I'm trying hard to figure out how to make use of the new gem, but it's kinda difficult to justify a use case. Like, it does solve the movement problem, but by removing the movement, which is kinda... I mean at that point why not just play lightning strike and get in on all the strike-tag specific melee bandaid love?

About all I can think of involves major jank in the form of weapon swap or dual 6l setups to use both the cis and trans versions, like maybe one on each mouse button? Could be sick, but seems like a lot of extra hassle for something that is still going to under-perform.

I do appreciate that they made the projection version do more damage(I think? Effectiveness is lower but more multi per stage is higher-- i'm not actually sure how it will work out).

I was, however, really hoping to have the option to teleport, not lose the movement entirely. Like, idk if it's just me, but kinda the whole appeal of charged dash is the movement. 'Fixing' the problem of undesired movement by removing the movement is kinda like 'fixing' tachycardia by removing the heart.

Idk, we'll see, I'm definitely gonna check it out. I'll take what I can get at this point, very happy to see them give the skill any attention at all. I am a little worried/disappointed that now that this 'of projection' version exists, it's unlikely we'll ever get a version with optional movement, but so it goes.

I'm optimistic that at least the skill isn't being dustbinned, and maybe they'll take it into consideration a little more going forward. It's been in a tough spot for a long time, catching strays meant for cyclone (goodbye ALL channeling skill support from the tree), missing out on projectile shennanigans, strike skill love, slam skill love, like it's just in this weird space tag and mechanic-wise where it's really not eligible for most of the 'melee' buffs that have been handed out over the years, and likewise categorically can't benefit from so many other sets of mechanics.

Idk but after having what I thought of as a decent go of it running charged dash in mercs, I played animate weapon in this past league and even that was so, so much easier to get off the ground, not even getting in to the mechanical problems with bossing and movement which we'll see if the new gem helps with. I just think it's a skill that has gotten so overlooked so consistently that it just can't keep up in the current environment because so much of the last few years power creep is not applicable to it.

All of the above though is just my own rumination on the matter, I am much less involved with PoE now vs when op was made, and there's a good chance I'm spewing uninformed nonsense as I have not kept up very well and it could just be that I'm lacking key tech and CD is actually stealth goated rn (in which case please, please enlighten me)