Kanto2

I started a ice/storm controller but decided to try the storm set in its 'pure' form and began a defender.

As I've never played one here's a build I cooked up, tips would be welcome.

01) --> O2 Boost==> Heal(1) Heal(11) Heal(11)
01) --> Dark Blast==> Acc(1) Acc(3)
02) --> Snow Storm==> EndRdx(2) EndRdx(3)
04) --> Moonbeam==> Acc(4) Dmg(5) Dmg(5) Dmg(7) Rechg(7) Rechg(15)
06) --> Hover==> Empty(6)
08) --> Freezing Rain==> Rechg(8) Rechg(9) Rechg(9)
10) --> Swift==> Empty(10)
12) --> Hurricane==> EndRdx(12) TH_DeBuf(13) TH_DeBuf(13) TH_DeBuf(15)
14) --> Fly==> Fly(14) Fly(31) Fly(31)
16) --> Tenebrous Tentacles==> Acc(16) Acc(17) Dmg(17) Dmg(19) Dmg(19) Rechg(36)
18) --> Health==> Empty(18)
20) --> Stamina==> EndMod(20) EndMod(21) EndMod(21)
22) --> Night Fall==> Acc(22) Acc(23) Dmg(23) Dmg(25) Dmg(25) Rechg(36)
24) --> Assault==> EndRdx(24)
26) --> Tornado==> Rechg(26) Rechg(27) Rechg(27)
28) --> Tactics==> EndRdx(28) TH_Buf(29) TH_Buf(29) TH_Buf(34)
30) --> Thunder Clap==> Acc(30) DisDur(31)
32) --> Lightning Storm==> Acc(32) Dmg(33) Dmg(33) Dmg(33) Rechg(34) Rechg(34)
35) --> Life Drain==> Acc(35) Acc(36) Heal(37) Heal(37) Rechg(37) Rechg(39)
38) --> Blackstar==> Dmg(38) Dmg(39) Dmg(39) Acc(40) Acc(40) Rechg(40)

I didn't went past the epic levels partly because it's still open to decision.

The Leadership pool seems rather straightforward whenever I play a Defender because of the good numbers they get, but without it I could fit Steamy Mist which seems helpful (I say seems for I have a MM with Shadow Fall and for the life of me I never really noticed any difference other than the stealth).

Slightly unrelated, does anyone know the numbers on Smoke? How much does it debuff?

10%? 5%?

I just picked Smoke on my controller, and despite taking accuracy enhancements I have yet to see it miss a single time, the whole spawn goes with the little clouds over their head and that's it.

Is it auto-hit? Or is it just me?

ARRR! Don't imobilizes prevent KB? I thought that was so when I played a controller and stuff.

The build is pretty tight, though I *could* try fitting Eviscerate if, in my testing, I didn't end at best hitting 2 mobs with it. 5 range doesn't quite led itself to AoEing goodness though it's the second most damaging move of claws.

It's so good I've flabbergated everyone into speechless wonderment ^_^

Well, IMO claws is a good set. What it lacks in hipothetic burst damage it more than makes do with endless slicin' n dicin'.

Now /invuln on the other hand, well..

Ahem, y'know, being a ghost and stuff /dark wouldn't be too far off, right? Right?? Right!

:scurries off::

I've grown to enjoy playing with tanks, stay close and spam Spin whenever it is up. Coupled with my friend's FS it rings for an average of 250 dmg. That led me to want more AoEs to throw into the mix.

Shockwave would be obvious, except knockback kinda upsets the whole 'spam AoEs into a cluster of enemies' which in turn made me think of imobilises, namely Tenebrous Tentacles.

As a bonus they do damage too O

So, basicly go in, get FSed, throw TT to glue the mobs down, throw Spin, Shockwave, hell, throw Torrent as well, dunno what damage it does as Hero planner doesn't state it, and I've seen 'minor' damage do as much as so called moderate.

In order to fit everything I had to gimp my single target chain, removing Slash and keeping Strike instead. By the planner it's around 1 BI less but the gain of an extra AoE (in fact, of them all since it was pretty much the only way I could find to wedge them all in *and* slot) should offset it for team play... I think.

Obviously a level 50 respec.

