Volley vs Blight

Battleborn Eldrid
#1

Calling all Thorn lovers, which do you more often spec for in your helix tree?

I keep switching match to match and I can’t really decide which I prefer for both fun and effectiveness. Blight’s dot is no joke and adding slow to it can really mess make a difference in both PVP and Story mode. Volley can just really do massive damage.

Blight

  • T1 Swampfoot to slow
  • T6 Brutal Blight for 15% more damage
  • T8 Enduring for an extra 6 seconds
  • T10 Earth Render for a Blight after you cast Wrath of the Wild

All those can really make a difference in so many matches, slow is always great and slow + DOT is even better. In PVP this can really shot down a lane if placed right stopping pushes or destroy minions. I should add that I also loved Cursed Earth in Tier 2. Your Volley is still really strong with this but you gain quite a bit.

Volley

  • T1 Piercing Volley adds penetration to your arrows
  • T4 can add 3 good options all for more damage depending on your case
  • T6 Swift Volley gives you 20% cooldown
  • T9 add damage or life steal

The big one here is T1 to really make this destroy minions and wreck story mode and the next big choice is T6 with cooldown vs damage for Blight. Now I love what Piercing Volley can do and the more often you can do it the better. Volley’s raw damage potential is so amazing that doing more often and letting it rip through your enemies is so temping.

So what do you all do? Blight or Volley focused builds?

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#2

When the option is available, Blight all the way. It’s such a great utility skill, as you mentioned the slow and DoT are an excellent combination, not just for trapping enemies but also as an escape tool. Volley hits so hard that it doesn’t feel like you need any more damage, if an enemy is up close or low on health you can often kill them by hitting multiple crits with Volley, trapping them in a slowing Blight makes those hits easier and a DoT to chip away just in case they survive your shot and need more killing.
Another great addition to Blight is Cursed arrows, if your enemy is out of range or you are close to the Blight field and the enemy tries to flee, stand in the Blight field and shoot with free cursed arrows! And then there’s her ultimate, which is IMO one of the best in the game, it does ludicrous amounts of damage and at level 10 if you add a Blight field which has all the earlier augments you can pick up multi-kills quite easily and control the landscape.

Volley is a great finisher, but Blight is your go-to utility skill, use it to kill or flee or kill while you’re fleeing, control lanes, sweep minions, you can even frighten enemies into withdrawing by dropping it in front of their defensive line, push back melee threats and force other ranged attackers into retreat. Thorn’s great for pushing lanes, her speed and mobility make her one of the best harassers in the game and Blight only adds to that functionality.

#3

Gosh, I really want to learn how to use her character better!!! I’m gonna follow this topic to see what people have in ways of pointers too.

#4

Blight, hands down. As slif said, it is your go to utility choice, and you will use it more often.

#5

I do that all the time

Also to defend Volley builds its not just about the damage of it, its about getting it more often with cooldown and penetrating volley is one of the best tools to take out groups of minions in the game.

#6

This is indeed true, though I don’t worry about minions too much with Thorn and don’t like using my abilities on them. I try to play with a specialist sweeper when I play as Thorn, like a Rath or Montana, my focus is on shard farming for buildables and preparing an allied push when we want to advance and claim the objective.
But each to their own, I’m not overly experienced with Thorn I just know what worked for me individually and in a team environment and I was surprisingly successful when I did use her.

#7

I always focus on minion killing in meltdown, so I frequently use volley builds. I almost always get 40-50 minion kills or more.

#8

You’re only using piercing volley on minions?!

Try using it on enemy heroes.

When the volley arrows ricochet, they are refreshed - meaning if aimed right, you can hit the same target multiple times with a single volley!

I have a clip somewhere of me cursing an Orendi, and hitting her 3 times with a single volley.

That being said, I do go for a volley build, as well as high mobility (taking Fell Wind at level 2 for the crazy speed boost). I do think Blight is the more versatile move with the Helix, but I think Volley is worth to spec into because of the insane damage you can get out of it in any situation. I don’t like the cursed arrows in blight because I hate to be confined to my blight, and I’d rather just chase them down with the speed boost of Fell Wind. Fell Wind also seems to have more utility throughout the game as a whole, and gives Thorn an enormous early bonus to mobility, making her nearly uncatchable at only level 2. Then you pair this with Burst Propulsion(3) and Vaulter Hunter(7) later, and you can traverse any map with incredible speed and laughable ease.

I’m not saying focusing blight is really lackluster in comparison, and I in fact do think the slow from blight can come in handy if you are part of a team that is lacking CC, but I think focusing volley is better for solo play and general carrying.

#9

No that was just one good example

#10

Draw Strength effects Volley so there is 0 reason to get the Volley skill at T1. Draw Strength lets you shoot through allies as well so it’s very useful for that reason as well. Those are two Helix options that I would say are mandatory selections for a good Thorn build

#11

Idk, I think burst propulsion is pretty key in PvP if you’re playing against people who are good at chasing. It allows so much movement and direction change, not to mention the ability to go literally - wherever you want.

