Perforate

The Blood version of this skill is pretty underwhelming. I tried using it for a while, but it seemed to not do any noticeable damage at all, and its range is pretty small as well.

The Sand version is much better, due to its good AOE range.

I think the Blood version needs some buffs, because it just feels worthless, even at the beginning of the game. Maybe give this skill a chance to cause bleeding, or have it cause Impale, as it would fit well with the fx of this skill (a bunch of bloody spikes "impalings" your enemies).

"Perforate" is aoe skill.
But "concentrated effect" does not effect to damage.
Only effect to aoe range.
Is it normal?

The skill is kinda underwhelming. Blood in particular. It hits multiple times on some targets which is nice, could be good for trying to proc shock or freeze, but in a way it feels like it has to land every hit on a target to reach its actual listed DPS. It could do with its damage decrease in Blood being lessened.

Hello, I have been enjoying the Legion expansion. I think its my favorite so far!

Regarding Perforate, I have been playing extensively in the early game with new characters and I can also echo the sentiment that the Blood Stance Perforate needs a boost. (lv 1-20 SSF physical shadow, lv 1-15 HC SSF melee axe Duelist)

After unlocking the Blood & Sand skill gem, the Sand version of Perforate is superior in all instances - even with the exact same gear. It has more damage, more range, adds survivability with its much larger range and adds clear speed with its large area of damage all around the character.

Even in single target (boss fight/tanky rare) situations where the Blood Perforate should be performing well, it is usually a numerical wash with the Sand version and it loses out with its short range.

I would like to see some tweaks to the skill because in the current incarnation there is really little use for the Blood Stance version.

Some suggestions on how to improve the skill: Either a few more repeats of the Spikes appearing, additional chance to bleed or damage vs bleeding targets, or a further way to differentiate it.

But my favorite approach would be something like the treatment that Lacerate has received in 3,7 would be a good move. That is where there is a "standard version" of Perforate (which could be the current version) and then when you equip blood stance it gets some additional effects and boosts outside of what the Aura provides. This would allow the addition of Blood and Sand to feel unique without totally having to invalidate Blood Perforate.

Thank you for being a great developer!

Appears as if perforate is possibly broken and the ability is not shotgunning properly and not scaling with a multitude of gems. (pulverise, maim, shockwave, concentrated effect etc etc)

Currently blood stance is completely useless and sand stance version of perforate underperforms other aoe mellee skills.

I love the skill's behaviour with multiple hits in blood stance, and I had planned to play it this league, but I noticed 2 main issues which made me go for cyclone instead.

1. In sand stance, the star shape is quite annoying. You hit around you, but the shapes makes that a few ennemies always survive. That makes you either leave half the ennemies alive, or take twice the usual time to clear a mob pack.
I think a solution to that would be to make increases to AoE affect the width of branches (and maybe not the length), so the skill keeps his special pattern, with the possibility of making it smoother to play it with some investment.
Other possiblity : a treshold jewel that adds additional branches (and why not additional spikes in blood stance)

2. Blood stance range is really awful. It's actually worse than Heavy Strike's before the added melee range everywhere, I think. It has a huge damage counterpart (at least in theory), but even though, it definitely doesn't feel worth it (especially since you have to have to hug the ennemy to make a reliable number of spikes hit). The random spawning pattern of spikes is also sometimes frustrating, but I guess every skill has to have a drwaback. ^^
A solution to that would be to make it scale better with AoE and appear further from your character scaling on melee range (that would also make blood stance more different from a small Ground Slam).

And, last frustrating thing : the skill gem has very few information on it : we don't know how weapon range and AoE affect forms (does AoE affect sand stance hits? Does weapon range affect the skill at all?), and we don't know how many spikes appear in blood stance (it the a fixed number of spikes or does it depend on the AoE?)

I think if a solution was found for these problems, Perforate would be great to use (maybe it would require a nerf to compensate the smoother use, but it would certainly make a lot of players enjoy it).

Thanks for everything, and, once again, I think this skill was a great idea !

I kinda like the sand version of this skill, although i was expecting the waves to work with Ancestral Call aswell, but it doesn't.
It would be nice if the waves would also count as projectiles.

As for the blood version, i don't understand why it needs that 65% penalty to make it probably the worst single target skill in the game.

The skill is garbage, sand form works rather as Lightning strike but projectile direction is not 'fixed', while dual-wielding you may occasionally miss static target when trying to use sand form at some distance.
Blood form spread is random, you can't attack a point blank single target with a predictable result, the skill deal no damage sometimes.

I was so excited by the skill announce. Currently 20/20 uncorrupted gem cost less than 15c. it's a damn huge red flag.

Used a starter skill until cyclone unlocked with a Duelist. Love it in sand stance finding damage and AOE to be good but of course didn't use it past lvl 31. In blood stance it's terrible. Agree with the previous comments suggesting adding bleed or impale secondary effect in blood stance so it could be used as single target skill.

I think the skill has a lot of potential in that it could be used as an alternative to gem swapping for aoe vs single target just by toggling stances. I would tie the aoe increase to level instead of quality but only in sand stance, and tie strength of bleed/impale effect to level in blood stance and reduce the damage penalty in blood stance. Quality could improve either damage or attack speed.

Additionally adding usable weapon types seems reasonable as it requires ground slamming. Certainly staves and unarmed make sense. Give it the physical tag as well.