Interrupt Build?

[Stahlbart]

First of all, it was never about having a superior build, but one that works.

Sure there are "better" ways to play, but it's about fun, isn't it?

I think I'll try 2 Barbarians, 2 Wizards, a druid and a chanter sometime.

Obviously one "interrupter" won't really work, but the whole party? We'll see...

 

But what I actually wanted to know is, if the Mosquito's description is right.

It says it has an interrupt of 0.75 sec. Is that true?

[Kaigen42]

But what I actually wanted to know is, if the Mosquito's description is right.

It says it has an interrupt of 0.75 sec. Is that true?

That's my big question, since I've located two other weapons that have a boosted interrupt rating listed, but at this point I'm not willing to take the game at its word that any magic item property works. Now that I've got IE Mod updated, I'll have to see if I can produce a measurable difference between them and normal weapons of the same type.

[Stahlbart]

The other two would be the Vile Loner's Lance and the Shatterstar?

Would be awesome if you could report back if you have any information on that.

[Achilles]

But what I actually wanted to know is, if the Mosquito's description is right.

It says it has an interrupt of 0.75 sec. Is that true?

[Kaigen42]

Okay I did some testing of the unique weapons. Conclusions up front for those who don't care to read the entire experiment: I am reasonably confident that the interrupt ratings listed on Mosquito, Shatterstar, and The Vile Loner's Lance are accurate. At any rate, I'm confident they have a higher rating than other weapons of their type.

 

Methodology: I made a Cipher (because that was the character I was going to roll next anyway) on PotD difficulty and got him through Cilant Lis. Then I used IE Mod to level him to level 12 and gave him Draining Whip, all of the requisite Weapon Focus feats, and one-handed style (in hindsight, a bad pick, as more grazes would have made it easier to extend the bear's life) in order to assure that I had enough accuracy to hit every time. I set Might to 1 (which was as low as I could get it) and punched the bear's cubs to death to fill up my focus pool and switch off soul whip and minimize damage. I set Con and Resolve to 100 to ensure I wouldn't die or be interrupted myself, and set Perception to 100 to ensure that every hit was an interrupt. Dex was left at 19, and no armor was worn to ensure a significant number of attacks got in. I let the bear swing at me for 60 seconds in order to establish a baseline. Unfortunately, since I had to attack the bear with actual weapons in order to conduct this test, when I tested the weapons, most of them killed in the bear in less than 60 seconds. This is the disclaimer then: I'm extrapolating from fuzzy data.

• When left alone, the bear got in 13 attacks in 60 seconds. It appears to have a ~4 second recovery time in between each attack animation.
• When attacked with a warhammer, the bear got in 9 attacks before dying right at the 60 second mark. This was the only weapon test where the bear survived the full 60 seconds. It gives a (very) rough idea of what one quick melee attacker can accomplish in interrupting an enemy with long recovery times.
• When attacked with a normal rapier, the bear died in 39 seconds after getting 5 attacks in. If we extrapolate out, this looks roughly the same as the warhammer, which jives with my attack speed vs. interrupt rating calculations.
• The Mosquito killed the bear in 32 seconds, during which the bear got in 3 attacks.
• The Vile Loner's Lance killed the bear in 28 seconds, during which the bear  got in 3 attacks.
• Shatterstar killed the bear in 46 seconds, during which it got in 4 attacks.

Obviously we would need to be way more rigorous in order to pin down the exact interrupt values of the weapons through in-game tests, but I think the differences are significant enough to conclude that the unique weapons are better than the baseline, and so their descriptions are probably accurate.

[Stahlbart]

Thanks a lot Kaigen!

 

So regardless of its viability, I'm going to try a playthrough soon (as said, when interrupting blows is fixed, so it could actually take a while...).

As far as I gathered, the "best" classes for an interrupt setup would be:

Barbarian (obvious), wizard (Blast), druid and chanter (for debuffing). Correct me if I'm wrong or missed something!

 

What else is there to consider? Any special (and not so obvious) abilities/talents?

 

And most importantly: What about the race? Does the fire godlikes racial ability trigger interrupt? Or is there any other racial ability that would benefit interrupt?

[mazeltov]

What else is there to consider? Any special (and not so obvious) abilities/talents?

 

And most importantly: What about the race? Does the fire godlikes racial ability trigger interrupt? Or is there any other racial ability that would benefit interrupt?

