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Thread: Void vs. Sentinel vs. Sunblessed Sets: An Unbiased Analysis

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    Guardian of Alterra Physiologic's Avatar
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    Default Void vs. Sentinel vs. Sunblessed Sets: An Unbiased Analysis

    Void vs. Sentinel vs. Sunblessed Sets: An Unbiased Analysis
    by Physiologic

    Check out my other Pocket Legends guides:
    How Drop Rates Work (Simplified) and the Factor of Luck Elixirs
    Post-Global Cooldown (GCD) Video Runs at Balefort Sewers
    In-Depth Guide to Farming Balefort Sewers
    Comprehensive Archer Skills and Equipment Guide
    Complete Lv 55 Archer Gear List
    Pocket Legends Enemy, Boss, and NPC Compendium
    How to Craft Lv 55 Gear
    How to calculate your attributes using STR, DEX, and INT
    Ring List
    Guide to Advanced Mechanics in PL: DPS, Crits, etc.
    Void Set versus Sentinel equips: An Unbiased Analysis
    In-Depth Guide to Farming Alien Oasis 3: Victory Lap

    Check out my other Star Legends guides:
    Star Legends General Attributes (STR, DEX, INT) Guide
    Prefix/Suffix Compendium for Weapons and Armors
    Lv 20-21 Operative Weapons and Equips

    Important (1/12/11): I created this guide (but never published) shortly after Shadow Caves was released, when the prices of the new Elite pinks were rock-bottom. The 1/12/11 update has reduced the portal spawn, boss spawn, and drop rates of these elite pinks and their prices have now increased exponentially. Hopefully this guide will still provide some insight into what numbers and stats really mean in the battlefield, so you can make your own educated decision to farm either Victory Lap or the Shadow Caves, or to invest in one equipment set over the other.

    Update (1/15/11): Per request, I included the Sunblessed set and results comparing all three.

    Also, please do not flame me or this guide saying one is better than the other. This is strictly what I observed and results may be different from your runs. However, note that I tried to compare the two equipments in a very controlled setting, albeit the setting not being perfect.

    Introduction

    In light of a certain recent patch and the current economic turmoil clutching the heart of Pocket Legend's Consignment Shop, I've decided to piece together a (hopefully brief) side-by-side comparison between the original Void set versus the new elite Sentinel of Death equipments. This analysis is intended to give the community a better understanding between the two using a systematic approach rather than simply looking at empirical data (in this case, stats such as hit%, crit, damage, armor, etc.)

    Please note that this guide is meant to be as unbiased as possible. Prior to the release of the Sentinel equips, I have never owned the original Void set for my bird. I purchased the entire set recently due to the massive drop in price (over 50-75%). Therefore I do not have any strong feelings between the drop in Void price nor do I really care about the release of these Sentinel equips or their affect on the economy.

    I will not be comparing the Cyber set with Void and Sentinel, as pure numbers dictate that the full Cyber set is inferior to the original Void set. In addition, the Cyber set is untradable and thus has no impact on the economy.

    Void, Sentinel, and Sunblessed Numeric Comparison





    Note: The Void and Sunblessed sets has a hidden "set" bonus that automatically adds to certain stats, while the Sentinel equipments do not, as they are not considered a set.

    I won't be comparing the numbers you see here because that is far too easy to make a judgment on. Instead, I will be taking these equips to the field, i.e. testing both of them through an entire map.

    The Method

    Primary outcome data: Which equipment will clear a map the fastest in a solo run, the Void set or the Sentinel equips?

    I chose this as an excellent source of reliance in terms of an equips' usefulness because the ability to clear a map quickly shows two things: 1.) How effectively you can farm, and 2.) How much damage you are able to deal throughout the map in a certain amount of time. Obviously, doing more damage faster means killing enemies faster and clearing a map faster, which means you farm faster.

    Methodology:
    1. My lv 50 bird, Physiologic, will solo run through Alien Oasis 3: Close Encounters, using the Void set in one run then using Sentinel equips in the next run. I will alternate between the two.
    2. I've decided to choose this map because it is easily soloable, minus the final boss Pl'Othozz. I will run through the map exactly the same way through, to prevent variances in time-to-complete.
    3. Time begins as soon as I begin running, and ends when there are only 7 enemies remaining. The reason is that once Lil'Othozz dies in Alien Camp, Pl'Othozz and 6 minions will spawn back in Secret Pyramid - at least, that's how Pl'Othozz always spawned for me. Pl'Othozz is way too hard to solo so I will consider 7 enemies remaining to be the finish time.
    4. I will solo simply because having too many people in a party will cause too many lurker variables that will affect a run-time. Soloing a map will guarantee that I have as much control as I can possibly have regarding such variables.
    5. I will run through these maps to the best of my playing ability, which includes efficient mobbing, Cruel Blast comboing, debuffing enemies/bosses, and keeping my own buffs up 100% through. As stated before, I do not favor one equip over the other, since I have not owned the original Void prior to the recent patch.
    6. Dying in a run negates the run (takes too much time off) and I will simply restart the run brand new.
    7. Potion consumption will also be tested.
    8. Sample size will be n=6, or 6 runs per equipment set. An average clear time will be calculated.

