Apocalypse Mask

[e^cha]

I've decided to put a discussion about the apocalypse mask into a separate thread.

My original idea for the apocalypse mask was that the mask would reduce the mana needed for the strengths spells by 10 times and give them atomatization. But it was a mess!

So I made the mask a little different. In the new update, it already appeared. Let's see how it plays, and maybe it needs to be buffed.
Сurrent effect:
- Active strength skills are launched instantly if the mana is full.
- Strength skills require 2 times less mana.
- The value of strength doubles.

I have the following ideas.

Items/mechanics
If items or other mechanics appear in the game that depend directly on the strength stat (and not on the strength bonus), the mask will be used to obtain the maximum possible strength value.

Possible mask buffs:
- The mask adds a 20% chance of a magic crit for a fireball (and possibly for other fire spells and summoned swords).
- 2x fire damage (flame flow, summoned fire sword, fireball, weapon with fire prefix, armageddon). Or 5x fire damage.
- 3x strength, 1/3 spells cost. Or 4x, 1/4.

Cnange another skill to buff the mask:
- Fireball could be scaled from a strength stat rather than a strength bonus. (I don't have much idea of the formula though.)
- Flex could be based on a strength stat rather than a strength bonus. Actually, even the description of the skill itself would be more clear (extra levels += strength or strength/2).

On a side note:
The new update completes the strength skills. However, they may not all be good. So we'll keep working on the strength skills balance. For example, I thought about the torch skill to increase fire damage (and deal damage to bats and spiders, but not monsters).

[e^cha]

Ah, and don't forget that apocalypse mask automates fire spells. Maybe the mask is good right now because of that already. But I don't quite understand how valuable this automation is.

[darkkt]

Originally posted by e^cha:

Ah, and don't forget that apocalypse mask automates fire spells. Maybe the mask is good right now because of that already. But I don't quite understand how valuable this automation is.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1160750/discussions/0/5188663423652818171/
Yes, it's very fun, effective, and relatively easy to get.

[phenir]

I think its important to differentiate the way it improves damage from the flame mask. In that regard, making it the strength mask that uses fire spells is attractive. If you want to use spells then you use apoc mask, if you want consistent non crit damage then use flame mask.

I think the best solution is increasing the strength bonus and changing one or more of the damage spells to scale off strength. Ideally fireball, and maybe flame flow, would since it fits the apocalypse image the most in my opinion. A fireball that scaled off strength and a mask that tripled strength would out damage mask of flame (for fireballs) considering the extra casts from the reduced cost.

Assuming a formula of skill level * weapon damage * strength:

With mask of flame, it'd have a 126 * 25 = 3125x multiplier at 25 str.

Mask of apoc would have 38.5 * 75 = 2812.5x but would cast twice as many giving it an effective multiplier of 5625x. Right now, it only gives 1250x, not even reaching mask of flames multiplier even with doubled casts and this is with a spell that scales from strength. Imagine how bad it looks with spells that don't scale with strength.

So a build focusing on fireballs would get more from apoc, while a build focusing on, for example, fire swords would go for flame mask.

Also, instead of reduced costs, maybe it could make flame spells cast multiple times per cast instead? The damage would be the same but it would look cooler to fire multiple fireballs at once. This also makes it have a higher fps cap when you have very high mana regen. It would also cement it as the fire spell (flame flow, fireball) based mask instead of the swords which I feel doesn't really go along with the apocalypse imagery.

[Alketal]

First of all, let's compare both masks in the Strength skill tree. The Fire Mask grants a lot of pure damage in the form of a bonus to damage from Strength, but nothing more. Apocalypse Mask gives comparatively less pure damage (about 5 times less), but it gives a unique form of utility that cannot be obtained otherwise.

Right now, the Apocalypse Mask allows you to get a unique effect that distinguishes it from other masks.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2198811390
Of course, to achieve 30 Fireballs per second, you need to get 900 mana per second regen. And I got it using another skill - Synergy. And Synergy works on the number of stats, not on their bonus. This only enhances the uniqueness of the Apocalypse Mask.

