Jump to content
Dante Unbound: Share Bug Reports and Feedback Here! ×

·Hydroid Improvements List - Names, Visuals, Abilities & Augments


Navarc
 Share

Recommended Posts

Thanks to, discussed by & inspired by:

 


pagqzUf.png

Hydroid is a very fragile frame at his low 65 armour, all his abilities make him stop momentarily & he cannot shoot during any of them, they all leave him vulnerable whilst casting by forcing him to stop or even root him in place while casting. His low power capacity and low casting speed together imply that he should have powerful abilities that you cannot be spamming, whilst his low health, shield recharge, armour & sprint implies he's a caster and should avoid close quarters. It's not working with how he is right now, it's counterproductive.
Low armour, low casting speed, low energy capacity, low health, low shield recharge & low sprint all while having low damage on all his skills. I think in exchange for being weak-mediocre on all accounts he should get his powers improved crowd-control wise so he still has an effect on the battlefield despite being so low compared to all other warframes, even other CC warframes. These are various peoples ideas on how to improve this.


Passive Ideas

  • Hydroid Passive: Liquescence: In animations where Hydroid gets a water texture (all casting animations), does not take puncture, slash & impact damage or their status effects.
  • Hydroid Passive: Liquescence: While liquescenced, lasers & cameras cannot detect him. Regulators, Orokin Spectators, Security Cameras, Laser Barriers, Laser Sensors and anything of the same sort.
    -or-
  • Hydroid Passive: Water Pollution: When Hydroid is hit with an elemental status effect his abilities all have 100% chance to apply that status effects to enemies struck. The status effects on the abilities are added to abilities that have already been cast and are ongoing. 
    Example: If you are hit with electricity while your Tempest Barrage, Tidal Surge or Tentacle Swarm are active, they'll all proc electricity on the enemies they hit next or are already hitting.
    -or-
  • Hydroid Passive: Thalassophobous:  The amount of health damage Hydroid takes is a % chance the enemy will get Feared (Nekros terrify effect), dealing 50% of Hydroids health in damage is a 50% chance to get Feared.
    This works in many ways, fear of the open sea, the deep, beings of the sea are all different and very common phobias. The Thalassophobous passive will help with defending against both high and low fire-rate enemies.

 

Tempest Barrage Ideas

  • Hydroid Ability: Tempest Barrage (1): Cast speed increased by 30% @D20
  • Hydroid Ability: Tempest Barrage (1): Can be cast while sprinting & does not force you into a stationary position before animation.
  • Hydroid Ability: Tempest Barrage (1): Using your primary weapons ammunition the barrage changes the ability depending on what ammunition it's using to cast the ability. Deals standard damage +10% of primary weapons damage each salvo shot. The % and the numbers below are static, not affected by any power modifier.
    • Launchers 100% magazine consumption: Each salvo explodes in a wide radius, 25% chance explosive proc on each.
    • Sniper 100% magazine consumption: Perfect accuracy on enemies, the salvo home after the closest enemies.
    • Rifle 75% magazine consumption: For each salvo, shoots 3 in a burst on the same location, increasing total quantity of salvo overall.
    • Shotgun 50% magazine consumption: All salvo fire at once.
    • Bow 25% ammo consumption: 100% To cause status proc, 100% silenced salvo.
      It won't be overpowered for newbies and end-game players with endgame mods on their weapons will be able to use Hydroid more steadily. Since Hydroids 1 has the most disadvantages and is the most chance-related in the entire game, you can pay your energy fee and not hit any target whatsoever. It can't be used in most levels due to the salvo always striking the highest platform or decorations near the roof of a map. Even if it hits the ground, the enemy can evade them with ease and not be struck even one time to deal any damage. For these disadvantages I strongly believe Hydroids 1 deserves to be special.

 

Tidal Surge Ideas

  • Hydroid Ability: Tidal Surge (2): Click 2 again to end the charge early on. @D20 @GTG3000
  • Hydroid Ability: Tidal Surge (2): Destroys objects while travelling - not just in the end.
  • Hydroid Ability: Tidal Surge (2):  Can be cast while sprinting & does not force you into a stationary position before animation.
  • Hydroid Ability: Tidal Surge (2):  Each enemy damaged adds a count to the melee combo counter.
  • Hydroid Ability: Tidal Surge (2):  Reduces the size of your hitbox vertically, allowing you to travel through areas you cannot whilst running and need to slide to get under*.
  • Hydroid Ability: Tidal Surge (2):  Wave break at the end of duration opens enemies up for finishers for 2/3/4/5 seconds, extended by duration mods.

