Two_Dollar_Bill
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Posts
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Joined
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I was going to respond and say that my Crab never gets stunned by Romulous... but when I thought about it I realized that jumping behind cover when he resurrects is such an ingrained habit that I'm not sure my Crab has ever actually stood there and taken it.
With Crab Spider Armor Upgrade and the Aegis 20% status resistance, I will very rarely see a status effect flash into existance under my status bars, but it always disappears instantly without slowing me down.
I have 8 points of knockback resistance and still very occasionally get knocked down. -
I would take a real movement power like Super Jump. Movement powers are one of the things that make this game fun, and I would not give that up for any extra fraction of DPS or Recharge.
I'm not really sure Hover is the power I would choose for lining up optimal cone attacks either. Other than that, I would say it holds together pretty well. -
Thanks for the feedback.
I did a Keyes Island Reactor Trial with this character Wednesday night.
While trying to keep the tank alive, I got hit with a lot of attacks
from random Warworks and Anti-Matter himself, convincing me more than
ever of the benefits of stealth.
Once the trial was completed, I ran out and spent (several) merits on
a level 15 Freebird Stealth Proc and went to PI for some testing. It
worked better than I expected. If it seems to provide sufficient
protection from random aggro, I may be able to keep Hasten.
I intend to make all of the non-set IOs level 50 and all the pure procs
the lowest level available. I have not been able to figure out how to
make Mids display this, so I made everything 30, which will be the level
of the set IOs.
Back in the old days, when I said "Gather for RA!" the whole team would
come running. Now I seldom say it and half of the team's endurance bars
seem permanently stuck at 100%. I guess slotting the auras may indeed be
frivolous.
I had not considered using Hami-O's for anything, but I did look at
Centriole Exposures on the market, and they are quite inexpensive as HOs
go. -
My Empathy / Energy Blast Defender has been around since maybe Issue 3, but never very active. He's been in his low 40's since before there were IOs, and only just reached level 50 last month. Now I want to get him some modern enhancements. Maybe spam a few heals on Keyes Island....
A couple of things I noticed when playing him recently:
- Staying at long range and using only single target attacks to avoid aggro doesn't work so well when your team of mostly Scrappers are running every which direction and you have to chase them down tunnels full of angry Romans and mythical creatures to keep them alive.
- Hasten can make your heals come up faster, unless the animation goes off just as you are trying to hit Absorb Pain in a last ditch effort to save a teammate.
I'm not a real fan of Hasten anyway and don't use it on most of my characters. Thanks to the power of IO Sets, I can get better than 70% global recharge permanently even without Hasten. That frees up a power pool slot that I can use to get Stealth and hopefully avoid random aggro a lot better.
Question: Does a movement-power stealth proc stack with Stealth from the Concealment pool?
This build is designed to be able to exemplar down to level 30 and still have all set bonuses. I slotted heavily for recharge, got status resistance where I could, and didn't worry much about defense bonuses.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Empathy/Energy Defender 50: Level 50 Magic Defender
Primary Power Set: Empathy
Secondary Power Set: Energy Blast
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Concealment
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Power Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Healing Aura -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(3), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(3), Dct'dW-Heal(5), Dct'dW-Rchg(5)
Level 1: Power Bolt -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(7), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(9), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), Range-I(42)
Level 2: Heal Other -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(11), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(11), Dct'dW-Heal(13), Dct'dW-Rchg(13), Range-I(15)
Level 4: Power Blast -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(15), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(17), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), Range-I(42)
Level 6: Fly -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(19), Zephyr-ResKB(43)
Level 8: Clear Mind -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 10: Recall Friend -- Winter-ResSlow(A)
Level 12: Fortitude -- LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(21), LkGmblr-Rchg+(21), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(23), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(23)
Level 14: Absorb Pain -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(25), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(25), Dct'dW-Heal(27), Dct'dW-Rchg(27), Range-I(29)
Level 16: Resurrect -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(29)
Level 18: Recovery Aura -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(31), RechRdx-I(31), EndRdx-I(45)
Level 20: Stealth -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), EndRdx-I(33)
Level 22: Power Burst -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(34), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(34), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Range-I(50)
Level 24: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(43), LkGmblr-Rchg+(45), EndRdx-I(46)
Level 26: Regeneration Aura -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(36), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Dct'dW-Heal(37), Dct'dW-Rchg(37)
Level 28: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(37)
Level 30: Tactics -- AdjTgt-ToHit(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(40), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(40), AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg(46), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx(46), AdjTgt-Rchg(48)
Level 32: Adrenalin Boost -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(33), RechRdx-I(33)
Level 35: Vengeance -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(42)
Level 38: Sniper Blast -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(39), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(39), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40)
Level 41: Power Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 44: Hover -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), Frbd-Fly(45), Frbd-Stlth(50)
Level 47: Temp Invulnerability -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(48), Aegis-Psi/Status(48), ImpSkn-Status(50)
Level 49: Aim -- RechRdx-I(A)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Vigilance
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Heal(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(43)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(31)
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I am coming from the no-Hasten school of thought, but I like to add a Recharge IO in the sixth slot of Twilight Grasp, Howling Twilight and Dark Pit.
