Nalrok_AthZim
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Posts
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As the proud owner of a level 50 Ill/Kin, I'll be happy to give you my opinion on this. Take it or leave it, it's all dependent on how you play!
I'll begin by saying that in the entirety of my Ill/Kin's career I've never found a use for Deceive. Ill/Kin is a very Scrap-troller-y (if that makes sense) combo. You'll find yourself in the heat of battle, not safely at a distance. Your pets will help with that though. Here's what my build looked like, at your level (I can't access Mid's atm):
1: Blind, Transfusion
2: Spectral Wounds
4: Siphon Power
6: Flash
8: Superior Invis.
10: Siphon Speed
12: Swift/Hurdle (whichever you prefer)
14: Health
16: Recall Friend
18: Phantom Army
20: Stamina
22: Teleport
24: Speed Boost (Teams will thank and love you. Trust me on this.)
And for the rest of the way...
26: Spectral Terror
28: Hasten
30: Increase Density (Squishies will love you.)
32: Phantasm
35: Transference
38: Fulcrum Shift
I myself prefer Primal mastery. Power Boost seriously cranks up your effects, especially Transference. Full endurance for you, no endurance for targets!
41: Conserve Power
44: Temp Invulnerability
47: Power Boost
49: Energy Torrent (Does some sick AoE damage with Containment. Flash and burn!)
And there's my two cents for ya! Best of luck! If you want to reach me, send a PM here or an in-game global tell to @Insane V. -
Quote:It'll build damn fast if you're fighting enough mobs. Remember, Evasion is your taunt aura. Love it.Originally Posted by Sir_Lionheart
Has anyone played this combo?
I'm trying this mainly for ccharacter concept reasons. I like SR because it's easy to softcap Def and I like the extra movement speed. I have several SR Scrappers that I enjoy, so I basically know what to expect, and plan on playing this toon more like a Scrap, zipping around from target to target, rather than a Tank.
I am a little concerned about a few things. I'll probably have lower HP than other Brutes, and with no heals, this may be problematic for use of Energy Transfer. And having never tried SR on a Brute, and EM's poor AoE ability, I'm not sure how fast Fury will build.
As for EM, the health drain from ET is negligible at best. Carry a few greens, or even better, purples for turning on temp-godmode. -
Quote:I was only using the Kinetic Combats as an example. S/L is not in the least a one-trick pony; they're both THE most common damage types in the game.Originally Posted by Brakner
Oh, ok.... So we are comparing just one powerset and not Brutes Vs Scrappers, got it.
Don't have a single Kinetic Combat, I build for all defense types and play missions with all types opponents. S/L is a one trick pony that will get your *** handed to you outside of AE. A balance of Melee, Ranged, Resist, HPs and Regen works best
Comparing two sets, as T said, is valid. My comparison still stands: A Dark/Dark Brute will always out-fun a Dark/Dark Scrapper for me. Brutes have higher HP/HP cap, higher resist/defense caps, and they have Fury which for me, will always win out over Crit chances. Don't get me wrong, I love my BS/Regen scrapper to death. But the fact that I use him as a damage-oriented character and not a "dish it AND take it" character is a testament to my desired playstyle. Same reason I only use my Stone/NRG Tanker for tanking, not for pumping out gobs of orange numbers. -
Quote:I meant comparing my Dark/Dark brute to a Dark/Dark scrapper.Originally Posted by Brakner
Huh? My Kat/Wp has the same Def / Res as a Brute and has 2100 Hps. With a base 32% Def, 52% resist after IOs (77% Melee Def with 3x Divine Avalanche) I have no clue what you mean by squishy. My Scrapper has survived the same stuff my tank has and in some cases with the 1000%+ Regen he does even better.
Besides, this is without set bonuses. Any build can be LORD OF EVERYTHING with a bunch of Kinetic Combat sets, these days. -
Quote:Wow I feel like a bonehead for overlooking that bit of info in his first post.Originally Posted by Psylenz
You are definitely on the right track to have your mastermind absorb the first alpha attack, the initial salvo from enemy groups. Dark miasma has a lot of tools to start the fight: darkest night, tar patch, even a twilight grasp pull isn't a bad thing since it debuffs as well as heals.
I am also in agreement with you that an attack/defensive command in situations, usually not all the time, can be effective to really whack troublesome specific foes like longbow flamethrowers or spec ops. The tier one little bots have more range than most foes and can smack a specific foe before they know what hit them.
The thing to remember about robots, despite the 'pew pew pew', is that they are truly single target attackers until you get to the level 32 upgrade. The rough spot is really level 15ish until level 24 when you get your second protector bot and have your SOs at that point. While stamina may seem key, the big big power for a Robots/Dark is Fearsome Stare. That power will filter out a lot of agression. The ones that are not 'feared' are quickly dealt with by the minions. I am also the high priest for spreading the good word on howling twilight. You don't need an ally to rez for this auto-hit stun, slow, regen debuffing power to subdue your foes.
