Straenge

After leveling an AR/Traps and a few other favorite corruptors and blasters, for your concept (I am a fan of Mixing mech/magic) I would say you might be happiest using DP/Dark. In fact at the moment I had the same idea but with AR/Fire and kind of regret it. DP Dark will give you the concept and some great tools and LOTS of orange numbers.

Now if your set on AR, while I am a fan of traps, AR/Dark might be something you want to look into as well. While I haven't played it myself, I can only imagine that the Tar Patch + Ignite + Full Auto would make things a bit more fun.

As a storm fan, I think if your set on Dp or Ar, I would go with AR since you could lay down Freezing Rain, then ignite, while strategically using grenade to blow back anyone that runs out (tricky but works once you practice it) but if you prefer immediate fun (see Fire/Storm build) that works quite well but I think you might be pretty happy with DP/Dark overall.

I realize this is not exactly the most optimal build but I wanted to make something that was both fun to play, powerful in its own right and with a theme. I am just needing advice on a few places.

First, I decided to skip travel powers due to not needing them really in late game. I am considering changing combat jump to hover later but for the theme, I have decided to ground this particular toon.

Second, I wanted a good or at least decent mix of defense and offense with a bit more sturdiness when I inevitably go in melee range. I can't afford much in the way of purples and though this toon is only at 26, I figure now is a good time to plan for later.

Also, while I know many disagree with Snipe, I have found, at least on corruptors/defenders that snipes are situational but I enjoy them for various tasks from picking off left overs to pulling.

Any advice would be appreciated, including changing the pool/patron, though for the theme I am going for, soul works best.

Note: ignore the Spiritual Alpha slot.. since I prefer having my stamina early and with this build, I can probably get away with Musculature

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Esoteric Detective: Level 50 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Assault Rifle
Secondary Power Set: Fire Manipulation
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Burst -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(3), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7)
Level 1: Ring of Fire -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(25), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(25), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27)
Level 2: Buckshot -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(13), Posi-Dmg/Rng(13), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(19)
Level 4: Slug -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(11), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 6: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(7)
Level 8: Combat Jumping -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
Level 10: Fire Sword Circle -- Erad-Acc/Rchg(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(29), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), C'ngBlow-Acc/Rchg(46), C'ngBlow-Acc/Dmg(48), C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx(48)
Level 12: M30 Grenade -- Det'tn-Acc/Dmg(A), Det'tn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43), Det'tn-Dmg/Rchg(46), Det'tn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rng(50)
Level 14: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(15), LkGmblr-Def(15)
Level 16: Tactics -- GSFC-Build%(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(17), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(17)
Level 18: Flamethrower -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(21), Posi-Dmg/Rng(23), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(23), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(50)
Level 20: Sniper Rifle -- Mantic-Dmg/ActRdx/Rchg(A), Mantic-Acc/ActRdx/Rng(21), Mantic-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(29), Mantic-Dmg/EndRdx(43), Mantic-Acc/Dmg(43)
Level 22: Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 24: Boxing -- Acc-I(A)
Level 26: Ignite -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(34), Posi-Dmg/Rng(39), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), Posi-Dam%(40)
Level 28: Consume -- Erad-Acc/Rchg(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(45)
Level 30: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam(31), RctvArm-EndRdx(31), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(31)
Level 32: Full Auto -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(37), Posi-Dmg/Rng(37), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37), RechRdx-I(40)
Level 35: Burn -- Erad-Acc/Rchg(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36)
Level 38: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(39), LkGmblr-Def(39)
Level 41: Night Fall -- Posi-Dmg/Rng(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), Posi-Acc/Dmg(42)
Level 44: Dark Embrace -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/EndRdx(A), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(45), S'fstPrt-ResKB(45), ResDam-I(46)
Level 47: Soul Tentacles -- GravAnch-Immob(A), GravAnch-Immob/Rchg(48), GravAnch-Acc/Immob/Rchg(50)
Level 49: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 50: Spiritual Total Radial Revamp
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
Level 1: Defiance
Level 1: Sprint -- Clrty-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Numna-Heal(34)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod(19), P'Shift-Acc/Rchg(34)
------------
Set Bonus Totals:

