[design]Backstab, Sneak Attack and Pistols

[gh0stwizard]

This is an ill topic and I know that developers knows about this issue. I wish to add a few words about that again.

• Sneak Attack and Backstab multipliers does not stack as should. You will gain either x1.5 (Sneak Attack ability) or x2.0 damage multiplier (with Backstab talent).
• Any backstab  attack should ignore DR (not sure about sneak attack, too much cases when this will be applied). Because no one tells you do NOT use an ultimate pistol within 2m (raw damage always ignores DR). Also, any pistol (even The Dissapointer, it can be taken at Caravan map when the game started ) does x2 more damage then any sword, dagger, mace, 2h-sword, almost anything except high-level unique weapons like an arbalet with 40+ base damage. Save/Load saves you.
• Combat Log never shows you, on how much value was your damage increased. For instance, you have Backstab talent (x2) and your deal 13 damage on a target, in that case you will see only 26 - DR(let it be 6) = 20 dmg. What is 26? How was it counted? Nobody knows.
• Conclusions about backstab within 2m. Either remove an ability to use distance weapons neither increase backstab multipliers for melee. Again any pistol is overpowered over any melee weapon. I finished the game and I did not saw (can't remember, or may be missed) a melee weapon with 30+ base damage (non-enchanted pistol in any shop does such damage).

Until then the game is completely broken for an assassin roleplay. Where do you see assassins with pistols?

 

Thanks.

[Daemonjax]

• Sneak Attack and Backstab multipliers does not stack as should. You will gain either x1.5 (Sneak Attack ability) or x2.0 damage multiplier (with Backstab talent).

The above is interesting, and I think most people (including myself) assumed it would stack.  That makes taking the talent even more useless than I already thought it was.

 

[Sleazebag]

Where do you see assassins with pistols?

The real world, movies, various other media, but that's beside the point.

 

They really should change how backstab works, as right now it's not really useful at all. Right now because it's only useful for burst, you pretty much have to use guns as they're the best for burst damage.

[HozzM]

Backstab is a bad talent for sure.  Rogues are pretty awesome DPS without it though.

[gh0stwizard]

 

Where do you see assassins with pistols?

The real world, movies, various other media, but that's beside the point.

 

They really should change how backstab works, as right now it's not really useful at all. Right now because it's only useful for burst, you pretty much have to use guns as they're the best for burst damage.

 

I like pistoler roleplay, honestly. When I playing with my rogue and he does backstab attack with a pistol it is looks like he has a shotgun in his hands, not a pistol. So, yeah, pistol-shotgun kills everyone, even on hard mode (not tested yet path of damned, but I think that it will be 2 shots instead one). IMHO, it's look a bit stupid. Think yourself, you may take a bow or an arbalet and do the same thing: shoot within 2 meters with the same result (damage will be less, currently). Why I can't do the same thing with in 20m? One important thing: backstab attack does not guarantee that attack will be successful, you may made a miss. And actually pistols/arquebus have a penalty to accuracy, but even on 2 level you wont feel this penalty (what is -5 accuracy? I say, nothing).

 

I finished the game with a party of 6: 2 pistolers, Kana was with an arquebus + druid + cleric + fighter. Except druid with 6-level crazy storm, the DD party were pistolers. No one was able to make such damage with a high-level sword, mace, axe, etc. If you learn mob's defense stats (especially dragons) you will see that in most cases a melee weapon makes misses. Meantime the raw-type weapons makes maximum damage. And this continues from the start to the end of the game.

 

I am not disappointed at all. Just melee weapons/defense stats should be nerfed. And especially for a rogue class. Because this class is a first candidate to complete game solo. But I see that currently the most successful solo class is godlike fighter until he will met the group of punks in plate armors How is a fighter able to escape fight? Nohow. Only the rogue is able kill each one by one and scaring people while he is being in shadows.

 

And the last thing. Developers thinks that PoE is not an BG successor, meantime 50%+ of content in PoE is BG. Be honest with you. Give to people an ability do that they want! No one tells that BG you may finish solo (actually I finished this way later with Amoen and without her as rogue) and I have fun (I am able to sneak, I am able to picklock, I am able to steal (and this is an ill issue too).

 

In PoE solo rogue is nothing: you need mechanics, you have to sneak perfectly and you have to spend some points to athletic! On normal diffuculty I saw max lock was 11 level + 12? picklocks or 12 level to unlock without them. So, you must spend all points to mechanics! I do not say here about 12 level cap (because after that most classes already took ALL possible abillities to their classes, so you are playing just for fun).

 

Well, I said everything. The strange thing that I have not read the topic about steal problem yet. I am really dissapointed about this, but I forgive, because the game is really cool and have great potential.