Thermal Absorption mechanics question

Ok, so I keep playing DCUO and leaving and then coming back and everytime I come back something's changed.

That's because I usually stay gone for about a year so that's my fault = )

I've been using the Fire power the whole time. I've tried Celestial, Gadgets, Ice, Atomic, Sorcery, and maybe 1 or 2 others but none really compare to Fire for my playing style.

Here in the last few weeks I've been trying to figure out the AM of Fire and I think I've almost got it but I can't quite get the hang of Thermal Absorption.

I call it the "Godflame" because if you can keep it going you basically become a god.

My loadout is Inferno - Fiery Weapon - Absorb Heat OR Burning Determination - Fireburst - Flame Cascade

I use different powers in the last 2 slots, usually Spontaneous Combustion, Burnout, Overheat, Wildfire, Inferno, or Mass Detonation.

I'm fond of Wildfire and Spontaneous Combustion honestly but obviously what I'm doing isn't working.

I'm 157CR and 100SP, yes I know that's low for SP but it is what it is and I'll get more eventually. I put all my skills into Might too.

My main concern is power. I never seem to have enough of it when I need it. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't and I know it's because of my rotation.

My rotation is :

Inferno > Fiery Weapon > Burning Determination > Fireburst > Flame Cascade > Fireburst rinse and repeat

or

Inferno > Fiery Weapon > Absorb Heat (jump cancel) > Fireburst > Flame Cascade > Fireburst rinse and repeat

Sometimes I'll do Flame Cascade instead of Fireburst first on both rotations mentioned above.

or

Wildfire > Fiery Weapon > Burning Determination > Flame Cascade > Fireburst > Fireburst something along those lines.

That's about the sum of my rotations/loadouts for fire DPS but usually, no matter which I use, I end up having no power left for a 2nd rotation.

Sometimes I will and I'll know I did something right, but I CANNOT figure out how to KEEP the blue flame going. I'm beginning to think it's just when I'm mashing a button to activate either Fireburst or Flame Cascade, maybe it's cancelling something out or something?

Anyway, I know the different rotations people use and I keep trying all the different variations but I keep losing the power in order to do the 2nd rotation.

Suggestions?

I would seriously Start out with Burning Det or Absorb heat, Inferno and Firey weapon won't trigger power regeneration unless you have the blue flame on first.

Inferno and Firey weapon alone take about half of your power bar out, so that maybe why you won't have enough power past the second rotation.

For mobs I just start straight with burning det - fire well - flame cascade , burns quick and keeps power up.

On bosses I hit burning det , throw inferno down clipped with fw then use fire burst followed by mass det x3

May not be perfect but I don't run out of power and I do pretty decent damage.

I've seen people put Mass Det up as a spam power but is it really that legit?

Use for ranged mostly. The animations are long on fire and the power back can get screwy. Fire is not as good as it was since T6 dropped. Something happen then that screwed up the power back mechanic.

Start with BD, clipped with FW, then flame cascade, then FB. If interupted use cascade to refresh. Hit inferno after first fireburst. Inferno is power heavy and isnt part of the am....if you start with that youll create an early power gap.

Also.....the choice between fireburst and mass det are based on range and number of targets. 3 or less, close proximity, use fireburst. If there are more than three targets, long range or split apart, use mass det.

So if Inferno isn't part of the AM it shouldn't be a part of the rotation right? What can I use in it's place to start the rotation that you'd suggest? I just have it as a means to start the burning.

You can keep it in your rotation....just use it after you establish thermal absorbtion....so BD to flame cascade starts the power regen...then use inferno, I time it right after my first fireburst or mass det.

Starting with burning determination sets burning, and then starts power regen after using flame cascade. You jave to be within twenty feet of the target to set burning from burning determination.....then refresh burning after first fireburst with inferno. In solos and duos I dont even use inferno, just BD FW FC then FB/MD.

So, BD, FW, FC, FB, FC, BD? And mix MD in some of the rotations? Would that work?

You dont need to refresh BD unless you lose your thermal absorbtion (blue fire/tea kettle sound)

I rotate fire burst & mass det @mid range....
depending on how I am feeling LOL

but usually
fire burst @ close range
mass det @ long range

I rotate fire burst & mass det @mid range....
depending on how I am feeling LOL

but usually
fire burst @ close range
mass det @ long range


I will say that FB animation blows big time. Its the same animation that mentals mass levitation use to have.


oops double post XD

I like to stay more long range than anything, usually I find myself in mid range though. Knowing that would you suggest MD for me?

BD, FW, BD, FB, BD? Something like that?

