Chroma: Ideas for tweaking his Kit

[o.0-]

Chroma is one of my favorite frames, and so I've got to thinking of how best to setup his abilities so that, Elemental Ward and Vex Armor are not the only abilities he relies all the time, having little room for using Spectral Scream and Effigy with tougher content.

What I've been brainstorming is switching up the order of his abilities and modifying a few mechanics here and there.

1. Dragon Sentry - 'Effigy'   Energy Cost: 50

• Main changes, replaces energy drain with a health decay on the Sentry. When health reaches zero, returns as the pelt on Chroma and regens Sentry health when worn.
• Pelt draws aggro and retains 335 base Armor, Chroma has reduced aggro, 15 base armor and 1.15 sprint speed.
• Guided Effigy Augment should see no changes.
  • Note: Needs 299% Power Strength to reach 1,196 damage, compared to Oberon's Smite, which can reach 1,495 so should be fine with little changes as a 1st ability.

2. Elemental Ward             Energy Cost: 50

• Base Aura Share Range is extended.
• Augment should remain unchanged.

3. Vex Armor                     Energy Cost: 75

• Adds a tap/hold functionality. Tap allows Chroma to have Vex Armor charge normally when receiving fire as it currently works.
• Hold allows Chroma to charge Scorn to boost up armor first, by draining Shields, maybe allow Fury to drain health to charge, once Scorn has reached limit.
• Adds a rate decay when not in active combat dealing and/or receiving damage.

4. Spectral Scream            Energy Cost: 25

• Spectral Scream benefits from some Primary Weapon mods.
• Could have increased energy drain.
• Activating when wearing Pelt, the energy Wings allows Chroma to hover, so can do a few new movements.
  • Using Roll causes Chroma to use Wings to cause and stun enemies at a energy cost.
  • Crouch activates a Taunt which attacts enemies to Chroma and away from others.
  • Holding Sprint allows for a Charge at the cost of energy.
• Activating when Dragon Sentry is active, could make the Sentry's attack ability stronger, grants Chroma the ability to dump lethal damage into the Pelt and increased evasion.
• Augment should remain unchanged.

Passive: Elemental Alignment, unchanged.

These tweaks could help improve gameplay with Chroma and provide more opportunities to use his whole kit in more content, nonetheless I wanted to share a few other ideas about Chroma, at least for discussion along the lines of Chroma being a master of the elements, which shall be in the following spoiler to help reduce confusion.

Spoiler

A possible change for Chroma to be more of a master of the elements, would be to allow all four elements to deal damage and have procs cycle with a built in RNG. Starting with this idea, here are some ideas:

Passive: Elemental Caprice

• Chroma is able to harness all four elements and randomly procs Status effects

1. Dragon Sentry

• The sentry's damage, which at base is 400, would be split between the four so each would do 100 damage at base, and would not exceed 25% damage before factoring enemy weaknesses and strengths in the Damage 2.0 system.

2. Elemental Ward

• Cost is increased from 50 to 75
• Damage is split evenly between the four elements.
• Status Effects, apply one at a time and can cycle, based on an RNG.
• Ward boosts Health, Armor and Agility.
• Ward is able to send Electrical Arcs to stun the enemy.
• Damage Multipliers are removed, since the ability is able to sustain a damage aura.

4. Spectral Scream

• As the other abilities, damage is split evenly between the four elements
• Status Effects change at random between the four when proc'd

And remember that what's in this spoiler is coming from thinking of this line and more as a what if, "The bestial avatar of the primal forces of nature, Chroma, confounds his foes and strengthens his allies with elemental caprice." So it can go further with the actual damage splits being variable and have the bonuses be random for allies, but I figured I'd start the idea with how it impacts the enemy through status procs.

 

Let me know what you think about the ideas put forth here.

I'm aware that actual values, if these ideas could work would be subject to change and balancing, however would such changes be beneficial to how your experience with Chroma has been?

