Two_Dollar_Bill

Cohort
  • Posts

    253
  • Joined

  1. I have been enjoying the event. I did it six times last night with four characters, trying different roles in the Casino Heist and figuring out the best monkey- and ninja-fighting techniques. Many people seemed unwilling to read/use the notes on their roles or the crowd favor power, but I suspect people will gain expertise with time, or give up angrily after refusing to read the directions.

    Of my four IOs, I have not seen the proc yet. Not sure what character I have that would slot the set. It does have a ranged defense bonus that could be slotted in a ranged AoE, so I'm sure I have a Defender or Corruptor that would use it.

    Most of my characters can exemplar to 29 seemlessly, so I'm not bothered by that. I actually LIKE exemplaring because incarnate powers make all the 45+ content feel like easy mode. One of my teammates in one run complained repeatedly that he didn't have a useful attack chain at 29th level, but other than that, nobody seemed to object too much to the auto-exemplaring.

    Twice during six runs, I was the only one teleported back to the safe house. All my characters have Recall Friend and were able to summon the rest of the team before the AV stage, though it did seem odd that the only guy on the team with Recall Friend was the one that was teleported back.
  2. Two_Dollar_Bill

    Bane build

    As long as those Kinetic Combats are just there to provide melee defense, get rid of them. There are better ways to get melee defense, and better set bonuses you could be getting from your melee attacks.
    This is your existing build with the slots shuffled a bit. Hasten is still permanent with two slots, and you can give it some enhancement boosters if you want to redline the recharge on it again.

    Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.956
    http://www.cohplanner.com/

    Click this DataLink to open the build!

    Lord Anarchy: Level 50 Natural Arachnos Soldier
    Primary Power Set: Bane Spider Soldier
    Secondary Power Set: Bane Spider Training
    Power Pool: Leaping
    Power Pool: Speed
    Power Pool: Medicine
    Power Pool: Fighting
    Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery

    Hero Profile:
    Level 1: Bash -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx(7), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(17), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17)
    Level 1: Bane Spider Armor Upgrade -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), S'fstPrt-ResKB(5), GA-3defTpProc(5)
    Level 2: Combat Training: Defensive -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(3), LkGmblr-Rchg+(3)
    Level 4: Super Jump -- Jump-I(A)
    Level 6: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(7)
    Level 8: Build Up -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(9), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(9), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(11), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(11), GSFC-Build%(13)
    Level 10: Tactical Training: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(13), LkGmblr-Rchg+(15)
    Level 12: Poisonous Ray -- Ruin-Acc/Dmg(A), Ruin-Dmg/EndRdx(25), Ruin-Dmg/Rchg(25), Ruin-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(27), Ruin-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27)
    Level 14: Pulverize -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(33), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(37), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42), T'Death-Dam%(43)
    Level 16: Venom Grenade -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(37), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(37), Posi-Dmg/Rng(43), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43)
    Level 18: Shatter -- DoArach-Acc/Dmg(A), DoArach-Dmg/Rchg(19), DoArach-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), DoArach-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21), DoArach-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21)
    Level 20: Aid Other -- Empty(A)
    Level 22: Aid Self -- IntRdx-I(A), Heal-I(23), Heal-I(23)
    Level 24: Mental Training -- Run-I(A)
    Level 26: Boxing -- Empty(A)
    Level 28: Tough -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(29), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(29), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Aegis-ResDam(33)
    Level 30: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(31), LkGmblr-Rchg+(31), EndRdx-I(46)
    Level 32: Crowd Control -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(33), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(34), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Oblit-%Dam(36)
    Level 35: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(36), LkGmblr-Rchg+(36)
    Level 38: Call Reinforcements -- C'Arms-Acc/Rchg(A), C'Arms-Acc/Dmg(39), C'Arms-Dmg/EndRdx(39), C'Arms-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), C'Arms-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(40), C'Arms-+Def(Pets)(40)
    Level 41: Web Envelope -- TotHntr-Acc/Rchg(A), TotHntr-Immob/Acc(42), TotHntr-Acc/Immob/Rchg(42)
    Level 44: Disruptor Blast -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(45), Posi-Dmg/Rng(45), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46), Posi-Dam%(46)
    Level 47: Shatter Armor -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(48), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(48), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(48)
    Level 49: Summon Blaster -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(50), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(50), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(50)
    Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Conditioning
    Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
    Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
    Level 4: Ninja Run
    Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
    Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A)
    Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
    Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A)
    Level 50: Agility Core Paragon
    Level 0: Portal Jockey
    Level 0: Task Force Commander
    Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
    Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
    ------------
    ------------



