Surge staff needs to be reverted back to where it was in patch 14, and receive a damage boost

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Gameplay Feedback
1

For reference, I’m talking about my experience in Damnation Auric level and Maelstrom missions. Not talking about heresy and below, as I don’t play in those difficulties.

I played with surge exclusively after patch 14 where you changed it from a mass stun stick, to single target killer, and it felt great, it was in a good place. A staff with limited range and targets it could affect, but great single target damage (for most of the enemies).

You still needed a good blitz and melee weapon to fill the areas that surge lacked (bad horde killing speed and control) so overall it was balanced and could do the job in the highest difficulties.

Surge was supposed to be good at single target, but right now it fails even at one-shoting a simple scab reliably, because it is changed to randomly hit limbs, which of course does negligible damage. Not only that, but you cannot kill targets behind cover anymore, you might as well grab a purgatus instead, since you need to go and zap in melee range.

Also, surge received an indirect nerf, when you buffed the health of big enemies, like crushers. More health, more charge time, more time wasted to kill them.

Furthermore. even when the bugged +120% damage increase was introduced, a veteran or ranged focused ogryn could clear entire columns of elite gunners/specials, before surge could fire off a single charged zap, it wasn’t THAT much of a game changer or overpowered as some people claim it to be.

And before you go “but surge doesn’t have ammo”, let’s not pretend that veteran’s scavenger aura doesn’t keep you topped up in auric/maelstrom, ammo economy is a non-issue with that aura.

It seems incredible to me that a veteran can two-shot a crusher with a revolver in 2 seconds max, and he gets one ammo back, but a surge staff that required 3 full charges (sometimes four, depending on how many enemies you had to juggle) that took at least 4-6 seconds was considered too OP by some people.

TL:DR Surge needs to go back to how it was in patch 14 and have a 50-60% damage increase, for the targets it can hit/affect and the peril it generates, which translates to time it takes to kill/vent, it is vastly under performing in auric/maelstrom missions, other weapons are way more overpowered than surge ever was, even with the damage bug.

7 Likes
2

Honestly there’s too much overlap now between surge blitz and surge staff (even after FS tried hard to make them different). I won’t mind having one of them go and be completely redesigned.

PS: Also, the staff doesn’t need damage buffs.

3

No, enough with the power creep.

1 Like
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Most people also seem to agree revolver is pretty OP at the moment so that’s a pretty damn bad frame of reference.

6 Likes
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veteran’s can actually 1 shot crushers with the revolver at the moment.

And yes, surge staff needs to be buffed back to where it was in 14.

6

As much as it was fun, the 125% buff was way too much.

I agree it needs a buff, especially now that it’s suffering an opposed bug that makes it deal 50% damage most of the time.

As I’ve stated before it would need a buff of about 50% in damage or in peril generation reduction.

1 Like
7

I disagree. Surge staff has limited range. It’s not like a gun that can hit enemies from across the map. Surge staff should be an absolute beast at close range.

8

A 50% buff would make it a beast.

I agree that a single target weapon should deal very well with that target, but 50% would already be a huge buff.

9

25 meters is not close range.

1 Like
10

It’s close range compared to being able to take out a sniper across the map with a rifle. There are plenty of map sections where enemies are out of range. Guns don’t have that issue, they just have damage fall off.

11

Shall I remind you that most staves have a primary fire that travels as far as bullets?

1 Like
12

Their primary fire is jabky junk compared to most firearms

13

It’s a projectile.

14

If they massively upped its velocity I’d say “hey it’s sort of comparable” but taking out a sniper across the map with it sucks in it’s current form. But you’re right, it does have unlimited travel distance.

15

Imo, only buff the surge needs is to remove damage reduction for each next target the lightning jumps to.
And ofc fix the annoying random limb damage mechanic. Yes, it was intended, and it was not a bug. Either make us actually able to aim where the shot on the first target hits with next target being hit in the body, or just revert it to the patch 14 state where it only hit the body.

16

So I thought, until I run it yesterday. I played with it before without EP/Smite talent abuse, it felt better. Before I could almost compete vs voidstrike. It offered different playstyle and similar dps. Not anymore.

1 Like
17

Some people need to chill, 50% damage ?? why ? so you don’t need to charge the staff to kill everything in one hit ? nah.
Even now with it’s crappy buggy state it’s possible to carry with it, the EP glitch got over your mind.
The staff require very little aim effort

Now i admit i’d like some change on the numbers of targets surge can hit or the damage to the second (+?) targets, could argue on that but no, the staff doesn’t need damage.

18

My scoreboard stats tell me otherwise, and as I said I used it before without the smite and EP talent abuse.

19

i would like to suggest, when using secondary action the user need to aim crosshair at intended target. and it guarantee weakspot hit to single target that deal high dmg overtime.

the attack from the intended target can bounce to nearby enemy, creating a chain attack but receive less dmg with random hit at enemy’s body, for example legs, arm etc and stun them for a period of time.

this will make surge staff a skill based weapon for single target burst and CC imo.

20

Without a buff it’s just a worse Smite.

RN I still use it just as a last resort in case I’m left alone but I use Smite from start to finish simply because its CC is better than anything I could do with the Surge damage.