on its own with the amount of damage output going on with multiple people. Shield bash generates charge just as quickly with the enemy density on elite while making you invincible and creating space to move around.

There might be a huge disconnect because I played my first solo elite game last night and the enemy density is incredibly different. When you have 17 whirlwinds filling the screen from six different spellcaster types while a bug spellcaster is summoning infinite minions you absolutely cannot stop moving for more than a second. Additionally they have the exact aame charge generation value, shield bash does instant damage instead of a dot, and shield bash applies a debuff and a stun which proca coup de grace on large groups.

Dynamo field might be better for your playstyle but I really think your comparison is selling shield bash short based on an overreliance on force field because gour current engineer isn't dealing with enough damage output/threat from the enemies.
 

KKRT00

Member
I have no idea why our experiences would be so different. I try to attack a mob by shift click, then click to move back a few paces and shift click again. First I'm not sure if I actually hit the mob then I find if I do that sequence too quickly something doesn't happen. Either I don't move or the second attack just don't happen. It feels pretty terrible to me.

That said, I'm getting used to it. It's more like every other older ARPG that exists out there and it's just a matter of moving my mindset back a bit to deal with it.

I still like the game. Pricepoint, loot, pace, it all feels good. I was just spoiled by D3's fluidity.

Dunno, i've just tested it and it works like it should.
 

Fugu

Member
Are you playing with multiple people on elite? Forcefield doesn't keep you alive on its own with the amount of damage output going on with multiple people. Shield bash generates charge just as quickly with the enemy density on elite while making you invincible and creating space to move around.
An uncharged forcefield still nearly matches the health total of most characters by itself. A charged one gives more than double. That's a huge ass buffer.

I think that's why Grell's are so easily farmable, to be honest.

Outlander shouldn't either. Just the two melee classes should have the default 25% Damage Reduction. That said, I never actually checked my Outlander's DR%.
Funny you mention Grell. I find him a very large pain in the ass; he's a relatively dangerous enemy for me to draw. His projectile kills me in two hits.

Outlander does not get the damage reduction, no.
 

erragal

Member
An uncharged forcefield still nearly matches the health total of most characters by itself. A charged one gives more than double. That's a huge ass buffer.


Funny you mention Grell. I find him a very large pain in the ass; he's a relatively dangerous enemy for me to draw. His projectile kills me in two hits.

Outlander does not get the damage reduction, no.

Oh force field is still pretty amazing but in coop you are dealing with nearly twice the enemy damage output so you need the mobility to maintain solid positioning with how dangerous some of the purples and spellcaster types can be. Just getting half a fully charged force field on my berserker is pretty strong right now, but in some of the larger enemy packs( Three purple summoners at once?!?) we've fought my friends shield blips up and down very, very quickly because there's just so much going on
 

scy

Member
Are you playing with multiple people on elite? Forcefield doesn't keep you alive on its own with the amount of damage output going on with multiple people

Just solo so I realize that damage scaling changes things, though arguably it merely makes gearing DR% happen earlier. Forcefield alone isn't enough, but Aegis with it is not a real tangible solution.

There might be a huge disconnect because I played my first solo elite game last night and the enemy density is incredibly different. When you have 17 whirlwinds filling the screen from six different spellcaster types while a bug spellcaster is summoning infinite minions you absolutely cannot stop moving for more than a second.

Perhaps. Enemy density for solo is fairly sparse.

Additionally they have the exact aame charge generation value, shield bash does instant damage instead of a dot, and shield bash applies a debuff and a stun which proca coup de grace on large groups.

Seismic Slam is the typical goto Stun ability. Onslaught is the typical way for getting the Attack Speed debuff going since it's your gap close/escape/mobility ability. And while Shield Bash and Dynamo Field have the same Charge rate, Dynamo Field has the advantage of hitting it's target cap easier. If mob density is as you say, then perhaps things are different.

As far as Damage is concerned, Dynamo Field scales with Electrical Damage%, typically deals with lower resistance values than Physical, and covers a larger area/hits more targets. Off-hand, it should have the better base damage as well. Also worth noting that I believe testing has shown Shield Bash and Charge interaction is bugged right now.

