Siege Ballista & Tactician: Mechanical Issues and Scaling Restrictions (Feedback)

Subject: Comprehensive Feedback on Siege Ballista - Mechanical Failures and Balance Issues
User: SixFeetUnder1988#3728
Character: Plato Granger (Tactician, Lvl 90)
Experience: Playing Siege Ballista since Patch 0.2
Introduction:
I am writing this to highlight the critical state of the Siege Ballista skill. I have been playing this build since its earliest iterations, and currently, it feels nearly unplayable. In its current state, the player isn't fighting monsters or bosses - they are fighting the skill's own restrictive and conflicting mechanics.
The Core Issues:

1. Damage Dilution (Hit vs. Explosion vs. Ignite):
The damage is split between three types. Because the base Hit damage is extremely low, the Explosive component (even with its x2 multiplier) fails to deliver. Even with near-perfect gear and jewels, the "on-paper" damage does not translate to actual performance in high-tier maps.

2. Projectile Scarcity & Lack of Synergy:
We currently lack ways to gain enough projectiles. The Twin Crossbow base (+1 Bolt) ignores Ballistas entirely, and suffix modifiers for +2 Projectiles do not apply to the skill. Furthermore, scaling Area of Effect (to utilize the quality bonus) causes projectiles to spread too far, preventing Explosion Overlap - which should be the primary source of single-target damage.

3. Projectile Scarcity & Lack of Synergy:
We currently lack ways to gain enough projectiles. The Twin Crossbow base (+1 Bolt) ignores Ballistas entirely, and suffix modifiers for +2 Projectiles do not apply to the skill. Furthermore, scaling Area of Effect (to utilize the quality bonus) causes projectiles to spread too far, preventing Explosion Overlap - which should be the primary source of single-target damage.

4. Sustainability and Mana Costs:
Using Overabundance II is mandatory for extra totems but comes with a devastating -40% duration penalty. With an 8s base duration cut to 4s and an astronomical Mana Cost, the gameplay becomes a "re-summoning simulator." You spend all your mana and time replacing totems that rare mobs destroy in a single hit.

5. Defensive Sacrifice (The "Totem Tax"):
To make Ballistas viable, I am forced to invest in totem resistances, physical mitigation, and use Spirit Bond on my amulet. This leaves zero resources for my own survivability. With only 2k+ HP and a reliance on Evasion, the build cannot survive the current endgame damage spikes.

Proposed Changes:

Remove the "Attack when you attack" restriction from the Cannons, Ready node.

Enable Projectile Scaling: Ensure that Twin Crossbow bases and +Projectile suffixes correctly apply to Siege Ballista.

Fix Overabundance II: Remove or reduce the duration penalty and lower the base Mana Cost.

Improve Overlap: Adjust the projectile spread so that AoE scaling doesn't ruin single-target DPS.

Developer Request:
I invite you to inspect my character profile: SixFeetUnder1988#3728
Character Name: Plato Granger (Ascendancy: Tactician, Lvl 90)
League: Fate of the Vaal