Draggynn
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Posts
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Quote:Depends on what you mean by per strike. The proc will check on every enemy hit individually, not once for all five enemies hit by a single bolt so in that sense it doesn't trigger per strike. However, it does have a chance to proc on every enemy that's hit, so it depends on what you are calling "a strike".Originally Posted by Pinkpup
I don't think the hold proc in Lightning Storm is going to work the way you think it does (i.e. a chance per strike).
The same will also hold true of damage procs (although there's a chance the damage proc may proc on you when you summon LS..a minor annoyance and bug) and even the force feedback proc. will have a chance to proc per enemy hit. However, Force feedback's bonus would apply directly to Lightning Storm and pets are now immune to recharge modification so it will have no impact. -
A couple quick thoughts:
1) The forcefeedback proc in LS will only have a chance to fire when you summon LS, and will effect your recharge speed, not LS's. As such I would replace it with a proc that will have more bang for your buck (that has a chance to fire for every enemy hit). Consider either a damage proc, or a hold proc instead.
2) Tornado can do some serious damage when paired with frostbite or chillblain since they suppress KB, so consider slotting for damage instead of defense debuff.
3) You want freezing rain up as often as possible, so I would try to max out recharge on the power at the cost of defense debuff. -
Quote:Alternatively the OP could pull four slots (I'd take two for them from Freezing Rain, both damage procs since he teams) to get 6 thunderclaps in the four powers that have them for the additonal 10% defense (not necessary, but that seems to be an approach that the OP likes).Originally Posted by Garent
Madadh's build is pretty nice. Not what I would do myself (since I hate thunder clap >.<) but if that's someone's playstyle there's definitely nothing wrong with the build. I would suggest changing freezing rain up if you want it to have maximum effect though.
Level 8: Freezing Rain -- TmpRdns-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(A), P'ngTtl-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(9), RechRdx-I(9), Posi-Dam%(11), LdyGrey-%Dam(11), Achilles-ResDeb%(13)
The power looooves procs.
If going that approach I would pull the other two slots for tornado since it always annoys me that sets require me to slot accuracy in that power since it's autohit. You could even keep the 4 expedient reinforcements for the recharge bonus. Because of Tornado's ADD nature, except against a single target (helps if it's immobolized) the loss of the damage proc won't make much difference since a lot of the time tornado will be between targets when the proc fires. -
Quote:I don't think the devs are likely to do anything about the current setup, and I don't know that they should, but here's my advice on getting the RVAV badges:Originally Posted by Pyrokinetix
I'm just here to complain on the actions of some groups of PvPers. Recently other than my little nuke escapade I assembled a pretty large team of people seeking to take down the heroes in RV. Now I know bring attention brings the trolls and jerks but a group came and picked off the entire two teams.
I know a ton of other badgers like me suffer a lot when it comes down to seeking badges in pvp like Time machinist, Rocketman and sometimes even Gunner on some servers...
1) Be as subtle as possible. Find a time when RV is virtually empty. Go to the zone and use the /whoall command to see everyone non hidden on the map.
2) Although the first time you will need be vocal about advertising, get the globals of the folks interested in the badges. (even create a private global channel expressly for that purpose and invite folks to it. This channel also works well for coodinating attacks between multiple teams so that you don't need to put chatter in broadcast in RV). That way if you're noticed, you can reassemble a team another time with less fanfare.
3)Have folks on the team hide from searches when they enter the zone. That way other folks that are glancing to see if there's anyone in RV to make it worth their trip won't know you're there unless they actually hike over there to check.
4) Work quickly. If you get a spawn of AVs you don't need, pull them to drones rather than taking them out if you can get another AV spawn before the reset. It will save much time and give PvPers less time to gather. If you can't get another AV spawn before the reset, dont' bother taking them out, just reset the zone.
5) Don't get set on getting all the AVs in one run, just say that you'll try until the griefers show up. Then try again another time.
6) Always be polite and recognize that the PvPers have a right to PvP. You will catch more flies with honey and all that. Having a whole team complaining at a PvPer about griefing will have no impact on making the PvPer leave you alone. And remember, if they don't leave you alone, take your toys and go home, and express gratitude for those who were willing to let you go about your business.