Shadow Fall is one of the more endurance hungry toggles you can run. I would try to slip in at least one /Endurance IO in the place of a pure Defense or Resistance IO.
Oppressive Gloom.... My Warshade loves this power (Inky Aspect) but he doesn't have three big cone attacks to line up during every fight. It's hard for a DDD to use it to good effect. I think it's useful and amusing slotted with just the Stupefy Acc/Stun/Recharge and Knockback proc, but those 2 extra slots would be more useful elsewhere. Dark Pit and Howling Twilight can handle your stunning duties without forcing you into melee range.
If Life Drain is going to be a useful single-target damage power, I would give IT the 6-slotted Thunderstrike and let wimpy old Dark Blast have the 4-slotted Devastation.
Actually, Thunderstrike has a LOAD of damage and a lot of it is eaten by ED. I'm tempted to say that set is best when you only use five of them unless you are seriously trying to soft-cap ranged defense. -
Quote:I played City of Heroes for years without ever getting a recipe or a peice of salvage. I gave influence away because I had more than I needed. I paid $15 a month for the privilege and had fun doing it. I never once felt like I was playing a game "without any rewards".Originally Posted by Virfortis
Again, wrong, you only hit tier 2, which is not much if any better than tier 1. Players still won't get salvage, recipes, Influence, will still be money capped, and in the long run level capped because the game will get very old very quick without any rewards. -
The "really really free" level of play is limited, as it should be. It's a very open-ended sort of trial account that you can take to level 50. If you spend a mere $15 to gain access to supergroups and trading, you will have virtually the same game that we have been playing and enjoying for years before IOs came along. It costs you $15 once. That's an amazing deal.
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1. I refuse to give my DDD Hasten for thematic reasons, so I have tried to slot for recharge wherever practical. Still, there are plenty of places where you can slip in a little ranged defense or (my other favorite) status resistance.
2. I suppose DPS is always handy to have, but my DDD is 50 and does not solo. Managing a comprehensive suite of debuffs occupies most of his time. On my own build, I have "spare" powers that I could lose to take Life Drain, but I don't have the slots to make it dangerous. -
I suggest reading AlienOne's guide. The builds are dated, but the general information is still good.
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=190529
I'll even contribute a modern build to the discussion. My own Warshade actually can shapechange, but he prefers to stay in Human Scraptroller form most of the time. I've had a vague plan to make an all-Human build for some time, and I plan to finally do so when Issue 21 arrives. However, if I went all-Human today, this would be my build.
Opening attack chain: Shadow Step, Eclipse, Sunless Mire, Gravity Well, Unchain Essence.
Any minions that are still standing after that are generally ignored, since Inky Aspect will render them helpless while Orbiting Death and pets will finish them off. Gravity Well comes up pretty quickly with this build so you don't have to do much with filler attacks.