Edit: Though, I'm willing to wager the Charge interaction isn't actually bugged but it isn't +10% Damage/Charge but +.1 to the ratio/Charge (e.g., 300% Shield Armor at 1/15, 1300% Shield Armor at 15/15). I'll look into that when I get the chance.

Dynamo field might be better for your playstyle but I really think your comparison is selling shield bash short based on an overreliance on force field because gour current engineer isn't dealing with enough damage output/threat from the enemies.

Not entirely sure where you're getting that I'm selling Shield Bash short. I've done my testing. I recognize that Shield Bash has a use still. It's just that, for an offensive Focus Shield Engineer, Onslaught -> Seismic Slam -> Dynamo is the basis of the engage rotation. Fire Bash is the better option here with the Seismic Slam/Emberquake synergy for when you need a knockback.
 

see5harp

Member
Can you change difficulty midway through the game? I'm playing on Normal and it's incredibly boring. I love the fact that you can kite and avoid attacks for bosses but normal enemies basically gib the second I touch the right mouse button.
 

Wildesy

Member
Can you change difficulty midway through the game? I'm playing on Normal and it's incredibly boring. I love the fact that you can kite and avoid attacks for bosses but normal enemies basically gib the second I touch the right mouse button.

If you don't mind using the console and being marked as suspicious online then you can do it this way.
 

erragal

Member
Just solo so I realize that damage scaling changes things, though arguably it merely makes gearing DR% happen earlier. Forcefield alone isn't enough, but Aegis with it is not a real tangible solution.



Perhaps. Enemy density for solo is fairly sparse.



Seismic Slam is the typical goto Stun ability. Onslaught is the typical way for getting the Attack Speed debuff going since it's your gap close/escape/mobility ability. And while Shield Bash and Dynamo Field have the same Charge rate, Dynamo Field has the advantage of hitting it's target cap easier. If mob density is as you say, then perhaps things are different.

As far as Damage is concerned, Dynamo Field scales with Electrical Damage%, typically deals with lower resistance values than Physical, and covers a larger area/hits more targets. Off-hand, it should have the better base damage as well. Also worth noting that I believe testing has shown Shield Bash and Charge interaction is bugged right now.

Edit: Though, I'm willing to wager the Charge interaction isn't actually bugged but it isn't +10% Damage/Charge but +.1 to the ratio/Charge (e.g., 300% Shield Armor at 1/15, 1300% Shield Armor at 15/15). I'll look into that when I get the chance.



Not entirely sure where you're getting that I'm selling Shield Bash short. I've done my testing. I recognize that Shield Bash has a use still. It's just that, for an offensive Focus Shield Engineer, Onslaught -> Seismic Slam -> Dynamo is the basis of the engage rotation. Fire Bash is the better option here with the Seismic Slam/Emberquake synergy for when you need a knockback.

Now you're completely changing the discussion. Your original statement was that dynamo field was basically shield bash but better as far as charge generation. No caveats of specific builds, specific synergies etc. I was simply trying to point out that your frame of reference was very narrow and that in multiplayer games the enemy density makes shield bash identical or even better for charge generation while being a safer attack to use; dynamo field while fast is still less safe than an attack that makes you invincible. It was a direct comparison between the two skills you made, and I was pointing out how your specific playstyle colors your opinion. The idea that you're ever fighting so few enemies that dynamo field can max charge where shield bash can't seems ludicrous in multiplayer. Shield bash also has no cooldown so there's no delay in the charge building at all and an extremely low mana cost as well.

Ill also note I never argued with your point about Aegis; though I haven't seen your testing of any conflict between it and force field its obviously not a reliable defensive passive.

To actually address your new discussion: In our coop game I'm prioritizing howl application for debuffs and onslaught loses its point there. Shield bash provides the stun benefit, movement, and decent physical damage with those important invincibility frames without wasting skill points on overwriting existing debuffs.

