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John_Printemps

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  1. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BrandX View Post
    It can't cycle Throw Spines -> Fire Ball -> Throw Spines -> Spine Burst -> repeatedly non-stop, but I don't recall if the posted Spines/Dark could (possibly it had Hasten).
    Hasten, yes. Non-Stop? No. Fireball just isn't going to get down far enough in recharge to pull a chain tight enough to include it. Throw > Burst > Throw is actually within reason, though, and I was looking at Throw > Burst > Throw > FB with the intention that there'd be three seconds of moving to the next mob in order to repeat the chain. (Recalling off the top of my head, but FB with around a 12 second recharge). Honestly, when you have to leverage Throw Spines to get the most in the cone, you usually kill a second or two each time anyway so the AoE Chain would never have to be 100% tight.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BrandX View Post
    I do think the /ELA would be more survivable against enemies like the Cims, as the things that help make /DA survivable are pretty much a wash on enemies like the Cims, namely the mez toggles.
    If you strip away CoF and OG from the DA, then they're in no different a position than the ELA, pushed down to just their resists to survive. In this situation, DA has the superior heal. ELA may have Power Sink, but that's /maybe/ once every three spawns (assuming five seconds a spawn, and a 15 second recharge). In fact, to touch on the point: The long recharge on Power Sink is one of the larger reasons it's not as secure a defense as OG or CoF in 99% of scenarios. With a 60/s base recharge, it's not going to shrink any further than roughly around 15 seconds, That'll average out to about 1/3rd the mobs you hit are getting sapped, the other 2/3rds are beating on you senselessly. It works great for filling the end-bar, though.

    I do want to add that Cim's are a bit of a bad choice to try and compare the builds against. The -Def in their attacks are really going to hurt any toon that doesn't have debuff resists, so once one of those attacks gets through, you're really relying on the rest of your defensive options; and if I had to choose an ELA or a DA against a squad of Cims? It'd be DA, entirely for Dark Regen being up every 10-15 seconds. Not to sound like I'm pimping DA out, though. That's just a personal choice. If I were playing ELA, I'd definitely be sticking Power Surge in there somewhere, and that's a pretty awesome response to a bad situation. Although, Soul Transfer could be looked at the same way, I guess. May take a dirt nap to get it, but Soul Transfer can stun pretty much anything (AV Included), and give you plenty of time to clean up.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BrandX View Post
    As to JP, I'll see if I can make a S/L Defense version, I went with melee mostly because it looked at first glance that without powers like OG and CoF, getting to softcap S/L, while maintaining good ST DPS wasn't going to happen with Spines/ELA.
    S/L and Melee 45% is possible for the ELA, but very tight, and (in my opinion) ended up sacrificing a bit much to do it. 32.5% Positionals would be safer, and easier (for either actually, but more so in this case). Not having Cloak of Darkness really kills ELA's options.
  2. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Auroxis View Post
    No I don't. I believe Elec has more damage potential and Dark has more survivability potential.
    But your belief has no data. You think End = Damage, and it doesn't. They have the same damage potential, as they are both on the same damage modifiers, and using the same level of base damage.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Auroxis View Post
    No I don't have a spines/elec build sitting around.
    So you're basing everything off theory, we've covered that.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Auroxis View Post
    Like I said earlier in the thread, If all you need is one AoE cycle to destroy a mob that's just your playstyle. Some people play at a higher difficulty.
    One Aoe Cycle or 20 Cycles, don't try and claim that a higher difficulty rating is changing the facts I already presented. The build I posted can run Throw Spines > Spine Burst > Fire Ball > Throw Spines, and in that cycle it'll do about 1,000 points of damage with the damage auras included. A level 54 minion has 435.70 HP. You've successfully killed it. Twice. And just to cover the bases, Lieutenants are 867.40, Bosses are 2,729.70.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Auroxis View Post
    Also, you took Cardiac. The Elec doesn't need Cardiac, and could take Musculature/Spiritual for more damage.
    Again, Musculature isn't benefiting pretty much any Scrapper unless you build to need it and that's a whole other kettle of fish. And as said, Spiritual or Cardiac is most likely the choice, and as said, I could have tossed Spiritual into the build I posted, but it works well enough without it, so there's no need in giving up Cardiac. And thanks to what BrandX Posted, it proves that even then, someone may feel they still need Cardiac. Just because you have Power Sink doesn't mean the build is perfect on endurance.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Auroxis View Post
    I intentionally left defense from IO's out. You can get defense on both DA and Elec, and we are talking about damage potential after all.
    Yes, you can get Defense on both, but if you hadn't noticed, */DA has a power in it's secondary that helps generate 6% Global, that */Elec does not. This is a highly notable aspect as it means that there's 6% that */Elec would have to struggle to account for that */DA would not. So I could use your own arguement against you and say that */Elec has to sacrifice slots in order to do what */DA is doing naturally.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Auroxis View Post
    Once your AoE's kill the mobs, you will need ST attacks to get rid of the bosses(I also didn't ask for the best ST chain, just one of the best).
    If you're just worried about the straggling portion of whatever is left each mob, then you don't need a chain, you just need stuff to tag the left overs. That doesn't need a "Chain", and there's plenty of single target answers to help deal a few excess points. This is neither here nor there, really.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Auroxis View Post
    You shouldn't bring insps into the equation, as the Elec could take a red or a purple if you can take a blue(and you will need more than just a blue "from time to time").
    So if you can take a Red, so can I, so why not count them in the equation? They're going to drop, they're going to be there. Difference is, taking down an occasional blue (and yes, from experience, it is only occasional), is a lot different than sucking down purples to try and maintain a defense level.
  3. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Auroxis View Post
    OK. I don't believe a Spines/DA build can have near-perma Hasten, endurance stability, have Fire Ball, have one of the best Spines ST attack chains, have over 20% in global damage bonuses(including Assault), have Musculature, without significantly sacrificing survivability(survivability powers taken and slotted appropriately, including Tough+Weave).