There is no convenient answer to status effects, at least until you get Clarion. Acrobatics helps a lot, and the status resistance uniques from Aegis and Impervious Skin will minimize your downtime.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Human-Only WS 50: Level 50 Science Warshade
Primary Power Set: Umbral Blast
Secondary Power Set: Umbral Aura
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Presence
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Ebon Eye -- TmpRdns-Acc/Slow(A), TmpRdns-Dmg/Slow(3), TmpRdns-Acc/EndRdx(3), TmpRdns-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(5), TmpRdns-Acc/Dmg/Slow(5)
Level 1: Absorption -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), S'fstPrt-ResKB(7), ImpSkn-Status(7)
Level 2: Gravity Shield -- ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(11), ImpArm-ResDam(11), ImpArm-ResPsi(13)
Level 4: Orbiting Death -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(17), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(17), Sciroc-Dam%(19), Erad-%Dam(19), EndRdx-I(21)
Level 6: Shadow Blast -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(21), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(23), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(23), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(25)
Level 8: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(25)
Level 10: Penumbral Shield -- Aegis-ResDam(A), Aegis-Psi/Status(27)
Level 12: Sunless Mire -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(27), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(29), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(29), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Oblit-%Dam(31)
Level 14: Shadow Cloak -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(31), LkGmblr-Rchg+(33)
Level 16: Super Jump -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Gravity Well -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg(33), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), RechRdx-I(34)
Level 20: Acrobatics -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 22: Stygian Circle -- Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Mrcl-Heal/Rchg(36), Mrcl-Heal(36), RechRdx-I(36), EndMod-I(37)
Level 24: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(37), RechRdx-I(37)
Level 26: Unchain Essence -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(39), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), Posi-Dam%(40), RechRdx-I(40)
Level 28: Inky Aspect -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(40), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(42), Stpfy-Stun/Rng(42), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(42)
Level 30: Gravitic Emanation -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(43), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(43), Stpfy-Stun/Rng(43), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(45)
Level 32: Dark Extraction -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(45), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(45), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(46), RechRdx-I(46)
Level 35: Stygian Return -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48)
Level 38: Eclipse -- ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(48), ImpArm-ResDam(48), ImpArm-ResPsi(50), RechRdx-I(50), Acc-I(50)
Level 41: Nebulous Form -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 44: Super Speed -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 47: Starless Step -- Acc-I(A)
Level 49: Provoke -- Acc-I(A)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Dark Sustenance
Level 1: Shadow Step -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(9), Zephyr-ResKB(9)
Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 10: Shadow Recall -- Winter-ResSlow(A)
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Heal(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(13), Mrcl-Rcvry+(15)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(15)
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My Crab Spider on Justice is Operative Clarke.
At the time I was creating the character there was a copy of Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke on the bookcase beside my PC. -
I'm sure both builds can be fun and effective with SOs.
But as long as you find them both fun, I guess the question I would ask is... how much would you miss permanent Mind Link? That seem to be the main thing that you cannot do with an SO build. If lack of defenses is an issue, then I'd say a Fortunata would be more effective since you don't need amazing defenses if you have good crowd control. -
Anyone planning to go Premium but still play their SoA when Freedom goes live? I really don't see it happening in my case. My time online is more fun with the VIP perks, and fun is why I'm here after all.
Even so, the notion of losing access to the invention system did make me ponder how my various characters would operate if they had to use old-school enhancements. My current tank-like style of play just doesn't work when you can't hit the melee defense soft-cap.
It seems to me like the pet-heavy "MasterCrab" would still be fun and effective using only SOs. The general idea of this build is to keep as many pets in play as possible and support them with serious Leadership. Fight from range where your defenses are best. If something just insists on engaging in hand-to-hand, it can be clobbered with Shatter Armor.
I attempted to manage endurance cost by making all the toggles more cost-effective. In actual practice it may be necessary to make the pet summoning powers more efficient.
