De, Why Does Chroma Only Have One Good Skill?

[tripletriple]

 I play your warframe too. I have six forma's in Chroma and on top of that, I have a maxed arcane grace and arcane barrier running on him. Now, tell me who loves Chroma more?

 

The truth is his only good skill is vex ward. Granted elemental ward is a decent skill, it is supposed to buff allies too, but the range is so short it might as well not affect allies. The range should be made to stay on allies when cast or have 60 meters base so it can be viable with narrow minded. 

 

Spectral Scream is a joke of an ability that will never be useful in it's current state and should be removed full stop. I don't want to see anyone trying to defend a skill that is blatantly so bad that it makes me cringe when I use it.

 

His ultimate effigy would be a tiny bit decent if it didn't cost me a base of 10 energy per second on top of casting elemental ward and vex at the same time. It's a joke to even think about it.  On top of that it needs QOL buffs starting with a reduction to 1 energy a second at base. That is all it deserves. 

 

Please DE lets do something about this. Having a frame with 1 viable skill is terrible design. Think of Chroma with no Vex Ward. I shudder. 

 

On a side note I think you should be able to recast Vex and elemental. If it's too op just refresh the effects each recast.

Edited January 15, 2016 by D20
That first part was not necessary.

[Rydian]

Granted elemental ward is a decent skill, it is supposed to buff allies too, but the range is so short it might not even do so.

Noticed that myself, tried playing Chroma a few times with a few builds and noticed nothing really happening before it hit me that the range was simply abysmal.

 

The range should be made to 60 meters base so, it can be viable with narrow minded.

Skills should not consider corrupt mods in determining viability, they should have all-around usable stats to begin with.  If you use a corrupt mod for a bigger buff to a strength, you will have to deal with or offset the weakness yourself as a player via modding or playstyle.

[rechot]

yea chromas only good ability is vex armor. Im not a chroma player but i just don't like his kit. if they improved it a bit i may use him

[Knightmare047]

Imo, the Elemental Ward's buff should stay on allies even if they get out of range. As long as they were within range during the initial cast, the ward should stay on them for the rest of the duration instead of having to be in hugging range of Chroma. Similar to how Volt's Speed works on allies.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Knightmare047

[Magneu]

Elemental Ward not good? The multiplicative effect of Vex Amor on EW with ice element gives a large amount of armor, to say nothing of slowing hitscan enemies frequently, and making level 200 Bombard rockets feel like butterflys. Personally, I'm able to run EW/VA as well as having Effigy up 40-60% of the time no biggie. Granted it does die quickly (at least give Effigy the armor it takes and give it VA! Please!) at higher levels, but the radial stun and constant slows are nice. 

 

You want 60m base for Elemental Ward? Dial that to 20 and it's balanced, as most Chromas run Narrowminded, so it will still have an effective range. Effigy at one e/s at base would cap at .25 energy per second at max efficiency (personally I run normal efficiency anyway, and with Primed Flow/Rage/Zenurik I could keep Effigy up while constantly buffing for a VERY long time) is much, much too low. Make it 5-6 e/s and that's more balanced (along with giving it armor, letting it utilize VA, and constantly radiating EW, now THAT'S an ultimate. Even better, let use interact with it to become the flying dragon, but that's just a pipe dream.)

 

Maybe you need to check your build, but I run my Chroma solo T4S to 65 minutes, every type of sortie (including Spy, lol), Defense...you name it. Give him the right weapons and Chroma will only die when sniper type enemies reach a certain level with damage buffs from T4/Nightmare/Sortie.

 

Although I will say, Spectral Scream is utter poo-poo. Here's some ideas I had regarding it; https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/587927-simple-changes-to-screamafterburn-to-make-them-vastly-more-useful/#entry6655877 

 

The changes in that topic would make Spectral Scream much, much more viable.

 

All in all, Elemental Ward/Vex Armor are fine as is, Effigy needs some QoL tweaks, common sense tweaks (MOA stomps moving it, wut), and a energy cost reduction, and Spectral Scream needs massive buffs.

 

Oh, and let Effigy utilize stolen armor/Chroma buffs, if I haven't said it enough. Damage done to Effigy charging Scorn/Fury would be great too.

