Biospark
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Posts
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Quote:I would say to go with your first Instinct of FF/Archery.Originally Posted by THE_PAIN
I want to make a team oriented Defender that is fun to play. Now my definition is one that is real helpful to the team killing stuff and one that I can do some killing myself. I don't want to waste my time select areas with my mouse to place stuff i want to be able to slap my buffs on and and have some time to actually play myself and not be hovering over the team every second. No maybe there isn't one and that is fine too :P
I am leaning towards a FF/Arch jus because it looks cool :P and a Dark/? because figured the servant would do his dang job and git to healin! :P
I would appreciate any advice and wonderful build help (cheap builds if you can plz not my main here jus an alt :P)
FF is very straight forward on a team; Bubble everyone up and then you can focus on your other powers during the battle. With 4 minutes between buffs, its ALOT less active than other defense sets. FF lacks any ways to increase your damage, but Archery is very decent damage anyway, with Rain of Arrows as the cherry on top.
Another primary to consider pairing with Archery is Trick Arrow. Fits well thematically, has no team buffs, and allows you to focus 100% on the enemy. -
I will agree with what others here have said and say that the fighting pool is skippable, but something that adds quite a bit to a SR character. Also Elude is the only skippable power to me, but I am sure there are just as many folks that will swear by it.
My choice for SR is to not only softcap to all positions, but to pursue +regen as well.
Below is a Build that I am pursuing on my SR toon that shows how you can combine Defense and +regen. With a few tweaks, you can get over 400% regen, which makes the medicine pool less of a need, unless you are trying to build an AV Hunter.
Good Luck !
P.S. Dont mind the power selection order, this is an IO template, It does not represent the final power order of my live character, just an IO/slotting guide while I level up.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.707
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Science Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Martial Arts
Secondary Power Set: Super Reflexes
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leaping
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Thunder Kick -- P'ngS'Fest-Acc/Dmg(A), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/EndRdx(3), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(17), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(42)
Level 1: Focused Fighting -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(7), GftotA-Run+(13), GftotA-Def/EndRdx(40)
Level 2: Storm Kick -- P'ngS'Fest-Acc/Dmg(A), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/EndRdx(3), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(5), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43)
Level 4: Focused Senses -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(7), GftotA-Run+(11), GftotA-Def/EndRdx(40)
Level 6: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 8: Crane Kick -- P'ngS'Fest-Acc/Dmg(A), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/EndRdx(9), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(9), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(25), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34)
Level 10: Practiced Brawler -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(11)
Level 12: Cobra Strike -- RzDz-Acc/Rchg(A), RzDz-EndRdx/Stun(13), RzDz-Acc/EndRdx(15), RzDz-Stun/Rng(25), RzDz-Acc/Stun/Rchg(36), RzDz-Immob%(50)
Level 14: Health -- Numna-Heal(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx(15), Numna-Heal/Rchg(17), RgnTis-Regen+(29)
Level 16: Agile -- S'dpty-Def(A), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx(23), DefBuff-I(31)
Level 18: Dodge -- S'dpty-Def(A), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx(23), DefBuff-I(31)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(21), EndMod-I(21), P'Shift-End%(34)
Level 22: Quickness -- Run-I(A)
Level 24: Crippling Axe Kick -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(27), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(40), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(43), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), Mako-Dam%(50)
Level 26: Dragon's Tail -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(27), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(34), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), Oblit-%Dam(46)
Level 28: Lucky -- S'dpty-Def(A), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx(29), DefBuff-I(48)
Level 30: Boxing -- P'ngS'Fest-Acc/Dmg(A), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/EndRdx(31)
Level 32: Tough -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), ImpArm-ResDam(33), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(33), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(33)
Level 35: Evasion -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(37), GftotA-Run+(37), GftotA-Def/EndRdx(37)
Level 38: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(39), GftotA-Run+(39), GftotA-Def/EndRdx(39)
Level 41: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(42), RechRdx-I(42)
Level 44: Physical Perfection -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Heal(45), Numna-Heal(45), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(45)
Level 47: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(48), GftotA-Run+(48), Ksmt-ToHit+(50)
Level 49: Super Jump -- Jump-I(A)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clrty-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 0: Ninja Run -
Quote:I already want to make a toon combining it with Battle Axe on a Tanker.Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison
.....
Would you play it?