    Code:
    | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
    |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
    |MxDz;1538;693;1386;HEX;|
    |78DA6594594F135114C7EFB40385D216106841E8C2528196D6167837A848A22D368|
    |1F8A0621D3B633BA6699B694DE4D1AFE042A2CFAE2F24C6054DF4A3B8F1AE10B707|
    |B77A3AE74F539C49DBDF9DFF3DDB3D673AE96BC75D9B4BD78F08C97BACA854ABD90|
    |543C9154AE56A76A55C5475CD702C2BB5AB86521474B95265430D2D941423575877|
    |9010FEDFBA1A3FAA94B4EC4A455735634F0CAF1A8A5ED24BF9EC92A2E6B5DA7EA3B|
    |D4DE1CA94CBC5784A532A74E7346F562A9AA6BACD655A53F59C5ED2F8EE849E2FD4|
    |C8CCBB58D173F1338B0BABD9B492D3E8A75AD38CF541AA2D42DF0EB177D56571919|
    |09445BBC2F4E4983D2AA83137BB8892E963133E5AF865210F82B376D3668B6C24D8|
    |48FD92A9D97AC001A68F1A64E7DCC23EC5B1C7486B633FA92D8A7AC0465A07DBB73|
    |9EED94CADE33EF880E97C083E62BA1E335F917327EAE9443D2ED4E3413D6EDAED42|
    |2FBA6E102665317813BCC53C781BDC607A086ED4E43ECB5AE81C73E23C73728D397|
    |D8119C932DB09DDC8D7FD94CF38F10C7CCE8CBC00B7980DFB5EF8F4A6B8D707D2E0|
    |32B3FF349861FAA9697DE8735F9D2E1124658015DBC03047F64EECE76B6A858F3B2|
    |67C31D624F21B42A42133929D9461B6928713DCC7912438CB0CCC3143F34C997CFC|
    |EC63F7631601CC228059C4463963E3AC41F437F88B6719FACD1CFD03FE05EBCC71C|
    |1E7F6529E31CC7C0C79C691671C79DED029C3881F7E6B339FE143EFC0F7E007E6E4|
    |47709BF98DD24CA18B531B1C6FFA0E7897F99D6CA2881FC58C6730E319CC7806338|
    |E61C6B197CC27F460C5D9D71EBFCCDAE102A88357983F284F02B6891DEE437217FC|
    |027E658EC8CDFF3C7D1A538C58948445495A94398B326F514EC9CD77453D65D9CDC|
    |8D824453295CE9EE63BA1FEC9D97C876077A755392999FFA2CF16ABDD5625C4FDF9|
    |E925A08E35A75981B9565AD6975AD69996F53F2A260949|
    |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
  3. It's been years since I took a video or used demorecord... though I did take a few screenshots.
  4. I submit that if you are trying to avoid aggro as a Dark/Dark Defender, you're doing something wrong. Your multiple cone attacks should insure that there's always a dozen mobs angry with you. Your debuffs, crowd control, healing and defense should insure that they're helpless to stop you.

    I love Howling Twilight and I do sometimes use it as an opener. It's still great if you hold it in reserve for those times you need to turn your crowd control up to 11. But in either case, you still have to apply your debuffs so that your victims are helpless to resist even after they snap out of the stun.

    For the ordinary run-of-the-mill spawn that doesn't include a big boss worthy of Darkest Night, the backbone of your debuffing will be Fearsome Stare. With a bit of slotting, you can make Fearsome Stare deliver a huge cone of -25% or better To-Hit debuff.

