Trick Arrow and Archery guide for I7 and beyond
If you're reading this, it's either because you've decided to look into making a Trick Arrow/* defender, a */Archery defender, a */TA controller or mastermind, or an Archery/* blaster...
Or you've read my guide to Kinetics scrappers and want to gather evidence of my insanity to stage a coup in the Lumiverse... WHICH WON'T WORK, YOU JERKS, SO GO AWAY! MY LUMIVERSE! MINE!
>.>
<.<
*activates the Zappy Arrow Defense System and goes back to typing up the guide*
*cough* Yes, well, anyway.
Trick Arrow and Archery are sets that were in demand for a long time, up until they were actually created and released. Fans of comic book archers, people who wanted more options for "natural" characters, and others who just wanted something with a different flavor pleaded and cajoled for some kind of bow and arrow action since the game was first introduced, but it wasn't until Issue 5 that TA and Archery saw the light of day. And, unfortunately, after the sets made the move to the live servers, most found them to be disappointing, for a variety of reasons. Trick Arrow, what had been seen as a "pure debuff" set, turned out to be a blend of control and debuffs, and the strengths of both were slashed to bare minimums, and the recharge times increased to almost unreasonable levels, before the set left the test server. Archery had significant potential, with one of the attacks dealing nearly snipe level damage (without the interruption or recharge time of a snipe), but also had long animations, some of which were bugged, and was almost exclusively limited to Lethal damage (heavily resisted by a multitude of critters throughout the game).
In the end, Trick Arrow and Archery became curiousities, things that other players encountered once in a while, if ever, and very few played. For almost 10 months, most players were more likely to see Kraken than a TA or Archery character. Part of this, however, was simply because so few had played the sets that there was practically no information available. The dearth of data on the sets caused more players to avoid them, simply because they couldn't tell how they were supposed to be played, how they performed, whether they "got better", etc.
Issue 7 promised some much needed bug fixes and improvements to both sets, and in the 10 months between Issues 5 and 7, some rare few of us have managed to endure all 50 levels with Trick Arrow and Archery characters, which finally opened the floodgates of powerset information. The two factors have had the result of increasing the popularity of both sets, and, most likely, driven you, the reader, to look for a guide to one or both. So here it is.
Now that the history lesson is over, let's get down to the real reason you're here.
Trick Arrow
This set is available to defenders as a primary, and controllers and masterminds as a secondary. Numerically, defenders get the most benefit from the set. Realistically, controllers tend to show better performance with TA simply because it meshes well with most of their primaries. Masterminds have the lowest AT modifier (meaning, they get about 1/2 of defender values for the powers), but like controllers, the set tends to work rather well for them because it's synergistic with their style of play and primary powersets.
This guide will cover Trick Arrow from the defender viewpoint. If you want to play a */TA controller or mastermind, I expect that this guide will still be of no small value in planning your build and understanding the powers, but defenders will get the most from this, for no other reason than that I've never played a */TA anything and haven't fallen out of love with my TA/A defender enough to do so yet. For power recharge times, durations, control, debuff, or other values, please reference the
Power Data Standardization project to determine your AT's modifier and reference it in comparison to the defender modifier to get the information.
We'll start the traditional way, with a basic listing of the powers and their statistics. Some of this is bound to be incorrect, as I'm relying on a planner for any information that I personally haven't gathered, can't find in the Power Data Standardization Index, or have never gotten from developers (everyone please give _Castle_ a big THANK YOU for all the information he's released to us on these sets over the last couple of months. this guide would NEVER have been possible without his willingness to disseminate that information)
Entangling Arrow
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 1[*]Effects: Immobilize, -Speed (.1), -Recharge (.1), -Fly, -Jump[*]Recharge: 4 seconds[*]Animation: 2.2 seconds[*]Duration: 15 seconds[*]Range: 80'[*]Endurance: ~4.2[*]Accuracy: 1.2 (base accuracy .75 * 1.2 modifier = .9, or 90% accuracy versus +0 minions)[*]Slotting recommendation: Accuracy in default, no additional slots.[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "It's a standard immobilization, nothing really special. Great for keeping enemies at range, or dropping them out of the sky. Small bug that causes the immobilization to occur 0.5 to 1 second after the arrow hits, so try to keep as much distance as possible between you and the target when using this arrow, as running critters can cover a lot of ground in a second."[/list]
Flash Arrow
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 1 (defender), Level 2 (controller, mastermind)[*]Effects: Perception debuff (-450'), ToHit debuff (6.25%)[*]Recharge: 15 seconds[*]Animation: 3.3 seconds[*]Duration: 60 seconds[*]Range: 80', 35' AoE centered on critter[*]Endurance: ~7.8[*]Accuracy: Auto-hit in PvE, 1.0 in PvP[*]Slotting recommendation: PvE - Range or ToHit debuff in default slot, no additional slots. PvP - 2 or 3 Accuracy.[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "I hate this arrow. The tohit debuff is negligable, it doesn't self-stack, and the perception debuff is no better than Stealth for PvE purposes. Even worse, when critters are aggroed, the FIRST thing they check is, 'Who did something first', and only AFTER that do they turn their attention to whoever has the higher threat level. What that means is, using Flash Arrow on a spawn before the tank runs in will typically result in the critters ripping your intestines out, THEN realizing that there's a tank there. I