    I believe Spines/Elec can get closer to the above than Spines/DA can.
    Alright, Auroxis, lets seriously step back a second here and look at what's being discussed.

    You believe a Spintric is superior to a Spindle. Okay, I'm fine with that, anyone would be, it's your personal opinion. But that's all it is, an opinion. I speak from experiences and a vast knowledge of the IO's that Scrapper's have at their disposal. Des speaks from a solid experience with */DA. We're trying to speak to you directly on the claim that you see a Spintric as being superior, and Des has only asked for proof, and you've not come back with any.

    So this gives me the impression that you do not, in fact, have a working build, let alone a working model, for a Spintric, let alone one that can outperform a Spindle on any level. So I've gone ahead and worked on the finer details for you.

    First off, "Perma-Hasten" is easily achieved by any toon with the Spiritual Alpha once you have Hasten and about 60-70% Global recharge with only two slots in Hasten, that's achievable by /everyone/ now. Endurance Sustainability, we're talking about running roughly eleven toggles, two of which on their own are going to burn .6-.8 even when slotted, so that already puts any combo into a crunch. You say you want 20% in Global +Dam? Sure, I can actually do 26% with Assault. You want us to run Musculature? No, I'm going to drop the hammer on that one, you shouldn't be running Musculature when there's so much benefit out of Spiritual or Cardiac. Flat out, no. So, with that said, I went with Cardiac, because it's part of my endurance sustainability. It also gives me a net 5% across the board for resists, so win-win. I could do Spiritual, but I don't feel the need to beat a dead horse when I can already run Throw Spines > Spine Burst > Fire Ball, and hop to the next mob with ease.

    There's also something you're fundementally missing from your demands list. Defense. If you're going to take Weave, Tough, and Cloak of Darkness, well, you might as well really build for defense. So with that, you're probably going to grab Combat Jumping and Maneuvers. Lo'n'behold, 45% S/L and Melee, so now I've upped the ante.