    Lurker Variables, or factors that may affect my run beyond my control:
    1. Variances in enemy mobbing (one run may cause enemies to mob closer than another run)
    2. Variances in the amount of times I critically hit enemies (I may crit more often in one run than another, significantly improving my time)
    3. Random high pings (run is negated if I ping high too often in a run)

    Route for Close Encounters:
    1. Start time. Run to dual sign posts, sharp left towards Secret Pyramid
    2. Clear Secret Pyramid
    3. Go back, clear middle section in a counter-clockwise fashion
    4. Clear Alien Camp and kill Lil'Othozz as well. 7 enemies remain, stop time.

    The Result (Void and Sentinel): 1/12/11



    Interpretation of Results:

    - There is barely any difference in terms of function between the original Void set and Sentinel equips, based off of 6 runs per set of equipment. Even though the Sentinel seems favorable in numbers (minus hit%), I haven't found any significant difference between the two gear sets, unless you think 2 seconds to finish a map is important.
    - It appears that the Sentinel's higher damage/DPS is somewhat offset by the original Void's higher hit%, thus giving us similar results in time to finish a map and kill a boss.
    - No significant difference is shown in average potion consumption between the two gear sets as well, unless you think a 1 potion difference is important.
    - My opinion - ONLY BASED OFF OF 12 RUNS IN ONE MAP: The Sentinel gear and original Void gear, despite what empiric data suggests, are equal in terms of utility.
    - For future reference: I will do more runs (higher sample size means more accurate results) as well as comparing the two sets in different maps as well.

    Hopefully this will give you a more educated decision on choosing between the Void set and Sentinel equipment, both very hard and expensive equipments to farm.

    The Result, Revisited (Void, Sentinel, and Sunblessed): 1/15/11

    Since some of you requested a comparison of the new Sunblessed Archer set with Void and Sentinel, I took the liberty in procuring runs comparing all three. Rather than running through Close Encounters 6 times using Sunblessed 6 times in a row and adding it to my previous results, I decided to scrap my old results and cycle through all three sets again, six times each. I apologize for taking quite some time to publish these results (18 runs at 11-12 minutes each is no easy feat), but it was to prevent me from getting "used" to running with the Sunblessed set and getting a biased time (after all, this is intended to be as unbiased as possible).



    Interpretation of Results:

    - Compared to my previous results, you can see that I lowered my run times for Sentinel and Void. This is because I added some new strategies to cut my overall run times shorter, which include:
    >Being more aggressive with enemies
    >Luring the Lesser D'Jinn mini-boss into other enemies to mob damage rather than attacking him alone
    >Killing off all of Lil'Othozz's minions first before engaging him alone, which I didn't do for my first results
    - Surprisingly, my average time using the Sunblessed set was a lot better than Void or Sentinel. Void and Sentinel run times remained similar.
    - Does this mean that the Sunblessed set is better than the Void or Sentinel set? These results still should be taken with a grain of salt. Note that in individual runs, my fastest time with Void was 11:10 and my fastest time with Sentinel was 11:09, compared to my 11:01 with Sunblessed. It may be possible for me to lower my time with Void and Sentinel as well with repeated runs.
    - Pot consumption was increased with Void and Sentinel compared to my previous results, but probably because I took a more aggressive approach in clearing the map this time. Also note I used a lot more potions using the Sunblessed set than with Void/Sentinel. This is likely due to the fact I had to be closer to my enemies to attack (Sunblessed range is smaller than Void/Sentinel), resulting in me getting attacked more often.
    - I also should have written down how many deaths I had, which I regret doing so. But from what I recall, I died twice from either the Void or Sentinel (don't remember which) and about 4-5 using the Sunblessed set, or a death per run attempt.
    - So from what I gathered from my results, here is my opinion, based off of 6 runs per equipment set.
    > Sunblessed: Best damage of the three, but more pot consumption and more likely to die due to small range of attack.
    > Void = Sentinel, run times are similar to last results and potion consumption is similar.


