[BUG] Beast's Claw max bonus

[Chaospread]

I don't know if it's already written, but I've found nothing, so:
what do you think is the maximum bonus of Beast's Claw?
20?

You are wrong! Max bonus is infinite!
Watch my cute little ranger having (for the moment) a beast's claw bonus of 37:

First bonus says "x6" but is actually "x21" has you can see from combat log:

Notice that the bonus applies also on ranged attacks

Obviously it is also true for defenses values, i.e fortitude:

How have I get that?
Noting weird, I did a fight versus kith in SSS, finished it, save, then another battle and I see the +6 bonus of first battle remains in its place and the another +16 bonus appeared...
Another battle, another +15 bonus and the first two were merged together, if I saved after another battle, all three bonuses merged:

I don't know if it works only for kith or not.
So I think if you want you can cheese about that how much you want; I don't know whether it works only in the crucible, but if you wanna maximize that, some questions:

1. What are the best weapons for that? I go two weapons, one and with Sun and Moon (because of 2 hits instead of one) and Stalker's Patience in the second for Legendary and +5 accuracy bonus (more chances to hit --> more chances to get +1 semi permanent bonus from Beast's Claw). Are the other weapons which hits more times likes Sun and Moon?
2. I spend one empower point every battle to regain bonds and to use Beast's Claw more times in a fight: is it worthwhile or not? I think at least you can keep the last empower point for when you are satisfied of the bonus you get, but if you have better ideas...
3. Which battle/zone/situation is better for stack this bonus for kith? I'm doing and re-doing "Contest of the Seeker" and "The Bloodletting" till death but in SOLO they are hard and long battles; I can go i.e. in an inn and massacre who is inside but I prefer to not "clean" such areas. If you know better ideas, let me know please.

I think it's not a bug you can build around it, you can reach the bonus you wish with every ranger/subclass but remember that when you need bonus against some other new race you have to sleep and restart the "process".

Please Note: I bumped into it when I was trying to do the SSS "Changelin's Dance" trial SOLO with my Wildrhymer: tried many thing but think only that can do the job
Very stupid fight for a completionist

[Boeroer]

It's a problem with save + reload. It also affects some other bonuses. Something alters the status of those buffs so that the stacking rules get sidelined. 

[Sympetrum]

3 hours ago, Chaospread said:

1. What are the best weapons for that? I go two weapons, one and with Sun and Moon (because of 2 hits instead of one) and Stalker's Patience in the second for Legendary and +5 accuracy bonus (more chances to hit --> more chances to get +1 semi permanent bonus from Beast's Claw). Are the other weapons which hits more times likes Sun and Moon?

A blunderbuss or one of Serafen's mortars and a melee weapon. This trick works with any ranged weapon as long as you're also wielding a melee weapon, but blunderbusses and mortars are the best, I think.

[Boeroer]

With Driving Flight + one of the weapons @Sympetrum mentioned (I believe Fire in the Hole is best because it has a build#in projectile jump as well) you can gain a lot of stacks pretty quickly. You just need more enemies to hit. 

But could be that Hand Mortar's Blinding Smoke also triggers stacks of Beast's Claw. I did some tests with this in the past and know that both weapons are good with this, I just cannot remember witch one performed better.  

Edited October 6 by Boeroer

[thelee]

yeah if you do this without save/reloading, the game will stop you at 20 stacks. however the game like... FORGETS what the current stack is and you start creating a new stack after some save/reload cycle. once again, i believe the game will stop you at 20 stacks with this NEW stack. but a save/reload will let you start creating a new stack.

it actually ends up being extremely easy to stack this infinitely, just make sure you don't cap out at 20 stacks i think and the game loses track. i actually deliberately avoid doing this because of the combination of just how easy it is to pull this off and how degenerate it makes ranger and ranger multiclass.

[Elric Galad]

The whole reason why Balance Polishing Mod changed it to an effect that works per encounter (but stacks twice faster and costs twice less). 

[Boeroer]

"costs twice less" - meaning it costs half?

[Chaospread]

Thank you all. Other things I'm doing to collect bonus faster is wear Devil of Caroc Breastplate and Adratic Glow. As a multiclass you crave for more bonds

[Elric Galad]

On 10/7/2024 at 8:51 AM, Boeroer said:

"costs twice less" - meaning it costs half?

Means twice more than it would cost if it costed only a quarter.

Edited October 8 by Elric Galad

[Boeroer]

[Chaospread]

2 hours ago, Elric Galad said:

Means twice more that it would cost if it costed only a quarter.

Obsidian maths strikes again!

[Elric Galad]

17 hours ago, Chaospread said:

Obsidian maths strikes again!

Wait until you see their implementation of twice twice as thrice.

[thelee]

23 hours ago, Chaospread said:

Obsidian maths strikes again!

not enough uses of 1/x and 1/(1/x) in elric's math imo

[Chaospread]

14 hours ago, thelee said:

not enough uses of 1/x and 1/(1/x) in elric's math imo

True, but let things take their course

[Elric Galad]

Twice twice half is twice

Oh wait

That's normal

[Chaospread]

I wanna tell you more!

If you respec, you can stack TWO different infinite bonuses, Beast's Claw AND Hunter's Fang!

You can stack the stacks!

Wonder whether you can stack three bonus with Hunter's Claw, maybe someday I'll try

[Elric Galad]

Me : "Hunter's Palm"

It's like Face Palm but with a bonus vs Kiths