Fencer: How valuable is reflecting attacks?

[Sabin Stargem]

I have managed to make Fencer workable for me, using a Mortar Shield approach and learning how to use dash-boost. But my attempts at using reflection hasn't yielded much. Is reflection valuable enough on Inferno to be worth mastering?

[Sir Duckyweather]

It's probably worth it, yeah, though I can't say with certainty as I haven't played Fencer much in EDF 5. However, in EDF 4.1, reflecting attacks was especially useful against high damage enemies such as queen ants or red drones, or pretty much anything on Inferno. It's a pretty safe assumption that the same valid approach still applies here. I'm sure someone else around here with more experience can weigh in to verify either way.

[Zeddy]

The reflect itself hasn't changed much apart from no longer being cheap against spiders. The issue is the change to dashes means you have to plan for the downtime when you run out of dashes. A spear combo or something should do it. I'm finding reflect still pretty valuable against flying aggressors, but can only speak from hard mode experience. Of course, reflect gets stronger on higher difficulties due to enemy attacks getting proportionally stronger compared to their health.

[Mr Blue]

Originally posted by Sabin Stargem:

I have managed to make Fencer workable for me, using a Mortar Shield approach and learning how to use dash-boost. But my attempts at using reflection has yielded much. Is reflection valuable enough on Inferno to be worth mastering?

no. unless you play in caves.

then again people prefer dual flamethrower.

[New Breakfast]

should be good against mother monsters

[Lightjolly]

Very useful against mother monsters and gold ants

[Wiawyr]

Originally posted by Lightjolly:

Very useful against mother monsters and gold ants

What's better is not sitting around waiting for gold ants to try to oneshot you and using something else that has range. It just takes one gold ant to get around your reflection to ruin your day.

OP, proper fencer mobility is much more valuable.

[New Breakfast]

Originally posted by Lightjolly:

Very useful against mother monsters and gold ants

no, not gold ants, too dangerous

[Lightjolly]

Originally posted by Wiawyr:

Originally posted by Lightjolly:

Very useful against mother monsters and gold ants

What's better is not sitting around waiting for gold ants to try to oneshot you and using something else that has range. It just takes one gold ant to get around your reflection to ruin your day.

OP, proper fencer mobility is much more valuable.

Well thats where skill comes in, just holding a shield up will prevent you from being one shot from the front, while you kill them with a long range cc piercer and time your reflections well for the others, not constantly spamming it.

Best to have one set of items for mobility and another set to stand your ground with.

[Covalent]

When you face fart spamming mother monsters and you have weapon limit.

[Mr Blue]

to reflect means to stay at 1 second.

you can die if you are not carefull.

do kite with HAIL instead.

[Wiawyr]

Originally posted by Lightjolly:

Originally posted by Wiawyr:

What's better is not sitting around waiting for gold ants to try to oneshot you and using something else that has range. It just takes one gold ant to get around your reflection to ruin your day.

OP, proper fencer mobility is much more valuable.

Well thats where skill comes in, just holding a shield up will prevent you from being one shot from the front, while you kill them with a long range cc piercer and time your reflections well for the others, not constantly spamming it.

Best to have one set of items for mobility and another set to stand your ground with.

Yes, holding down the button for your shield is "skill". Try standing your ground on inferno and let me know how that goes; better still, make a video of it. It's self-evidently easy to get swarmed on inferno and have enemies completely surround you. In the time that you were sitting there waiting to time your reflect on the first ant/spider to get in range, you could have been further away and still hitting them with something else.

[Lightjolly]

Originally posted by Wiawyr:

Originally posted by Lightjolly:

Well thats where skill comes in, just holding a shield up will prevent you from being one shot from the front, while you kill them with a long range cc piercer and time your reflections well for the others, not constantly spamming it.

Best to have one set of items for mobility and another set to stand your ground with.

Yes, holding down the button for your shield is "skill". Try standing your ground on inferno and let me know how that goes; better still, make a video of it. It's self-evidently easy to get swarmed on inferno and have enemies completely surround you. In the time that you were sitting there waiting to time your reflect on the first ant/spider to get in range, you could have been further away and still hitting them with something else.

The reflecting is the skill part, the positioning and making sure you're not flanked is the skill part.

And what part of you're not just standing and waiting for them to attack to deflect don't you get. You think playing with a shield means you dont do ♥♥♥♥ and let them hit you? Maybe if you were using double sheilds. You're still attacking with your other weapon and deflecting back when needed.

Here educate yourself on proper shield use.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWify8j-oxo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LskL4if6ZM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G0wNQoTwlE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExXdHgdKq6U

If shields don't fit your playstyle fine, but it's a matter of git gud.

[Tony YenvoY]

I basically use it more against golden ants and drones, which are slowly firing enemies with incredible high damage. other than that, it would be extremely risky. I'm now playing on inferno with around 6000 hp with my fencer and already got the best shield, the great shield, to me it's better to get the shield support systems and a flame revolver or a mortar than deflecting attacks.

[RiisWolf]

It's fun reflecting projectiles back at the enemy.
Ants? BOOM dead. Spiders? Damage over time on only themselves! Beams? BOOM right back at them! Their power is your weapon!

[HHH]

Originally posted by Lightjolly:

If shields don't fit your playstyle fine, but it's a matter of git gud.

If anything, it's funny that you say this because shields are the crutch you fall back on when you can't cut it as fencer or everything else you've tried has failed. The alien mission you posted is especially cringy because there was nothing skillful about sitting there taking shots while waiting for twinspear cooldowns and fatdashing around. Fact of the matter is shield clears will always be significantly slower (if safer and borderline foolproof) than a fencer mobility clear for practically any mission where you aren't confined to a single spot or small area. It's not even a question of simple mobility either, you simply hamper your options and pigeonhole your role on the team by taking a shield.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byP-7LqJ4ns

Take a look at this anime girl running circles around God on Inferno with less than a thousand armor. If she can do it, surely you can too, right?

Don't even get me started on fencer builds that can annihilate entire hordes of silver spiders or gold ants with one shot, because you can't dream of doing that with a shield either.