 

Crits give a large bonus to Interrupt rolls, so Wood Elves' +5 ranged Accuracy and Orlans' Hit-to-Crit chance would help. Both of those races also have higher starting Perception caps.

 

For abilities, the lvl 1 Wiz spell Thrust of Tattered Veils is interesting in that it is fast cast and features a 1s Interrupt rating, equivalent to a morningstar.

[KDubya]

Thanks a lot Kaigen!

 

So regardless of its viability, I'm going to try a playthrough soon (as said, when interrupting blows is fixed, so it could actually take a while...).

As far as I gathered, the "best" classes for an interrupt setup would be:

Barbarian (obvious), wizard (Blast), druid and chanter (for debuffing). Correct me if I'm wrong or missed something!

 

What else is there to consider? Any special (and not so obvious) abilities/talents?

 

And most importantly: What about the race? Does the fire godlikes racial ability trigger interrupt? Or is there any other racial ability that would benefit interrupt?

 

A monk can interrupt AoE with rooting pain when they receive a wound.

 

A ranger with hunting bow or war bow with vicious shot has a very high accuracy for more crits and more crit assisted interrupts and has a pretty high rate of fire as well. Stunning shots on crit would be like a super interrupt.

 

A fighter going for high deflection will have a high perception, even going for a more DPS based build will still have above average perception along with maxed might and dex. A barbarian also wants an above average intellect so they'd run out of points to place in perception. To me a fighter would just naturally be a better interrupter due to where his stats get placed compared to a barbarian, who'd have to go against type to get a similar high perception.

[Kaigen42]

The nice thing about the Barbarian is that they can potentially inflict any of the status effects that indirectly debuff Concentration, and Threatening Presence even does it passively. Frenzy also gives a notable attack speed increase, which is helpful for an interrupt build to maximize the number of interrupts you can fit into the enemy's recovery period. And of course, Carnage lets you tag multiple enemies with each attack for interrupts. If you can get those status effects easily from other party members, though, their utility decreases, and as KDubya points out you have to make some sacrifices in their stats if you want a high Perception.

 

Monk looks interesting not just for Rooting Pain, but also for Swift Strikes and Flagellant's Path. Swift Strikes gives you a nice attack speed increase (though I hear it's a little glitchy) and Flagellant's Path could be useful for breaking through enemy lines to interrupt those casters. Not to mention that Monk can provide some hard CC, which is handy since, as has been pointed out numerous times, you're not going to stunlock an enemy with interrupts.

 

Don't forget that the Priest gets some significant stat buffs later on, which can pump up your party's Perception for better interrupt chances.

[Stahlbart]

Since Interrupting Blows is going to be fixed soon... Does an interrupt occur even when there is no damage done? E.g. the target has 20 DR and I'm rolling for 15 damage, resulting in 0. Does that Count as a succesful attack? Or is it a miss?

I know, I'm not very familiar with the things going on in the combat log...

[Achilles]

You can't interrupt with a miss. Or I should say, I've only seen interrupts on grazes, hits, and crits

[Stahlbart]

So 15 dmg - 20 DR = miss?

Because I thought a miss has something to do with reflexes and accuracy.

But yes, a miss can't interrupt, that's quite obvious ^^

 

So it is only considered a hit if damage is done? All else would be a miss? And therefore no interrupt?

Edited May 5, 2015 by Stahlbart

[Achilles]

There is a minimum damage mechanic. If you graze, hit, or crit some non-zero amount of damage will be done.

 

Fun fact: Confident Aim modifies the minimum damage amount. 

Edited May 5, 2015 by Achilles

[mazeltov]

Speaking of 1.05, has someone in the beta been able to determine how fixed IB actually works? By checking the combat log, etc.

[Achilles]

It's on my to-do list.

 

I started a new character for 1.05 and haven't reached a point where it was available at level up. Will post result here if someone else doesn't beat me to it.

[b0rsuk]

Interrupt chance depends on graze/hit/crit status.

[cctobias]

So 15 dmg - 20 DR = miss?

Because I thought a miss has something to do with reflexes and accuracy.

But yes, a miss can't interrupt, that's quite obvious ^^

 

So it is only considered a hit if damage is done? All else would be a miss? And therefore no interrupt?

 

According to the wiki a Graze will essentially reduce your interrupt rating by 50%.  I'm not sure if interrupt duration is also reduced.

 

So while you can interrupt on a graze you are much less likely to do so versus a normal hit.  Crits are similarly more likely to interrupt.

