Buff warlock single target damage

Sarlona Raiding

Well-known member
I like crowd control and chain but if I need more damage then I turn off chain.

Chain and Cone have the exact same damage since a minor to update to warlock a few years ago. It was a good change helpful to warlock as a buff to chain was definitely needed.

I did limited testing of 10 quests at the time of this change, and in all 10 quests I was able to clear the dungeon faster with chain than cone. I thought it would be more of a mix, but it seems chain hits everything cone would hit and more. The main negative of chain is that you may hit things you don't want to hit which could be an issue in groups where you don't want to pull aggro. I still use focused blast for solo boss fights, but use chain if there is a boss and mobs. I use penetrating blast to get around dr on things like golems. And of course wave is a great SLA.

Chain is a big reason why warlocks are still good at dungeon clearing despite low single-target dps.

T5 tainted scholar makes no difference in dps, it seems like there is some limiting issue with the animation.

T6 tainted scholar adds about 10% damage to crits only 270% vs 245%), but in a limited test of 10 dungeons I cleared 8 out of 10 dungeons faster with SE T5/Capstone, T4 Tainted and a splash to feydark illusionist with greater color spray than I did with SE T5, Tainted Scholar T4 and Capstone. These results could be based on my playstyle a bit - I played warlock heavily from the time it was new until about a year ago when I swapped to druid. Your single target damage will be marginally higher with T5 SE and T4/Capstone TS so if raiding is the main focus you probably want the latter split.

My previous warlock is now a druid and even with a 17 druid, 3 fighter split my single-target dps and dungeon clearing speed are both better. I don't use the druid for raiding very often. Single target damage is still too low and Sorc is better at trash duty.
 

rabidfox

The People's Champion
I get what you're saying and I agree those tools are needed to maximize DPS. However, the OP's point is that Eldritch Blast, a core mechanic of the class, is under performing--and it is. In a way, your suggestion is no different than my sarcastic one: Warlocks would do more damage be invest 41 points into Inquisitive. But that's not the point, is it?
100%. I've tried various ED setups; some do better than others. I've done gruin/ruin setups, it feels less like the blaster warlock I leveled; which makes it not as much fun as other options (and the dps on bosses still doesn't take me where I could be vs just running gruin/ruin on other classes). Between (g)ruins and epic attacks are warlock abilities that are effectively filler damage; and compared the filler others get, it's falls off on bosses. I agree if one is just holding LMB then it'll should be on the lower end; but I (and others) don't just do that when playing (even if the video at the start is comparing auto-attacks to show the difference in how they hold up for emphasis on the issue).

A warlock themed ED that boosts blast would equally solve a bunch of issues and let them bake in another mantle & T5 that works well on blaster locks. Upping single target blast damage is the simplest solution I've got to the frustrating stuff I run into currently that doesn't require that level of work from the devs.
 

Sarlona Raiding

Well-known member
I get what you're saying and I agree those tools are needed to maximize DPS. However, the OP's point is that Eldritch Blast, a core mechanic of the class, is under performing--and it is. In a way, your suggestion is no different than my sarcastic one: Warlocks would do more damage be invest 41 points into Inquisitive. But that's not the point, is it?

Overwhelming Critical and Patience are baked into martial character dps so Greater Ruin/ Ruin should also be included since those are essential to any warlock build just like overwhelming critical. My comment was only in response to a question about whether those should be included in the testing. I believe they should and a test without those isn't really a valid test in my opinion as a test should be a typical warlock rotation and not just their weakest dps option. Any change to warlock needs to factor in how warlock performs at heroic levels and epic feats and abilities.

I played alot of warlock in the past and made the suggestion of boosting the focused blast scaliing many times, including when they did the most recent warlock mini-update. So I agree with the OP on the suggestion 100%. The decision to go with 125% scaling at end game was baffling to me then and baffling to me now.

My specific suggestion at the time was that each of the epic warlock feats should also increase the % of focused blast scaling so it doesn't impact heroic leveling where warlocks don't need a boost (at least in my experience), but gives warlock a boost where they need, epic levels and especially end game. Or if easier just provide a new better focused blast available in the feat list.
 

rabidfox

The People's Champion
Overwhelming Critical and Patience are baked into martial character dps so Greater Ruin/ Ruin should also be included since those are essential to any warlock build just like overwhelming critical. My comment was only in response to a question about whether those should be included in the testing. I believe they should and a test without those isn't really a valid test in my opinion as a test should be a typical warlock rotation and not just their weakest dps option. Any change to warlock needs to factor in how warlock performs at heroic levels and epic feats and abilities.
Like I said, people are welcome to post their times if they want to get total numbers. I later posted a normal play rotation on both my arti and my lock; and I'm equally curious what time differences others get between various classes/builds.
I opted to just auto-attack for it (fusillade, active attacks, the Shiradi epic moment, etc. vs active attacks on the warlock would've increase the gap even greater)
Auto-attack video 1m vs 2m (give or take) a 1:2 ratio (1m vs 1.5m 1:1.5 with magma). With using all attacks available to me, 22s vs 1m22s a 1:3.7 ratio. Like the comment I opened with, the gap grew (which aligned exactly with my day to day game play experience of running both characters); I simply wanted to emphasize the blast damage and not compare all the other clutter too without deep diving every little build difference (those that both improve and worse the gap).


