Vaal Lightning Strike

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stonespeak wrote:

Also I believe it will keep arc-ing back and forth until the timer is up OR the initial struck mob dies... so best to use on a rare mob/etc.

Considering you have to kill 64 enemies to use it why waste it when there isn't at least a rare around?

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Telzen wrote:

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stonespeak wrote:

Also I believe it will keep arc-ing back and forth until the timer is up OR the initial struck mob dies... so best to use on a rare mob/etc.

Considering you have to kill 64 enemies to use it why waste it when there isn't at least a rare around?

Agree, and I'm not using this Vaal gem (using Vaal fireball). I think this skill needs a change similar to what KenshiD said above.

This vaal gem seemed very lack luster when I first started using it. I had the same problem as most of these people have pointed out. If the mob dies, it basically becomes a total waste. So it only can be used on high life mobs.

However, now that I know how it works I think it has some potential.
I tend to bring down rares and uniques in invasion pretty quickly, but I am still in normal. That fact alone makes it not much to say. I'll have to report back on it when I actually level more with it.

The gem description is a bit misleading when it says it will arc between "them and other nearby enemies", but it never says that the first enemy needs to be alive to continually arc. Clarifying that in the description could go a very long way for new players and generally anyone interested in it.

I do have a few questions I hope someone could clarify and or answer...

What would the best way to modify the damage of the beams?

From reading the feedback post on lightning strike I would assume the beams are projectiles just as well.

Does this mean that the best way to modify the damage is through projectile and physical increases too? (Melee still shouldn't apply)

Can chain, fork, gmp, or lmp work for the beams?

One would think it would act like the skill arc, meaning it always pierces so none of those
would apply besides maybe chain. However, aren't the beams a duration, so would it really do anything?

Lastly, when the mob is hit, is the electrical effect from the skill, or is it actually a shock stack?

Edit

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soul4hdwn wrote:

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Wootness wrote:

Does anyone know how this works with a melee splash support?

similar to what happens with puncture, infernal blow (if also killing), or viper strike. all affected foes should gain effects of the skill(s).

Lightning strike doesn't create more beams when melee splash is used, so I would assume using melee splash with the vaal version shouldn't either because they are separate parts. I could be wrong though.

A re-occurring issue for me when using this spell is missing. Not as in the monster dodges, but as my mouse wasn't over the monster when I used the skill. This causes your character to swing at the air and expend all of the souls that you have saved up.

I realize this is up to player skill, but there is a lot of pressure with this skill to not select the wrong target in a crowd of enemies. If you get the white guy next to your yellow target, he will die in no time flat, and you will get a relatively weak version of the skill.

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Vipermagi wrote:

Only one dude emits lasers. Pity.

potential and draems, shattered.

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loopholist3 wrote:

A re-occurring issue for me when using this spell is missing. Not as in the monster dodges, but as my mouse wasn't over the monster when I used the skill. This causes your character to swing at the air and expend all of the souls that you have saved up.

I realize this is up to player skill, but there is a lot of pressure with this skill to not select the wrong target in a crowd of enemies. If you get the white guy next to your yellow target, he will die in no time flat, and you will get a relatively weak version of the skill.

Keep getting this issue as well, and even with a little bit of desync it seems the attack misses and whiffs completely while clicking on intended target.

I have to echo the disappointment expressed by some in this thread. If you either miss or the target dies, the skill is effectively wasted... and even at 32 souls, that's way too steep a price to pay for so little return.

I have a very different opinion from those expressed above me. I find this skill extremely strong. Admittedly it's only strong against rares/bosses, but I'm perfectly okay with that. There are already so many skills that are good for clearing mob packs, it's nice to have one that excels at killing bosses that doesn't require you to sit there facetanking them. I'm using it on a new character, only partway through act 2, so I can't talk about its end-game potential, but so far it is hands down the best skill I have for killing rares/uniques (using a dagger Spectral Throw Shadow).

The people I see complaining about this skill seem to be trying to use it to clear packs, which understandably makes them think it's a bad skill, as it is abysmal at doing that. So long as you reserve it for its proper use, I think it's very useful.

I have yet to miss when trying to use it, but that is obviously a big problem if it's happening a lot.

One thing that would be nice would be if the spell description stated the frequency of the lightning strikes, to better enable benchmarking it against other skills. Or is the frequency just your attacks per second?