    As for single target chains... I am again going to have to disagree with you on this. Spindles, Spires, and Spintrics are AoE Wrecking machines, not Single Target DPS Machines, let alone the fact that any ST chain you could imagine (Which, btw, I believe is Ripper > Dark Blast > Throw Spines > Dark Blast, which completely overshadows your desire for Fireball) isn't going to be all that great in the first place when your shortest running attack from the primary does horrible damage, and the highest hitting ones, take forever to animate. So we're not doing something sustainable for damage in the first place, so I wont even bother trying to build around the idea.

    With that having all been said:

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    The funny part is, it's actually harder for a Spintric to achieve this kind of a build. They may have a better endurance balance, but I'm not afraid to use a necessary blue from time to time either. These guys aren't out to win the Pylon-Run of the Year award, after all. I did switch things around to try and grasp at straws for an */Elec version, but S/L cam shy by .1% and I had to sacrifice a little Recharge and a more solid attack to get there. Dark Armor will always be at the head of the table. I may be a bit biased to say that, but the mitigation it has in the secondary, often times proffers up more solutions to the final build. This does not, however, change my opinion on each of a Spindle/Spintric/Spire being capable of greatness. Each of the three can get to the same goal line, you'll find that it's easier with one versus the others.
  4. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Auroxis View Post
    You're missing the point. The endurance management lets you fit more offense/defense in your build(instead of building for endurance). You're also completely ignoring the fact that the faster your AoE's cycle the more efficient you are at dealing AoE damage(as long as you don't have a complete attack chain). If it's enough for you, that's great. But don't ignore the numbers.

    I'm not missing anything. You're not listening. You build a Spines to fire flawless Spine Burst > Throw Spines, if one is */Elec and one is */Da but both end up with the same numbers, then there's still no difference between the two of them other than */Elec got to it without needing to find 20% from somewhere else. Between IO's and Incarnate abilities, you can't cut and dry that one Spines/* is far superior than another, there's far too many ways to answer any issue that one build has versus another.
  5. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Auroxis View Post
    End management gives you a lot more than you think. And sure you can build for recharge, but an equally built Elec Armor will have more recharge than you. If you're regularly facing content where you don't need to use your AoE's more than once, then you likely don't need the extra survivability of DA either.

    I understand you have your Spines/DA IO'd and your Spines/Elec at 43. This is probably giving you a skewed vision of things.

    Not really. A well managed Spindle (in the endurance department) is no different than a well managed Spintric. There's also only so much recharge you can cram into a power before you're just beating a dead horse. If I make Spine Burst and Throw Spines pop back fast enough that I can bounce from mob to mob with minimal downtime on both, the Spintric just requires 20% less effort to do it, but it can be equally done on both. It just comes down to one being able to do it more easily than the other, which gives you an opportunity to build into other aspects instead. Toemaytoh, Toemahtoh. They're all fundamentally the same toons, they just have different starter-stats to get to the same goal: AoE en Mass.
  6. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cyber_naut
    Most of the game is about killing as much as possible as fast as possible, which means the name of the game is aoe, and KM is not very strong in that regard.
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by UberGuy View Post
    Neither is Dark Melee.

    I really don't understand people who get so fixated on AoE. "Most of the game is about killing as much as possible as fast as possible" is a playstyle choice, not a requirement.
    Agreed, AoE and "Kill it all as fast as possible" is a playstyle. Although I do see the sentiment in Power Siphon in a team regard. But, that goes back into the fact that it requires a bit of effort to work with. Not everyone's going to want to deal with the micro management of that power, and is most likely one of the larger reasons that DM overshadows KM so often. In a Team setting where people are moving around quickly, between the two, DM will be favored for its ability to sap-once, and keep moving. Where as KM is stuck managing it's Siphon as things collapse around them.

