Mirage Adjustments to make Clone / Ambush / Shatters Optimal and Fun

[Swiftwynd.1685]

Hello everyone, in anticipation for the upcoming condition damage alterations, I'd like to offer up examples of adjustments that could be made that would improve the flow of the "optimal" Mirage damage rotations, improving our overall damage eventually into the 32 to 35k+ range in Raid settings, while taking longer to reach these values due to an increase in ramp up time it requires to stack condi stacks.

 

At the end of the day, the end goal of all of these suggestions is to make the "optimal" damage rotations line up with the use of all weapon skills, shatters, and Ambushes, and far less reliant on autoattack and Phantasms damage, making the build a more active, engaging, and thematically "on point" play style.

 

 

 

With my suggestions, I used the following logical framework to ensure consistency and to maintain a healthy game play feel of "using all your tools wisely" as the optimal damage pattern:

 

1. Infinite Horizon would be made Base Line as a Minor Trait addition.

2. Ambush skills should always be a damage increase over Auto-Attacks

3. Weapon Skills should always be a damage increase over Auto-Attacks

4. Shatter Skills should always be a damage increase over Auto-Attacks, including the time it takes to re-summon them assuming your tools are available.

5. Clones should use Auto-Attacks and Ambushes at the same "potency" as the Mirage for Condition builds.

 

 

 

The above should result in an ideal situation in which:

 

The auto-maintained damage from clones and auto attacks for condition builds would go down a reasonably high in some cases, especially with weapons with stronger autos, but in many cases, the total seconds of condition applied by the non-auto attack abilities would be significantly greater in total duration, but with fewer stacks. Shatter skills, similarly, would actually be worth using, as the Axe 2 or other clone generating skills would actually be worth using as part of the damage rotation. This would create a much more fluid, fun, and active play style that actually rewards skillful management of clone generation, shatter timing, and Ambush use until Energy is consumed but also timed appropriately to still avoid important boss attacks.

 

 

 

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Axe Changes:

 

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**Ambush: Imaginary Axes**

 

**Current Balance Math:**

Mirage: 3 axes x 2 stacks x 4 seconds = 24 seconds of confusion from Mirage total

Clones: 3 clones x 2 axes x 4 seconds = 24 seconds of confusion from Mirage's Clones

Total Condition Duration Potential: 48 seconds base

 

**Total Max Duration: 96 seconds Confusion**

**Stacks per use: 12**

 

 

 

**New balance math:**

 

Changes: Now always uses 2 axes total from Mirage and Clones. Trait no longer adds third axe. Each axe would apply 8s of Confusion baseline.

 

Mirage and clones: 4 sources x 2 axes x 8 seconds = 64 seconds base, which can increase by 100% duration increase to reach 128 seconds of Confusion per Ambush.

 

**Total Max Duration: 128 seconds Confusion**

**Stacks per use: 8**

 

Comparison: We now stack 2/3rds as many stacks in a single use (33% reduction in burst potential) for an improvement of 33% damage total. This Ambush would be one of our strongest damage abilities for protracted fights, especially against foes that attack frequently.

 

 

 

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**Auto Attack Chain:**

 

**Current Balance Math:** Over a 2.25 second period of time:

Mirage and Clones: 4 sources x 2 second Bleed + 4 sources x 2 second Torment + 4 sources of x 6 second Bleed + 4 sources of x 6 second Torment.

 

**Total Max Duration: 64 seconds of Bleed and 64 seconds of Torment per completed Auto Chain = 128 seconds total conditions**

**Stacks per use: 8 Bleeds and 8 Torments**

 

**New balance math:**

 

Changes: Spread damage out across chain and it now allows the Chain to continue on after using other skills (similar to Scepter) but reduced total condition duration slightly. The new values leave this purely as "filler" and all other abilities should be gauged against the new Autochain as the target to beat.

 

4 Sources x (3 Second Bleed > 3 Second Torment > 4 Second Bleed and Torment)

 

**Total Max Duration: 56 seconds of Bleed and 56 seconds of Torment = 112 seconds total.**

**Stacks per use: 8 Bleeds and 8 Torments**

 

 

 

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**Lingering Thoughts:**

 

**Current Balance Math:** 8 second recharge.

Mirage only does damage: 3 x 4 second Torment

 

**Total Max Duration: 24 seconds of Torment**

**Stacks per use: 3 Torments**

 

**New balance math:**

 

Changes: Increased animation speed, reduced after cast, delay on second use removed, drastically increased duration on the Torment and reduced stacks to make this a competitive dps skill, particularly when Whirled through fields and if used after Shattering. Two uses in a row is now comparable DPS or slightly better than a full auto chain at slightly faster to complete.

 

Mirage only does damage: 2 x 15 seconds of Torment.

 

**Total Max Duration: 60 seconds of Torment.**

**Stacks per use: 2 Torments**

 

 

 

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**Axes of Symmetry:**

 

**Current Balance Math:** 10 second recharge.

Mirage: 5 stacks x 4 seconds of Confusion.

Clones: 1 stack x 3 sources x 4 second Confusion.