• 3% DamageBuff(Smashing)
• 3% DamageBuff(Lethal)
• 3% DamageBuff(Fire)
• 3% DamageBuff(Cold)
• 3% DamageBuff(Energy)
• 3% DamageBuff(Negative)
• 3% DamageBuff(Toxic)
• 3% DamageBuff(Psionic)
• 4.25% Defense(Smashing)
• 4.25% Defense(Lethal)
• 3% Defense(Fire)
• 3% Defense(Cold)
• 25.8% Defense(Energy)
• 25.8% Defense(Negative)
• 3% Defense(Psionic)
• 3.63% Defense(Melee)
• 19.6% Defense(Ranged)
• 3% Defense(AoE)
• 5.4% Max End
• 47.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
• 57% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 18% FlySpeed
• 90.4 HP (7.5%) HitPoints
• 18% JumpHeight
• 18% JumpSpeed
• Knockback (Mag -8)
• Knockup (Mag -8)
• MezResist(Immobilize) 1.1%
• MezResist(Sleep) 1.65%
• 25% (0.42 End/sec) Recovery
• 44% (2.21 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 10.4% Resistance(Fire)
• 10.4% Resistance(Cold)
• 1.88% Resistance(Energy)
• 18% RunSpeed
• 1% XPDebtProtection

Just a quick note, the boots still aren't matching with the rest of the leg options, outside of Tucked In. I think it's missing a layer. Left side is tucked in, right side is Tight. It is the same for all of the other leg options.





The other issue are the new collars. Now I still prefer these over the previous attached version one way or the other, but the backs are still not matching up with, well pretty much any coat options, there is still a bit of a gap..



My advice is to just stretch out the back downward slightly if possible, even if it blends a bit with coats, I would rather have a little blending then a gap, personally.

On another note, while this is done, if you stretched the frame near the neck area in the front just a little and raised the V edge slightly, it would match up better with other coat options (see the 3rd image) and would cover the existing collars.

Aside from these minor details, it's still my favorite pack so far.

Maybe it's just the way I play but I am trying to a good lock on using them both effectively as blasters. Now typically, I don't worry about damage/DPS because I have a tendency to play Corruptors/Defender but I am rather enjoying the damage change.

First, I prefer to stay at range predominately and I realize that several of blasters secondarys are melee oriented. I do take one or two just to fill in the gaps but stick to mainly range.

Now, I have two blasters. One is DP/Energy, the other is AR/Fire. Both are lvl 24. When I level, I do searches for builds on the forum just to play around with different sets to see which I like and which I don't. Majority if not all the threads state AR will out damage a DP. Now, both are, more or less slotted the same with SO's but I am finding myself trying to figure out why my DP is quite obviously outdamaging my AR.

I don't have any MID's info on either set and I am not really looking to number crunch, just attempting to find out why there is so much dislike toward DP and why I am having a hard time finding love for AR.

With DP, I am finding myself with more AOE potential so far and though some of the animation times do seem slower then AR, I am still feeling like I can mow down a large group faster then I ever could with AR.

With my AR/Fire, I have taken everything except beanbags and snipe, so far only took Fire ring, Fire Sword Circle and Build up. With DP I have taken everything but supressive fire and on the energy side, Build up, Power Thrust and Conserve power.

First, AR's Flamethrower is not doing much for me at the moment so my only real AOE's are Fire Sword Circle and grenade. The rest are just hit or miss cones that seem to miss more often. With DP, Bullet Rain seems to do far more damage then Flamethrower and Grenade combined, not counting cones that are helped with the inherent accuracy. Fire Sword Circle does alot of potential damage but even slotting with an acc, I am seeing alot of hit and miss.

Now I have never leveled either of these before so maybe AR is a late bloomer set but since after today, all I have is ignite and full Auto left on AR, and with DP I have Hail of bullets and Piercing Rounds, I am wondering if its worth continuing with the AR. Does Full Auto make up for the damage I am seeing in DP? Whats your take on this?

On another note, I decided to take Leadership on my AR and Fighting on my DP. I am considering changing up and wondering which of these are more effective on a blaster? I dont like building for solo or for teams but a good mix of both.

I will have to say that I will probably wait to see how things are while also acquiring some specific names on the VIP server. I do however hope there will be less of certain elements. It would be nice going a day without having to put one or two people on ignore and having a few moments of conversation with adults who actually behave as adults.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

To Whom it may concern,

I suppose you are wondering who would have sent you a telegram at this ungodly hour of a morning. That and how in blazes do telegrams still exist.

Simply put, I have a task for you...

I am giving you 3 moments of time to do with what you will. Any time and any place, past or future, are yours for one moment. Now what can you do with a moment, exactly? There lies the challenge.

Your first moment is to simply find the one person, past or future, who you admire most and would, in fact, enjoy just having an autograph of. While unfortunately, you would not have time for anything else, ironically enough.

Your second moment is to find a person, again past or future, who you most despise or otherwise wish to give a moment of your own time to give one good punch in the face. Of course death or weapons are not allowed, simply one good punch will suffice.

Your third and final moment is truly a treasured one. To find a person, past or future, to share or steal one moment of pleasure, planting a single kiss upon.

Why only three moments? Well, we may continue that discussion on a different day. However for the moment, no pun intended, we would appreciate you attending this small matter and give us your three choices for each moment, as well as the time and place if possible.