I know that times that work for me may not work as well for you, but I found Sunday Morning/Afternoons (Eastern and Pacific time...pretty wide window) to be relatively dead PvP times in RV. -
Tornado from Storm summoning has a 7 foot radius. The 20feet value is the mag 10 afraid that tornado causes.:
http://tomax.cohtitan.com/data/power...d=Pets_Tornado
edit: Although it occurs to me having posted that you may have meant Psionic Tornado from the Psionic Mastery, which does indeed have a radius of 20 feet. -
What a cool thread, so interesting to be reminded of the evolution of the game. Unfortunately I don't have screenshots from the olden days, but i do have all of Dragg's costume's archived on the Test Server. Wow...his first costume was not my favorite. In order from oldest(beta) to most recent (a sampling to give a sense of evolution):
I'm not sure if other folks have better memories of their old costumes than I do, but it was interesting for me to go back and see how I'd modified things over the year and interesting that I sort of came full circle. -
Quote:Although Sleet was not modified between ATs, Freezing Rain was (In fact, Sleet is really just Controller level Freezing Rain). They used to be much more rigorous about adjusting pseudopets than they have been in recent years. Regardless, I think Dom's are very lucky to get it.Originally Posted by DreadShinobi
Pseudopets are generally unmodified when proliferating between ATs.
The bug is not gaurenteed but in my experience appears to be related to synchronization with the server clock (I suspect a similar issue to the one that affected oil slick arrow). From my testing it appears that the bug only triggers about 60% of the time, so you may just have gotten lucky in your testing. Several months ago I asked Castle about it and was told, that it was a known issue but that they had no way to fix it. If you want to read more about my findings related to the bug you can look at the Freezing Rain section of my guide in the sig. I have still noted the bug in the past week, so it certainly isn't fixed, but it's possible that they have reduced its occurence if your tests continue not to identify the bug.Quote:Originally Posted by Kahlan_
Are you positive? I just tested this, using the Power Analyzer, and saw that the enemy had 2-3 sleet debuffs stacked on him if I kept using sleet as soon as it was up. He never left the patch (I kept him too slowed to get out). Half the time there were 2 sleets, the other half 3 sleets. -
Quote:Sounds like you probably had the window open before and forgot to hit refresh since it is unlikely the posts were synchronous given the time between them.Originally Posted by Shades_McSpikey
Im not sure what happened, but when i posted the second build there was no build posted by draggyn.
I think that plainguy came at you so negatively because it appeared as if you'd been given a fair amount of advice which you completely ignored. Now we understand that you just didn't see it.Quote:I ask that you not insult me, and instead offer constructive criticism.
Slotting O2 boost is great, but if the Numina Proc is in O2 boost you will never get the benefit when solo. You are much better off sticking the proc directly in health and picking up the defense bonuses in other places. (As has been pointed out by several people, soft capping on a defender is not necessary).Quote:I six slotted 'Numina for the 6 slot bonus. Do you feel its better in another power? OR, Do you feel its not worth slotting for? Do you think that o2 boost being ready every 1.4 seconds is bad?
I don't think people are saying that you wouldn't be survivable, just that you would be slow to defeat things on your own and wouldn't bring as much to a team as you were thinking you would. The consensus you will get from just about everyone on the defender forums, as demonstrated by everyone that has posted here, is that you should slot your attacks for damage. As several people have pointed out slotting from slows will gain your almost nothing and you are better off using the fire or toxic ammo. We're defenders, not supporters, and sometimes defending our teammates means helping them defeat things quickly.Quote:Also, many people assume my original build is anemic, but with 42 ranged defense, 47 sm/leth as well as hurricane and phase shift, I would be quite survivable. Do you really feel that slotting for attacks and damage is better than sitting back and slotting for support?
Since you generally won't be going toe to toe with enemies when on team, and because you have hurricane, soft capping on a Storm Defender really isn't necessary. If that's really what you want to do though you can use some of the ideas in the soft capped build I posted (again I'll point out that was a set bonus demonstration, not really a full build) or slightly tweak Garent's build to hit the soft cap.
There is a lot of good advice in this thread and except for plainguy's post it is all constructive and not insulting. -
Quote:I think this build offers a nice alternative to the approach I was providing (Which was a sketch to demonstrate set bonuses, not a build I would actually use). Whereas I prioritized keeping your AoE attacks and the ranged soft cap (since you seemed really fixated on that), this build focuses instead on trying to give you a more solid build all around if you're willing to let go of some of the preconceptions you had.Originally Posted by Garent
In the build I made here, you're looking at a very self sufficient character, but the character has not made any sacrifices to their team contributions in order to achieve this.
23% melee defense, 38% ranged, 25% area, 57.5% recharge bonus
If you decide to go with this build though, unless you go with the cardiac alpha slot, I think you're going to find you burn through end (although I don't know how end heavy dual pistols is) and will want to stick another slot in Stamina for the Performance Shifter +end (take it from dual wield), and another slot in Health for the numina proc (probably from tactics or maneuvers). I'd also try to fit the achille's Heel proc in FR. -
Quote:I have not tested this either, but based on the performance of other procs in tornado and in other pseudopets, the proc certainly will not have a chance to fire on every damage tick. There will be a chance for the proc to fire every 10 seconds, and the buff will then last for five seconds (assuming the Soulbound buff is identical to the build up from other sets).Originally Posted by RadioSilence
Local Man,
Quick question. Does the Soulbound proc affect psuedo pets like Tornado?
Although the proc will have a chance to fire in Lightning Storm on every bolt, it is a waste because the buff will have expired before the next bolt fires. Back when we had machine gun LS, it could actually be quite impressive. -
Sorry for the delay, but busy day yesterday, but here's my longer response.
Okay, so foolish comment yesterday since you took all AoE powers instead of ranged attack powers, my fault for not being familiar enough with dual pistols. I know you want to be soft capped, but in my experience on teams soft capping is actually less important because there almost always other buffs to help you get there. I have a soft cap AV build that I use when soloing AVs, but in my team build I focus all of my energy into +recharge (more O2 boost, more LS, more tornado, more FR) to be able to assist my team more.
If you really want to soft cap I think you are sacrificing too much to achieve it in this build. Drop the medicine pool. Yes, it can be nice to have stimulant but it's a 4 second cast time, and only lasts 45 seconds. Plus it's really only hold, terror, and immobilize protection, as you have sleep and stun protection in O2 boost, Confuse Protection in Steamy Mist. If I was on a team I would much rather have you dealing damage then spending time stimulanting the entire team. Also if there happens to be emp, ff, pain dom, sonic, thermal, or kin on the team, they all have better buffs.
If two applications of O2 boost isn't going to save someone, then it's unlikely alternating between O2 boost and aid other is going to. You have so many better powers. I got my empath badge by healing on teams with just O2 boost, and never once in my years of working on that badge did I wish I have aid other to help me out.
Yes, having a rez can be nice, but 1) you can just carry around awakens to give out to dead teammates, or get the Physician and Alchemist badge and then always log off in a hospital and you will get a day job heal and rez for those rare instances where you really need it.
Now that we've freed up those three slots: you can take boxing/tough/weave: this will also have the advantage of contributing to both your AoE and Ranged Defense.
This frees you up to 1) Take that Numina Proc out of O2 boost and stick it in Health where it belongs or reslot some of your AoE attacks for damage (you can stick 3 Eradiates in Hail of bullets to keep some defense bonus).
and bleh..it's my policy not to post builds but it's going to get very confusing here with everything I'm suggesting so something like this is what I'd do: Dropped the medicine pool for fighting, and reslotted attacks for damage based on the arguments I made above. If you are still stuck on keeping the medicine pool and slotting for slows, there are smaller adjustments that can be made (like dropping an achille's heel in FR, and adjusting your health slotting). In picking enhancements I just went with the number to get the set bonuses with no attention paid to which one I was slotting so if you use this build you will need to tweak things on your own. I by no means claim this build is optimal, but it gives a sense of what I was suggesting. This build still has 45% ranged defense and 41% AoE defense (you could probably soft cap that as well with a little tweaking). Of course if you decide that soft capped defense isn't as important on a team build that frees you up a lot more :
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.90
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
High Plains Specter: Level 50 Mutation Defender
Primary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Secondary Power Set: Dual Pistols
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Power Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: O2 Boost -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(33), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(33), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Dct'dW-Heal(34)
Level 1: Pistols -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(5), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(15)
Level 2: Snow Storm -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(31)
Level 4: Dual Wield -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(17), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(25), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(50)
Level 6: Steamy Mist -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(7), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(7), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(9)
Level 8: Freezing Rain -- Achilles-ResDeb%(A), LdyGrey-DefDeb/Rchg(9), LdyGrey-DefDeb/Rchg/EndRdx(11), LdyGrey-Rchg/EndRdx(11), LdyGrey-DefDeb/EndRdx(21)
Level 10: Swap Ammo
Level 12: Hurricane -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb(A), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/Rchg(13), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(13), DarkWD-Rchg/EndRdx(19), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(21)
Level 14: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 16: Tough -- Empty(A)
Level 18: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(19), RechRdx-I(34)
Level 20: Hover -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(34), LkGmblr-Def(42)
Level 22: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(23), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(23)
Level 24: Tactics -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(25), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(27), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(27), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(29), GSFC-Build%(29)
Level 26: Tornado -- BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg(A), BldM'dt-Dmg/EndRdx(37), BldM'dt-Acc/EndRdx(39), BldM'dt-Acc(39), BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), BldM'dt-Dmg(40)
Level 28: Bullet Rain -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(40), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(40), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), Posi-Dam%(42)
Level 30: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(31), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(31)
Level 32: Lightning Storm -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(36), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37)
Level 35: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 38: Hail of Bullets -- Erad-Dmg(A), Erad-Acc/Rchg(43), Erad-Dmg/Rchg(43), C'ngBlow-Acc/Dmg(43), C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx(45), C'ngBlow-Dmg/Rchg(45)
Level 41: Piercing Rounds -- Det'tn-Acc/Dmg(A), Det'tn-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Det'tn-Dmg/Rchg(46), Det'tn-Dmg/Rng(46), Det'tn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46)
Level 44: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 47: Temp Invulnerability -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), Aegis-Psi/Status(48), Aegis-ResDam(48), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(48), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(50), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(50)
Level 49: Vengeance -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Vigilance
Level 10: Cryo Ammunition
Level 10: Incendiary Ammunition
Level 10: Chemical Ammunition
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(5)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod(3), EndMod-I(3)
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Quote:I'm off to bed at the moment and have only given this a cursory glance, but I'm going to advise you very heavily against going for slow and -recharge. With Freezing Rain and Snow Storm you will be able to floor the slow on everything except AVs. The additional effectiveness you get from slotting slows will only be noticeable in a handful of situations. Read my guide under Snow Storm and Freezing for a more detailed explanation of why I don't recommend this approach.Originally Posted by Shades_McSpikey
I've nearly finished leveling my Storms/ DP defender. So far he's been built on regular IOs with the idea of helping with damage. At 50 though I'd like to make a defender who is mostly concerned with support. Enough people do enough damage that I probably don't need a lot of that. Storms has a lot of slows, so I went for heavy slow. Also peppered in a little defense and to-hit debuffs.
I've never made a defender, so any advice will be appreciated.
I get that you want to make a more support oriented toon, but honestly, when trying to take down that AV every bit of damage helps. If you're excited by the 3.13% defense in Pacing of the Turtle, Thunderstrike is 3.75% ranged defense, so slot those instead. I'm off to bed for now and will give a more detailed look tomorrow. I think there's lots of room for improvement though
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Quote:It's rather a pain to get conclusive data since the bug appears to be related to synchronization with the server clock, so the only way to test is to monitor attributes since there's no message to let you know whether the bug is active or not. I performed very extensive testing with Freezing Rain as part of writing my Storm Guide and I was quoting from memory, going back and looking at the guide it looks like my testing showed that the bug was active about 65% of the time, so perhaps my number for 60% was high.Originally Posted by Obitus
Where are you getting that number? Do you have testing to suggest that the bug only applies 40% of the time? I know it doesn't happen every time, but I've not seen any conclusive data on the matter.
However, if an AV leaves Freezing rain then you get the whole 30 seconds of debuff following their exit from the patch and as AVs are likely to move (I guess soloing AVs with an ill troller maybe they tend to be more stationary due to PA. I usually have to go chasing them on my defender though) I decided to give a slightly higher number based on that assumption. That's one interesting result of the bug is that enemies fleeing FR is actually a benefit.
And I realize my verbage was unclear. I wasn't intending to say that you could have FR stacked 60% of the time, but rather that 60% of the time when you meant to stack FR you would succeed. My guide includes a solid break down of what is achievable (for defenders at least) with FR for various recharge levels if there were in fact no bug. -
Quote:As of last report from Castle, this was still a recognized bug they just didn't have a way to fix it...I suppose I should check with the new power devs and see what their view on the issue is. Also, even with the bug you should be able to stack FR about 60% of the time.Originally Posted by Obitus
You're also going to have a hell of a time double-stacking Freezing Rain given the long-standing bug (feature?) with its duration.
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Quote:Although relevant in the short term calculations of damage dealt, in the long term (as in over the course of the whole fight) the AV regen doesn't really matter, in terms of damage over time vs. spike except at the end of the fight (since you're looking for short term damage spike).Originally Posted by Local_Man
I love both Lightning Storm and Tornado -- they do awesome amounts of damage and chaos. But the numbers you stated above should really take into account, when you are talking about AVs, the fact that Tornado and Lightning Storm do their damage over a fair amount of time and the AV's Regen offsets that damage to some degree. Damage per cast time will be substantially different than Damage per second or Damage per endurance, especially if you include the AV's Regen. I think it is important to keep that in mind since Storm does not have a -Regen power. In effect, the Damage over Time from Tornado probably compares to the -Regen in other sets.
Completely made up numbers not intended to have any relation to actual AVs or powers in the game:
Suppose AVs regen 5 Hp/second and has 100 HP.
Suppose Tornado deals 10 damage per second.
Suppose attack A deals 50 damage and recharges in 5 seconds and has 0 activation time.
We'll compare the two attack plans:
A: Cast Tornado at time 1
B: use attack A whenever it's recharged
Looking at the AV HPs (values at the end of a given one second interval.
At time 0, A: 100 B: 100
At time 1, A: 95 B: 55
At time 2, A: 90 B: 60
At time 3, A 85 B: 65
At time 4, A: 80 B: 70
***At time 5, A: 75 B: 75*** damage dealt is the same
At time 6, A: 70 B: 30
At time 7, A: 65 B: 35
At time 8, A: 60 B: 40
At time 9, A: 55 B: 45
***At time 10, A: 50 B: 50*** damage dealt is the same
At time 11, A: 45 B: 0
So until you reach the end of the fight (which will take a while when fighting AVs) there is no disadvantage to dealing your damage over time as opposed to all at once. Clearly there is an advantage in the short term, but ultimately the total damage inflicted comes down to:
Damage_Dealt - AV_Regen*Time
so how that damage is dealt is independent of time, whether it was 100 damage all at once or 100 damage dealt over the entire interval being examined.
Obviously if the AV is running tornado will miss occasionally, this example is only meant to show damage over time, vs. spike with AV regen. -
Quote:My storm/psy defender can solo AVs fine, so I imagine with the additional damage from phantasm and phantom army multiplied by the Freezing Rain debuff you shouldn't have any trouble at all. It's a high end build, but that build is mostly defense for survival, so in terms of what it contributes debuffing and damage wise it shouldn't be too far off from what you can achieve. The biggest problem my Storm/Psy defender has is that relying purely on defense for survival a couple lucky shots can make him go squish (or AVs with too many ranged attacks). But damage is only a problem against foes with high psy resist. I have no idea why you were having so much trouble on your team with Chimera.Originally Posted by milehigh77
Since you don't get -regen with Storm I don't see how one can solo an AV with Storm when a team of 8 weren't able to take Chimera down with Storm as the sole debuffer.
I'm sure I'm wrong about this anyway. -
Thanks for the responses all. The in game look up and City of Data both said no, but I just wanted confirmation from in game since mistakes have been made in both on occasions.
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Quote:Someone with experience in this area will need to answer, but I believe that it has now been shown to everyone's satisfaction that PA lasts 60 seconds including summoning and unsummoning time, not 63. How effectively Phantasm decoy can be used to fill a several second gap, I'm not certain about but it will certainly be easier the closer you are to 60 seconds (or even a little over). Fortunately you can get a little bit of extra recharge from your alpha boost: spiritual.Originally Posted by FreezeWave
So in summary, my first question: Will not having PA closer to 60s hurt my goal of soloing AV's?
Yes, you will need Lightning Storm and Tornado. Although it may be doable without them (i would need to run the numbers), it would be significantly slower. Unfortunately yes, Storm is a massive endurance hog. You do have one helpful option now though: slot the cardiac alpha boost for the endurance reduction as you've already noted which should help a lot. More importantly though, I would recommend switching to the primal forces pool so that you can use conserve power to get yourself some extra endurance. Hibernate is not going to be an efficient way to get endurance back during a fight. My storm defender cycles between conserve power and force of nature (not the best option, but it works) in order to keep up enough endurance to take down Archvillains solo. I haven't done any soloing since i19 to see if I can drop force of nature with the cardiac. Of course depending on what your goal is, the Gaes accolade can also provide with you with a minute of extra endurance.Quote:My second question: If I'm soloing AV's, is it a good decision to plan to use LS and Tornado, since they use such a massive amount of endurance and I'm also going to be using the Blind -> SW -> Blast -> SW chain. -
Appendix: Thunder Clap
How do status effect magnitudes relate to NPCs?
In the appendix associated with O2 boost you can see a discussion on status effect magnitudes and durations as they relate to players. The rules are the same when it comes to non player characters, except that unlike players, they get an inherent status effect protection:Minions: magnitude 1 protection
How do I perform toHit calculations? (Thunder Clap example)
Lieutenants: magnitude 2 protection
Bosses: magnitude 3 protection
Elite Bosses: magnitude 6 protections
Archvillains: magnitude 3 base, but magnitude 53 when the purple triangles are up (excluding sleep and immobilize), although Archvillains will often have powers (such as unstoppable) that may increase their status protection even further.
The details of to hit can be found here.
But I will explain some highlights here. (Note this is just a repeat of the explanation in the gale appendix but with a different example) The calculation all comes down to this formula:
HitChance = Clamp( AccMods × Clamp( BaseHitChance + ToHitMods DefMods ) ) where HitChance is the chance that you will hit.
AccMods: AccMods are a combination of your enhancement and set bonus improvements coupled with the inherent accuracy of a power:
AccMods = the power's inherent Accuracy × (1.0 + the power's Accuracy Enhancements + all global Set Accuracy bonuses)
In the case of Thunder Clap, if you have 40% accuracy from enhancements, and 12% accuracy from set bonuses, your AccMod would be (.8*(1+(.4+.12))) = 1.22
BaseHitChance: this is your base chance of hitting a mob with no modifiers:
even level mobs:75%
+1 : 65%
+2: 56%
+3: 48%
+4: 39%
additional values can be found here.
ToHitMods: For this simply sum up all +tohit (say from tactics) and all -tohit (say from dark based power)
DefMods: this is any +defense that the mob has from their powers or any -def (say from tornado or FR) that you have applied to them.
The Clamp Function means to make sure the value is between 5% and 95% and to lower it or increase it if it does not fall within this range.
So, with the Thunder Clap example above, if you are fighting a +1 mob and the mob has a 5% defense and you're running tactics unenhanced, then your chance to hit is:
HitChance = Clamp(1.22*Clamp(65% +12.5%-5%))=Clamp(1.22*72.5)=Clamp(88.45)=88.45% chance to hit. -
Thunder Clap (Basic Version):
Thunderclap is player based, click, area of effect stun that will stun minions. (I know, a storm power that only does one thing...I'm shocked too!)
Should I take this power? 2/5
Whether this power is useful to you or not will depend entirely on your play style. You need to be near your enemies in order to stun them with Thunder Clap so if you run Hurricane all the time then Hurricane's 25 ft radius will push enemies out of Thunder Clap's range making it hard to stun enemies. If you have another stun power, Thunder Clap can be stacked with it in order to effect lieutenant and bosses making it more appealing. Although on its own Thunder Clap can only stun minions, minions can be some of the most troublesome enemies in the game (Circle of Thorn, Earth Mages; Malta, Sappers; Sky Raider, Engineers for instance) so don't discount the power solely on this basis.
How should I slot it? (basic version)
Like Gale, Thunder Clap has a reduced accuracy, so if you are planning on using this power first and foremost slot for accuracy. I would recommend at least two accuracy in Thunder Clap, see the advanced section for why. After that you can decide if you want enemies to stay stunned longer, in which case you can slot stun duration, or if you want to be able to stun enemies more frequently in which case you can choose recharge. Unless you are finding you are using Thunder Clap a lot, or are planning on being able to perma-stun (reapply the stun often enough that enemies are always stunned) then the simple accuracy enhancers are sufficient. I don't use Thunder Clap often enough to make endurance slotting worthwhile, but your experience may differ. You will see a more detailed discussion of slotting options in the advanced section. As always, when slotting remember not to slot more than three single origin enhancements worth of any one attribute due to enhancement diversification.
Thunder Clap (Advanced Version):
What are Thunder Clap's Stats? (For Defenders):
Available Level: 18
Activation Time: 2.37s
Recharge Time: 45.00s
Endurance Cost: 10.40
Accuracy: 0.80X
Power Type: Click
Target Type: Self Effect Area: AoE -- 25.00 ft. radius (16 targets max)
Attack Types: AoE
Effects:2.00 magnitude stun for 14.90s on target
What Does a magnitude 2 disorient mean?
A magnitude 2 disorient means that Thunder Clap will stun most minions. Lieutenants typically require a magnitude 3 stun and bosses a magnitude 4 stun. For information on status effect magnitude see the appendix.
Strategy:
How do I use Thunder Clap as an opener?
Thunder Clap can make for an excellent opening move. Ideally you would have full invisibility provided by Steamy Mist in conjunction with one other form of stealth (Super Speed or stealth invention enhancement, but not the pool power stealth). This would allow you to position yourself in the middle of a mob without being noticed, and permits you to incapacitate all of the minions before the battle even begins. If you are fighting large spawns though, be warned that there may be a substantial number of lieutenants or bosses who will not be affected by the stun and may retaliate.