    Dark Pit isn't an amazing crowd control power, but it is your only AoE lockdown power that can be used every fight. Minions debuffed and terrorized by Fearsome Stare and immobilized by Tenebrous Tentacles can still shoot you. Minions stunned by Dark Pit cannot.
  5. I did intend to reply earlier but the Soldiers of Arachnos forum, where I live, has been hit by a rash of new builds recently.

    Being level 28, this DDD build is faced with an unfortunate shortage of enhancement slots. Even so, I think that by level 28, at least a few of your powers should be slotted like you really love them (and none currently are).

    In the old days, when fights were slower and more deliberate affairs, I would wait for the tanker to pick a spot to fight. Then I'd throw down a Tar Patch under the mobs, and begin hitting the group with the cones - Fearsome Stare, Tenebrous Tentacles and Night Fall.
    These days fights are often over very quickly and the mobs die in place rather than being herded into a neat pile. I find that I don't use Tar Patch unless the fight promises to be a tough one. I just start in with the cones, always leading with Fearsome Stare so that any retaliation will be blunted by the accuracy debuff.
    The point of this story is... what is your attack chain? You have slots added to Dark Blast, Gloom, Moon Beam, Tenebrous Tentacles, Night Fall, Fearsome Stare and even Air Superiority. And that's not even mentioning other powers that you're likely to use every fight, like Twilight Grasp. I would pick a few really good attacks and slot them for high performance. The not-so-good attacks can be dropped from the build entirely or, if you are forced to take them, left unslotted and off your hotbar.

    -----

    At level 28 I would try to be good with your attack chain, which I would define as Fearsome Stare, Tenebrous Tentacles, Night Fall and Twilight Grasp. Some other useful powers will have to languish without slots. An enhancement in one of your main cone attacks is simply worth a lot more than a slot in Dark Blast.
    Using Single Origin enhancements, I would not worry too much about defense and would instread concentrate on crowd control as your best defense. For example, Dark Pit, which can stack with Howling Twilight, will keep you safer than Combat Jumping.

    Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.956
    http://www.cohplanner.com/

    Click this DataLink to open the build!

    Level 49 Magic Defender
    Primary Power Set: Dark Miasma
    Secondary Power Set: Dark Blast
    Power Pool: Flight
    Power Pool: Leadership

    Hero Profile:
    Level 1: Twilight Grasp -- Acc(A), Acc(3), RechRdx(3), RechRdx(5), Heal(19), Heal(19)
    Level 1: Dark Blast -- Acc(A)
    Level 2: Gloom -- Acc(A)
    Level 4: Tar Patch -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(7)
    Level 6: Howling Twilight -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(9)
    Level 8: Darkest Night -- EndRdx(A), EndRdx(11), ToHitDeb(11)
    Level 10: Shadow Fall -- EndRdx(A), EndRdx(13)
    Level 12: Fearsome Stare -- Acc(A), RechRdx(13), RechRdx(15), ToHitDeb(15), ToHitDeb(25)
    Level 14: Fly -- EndRdx(A)
    Level 16: Tenebrous Tentacles -- Acc(A), Dmg(17), Dmg(17), EndRdx(23), RechRdx(27)
    Level 18: Dark Pit -- Acc(A)
    Level 20: Night Fall -- Acc(A), Dmg(21), Dmg(21), EndRdx(23), RechRdx(27)
    Level 22: Moonbeam -- Empty(A)
    Level 24: Maneuvers -- Empty(A)
    Level 26: Assault -- Empty(A)
    Level 28: Tactics -- Empty(A)
    Level 30: [Empty]
    Level 32: Dark Servant -- Empty(A)
    Level 35: [Empty]
    Level 38: [Empty]
    Level 41: [Empty]
    Level 44: [Empty]
    Level 47: [Empty]
    Level 49: [Empty]
    Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Vigilance
    Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
    Level 4: Ninja Run
    Level 4: Swift -- Empty(A)
    Level 4: Health -- Empty(A)
    Level 4: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
    Level 4: Stamina -- EndMod(A), EndMod(7), EndMod(25)
    ------------
  6. Two_Dollar_Bill

    Bane build

    I should just make a standard form letter that I can paste into build threads about how powerful all the VEAT Tactical Training toggles are, and how good the Leadership pool is. Anyway, VEATS get excellent results from Leadership. Maneuvers and Assault, in particular, are well worth taking twice.

