Can we get some real augments?

[Fallen_Echo]

Hello there, Tenno!

Today i want to talk about Augments and their issues in what they promise vs what they deliver.

 

Augments at base were created to provide alternative ways to use powers. Their sole reason of existence is to create new strategies for existing frames to shake up the void.

Many augments have managed to do this, like Nyx assimilate turns her into an effective tank or Banshee resonance turning her into a great damage buffer.

 

The problem is that many augments fail to do anything noteworthy.

Somewhere this year i read a great post about what should be and what should not be an augment (i sadly cant find it) .

The basic rules are the following:

An augment should either:

1. Change the way how a skill works completely
2. Grant additional bonus using the choosen skill and by this changing the strategy around it

An augment should never:

1. Be a simple stat bonus.
2. A long asked QoL change
3. Add a new mechanic for why not
4. Literal bandaids
5. Be a copy of another content ingame

 

Knowing this i would like to propose some changes to some existing augments  to shake up the gameplay.

First lets change this trio:

The problem here is that this 3 is a shameless copy of each other. While they do add a new way to use these skills they cannot be more unoriginal.

My proposed change is to create different effects on the current ones to make them different from the others.

All of them keep the damage damage aspect with changes on what they do.

Freeze force creates a small frost bubble on allies absorbing 50% of the damage they suffer in the first 20 seconds and releases it as cold damage when it breaks, the user gains cold damage bonus based on the absorbed damage in the next 40 seconds. Can go from 50% to 150%.

Shock trooper creates a chain of lightning between Volt and the targeted player. Enemies touching the chain take 10% of all damage taken by Volt or his ally, max 5 enemies are affected for 50% damage redirection. Damage bonus stays the same.

Fireball Frenzy depending on the charge amount either creates an aura of flames igniting nearby enemies for low damage (non-charged) or makes allied attacks create small fire projectiles dealing 50% of fireballs damage (charged).

 

 

This thing here is pointless, it offers absolutely nothing what changes the way you use peacemaker (and also a missed oportunity to call it peacewalker). No new way to use the skill, no bonus improving the skill nothing. Its a mechanic added what at best is a bandaid or QoL change.

So since the way to use Peacemaker is to pop in it, mass murder, pop out of it why not make this augment into something what upgrades this playstyle?

Exiting peacemaker increases the damage of headshot by 25% +5 for every killed enemy for 20 seconds.

 

 

Another offender on adding a mechanic because why not. This mod today isextremely situational at best but it can be saved.

We keep what it originally gives with the addition that pull from now on pulls off shards of metal from nearby walls, floors and such. The more small the place the more shards this generates, these shards are the same as the polarize shards but its generated by the enviroment. This would be a nice supplemental augment for mag.

 

This guy here is a QoL change what was asked for many times. Nothing what it bring justifies that its an augment.

After adding this to the base ability this could by changed into an inverted aura mod, what grants maim-like damaging aura around allies when using mend and healing aura around allies while using maim.

It could also create a stationary duration based field upon cast what acts as either maim or mend depending on what form you were in when casted. If it could preserve what it was when casted it could create two different areas to provide multiple bonuses.

 

I think this was it for today these were my main gripes, but there are still many augments out there not bringing anything for us other than a wasted slot.

If you have something in mind to change feel free to suggest, discuss it.

[AlphaPHENIX]

2 minutes ago, Fallen_Echo said:

First lets change this trio:

You forgot there are two more.

[BiancaRoughfin]

Funny you guys mention the Augments that add Elemental damage to allies weapons, i personally use them when the Frame im with has them and they are quite useful, specially the Oberon one during Eidolon hunts. Remember, that +100% Elemental damage is based on the Weapons IPS so if your weapon deals 3K Base Physical damage, it will gain an extra 3K Elemental. The bonus and duration are also affected by the Warframe`s Power Strength and Duration mods, so my Oberon for example that has 200% Power Strength, grants +200% Elemental Damage.

[Hyro1]

The Mesa one is hardly useless, it gives her something that she was lacking before, MOBILITY!!!!!

[Kyryo]

1 minute ago, Hyro1 said:

The Mesa one is hardly useless, it gives her something that she was lacking before, MOBILITY!!!!!

It also allows her to recharge the aim-circle.

 

18 minutes ago, Fallen_Echo said:

Exiting peacemaker increases the damage of headshot by 25% +5 for every killed enemy for 20 seconds.

why should i exit peacemaker when i can walk, changing LOS and keep killing?

[kyori]

Augment in DE's mind is just an addition of something to the present skill, it is not intended to change it completely.

[Fallen_Echo]

24 minutes ago, BiancaRoughfin said:

Funny you guys mention the Augments that add Elemental damage to allies weapons, i personally use them when the Frame im with has them and they are quite useful, specially the Oberon one during Eidolon hunts. Remember, that +100% Elemental damage is based on the Weapons IPS so if your weapon deals 3K Base Physical damage, it will gain an extra 3K Elemental. The bonus and duration are also affected by the Warframe`s Power Strength and Duration mods, so my Oberon for example that has 200% Power Strength, grants +200% Elemental Damage.

Im not saying they are useless im saying they are cheap copy-paste of the same bonus.

19 minutes ago, Kyryo said:

It also allows her to recharge the aim-circle.

 

why should i exit peacemaker when i can walk, changing LOS and keep killing?

Because exiting instantly resets the aim circle and is much faster than the 50% reduced speed you have?

[Sajochi]

I believe you were referring to my incredibly long post about design rules. I completely agree that augments need a complete look over and like the suggestions you presented. Especially the Mag one for greedy pull. 