hate this arrow."[/list]
Glue Arrow
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 2 (defender), Level 4 (controller, mastermind)[*]Effects: -Speed, -Recharge (.25), -Fly, -Jump, moderate Interrupt[*]Recharge: 60 seconds[*]Animation: 2.7 seconds[*]Duration: 30 seconds[*]Range: 60', 25' AoE centered on critter[*]Endurance: ~7.8[*]Accuracy: Auto-hit in both PvE and PvP (note: any critters or players entering the AoE will be debuffed for as long as the power is active. according to _Castle_, critters and players should also be debuffed for 30 seconds after exiting the patch, but may not be working properly at this time. mixed reports on this)[*]Slotting recommendation: 2 to 3 Recharge Reduction, optionally 1 to 3 Slow[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "This is your first 'good' arrow, and it's one you'll get a lot of use out of from 2 to 50. It's a great team-oriented power, and it's just as good for solo play. Glue won't stop the first volley of return fire, but it will increase the time before the critters can attack again, and keep them out of melee range, and on the ground where you can deal with them properly. Remember that the slow is less effective against higher level critters, so if you're going to team a lot, slotting for extra slow would keep this power strong against +2 and above critters."[/list]
Ice Arrow
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 6 (defender), Level 10 (controller, mastermind)[*]Effects: Hold (mag 3), -Speed (.1), -Recharge (.1)[*]Recharge: 18 seconds[*]Animation: 3.3 seconds[*]Duration: 15 seconds[*]Range: 80'[*]Endurance: ~8.5[*]Accuracy: 1.0[*]Slotting recommendation: 1 or 2 Accuracy, 2 or 3 Hold Duration, 1 or 2 Recharge Reduction[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "This is what I call a 'standard defender hold'. The basic statistics are the same as nearly every other hold, save that it does almost nothing else. The -speed and -recharge are almost unnoticible, and then, only applicable when you're fighting enemies boss level or above. Nevertheless, it's one of the staples in my quiver. It's perfect for solo players, and it's also very useful for taking dangerous lieutenants out of the fight. Also good for stacking with other holds, if you've got one or more others available, to deal with bosses That said, the recharge time on Glue is low enough now that a single-target hold is a bit overshadowed in utility, and if you're going to skip something in TA, this is one of the powers you'll probably be able to leave out of your build without too much worry."[/list]
Poison Gas Arrow
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 8 (defender), Level 16 (controller, mastermind)[*]Effects: -Damage (30%), Sleep (~50% chance/critter, 8 second base duration)[*]Recharge: 45 seconds[*]Animation: 2.7 seconds[*]Duration: 30 seconds[*]Range: 70', 25' AoE centered on critter[*]Endurance: ~10.4[*]Accuracy: Auto-hit in both PvP and PvE (note: the sleep component is not auto-hit, it's a ~50% chance. some spawns might end up with all critters asleep, some might end up with none asleep. the damage debuff, however, applies to all critters or players in the AoE, or who walk through the AoE while the power is still active)[*]Slotting recommendation: 2 or 3 Recharge Reduction, optionally 1 Range, optionally 1 to 3 Sleep Duration[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "This arrow is a MUST if you intend to team. The damage mitigation is very worthwhile. The sleep portion isn't quite as important, since teams aren't likely to let the critters nap for long, but it's nothing to sneeze at. Solo, I rarely use this arrow because I tend to rely on controls, Acid Arrow, and damage output for damage mitigation."[/list]
Acid Arrow
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 12 (defender), Level 20 (controller, mastermind)[*]Effects: -Resistance (20% PvE, 30% PvP), -Defense (25%), minor DoT (~1 point/second)[*]Recharge: 45 seconds[*]Animation: 2.7 seconds[*]Duration: 30 seconds (?)[*]Range: 70', 8' AoE centered on critter[*]Endurance: ~10.4[*]Accuracy: 1.0[*]Slotting recommendation: 2 Accuracy, 2 Recharge Reduction, 2 Defense Debuff[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "The single most worthwhile arrow in the set. Period. In teams, Acid will make an enormous difference by making everything easier to hit and take more damage. This arrow is almost as good as some of the toggled debuffs, with the added benefit of being sticky (stays on the target(s)) and not costing endurance for the entire duration. In solo play, you'll find yourself using Acid Arrow in nearly every situation, even if you're just facing 3 +0 critters. In PvP, this is one of the most devestating things you can bring to the battlefield, because of the extra 10% -resistance (note: defenders only. controllers and masterminds do not get a debuff bonus in PvP), the massive defense debuff, and the DoT, which prevents powers like Hide and Stealth from functioning. After controls, Acid should be the first arrow leaving your bow in every fight. Period."[/list]
Disruption Arrow
