Showing posts with label Badass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Badass. Show all posts

Monday, October 17, 2011

Rift: Riftstalker - BD vs. Ranger


Back when I was new to the Rift guild Addiction (world first Alsbeth and GSB), I decided to write an article about Riftstalker tanking. It basically was to determine what was a better spec for tanking, and it is needlessly complicated ~_~ 
Oh well!

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Current build: HP: 10762, Dodge: 8.27%, 6% -dmg.
Rift barrier: 35% damage reduction, up to 26905.
Boss damage needed to break shield:  81483 (6% of 76871 is 4,612).

BD build: 10762 – 538.1 = 10223.9, 18.27% dodge (50% for 15 seconds).
Rift barrier: 35% damage reduction, up to 25559.75.
Boss damage needed to break shield: 73028
Results.
1345.25 damage absorption

In a 1 minute fight, a boss attacks once every two seconds, for 3,333 damage each hit, and a total of 30 hits. This amounts to 100000 damage.
For one with 8 points in ranger, this becomes 94000 damage.


[(.6827)(15s)+(. 1827)(45s)]/60s = ~30.8% dodge over 1 min.
So, assuming 30.8% of bosses melee attacks will be dodged, this is a potential mitigation of ~9 melee attacks, or practically 1/3rd of incoming hits (30,796 damage).
For a 2 minute fight (the cool down timer for sidesteps), dodge becomes [(.6827)(15s)+(. 1827)(105s)]/120s = 24.5% (~14.7 hits: 48,995 damage mitigated)

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So, this is a 16.23% dodge increase over ranger. 16.23% dodge alone works out to 32,456.8 damage mitigated over the 8 minutes. By comparison, the damage reduction from ranger works out to 11,998.8, and 16,538.346 from dodges = 28,537 damage total. Now take 60(3333)/26905 = 7.43 applications of rift guard needed to sustain it. With 1345 higher damager absorption for ranger over BD (5% health increase), this amounts to 9,997 in absorption over 2 minutes. This brings the total mitigation for ranger to 38,534 for this 2 minute, simulated fight.  

After a bit of reading, I was curious to see which is a better use of points for rogues who want to tank. Once you've put the standard 7 points in bard and 51 in riftstalker, you have 8 points left. What to do with these? Well, you have two options. Blade dancer clearly seems like the more attractive option, as it offers 10% dodge, a 50%, 15 second dodge cool-down, and a reactive cp generating ability. For ranger, you have 6% damage reduction, and 5% hp.

Now, it would seem that BD is the clear winner, as having all that extra dodge is quite helpful. However, I want to put forth an example that compares it to ranger, using a dumbed down boss scenario.

First of all, here are some numbers, using my own stats in mediocre tank gear.

With 8 in ranger: | HP - 10762 | Dodge - 8.27% | (6% damage reduction)

With 8 in bladedancer: | HP - 10224 | Dodge - 18.27% | (50% dodge for 15 sec.)

There is only a 538 health point difference between the two, and clearly 10% dodge is far better than a mere 538 hp. However, there is more to consider.

Consider a boss that melee attacks for 3333 every 2 seconds. Over a 2 minute interval, he will deal 60(3333) = 199,989 damage.

No, with sidesteps factored in, your 2 minute dodge percentage with NB is going to look something like this: [(.6827)(15s)+(. 1827)(105s)]/120s = 24.5%. So, 18.27% + sidesteps becomes 24.5%. Even better, right?

I'm not done. Firstly, this is a 16.23% dodge increase over ranger, which would in this case account for (60)(.1623)(3333) = 32,457 points of potential damage mitigated.

By comparison, taking the equivalent damage and factoring in the 6% reduction from ranger gives us 11,999 damage ignored. With 8.27% dodge from ranger, you can expect to mitigate about 16,538 damage in this case. This amounts to 32,457 damage mitigated by bladedancer, and 28,537 mitigated by ranger. But there's more.

