Damage Buffs Should they stack in PVE?

Painbringer

Painbringer

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jun 2006

Minnesota

Black Widows of Death

W/Mo

I was mask farming and was lucky enough to have a monk cast [Strength of Honor] and also keep [Great Dwarf Weapon] on me then prot me. Well I never had the two combined. It was crazy death to all. I had [Locust's Fury] [Critical Agility] and then noticed rest of my build did not matter. I really did not need to use any other skills so I guess I have to ask you... Should they stack for PVE.

Zodiac Meteor

Zodiac Meteor

Imma Firin Mah Rojway!

Join Date: Aug 2008

At the Mac Store laughing at people that walk out with anything.

E/Mo

I have the same skills, it does RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GO everything. Yes, mainly because some areas have melee hate/caster hate/hex hate/enchantment hate.

Marty Silverblade

Marty Silverblade

Administrator

Join Date: Jun 2006

Yeah, why not. Besides, there has to be somewhere where we can stack stupid amounts of damage buffs and just watch stuff drop.

AtomicMew

AtomicMew

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

N/A

It hardly matters. Realistically, you only have a few character slots to stack buffs on, and at some point the progression goes from geometric back to linear when you take too many buffs.

Jaigoda

Jaigoda

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Oct 2007

IGN Eat Scythes

Lol at someone worrying about damage buffs stacking, which is only useful on a few builds (namely LF 'Sins and fast-activation scythe attacks), as opposed to stuff like Cryway, ER Infuse ele's, RoJ Smiters, Permasins, and other retardedly broken builds.

_Nihilist_

_Nihilist_

Will Bull's Strike for $!

Join Date: Apr 2006

Isle of the Dead

Buffs can be removed. If you manage to get them to stack and stay, good for you. Nothing imba about it. /Agreed with Jaigoda about some of the items mentioned - RoJ not causing scatter is imba, Cryway only needing a /Me secondary and no attribute point investment is imba, Permanent Shadow Form is broken beyond repair, ER Eles Protting every friendly target in a zone better than a Monk ever could is retardedly broken.

But... it's all in the game, broken or not. (Ab)Use what ANet gives you or cry about it, doesn't change anything, tbh.

Helix Dreadlock

Helix Dreadlock

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jan 2009

Imperial Sanctum

Legendary Drunken Masters [DUI]

E/Me

PvE=abuse me
PvP=needs to be balanced

Lishy

Lishy

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jan 2008

Why not?
Don't give anet dumb ideas

Necromas

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jul 2005

IMO the problem is those silly overpowered PvE only skills like Great Dwarf Weapon, but it's obviously too late to get rid of those or nerf them without some serious backlash from the speed clearing junkies.

bna6789

bna6789

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Mar 2008

Raleigh, NC

Ferrymen Of The River [STYX]

D/A

After how many times guild wars pisses me off with its ridiculous lag spikes I think we deserve a chance to strike back and completely obliterate the environment.
I mean really, it did a lot to me without me being able to prevent it or counter it, so why shouldn't I be able to slice the crap out of everything in sight in no time at all without giving it a chance to fend for itself? It's like taking justice into your own hands (quite forcefully might I add).

Tenebrae

Tenebrae

Forge Runner

Join Date: Feb 2007

Spain

LHV

R/N

Well since introduction of HM foes have bloody lots of armor and more chance to hit you with criticals, 33& perma IAS and Run Speed and .... double cast ? well , if you can manage to mantain all buffs , go for it.

Beomagi

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Oct 2005

I was thinking something similar when I tried a scythe warrior with aohm, urals, asuran scan. Getting several hits for 300+ damage in a row looks friggin spectacular.

Still, I sacrificed armor, life, and ease of use making it more difficult later.

As far as locusts goes though, it's really the only way to use locusts. By it's nature it makes the most of bonus damage. Then again, pve skills are meant to be that way - after all, balance in the eyes of designers was making enemies of level 33, with skills you wish you could have yourself. PVE is meant to be a bit over the top. Have fun with it.

