YAVP: GCHu^Kiku... New Zephyr probably needs a nerf
Morgue: https://cbro.berotato.org/morgue/agentchuck/morgue-agentchuck-20260630-040210.txt
Zephyr got a massive buff in trunk. Now it has the "salvo" ability, instead of the speed brand. This means it can shoot at up to 5 targets at full damage at the same time if you have line of sight. So it went from 150% to 500%. This doesn't work if you're 1v1 or in a corridor/killhole. But for groups it's *ridiculous*. You're launching a constant storm of arrows like in an old WuXia movie.
This was the most O-tab run I've had in a long time. Even through Zot for a lot of it was just annihilating swarms of bad guys in a few turns. It was also kind of funny that having it meant I ignored the GC stampede ability for the most part.
It does have the downside that it encourages reckless play and everything you can target can target you back. So you run the risk of taking more damage and effects. But on balance it felt way too strong. Maybe it would be better balanced with a weaker or slower base weapon? Or if the salvo didn't proc every single time.
Playing as a ranged GC is fun. Definitely need to balance out the benefit of stampeding with the risk of running into dangerous situations. I found that it's often better to not stampede until I was sure of what's around. Starting out GCs are surprisingly squishy, so it takes some getting used to. Look forward to trying the other winds.
I ended up with Kiku from a faded altar and it was almost completely useless for a hunter build. The only real use I got was torment resistance and getting Fugue and sometimes charging it up with wretches. Minions just get in your way. Sign of Ruin can be pretty strong for a melee dude, but it doesn't help ranged attackers. I was looking forward to trying a pain branded longbow but by that point I already had Zephyr, so there was no point.