    In the regard of AoE, though, DM outright lacks AoE beyond it's Cone (Soul Drain and Dark Consumption aside, given their recharge), and KM technically has a Cone and an effective enough AoE. If someone really wanted an AoE focal toon, DM nor KM are the route, and Electric or Fire definitely are. So it's really an entirely different kettle of fish, and would be a play decision for the OP.
  7. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mach_Four View Post
    Just wondering what set meshes really well with Shield Defense? I was considering Electric Melee because Lightning Rod + Shield Charge sounds AMAZING as far as burst/opening move. But I would really like to hear opinions.
    Yes, amazing would be a solid description on bouncing from one mob to the next with a massive explosion of damage each time. If you hop around with a team that can support you with damage buffs, these effects will be even more fantastic. If you pull enough recharge into the build, you can even manage to bounce one mob to the next swapping between the attacks fairly consistently (Lightning Rod, Shield Charge, General Attacks on the third mob, and repeat). You'll have enough Cone/AoE filler from the rest of your primary that you'll do a lot of solid AoE for sure. Otherwise, Werner was pretty straight forward with the rest of the primaries.
  8. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Auroxis View Post
    You can't slot any damage procs in OG, and CoF can only have two damage procs which wouldn't give you much. While you can put a lot of procs into Dark Regeneration, you would be better off spending most of the slots on endurance reduction, accuracy, recharge, and heal. Having your AoE's up sooner and having endless amounts of endurance is simply better.
    If you pull for Recharge in either build, you can end up with the same result in either case. A Spindle can get pretty close to keeping Spine Burst and Throw Spines fast enough that bouncing mob to mob you'll be able to fire them off with minimal delay. Spintrics just get the added bonus of having an additional 20% to get there easier. This doesn't discount either one at being a superior damage dealer. One has better end management is all.

    Like I said before, it's all about what end result you want to work with. Better mitigation, better damage, or better endurance. The the rest is all just fine print that you can manipulate with IO's.
  9. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nihilii View Post
    If you're going to drop a page-long post about your love for KM, the least you could do is read the two sentences post you're calling nonsense. What I said is there is no particular synergy between KM and SD.

    Not even going to bother adressing the rest of your post, when people get emotional about a set facts don't matter.

    Who's dropping a page long love of anything? I was posting facts about KM to help support the very idea that was turned off by someone who said it had "no particular synergy", which isn't really a fair statement. And I said it doesn't make sense to say that, not that it was "nonsense", which implies a totally different tone. To say there's [no] synergy between KM/SD is like saying DM/SD is the only set with Synergy to */SD because it's the only one that has two powers that require a mob. KM, in regards to it's functions, act no differently than any of the other primaries it can pair with except DM.

    There's nothing emotional about that. I have a DM/SD, and a KM/SR, and speak specifically on the experiences of the sets. The only reason I don't have a KM/SD is because I can't stand the twisted animations (and I don't like repeating secondaries).
  10. John_Printemps
    KM/SD is just as comparable to DM/SD, it just takes a ... bit more effort. Power Siphon can be dropped down far enough to have a "virtually non-existent downtime." Trigger PS, ramp up, lasts for 20 seconds, but the buffs continue to drop off for another ten seconds, so you really get a 30 second duration out of the deal. Overall you should easily average what could be compared to about an 80% Damage buff for thirty seconds (no math's calculated, just estimating). At minimum it's going to take about six to seven seconds to get up to 156%, maintain it for 20, drop down to ~120, and cascade from there for the next ten seconds until the last attacks buff wears off (give or take a few seconds depending on when you last fired an attack and when PS "ends").

    DM does similar in Soul Drain (albeit a buff that lasts consistently for 30 seconds instead of "mostly"), but also has to face a five to ten seconds downtime in most cases (or up to 15 seconds for builds that don't have a cramming of global recharge).

    The trade-off here, though, is Concentrated Strike. This one power does more damage in exchange for cutting off its' critical chances and giving you a random chance to pop Power Siphon back up. So you can easily gone from PS "cascading down" for ten seconds, or keeping it active for 40, which is a potentially significant upswing on Soul Drain, but in the end becomes an equal wash. This is why I consider both to be equal in the long run, just why one requires a bit more work.

    The positives for KM are in its negatives. It may require a bit more attentive effort than a DM, but KM isn't restricted by "what's nearby." You take away Soul Drain's cannon fodder, and KM's ability to single-handedly perform at high damage levels rises to the top. Not saying you (as a KM) don't benefit from having a mob on you as well with AAO, but the loss of a mob is significantly less than it would be for a DM.