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 18 (defender), Level 28 (controller, mastermind)[*]Effects: -Resistance (20%), minor Interrupt[*]Recharge: 60 seconds[*]Animation: 2.7 seconds[*]Duration: 30 seconds[*]Range: 70', 20' AoE centered on targetted location[*]Endurance: ~15[*]Accuracy: Auto-hit in both PvP and PvE[*]Slotting recommendation: 2 or 3 Recharge Reduction, optionally 1 Range[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "I don't really have much to say about Disruption Arrow. It's a rather simple arrow, just a straight-forward resistance debuff and a very light pulsing interrupt. It's handy to have on teams, especially when coupled with Acid Arrow, and it'll put a little more punch into your attacks when soloing. If there's a power you want more, this is another one in TA that you could skip."[/list]
Oil Slick Arrow
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 26 (defender), Level 35 (controller, mastermind)[*]Effects: -Speed (.25 to .35, not solidly determined), heavy Knockdown (may keep critters flat on their backs for up to 30 seconds), extreme Interrupt, Damage (damage total unmeasurable, but in a full 30 seconds of burn time, the power deals enough damage to defeat +0 minions without any debuffs applied), -Defense (2.5%)[*]Recharge: 180 seconds[*]Animation: 2.7 seconds[*]Duration: 30 seconds[*]Range: 70', 20' AoE centered on targetted location[*]Endurance: ~15.6[*]Accuracy: Indeterminate (Knockdown is random but frequent, damage appears to be auto-hit but may just be extremely high inherant accuracy)[*]Slotting recommendation: 3 Recharge Reduction, 3 Damage[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "This is what you worked for 26 levels to get, then another 5 levels to get slotted fully. The damage output from OSA is staggering. If you have a friend who feels like herding and is patient, you can easily take down a group of 16 +0 critters with nothing but OSA and something to ignite it. Toss in the two -resistance powers and you're probably looking at +1s or +2s falling before you. However, this is only once every 3 minutes, and there are still the rare occasions when the slick won't ignite, or you miss the target. You should also keep in mind that the slick can be used as more than a slow Nova. It can be placed in a location that you want to pull critters into, or strictly as a control, or even as a focal point for your other powers (use the target to place your debuffs and controls for more even coverage of spawns, or to drop multiple debuffs/controls before pulling). Lastly, a good technique with OSA is to let it act as a control for 20 to 25 seconds, then hit the target with Glue Arrow and ignite it when it's about to expire. It's a good tactic for slower teams or soloing tougher critters. The biggest drawback of OSA is that it'll be almost wasted on fast, cohesive teams. By the time it's fired and lit, there typically won't be much left to defeat, so keep this in mind when using it. Master this arrow, don't let yourself be enslaved to the damage component."[/list]
EMP Arrow
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 32 (defender), Level 38 (controller, mastermind)[*]Effects: Hold (mag 3, 50% chance for mag 4/critter), -Regeneration, -Endurance, Damage (moderate Energy damage, machines only, not Psionic Clockwork), -Recovery on self for 15 to 20 (?) seconds[*]Recharge: 300 seconds[*]Animation: 3.3 seconds[*]Duration: 30 seconds[*]Range: 70', 35' AoE centered on critter[*]Endurance: ~23[*]Accuracy: 1.0[*]Slotting recommendation: 2 Accuracy, 1 or 2 Hold, 2 or 3 Recharge Reduction[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "This hold is one of the most powerful in the game, bar none. The recharge time is correspondingly long, of course, but the few negatives of this power (recharge time, endurance recovery penalty) are very minor in comparison to the positives. For what EMP Arrow does, it's well worth every slot you devote to it. For teams, it's either salvation from an impending team wipe or an almost guaranteed win against a full-sized spawn. Solo, it's just too much fun not to use at least once in each mission, and it's the one power that finally lets you feel like you don't have to worry constantly. And in PvP, this arrow can be absolutely devestating to your opposition (when slotted with 3 Hold Duration enhancements or Endoplasm HOs and used in conjunction with Power Build Up, you can achieve a hold time of 50 seconds. 3 Hold/Endo + Vanguard = 45 seconds. 3 Hold/Endo + PBU + Vanguard = 60 seconds of unsuppressed hold time). Don't pass this one up. Solo, teamed, or in PvP, it's incredibly useful and worthwhile."[/list]
Trick Arrow commentary and tactical breakdown
Keep in mind, at all times, that you want to utilize the range of your powers to your benefit as often as possible. Range helps offset the animation time penalty (the longer the mobs have to run to reach you, the more time you have to react or for the power in use to land and take effect). Range keeps you alive. Other defenders can get away with going into melee, some primaries are even designed with that intention (Kinetics, for example), but not TA. So don't go into TA/A expecting to stand within 30' of a spawn and "totally pwnz0r, d00d". Use every inch of distance that you can put between you and mobs, and try to keep that distance whenever possible.
Your starting selections are bleak. Neither Entangling Arrow nor Flash Arrow is outstanding or recommendable, but between the two, I personally prefer Entangling Arrow. It's that range thing I was just talking about. Flash's perception debuff is its best asset, but it's not going to keep enemies from beating the tar out of you when they finally realize you're there. Entangling Arrow, however, will keep at least one enemy from closing to melee range, and give you enough time to get a second and third under control in the same way. Regardless of which one you settle for, I don't recommend dedicating any slots to either at this time. Drop an appropriate enhancement in the default slot and move on to the better powers.
And, say it with me again, range = survival. Ranged attacks almost always do less damage than melee attacks.
