piratebones2
(I'm having a Half-Life moment here!)
#1
I’ve often noticed that Fastballs have a damage range for any given level but never stayed in the farm long enough to see just what the range was. Normally, I’m just looking to get one that is a particular element and as I progress through the farm notice about where the damage for a decent one should be. Farming Boll yesterday for an OP4 corrosive I got many explosives, a few shocks and few incendiaries before he ever gave up a corrosive. As a result I was able to see the full damage range of the OP4 Fastballs. When I calculated the damage range I was surprised just how big it is. So this morning, went to the Gear Calculator and checked what the variable is that determines a Fastball’s damage. As it turns out, only the “Damage grade” which ranges from grade 3 - 7 impacts the output damage on fastballs. Here’s what the numbers revealed. Edit Note: The total damage numbers in the Gear Calculator for Fastballs are wrong, but the percent change between grades and levels is correct. I confirmed this with my inventory of fastballs, removed the Gear Calculator numbers and replaced the example with observed numbers. On to the results.
The overall damage range from lowest to highest for any element fastball at any level is 14.28% and is spread in equal quarters throughout the range. For example:
Lvl OP4, grade 7 of 44.155 million damage, minus grade 3 of 38.635 million = 5.519 million damage range. One quarter of the 5.519 million would be added to a grade 3 to get the grade 4 damage value, 38.635 + 1.380 = 40.015 million for damage.
What good is this? For one thing, it can be a quick way to estimate what the damage range is while farming. If you see a difference of approximately 1 million between two fastballs of the same level, you know your looking at a range of about 4 million. The main benefit however is knowing that a 14.28% increase in fastball damage is worth some effort. For my OP4s that equaled a boost of 5,519,376 damage points from a grade 3 to a grade 7. For my Axton, his Bad just got upped.
Also, if your running around with a grade 3 fastball of any level and upgrade it one level higher and to a grade 7, you will add 29% damage. The damage increase between levels is 13%.
Presumably it’s the coefficient (x1.5 vs flesh). There are also other parts variables that elemental grenades have that explosive don’t.
piratebones2
(I'm having a Half-Life moment here!)
#10
For what it’s worth which appears to be little. I farmed all 5 grades of OP5 tonight. Here is the data to confirm my point, which had nothing to do with flesh, coefficients, multipliers or buffs. It’s simple card numbers when farming fastballs that show someone can get a 14.28 % increase in damage if they know that a fastball can drop at 5 different damage grades. The damage numbers are consistent regardless if elemental or explosive. It’s a set value equally distributed to each grade. The only variable numbers are the elemental damage per sec.
Actually, it does it for all grenades.
Should take a look at the bonus package. Or the storm front. Some interesting ones.
1 Like
piratebones2
(I'm having a Half-Life moment here!)
#16
Would be interesting to see if any other farmable grenades use the same or a similar spawn process. Could maybe tell by the Gear Calculator. I’d love to have top grade Quasars, but that would be a tough farm. That’s the other thing about the Fastball, it’s such a fast, easy farm, why not get the best he can drop.
Edit: As for the elemental Dps that I think Jefe eluded to, I believe I’ve seen lower grade base damage fastballs that have a higher Dps than the grade above them. Depending on their use with your build, this could make more sense than the higher base damage of a G7. But I suspect the higher Dps on a G7 could eventually be had with enough effort.