    If you have soft-capped positional defenses there's no point in increasing your smashing / lethal defense. Every S/L attack will also have a vector, so your positionals will cover it.

    When my Bane Spider was leveling up, I did have the medicine pool. However, once I got cloaking device, soft-capped defenses, Tough, and some regen bonuses, I discovered that I really didn't need Aid Self. I would trade it in for Cloaking Device in an instant.
  7. Well, it's getting better. I recommend making the next version from scratch because you current file is adding 30% to all of your defenses which should not be there.

    The main thing I would do differently is to slot sets for set bonuses instead of frankenslotting three different sets into a power and getting no useful bonus out of any of them. You are missing out on some very good set bonuses, like 2.5% to all positional defenses from Gaussian's Synchronized Fire Control.

    Since you have migrated to a melee-oriented mace/stealth build, I'll just post my own Bane's current build. I'm actually going to modify this build when I get a chance to include Pulverize, since the melee attack chain is a little sluggish without Hasten. Still, this is basically my idea of what a fun Executioner-style build looks like. All positional defenses are soft-capped without any PvP IOs or incarnate powers.

    Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.956
    http://www.cohplanner.com/

    Click this DataLink to open the build!

    Bane 50 B: Level 50 Natural Arachnos Soldier
    Primary Power Set: Bane Spider Soldier
    Secondary Power Set: Bane Spider Training
    Power Pool: Leaping
    Power Pool: Teleportation
    Power Pool: Fighting
    Power Pool: Leadership
    Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery

    Villain Profile:
    Level 1: Bash -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(3), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(3), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(27), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(29), T'Death-Dam%(31)
    Level 1: Bane Spider Armor Upgrade -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), S'fstPrt-ResKB(5)
    Level 2: Mace Beam Blast -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(7), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), Posi-Dam%(31)
    Level 4: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(9), Zephyr-ResKB(9), EndRdx-I(34)
    Level 6: Recall Friend -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
    Level 8: Boxing -- Acc-I(A)
    Level 10: Tactical Training: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def(11), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(13), LkGmblr-Rchg+(13)
    Level 12: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(15), LkGmblr-Rchg+(15), EndRdx-I(17)
    Level 14: Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(17)
    Level 16: Tactical Training: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
    Level 18: Shatter -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(19), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(19), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), T'Death-Dam%(40)
    Level 20: Tactical Training: Leadership -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(23), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(23), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(40), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(43), GSFC-Build%(43)
    Level 22: Mental Training -- Run-I(A)
    Level 24: Cloaking Device -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(25), LkGmblr-Rchg+(25)
    Level 26: Placate -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(27)
    Level 28: Surveillance -- ShldBrk-Acc/DefDeb(A), ShldBrk-Acc/Rchg(29), ShldBrk-DefDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(31), ShldBrk-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(50)
    Level 30: Tough -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(34), Aegis-ResDam(34), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(37), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(37)
    Level 32: Crowd Control -- SDoArach-Acc/Dmg(A), SDoArach-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), SDoArach-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), SDoArach-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), SDoArach-Rchg/DmgFear%(43)
    Level 35: Mace Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(36), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(45)
    Level 38: Call Reinforcements -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(39), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(39)
    Level 41: Shatter Armor -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(42), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), Mako-Dam%(46)
    Level 44: Summon Blaster -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(45), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(50)
    Level 47: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(48), LkGmblr-Rchg+(48), EndRdx-I(48)
    Level 49: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(50)
    Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Conditioning
    Level 1: Sprint -- QckFt-EndRdx/RunSpd(A)
    Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
    Level 4: Ninja Run
    Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
    Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(5)
    Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
    Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(21), EndMod-I(21)
    ------------
    ------------