For your questions on bodyguard, as was posted earlier, Goto/defensive and follow/Defensive are the only two stances where bodyguard is in effect. I am in the camp that believes a quick Attack/defensive will focus fire on particular nasties, and with experience and good judgement, you will get a feel when to execute this manuver. -
Quote:Ever seen neon pink Rad debuffs?Originally Posted by RemusShepherd
May I ask, have you changed the visual effect of your forcefields? I have teamed with FF and Sonic buffers who have turned up the brightness of their shields to an eye-searing extreme, and I have wanted to kick them. (I did not, but oh ghod I wanted to.) If you modified your shields into neon yellow and day-glo purple, that could be cause for kicking in some people's book.
Don't team with my Elec/Rad.
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Quote:Speccing into the Energy APP and/or slotting a Performance Shifter +End in Stamina took care of my end problems. I still retain Soul Mastery as my PPP, but the Performance Shifter fixed all of my end issues.Originally Posted by Frogfather
OP I agree with Nalrok here for the most part. OG is a little too good at mitigating damage for brutes. Tanks and Scrappers would find it awesome, provided they had some lockdown power to keep them from wandering all over the map.
I found CoF to be useful however once my brute hit the mid 30s and I had the end management tools to cover it. Its just a hog. But if you take that Theft of Essence +End proc and put it in Dark Regeneration it makes a lot of difference.....anyhow I combine Death Shroud and CoF slotted for To Hit Debuff and End Redux to chew mobs up....Sure Death Shroud knocks em out of that cower emote but CoF puts minions right back.
Anyhow your milage may vary and all that but I recommend saving up a respec and trying both out.
Frog
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Quote:I circumvent this one of two ways:Originally Posted by Local_Man
I agree . . . which is one of the pesky synergy problems that Illusion/Kinetics have. Phanty can be a significant source of damage if he can be Fulcrum Shifted . . . but he tends to knock away the targets needed for Fulcrum Shift.
1: I Speed Boost my Phantasm so he's rocketing around at stupid-high speeds. When I run into a group, Phanty zips up next to me like a Bugs Bunny gag, leaving the AI 1-3 seconds before it suddenly realizes it's surrounded by enemies. Provided I've dumped my Phantom Army and/or my Spec-Terror into the fray, I can drop FS and buff up myself and my Phantasm before he decides to scatter the group like they were pepper floating and water and he was a drop of dish soap (try it!).
2. I summon Phantoms, then summon Phanty as I enter the group and IMMEDIATELY hit FS. Phanty is buffed, insert scatter.
EDIT: I also have the Soulbound Allegiance set in my Phantasm... the Chance for Build Up goes off all the time, adding to his output. It's beautiful. -
Quote:I tried it. Hated it. Brutes need to swing/be swung at to generate Fury. If all of your enemies are cowering in fear/walking around stunned, you won't generate Fury as fast. OG also has the annoying "durr I'm stunned" wandering effect on enemies that are affected by it. CoF, in my trials, has only helped me out during EB/AV fights for laying down -ToHit and occasionally sticking the enemy with a Fear (when coupled with Touch of Fear). I'd skip it unless you're really having a hard time surviving. Just know that you're trading more Fury generation for some mitigation that can be really annoying (in reference to OG).Originally Posted by Ebon_Wrath
I'm a little confused about one thing with Dark Armor. Is there any point in taking both Cloak of Fear and Oppressive Gloom? It would seem that they both disable minions, but CoF is a little better because of the tohit debuff.
So, is there any reason to take Oppressive Gloom? -
Nerf's post is great for a super-experienced MM player. As a first-timer, I wouldn't recommend attempting to run as a tankermind.
MacOberon, my biggest advice to you as a new-ish MM player is to take ONLY your pets and as many of your secondary powers as you can, with room for power pools/fitness (if you want it). Robots are pretty hardy, and I'm wondering if you've taken your attacks instead of your secondary and are drawing too much aggro to yourself.
What's your secondary, if I may ask? If it's something without heals, you'll want to pick up Medicine. If it has heals... well I'm not sure what's happening. -
Quote:... pardon me if I'm having a brainfart of catastrophic proportions, but... how would that happen?Originally Posted by Chaos Creator
I dunno I figured that fury would dilute the buildup damage bonus.
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Quote:I like this idea. My Claws/SR is going to love the love I'm gonna give him in respect to unique IO's, now.Originally Posted by Chaos Creator
Yes to both and add the decimation buildup to focus for extra awesome.
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Occasionally when humanoid pets dismiss, they just fall over dead. Not 100% of the time, but it happens.
Soulwind hit the rest of my points on the head; no need to repeat them. -
Quote:Ill/Kins have to run in if they want all of their FS to hit.Originally Posted by Local_Man
If you stay back at range, then Phanty's knockback isn't a problem. I keep him out almost all the time and rarely have problems with his knockback. There is a certain distance where Phanty will engage on the closest targets, only to knock them back into the rest of the group. Illusionists who run in to try to be scrappers have knockback problems.
