View Full Forums : question: how do focuses stack?


dorda
12-21-2005, 08:48 AM
FINALLY i got a pyrelian rage fire focus :bubbrubb2 :) :) :flowers2: , now i wonder if i should keep my burning affliction 5 aug too..

I mean .. if you cast a fire dot and have 2 focuses on the same damage..
fire focus -->0% .. 35% damage
burning affliction -->0% .. 20% damage

are BOTH focuses rolled by the game and the best % is selected?

so for example ...

fire focus RNG selects +12%
burning affliction RNG select +19%

then the burning affliction focus hits and u have an overall increase of 19% damage? Or the burning affliction focus is not considered by the game? (which seems strange, as it would involve some funny code in EQ)

If this is true, then DPS can marginally be increased by keeping both focuses working. Anyone knows?
----------------------------------------------------
Another question ... if u cast a DOT, then you unequip the focus .. will the DOT damage be decreased in following ticks? Or the focus just takes effect at cast time?

Teaenea
12-21-2005, 09:25 AM
I don't think Burning Affliction with affect anything but DoT's, and Pyrelian Rage shouldn't affect anything other than Direct Damage spells. So, You'll want to keep them both.

But, Focus effects don't stack. It will always use the focus with the highest percentage.

Netura
12-21-2005, 09:33 AM
Pyrilien Rage WILL focus fire DoT's; it is a focus to all fire spells.
However, if you ever use anything from our magic based DoT line, then you will most likely want a BA5 or better aug.

dorda
12-21-2005, 10:08 AM
well .. thank for the replies but i'll explain my question better.

If i understood well, a % focus is a random increase in damage from 0% to a max % .. so 0% to 35% for pyrelian rage.
Now if i have SEVERAL similar focuses acting on the same things (fire dot for example) it it well known they the DONT add up ..
yet ..

1) does the game roll the % increase for EACH focus and then select the roll with the highest %? or...
2) will it statically select the best focus BEFORE rolling , then roll the %?

If 1) is true, then it should be possible to parse a 2% increase in damage when using (pyrelian rage+burning affliction5) compared to using pyrelian rage only. In case 2) there should be no difference. Difficult and boring to collect data for this .. so i hope someone knows

NOTE: i have now fire focus, magic focus AND burning affliction 5 .. so i have to decide if to drop burning affliction 5 for dots ..
i have fire focus, cold focus AND improved damage 5 .. so i have to decide if to drop improved damage 5 for nukes
I know they dont add up .. but the point is if a second focus statistically changes slightly the average % increase that is rolled by the game

Lhittle
12-21-2005, 10:29 AM
Focuses don't stack...

So whatever focus is the better focus will fire when you use a spell that works with that focus.

Pyrelian Rage only works with fire based spells, so it will only fire on fire based spells.

Spells such as Wasp Swarm are magic based and thus some kind of focus is needed to have them tic for higher damage. The BA5 one will work for that as will http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=45717

That is a 25pct magic focus that will give you up to 5pct better on your dots and is an augment if you dont have some other item with a magic focus.

BA5 is only 20pct, so you can add a bit more magic damage by swapping out your Citrine Spell Stone for Ritual Nexus Opal.

Focus only works on the highest focus as far as I have seen.

duralupal
12-21-2005, 11:55 AM
The question isn't whether they stack but rather when the one which fires is selected. Bit of a different question.

I'd be very very (very!) surprised if it behaved any way other than highest % item gets calculated and that's the only one that actually gets rolled. Go ahead and turn on focus effect messages though and cast a bunch of fire spells, see if rage is ever *not* the one emoted.

mordien
12-21-2005, 12:15 PM
fubar edit

Wyte
12-21-2005, 12:34 PM
1) does the game roll the % increase for EACH focus and then select the roll with the highest %? or... If that were the case then theoretically you would see a different focus message: "such-and-such item flickers" whenever the lower one 'beats out' the higher.

Nimchip
12-21-2005, 12:51 PM
If that were the case then theoretically you would see a different focus message: "such-and-such item flickers" whenever the lower one 'beats out' the higher.

Aye...

2) will it statically select the best focus BEFORE rolling , then roll the %?

This is correct in my opinion.

mordien
12-21-2005, 01:29 PM
Ok I give up on editing messages everytime I do it ends up loosing the post.

What I was saying was, I have 2 pieces of gear with different ice focus affects. I have never done any grand tests, but to date I've only noticed the higher max% item "glowing" or whatever it says. I have 2 items with identical healing focus and to date I have only ever noticed the focus on the shield being used "glowing".

So, as I take it,
1) Eq checks which what the Max possible focus % at whatever casting level and selects that focus.
2) If the selected focus is duplicated on other pieces of gear, it chooses which piece of gear to use by some predeterminted gear slot order.
3) It determines what % focus will be applied.

But for a better test use a dot which will give you more data points since it is per tick and cast it a few times and see what the results are.

dorda
12-21-2005, 02:27 PM
U RIGHT didnt think about checking the message ..
thanks all people ..
very nice to know that selection is static
Now i can free some slot
(lolz carrying around 3 bags full of alternate equipment and clickies already)

Winenose
12-22-2005, 05:54 AM
Dot ticks don't give focus messages. Don't know if dots give increased damage focus messages either. Only focus message I get when casting DoTs is that my Hanvar belt flickers.. it's extended duration focus.

BTW, focus messages come from the specific item that has the focus. If your focus comes from an augment, the message has augment name in it.

For example when I buff people, I get this message:
"Your Last Blood of the .. whatever.. glows" or whatever the glow/flicker is. Even tho the last blood augment is in my GM chest piece and when I check my chest piece, it has that focus listed.

Marpedod
12-22-2005, 06:29 AM
Yes they do, my Glowing Stone of Expulsion gives me a message every single tick for all my magic dots...just as the summoned gear I used to pester mages for did

mordien
12-22-2005, 09:35 AM
Don't know if dots give increased damage focus messages either.

I'm pretty sure they do every tick, or they used too. Its been awhile since I noticed, since all that stuff is filtered to a seperate chat box I ... rarely read.

Vekx
12-22-2005, 10:03 AM
I'm pretty sure they do every tick, or they used too. Its been awhile since I noticed, since all that stuff is filtered to a seperate chat box I ... rarely read.

aye, if there are messages I must have figured out how to filter them long ago. Now If I could figure out how to filter/or move the DS messages and all the spell casting messages from others.