UAC Flares - double or single grapple?

[Viekn]

So I bought a pair of the 5x grapple flaring gloves. I'm wondering which is the better strategy: double up on grapple flares and get boots as well? OR keep other flares on my boots since I'm leading with punch anyway and I'm punching more often than I'm kicking. Maybe grapple flares on the boots would be unnecessary or just overkill?

[gilchristr]

What are your other flares on the boots?

[Viekn]

Currently: disintegration

[gilchristr]

You should compare the crit tables to decide. My guess is disintegration could do more bonus damage than grapple ... but grapple is going to be more likely to get you a knockdown or a stun. If thats the comparison, I would think grapple is the better choice.

Note, disintegration might not even do more damage than grapple. In which case, grapple...

[Viekn]

Taking a look now. Thanks. Next question is though: Do I use the regular Grapple critical table or the Grapple critical table UCS.

From the wiki...

Grapple critical table:
Important note: This table is not to be confused with the Grapple critical table (UCS) which contains messaging associated with unarmed combat grapple attacks.

[drauz]

Taking a look now. Thanks. Next question is though: Do I use the regular Grapple critical table or the Grapple critical table UCS.

From the wiki...

Grapple critical table:
Important note: This table is not to be confused with the Grapple critical table (UCS) which contains messaging associated with unarmed combat grapple attacks.

Sounds like the UCS is the unarmed grapple technique and the regular grapple is most likely the flares you are looking for.

[Riltus]

Taking a look now. Thanks. Next question is though: Do I use the regular Grapple critical table or the Grapple critical table UCS.

From the wiki...

Grapple critical table:
Important note: This table is not to be confused with the Grapple critical table (UCS) which contains messaging associated with unarmed combat grapple attacks.

Grapple flares use the Grapple Critical Table not the Grapple Critical Table (UCS). The UCS table only applies when using the Grapple verb. Note that the grapple critical table does not have associated knockdowns included in the status effects column. When constructing the table I only had access to Tangle Weed (610) which drags the target down. I couldn't be certain which grapple criticals have inherent knockdowns as one of the status effects.

When there is a grapple flare an associated knockdown will depend on the resultant critical rank and body location. Determining which criticals include a knockdown is testable but not trivial. You could use jab attacks with the grapple flaring gloves and track which flares (based on the critical messaging) also knock down the target. You might also want to check the Unbalance crit table to get an idea since they are probably similar.

Comparing grapple and disintegration flares:

1. Hitpoint damage should be similar
2. Stuns (grapple slight advantage)
3. Injury severity (disintegration slight advantage)
4. Knockdowns (grapple should have a significant advantage)
5. Fatal criticals (grapple none) (disintegration infrequent)

Mark

[droit]

I have the grapple flaring boots. I think I've seen them flare like 4 times. That's because kicks are incredibly fatal, so the flares don't get a chance to proc. Weighting of some sort is probably the best way to go for boots because they'll apply to every attack as opposed to flares that apply only 1 in 5-8 attacks and get wasted if its a fatal hit.

Gloves = flares, boots = weighting.

[Viekn]

Thanks for all the help everyone. I'm loving my UAC ranger. Glad I gave it a second shot.

[Donquix]

I'm all for minmaxing but generally speaking you have a primary attack (grap, punch, kick) and only do the other for tierups. Which you might just be ambushing as a ranger so that would rarely even be a thing. So it really doesn't matter much.

I use disint flaring gloves and boots for like 70 levels (still use the boots on living at cap) and seemed fine. I'm sure grapple would also have been fine. If you already have a set one way or the other I wouldn't say it matters enough to try to change, as I'm assuming you're juggling between the Duskruin sets they're all basically the same stats.