Wouldn't a lot of alacrity just make you overheat, run out of force, etc. faster? Leaving you with default/wimpy attack?

 

If I could increase my force pool or my ammo pool, then alacrity would make sense. However, these systems are basically fixed in SWTOR.

 

What I am hoping, is that alacrity increases venting, ammo replenishment, force recharging, etc., and I just don't know it.

 

Is this the case?

Edited January 6, 2012 by Wuxifinger

self bump... come on, someone here should know if alacrity increases venting and such.

Free bump because I'd really like an answer to this question to

Wouldn't a lot of alacrity just make you overheat, run out of force, etc. faster? Leaving you with default/wimpy attack?

 

If I could increase my force pool or my ammo pool, then alacrity would make sense. However, these systems are basically fixed in SWTOR.

 

What I am hoping, is that alacrity increases venting, ammo replenishment, force recharging, etc., and I just don't know it.

 

Is this the case?

 

Yes, you do have to balance it with your resources. That has always been part of the challenge I enjoy as a healer though.

It ONLY reduces the time it takes to cast or channel.

 

So basically if your class isn't constantly casting or channeling it's not a good stat. Only a Sage/Sorc can benefit a lot from it, and to a lesser extent a mercenary with power shot (and the commando equivalent) and Unload, but im pretty sure crit/surge and even power are better.

 

Yeah, it's not good.

 

Alacrity Buffs needed: GCD reduction, Resource replenishment rate increase.

Edited January 6, 2012 by Aurinax

Not everyone is in the same boat.

 

As a healer, reduced cast time is massive. Sure you can't get off any more heals vs your force regen over time, but you can stop people dying, need to predict a little less etc.

 

Even for DPS, take a sorc, they rarely run our of force as the main attach (if you spec it) is force lighting which also replenishes force. Alacrity speeds up the 3 second channel, meaning more DPS.

 

So it's very useful for many, with an increased regen component it would either be OP or need nerfing per point down to stupidly low levels.

Only thing I've seen is that it speed up your global cooldown and casted abilities. I play a marauder so its great for me. Don't know about BH venting though. Hope it helps.

Its not, its a terrible stat compared to surge or crit for any class out there, there is no thinking or challenge involved you just do not choose alacrity cause there are better things out there.

What do you mean "only" as if casting time reduction isn't amazing for healers and caster dps.... Wow kiddy alart.

As a healer, reduced cast time is massive. Sure you can't get off any more heals vs your force regen over time, but you can stop people dying, need to predict a little less etc.

 

Its still useless for healers because you have instant cast spells which do no benefit from it but benefit a lot of surge and crit so going surge crit and power would improve your instants making your reactive healing better than reducing your heavy heal cast time and not affecting your instant casts.

if u can manage resources, the more alacrity the better. i assume every class has a way to manage energy, force, focus, heat etc.

Although I haven't really got any , I would assume you could weave in more rapid shots while keeping the heat levels at the sweet spot?

casting faster is generally better, not necessarily casting more, but quicker casts mean you are less likely to be interrupted and it is more likely that your heal (or damage) will actually go off before the target dies.

It ONLY reduces the time it takes to cast or channel.

 

So basically if your class isn't constantly casting or channeling it's not a good stat. Only a Sage/Sorc can benefit a lot from it, and to a lesser extent a mercenary with power shot (and the commando equivalent) and Unload, but im pretty sure crit/surge and even power are better.

 

Yeah, it's not good.

 

Alacrity Buffs needed: GCD reduction, Resource replenishment rate increase.

 

The lead combat designer basically expressed that they will NEVER lower the GCD since the animations would interfere with how casting works.

 

Alacrity is useless atm.

Thanks... I overheat constantly as a BH. I even rotate Rapid Shots into my attacks to try and keep my venting maxed (5 arrows or whatever).

 

In many games, you can increase your resouces pool, so alacrity could be very useful. I am thinking that, for Merc DPS it is probably pretty close to useless... except maybe for burst damage in PVP.

It's easily the worst stat in the game, and since it does nothing for the GCD, in most situations it won't even directly improve DPS, just reduce push back issues. It needs to either be reworked, or just removed.

The point is it's not nearly worth taking INSTEAD of another secondary stat. If Alacrity were your only choice under any circumstance, sure why not. But it never is.

Go look up "Haste in WoW".

 

It's effectively the same stat and you can find thousands of pages explaining why it's good and how it's good for each class.

The lead combat designer basically expressed that they will NEVER lower the GCD since the animations would interfere with how casting works.

 

Alacrity is useless atm.

 

Yep Alacrity is useless atm as you have to wait for animations either way.

I'm curious if this is at all useful for an IA healer, or say a Sorcerer/Sage who went into the dot-damage tree. Will alacrity make hots/dots tick faster, or does it only effect abilities with a cast time?

The lead combat designer basically expressed that they will NEVER lower the GCD since the animations would interfere with how casting works.

 

Alacrity is useless atm.

 

yet another garbage limitation that, frankly, shouldn't be a limitation.

It has no effect on the GCD I believe, just reduces cast times, so basically it's only really useful for those classes that use abilities that are not instant. I doesn't shorten cooldowns, it just shortens cast times.

yet another garbage limitation that, frankly, shouldn't be a limitation.

 

It's unfortunately a limitation of how they interfaced combat with animations, and, the game engine itself.

No doubt it has problems right now, but this really is the sort of thing that will be in flux until the day this game closes the doors.

 

This is a tuning stat; and tuning stats get tuned.

 

 

For all eternity.

This game is all about managing your resources, especially on big fights later on.

 

I am a healing merc level 50, I try and get as much alacrity as I can, but I rarely find myself overheating, only if dps players do not understand how to play and joust boss abilities, or rip agro. Sometimes I'll just elt them die.

 

I find being able to cast faster helps me for that ohh-crap time when the tank gets below 50%.

 

Alot of healers I am guessing are overhealing as I keep hearing people talking about overheating prematurely.

 

If mobs are not hitting your tank for more then 50% a shot there is no reason to be spamming your heals, that is what your filler healing blasts are for(Merc), and they help reduce your heat?

 

If BHs as dps are overheating they need to stop dropping the whole gambit of their abilities and learn to fill in with their primary mini attack(kinda like an auto-attack) between cast abilities.

 

This goes for most classes, but i am only proficient enough to comment on Merc atm, though I am beginning to level a marauder/sniper and PT to learn their abilities better.