Greater Focus (Cipher)

[AeonsLegend]

Hi everyone. I was just wondering about this skill because I've put it on my Cipher and after reading the exact workings of the skill and the focus growth I thought it wasn't worth taking. The skill reads it gives +10 max focus so this translates at ~+2.5 focus at the start of the battle. Wrong!

 

There's something odd in this skill. My level 11 Cipher with this skill had 42 starting focus. And without it she had 32. Does this mean this skill has a hidden growth per level as well? If so, then it sounds worth taking because having 40+ focus at the start of the battle can make a real difference.

 

Anyone have any clue?

[Boeroer]

It gives you +10 max focus as well as +10 starting focus (this was added in a patch to make it worthwhile). It doesn't scale. It lets you cast powers of a higher level at the start of the combat - which can be pretty nice. The max focus itself is not so powerful if you spend focus asap. But combined with the starting focus it's a viable pick.

Edited September 25, 2016 by Boeroer

[AeonsLegend]

Sounds like someone forgot to update the tooltip! ^^ Thanks!

[MaxQuest]

It gives you +10 max focus as well as +10 starting focus (this was added in a patch to make it worthwhile).

Rumble, rumble. They could add this change to the update notes.

I am 100% sure this talent was adding just 2.5 to starting focus in the v2.03. And had to recheck all past notes for that change. (and it's not there)

Edited September 25, 2016 by MaxQuest

[Boeroer]

Yeah I can't even say when it was changed. All of a sudden it gave +10 starting focus as well. Maybe they did it along with the cipher rebalance which also made all the powers above lvl 1 super expensive (basically +10 focus for every spell level instead of +5).

[Dr <3]

Anyway is a good talent, i take it eveytime

[Boeroer]

Now it is. It used to be quite meh. I mean + 2.5 starting focus... pfff.

[Aginorh]

It seems to me that description in game is still wrong (I think it refers only as maximum focus +10). Otherwise I would have taken it.

[JerekKruger]

I believe that at level 16, with Greater Focus, using Twin Sting for an alpha strike you can fairly reliably get your focus above 80 at the start of combat. This is a good thing.

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

Yeah I can't even say when it was changed. All of a sudden it gave +10 starting focus as well. Maybe they did it along with the cipher rebalance which also made all the powers above lvl 1 super expensive (basically +10 focus for every spell level instead of +5).

It actually gave +10 starting focus at release, from what I remember anyway. It's just that until they made all the cipher powers cost more and reduced the base starting focus, it wasn't worth it because 1) you were never significantly short of focus, and 2) if you were short, the +10 bonus wasn't enough to matter.

 

Once they doubled all the power costs and reduced your starting focus by half, it got very useful overnight, because it meant you could open combat with a power two character levels higher than you'd otherwise be able to.

 

I need to edit the formatting on my guide to make all this stuff clearer

Edited February 28, 2017 by Dr. Hieronymous Alloy

[Kaylon]

I believe that at level 16, with Greater Focus, using Twin Sting for an alpha strike you can fairly reliably get your focus above 80 at the start of combat. This is a good thing.

You don't need Twin Stings for that. At lv16 with Greater Focus you start with 55 focus. With Draining Whip and the Talisman of the Unconquerable you'll be able to drain 58% of the damage you do - you have to do over 43damage to drain at least 25focus. With an exceptional arquebus you can deal rather easily over 60dmg (before DR) which is more than enough to get over 25focus against most targets (and you should try to pick the squishiest target to shoot at the start of the fight). 

[Raven Darkholme]

I avoided taking Greater Focus in my Trio party until after I got mindweb.

Then I realized you will always get into a situation where you don't build enough focus to start web at combat start.

Twin Sting is the best choice because of 2 chances at a hit if the first one fails.

Needless to say GF is better taken earlier than level 15 and I gimped myself needlessly. :D

[Livegood118]

I'd take quickswitch over greater focus any day of the week. Better to blow someone's face off with an arquebus at the start of the fight, get some damage in and have more focus than you would have had had you taken greater focus.

[indika_tates]

I'd take quickswitch over greater focus any day of the week. Better to blow someone's face off with an arquebus at the start of the fight, get some damage in and have more focus than you would have had had you taken greater focus.

 

Indeed. I'm playing an aumaua quick-switch cipher (guns) and this is the sequence:

- Mental binding

- Scon Mica's Roar (-5 def)

- Silver Flash (Blind)

- Lead Spitter (Pure damage)

- Fellstroke

 

I also use Kana but with Arquebuses because it's the same number of weapons. It's great to wipe out 1-2 molesters (wizards on cragdholt, lagufeths "queens", and so on) before the combat "start". It generates a good amount of focus to play with. Quite funny to avoid the stormcaller build (but you can change fellstroke for it and the result is the same, or better).

[QuiteGoneJin]

too bad quick switch is so tedious, also I noticed if you switch and choose an ability in the same pause the time to next attack is slower, so you need to quickswap, wait for bar to go to zero and auto animation to start, pause the auto before it goes off then choose a strike (this made me bench a 3 guns 1 sabre rogue that otherwise was a blast). 

[JerekKruger]

Yeah, quick switch is undoubtedly good, but I don't have the patience for builds designed around it.

[Raven Darkholme]

This sounds like quick switch excludes GF.

I always had both talents, start out with twin sting build 80 focus, quick switch to dual bittercut for 0 recovery cast mindweb, go ham in melee. :D

[Livegood118]

Yeah, I mean it's not like you have to use QS at the start of every fight, but it's great for those "oh **** I don't have any focus and I need to CC quickly" moments.

 

I guess to that extent maybe they shouldn't be considered mutually exclusive as suggested above.