Is there a way to make brain burst feel useful?

[Trash_Jackson TTV]

I feel like when I try any brain burst build as psyker, I'm basically just constantly stuck trying to find targets of opporunity that generally get killed way before I can do anything, on top of the fact that in Damnation and Auric, you're basically swarmed by 50 special units, so single target damage is pointless as opposed to crowd controlling or AOE damage.

Any ideas?

[Moffin Bovin]

pre charge it.

use the talent that gives it faster charge speed on ability use.

[Arani]

It's a specialty case within the psyker blitzes. Requires far more specialized uses & builds, and also for the player to generally be more experienced with it and the game to use it right.

You can charge it while sliding & dodging for mobility. You can pre-charge it with secondary, and while it takes 50% longer it won't cost any extra peril as long as you switch to LMB the moment it's done only. This way you can start charging while sliding forward at sprint speeds, and then target & kill instantly when it's ready.

Kinetic Resonance & Empowered Psionics each massively buff the charge speed and stack together. EP elite kills re-stacks the charge spent so you can keep going with the speed & dmg buffs provided you prioritize your targets well. BB is always a weakspot hit so it stacks True Aim, and since any special/elite kills also proc Perilous Combustion, it's functionally a massively powerful AoE vs. grouped specialists+.

Also any LMB casts at 97% or below (could be higher these days, not sure) won't overload, so at capped peril you can do more rapid casting by quelling just a tiny bit between each.

But tldr; It requires a lot more effort than the other blitzes, and generally ofc. can't compete with any single-target capable staves. But for builds that need anti-armor and range, it can be a fantastic pick.

[Crystal meth enthusiast]

Faster charge speed on ability use + empowered psyonic. That's all i do with Brain burst.

[stump362]

I use Brain Burst just for fun sometimes. Love that sound >:)
It can be useful in some limited scenarios. For example, if several gunners are standing on the other side of a map surrounded by trash mobs, while you have Kinetic Resonance, you can activate your ultimate, aim, and charge with LMB, and they'll be dead pretty quickly. And if you have Perilous Combustion, the trash mobs will also burn. This also works well while dealing with monstrosities.
However, I prefer to use Brain Burst with Kinetic Flayer (so, mostly not using it myself). When a pack of Crushers approaches, and you're busy controlling them, Brain Burst will hit automatically, severely damaging or even killing one of them. Pretty useful.

[Rattay]

As other have said: keep pre charging and cancel about the 50 percent threat level if nothing pops up, then repeat.

I generally save it for bouncing about at the back, trying to pick off anything threatening that might be lurking in the distance. Think of it as a break before the action kicks off again and you charge back in if you don't want to build it heavily into your talent tree

[Covewolf]

I agree with everyone above. Unfortunately Brain Burst seems to have been power crept (due to attack speed of OTHER damage sources) out of the game for a lot of builds. Generally if I take Brain Burst I always tack on Kinetic Flayer like @stump362 mentioned and then never actually pull it out, always focusing on other weapons and allowing Kinetic Flayer to be a little "Oh cool that died, moving on" instead of trying to build around BB. Generally the only times I use BB is when I'm trying to snag a sniper from across the map, or catch a dog/trapper that's running away and I don't feel like chasing them down. Or to open Bulwarks for other players since it causes a stagger every time. (Take this with a grain of salt, it's really slow and some players might complain)

BB is really nice because once you've selected the head you want to pop, you can hide behind cover and break line of sight without fear of losing the target.

High APM players don't use BB very often because it intentionally forces them to slow down, which many view as a No-no.

[JagdPanzer IV]

PROTIP: Brainburst sucks.

[Commissar]

Originally posted by Covewolf:

I agree with everyone above. Unfortunately Brain Burst seems to have been power crept (due to attack speed of OTHER damage sources) out of the game for a lot of builds. Generally if I take Brain Burst I always tack on Kinetic Flayer like @stump362 mentioned and then never actually pull it out, always focusing on other weapons and allowing Kinetic Flayer to be a little "Oh cool that died, moving on" instead of trying to build around BB. Generally the only times I use BB is when I'm trying to snag a sniper from across the map, or catch a dog/trapper that's running away and I don't feel like chasing them down. Or to open Bulwarks for other players since it causes a stagger every time. (Take this with a grain of salt, it's really slow and some players might complain)

BB is really nice because once you've selected the head you want to pop, you can hide behind cover and break line of sight without fear of losing the target.

