Jade_Dragon

Just to say it, while it is not as nice as if the Bruising ability could stack, having two or more Tankers on the team means you can apply it to two or more targets at the same time. Not as useful for taking on AVs, but in a spawn with multiple Bosses it doubles the bonus.

The duration of Bruise is also effected by additional applications. So if you have two Tankers hitting the same target, they can either alternate using their Tier 1, each using it half as often, or make sure to keep enough duration going that they're covered if one misses.

I have the following set-up I use on all of my characters. I actually use keybinds which are defined to access macros in trays 3-8. This enables me to customize the binds to my individual characters, using the same key for Super Jump for jumpers and Flying for fliers, for instance:

LControl - Always turns on Sprint with first press. Two presses may turn on a ground power, like Super Speed or Ninja Run. If not, or after turning on Super Speed, the next press turns all run powers off.

RControl - Activates flying/jumping/teleport power. Teleport will also zoom out the camera and turn on auto-Teleport. (Reticle appears, click to teleport and reticle stays for the next click) Usually second press will turn it off, but in some cases I will switch to a second movement power, like LControl. Occasionally (like with the Hover/Fly bind) it will always switch to Hover and never turn it off, for those characters I use LControl to land.

END - Always activates Rest.

Spacebar - In addition to jumping, if the character has Combat Jumping and it is off, turns it on. I have no key to turn off CJ. (The End cost is so low I see no reason to)

Up Arrow - For characters with both Hover and Fly, I will switch to Fly automatically when I press a movement key, and back to Hover when I release it. This means I need a second key for taking off while running, so it takes me directly to Fly instead of Hover.

That pretty much eliminates Sprint, Rest, and all travel powers. Then I simply use the number keys for the basic powers:

1-5 - Attacks
0 - Always either Taunt, Confront or Placate, a self heal, or something like PFF. For Blasters, usually Build Up, for Dominators my Domination macro. (which activates Domination and switches costumes at the same time)
7-9 - Defenses, either toggles or click powers
Aim/Build Up is usually in either 6 or 7, depending if I have more attacks or more defenses. For Blasters Aim and Build Up are 9 and 0. My Sniper attack also is often in 6 or 7.

+ and - then act as two additional keys for defenses, plus ALT-+ and ALT--. My "godmode" power is usually +. I'll put the self heal in - if it is not in 0.

F12 is always a Taunt keybind that generates a custom chat text for that character, in combination with his Taunt. (Or Confront or Provoke, if applicable)

F11 is mapped to tray 9, slot 1 so I can drop a Temp power there.

Finally, I will usually map at least one location targetted power (like Caltrops, or Recall Friend) to ALT-click. Pressing ALT causes the reticle to appear, so all I have to do is press ALT and click. I then don't need the power in the tray.

For Masterminds, Shift-click sends my "offensive team" (a subset of my henchmen in Aggressive stance) to the location clicked. I have other commands mapped to keys U, I, O and J, K, L. It's similar to the numberpad bind posted her, but simplified.

And I usually keep a second tray open with powers I can click on. If I have powers mapped to + or -, or Alt-Click that I need to watch the recharge on I'll put them here too. I also use Inspirations by clicking on them, I never use the keypad.

Like you, I have trouble hitting the 7-0 keys when moving with WASD, but that's why the powers there are mostly toggle powers that I don't have to hit that often. I can still hit 0, F12 or F11 pretty rapidly, though, since I use them so much. I'll alternate between that and using the mouse.

I will add that Dominators specifically, even more than Blasters, seem to end up using up trays on lots of attack powers. I usually end up with more attacks than I plan to use, and keep some of them in the backup tray. Having to use up an extra slot on Domination hurts a bit, of course, but I'll also often pick up the Sniper attack, but use it only to open the attack. So I'll click it in the secondary tray and then return to the number keys for the rest of the fight.

Honestly, I make do fine with one End reduction in TP. However, that's a level 22, prior to SOs you will need 2 DOs to equal that.

