Even so simple a change as changing the DOT to a bleed would make these weapons relevant again. Alternatively, make them work like Master Destros, adding damage to and reducing the cost of crit rush.

VMA, DSA, and Asylum 2h weapons already count for two set slots. Take a look at the dual wield and 1h/shield sets from those same dungeons - they require both item slots to take effect.

Get your facts straight before running and complaining on the forums that your candy got stolen again.

Most of the "reward" weapons are pretty lackluster on Live. Next patch when they are going to be competing against 5 piece set bonues (all of them because of jewelry) and full Monster set bonuses, they are all going to get even relatively worse.

Qbiken wrote: »

* The vMA bow will still be mandatory I think for stamina DPS. No other tool in the game gives so much "free" DPS as the bow. One of the most overperforming weapons in the game if you ask me.

* vMA destruction staff will probably keep their purpose now that heavy and light attacks does more damage.

Nope.

Why? Maelstrom and Masters weapons will still provide some unique way to build your toons but not the only way anymore.

agree.

only short while ago- we had a real diversity in the way you could build- you could go
5-5-2- back bar one set- front bar the other- and a monster helm
5-3-2-1 body set, agility/willpower, monster set, backbar maelstroms weapons
5-4-2-1 body set, 4 piece moon/Ia, monster set, back bar maelstrom

the asylum , maelstrom and master weapons are meant to be the bIS weapons in the game- theyre hard earned and have always had a mystique and reverence- not now- but back in the day - a sharp 2hand great sword or sharp inferno maelstrom was something to covet and work towards. now that you can have essentially more sets active at once- there is no way a maelstrom, master or asylum build would be able to compete with a 5-5-2 (monster helm)setup, no way.

ZOS always do this - and is a fundamental failure in their approach. trying to create a goal (of more diversity in builds) but without thoroughly understanding consequences - and end up actually doing the opposite- and creating a more narrow build meta. anyone seen anything other than a mag sorc or magblade wearing mechanical acuity in trials lately? exactly. 4 years in and we ve got literally 2/10 classes wearing 1/100 gear sets in a trial.

theres your build diversity after 4 years. I'm hoping they ll do this right- but I'm not confident.

I don't think unique weapons are what need a buff. They all have strong effects that allow for build diversity and there are several ways to combo unique weapons with 2-5-5 setups.

IMO, what should really be buffed are the 3 pc jewellery sets as these were what really made the old vMA 2h setups so powerful; raw stats. Right now, they barely offer more stats on live and with the new 2h bonus changes they will be obsolete.

Items like 2h vMA weapons should never be build defining, simply icing on the cake, which they were back when they were stat sticks. A build should work using gear the average player can obtain. Unique weapons simply "perfect" these builds.

Make 2-5-3 setups competitive with 2-5-5 setups and you'll see plenty of vMA/vDSA/vAS weapon use.

Specifically to vMA 2h, I run them on my stam sorc and the damage it provides is noticeable. That said, I do think changing the effect to a Bleed would be appropriate.

Kanar wrote: »

Maelstrom 2 hander is just absurd now. You cannot find a more ridiculous weapon. I mean, they nerf crit charge damage into the ground because "gap closers shouldn't do damage" and then on the other hand we have vMA 2hander...whose bonus is to add more damage to a gap closer.

Just another example of zos' lack of direction at the moment, especially when combined with these new SS changes to sets and how it contradicts the vMA WD nerf.

You're looking at it one dimensionally. Gap closers aren't meant to deal damage, they are meant to maintain pressure on your opponents, which is exactly what vMA 2h sword/axe/maul does. So in that sense, the reasoning behind the effect actually makes sense.

vAS 2h'ers are designed to reward you for killing/build up ultimate for a killing burst and are thereby tied to an execute and vDSA 2h'ers are designed to increase 2h AoE performance hence why they are tied to Cleave. All 3 weapons perform perfectly in the sense that they amplify the effectiveness of the skills that they modify.

vAS--> Fights over?/Not enough burst? Here's a reward for a job well done/Here's an ultimate for burst
vDSA--> Need to deal more AoE damage? Here's more damage.
vMA--> Trying to maintain pressure? Here's some passive pressure.