I know these are a lot of questions but thanks everyone for answering = )

Anyone else can chime in also that may have a good loadout, or tips too

In content with no troll
Start rotation with BD

In content with troll
Start rotation with Inferno > BD

Triggering AM and knowing when its off or on
There is visual clue (blue flame on head) and audio clue to let you know AM is triggered. But when AM drops, there is no audio clue, unlike say Gadgets, where there is a clear and distinct audio clue (click) to indicate that AM has dropped. And it can be hard to discern the visual clue (blue flame on head) not being on, amidst all the visual fx when you are in a raid group. When you run out or low on power, and then realise AM has dropped, it is too late.

Also, unlike other AMs like Gadgets or Mental, which can maintain AM even without any enemy targets, Fire needs to hit target to keep the AM going. Ice also needs targets to keep the AM going, but Ice AM is easier to maintain, Cold Snap (AM trigger) has low power cost, Artic Gust hits instantly and hard, and even if interrupted or CCed, you can breakout and continue Artic Gust spamming without letting AM drop.

But for Fire, Burning Determination (AM trigger) has high power cost, and when interrupted or CCed, the risk of AM dropping is very high.

Minimizing risk of AM dropping or mitigating AM dropping
To minimize risk of AM dropping, everytime you get interrupted or CCed while doing Fireburst, upon breaking out, hit Flame Cascade first, then Fireburst. Otherwise, after getting interrupted on your 1st Fireburst, and breaking out then hitting your 2nd Fireburst, your AM might have already dropped. Hitting Flame Cascade minimises that risk since Flame Cascade hits instantly and quickly, and the moment it hits, it means your AM is still up and running.


To mitigate AM dropping, getting the breakout mastery helps with your power regeneration, as Fire has higher power costs to get the ball rolling. Doing a single weapon tap (right click) in between Flame Cascade spamming can add in just that little bit of power in. Having a breakout trinket can also help in breaking out of CC / interruptions at zero power cost, whilst also being an additional clipping benefit. Flame Cascade spamming is quick but it doesn‘t generate enough power back versus Fireburst, but Fireburst only generates power back after the cast ends.

My personal twist is when doing Flame Cascade spamming, I will use Explosive Shot > Flame Cascade. Explosive Shot is clippable to a certain extent.

When doing Flame Cascade or Fireburst spamming or both, sometimes rather than Inferno > BD > Fiery Weapon or BD / Inferno > Fiery Weapon, sometimes if you judge your power is still low, you might just do Fiery Weapon then continue spamming either FC or FB or both.

You can do everything right and the Fire Am will still drop for no reason. Just have to be quick to recognise that there is no power back and quickly hit BD to trigger the AM again.

Maximized Damage Potential
Probably the max Damage Potential is achieved by using the Repair Bot jump cancelling and being Superspeed.

Inferno > BD > Repair Bot (jump cancel) > Overheat > Fiery Weapon > Phase Dodge then Fireburst.

This lets you stack three Burning Dots (Inferno, BD, Overheat), reduce animation time with Repair Bot jump cancelling and Phase Dodge, and give a little protection against CC via Phase Dodge, before you do Fireburst Spamming.

For Burning Dots that stack or dont stack:
Burning Determination (stackable) (AM)
Inferno (stackable) (AM)
Enflame (stackable) (AM)
Overheat (stackable) (non-AM)
Meteor (don't stack) (non-AM)
Immolation (cannot confirm but understanding is it does not stack) (non-AM)
Stoke Flames (don't stack) (non-AM)
Fireball (don't stack) (non-AM)
Wildfire (don't stack) (non-AM)

Notice that Overheat is the only non-supercharge, non-AM power with a stackable Burning Dot.

Supercharges with dot
Reignition (stackable) (non-AM)
Eternal Flame (stackable) (non-AM)
Fireball Barrage (don't stack) (non-AM)

Either have FC and FB together (common pairing)
Or FC and MD together (less common but safe pairing)

But pairing FB and MD makes no sense because both have a cast bar, so you have double risk of getting interrupted or CCed, and when you do, you have zero DPS. FC is safe dps and you get a constant stream of dps as you move forward in-between adds or while repositioning.

The easiest way to stay buffed with AM....always start BD/FW to FC. If you go BD/FW to FB, sometimes the target can move, if you dont connect with Fireburst the AM dies right there. Get in the habit of quickly jumping on FC whenever interupted or starting AM.

Loup, that was EXTREMELY helpful, love how you made me realize MD and FB together was hurting me rather than helping me.

I was like, well yeah, that makes sense.

I honestly never knew BD had an AOE to it, I thought it just lit you up and that was it.

Thanks, to all of you, I'm gonna go experiment now = )

FB & MD both clip each other a little bit is why I use both at the same time .....sometimes not all the time. I switch my load out as needed too.

When I do keep both on load out. It is so that I don't have to mess with an armory or take time to change load out. If I need to use ranged I use MD. If I need close range I use FB.
It's up to you anyway. One way or the other, keep at least one of the two its just depending on the situation.