Fury Flechette
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Posts
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Joined
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I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm currently liking the fact that uncommon salvage (Titanium Shards, Thorn Tree Vines, etc.) are going for sky high prices.
I've rolled two brand new characters in the last couple of days and instead of using arbitrage, I've just taken my characters into AE missions solo for about a level's worth of xp (about 4 missions). That yielded approximately 700 tickets, which in turn were exchanged for 8 Titanium Shards. Those Shards sold quickly for around 350k apiece. After market fees and such, my characters are now 2.5M in the black for very little work.
I suppose I could mine this for a few levels more, but 2.5M is more than enough to enable me (characters are levels 8 and 10) to outfit them entirely with DOs and the first two sets of SOs, or more likely, enough of a starter fund to start marketeering in earnest.
For as many times I've heard about someone complaining about sky high salvage prices, I wonder why they just don't take advantage of it. -
Quote:It really depends.Originally Posted by SuperT
Hi guys,
I'm usually a tank/scrapper guy but I want to start getting in to some blasters... I wanted to know if people generally try to soft cap their ranged defense for blasters these days or is that not really much of a focus? Talking straight PVE only. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!
Soft capped is great if you're soloing most of the time and joining the occasional PuG where you don't know what the quality of your teammates are going to be. On a SG-centered or on a team where you have good/competent players, it's generally better to build other things like +recharge.
I've built a soft capped ice/ice and she's fun to play, but I've also been focusing on other forms of mitigation (knockdowns, knockbacks and -rech, -movement) on my other blaster projects.
If you're used to the durability of tankers/scrappers then soft capping range may be the way to go. -
Of the three powers you listed, I think frost breath is a keeper and the rest you should skip.
Here's a ranged soft cap (46% ranged defense), mostly ranged attacker build I put together. If you don't like fly, you can substitute super jump rather easily. The build doesn't have a lot of global recharge, but with soft capped range and aid self, you won't have a lot of down time with this build.
I went fire epic for the build only because char as a hold is excellent (and far outstrips bitter freeze ray) and stacks nicely with freeze ray. Bitter freeze ray does do more damage, but its horribly long animation is a major negative for me. I'd rather stack holds quickly and then use the other powers (which are all pretty fast, save frost breath) to take things down.
The other fire epic choices I took was the shield and rise of the phoenix. Soft capped ranged defense + resistance shield + aid self will mean you'll be fairly hard to take down. And in the event that they do, you have rise of the phoenix.
This is a moderately expensive build but is far, far cheaper than the juiced up builds you see with lots of purples and lots of global recharge. I spec'ed my issue 2 ice/ice blaster somewhat similarly.
Note that fire sword is mostly used as a set mule, though it is slotted well enough to be serviceable.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Ice-Fire Blaster: Level 50 Science Blaster
Primary Power Set: Ice Blast
Secondary Power Set: Fire Manipulation
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Medicine
Ancillary Pool: Flame Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Ice Bolt -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(13), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43)
Level 1: Ring of Fire -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(15), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(31), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(50)
Level 2: Ice Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(5), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40)
Level 4: Frost Breath -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(5), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(7), Posi-Dmg/Rng(13), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34)
Level 6: Hover -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(7)
Level 8: Freeze Ray -- Lock-Acc/Hold(A), Lock-Acc/Rchg(9), Lock-Rchg/Hold(9), Lock-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(37), Lock-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(43), Lock-%Hold(46)
Level 10: Fire Sword Circle -- Erad-Dmg/Rchg(A), Erad-Dmg(11), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(34)
Level 12: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
Level 14: Fly -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-ResKB(15)
Level 16: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A)
Level 18: Bitter Ice Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(19), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(19), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(29), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(29)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), P'Shift-EndMod(21), P'Shift-End%(21)
Level 22: Build Up -- AdjTgt-Rchg(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(23), RechRdx-I(23)
Level 24: Aim -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(25), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(25), GSFC-Build%(31), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(33), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(40)
Level 26: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(27)
Level 28: Stimulant -- IntRdx-I(A)
