Explaining Flexible Combat (and so guessing MAX hits/talent)

[jenx]

The precise conditions when Flexible Combat can trigger have never been clear to me, so I did lots of code-diving and experimentation.

FC is checked ONLY inside attackTarget() in Combat.lua.

I think this is correct now.

• These talents DO trigger FC x N1 - x N2, where N1 = min number, N2 = max number of FCs per talent usage
  Attack/bump x 1. A regular attack is one single weapon, or one two-handed weapon, or one "dual weapons" attack, or one "gesture of pain" attack.
  Attack/bump inside iceblock x 1
  Cleave x 1
  Shard x 1
  Corruptions/Corrupted Strength x 1 (on spell)
  Corruptions/Infectious Bite x 1
  Corruptions/Draining Assault x 2
  Corruptions/Fiery Grasp x 1
  Corruptions/Reckless Strike x 1
  Corruptions/Share the Pain x 1 (if adjacent)
  Corruptions/Burning Sacrifice x 0 - x 8 (no of surroundnig enemies)
  Corruptions/Abduction x 2
  Corruptions/Abduction with Destroyer x3 - x 5 (depends on talent level)\
  Corruptions/Fiery Torment x 1
  Corruptions/Demon Seed x 1
  Demon Seeds/Far Strike x 1
  Steamteach/Saw Wheels x 2
  Steamteach/Tempest of Metal x 1 <== however, this is triggered by any attack if it is sustained, so many talents in this list can double if ToM is active.
  Steamteach/Bloodstream x 1
  Steamteach/Spinal Break x 1
  Tinker/Iron Grip x 1
  Tinker/Spring Grapple x 1
  Celestial/Wave of Power x 2
  Celestial/Absorption Strike x 1
  Celestial/Flash of the Blade x 2
  Celestial/Brandish x 1 (the shield doesn't)
  Celestial/Crusade x 1 (the shield doesn't)
  Chronomancy/Warp Blade x 1
  Chronomancy/Blink Blade x 2
  Chronomancy/Blade Shear x 3
  Chronomancy/Warden's Focus x 1
  Chronomancy/Breach x 1
  Cunning/Hidden Blade x 1
  Cunning/Assassinate x 1 (on hidden blade)
  Cunning/Grappling Hook with GH Mastery x 1
  Cunning/Twist the Knife x 1
  Cunning/Dirty Fighting x 1
  Cunning/Expose Weakness x 1
  Cunning/Blade Flurry x 1
  Cunning/Venemous Strikes x 1
  Cunning/Shadow Step x 1
  Cunning/Counter Attack x 1 (note: talent can trigger up to twice per turn)
  Cunning/Bladestorm Trap x 1
  Cunning/Garrote x 1
  Cursed/Harass Prey x 2
  Cursed/Blindside x 1
  Cursed/Slash x 1
  Cursed/Frenzy x 4
  Cursed/Reckless Charge x 6
  Cursed/Dominate x 1
  Wild Gift/Ice Claw x 1
  Wild Gift/Wing Buffet x however many in your gust, so max about 10-12 !!!
  Wild Gift/Prismatic Slash x 1
  Wild Gift/Call of the Ooze x 3 (one per ooze !)
  Wild Gift/Swallow x 1
  Wild Gift/Quake x however many in your quake, so max about 20 or more !!!
  Wild Gift/Dissolve x 4
  Psionic/Kinetic Strike x 1
  Psionic/Kinetic Strike with Transcendent Telekinesis x 3 (if adjacent)
  Psionic/Thermal Strike x 1
  Psionic/Charged Strike x 1
  Psionic/Telkinetic Smash x 1
  Spells/Eldritch Blow x 1
  Spells/Eldritch Fury x 3
  Spells/Eldritch Slam x1 - x 112 however many in your slam, so max of 112 in full circle of 7 range !!!
  Techniques/Bleeding Edge x 1
  Techniques/Rush x 1
  Techniques/Flurry x 3
  Techniques/Heartseeker x 1
  Techniques/Uppercut x 1
  Techniques/Concussive Punch x 1
  Techniques/Butterfly Kick x 1 - x 6 (as many combos points and adjacent enemies you can have)
  Techniques/Haymaker x 1
  Techniques/Clinch x 1
  Techniques/Take Down x 1
  Techniques/Hurricane Throw x 0 to x 8 (if you land target in midst of circle of enemies!)
  Techniques/Double Strike x 2
  Techniques/Spinning Backhand x 1 - x 3 (up to two adjacent)
  Techniques/Axe Kick x 1
  Techniques/Flurry of Fists x 3
  Techniques/Combination Kick x1 x 5 (depends on talent level)
  Techniques/Touch of Death x 1
  Techniques/Assault x 2 (if shield hits)
  Teachnique/Shadow Veil x 1
  Prodigy/Windblade x 1 - x 42 (if surrounded by 42 enemies in circle !!!!)
  Prodigy/Giant Leap x 1 - x 8 (if surrounded by 8 enemies on landing)
  Prodigy/You shall be my weapon x 1
  Prodigy/Massive Blow x 1
  Ghoul/Gnaw x 1
  effects/Paranoid ??
  Egos that can trigger FC
  of Projection - each time for each projection
  Artifacts that have a talent that can trigger FC
  Kinetic Spike x 1
  Stormlash x 1
  Focus Whip x 1
  Hydra Bite x 1
  These DO NOT trigger FC
  TK attacks. TKs are called from actBase() in Actor.lua and not from attackTarget()

