Block is easymode

serious answer: sheep mentality.

the same mentality or 'common knowledge' that judged Lightning Coil a crap item and forced most of the community into Iron Reflexes builds for almost 1.5years. should i list more examples? this game is so complex that pretty much any 'visible' (As in: streamed) build that works shall be copied without second though - thus covering other ideas or dismissing them on the basis 'if it was good someone would have had streamed it already'


as for the block itself - yes, no entropy. but this is moot point in 'real life' scenarios. in lab situation - maybe. in real combat with evasion/dodge/desync in play this entropy is gone and the outcome is just as random as with pure random system. in a long enough run the % of damage REMOVED is equal to block chance. ofc the equation is not that simple (big and small hits) but the outcome is a very simple one. it averages out nicely over the time.

my biggest grudge vs block is 'no cost'. shield itself is a very nice stat stick and then there is the damage REMOVAL. block stun is a nice idea but it has value so low that it has no visible outcome besides some obscure no-life, no-armor builds that are stun by being starred on

this is my AshProlif Lightning Strike dagger build:

using these:


i have around 52% block chance for cost of 3 nodes. remaining block nodes taken were mandatory or contained other bonuses

i'd say keep block exactly how it is, but make recovery nodes useful somehow. perhaps make every single block have the maximum stun time regardless of damage.

"

sidtherat wrote:

i have around 52% block chance for cost of 3 nodes. remaining block nodes taken were mandatory or contained other bonuses

You have 7 block nodes and the travel cost, aldo i agree in this particular build the travel cost can be ignored since it aligns with everything you require.

(also not sure why you take the projectile nodes since quality 20% has 80% pierce if i am not mistaken, but that's for another thread :').

Still 7 points allocated is fair enough for the defensive gain. imagine pushing that up to 75% within the same build. Just try it for the lelz and why i say it is balanced.(you are taking the first and third most optimal block nodes in the tree btw, second group being duelist's. After that, efficiency rates drop for acquiring them.)

Btw assuming all of the people posting on the class forums is a fallacy and you know it. Sheep don't post builds or don't brag about an invention.

I am not arguing block isn't strong btw, it is, but it isn't OP.

I would even guess you get that impression because of the evasion/acro dropped on-top of the block as secondary layers of defense. I run a similar spec as you and while it is strong, stuff still gets true those layers of defense and can brick your char.

A bone stalker (i think they are called this, the huge skelly's) rare critted me for 4200 dps on my 4500hp char. That's a single hit passing my layers of defense, if anything else just spit at me at that same time coming true i would have been toast. And stuff like that happens frequently if you play enough.
(that's with 75% block/blind/evasion/acro)

Peace,

-Boem-

well..

the entire point im trying to get across: you DO NOT NEED to cap the block for it to be VERY strong.

im not implying it grants immortality or is one be all solution to survivability. it isnt.

maybe 'it is ballanced' at 75% chance - nodes cost is huge. but if anyone claims it is balanced at 'three nodes for 50%' cost then i have to disagree

that 50% REMOVED damage costs so little that there is still nodes surplus for: dodge/ondars/ev or ar% or simply more life

block cost might be 'balanced' at 75% - but it definitely IS NOT balanced at the 'just get it' level

it is THE MOST effective and cost effective defence when NOT aiming for cap. 50% is pretty damn huge no matter how one spins the words

btw Lightning strike at 20% is 60% pierce. with these nodes im at almost 100% but still not there.

You do pathetic DPS. There is always a price for seemingly "OP" shit. And you still get hit sometimes.

Everyone now is doing high offense builds anyway. 500K+ DPS SRS, puncture, Reave, CoC, etc so boss can't even get shots off.

Whats more OP Boss hits you 25% of the time or Boss can't fight at all? Think about it.

Beyond that Max Block is part of a diverse end game. Nerf it game gets less Diverse.

You have

1. Max Block setups
2. Over Max resist setups approaching 100%
3. Max DPS one shot setups
4. High Life or ES with high instant leech setups to gain back all dam incoming
5. Spell dodge + evasion setups
6. Hybrids

Take any away and game get more pigeonholed.

Another thread of

Incidentally these diverse methods is why I always laugh my ass off when idiots make feedback threads how hard game is. Naw men learn to play...so many options.

"

sidtherat wrote:

btw Lightning strike at 20% is 60% pierce. with these nodes im at almost 100% but still not there.

my mistake then on this.

and like i mentioned before, you have 7 point investment in block, not 3. It's not because they also have other stats they are not block nodes. And you took some of the most effective clusters in the passive tree, the more you would invest the harder it would become.

There is nothing wrong with being smart about it like in your build and investing a little bit,but in an optimal way. This should yield rewards imo.

tbh i don't see your point, let's say you reduce the damage taken from 100% to 50%, block builds would be dead in an instance and people would swap to different defensive set-ups.

Same when you change it to 75%, pure mitigation would trump it because it would be reliable and block builds would still get bursted even if blocking attacks, now add in the fact block is particularly effective in evasion builds (because of the "hit" mechanic involved) and evasion would be hard nerfed as a result.

If you can come up with a solution i am all ears, but i think block is in a perfectly fine state "as is".
(that's not to say i have not read any good alternatives in the last 2 years, but usually they involve a truck-load of redesigning and potential disastrous consequences on other fronts. All things GGG cannot afford to do imo)

Peace,

-Boem-

Been watching this topic for a while and lol'd at all the replies, it's the same in all of my whine topics: blahblah op doesn't have a build like that requires heavy investment no dps blahblah.

Your face when I'm a block-abuser myself in the 90s in beyond and have a large amount of experience with the actual brokenness of block and spellblock:



Your face when I have been bitching about cloak of defiance overcentralisation/BiS and burn prolif clear speed in other topics:



Your face when I have been talking about how insane arctic armour is and should get a nerf and I get the same shitty 'lol investment' arguments:

How about you stop trying to make the game worst hm?

"

SEXYSUPERSATAN wrote:

Been watching this topic for a while and lol'd at all the replies, it's the same in all of my whine topics: blahblah op doesn't have a build like that requires heavy investment no dps blahblah.

Your face when I'm a block-abuser myself in the 90s in beyond and have a large amount of experience with the actual brokenness of block and spellblock:

Your face when I have been bitching about cloak of defiance overcentralisation/BiS and burn prolif clear speed in other topics:

Your face when I have been talking about how insane arctic armour is and should get a nerf and I get the same shitty 'lol investment' arguments:

yep..

some will defend the broken to the end

and some cannot yet understand why it is broken

btw - arctic armor +1
add to the list 'surgeons' flasks that make crit pretty much mandatory for 'single boss, no minions' fights as 'surgeons' is the only way to recharge