Vaal Storm Call

Not really sure on using this with my current witch, since she's a summoner without anything to support it, but this skill definitely has potential. It's efficiently costed, even when you consider Merciless, and is one of the few Vaal gems that I would use support gems on because of its efficiency. Assuming that Increased Area of Effect would increase the aggro-distance on the lightning bolts (It's hard to tell if it does this early on) then that would certainly be a must, and Increased Duration is definitely how you'd get the most damage out of this. Plus, it has no damage effectiveness reduction, so it can have added [X] damage be tossed onto it with impunity. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has an idea of how many random bolts per second this thing puts out, it's hard to get a read on it.

In any case, it looks like you've hit the nail on the head for soul counts and utility with this one. Should do a lot of damage when used right, and even replenish its souls fairly quickly off its own skills.

EDIT: Looks like it hits roughly once every 0.2 seconds, which is actually slower than Firestorm, but it does hit for a substantial amount more when you factor in the directness of the hits, the efficiency of added lightning damage on it by comparison, and the increased duration overall. A Vaal Storm Call supported by increased duration has about 4.4 seconds base duration, while a Firestorm gets about 1.9 seconds out of it. Each does around 21 hits in that time (rounded up because my current build gets 21 hits out of each, though with a base increased duration you'd get less.)

The 21 hit number was derived from taking the skill to the Coast and seeing how many corpses it made before detonating, in a scenario where there were still people left alive after detonation. Therefore, it is almost certainly skewed by either repeated hits, which is possible since its minimum damage is fairly low, or by the detonation at the end killing multiple people.

Hope those numbers help you use this one effectively.

It seems this skill is so bad no one wants to talk or even look at it.

I feel like I'm missing something. It stores one use but can set multiple markers? How can this work?

This skill is balanced great on Normal, but fails to deliver as you go into Cruel and Merciless. It's common enough on Normal it might be viable as a true 6L skill if you can boost the DPS enough (and a fun skill, at that!).

Sadly, the number of souls kills it for later.

You need to be able to store at least 5 uses in it but the gem only allows one use. that makes it incredibly difficult to actually use to any extent except for a minor damage boost against low level invaders and bosses.

i find it.. very interesting and i use it regularly on my Ball Lightning char (currently 61)



all support gems are not leveled (dont level them, just replace with leveled once i reach certain level) and yet it in most cases 1shots all rares and is immense help vs bosses

also - it recharges so quickly that one has to constantly remind himself to cast it.

i think people should give it another chance if they are playing lightning chars

how does conc effect work with it ?

The point of this skill is the extra bolts on foes while waiting on the "large" crash. Changing aoe size, changes both the main marker's burst and the targeting radius for the extra bursts. This skill is basically our lightning version of firestorm with a finisher (edit, and auto targeting "bolts").

I use it for my aoe witch, flameblast is my primary skill then vaal storm call is for bosses. Secondary skills are searing bond (for reflect or agro'ing), inc duration firestorm, multi trapped conversion trap, and cast on stun arctic breath with life leech temporarily. Started off as a bare bones build starting with nothing spec'ed to fire but only grabbed aoe passives and defense. Vaal storm call was a lucky drop as i realized its the extra bursts that make the skill, killing swarms well enough to charge itself in cruel mode. However the build depends on being glass cannon-y but also lasting long enough for collecting mobs.

I agree with Sid, this skill is great on rares and bosses in Merc at higher gem levels.