Goblin Squad Member
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I have noticed something since EE 3 came out and was wondering if anyone else is having the same problem (or have I simply his a bad patch of random numbers).
When fighting NPCs that have archers, I have noticed two things.
1) They start interrupt attacks much earlier in the fight than in the past.
2) They seem to be interrupting much more often than before. I am under the impression that they have a 50% of interrupting with each shot, so pretty much every other spell or attack on your part will be interrupted. This is not what I have been seeing recently - 90% or more is what I am seeing.
A single archer interrupted my character more than 10 times in a row, then I managed to get a spell off, but it took 10 or so tries again before I could get a second spell of. This happened repeatedly since EE 3 went into effect.
So, is there a change to the way interrupt works?
Has anyone else noticed this?
Or have I hit a bad patch of random numbers?
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Goblin Squad Member
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Is it possible you are more heavily using an attack that takes longer to execute? The mob archers switch to rapid attacks as soon as their stamina is down. If they are using short bows, vs long bows, their low-stamina attack is pretty fast, and it is hard for it not to interrupt unless you time your actions well. If you are facing two attackers with shortbows that are staggering their hits (either deliberately, or accidentally), it is virtually impossible to get any attack off that can possibly be interrupted. I usually find I have to back up enough that they are forced to move to get into range again, which throws the cadence off, and often gives them some stamina recovery so they try their more powerful, slower, attack again.
By the same token, if two or three opponents get in range to deliver short sword attacks, it's hard for them not to interrupt anything longer.
When casting 2.3sec cast time spells, my interrupt rate is also far closer to 90%.
I was under the impression that perhaps interrupt chance from multiple enemy archers stacked or something, which would mean 87.5% interrupt chance with 3 stacks.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I've experienced the chain interrupting since long before EE3. I haven't noticed any increase in its frequency since, but then I have altered my attacks, weapons, and tactics to counter it.
As Cal pointed out - backpedal (or turn and run a little) so they regenerate some stamina is the easiest solution.
Set up a quick attack as your secondary weapon (wand, battle focus, or shortbow work best) and switch to that to kill the archers.
Or simply kill the archers first...
The archers only interrupt if you are provoking. Move into melee and hit them with a melee attack with the focu, wand, or melee weapon. Or use a shortbow since it has fast, un-interruptable attacks.
Also, I beleive their interrupt rate is nearly 100% as a tradeoff to the fact they only interrupt when you are provoking.
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Goblin Squad Member
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Likely what is going on is that the 'step down' of interrupts when 30% below a full hit is not happening. I seem to recall dev quotes about step down not working. Given how they are low level mobs using T1 attacks and each interrupt gives 10 stacks of Mind Blank it shouldn't be very likely for them to interrupt you more than a handful of times in a given fight.
Once that step down is fixed there should be a significant reduction in the number of interrupts if the above is correct.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I do back-up to try and throw off their rhythm. :)
I have also noticed this even when using a longbow and using half-draw to attack - it get's interrupted.
I started the thread because I had noticed an increase in the number of interrupts and was wondering if it was a deliberate change, accidental or if is simply the random numbers messing with me.
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Goblin Squad Member
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When you get the "opportunity" icon over your bar, you are provoking opportunity, which lets others take advantage of your off-centeredness to added effect, like interrupt.
It is derived from the TT, where certain actions provided an opening for an "attack of opportunity" which let characters with certain weapons in hand take an extra attack in the round, above those they were normally entitled to.
In TT, casting a spell, or firing a bow (among many other things) when there is an opponent with a sword in hand that could reach you gave them a free attack. In PFO, firing a bow, throwing a spell, or moving (among other things) lets oponents apply "opportunity" effects to their attack. The most well known one is the "basic longbow exploit" free basic attack feat, which lets you do additional damage if the target shows opportunity.
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Goblin Squad Member
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As a wizard, once I start being interrupted by them, I switch from my staff to my wand and move into range and blast away with that. It usually takes them down fast. I don't notice any interrupt with wand attacks, of course, most of those attacks are pretty wimpy but they are so fast that they about average on damage as compared to slower more powerful staff attacks.
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Goblin Squad Member
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There are feats, like Master of Opportunity, that offer extra features if the target is showing the state when you hit.
Yeah the Master of Opportunity that Interrupts combined with halfdraw that also interrupts is handy against interrupting archers if there are only one or two. The entire Master of Opportunity reactive line seems to have good synergy with Longbows and the exploit attack.
