[Chosen] So many questions, where to begin.

[gke96]

Dire shielding used to stack and should. That's just RoR fixing things that ain't broken which they do often.

gke96 I use two BO's in 6 man's and I do quite well in most situations.

Well the thing is you cant do anything againist proper premades if u cant punt their guard. You might try killing guarded target or other inconvenient targets but meh, very inefficient you will lose

[Collateral]

Bane shield doesnt stack currently. They only refresh each other. Also 1 bane shield can only hit 5 times max (every2 seconds)(without tactic). It has a 2 second internal cooldown on the friendly target buffed, not on the enemy. Its trash ability overall.

What do you mean exactly? So if 2 chosens both have bane shield up and say a bw hits them with aoe, he won't take 200 spirit dmg (just hypothetically)? It's kinda pointless that it has an icd, especially 2 seconds. I didn't think it was a great ability, I just didn't expect it to be that bad.

Can only be used in 1v1 or when you are really free. Otherwise it isnt worth GCD

I get 2 chosen with dire shield. I used bane shield on first one, then the 2nd one. It only refreshed the buff that was on us and didnt add a new one. Do u get it now?

No I get the dire shielding not stacking. But I'm talking about the aura itself, without the tactic. In my scenario I have 2 chosens (without tactic), both having their own bane shield. My question is, they won't reflect damage back to a bw that hit them with aoe? So it only works on st abilities?

[gke96]

What do you mean exactly? So if 2 chosens both have bane shield up and say a bw hits them with aoe, he won't take 200 spirit dmg (just hypothetically)? It's kinda pointless that it has an icd, especially 2 seconds. I didn't think it was a great ability, I just didn't expect it to be that bad.

Can only be used in 1v1 or when you are really free. Otherwise it isnt worth GCD

I get 2 chosen with dire shield. I used bane shield on first one, then the 2nd one. It only refreshed the buff that was on us and didnt add a new one. Do u get it now?

No I get the dire shielding not stacking. But I'm talking about the aura itself, without the tactic. In my scenario I have 2 chosens (without tactic), both having their own bane shield. My question is, they won't reflect damage back to a bw that hit them with aoe? So it only works on st abilities?

Ah yeah BW hit aoe to 2 chosen who has their own bane shields will take 2 damage. But if 2 BW hit aoe to 2 chosen that have their own bane shields with 1 sec delay. only 1 Bw will tkae 2 bakclash damage, the other wont get hit anything

[merfp27]

Unless it’s a custom feature Dire Shielding doesn’t stack. It did once upon a time on live. Bane shield and a few other chosen abilities also benefited from stats at that time. Mythic nerfed all of this early on.

[Darosh]

The stack/ICD situation is kinda sad, considering these things would only start to become kind of viable if you bring them in bulk, and if you bring them in bulk you'd handicap yourself anyhow, given the deviation from normal setups.

[footpatrol2]

Dire shielding stacked on this server but it did like 3 months or so ago. Guess RoR changed it. Pretty sad.

[Avatarbob]

Hey guys,

Back again after a long day. Read through the responses and it is a very interesting conversation. I read some back and forth on differentiating auras, but also that there's a 6v6 meta that makes multiple chosen irrelevant?

Overall, I'm a little sad that auras don't stack (even if in a reduced fashion). Auras are such a fundamental part of the Chosen class, Its a little disappointing that everyone has to spec very differently to play together (to get the most out of their auras). I feel like a force multiplier, but they very careful to not let that multiplier add up too high. Granted, I recognize that balance is a thing...

With that in consideration, I read that Discordant Fluctuation does indeed stack? Is this true, or does this follow the Bane Shield issue? Also, does Discordant Fluctuation have an internal cooldown? Now you've got me worried.

As for Bane shield, Wow that is unfortunate. I had hoped that there could be a "wall of blades" comp of sorts. But considering how bad the ability is described, I don't think such an ability has a place in almost any comp? Don't know, maybe someone has had some success with the ability? As was noted earlier, an ability like Bane Shield only is useful if brought in bulk.

