There is a lot of pointed language here, but your analysis on the topic is fully appreciated. I think that even after this change in Rolling Thrust, the build has been viable. I mean that both in terms of PvE and PvP.
I think that the best way to approach an analysis like this is a breakdown:
Let’s start with what I would consider the most direct point you make here:
First thing, I’ll address the immediate point you’ve made here. 17% extra damage when we’re talking about the full “pot” of damage is huge. We’re not talking about say… a typical strength buff of 15% like you would get from food or elixir buff but instead a full-damage buff as the sum of its parts. For instance, say you were able to get an extra 15% food buff on top of what you have on the non-Corrupt build… well you would need three of those extra 15% buffs to get to the corrupted build’s power. An attack dealing 400 damage would instead do almost 70 damage more at 467.9 damage. The difference looks small perhaps when considering the large number in general, but this is pretty significant. Still, you seem to understand the math, so I’ll move on from that assuming that you do not consider that a worthwhile amount.
As far as your mention of spellcasting goes (or rather the lack of spellcasting), there’s a rare case scenario you would actually want to use one of these. That’s true, however I do think it’s important to mention that they’re an option that will not hinder a corrupted build in the same way that it would a non-corrupted one, and thus one more tool at tour disposal. I have included a list of my favorite spells to take advantage of in an earlier post, but I will absolutely admit that the use case of these spells is few and far between. They are all about utility.
Speaking of Utility
Of course a statement like that could be wrong. What you asked is an incredibly open statement. It’s like saying that “Not every build is made to deal maximum damage.” What do the Corrupted Attributes do in general though? Let’s look at top level Corruption Perks. I will admit here that of these perks, I don’t even bother getting them because I feel powerful enough in my current build.
Side note: because I see the hypocrisy here, I’m willing to accept that some people might be fine with the damage of the fighter build you mentioned before. Bear in mind that there are of course options at play here.
Strength Perk: Desecrate
Chance when dealing damage to cause a blast of corruption to vent from the earth, knocking down and damaging enemies.
Vitality Perk: Tainted Vessel
When you take damage you expel corruption, dealing damage in an area around you or corrupting enemies around you if they can receive corruption
Authority Perk: Demon-Lord
When dealing damage, there is a chance for an uncontrolled demonic entity to appear to attack your foes temporarily.
All of these perks have something in common. They all directly relate to dealing damage or a proc case of damage being dealt.
I think then it is a fair conclusion to come to that Corruption builds are in fact crafted around dealing maximum damage.
Survivability
The mention of low health here really has no place. With both Steel Thewed and the Sigils I mentioned preventing most DOTs taking effect, this build becomes a bit tanky with the addition of using Resurgence effectively. It’s key to understand that Resurgence is at its best with a buold that has low maximum health, and I’m at rock bottom on the build I described. Carefully managing health might bring you to a greater (percentage-wise) healing rate than even Glutton after all.
Now you mentioned daggers, and of course they’re brutal against this build. I won’t even try to dispute that point. It would be ridiculous to do so and I would really be reaching at that level. I will say, though, that a shield and a shortsword can cause rather effective interruptions to these dagger users.
Also,
Surely you haven’t considered the full build’s stability if you say this. I do this frequently. It’s rather easy in most situations. So long as you don’t get caught in a group or a multi-hit attack, this is one of the most fun as well as typically effective PvE builds I have run. Add a Wolfmen sigil and each kill brings back even more of your health (10% per kill) if that’s an issue.
I stand a very good chance, actually. Typically I would not cast a spell anyways, but even if I did and was caught, this is not a difficult escape situation that you’ve described. I will have maximum stamina due to not moving for a second and can kick them a football field away with the new buffed Mule Kick if the situation calls for it. Again, that’s utility built right into the Corruption perks.
Your Conclusion
Let’s think about what you said: “It never lived.”
I’ve been a prevalent force on the server I play on because I carefully thought about my build’s structure. Is it simple to play a Corrupted build? I wouldn’t argue that it is. I will absolutely say it can be incredibly effective, though. Even now, post-update it’s rather good. Rolling Thrust being nerfed has without a shadow of a doubt made the build harder to play effectively, but I am happy to stand by it because I have found the effectiveness even without it. Stamina management has become a real chore, but the more it’s worked at the more you know your limitations. Experience will cause this to become much less of an issue.
My Conclusion
I think that a lot of people feel the way you do about Corrupted builds and I also think you’re all… well… mostly correct. You’re right. It should be noted though that through the complexities of creating a build and playstyle in Corruption you can remain a very successful fighter. It is indeed taking a severe hit, but perhaps not dying like I originally said in the post’s title. Thinking outside the box on how to best execute your tactics in battle really holds strong effect in this build in particular and the inherent JANK of Conan does not make this easy… But it’s definitely possible with perhaps myself as just one example of this.
But to say as you did that “It’s just back to where it should be” when referring to Corruption, I think it’s strange to state that Corruption builds should not be viable. With that mentality it seems like you’d rather just take options out of the game entirely and I do not support that.
Thank you for taking the time to hear me out. I appreciate your thoughts because they make me consider different aspects of my own build; both the strengths and the weaknesses.