This would be the Ultimate "Scranker". Fun as hell with Dps on the edge of your seat, and a Tier 9 power that I would probably take (which is something I currently don't do with any of my melee characters). And I also never take self-rez powers, but I can imagine taking it on this set as well.
You are right Dechs ! There are no skippable powers in this idea. -
Quote:I also believe that this buff was needed, and the unique way in which it was implemented changes nothing (for the most part) on team-play. Both Defenders and Corruptors provide support for their teams, with defenders being more defensive and corruptors able to provide more offense (themselves) while teamed, especially on "hard" targets.Quote:Originally Posted by StormyDarkness
It's good to see another one joining the fold.
However, it's starting to make me think... what's with all these people joining the Defender fold after a 30% buff while solo, 20% duo, 10% trio and not too much before? I mean, there were some before but it seems odd that there's a lot of people coming out of the woodworks now.Quote:Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
I think it indicates that the buff was needed. The problem with defenders was that while they rock on teams they were painful to solo (some sets being much more painful than others). The buff means people can play Defenders knowing that when they don't want to team they will still be able to solo reasonably well.
One thing that I would point out, however is that this buff is not turning Defenders into a more "offensive" AT in any way. Solo play has been given a much needed boost, but new players to defenders should not expect that their "role" has shifted away from "support" on a team. The defender is first and foremost a team AT, so if you are looking for a "solo" powerhouse, I would still point you down the road to "Scrappers" or even "Tankers".
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If the PvP of WoW is any indication; allowing animations on the run for melee can be accomplished by doing two things simultaneously. All animations could be made extremely short (1 sec or less) and involve minimal or zero lower body solutions. It works, but you lose EVERYTHING that is cool about CoX's animations. "whirling hands" anyone ?? That one would be gone, and probably replaced with a "silly hand wave" or something just as unimpressive.
Even IF you went to all the effort of altering animations to "work on the run", Guess What ?
Melee ATs will STILL be at a serious disadvantage against ranged focused toons. Anyone with a Status effect, Root, Hold, etc.. will dominate a melee easily.
There were only TWO melee mechanics that gave anyone a solid shot in 1 on 1. Warriors had a "Charge" power which let them instantly close the gap to an opponent. This allowed them some measure of opportunity because it also "Stunned" the opponent for a short time.
The second mechanic that worked was "Stealth". Big Surprise here. Being able to get the first shot on a "squishy" non-melee AT often turned the tide for Rogues.
(Its been a couple years since I was involved in that, so please forgive me if my memory is not perfect. Additionally, I have not followed (nor care to) any recent changes to that game) -
Dechs,
Glad that I could participate. I am one of those people that really loves to see new things added to the game and it is obvious you put alot of thought into this Idea.
Great Idea, and looking forward to more.
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Quote:I knew the name sounded familiar Madam_Enigma,Originally Posted by Madam_Enigma
Ok, now I want. I have a Burt Ward themed char I want to make now.
PS: Ten points of Geek Cred who can PM me with what I referenced.
Of course you know what that means.
We (or at least I) is very old, since I watched those shows before they went into sindication. -
Hello Dechs,
The more I look at your idea, the more I like it.
Your reasoning for the failure of the old blaster "defiance" makes alot of sense.
Having more time to review and think about it and having just taken a WP/Fire Tank to 50, here are my newest thoughts on this Powerset.
The -20% defense in Frenzy is pretty harsh. It makes complete sense from a concept point of view, but mechanically, this set would be starting off with the WORST survival in respect to defense. It does get negated somewhat by "Unnerving Presence" depending on the debuff amounts, but I would simply take it away. The whole concept works well from the standpoint that you start out "squishy" and then get tougher as you get hurt.
Personally, I am not a fan of "death" related powers. And your set has two of them.
If I may suggest something a little different than "Breath of the Dying", how about a power called "Berserk Rage"; PBAOE Med Damage, Mag 2 Fear with 10 sec duration approx. You would be able to Fear and Debuff your opponents and still fall back on the "Back against the wall" concept of the set. Enhanced you should be able to get this effect to 20 sec duration, 20 sec recharge +damage (Lots of Frankeslot possibilities)
Or...
if Fear is not what you are after, make the effect a knockdown with damage. "You Bellow and fly into a rage Knocking all your opponents back a step". This could provide a tactical breather if you start getting too much incoming damage. The damage should be reasonable since the cooldown should be on a fairly slow timer. 40sec maybe? Probably the power would be moved later in the set (e.g Footstomp, Shield Charge) like similar powers.