Level 30: Aid Self -- Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg(31)
Level 32: Blizzard -- Dmg-I(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(33), Posi-Acc/Dmg(33)
Level 35: Ice Storm -- Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg(36), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(36), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), Posi-Dmg/Rng(40)
Level 38: Fire Sword -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(39), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(43), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(45), Mako-Dam%(50)
Level 41: Char -- Lock-Acc/Hold(A), Lock-Acc/Rchg(42), Lock-Rchg/Hold(42), Lock-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(42), Lock-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(46), Lock-%Hold(48)
Level 44: Fire Shield -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/EndRdx(A), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(45), ResDam-I(45)
Level 47: Rise of the Phoenix -- Erad-Dmg/Rchg(A), Erad-Acc/Rchg(48), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48)
Level 49: Super Speed -- Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(A), Zephyr-ResKB(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- ULeap-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Defiance
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Set Bonus Totals:- 13.5% DamageBuff(Smashing)
- 13.5% DamageBuff(Lethal)
- 13.5% DamageBuff(Fire)
- 13.5% DamageBuff(Cold)
- 13.5% DamageBuff(Energy)
- 13.5% DamageBuff(Negative)
- 13.5% DamageBuff(Toxic)
- 13.5% DamageBuff(Psionic)
- 4.25% Defense(Smashing)
- 4.25% Defense(Lethal)
- 6.75% Defense(Fire)
- 6.75% Defense(Cold)
- 35.8% Defense(Energy)
- 35.8% Defense(Negative)
- 3% Defense(Psionic)
- 5.5% Defense(Melee)
- 44.3% Defense(Ranged)
- 10.5% Defense(AoE)
- 3.6% Max End
- 46% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 12.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 5% Enhancement(Held)
- 26% FlySpeed
- 40.7 HP (3.37%) HitPoints
- 26% JumpHeight
- 26% JumpSpeed
- Knockback (Mag -8)
- Knockup (Mag -8)
- MezResist(Held) 7.7%
- MezResist(Immobilize) 3.3%
- 19.5% (0.33 End/sec) Recovery
- 22% (1.11 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 3.15% Resistance(Fire)
- 3.15% Resistance(Cold)
- 26% RunSpeed
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Quote:Just because you have two complimentary attacks doesn't necessarily mean that they are powerful. There are lots of primaries with cones and some of them with aim.Originally Posted by StratoNexus
The second two sentences seem contradictory to the first one.
I do like buckshot (from AR) and psy scream (from Mental) because they have some built in mitigation (knockdown, -recharge) in both. I can (as you can) find primaries that do more damage. -
It depends on what you define as fun.
I actually gravitate to the underpowered combinations the best. I'm currently enjoying a lowbie AR/Ment blaster. Having two nice cone attacks by level 10 is pretty nice.
As to something pain free.
Ice/Ice - very nice solo toon with lots of utility and controls. It plays a lot like a controller but with damage. Stacking holds make bosses a non issue.
Sonic/Energy - Good damage, a cone sleep, a ranged stun and knockback (if you want it) plus all the melee and utilty of energy manipulation.
Sonic/Devices - A little less damage than sonic/energy but with the safety and utility of devices. Stacking stuns make bosses a non issue.
Archery/Mental - Good AoE, a lot of utility and impressive damage. Probably the nicest mini nuke in the game (fast recharge, no crash).
Electric/Electric - Better than what you'd think. Can stack holds and drain end and can replenish endurance with power sink. Lends itself better IMO to a melee blaster (blapper style) but can be made into a good range character too. -
(QR)
Forgive me if this has been addressed earlier in the thread, but while I welcome this feature, I forsee a couple of problems with it too.
Right now due to the limitations of the sk function, you're generally limited to how many lowbies you can bring to a team. While this is sometimes irritating, it also guarantees a situation where you get at least half the team that is at least somewhat close in power to the mission holder.
Lots of characters sub level 11 don't even have enhancements, and plenty of characters sub level 21 are running on DOs. That's a substantial power drop from characters on SOs or IOs.
In AE, this is somewhat tolerated because you bring in a powerful level 50 and auto sk everyone in the mission. It creates a situation where there's one or two characters doing the work and everyone else just comes along for the ride.
While I'm sure some people don't care if this happens, I happen to like the fact that I can expect that people on my regular mission teams aren't leeching. This feature seems to encourage leeching. What it will probably mean for me is that I'll have to continue to be selective about teammates and not just grab people who are available.
The other situation that will probably occur are the tells from low level characters to level 45+ characters to allow them onto teams. Unfortunately, I can see this becoming to be a regular and irritating phenomenon. Level 1 blaster sends tells to all characters level 45+ to see if there's room on the team. Again, this is a situation that can be overcome by asking the person's level and AT, but it's the unsolicited nature of these tells which will be bothersome.
Anyways, I don't mean to rain on the parade. Overall, I think this is a step in the right direction. I am a little worried though about how the feature can bring in some negativity as well. -
A well written and researched OP, and one in which I largely agree. While I wouldn't be opposed to a defender buff (a bit more damage or a rework of vigilance), I largely agree that defenders are just fine.