01) --> Strike==> Acc(1) Acc(3) Dmg(5) Dmg(5) Dmg(15) EndRdx(37)
01) --> Focused Fighting==> DefBuf(1) DefBuf(15) DefBuf(17) EndRdx(17)
02) --> Focused Senses==> DefBuf(2) DefBuf(3) DefBuf(7) EndRdx(7)
04) --> Agile==> DefBuf(4) DefBuf(25) DefBuf(25)
06) --> Air Superiority==> Acc(6) Acc(13) Dmg(13) Dmg(23) Dmg(23) EndRdx(37)
08) --> Follow Up==> Acc(8) Acc(9) Rechg(9) Rechg(11) Rechg(11) EndRdx(37)
10) --> Practiced Brawler==> Rechg(10) Rechg(46)
12) --> Swift==> Empty(12)
14) --> Fly==> Fly(14) Fly(42) Fly(43)
16) --> Health==> Heal(16) Heal(42) Heal(42)
18) --> Focus==> Acc(18) Acc(19) Dmg(19) Dmg(39) Dmg(39) EndRdx(39)
20) --> Stamina==> EndMod(20) EndMod(21) EndMod(21)
22) --> Quickness==> Empty(22)
24) --> Dodge==> DefBuf(24) DefBuf(27) DefBuf(27)
26) --> Aid Other==> Empty(26)
28) --> Aid Self==> Heal(28) Heal(29) Heal(29) Rechg(31) IntRdx(31) IntRdx(31)
30) --> Spin==> Acc(30) Acc(33) Dmg(33) Dmg(33) Dmg(34) Rechg(34)
32) --> Shockwave==> Acc(32) Acc(34) Dmg(36) Dmg(36) Dmg(36) Rechg(40)
35) --> Evasion==> DefBuf(35) DefBuf(43) DefBuf(43) EndRdx(45)
38) --> Elude==> Rechg(38) Rechg(40) Rechg(40)
41) --> Torrent==> Acc(41) Acc(45) Dmg(45) Dmg(46) Dmg(46)
44) --> Dark Blast==> Empty(44)
47) --> Tenebrous Tentacles==> Acc(47) Acc(48) Dmg(48) Dmg(48) Dmg(50) Rechg(50)
49) --> Lucky==> DefBuf(49) DefBuf(50)

That's because PvP has a tendency to be 1 VS 1 or perhaps two-three. Where PvE it's usualy 5-6-7 and the dice ends up straying.

So, I'm 42 with my claws/SR scrapper and got two powers left. I'm leaning towards my AoE toggle and perhaps Stealth. Any epics which seem very very good and shouldn't be passed? I hear Focused Accuracy is a must for PvP. Is it better than Tactics?

Does FA have +perception? If it does, how weird would it sound to grab FA, grab Tactics, triple slot both with End Reducts and then change my attacks slotting to 3 end reduc, 3 damage, or 1 accuracy, 2 end reduc, 3 damage?

I have a respec so I could switch my powers around to accomodate having those two. I'd try it myself over the test server, but I could only do so at 46. Pick pre-requisite at 41, FA at 45, slot at 46 (at least for the endurance test).

O RLY!

(Funy avatar :> )

I finnaly got Elude and yeah, for some reason my bind is 'God Mode... ON!'

The flashing icon is too small and out of the way for me to notice when its coming down, on the other hand I seem to have a grasp for when its about to end. Or just play safe. Kind of like, run in, kill four spawns then wait the remaining seconds until it crashes.

Was playing with a guy who had MoG.... Hmmm... Nah, gimme Elude ;p

Aye aye. Actually nowadays I jump into a spawn of 5-6 red minions with a lieutenant or two sprinkled in and survive, but Aid Self doth help.

I'm loving the character now. I read Spin was weak and not very good and etc, but picked it up at.. 36.. or was it 34.. Well, anyway, I quite like it which just proves we should try things and decide for ourselves. Though the damage isn't spectacular it's easy to stack Follow Up and use Spin for an easy 120 dmg all around. If I focus on a boss by the time it is dead so are all the minions.

I swear I feel like a Spine scrapper at times ^^ With my friend tanking and my other friend SBing and FSing I'm like, throwing around 200 dmg every 6-7 seconds.

SR wise I'm adoring Elude, so very easy to tank with, just pop it and go herd mobs to do forementioned Spin tactic. I still feel SR defenses to be lacking at times (bad rolls) but just like plenty of other SRers out there, at others I feel like a mini God.