From a stunning perspective seismic slam is strictly inferior. It has a one second cooldown and you are not invincible when you use it, which means you can probably die while its going off.

From a damage standpoint my friend is running ember hammer for his dps as opposed to flame hammer/emberquake and that means fire bash isnt valuable at all. Additionally having your knockback/stun on the same skill is a smoother experience and makes more synergistic sense.

I'd contend that shield bash -> ember hammer is a more efficient and safer engage rotation when you aren't responsible for applying your own debuffs.

Just a note: I really respect and appreciate your theorycrafting I just feel like your specific point of reference here is off. The game is just an entirely different level of hectic in multiplayer; starting my solo berserker I was amazed I could kill groups of enemies without Shadow Burst at all... there's no way you can do this early on in coop.
 

scy

Member
Now you're completely changing the discussion.

You're the one who brought in multiplayer and playstyle, I was just mentioning it due to where current Tank Engineer builds are at. So this is less "my playstyle" and more "the current Tank Engineer build design philosophy" here. Which is back to it's roots of the Shield Bash vs Dynamo Field debate (which, notably, Shield Bash originally had the spot but was replaced with Dynamo Field when the build design switched to the heavy Focus setup). Which is a debate that will rage endlessly, probably.

Also of note, multiplayer is potentially a far different scenario, especially if it's as you're making it seem like, and I don't believe I ever said otherwise. I even changed what I originally wrote on Dynamo Field vs Shield Bash since there are circumstances where SB is more useful (essentially what you're describing, incoming damage to the point that DF's offensive nature isn't warranted).

Edit: I do agree that I probably should have stated something more than just "but better" there. It's not an always situation but, honestly, Dynamo Field is generally superior for Focus Tank Engineer builds.

The idea that you're ever fighting so few enemies that dynamo field can max charge where shield bash can't seems ludicrous in multiplayer.

I never actually said this. I said Dynamo Field has the better returns on average. It is a point blank area of effect. Shield Bash is an arc. It just yields better more often/easier due to it not requiring anything besides having five targets somewhere near you.

Ill also note I never argued with your point about Aegis; though I haven't seen your testing of any conflict between it and force field its obviously not a reliable defensive passive.

I assumed you were referring to Aegis when you said "Forcefield alone isn't enough." As for their synergy, Aegis does not activate while Forcefield is up. I suppose that as Forcefield uptime approaches zero, Aegis gains more and more use ... but, then again, that also means each Aegis shield does not last that long either anyway so, eh...

Id contend that shield bash -> ember hammer is a more efficient and safer engage rotation when you aren't responsible for applying your own debuffs.

Depends. Do you mean Ember Hammer as something to be doing or Ember Hammer just on the engage? Ember Hammer to strip shields is basically why most builds get at least the one point for it. If it's for something to be doing, I'd say Storm Rush and Seismic Slam would be better things to be doing when you're not Shield Bashing and Forcefielding.

Edit: And I think I'd disagree on "safer" for Ember Hammer. The animation for it (and the step-in) makes it clunky :x But I think there's just something about that skill I dislike.

I just feel like your specific point of reference here is off. The game is just an entirely different level of hectic in multiplayer.

I'd argue your point of reference is off. Or mine. It really all depends on what we're trying to suggest: A pure Tank build for multiplayer or a single player Tank build. What difficulty? Hardcore or not? STR or Focus? Generally speaking, Dynamo Field is the better option for offensive Shield builds.
 

spirity

Member
Can you change difficulty midway through the game? I'm playing on Normal and it's incredibly boring. I love the fact that you can kite and avoid attacks for bosses but normal enemies basically gib the second I touch the right mouse button.

You can create a lan or internet game and choose your difficulty setting. It won't permanently switch it so its changed in offline mode too however, every time you play you'll need to log in.
 

Ashodin

Member
AB68E9B288A99034A1193C31599FFF6DF29EB196

Here's another shot of my Engineer. Level 46 and climbing, but I can't seem to get rid of his sword, it's WAY too good. It gives you back 26 mana per hit, and 2H Swords have secondary target hits, so I get near infinite mana with two swings. Emberquakes for everyone!
 