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Last night I finished an Imperius Taskforce that left me dissatisfied and a bit angry. The team did complete it so if I probably shouldn't be grousing about it; however they completed it in the most painful way possible.
The team line up was a dream line up. 3 kins (including my fire/kin controller), 1 dark defender, 2 scrappers, 1 brute and a stone tank. 3 kins and a dark defender, if piloted competently, means you can basically trivialize any content in this game. You're talking about everyone on the team with max recharge, max speed and max damage with heals and all enemies debuffed for -spd, -rech, -dmg, -res and -regen.
However, that wasn't the case. The team teetered on the edge of collapse against nearly every spawn even though the task force was set at challenge difficulty 1 (heroic). The steam roller was anything but. I could point the fingers at a lot of things..bad builds, players who clearly didn't understand or use their powers or just players who had the right powers but didn't understand when/how to use them (e.g., howling twilight is powerful -regen and AoE stun *as well* as a rez) Yet in the end, I think it came down to player skill.
I'm positive the same AT combinations piloted by competent (and experienced) players might have even set a record on how quickly they could finish that ITF, and could surely do it without the restarts, team wipes and tricks our team needed to finish the task force.
Competent players intrinsically understand what their characters are capable of: how much aggro they can take, when to attack, when to wait for buffs (attack after fulcrum shift is applied not before), and buff teammates without having to ask for said buffs. I think a lot of it comes down to timing, an understanding of enemy mob behavior and what their powers can and cannot do.
I think in some ways, I've gotten to the point that I will take a good player who plays a suboptimal (or even a concept) character over a perfect min-max character almost every time. Skill and experience obviously matter, and last night's example was yet another illustration to prove that fact. Good players on any AT will just figure out how to make it work even with oddball combinations. Poor players will struggle with even the dream line up. -
Quote:And yet many players do the ITF and LGTF with ATs of *both* factions? Have you ever done either of these TFs? Have you ever heard of global channels for teaming? Please don't tell me that all you ever do is look at the looking for team function when setting up a team for one of these? I mean if you do, well...that's sort of...er, quaint.Originally Posted by Vel_Overload
wrong, they do not compete because if the Team leader is a Hero then when he is searching for mroe members for the team he can only see other Heroes in the /who box. Villains also are only able to see Villains in the /who box thus thats not a very good comparison.
Dominators solo quite well actually. You've probably never played one since the the recent buff. And I love how you generalize that "we" (as referring to all defenders) are "terrible" soloers. There are defender variants that take down giant monsters and AVs...they must solo terribly too I guess.Quote:Also, you failed to mention that we "still" have terrible soloing skills. We can't solo as well as.. anything really. We may solo as well as Dominators but in reality theres a problem here.
Do I think my defenders solo as well as my scrappers? No, but they're quite capable if I don't feel like teaming. Even my FF/Sonic can solo tier 3 difficulty missions without breaking a sweat, and my Dark defender can solo pretty much anything short of an AV (only because she's not heavily IO'ed).
And you know this how? You assume that people have a min-max mentality for everything, and yet I know there is a significant portion of the gaming population that still a) doesn't play with IOs (SOs only), b) never goes into AE, c) never power levels for max xp efficiency, d) have never grabbed a Shivan or a Warburg nuke even though they are easy to get and extremely powerful for what they do.Quote:You cna say you'll take a defender over everything else well thay is great, thanks! But as time goes on people who want to play a support class will gravitate towards Corruptors, Masterminds and Controllers because they aren't such a hastle to solo and they find groups much easier.
Hyperbole much? When you're cross buffing or stacking debuffs, the higher defender buff/debuff mods allows you to bring more damage ATs and have less support.Quote:Sure there will be people who dont care who's on the team but in major Taskforces and Difficult scenarios, We will still be a Second Rate support class even though we are suppose to be the best of the best at the supportive roll.
Even in your reply, you're packin' too much doom. -
You're packin' a little too much doom.
Corruptors and MMs *already* compete with defenders on two major Taskforces (ITF, LGTF). And yet there hasn't been a wholesale movement to exclude defenders from these. Far from, defenders are usually most welcome.
I guess if you're really min-max oriented then sure, maybe you take the corruptor over that defender, but when you're cross buffing or applying stacked debuffs, even defender damage isn't anything to sneeze at. Also, I tend to like players (like many defender players) who think support/buff/debuff first, damage second...you don't want all your players to be like that, but it's nice having at least one or two on any serious taskforce effort.