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
MasterCrab SO: Level 50 Natural Arachnos Soldier
Primary Power Set: Crab Spider Soldier
Secondary Power Set: Crab Spider Training
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Channelgun -- Acc(A), Dmg(3), Dmg(3), DefDeb(23), DefDeb(40)
Level 1: Crab Spider Armor Upgrade -- ResDam(A)
Level 2: Combat Training: Defensive -- DefBuff(A), DefBuff(5), DefBuff(34)
Level 4: Longfang -- Acc(A), Dmg(7), Dmg(7), Dmg(17), RechRdx(43), EndRdx(46)
Level 6: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff(A)
Level 8: Suppression -- Acc(A), Dmg(9), Dmg(9), Dmg(23), RechRdx(27), EndRdx(34)
Level 10: Tactical Training: Maneuvers -- EndRdx(A), DefBuff(11), DefBuff(34), DefBuff(43)
Level 12: Venom Grenade -- Acc(A), Dmg(13), Dmg(13), Dmg(27), RechRdx(33), EndRdx(37)
Level 14: Super Jump -- EndRdx(A), Jump(15), Jump(15)
Level 16: Tactical Training: Assault -- EndRdx(A)
Level 18: Maneuvers -- EndRdx(A), EndRdx(19), DefBuff(19), DefBuff(21), DefBuff(42)
Level 20: Tactical Training: Leadership -- EndRdx(A), ToHit(21), ToHit(43)
Level 22: Mental Training -- Run(A)
Level 24: Fortification -- ResDam(A), ResDam(25), ResDam(25), EndRdx(46)
Level 26: Assault -- EndRdx(A), EndRdx(42)
Level 28: Serum -- Heal(A), Heal(29), RechRdx(29), RechRdx(31)
Level 30: Tactics -- EndRdx(A), EndRdx(31), ToHit(31), ToHit(42)
Level 32: Hasten -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(33), RechRdx(33)
Level 35: Summon Spiderlings -- Acc(A), Dmg(36), Dmg(36), RechRdx(36), RechRdx(37), RechRdx(37)
Level 38: Call Reinforcements -- Acc(A), Dmg(39), Dmg(39), RechRdx(39), RechRdx(40), RechRdx(40)
Level 41: Web Envelope -- Acc(A)
Level 44: Shatter Armor -- Acc(A), Dmg(45), Dmg(45), Dmg(45), EndRdx(46)
Level 47: Summon Blaster -- Acc(A), Dmg(48), Dmg(48), RechRdx(48), RechRdx(50), RechRdx(50)
Level 49: Vengeance -- DefBuff(A), Heal(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Acc(A)
Level 1: Conditioning
Level 1: Sprint -- Run(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Heal(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run(A)
Level 2: Health -- Heal(A), Heal(17)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod(A), EndMod(5), EndMod(11)
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In terms of Warshades.... I don't know how long you've been away, but Void Hunters have been nerfed so that getting surprised by one is no-longer the instant death sentence that it used to be.
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I would say it's actually fairly simple to cap all of your positional defenses. If fact, using purples is what makes it difficult, since they don't give you any +Def set bonuses.
There are multiple ways it can be done. If you choose your IOs primarily for the +Def set bonuses, you could even skip pool Maneuvers and/or Weave and still hit the soft caps, though your DPS might suffer a bit. -
I did flip through my Crab Spider's costumes during and weekend and noticed that my Slot #1 standard Arachnos uniform does not have glowy eyes. However, one of my other costumes that uses the Arachnos helmet does have the sequential blinking eyes... like the turn signals on an old Impala.
I would prefer that the lighting effects worked on all costumes, though if I had to choose bug fixes to make a high priority, this one would not make the list. -
Suppression w/ Shield Breaker
For a ranged Crab that needs melee defense, Shield Breaker is a great set. Shield Breaker in Suppression does allow you to deliver the maximum debuff for your team and pets to benefit from. The only caveats I would point out are:
- Shield Breaker boosts your -Def from 7.5% to about 12%, while you could get a much bigger boost to damage by using more conventional sets.
- It's not the hordes of minions that you really need to debuff to defeat, it's the epic bosses and AVs. You could slot Shield Breaker in Channelgun and still take care of business.
Frenzy
This can be a very effective attack as long as you stand still and allow a big crowd of opponents to gather around you. That's much harder to do if you are immobilizing them with Electrifying Fences, knocking them around with Frag Grenade and competing with your pets for aggro. I think if you just want one Crab melee attack, Arm Lash is the one to have. It's fast and deadly and has a great animation.
Procs
As Master Templar points out, if you put your procs into toggle powers, they will fire periodically all by themselves and you will get more mileage out of them. -
I normally hit Shatter Armor right after Venom Grenade and I don't know of any unusual redraw issues caused by this. Crabs have a lot of long animations and I think that the time required for Shatter Armor is okay for the amount of damage it does. I don't use Hasten and I don't mind if there are momentary pauses in my attack chain so your mileage may vary.
The "optimal" attack chain is the one that's fun to play. Many Crabs that are obsessed with the ranged AoE attacks will take Heavy Burst or Wide Area Web Grenade and skip melee attacks altogether. I want my Crab to be a tank with ranged attacks and pets, and most of my attacks are melee.
I've never tried to use the toxic attack chain though it has been discussed in previous threads and some people do swear by it. -
I have Channelgun but skipped Longfang. There are so many big attacks that are worth taking that you don't need both single-target filler attacks.
I don't know if Achilles' Heel on Channelgun is a waste... but I will say that any attack slotted with nothing but a proc is a waste. Do you really want an unslotted attack in your attack chain? 80% of the time, that's what it will be.
