Mercenary skills

[Zenogs]

So not sure why devs even developed any skills for this class other then grenades and basic attack everything else is absolute trash. Would have been better if they made sword branch instead if this is best they managed XD Seriously Mashine guns skills deals 0 dmg, High end skills are all about falling from the sky randomly or need detonation. Why? For who? These kind of stupid ideas what ruined diablo all the dumb ass mechanics that nobody fcking asked for.

[5ean5ean]

Originally posted by Zenogs:

Originally posted by 5ean5ean:

Gotta get further in the game bud. Things change

But that is by definition bad design, game suppose to be fun from get go not at end game. Why even bother adding skills if you make em usseless untill end game. Acts are suppose to be where you test out effectiveness of your skills and builds while end game where you optimise saying it gets better at end game makes zero sense.

In this game it's about finding skills that synergise with other skills and mechanics. Sometimes those are not possible early in the game.

Like I said before...Galvanic Shards is a powerhouse with Witchhinter accendency nodes.

[Zenogs]

Originally posted by Enderoth:

I mean, not to be a ♥♥♥♥, but git gud.

I spec'd into increasing stun buildup, decked out Explosive Shot with Scatter Shot, Overpower, and reload on stun gems.

Get a good crossbow (don't be afraid to upgrade it--alloy or construct are the best so far, whatever has the highest damage numbers you can get), and then run around infinitely clicking explosives on groups and bosses alike.

Swap to cold infusion instead of overpower if you're fighting a boss to get more damage.

I occasionally throw out an oil grenade to make the enemy vulnerable. Otherwise, I oneshot everything short of yellows and bosses.

Get good crossbow makes everything you mentioned worthless XD If you get good crossbow for end game nothing matters XD Then even worst builds can be managed. But that does not make skills good they are still sht you just got good gear. This game is gear based heavily to a point player skills are mute, but it makes all the skills feel worthless and waste of development time.

[Zenogs]

Originally posted by 5ean5ean:

Originally posted by Zenogs:

But that is by definition bad design, game suppose to be fun from get go not at end game. Why even bother adding skills if you make em usseless untill end game. Acts are suppose to be where you test out effectiveness of your skills and builds while end game where you optimise saying it gets better at end game makes zero sense.

In this game it's about finding skills that synergise with other skills and mechanics. Sometimes those are not possible early in the game.

Like I said before...Galvanic Shards is a powerhouse with Witchhinter accendency nodes.

Ah you see that means skills are too weak. If they can't stand by their own without assistance of bunch of synergies they are too weak. Synergies suppose to buff or change the skills not make em usable.

[5ean5ean]

Originally posted by Zenogs:

Originally posted by 5ean5ean:

In this game it's about finding skills that synergise with other skills and mechanics. Sometimes those are not possible early in the game.

Like I said before...Galvanic Shards is a powerhouse with Witchhinter accendency nodes.

Ah you see that means skills are too weak. If they can't stand by their own without assistance of bunch of synergies they are too weak. Synergies suppose to buff or change the skills not make em usable.

You're not getting it. Like the park spell Spark...pretty weak spell if you just take it a face value. It's currently the best build in the game right now. It's power doesn't come from damage...it comes from its utility and how it synergies with other mechanics.

If you're just looking at the trees you can't see the forest.

Think of galvanic shard as a car that carries the stuff that deals the real damage. This car is a Ferrari, not powerful just really really really fast.

https://youtube.com/shorts/cFpvv3F0XvA?si=ba9KB7Bc09AfLhRk

[bean]

Originally posted by Enderoth:

I mean, not to be a ♥♥♥♥, but git gud.

I spec'd into increasing stun buildup, decked out Explosive Shot with Scatter Shot, Overpower, and reload on stun gems.

when i was thinking of what to do w explosive shot it occurred to me that slapping scatter and some buffs might make it useful, the OP + On Stun worked well for me with the shotty* so I can see how this would work.. but i gotta ask.. do you REALLY need it / use it as a detonator primarily? I feel like it is wasted potential since the nades are going to go off pretty fast and I use that time to lead / position while using stronger attacks.

*(I can understand why you don't love the shotty)

Im going to try this out though, ty for the idea

[Zenogs]

Originally posted by 5ean5ean:

Originally posted by Zenogs:

Ah you see that means skills are too weak. If they can't stand by their own without assistance of bunch of synergies they are too weak. Synergies suppose to buff or change the skills not make em usable.

You're not getting it. Like the park spell Spark...pretty weak spell if you just take it a face value. It's currently the best build in the game right now. It's power doesn't come from damage...it comes from its utility and how it synergies with other mechanics.

If you're just looking at the trees you can't see the forest.

