Vaal Skill Gem Retrospective

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Raghin wrote:

So your idea for vaal double strike was to create a shadow clone that attacks like the player using said skill, but whatsup with the crazy cost of souls for the small amount of time it exists? Small charge requirements for short time would make sense, large charge requirements for long time existence makes sense. Large Cost, for low existence time.................. the AI on it isnt smart enough to make it useful with low existence times.

Suppose you have cast on death skills equipped. Will this work with your vaal double if it dies?

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Qarl wrote:

The first and possibly most successful example of this was Vaal Summon Skeletons - The skill filled multiple roles, giving a build without a specialized Vaal Skill access to one and using the skill to give two things that Summoners lacked: bursts of large damage and a chance to escape or recover if your minions are wiped out.

I think the best use of this gem is for non-summoners, to take the monster focus away from the player, to smother troublesome bosses and allow the player to concentrate damage where its needed, and for the security of having a summoner support team from nothing for a short time. This actually fills in a hole in situations where a ranged character can't facetank a boss that does massive up-close damage (Brutus, Kole, many of the exiles and corrupted bosses).

I don't know why people think of this, even in design, as a summoner-only gem. Summoners are already effective and protected with their standard arsenal. More of a good thing I guess?

Vaal skill gems are a currency sink. End of story.

I love (the useful) Vaal gems but I feel like that comes from playing invasion where you know you've got a chance to run in to a boss at any time. I plan for every one of my characters to dedicate 2 to 4 sockets to a Vaal gem. Always worthwhile IMO, takes the best defense is a good offense approach to dealing with bosses. I play a lot in set parties where we design our characters to synergize with each other and Vaal gems have added a great facet to party planning.

If you play standard and your focus is speed clearing maps and you skip bosses then I'm sure Vaal gems seem like a complete waste. I'm guessing that is where this suggestion that they function as regular skills until charged comes from. That would be a horrible change for players like me. I charge Vaal gems ASAP then hold the charges until a boss encounter.

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simballine wrote:

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Qarl wrote:

The first and possibly most successful example of this was Vaal Summon Skeletons - The skill filled multiple roles, giving a build without a specialized Vaal Skill access to one and using the skill to give two things that Summoners lacked: bursts of large damage and a chance to escape or recover if your minions are wiped out.

I think the best use of this gem is for non-summoners, to take the monster focus away from the player, to smother troublesome bosses and allow the player to concentrate damage where its needed, and for the security of having a summoner support team from nothing for a short time. This actually fills in a hole in situations where a ranged character can't facetank a boss that does massive up-close damage (Brutus, Kole, many of the exiles and corrupted bosses).

I don't know why people think of this, even in design, as a summoner-only gem. Summoners are already effective and protected with their standard arsenal. More of a good thing I guess?

I agree. I use summon skeleton on my ranger and it is great to swamp a boss with. Many times the skeleton army is able to kill map boss or (at least keep it busy long enough).

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enigma1406 wrote:

Vaal skill gems are a currency sink. End of story.

Currency sink?? In which way. You don't use up any currency on vaal skills (if you are not talking about creating a vaal gem out of a normal skill gem; but that is more of a gem skill sink)

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DirkAustin wrote:

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Sneakypaw wrote:

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Wazz72 wrote:

Imho some Vaal Gems are ok ( Summon skeletons, cyclone, auras), some should be reworked to be more interesting/viable, but they should not function as the normal version until fully charged, no.
Instead they should not lose their souls upon entering a new area, though. That's my main issue with Vaal skills, sometimes I use them, just before exiting an area, on trash mobs or even nothing, and it sucks big time.

If they don't lose souls, you could cheese bosses pretty hard. Just TP, go to the coast and fill up, then go back and unleash the Vaal Skill again.

Well said.

Sorry, should have explained myself better (english is not my main language).
I mean they should not lose their souls when you travel from an area to an adjacent one ( e.g. from submerged passage to ledge) while normally progessing in game; I mean, why they even should? Your char is basically just running thru Wraeclast...
On the other hand, they should lose their souls upon using a TP or a waypoint (or if going back to a new-created istance)- as they do now.

What you think? No exploits possible in this case, right?

I love this game GGG, I really do, and I don't want to sound like a dick but...these skill gems were kinda a waste of time. I've seen no one really use them seriously in their build. From standard to hardcore I just hardly see them at all.

I like the idea behind Vaal skill gems, and think that in the correct build they can be very useful (at times, as was intended). I also agree with the people who have mentioned that some of them are not superior enough to warrant wasting a skill slot/set of slots for.

Possibly with some other interactions added, they will become more functional. I suggest adding some uniques with integer lowering of souls required, a support gem with % required souls lowered, a trigger gem which generates souls from a condition other than enemy death...

Lots more ways to make these Vaal gems really fun.

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Wazz72 wrote:
I mean they should not lose their souls when you travel from an area to an adjacent one ( e.g. from submerged passage to ledge) while normally progessing in game; I mean, why they even should? Your char is basically just running thru Wraeclast...
On the other hand, they should lose their souls upon using a TP or a waypoint (or if going back to a new-created istance)- as they do now.

Exactly how I was thinking you meant it. This would stop the Cheesefest boss situation, while allowing for a more seamless experience for a player travelling naturally from zone to zone.

I'm all for this happening,