#12

If your really in a situation where you need to run, then make your Blight do slow and Speed effects, place that right behind you, turn around and quick melee, then run. If these people really wanna chase you they will take about 700 HP damage as punishment. I have never used Burst Propulsion except once (and immediately regretted it) and I have never been locked down as Thorn by anyone in the game. I always go positive and I spend very little time in the spawn room because I know to position and run when needed. Keep an eye on your surroundings and always have a way to run when needed and you shouldn’t die unless Galilea gets a good Shield Throw on you but even then I have survived before just by immediately using Blight when the Stun ends and running through it. Draw Strength is definitely better… I mean when you get a double kill with a single arrow you will understand :stuck_out_tongue:

#13

If you’ve never been locked down, then chances are you’ve never been focused, or had fun with greed. Burst Propulsion is practically a get out of jail free card. I do take Fell Wind at 2, cause the speed boost is freaking insane. I’m not saying draw strength is bad, but I’m saying your reasoning for calling it the best isn’t great. I’ve been hit by a Galilea shield once, because I was already in the air and she threw it where I was landing. Are you aware of all the places Burst Propulsion can get you? How you can jump to any platform, and laugh at people who thought they could chase you and stand there helplessly as you destroy them with arrows from just a few feet above them? I mean, when you jump up on a wall to peer at the enemy base, and get a snipe you will understand :stuck_out_tongue:

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#14

Ya that will never happen because I don’t play the supportive character with Thorn… I carry the team. Which means if our Melee are not in front, I am, and if there are lots of ranged on the other team, I flank and destroy with Ultimates, Blight, Volley, and some close range Crit arrows. I don’t care if I can sit ontop of a wall to avoid a melee, I have a Sentry bot I can run to to get rid of pesky melee.

If you play Thorn aggressively you should be taking Draw Stength, but if you look at Gearboxes title of “sniper” and take it serriously, then alright do what you want… but Thorn is not a Sniper lol. Not if you set the bar for sniper as Marquis at least.

#15

Not in their base.

This is where you’ve lost me. I never said to snipe. In fact, I think it’s at longer range where Draw Strength would be more useful because it’s there that you can’t do much about body blocking. After all, if you’re on the front lines, who’s there to even body block you? Sitting around sentries doesn’t sound like the aggressive play style you are trying to talk about.

#16

You can’t claim that Thorn is super mobile but then scoff at me for being able to get around quickly lol. the knockback of quick melee is enough to get people away if you play PC and having movement speed gear will make your running really fast. Make a pit stop at your sentry, make sure no Rath or Galilea or Phoebe or etc is follow you, rush back. It takes no time at all with her.

But you know what… play her how you want. I’ve played most of the characters in this game I have never ran into a Thorn who gave me trouble, melee or ranged character, so if people wanna play her with less damage and “more mobility” go ahead… easier for me to kill.

#17

I didn’t scoff. You can’t claim she is super mobile when you don’t take the mobility in her helix.[quote=“Graum, post:16, topic:1374892”]
so if people wanna play her with less damage and “more mobility” go ahead… easier for me to kill.
[/quote]

Don’t know how playing PC got mixed into this. Last time I checked, anyone can melee.

I don’t think draw strength is as much of a damage buff, as it is a QoL change. Also, good luck hitting a person that never stops moving. Sounds to me like you’ve only been playing against sticks. Sure, you can slow them with a blight, but one thing that’s neat about Burst Propulsion is the range it pushes you back doesn’t change. Meaning if you get slowed, you still have burst movement.

#18

It got mixed in when I told you what I can do in a single second and you told me that isn’t possible because of a animation time and me trying to provide you with a possible reason why your opinion would be better in a situation. Quick Melee after using the skill does not stop the skill from being used, it still places Blight field because the actual placement of blight field is immediate, it is just the animation of your arm that takes time. If you don’t believe me, when the game launches give it a shot. Place a Blight, melee immediately, watch the mobs continue to burn. A quick melee will only cancel a blight if you havent selected to place it yet, and the animation will not stop you from doing a melee attack.

I never told you what I normally take for other Helix options either, so you don’t know if I have all the other mobility options. Just because I decide not to take one of them because I don’t find it useful, does not mean I am not just as mobile or maybe more so from other Helix options and gear selection.

Anyway… Blight vs Volley and my opinion of Draw Strength… I am not gonna keep bouncing between forums here… how about we stop with this one and make this discussion on one thread instead…

#19

I also play Thorn aggressively, more like an assassin than a sniper, and I take Draw Strength as well but I don’t entirely agree with this statement. I’ve seen other Thorn take Burst Propulsion instead and it has its offensive advantages too. You’re weaving in and out of the enemy line and a melee attacker confronts you, you have two choices: You can run, which is probably the better choice most of the time, or you can hit with your melee and not only knock the enemy back but proper yourself backwards as well. This allows you to continue fighting without having to retreat, you can activate Burst Propulsion then drop a Blight and continue to harass your opponent until you either kill them or force them to turn and flee (In which case you usually get the kill anyway). This causes disorientation and adds to the “assassin” playstyle (Like I said I don’t use it myself but I can see the immediate advantages) but instead of fleeing (Or dying) like an assassin would when outmatched, you turn the tide of battle and make the enemy fight on your terms even if it was them who engaged you first.

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#20

I love to focus on blight due to if im close to an enemy player and get them on low health i like to quickly put a blight behind them. this works great for the expected retreat from them and they simply run right into it for an easy kill.

dont use volley as much other then to make it be able to curse targets for increased dmg on the normal arrows.

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