    To say there's a lack of synergy, well, that just doesn't make sense. DM/SD requires a mob, so AAO and Soul Drain can work together, but a KM/SD doesn't need the mob so much, so it can avoid the need to have 10 other things beating on your chest. And in regards to "what attack you can lead off with", whether I lead with Concentrated Strike and work my attack chain, or I use it as my five attack in the chain, is comparing Apples to Oranges. A KM who uses CS first, is gimping himself. You PS and start the chain so that when you fire CS it's 5th or 6th in your chain and it gets close to, if not all of the potential +Dam% you just generated. A 156% boosted CS is far superior to an 80-100% Greater Fire Sword/Midnight Grasp/Etc (Critical Chance aside).
  11. John_Printemps
    Spintrics, Spindles and Spires. (Sp/Elec, Sp/Da, Sp/Fire). Spintrics are just as capable as the other two in regards to the general idea of outputting damage, the difference comes in their forms of mitigation and survivability. Spintrics have excellent endurance management and can focalize on recharge (Power Sink and Reflexes). Spires are purely offensive, forcing out orange numbers (Burn AoE in the secondary, and Fiery Embrace working with the APP). And Spindles are considered the most "survivable" in their forms of damage mitigation from incoming sources (Oppressive Gloom and Cloak of Fear). With the inclusion of IO's, they can all achieve similar final aspects, each individual build just changes some of the end-goals you might try and strive to fill.

    On a personal front, I've never much cared for the look of Fire Armor, but I do have a Spindle (50) and a Spintric (45), although the later I've not put nearly as much late-game time into, nor any IO's. I did have a planned build for a Spintric somewhere, though, S/L Def and Perma-Hasten, pre Incarnate.
  12. John_Printemps
    Yeah, Fued was...definitely not the most optimal word of choice. Just to discontinue my own word. But, in regards to the benefit of firing Siphon Life in the attack chain, I was curious and pulled the data out of the build I'll be running my own DM/SD off of. Once he has the Very Rare Spiritual, he'll be at 84.5/HPs between a 422 point heal factored in with his regen rate. No way I would give that up.
  13. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Golden_Pie View Post
    Well I won't be taking your adivce any time soon, here's a picture of what happens in game not theory. Here's the results of attacking possesed scientists in PI (all attacks slotted with 3 red SO's).

    http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/b...ireBlast-1.jpg

    Here are the calculations of Damage Per second of Activation (DPA)

    1 - Midnight Grasp - 2.07 activation - 447.76 dmg - 216.31 DPA
    2 - Smite - .97 activation - 196.48 dmg - 202.56 DPA
    3 - Fire Blast - 1.2 activation - 189.52 dmg - 157.93 DPA
    4 - Shadow Punch - .83 activation - 136.26 dmg - 164.17 DPA
    5 - Siphon Life - 1.93 activation - 181.46 dmg - 94.02 DPA
    Not to hop into the feud, but doesn't this prove what was being said by your opposition? Fire Blast, in 1.2/s still did less DPA than Shadow Punch (Based on the information you're saying you've provided from in game). 164.17 damage in .83 seconds versus 157.93 damage in 1.2 seconds? There isn't a single attack in the DM primary that doesn't outperform Fire Blast. Even Siphon Life because it carries utility in it's heal, making that far superior in a chain than anything you could replace it with. MG>Smite>SL>Smite is the top chain, and no APP is going to exchange this.
  14. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Granite Agent View Post
    Thanks for the input on the endurance / Focus-slotting issue. I guess I will see how it goes -- not like losing an endo IO or even an explosive strike proc is that expensive, if I try it and want to replace w/o respec.