As for warlock TS core 18 that's been mentioned: Video with and without it, you can guess which side is which as it won't make any difference:
And that's been bug report for a long long time (that bug and bug reports for it go back beyond this, just the earlier post my search found from me on the current forums).
The attack faster bit in core 5 tainted doesn't seem to do anything. A guildy mentioned that ages ago Lich tried even faster attack speeds out on a test server and it still did nothing (so it wasn't just that 10% was too small to notice). Not sure if there's a potentional fix for it or if should just be replaced with something else.

YIHEaOa.jpg
 

The Nameless One

What can change the nature of a man ?
Would an additional “charge up” mechanic work? Similar to runearms? The longer you hold, the greater AoE and damage.
 

Oliphant

Well-known member
Would be cool if they redid the cone so the nose of the cone (closest to you) put out good single target sized dps while the rest of the cone perhaps stays the same. Or with chain, the direct target gets more dps.
 

rabidfox

The People's Champion
Would be cool if they redid the cone so the nose of the cone (closest to you) put out good single target sized dps while the rest of the cone perhaps stays the same. Or with chain, the direct target gets more dps.
Not really need IMO. We've already got 2 single target blast shapes; everyone gets one at warlock creation, the other in t4 TS. Swapping between blast shapes for the situation is a solid gameplay mechanic; they just need to be better with the damage they do.
 

The Nameless One

What can change the nature of a man ?
Not really need IMO. We've already got 2 single target blast shapes; everyone gets one at warlock creation, the other in t4 TS. Swapping between blast shapes for the situation is a solid gameplay mechanic; they just need to be better with the damage they do.
Sooooo.. just up the damage?

Literally takes like 5 minutes switching a few numbers around in the code for bigger numbers?
 

Nod

I don't work for SSG- I pay their bills.
Would an additional “charge up” mechanic work? Similar to runearms? The longer you hold, the greater AoE and damage.
Not a bad idea elminster. I think what all warlocks want is to have even more of a delay in their blasting. We could make it so they charge for ~30 seconds before firing, and it just fires out greater ruins on repeat. Big brain
 

rabidfox

The People's Champion
Sooooo.. just up the damage?

Literally takes like 5 minutes switching a few numbers around in the code for bigger numbers?
Pretty much, my suggestion is literally changing the 2 single target's spell power scalers from the the current 125%/150% to something higher. Simple, fast, would only effect single target so no fallout of becoming broken AoE killing machines if the numbers are off. If too low still they could bump it up more, if it's too high they could bump it back down.

Make default single target blast stance 200% SP scaling and Enervating Shadow 250% (or 300%) via their default scaling or replace the broken TS core 18 with that or something something; it needs a huge boost.
 

The Nameless One

What can change the nature of a man ?
This really seems like an easy fix and would placate a decent chunk of the player base; why won’t SSG just not do this? Feel like this takes literally 5 minutes.
 

EinarMal

Well-known member
This really seems like an easy fix and would placate a decent chunk of the player base; why won’t SSG just not do this? Feel like this takes literally 5 minutes.
So is removing the high reaper spell nerf that is not at all needed after the epic strike nerf and MCL changes.

No one knows why they do not revert/change things that no longer make any sense.

If you compare something like hunts end, quick cutter, adrenaline to the crappy caster strikes it's laughable.
 

kmoustakas

Scourge of Xaos
This video is a just a basic comparison of my utility arti vs my warlock (there's much higher melee/ranged/caster builds out there that would do way faster times). I opted to just auto-attack for it (fusillade, active attacks, the Shiradi epic moment, etc. vs active attacks on the warlock would've increase the gap even greater). The warlock was in enervating shadow stance for 150% single target scaling. This is just to emphasize just how bad warlock's boss damage is at cap.

So yeah, buff warlock single target damage. Make default single target blast stance 200% SP scaling and Enervating Shadow 250% (or 300%) via their default scaling or replace the broken TS core 18 with that or something something; it needs a huge boost.
Warlocks are my favourite class in 3.5 and my favourite class in 5e. I have not played a warlock in DDO yet and that's because I don't understand what was the thought process behind them.

They are not like in 3.5 and they are not like in 5e. In 5e I've played a ton of warlocks and it's against single targets that they shine the most either thanks to multiple eldritch blast beams on riders like hex/spirit shroud etc or eldritch smites or comboes like upcast scorching rays and riders
 

woq

Well-known member
I'm sure they're simply waiting to implement the warlock-saving fix that lets them summon demons that all blast for you...
 

Finngon

Well-known member
A warlock themed ED that boosts blast would equally solve a bunch of issues and let them bake in another mantle & T5 that works well on blaster locks. Upping single target blast damage is the simplest solution I've got to the frustrating stuff I run into currently that doesn't require that level of work from the devs.
Didn't Steelstar mention like 1 ½ years ago that there is gonna be a third force ED tree (assuming Primal Avatar is not counted as a proper force tree since they didn't mention it) coming in the future, likely the Warlock-themed ED tree of sort?
 

Peated Problems

Active member
Didn't Steelstar mention like 1 ½ years ago that there is gonna be a third force ED tree (assuming Primal Avatar is not counted as a proper force tree since they didn't mention it) coming in the future, likely the Warlock-themed ED tree of sort?
What a useless ED tree. They hate players having access to good force attacks.

Force is exceptionally dangerous into players because it ignores everything people rely on. Force is exceptionally useless FOR players because monsters don't have 200 mrr, you just have a damage penalty.
But they still want to keep force weak, because it ignores things. Things they don't use.
 
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