 

**Total Max Duration: 64 seconds of Confusion**

**Stacks per use: 8 Confusion**

 

**New balance math:**

 

Changes: Drastically increased the duration but limited it to one Confusion stack per hit from all sources, Mirage's hit no longer stacks multiples by itself. This now has the same DPS potential as the Ambush skill, but takes twice as long to run its course. This is now ideal for "longer" fights or initiating engagements in open world as you "Switch" to a new target with more health.

 

4 Sources x 16 seconds Confusion.

 

**Total Max Duration: 128 seconds of Confusion.**

**Stacks per use: 4 Confusion**

[Swiftwynd.1685]

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**Shatter Adjustments**

 

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**Illusion Trait Line: Illusionary Retribution -**

Original: Shatters skills inflict 3 seconds Confusion on hit.

Change: Increased duration to 9 seconds.

 

**Cry of Frustration -**

Original: Inflicts 3 seconds of Confusion on hit.

Change: Increased duration to 9 seconds.

 

 

 

Both of these baseline effects are entirely too week for the difficulty of shattering and re-summoning clones, especially given the recharge timer on Cry of Frustration. 8 confusions stacks for what was originally a max of 6 seconds each, or 48 seconds total, is abysmally under performing compared to the other Condition damage options. With the new adjustments, you now get the following:

 

8 Stacks with 4-Shatter, lasting a total of 144 seconds of Confusion. (Maim the Disillusioned would add another 48 seconds of Torment)

 

This now has become our single largest damage source, at the cost of a significant recharge timer (21 seconds without alacrity) as well as the effort of having to resummon Clones after using this. The other shatters would not be worth shattering for a DPS increase. With these changes, shattering with CoF would absolutely be worth weaving into our damage rotations.

 

In a PVP scenario, this also condenses a lot of our "burst" into the higher televised Shatters, Ambushes, and other axe skills, rather than a constant stream of auto attacks alongside bursty condition spam. COF takes 18 seconds to realize its full damage.

 

 

 

[Swiftwynd.1685]

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Staff Changes:

 

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**Ambush: Chaos Vortex**

 

**Current Balance Math:** 1 second Cast time.

Mirage and Clones: 4 sources x 2 stacks Bleeding x 6 seconds + 3 stacks Burning x 3 seconds = 48 seconds of Bleeding and 9 seconds of Burning total

 

**Total Condition Duration Potential: 96 seconds of Bleed and 18 Seconds of Burning.**

**Stacks per use: 8 Bleeding, 4 Burning**

 

 

 

**New balance math:**

 

Changes: 3/4th second cast time reduced from 1 second, Bleeding reduced to 1 stack and increased to 15 seconds, burning increased to 4 seconds. This slight bump in potency should place it in a closer place with Axe on a per-use basis, although Axe will still retain its superiority in that it is faster to execute and thus squeeze in more damage from other attacks. Chaos Vortex would still have the range and AOE benefit, along with its enhancements and vulnerability stacking.

 

Mirage and Clones: 4 sources x 1 stacks Bleeding x 15 seconds + 3 stacks Burning x 4 seconds = 48 seconds of Bleeding and 12 seconds of Burning total

 

**Total Condition Duration Potential: 120 seconds of Bleed and 24 Seconds of Burning.**

**Stacks per use: 4 Bleeding, 4 Burning**

 

Comparison: We now stack bleeds twice a slow, but gain more total damage from them, and the Burning being slightly longer also adds to the backend damage, making this a competitive damage option for Ambush while still not surpassing Axe.

 

 

 

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**Auto Attack: Winds of Chaos**

 

**Current Balance Math:** Over a 1.32 second period of time:

Mirage and Clones: 4 sources x (7 second Bleed OR 4 sources x 1 second Burn OR no damage but 5s Vulnerability) x chance of second bounce.

 

**Total Max Duration: 56 to 112 seconds of Bleed OR 8 to 16 seconds of Burn Or just 4 to 8 stacks of Vulnerability**

**Stacks per use: 4 to 8 Bleeds OR 4 to 8 Burn OR 4 to 8 Vulnerability**

 

**New balance math:**

 

Changes: Dear god has this skill not aged well at all. I will be shocked if this is not altered on Tuesday's patch. I recommend altering it to: Release a projectile that bounces between foes and allies, hitting up to 5 foes and 5 allies only once. Inflicts 1 Vulnerability (10s), 1 Burning (2s), and 1 Bleeding (10s) on each foe and 2 Might (10s) and Fury (3s) to each ally. This would transition this skill into a "true AOE" auto attack that attempts to seek out each available enemy and ally to give them a conditions or boons, while removing the random components and potential 'high' double stacking based on chance. While the staff numbers may seem high, its almost important to note that staff has almost no Power based damage period, so the in game values balance out well.

 

4 Sources x (10 Second Bleed + 2 Second Burn)

 

**Total Max Duration: 80 seconds of Bleed and 16 seconds of Burning.**

**Stacks per use: 4 Bleeds and 4 Burns**

 

 

 

 

I have a lot of suggestions for rewords for existing staff skills, but if it is intended to "keep" a lot of its offensive potential in its Auto attack, the above chances would be enough with the existing staff skills to keep it somewhat a viable alternative for some content or some unique mixed support / condition builds for fury/might/vulnerability stacking while maintaining consistently decent AOE damage.