I believe that the Apocalypse Mask is already almost excellent and almost does not require improvement. You shouldn't consider it in isolation from the rest of the content.

"20% chance of magic crit" - with 30 Fireballs per second, this will turn into a target for the first nerf in the next patch. And the new Ice Statue mechanic can be thrown out the window, because no one will use it. Just because Fireballs will be MUCH more powerful.

"x3 Strength" - This will turn to madness when used with "Synergy". To get 30 Fireballs per second, I invested 30 SP in Synergy, which gave me x28.6 damage multiplier. Convert it to x42.9? Oh, come on! To nerf Synergy? And then what to do for those who decided to use "Synergy" without the Apocalypse Mask?

Using the existing scaling of skills depending on the bonus damage from Strength, the Fire Mask gives x10 damage, and the Apocalypse Mask - x2, but simplifies their use. It seems to me almost a fair exchange. But later I will clarify why "almost".

For comparison, Flex at 23 Strength gives +3 temporary levels. When you take the Apocalypse Mask, it gives +7 levels. When you take the Fire Mask, it gives +38 levels. And if you change the scaling of skills with reference to Strength, and not to the bonus damage from Strength, then what to do with the Fire Mask? Why would it be necessary then? What unique role will it play? And then what to do with the cursed seal "Turtle"? An entire segment of content will turn to dust.

It seems to me that changing something without considering the impact on all content in general is too reckless.

And now let's get back to the almost fair deal "x10" versus "x2 + utility".IMO, "x10" versus "x4 + utility" looks much more fair to me. But this requires a different approach compared to simply increasing Strength.

At the moment, there are 3 types of active skills in the Strength skill tree:

1. Doesn't depend on bonus damage from Strength (Rage of Darkness, March, Fire Aura).
   
2. Scale with bonus damage from Strength, deal fire damage (Flame Flow, Fire Sword, Fireball).
   
3. Scale with bonus damage from Strength, don't deal fire damage (Flex).

The first category can be ignored. They did not depend on the Strength before, they do not depend on the Strength now.

The second category deals fire damage. This is where the "Increased Fire Damage" (which I didn't mention earlier on purpose) comes in play. On the one hand, this will increase the overall damage, and on the other hand, it will eliminate the need to increase Strength.

But with Flex, everything is more complicated. There is a way to make it stronger: reduce the cooldown by half. Then, in the previous example, Flex with the Apocalypse Mask will still give +7 temporary levels, but in the same time it will be able to do it twice. This will mean +14 temporary levels.

But this is a dangerous path. I am not yet prepared enough to insist on this option. If, with a normal cooldown, the character could move to the next Zone before the re-activation of the skill, then now there is a chance that the skill will be activated at least once. Combined with the cursed seal "Crosses", this can be too dangerous.

For example, the " Monumentality" skill, which is now dead to me. The table below shows how much SP is required to invest in this skill so that the bonus from the skill is higher than a simple level increase (excluding the influence of Stones of Excellence inserted into the weapon, which increase weapon damage by 1% for each weapon level).

Weapon level	+0 levels	+100 levels
Level 110	1 SP	10 SP
Level 120	1 SP	13 SP
Level 130	1 SP	17 SP
Level 140	1 SP	22 SP
Level 150	2 SP	29 SP
Level 160	3 SP	37 SP
Level 170	3 SP	48 SP
Level 180	4 SP	62 SP
Level 190	6 SP	81 SP
Level 200	8 SP	104 SP

I'm not sure if I am ready to invest 29-62 SP to get the same effect as level 250-280 weapon that I could get with rubies. This is simply because weapon level is too powerful source of damage to be neglected. With a reduced cooldown, Flex can become too strong, destroying the balance.

Conclusions

• Leave the scaling of skills depending on the bonus damage from Strength. Otherwise it will destroy the Fire Mask.
  
• Add "x2 fire damage" and "-50% Flex cooldown" to the existing effects of the Mask of the Apocalypse, if you want to enhance it. But even now she is good enough.

[Alketal]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2214144423
What really needs to be changed with the introduction of the Mask is the animation of active skills. I don't see my character anymore.
I can't say that I MUST see him, but somehow I got used to him.