Take Glue Arrow right away, at level 2. This is a power you're going to use in almost every fight, and it will allow you to get a great deal more utility out of your, or your team's, AoE attacks. It's not the best damage mitigation, but it's definitely good.
Ice Arrow can either have an ENORMOUS impact on your approach to the game, or be entirely and utterly skippable. It's dependant on you and your play style. As someone who relies on holds as a means of personal protection and damage mitigation, I find Ice to be invaluable. When I'm soloing, my opener is ALWAYS Ice Arrow. That's one mob out of three taken out of the fight instantly, which is 1/3rd of the of the incoming damage instantly gone. Ice isn't without its flaws, however. If you miss, you're locked into an animation that seems to last as long as the last glacial period in North America, but the mob not only aggros instantly, he will be VERY eager to explain his irritation at close proximity.
Poison Gas Arrow is your first TRUE defender debuff that's worthy of the AT. Take it, slot it with 3 recharges, use it often. In PvP, you'll probably find it less useful, so if you don't exemp down often (or ever) below whatever level you're going to be playing PvP, you can respec this into your build later. But you absolutely DO want to have it when you're leveling up. I'll also state, again, that PGA ended up being less and less in my solo career as I developed my attack and debuff/control chain more fully. If you're going to focus on soloing, PGA can probably slip down on your list of power selections if you intend to focus on single targets.
Acid Arrow should be used as frequently as possible. It won't self-stack, but the debuffs are just too valuable to play without. Once you have everything held, immobilized, or slowed, don't do ANYTHING else until you've used Acid on the critters. In PvP, don't even waste your time with any other power until you've fired Acid. If you're on a team with another defender or controller, let THEM handle the control, you get Acid on the critters as quickly as possible. I can't stress enough how valuable and critical Acid Arrow is to your success as a TA defender. Solo, in teams, and in PvP, Acid is the best power you have.
Disruption Arrow is a tricky power to use. It's the first power in the set that isn't enemy-targetted, meaning you use it like Teleport or pet summoning - click the power, pick a spot to shoot the arrow. Getting it on a good position isn't always easy, and it CAN be targetted in the air, so you have to watch where you're firing it. It also does nothing to prevent critters from running out of the debuff AoE, so don't plan on using it without some means of mob movement prevention when soloing, such as Glue, Oil Slick, Ice, Entangling, or the sleep in Poison Gas (yes, you can debuff sleeping critters without waking them up). On teams, shoot Disruption as often as it's up, wherever the action is going down, but remember to watch the radius - debuffs do generate aggro, and a debuff that hits an unaggroed spawn WILL CAUSE PROBLEMS.
If you decide to skip a power, your choices will likely be either Ice Arrow or Disruption Arrow. With the recharge time reductions to Glue and Disruption in I7, the decision is actually much more difficult than it used to be. Disruption will improve your rate of XP gain when soloing and be far more useful on teams, but Ice will improve your solo survivability much more. So if you do end up having to pick a TA power to give up, I recommend Ice for the soloer and Disruption for the team player.
Oil Slick Arrow is the power that wows crowds, makes small children laugh and applaud, and even looks great in a bikini. The basic functionality is the same as Ice Slick, slow and knockdown. When you shoot Oil Slick, a small "pet" target pops up in the center. This is what you hit with Fire, Electrical, or Energy damage to ignite the slick, or use as the focal point for your other controls and/or debuffs. Also of note is that the pet/target can attract aggro to itself. Oil Slick is most often used as an instant control (it doesn't aggro until the arrow hits and the slow/knockdown starts) and attack combination, fired right under the feet of critters. Once again, let me remind you that this is the only power you get in TA that you can use as a preventative power, though, so try to look at it as more than a mini-Nuke. In PvP, you want this under YOUR feet because of the Interrupt pulses. The only way it won't prevent a stalker from hitting you with Assassin Strike is if the stalker is hovering right on top of you, just out of the slick. Anything that steps into the slick with an interruptable power WILL be interrupted unless it's heavily slotted for Interrupt Time Reduction, and often not even that will prevent an Interrupt. And don't defeat your slick target, let it remain for as long as possible, then defeat it (gives you a 30 second Burn patch, effectively) or use it to fire Glue Arrow (to try to give yourself another short while of safety).
EMP Arrow is best used on teams, but it's definitely not pointless when you're soloing. With 3 recharge SOs, it'll be available just about every 2.5 minutes, so you could use it several times in each mission if you felt like it. Mind your endurance bar, though, and remember that it was designed to be a situational power, so don't waste it. Even if you've been through a mission 37 times in the past, you might turn a corner and find yourself face to face with something unexpected. Also, those outdoor hunt missions will be much easier with EMP Arrow.
Good pools to couple with Trick Arrow are Leadership, Concealment, and Medicine. Each of these pools offers something to help shore up the weaknesses of TA. Assault and Tactics are very complimentary to your debuffs, solo or teamed. Aid Other and Stimulant give you some additional tools to counter the lack of a strong accuracy debuff or more defensive capabilities, and Aid Self is of obvious value. Grant Invisibility and Stealth or Invisibility will suppliment the weak debuff and -perception in Flash Arrow, but they also work just as well without Flash Arrow and can be used very well to give your teams, and yourself, an edge.