    Other Factors to Consider (PvP, PvE, Attack Range)

    1/19/11: This section was created in response to several inquiries about these equipments used in PvE versus PvP.

    This entire guide was designed under PvE conditions only. Though the Sunblessed Set looks as though it may clear out the example map I used faster than Void/Sentinel on average, it doesn't necessarily mean it will be the best weapon to use in PvP. Aside from pure damage, there are some innate weapon characteristics between the Sunblessed Bow of the Void, Sentinel Shotgun of Death, and the Mega Blaster of the Void to consider.

    Attack range: The distance in which the shot of a ranged weapon travels is variable. The Mega Blaster and the Sentinel Shotgun both carry a longer range of attack than the Sunblessed. Thus, despite the Sunblessed's higher damage range, it carries with it the burden of a short range (its attack travels approximately 3/4 of the distance compared to Sentinel/Void). Thereby, the Sentinel/Void may be the better choice of weapon to use in PvP, as first contact is a crucial factor to victory. In short:
    > PvE: Use Sentinel, Void, or Sunblessed interchangeably
    > PvP: Use Sentinel or Void (because they travel a farther distance than Sunblessed)


    Weapon Proc: The Sunblessed Bow carries with it a "weapon proc" (see here for a detailed explanation to what this is), whereas the Sentinel/Void do not. The weapon proc is randomly activated (at a certain percentage) to cause a Blinding Shot hit debuff on an enemy, or it basically reduces the enemy's chance to hit you. You can see the proc being activated when stars appear on top of an enemy's head when you're using normal attacks with the bow.

    Thx and Revision History

    Thank you for reading through this guide, and I welcome any constructive criticism. I do NOT welcome any flaming claims on which equipment set is better without proof; flaming posts will be reported immediately.

    1/10/11 - Guide created
    1/12/11 - Guide posted
    1/15/11 - Sunblessed, Void, and Sentinel results posted
    1/19/11 - Added "Other Factors to Consider" section

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    Luminary Poster Arterra's Avatar
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    holy macaroni you do realize this is what devs do too, though with dev powers they might be able to just run it through a instance simulator lol...

    anyways, this is excellent. i love you and your incredible approach to data collecting and analysis.

    opinions: slightly relieved that they are pretty much the same thing, and that brings me to what i remember Cinco (allegedly, from word of mouth) said, that it was really just for show. it is basically the same right now, just with shadows instead of sparkles.

    This brings us to todays topic: will devs give set to new items, or make new ones? did Cinco really mean it, or will he allow the perfect balance be suddenly interfered with with new set stats? is that even a bad thing? it IS a elite set after all. and it looks pretty much like cyber anyways, so looks are not everything.
    Last edited by Arterra; 01-12-2011 at 11:40 PM.
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    wow, very detailed. Maybe you could test out the new sunblessed bow set as well?

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    Guardian of Alterra Physiologic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Arterra View Post
    holy macaroni you do realize this is what devs do too, though with dev powers they might be able to just run it through a instance simulator lol...

    anyways, this is excellent. i love you and your incredible approach to data collecting and analysis.
    Haha, I wish I were able to replicate data like they do, unfortunately, my methods are not perfect and this is what we players have to deal with.

    Throughout my runs I had a sinking suspicion that enemies were "DODGE"-ing more when I was using my Sentinel equips. Unfortunately, I have no way of measuring the amount of times enemies DODGE my attacks (there is no way I'm counting all of that). But in my opinion, the hit% loss from the Sentinel equips may be the Achilles' heel in that item set, unless the devs do decide to add in bonus stats for hit% and regard it as a "true set."

    Quote Originally Posted by Kujen View Post
    wow, very detailed. Maybe you could test out the new sunblessed bow set as well?
    I can also do that as well. When I created this analysis, the Sunblessed set was not available, but I can add this in since people seem to be curious as to whether the massive damage/DPS boost does count more.

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    Sooooo many words. All I made not of is that they're equal

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    Have to say you love numbers and data. Skimmed through most parts but went through the tables, would anyone agree that the sentinel set may be better vs bosses in a full, complete group?

    I'm guessing with higher DPS/base damage, along with other debuffs from other classes, along with that "Super debuff + buff" combo, if that extra 11 DPS and 8 damage would go through a lot of multipliers? Even more when a crit happens with/without the group buffs/debuffs.