Finally, I'd rather take the good player on the defender than a so-so player on a min-max corruptor/controller/MM. In fact, I'd rather take 6-7 good players brining any AT they wanted over a min-max perfect combination of ATs piloted by so-so players. I'm going to go on a limb and state that probably most of the player base is the same way. -
Quote:1. You don't need it. You generate hate by attacking stuff. That's a far better way of protecting teammates than a single target taunt power like Call of the Wolf. Skip it. Also, if something is attacking a teammate, kill it.Originally Posted by BCastro
1. I am torn between getting "Call of the Wolf". As a scrapper it may seem useful when teaming with blasters and defenders, but on a full team with tank and controls, it seems like I wouldn't use it often.
2. Is "Practiced Brawler" good? It seems useful, so should I get it earlier than I do? In general, I try to get the powers in order that they are available, but it seemed less useful than the others.
3. Is Shiruken good or lame? I'm primarly a blaster/defender player, so having a range attack seems good as well as being thematic for my character, but it's also a slot I can use for "Calling of the Wolf" or something else.
2. You need to grab practiced brawler at level 10. Slot it with 2 recharge enhancements (SOs or better) so it's perma (on all the time). It's your mez protection and scrappers are little more than melee blasters without it.
3. Shuriken is fine. I have it but only to finish off runners. It's also a decent power to put in IO sets for global bonuses. -
I never buy DOs or SOs anymore except as an occasional filler piece when salvage gets outrageous or more than I'm willing to pay at that particular moment (e.g., 1M for a circuit board).
1 - 11 - I slot training enhancements, largely damage since accuracy isn't needed, but almost nothing else.
12 - 21 - Common IOs and some set pieces.
21 - 30 - Frankenslotted set pieces, some common IOs
31 - 50 - Completely in sets, frankenslotting only where it makes sense, common IOs only in powers that require 1 slot
Influence/infamy never becomes a factor since I can always marketeer a bit if I get low. I also bid in advance for certain crafted IOs so I never have to go without even if leveling fast. -
Is that a joke build? You've been around this game for years and that's how you'd build an empathy defender? You give us vets a bad name.
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1. Caltrops is a nice power to have. A great area denial power that is useful both solo and on teams. It's good to have with trip mines since it makes mobs "stick" to the area where you lay the mines hence giving them more chances to set them off.
2. I dropped recall friend for caltrops.
3. Good idea. The more ranged defense you have, the happier you'll be.
4. Both do fine with just 5 slotted Posi; however, Flame Thrower would benefit quite a bit with a end redx in it's 6 slot. It's expensive. Even 5 slotted, it's comes to 16.9 end per cast. With the end redx, it comes down to a more reasonable 12.7.
5. Slot sniper with Thunderstrikes unless you want the recharge of Sting of the Manticore. The 3.75 ranged defense it gives you is better than most of the stuff you can get with the subpar sniper sets.
I went ahead and modified your build, moved slots around and up'ed your ranged defense to 36%. Add in the 7.7% tohit debuff you get from smoke grenade and your effective ranged defense will be in the 40s...that's quite a bit better than you've had.
Some of the big changes:
* 6 slotted Gaussians - adds hps, recovery, damage buff and +2.5% defense to all
* Slotted CJ with Zephyrs. Slotting the base defense of CJ with defense is not a lot of bang for the buck since the base defense is 1.75%.
* Moved slots away from cloaking device. Defense is effectively 1.75% base when suppressed (which is most of the time when you're attacking). It's not that expensive of a toggle (.21 end/sec as currently slotted)
* Slotted more Thunderstrikes into your blasts. Actually removed 4 purple IOs from your build. Purples are nice but they aren't always the most optimal things to slot.
* Removed a purple from FA - the dmg/end is okay to have end there but only for end redx. With FA's long animation, end usage wasn't as much of a problem. If you dislike this setup, remove the proc.
* 6 slotted beanbag with Stupefy for both the recharge bonus and ranged defense
* Changed the slotting for stamina: one perf shifter end mod, perf shifter +end and a normal end mod IO is pretty optimal
* 4 slotted smoke grenade - this maxes out the tohit debuff and adds nice global bonuses: +hps, +recovery and +recharge all for 4 slots.