And finally, I kinda like the whole idea of the Tier 9 crash you designed. Maybe take the effect of "Breath of The Dying" and ADD it to the crash. So when it crashes "you Die". If something is unlucky enough to be standing near you; he dies, she dies, they ALL DIE! -
Sounds like a really nice Powerset Idea.
It would probably have very limited AoE powers because of stacking effects.
Stuns would combine well with Dark Mastery, but not sure what kind of power would make sense, since we already have just about every blast type you could imagine. -
Quote:I thought that someone (Red name) had already stated that those were just animations, and did not effect the critter's ability to act when their timer came up?Originally Posted by Madam_Enigma
Already there, when the enemy is convulsing after a blast for a few seconds? That's a Sleep effect.
Yes, The third idea is one which I think has the best chance of being proven out and added. Since it doesnt run "headlong" into the cottage rule like the other two ideas. It would also have no effect on the "time-to-drain", which is most likely how they worked out the base numbers to begin with.Quote:Originally Posted by Madam_Enigma
This I could approve of. I know it's very annoying when Mu not only drain my endurance, but shut down my endurance recovery. -
Quote:Originally Posted by DrMike2000
Electrical Blast really needs looking at.
Swapping out the standard Tier 3 blast for Voltaic Sentinel isn't too bad a change. It messes up your burst damage a bit, which matters most to Blasters, but the set has plenty of other tools for neutralising threats. If this kink has to go somewhere, Electrical Blast isn't a bad place (Fire Blast for example, would really suffer if it lost Blaze to a Flaming Sentinel).
The real problem is the way end drain has been implemented so that the only meaningful amount comes from a very long animation PBAoE. Animation times weren't taken into account when balancing back at the start of the game, so it may have the 3 second one just because someone thought it looked right.
As originally designed, Short Circuit could be six-slotted to fully drain a group by itself, ED put paid to that. The recent-ish nerf to Power Boost suggests that the devs dont wnat Blasters draining whole groups of bosses in one shot, and fair enough.
But why oh why can't the single target blasts do a bit of decent drain, instead of a piddly 7% ?
I agree with you Dr.Mike.
Although I love electric blasts and even with the downsides, Short Circuit and draining is a reasonable effect as long as you plan for it. I have had three thoughts on how the Electric set could be improved.
1) Have a small chance for a "sleep" effect added to the blasts. Being random in nature would prevent Electric from being a mini-troller set, but add some mitigation during the time you are attempting to drain mobs. Also, by being a sleep, it loses alot of its potency on teams, which is where the endurance drain abilities are easier to leverage.
2) Personally I would rather have a Tier 3 blast than "sparky". Burst damage is VERY important to my playstyle, and I suspect that I am not alone in this.
3) I would like to see the *chance* to stop endurance recovery be 100%, and on every attack.
The two biggest drawbacks to end drain are A) the fact that only 100% drain counts, and B) Mobs can act on the tiniest amount of endurance. Being able to more consistently stop their recovery would help out considerably. -
Quote:Originally Posted by Talen Lee
Okay, you know how most sets have a single power that's 'out of type'? Like how Ice Blast has a pair of single target holds? Those are widgets. They're not part of the core theme of the set, but they are great tools that the players really want to have access to. Shield Charge is a widget, too.
When you have a set that is made almost wholly of widgets, it's a widget set. Electric Blast has a lot of widgets. It's almost more widgets than normal blasts.
Thanks Talen,
I had never heard that phrase used to that reference, but it makes sense. -
Quote:HUH ?!!Originally Posted by Talen Lee
...
And Electrical blast is a widget set...
please elaborate. -
Thanks for the response Burning Chick,
Everything you brought up brings back memories of the time before I took a 3 year break from the game. As far as tactical balance and awareness, my feelings are that it might have been better to handle AoEs slightly differently. For instance, having an AoE as a PBAoE is less flexible than a targeted AoE. I am not suggesting a wholesale change, or that it is even needed, but there is a HUGE tactical difference between PBAOE, Cone and Targeted AoEs. There are also situations where power combinations can create inconsistency due to having various types of these AoE powers.
