Watchdog Whisper Overpriced

[drspendlove]

Similar to another semi-recent thread on this board, I believe the Watchdog Whisper war gear is overpriced.

+6% Auto-block
+3 Parry
+3 Dodge
4 Gear Levels
(Requires investing in a stub node to access.)

The Aegis Wiring is:
+8% Auto-block
2 Gear Levels

Which means you're trading 2% auto-block and spending 2 more gear levels for +3 Parry (which arguably could be better than 2% AB) and +3 Dodge (which presently doesn't really matter.) I argue the price of Watchdog Whisper should be dropped to 3 gear levels and given some love, maybe in the form of +1% AB or +1 more Parry. This disparity would be helped by a tiny nerf to Aegis Wiring of -1% AB (as mentioned as a consideration in the Aegis Defense thread as well.)

[fallen]

Thanks for the feedback! Sometimes you just have enough AB and you need some other defensive stats.

[drspendlove]

Yeah, I can see that. It just seems like +3 Parry is a poor trade for 2 Gear Levels in general, even assuming you have maxed out Auto-block and 2% to spare beyond that.

[En1gma]

I love me some Parry... I often remove other gear just for the Watchdog Whisper. I tend to never use a shield on my Captain though, so I need all the Dodge/Parry dice I can get, given the natural lack of defense my extra weapon provides.

You never know when a Carapace/Spitter/Lancer is gonna get through and throw something at you, those 3 Dodge could be the difference between blocking the hit or taking 40-60 damage...

[drspendlove]

Enigma, how often have you seen a dodge actually happen? I've seen it 3-4 times across 300 hours of gameplay (estimated 100 of those are AFK).

[En1gma]

Often enough to make it worth it, honestly. If you don't use any equipment to boost your dodge, then you aren't going to see much of anything. If you use the equipment often enough you end up having them save your ass.

[En1gma]

Like any aspect of any TB game, if you don't invest in something enough to make it worthwhile, then don't bother. The items/abilities in their games can seem almost worthless without significant planning and intent.

With the right plan and build, anything can be useful, you just need to make sure you're investing well =]

[fallen]

En1gma - watch out, you're about to get a lecture on how Dodge is statistically worthless

[En1gma]

Dodge has saved my Nightmare perfect NG+ run on more than one occasion, so bring it on

If I can have even a 20% chance of avoiding a Narv Radiator's death beams from hell I'm going to use it.

[mushroom]

I don't think Dodge is worthless. My evasion scouts are at least 50% at dodging spitters, and they don't have much auto block. If the captains a shooter, he's got pretty good ranged defense as well.

WW is a favorite...

[drspendlove]

I can't argue with your personal experiences. I'm flabbergasted that it is happening though. Perhaps there IS a display bug in the logs that has led me away from Dodge builds. It is very true that I ignore dodge given the information I see in the combat log and that is a self-fulfilling prophecy at that point.

[fallen]

Great to see how many different strategies people are playing! One player nominates the Gear as under-powered and others note that they are removing other Gear to put it on!

Makes me a happy dev

[drspendlove]

Indeed. If Dodge is functional, then my assessment here is in many cases, off base.

[En1gma]

It's not as powerful as say, Dodge in Heroes of Steel, but as a backup to auto-block, it can save yo life.

[fallen]

Improved Watchdog Whisper to +4 Dodge and +4 Parry for next update.