Build is below:
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Adeon Hawkwood: Level 50 Technology Blaster
Primary Power Set: Assault Rifle
Secondary Power Set: Devices
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Ancillary Pool: Munitions Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Burst -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(3), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7)
Level 1: Web Grenade -- HO:Endo(A), Enf'dOp-EndRdx/Immob(46)
Level 2: Slug -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(11)
Level 4: Buckshot -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(13), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(13), Posi-Dmg/Rng(15), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15)
Level 6: Combat Jumping -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(17)
Level 8: Beanbag -- Stpfy-Stun/Rng(A), Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(17), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(23), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(31), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(33), Stpfy-KB%(42)
Level 10: Targeting Drone -- GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(A), GSFC-ToHit(23), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(25), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(34), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(37), GSFC-Build%(46)
Level 12: Sniper Rifle -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(25), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(27), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(29), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(29)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-ResKB(31)
Level 16: Caltrops -- TmpRdns-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(A)
Level 18: Flamethrower -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(19), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(19), Posi-Dmg/Rng(21), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(21), EndRdx-I(31)
Level 20: Cloaking Device -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(34)
Level 22: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 24: Health -- Heal-I(A)
Level 26: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(33), EndMod-I(36)
Level 28: Taser -- HO:Endo(A), Rope-Acc/Stun/Rchg(33)
Level 30: M30 Grenade -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(43), Posi-Dmg/Rng(43), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45)
Level 32: Full Auto -- Ragnrk-Dmg(A), Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(34), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(37), Ragnrk-Knock%(37)
Level 35: Smoke Grenade -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb(A), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/Rchg(36), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(43), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(46)
Level 38: Gun Drone -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(39), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40)
Level 41: Body Armor -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), ResDam-I(42), ResDam-I(42)
Level 44: Surveillance -- HO:Lyso(A), UndDef-DefDeb/Rchg(45), UndDef-Rchg(45)
Level 47: LRM Rocket -- AirB'st-Dmg/Rchg(A), Det'tn-Dmg/Rchg(48), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(48), HO:Nucle(48)
Level 49: Trip Mine -- Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(A), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg(50), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg(50), HO:Nucle(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Dmg-I(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- ULeap-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Defiance
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Set Bonus Totals:- 4.5% DamageBuff(Smashing)
- 4.5% DamageBuff(Lethal)
- 4.5% DamageBuff(Fire)
- 4.5% DamageBuff(Cold)
- 4.5% DamageBuff(Energy)
- 4.5% DamageBuff(Negative)
- 4.5% DamageBuff(Toxic)
- 4.5% DamageBuff(Psionic)
- 4.25% Defense(Smashing)
- 4.25% Defense(Lethal)
- 4.25% Defense(Fire)
- 4.25% Defense(Cold)
- 23.9% Defense(Energy)
- 23.9% Defense(Negative)
- 3% Defense(Psionic)
- 5.5% Defense(Melee)
- 29.9% Defense(Ranged)
- 5.5% Defense(AoE)
- 3% Enhancement(Stun)
- 70% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 47.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 26% FlySpeed
- 63.2 HP (5.25%) HitPoints
- 26% JumpHeight
- 26% JumpSpeed
- Knockback (Mag -4)
- Knockup (Mag -4)
- 24.5% (0.41 End/sec) Recovery
- 10% (0.5 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 7.25% Resistance(Fire)
- 7.25% Resistance(Cold)
- 26% RunSpeed
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Really, for scrappers, it's any/any. Spines/SR can solo surprisingly well if you build is well. It's a *little* slower against bosses, but minions and Lts go down really fast...fast enough that it's arguable that you'll clear missions faster than a single target oriented scrapper.
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Quote:I'd largely agree with the above but also add that the choice will also come down to play style. Fire/Devices requires a methodical play style. If you like sneaking around and setting traps, and then using your blasts to finish off targets, you'll like this style. Fire/Fire encourages you to play maniacially since what you have is damage and more damage. However, because of the lack of mitigation, you may find it's actually slower than Fire/Devices because you're pulling against harder enemies in the late game. Fire/Energy, while not as safe as Fire/Devices, has utility and damage.Originally Posted by Miladys_Knight
Fire/Devices is going to give you the most safety with the lowest damage out put of the 3 choices.
Fire/Fire is going to give you the least safety with the highest damage output of the 3 choices.
Fire/Energy is going to be in the middle of the other two and of the 3 choices is the best one as far as utility goes. It's the best all around choice since you will probably find that Fire/Dev is too slow, and Fire/Fire is too squishy. -
Quote:Originally Posted by PhiloticKnight
People have learned (for the most part) that they don't NEED any specific "type" of character to have a successful team.Both of these are very true.Quote:
There is a HUGE desire out there in City of Wallflowers for someone to come by and offer people to dance. Literally hundreds of people standing next to each other in line waiting, never thinking to look right next to them. -
A few blaster / character basics:
1. Grab stamina as soon as you can (level 20). While some builds can forgo it, there's no doubt it makes most builds stronger. To do that you'll need to grab two prerequisite powers from the fitness pool. If you can't grab it at 20, grab it as soon a possible. You'll be glad that you did.