Do you need Stamina? No. Trick Arrow is the most endurance-friendly set available. If you have another pool in mind, teh answer is yes, you can get by well enough without the Fitness pool. For those of you who are trying to create a "natural" or "MAN" build, I do recommend Fitness, and for your travel power, Hurdle is your best option. Hurdle with 3 Jump SOs is a very fast means of locomotion. Slotting Sprint for jump speed helps a small bit, enough to push you over Fly speed, so if you have extra slots, it's worth considering putting 1 to 3 of them in Sprint, too, with Jump and Endurance Reduction SOs filling them. Health can be taken in place of Aid Self. You won't have the "burst healing" that Aid Self gives, but the improvement in regeneration speed will usually be enough to allow you to keep going at a very reasonable pace. I do recommend taking either Health or Aid Self, though. TA has matured into a fair set, but it's still weaker than other defender sets and you're going to want some type of HP recovery as critters get tougher. Swift and Stamina, I leave to your discretion. If you feel you need them, take them. If not, then you have one or two more power selections elsewhere.
For your APP, the best choices are Power Mastery, for Power Build Up, or Psychic Mastery for Mass Hypnosis. Dark Mastery should be avoided, absolutely, because it violates the first commandment of Trick Arrow: "Stay out of melee range". Electric Mastery offers an immobilization, which you already have one of in your primary, and a melee attack, which you not only shouldn't even have opportunity to use if you're playing the set smartly, but which also will cause bow redraw, and redraw can often mean the difference between survival and defeat for TA. The shield is nice, but not really vital, and Power Sink, again, requires you to be in melee range. I recommend Power and Psychic for the utility they offer. Power Build Up increases the duration of your holds and immobilization by 133% of the base, to which any enhancement values are then added. PBU also amplifies the endurance drain in EMP Arrow very nicely, buffs Aid Self if you have that, doubles the defensive bonus of Grant Invisibility, etc. A very useful power and worth having, but an important thing to know is that debuffs are NOT affected by PBU (that means your -damage, -acc, -recharge, -speed, and other - powers won't benefit). Keep that in mind when selecting your APP. PBU is very useful for many things, but it won't make the core powers of TA better, it will just add utility. Mass Hypnosis will give you more control, or allow you to set up your debuffs in greater safety, either of which can be a boon to TA players.
Archery
This may very well be both the most reviled and, at the same time, most fascinating blast set. For every person posting about how bad Archery is, there's another person posting about how much he/she loves it. Archery really is a love/hate set. Some people simply can't stand it, others think it's the best thing in City of Heroes, and the two rarely see eye to eye.
Archery's bad points are the animation times, the bow redraw when using non-Archery, non-TA, non-Inherant powers, and the fact that it's almost all Lethal damage.
The animations are long for the best powers in the set, and it's not uncommon for players to find themselves defeated at the same moment an attack goes off. "Corpse blasting", or having your attack not hit until a critter has already been defeated, is also common, and something that many players find irritating. Bow redraw is a related issue in that the problem it presents is even longer animation times. The lethal damage problem is something shared amongst many sets, in reality, but appears to be a bit more pronounced in Archery because of the coupling with the animation time issue.
The good points of Archery are its inherant accuracy (1.16), a single-target attack that deals nearly as much damage as a snipe, very good range on almost all of the attacks, a good mix of both single- and multi-target attacks, and a pseudo-Nuke that has a short recharge (60 seconds) and no endurance penalties at all (no -recovery, no full endurance drain). Also, Archery's Aim is the only click self-buff that won't cause bow redraw (in fact, Aim instantly redraws your bow if it's not drawn, so it's best used at the end of a click self-buff chain or after anything that puts the bow away).
Graphically, Archery is perhaps the least "flashy" set, but it has, arguably, the most flair and style. The attacks chain together with fluidity and grace (barring lag, of course), and the animations themselves, despite being long to the point of driving some players mad, really are very well done. As for the individual powers (to translate the DS numbers for damage, reference the
Power Data Standardization project)...