Sadly, I can't even test such abilities at 18

[Avatarbob]

3. I've read about caps on stats, can someone elaborate? Is there an actual stat cap? If so, is it a hard cap, or is this merely diminishing returns at work?

The soft stats cap is your level*25+50, so at 40 it's 40*25+50=1050, at 18 it's 500 (18*25+50), after that the bonus you get from stats is greatly reduced (don't remember the value tho), don't know if there is a hardcap for stats

Thanks, I've got some decisions to make at end game it seems. Though now I wonder how hard it is to hit those caps. Gear scaling in this game is still unknown to me. I also imagine it gets more complicated with the chosen's aura choices in unison with gear...

[Darosh]

Hey guys,

Back again after a long day. Read through the responses and it is a very interesting conversation. I read some back and forth on differentiating auras, but also that there's a 6v6 meta that makes multiple chosen irrelevant?

Overall, I'm a little sad that auras don't stack (even if in a reduced fashion). Auras are such a fundamental part of the Chosen class, Its a little disappointing that everyone has to spec very differently to play together (to get the most out of their auras). I feel like a force multiplier, but they very careful to not let that multiplier add up too high. Granted, I recognize that balance is a thing...

With that in consideration, I read that Discordant Fluctuation does indeed stack? Is this true, or does this follow the Bane Shield issue? Also, does Discordant Fluctuation have an internal cooldown? Now you've got me worried.

As for Bane shield, Wow that is unfortunate. I had hoped that there could be a "wall of blades" comp of sorts. But considering how bad the ability is described, I don't think such an ability has a place in almost any comp? Don't know, maybe someone has had some success with the ability? As was noted earlier, an ability like Bane Shield only is useful if brought in bulk.

Sadly, I can't even test such abilities at 18

I, too, was under the impression that, if thorns-like abilities didn't stack the way Collateral described them earlier on - which imho seems more sound, given all the other mechanics - they atleast would have had no ICD.
But in hindsight, an (ST/individual) ICD seems more reasonable than the stacking policy - atleast as far as Bane Shielding is concerned, we don't need another Repel/Riposte'esque thing in the game.

As far as DF is concerned, I am almost sure that it has no ICD - but all of my experience, as it comes to Chosen, dates back to live (e.g.: Bane Shield being instanced in the way they stack as Collateral and Footpatrol were mentioning). There would be no point whatsoever in applying an ICD to DF, it'd render the Aura absolutely useless, given it used to proc only off direct abilities anyways, and the only casters that manage to funnel multiple direct damage abiltities into one GCD are ST Sorcs/BWs and your occasional Magus. Those classes you only get to face in smallscale environments, in which this Aura simply isn't worth the slot.
Outside of these scenarios the caster classes are limited to their GCD (+ cast times, exception being flashfire BW), slapping an ICD onto it to prevent the occasional 1-3 hits to proc it - within one or two timestamps (per instance of hit, i.e. group member - given the medicore damage) - would mean that the Aura wouldn't be worth it AT ALL in large and smallscale alike.

I'd be very interested in tests concerning potential ICDs/instanced stacking, keep the thread updated if you can ~ I'd offer my help, but I don't have a Chosen high enough either.

Abbd.: DF is meant to punish brainless bombing whilst pugging and to counteract it in terms of pressure in organized WB vs WB engagements (especially given Flashfire is a thing), so... it better has no ICD. <.<

[Avatarbob]

Hey guys,

Back again after a long day. Read through the responses and it is a very interesting conversation. I read some back and forth on differentiating auras, but also that there's a 6v6 meta that makes multiple chosen irrelevant?

Overall, I'm a little sad that auras don't stack (even if in a reduced fashion). Auras are such a fundamental part of the Chosen class, Its a little disappointing that everyone has to spec very differently to play together (to get the most out of their auras). I feel like a force multiplier, but they very careful to not let that multiplier add up too high. Granted, I recognize that balance is a thing...

