Shrapnel Shot

Not so much feedback, but more of a question; is the AoE distance "fixed"? As in, Can I run Shrapnel Shot with slower projectiles without any penalty to my AoE?

Currently in Cruel with a pretty standard Bow Ranger tree. Shrapnel shot feels like it needs better scaling to make it worthwhile. Ice Shot does far more damage due to the higher weapon scaling. Tornado Shot provides way better coverage. I haven't compared Lightning Arrow directly yet but it seems better on paper. Shrapnel Shot isn't terrible but it doesn't seem to offer anything that existing bow skills don't do better.

Pretty unimpressed...I can't really find much reason to use it over Ice Shot. Both skills are bow projectile skills based around creating AoE cones, but Ice Shot has good scaling, can create multiple overlapping AoEs via piercing, and has strong synergy with the Hypothermia gem. Shrapnel Shot, however, has lower scaling, the AoE is based on your character's position, and the only thing it has over Ice Shot is the built in pierce.

I have been using Shrapnel Shot from the start of the league.
I have a pretty default non crit ranger build.
I am in act 2 Cruel right now but the skill starts missing damage.
It takes me 5 shot's to finish a white mob.
I have 32% attack speed.
121% increased phys with bows.
My bow is a Grove bow with 52-137 Phys.
I don't think it's my gear or my links. When I only change shrapnel for Ice arrow my tooltip changes from 754 with shrapnel to 1128 with ice shot.
When I don't use any links, my shrapnel does 630 tooltip and my ice shot does 934.

The other thing I have noticed is that the lightning damage doesn't shock. Not even once.
What I would like is the skill be changed to do more damage in close range. Right now, there is no benefit from the "cone of lightning" that you have at close range.

The only thing that I am fond of is the 100% pierce chance, but I thought the skill was more designed as a close range skill and I don't think that it does what it should.

To bad because the skill sounded promising but as it is right now, there are way better skills to use.
I will respec my ranger to something else then close range because I don't see this is gona work in the long run.

If people find out a good way to use the skill, please let me know because I like to try out new things, but the damage is lacking any way I can think of.

This skill is in an odd place right now.

It's useful at VERY low levels, since for most of Normal mode we don't have many options for area of effect bow attacks, and the built-in pierce here really helps with that.

But the skill has very low damage - at level 1 it does 80% of base damage, while Ice Shot does 120% at the same level.

The fact it pierces hints it was aimed to be used at long range, but the cone damage hints it was made to be used at close range; while trying to do two things, Shrapnel Shot ends being not great at either, and inferior to other options.

I suggesting splitting this skill in two:

1. A bow skill with 100% pierce. Give it some other property to make it interesting; for example, it could have the opposite of point blank, as in, it does more damage to enemies that are far away but reduced damage to close enemies.

2. A bow skill with a short-range cone of damage. Allow the cone to pierce but remove piercing from the arrow, significantly increase the cone damage, and we would have something interesting for a shotgun-style bow gameplay.

It helps against necromancers at lower levels but then remains unused in swap after you get... well. almost any other bow skill in 2-4L. Seriously, I was hoping for something better.

Question, does the aoe overlap with lmp?

I have been trying this out, but it appears to me it does not. Which seems odd, it's an AOE component which should in theory overlap creating a hefty burst dps output in cone-range.

Might be because i am only playing norm act1 though.

But i tested firing an arrow without lmp at a monkey, which roughly did 80% of it's hp.(inside the cone)

And then with lmp center focus in the cone which did like 60% of it's hp.(less multiplier from lmp effect)

So i have to wonder, why does the aoe component not overlap? That's inconsistent with current AOE behavior.

Peace,

-Boem-

"

Boem wrote:

Question, does the aoe overlap with lmp?

I have been trying this out, but it appears to me it does not. Which seems odd, it's an AOE component which should in theory overlap creating a hefty burst dps output in cone-range.

Might be because i am only playing norm act1 though.

But i tested firing an arrow without lmp at a monkey, which roughly did 80% of it's hp.(inside the cone)

And then with lmp center focus in the cone which did like 60% of it's hp.(less multiplier from lmp effect)

So i have to wonder, why does the aoe component not overlap? That's inconsistent with current AOE behavior.

Peace,

-Boem-

From what I can tell from my testing, Shrapnel Shot's wording is a little misleading and extra arrows don't generate extra AoEs - you get as many arrows as you shoot, and just the one AoE regardless of arrow numbers. This makes linking it to stuff like LMP a little problematic, since the extra projectiles might not be worth cutting down your AoE damage.

Of course, it's also entirely possible that my testing has just been a bit misleading; I'm still tinkering with it.

"

TherosPherae wrote:

From what I can tell from my testing, Shrapnel Shot's wording is a little misleading and extra arrows don't generate extra AoEs - you get as many arrows as you shoot, and just the one AoE regardless of arrow numbers. This makes linking it to stuff like LMP a little problematic, since the extra projectiles might not be worth cutting down your AoE damage.

Of course, it's also entirely possible that my testing has just been a bit misleading; I'm still tinkering with it.

your probably correct, however, i hope this is a bug.

If the aoe overlap works, this would be a magnificent skill to play pointblank with. It would fully benefit strategical placement then.

Currently it's just "here have autopierce at early levels"

Which is rather yawn inducing if its the only route to explore.

Peace,

-Boem-