The Torpor skill is based on a cool idea, but I'm having a hard time finding any use for it at all. There are two ways you can use it: Buff pre combat. The problem is that duration is kind of short. If you use it first in the buff cycle, the strength bonus will only be in effect for the very beginning of combat. If you use it last in the buff cycle, waiting for the root effect to wear off will waste time on the other buffs. Also it gets very annoying after a few hundred times to have that root pause before combat. Buff during combat. You get an avoidance boost while immobilized, and after it ends you get a fairly strong heal. The problem is that if the fight is challenging, you will still get beat up while it lasts, it will be more loss than gain. And if the fight is not challenging, well you just dragged out an easy fight for no reason. What is more, I think there is no bonus for this skill from earth specialization. Not that I have noticed in any case. Was it forgotten or is it intentional? This skill seriously needs a boost or a rework.
I completely agree. The avoidance boost is all but useless, the heal is great though, but it does everything you have said. I do not believe that I have used it in a very long time, as a result.
Well, you could use it just for the strength buff as part of your pre-fight buff rotation. The initial damage avoidance part only lasts a few seconds, but the strength buff can last a minute or two depending on your skill level and if it lasts that long, it's a pretty significant strength buff. I agree though that it doesn't have any Earth Spec bonus. Perhaps that should lower the rooted time?
i think the idea was that at higher levels you could get enough avoid to completely protect you while rooted, so you could basically turtle up and heal in an emergency even mid-fight, but that doesn't work anymore since chris added max avoid. it needs to be rethought with that change.
At GM level and 166 attunement the strength buff lasts 1 min 20 sec. That’s actually longer than I remembered. So you are right, there is some use this way. But the mechanics which make the skill unique only act as an annoyance in this scenario and it makes me dislike using it.
It's longer if you are specced earth. The trick is that your a pillar for a bit so you might as well cycle all your dots; Hots and the like. While standing there you are regening more focus as well as you aren't attacking. It's basically a unique way to initiate a refresh sequence. Don't forget the fireflies. edit: blarg, thinking of the wrong skill, it's likely not longer when specced, so sorry. The pillar system is still valid though.