Giving you all the time in the world, or at least a moment or three

Sincerely,
Sir Thomas Redgrave Cogsmith


-------------------------------------------------------------------


So for those unfamiliar with this (I have done this bit for several forums in the last decade) you simply give us your three in order:

1: Autograph

2: Punch in the face

3: A single kiss

Name the person you wish to interact with per the above (And the year/place if you wish). Reasons can be expressed or kept to yourself..


Let the show begin

I personally don't need this since I taught myself the hardway of tactics and controlling henchmen but just wanted to say good luck. I think quite a few players could benefit from this. I notice that a few future MM's give up when they realize they can't just put themselves in the middle of group and expect their henchmen to attack or when the player attacks in the background while their henchmen just stand around twiddling their thumbs heh.

The hard part I think will be the various differences in the henchmen and how to play them effectively. Trying to teach that is difficult in itself but I think its worth the effort to learn. I just hope others feel the same.

Ok, I don't even know how to mod and never downloaded a patch that wasn't from COH.. Ill try a fresh install and see

Edit: got it fixed now. I didn't notice anything different other then that one part though on anything else.. odd.

Yes, thats what I was referring to. I tried locating them but they are missing. In its place is a corset. I thought maybe I just couldn't find it at first but when I loaded a toon with the legs, it had one of the newer steampunk thigh highs in its place without me ever having edit it.

This is "metal" under tops/bottoms with skin now instead of the above picture.


Don't get me wrong, I like this as well but I don't understand why the other is missing or even if it was replaced.

I mentioned this a few times in beta but nobody seemed to notice apparently.. this occurs when you choose the boots under Tight. The gloves do the same thing as well. I noticed the female "metal" piece is similar.. if you look closely at these, you will see that their colors are mapped as if you set graphic performance down fully.

As a fellow lover of the Dresden Files, I think it would be best to do a Corruptor.. Dark Blast/Ice (Dark can be colored to resemble ice). But if you are set on Defender, you could do the same but I think Dark Miasma/Ice would be better in this case.

You could also go the Illusion/Cold Controller and it would fit very well with her. You could go Storm/Dark if you want and is my personal favorite powerset but for Queen Mab, I think the other sets would fit better.

Unfortunately, I don't have pictures and couldn't locate them but just discovered this. While playing with some parts, I noticed that the liquid metal styled tops with skin for females is gone in place of the new Metal steampunk parts. I didn't see anything else written about this and hoping its only temporary. I use the metal parts often and I do love the new steampunk ones as well but I don't know why we couldn't have both. I am just wondering if this is really a bug or they are "retiring" the old style which I really loved.

Oh come now, my cooking isn't that bad. Anyone want another Rat Shishkabob?

Maybe it has to do with playstyles, though I do prefer to play controllers/defenders/corruptors, but I just can't get into Elec/Elec. Now I currently have a lvl 26 that, while the character itself is one of my favorites, the powerset just feels lacking to me. Maybe it's just me and I am going to do what I can to get past the hump, if there is one, but it's taking me a bit to enjoy him. Going through Praetoria felt like the longest time I ever had on a toon just to get him to 20, let alone getting him past 30.

Now, granted I did feel the same about Illusion until I got him past 35 and now he is one of my favorite toons so maybe I am jumping the gun a bit. I do know or at least feel like since one of electric's benefits is the end drain, I am doing something wrong because I find my blue bar bottoming out quite often, even with Dominance up.

Hmm very interesting so far and explains quite a bit. It has always been my weakness when it comes to RP'ing online that I am far too picky. I have very selective taste and though I do try to keep an open mind, I still assume too much far too often. However, I have also found many assumptions prove themselves eventually.

First, on the topic of WoD. When Whitewolf released Masquerade First Edition, I actually was a Storyteller for a long-running LARP years and years ago and kept up with it until 2nd Ed when I couldn't stand the idiot factor, K-mart capes and teenagers who attempted to argue how vampires exist in real life far too often. The reason I am mentioning this is because the few times I have seen [WoD Rules] in the game, I shudder inwardly and avoid these people but the fact is that isn't right. I should at least give them a chance or attempt some type of dialogue but, typically I don't.

When I look at my various bios and character concepts in general, I can see how/why some people would be put off. While I do try to follow COH Lore, I also have a habit of following my own lore which is a mix of Lovecraftian elements, Steampunk meets Dieselpunk style and a Neil Gaiman Sandman flair of dramatics with a darker than normal golden age feel. My two main characters are about as far apart as possible from a 300 year old magus who acts like a stuck up Sherlock Holmes and who is just as human as the rest of us even though his mother was an avatar for one of the Old Ones to an ex-supervillain turned nightclub owner that's about as crazy as they come and can shift reality in his immediate vicinity as long as his eyes are open. Both are a lot of fun to play, depending on circumstances and yet, most avoid them I think because they are too out there.