    I just want to raise up my other question, which kind of got lost. So I'll quote myself:
    Oh, of course, the Recharge concern. With the Very Rare you're pushing another 32% Recharge into Follow Up, so we could say that if you could come up with another 32% Global Rech that should (theoretically) be the same. For a Claws/SR, digging up sources for the recharge you'd need would be difficult. Ring of Fire and Char from the APP could get you 16.25% (Decimation in Char, Purple set in RoF), toss your last 5% bonus into Aid Self to move you up to 21.25%. The only other way I could find another source would be in the 6.25% zone, and I'm only seeing that in ..ah, there, skip the Pyre and grab Soul Mastery for Soul Tentacles (10%) 5-Slot, Darkest Night (6.25%) 4-Slot, Dark Obliteration (6.25%)5-Slot, and Widow (6.25%) 4-Slot, ontop of Aid Self (5%) 5-Slot, gives you 33.75%

    Edit of the Edit: Fixed.
  15. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Granite Agent View Post
    Man, JP & Iggy, you guys are awesome! It's like you see things there in MIDS that I can't even see

    I actually don't mind losing Swipe -- I prefer simpler builds/chains, and if I don't need it, I'd rather put the slots somewhere else. I think Iggy's build stays just over 2K hp as well, which I like a lot.
    In that case, done. Iggy's level of HP, and a tad bit more Regen too.

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    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Granite Agent View Post
    Question re Focus & follow-up: There's an endo IO in Focus, and another IO (different) you both put in FU due to endurance/recharge issues.

    If one assumes one is turning off all toggles except Tough and Focused Senses to DPS the pylon, then is it worth putting an explosive strike proc in Focus instead of the endurance IO? I know you keep talking about the endo use of the chain, but perhaps it would be OK with only 2 toggles running?

    Thanks guys!
    As was already kind of pointed out: The Pylon test is a stress test of your character as a whole. There's really no major advantage to turning off a couple things (which, under the cirumstances you'd only be able to turn off Focused Fighting and Evasion. You'd still be running Tough, Weave, CJ, and Focused Senses) to do this just to momentarily avoid the end problem (if there is one). You're still looking at ~3.6 Net EPS to work with while all the toggles are on, and that's actually about right to balance you. Just guessing off of recalled numbers, you should be within a -.2 to +.2 range for consumption. That doesn't account for Hasten or Aid Self, but if you do turn off FF and Evasion (As they aren't required here), you'd most likely zero out to either almost negligible loss, or potentially minimal gain overall.

    But that's entirely on the basis of taking Follow Up and Focus as either of us suggests.

    Edit: Follow Up > Focus > Slash animates 3.96, End Cost (Based off mine since it was open) 13.585, turns out to 3.431 e/s. We'll assume you use Aid Self once a minute (just as a guide line here), that'd be .142 e/s. Hasten drops 15 end once every two minutes for you, that's another .125 e/s. So that's a total EPS of 3.698; and with a theoretical 3.6 (3.0 Net gain, with 0.20*3 from Shifter Procs for another 0.60) net gain, that's a loss of 0.098 e/s. With a max end of 115, that would take just over 19 minutes to drop your blue bar.

    That's to say you're never stopping the endurance drain. In reality, the 4.49 seconds it takes to cast Aid Self, you restore 13.47 end, so I could realistically take out the .142/s and turn that into a 0.018 net gain (once you fish through all the math, that is). So 3.698 swings around into 3.538, and you are endurance sustainable, ad infinitum.
  16. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Iggy_Kamakaze View Post
    Very nice JP...

    FU needs to recharge in 2.904, so technically it should be gapless, although going from my Claws/SR scrapper which have FU coming back at 2.873, the recharging thing still comes up, so yeah, you might need a wee bit more recharge.


    Made a few changes going off from that build.
    Fu-Focus-Slash chain really guts out your endurance, so some minor changes to try to get it under control.
    I do find it interesting to see seperate directions on the same goal meet in similar directions. You did end up shaving a considerable amount somewhere, so I'll have to give it a second look and see if there's any more I can finagle; it does give me an additional idea that wouldn't gut an entire attack out of the build. It would ultimate depend on Granite's thoughts on loosing or gaining. An entire attack out of the build isn't such a big deal for some, especially on a single target focal chain; but personally I like having some alternative options from time to time, so that would be too much of a loss to me.

    Edit:

    Yup, found it. Cut Follow Up down to 2.873 (Imagine that!), retained the Tier 1/2, kept the base of the defenses at 45%, raised the end up, put Superior Conditioning back in from Focused Accuracy, and dropped the end down, slotted Focus and Follow Up with some end reduction so that the whole chain is just a tad under 13 end per run (which, still seems a tad high, but not really many more options to cut that, and when the build runs .77 w/o Tough, and has 4.3 for a gross gain...).