So, what would the theoretical maximum be?
Eldritch Slam in a range 7 circle full of enemies = 112 hits
Tempest of Metal = 112 more hits
of Projection ego on both T5 saws = 10 projections per hit = 2,240 more hits (they'd all land as there are more than 10 enemies, assuming none die !)
GWF = 2 extra hits
Hidden blade = 1 extra hit
TOTAL = 112 + 112 + 2,240+ 2 + 1 = 2,467 hits !!!!!!

If FC triggers on 60% of these that's another 1,480 hits
If double cripple ego gloves triggered on 40% of these, that's onther 592 hits

Sooooooo, unless I'm mistaken, and that's possible (!), the theoretical approximate number of hits would be in this scenario 4,539 hits from a single mouse click !!!!

Person who can clock up the most this way gets award !!

[Snarvid]

Interesting. Possessor's Unleashed Mind and Seismic Mind don't count?

I assume TK attacks are Mindslayer Beyond the Flesh?

If you're just looking for pure hits, and not specifically Flexible Combat, I think you're going to need Arcane Combat/Earthen Missiles in there.

Depending on what counts as a "hit" you may also want Forgery of Haze.

[jenx]

Interesting. Possessor's Unleashed Mind and Seismic Mind don't count?

I assume TK attacks are Mindslayer Beyond the Flesh?

If you're just looking for pure hits, and not specifically Flexible Combat, I think you're going to need Arcane Combat/Earthen Missiles in there.

Depending on what counts as a "hit" you may also want Forgery of Haze.

Yes, TK are Beyond the Flesh and don't trigger FC.

Arcane Combat triggered spells don't in themselves trigger FC, so I don't count them. But I could, just for max hits per single talent activation. if that was at 80%, you'd be up to a theoretical max of 6,000-7,000 or so hits, as there is reduction for dual wielding etc. thing is, you'd probably run out of mana . Unless you had all crits and enough regen on crit hit mana activations.

I checked Possessor skills - no talents trigger FC afaict. the all use AttackTargetWith() which a straight single weapon hit.

[Snarvid]

Oh, sure, or maybe Highborn's Bloom/Hidden Resources (not sure if Arcane Combat is a forced cost that Higher would still have to pay or not). But I figure when your goal is max hits and you see 4.5k hits off a single mouse click and think "I can do better" then race or Prodigy choice is a small price to pay for another 9k-ish. And then you can run various on-spell hit gear (the dust-to-dust gloves, various robes) and get another 10%ish hits apiece, or (better) Corona, to iterate on that. Too bad Raze has a cap...

Odd for possessor. I definitely trigger Arcane Combat off Psychic Blows, but I don't know the difference of what kind of hit triggers what possible proc.