 

 

[o.0-]

Any comments or suggestions for these ideas to tweak Chroma?

 

Or any thoughts on having Chroma display mercurial mastery over the elements?

[Azamagon]

Ok, I have to admit, this is actually quite a cool take on Chroma! It's radical, yet conservative, at the same time. I like that.

I LOVE the idea of not having to tank shots for Vex Armor (the "hold-to-drain shields and possibly health"-effect). I'd let the hold-mechanic be something that's available at all times. However, I'd probably tone down his Fury-bonuses due to this, it's a bit over-the-top at the moment, and with possibility to incite it at will... yeah, that's potentially screaming "OP".

Also, I find it fascinating that you made Spectral Scream his ulti! Very interesting take on things, really. I also like the increased functionalities you added.

If anything else, I'd suggest these things:

• Tack some kind of mild shield- or health regen in to his kit somewhere. Maybe for spectral scream? Damage (or kill) = Shield/health restore?
• The retrieval of the pelt, shouldn't cause the brief CC on Chroma, it should be a seamless "onehanded" thing, imo.
• How about an additional passive? Like; Elemental Wings - Chroma has innate patagium (longer aimgliding time), shown with elemental wings appearing when he aimglides. With that in mind, I feel Spectral Scream should work while aimgliding (if it doesn't already, can't remember), giving him the classical image of a dragon gliding above his enemies and destroying them in his wake with his elemental breath.
• The "mercurial" all-elements-at-once idea in the spoilers is interesting, but not necessary methinks. Holdcasting elemental ward to change element could be interesting though and less radical.
• I dunno if basically taking ALL the armor from him during Dragon Sentry / Effigy is a good idea. But maybe give him and the pelt 175 armor each (or along those lines)?
• How about letting Vex Armor be linked with the Dragon Sentry? If either Chroma or the Sentry takes damage, both get Scorn / Fury?
• What if Elemental Ward was projected both from Chroma AND the Dragon Sentry?

Just my 2 plats on this :)

[o.0-]

5 minutes ago, Azamagon said:

• Tack some kind of mild shield- or health regen in to his kit somewhere. Maybe for spectral scream? Damage (or kill) = Shield/health restore?
• The retrieval of the pelt, shouldn't cause the brief CC on Chroma, it should be a seamless "onehanded" thing, imo.
• How about an additional passive? Like; Elemental Wings - Chroma has innate patagium (longer aimgliding time), shown with elemental wings appearing when he aimglides. With that in mind, I feel Spectral Scream should work while aimgliding (if it doesn't already, can't remember), giving him the classical image of a dragon gliding above his enemies and destroying them in his wake with his elemental breath.
• The "mercurial" all-elements-at-once idea in the spoilers is interesting, but not necessary methinks. Holdcasting elemental ward to change element could be interesting though and less radical.
• I dunno if basically taking ALL the armor from him during Dragon Sentry / Effigy is a good idea. But maybe give him and the pelt 175 armor each (or along those lines)?
• How about letting Vex Armor be linked with the Dragon Sentry? If either Chroma or the Sentry takes damage, both get Scorn / Fury?
• What if Elemental Ward was projected both from Chroma AND the Dragon Sentry?

Just my 2 plats on this :)

Thank you for the kind words.

Maybe the Sentry could have a means to gain health, to help it sustain with its health drain that is seen on Nekros' Shadows?

A tap/hold on Elemental Ward could certainly be a means to swap Elements that can work.

I had figured with the armor assignment to the pelt and to the Warframe as a means to add to the EHP of the pelt so that it would be able to last a bit longer, aside from trying to create a distinction that the pelt is what grants Chroma the increased toughness, and since the idea is also to actively be using all four abilities that in case Chroma gets hit, that lethal damage would go into the pelt when the Sentry is cast.