P.S. As someone mentioned I'm starting to be my behind owned by AoEs, being that fighting 3-4 orange Earth CoT minions be a bit dangerous as they do Footstomp (or not, the one who makes a spike of rock appear under us) which seems to be an AoE and hits hard when all four do it.

I *was* fighting Anti-Matter and he would kill me as nothing by doing his Green Ball of DOOM, though with him I'm not sure even if having the toggle would help.

I'll have to test as I'm not sure on my next, and last, two powers, I could easily pick the AoE toggle in one of them.

::headscritches::

:pens mouth to say something.... decides not to::

I'm curious about Elude's.. elusiveness.

Hero Builder says it lasts two minutes. Then again it also says we cannot attack or aid allies while Eluded. This appears to be a throwback from I2, from what I've been told.

So if it was wrong on that, what about the duration? Some say three minutes, some say two.

I'm also curious about the crash. Loss of all endurance? Dropping of all toggles?

Any information will be welcome

Shlickt? Blasphemer!!

Everyone knows it's *snick*

Ahem...

So...

Can someone who has Elude decide if it two minutes or three minutes that it lasts?

Did someone made up their mind if it's two minutes or three minutes for Elude?

Hero builder says it's two minutes, 120 seconds. But it also said we can't attack foes or help allies?

Wut?

Now that I've reached 32 I'm finnaly happy with SR. It was a late bloomer for sure but yes, I'm happy with it, it's working quite well.

Now I finnaly have everything slotted, shields and passives, attacks and even Aid Self (albeit with only one slot until level 33) I feel my character shines.

Which is to say I take back what I said earlier on the tread and bow to those who insisted SR would be good later on.

It has three things I particulary like :

1 - It's defense based. I dodge and block a good chunk of attacks and, as far as my meager testing goes, if I munch on even the lowest of purplies I go just about untouchable. Being defense based I worry less about side effects like slows and -recharge and -accuracy that resist sets have to deal with.

2 - Despite being a defence set it has resists. I tried to battle a friend who had a ice tank and though I only managed to kill him once when he removed Chilling Embrace, he floundered for a good bit before managing to kill me (not to mention he had a 1k heal and I had none yet). I was surprised at his damage as I've always been told that tanks do low damage but Rage and KO Blow would hit by the 300+ dmg and the +accuracy would allow him to pass my shields (i fought another friend with a fire/stone tank and could kill him a few times though mostly because his endurance ran out). Even so he would miss a good deal and by the time I was in the red his attacks would easily dip to half damage (the 60% resist mentioned). If I had a heal I might kill him, but still probably not as CE gimped me and he could use Hibernate if he wanted.

3 - Quickness. Nothing more to say there. Swift + Quickness + bind to follow an enemy means in battle I'm zipping left and right and I don't have have gaps.

I find my damage okay, it's probably low by other scrappers, though honestly I never did as much with my blasters (other than the short lived BU + Aim combos). More than big orange numbers it's the quickness at which it is dealt. As an average of 100 dmg per hit, 150+ for Focus a single combo can produce around 400-500 dmg criticals not included, the whole dealt in around 7-8 seconds.

Of course lethal resist enemies are a bane as I can easily deal -50% dmg.

Number one problem will to be aknowledged, this happens in all RP places and not just CoH. We go in, we try to chat with someone and get no answer as they keep talking with someone else.

Very disheartening.

A tip about that (especially if playing the RP game recently) is to *not* make a brooding, dark, loner type. Yes, comics and movies make it seem 'cool', but in practice what we obtain is a character who stays apart from the others and in silence.

For the most while this kind of character will not be interacted since there is little interaction coming. Danger of trying to RP a lone wolf.

This might not be as much of a problem once, a) having more RP time under the belt, which allows more creativity in overcoming it, or b) having already a few RP friends which can be coaxed to come speak and interact with said loner.

Another tip I'd recomend is to *not* spring from yon's momma womb already a supah-hero, master of all known martial arts and with laser beams from the eyes. A level 1 is a level 1 and it can, and is, quite fun to be the newbie, the rookie who is still trying to control his basic powers and stopping muggings.

This is a good ice breaker to start RP In My Opinion.

A last tip is to not be shy (this one is harder and it took a considerable time for me to overcome). Talking is good, talk a lot, it helps.

Some people ask why my RP character, Mini Decoy, speaks so much. Well, I've figured that there's no use having a description, a quirk (be it of speech, or how someone RPs limping, or a fear of something that is shown), if no one mentions it and offers a 'hook'.

