Damage 2.0 Improvement.

[neKroMancer]

Damage 2.0 was released to combat rainbow build and promote complexity in the game by combining element damage together. However, there are some problems with the system from my perspective.

It is too complex and without an actual way to maximize gameplay from said complexity.

Complexity is fine but too much complexity is a chore. DE expect player to keep track of which enemy has which kind of defense in real time and switch weapon to deal with them accordingly. Consider that we have four factions and lots of defense to memorize, the game pretty much asking player to do a few things.

A. Memorize faction's unit resistance.

B. Mod your weapon to deal with different type of enemies.

C. Switch weapon as needed.

However, the game doesn't give you the following stuff.

A. A way to see what kind of damage the target is vulnerable to at first glance (you have armor, shield, health which represent almost no value consider that they don't give you any idea about what kind of damage you should apply. For example, ferrite armor and alloy armor both represent by yellow bar but vulnerable to different elements. Or the entire Infest that represent as red health bar but have a lot more variations for said 'red' bar ( infested flesh, infested, sinew, and fossilized).

B. Modding your weapon to combat the enemy and weapon switching. While the game pretty much asking player to carry multiple weapons to take advantage of multiple elemental vulnerability, it doesn't promote the player to switch weapon due to clumsy switching animation (no, aura for switching weapon is bad idea and should be considered pointless aura since player won't use it over other useful stuff. I rate the usefulness of it in the same level of warm coat).

I believe that there are multiple ways to solve some issues. I will take an example from Borderlands. The game has five elements against three kinds of resistance (slag/corrosive/electric/fire/explosive and armor/shield/health). Player can distinguish each type of resistance by glancing at the target's health bar whether it's blue, red, or yellow. Weapon switching is fast to allow player to take advantage of said elemental vulnerability. Moreover, the color is matching ; red damage for red health, blue electric damage for blue shield, and green corrosive for yellow armor, slag is purplish and middle ground explosive is yellow.

What Warframe should do then?

It's either taking the less complex path or remain complex but giving player more information on the screen. Lessen complexity will result in an overhaul of the damage system again. But it has potential to be fun, borderlandish kind of fun. Giving more information on the screen will allow the damage system to remain complex without player consulting wiki about every little thing. However, the information can be too much since DE decided to give both elemental vulnerability and elemental resistance to every enemy.

Another thing is switching speed. We need to fast thing up considerably. I have seen many players use the same gun for an entire mission regardless of enemy's defense. I do that too! It's bothersome to waste my time switching weapon while I can use single weapon to beat the mission easily. Gameplay doesn't take advantage of elemental mechanic at all. If it works as intended we should see player switching weapon against every enemy like what I have seen in Borderland1-2.

Just my 2 cent in this matter.

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Between you and I.  I just make one build with my Lex Prime and just use that, it works up until level 90+ enemies.

[(PSN)CrimsonShinku]

you could just scan the enemies.swi

 

tching weapons is indeed very slow, in fact i think it shouldn't take any time at all, in the time you switch weapons more enemies that require the other weapon will appear.

 

edit: at above: have you tried the akmagnus, they're pain in a barrel, a couple of barrels.

 

i like the lex prime and the lex tree is my favorite gun, but akmagnuses are just nuts

Edited July 5, 2014 by (PS4)CrimsonShinku

[Mastikator2]

It's mostly the heavies that you need to worry about, for most of them corrosive is pretty good. I usually just do a corrosive/blast combo, for reduced armor + knockdown. Tends to win against everything.

[neKroMancer]

you could just scan the enemies.swi

 

tching weapons is indeed very slow, in fact i think it shouldn't take any time at all, in the time you switch weapons more enemies that require the other weapon will appear.

 

edit: at above: have you tried the akmagnus, they're pain in a barrel, a couple of barrels.

 

i like the lex prime and the lex tree is my favorite gun, but akmagnuses are just nuts

Scanning the enemies doesn't grant you vulnerability on screen, only in the codex. Codex which you can't view during the mission and take time to glean something useful from it. If scanning provide player with permanent data on the HUD (adding listed vulnerability under the life bar) then it would be nice. However, information overload is a risk due to one enemy tends to have more than one weakness and strength.

Weapons aren't problem for me. The problem is why should we carry multiple weapons into a mission when we usually blast through it with just one weapon?

[neKroMancer]

It's mostly the heavies that you need to worry about, for most of them corrosive is pretty good. I usually just do a corrosive/blast combo, for reduced armor + knockdown. Tends to win against everything.

Another problem from damage 2.0. Why the hell should we care about elements at all?