Corrosive Poison Cloud, your thoughts?
The problem with the skill, in my opinion, is that most of what it offers you can get in other places. Enfeebling blood and chillblains are two solid abilities that are on weapon sets a conditionmancer is likely to have anyways.
In any case, CPC is really more about control than damage. BiP is all about damage, between the long bleed stacks and the might it gives you, and will just outshine CPC in terms of damage almost any day, especially if you’re packing epidemic. (And why wouldn’t you bring epidemic as a conditionmancer?) CPC gives healing, damage and endurance reduction while also being a bit of area control by making a long-lasting No zone.
It’s also kind of hard to land multiple ticks of, (Pulses every 3 seconds, not every second) but that’s not as much of an issue in PvE against npc opponents.
Anyways, in summary: if you’re wanting damage, BiP > CPC, every time. Only take CPC if you really want poison & weakness, but can’t get it from your weapons.
It’s pretty obvious, and nobody’s impressed.
(edited by Softspoken.2410)
I had read a post a while ago from a guy who used it to keep up AoE weakness in Fractals. I would think within a setting like that, it could be very strong, however I can’t imagine it being all that great in standard PvE because you really don’t need to worry about that.
I think that pointing out that a Asura racial skill is better says it all…
I had read a post a while ago from a guy who used it to keep up AoE weakness in Fractals. I would think within a setting like that, it could be very strong, however I can’t imagine it being all that great in standard PvE because you really don’t need to worry about that.
That’s why we need a serious split in skills. It’s perfect in high-end PvE and, maybe, in WvW when you are facing a zerg, but in sPvP is totally useless.
If we had tons of skills like in GW1, there won’t be a problem if some of them are useless for sPvP but it’s not the case.
I think that pointing out that a Asura racial skill is better says it all…
Pretty much, any further discussion about it feels meaningless.
I swap in CPC situationaly in PVE where there are bosses or swarms of enemies during events, when they are likely to stand in the area.
Radiation field is a little nicer (and way better graphic effect), but CPC has almost half the cooldown when traited.
Withering Precision trait would be a more constant weakness source, at the cost of losing Lingering Curse.
Only time I really feel CpC is worthwhile is on Old Tom and the Searing Effigy. They need to do something about the skill to make it more useful. Making it damage (it is CORROSIVE) would be a good start. Possibly inflicting a decent amount of vulnerability to represent it dissolving the armor, or something?
I was thinking about this skill a bit recently, and I came up with a idea that I felt was a bit neat. Namely, CPC becomes a Chain Skill. We have:
Corrosive Poison Armor
Weaken yourself and envelope your body in a corrosive field, poisoning and weakening nearby foes.
Duration: 15 seconds
Poison: 3 s
Weakness: 3 s
Self-Weakness: 6 s
Radius: 240
Pulse: 3 s
>>> Corrosive Poison Cloud
The target area is enveloped in a noxious cloud that poisons foes and leaves them weakened.
Poison: 4 s
Weakness: 4 s
Radius: 240
Combo Field: Poison
Pulse: 3s
Range: 900
Cast Time: 1/2s Recharge: 40s
What this translates into is, basically, the skill starts off as a “mini” Plague Form, but you can cast it again to turn it into CPC. The recharge timer begins at the first cast of Corrossive Poison Armor (like Spectral Walk) and the duration of the CPC is whatever time remains on Corrosive Poison Armor. The duration has been increased to 15 seconds and CPC deals slightly longer Poison and Weakness duration.
I feel that this change makes CPC useful to both Power builds and Condition builds. Corrosive Poison Armor can be used both defensively and offensively when engaging a foe at close quarters, but if you’re attacking from a safe distance or with height advantage, CPC can be utilized in the traditional manner (gtaoe).
I think it’s rather underrated tbh. It might not hit nearly as hard as wells but in cramped group fights area poison and weakness on such a long duration can turn a fight. I don’t use it generally but if I’m defending in the lord’s room in wvw and I’m not running wells I alwatys swap it in!
And yes it might only pulse once per 3" but with all the blast and projectile finishers flying around it’ll put poison and weakness on a lot more people than the ones it actually pulses on!
It’s not a bad skill, per say… It’s just… Not one of the better skills. Let’s put it this way: you get 3 utility skills. As a Necro, what are you going to give up for AoE poison and weakness?
If you’re playing a well-based necro you need at least 2 utility skills for wells due to high cooldowns and general utility.
If you’re playing a condition based necro you’re never taking that over something like Blood is Power or Epidemic.
And then there are skills like spectral walk, signet of the locust and corrupt boon that, while situational, are still less so, and far more powerful, than Corrosive Poison Cloud.
Essentially… It’s not that bad… But if you’re using conditions at all you have other options that are actually good.
If you’re playing a condition based necro you’re never taking that over something like Blood is Power or Epidemic.
And then there are skills like spectral walk, signet of the locust and corrupt boon that, while situational, are still less so, and far more powerful, than Corrosive Poison Cloud.
Essentially… It’s not that bad… But if you’re using conditions at all you have other options that are actually good.
use all 3 or get rid of epidemic for boss fights that dont really have any ads like the tree boss in the swamp fractal for example
I really like this skill. Remember that it’s a long lasting combo field too.