 

Undertow Ideas

  • Hydroid Ability: Undertow (3): Move very slowly but actually able to move around. Double energy consumption whilst moving & the range is halved while moving. @NovaBlue353 @GTG3000
  • Hydroid Ability: Undertow (3): Can reload & change weapons while in undertow, giving you time to prepare for your rise.
  • Hydroid Ability: Undertow (3): You can move your camera around freely, not just horizontally.
  • Hydroid Ability: Undertow (3): Lasers that pass over you, such as those in Spy rooms won't detect you when you're in the Undertow form.
  • Hydroid Ability: Undertow (3): Absorbs hostile projectiles and deals their damage to enemies that are being drowned, grenades & rockets for example.
  • Hydroid Ability: Undertow (3): If manually cancelling, causes a large AOE stagger and ends the Undertow and breaks objects around, no damage though. Similar to Frost destroying a snowglobe. @SurfByShootin
  • Hydroid Ability: Undertow (3): Left click shoots out a tentacle that sticks to an enemy, slowly pulling it towards the puddle. Range based on power range and speed based on power strength. Can be stacked infinite times but multiplies energy consumption for each tentacle out. Click multiple enemy targets to pull in several at once. 
    Example: 2 Energy per second  on rank 30 hydroid with no mods, so each tentacle adds another 2 energy per second being spent.
  • Hydroid Ability: Undertow (3): Each enemy in the puddle increases the damage by 0,5% per second of their own health. So 5 enemies mean 2,5% damage per second. 10 Enemies mean 5% damage per second. 40 seconds to kill 5 enemies and 20 seconds to kill 10 enemies isn't very powerful if you compare it to MOST other abilities in the game that can take out dozens within a single second for less energy consumption. @Olianu
    This makes the ability scale rather than become useless after level 20 enemies. The % is not changed by any power modifier, the standard damage is still however.

 

Tentacle Swarm Ideas

  • Hydroid Ability: Tentacle Swarm (4): If a tentacle has not/does not hit any enemies for 20% of its total duration, it will emerge on a new target if any are within the area marked where tentacles can spawn, causing tentacles to wander and always be of use as long as there are enemies around. @Bouldershoulder @NovaBlue353 @Marbelik
  • Hydroid Ability: Tentacle Swarm (4): Tentacles will hold onto enemies, wrapping around them instead of swinging them around, constantly dealing higher damage over time to enemies being crushed and suffocated. This will let us kill enemies who are trapped by the tentacle swarm. @RudyBojangles
    Right now it's never worth having duration on your tentacles because you will have to recast before they're over since the targets they picked up are dead long before the timer hits 0 without duration. We need them to still do something rather than just hang out flopping about.

 

Augment Ideas

  • Hydroid: Ringing Ears: Tempest Barrage Augment (1) Enemies nearby a cannon strike within the barrage area will be disoriented and be open for finishers even if not struck. Each cannonball causes this AoE effect. Lasts 5/7/10 seconds & duration mods extend it.
    Enemies will clutch their ears like nyx chaos animation.
  • Hydroid: Preparations: Tidal Surge Augment (2) Tidal Surge sinks you and emerges you back-to-back to an ally within 10/15/20/25 meters radius, granting you both 3/5 stacks of a non-duration buff "Quick-draw" which doubles reloading/weapon draw speed.
    Emerges at: Warframes, Rescue Targets, Def. Mission Operatives, & Specters.
  • Hydroid: Wet Powder: Tidal Surge Augment (2) Enemies touched by the wave have their guns jammed for 8 (or so)seconds, increases with duration but no longer ragdolls or knocks down enemies. 
    Yes, I know energy weapons thousands of years into the future don't use gunpowder. The name is a joke, the water just causes their weaponry to malfunction, alright?
  • Hydroid: Maelstrom: Undertow Augment (3) No longer submerges Hydroid and his companion, 25/50/75% increased range, enemies nearby slowly get sunk, swirling into the middle where they get fully submerged. @Aquasurge
    Single cast means it can be cancelled in case a too strong enemy is submerged which you need to kill, like in Defense where all enemies must die to continue to the next wave. Slowly sinking them means you can still shoot them all up until they reach the middle, where they'll be fully submerged. You sacrifice your invulnerability for mobility with this augment. CAN be used with Curative Undertow to create a giant healing pad.
     