Miletius

Member
So if I'm planning a build around onslaught being the primary attack I should probably ignore immobilization copter since they do more or less the same thing, correct?
 
So if I'm planning a build around onslaught being the primary attack I should probably ignore immobilization copter since they do more or less the same thing, correct?

Not at all! They stack and it is fabulous. Plus he can be off slowing dudes down far away while you take down the nearby packs.

Max him out dude!
 

see5harp

Member
If you don't mind using the console and being marked as suspicious online then you can do it this way.

You can create a lan or internet game and choose your difficulty setting. It won't permanently switch it so its changed in offline mode too however, every time you play you'll need to log in.

Thanks guys. I guess I'll just get through the game as quickly as possible and switch to vetaran when I play with friends.
 
Thinking about making a defensive berserker.

I was considering pumping up dex (for the dodge and crit chance) and the gain health on crit hits skill, then using a fast 1h and going sword/board. Think that's viable?
 

moop1167

Member
Okay so I got a weapon that says to kill champion creatures to upgrade... I've killed maybe 5 of them (purple guys with special abilities) and the counter still says 0/10. Is this a known bug?
 
Okay so I got a weapon that says to kill champion creatures to upgrade... I've killed maybe 5 of them (purple guys with special abilities) and the counter still says 0/10. Is this a known bug?

aren't champions like the boss. purple are just the ones below that.
 

Tomat

Wanna hear a good joke? Waste your time helping me! LOL!
I have zero dex on my focus engineer.

I raised Str to 100 then the rest was all Vit and Focus. My gear has a ton of focus on it at the moment as well.

Decided to gear for +health & Health regen gems. Then fire dmg+focus as I could get them.

Dex is fine. I put about 100 points into it and I think just about any class and any build should.

Vitality is pretty terrible. I've not put a single point it and the only problems it has caused me is I need to wait to equip armor with VIT requirements. You're better off just using Forcefield to defend yourself, as has been said a bunch of times already.

Dexterity is most important for a 2H or DW Engineer, honestly. Without a Shield, it is your primary Defensive stat (since Vitality is more-or-less worthless without a Shield). The Fumble Damage Reduction, Crit Chance%, and Dodge% all make it the best offstat for pretty much every build.

As for Focus, the majority of Engineer skills can scale with (or only scale with) Focus. Basically:

If it says "Inflicts WeaponDPS", scales only with STR.
If it says "Inflicts WeaponDPS as Element", scales with both STR and Focus equally.
If it says "+X-Y Damage", scales with Focus. This applies to any damage type, even the ones that say Physical.



For what it's worth, Forcefield and Aegis have pretty bad synergy. While Forcefield is up, Aegis does not proc. Not that Aegis is an amazing skill depending on the difficulty you're on. Unless you reach ~90%+ Damage Reduction% I guess and don't need Forcefields bigger shields. Or have some build that requires you to be hit.
Gotcha gotcha, thanks for the tips everyone.

Not sure where I'll go with my build from here. I think my base STR and VIT are almost at 100, so maybe I'll start putting points into Focus. We'll see though, I'd like to see if my guy can start to hit like a truck with a one-hander while soaking up a lot of damage.

On that note, since I need Forcefield for soaking up damage, is there a better wait to build up charge besides spamming Shield Bash?
 

Fugu

Member
Another vendor bug. This one requires an item that modifies vendor prices and allows you to get infinite gold.

1. Equip an item with improved vendor prices on and sell any item (or multiple items).
2. Remove the item with improved vendor prices on it.
3. Buy the items back from the buyback tab.
Etc.

This works because the game adjusts the buyback price to your current vendor price boost. This means that if you do this backwards, you will lose gold because the vendor buyback price is raised if you have improved vendor prices equipped.

Note that this bug is somewhat impractical unless you have, say, an inventory of legendaries that you can sell and buy back, as you only gain the difference between the two item prices.
 

moop1167

Member
Hmm so is there no way to check out what your DPS is when equipping a certain weapon? I can't tell which of these two is better.
 