Snap Shot
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 1[*]Effects: Damage (0.68 DS)[*]Recharge: 2 seconds[*]Animation: 1 second[*]Range: 80'[*]Endurance: ~5[*]Accuracy: 1.16 (base accuracy .75 * 1.16 Archery modifier = .87 or 87% base accuracy versus +0 minions)[*]Slotting recommendation: 1 Accuracy, 3 Damage, or None[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "Okay, so it's a fast, sharp, pointy stick. The damage is still poor. For defenders, it's a lousy arrow that doesn't do enough damage to justify its existance. For blasters, it's scarcely better. The only reason to voluntarily take it is to fill out an early-build attack chain. The only reason to keep using it after the better attacks are slotted up is masochism."[/list]
Aimed Shot
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 1 (blaster), Level 2 (defender)[*]Effects: Damage (1.00 DS)[*]Recharge: 4 seconds[*]Animation: 1.67 seconds[*]Range: 80'[*]Endurance: ? (endurance cost reduced in I7, cost presently unknown. the PDS index would indicate that it should have a cost of 5.2, if i recall)[*]Accuracy: 1.16[*]Slotting recommendation: 1 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 or 2 Recharge Reduction, 1 Endurance Reduction[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "This is where my real attack chain starts. Aimed Shot is quick enough to replace Snap Shot once Recharge Reduction SOs are available, and the final result is much more acceptable."[/list]
Fistful of Arrows
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 2 (blaster), Level 4 (defender)[*]Effects: Damage (0.91 DS)[*]Recharge: 8 seconds[*]Animation: ? (previously 2.67, but animation time was reduced in I7. personal experience indicates that the animation is at least as fast as Aimed Shot, perhaps faster)[*]Range: 40', 40 degree cone centered on critter[*]Endurance: ? (reduced in I7, present cost unknown)[*]Accuracy: 1.16[*]Slotting recommendation: 1 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 2 Recharge
OR 1 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 2 Range[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "This is my finisher in my single-target attack chain. Fistful's damage is much nicer than Snap Shot, the recharge time fits in well, and it also saves me a little time by inflicting some damage on anything close to the target. That's one less attack later. Also a must for the AoE potential of the set."[/list]
Blazing Arrow
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 6 (blaster), Level 10 (defender)[*]Effects: Damage (1.96 DS lethal), DoT (5 tics of 0.125 DS fire)[*]Recharge: 10[*]Animation: ? (previously 2.67, animation time was reduced in I7)[*]Range: 80'[*]Endurance: ? (reduced in I7, present cost unknown)[*]Accuracy: 1.16[*]Slotting recommendation: 1 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 2 Recharge Reduction
OR 1 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 2 Range[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "This attack completes a perfect chain for either blasters or defenders. Slotting 1 Accuracy, 3 Damage, and 2 Recharge Reduction SOs in Aimed Shot, Blazing Arrow, and Fistful of Arrows allows you to perpetually chain Aimed Shot/Blazing Shot/Aimed Shot/Fistful of Arrows. For defenders, this means 4 attacks to defeat a +0 minion, instead of the 7 to 8 required if using Snap Shot/Aimed Shot/Snap Shot/Blazing Arrow. Blasters can do it with only 3 attacks from the chain, or Aimed Shot and Blazing Arrow if buffed with Assault, Rage inspirations, etc. Blazing Arrow is also one of the better single-target blasts in the game. If you aren't using this attack, put your bow away and find something else to do. Seriously."[/list]
Aim
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 8 (blaster), Level 16 (defender)[*]Effects: Accuracy and Damage buff (8.0 ToHit, 5.0 Damage DS)[*]Recharge: 90 seconds[*]Animation: 1.17 seconds[*]Duration: 10 seconds[*]Endurance: 5.2[*]Slotting recommendation: 3 Recharge Reduction, optionally 3 ToHit[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "Pretty self-explanatory. Increases your chance to hit and your damage. If you're going to use it as part of a sequence of self-buffs, try to fit it in last, because it's the only one that doesn't cause animation time problems."[/list]
Explosive Arrow
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 12 (blaster), Level 20 (defender)[*]Effects: Damage (0.90 DS lethal/smashing), Knockback (random chance/critter, unknown percentage)[*]Recharge: 16 seconds[*]Animation: 2.67 seconds[*]Range: 80', 15' AoE centered on critter[*]Endurance: ~15[*]Accuracy: 1.16[*]Slotting recommendation: 1 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 2 Recharge Reduction
OR 1 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 Recharge Reduction, 1 Endurance Reduction[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "This arrow never impressed me as a defender. The knockback potential was low and unreliable, and the damage didn't feel sufficient to account for the recharge. Lately, it's felt a little more worthwhile, now that it can be used to better effect with Rain of Arrows and Fistful of Arrows, but I still don't like the recharge time. For blasters, this arrow should definitely be part of the arsenal, as the damage will be much more acceptable and it fits in very well with an AoE/cone combo."[/list]
Ranged Shot
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 18 (blaster), Level 28 (defender)[*]Effects: Damage (2.76 DS)[*]Recharge: 12 seconds[*]Animation: 4 seconds ? (animation time reduced in I7, untested)[*]Range: 120' ? (some reports of the range being as high as 150')[*]Endurance: ? (reduced in I7, present cost unknown)[*]Accuracy: 1.39[*]Slotting recommendation: 3 Damage, optionally 1 to 3 Range, 1 to 2 Recharge Reduction, 1 to 2 Endurance Reduction, 1 to 2 Interrupt Time Reduction[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "It's a snipe. Long range, high damage attack. Useful as a regular attack as well, if used carefully and slotted for Interrupt Time Reduction."[/list]
Stunning Shot