FengShuiDove

FengShuiDove

Forge Runner

Join Date: Sep 2007

Trinity of the Ascended [ToA]

A/

Yes, Damage Buffs should stack in PvE. The point is to build the most successful TEAM out of 8 individual PARTS. There are damage builds, utility builds, and support builds. A utility build is typically one that can aid in party support and buff damage. This isn't a matter of brokenness, it's a matter of synergy in team composition. A UA GDW SoH Monk with Heaven's Delight and Divine Healing, for example, is a decent utility lineup that can aid in party heal and physical buffs.

In PvE, especially HM, where monsters inherently have more powerful abilities than human players (and AI allies, despite some of their benefits), building a team with good utility is essential, and most of the composition resides in spreading resources across an entire team, with buffs (both defensive and offensive) existing in plenty to replace stripped/ineffective ones with stronger/more situationally effective ones and to stack these when available for the most potent performance at one individual time.

_Nihilist_

_Nihilist_

Will Bull's Strike for $!

Join Date: Apr 2006

Isle of the Dead

To all involved in the maintainable DPS discussion: I have moved it to a separate Thread inside the Campfire Forum (out of the Assassin forum), because it is cluttering up this thread, which was not about maintainable DPS, but about whether or not buffs should stack.

The discussion generated was good though, so it now has its own Thread, and this Thread can go back to discussing whether or not buffs should be allowed to stack in PvE.

DPS Debate Thread has Moved Here, so clicky!

Ferminator

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Apr 2009

D/

Wait, so 'Dodge This!', 'SoH' and Orders won't stack? Huh what? I don't understand how +damage skills stack though.

_Nihilist_

_Nihilist_

Will Bull's Strike for $!

Join Date: Apr 2006

Isle of the Dead

They DO stack, this Thread is about whether or not ANet should change that.

General consensus: yes they should stack, and don't talk about things that give ANet a way to screw with the game even more.

There are a few things that don't stack - Weapon Spells replace one another, you can only be affected by one at a time, and Order of the Vampire doesn't work if you are under the effects of another Necro enchantment - but almost everything else does.

Super Igor

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2008

why should you kno? Oo

A/W

damage is good, but you should uninstall for using Locust's. ):<

Paul Dawg

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2008

House of Myrthe (HoMe)

W/

Lol, not to get drawn too far back in the Locust's controversy, but just think of all the damage you would do with locust's fury constantly on you, ebon battle standard of honor constant as well, then someone keeping strength of honor on you, someone else giving you a nice weapon spell like splinter weapon or great dwarf weapon, someone else running order of the vampire, and then a vampiric mod on your daggers just for good measure.

Tenebrae

Tenebrae

Forge Runner

Join Date: Feb 2007

Spain

LHV

R/N

Ye , im using JI @ 10 SmitPrayers on the monk for a buff and cover enchant. When another caster player joins me and buffs me with GDW just LF with CAgility and Asuran scan ..... the damage output is insane..

_Nihilist_

_Nihilist_

Will Bull's Strike for $!

Join Date: Apr 2006

Isle of the Dead

Judge's Insight (JI) changes your damage type to Holy. No Orders if you go that route.

Tenebrae

Tenebrae

Forge Runner

Join Date: Feb 2007

Spain

LHV

R/N

I never said i used Orders. When theres more phys than me on the team i change the Smitter JI and/or SoH per 1 N orders .If im the only melee i prefer Smitting .

Jaigoda

Jaigoda

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Oct 2007

IGN Eat Scythes

LF is actually a good reason why damage buffs should stack. Otherwise it would just be another completely useless elite. And really, stacking buffs isn't all that OP'd, especially compared to other stuff as I mentioned before. Clearing an elite area in ~15 minutes is a much bigger problem, IMO.

And yes, Locust's Fury, with a few buffs (no more than 1-3 are needed) is at least on par with MS/DB for H/H. Simply running SoH give you something like 90 DPS, and if you build around it (using several physicals and an Orders Derv) you can easily top 100 DPS. But the main advantage is the adrenaline gain. Being able to completely maintain SY with a sin is pretty hot for H/H.