Ceebs

Member
Gotcha gotcha, thanks for the tips everyone.

Not sure where I'll go with my build from here. I think my base STR and VIT are almost at 100, so maybe I'll start putting points into Focus. We'll see though, I'd like to see if my guy can start to hit like a truck with a one-hander while soaking up a lot of damage.

On that note, since I need Forcefield for soaking up damage, is there a better wait to build up charge besides spamming Shield Bash?

Dynamo Field. It is godly.
 

Exuro

Member
Just finished my first run through. Really fantastic game, especially since I got it as a gift. Not sure what to do now really. On one hand I want to try out another class, on another hand I want to continue with my 2h engy, but the thought of no respecs makes me hesitant to continue playing him if skill builds make a difference later on. I'm pretty sure I have a terrible build as I've just been picking whatever playing through it.
 

Javaman

Member
The many big enemies in the elemental temple upped the augument counter for my bow. Took forever since it was so weak. Most of the other purples in other dungeons didn't work though.

Is there anything I should do prior to starting a Newgame+? I've activated the
Trill-bot but only got a single "kill the spider queens" mission" and the mapworks.
Thanks!

Edit:WTF. I started a game while steam was down. It may not be related, but I couldn't open my inventory panel. Space bar did nothing, but the pet and stat panel worked fine. I also couldn't hit esc to exit the game.
 
Ok wow, I feel bad about using that gambling glitch now >_>

I got some a couple of cool uniques, but I think I'll stop now. They should patch it in PRONTO before it gets out of hand for me...
 

MasterShotgun

brazen editing lynx
Ok wow, I feel bad about using that gambling glitch now >_>

I got some a couple of cool uniques, but I think I'll stop now. They should patch it in PRONTO before it gets out of hand for me...

Agreed. I've gotten a whole new set of gear because of it. If they don't patch it before I reach level 100, I'll force myself to work for the best stuff.
 

Tomat

Wanna hear a good joke? Waste your time helping me! LOL!
Ok wow, I feel bad about using that gambling glitch now >_>

I got some a couple of cool uniques, but I think I'll stop now. They should patch it in PRONTO before it gets out of hand for me...

I know what you mean man. I kept bugging a friend last night saying "I don't think we should be doing this."

One hour later all I'm saying is "one more time... this is the last time I swear."
 

Grief.exe

Member
Just finished my first run through. Really fantastic game, especially since I got it as a gift. Not sure what to do now really. On one hand I want to try out another class, on another hand I want to continue with my 2h engy, but the thought of no respecs makes me hesitant to continue playing him if skill builds make a difference later on. I'm pretty sure I have a terrible build as I've just been picking whatever playing through it.

I'm pretty sure you can respec with a console command or mod. Play what you want to, don't make all that time played worthless because you were experimenting.

Ok wow, I feel bad about using that gambling glitch now >_>

I got some a couple of cool uniques, but I think I'll stop now. They should patch it in PRONTO before it gets out of hand for me...

What's the gambling glitch?
 

Gattsu25

Banned
What's the gambling glitch?
There also is a trick with the gambler that can be considered plain cheating.

Pick an item in his weapon/armor tab, keep you mouse clicked and bring it over the buy-back tab for the tab to switch.
Then put the item in one of the buy-back slots, it will get identified, and you can buy it at the buy-back price (a thousand times cheaper)


It has been stated it will be fixed in the next patch, but if you want to use it until then ...
:\
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
I can't shake the notion that greathammers doing more per hit seems to be more effective than greataxes/polearms/greatswords doing less per hit faster.

Do I just feel that way because I've become way too accustomed to the hammers, or is there some truth there?

For instance, the Polearm has a higher DPS, but the Greathammer shows a higher potential amount of Physical Damage per hit, both min and max.

Should I be thinking more about enemy type?
 
I know what you mean man. I kept bugging a friend last night saying "I don't think we should be doing this."

One hour later all I'm saying is "one more time... this is the last time I swear."

LOL!