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Goblinworks Game Designer
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The bandit archer low-stamina attack is 100% Interrupt on Opportunity.
The Stamina cost on it is 23, which means they'll have enough to use it every 2.3 seconds once they get low in stamina. If you are also repeatedly using longbow attacks that are also 2.3 seconds, you could probably easily get into a loop where they manage to land in your interruption phase every time. However, if you happen to time it so they're hitting you during your non-interruption phases, they'll probably keep hitting you during those phases and never interrupt you as long as you also keep attacking every 2.3 seconds.
The bandit attack is changing stamina cost slightly due to some math changes in EE4, so it will probably be less likely to get stuck in a perfect loop of either yes or no in the future.
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Goblin Squad Member
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| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The bandit archer low-stamina attack is 100% Interrupt on Opportunity.
The Stamina cost on it is 23, which means they'll have enough to use it every 2.3 seconds once they get low in stamina. If you are also repeatedly using longbow attacks that are also 2.3 seconds, you could probably easily get into a loop where they manage to land in your interruption phase every time. However, if you happen to time it so they're hitting you during your non-interruption phases, they'll probably keep hitting you during those phases and never interrupt you as long as you also keep attacking every 2.3 seconds.
The bandit attack is changing stamina cost slightly due to some math changes in EE4, so it will probably be less likely to get stuck in a perfect loop of either yes or no in the future.
Technical question.
If a group of archers all begin to shoot at you at exactly the same time, will they eventually get into a synchronized 2.3 second loop where they all fire simultaneously or is there some randomness built in where they can get out of synch.
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Goblinworks Game Designer
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I believe that, the simple way the AI is now, if they start in synch, they'll stay in synch unless something happens to break their pattern (like one having to move while the others can still attack). I don't believe they'll naturally synchronize over time if they didn't start out in synch (though I've seen MMOs where that happened due to something about the AI processing cycles).
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Goblin Squad Member
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I believe that, the simple way the AI is now, if they start in synch, they'll stay in synch unless something happens to break their pattern (like one having to move while the others can still attack). I don't believe they'll naturally synchronize over time if they didn't start out in synch (though I've seen MMOs where that happened due to something about the AI processing cycles).
I could see that happening in EVE where the server has one second "ticks".
So effectively four archers shooting at you is the same as one in terms of timing the interrupts. However using interrupt attacks yourself is only useful against a single archer.
I think how easy it is for attacks to be interrupted made the wizard cooldown addition way too extreme.
Yah, but the wizard AoEs were way overpowered if played well. Fair enough there is no "easy noob mode" like heavy armor fighters who can just sit about while being attacked and get around to drawing a weapon when they are in the mood - but in terms of killing stuff you could really churn through it if you are tactical and build the wizard well. One of the guys in my settlement got to Arcane 10 with his wizard in about 4 weeks.
The workaround to the cooldown is of course slot several different area spells and start looking at spell synergies.
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Goblin Squad Member
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So effectively four archers shooting at you is the same as one in terms of timing the interrupts. However using interrupt attacks yourself is only useful against a single archer.
My intuition raises no objections to the idea of a 4 on 1 archer battle being awkward for the 1.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I believe that, the simple way the AI is now, if they start in synch, they'll stay in synch unless something happens to break their pattern (like one having to move while the others can still attack). I don't believe they'll naturally synchronize over time if they didn't start out in synch (though I've seen MMOs where that happened due to something about the AI processing cycles).I could see that happening in EVE where the server has one second "ticks".
So effectively four archers shooting at you is the same as one in terms of timing the interrupts. However using interrupt attacks yourself is only useful against a single archer.
I think how easy it is for attacks to be interrupted made the wizard cooldown addition way too extreme.Yah, but the wizard AoEs were way overpowered if played well. Fair enough there is no "easy noob mode" like heavy armor fighters who can just sit about while being attacked and get around to drawing a weapon when they are in the mood - but in terms of killing stuff you could really churn through it if you are tactical and build the wizard well. One of the guys in my settlement got to Arcane 10 with his wizard in about 4 weeks.
The workaround to the cooldown is of course slot several different area spells and start looking at spell synergies.
You clearly do not play a wiz. There is only one high dmg AOE that does burst size AOE and as any lower AOE is usless cycling throgh them is also usless. You might as well do one wilting surge then switch to killing joke though that should be an AOE anyways because who the hell wouldnt hear the joke with a 35 range hmmmmmm.