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 26 (blaster), Level 35 (defender)[*]Effects: Disorient (mag 3), Damage (0.25 DS)[*]Recharge: 20 seconds[*]Animation: 2.67 seconds[*]Duration: 10 seconds (blaster), 15 seconds (defender)[*]Range: 70'[*]Endurance: ~10[*]Accuracy: 1.16[*]Slotting recommendation: 1 Accuracy, 2 to 3 Disorient Duration, 2 Recharge Reduction, optionally 1 Range[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "It's a shame this one comes so late for defenders. With this arrow, it would give soloing TA/A defenders a perfect trifecta of single-target controls, as well as more options in early and mid-game PvP. Nevertheless, it's worth picking up at any level. If the arrow hits, the Disorient hits, so it's as good as a hold. Blaster or defender, it can easily be slotted to keep a lieutenant or minion up to +1 or +2 in a permanently Disoriented state. It also knocks flying critters out of the sky. And with no Disorient protection widely available to players, it's especially effective in PvP. Definitely take this one. As for the damage, ignore it, it's not even worth wasting a slot to increase."[/list]
Rain of Arrows
<ul type="square">[*]Availability: Level 32 (blaster), Level 38 (defender)[*]Effects: Damage (variable, 1.35 DS * 1 to 3)[*]Recharge: 60 seconds[*]Animation: ? (previously 4.67 seconds, reduced in I7, untested)[*]Range: 60', 20' AoE centered on targetted location[*]Endurance: ~21[*]Accuracy: 1.16[*]Slotting recommendation: 1 to 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 to 2 Recharge Reduction[*]Dancing Hawk's breakdown: "So it's not Nova. It's also not a full endurance drain, or stuck on a 6 minute recharge. While every other blaster or defender is stuck staring at the recharge timer, you're merrily unleashing a veritable storm of sharp, pointy sticks. And yes, it's purely Lethal damage, but, again, it's Lethal damage that's available six times as often as other nukes. It also looks absolutely fantastic. Get it, slot it, spam it! As a blaster, combo it with Exploding Arrow and Fistful of Arrows for seriously heavy devestation, especially if you can pull off all three with Build Up and Aim. As a defender, combo it with Glue Arrow, Disruption Arrow, Assault, Tactics, and either Fistful of Arrows or Exploding Arrow (or both, if your build has room), again with Aim or Power Build Up. Either way, you'll be pleased with the results."[/list]
Archery commentary and tactical breakdown
STAY OUT OF MELEE! It bears repeating as many times as is necessary to get that across. Bow redraw adds to animation times that are already too long to promote optimal survivability, and melee attacks only highlight that problem. Blaster or defender, Archery is unsuited to melee combat.
Focus on building a good single-target chain until you can get Rain of Arrows. As stated in Blazing Arrow's commentary, Aimed/Blazing/Aimed/Fistful, when slotted with 2 Recharge Reduction SOs apiece, makes for a perfectly fluid single-target chain with bonus damage to anything near the target. The range on Fistful is less than optimal, but the recharge fits the chain perfectly and the damage is considerably better than can be obtained using any chain with Snap Shot. Also, the endurance cost reductions in I7 make this chain very managable.
Once Rain of Arrows is yours, switch to a multi-target attack style. Whenever possible, chain Rain with Exploding/Fistful (one or both), with whatever buffs are available, solo and in teams. Blasters - when Rain isn't up, fall back on Exploding and Fistful, then switch to single-target attacks until Fistful is recharged. Defenders - save Exploding to use in conjunction with Rain and stick with single-target attacks when Rain isn't up to keep your aggro low.
Hover/Fly is very complimentary for Archery, as it allows you to stay out of melee range, position your cone and AoE to the best effect, and make a rapid escape when necessary.
The animation times in Archery can be used to your benefit, even if it doesn't seem like it at the outset. The recharge times on Aimed, Blazing, and Fistful fit neatly into the animation times when used in the chain I've given, which is why it works so well. Each attack is fully recharged and ready to use again as soon as the previous one's animation has completed. The animation times also help mitigate the effects of travel suppression, in that many of your attacks are so drawn out that the suppression period is over by the time you're ready, or need, to move.
For solo PvP play, stick with your single-target chain. Your AoE combo might look impressive, but the damage output from Exploding + Fistful isn't going to be enough, and Rain's animation time is easily long enough to allow your opponent to leave the AoE location. Self-buffs + Ranged + Aimed + Blazing will probably take down most masterminds, corrupters, dominators, stalkers, etc. Against tougher foes, fall back on the chain and just pump out arrows.
For blasters, /Energy Manipulation and /Devices offer the best options. /Energy's click self-buffs maximize Archery's range, damage, and control, for very little endurance. /Devices offers a wider range of options, including two toggles (toggles don't force bow redraw once they're active), but doesn't capitalize on Archery's range and will force bow redraw more often. There's also the endurance costs of the toggles to consider.
/Ice has some very nice control that could allow you to really capitalize on the multi-target potential of Archery, for those who would like to take a more challenging approach to the set, but you'll end up with an attack that you won't use often, if at all, as the buy-in price. /Elec and /Fire will be even more challenging, but they can both work well with Archery, if built carefully.
If you're playing a Trick Arrow/Archery defender, you have the best set synergy available, and Archery has shaped up to be a reasonably respectable blast set even for defenders. You'll never be subject to bow redraw as long as you don't use any pool powers, and that alone is worth naming Archery as the best set to pair with TA. The changes wrought in I7 have only served to improve the cohesion of these two sets.
The other defender primaries with the best potential for combination with Archery are Force Field and Sonic Resonance. These sets will allow you to blast relatively freely, but also give you just enough control to get good use out of Rain + Exploding + Fistful. Storm has also become a popular set to pair up with Archery for its blend of soft control, self-protection, and damage output.