It's just so damn addicting getting unique, cool looking stuff. I'm getting stuff for other classes and I damn near filled up my shared stash already. Glad our stash has limited space... right? Please tell me our stash has limited space...
 

Javaman

Member
LOL!

It's just so damn addicting getting unique, cool looking stuff. I'm getting stuff for other classes and I damn near filled up my shared stash already. Glad our stash has limited space... right? Please tell me our stash has limited space...

It's WAAAY too small. The first MOD I'm going to use is something to give us more shared/solo stash. I hate using "Mule" characters. At least give us a gem tab please.
 

Talaysen

Member
I can't shake the notion that greathammers doing more per hit seems to be more effective than greataxes/polearms/greatswords doing less per hit faster.

Do I just feel that way because I've become way too accustomed to the hammers, or is there some truth there?

For instance, the Polearm has a higher DPS, but the Greathammer shows a higher potential amount of Physical Damage per hit, both min and max.

Should I be thinking more about enemy type?

Defense is subtractive, so slower weapons with higher damages will win out over faster weapon with lower damage if they have the same DPS. If the faster weapon has higher DPS, then it matters depending on enemy defense.

As an extreme example, if you are hitting an enemy with 50 defense, a 50 per hit 0.5 attack speed will do 0 damage, while a 100 per hit 1 attack speed with do 50 per hit, so the latter wins out even though they have the same DPS. The first weapon would have to be at least 75 per hit to win out. (I'm purposely ignoring variance and stats here, it makes the numbers more complex, but it doesn't affect my general point.)

On the other hand, faster weapons generate on-hit effects more often, so there is a benefit there.
 

scy

Member
It's also why -All Armor per Hit is one of the better gem options. Alternatively, you can just use Conveys Physical Damage over 5 seconds since they stack.

Also, just to note, Armor is a flat reduction but it's an actual range. It varies from (Armor/2) to Armor. So, 50 Armor means it mitigates 25 to 50 damage, randomly selected.
 

Wunder

Member
Is there an ETA on the gambler fix? I decided to try it out last night in a co-op game and my friends got hooked and the session just ended with everyone going "uniques, uniques, uniques". It was depressing and I kind of regret it because now I can't really play TL2 since most of the loot for a few levels will be pretty bad and I'd like to pick it up once the gambler bug is patched.
 

sixghost

Member
Does weapon level have anything to do with fumble chance? I'm using a level 19 gold sword because I don't really rely on it for anything other than mana stealing. All of a sudden though, the sword has just started fumbling attacks like 9/10 attacks so the mana steal doesn't proc. Is the sword just too low level, or is it something else?

edit* it's fumbling 100% of the time on the training dummy now. Does an attack that amounts to 1 or less damage just count as a fumble? My STR is really damn low at the moment, so my base attacks does very little.
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
So you're forced to level up your weapon along with you if you still want to be powerful? I wonder if this has anything to do with armor and the failing dodge ratios we were looking at earlier...

We would know if Ruinic told us ANYTHING ABOUT THE FUCKING GAME
 

TheExodu5

Banned
It's also why -All Armor per Hit is one of the better gem options. Alternatively, you can just use Conveys Physical Damage over 5 seconds since they stack.

Also, just to note, Armor is a flat reduction but it's an actual range. It varies from (Armor/2) to Armor. So, 50 Armor means it mitigates 25 to 50 damage, randomly selected.

One thing to note about -All Armor per hit is I believe it ends up stacking over and over until the enemy has no armor left. So a fast weapon can be very good once you remove the enemy's armor. Fast weapons benefit the most from +damage gems as well.
 

spiritfox

Member
So you're forced to level up your weapon along with you if you still want to be powerful? I wonder if this has anything to do with armor and the failing dodge ratios we were looking at earlier...

We would know if Ruinic told us ANYTHING ABOUT THE FUCKING GAME

It's the same as the first game. Armor straight reduces your damage, and after a while enemies will have more armor than your single hit damage. It's nothing to do with dodge, even if you hit you won't be able to do any damage because it will all be mitigated.
 
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