That 5% health buff in ranger gives a nice benefit to rift guard. Since improved rift-guard provides a 35% damage reduction, up to 250% of your max hp, this would give me 26905 points of damage absorption over 30 sec, vs. 25,560. This is a difference of 1345 points, which at first does not seem like much, but over 2 minutes, against a boss that deals 1,666.5 dps, roughly 7 applications of the shield are necessary to keep it active. This amounts to 7(1345) = 9415 greater absorption by ranger. This totals to 37,952 points of mitigation for ranger, vs. 32,457. The 8 points in ranger have provided the rogue with an additional 5,496 points of damage mitigated.

I should also mention that dodge is completely useless against magic damage.

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Revised:

After a bit of reading, I was curious to see which is a better use of points for rogues who want to tank. Once you've put the standard 7 points in bard and 51 in riftstalker, you have 8 points left. What to do with these? Well, you have two options. Blade dancer clearly seems like the more attractive option, as it offers 10% dodge, a 50%, 15 second dodge cooldown, and a reactive cp generating ability. For ranger, you have 6% damage reduction, and 5% hp.

[Disclaimer: since I am not fully versed in tank knowledge, there could be a few mistakes here]

First of all, here are some numbers, using my own stats in mediocre tank gear.

With 8 in ranger: | HP - 10762 | Dodge - 8.27% | (6% damage reduction)

With 8 in bladedancer: | HP - 10224 | Dodge - 18.27% | (50% dodge for 15 sec.)

Next, consider a boss that melee attacks for 3333 every 2 seconds. Over a 2 minute interval, he will deal 60(3333) = 199,989 damage.

Now, with sidesteps factored in, your 2 minute dodge percentage with BD is going to look something like this: [(.6827)(15s)+(.1827)(105s)]/120s = 24.5%. So, 18.27% + sidesteps becomes 24.5% over 2 minutes. This becomes (60)(.245)(3333) = 48,995 points of avoided damage.

Now taking the equivalent damage and factoring in the 6% reduction from ranger gives us (60)(.06)(333) = 11,999 damage mitigated. With 8.27% dodge from ranger, you can expect to avoid about (60)(.0827)(3333) = 16,538 damage in this case. This amounts to 48,995 damage avoided by bladedancer, and 16,538/11,999 avoided/mitigated by ranger.                                                                          Even with 35% damage reducing (up to 250% of health) benefit to rift guard, you only end up with 1345 points of absorption higher with ranger. Over a 2 minute interval, against a boss that deals 1,666.5 dps, roughly 7 applications of the shield are necessary to keep it active. This amounts to 7(1345) = 9415 more points of damage mitigated than the bladedancer. This totals to +9415 points of mitigated damage for ranger vs. 48,995 of avoided damage for the bladedancer. The 8 points in bladedancer have provided the rogue with an additional 11,043 points of avoided damage.

Against non-physical oriented encounters (are there any?) ranger might be more viable, but overall it would seem that BD will provide you with more survivability.

LoL Novel Excerpt(s) #2



A rogue Summoner had escaped to a nearby graveyard, presumably to perform prohibited acts of nectomantic magic. It was rare that cases like these arose, but when they did, the Crimson Elite were entrusted with keeping things under control. Tonight would be a test of that control.

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  At nightfall, this particular graveyard was blanketed by thin layers of translucent fog. Piles of moss and other vegetation had crept and curled about the tombs and other various structures throughout the grounds. Spiraling cobblestone paths leading to underground crypts circled and bent all around, though it was rumored that the most elaborate crypts, belonging to Noxian noblemen and distinguished military figures alike, had no pathway, but were concealed by the stealthy guise of Summoner’s magic.
  And every now and then, a shrill cry would pierce the near-silence, courtesy of the restless ravens who'd yet to seek refuge.

  ‘Just stay quiet and keep up,’ demanded Talon, he let the words convey frustration. Katarina merely nodded in acknowledgement, but her mind was elsewhere.
Why would a banished Summoner be so obsessed as to call upon the empty spirits of the dead? She wondered. 
  Noxian graveyards were not unlike those of Demacia, Ionia, or any other in Valoran. They had ceremonial tombstones, inscribed with phrases of virtue, respect, and discipline. Noxians were a proud a people as any other, and thus all dead citizens were given due respect in this way. Given the reports of this Summoner, it was clear that he was bereft of all respect.


