Sorcery: A Data-Driven Review

This thread was more focused on the dps side, the healing side may need its own thread since there is alot to talk about it.

<in response to Moja's recommended rotation of soul storm-soul barrage-soul bolt 2x>

The Soul Storm-Soul Barrage-Soul Bolt 2x rotation is inadequate compared to simply using TRANSMUTE followed by VENGEANCE 12x in a row. TRANSMUTE-VENGEANCE spam can top the charts, I have been top dps in OLYr against higher cr electricity and I am only 190cr/234sp. Because transmute-vengeance 12x is currently the most effective sorcery tactic to use, changing either transmute or vengeance would be a nerf to sorcery.

The recommendation was made to change transmute and remove the p.i., but I want to emphasize that this recommendation is incorrect. The recommendation was also made to only use c.o.p. to set the p.i. because the cooldown matches the duration of the p.i., but that recommendation is also incorrect. Transmute is more effective for setting the p.I. precisely because it has a short cooldown. Most enemies don't live 12 seconds before the player/group is moving on and fighting new enemies such that a new p.i. application is needed. Transmute-vengeance is fast and 100% effective.

I just tested Moja's Storm-Barrage-Bolt rotation in multiple instances and the problem is that the projectiles just don't track the targets well. The enemies are all moving and the projectiles miss half the time. Half the time. Vengeance doesn't miss. Moja, if you can make projectiles hit 100% of the time like vengeance does, then your projectile powers will possibly become useable. My testimony is that projectile powers cannot reliably hit any moving targets. Please make projectiles track targets, and please don't change transmute or vengeance b/c they actually do work. Thanks.

PS. PftT superpowered 165sp in might

You're right in that for short lived mobs a quicker BK applicator would be more effective than Circle. However, the intent of the analysis contemplated maximum damage output against a single target, raid boss type entities where the fights last much longer than 12 seconds and then sturdier multi-target groups.

Glad that you confirm that Vengeance outperforms the projectiles in many circumstances. The testing also found that to be true.

I tested all combinations my highest score on 3 dummys was 10k (gear, SP full) , with nature i do easy over 15k. The only way for demage is bow melee. Preferably tested on dummys, not with other DPS in Raids, when you beat an electric with higher CR, then do this guy something wrong...

Well, what am I supposed to say?

It's not like developers are nerfing powers/weapons based on my feedback.

I should add that bow smoke bomb is pure melee move and has substantial risk in pulling it off.

I don't care about the developers any more, the revamp is no different than AM/WM era in the sense that some powers are still OP while a large bunch falls in second tier DPS powers.

If the developers really wanted to fix stuff instead of making it worse than before, they would have listened to player feedback at appropriate time.

The nerf hammer is their own assessment, look at how they picked on Atomic despite the fact that rarely anyone called it OP or Tier 1 power.

You can gauge the developer mindset by looking at the feedback on this thread itself. Sorcery is a trash power (I used a power respec to switch to electricity for my healer) and despite player feedback, I only hear 'that you players are not doing things right and some BS explanation on the order of the powers within the powerset without any input on their intent to fix anything.

I just think in general sorc ia underperforming imo,it needs a full around buff on its powers

Yep. Love being told I'm playing a power wrong, after 6+ years.

Why spend the time fixing them. Just remove the projectiles across the board. They are all having issues. No reason to spend money and time on powers no one seems to like, and miss.

I really think working with players on this would be best. There has been no communication, until late, to contradict one of the devs saying the projectiles missing is a skill thing, I can find the thread if needed. Sorry, but I haven't seen anyone say how much they love those powers. We want our transmute and shards back and maybe an explanation of why those were even changed in the first place.

I mean, it's your game to do with as you please, but this past month going from and telling me it was skill based to now you understand the issue, but I don't think you do.

Please keep the communication open. Some of us done have computers to help with that kind of testing. There are obviously a few in this thread that seem very willing to help.