For -Resist, I don't use procs at all. I use the sixth slot in Venom Grenade for a Recharge IO so I can spam it a bit faster. For AVs I use Venom Grenade and Shatter Armor from Mace Mastery.
My Crab is melee-oriented and has Frenzy 6-slotted with Obliteration and it's a great attack. Frenzy is actually what defeats most of my foes when soloing. I attack a boss directly and just let the minions gather 'round where they will be hit by Frenzy.
However... since you plan to open each attack chain with an immobilize, I don't think you will get as much mileage out of Frenzy as I do. Now Arm Lash is also a great attack that can quickly finish off foes that get into melee with you. It's a cone and with a bit of practice you can catch multiple targets. Besides, what's the point of having a set of clawed mechanical arms if you can't slash people with them?
In general I think your build is very solid. -
I love pets and they are one of the things that attracted me to Crab Spiders to begin with. Even so, I dropped Spiderlings from my spec about the time I started doing Incarnate trials. They only last a few seconds before they're killed, and a dead pet contributes 0 DPS.
However... fast forward to Issue 20.5 and doing Keyes Island Reactor trials all the time. None of my pets can survive long enough to be useful. I hate to drop all my pets, but they are useless... or worse if I catch them chewing on Former Praetor Keyes during their brief existence.
So, I am going to have two permanent specs. The "bring home the bacon" spec with no pets, and the "lightweight" spec with all the pet powers and the Leadership pool.
I guess that's my answer. If you're doing Incarnate trials and want pets for their DPS, forget it. If you're playing regular missions for fun, keep them around and watch them chew on the ankles of your foes instead of staying at range and blasting. -
There are different schools of thought on the usefulness of purple sets, but I feel that slotting up a junk power just to serve as a parking space for a purple set is a waste of perfectly good slots and it ultimately makes the character weaker.
Case in point: Omega Maneuver may be the world's worst crowd control power. It works best if nobody has aggro and if you have time to wait around for it to go off. Instead of slotting up a useless power as a parking space for a Absolute Amazement, I would take Suppression and slot it with regular old Positron's Blast. This will give you a useful AoE attack, which is the whole point of this build, after all.
I'm not sure if you have used Summon Spiderlings, but I quit using them on my own Crab because they race into melee and get killed almost instantly, so they really do not contribute any useful amount of DPS. I would much rather have Super Jump. You could also slot Super Jump for knockback resistance which would allow you to remove a slot of KB resistance from one of the Armor Upgrade powers and put it in to Stamina. -
I want to elaborate on the importance of IOs, since they are absolutely critical to high performance. For example, my Crab has 49% Melee defense. Slightly more than half of that comes from powers (Combat Jumping, TT: Manuevers, Weave) and the remainder is all IOs (Steadfast Protection 3%, Touch of Death 3.75% x2, Obliteration 3.75% x2, Shield Breaker 3.125%, and Gaussian's Synchronized Fire Control 2.5%).
You cannot cap melee or AoE defenses with any amount of SOs, even if you take every defense power you can, and slot them like mad. So, don't expect to be indestructable until you get your IO sets.
What sort of Crab do you want to be? I think taking Frenzy and not Heavy Burst is an indicator of a major lifestyle choice. You cannot get your money's worth out of Frenzy unless your melee defense is so high that you can fight completely surrounded by melee combatants. If you're going to go this route (as I have) then I say in for a penny, in for a pound. Get Slice and Arm Lash, even at the cost of dropping Channelgun and/or Longfang. If you follow this path, then Tough and Weave are in your future.
I feel that Frag Grenade is incompatible with Frenzy. If you want to stay surrounded in melee and fire off Frenzy as fast as it recharges, you don't want any knockback. On the other hand, if you prefer ranged combat and would rather line up a series of perfect Suppression attacks, Frag Grenade can protect you from melee combatants. In that case, I recommend taking Arm Lash instead of Frenzy to quickly eliminate any opponent that gets too friendly.
Omega Maneuver is a great power IF you like to solo. It's not so good in groups because it takes too long to work. By the time it explodes, half of your targets have been killed by DPS characters or they've been distracted by competing sources of aggro and are not standing by the bomb. These days anyone on the team might decide that group is a good target for Judgement and you won't have any targets left at all!
In terms of attack chain, I open with Suppression since it makes Acid Grenade more likely to hit.
