Improved usability of Brain Burst

[Torimori]

Buff to Kinetic Flayer was a great thing, but it improved only the passive application of this Blitz. The active application is still pretty clunky without investing a couple points more into it - what I believe is a design flaw, the basic functionality needs to be sufficient already, and extra points need to only improve that foundation.

The biggest problem of it is ofc obnoxiously long charge time that isn’t compatible with the modern realities of DT when you have waves of specialists coming at you from all directions all the time - while you are surrounded with chaff and can’t afford charging it for 2-3 seconds all the time. At the same time, there is nothing really that would justify such long charge time, it doesn’t do that much of damage (the basic Blitz I mean) at all.

Suggestion:

1. Make Kinetic Resonance sub-talent a part of the main Blitz; this way it will allow you to charge it sufficiently fast half the times you need it (as most psyker builds use their Combat Ability off CD, or close to that)
2. Instead of the Kinetic Resonance add some other talent that will improve its usability (for those builds that want to really focus on BB)

For the item 2, I had a couple ideas:

1. Kinetic Synergy: when applying BB by LMB hold on a target marked by some other player on your team for the first time, deal +50% more damage with no Peril costs, with charging time halved (all those boosts stacking with other similar buffs)
2. Soul Scent: when applying BB by LMB hold allows you to lock on Specialists, Elites and Monstrosities even when they are hidden behind lesser enemies (so it ignores lesser targets if there is a priority target on the same line of sight)
3. Some mix of the two options above, i.e. when applying BB by LMB hold on a target marked by somebody else, you can do it through a hoard (may be even through walls), while having improved damage and charge time; perhaps within a limited range too (for the through the walls part)

[IGN_Vera]

@Torimori

Instead of the Kinetic Resonance add some other talent that will improve its usability (for those builds that want to really focus on BB)

Yes!

@Torimori

The biggest problem of it is ofc obnoxiously long charge time that isn’t compatible with the modern realities of DT when you have waves of specialists coming at you from all directions all the time - while you are surrounded with chaff and can’t afford charging it for 2-3 seconds all the time.

Yes! But it needs to be balanced against Crushers, meaning Crushers still need to pose a threat while BB gets better against Specialists.

Perhaps…

Give BB target 500 damage per every half second spent charging, charge stops when target dies or 100% Peril is reached. 10% Peril generated per second. That’s almost 2 Crushers without Quelling.

Note: PC would have to be nerfed or this idea is busted.

Yes, that would mean around 21000 Boss damage for the 10s of Warp Unbound with Warp Rider and Vulnerable Minds, provided the Psyker isn’t agroed by the Boss, isn’t attacked by a random Poxwalker, isn’t targeted by a Specialist or Elite (good luck!).

Considering only 1 target is being damaged compared to Psykers other damage options through Staves/Shriek that can target many enemies at once, it’s not unreasonable.

Elite Kill Times:

Gunner - 1400HP - 1.5s
Scab Gunner - 1700HP - 2s
Scab Shotgunner - 1500HP - 1.5s
Shotgunner - 1000HP - 1s
Plasma Gunner - 1800HP - 2s
Crusher - 6s (6s of them not reaching you, good luck)
Bulwark - 5s

You get the idea…
Flayer would just do a flat 3k damage. Anything sub 3k dies on proc. 15s CD instead of 12s.

Empowered Brain Rupture:

-50% Peril Cost (5 Peril per second)
+50% Damage per second - Inconsequential for enemies like Bombers, more useful (-2s) for enemies like Crushers.

It’s simple, it’s more effective against the enemies it needs to be effective against - Specialists, it provides better Boss Damage for Psyker in the right build, and it’s still relatively balanced against Crushers.