Found it.

https://forums.daybreakgames.com/dcuo/index.php?threads/terror-tendrils-bug.289152/#post-3998857

I still feel like sorcery will underpreform even if the projectiles were fixed there is more issues than just the projectiles, please take that into consideration. Sorcery didn't get that much attention during the last leg of the revamp and its suffering now because of it.

Other powers have identities and mechanics but the only mechanics sorcery has is missing projectiles and learning which iconic powers we can grab to make it perform. Please don't give this the nature and electric treatment and have us forever waiting on a hotfix.

I have no idea how much effort would need to go into fixing powers that miss. I do know for a fact that this was happening with fury missing during AM times, it was never addressed back then. What's really bothersome is we just went thru an entire revamp which had to cover every power and every ability in game.

How does one take any solace in the fact you are cognizant of the issue if, we juat went through all of this and it actually got worse. I'm not some conspiracy nut that thinks "devs are doing this to sell respecs" but wow! All this time and the official response is "we are investigating?"

That's a tough pill to swallow for those who main in Sorcery powers

+1

Give it a couple of years, like waiting for Nature and Electric DPS to be relevant...

I don't understand why powers are not looked at WITHOUT ICONIC/MOVEMENT abilities being thrown into the mix. Its great these abilities are viable, and some players may elect to incorporate them into their load out, but IMO players should not HAVE TO include them in their load out just to be effective if they don't want to. Some players elect to be true to the power they selected to play. Not everyone wants to run around with a robot side kick or sonic shout when they are sorcery for example...

SMH. There is SO much wrong here, why did we wait all this time just to be right back where we were before the revamp?!?! No balance, under performing, and underwhelming results.

No paid testers and ZERO guidance from the devs on a player testing standard.

Sorcery never had much to work with and by changing 2 key powers it was brought down to bottom dps.

It all started with re purposing superpowers because of cooldowns and animation time goals.
First thing I still dont understand is why Shard of Life was completely removed from Sorcery in first revamp version. I mean Shard of Life clipped with Weapon of Destiny has been the cornerstone of any good Sorcery loadout ever since Shard was introduced. In fact, at the time that Shard also had a stunning CC effect it was probably one of the 2 best superpowers in game along with old DoT version of Mass Terror.
Second thing is changing Transmutation to its current crippled version.
Transmutation was the hardest hitting burst ability in the game to use with Weapon mastery's old crit window. Even in AMs and Fury era, Transmutation has been a corner stone superpower for quick weapon clipping.

The only good thing that happened to Sorcery, was that Circle of Destruction was changed to set PI instead of utilizing it. Sorcery has always been best played as a burst power set and having a 12 sec DoT that need a PI wasnt optimal.

Now if Transmutation is restored to its formal glory, I think that will pretty much settle down Pet loadouts. Problem is that I dont see enough of variety and there is lack of high power cost/high hitting superpowers for a PftT loadout. As others stated, one should not have to resort to 50%+ iconic loadout to be able to keep up with other power sets' PftT. We would need additional 300 power cost PI setting up superpower and at least 1-2 more 300-400 power cost high hitters. What we currently have is only good for low power cost Weapon/Pet based loadouts and nothing else.

Don't worry guys, they've fixed both sorcery and mental!

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Which two moves did you have in mind to increase the power costs for? I totally agree we need more hard hitter moves for PFtT.

That depends on what will become of projectiles. If they are changed not to miss, both Soul Storm and Soul Barrage should be buffed to 300 power cost. In that case, Transmutation can fill the 200 power cost PI utilizing spot which could work well for Pet loadouts while projectiles will be solely for PftT.

Additional problem with Soul Storm is that damage is canceled if you jump. Ive said this like one jillion times during the revamp with no result. There are no other superpowers to act like that beside Frost Blast and Fireburst. Ive no idea how is Soul Storm treated like, is it a channel or not. Matter of fact is that you cant move or jump while casting it, which is a huge downside.

Id also like 1 additional CC superpower to be added like Avalanche. Pre revamp, Soul Storm used to knockdown and send multiple orbs at enemies exactly like Avalanche. This kind of CC is very good for solos and sorcery could use 1 "new" power.

Karmic backlash needs to be 300