12 réponses à ce sujet

[RedCaesar97]

According to the Mass Effect 2 Gameplay Data thread, Concussive Shot deals 3.5 times more damage to barriers. But is this damage meaningful in the actual game? So I set up a simple test: Will Concussive Shot completely strip the weakest barriers in the game.

I recorded and edited a video displaying the tests I conducted.

Build setup:
I used a Level 30 Soldier for the tests. To maximize the damage of Concussive Shot:

• I evolved Concussive Shot to Heavy Concussive Shot (100 damage).
• I evolved Combat Mastery to Commando (+15% power damage).

Armor setup:
Armor can grant additional power damage. I tested using the following armor sets:

• Blood Dragon Armor: +15% power damage
• "Umbra" armor (N7 Chestplate, Amplifier Plates, and Umbra Visor): +13% power damage
• Inferno armor: +10% power damage. Note that the game description says it increases tech and biotic power damage, but it should also increase combat power damage.
• No DLC Armor (N7 Chestplate and Amplifier Plates)

My goal was to maximize the power damage granted by armor. I used various DLC armor setups, and one vanilla (non-DLC) setup.

NOTE: Special thanks to BSN user WolfForce99 who generously gave me a code for the Blood Dragon Armor. I greatly appreciate it.

Concussive Shot total damage to barriers:
As described in original General Power Mechanics, power damage is calculated using the formula:

(Base damage + bonuses from passives, upgrades, and armor) x resistance bonus

So for each armor setup, the total barrier damage becomes;

• Blood Dragon Armor: 455 damage to barriers
• Umbra Armor: 448 damage to barriers
• Inferno Armor: 437.5 damage to barriers
• No DLC Armor: 430.5 damage to barriers

Barrier strength:
On Insanity and Hardcore, the weakest barriers belong to Collector Drones and Sisterhood Initiates (Samara's Recruitment Mission). 

On Veteran, Normal, and Casual, the weakest barriers belong to most Eclipse Vanguards and Collector Guardians. I did not get a good test of Collector Assassins, but I believe they have the same barrier strength as Collector Guardians.

Collector Drone = Sisterhood Initiate

Collector Guardian = Eclipse Vanguard (= Collector Assassin)

Results:
On Insanity, Veteran, and Normal, Concussive Shot failed to completely strip the weakest barriers, even with the Blood Dragon Armor equipped.

On Hardcore and Casual, Concussive Shot completely stripped the weakest barriers. It did not matter which Armor setup I used.

Modifié par RedCaesar97, 23 janvier 2012 - 03:49 .

[HolyAvenger]

Oh its terrible as a skill for Shepard. No doubt. Soldier Shep should be investing points in ammo powers, AR and class passive. Not in this.

[capn233]

I think it should be noted that without upgrades Heavy Warp does 400 damage to barriers and Unstable Warp only does 320.

If you are upgraded 5/5 it is at 600 and 480 respectively. That is without passive or armor bonuses. It's too bad there weren't combat power upgrades.

None of this stops me from using Garrus's CS on barriers though.

[HolyAvenger]

Casual, Normal and Veteran will only have barriers on certain tough enemies. Hardcore and Insanity will barriers on even low level Collector mooks. Those tougher enemies get stronger barriers.

Hence on Casual, CS strips the barriers completely of an EliteMook. But doesn't on Normal or Veteran. On Hardcore, CS strips the barrier completely of a Mook, but doesn't on Insanity.

[RedCaesar97]

capn233 wrote...
I think it should be noted that without upgrades Heavy Warp does 400 damage to barriers and Unstable Warp only does 320.

It should also be noted that is without passive or armor bonuses. Without bonuses, Heavy Concussive Shot deals 350 damage to barriers, and Concussive Blast deals 262.5 damage to barriers.

In fact, with just +15% power damage bonus from armor and/or passive, Heavy Warp will deal 460 damage to barriers, more than you can get with Concussive Shot.

It's too bad there weren't combat power upgrades.

Concussive Shot, Inferno Grenade (DLC), and Flashbang Grenade (DLC) are the only combat powers with power damage. Ammo powers are in their own category. Not worth having combat damage upgrades in my opinion. Either Concussive Shot needed greater base damage, or an even larger damage bonuses to barriers.

[ryoldschool]

@Red The best job of testing we have seen in a long time. Very interesting about the different difficulty levels. We are hoping that when they add ammo powers to CS in ME3 that it makes a big difference

[CoffeeHolic93]

ryoldschool wrote...

@Red The best job of testing we have seen in a long time. Very interesting about the different difficulty levels. We are hoping that when they add ammo powers to CS in ME3 that it makes a big difference

Cryo, Cryo, Cryo, Cryo! 

[capn233]

RedCaesar97 wrote...

It should also be noted that is without passive or armor bonuses. Without bonuses, Heavy Concussive Shot deals 350 damage to barriers, and Concussive Blast deals 262.5 damage to barriers.

Yes... that's what I typed.  But the real point was really that the biotic upgrades make a huge difference for Warp.  Even so concussive shot is weaker against barriers, but it does knock down unprotected enemies.  I imagine they thought that was the primary use with anti-barrier as a perk.  Perhaps they shouldn't have a separate combat power upgrade, although there isn't much reason why an upgrade couldn't cover FB, CS and ammo power damage.  This probably would require different scaling of damages as a 50% bonuse to ammo power damage would actually make them fairly substantial, even without the range multiplier that the "weapn damage" portion of the calculation gets.

[Kronner]

CS on squadmates is fairly decent power that stuns an enemy when you need it. Other than that, it sucks and is a complete waste of points.

[ScroguBlitzen]

The problem is that a single Adrenaline Rush burst with any weapon in the game does so much more damage to Barriers than this skill and has a shorter cooldown as well.

[AstralStorm]

It can be used as a handicap for fun though. Try playing Insanity as Soldier without AR.
And no, no sitting in cover all the time like a coward.