Trick Arrow and Archery both make it difficult to fit in everything that you want, while at the same time taking powers that you feel are essential to your success as a bowman/woman extraordinaire. There are so many really good powers in both sets, and for TA/A defenders, it's nearly impossible to get a solid build that also leaves room for all the pool powers we "have to have". Some builds will be easier to flesh out, such as Archery/Energy, or Sonic/Archery, while others will leave you pounding your head on the keyboard in frustration. That's the single greatest caveat of the sharp, pointy stick sets - they require patience and dedication to get them to where you want them to be. They're bundles of fun, but they require work, hard choices, and time to mature.
Sample Builds
Meet Dancing Hawk. This is my main character, the one I log into even if I don't feel like playing, just to work on badges or wander around making ZAPPY ARROW noises. This represents 533+ hours of learning the ins and outs of Trick Arrow and Archery, and, strangely, still anxious to find more reasons to keep playing her. Despite all of the flaws and problems that TA and Archery have endured, I'm still enamored with them both, and with the concept (Cherokee huntress and shaman, died and returned to Paragon City as a spiritual presence). This is the current build. Prior to the 40s, she had the Medicine pool and PGA much earlier, no Leadership or EMP Arrow, and Concealment came post-20. I refined the character for higher level play and PvP with the last respec, and will be re-examining the build again when I'm ready to use the freespec she has banked. And yes, I have slotted her with those HOs. Dancing Hawk was a frequent Hami raid participant for quite a while, until I started playing alts again.
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Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
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Name: Dancing Hawk
Level: 50
Archetype: Defender
Primary: Trick Arrow
Secondary: Archery
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01) --> Entangling Arrow==> Acc(1)
01) --> Snap Shot==> Empty(1)
02) --> Aimed Shot==> NucleExp(2)NucleExp(3)Dmg(3)Rechg(5)Rechg(23)Rechg(25)
04) --> Glue Arrow==> Rechg(4)Rechg(37)Rechg(42)
06) --> Hurdle==> Jump(6)Jump(7)Jump(7)
08) --> Ice Arrow==> EndopExp(8)EndopExp(9)Hold(9)Hold(17)Rechg(23)Rechg(31)
10) --> Blazing Arrow==> NucleExp(10)NucleExp(11)CentiExp(11)CentiExp(17)Rechg(19)Rechg(25)
12) --> Acid Arrow==> LysosExp(12)LysosExp(13)LysosExp(13)Rechg(15)Rechg(19)Rechg(34)
14) --> Grant Invisibility==> Rechg(14)
16) --> Invisibility==> EndRdx(16)Rechg(50)
18) --> Health==> Heal(18)Heal(46)Heal(46)
20) --> Stamina==> EndMod(20)EndMod(21)EndMod(21)
22) --> Assault==> EndRdx(22)EndRdx(45)
24) --> Tactics==> EndRdx(24)EndRdx(45)
26) --> Oil Slick Arrow==> Rechg(26)Rechg(27)Rechg(27)Dmg(29)Dmg(29)Dmg(31)
28) --> Fistful of Arrows==> NucleExp(28)CentiExp(31)CentiExp(33)CentiExp(33)Rechg(34)Rechg(34)
30) --> Poison Gas Arrow==> Rechg(30)Rechg(43)Rechg(43)
32) --> EM Pulse Arrow==> EndopExp(32)EndopExp(33)Hold(36)Rechg(36)Rechg(37)Rechg(37)
35) --> Disruption Arrow==> Rechg(35)Rechg(40)Rechg(42)
38) --> Rain of Arrows==> NucleExp(38)NucleExp(39)Dmg(39)Rechg(39)Rechg(40)Rechg(40)
41) --> Power Build Up==> Rechg(41)Rechg(42)Rechg(43)
44) --> Aid Other==> Heal(44)Heal(45)Heal(46)
47) --> Aid Self==> Heal(47)Heal(48)Heal(48)Rechg(48)
49) --> Swift==> Run(49)Run(50)Run(50)
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01) --> Sprint==> MicroExp(1)Jump(5)Jump(15)EndRdx(36)
01) --> Brawl==> Empty(1)
01) --> Vigilance==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Empty(2)
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For the blasters, I have my Archery/Energy blaster's build here. Sand Wasp is currently at 29 or 30 (haven't been able to play for more than a few minutes at a time lately, so i'm forgetting where i had to stop with her) and flitting about quite happily. This build was designed to perform well in PvE and PvP pre-32, then change focus to almost purely PvE after Rain of Arrows became available and well slotted.
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Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
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Name: Sand Wasp - respec
Level: 50
Archetype: Blaster
Primary: Archery
Secondary: Energy Manipulation
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01) --> Aimed Shot==> Acc(1)Dmg(3)Dmg(5)Dmg(9)Rechg(17)Rechg(23)
01) --> Power Thrust==> Acc(1)KB_Dist(48)KB_Dist(50)Rechg(50)Rechg(50)
02) --> Fistful of Arrows==> Acc(2)Dmg(3)Dmg(5)Dmg(11)Rechg(19)Rechg(25)
04) --> Build Up==> Rechg(4)Rechg(29)Rechg(31)
06) --> Blazing Arrow==> Acc(6)Dmg(7)Dmg(7)Dmg(9)Rechg(11)Rechg(23)
08) --> Swift==> Run(8)Run(40)Run[b]<font