    Code:
    | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
    |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
    |MxDz;1495;697;1394;HEX;|
    |78DA6594DB4E13511486F7EE4C29A5859696D2722814A416399456F0DA802289822|
    |1A1E1C2D36402633BDA749A694DF4D2573046F4C2633CDEA0468DE717515F412192|
    |785B5767FD05B44DDB6FE65F6BAFB5F7BFF7CCD2D5E3FECD85EB4785EC3E56D42B1|
    |56DD6D6D70A25ABA2AD58C575D3B03DA7F5EA155B2F2A4208EF9C5E321247328939|
    |0FDD25FF4FADA4EB716DA56CAE1B76434CE66CDD2C99A5BCB6A0AFE78DEABF498DA|
    |0F02F5B5631BD68E865BA0B393739A368942DBBAA574DABD4EE4827CC7CA14A0981|
    |4636D5A814CC72F77CD95C4BAFCECFE6B4257DCDA0BF4AD5B0AFC5EAB3A45FAB687|
    |C6A6E7186905285EB2C788ED97B9ED97F8139A031377D44E98C95224A177155A831|
    |665B23246AAA7CC3F92D6FC177CCB6F7A8F7811925EB14AEA728DF5C8ED6FA1DFC4|
    |1F4AA626888C259552429D7CDF5851B31499A079AA7976B7EA4397A51D31B94DCB7|
    |8BE90F831166270DF621D787DC0EE474202788FEF5A5B7732FD93ECE5A10FC44C10|
    |0D71101E407089DF0B9133E87E073083E8FC0E7147C4EC1E7CF542FCCF5DCE1C7EC|
    |47F713F02933F58C39F61C7CC1FC426323984B6492E7F292B4286BAE28D619C33A6|
    |38D7552B407EBEBC1BA7AC15734BE8F634A9F4B71F6BB5F610EA8CCAC9BA990A771|
    |EEA5C6335C7B280BCE30470E83D3D807CA1EC4D919BCA9383D13B7C00DF03673EC0|
    |E7387300C7F87EFB26F07EE81F7C107CC8987E023E6571F3F0BF5F524B7D8B783DB|
    |E06F7087F99A367D147D462FF2F84379B0009ACCC94BE065E61F9AE338FA8CA3CF0|
    |4FA4CA24F167D54F22D8DB398C61E4D618FA6B04753385B21CACDE039CC40CB82FD|
    |EAEEF34D5FFA88B12625D3A4649B94E92665A64939A5EEBE0F6A8BFBA32D2E672EC|
    |BEAEE3B41486784978E99C24AED27BD32244EAAC449DDDAD3A43C491761726695DF|
    |30BFF6E78F72FEF69EE69237D8C9AE0D621731C1397F01F07FE2FC|
    |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
  8. There are a number of things here that I would change, but the major, giant question I must ask is... why not take any of the excellent powers in the Bane or Crab sets? I can see not wanting a non-functional set of Crab arms if you want to use only SMG attacks, but the Bane set has really useful and powerful abilities that don't make you any less Wolf-Spidery. Bane Spider Armor Upgrade is hands-down superior to Wolf Spider Armor. And what's wrong with Build Up? Or Surveillance?


    Other than that, I would start by looking at your attack chain, since this is going to dictate how the character actually plays.

    The two most powerful and useful attacks in a Huntsman's arsenal are Venom Grenade and Heavy Burst. I would slot them both like real attacks. These are the powers worthy of slotting with Dominion of Arachnos or Ragnarok.

    If you want Frag Grenade in your attack chain, knockback is an unfortunate side-effect of the attack, not something you want to encourage. Plastering a few of your opponents to the distant walls of the room with random knockback is not helpful. It's not even particularly good crowd control. Slot it with Positron's Blast.

    Mace Blast? It's not a bad attack, but it causes redraw between the mace and SMG and you should not need it. Single Shot is very fast and can fill the gaps in your main attack chain of AoEs, assuming you have reasonable recharge. You need a prerequisite attack in order to get Shatter Armor and Summon Blaster, but don't slot it if you really won't make it a part of your attack chain.

    If you do feel the need for crowd control, why not take Wide Area Web Grenade? It uses the SMG and will even take a purple set.

