what is the point of movement speed modifiers?

[General_Jah]

Hey guys fairly new to the game and enjoying it so far.  I am playing a caster focused party on path of the damned.

 

My question is in regard to movement speed.  I cannot see any real use for it as far as a debuff or even a buff.  Typically my fights have everyone standing with brief periods of positioning.

 

Am I missing some big advantage to slowing mobs down or boosting my guys movement speed?

[AndreaColombo]

Mobility isn't exactly a thing in PoE's combat, but if your party members are speedy, they can reach their targets faster and more easily avoid being engaged while they get there (since they're faster than their opponents.)

[Boeroer]

And if you have a squishy caster or another weak ranged character, you can always run away before you get hit. Because you are faster (and the AI knows it), they will turn around quickly and search for another target.

 

I think high movement speed is a big tactical advantage - but it depends on how you play the game. I don't do the chokepoint tactics a lot nor do I have pure tanks in my parties most of the time.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Boeroer

[mosspit]

I actually used speed boots in somewhat the same context in which Adrea and Boeroer stated. My fighter has speed boots as he is my designated melee caster disrupter who can wrap around enemy lines and reach casters fast for a Discipline Barrage powered Knockdown. Even if he gets engaged, his speed will make disengaging easier (at the cost of eating a disengagement attack). I also have a speed boots on my Priest so that she can get to characters who needs certain buffs faster (for those that are centered around her) and also get away from danger if needed.

 

I also used the mobility given by speed boots in a specific manner. My priest has the boots and lv3 Nightshroud. For final part of both Durgan Battery and Cragholt, I had my priest trigger the event and immediately use Shadowing Beyond and run back to the rest of the party positioned elsewhere with a better tactical advantage. The mobility helps the priest return the party fast for a very reliable and effective split pull strat.

[Guest 4ward]

 

@General_Jah, since you say that you're having casters, i'd take fleet feet with your wizard which i believe you can take already at lvl1 or 2 (don't remember since i deinstalled the game). For most battles in the base game that had set encounters with lots of enemies like against Cali theSilent i'd inititiate combat with my wiz, then after the initial dialogue i'd cast fleet feet right away upon start of combat state and then get the hell out with my wiz to the rest of the party which ideally i'd place far away so that when Cali and part of his xaurip goons would arrive, my other chars would have casted anything worth casting and my chanter would be in his 2nd or 3rd invocation already ready to summon. I sometimes also used fleet feet to pull enemies to the edge of their moving radius and then attack with ranged chars. In additiion, as Boeroer already mentioned, enemies give up on you if they realize they move slower, so that comes in handy against Skuldr captains in eothas temple for example.

[Infinitron]

Being fast is useful. Slowing somebody down, perhaps not quite as much, which may be why almost all slowing spells and afflictions apply additional penalties as well.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Infinitron

[PrimeJunta]

Being fast is very useful. For spits and giggles, try making a ganky character -- fragile, but with massive point damage, and a few talents/buffs against disengagement attacks. Then use him to run around the enemy to get at the squishies in the back, then run away when targeted. 'Sfun.

 

Of course, it's also possible to play with Roman legionary tactics -- have a front line of tanks shielding a second line of ranged attackers, and do everything at choke points. That works great most of the time, except when it doesn't, like when the game hands you a fight where you're outnumbered and there isn't a choke point.

[Boeroer]

Being fast is very useful. For spits and giggles, try making a ganky character -- fragile, but with massive point damage, and a few talents/buffs against disengagement attacks. Then use him to run around the enemy to get at the squishies in the back, then run away when targeted. 'Sfun.

Like this: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/83190-class-build-fulmineo-prondroni-fancy-duelist-monk-on-speed/

 

and even this:

 

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/83338-class-build-the-dull-runner-caster-clipper-paladin-tank/

 

Sorry for the product placement...

 

Used them in one party. Most casters never had the chance to pull off a spell.

Except Lagufaeth - those bastards are all casters of some sort.   

Edited December 15, 2015 by Boeroer

[General_Jah]

great info, thanks for the replies

[Heijoushin]

I assume speed would be super important if you're doing a solo run. Your character would need to literally run circles around the bad guys.

[anameforobsidian]

I assume speed would be super important if you're doing a solo run. Your character would need to literally run circles around the bad guys.

 

I found it was.  I gave my Barbarian the rush ability.  Sometimes she was using it to rush the casters, but normally she was running away from difficult fights and pull certain enemies.

Edited December 17, 2015 by anameforobsidian

[rheingold]

Speed is great, more speed even better. Ok, that didn't come out as I planned....

Seriously, combat in pillars is sticky, largely because of engagement, which is a good thing. There should be consequences to moving around in a melee. So giving your frontline speed modifiers/ abilities is important, it turns some tough fights into easy ones.

Casters are powerful, no doubt about that, but they can take time to warm up and get their cc going. With a few exceptions(freeze fireball mainly), most cc spells take time. I've found that a fighter or monk with boots of speed/ long stride can get into the oppositions back line and knockdown the squishes before my cipher has built up focus and cast a spell. Same with other casters. A dual wield rogue on the other hand with crippling, blinding and withering strike and boots of speed will kill the entire backline before the casters have even realized they are in a fight. Might be a minor exaggeration, but not by much.

Also really useful for when the opposition gets amongst your back line, often by the time your fighters manage to come to the rescue it's to late.

So I try and give all my frontline people items with movement speed modifiers, though they are rare and often not enough to go around.

Edited December 17, 2015 by rheingold

[Boeroer]

Yeah - I love the monk for that: Running behind the enemy front line with +speed, eating some disengangement attacks on purpose to gain wounds and then knocking the entire backline prone for more than 10 seconds is just so much fun.

 

You can even use shift+click commands to assign a "chain of knockdowns". Then just unpause, lean back and watch the show.

[MunoValente]

I give most of my backliners the fast runner talent, that way they can take off and run if someone gets through my frontline, but it's best to have them start fleeing before they are engaged.

[anameforobsidian]

Speed is great, more speed even better. Ok, that didn't come out as I planned....

Seriously, combat in pillars is sticky, largely because of engagement, which is a good thing. There should be consequences to moving around in a melee. So giving your frontline speed modifiers/ abilities is important, it turns some tough fights into easy ones.

Casters are powerful, no doubt about that, but they can take time to warm up and get their cc going. With a few exceptions(freeze fireball mainly), most cc spells take time. I've found that a fighter or monk with boots of speed/ long stride can get into the oppositions back line and knockdown the squishes before my cipher has built up focus and cast a spell. Same with other casters. A dual wield rogue on the other hand with crippling, blinding and withering strike and boots of speed will kill the entire backline before the casters have even realized they are in a fight. Might be a minor exaggeration, but not by much.

Also really useful for when the opposition gets amongst your back line, often by the time your fighters manage to come to the rescue it's to late.

So I try and give all my frontline people items with movement speed modifiers, though they are rare and often not enough to go around.

 

Absolutely.  On PotD those kobold xaurip clerics hit like a freight train.