Talk:Faction Damage Mods/@comment-172.7.161.201-20130919064031

Not so fast there, WarkupoZ. Something you overlooked is that base damage mods stack multiplicatively and not additively. "Faction damage mods stack multiplicatively with the other mods that increase base damage (Serration, Point Blank, etc.)."

In your example you had: 30 x 2.5 = 30 + 30(1.2 + 0.3) = 75 However, it should actually be: 30 x (2.2 x 1.3) = 85.8

Here is an example with my Snipetron Vandal. The 3 mods that are equipped but not mentioned below areSplit Chamber, Point Strike, and Vital Sense. Base Damage: 125 120% Serration Base Damage: 125 x 2.2 = 275

Say I was debating between Wildfire or Bane of Corpus (Both maxed require 9 mod capacity).

90% Stormbringer 75% Cryo Rounds 60% Piercing Hit 60% Wildfire

275 + 275(0.9) + 275(0.75) + 275(0.6) + 275(0.6) = 1058.75

With a 30% Bane of Corpus, Base Damage: 125 x (2.2 x 1.3) = 357.5

90% Stormbringer 75% Cryo Rounds 60% Piercing Hit

357.5 + 357.5(0.9) + 357.5(0.75) + 357.5(0.6) = 1161.875

As you can see, using the faction damage mods do indeed give you greater damage, given that you have enough elemental mods to start with. The tradeoff is that each mod is specific to only one faction. (Note that we could've also done the calculations by factoring out the base damage.)

Even with the highest % elemental mods it still does not beat the faction mod.

Base Damage: 275 90% Stormbringer 90% Cryo Rounds 60% Piercing Hit 90% Hellfire

275 x (1 + 0.9 + 0.9 + 0.6 + 0.9) = 1182.5

Base Damage: 357.5 (30% Bane of Corpus) 90% Stormbringer 90% Cryo Rounds 60% Piercing Hit

357.5 x (1 + 0.9 + 0.9 + 0.6) = 1215.5

I agree with you that the downside to faction mods is switching them to match the corresponding faction you will be fighting. However, with the macro pages "A", "B", and "C" this is less tedious.

Nonetheless, the problem arises when there aren't enough elemental mods to start with. To illustrate, say we have a Soma with Rifle Ammo Mutation, Hammer Shot, and Shred along with the previous 3 mods (Split Chamber, Point Strike, and Vital Sense). Now we only have 2 mod spaces left.

Base Damage: 275 90% Stormbringer 90% Cryo Rounds 275 x (1 + 0.9 + 0.9) = 770

Base Damage: 357.5 (30% Bane of Corpus) 90% Cryo Rounds 357.5 x (1 + 0.9) = 679.25

The synopsis is that while faction damage mods are useful, they also have their downsides. If you prefer non-elemental mods such as those with puncture, firing rate, and reload speed, faction damage mods may not be for you. What combination of elemental and non-elemental mods yields the most damage is a topic for another day.

Thanks for reading, - ShadowAries