2. One of the things you'll notice is that you run of endurance. Grabbing stamina helps in this area, but the thing that many players fail to do is to slot their attack powers with endurance reduction enhancements. With SO slotting, try to slot at least 1 end reduction in each attack power unless they're really cheap (4 endurance per cast). You'll notice that you'll last longer in fights and be more effective.
3. Energy manipulation has some great tools in it. One of the ones you shouldn't neglect is boost range. Boost range is excellent for cone type powers like fistful of arrow (making the cone larger and hence fit in more targets) and generally allows you to attack at greater range (allowing you to get in more attacks before mobs close in).
4. Mezzes like stuns stack. This means that enemies that are boss class can be stunned by two consecutive stuns. Stunning shot, bone smasher, total focus (and stun, though I don't recommend you taking that power) can all be stacked to stun bosses. Being able to mez a boss allows you to play at higher levels of difficulty, so you should take powers that allow you to have this capability.
5. It's at level 35 or so where the mobs start to get harder, and when playing a blaster can get more challenging. IOs level the playing field a lot, especially those that provide ranged defense. When kitting out your blaster, think about enhancing this particular global set bonus. The other IO you should grab is one or more -kb IOs (Blessing of the Zephyr, Steadfast, Karma). Being knocked back and then killed is one of the most frustrating ways to get defeated and an investment into one of these IOs largely eliminates that issue. -
I see some good builds in this thread.
DestineeFable's build is a good one if you're teaming alot. Destinee's build has a good combination of damage, accuracy and recharge, and largely relies on team buffs to provide mitigation (defense, aggro control, healing).
Seraphael's build is a better solo build because of the ranged defenses and shields.
That's not to say that Destinee's can't solo and Seraphael's can't team, but rather you can understand what they are primarily building for.
Personally, I build a little more like Seraphael with an emphasis on ranged defenses largely because I tend to solo a lot and when I do join teams, it's on a lot of pick up groups (where you can't always count of buffs, aggro control or other forms of mitigation). Also, a ranged defense build can be put together fairly cheaply whereas builds focusing on recharge can get expensive.
If you are teaming primarily with SG mates or close friends, you really don't need to IO heavily. I'd just go for some set bonuses that enhance recharge, add some hitpoints and perhaps add to accuracy and damage a bit. IO sets, while nice, are completely overshadowed on teams that buff teammates and debuff enemies. -
This isn't how I would build a fire/electric, but you don't seem to be a power gaming type so I think, with two exceptions, your build looks mostly fine.
The big glaring mistake I see in the build is the lack of aim. Blasters live by damage and by not taking, you're forgoing a little less than 2 SOs worth of damage for the 10 seconds it's active as well as your highest tohit bonus. If you can access build up and aim in your build, you *should* take both.
The second mistake is not taking char. Having two holds is a very nice luxury for a blaster. Being able to stack holds to mez a boss allows you to play at higher difficulty settings or take on a difficult mixed groups of minions and Lts (think Malta Gunslinger and Sapper). I'd take char over any of the other fire epic choices you took.
I can't really comment on slotting because I don't know whether or not you're going for some IO set bonuses or not. I think a number of powers are overslotted (fire shield, inferno, rise of the phoenix, a few of the attack powers, and possibly health) while some are underslotted (power sink), but that's based on how I would slot them for certain sets opposed to knowing what your goals are. In any case, you should invest in *at least* one -kb IO and slot in either hover or fire shield. It's silly not to.
I honestly don't bother taking stuff like invisibility and recall. A stealth IO + super speed is more than enough invisibility and doesn't waste a power pool choice. There are also stealth temp powers which are really easy to get and can last you a long time.
I also don't bother with recall since you can get the team recall power or you can earn assemble the team via a veteran's power. The only times I see recall friend in builds are specialty builds that are used to stealth/blitz task forces. In general, I view it as a waste of a pick since almost everybody have travel powers (power picks, temp travel, Ouro, base teleporters). However, that's from a min/max perspective, and I don't think you're building this blaster with that in mind.
Finally, I'm not sure how familiar you are with slotting for IO set bonuses, but I suspect (based on your slotting) that you are not overly familiar. I would recommend that as you're leveling up, you consider frankenslotting (using cheap IO pieces from different sets) to maximize your performance.