Augment Buffs

  • Hydroid: Tidal Impunity: Tidal Surge (2) BUFF Applies to all friendly targets, including companions, operatives & rescue targets.
  • Hydroid: Tidal Impunity: Tidal Surge (2) BUFF Also stops Energy Drain from proccing.
  • Hydroid: Curative Undertow: Undertow Augment (3) BUFF Allies of any kind also have their bleed-out time doubled. Hostages, specters and kubrows included. 
    Oberon does it naturally but Oberon is so rarely used someone else needs to take this position too. It's only a weak version of what Oberons 3 is anyway!
  • Hydroid: Pilfering Swarm: Tentacle Swarm (4) BUFF Enemies who take damage by the tentacles will drop loot 1 time, as if Ivara had pickpocketed them. No longer picks enemies up but will knockback and knockdown approaching enemies, dealing their "spawn" damage each time this occurs.

 

Name Ideas (Pre-Hydroid Element Theme)

  • Rivulet
  • Creek
  • Rill
  • Creek
  • Ryllet
  • Loch
  • Tarn
  • Sluice
  • Wadi 
  • Fjord

    Name Ideas (Post-Hydroid theme)
  • Genthus
  • Roebuck
  • Rover
  • Mezi
  • Barracuda
  • Zurfin

An issue with Hydroids name is that it's a joke. It's a pun. All other element related warframes before him stick to a certain theme with their names which Hydroid did not get to follow - for some mysterious reason. Hydroids name has been disputed ever since it was announced and even then, right then and there on stream the hosts said it might change if it's so controversial - but we never got to vote for anything else.
Ember, a small spark of something once ignited, barely capable of making a fire. Ember the warframe sets the world on fire, causing explosions of fire wherever she goes.
Frost, a small layer of ice crystals needing specific conditions to even exist, weak and fragile. Frost throws down avalanches and his ice is impenetrable.
Volt, a small potential energy charge, not able to power much. Electrocutes dozens of enemies in a second and destroys electric equipment with ease, disabling any systems.
Zephyr, known as the mildest and most gentle of all winds. Summons tornadoes capable of absorbing elements from anything passing causing them to harness any other element.


Visuals Ideas

  • Hydroids abilities should all be transparent, not opaque. Water is not opaque & right now all his abilities look gelatinous or like clay.
  • Hydroids texture should be turned into the same transparent water texture aforementioned during his ability casts - and when applying the water texture on allies they should too have it be transparent.

yxhbMXb.png


 

 

Edited by Navarchus
New passive added!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So far a lot of support, just what I want to see! But do post if you've got any more ideas for augments or ways to change or add abilities to improve Hydroid and make him more interesting! Or if you think anything I've listed seems to powerful or not worth adding even.

Edited by Lusie
Link to comment
Share on other sites

43 minutes ago, phoenix1992 said:

I can't believe it. From all frames with all threads that cry for buff...
This is actually good, without begging, total changing or breaking. The augments are kind wonky, but it can be worked around, can't it?  

Absolutely, the augments I suggested were just for increased crowd control, which is currently the only thing Hydroid can do effectively so I figured might as well build upon that.
Anything you think that would make them more stable?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Lusie said:

Absolutely, the augments I suggested were just for increased crowd control, which is currently the only thing Hydroid can do effectively so I figured might as well build upon that.
Anything you think that would make them more stable?

We take what Hyrdo lacks - meaning Fire power (hue) and applying status effects.   

And while putting more CC is good for many players (including me), we are having major hate for "cheesy CC". And I would hate to see him half baked due to players being whiny.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, phoenix1992 said:

We take what Hyrdo lacks - meaning Fire power (hue) and applying status effects.   

And while putting more CC is good for many players (including me), we are having major hate for "cheesy CC". And I would hate to see him half baked due to players being whiny.

I'm unsure what you mean with status effect in relation to the augments. Like elemental statuses? What would fit, blast?
Disorientation (such as when you switch-teleport with an enemy) and jammed weaponry (like mesas whip) are technically statuses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Lusie said:

I'm unsure what you mean with status effect in relation to the augments. Like elemental statuses? What would fit, blast?
Disorientation (such as when you switch-teleport with an enemy) and jammed weaponry (like mesas whip) are technically statuses.

This is technically Crowd Control - enemies are having delayed respond time.
If we look at what Hydro does right now : Impact (barage) , Slash (Tidal), Finisher (Undertow) and Magnetic damage (Tentacle). The issue is that neither of them scale good at all, or stack with each other. If a mod is introduced that will change his Tentacle action to either slash (Kraken's whip? anyone?) or finisher (Dead mans something - i never said i was good with names), he will be able to do more focused damage.

