Ehina

I've noticed those last days some small lag issues too, I never had before. It might not be as strong as what you describe Nihilii, but still annoying sometime.

Like powers not activating in time, some animations being skipped... etc. I thought that was probably because the lots of players on Freedom/Atlas/AE.

Not so sure about this, I gonna check my netgraph too during a classic AE team on Atlas/Freedom and edit this post with the results.

Edit : ok, seems the ping is stable around 250 for me tonight.

What you describe reminds me exactly what we used to have on L2 a few years ago (on Ncsoft servers). Sometime an unbearable lag making the game unplayable for a part of the players (that didnt hit everyone, but seemed to concern players on a random base : sometime you were in, sometime not, but it always made a tons of pages on the boards). That usually lasted for a few days then went away. Ncsoft could never fix it or do anything about that, it was maybe a global network issue.

Also, I'm hearing several ppl complaining about lag issues tonight and those last days... but that seems usual unfortunately :/

I like your idea. However it could be a bit complex for both the devs and the players (inherents are pretty straight forward in the game), and would prolly be turned into a Defender's version of Defiance.

Something like, every debuff you cast at enemies, every buff or heal you cast on your teamates gives you a short and cumulative +dmg buff.

Would be great

I dont think Dark Blast would be that good on a Blaster so that they can't port it easily, or that they have to delay it (as they seem to do with SS and SM for scrappers).

The set could be fun idd, because you have a few more "controllish" options and some ToHit debuff, but nothing to really make up for the lost dmg (both AoE and ST) compared with something like Fire, at least in my opinion.

Why would you need to perma hold minions ? They're usually dead in 2 secs anyway. Dark Pit is pretty useless on a Corruptor unless you have more stuns to stack with it. TT is pretty nice, but Nightfall is a very narrow cone (20° only !).

Life Drain would be good to have, but it's nothing close to Siphon Life for a scrapper due to its really low dmg.

I think it would be a nice set to have. It looks really cool and original, and it could be used to build blasters more oriented toward control and debuff and a bit less toward pure dmg.

But the set wouldn't feel overpowered in any way. In the end, damage always win, at least on a Blaster

Btw I wish they would add similar secondaries too, like Rad Manipulation and Dark Manipulation like they did with Psi and MM

Mine is 40 and does fine... almost. But I frankenslotted everything for end reduction. IOs are really wonderful for that matter, and you can achieve all this for pretty cheap, by only taking parts of different sets... the cheaper ones.

Finally each attack has like 20% acc 80%+ dmg, 80%+ end red, and like 30-50% rech, toggles are 4 def/end IOs too. And it works.

You don't need alot of acc in the attacks because of rage (overpowered ?) 20% tohit bonus. So use some dmg/end, dmg/end/rech from different sets, and maybe one acc/dmg/end or acc/dmg and you're fine.

The massive end suckers are Footstomp and KO Blow, so if you want to give it a try start with those ones I'd say.

SM/WP is alot of fun. A few advices :

- Get QR and Stamina 3 slotted aspa, SM is end heavy.
- Put a FF +rech proc in both Fault and Tremor, this thing has a chance to proc for every critter hit by your AoEs... it's totally awesome.
- Frankenslot a bit your attacks for more end red, if you like to attack non stop like I do, even QR and Sta might not be enough.
- In WP I would only skip Resurgence, and in SM taunt and hurl are optionnal.
- You also pretty need Tough. Air Sup is a good filler attack for your single target chain also until you get alot of recharge. For massive single target dps at 50, Gloom is the best (chain = SS->HM->SM->SF->Gloom repeat). All in all it's a pretty tight build.

Good luck and have fun

Ah yea I assumed he chose DA/SM (the most massive endurance suckage build possible ever^^)... But if I read it correctly it's rather SA/DM, so that's a bit different, and endurance issues can certainly be worked out.

They are part of the tanker AT.

But you also chose the worse of the worse endurance wise for both your primary and your secondary

It can be worked out with some frankenslotting and uniques. If you don't have influence to spare for that, I would advise you to reroll something else as you're only 12 because it gonna be painful.

Stone Melee works very well with Willpower for example.
or Dark Melee is a better pairing for Dark Armor.

Yes Frozen Aura is really good now.

It's not Footstomp still, cause it does miss both the pairing with Rage, as well as the awesome radius (15' for FS, and 10' only for FA).

I would say that /Ice Melee is over most sets for AoE now. It's under Fire still, as everything is, and maybe a bit under SS too but pretty close actually because of Frost.

If you're looking for AoEs and further mitigation from your secondary (thanks Ice Patch !) it's a really fun set. However the ST dmg is lacking alot... GIS should be buffed a bit for example, as its DPA is pretty lame for the supposed to be big hitter of the set.

Oh another point I totally missed !