Blast powers can be slotted with Acc/Dmg, Acc/Dmg, Dmg/End/Rech, Dmg/Rech (or Dmg/End), Dmg and that will yield you 40% accuracy, 95%+ damage, 30% recharge (or end reduction), 18% end reduction (or recharge) for the cost of 5 slots. Use level 30-35 recipes. The recipes can be bought for as little as 1000 inf and they are cheaply crafted. Maelstorm Fury and Ruins are particularly good pieces to use. Melee powers can be slotted similarly using Bonesnap, Focused Smite and Smashing Haymaker. -
Here's a cheap DB/SR build. I had to dip into fighting pool, but didn't take Weave since you didn't need it. It's soft capped and has nothing really expensive.
The Mako's, Touch of Death and Steadfast Def/Res are the only expensive IOs. I avoided Blessing of the Zephyrs and Obliterations (though they make soft capping a lot easier). I *did* put int a Scirocco's set into the build and that can get pricey, but they're cheaper than Obliterations.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Cheap DB/SR: Level 50 Mutation Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Dual Blades
Secondary Power Set: Super Reflexes
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leaping
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Power Slice -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(3), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(9), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), T'Death-Dam%(40)
Level 1: Focused Fighting -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(3), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(17), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(37), RedFtn-Def(43), RedFtn-EndRdx(46)
Level 2: Ablating Strike -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(5), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(9), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(15), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Mako-Dam%(46)
Level 4: Focused Senses -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(5), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(17), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(37), RedFtn-Def(50), RedFtn-EndRdx(50)
Level 6: Typhoon's Edge -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(7), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg(7), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(13), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(31), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39)
Level 8: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(11), RechRdx-I(13)
Level 10: Practiced Brawler -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(11)
Level 12: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 14: Super Speed -- Run-I(A)
Level 16: Health -- Heal-I(A)
Level 18: Vengeful Slice -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(19), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(19), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(25), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Mako-Dam%(48)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(21), EndMod-I(21)
Level 22: Blinding Feint -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(23), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(23), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(25), Mako-Dam%(34), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40)
Level 24: Quickness -- Run-I(A)
Level 26: Sweeping Strike -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(27), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg(27), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(29), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(29), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34)
Level 28: Dodge -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(39)
Level 30: Agile -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(39)
Level 32: One Thousand Cuts -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg(33), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(33), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34)
Level 35: Evasion -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(36), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(36), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(36), RedFtn-EndRdx(40), RedFtn-Def(46)
Level 38: Lucky -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(48)
Level 41: Boxing -- RzDz-Acc/Rchg(A), RzDz-EndRdx/Stun(42), RzDz-Acc/EndRdx(42), RzDz-Stun/Rng(42), RzDz-Acc/Stun/Rchg(43), RzDz-Immob%(43)
Level 44: Tough -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(45), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(45), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(45), RctvArm-ResDam(50)
Level 47: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(48)
Level 49: Super Jump -- Jump-I(A)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
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Set Bonus Totals:- 17.5% DamageBuff(Smashing)
- 17.5% DamageBuff(Lethal)
- 17.5% DamageBuff(Fire)
- 17.5% DamageBuff(Cold)
- 17.5% DamageBuff(Energy)
- 17.5% DamageBuff(Negative)
- 17.5% DamageBuff(Toxic)
- 17.5% DamageBuff(Psionic)
- 9.25% Defense(Smashing)
- 9.25% Defense(Lethal)
- 7.69% Defense(Fire)
- 7.69% Defense(Cold)
- 13.6% Defense(Energy)
- 13.6% Defense(Negative)
- 3% Defense(Psionic)
- 13.6% Defense(Melee)
- 22.4% Defense(Ranged)
- 12.4% Defense(AoE)
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 2% Enhancement(Stun)
- 15% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 100.4 HP (7.5%) HitPoints
- MezResist(Held) 12.7%
- MezResist(Immobilize) 20.4%
- MezResist(Sleep) 3.3%
- MezResist(Stun) 3.3%
- 2% (0.03 End/sec) Recovery
- 10% (0.56 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 5.67% Resistance(Fire)
- 5.67% Resistance(Cold)
- 3.13% Resistance(Negative)
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First off, I think you can get by without a lot of the dual blade attacks. Blinding feint and then going into Attack Vitals combo is a good attack chain for just everything. If you want to fit in the large AoE, then you need to take 1k cuts, power slice and typhoon edge. That means you can get by with either taking 6 or 7 powers from the primary (you can skip confront, nimble slice and possibly blinding feint, though I wouldn't recommend skipping blinding feint).