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    Sent is better end of story.
    And sunblessed bow stinks. Lack of range.
    Sentinel for pvp but suprisingly I go with the duel daggers shadow slicers in pve well vs bosses... Best IMO
    Last edited by Thelonearcher; 01-12-2011 at 11:52 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Thelonearcher View Post
    Sent is better end of story.
    And sunblessed bow stinks. Lack of range.
    You need facts.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Thelonearcher View Post
    Sent is better end of story.
    And sunblessed bow stinks. Lack of range.
    Sentinel for pvp but suprisingly I go with the duel daggers shadow slicers in pve well vs bosses... Best IMO
    dual with a purpose??? i am impressed. they have the pure damage to actually get to bosses you say?
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    WOW...simply amazing. I could never do this. I'm wayyy too lazy. Awesome job!
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    Guardian of Alterra Physiologic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ellyidol View Post
    Have to say you love numbers and data. Skimmed through most parts but went through the tables, would anyone agree that the sentinel set may be better vs bosses in a full, complete group?

    I'm guessing with higher DPS/base damage, along with other debuffs from other classes, along with that "Super debuff + buff" combo, if that extra 11 DPS and 8 damage would go through a lot of multipliers? Even more when a crit happens with/without the group buffs/debuffs.
    It's extremely hard to tell which is better in a large group of people simply because of a ton of other factors. In one run you may kill Shadow Anubis in 19 seconds with Void and 1 minute with Sentinel, but only because your group w/ Void was a lot stronger or better or knew what they were doing. Likewise, you may kill Shadow Anubis in 2 minutes with Void and 20 seconds with Sentinel - I had runs in which both happened.

    It's possible that damage going through multipliers may make a difference, but once again this heavily relies on your groups to buff/debuff. I can perhaps make calculations to see how vastly multipliers and combos affect damage between both equipments.

    Sent is better end of story.
    And sunblessed bow stinks. Lack of range.
    Sentinel for pvp but suprisingly I go with the duel daggers shadow slicers in pve well vs bosses... Best IMO
    This guide is strictly PvE only. By all means, create a guide on your findings. I did not include duel daggers because short-range and long-range weapon works too differently for comparison's sake - Daggers generally do more DPS to all enemies but you have to run to each enemy to attack them, sacrificing time, as well as sacrificing a lot of armor to kill as a bird.

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    Please don't do the extra calculations. Lol I feel sorry for you to bring up the questions to make you do it. Let's just leave it at bad/good group.

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    Thanks, great job. I think your analysis is dead on in terms of gear functionality. Having the Sentinel (or "the best" of any class) gear is more a matter of prestige then function.

    PS: I love daggers/slicers/mage swords, etc too. I love to use them on bosses (except witch) with all classes, so much fun. I'd like to have an entire group (all classses) use them and see how fast they take down a boss, my guess is fast. Anyone up for that?

    Kraz

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    In pvp as well, I found quicker faster kills with original void, but for paladins only sentinal void had to power to kill them
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    Thanks so mucg! This rly rly helped me!

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    yo phys, thanks for the awesome work. do you think you can try the same thing using the sunblessed archer set if you have the time?

    if you don't have a void bow, i can let you borrow one for testing purposes.


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    Guardian of Alterra Physiologic's Avatar
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    Will do on the Sunblessed set, I'll do a couple of timed runs during my break. When I get home, I'll test all 3 sets on a different map as well to establish more consistency in results.

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    Great work, but I think you worked too hard.

    Sentinel is almost better than Void, though in this case your data shows they are equal. However, bear in mind that the new sets doesn't have their set bonuses fixed yet, which I hope will soon be resolved. So unless the set bonus would be a stat deduction, I see sentinel (uncertain about the other sets) being better in the long run.

    Nonetheless, good job!
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    Guardian of Alterra Physiologic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ProSophist View Post
    Great work, but I think you worked too hard.

    Sentinel is almost better than Void, though in this case your data shows they are equal. However, bear in mind that the new sets doesn't have their set bonuses fixed yet, which I hope will soon be resolved. So unless the set bonus would be a stat deduction, I see sentinel (uncertain about the other sets) being better in the long run.

    Nonetheless, good job!
    I try my best

    I created this guide because I wanted to see for myself which set was better, without just looking at numbers. Cinco had stated in the chatbox that Sentinel was just purely for looks, but the 1/12/11 update claims "Shadow Bosses still drop the 'best gear in the game.'" These runs were also made to detect any significant difference between the two sets. If Sentinel does indeed get bonus stats, then it will be better than Void, hands down.

    Accomplished 3 runs with Void, Sentinel, and added Sunblessed for the third run. I changed my movement and mobbing strategy in Close Encounters and got surprising results. I'll finish up more runs later.

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    Junior Member Westpsy's Avatar
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    Can't wait to see your results with sunblessed added, maybe it will confirm what I have observed so far. Thanks for all your hard work!

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