Shatter Strike: What Node Would You Give Its Specialization Tree?

General
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If your Mage explores the path of the Spellblade, they will learn how to perform Shatter Strike. This devastating attack damages nearby enemies, has a chance to freeze them, and will even automatically kill enemies with little health remaining.

If you could design a node for Shatter Strike’s specialization tree, what would it do?

We’d love to see names, ideas on how many points can be spent in a node - and if you can spend more than one point in it, what would scale per point and what would not? This skill combines both offensive and defensive aspects to ensure the Spellblade is a potent force on the battlefield. We can’t wait to see which direction you take the skill in!

We have previously asked for ideas for Aura of Decay, and we’re happy to report that work on that specialization tree is almost complete! It should be included in one of our next content patches. While we aren’t actively looking for additional suggestions for this skill specialization tree, if you think you’ve a great node concept for it, feel free to post it in a new thread. We’ll merge your post into the previous thread, and re-open it for further discussion.

7 Likes
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This is a skill I’m definitely interested in! Gonna think of something and add it here! :thinking::thinking:

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Howabout something like a pull, like it drags everything within a 30yd radius into the caster. Maybe make it a % chance to pull in, or it pulls in undamaged enemies.

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Skill chains to nearby enemies dealing 75% of damage for each chain

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[deleted]

5 Likes
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A shrapnell node for sure that shoots out splinters from shattered enemys with a increased area and number of splinters node that reduces the initial dmg. Maybe a frostburn node that allows to ignite enemys due frostburn. A node that that emerges cold from the hit target in a small area with a chance to freeze it’s surroundings to make it a mini AoE slow.

4 Likes
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Just a few thoughts:

Firstly, I love the ideas recommended above about Shattering strike repeating or echoing off nearby enemies. Maybe:

Frozen Wasteland: Shatter Strike has an ×% chance to repeat on frozen enemies.

Next, because the skill scales really well off of dexterity, it would be cool to see other mechanics that build off that dex stacking as well as jumping into the middle of packs for close combat. I.e:

Evasive Assault: ×% increased area for each hit you’ve dodged recently.

Just spitballing other likely unreasonable ideas:

  • sets a charge on enemies hit which detonates after x seconds to deal x cold damage in a small area
  • Summon clone of yourself who also uses shattering strike
  • 2 nodes branching off of the same point: Shattering strike has an x% chance to push back enemies it hits vs Shattering strike has an x% chance to pull in nearby enemies on use. With nodes behind for pull/push strength.
4 Likes
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To go along with the chance to freeze and the ability to kill enemies at low health, I think it’d be cool to have some nodes that synergizes that. For example, maybe if the enemy is frozen, shatter strike can instantly kill enemies at a higher threshold, maybe up to double the base amount? If it’s 5% normally, could have 5 nodes that raise it up to 10% while an enemy is frozen.

As for a name for the node, the first thing that comes to mind is Shatter The Flesh, but that feels redundant with the skills name itself.

2 Likes
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No name idea, but a node that spreads the freeze on shatter would be awesome. “When Shatter Strike kills a frozen enemy, enemies around it are frozen.” …maybe has a scaling chance to freeze? or a freeze of reduced duration? or a chill and making them more susceptible to freeze for a short duration?

Just spit-balling. ;D

3 Likes
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-Please include some sort of two handed weapon bonus. I love this higher risk vs reward option. Related to this I think it would be neat to have an optional node where shatter strike gains a cooldown, and spends a percentage of your current ward to do massive damage in a large area. Locked behind this could be a 5 point node that regenerates 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 ward per second while shatter strike is on cooldown.
-Since this should be the most defensive melee attack, and mana strike already gives a large amount of ward (which seems hard to compete with), this one should have different trees granting armor, block chance etc to make ward not the only/best defensive option for mages. This would also make it combine nicely with Ice Ward shield bonuses.
-A path that has some form of charges, either ones that retaliate with cold damage when something hits you and removes a charge or you gain a glyph(s) that orbits you and automatically shoots at enemies based on your charges.
The crazier the better :slight_smile:

3 Likes
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My idea is based around returning life so here goes:

From Death Comes Life

When Shattering Strike kills the target you gain 5% per point spent (0/5) of the killing strikes damage back as health.

This could be altered in number of skill points required and % return of health but that is the general idea.

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I’d like to see a node for a debuff that inflicted a block protection penalty, or reduced block chance. To represent the damage to armor. Fracture, maybe.

Or a stiff reduction to dodge chance after being hit, since cold makes you less nimble. Biting Cold

3 Likes
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Here are some of my toughts:

  1. 0/5: Increase radius of slash by 5%

  2. 0/3: Increase the health pool Shatter strike automaticelly kill by 0.5% (Not sure about numbers. I’d like to see something in the likes of D3 Necro but nerfed to 8-10% of mob hp)

  3. 0/5: Increased chance to freeze by 10% and shattering strike’s radius is Decreased by 5% (Something in the like of a boss killer spec?)