I also typically slot one Range Enhancement as well. While this does nothing to reduce the End cost of travel, it DOES get you to your destination in less jumps. Which in the long run can save you more End than using less End for more jumps. The only time it catches up is if you have an extremely long distance to travel. Once you reach your destination, though, you can Rest or just wait to recover End. (Which is why I typically go with one of each, instead of two End or two Ranges)

Another very helpful thing to use with Teleport is a keybind that will enable you to teleport with a single click. There are various examples in the Guides section. In short, you will bind your mouse click button (with a modifier key, like Shift) to both activate the Teleport power and click at the same time. This enables you to repeatedly click to travel without having to key power every single time.

Another handy thing to have with Teleport is Hover, although I have found that with the keybind you can USUALLY teleport fast enough to not fall out of the sky. If you find yourself hitting the ground a lot, though, turning on Hover first will stop that.

(Also: IP is an excellent test of the upper limits of Teleport range. Honestly, I tend to take the tram to Brickstown and travel to the gate rather than jump/fly/whatever the full length of IP)

If you picture a function of a number of variables as a bell curve, then the point at which the values give you the highest point on the curve would be the best point to choose. My definition of a "min/maxer" is that he carefully studies all the mathematical interplay of the stats of the character in order to find that maximum point.

A min/maxer will typically talk about putting together precise attack chains, slotting Enhancements and IOs for the maximum overall bonus, and optimizing behavior against the largest group of different MOBs. It's a form of metagaming, engaging in activity outside of the game to increase your performance in the game. The "min" part of it comes from the fact that in order to get the best overall performance, you usually have to sacrifice maximum performance in some particular area. So you find the value within that range that gives you the best overall benefit.

To view it positively, it's a little like tuning your sports car's engine for an extra 5% horsepower. It's not really going to buy you that much over John Q. Public's family sedan, but it can be an enjoyable challenge.

I honestly don't think Super Strength was designed to deal weaker damage with Rage in mind. In fact, I believe the devs once commented that the gave Super Strength really high damage and long recharge times, and most players complained that it felt "too slow". They expected blows with fists to be much faster, rather than some hulking brute throwing a Megaton Punch every few minutes.

However, in retrospect, the fast recharge times made for low damage, which is countered by Rage. So it was a coincidence. That's why it hasn't gotten the tweaks like other fast sets like Claws have gotten. And in fact the changes have been primarly to Rage itself.

Rise to the Challenge has a mag 3 Taunt for 1.25s. (ticking every second) Blazing Aura (which I would call the "baseline") has a mag 4 Taunt for 13.5s, and it tics every 2 seconds, which means it stacks with itself. The duration remaining of a Taunt also has an effect, so overall you're going to be getting a lot more effect out of the other Taunt auras.

I'm fairly sure that Enhancement only effects the duration of Taunt effects, so even if you could double that 1.25 second duration, it still wouldn't come close. The short version is, it tics JUST often enough to keep itself up all the time, but not enough to significantly stack. It'll pull aggro off a squishy, but not another Tanker. (or a Brute or a Scrapper with a Taunt aura) I'm sure that's by design.

In response to the OP, I love my Dual Blades, but with lethal damage it is commonly resisted. Then again, so is Super Strength. Rage is really the compensating factor for that. It can also be a bit harder to build combos with a Tanker since the Dual Blades powers unlock slower in the Secondary. Dark might be a good alternative, but as mentioned, you'll never do a lot of damage with a Tanker.

First of all, let me second the advice that you should run the first two Safeguard Missions at levels 5 and 10. Run the first as fast as you can, so you don't outlevel it. Then when you get to 10 do the second one. You get a jet pack for the first, and a jump pack with the second, they respectively give you Flying and Super Leap. Between the two, you can easily get to 14 or even 20 or 30 without having to suffer through the lower levels without a Travel Power.

You certainly want them if you ever go into The Hollows.

Anyway, my tips are as follows:

1) Whenever you get a new power, resist the temptation to try it out, and then go, "This thing is useless!" and refuse to use it. Unlike WoW or games like that, your new powers AREN'T intended to replace your old ones. So they're not stronger than your old powers, just different. And once you get into the 20s and 30, you HAVE to slot them before they can compete with your fully slotted powers. Wait until you gain a level, drop some slots into it and some Enhancements, and see how it performs. If you're still dissatisfied, then you can respec out of it.