Even without full invisibility steamy mist will provide you enough cover that, if you are quick, you can jump in and Thunder Clap before the mobs fully notice. They will identify you at 35 feet, but you get a bit of a window while they turn around and pull their weapons out to avoid suffering a full alpha strike.
As with most situations, know your enemies. If the group has a number of status effect inducing Lieutenants, you may not want to attempt to open with Thunder Clap as you may find yourself mezzed in the middle of a group (of course this is one use of break frees) and the focus of all the enemies you failed to hit. If you are solo, then you may choose to turn on Hurricane immediately after Thunder Clap in order to debuff all of the enemies who were not just hit. If you are on a team however, turning on Hurricane will scatter the enemies making it harder for your team to finish off the group with area of effect attacks.
Awesome I'm going to use Thunder Clap all the time!
Let's wait just a minute, although opening with Thunder Clap may be fun, if you are on a team with a tank this may not be the most effective opener. Allowing the tank to enter first means that enemies that aren't stunned will attack the tank rather than you, making it much safer to use Thunder Clap. In addition, the tank will usually be able to get enemies bunched up trying to attack him, making it easier for teammates (yourself included) to use area of effect attacks to efficiently finish off the group. If all of the enemies are stunned at the beginning of a fight, then the tank will be unable to group them. Although you can do some grouping post stun with Hurricane, it is easier to let the Tank do it initially.
Defenders please ignore this question: I'm a controller, can Thunder Clap overpower?
For those of you that don't know what this question means: Controllers have an inherent ability (well, technically it's a special version of the power in terms of game mechanics, but we'll call it an inherent ability) that means that when they us e a status effect power there is a chance for an additional point of magnitude to be added. Thus a standard magnitude 3 hold may become a magnitude 4 hold and be able to hold a boss. Unfortunately NO, Thunderclap does not have a chance to overpower, so even on controllers it will only stun minions, although it will stun them for longer. Also, like most status effects, stunned enemies will take double damage from containment for controllers.
How should I slot it? (Advanced Version):
How much accuracy do I need to slot in Thunder Clap?
Since Thunder Clap has an inherent accuracy penalty it requires accuracy slotting more than other powers. Sadly the power used to be auto hit, but those days are long gone. In terms of how much accuracy you need, in order to be at the to-hit cap (95% chance to hit) against even con mobs, 58% accuracy; against +1, 83%; against +2, 112% (at which point you will need set bonuses to offset enhancement diversification.). To understand how to perform to-hit calculation see the appendix.
Can I stun Lieutenants by slotting stun?
No. Slotting for Stun enhances the duration of the stun, but not it's magnitude. With the exception of dominator's domination, and the Controller's chance to overpower, there are no powers in game that increase the magnitude of a status effect. People sometimes claim that power boost or power build up can have this effect; Those people are wrong, ignore them.
How do I slot Thunder Clap if I want to perma-stun?
When I say perma-stun I mean: be able to keep enemies in a perpetual state of being stunned such that they are rendered unable to attack indefinitely as long as Thunder Clap hits. With a single application, it is only possible to stun minions, so although I will refer to perma-stunning bosses (and thus Lieutenants) this is only after a second application of Thunder Clap and not initially. Let me say, that I think trying to set up Thunder Clap to perma-stun is a bit of a waste since you should be able to take down enemies fast enough thanks to all of your debuffing, or at least bring the groups down to manageable levels that a second application of Thunder Clap should rarely be necessary. Although the ability to perma-stun bosses may be nice, I would much prefer to charge them with Hurricane instead. Also, note that a boss will not be stunned until a second application of Thunder Clap so you can't expect to take bosses out of the fight immediately unless you have a second stun to stack with Thunder Clap.
Despite my own reservations, someone asked me to include information on how much recharge would be required to perma-stun so here are the numbers for a defender. (Note that controllers have a longer duration stun, and therefore require less recharge) :
If you have 0% stun duration enhancement then you need 259% recharge to perma-stun minions on a defender.
If you have 33% stun duration enhancement (~1 single origin enhancement) then you need 157% recharge to perma-stun minions on a defender.
If you have a 66% stun duration enhancement (~2 single origin enhancments)then you need 101% recharge to perma-stun minions and 350% to perma-stun bosses (mag 4, after two applications).
If you have 95% stun duration enhancement (~3 single origin enhancements) then you need 68% recharge to perma-stun minions, and 270% recharge to perma-stun bosses (mag 4, after two applications).
Should I slot Absolute Amazemnt: Chance for To-Hit Debuff?