  4. 0/5: Everytime you strike with Shattering strike your elemental resistances increase by 1% stackable to 10-20 stacks max.

I will come up with some more later on. Let’s see where this spell gets to !

Best regards,

Oupsimdead.

2 Likes
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Node that decreases the area from a circle into a cone and:
Either increases/more attack speed (since you take less time to swing in a cone than in a circle)
OR increases mana efficiency (since you spend less mana for smaller area)
OR gives more damage
OR makes the range longer

3 Likes
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So im a huge fan of skills that chain (exploding palm from diablo 3 for example) so i would love to see something like this:

So instead of having a chance to freeze enemies you now shatter/explode them

-Enemies hit by shatter strike no longer have a chance to freeze but have a chance to shatter, causing an explosion of ice, dealing cold damage and slowing the movement and attack speed of enemies (0/5) (i suggest that with 5 points invested this will be 100%)
If the slowing movement and attack is too powerful just remove it, also i chose hit and not killed for a specific reason, because if you are fighting a boss without adds then this whole path would be useless, unless he spawns them.

This would the starting node that leads to more nodes that expand on the idea of the explosion/shatter

After u put atleast 3 points into the node above u can get the follow up.

-Enemies hit by the explosion will shatter/explode aswell ( think of diablo 3 exploding palm, once an enemy dies a chain reaction happens.) This could also have a chance instead of being 100% so either 0/1 or 0/3-5)
So enemies outside the original shatter strike range but that still got hit by the shatter/explosion will trigger their own shatter/explosion (the range of the shatter/explosion should be a bit bigger than the range of shatter strike for this to work)

Then a 3 way split comes.

Path 1 leads to:
-Every point in this node increases the times an enemy can explode (0/3-5)
So if anything survives the intial shatter/explode they have a chance to shatter/explode to keep the chain going,
i dont want: has a chance of shattering/exploding a second time, i wanna see more than 1 extra if possible(if its not too overpowered ofcourse)

Path 2 leads to:
-Increases the range of the shatter/explosion by “x” (0/3-5)
More range means more enemies hit and a bigger chance to proc the shatter/explosion. This is an aeo node and doesnt help at all for fighting a single enemy
If this node feels too weak compared to the others you could make it so that it reduces the cooldown per enemy hit by the shatter/explosion or have a chance to reset the cooldown entirely per shatter/explosion.

A follow up for path 2 could be:
-Shatter/explosion does more damage to enemies farther away from you by “x” (0/3)
So if the shatter/explosion chains up to enemies really far away from you they would receive more damage than enemies close to you, this makes the skill really strong if its procs to a whole bunch of enemies.

Path 3 leads to:
-Increases the damage of the shatter/explosion “x” (0/5)
Gotta spend points to make this choice of shatter/explosions worth it.

A follow up node of path 3 could be:
-If the shatter/explosion hits only 1 enemy the damage is increased by “x” (0/3)
This would make the skill more viable for fighting bosses instead of only an aeo.

I hope i got my idea across. (Sorry for the sloppy writing, im doing this on my phone)
Its just so much fun seeing all the explosions going off and chaining to even enemies off screen.

3 Likes
16

I also came here to suggest shrapnel damage on culled/frozen enemies and increased culling :slight_smile:

  • increased mana efficiency
  • Added Cooldown: Summons an ice vortex that follows the spellblade for the duration of the cooldown.
    • Increased freezerate of ice vortices
    • Increased cooldown, summons additional ice vortices nearby the player
    • Ice vortices no longer follow the player, reduced duration
  • Increased freeze rate and damage against enemies at max health.
  • Shattering Echo: Culling can no longer be applied on the initial hit, 1 second after casting, cast another smaller hit that can cull.
2 Likes
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The idea of Shatter Strike is super interesting to me. So I made a google docs, to show my idea for a skill tree.

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1qTSe64Jm4B_Fomg_tMjvXrnHH7HodB9ycF0RdI153fo/edit?usp=sharing

1 Like
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  • Reflective Strikes: Summons {{1}} mirror image per point that deals a culling strike.

    • Mirror shield: Doubles the duration and number of mirror images. You deal 50% less damage to enemies.
      • Reflection Dimension: You no longer deal damage to enemies. You cull your minions with less than 50% hp. Minions you cull have increased shrapnel damage.

  • Glacial Swing: Reduced attack speed, increased damage.

    • Chilling Aura: The force of your blade leaves behind a DoT that chills enemies. The duration of the Aura is equal to your attack time.

  • Shattering Force: Reduces AoE to 180° arc. You deal increased damage and are knocked back 3m after your attack

    • Backwards Momentum: You deal {{x}} physical damage to enemies you hit while getting knocked back per point. You travel backwards {{2}} additional meters per point.
      • Sonic Boom: Damage from backwards Momentum is applied in an increasing AoE per point.
2 Likes
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I’m starting to like this whole idea of the mirror images theme on the mage :smiley: Kinda like a Mesmer form GW2!

1 Like
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I think warlock may end up getting most of the mesmer-esque stuff :dancer: