Angst and Joy of Ethereal Anguish

[vdx]

With players finding out the brutality of monster mobs that are fighting smarter and hitting harder, it seems a good time to point out Ethereal Anguish as a talent, not just against heavy hitters but as mob control for moderate hitters (those arrow strikes add up). I know I've found Level 4 Ethereal Anguish quite handy in taken the edge of the spider cults mobs. Typically, I can cast Ethereal Anguish 3x in the opening round, hitting between 3-to-8 monsters (on avg), taking away as many attacks and making them easier to hit for the second round. If I use my other characters to attack the non-debuffed monsters, the end of the first round tends to see 6 to 12 less possible attacks from monsters. Note: a killed monster gets no attack ;-). 

But let's talk less about killer spiders and more about Ethereal Anguish:

Quick Back Ground: Ethereal Anguish, a talent Kyera the Cleric starts the game with, under went some changes early on (prior to my purchase and following obsession with the game) but remains a curiously strong talent with a very steep upgrade price for noticeable improvements (more on that later).

For references, I will focus on four mile stones in the upgrades:
1) The starting level (LV1)
2) Level at which it becomes Area of Effect (LV4)
3) Level at which -2 AP is granted (LV 6)
4) Level at which Area of Effect increases (LV 10). A summary of the all levels is at the end of this post.

Why it's so effective at Level 1: At LV 1, Ethereal Anguish can remove 1 AP from a monster for the very low cost of 10 SP. For monsters that have multiple attacks, it removes an attack (Ethereal Anguish does not appear to reduce a monster's AP to zero in the current version of the game).  The removed AP is GUARANTEED  as monsters do not have the ability to block a debuff (in the current version of the game). The Cleric can cast Ethereal Anguish 3 times in one round due to the 2 AP casting cost of the talent. That means for 30 SP, the Cleric can remove 3 monster attacks in a round at Level 1. The dodge penalty is minor at Level 1 but it's nice touch. 

In comparison, Warder's Shield (which isn't a starting talent), only adds +1 Parry, +1 Dodge as a cross shape party buff the price of 8 SP. In addition, Warder's Shield lasts for 13 (Conjuring) compared to Ethereal Anguishes 8 (Conjuring) Turns. The Area of Effect, lower SP cost and longer effect help balance out LV 1 Warder's Shield.

Missing an attack vs. not getting to attack: This is the crucial difference between Ethereal Anguish and any defensive buff: Ethereal Anguish GUARANTEES a monster's attack won't occur and defensive buffs, no matter how strong, only adjust the chance of a blow landing or the damage it will do. Now that players are entering Episode 2 with stronger monsters using smarter AI and doing heavier damage, the difference between a chance to stop a blow and guaranteeing stopping a blow is huge. (Has anyone else had massive parry scores fail to block any attack in a round of 10 monsters?. The roll of the dice...).

Defensive Buffs are still awesome:  LV 1 Ethereal Anguish only impacts 1 monster at a time where a defensive buff is applied to all attacks. It creates a math problem about whether or not it's better to ensure stopping 1 attack or having a higher chance to stop all attacks. In EP 1, targeting the one or two heavy hitters in a fight sufficed most of the time, but in EP 2, there's often 4 to 5 heavy hitters that have 3 or 4 AP so taking away an attack is nice, but isn't dominating.

The benefit and need to upgrade:  With upgrades, Ethereal Anguish can greatly weaken a mob's offensive ability. Here are the the highlights at key milestones

When updated to LV 4:
A) Costs just over 3x as level 1
B) Can hit 5x as many enemies
C) Has an okay penalty on monster dodge (-4)
D) Takes away 1 AP from the target
E) If three casts are made in one turn: Can take away a total of 15 monster attacks with pretty negligible impacts on accuracy and dodge.

When updated to LV6, Ethereal Anguish:
A) Costs 5x as much as level 1
B) Can hit 5x as many enemies
C) Has a moderate penalty on monster dodge (-5), with a starting to be noticed accuracy penalty (-3).
D)Takes away 2 AP from each monsters. 
E) If three casts in one turn: Can take away a total of 30 monster attacks with decent penalties on monster accuracy and dodge

When upgraded to LV10, Ethereal Anguish:
A) Costs just over 8x as much as level 1
B) Can hit 9x as many enemies
C) Has a nice penalty on monster dodge and accuracy (-7)
D) Takes away 2 AP from each monster
E) If three casts in one turn: can take away a total of 54 monster attacks with nice penalties on monster accuracy and dodge.
 
So here's the downside that balances Ethereal Anguish: Sure, we can talk about higher SP costs, or the fact that most of the time you can only hit 2 or 3 monsters per cast even with a maxed Area of Effect (it's like the monster don't want to die). But the real downside to Ethereal Anguish is the commitment to upgraded it. Unlike other talents that regularly see some nice increases per upgrade, the real benefit to upgrading Ethereal Anguish really only comes after a few precious upgrade points are invested. So if you are going to have an highly effective Ethereal Anguish, it's going to cost a lot of upgrade points. Also, unlike defensive buffs that last between rounds, Ethereal Anguish, like any other monster debuff, dies with the monster and has no impact of the remaining enemies.

Overall thoughts: Ethereal Anguish is a strong talent that is well balanced making it a stressful choice between it and other talents (as a well balanced should be, other wise some talents would be too over powerful). Every party should keep Ethereal Anguish as a go to skill, even if they keep it level 1, level 4 or take it to higher levels.


LV1: 10 SP, -1 AP, -1 Dodge (Single)
LV2: 18 SP, -1 AP, -2 Dodge, -1 Accuracy (Single)
LV3: 26 SP, -1 AP, -4 Dodge, -1 Accuracy (Single)
LV4: 34 SP, -1 AP, -4 Dodge, -1 Accuracy (Area of Effect: Cross Shape)
LV5: 42 SP, -1 AP, -4 Dodge, -2 Accuracy (Area of Effect: Cross Shape)
LV6: 50 SP, -2 AP, -5 Dodge, -3 Accuracy (Area of Effect: Cross Shape)
LV7: 58 SP, -2 AP, -5 Dodge, -4 Accuracy (Area of Effect: Cross Shape)
LV8: 66 SP, -2 AP, -6 Dodge, -5 Accuracy (Area of Effect: Cross Shape)
LV9: 74 SP, -2 AP, -6 Dodge, -6 Accuracy (Area of Effect: Cross Shape)
LV10: 82 SP, -2 AP, -7 Dodge, -7 Accuracy (Area of Effect: 3x3 Square)

*Ethereal Anguish uses 2 AP per casting, regardless of the level.

[Swami]

Very nice analysis, Exalt!

[beuns]

Great post vdx !

[algesan]

Tip: Save the points for upgrading Talents like EA that have breakpoints you have to build for. Why? Because in the task of SP management, you don't want to increase SP outflow for no real purpose. In this case, you are after -1AP with EA. The best choice is to leave it at level 1, then stack up 3 more points and jump to level 4 in one fell swoop.

Trust me on this, originally EA was made AoE at level 3. I dutifully saved up 2 points for the reasons given above, then popped both of them in to get my AoE which was worth the extra SP cost...but then it was nerfed rebalanced to make AoE at level 4...and I've got other Talents that needed a bump, sometimes desperately.  It also seems that level 18, despite having a new Talent unlocked, doesn't get a Talent point to spend (at least Tami & Vraes didn't get one) on the new one.  Soooo, don't get stuck sucking wind for several levels with a SP waster.  Save your points.

[fallen]

vdx - great post, awesome analysis and thank! Maybe this can get linked to from the Talent Tables, John Robinson?

+1 from me!

[xdesperado]

Exalt on a great analysis of a Talent that might otherwise get overlooked.

Just want to add that Selen's Pinning Shot provides a 2nd AoE -AP cursing attack. Having both girls reducing numbers of enemy attacks really takes the sting out of many encounters.

Another point to mention with Ethereal Anguish is that you don't need line of sight so you can start cursing bad guys around corners or on the far side of walls.

[John Robinson]

vdx Great Thread glad you jumped into it. +1 Exalt from me on this one.

fallen Table links on the way.

I think this would be a good place to mention another curse with similar effects.

Ethereal Anguish, Flash Freeze comparison.

How long do they last?

Ethereal Anguish 1	2AP 10SP	-1AP. -1 Dodge. Lasts 3+Conjuring turns. Range 6. Single Target Curse
Flash Freeze 1	3AP 10SP	-1AP. -2 Dodge. Lasts 8+Conjuring turns. Range 6. Single Target Curse

When do they become AOE? 

Ethereal Anguish 4	2AP 34SP	-1AP. -4 Dodge. -1 Accuracy. Cross Shaped 5 target AOE
Flash Freeze 2	3AP 18SP	-1AP. -2 Dodge. Cross Shaped 5 target AOE

When do they become -2 AP?

Ethereal Anguish 6	2AP 50SP	-2AP. -5 Dodge. -3 Accuracy.
Flash Freeze 6	3AP 50SP	-2AP. -7 Dodge.

What is the maximum size and number of targets in AOE?

Ethereal Anguish 10	2AP 82SP	-2AP. -7 Dodge. -7 Accuracy. 3x3 Block Shaped 9 target AOE
Flash Freeze 5	3AP 42SP	-1AP. -6 Dodge. 3x3 Block Shaped 9 target AOE
Flash Freeze 10	3AP 82SP	-2AP. -12 Dodge. 5 hex Cloud Shaped 13 target AOE

Analysis: 
1.  Kyera starts with Ethereal Anguish(1), Vincent will need to Spend a talent point to open Flash Freeze(1).