2) At the lowest levels, go for attacks first. You have to pick an attack at level 1, pick one at level 2, as well. At level 4, you should probably pick an attack, unless you really like that one defensive power that just opened up. It will take you less time to level to 10 if you have a full selection of attacks, and then you can start picking up your defenses.

3) Likewise, do not put slots into any of your defenses until you get to 22. Put slots in attacks only, and concentrate on accuracy. In fact, you can pretty much ignore enhancements until you get to level 12, TOs don't really get you much. By the time you get to DOs, the bonus you get to your to hit for level will start to be wearing off, so slot at least 2 Accuracy DOs to start. Then when you get to level 22, you can replace those two DOs with one SO.

4) In short, 1 DO = 2 TOs and 1 SO = 2 DOs. You want to 3 slot damage in attacks, and have at least 1 SO of accuracy. More than 3 SOs of the same type in any power is a waste, though, because of something called Enhancement Diversification. (ED) You can either stop slotting attacks at 4 slots, or add Enhancement or Recharge Enhancements for the 5th and 6th slots.

5) Same with defenses, don't put more than 3 Defense SOs in a Defense power, or 3 Resistance SOs in a Resistance power. At 22, you can start adding slots to your defenses and beefing them up. It's not worth it before then, but by 22 your attacks should be solid enough that you can start working on defense.

6) Be careful of not having enough defense, though. I feel that you should always have an equal number of offensive and defensive powers. You will slot the offensive powers more heavily, but having more defensive powers means you have more defenses to stack on top of each other. Especially with Scrappers, if you concentrate too much on offense, you won't be able to survive long enough to use those attacks.

7) Know how to "pull". If you're coming from another game, you may think you can shoot a foe and he will come at you. Then you get ganked from a distance and think pulling is a bad tactic. The secret is to use the terrain. Hide behind a wall or an obstacle, and force the foe you aggroed to come to you. It will also protect you from ranged fire until he gets there. Then jump out of your hiding place and clobber the hapless victim. This works great with Stalkers.

8) If you are a ranged fighter, know how to keep foes away from you. There are three tactics here, kiting, hovering, and using slow/immobilize. Kiting is a bit difficult because you cannot move while firing. However, if you reduce your fire rate, you can usually outmanuever a foe. Hovering is the best defense, unless your foe can fly as well, he simply can't ever get in melee with you. Laying out a location slow or immobilizing foes so you can avoid them is the second best strategy, and your best alternative if you don't want to be able to fly. Knockback can be great at keeping foes away, too, and it keeps them from firing back for a few seconds, but watch out for excess aggro. In general, if you have AoE slows to keep foes back you can take on larger spawns, but if you have single target powers that knockback or immobilize you will have to concentrate on smaller groups of tougher foes.

9) Don't be afraid to run away. This is important for Blasters, for obvious reasons, but a good Scrapper knows when to run, too. And he can usually survive ranged fire as he runs better than a Blaster can. Know how to lose aggro, either go through an elevator door, or leave the mission if you can. Otherwise, target a foe, and run from him until he is out of sight. Watch the movement of the reticle, and if he starts getting close, back off some more. Eventually, when he turns around and starts moving away from you, it's safe to move back in.

10) Know what your allies' powers do. For instance, many Tankers (and Scrappers) with the Invulnerability Power Set have a power called Invincibility that provides most of their protection. It only works if there is a large crowd around them. If you knock all of those foes away with an AoE knockback blast, thinking you're helping, you're not. Likewise, Kinetic Defenders have a power called Transfusion that only heals you if you're in combat with the foe it hits. If you yell for the Kin to heal you while hiding in a corner outside of the fight, he will laugh at you.

11) Of course, in general, you should never expect a Defender to JUST be a healer. He has many other buff or debuff powers that will protect you from damage. Understand what he's doing and appreciate it, even if you don't see green numbers over your head. This goes with what others said earlier about "There is no tank/nuker/healer" triad".