Hooks are what keep conversations and RP flowing. Someone says something and offers a hook, reply to what was said and offer a hook. The one speaking with takes the hook and replies to it. This keeps a conversation going instead of degenerating into 'Hmm.. Yeah.. So...'

Someone with an eye patch for example. The character might have a whole story behind it all prepared up, but if no one asks, then the story stays bottled up.

Of course there's little danger of that happening with Mini around ^^

[ QUOTE ]

Without AoE protection you will die, a lot. For /SR to work you really need to 3-slot all the toggles AND all the passives with defbuffs (won't go wrong with an endred in the toggles as well).

Note also that standing around in a bunch of villains with a def build will get you killed eventually (unless they are grey). The trick is to jump in and kill, er arrest them before they get through your defences.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd agree with you excetp, well, I *do* have melee and ranged triple sloted and I still die (read, get hit until it happens) so I fail to see how it'll behave any differently regarding AoEs. Far as I see AoEs will be fired and I will get hit by then despite having the defenses up.

I read you about tanking though, and I feel it's a bit better now I've my attacks propperly slotted. I suppose the resists will also help. Killing things fast before they can lay the hurt back is key.

[ QUOTE ]
err a mob of 6 n u popped 2 greens and died?

to me it sounds like your super reflxes build....well..sucks

SR is a really good set to play if you know how to play it

maybe you need to analyse whats wrong with your character?

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends on what you mean by 'sucking'. Like I mentioned originaly I had both toggles on and each triple slotted with SOs. Didn't had the passives yet.

I fought a six man spawn of -1 Warriors and died, this at level 22.

After a long hiatus for the bile to subside, in the meanwhile trying a few other scrappers and etc, I picked Rzzz'Kr again one morning and made it to 27.

I love the damage, I love Quickness, but I'm still getting hit left and right. I foregoed going the Aid Self route in order to get the passives everyone's raving about and now at 28 I have all three lacking only to add two more slots to each (except Lucky as I don't intend to pick the last toggle against AoEs thus slotting the passive against AoEs seem worthless).

I haven't quite noticed the res to damage kicking yet because we were fighting Rikti of which two things happened: either the healer cured me or I was one shotted, I figure I need to solo a bit and see how it goes.

I'm still getting hit too much for my tastes anyway, I do see once in a while some 'Deflected' floating over my head but as a rule I seem to be wearing paper as armor.

Still, it's not that bad, I just make sure to have a healer in the group, greens in my tray and let the tank go first while I hop around slicing everything to ribbons.

If need be I can always post my build.

I'm starting to think that the whole idea of SR is wrong. The fact it's a defense set tricks the user into focusing about defense.

When ever I see someone praising the SR set it is rarely (if ever) about how much they dodge and duck, but it usualy goes about on how their HP dropped to half and the slidding resistances kept them alive.

I was browsing the US forums and another thread was made about a guy telling how he was doing his Invincible set missions without his toggles. He noticed once he forgot to put them on and the mission was almost over, so he did a few more without them and.. no biggie.

As he says, he had to heal more (aid-self) but the slidding resistances (again) were keeping him up.

I'm sad I don't have a I7 respec because I made my scrapper after it came. I would really like to go to the test server and try a few builds, namely forget the toggles and focus on the passives first then see how it goes.

Later, when not so tight about powers, then sure, dump a few on the toggles and slot them, it's not they are doing much of anything but since they are there, meh.

Having heard good things about SR I rolled a claws/SR and went out to level. The claws bit is smooth as silk, but ever since day one SR felt like I could have it, or not, that no difference showed.

I let this go on account of not having SOs yet and plowed on with friends up until 22 where I finnaly got my SOs and tripple slotted my shields.

Ridiculous.

Jumped in a six mob even level spawn to test my new shields and died in seconds despite chewing two greens.

Quite annoyed I took a break and returned the next day, but it's the same. Once in a while I see a 'dodged' and for the most part I'm being hit.

The last drop was me jumping on a bunch of -1 as I waited for my friend to invite a few to our team.... and died.

Absolutly ridiculous.

I lack the passives, I agree, but what the hell.. triple SO-ed shields can't keep me alive against -1?

This feels like a complete waste of my time, I should've gone /regen or something -_-

Okie, thanks again.

Does using it force a weapon redrawing?

Thanks