2.  To begin using the AOE form of Ethereal Anguish or Flash Freeze  Kyera will spend 3 talent points and Vincent 2.

3.  It will cost Kyera almost twice as much SP to cast the first level of AOE and Vincent can get it at Flash Freeze rank 2
compared to Kyera needing Ethereal Anguish rank 4.

4.  Maximum size.  Vincent needs 5 ranks in Flash Freeze to move from a Cross to Blocked shaped AOE with a casting cost of 42SP. 
Kyera will need 10 ranks of Ethereal Anquish to move from a Cross to Blocked shaped AOE with a casting cost of 82SP.
For the same casting cost at rank 10 Vincent will hit more targets and cover monsters outside of diagonal safety zones.

Conclusion:
If your main goal is to reach the highest number of targets in the least amount of leveling time and  the lowest SP casting cost.
Flash Freeze is probably the better choice.  Both curses do a good job of knocking down target dodge ability.  
Only Ethereal Anguish reduces the accuracy of the remaining attacks the enemy will get after reduced AP.
Flash Freeze seems focused on a higher dodge penalty to make it easier to hit monsters.  Ethereal does reduce dodge but is focused 
on reduced accuracy to keep the monsters from hitting the party.

Speculation:
The party will always need a healer.  I'm making a big guess the Paladin will be a healer but will not have a curse like Ethereal Anguish.
I think Vincent was designed with this in mind and can pick up the slack with Flash Freeze.  Many of players have been using
Flash Freeze in combination with Ethereal Anguish for hard targets.  It was only this week I figured that one out.  
Keeping in mind using this combination will not reduce the targets AP below zero.  So hitting a 3AP monster with Ethereal Anguish(6),
followed by Flash Freeze(6) will not net a -1 AP.  Balancing cost, size and timing is always a challenge. 

[captain nemo]

Great info on this talent.

I use this for Kyera and found the info helpful.

Exalt..



John Robinson nice comparison between the two. So I've get even more to think about now....

Exalt as well

[John Robinson]

Mar 13, 2014 12:37:58 GMT -5 fallen said:

vdx - great post, awesome analysis and thank! Maybe this can get linked to from the Talent Tables, John Robinson?

+1 from me!

Now linked to main players guide sticky. Also linked to Kyera's and Vincent's Talent tables.

captain nemo thanks for the bump

[fallen]

John Robinson - thanks for the very clear comparison, really well done! Very informative about how they are balanced against each other, and what advantages each brings to the table! A big +1 from me!

[xdesperado]

John Robinson nice analysis. Exalt

Any chance you might also include a comparison of Selen's Pinning Shot?
Also I've not used Vincent but seems like most of his abilities have a slightly shorter range...is that true for Flash Freeze and if so a comment on it might be called for in your analysis.

[fallen]

xdesperado - all of Vincent's attack spells have shorter range, but all of his Curses & Buffs have the standard 6 range.

[xdesperado]

Mar 13, 2014 20:32:45 GMT -5 fallen said:

xdesperado - all of Vincent's attack spells have shorter range, but all of his Curses & Buffs have the standard 6 range.

Thanks for the clarification fallen. As stated I've yet to try Vincent out as I'm enjoying Kjartan's mix of abilities and contribution to my current groups.

[John Robinson]

Mar 13, 2014 20:26:29 GMT -5 xdesperado said:

John Robinson nice analysis. Exalt

Any chance you might also include a comparison of Selen's Pinning Shot?
Also I've not used Vincent but seems like most of his abilities have a slightly shorter range...is that true for Flash Freeze and if so a comment on it might be called for in your analysis.

Sorry about any confusion. The post has the range listed in the first 2 boxes I just didn't want to type it in again for each box.

Selen's curse attacks are fantastic! Pinning Shot and Punishing Blades are not included for one very important reason.

There is a big difference between "Curses" and "Curse Attacks".

Choking Ash, Ethereal Anguish, and Flash Freeze are all AOE Curses. What makes them unique is they can
only be used by powerful mages and clerics and have a 100% Accuracy.

Pinning Shot is a "Curse Attack".  It has a 3 round duration and can hit three or more targets.
It is inflicted by firing a bow and depends on Selen's skill with a bow, Dexterity and the target's ability to resist the hit.
If it hits the first target separate dice rolls occur for each of the next targets. If it misses the first target
it misses completely the rest of the targets remain unaffected.

Tamlin also has a Cursing Attack called Silent Stalker with different effects if a arrow lands a hit on the target.
Silent Stalker(1) has a 22% chance on first shot of inflicting a Critical Hit.  In addition if it hits the target will be cursed with a -3 accuracy for 8 turns.

In both cases Selen and Tamlin have to hit what they are aiming at before the Curse Attack can take affect.

[fallen]

The Cursing Attack angle definitely makes it much harder to do a comparison. There are so many more things in play!