High APM players don't use BB very often because it intentionally forces them to slow down, which many view as a No-no.

This is a really good answer, the only things I'd add are BB is a compliment to your build, not something you build around. Use it like a sidearm for a purgatus staff to give you a ranged option.

Also don't put more than one point on it, the return you get just isn't worth it beyond what that single point to unlock it gives.

BB is only good for range specialists/elites and you have no capacity to reach them but they giving you a hard time

[靐]

Well, if there are HORDES on you and tons of specials/crushers then yeah. I maxed cd reduction (talent, empower talent, double shield, talent on shield usage bb reduction). But still, if there are tons of enemies BB wont do much alone. That's why I had purgatus. BB vs crushers / bulwarks with buffed speed, purgatus vs eveything else. Well, bb vs bosses too, obviously.

[Zef]

BB is only good once your empowered psionics is "charged" and you don't have to wait forever to snipe a hit.

But it's too slow in most cases, i prefer to just use either a staff or the duel sword with +25 cara and take out maulers that way.

I'd even take smite before BB, on Auric BB is generally useless.

[BÆRD]

Use it on appropriate targets only, pre-charge it and use it with Empowered Psionics vs waves of light elites like ragers and gunners. You could do something silly like take Kinetic Resonance and combo with active abilities you can spam more often, but I dont think thats a worthy talent investment.

[csb]

Double shield + fast cast on Shield + cooldown reduction.
You can kill elites every 1.5 sec, or you can do ok Boss damage for 20 sec.

Actualy the best contribution is the passive Brain burst on hit what will help to kill elites time to time and spread the fire around them. Outisde you can kill snipers, but with a good team usualy you will not use it at all.

[cG.vahnn]

Gotta use an Empowered Psionics build. And remember that you can pre-charge it and quickly headpop something the instant it comes around a corner when you know it's coming. Once you get 3/3 charges of EP, you should be able to keep it up nearly infinitely. Combined with Kinetic Resonance, you can pop heads fast as hell. If you take the shield ability with 2 charges, KR will stack with itself, you can make it a .65 or .7 second cast! It's pretty crazy.

[Neomir]

Im going to start doinbg this everyday. Steam, the home of self oppionated balance posts.

APM? in an fps? Are you insane, like, is your idea of skil lso indoctrinated that you cant even question wha tit is???

BB is great on any build wit hthe auto proc, and helps staff buildstake out priority targets. Its not complicated,. Yur issues are stemming from your skill or lack to visio nwha tthat is and its making you think you are balanced. the game needs to change.

youre not balanced. the fact you cant judge bb targets (im aware teammates kill them, but still) to the extent its become an issue, in AURIC no less, is somethnig for you to epxlore to get better with it.

Have you got distance, timing, what is around you, are you bb'ing when you SHOULDNT be, is it because of a map trigger or because your pisitioning timing and dodging leaves somethnig to be desired? BB cannot inherently be measured on 'APM' seriously whatever the flying ♥♥♥♥ that has to do wit hanything outside of rts.

Pick whatever you feel comfy with and lets you survive, thats the basics of the game. I only play gun psyker as Im a veet main so this is why my experience of bb comes from. Its more of an offensivce tool with hard casting as a necessary i nthat build, for ammo conservation, kiting, etcetc. its a situationa ltool by default not an active nuke. therefore it requires finesse to make the most out of. ACTUAL finesse. real FINESSE

As a result of requiring actual skil land finesse it is by default not for lower skill apmspammers, who either pla yfor efficency nto fun i nwhichccase they are metaslaves, or do not possess enough situationa lawareness skil lto know when to casta and when to not fall over to a poxwalker

the ability, like every weapon skill and perk, is mroe or less viable for you if it fits your playstyle. you should be developeing this NOT only because i nthe process you wil ldevelope a real skill, a game sense, but because you wil lsimply have developed a natural playstyle making you better at certai nweapons/situations that others and vice/versa.