    Melee attacks. You've got six-slotted Pummel and Bayonet, which seems to imply that you want to melee with your SMG. But you've also got six-slotted Shatter Armor, which is a good attack but it causes mace/SMG redraw as you switch back and forth. And then you've got Flurry and Boxing slotted. You've even got a proc in Brawl.
    The best melee attacks available to you are mace attacks. Crowd Control is excellent. Shatter Armor is great for beating down single hard targets. Shatter hits like a ton of bricks. If you had Placate you could even do Executioner's Strikes. If you're okay with drawing the mace for melee, then go all mace for your melee attacks. If you hate redraw, stick with just Pummel and Bayonet.
  9. It will do what you want it to do, though I think it could be improved.

    Soldiers of Arachnos get superior performance from the Leadership pool. Why skip it?
    5% defense for yourself, your pets and your team (Maneuvers) is far better than 4% defense for just you (Combat Jumping). And passing up a 15% damage bonus for the whole team (Assault) is madness.

    I think that your pets as currently implemented are a waste of power and enhancement slots. They have no accuracy slotting and you didn't take TT:Leadership or Tactics, so they won't be able to hit the broad side of a barn. I would four-slot them with Expedient Reinforcements to get the 6.25% global recharge bonuses, and as many recharge, damage and accuracy bonuses as you can get from the set. After that, I'd worry about defense and resistance IOs. Their best defense is for you to grab all the aggro, and to run both versions of Maneuvers.

    Wolf Spider Armor is also dubious. An extra 3% resistance to smashing and lethal is really not worth a power slot to a Crab Spider, especially when you could have something very useful like Assault instead.

    Combat Training Offensive may be nice while leveling up, but you will not need that accuracy bonus when you are 50 and coated with IOs. If you want accuracy, take Tactical Training: Leadership.

    For the hover blaster, I would use the 6th slot in Suppression for a Range IO. This will substantially increase the range/altitude at which you can fight, which I think is a lot more useful than a random chance to debuff a bunch of minions.

    Why so much ranged defense? Going way over soft cap does provide a buffer against cascading failure in the event you get debuffed, but it also prevents you from taking more powerful IO sets and/or procs for Channelgun and Longfang.
  10. You can begin the patron story arcs at 35 these days. You can start them as a Rogue too, so you can head over to blueside for teams and still retain your connection to the patrons, at least long enough to stab them in the back and take their powers.
  11. I transferred a character to Protector last night, and I intend to be there.
    Doctor Legion - 50 Robot/Sonic Mastermind
    @Two Dollar Bill
  12. I'm really not any sort of expert on Widows, so I will only offer a piece of general advice that I give all VEATs. Something along the lines of "Leadership pool! It's amazing for VEATs. Why aren't you taking it? Is this character only intended for soloing?"

    A few things I can offer concrete information on:
    - I think all the patron pools are roughly similar in performance. If you want a specific sort of damage or debuff, or if you like cones versus single targets, there may be some benefit to one or another, but it's not critical.
    - At least in the case of Shatter Armor, this is how redraw works:
    If you are not currently within melee range of your target, you perform the weapon draw animation. If you are already in range, you hear the weapon draw noise but the mace simply appears in your hand and you begin the attack animation immediately. The attack animation itself is not quick (think Greater Ice Sword) but I think the massive damage and debuff are worth it.
    - Dominion of Arachnos ATO set for Crabs. Most people (myself included) place it in a ranged AoE attack like Suppression or Venom Grenade, where it replaces the generally lackluster Positron's Blast.
  13. How do you feel about joining Arachnos? It's easy to hit 75% damage resistance using Sonic Dispersion, Tough and one of the epic power pool shields.
    However, for best survival, I would leave your resistance at the 50% level and concentrate on defense. With Scorpion Shield, Weave, Maneuvers, Combat Jumping and creative use of set bonuses, you could soft-cap your Smashing and Lethal defenses.
    This is not a whole build, just a framework for the sort of investment this could involve.
    The wanna-be Brute should also have hit points. I'd try to slot your ranged attacks with Devastation to get the 2.25% hit point bonus.

    Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.956
    http://www.cohplanner.com/

    Click this DataLink to open the build!

    Tough Sonic Guy: Level 49 Technology Defender
    Primary Power Set: Sonic Resonance
    Secondary Power Set: Sonic Attack
    Power Pool: Fighting
    Power Pool: Leaping
    Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery

    Hero Profile:
    Level 1: Sonic Siphon -- Acc-I(A)
    Level 1: Shriek -- Empty(A)
    Level 2: Scream -- Empty(A)
    Level 4: Howl -- Empty(A)
    Level 6: Boxing -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(7), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(7), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11)
    Level 8: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(9)
    Level 10: Shockwave -- Empty(A)
    Level 12: Sonic Dispersion -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(13), RctvArm-ResDam(13), RctvArm-EndRdx(15)
    Level 14: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(17), RctvArm-ResDam(19), RctvArm-EndRdx(19)
    Level 16: Shout -- Empty(A)
    Level 18: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(21), LkGmblr-Def(23), LkGmblr-Rchg+(23)
    Level 20: [Empty] -- Empty(A)
    Level 22: Amplify -- Rec'dRet-ToHit/Rchg(A), Rec'dRet-Pcptn(25)
    Level 24: [Empty]
    Level 26: [Empty]
    Level 28: [Empty] -- Empty(A)
    Level 30: [Empty]
    Level 32: Liquefy -- SipInsght-ToHitDeb(A), SipInsght-Acc/ToHitDeb(33), SipInsght-Acc/Rchg(33), SipInsght-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(33), SipInsght-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(34)
    Level 35: Screech -- Empty(A)
    Level 38: Dreadful Wail -- Empty(A)
    Level 41: Scorpion Shield -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(42), LkGmblr-Def(42), LkGmblr-Rchg+(42)
    Level 44: [Empty] -- Empty(A)
    Level 47: [Empty]
    Level 49: [Empty]
    Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Vigilance
    Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
    Level 4: Ninja Run
    Level 4: Swift -- Empty(A)
    Level 4: Health -- Empty(A)
    Level 4: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
    Level 4: Stamina -- Empty(A)
    ------------



    Code:
    | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
    |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
    |MxDz;977;457;914;HEX;|
    |78DA6592DB4EC2401086B7B48A9C51841831823544D18468F4DE78E4060C8AF7A49|
    |6A5349296B425913BBD30F121F4157C208FD17B0F6F5087DD11D1DDA4FBEF7EFBCF|
    |EC4CBAD5F3BDE85DF9728B48F1DD8EE6BA8D3DDAA256933AE113AAB72DBB631B7D0|
    |2237162F78C76BE6E5BA69E2FF7FA4160B33FDEC64EAFD52AB133883F85CDDCF0E8|
    |58B30CDAC4C36DCFD3F43312ABD976A774601A6DCFB48C28DB55A8D61D6E0E4CCFA|
    |2AE1BE19BCEC098DDEF9A7A69D7769C5ED7B39D4655D3294CAE479DFE0C145380EF|
    |224070F8501DC8BA42EE47990F833C009190488C3C029191C88C48D0DF1827F2580|
    |D4455C8F811EA31D7709D6B06BC4196D09782D312BB7522CDF509328730738865BE|
    |0212E16E39320F8B258544175055AEF145AE32648EA13786DE247AA7D03B85DE67C|
    |89BC09B12EC2605A227317A32C9EB994E71CD609D19AC9305A4D8FC0289D2D84EFA|
    |06362985CCDC72F5FF0C9265335B5F8321C7AF5772419925CD4FA08650C35C17225|
    |C5F2146C5925596EA2DC07FE4801418E98275199B58C6268AD844119B288E36B1FA|
    |5B131B73CAFFFFBF22903581AC0B6443209B02A908E4704078F97E4DF9FFEE42C9E|
    |1BBF3DFC3B09646DFE0A7403E04F225906FAB13FE46|
    |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
  14. I feel that the best defense for your pets is for you to jump up and grab all the aggro before they make enemies they can't handle. To this end, I gave the Crab Spider solid defenses and let the pets merely bask in the double Maneuvers. Blood Mandate has nice defense bonuses (for you, not them) as long as you don't mind the lack of recharge. Still, I did go a little over soft cap on the defenses, so you could lose one of those sets of Blood Mandate, squeeze in a set of defense/resist procs and still manage to hit ranged and AoE soft-caps with minimal tinkering.

