Guild Wars 2

So … I never used static discharge much in pve (ye shame on me! u.u) but i made some tests with it and it seems some bolts are affected by my predator.

I mean some are displayed as lightning bolts and others look like predator shots. But what’s really strange is when they are predator shots they deal double damage … I tried on puppets in silver wastes – lightning deals 400-500, predator shots 700-800.

Anyone knows more?

Greez Ziggy

sd dmg varies depending on the tb skill. because the animation also varies that could give the impression that predator shots do more dmg. however, the dmg is only dependent on the tb skill used.

perhaps the modified bolts line up with the findings in this thread?

hmm maybe thats not the thread i was thinking of… i thought someone had listed out the discharges by damage somewhere..

indeed it is.
when a-net launched the game all animations were correctly displayed with the legendary-effects, including s/d. but due to the fact that s/d did quite some dmg, and some toolbelts were on a really low cd or already dealt a huge load of dmg, balancing introduced s/d bolts that only deal half the dmg for some tb skills, and these new bolts were never updated correctly with the predator animation-change.

therefore you have predator bolts which still deal full dmg, and the new (old) projectiles which roughly deal half the dmg. actually predator is quite useful to identify them on the spot, allowing for easier planning on your s/d – boosted utilities but in turn also makes it easier for a smart opponent to soak up the less dangerous ones and just dodge the full-dmg ones.

Can’t be right. I’m constantly using the toolbelt skills of the ram, rifle turret and tool kit. And all 3 skills sometimes do the predator shot with 800 dmg and sometimes the lightning bolt with 400 dmg. The same skill can do both.

I’ve read the other thread aswell and I beleve they just made rash decisions by testing is quickly. They even tried to explain it with dual skills like rifle turret + blow it up or mines + explode or somthing. But that’s simply not correct.

Ok this is strange – if i aim in the air, rifle turret shots always the weak one, while ram and toolkit do the strong one. Been doing this now for 5 minutes. However if I aim at a puppet in silver wastes, it’s completly random… My brain hurts

Edit: It seems ALL instant skills do the weak version of the discharge, and those who have a casttime the strong one. But this only works if you shot in the air, when you target something it’s completly random. However I have to test how it works with untargetable skill like throw elixiers.

Oh now I get it! At least ONE part of it. It’s true that the instant cast skills deal half damage, but the reason why they didn’t on pupets is, because my char® automaticly stats firing with his rifle – means he’s doing somthing with cast time. If I equip a shield only, or simply disable the chain auto atack feature for the rifle, he won’t be able to attack and therefore does the weaker version of SD. So it seems a bit cross-bugged with the auto attack.

But now the question is, when will the normally strong static discharges become weak ones. MORE TESTINGS REQUIRED! But first my pizza – yummi ^.^ !

Final Edit:
I think I got it now. There are 2 rules:

• SD will deal high damage while using toolbelt skills with a cast time, SD will deal reduced damage while using toolbelt skills without a cast time, aka instant skills (also no legendary animation).
• While performing an auto attack, during the cast time, rule one is reversed. So instant skills = high damage and cast time skills = reduced damage.

greez Ziggy

If I made a mistake, please let me know!

LOL
skillcap goes through the roof and over the moon

Why is something that should be so straightforward so convoluted? I’d like to see the design meeting they had in regards to this skill, and I wonder if any of them have completed their stay at the resulting detainment in a psychiatric ward yet.

Surely they must have some intern lying around that can just fix this stuff already. If they go insane, at least it won’t be the biggest loss for them.

I hope this isn’t going to be like the scope fiasco again… “I looked at the script, it should be working fine”.

One thing I demand for the expansion:

make a sheet of how all skills / traits / sigils / runes (from all classes) are intended to work.
delete the scripts for all skills / traits / sigils / runes
fire the guy who wrote them in the first place
give the sheet for how things should work to someone who is competent
patch the new code

tyvm.

Btw there is another funfact affecting the static discharge. But this takes us back to the introduction of ascended gear.

Weapon damage doesn’t affect kit damage. That’s why ANet buffed the kit dmg by 5% if you are wearing an ascended or legendary weapon. What the connection is to static discharge? Well there is a hidden weapon damage while using a kit, wich is exotic like. I beleve it is that way because (now it comes) static discharge deals less damage while using a kit than while using an ascended+ weapon. So if you want stronger discharges, stay on rifle lol!

I really hate this trait by now

Arantheal.7396:

One thing I demand for the expansion:

make a sheet of how all skills / traits / sigils / runes (from all classes) are intended to work.
delete the scripts for all skills / traits / sigils / runes
fire the guy who wrote them in the first place
give the sheet for how things should work to someone who is competent
patch the new code

tyvm.

It’s practically impossible for code to not be botched in some obscure way at first. The key is to fix it after, when you find out it’s broken.
ANet has never really been on the ball with that second step.

The Kodan medium chest armor for example? The color assignments are completely screwed, causing parts to not line up with each other (the straps flip color half way around the waist, for example).
Since release, I’ve reported that like three times. I’ve started at least one forum thread, I sent them an email, and I’ve even included screenshots in all of these.
I’m a 3D artist myself, and unless they have some seriously convoluted set-up it’s literally like a 10 minute job for one person to fix this, but they just don’t give a crap.
I went through a similar fiasco in GW1 in which one of the ranger jackets had a huge hole in the side. I reported it back in the beta, and I don’t think they ever did fix it.
Not code, I know. But the point is, they just don’t place a high priority on fixing stuff. And with how easily code can break, it becomes a serious issue in that area.

Xyonon.3987:

Btw there is another funfact affecting the static discharge. But this takes us back to the introduction of ascended gear.

Weapon damage doesn’t affect kit damage. That’s why ANet buffed the kit dmg by 5% if you are wearing an ascended or legendary weapon. What the connection is to static discharge? Well there is a hidden weapon damage while using a kit, wich is exotic like. I beleve it is that way because (now it comes) static discharge deals less damage while using a kit than while using an ascended+ weapon. So if you want stronger discharges, stay on rifle lol!

I really hate this trait by now

good thing is I run my s/d setup with TK, goggles and RT. bolts are almost always flying in that based orange color^^

Arantheal.7396:

good thing is I run my s/d setup with TK, goggles and RT. bolts are almost always flying in that based orange color^^

So your TB skills are regenerating mist, throw wrench, analyze and rocket thing. While attacking with the rifle, I beleve only analyze will have the orange color, the others won’t. While not attacking → using the toolkit, the others will, but analize wont. Should be right like this.

err, rifle-turret.