I think we still need do decide if Conjure Element is viable on its own as a damage buff. The skill, as it stands now, costs 10 energy, 1 second cast, has a 30 second recharge, and a duration of 60 seconds. (note, that it used to have a much longer recharge and would cause you to loose all previous enchantments).
Looking just at those numbers we can see that it is very energy efficient for a warrior. 10 energy is not overly straining on a warrior’s low energy pool. 1 second cast is fast enough that you don’t significantly loose out on lost attack opportunity. It costs 0.5 pips of regeneration out of a warrior’s 2 pips (i.e. 0.16 energy per second out of the warrior’s 0.66 energy per second regeneration). At 10 (chosen as it’s a common level used in balancing) specified into the corresponding attribute it adds an additional 14 damage.
Looking just at the damage this does come out as a very strong choice. Below is a table considering 2 possible axe builds focused on damage. One opts for a standard 16 axe, 11 strength (skills being Eviscerate, Executioner’s Strike, Critical Chop, and Penetrating Blow), while the other opts for 16 axe and 10 in the elemental line (skills being Conjure X, Eviscerate, Executioner’s Strike, and Critical Chop). The calculations are based on the combat mathematics article that can be found on this website. The simulation below assumes a 12 weapon-swing cycle (to build up adrenalin and execute the spike).
So, it is evident that on the basis of damage alone that Conjure Element is viable. In this example, it has resulted in an increase of 19.6% to DPS and increased the 4 swing spike from 385 to 402.
What remains to be decided is the viability in terms of utility. First off, taking Conjure Element means sacrificing a skill slot that could potentially be put to better use. For example, the knockdown effect from Shock may be more vital to success than the extra damage. This skill effectively snares your target rendering them useless for a few seconds which will likely lead to more effective spikes. Another example would be Rending Touch which, used correctly, would offer more utility due to effectively stripping away an opponents defenses and potentially result in more damage. The second issure revolves around enchantment removal. Conjure Element can be removed by an enemy and this is often brought up as an argument against it. This is where we take a gamble in bringing it. Enchantment removal can be uncommon but a good team will be bringing it. As long as Conjure Element is not stripped immediately after being cast we will still get some use out of it and the recharge is not unreasonable. Additionally the question must be raised about target priority. Some (not all) enchantment removals are costly in terms of either energy cost, in terms of recharge/spammability, or potential penalties (such as sacrificing life, loosing your own enchantment). In those cases, one must be strategic about it. Is it worth dis-enchanting a conjured warrior vs. a target being spiked that just got Protective Spirit or vs. a Dark Aura AotL bomber? Probably not, but with many good choices available now for removal and given an opportunity (that tactically makes sense) it may get removed.
So, in conclusion, regarding pure damage Conjure Element is a very strong choice. Regarding utility, there may be better choices that could be considered based on the objectives set out for a build.
|