Endurance-wise, you do need to slot your serious end-hogs (Weave, pool Maneuvers, etc.) for end cost reduction, and it helps to slot Stamina like you mean it, including the Performance Shifter proc. The previously-mentioned Numina's Convalescence proc in Health is a boon as well. Start saving those merits! (I'm also partial to the Cardiac Alpha Incarnate power.)
IOs are also the solution to knockback issues. Though, if you're a cheapskate, there's always Acrobatics. You are taking the Leaping pool anyway.
In terms of general tips, I would only say that it's tough to play a melee crab without IOs. Until you can really hit your defense caps, I recommend emphasizing ranged attacks, Leadership and pets. -
I would say you should build it and try it out. I got away with having fewer slots in many of these powers, but you have a lot more slots to play with in Human form than I do, so you don't have to be as frugal.
One thing you might consider is... how much do you plan to exemplar? If you exemplar down to 40-45 you will lose all your set bonuses for accuracy and Eclipse will miss a lot (since it's not slotted for any accuracy). If you exemplar below 38 you will lose Eclipse altogether. Instead of having a 1-slotted Shadow Bolt that you never use, you might consider getting a 1-slotted Gravity Shield for times when Eclipse is not available. -
I have a mostly-Human Warshade that can shapechange but usually doesn't.
The main thing I would change on your build is Stygian Circle. You will get more endurance recovery out of it if you slot it for maximum recharge and use it all the time. This is also your primary healing power, and giving it at least one Heal IO will help to insure that it always tops you off. The proc from Performance Shifter can go in Stamina where it will function all the time instead of just when you hit Stygian Circle.
One of the reasons my Warshade avoids changing forms is that I hate restarting all my toggles. I dropped Quasar from my build for the same reason. Unchain Essence is more difficult to use but it can be used frequently enough to be part of your regular attack routine and it doesn't crash all your toggles.
I think this slotting for Dark Extraction will cost you far more influence than it's worth. All your pets really need to be happy and productive is accuracy, damage and recharge. Being able to generate replacements rapidly is much more useful than the protective aura IOs.
I don't like Dark Detonation, mainly due to knockback. I rely on Inky Aspect and Orbiting Death to disable and eat away my hapless victims, and I don't want them scattered all over the countryside shooting at me from long range. I prefer to keep them grouped up until I hit them with Unchain Essence... which does cause knockback but leaves a lot fewer survivors. Keeping your foes in a group also makes your pets' cone attacks useful.
I use Gravitic Emanation and Inky Aspect (both 5-slotted with Stupefy (no knockback)) for crowd control as needed, and Gravity Well (Crushing Impact) as a melee attack. I like to crush a minion in a single attack and then use it for Unchain Essence. The higher accuracy and damage of Crushing Impact is worth more to me than the extra 2.5% recharge bonus from Basilisk's gaze (since Crushing Impact has a 5% bonus), though your mileage my vary. -
Lobster's Guide to Crabbing is still very useful even though it has not been updated recently. The many example builds in that guide should show that you can cap your defenses and still have a wide variety of different power choices.
My own Crab is plenty tough without any purples or Hami-O's, and without frankenslotting. He thinks he's a tank and happily charges into melee combat with archvillians and giant monsters. Soloing at less than x8 is a waste of his AoE powers.
The most basic foundation of crab survivability is hitting your ranged defense soft-cap, which you can do in your sleep. Many Crab players are content with that. Capping Melee and AoE defense requires a bit more effort, but it can still be done without blowing three power slots to get Weave. Though, if you really want to embrace your inner tank, Tough and Weave are great for Crab Spiders.
I never make characters without travel powers. Since Combat Jumping contributes to your defenses, many Crabs (including mine) use super leap to get around. -
I would like my Crab to do "everything" including ranged, melee and pets, so both powers and slots are tight and trade-offs must be made.