Another option is to "corrupt" him with corrosive - after all Hydro is the Water Master. This may work with any of his skills (as augment), due to what they actually do -wet AoE with Crowd Control.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 16.03.2016 at 8:16 PM, Lusie said:

Tentacle Swarm

 

 

  Hide contents

Hydroid Tentacle Swarm (4) improvement: If a tentacle has not/does not hit any enemies for 15% of its total duration, it will emerge on a new target if any are nearby, causing them to wander a bit outside the range you have, but more range gives the tentacles more range to re-emerge at as well.

 

15% might be hard to round down with low duration. Much simpler would be to spawn tentacles only when there is a target in the aoe of the ability, and de-spawn when that target dies. This will also solve the elusive mobs issue since tentacles target pretty well when there is anything to target in the range. To mark this aoe, there could be some kind of a pond like that of the undertow, but with low opacity.

Currently tentacles can catch multiple targets (up to 3, I suppose); change this proportionally as well, let each tentacle only catch one target, but increase the damage so they didn't stick around for too long.

Edited by Bouldershoulder
so many puns %_%
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/16/2016 at 2:16 PM, Lusie said:

Thanks to, discussed & inspired by:
Grinmeister
CoverOP
xShadowsaur
grafurn
https://forums.warframe.com/topic/617551-hydroid-needs-some-love/#comment-6938227
https://forums.warframe.com/topic/548875-hydroid-overhaul-by-d20-making-hydroid-more-elusive-passive/#comment-6167943
https://forums.warframe.com/topic/609323-beware-the-depths-hydroid-rework-idea/#comment-6876449
https://forums.warframe.com/topic/609323-beware-the-depths-hydroid-rework-idea/#comment-6876449
https://forums.warframe.com/topic/606217-hydroid-overhaul/#comment-6845886
https://forums.warframe.com/topic/614630-hydroid-rework/#comment-6913249
https://forums.warframe.com/topic/606780-hydroid-buff-or-rework-idea/#comment-6850870
https://forums.warframe.com/topic/625592-hydroid-rework/#comment-7009367


wRRc0ih.png

Hydroid Passive: On taking damage has 10% chance to make that enemy flee for 4 seconds.
Everyone agrees Hydroid is incredibly squishy with his low armour despite looking pretty tough and menacing. This passive idea doesn't deal with the armour but still lets him get some survivability end-game in another way. Now the Hydroids will finally revive you! 


Tempest Barrage

  Hide contents

Hydroid Tempest Barrage (1) improvement: Hold down and move cursor to move where the barrage will shoot (channeled ability), or tap to launch 1 accurate barrage on location selected. You can't walk while channeling, only turn around. Being staggered, knocked down or pulled away will interrupt the ability.
Hydroid Tempest Barrage (1) improvement: Clicking 1 causes a much smaller Undertow puddle to spawn where the strike lands for the remaining of the duration.
Hydroids 1 is inaccurate, lacking in damage and then there's the fact that enemies don't always get knocked down. This will make it worth using.


Tidal Surge

  Hide contents

Hydroid Tidal Surge (2) improvement: If used on an enemy target will not knockback the target selected, only enemies surrounding it. Enemy selected is also open for a finisher like Ash teleport.
Encourage melee play with abilities already! No one looks better using melee than hydroid with a cutlass/rapier/dagger/whip!


Undertow

  Hide contents

Hydroid Undertow (3) improvement: Move very slowly but actually able to move around. Double energy consumption when moving & the range is halved while moving.
Hydroid Undertow (3) improvement: Consumes hostile projectiles and deals their damage to enemies that are being drowned. 
Hydroid Undertow (3) improvement: If hitting space, causes a large AOE knockback and ends the Undertow. Similar to Frost destroying a snowglobe. 
Hydroid Undertow (3) improvement: Left click shoots out a tentacle that sticks to an enemy, slowly pulling it towards the puddle. Range based on power range and speed based on power strength. Can be stacked infinite times but multiplies energy consumption for each tentacle out.
Example: 2 Energy per second  on rank 30 hydroid with no mods, so each tentacle adds another 2 energy per second being spent.


Tentacle Swarm
 

  Hide contents

Hydroid Tentacle Swarm (4) improvement: If a tentacle has not/does not hit any enemies for 15% of its total duration, it will emerge on a new target if any are nearby, causing them to wander a bit outside the range you have, but more range gives the tentacles more range to re-emerge at as well.




AUGMENTS:

  Hide contents

 



Hydroid 1 augment Ringing Ears
Enemies nearby a cannon strike within the barrage area will be disoriented and be open for finishers even if not struck. Each cannonball causes this AoE effect. Lasts 5 seconds & duration mods extend it.
Enemies will clutch their ears like nyx chaos animation.

