question about talents : utilty

[Chloé]

you know all those perks who give you +5 DR against X element and +20% damage with that element.
Let's say I take the fire one, do I need to use fire spell/weapon to gain that +20% elemental increase or does it apply to any damage I do?

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

The wording is clear: -->
https://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Talent#Utility_talents_.28all_classes.29

[Procrastinating Gamer]

Scion of Flame specifically says "+20% to all Burn Damage you deal". So if you deal zero burn damage normally, 20% of zero is still zero.

The Damage Reduction applies regardless as it's just a flat bonus. The damage bonus is a percentile bonus so it scales with how much of that elemental damage you already do.

[Chloé]

its not as clear in the game unless i misread. thanks

its me or those perks arent very good?

[Procrastinating Gamer]

Originally posted by fbourgault:

its not as clear in the game unless i misread. thanks

its me or those perks arent very good?

They work if you intend to focus towards a particular element - it'll only make you average against stuff that's neutral or even resistant to the chosen energy type, but it's not like you're crippling yourself either.

For instance; a Paladin who makes use of Flames of Devotion, or a Fire Godlike who frequently gets their Endurance knocked down to the point that their special ability kicks in (so maybe a Monk?) could benefit from Scion of Flame. A Wizard with a lot of corrosive spells, like some of Concelhaut's spells, could benefit from the corrosive damage one, and so-on.

And if you have to switch to a weapon that doesn't deal the damage type you selected, then it's probably because what you're attacking is immune to that damage. And most of the time something's immune to a damage type, that's also the damage type they deal the most of so the damage reduction side of the trait kicks in then.

[Keldor]

Make a fire-godlike paladin with an offensive focus using your flame ability and then use Durance's quarter staff with that fire utility talent. You do laughable amounts of fire damage right at the beginning of the game.

Talents are only as good as the player that knows how to make the most of them. The utility talent to increase your engagement by one is useless to a fighter that can use their ability to increase their engagement by three. But it's essential to a chanter off-tank who otherwise will only ever have a single engagement.

If you read the talents on their own with only your current character in mind. It limits your perception of the talent. Instead, read it and think about how to build a character around it to maximize it. You'll get a better appreciation for some talents you'd otherwise overlook.

[ColorsFade]

Originally posted by Shadow88:

For instance; a Paladin who makes use of Flames of Devotion

This is one of the better skills (Scion of Flame) for a Goldpact Paladin or Pellegina. Pellegina gets a unique ability, Wrath of Five Suns, which is great for one-shotting weaker enemies at the start of a battle. Scion of Flames makes it even better.

Goldpact Paladins that take all the Fire abilities/talents for Flames of Devotion can do quite a bit of damage with them.