Put that lovely Force Feedback +recharge proc in Tremor, instead of the obli proc. It has a chance to proc for every critter hit by your AoE, so it really procs alot and improves your recharge significantly. This little thing is really awesome

You just need 2.5 more actually, what Mids gave you that requires one teamate to be close to you.

And btw that makes Phalanx Fighting just good as it is with one slot, a Kismet or Lotg recharge in it. So on the good side (there is only one !) you spared one slot

That's not a scoop, Rage is a bit overpowered. Not only for its perma build up like damage buff, but also for its massive tohit buff (20% with only 3 rech SOs, lol ?).

I wouldnt like to see a "fix" to the crash, in my opinion it puts to disadvantage certain combos much more than others (SS/SR, /SD, /EA). (Even if I understand ppl saying that the crash should do what it's supposed to do, that's logical).

As an alternative I'd rather not mind that much to see its recharge being increased, so you can't stack it that easily. But would still work with some IOs or Hasten... (Of course in this case ppl would say that the set is balanced around IO and shouldnt...).

Or maybe its numbers to be lowered a bit : 10% ToHit, 50% dmg. But that would make ppl cry for sure...

No easy solution

Nice summary Unicycle, was interesting to read. Thanks for writing it.

One of my projects for i15 was to level a Fire/Thorn domi to replace my old Fire/Psi. Spines is one of my favorite scrapper sets, so I think I will be fine with Thorns animations.

Anyway I never started this toon, but your description might make me reconsider

Mids doesnt count Phalanx Fighting well, it's only 3.75 defense unenhanceable when you're not close to a teamate.

So actually you're not soft capped but around 42.5% in all the positions.

Sorry for the bad news

PS : I didnt look at your build in details but it seems to me pretty decent otherwise. Of course there is always place for more optimization at a higher cost. Btw I'd really put that 5th Positron in Dark Obli, as the global 6.25% rech bonus is sweet

[ QUOTE ]
Random musing: If Rage were 2/3-1/2 as potent as it now is, but were crashless, and if Focus Chi were the same, would that make for a viable modification to both sets?

[/ QUOTE ]

I would sign right now... for Focus Chi

It wouldn't make me that happy...

I dont like my EM/WP brute that much since the nerfs. She really sucks at AoE, and there are better options for single target now, that dont damage yourself.

SS and SM would be very strong for scrappers on the other hand.

But scrappers as a whole are pretty balanced as they are now, much more than Brutes are. I'd rather see new sets being introduced, than porting over slightly overpowered sets that would have to be nerfed on the way

As you're going to IO them, a soft capped range defense build is certainly your best option. It really changes the life of a blaster. Once you've played yours in this way, it's really hard to go back leveling a new one, as you get used to this great level of survivability, at least in my experience.

Especially on an Ice/Ice when nothing can reach you with Shiver, and also chillblain in your attack chain, it's totally awesome.

You need 45% range defense. A few tips to get there :
- Slot as many thunderstrike x6 as you can.
- As many zephyr x2...
- Some Mako x6 if you use your melee attacks
- A steadfast 3% if you have a power to slot it (taking Tough/Weave can be an option, but it's not mandatory).
- A gaussian x6 for Build up.
- The purple confuse x6 on your Ice/MM (world of confusion).
... and a few other sets like Lockdown, Stupefy, Numina, Tempered Readiness... etc.
- Use also Combat Jumping for 2% more defense that are very handy.

That would be my advice

PS : I've done a build in this thread, you can check it too to get an idea (minus the purples, they're not necessary at all, they even make the build harder to soft cap).

SPINES4BRUTES !

Depends on what you call Farming. If it's following a team and deal good AoE dmg, it's certainly a good and fun combo.

If it's soloing/leading a team on big spawns I dont think it's the best. I would prefer SS/Shield, Elec/Shield... or even SS/Fire.

Building an Elec/SD brute for farming is pretty straight forward.

- You want LR and SD with the best recharge possible (that's Hasten + alot of global recharge).
- You want also Thunderstrike with a FF proc.
- Ball Lightning and Elec Fences from the Mu patron
- And the soft cap defense (45% in melee and range), that's some touch of death x6, one gaussian x6, zephyrs x2 or 3, steadfast unique, Obliterations x6... etc.

Good luck

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Siphon Life, I'd rather do : Acc/Acc/Heal/Heal/Dmg/Rech. It's also a great source of mitigation.

[/ QUOTE ]

Here it the thing for me Siphon Life is one of your best attacks so why don't slot it for damage. If you are slotting it for heal I think you are hurting your self. A dead foe can't hunt you. Now this is for normal play if you are trying to solo AVs, you want it more of a heal.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, I agree. Just different playstyles. He should test both and see what he prefers. For myself, while leveling I prefer to slot Siphon a bit more defensively (usually a good frankenslotting !).

There are two quotes on the scrapper boards people like to refer time to time :
- When it's dead it can't hurt you.
- A dead scrapper doesnt dps.

