Lancing Steel Versus Shattering Steel.

I guess Shattering Steel doesn't work with Multi-Strike? Just tried it and nothing happens.

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0piate wrote:

I guess Shattering Steel doesn't work with Multi-Strike? Just tried it and nothing happens.

It's a projectile attack, not a melee attack.

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Peterlerock wrote:

It's a projectile attack, not a melee attack.

Thanks, I realized that right after I posted it.

When you guys say Point Blank I assume you are talking about the Keystone Passive and not the support gem. I don't use it because Shattering Steel adds damage as it travels further, so the Keystone Passive would take that damage away. I am using it with a Decoy Totem and Knockback in my tree and in my skill gems. So I am able to use it as a distance attack with almost everything. Point Blank will probably give you slightly better clear speed on the weaker mobs. But when you use it as a distance attack you are doing two things. You are doing more damage with that 'Up to 100% More Damage" buff, which is a nice chunk of added damage. And your survivability will be better by keeping a larger distance. You might get away with a cheaper build this way, you won't have to build as tanky as you would otherwise. I haven't had enough play time to make to maps and test it out, but my theories are usually right.

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0piate wrote:

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Peterlerock wrote:

It's a projectile attack, not a melee attack.

Thanks, I realized that right after I posted it.

When you guys say Point Blank I assume you are talking about the Keystone Passive and not the support gem. I don't use it because Shattering Steel adds damage as it travels further, so the Keystone Passive would take that damage away. I am using it with a Decoy Totem and Knockback in my tree and in my skill gems. So I am able to use it as a distance attack with almost everything. Point Blank will probably give you slightly better clear speed on the weaker mobs. But when you use it as a distance attack you are doing two things. You are doing more damage with that 'Up to 100% More Damage" buff, which is a nice chunk of added damage. And your survivability will be better by keeping a larger distance. You might get away with a cheaper build this way, you won't have to build as tanky as you would otherwise. I haven't had enough play time to make to maps and test it out, but my theories are usually right.

Except the base damage on shattering steel is terrible, to compensate for the fact it can shotgun. At 100% more damage range, you won't be shotgunning at all, apart from on the biggest hitbox enemies.
It's a pretty bad anti-synergy. I'm just seeing the range damage scaling, and far shot as a way of offsetting point blank for clearing.
If there was anyway to make the projectiles aim inwards/overlap (Like how we thought it might work with volley) it would be a different story.

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TundrazaL wrote:

Why do you think pointblank is terrible for Lancing Steel?

because you have to be far away to get multiple hits with lancing (you actually don't but lets say your in point blank range, you have to aim far on the opposite side of your target and be lined up correctly to get a good spread)

if you just click to attack close up the spread is so wide you only hit with 1 projectile anyway.

Yea it is weird that the skill which can shotgun gets more dmg multi on range.

I've opened the league with steel skills and what I can tell is that Lancing is good with pierce and range - so Deadeye mainly. Simply because of Far shot and Lancing steel is great at a range, not to mention it is easier to control the spread.
With Tailwind and bleed node, using Terminus or some other good 2hander you can do really good dmg.

Shattering on the other hand can work with Pierce, Chain, Fork - no big differences there.
Main sell point is shotgunning so Point Blank is basically mandatory for boss dmg, while more multiplier is good for clearing trash beyond PB range.
Out of 3, i like Pierce best due to more multiplier on the gem.
I think Shattering Steel better scales with Champion's Master of Metal, Dread Banner and dual wielding (pref. 2 Grelwood Shanks).
Skill gives 40%, Master of Metal 20% and Banner another 20 % for a 80% PER projectile (dont forget each one shatters and can give Impale)
Due to fact that Master of Metal gives flat physical dmg for each Impale - having a really fast weapon with alot of projectiles stacks this shit really fast, and does good dmg.

TLDR - Lancing for Deadeye for range 2h, Shattering for Champ dw.

