Can we please have this changed to use our casting skills to determine hit rate instead of Focus? Focus is kind a lost stat. There is virtually nothing we can do to increase it. It isn't itemized on gear. It is on very few buffs. At least if you change it to Disruption, you know like damage spells, we could have some means to increase it. Disruption actually occasionally gets put on gear (though more often then not that has been forgotten lately as well) and is on some more buffs. It is something that we can increase with adorns. It is something we have some semblance of control over. Is there some reason that hit rates are determined by focus? It makes no sense to me. It just compounds the fact that spell weapon stats (which honestly shouldn't exist) are useless except for reforging in to something else since the hit rates are awful and when it does hit it doesn't hit for much at all.
I was actually just talking about this with Koncept earlier, and do agree that Focus, as a skill, is hard to come by. Really the only sources of that skill are 34 on Magi's Shielding, and 198 from a fully enhanced Song of Magic (and a small amount as an AA option for some classes). It doesn't exist on gear (though they were about to start adding it to gear around the same time as "move while casting" was being tested, but then that got scrapped, as did Focus as a stat appearing on gear). Using the focus skill could work, but really, it would need to be itemized in meaningful amounts. I also agree with you regarding the seperation of melee and spell weapon mod stats - it seems unnecessary and also just leads to an unnecessarily long list of blue stats on items. I would have rather both been merged, and then base auto attack damage values adjusted to retain balance.
I always thought this stat was funny, it is like a giant deja vu itemization mistake from the past. For many years EQ2 had separation of ranged and melee auto attacks and in general it just created a giant itemization nightmare. After years of the headache of trying to balance it out, they just came to realize it was just dumb to keep the stats separate. Then here we are today, repeating the exact same mistake with a new auto attack, spell weapon auto attack. There is a very easy way to adjust spell weapon auto attack from being over powered, just adjust the base amounts as its required.
I also think its interesting how there are no adornments for Spell Weapon Auto Attack, no classes really buff Spell Weapon Auto Attack, and no AAs have really been changed to effect Spell Weapon Auto Attack. (Enchanter AAs are still melee based, don't effect spell weapon attack, etc). The only realistic solution think I can think of which wouldn't require reworking a ton would be to make the Spell Weapon stats work like Spell Casting Time and Spell Reuse; they should stack with the melee version. ex. Melee AE attack + Spell Weapon AE == actuall Spell Weapon AE attack chance. Fendaria
Fendaria wrote: Everything about SWA was pourly thought out and implemented, I really don't expect them to have the time or resources to re-work the entire system into something that actually makes sense now. The OP's request to move it from focus to disruption though does sound like a reasonable change that could be done with reasonable effort.
They tried to give troubs a spell weapon auto buff in aod beta through prestige. It didn't go over well.
Orthureon wrote: Ammo really doesnt belong in the discussion, since for the most part spell weapon is used to trigger procs more than obtain dps. While ammo consumption is indeed over the top, that isnt what this thread is about, since they are wanting to be able to actually hit a target to get the proc off. But then, if you didnt have a complaint somewhere on these boards at least once a day something would be off. edit: I wouldn't be opposed to having an ammo requirement for spell weapons, not like I use the quiver slot for anything or have 8x attacks go off at once.