Abysswarrior45 wrote: »

IAVITNI wrote: »

I don't think unique weapons are what need a buff. They all have strong effects that allow for build diversity and there are several ways to combo unique weapons with 2-5-5 setups.

IMO, what should really be buffed are the 3 pc jewellery sets as these were what really made the old vMA 2h setups so powerful; raw stats. Right now, they barely offer more stats on live and with the new 2h bonus changes they will be obsolete.

Items like 2h vMA weapons should never be build defining, simply icing on the cake, which they were back when they were stat sticks. A build should work using gear the average player can obtain. Unique weapons simply "perfect" these builds.

Make 2-5-3 setups competitive with 2-5-5 setups and you'll see plenty of vMA/vDSA/vAS weapon use.

Specifically to vMA 2h, I run them on my stam sorc and the damage it provides is noticeable. That said, I do think changing the effect to a Bleed would be appropriate.

Kanar wrote: »

Maelstrom 2 hander is just absurd now. You cannot find a more ridiculous weapon. I mean, they nerf crit charge damage into the ground because "gap closers shouldn't do damage" and then on the other hand we have vMA 2hander...whose bonus is to add more damage to a gap closer.

Just another example of zos' lack of direction at the moment, especially when combined with these new SS changes to sets and how it contradicts the vMA WD nerf.

You're looking at it one dimensionally. Gap closers aren't meant to deal damage, they are meant to maintain pressure on your opponents, which is exactly what vMA 2h sword/axe/maul does. So in that sense, the reasoning behind the effect actually makes sense.

vAS 2h'ers are designed to reward you for killing/build up ultimate for a killing burst and are thereby tied to an execute and vDSA 2h'ers are designed to increase 2h AoE performance hence why they are tied to Cleave. All 3 weapons perform perfectly in the sense that they amplify the effectiveness of the skills that they modify.

vAS--> Fights over?/Not enough burst? Here's a reward for a job well done/Here's an ultimate for burst
vDSA--> Need to deal more AoE damage? Here's more damage.
vMA--> Trying to maintain pressure? Here's some passive pressure.

The dot on vMA 2h is minuscule and easily ignored. A weapon that supposed to be hard to obtain should be powerful and definitely BiS, but its not. I don't want it to over perform but it needs a buff/rework.

It's really not that small. I'm a Vivec PS4 NA solo main, pretty sure we were both in Blue Starz, and I've run vMA 2h Battle Axe on my Stam Sorc almost exclusively since they took the stats away. The damage is noticeable. I fought a stamden in open world twice, one with vMA one without, both setups had similar stats offensive wise, no vMA setup traded defence for better sustain.

Fight with vMA was actually a 2v1, and it took me 10 minutes to beat both of them, 3 to take down the stamden after I killed his pocket healer.

Second fight was a 1v1 and went for 10 minutes and it was a very different fight. My health never dropped below 50% (he was a bad player, just had a lot of healing) but I simply couldn't kill the stamden the same way I did before because I didn't have the same pressure. Burst was the same, but pressure was noticeably different.

That said, I do think it should be changed into a Bleed so that it ignores resistances. It's definitely outclassed by Asylum weapons but I would never say that it's easily ignored. Its free supplementary damage. If you overload these weapons it makes them mandatory. Changing it from a Physical DoT to a Bleed should get the damage to where it needs to be.

I still standby my statement that the 3pc jewellery sets should be the target for buffs over Trial weapons.

Lynx7386 wrote: »

VMA, DSA, and Asylum 2h weapons already count for two set slots. Take a look at the dual wield and 1h/shield sets from those same dungeons - they require both item slots to take effect.

Get your facts straight before running and complaining on the forums that your candy got stolen again.

Yes but no.