At the current time this enhancement is only functioning in Player vs. Player combat, and there is no fix reported to be in the pipes, so for the time being avoid this enhancement.
What about Razzle Dazzle: Chance For Immobilize?
This proc is almost certainly a waste. The advantage of this proc is that instead of staggering around while stunned, enemies are rooted in place, effectively turning a stun into a hold. However, while stunned the enemies aren't going to be traveling very far with their random walk, and if they are slowed by Snow Storm or Freezing Rain, they really aren't going to be going anywhere. Thus this proc is mostly redundant. This proc could affect enemies that have more than magnitude 2 stun protection, preventing them from closing melee range to attack you, but they can still blast you from range, so as a defensive maneuver it pales in comparison to Hurricane..
How about Stupefy: Chance for Knockback?
Please don't. Slotting this proc in Thunder Clap will only serve to continue to give Storm Defenders a bad name. After enemies are stunned is an ideal time for your team mates to use their high damage, aggro drawing, area of effect attack since enemies cannot retaliate. If you slot this in Thunder Clap then that nicely bunched group of enemies you just stunned will be tossed all over the place making it harder for your team mates to target them with their area of effect attacks. If you are solo, you also want the enemies to stay clumped so that you can hit them all with Freezing Rain.
What IO sets should I slot in Thunder Clap?
If you are aiming for recharge in your build then with 5 absolute Amazement (skip the proc) you can get 10% recharge. For a cheaper approach to gaining recharge, 5 Stupefy's (again skip the proc) will give you a 6.25% recharge bonus. Although a 6th will give you 3.13% ranged defense, it will render Thunder Clap irritating due to the knockback, so slot with caution. If you are willing to slot lower level enhancements (which many people do because you can exemplar to a lower level and keep your set bonuses) than 5 Razzle Dazzle (again, I would skip the proc) which max out at level 30 will give you 2.5% melee defense, and the sixth will give you 2.5% area of effect defense.
Thunder Clap can also make an excellent place to Frankenslot (mix enhancments from different sets) in order to maximize accuracy, recharge, or stun depending on your style. If you go this route, try to slot at least 2 from a given set so that you can get the recovery bonus (Absolute Amazement, Stupefy, Razzle Dazzle) or the regeneration bonus (Rope A Dope). -
Well, that took a lot longer to complete than I had intended. Life got surprisingly hectic for me for a bit there, but at long last, the much anticipated Thunder Clap section of my guide.
Back in 2009 I started working on this guide and have been expanding it power by power over the last year. The original target of the guide was for relatively experienced players, but those that didn't have a firm grasp of underlying game mechanics. The goal of this guide was also to be one stop shopping for any questions you might have about Storm Summoning so it is quite comprehensive (I hope). Based on feedback I have modified the structure of the guide to attempt to make it more accessible to new players, although it now has a strange combination of treating you like you know a lot and like you know nothing.
All feedback is welcome and I am particularly interested if there are any questions you have about Thunder Clap that you don't see answered, or information that you believe I have wrong. I like to think about this guide a little as a cumulative effort of the community (although my opinion will trump yours
). Feel free to point out typos but don't spend time proofreading as things may change in the final draft (Early sections have already been substantially rewritten).
The other sections can be found at:
Gale
O2 Boost
Snow Storm
Steamy Mist
Freezing Rain
Hurricane
Tornado
And without further ado, the guide!
And I believe the Guide is now up with active links -
Quick Question I was hoping someone here could answer for me: does Controller Thunder Clap have a chance to overpower? It looks like the answer is no, but I don't have a character to test this on to make sure.
Thanks. -
Quote:I will just emphasize this change so that it doesn't get lost in everything else. Unless you only plan on soloing, consider swapping out one of your damage procs in Sleet for the Achilles heel proc, You can find a discussion in the guide linked in my sig under Freezing Rain.Originally Posted by Oedipus_Tex
Level 26: Sleet -- Achilles-ResDeb%(A), LdyGrey-%Dam(27), ImpSwft-Dam%(34), RechRdx-I(34), RechRdx-I(43)
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Quote:Well, if you look at the first post you can find links to all the powers in Storm Summoning up through Hurricane. I'm in the process of formatting Thunder Clap and getting the last couple things checked and will hopefully have that posted by the end of this week.Originally Posted by NeonMan
I have to say that's one heck of a detailed breakdown of one power, downright encyclopedic.
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Quote:Well, I suspect you won't have any trouble with getting your commission slots filled, so I will let other people snag them this time around.Originally Posted by Pirate Cashoo
Ahh you know I don't mind. Dragg has an awesome design!