 

EDIT: Swap Barrier for Guardian BTW. The 60% base buff is multiplied into the calculations for Elemental Ward, and overall multiplied by Vex Armor. In addition, constant regen on shields is actually horrible on Chroma, as you unable to both get energy from Rage and get your Fury buffs up.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Magneu

[tripletriple]

Elemental Ward not good? The multiplicative effect of Vex Amor on EW with ice element gives a large amount of armor, to say nothing of slowing hitscan enemies frequently, and making level 200 Bombard rockets feel like butterflys. Personally, I'm able to run EW/VA as well as having Effigy up 40-60% of the time no biggie. Granted it does die quickly (at least give Effigy the armor it takes and give it VA! Please!) at higher levels, but the radial stun and constant slows are nice. 

 

Agree with most of what you say, except for the part where you claim my build is not good. Lets not get to slander and assumptions doesn't make you look good.

 

I know how viable Chroma is, but my point is that it is only vex armor that makes him that viable, you don't even need elemental ward.

 

On top of that elemental ward is supposed to buff allies too, but the range is embarrassing. 

 

Effigy lowers your armor and doesn't have the best damage. There is no reason for it to be lower than skills like exalted blade that do 100x what effigy does. 

[Z3ox]

CHroma like a offensive frame have some low points, but, a Ice Chroma with the combo of Elemental "ice" ward and vex armor, makes him one of the best tanks frames of the game. With the right build, he can stand against eximus bombards.

For Example, if you look the last Ice Chroma tank build of Tactical Potato, you will see how much Chroma works like a Tank frame for HIgh levels.

Now, you are right in somthing, there is only 2 good available skill for this Warframe: Again, with the right build makes chroma a great frame, but his first skill and the ultimate have a lot of issues.

So, a little buff for that skills will be great, but is all in the play style of the Tenno :)

[JetLance]

I agree, just recently got Chroma and his number 1 is maybe the worst war-frame skill ever. You walk around slowly with a short range breath that doesn't even do that much damage. His 2 and 3 seem useless as you level them to 30 and unless you build him for them they don't seem that game changing. His 4 is okay, the 10 energy drain is debatable but it sucks that it removes passive energy regen. So all in all, he has 1 useless skill two passives that don't have a hardened feel to them and for something you want to have up all the time they feel like they run out way too quickly. Maybe I'm just too used to Rhino's iron skin or maybe I need to refine my build on him. But at level 30 without any ability mods he may be the worst warframe. 

[Maicael]

Before you Chroma fanboys/girls come in here raging about how wrong I am. I play your warframe too. I have six forma's in Chroma and on top of that, I have a maxed arcane grace and arcane barrier running on him. Now, tell me who loves Chroma more?

 

The truth is his only good skill is vex ward. Granted elemental ward is a decent skill, it is supposed to buff allies too, but the range is so short it might as well not affect allies. The range should be made to stay on allies when cast or have 60 meters base so it can be viable with narrow minded. 

 

Spectral Scream is a joke of an ability that will never be useful in it's current state and should be removed full stop. I don't want to see anyone trying to defend a skill that is blatantly so bad that it makes me cringe when I use it.

 

His ultimate effigy would be a tiny bit decent if it didn't cost me a base of 10 energy per second on top of casting elemental ward and vex at the same time. It's a joke to even think about it.  On top of that it needs QOL buffs starting with a reduction to 1 energy a second at base. That is all it deserves. 

 

Please DE lets do something about this. Having a frame with 1 viable skill is terrible design. Think of Chroma with no Vex Ward. I shudder. 

There's a few things that should be pointed out when thinking of changes to abilities in general that aren't ridiculous:

 

- Having abilities stats boosted to revolve around Corrupted Mods shouldn't be done. 60m is a ridiculous amount of range for almost any ability let alone as base range. Now I suppose having it similar to Volt's speed (as others suggested) could effectively give infinite range, but only if they're within the initial cast range.

 

-Energy Drain, really with how we can add efficiency and duration can increase efficiency as well I don't think anything should be below 5 energy/second (Including Exalted Blade and Hysteria). These should be abilities to use in a pinch to alter a situation, not a constantly running weapon.  There's a reason we have guns and blades and not just a wizard's staff.