12) And finally, the ATs in this game are more hybrids than what you are probably used to. A Blaster, for instance, is a hybrid of a nuker and a meleer. Although you should be cautious going into melee as a Blaster, it's an alternative you should probably take advantage of. Controllers also have really tough defenses, and can deal some damage if you throw in a few melee attacks from the Pool. Experiment with combinations and see what works for you. You can usually adapt any AT to do almost anything you want it to, even if it's not as much as a specialist at that role would be.

And I'll stop there, so there won't be 13 tips.

What you are actually asking for is a Blaster with Spines Blast and Spines Manipulation.

The problem as I see it is that Spines/Thorns are launched from the character's body, and thus don't have the velocity of, say, a bullet. So a Spines Blast is kind of an odd idea. They would all be long ranged, no melee attacks involving the spines unless you took the corresponding Secondary. I'm guessing they could be high AoE, low range, like Pistols, and it would work nicely. As a set there would not really be a problem.

Spines as a Manipulation set would be a little odder, though. First of all you would have the melee attacks, but only a limited set of them. The rest would probably be using the poison in the spines to produce defensive effects, like an Immobilize or even a stun. There would have to be some self buffs of some kind, at least Build Up. And maybe you could create some sort of AoE effect like a briar patch that would slow or entangle foes in it.

Likely, the best way to implement this would be to expand the idea, to Plant Attack and Thorn Manipulation. Then you could fire things like pollen and vines instead of just thorns. And some of the powers in Plant Control could be in Thorn Manipulation, like obviously the first power would be Entangle, the Immobilize power.

Keep in mind that Ranged and Assault overlapping would not only duplicate a lot of ranged attacks (as they are both in Ranged and Assault) but you also wouldn't have any of the control powers like Entangle to keep the foes off of you. That wouldn't be any existing Archetype, it would be a new one. And I don't think there should be such an Archetype, as Assault is really nothing but a combination of Ranged and Melee anyway. So you're essentially asking for Ranged/Ranged/Melee. Ranged/Melee was tried in Beta (that's what Blasters were) it didn't work, since they had no way of defending themselves.

Now, Melee paired with a Secondary that is a combination of Ranged and Control? Interesting. But probably not as powerful as a Dominator. You've basically looking at a Blapper, with lots of melee attacks, but very little AoE and certainly no Tier 9 nuke. I don't think it would be as survivable as either a Blaster or Dom.

I honestly think it would be more likely to see Swap Ammo with a pistol set than with Assault Rifle. Outside of that, yeah, except for the need to redraw weapons between the Primary and Secondary it's probably just as good as an Assault Set.

It seems kind of redundant to have three different sets for a rifle with martial arts, pistols with martial arts, and a bow with martial arts, but that's probably how it would end up having to be. Assuming the devs actually take the time to make all three sets.

Honestly, I solo all the time, and have a lot less trouble on SoA than I have on some Defenders. The secret, as others have said, is to leverage range. Wide Area Web Grenade is there for a reason, use it. It may also help, if you have the Vet Rewards, to add Sands of Mu and Nemesis Staff for the extra DPS. And in case you've been fiddling with your difficulty, stick with small spawns, but extra levels compared to you if you think you can take it.

And keep lots of greens on hand. You're going to take damage, just be ready for it.

If you're really having trouble, switch to a Widow. They're quite a bit more survivable in hand to hand combat.

(I have a Huntsman I play mostly hand to hand though. I use WAWG to lock down the foes so I can melee one while the others are still at range. Then Pummel's almost a guaranteed stun. It's amazing the mitigation you can get out of that)

I honestly think both Controllers and Dominators need a "gadgets" Control set, and a gun-based Assault sets for Dominators is a necessity for the Natural, non-powered villains (and Preatorians, come GR) too.

Personally, I think I would go more with a sort of glue gun, and then a combination of martial arts kicks and pistols for the Secondary. It introduces redraw, but then there would be redraw with any combination BUT Riot Control/Assault Rifle anyway. Riot Control being grenades and other weapons that require limited redraw would be more in keeping with Devices and Traps.