 ‘Yes, whatever you say,’ she replied absentmindedly.
Talon didn’t have the patience for failure, and he had even less patience for incompetent allies. Katarina had proven herself on the fields of battle with high frequency, but this was more than just a routine skirmish against Demacian patrols. In fact, he had no idea what to expect, and perhaps it was this fact alone that put his mind in such a heightened state of mental alertness.
  ‘Just keep your mind on the mission,’ she quipped, not concerned in the least.

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  The pair of assassins had ventured through the graveyard entrance, and were now nearing the ritual grounds. The upkeep here had clearly been avoided, as there were piles of overgrowth, next to no tomb  maintenance in sight, and there was not a not a single lit lantern in sight. Some of the tombs dated back hundreds of years, and others mere months.
 Being surrounded by all this death gave Katarina some time to contemplate the death she'd dealt. The thoughts sensed of remorse, sorrow, and regret, but she had not the tolerance to consider them for long. Expert mental discipline made it possible for her to regard such emotions with transience, and as if washed away by a torrent, they left her mind, replaced by the more immediate sensory perceptions of the surrounding area.

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 And there he was, dressed in black, his arms outstretched and circling in slow motion. His hooded head bobbed slowly back and forth as he chanted some arcane ritual. He did not articulate words, but sounds, and neither assassin could decipher the meaning. Then, without so much as a sound, the situation changed dramatically. Talon’s mind became warped by spell-craft for but an instant that seemed to last minutes…
  ‘What are you DOING in this PLACE!’ he thought… it was the Summoner, somehow interfacing with                                his thoughts. His words resounded with the torment and grief of one who’d devoted a lifetime to believing in    pretentious falsehoods and corrupting power.
  ‘You FOOLS! This is my PLACE. These are the DEAD you are toiling with. I AM toiling  WITH!’
  ‘GET OUT!’ said the Summoner, each word growing louder than the last.
Then, in a swift motion, Katarina whipped around and grabbed Talon by the forearm, nearly bringing him to the ground. Given her slim stature, it was a surprise to him that she could be so forceful.
  ‘Snap out of it,’ she voiced calmly, ‘it’s not real.’ The Summoner had no vanished from sight. Where he had once stood, billowy wafts of pink smoke remained .
  However, the Summoner had left behind much more than smoke and mirrors…
  Talon shook his head.
  ‘How did he do that?’ he asked.
 'I don’t know,’ replied Katarina, ‘but we need to get out of here. He's sealed the exits. There is little time.’
  Pulse quickening, she watched as black forms shifted from beneath the residual smoke that now circulated at the feet of the weary assassins.


  ‘Undead…’ croaked Talon, his voice barely audible, and Katarina said nothing as she readied her blades. The Summoner had left them a sizeable force of minions to contend with, and it was unlike any force that they’d faced before. These minions were empowered by forbidden enchantments. Their eyes appeared as orange spheres blazing fiercely, and their skin was rotten, dead, sores leaking and fizzing with all manner of effervescent pestilence.
  While Katarina took several cautionary steps backward, Talon surveyed the situation with a bored ease that belied his experience on the field. Whereas Katarina was of the opinion that every combative situation should be handled with pinpoint tactics, Talon had the stubbornness to slay at random, irrespective of precision...
 And there was much slaying to be done.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

LoL Novel Excerpt #1



Noxian Champions weren't often known for their subtlety. Talon, one of Noxus’ finest assassins, was reputed to enter a blade shops one moment, and leave with half their inventory the next. He was a blade collector, and his hobby was obsessive.