[ QUOTE ]
Can't wait to see BURN!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

You won't have much fun from Burn unless you play with a controller friend... because it makes mobs flee very fast so they never take the dmg you see in Mids.

If you're a Burn lover, you can go in the Epics for Tenebrous Tentacles toward the end of your build, that's an AoE immobilize.

Good luck again

Just a few points :
- Healing Flame is heavily underslotted, go for 3 Heal and 3 Rech on this one.
- Siphon Life, I'd rather do : Acc/Acc/Heal/Heal/Dmg/Rech. It's also a great source of mitigation.
- Soul Drain and Dark Consumption dont need dmg, put rather one End mod in DC.
- You really dont need Confront or Stealth... better to see if you can find powers you like in the Epics.
- I would slot my attacks with 3 dmg.
- Fiery Embrace is a bit underslotted, 3 or at least 2 rech is better.

You really don't prefer to look at IOs, do you ? You can do much better for very cheap, that is called frankenslotting.

For example for almost nothing, just buying cheap recipes from different sets, ignoring the set bonuses, it's fairly easy to get something like 60% Acc, 90% Dam, 50% End, 50% Rech on an attack and you can't do that with SOs. At least it's good to check this at 50 if you dont want to spend much on expensive sets. That's the reason you'll see very few level 50 SOed builds commented here.

Last point don't forget about the Knockback : /Fire has no kb protection, so better to either buy one or two Steadfast or Karma kb and slot there somewhere in your build... or going for Acrobatics.

Good luck anyway, I'm sure it will be a fun toon to play with

If it's totally equal for you to level either on hero or villain side, I would choose a brute without any hesitation. And it's because of WP.

A brute has more hps than a scrapper. /WP being a regen set, that's a big difference : 20% more life gives directly 20% more regen. For that only reason /WP is usually tougher on a brute.

I started from your build and modified it the way I would build it for myself (trying to respect as much as possible your choices). I would go first for a soft capped range defense, while trying to keep the global recharge as high as possible. It requires a few sacrifices, but I think it's worth the cost.

Two points :
- The build lacks Aim, as I usually dont mind dropping it on my blasters if I have BU on a low cooldown. I know some ppl would prefer to keep it, it's certainly possible to tweak the build to have it.
- Don't worry if there is no Acc enhancement in DP, the +78% global acc bonus should be large enough (at least it is on my Arch/MM).

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1,401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]

Level 50 Natural Blaster
Primary Power Set: Fire Blast
Secondary Power Set: Mental Manipulation
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Flight
Ancillary Pool: Force Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Flares -- Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(13), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(15), Thundr-Acc/Dmg(19), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(43)
Level 1: Subdual -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(3), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(13), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36)
Level 2: Fire Blast -- Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(9), Thundr-Acc/Dmg(11), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(17), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19)
Level 4: Fire Ball -- Ragnrk-Knock%(A), Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx(5), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(5), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7), Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(9)
Level 6: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(7), RechRdx-I(36)
Level 8: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 10: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), Zephyr-Travel(48), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(48)
Level 12: Fire Breath -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(23), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(23), Posi-Dmg/Rng(33), Posi-Dam%(33)
Level 14: Super Speed -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-ResKB(50)
Level 16: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A)
Level 18: Concentration -- AdjTgt-Rchg(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(46)
Level 20: Drain Psyche -- Numna-Heal/EndRdx(A), Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(21), Numna-Heal/Rchg(21), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Numna-Heal(37), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(39)
Level 22: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(36)
Level 24: Psychic Scream -- Posi-Dam%(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg(25), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(25), Posi-Dmg/Rng(27), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(27)
Level 26: Blaze -- Apoc-Dam%(A), Apoc-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Apoc-Acc/Rchg(42), Apoc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Apoc-Dmg/Rchg(43)
Level 28: World of Confusion -- CoPers-Conf%(A), CoPers-Conf/EndRdx(29), CoPers-Acc/Rchg(29), CoPers-Acc/Conf/Rchg(31), CoPers-Conf/Rchg(31), CoPers-Conf(31)
Level 30: Rain of Fire -- Posi-Dam%(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(33), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(34), Posi-Acc/Dmg(34)
Level 32: Mind Probe -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(37), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(39), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(45), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(45), Mako-Dam%(45)
Level 35: Hover -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(46), LkGmblr-Rchg+(46)
Level 38: Psychic Shockwave -- Armgdn-Dam%(A), Armgdn-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Armgdn-Acc/Rchg(40), Armgdn-Dmg/Rchg(40), Armgdn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40)
Level 41: Fly -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(43)
Level 44: Personal Force Field -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 47: Temp Invulnerability -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(48), RctvArm-ResDam(50), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(50)
Level 49: Force of Nature -- ResDam-I(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance

Edit : I changed the recharge IO in Force of Nature to a Resistance one to keep the S/L resists capped when you use it.

Heh you ! Don't steal my idea, I was going Claws/Energy too !

Well, we'll be two, maybe not that many more