This whole thought is not meant to suggest an issue, just me thinking out loud and trying to get insight into what "balance" thoughts went into the different AoE powers.
For example: Electric Blasts: Ball Lightning is absolutely beautiful. Being a Targeted AoE makes it incredibly flexible. Short Circuit, on the other hand forces a lightly-protected character into close proximity. Granted that the secondary effect is the "primary" effect of the powerset, but as a whole, you could say that SC is the ONLY power (in the set) that reliably generates the secondary effect. Whereas other blast sets offer their effect more "noticeably" with their non-AoE powers as well as the AoEs. This makes Electric Blasts (To Me) a powerset that was probably very difficult for the DEVS to "balance", specifically because of the way the secondary effect works.
OK, ramble-mode off
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Quote:Originally Posted by SpittingTrashcan
You cannot target yourself. A power can apply its effect to you, or to your target, but you cannot make yourself the target of your own power.
Hehe, I knew that.
My comment was somewhat facetious regarding the whole idea of "self-buffing".
Since one of my earliest gripes with the game, and to some extent one I still don't feel has been adequately assuaged is the disparity between buffers and debuffers in solo play.
I find it VERY Interesting that the Mutant "power" could be a self-induced buff.
VERY interesting indeed.
P.S. Lets hope I dont go blind playing with it. -
Quote:Very Good observations Uber-GuyOriginally Posted by UberGuy
This is pretty important. There's a lot of flexibility for the devs in saying that this power (or powerset) does less X and more Y. For example, they can decide that a powerset deals less "raw" damage because it applies powerful debuffs, or provides its users some kind of strong mitigation when it attacks.
This doesn't always make sense to players, because they may think that Y isn't important, but that X is. If the powerset in question has the lowest X of all the alternatives, those players are likely to complain that the powerset is "gimp".
But that doesn't always hold. Y may have great utility in certain situations. Is the balance between X and Y right? That's a tough question to answer. The devs seem to measure things like that, at least in one way, by looking at the speed that certain ATs or powersets level. Either they're capable enough to level "fast enough" when solo and/or desirable enough that they get on teams that can help them along. Is this a perfect window into balance? Definitely not, but it does show things that aren't likely apparent to any one player.
You can imagine my concern about these things since I play Electric Blast on my Defender.
I also wonder what the Devs thoughts are on Tactical awareness and movement.
For instance, how much "survival" do they attribute to the fact that against most opponents, a ranged character can successfully "outwit" through movement and line-of-sight a significant amount of damage. Also, is the core design to have melee and ranged damage "typically" different and weighted toward the melee side. How do they figure this in Powerset balancing. -
Quote:It took me awhile to go with them on my Defender.Originally Posted by Talen Lee
This, incidentally, is part of why I keep trying to elbow Leadership and other incidental team buffs into my builds. Those rare occasions where I get to team with someone else who has them, they're really very tangible.
But I figured if I do MY part and advocate how awesome they are, sooner or later I could see more and more folks using them.
In fact, one of my earliest dedicated SG teams (back at launch) had every person with Maneuvers.
That was back when the bonus was ridiculous too and you could 6-slot it with defense.
Good Times ! -
Quote:Thats VERY interesting !Originally Posted by Kyzock
[Secondary Mutation]:
Description:
You acquire a secondary mutation. This grants a random permanent buff for up to 20 minutes. No more than one Secondary Mutation can be in place at a time.
Detailed Info:
Click, self, single target, 20 min recharge time, 1.17sec activation time, 1.00 acc.
Now lets talk about how you cannot target your self again
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Quote:Thanks AdeonOriginally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
Correct, the critical difference is that Maneuvers is that for some Ats they use different calings. Specifically in the case of Tankers they get 2.5% from CJ but only 2.275% form Maneuvers.
You have illustrated my point better than I could. -
Quote:The only thing about these two powers that I don't see as "balanced" (very subjective opinion by the way) is the fact that Tankers can get as much mileage out of CJ as opposed to taking Maneuvers. On my Defender, combining the 2 powers is a decent amount of "self-defense" AND the team benefit. On a Tanker, you would think the benefit would be about the same, but its not. This makes Maneuvers not very attractive for a Tanker (or scrapper for that matter).Originally Posted by Andferne
I completely understand the reasoning for picking one power over the other for concept reasons. Or if you are wanting to get Tactics to help Perception and maybe slot it with GFC. What I am asking is do people believe these two Defensive toggles are balanced. If so then why and if not what would make either or more balanced.