    Oh, I also left one slot to carry the potential of the PvP 3% Def IO to take the build up to a safer 48% M/R/A

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  17. John_Printemps
    Dragged your build through mids and did some over-all tightening across the board. Many numbers stay the same, a few get balanced/improved (in the defense/end management (usage versus earnings)), and only one small loss in .3 HP/s. Taking the idea of going full throttle on the Spiritual Slot, I got Followup to shrink to 2.891/s but I think this is still marginally a few .00#'s shy of being a perfect chain for FU>Focus>Slash. As an alternative I worked in Swipe over Strike to keep a shorter chain (out of curiosity), but you're still only looking at ~180-185 DPS (Just a quick crunch guess). I'll let you look at it and see what you think.

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  18. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by EvilRyu View Post
    I skimmed thru the video you were mostly fighting the drones, they already do piddly damage. Try this against say arachnos or carnies and then we will talk. Rikti are hardly an end game challege. Essentially the main damage type needs to be high hard hitting energy/n.energy/cold/fire damage or even all psi. Rikti are lethal energy and weak energy if you look at the drones. Also pick a map thats not a cave.
    I believe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5sol...eature=related <-- this sums up the entirety of any conversation anyone on this forum has tried to have with you.
  19. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Neogumbercules View Post
    I wish my /FA and /DA had a taunt aura. It makes it so much easier to handle a group of enemies. I hate runners.
    You know what would be awesome for [non taunt] damage auras? Taunt Proc!
  20. John_Printemps

    An Inquiry

    POST-ACTION

    Guess I'm not really surprised to see mostly Katana, Broadsword, Fiery Melee, and Dark Melee as the favored sets. Shame, was hoping I might see at least one other Kinetic Enthusiast!
  21. John_Printemps

    An Inquiry

    POST-ACTION

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by theheat View Post
    I only bring this up because you might want to wait to spend a lot of money on recharge sets for a chain, and it changes later.
    I don't take much value in rumors; but this isn't about /my/ chain, it's about interest in everyone else's

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mercator View Post
    On thick packs Whirling Sword is interspersed as necessary to help cut down on the crowding. Hard to look awesome when Council are all pushing for an autograph.
    Something like this (and Werner's post) are exactly what I'm looking for.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Auroxis View Post
    Take a look at this thread: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showt...79#post1035379

    Bill Z Bubba has a very good analysis of the best attack chains and the DPS potential of the different melee sets.
    And while I am always interested in the performance of each set, and their potential, that's not what this thread is about (so much). I'm not seeking advice, I'm looking for personal experiences to go along with the datamining.

    Edit: I thought maybe diving a bit further into the thought process might help! See, where I'm coming from, I truly love the flow of Quick Strike > Body Blow > Smashing Blow > Body Blow > Concentrated Strike. The fact that it happens to recharge in that fashion is merely a plus. I also like Focused Burst, but only if I can "warm up" to it with QS and BB or SB. I hate FB before CS because I feel it visually looks confusing to collect energy in two different fashions that don't flow back to back very well (imo). For AoE, the set lacks this to a degree. The knockback cone can work, but I don't care for tossing badies off the grid for no reason when they can't hit me 95% of the time anyway, so I build the recharge (sans Purples) to have Burst recharge fast enough that the two or so seconds in between are feasible for laying down successive attacks. There's also Energy Torrent in there as well, to fill that cone gap so I can run Burst > Burst > Torrent without much concern. From this, I have inadvertently made my single-target chain options a lot better; and it all relied solely on visuals.
  22. John_Printemps

    An Inquiry

    POST-ACTION

    So I've been looking into a potential project that has posed a question that has me curious, so instead of trying to rummage through all the Scrapper primaries and determine the infinite possibilities, I thought I'd instead turn to the Scrapper community to try and answer my puzzle. I've spent a lot of time on Kinetic Melee recently, and I'm aware of the optimal chain, and the chain I enjoy running for visual effect. I'm looking for attack chains, both optimal, and player-preference. What Prim/Sec you may be running, and the chain you've chosen to run, whether because it is the best the primary can run, or is optimized to other aspects of your build. For whatever reason, what are you chaining, and why?
  23. John_Printemps
    I've found the best way to taunt something, is to simply stab it in the face.