Wafts of cool autumn air circulated through The Blade and Bludgeon. At the moment, Talon was observing a fine selection of wall-mounted weaponry within the shop. He eyed the gleaming weapons as a masterful architect would examine a building. Considerations of blade geometry, differential heat-treating, taper, blade harmonics, and points of balance circulated through his mind. No compromises were to be made; only the finest would do. Behind the counter, a middle-aged shop-keeper stood. The man’s visage was interlaced by precise facial scarring, indicating that he was a veteran blade-master. As the man cleaned the intricate hilt of an ancient rapier, it became obvious that his hand-eye coordination had deteriorated throughout the years, which probably explained why he managed a shop now instead of blade-dancing with Noxian dualists. Those days were long behind him.

‘How much for that one?’ Talon mused, motioning to the serrated micro-blades. The rune-inscribed weapons had wrist-mounted straps. Perfect for close range assassination, he thought.

‘For the whole set, or just the display model?’ replied the shop keeper. Ignoring the question altogether, Talon said nothing. It should have been clear to the keeper that display models were not to be considered.

‘Actually, it’s sold out,’ hinted a familiar voice. ‘I’ve already claimed that model.’ Talon turned to face Katarina, and furrowed his brows. The assistant shopkeeper, who'd been dealing with Katarina at another area in the shop, had several ivory-coloured boxes under one arm, and was totalling up costs with a pocket-book and quill in the other.



‘Cute,’ said Talon in an uninspiring tone. Katarina’s actions were often less than amusing to him. ‘And you intend to use all of them at once?’ 

‘Of course not,’ she replied condescendingly, ‘one must use backups for when the others break.’ She smiled coyly, and reached into a small brown sack of gold, retrieving far more than was needed to purchase the weapons. Talon simply stood there, observing the exchange, and the Shop owner, looking slightly bemused, scratched his head.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Tales of Talon, Red Judge Dredd Power Ranger

I simply adore the short yet effective anecdotal lore segments of LoL Champions. They're like snapshots into the life of someone who's a fucking badass, with no further explanation necessary.

If someone writes a biography about my life, I want it to say awesome shit, like how I 1v3'd a mage, cleric, and a wall-hacking rogue in The Battle of Port Scion, and made them all take a goddamn seat. People will read that and say,

'Holy fuck, he's a badass. Look at the bios of all these other noobs, it takes entire novels to try and explain how cool they are. This guy just needs a couple paragraphs.' - Random Noob

Yeahhhhh.

Anyway, Talon is my favorite champion, and I also like his lore. I read it when I think i'm having a bad day, and am reassured to realize that I already counter-killed all the assassin's who tried to take me down. General Du Couteau didn't stand a chance.



--‘Another body for the gutter’ 

Talon's earliest memories are the darkness of Noxus' underground passages and the reassuring steel of a blade. He has no memory of family, warmth, or kindness. Instead, the clink of stolen gold and the security of a wall at his back are all the kinship he has ever craved. Kept alive only by his quick wits and deft thievery, Talon scraped out a living in the seedy underbelly of Noxus. His incredible skills with the blade earned him great notoriety. Various guilds sent assassins against him with a demand: join their ranks or be killed. His response was to leave the bodies of his pursuers stuffed in a dark corner or dumped in Noxus' moat. Having lived on the streets, Talon knew better than to waste - he claimed a blade from every failed attempt on his life, gathering a seemingly endless collection of weaponry.

The assassination attempts grew increasingly dangerous until one assailant met Talon blade-for-blade in a match of strength. To his astonishment, Talon was disarmed. He was facing down his executioner's sword when the assassin revealed himself to be General Du Couteau. The General offered Talon the standard of life that befitted an agent of the Noxian High Command in exchange for his allegiance. Talon accepted on the condition that his service was to Du Couteau alone, for the only type of orders he could respect were from one he could not defeat. Talon remained in the shadows, carrying out assassinations on Du Couteau's orders until the day that the general disappeared. Talon's suspicions led him to the doors of the Institute of War, where he joined the League of Legends in order to find the parties responsible for Du Couteau's disappearance.

"The three deadliest blademasters in all of Valoran are bound to the house of Du Couteau: my father, myself, and Talon." - Katarina Du Couteau