Think of galvanic shard as a car that carries the stuff that deals the real damage. This car is a Ferrari, not powerful just really really really fast.

https://youtube.com/shorts/cFpvv3F0XvA?si=ba9KB7Bc09AfLhRk

Huh spark is plenty strong on itself XD You named the very skill I can use as example. Spark has plenty of damage and capability synergies make it even better, but in itself its good. The car analogy is weird it would require to have no engine or wheels to be accurate analogy, tho i don't think you would buy car like that.

[Scullhead]

Originally posted by bean:

Originally posted by Enderoth:

I mean, not to be a ♥♥♥♥, but git gud.

I spec'd into increasing stun buildup, decked out Explosive Shot with Scatter Shot, Overpower, and reload on stun gems.

when i was thinking of what to do w explosive shot it occurred to me that slapping scatter and some buffs might make it useful, the OP + On Stun worked well for me with the shotty* so I can see how this would work.. but i gotta ask.. do you REALLY need it / use it as a detonator primarily? I feel like it is wasted potential since the nades are going to go off pretty fast and I use that time to lead / position while using stronger attacks.

*(I can understand why you don't love the shotty)

Im going to try this out though, ty for the idea

Nope. You can run a Bazooka-single-shoot Build with the Explosive Shot.
Works better on the Deadeye bc of the +1 Projectile.

[5ean5ean]

Originally posted by Zenogs:

Originally posted by 5ean5ean:

You're not getting it. Like the park spell Spark...pretty weak spell if you just take it a face value. It's currently the best build in the game right now. It's power doesn't come from damage...it comes from its utility and how it synergies with other mechanics.

If you're just looking at the trees you can't see the forest.

Think of galvanic shard as a car that carries the stuff that deals the real damage. This car is a Ferrari, not powerful just really really really fast.

https://youtube.com/shorts/cFpvv3F0XvA?si=ba9KB7Bc09AfLhRk

Huh spark is plenty strong on itself XD You named the very skill I can use as example. Spark has plenty of damage and capability synergies make it even better, but in itself its good. The car analogy is weird it would require to have no engine or wheels to be accurate analogy, tho i don't think you would buy car like that.

Please just sit on your hands and let the adults talk. Everyone is telling you you're wrong yet here we thinking you know more and your not even in maps yet.

Making my head hurt.

[we_are_ven0m]

Originally posted by Hondo:

I use the unique gas boots, herald of ash , gas nade, explosive bolts and piercing bolts for bosses...

Agreed. Corpsetread boots are so good for an early levelling Mercenary, they give movespeed, plenty of extra things to detonate, and they even override the silly enemy on-death effects because there is no corpse to go boom, so you are immune to one of the more annoying mechanics.

I wonder if there is a skill-less combo between them and the Radiant Grief hood to make every corpse puff into poison and then every enemy ignites to detonate the poison.

[Neithan]

Still campaign so dunno if it will carry into maps, but I have great fun and performance with Frag bolts from the beginning, tested out grenades but wanted to be a "Gunner" more than a grenade dispenser.

So now I am running with
- Galcial Bolt sup'ed with more freeze, longer freeze, and 2 extra bolts
- Frag bolts with poison chance, poison breaks armour, and poison adds plague DoT
- High Velocity bolt to eat broken armour, with bleed chance, +dmg to injured and stun buildup
- Electro grenade for shock and electrocute (trying to fit it in)

Passive Skills is into projectile/crossbow damage, phys dmg and armor break, bleed, applying and magnitude of ailments, litte eva/armor.
Ascendancy I went with Gemmling, qualy on skills and highest attribute counts for gems. The additional max res later on will sure be handy.


3 glacial bolts for one - block off trash completely and apply insane chill, then just fire your frag rounds through the ice wall and devastate everything.
For bosses, freeze up, frag till armor breaks, High Velocity to the face, rinse and repeat.

--

tl;dr

Dunno how the "endgame meta/viability" will look like, but at least for campaign there is alot more than grenades to use as a Merc.

[eeVader.]

did they buffed merc in this patch?

[Beasthunt]

Mashine guns

[we_are_ven0m]

Galvanic Shard (and Spark) probably gonna do less damage now in groups because Lightning Rods can only be popped by the person who placed them. RIP stacking a group with Lightning Rod rangers.

[Chelios]

Explosive Shot with scatter and magnify is insanely satisfying. Class doesn't seem particularly interesting but I run mach 6 and this is probably in my top-3 arpg builds ever and I'm only pressing one button. Developer responsible for Explosive Shot needs to be promoted to co-director

[we_are_ven0m]

Originally posted by Neithan:

Still campaign so dunno if it will carry into maps, but I have great fun and performance with Frag bolts from the beginning, tested out grenades but wanted to be a "Gunner" more than a grenade dispenser.

[snip]

Dunno how the "endgame meta/viability" will look like, but at least for campaign there is alot more than grenades to use as a Merc.

Elemental gunner builds do exist, but they take longer to kill big packs of enemies. I currently get up to around 50 million XP per hour using grenades as they even kill things that are not on the screen yet.

So viable yes, but much less efficient.