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.93
http://www.cohplanner.com/
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Level 50 Natural Arachnos Soldier
Primary Power Set: Crab Spider Soldier
Secondary Power Set: Crab Spider Training
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Channelgun -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg (A), Thundr- Dmg/Rchg(3), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9)
Level 1: Crab Spider Armor Upgrade -- S'fstPrt- ResDam/Def+(A), S'fstPrt-ResKB(5)
Level 2: Slice -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg (A), T'Death- Dmg/EndRdx(7), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(7), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11) , T'Death- Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), T'Death- Dam%(29)
Level 4: Combat Training: Defensive -- LkGmblr- Def(A), LkGmblr- Rchg+(5)
Level 6: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Def (A), LkGmblr- Rchg+(9)
Level 8: Recall Friend -- Winter-ResSlow (A)
Level 10: Tactical Training: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr- Def(A), LkGmblr- Rchg+(11)
Level 12: Arm Lash -- Oblit-Dmg (A), Oblit- Acc/Rchg(13), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(13), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31) , Oblit- Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Oblit- %Dam(34)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel (A), Zephyr- Travel/EndRdx(15), Zephyr-ResKB(15)
Level 16: Venom Grenade -- Posi-Acc/Dmg (A), Posi- Dmg/EndRdx(17), Posi- Dmg/Rchg(17), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), Posi-Dam%(34)
Level 18: Suppression -- ShldBrk-DefDeb (A), ShldBrk- Acc/DefDeb(19), ShldBrk-Acc/Rchg(19), ShldBrk-DefDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(36) , ShldBrk- Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(37), ShldBrk- %Dam(37)
Level 20: Tactical Training: Leadership -- GSFC- ToHit(A), GSFC- ToHit/Rchg(23), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(25) , GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx (37), GSFC- ToHit/EndRdx(39), GSFC-Build%(40)
Level 22: Mental Training -- Run-I(A)
Level 24: Fortification -- Aegis- ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis- ResDam/Rchg(25), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(27), Aegis-ResDam(40) , Aegis-Psi/Status (40)
Level 26: Kick -- Acc-I(A)
Level 28: Serum -- Numna-Heal/Rchg (A), Numna- Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(29)
Level 30: Tough -- Aegis- ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis- ResDam/Rchg(31), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(31), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(42) , Aegis-ResDam (42)
Level 32: Weave -- LkGmblr- Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr- Def(33), LkGmblr- Rchg+(33)
Level 35: Frenzy -- Oblit-Dmg (A), Oblit- Acc/Rchg(36), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(36), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42) , Oblit- Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), Oblit- %Dam(43)
Level 38: Call Reinforcements -- ExRmnt- Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt- Acc/Dmg(39), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(39), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43) , ExRmnt- EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(45), ExRmnt- +Res(Pets)(46)
Level 41: Web Envelope -- Enf'dOp- Acc/Immob/Rchg(A)
Level 44: Shatter Armor -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg (A), T'Death- Dmg/EndRdx(45), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(45), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46) , T'Death- Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), T'Death- Dam%(48)
Level 47: Summon Blaster -- BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg (A), BldM'dt- Dmg/EndRdx(48), BldM'dt-Acc/EndRdx(48), BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(50) , BldM'dt-Acc (50), BldM'dt- Dmg(50)
Level 49: Tactical Training: Assault -- EndRdx -I(A)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
Level 1: Conditioning
Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I (A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Heal (A), Numna- Regen/Rcvry+(23)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I (A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I (A), P'Shift- EndMod(21), P'Shift-End%(21)
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Defense and Resistance
In terms of defenses, this build has Tough and Weave but lacks Leadership pool Maneuvers. All positional defenses are slightly over soft cap. It also has 50% resistance to smashing and lethal, due largely to 5-slotted Tough and Fortification.
Without Manuevers you have to get a little creative with IO sets to improve Melee and Area defenses. Shield Breaker improves both. Aegis and Blood Mandate are great for AoE. Obliteration and Touch of Death are good for Melee. And if you don't mind 6-slotting Leadership, Gaussian's Synchronized Fire Control adds 2.5% to all positionals.
Attacks
As I said, this build is really more concerned about melee combat than ranged AoE. I open with Suppression and Venom Grenade, then charge in to melee with Slice, Arm Lash, Frenzy and Shatter Armor. I perfer to have a lot of attacks instead of using Hasten to spam just two or three.
Omega Maneuver
Before I gave up using it, I slotted Omega Maneuver a few different ways. The only major advice I would give is... slot it for range. There's a fine line between dropping the bomb in the middle of a group... and having the group aggro on you and run away from the bomb to attack you. This is even more problematic if you have trigger-happy pets in tow. Just a small increase in range can make the power a lot easier to use when solo.
Serum
I did have it much better slotted before I20 came out. I reduced it to a mere two slots after I fell in love with my Destiny power (Rebirth).
Pets
I would like to have all possible pets, but I've sworn off Spiderlings in this build because they often survive only seconds before being pulverized.