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Quote:I'm a seasoned player with a Claws/SR and the only chore right now is endurance (but then again he's just 18). If you're patient, you can manage your battles and keep a steady pace. For the record, I'm absolutely in LOVE with my Claws/SR.Originally Posted by Le Blanc
Anything but SR!! I mean it. Unless you are a VERY seasoned player who likes BIG challenges. I'm keeping mine around, but only when I feel like busting hump. And He's 21 and a CHORE to play.
I said it in one thread, I'll say it in another: Playing Claws/SR is like playing a forcefield-coated rotary saw. -
I got kicked for using my Phantoms on a team once.
I made sure everyone in every SG/VG I was a part of and everyone I had in my friends list knew his name and global, and never to team with him.
I think his argument was something like "too much clutter" or some BS. As others have said, you'll always run into the occasional moron. Shrug them off and find a better team
((Psst, if you're on Virtue, come team with my Shield tanker and we can farm the days into oblivion! DEFENSE AHOY)) -
Quote:Because of the Burst issue I was finally able to get my first Stalker past 20. I don't feel it's unfair; it actually makes playing stalkers more viable to me since I can actually kill more than one enemy every 15 seconds without dying.Originally Posted by Leo_G
So a slight adjustment to your burst damage (because crits are apart of burst damage) shouldn't be too debilitating since that's the area we're strong, right?
It's one thing to lament a nerf that wasn't quite an obvious oversight but it's another to latch on to a bug that is plain as day. Single target attacks crit 100% from hide while AoEs crit 50%. That's how it always has been without exception.
Just be happy we have the 50%...we didn't even have that at the start and it's 5x greater than what Scrappers get... -
Quote:One Chief Mentalist among drones/infantry is enough for my Invul/Ice. Either you avoid it (be that physically or through inspirations) or you do your best to stomp the psi mob first and pray they don't outrun you in terms of damage.Originally Posted by Vox Populi
This is a pretty easy game. I welcome the challenges, not avoid them.
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Quote:Again, it'd be scrapped. With such powerful heals available to MMs, no self heal is really needed, and they can't segregate choices by powersets (no love for Thugs/Traps or anything else without a heal). Plus, Repel would be out as well; the Forcefield Tier 9 does the same thing but with a much better radius/end cost. Also, the devs have already denounced a fully speed-boosted mastermind summon. Recharge has no effect on pets anyway.Originally Posted by BenRGamer
Maybe replace it with Speed Boost, or turn this instance of transfusion into just a self heal
I'm not saying MM's don't need PPP/APP love. I'm saying Kinetics ain't the way to go. -
Quote:Except Stalkers are fairly weak when it comes to non-burst melee (see: anything besides Assassin Strike).Originally Posted by seebs
I am okay with not getting 100% critical from hide on an AoE, it does seem a little on the powerful side.
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Quote:If this is the case, then I'm going to stave off my altitis and level my Kin/Regen until I don't have the heart to delete him. I've managed to get from 1-22 in 5 days. Solo. It's an amazing combo for me. So that said, time to play him until I can't stand to get rid of him. 26 here I come, and beyond!Originally Posted by Siolfir
The damage won't be increased - it already was, once, to put it where it is currently (I was pushing for the scale 1 damage on a larger radius, instead of the scale 1.25 for the current size).
The post about the 100% critical being a bug was in the beta section of the forums, so I can't link it directly (especially now that they're inaccessible even for the people who were in beta). I really don't know whether Castle changed his mind or it's just taking forever to go through the pipeline to get into the game, but in the meantime I've been taking full advantage of Burst from hidden status to finish off closely packed minions. Why AS and get one of them, when BU+Burst takes out 3-4 (depending on their spacing)? -
Quote:There goes the only Stalker I've ever played past 8.Originally Posted by Jibikao
Well, 100% critical from an aoe is a bug. I thought it was "strange". Anyway, two people talked about it:
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showt...=235995&page=3
Maybe they'll raise Burst's damage. I don't know.
Dammit all to hell. -
Transfusion would be scrapped. Imagine the healing potential of a /Dark/Kin Epic mastermind.
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Quote:Source please.Originally Posted by Jibikao
I read that the 100% Critical from Burst is a bug so.... maybe 50%?
I don't want that nerfed. I'll delete my Kin/Regen if it is. -
Quote:It's what the AT is designed for, really. To sneak in and blast the big threats before they have a chance to really screw the pooch for your team. My Kin/Regen stalker is a favorite on blueside teams right now, especially when dealing with CoT/Sky Raiders/Lost.Originally Posted by KillerShrike
Good for you.
I had a stalker on a Posi TF last week. The team constantly forgot about her, until some high profile target would get AS'd.
In the last mission at the dam we were getting beat up a bit going thru the control center building, and just when things were going over the edge, the stalker came up big several times in quick succession and decimated the mobs that were pressing us, taking out several bosses while the battle raged on. Turned the tide.
I chatted "Wow, you're a really good stalker!". You could almost feel the player blushing thru the screen.
A little bit of recognition for a job well done goes a long way.