With that in consideration, I read that Discordant Fluctuation does indeed stack? Is this true, or does this follow the Bane Shield issue? Also, does Discordant Fluctuation have an internal cooldown? Now you've got me worried.

As for Bane shield, Wow that is unfortunate. I had hoped that there could be a "wall of blades" comp of sorts. But considering how bad the ability is described, I don't think such an ability has a place in almost any comp? Don't know, maybe someone has had some success with the ability? As was noted earlier, an ability like Bane Shield only is useful if brought in bulk.

Sadly, I can't even test such abilities at 18

I, too, was under the impression that, if thorns-like abilities didn't stack the way Collateral described them earlier on - which imho seems more sound, given all the other mechanics - they atleast would have had no ICD.
But in hindsight, an (ST/individual) ICD seems more reasonable than the stacking policy - atleast as far as Bane Shielding is concerned, we don't need another Repel/Riposte'esque thing in the game.

As far as DF is concerned, I am almost sure that it has no ICD - but all of my experience, as it comes to Chosen, dates back to live (e.g.: Bane Shield being instanced in the way they stack as Collateral and Footpatrol were mentioning). There would be no point whatsoever in applying an ICD to DF, it'd render the Aura absolutely useless, given it used to proc only off direct abilities anyways, and the only casters that manage to funnel multiple direct damage abiltities into one GCD are ST Sorcs/BWs and your occasional Magus. Those classes you only get to face in smallscale environments, in which this Aura simply isn't worth the slot.
Outside of these scenarios the caster classes are limited to their GCD (+ cast times, exception being flashfire BW), slapping an ICD onto it to prevent the occasional 1-3 hits to proc it - within one or two timestamps (per instance of hit, i.e. group member - given the medicore damage) - would mean that the Aura wouldn't be worth it AT ALL in large and smallscale alike.

I'd be very interested in tests concerning potential ICDs/instanced stacking, keep the thread updated if you can ~ I'd offer my help, but I don't have a Chosen high enough either.

Abbd.: DF is meant to punish brainless bombing whilst pugging and to counteract it in terms of pressure in organized WB vs WB engagements (especially given Flashfire is a thing), so... it better has no ICD. <.<

Yeah, there is a lot to consider. I admit that on some level it would be nice to have a retaliation wall of doom. I can, however, see how this might be a little absurd. I just note from what I've experienced so far. Not too familiar with 6v6 organized. ORvR though, theres so much damage going out, if the ability doesnt stack, I can't even see why an ICD is needed. At least make it ICD per enemy, not the Chosen. I'm also not familiar with Repel/Riposte'esq metas of the past/current? Are there other problematic abilities out there?

As for DF - Yeah, I am very interested to know if it stacks and if it has no CD. If this is true, with enough Chosens sitting around, Enemy offensive casters become a liability to their groups. Imagine slapping the chosen in the front and getting hit for twice your damage in return. Dots would be down right hilarious. Being able to negate an entire damage type through fear of retribution is fairly powerful. I can see both sides of the argument. This of course doesn't change the fact that healers can still outpace it.... maybe. I don't know current caster damage output per spell or per spell tick. The math would be fairly straightforward though.

I think the idea might be to run like 3+ chosen in a group. I understand that we get some kind of aoe passive damage aura. Each chosen could run that aura + DF + 1 other. Between the 3 of them, they could have the critical auras (Str, Res, Tough). You'd have the necessary auras covered and enemy casters would hesistate to attack your group. As for everyone else, having a roaming ball of emanating damage would be fantastic. The enemy healer would have to choose who needs heals the most: Their heavy DPS casters or saving the front line from attrition damage.

The plus side is that at least I am high enough lvl to test DF, You get that very early. Would need an order caster to play around with it though. I'm new and have no friends tho
-all of this assuming that this does in fact stack...

Anyhow, I'm curious about the community's view on this.