Saying "unbalanced" is probably a mis-nomer, but its something that I find ODD.
Tankers and Scrappers are better off pursuing Weave if they want another defense toggle.
This leads to taking an unwanted Attack to get there, which is something I personally find annoying about the fighting pool powers. -
Quote:Hyperbole aside, I wasnt sure how to word my previous post. When I said "whiff" status, I didnt mean to imply that the AV was missing nearly all the time, but it is noticeable when an AV starts whiffing after you are used to seeing them hit nearly every attack.Originally Posted by Nihilii
ToF base stats : 1.32s cast, 8s rech, -11.25 tohit for 20s.
At the recharge cap (+400%), that's one ToF every (1.32 + 1.6) = 2.92s, for a total stack of 20 / 2.92 = 6.84 ToFs. Has to be rounded down to 6.
Slotted up, each ToF does -(11.25 * 1.55) = -17.44 tohit.
With AV resistance to debuffs (85%), assuming level 50 characters fighting a level 50 AV, we're looking at 6 * -17.44 * 0.15 = 15.7% debuff.
Suffice to say... That's a heavily skewed scenario towards the scrapper (recharge cap isn't attainable without lots of external buffs), and yet the debuff is still barely better than what a single luck insp would give you. You'd have to have significant other debuffs or defense buffs for the AV to be reduced to whiff status. It's really not worth it for a DM character to gut his DPS for such a tiny debuff.
And I do agree that is probably not the best use of your attacks. -
Quote:Yeah, I knew that the limitation was something mechanical.Originally Posted by Diggis
The Dev's have said the engine can't deal with a shield throw. The main issue is that it can't render the customised shield your character is carrying on the fly as a power.
Added to the fact that unless it were a magic boomerang shield it wouldn't come back and you'd not be able to use the rest of your defensive powers untill you go and pick it up.
Also... not sure kite shields are THAT aerodynamic. And you were talking about suspension of disbelief?
The other thing they could do (which I understand is also not doable) would be to have the player's body animate thru the distance to the are of effect point. So it actually appears that you are going from point A to point B when using the attack.
Pathing, Animation syncing to variable distances between start and end points, Collision mechanics. Yikes ! -
Where that debuff really helps is when you are not "essentially" soft-capped.
I have seen a DM character reduce an AV down to "whiff" status by hitting it with a fully slotted Touch of Fear every time it cycled. Funny as heck. -
Listing the MMOs I can remember playing;
EQ, DAoC, EQ2, WoW, Vanguard, AoC, Guild Wars, and CoX (of course)
The only one on that list that really offered something similar to CoX with regards to reducing downtime was Guild Wars, and, hmmm wonder who made that game?
I also tried EVE, and its a whole different animal, so nothing like any of these games. -
Quote:I apologize Zanriel for quoting only part of your post. The parts that I left out were more subjective statements, which don't need my input.Originally Posted by Zanriel
I don't see any reason to defend the status quo. It doesn't take a math genius to see the numbers are a lot different in terms of players online than they were 2-3 years ago. A lot of other games have taken cues from COH, perhaps it would be worth entertaining the idea of COH taking cues from other games? Wouldn't it make more sense to look into new ideas and explore new possibilities? Would it make the game less fun if endurance were less of an issue? Can you define fun with equations and formulas? When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. Sadly, that doesn't always work out too well.
This last paragraph hits on a major divide between players (on these forums) and one which anyone (including myself) will run "head-long" into when making suggestions. People like myself love the game, but also "know" that the game must continually evolve and add to itself or it will perish. If the motivation for making suggestions is honestly aimed at ways to improve the game, it comes as a bit of a shock the vehemance against such ideas.
EVERY MMO that I have played has "borrowed" from other games to improve itself. This is true of CoX as well, and we cannot expect that to ever change. The "STATUS QUO" should NOT be a driving factor in the game's developement, but the hard part is making suggestions that would be;
A) Popular
B) Balanced
C) Necessary, to some extent this is often in the form of "nerfs"
I have tremendous respect for many of the members of this community. They are a pretty sharp bunch, so when you want to sell an idea, you better come armed with ALOT of good reasons. Calling something "FUN" or "UNFUN" just isnt going to be enough.