An alternative for that one could be Mag pulls a single enemy to her and supresses them, making a meat shield (enemies shoot the supressed target, or their hitbox is enlarged to create something like cover). This can have multiple applications such as having a reliable way to set up Magnetize, supressing multiple enemies to make barriers, or to get really nice captura shots.

[Kyryo]

17 minutes ago, Fallen_Echo said:

Im not saying they are useless im saying they are cheap copy-paste of the same bonus.

Because exiting instantly resets the aim circle and is much faster than the 50% reduced speed you have?

press shift, problem solved ! 

[(PSN)Ragology]

I don't see anything wrong with Elemental frames proving their elemental bonus as a group buff. 

[AbstractLemons]

Cataclysmic continuum is one of if not THE WORST augment in game.

It extends the duration if cataclysm bu one second for each enemy killed. The abity alrwady has a lot if duration on it whe restoring limbos energy over time in addition for each enemy killed so it can be easily recasted.

And given the nature of limbos ability you arent often leaving the bubble up for extensive periods of time.

In other words this augment doesnt do anything and basically doesnt exist. Would have loved it if it was a passive heal over time for the squad or something bebeficial lime that to encourage and incentivize large cataclysm builds.

 

[UncaIroh]

I'd rather have cataclysmic continuum change its behavior from a point cast to caster centered and it moves with you. Radius reduced by half or something.

As for the damage buff augments I'm fine with them, as @BiancaRoughfin mentioned in the right situations you can stack so much damage on one person that it's not even funny. Just remember that those augments are Elemental so they are highly situational.

I kind of like the idea for the pull augment but rather than just produce shards it will pull shrapnel which deals additional damage to enemies (mostly puncture/slash) within 2-5m but won't leave shards like polarize does. I wouldn't like an augment that duplicates a power the frame already has. If anything pulling shards out of the environment should be part of a polarize augment.

Edited May 10, 2018 by UncaIroh

[(PSN)MrNishi]

18 hours ago, Fallen_Echo said:

Augments at base were created to provide alternative ways to use powers. Their sole reason of existence is to create new strategies for existing frames to shake up the void.

Many augments have managed to do this, like Nyx assimilate turns her into an effective tank or Banshee resonance turning her into a great damage buffer.

 

The problem is that many augments fail to do anything noteworthy.

Somewhere this year i read a great post about what should be and what should not be an augment (i sadly cant find it) .

The basic rules are the following:

An augment should either:

1. Change the way how a skill works completely
2. Grant additional bonus using the choosen skill and by this changing the strategy around it

An augment should never:

1. Be a simple stat bonus.
2. A long asked QoL change
3. Add a new mechanic for why not
4. Literal bandaids
5. Be a copy of another content ingame

 

Knowing this i would like to propose some changes to some existing augments  to shake up the gameplay.

"... Alternative way to use powers.."

Is not "Change the way how a skill works completely"

Augmentation is not to change how something works completely. If that were the case we would just be back to Abilities being Mods.

Which brings me to my issue:

Weapon Augments add a normal mod/stat change and add Syndicate AoE proc and effects. 

-Meaning the individual weapon Augment aside from granting Syndicate benefits also is swapping values of a mod that could have been there. Hek Augment being more Multi-shot, Supra Augment being a Status mod, Obex Augment being a better Finishing Touch. Miter & Lanka Augments are psuedo ammo quality mods: Where Miter does not need precise aiming or repeated Quick-melee to drop a Nullifier Shield (Nullifier Bubble Generator addition does dampen the usefulness of Miter Augment) & Lanka scaling the Electric chain damage from Augment when killing a flying enemy lets trap contribute to killing, thus saving ammo.

What DE calls Warframe Augments due to them taking a mod slot and not adding also adding a normal mod/stat value means they are thinly disguised as an Ability Mod Slot.

-The Gladiator/Vigilante/Hunter mods are more of Augments in that they provide a base Mod/stat with an additional unique set stat/ability.

If these so-called Warframe Augments which take a mod slot also had things like increased Energy Pool, Ability Range, Duration, Health, Armor, Chance to open lockers, Aim glide/Parkour Velocity, etc... Then they would feel like Augments for taking up a Mod slot and would be in-line with weapon augments.

However; it would make more sense to have Current Ability Augments just be slotted on the ability tab : it should share same rank as the Ability itself. (Why can an Unranked Banshee slot a R3 Resonating Quake? Augmenting an ability the frame does not yet have access to...at least back with old Ability mods that would grant an Unranked Banshee the ability to use Sound Quake without having to reach level 10.)

For the additional Stat changes these Warfrane Augments bring it would be easier to convey to players on the abilities tab.

Ice Wave Impedance now being duration based where normal Ice Wave does not scale with duration.

Loki Irradiating Disarm scaling Confusion (radiation proc)duration, when normal Radial Disarm is not dependent on duration mods.

Or Prolonged Paralysis stun duration scaling from Powerstrength and not duration mods.

 

These types of UI information make sense on the abilities tab.

Ability Augments sharing Rank with the ability they are augmentation makes logical sense.

Ability Augments that occupy a Mod slot in order to ONLY enhanace a single ability; does not make sense unless the Augment is just that good and then makes less sense the more Augments you are trying to slot. At 4 Augments, half of your Warframe's mods have been consumed with a compromise as to what can scale these said Augments. 

With the Augments now not occupying abmof slot, you could continue to stack Powerstrength/Range/efficiency to better enhance said Augment which is not just on the ability tab, where you can see UI affected stats.

TL;DR

The real complaint I see with the Augments you listed: Those Augments are not worth the mod slot.

Not that they don't augment the ability to allow it to be used differently than before, but that their benefit is too cicrumstancial and the loss of the mod slot hurts the Warframe more than it benefits.