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Draegnarrr wrote:

you have to be far away to get multiple hits with lancing (you actually don't but lets say your in point blank range, you have to aim far on the opposite side of your target and be lined up correctly to get a good spread)

if you just click to attack close up the spread is so wide you only hit with 1 projectile anyway.

Yeah I'm not enjoying this aspect of it. I'd prefer it just didn't have projectile control, over clicking an enemy at mid-range and having the other four blades think I want them to go off into nothingness rather than head straight toward that enemy.

1) Shattering Steel is a bad skill to level through acts with (source: me, having done this)

2) Ignore the 100% scaling it gets at range almost all of the time, get up close and faceblast things with the shotgun. The range on it is great for maintaining some leech if you need to back off for a moment, but otherwise treat it like a pure melee skill.

My current Main for this league is a Lancing Steel champ (DetectiveImpaler level 86, chars are public).

I have terrible Gear, although I can facetank Uber Argus and Izaro and Rare T7+ Maps with 7+ mods are a breeze.

I think the approach of many people to the Steel Skills is just wrong.
Lancing Steel isn't ment for shotgunning and not for "14 APS ADHD builds".

Get a solid 2 Hander, go Crit (Terminus Est anyone?) and stack flat phys where you can.
Your big dick attack will Impale the enemey, your HoP-Minions and Ancestral Totems will trigger the 7 stacks for you --> large DPS.

Little Math anyone?

Let's assume your attack deals 50k damage.
Impale stores 5k of it, but because you're a Dread Banner wearing Champion, you actually get 13% stored damage instead of 10% --> 5650 stored damage.
Your minions and totems attack (with multiple Totem support 3 Totems) --> 7 attacks triggered --> impalestacks gone ---> 7*5650 ~ 40k extra damage.

With a good balance of APS and Minions/Totems you can roughly double your DPS.
Of course shotgunning helps, because your secondary projectiles can impale as well, triggering/inducing Impale themselfes.
But plenty of people think that additional projectiles and Dual Wield is key, but they're not. Getting additional Triggers for your impale is, therefore: Get multiple Totems and Herald of Purity and just stack "more multipliers" on LS (Slower, Visciuos Projectiles, Brutality, Maim) and use Pierce.
Pierce has a small "more multiplier" and is QOL for clearing.

Point Blank therefor is huge, because your Impales get bigger, when you "melee" your enemy. My ST-Damage is actually ridiculous. Killing Argus in like 3 seconds with my crap gear on level 19 gems...I mean...common...

And there is plenty of room for improvements.
Get a Crit Elder Chest with a good veiled mod.
Get dual socket Tombfist for the extra 10% intimidate damage bonus or maybe Winds of Change for that 50% projectile damage?
Upgrade weapon to an Elder Exquisite Sword with the Phys/Impale-effect veiled mod or get Starforge for that juicy shock.
My gems are crap, no Stygian Vise, no 20/20 gems, nothing. And my only problem is to get higher Tier Maps, not to run them.

Even Tripple 2/3*-Syndicate-Fortifications are a breeze.
Pop Totems at the gate, LS 2-3 times on it, jump in, pop Banner+Flask, instagib Syndicate^^

I'm happy with LS and will push it to its limits!

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CaptainFoo wrote:

1) Shattering Steel is a bad skill to level through acts with (source: me, having done this)

2) Ignore the 100% scaling it gets at range almost all of the time, get up close and faceblast things with the shotgun. The range on it is great for maintaining some leech if you need to back off for a moment, but otherwise treat it like a pure melee skill.

Still leveling with it.

It's not arc traps or totems - but faster than most melee skills.
I use it with dual wield, faster ramp up time of Master of metall.

Normal mobs: Fire blind 3-4 salvos with the usual garbage self found leveling equip to clear screens. Feels like GMP tornado shot with a mediocre bow.


Rares / Syndicate: Drop banner, hug them and kiss them. Then the damage is ok. Managed to kill all syndicate encounters while leveling. Setup:


GMP for clearing, the initial 3 projectiles are not enough to cover the screen. Brutality for maximal physical damage - impale is based on physical.