    Just saying.

    /jest

    On a secondary note, the idea came to mind just now: What say anyone to the proposition that Confront (a power that is, by and far, widely skipped) be transformed into a more useful tool to the Scrapper as a whole? I'm thinking maybe a 7-10 foot radius taunt aura, un-enhanceable beyond accuracy and endruance. Have a base Acc of maybe 50% (Ala Cloak of Fear style, broke Acc), and a start off end drain somewhere in the neighborhood of 0.80/eps? Make it allowable for the taunt sets, but no enhancement on the taunt itself; leave it just powerful enough that it'll help grab aggro, but no stronger than, say, 75% of a true tanker taunt. This way [we] can compensate some for the loss or lack of a tank, and likewise have a personal option for crowd control even when solo. It'll force a few slots for interest, but is probably not something that will get run 24/7 without intentionally building around it to do so. As a bit of a quirk, there is the issue of things like AAO or RttC that this would over compliment, so maybe make it so the power halves when another taunt effect is running in order to limit it's effectiveness? Or, otherwise completely un-runnable while one of the others is running?

    Then, I would pick the power up, and use it. Not constantly, but it would be nice to throw on the pile from time to time.
  24. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    A sample build with soft cap S/L
    I would never say this is impossible, but I will say that it is an unlikely expectation. Divine Avalanche will definitely be able to give you soft capped Melee/Lethal with a double application maintained, but any other position you'll be strapped to answer for. Your next best bet would probably be in Ranged, which you could manage maybe 25-30% within reason, before you'd be sacrificing to the rest of the build, and possibly add to AoE in the same fashion. I'm pretty sure someone's [Werner?] gotten around 30% Ranged/AoE, using DA to soft cap on Melee/Lethal before it started penalizing other areas. As for Perma Hasten, this is incredibly easy with the Spiritual Alpha Slot tree now. About 90% Global Rech, with two 50 Rech IO's in Hasten and the Core Paragon Very Rare should get you Perma-Hasten. As for those Purpls you have, you might want to hold on to them (depending on what they are), as a few five-sets of those can help set you up for that Global Recharge.

    Oh, and mind, this is entirely disregarding Shadow Meld/MoG when talking about defense percentages.
  25. John_Printemps
    Quote:
    Really, recharge ftw. But if you want to go a different route (defense to stack with your SD friend: if he takes Grant Cover and, say Manoeuvres, you have a decent leg-up to start stacking defense yourself), try considering these powers as layers of defense. Integration + Reconstruction for day-to-day killing. Add Dull Pain for a big heal and temporary boost to regen as second line of defense. Add DP + Instant Healing as a third line, and simply use Moment of Glory for a quick boost when you need to enter a big fight first, draw sudden aggro from a second group, etc (or even skipping it completely, though it's a pretty good power).
    This is a pretty common goal. Boost your recharge as far as you can get it to stack up things like Dull Pain, and keep MoG and IH up as frequent as possible. As a bit of momentum or inspiration in the idea: I just closed Mid's on a Claws/Regen build. 80% Global Recharge, two Rech IO's in Hasten, and tag the Very Rare Spiritual Core Paragon Alpha Slot, you'll have Hasten just shy perma by 2/s and this is pretty easy to build towards. With this, and a 5-Set of Doctored Wounds in Dull Pain, you'll actually be able to double stack for 20 seconds, and Reconstruction slotted the same way will be up every 16 seconds under those circumstances. Both of these just to emphasize the whole Recharge point of view.

    On a personal perspective, I worked in 20% Positional Defense, and 25% S/L Resists as padding to pushed regen, along with the above stats.

    And remember, just because only a handful of the powers in the secondary require recharge to get a lot more mileage out of them, your primary also greatly benefits from being pushed faster! As "they" say: The best defense is sometimes a good offense.