Hydroid 2 augment Wet Powder 
Enemies touched by the wave have their guns jammed for 8 (or so)seconds, increases with duration but no longer ragdolls or knocks down enemies.
Yes, I know energy weapons thousands of years into the future don't use gunpowder. The name is a joke, the water just causes their weaponry to malfunction, alright?

Hydroid 3 augment Curative Undertow BUFF
Allies of any kind also have their bleed-out time doubled. Hostages, specters and kubrows included. 
Oberon does it naturally but Oberon is so rarely used someone else needs to take this position until he is reworked. It's only a weak version of what Oberons 3 is anyway!

Hydroid 4 augment Pilfering Swarm BUFF
Enemies who take damage by the tentacles will drop loot 1 time, as if Ivara had pickpocketed them. No longer picks enemies up but will throw enemies away & knock them down.

 

One ability I never like is Undertow. I find it useless but thats just Me.

I would take that out make Pilfering Swarm his 3rd and give him a new Ulti, I was thinking something with a Shark involved but thats Me.

Your suggestion sounds fine, was hoping for something innovating but Im not a Hydroid main, I try playing him but I am not very familiar with his play style

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Lucernam said:

Also, can we get some collision on his "dreads" and back tail? It drives me up the wall to see his various parts clipping and disappearing into his chest.

I'm sure skins can be dealt with through Tennogen & Deluxe skins, this thread isn't about improving his look.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, AKKILLA said:

One ability I never like is Undertow. I find it useless but thats just Me.

I would take that out make Pilfering Swarm his 3rd and give him a new Ulti, I was thinking something with a Shark involved but thats Me.

Your suggestion sounds fine, was hoping for something innovating but Im not a Hydroid main, I try playing him but I am not very familiar with his play style

It's just like any other charge in the game except much weaker, you use it to get closer or flee from a location, but this one doesn't bounce to enemies and it doesn't stack in damage. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just something i fought, might want to remove the "moving while in undertow", if you are adding the tentacle pull thing while in undertow.

Since you sort of defeat the purpose of moving if you are already pulling enemies into your pool. 
Instead, add like this small duration stun, when they eventually get out of the pool, by either deactivating or something else.

Edited by Noabettiet
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, Noabettiet said:

Just something i fought, might want to remove the "moving while in undertow", if you are adding the tentacle pull thing while in undertow.

Since you sort of defeat the purpose of moving if you are already pulling enemies into your pool. 
Instead, add like this small duration stun, when they eventually get out of the pool, by either deactivating or something else.

Pulling in enemies whilst moving would be very energy consuming and really not worth it, I don't see it having any tactical use. They're two separate functions with different purposes.
One is to relocate safely, such as turning into a pool then emerging behind a cover and another is to pull in tougher enemies such as Bombards & Blitz Eximus into the Undertow to deal with later, removing them from the battlefield to have an easier time. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Lusie said:

Pulling in enemies whilst moving would be very energy consuming and really not worth it, I don't see it having any tactical use. They're two separate functions with different purposes.
One is to relocate safely, such as turning into a pool then emerging behind a cover and another is to pull in tougher enemies such as Bombards & Blitz Eximus into the Undertow to deal with later, removing them from the battlefield to have an easier time. 

Yeah i thought that too, but using undertow as an escape tool, is just a bit derp. Considering that the enemies will/might fall into the pool and that you will be basically be just moving them to your new location.

Plus if it i am to take the "slowly moving, while draining extra energy" thing to word, you sorta wouldn't go far away with it.
Feels a bit counter-intuitive ability no?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Noabettiet said:

Yeah i thought that too, but using undertow as an escape tool, is just a bit derp. Considering that the enemies will/might fall into the pool and that you will be basically be just moving them to your new location.

Plus if it i am to take the "slowly moving, while draining extra energy" thing to word, you sorta wouldn't go far away with it.
Feels a bit counter-intuitive ability no?

Absolutely. If you're just fleeing from melee enemies.

A majority of enemies in the game aren't melee & you can use Undertow to avoid rockets from Bursas & Bombards. Undertow into safety and re-emerge.
Also, if you move too much you're going to drop the enemies within the pool anyway just like how it works now. They're only within it as long as they're not being moved somehow or the pool isn't being moved somehow.
If an ability pulls an enemy who is inside the pool, they will leave the pool not stay in it. It's only rational that it works the same way around, if the pool moves, the enemies stay in position of where they originally fell & emerge from the pool, so moving the pool won't be used to collect enemies up the entire level, that'd definitely be abused.

Edited by Lusie
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...