 

 

Edit: This is just something that bugs me on many posts asking for ability changes, and I don't mean to just direct this at you. I'd like to see some changes for Chroma as well, but they should (attempt to) be balanced for the overall game.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Maicael

[KuroNekoXlll]

1. Frames don't need 4 useful abilities. Many frames only utilize one of their abilities. Think of Nova without Mprime.

2. He does require a relative high investment mod wise or else he's crap. Why's this a problem? Frames shouldn't all be cost the same. Some frames need more mods than others, some need more forma than others, whatever.

3. There is nothing wrong with requiring corrupted mods, this isnt 2013...

 

Chroma's just not that exciting in anyway; He buffs himself, his guns do the rest. 

If his buff made him visually interesting ATLEAST, now it's abit more exciting.

Edited January 12, 2016 by KuroNekoXlll

[ThePredicament]

One viable skill based on what? 60wave/min runs in T4? How about starchart where all of the skills are great? Or the simple fact that most frames have only one "viable" skill, maybe two, when it comes to 60wave/min?

 

If you truly have the perfect Chroma build, then you should know the two damage skills are just there to get you to endgame, just like every other attack skill in game.

[ZodiacShinryu]

Lets be careful when we start throwing around comparisons between frames. Chroma and Excalibur are on different levels. I sure hope that Exalted Blade does way more damage [then Effigy] given that Excalibur is no where near as durable as Chroma.  To even have any reasonable survivability with Excalibur, he is going to be using Radial Blind often and as such is going to be going through his energy AT LEAST twice as fast (depending on mission type). I mean he's going to need to use it anytime he moves to a new room or when more waves of enemies rush in. Any reasonable Excalibur should at the very least be using Radial Blind while in Exalted Blade (if not instead of it) just to help the squad anyway.

 

Now Elemental Ward could use the normal buffing mechanics as other similar buffs (eg Roar, Warcry, Speed) to at least give the base bonuses and not the sustained element bonus. And I would just be happy if Spectral Scream got Quiver mechanics just so Chromas can change on the fly as needed without needing the arsenal to change anytime they want to change missions.

[taiiat]

Chroma can be nigh indestructible very easily. but only for himself. a very selfish Warframe. you can do this without a single Forma.

meanwhile, being able to participate in this Co-Op game and help your team... not so much. if you can feel like you manage it at all, you need upwards of half a dozen to do that.

 

i ofcourse concur that the Range of Elemental Ward is abysmal, Effigy costs a bit too much Energy to maintain, and Spectral Scream shouldn't reduce mobility at all, and still let you use your Weapons. (or atleast... Melee?)

 

 

but ofcourse, all of this has been covered multiple times in the official unofficial Warframe Abilities Thread... i think everyone knows which one it is by now...

[Magneu]

Agree with most of what you say, except for the part where you claim my build is not good. Lets not get to slander and assumptions doesn't make you look good.

 

I know how viable Chroma is, but my point is that it is only vex armor that makes him that viable, you don't even need elemental ward.

 

On top of that elemental ward is supposed to buff allies too, but the range is embarrassing. 

 

Effigy lowers your armor and doesn't have the best damage. There is no reason for it to be lower than skills like exalted blade that do 100x what effigy does. 

The support aspect of Elemental Ward definitely needs help, but the self buff aspect doesn't at all. With 200% strength, that 300% extra base armor turns out to make armor before Vex Armor (with Steel Fiber/Arcane Guardian) to 350 x (1+1.1+1.5 x (2)=1,995. This is multiplied by my 700% Scorn buff to become 13,965 armor. That's not counting resistances to damage types, or the fact I reflect rockets, hooks, whatever, while slowing hit-scan enemies. If you don't use Elemental Ward, you're missing out on a LOT of armor, not to mention the above bonuses.

 

For better or worse, Ice Chroma is the way to go 99/100 times. Gives Effigy a nice slowing effect too.

[tripletriple]

1. Frames don't need 4 useful abilities. Many frames only utilize one of their abilities. Think of Nova without Mprime.

 

That is the definition of terrible game design. All four skills should be viable. Whether or not one should be better than the other is a different story. Nova has 3 great skills with only her 1 being bad. 

Edited January 12, 2016 by tripletriple

[(PSN)CoolD2108]

Chroma is a strategical frame before anything else. One with access to superior basestats (rage, energy definitly isn't a problem for him. Not even to substain the effigy. Especially not as your aim should be to get damage as vex armor relys on it.)