That being said, I feel more or less the need to avoid any character that remotely echoes being a god, transient being, elemental universal guardian of all reality ect. just as I love seeing characters that are thousands of years old because being thousands of years old wouldn't strain the sanity of a human, meta or otherwise. I remember that I made the mistake of RP'ing with an individual who had [Survived since the Ancient Rome] in his title and proceeded to mention quite often how he was responsible for the London Fire to the Black Plague to the San Francisco Earthquake...

We all have our quirks though and you can't put them all down in a bio so we have to make due with what we have. I go to Pocket D often on various alts just to people watch.. to see the interactions because I am often alone and bored. It's during these times that while sifting through the various bios that make me wonder why I want to RP half the time while other times, it intrigues me to see how many people can pose and posture all at once without sounding the least bit unashamed that their claims of dramatic and epic deeds or histories are better or more tragic then the other persons.

As far as what the bio's tell me, in between the lines and the arguable guidelines, I do make it a point to put in [Mature RP] because [Literate RP] sounds far too conceded but I may change that because, hell, I have nothing to lose. I only really put that on a couple of my bios to avoid having to PG-13 down some of my more colorfully spoken characters. As far as status goes, I personally don't agree with Status:________ = ERP but that's mostly due to other MMO's I have played in the past where people were often coupled but rarely was there any hint of "playing Uno"..

My point in all is this. For me, RP'ing is like reading a novel and the bio is the jacket. I am a very picky reader and if I don't see something that would interest me to continue reading the book/RP'ing, then I don't. Unfortunately my preferences are obscure yet easy-going and less then dramatic while being hinged on reality, with a sprinkling of game lore and others in for good measure. And that, is a rare thing for me to see.

It was inevitable that I would post here again heh

@Obsidian, I know and you are one of the few people I talk to on a regular basis so you know how I play. I just get a bit frustrated. Don't get me wrong, I still love and prefer Virtue over any other server and I hope it's at least momentary. Maybe when I started it was at a good moment but I just find myself wondering if I am just too uptight or if things have changed, which is why I posted this. And also, I haven't spent as much time on Freedom as many here have and just having flashbacks from years back on Runescape *shudders* and others like it. Compared to those, every server here is like a breath of fresh air.

Of course Virtue isn't like Freedom in that regard but, I suppose maybe its due to the time of year as well and I was on quite a bit more often during the fall/winter months. I am just missing hanging out under Atlas with my first few friends here and enjoying ourselves without being bothered by random idiots that seem to crop up more often now, but again, thats just my perspective. I suppose I am just not used to things still.

I probably shouldn't post this. I am not a veteran by any means, unless you count the year I have been here. I haven't been on the forums as long as many or played nearly as long. Perhaps my opinion doesn't count as much. I don't have many friends, just a handful if that and I mostly just people watch and apart of a couple different SG's.

Of course this is leaving a wide open berth to a flamewar, trollbaiting and the like but to keep that to a minimum, I am just going to say my piece and leave it at that. Agree or Disagree, I won't respond just to keep the drama at a minimum.

When I first started, I couldn't stand being on Freedom. It felt like being surrounded by hyperactive mentally unstable children on acid and I just couldn't enjoy the game so I didn't play as often my first few months here. I tried a few other servers but most of them seemed pretty dead overall until I came to Virtue. This was around August of last year and I was pleasantly surprised. It seemed the majority of the players were much like myself, just trying to have their momentary fun while they can with a good amount of adults like myself. Of course there are going to be the occasional idiot but it wasn't that bad.. you knew who the trollers and griefers were and they were minimal at the time.

Maybe it's just me and maybe I am just burned out and seeing things differently but I really feel that its changed for the worse. Between the random trollers and griefers and just plain idiots that act like monkeys on crack, there is a sudden influx of these types thats just ruining the game for me. Now I know they have always been there.. they have always existed in one form or another and I am sometimes quick with the ignore but I am asking, is it just me? Are there not more.. people just acting idiotic on Virtue?

I have asked the few friends I have made here and they pretty much repeat everything I said. It seems since around Christmas or maybe GR came out that it really started to shape. Friends and I were joking last night that Virtue is becoming Freedom 2.0 and I wonder what your opinion is on this, agree or disagree or its always been this way? Of course I haven't been around as many and no matter what MMO you play, "The old days" will always be better but it feels different here.

When I first started playing, I thought I had found a new type of place to unwind and met quite a few friends here. Now, half of them no longer log in and the other half hide in their SG bases or set up small RPing events in out of the way places and it just doesn't feel the same like it did when I started. Even some the type of RP seems to have been dumbed down to the point where its beyond silly. Am I the only one feeling this? Just curious