Voltaxix Rft -- Questionable New Ranger Unique Bow #2

While I can see the base for this mentality here, you people seem to forget that this bow is much MUCH less generally useful for bow builds. You pretty much HAVE to build around it to make the most out of its effects, whereas something like Lioneye's is very multipurpose and requires no SPECIFIC passive investment to really shine.

This bow pretty much forces you into an LA build that's, yes, very strong, but you still have to play it correctly, build it correctly, and you're not instantly immune to being killed, you just don't have to deal with reflect.

Nor do HC double-strike Claw Duelists.

It's all a matter of how the toon is put together. This is actually a strong build optimizer which is completely fine. There are still STRONGER bows out there, this one just trades the danger of reflect for the explosive dps you can actually hit. Take Shavronne's Wrappings for instance. The problem isn't the item itself, it's how it interacts with things like Pain Attunement and Righteous Fire. If there happen to be any overpowered synergies like that with Voltaxic Rift, then they'll come out and be considered.

I see nothing wrong with this bow. Soul Taker on the otherhand...

One huge downside to Voltaxic is that you have to deal with accuracy issues, unlike LG. You basically have to go RT (wasting its shock potential by overgoing crits) or invest passive points (might even have to consider the additional accuracy support gem). Its base attack speed is also on the slow side compared to thickets/LG.

Near-immunity to reflect is pretty OP though...

GGG has a raging boner for ranged builds. As if using a bow didn't make the game easy enough. Huge fail this time GGG.

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ShaeG wrote:

GGG has a raging boner for ranged builds. As if using a bow didn't make the game easy enough. Huge fail this time GGG.

It's a user-funded unique, GGG couldn't scrap the entire idea because of a balance issue the game has and can yet be fixed. That's not a fair position to take.

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gunnil751 wrote:

One huge downside to Voltaxic is that you have to deal with accuracy issues, unlike LG. You basically have to go RT (wasting its shock potential by overgoing crits) or invest passive points (might even have to consider the additional accuracy support gem). Its base attack speed is also on the slow side compared to thickets/LG.

Near-immunity to reflect is pretty OP though...

Reflect is bullshit, plain and simple, on a fundamental level.

Not one successful ARPG has managed to keep it intact in any game to date. That should go to show it's general worthlessness as a mechanic.

Personally, I'm glad this gives you a way around it. I'm tired of being terrified of a single affix at high levels.

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Ishiga25 wrote:

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ShaeG wrote:

GGG has a raging boner for ranged builds. As if using a bow didn't make the game easy enough. Huge fail this time GGG.

It's a user-funded unique, GGG couldn't scrap the entire idea because of a balance issue the game has and can yet be fixed. That's not a fair position to take.

It is a fair position to take. It's complete and total bullshit to have items in the game like this and shavs and Kaoms it's broken and if you don't agree I'm sorry, but you are in denial and no one can help you. This item is a no brainer hands down the most powerful weapon in the game. Why GGG continues to put items like this in the game with little to no draw back is beyond me. Sometimes I feel like their one man balance department is run by a band of monkeys. I love this game and love this company but c'mon GGG we want BALANCE.

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Faerindel wrote:

That 10% chance to shock + your crit chance is everything it has to shock. (remember, Static blows states "% shock chance on lightning damage. This bow makes sure you won't ever do any lightning damage)
I don't see that "retarded shock chance". It just does saves you some points from Static blows.

Also its AS is, at most, the same as any thicket bow. What are the average dps of endgame thicket bows (even if they can't compete with LG)?

Actually, this bow DOES benefit from Static Blows. According to Mark_GGG from this thread:

http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/475284/page/23

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Mark_GGG wrote:

"hit with lightning damage" on the chance to shock stat is shorthand for "hit with damage of a type that can shock" because people were constantly complaining that, e.g. linking chance to ignite to ice nova didn't work.

If your chaos damage can shock, then chance to shock applies - it's effectively included as "lightning damage" for purposes of determining if you shock, and if so how hard.

Given the recent use of "your [type] damage can [status]" seen here and on Soul Taker, we may reconsider these descriptions to remove that part.

That means that Static Blows WILL work with this bow and adding it all up, you have a total of about 40% chance to shock. That is, assuming you use an Added Lightning Damage with 20% quality, SB cluster, and the bow's 10% inherent shock chance...chuck in Conductivity at max level and you'll get up to I believe 54% chance to shock.

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Dunnzo wrote:

What is GGG thinking...... Voltaxic Rift

3 things:

Added Chaos damage gives increased chaos damage as it's quality bonus, this stacks with other sources of increased damage and ends up a fairly small increase overall.

The only curse that boosts your damage is Projectile Weakness. How many parties are going to run that over Ele Weakness?

You have no way to deal with resistant mobs, unlike regular elemental damage which can use penetration gems and curses to get around this.


It's a powerful bow when built around, but it's not gamebreaking by any means.

Denial is one hell of a drug.