My headcanon was that as a Vex Knight, Chroma slew the beast, by the means of his Vex Armor, and its the Pelt that grants the control over the elements, so to be able to retain some strength and accommodate the ideas I share, that when the Sentry is active it would carry the Elemental Forces, with the Vex Knight having the increased evasion with Scorn and Fury. I didn't mention that in the OP, but it's what I had in mind when imagining this.

[IfritKajiTora]

Everything is fine I think, Chroma just need some changes xD That's all I want to see. See reworks, always up-voting. Until someone want something really overpowered to make game even easier.

Edited November 5, 2017 by IfritKajiTora

[o.0-]

Combined idea of what I have in the OP, might edit that later.

1. Dragon Sentry - 'Effigy'   Energy Cost: 50

• Swapped places with Spectral Scream.
• Main changes, replaces energy drain with a health decay on the Sentry. When health reaches zero, returns as the pelt on Chroma and regens Sentry health when worn.
  • So Pelt Health matters for deploying the Sentry.
  • Pelt draws aggro and retains 335 base Armor, Chroma has reduced aggro, 15 base armor and 1.15 sprint speed.
• Guided Effigy Augment should be added into base ability.*
• The sentry's damage, which at base is 400, would be split between the four Elements so each could do 100 damage at base
  • Note: Needs 299% Power Strength to reach 1,196 damage, compared to Oberon's Smite, which can reach 1,495, so should be fine as a 1st ability.

2. Elemental Ward             Energy Cost: 60

• Base Duration increased to 30 seconds
• Base Aura Share Range is extended.
• Augment should be added into base ability.*
• Damage is split evenly between the four elements.
• Status Effects, apply one at a time and can cycle, based on an RNG.
• Ward boosts Health, Armor and Agility.
• Ward is able to send Electrical Arcs to stun the enemy.
• Damage Multipliers are removed, since the ability is able to sustain a damage aura.

3. Vex Armor                     Energy Cost: 75

• Adds a tap/hold functionality that builds the buffs like Inaros' Scarab Swarm.
  • Tap allows Chroma to have Vex Armor charge normally when receiving fire as it currently works.
  • Hold allows Chroma to charge Scorn to boost up armor first, by draining Shields, maybe allow Fury to drain health to charge, once Scorn has reached limit.
• Adds a rate decay when not in active combat dealing and/or receiving damage.
• Augment is either added to base ability or removed.*

4. Spectral Scream            Energy Cost: 25

• Spectral Scream benefits from some Primary Weapon mods.
• As the other abilities, damage is split evenly between the four elements
• Status Effects change at random between the four when proc'd on enemies
• Could have increased energy drain.
• Activating when wearing Pelt, the energy Wings allows Chroma to hover, so can do a few new movements.
  • Using Roll causes Chroma to use Wings to cause and stun enemies at an energy cost.
  • Crouch activates a Taunt which attacts enemies to Chroma and away from others.
  • Holding Sprint allows for a Charge at the cost of energy.
• Activating when Dragon Sentry is active, could make the Sentry's attack ability stronger, grants Chroma the ability to dump lethal damage into the Pelt's Health and is granted increased evasion.
• Augment is most likely removed.*

Passive: Primal Avatar: 10% Damage on Health converted to Energy, & Drains Energy to stop Lethal Damage with 10% Efficiency, (stacks with Rage / Hunter's Adrenaline & Quick Thinking).

These tweaks could help improve gameplay with Chroma and provide more opportunities to use his whole kit in more content, and is coming from thinking of this line as, "The bestial avatar of the primal forces of nature, Chroma, confounds his foes and strengthens his allies with elemental caprice."

So it could go further with the actual damage splits being variable and have the bonuses be random for allies, but I figured I'd start with these suggestions, and I don't know what criteria used to create drawbacks as needed after testing changes, so I can see further adjustments in that line of thinking.

*The idea with removing Augments and either adding them to the base ability or not is applying the KISS principle with the long term idea that Augments would be abandoned as Ability adjustments should be done directly and any ability ideas should be applied towards new Warframes.