I run an ice build. Effigy and elemental ward act as armor reduction/buff to balance my needs depending on the level (unique option. Try a warcry valkyr...that gurl starts with propper power management at around T4 interception round 10-12). Elemental ward(ice) also reflects bullets while the effigy deals damage and CC, both features without range influence. Meaning that you're able to slap the duration on him that he needs (flaw on MANY kits in this game)

His first is bad and he looks like sh*t with his texture but he has one of the best solo kits in the game (even supports your group to some extend...)

Edited January 15, 2016 by D20

[Z3ox]

Chroma is a strategical frame before anything else. One with access to superior basestats (rage, energy definitly isn't a problem for him. Not even to substain the effigy. Especially not as your aim should be to get damage as vex armor relys on it.)

I run an ice build. Effigy and elemental ward act as armor reduction/buff to balance my needs depending on the level (unique option. Try a warcry valkyr...that gurl starts with propper power management at around T4 interception round 10-12). Elemental ward(ice) also reflects bullets while the effigy deals damage and CC, both features without range influence. Meaning that you're able to slap the duration on him that he needs (flaw on MANY kits in this game)

His first is bad and he looks like sh*t with his texture but he has one of the best solo kits in the game (even supports your group to some extend...)

 

+1, Chroma is not a full damage frame like Valkyr, Excalibro or other frames, is a tactical one, you can build him For solo playing with the combo of Vex armor and Ice elemental ward, or for defense.

Something is true, i believe this Frame is for more Solo than Co-op.

[KuroNekoXlll]

That is the definition of terrible game design. All four skills should be viable. Whether or not one should be better than the other is a different story. Nova has 3 great skills with only her 1 being bad.

Ideally, yes.. All 4 skills should be good. If not then It is bad game design, I'll always know this to be true...despite having stopped caring because many people don't care and honestly I feel like you should too. It's just too much to argue for when nobody cares. Nihilistic eh?

Anyways, enough with that sad stuff.

Specifically what I mean by "frames only got one ability"

I mean defined by the meta have we now... Yeah, most frames are min maxing one button wonders.

If they're lucky, they have one other useful ability.

Most frames are like this, once you begin min maxing for one thing, everything else becomes chroma's scream levels of mediocrity..

[(PSN)FriendSharkey]

All I can say is if they make that fan concept of the one frame that changes into Dog monster dragon,,whatever it is. They better do the same to Chroma only he can fly around with Zephyr on real dragon wings as a replacement for Spectral Scream.

[(PSN)CoolD2108]

That is the definition of terrible game design. All four skills should be viable. Whether or not one should be better than the other is a different story. Nova has 3 great skills with only her 1 being bad.

Ay? Tell me a great mmo that has 4 abilitys per class to begin with. Good games don't only have good abilitys but a variety of abilitys for you to choose

(i see potential for variety in auguments... add 4 free slots and let auguments amplify just as well as CHANGE your abilitys)

Edited January 12, 2016 by (PS4)CoolD2108

[Vasault]

in my personal opinion, nyx and chroma surely does have a high priority for rework, specially chroma where most of his skills are just USELESS

[(XBOX)His 1st Shadow]

To fuel the flame..

I've noticed a few times it mentioned. "Chroma is one of the best tanks in the game."

It's because he's one of the only. Meaningless statement. Chroma is not in the top tier of tanks because other tanks scale endlessly. Valkyr obviously but a frame like wukong is a great example. (Not to mention stealth frames) He's good though through the star chart and normal t4 runs but if you have a team wants a tank for very long endless missions, chroma will eventually get 1 shotted.

His support skills have busted range mechanics on top of being limited to 1 per run. His best ability, Vex armor, requires him to take 400 damage to shields when he has 300 base. They've mistakingly prevented him from being able to recast it causing him to be squishy at each expiration. He's cool in concept but built in unreasonable handicaps render him mediocre.

[IceColdHawk]

Chroma is 50/50. 2 and 3 are awesome, 1 and 4 are useless.

[tripletriple]

It's just amazing to me that a warframe has been released this long with no visible fixes to skills that barely function. 

Edited January 12, 2016 by tripletriple

[(XBOX)His 1st Shadow]

Chroma is 50/50. 2 and 3 are awesome, 1 and 4 are useless.

As per topic, take away his 3 VA and EW is lackluster. EW is only considered decent because it benefits his best skill VA.

When viewing EW by itself and considering all of its intended support functionality, it needs some serious work as well.