 

Therefore accuracy is a rather important aspect of interrupting.  High perception with bad accuracy would still be a terrible interrupt build.

[b0rsuk]

So a good interrupt build would be something like a Hunting Bow with high Perception and Vicious Aim. Or single-wielded club (fast and accurate), but that would deal little damage and sounds risky.

 

In my opinion you should treat interrupts as a bonus. Don't try to deal interrupts instead of damage.

[Achilles]

Update:

 

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/79083-105b-interrupting-blows-more-clarity-needed/?do=findComment&comment=1684826

 

@b0rsuk - a good interrupt build is character with high accuracy, has some bonus to crit, uses weapons with average-or-better interrupt rating, and benefits from high Perception.

 

Example: Pallegina with Zealous Focus, Critical Focus, and Interrupting Blows attacking with a great sword.

 

Edit: also, interrupts only occur when the character connects with their weapon, so the argument that it's either damage or interrupt is a false one. What you're hoping to do is increase the likelihood that an interrupt occurs when you hit.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Achilles

[Kaigen42]

A good interrupt build is probably a dual-wielder, as dual-wielding slightly outperforms most two-handed weapons. Optionally you can use morning stars or unique weapons with boosted interrupt rates like Mosquito, Shatterstar, and The Vile Loner's Lance, but that might mean sacrificing the benefits of other weapons. It's a pity Mabec's Morning Star is so RNG dependent to get, as that could be a fun one for a two-hander. Barbarians, melee Rogues, and Fighters all have abilities that can indirectly make them better interrupters, but might have difficulty making room for Perception. Paladins can make other characters better interrupters through Zealous Focus and Hastening Exhortation, but don't have much to help themselves.

 

Ranged weapons are pretty marginal for interrupts, as their values are low relative to their rates of fire compared to melee weapons, Wizard implement builds being an exception due to their ability to hit multiple targets with each attack. There are plenty of spells that can make good sources of interruptions, though.

[b0rsuk]

Ranged interrupts are enough to cancel an attack if they hit at the right moment. If something interrupts for half the duration but it occurs twice as often, it's not wasted. Sagani with a Hunting Bow can buy a melee fighter (or Itumaak) extra time. You can still put Interrupting Blows on Sagani.

 

It helps if you think of Interrupt as a slowing effect.

[Kaigen42]

Certainly ranged interrupts aren't worthless, and interrupts are something that get more effective the more your party is good at inflicting them. The contribution of a ranged character, however, is going to be proportionally small compared to a melee attacker thanks to the lower interrupt ratings relative to attack speed. Remember also that interrupts never cancel an effect, they only delay it, so a ranged interrupt at the right moment might buy you an extra half-second, but that will not necessarily allow you to prevent the attack from occurring.

 

A Ranger using a Hunting Bow is probably one of the better ways a ranged DPS character can contribute to interrupts (especially if you add in Driving Flight), but the trade-off in damage may not be worth it, especially once you consider that they can inflict stronger status effects like prone or stun with the right weapon.

[Achilles]

Certainly ranged interrupts aren't worthless, and interrupts are something that get more effective the more your party is good at inflicting them.

 

...

 

Remember also that interrupts never cancel an effect, they only delay it, so a ranged interrupt at the right moment might buy you an extra half-second, but that will not necessarily allow you to prevent the attack from occurring.

If another interrupt occurs before that enemy's action timer can rundown, then it will be delayed even further. String enough of them together and you will, in fact, prevent the attack form occurring.

 

Hence why your point about having multiple party members able to apply them is important.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Achilles

[b0rsuk]

I think that ranged characters can even potentially be best for interrupting, because they can afford to only care about interrupts. A melee character must be tough enough to survive for a while, and deal decent damage. You can build Sagani for interrupts, debuffs (Wounding Shot, Binding Roots, Stunning Arrows), and flanking (Itumaak).

 

Oh, I was supposed to ask about adding interrupts to Character statistics screen!

[Kaigen42]

@Achilles: Thank you for clarifying, that's what I was trying to get at, but I wasn't very clear.

 

@b0rsuk: I guess my question is, if you want to optimize a ranged character for inhibiting the enemy, why not just use an Arbalest? Particularly on a Ranger, who can easily mitigate the reload time and pump accuracy high enough for more critical hits. I think a Ranger is a good addition to a party built around interrupts, but I'm not sure the Hunting Bow is the way to be most effective in that role. Not to mention that once you get Stunning Arrows, your ability to interrupt hardly matters anyway.