That doesn't mean I would be opposed to the set being fired from the Super Soaker, I just think it's a conceptual stretch. Plus, there could eventually be a sort of Control Archery to pair with Trick Arrow, which would use the bow as the unified launch system.

Ultimately, though, I think the reason I am posting here is to say that Riot Control is still the perfect name for the set, no matter how it is set up.

Actually, I like Time Bomb too, but I get the difficulty of using it on a team. Half the time the spawn is dead before it goes off, and no, I'm not going to ask the team to wait while I set it up. I might do that if we've been dying the last few spawns and it looks like we need to soften them up a bit first, but not just because I want to play with a fun toy.

And Time Bomb is a fun toy. It's hilarious to set it up and then trigger Full Auto just seconds before it goes off. And then whatever remains blunders into the mines and gets finished off. But that's a solo tactic. I solo, it's what I do, so I love it, but he's a team character too. So I'm not going to really concentrate on that power, not like Trip Mine.

I honestly think the revamp of the market interface led to the merged markets, and the possibilities inherent in GR led to the revamp of the market. So as GR stood in the beginning, it probably looked like a bigger problem to merge the markets than to deal with the escrow and other separated systems. However, once the technology was in place, it probably was the other way around, and the escrow system became the bigger headache than the merged market.

That is to say, GR did not directly lead to the merged market, but the increased INTEREST in it due to GR indirectly did. And since a lot of that interest was discussion of merged market, I wouldn't say the talk about it wasn't an indirect influence as well.

I'm not going to begrudge some people a well deserved pat on the back. Not because they proved everyone who disagreed with them wrong, but because they kept the subject fresh on everyone's mind long enough for the perspective on the issue to change.

It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking Warshades are as easy to solo as they are on teams, and let yourself get overwhelmed. And while street sweeping, you don't have the option of selecting -1/x4 or more and getting lots of bodies for Mire. You have to take what you get, which can often be too much.

I've found soloing my WS is easiest when I play cautious. Form switch only when I know I have the upper hand and can't get mezzed. Use Mire on small groups. (possibly slotting for Endurance so this is efficient) Maybe have a second build with a Human/Dwarf Form or at least more solo-oriented slotting on a Tri-Form. And don't wimp out on the Dwarf, your melee damage should be coming from there, not Human form. If you can't sustain a long period of time in Dwarf, to protect yourself from the mezzes, then your Dwarf probably isn't slotted well enough for WS purposes.

YMMV, of course. My highest Kheldian is my Warshade, though, and I almost exclusively solo. And I'll add that the period from 20-30 can be both the most frustrating and the most rewarding for the WS.

I will also second Smiling Joe's suggestion to respec if you haven't. What I said above about making sure your Dwarf is slotted for sufficient damage? You need to start on that from level 1. So yeah, burn a respec and drop some slots into those powers early on.

And with his keybind, make sure that you remember that you should be doing NOTHING when you hit that keybind. If you've queued up an attack, it'll fail to return you to human form, but send you to tray 1. This is a known "bug" with Kheldians. Since you're in Dwarf form anyway, just pause long enough to ensure all your attacks have gone off, you shouldn't be mezzed and you can take the damage. Then hit your macro and as Joe said, immediately hit your Dwarf keybind to queue up the return to Dwarf form once the Stygian Circle goes off.

I would still pick up and slot the Physical shield, but I'll echo the previous advice. If you're going to have your shields down, you should be in Nova form. Human form is either for a few seconds while you fire off a utility power or Gravity Well, or for the long haul with all shields up. Granted, it takes a few more seconds to shift to Nova form rather than just start flinging the blasts, but it's a timing you want to get used to.


One thing I do have is a keybind that both drops me to Human form AND raises my shield. From either form. There's no reason not to do this, Human form is deactivating a power, not activating one, so it costs you nothing to add the sheild. (Honestly, if activating your shield in either form was possible and automatically dropped you to Human form, it would be a great feature)

As for your role on the team, that's what I like best about Kheldians. I adapt myself not just to what the team needs, but what the team needs or even what I need at that second. It's great fun.