[AetherMcLoud]

I was fully under the impression that you could shoot your gun now while his 1 is active... but you can't. You can just bullet jump now and use his other abilities while its active.

And of course it does still crappy damage. Maybe that could make his 1 usable? Besides buffing its damage like 1000% or so...

[o.0-]

It's nice that Spectral Scream has mobility, yet seeing how Atlas' Landslide works, I hope the devs consider further tweaks to Chroma.

I wonder what the direction the devs favor, as I hope that they do not feel that they are done with Chroma tweaks.

[(XBOX)AntiCaesar]

Not bad, but I'd like to see his dragon side expanded on a lot more. I made a similar thread, and we share a few ideas.

[Guest]

Spectral Scream

They could have given spectral scream the range of an Ignis, not affected by range mods, and instead make it a breath exalted weapon. Also allow it to scale off primary damage mods (it should be pure status, unaffected by crit or fire rate, making you think twice about making a stat stick). Afterburn could be rolled into the skill as an alternate fire to launch a glob of elements for more energy to hit further targets.

Spectral scream's damage will innately have no split, and do each element evenly, unless Elemental Ward is up, where it inherits the element of the ward.

Even with Vex Armor's changes, no self respecting Chroma is gonna turn it on and suffer a damage reduction to use it at microscopic ranges.

Elemental Ward

Have a cycle cast function, which allows Chroma to swap his elements mid battle. That way we can have red ice, or blue fire for fashionframe.

Hold to actually cast the ward. It gives what it gives now, except you can cycle it mid battle with the tap cast to immediately change elements, adding more layers of play if you wish to optimize, such as starting with shock to build scorn, switch to flame to build fury, switch to toxin to reload weapons etc.

Of course the old functionality of a single purpose aura should you wish to not be a high APM player won't change.

Edited February 12, 2018 by Guest
Added a bit more

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Datam4ss said:

Spectral Scream

They could have given spectral scream the range of an Ignis, not affected by range mods, and instead make it a breath exalted weapon. Also allow it to scale off primary damage mods (it should be pure status, unaffected by crit or fire rate, making you think twice about making a stat stick). Afterburn could be rolled into the skill as an alternate fire to launch a glob of elements for more energy to hit further targets.

Spectral scream's damage will innately have no split, and do each element evenly, unless Elemental Ward is up, where it inherits the element of the ward.

Even with Vex Armor's changes, no self respecting Chroma is gonna turn it on and suffer a damage reduction to use it at microscopic ranges at its current state.

Elemental Ward

Have a cycle cast function, which allows Chroma to swap his elements mid battle. That way we can have red ice, or blue fire for fashionframe.

Hold to actually cast the ward. It gives what it gives now, except you can cycle it mid battle with the tap cast to immediately change elements, adding more layers of play if you wish to optimize, such as starting with shock to build scorn, switch to flame to build fury, switch to toxin to reload weapons etc.

Of course the old functionality of a single purpose aura should you wish to not be a high APM player won't change.

Please remove this accidental Double Post.

Edited February 12, 2018 by Guest

[o.0-]

With a different passive idea, I wanted to leave it here, as one direction could take some inspiration from what's been developed with other Warframes. Such as having incoming damage be stored for Chroma to unleash back onto the enemy, through a synergy between Elemental Ward and Spectral Scream.

That could certainly be interesting, as we see ideas like Monolithic Rumble for Atlas, Adaptive Mutation for Nidus or Static Discharge for Volt having means of passively storing different sorts of feedback, that can then be used in different ways.

So, depending on how such an idea could work best for Chroma, as Chroma already has Afterburn and Vexing Retaliation augments that already sorta mimic this idea, (but at a price of two mod slots, to have these effects to use against the enemy, so I'd need to think on this potential direction for Chroma, before I could detail the idea in one way it could look in practice.

Could be as simple as applying how Rage works receiving damage and then could simply store it like Afterburn or Static Discharge. But I can visualize a few possible permutations though.

Originally brought up here.