New Energy Armor skill - Am I missing something here?

[Lambo Diablo SVTT]

I fired up a level 40 character to check out the new skills. Initially I was intrigued by Energy Armor, then I leveled it up and tested it on the first enemy I saw:

684 energy cost for a shield that breaks after taking 1367 damage with a 25 second cooldown?

This seems incredibly weak, or am I missing something with this skill? By comparison, Regrowth from the Nature tree restores 2360 health for only 136 energy.

[KafeiniBol]

u need to get -% energy cost items or nature tranquil or water skill. like these

[Lambo Diablo SVTT]

Even then, you block maybe 1 or 2 hits in the lategame, and have to wait 25 seconds. Not very impressive for a final tier skill.

[Pumuckl]

Would be viable if the absorb would scale with intelligence, however TQ is not know for such scaling.

[Faya AOP]

Originally posted by Pumuckl:

Would be viable if the absorb would scale with intelligence, however TQ is not know for such scaling.

Damage scales, why not the shield?

[gr00grams]

Flat mitigation skills are a lot stronger than they appear.

Compare it to Natures Overgrowth, not Regrowth.

At 16/12 Overgrowth is just shy of 900 flat absorption. It's benefit is the Nymph will recast it on you everytime it wears out.

In order to make it very powerful you'll need a few things;

+4 skill over-max. So if it maxes at say 12 (haven't looked) you want it at 16/12 from gear.

-Cooldown %. Get that 25 seconds down to like 5 seconds and the skill will radically change in power.

-Energy cost just to be able to cast it so much.

There are other factors;

Example: A high DA will prevent you being hit most of the time, so a skill like this becomes even stronger by association as it will mitigate the few hits that get through.

It can be stacked with other absorption and absorption % modifiers (and with defensive traits in general, racial reductions, etc). Absorption comes after armour and resistances in the order of damage, so 1400 flat mitigation can last a *really* long time with the presence of other modifiers. If you're armour/physical mitigation reduces say a 1000 hit to 100 going to health, that's only a loss of 100 to the skill and it can then take 14 hits, etc.

In an arpg, never look at just one facet of things. Always take into account how you can layer it, pair it, etc. with other skills and modifiers. It's usually where the strengths lie in things.

[Pumuckl]

I did some quick testing on a single raven outside normal corinth:

naked lvl 40 char, full rune mastery, maxed out shield:
131 int - shield broke with 13 hits ( 1 was a crit )

all stats spent into int, 2nd mastery storm for more int, some int items:
631 int - shield broke with 15 hits

Seems like there is no scaling for heal or absorption :(
But as gr00grams said, when it comes after damage reduction it can sill be viable.