I'd think about what kind of combos you want to run, but IMO Empower and Weaken aren't as impressive as the other two (Attack Vitals, Sweep).
Next, SR is easy to soft cap. Typhoon edge, sweeping strike, 1k cuts are all AoEs and can all take the very cheap multi-strike IO set. That gets you 5%ish of melee/AoE. The other thing you should do is take fighting pool. Boxing allows you to 6 slot Razzle Dazzle (stun set) for another 2.5% melee/AoE. And tough allows you to slot the Steadfast Res/Def IO. Just by slotting these you'd be up to 40% melee/AoE, and it's fairly easy to slot Mako's Bite/Touch of Death in your single targets to cap other positions. -
Fire/Kin Controller
Blaster: Arch/MM or Fire/MM -
Quote:This is the first time on this board that I've been called a liar. What's even more galling is that the accuser has no proof that I've lied/embellished/made up or exaggerated. No, his basis for this is simply that I *must* be lying because my story seems to paint a particular tank in bad light. Somehow, even though I was there and experienced it, I'm just making this up and meanwhile my accuser lobs accusation after accusation without a single iota of proof of his own.Originally Posted by Turbo_Ski
I'm not a fan of anecdotes that are crafted to be propganda to promote one AT while simultaneously defaming another AT with 20 or so people immediately showering them with praise for doing so. It's even more insulting when they use a power that has a history of being used to grief melee ATs in the early days of CoH and CoV when outdoor farming was commonplace. Then really rub it in by having the protagonist be a heroically painted jerk in response to the antagonist's request to cease and have it all painted as an injustice when the protagonist is kicked from the team for his jerk response. Tie it up with the moral being that the smart defender performed a good deed and was kicked solely for doing the good deed and that the other AT is full of jerks and idiots.
Anyone that already agrees that defenders are holier than all other ATs will immediately jump up and praise the OP and flame the hell out of anyone that disagrees or has a differing opinion from them.
Thing is these type of pro-defender propganda anecdotes happen at least once a week on the defender boards, so you'll have to forgive me for immediately coming off as negative here.
What's even funnier is that this same poster freely dispenses advice on how to play the power set in question when it's pretty evidently clear that they've never played force fields. Turbo - what level is your force field defender? Or for that matter, what level is your highest /force field controller or mastermind? I don't comment on cold domination because I've never taken a cold domination character past level 12. I'd have to have some sort of huge hubris to talk about a power set I've never played and in particular make criticism of someone who's actually played that power set into the high levels.
I don't really mind if you don't believe my story or dislike force bubble, but your posts throughout this thread go beyond that. It's a disingenuous sort of character assassination that makes me glad that I don't know you in game or in real life. -
Quote:Against stuff that has gobs of hitpoints (elite bosses or better), I will concede that it will make a meaningful contribution.Originally Posted by Umbral_NA
Achilles' Heel fires off often enough for it to make a substantial benefit if you actually use the attack reasonably often. The important thing to remember is that, in order to see a decent return, you need to actually use the power reasonably often.
Surveillance is, of course, the better option simply because it's trading 1.716 seconds every ~20 seconds for a 14% reduction in resistance. AH has the advantage of trading no animation time (because it's a proc) for a chance at a 20% reduction in resistance for 10 seconds. The uptime is then related to how often you actually check it. If you check 4 times every 10 seconds (re: use an average of 4 attacks with an AH proc slotted every 10 seconds), you're going to average 11.81% -res. If you check 6 times, you'll average 14.76%.
The AH proc isn't really all that wonderful when put into an attack that isn't often used but if you put it into an attack that you use almost every other time (which you should be using as often as possible simply because it's your best ST attack), it's a wonderful contributor.
Against your standard boss? You might fire off burst maybe four or five times during the fight, with a 20% chance that it fires off with every attack. That's great if it fires off the first or second time you attack, not so great it fires off later.
And we're talking about AR/Dev here. Assuming a straight up fight where you didn't bother to draw the boss into a couple of mines (in which the fight would be over in a few follow up blasts anyway), you have to worry about keeping him at range with web grenade or perhaps keeping him mezzed with your stuns. Unlike a sword scrapper who can spam attacks largely at will, an AR/Dev blaster has to worry about applying web grenade, monitoring his health and perhaps even ducking around a corner to find some breathing room.
Scrappers can put the proc to great use because they can stay toe to toe with the target and apply it consistently. An AR/Dev blaster wouldn't have the same luxury unless the target was mezzed.
Note, I want to clarify that the proc *will* in some cases provide a good damage boost; however, my contention is that in most fights against boss critters, it won't make enough of a difference to notice.