    Gaussian's set, like Blood Mandate, gives you a lot of bang for you buck in terms of defense bonuses. Even so, you can lose a few bonuses without dropping below ranged or AoE soft caps. If you drop Gaussian's AND a set of Blood Mandate, you'll need to make up the lost defense bonuses somewhere else.

    What level of not-quite-permanent-Hasten you consider acceptable is all up to you. My Crab has a melee build and a ranged/pet build and neither of them have Hasten. I rotate through my pets and only summon the whole swarm at once for major opponents. If you have enough attacks to make a seemless attack chain, do you really need Hasten?

    I am personally not a big fan of procs unless the power's useful stats have been pushed into the red (getting eaten by Enhancement Diversification). My Crab's actual slotting for Suppression is Dominion of Arachnos 1-5 (no proc) and a 50+5 Range IO (Enhancement Boosters). With a cone attack, Range IS Damage if it means you can catch extra targets. I think that clobbering bosses with Shatter Armor works better than the spray and pray proc debuffing system, but most people love those procs.

    I've never really used the Knockdown proc since my Crab's melee build likes to herd 'em up for Frenzy and knocking them down (or terrorizing them with the ATO proc) prevents them from gathering. If you need the crowd control, go for it.
  15. I believe that the new ATO sets are scheduled for release with the next series of Super Packs... Late July? Early August?
  16. Well, I feel like Mace Mastery is the most thematic patron pool, so that's my preference. However, neither of these builds has soft-capped ranged defense, so I can't recommend either. Crabs have lots of AoE damage and can grab a lot of aggro. Without solid defenses, you may not live to gloat over the still-smoking corpses of those who dared to oppose you. (The Soul build appears to have soft-capped ranged defense only because Afterburner is turned on, which is not going to be true in combat.)

    For myself, I won't even play a character that lacks a fun movement power. Hate using Teleport to travel? Drop Aim and get Fly. On a build that relies heavily on pets for DPS, Aim may not be as powerful as it looks on paper anyway.

    I always recommend that Soldiers of Arachnos take the Leadership pool. Maneuvers is an easy +5% to ALL your defenses, and your pets' and teammates' defenses. Those little 2% and 3% damage bonuses you're getting from IO sets are small change compared to the 15% you would get from Assault. Better yet, Assault applies to your pets and teammates.

    While it may be helpful while leveling up, there's little point in taking Combat Training: Offensive at level 50. Your attacks should already have decent accuracy slotting, and many set bonuses give you added accuracy. You'll be hitting level 54 Rikti Drones with no difficulty, even without CT:O.

    Even if you hate redraw, I think Shatter Armor is worth it, but Web Envelope isn't. I'd much rather use those slots putting a full set of Gaussian's in Tactical Training: Leadership for a 2.5% bonus to all your positional defenses.

    Many of our fellow Crabs are obsessed with recharge and won't even look at a build that lacks perma-hasten or perma-pets. Since you seem to be willing to live without both, I suggest you ponder the benefits of less recharge and more defense. You could be getting defense bonuses (or better ones) from Arm Lash, Channelgun, Longfang, Fortification, all your pets and even Serum. There are serious benefits to real soft-capped defenses.


    This build has slower-recharging pets that are much more dangerous than the quick ones (due to higher enhancement values, as well as more and better Leadership toggles). It has soft-capped ranged and AoE defenses, so you can blast away and laugh at your victims' feeble attempts to respond. The build also has a travel power you actually like (which I consider far more important than Aim) as well as Long Range Teleport.

    Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.956
    http://www.cohplanner.com/

    Click this DataLink to open the build!

    Mastercrab, Defense: Level 50 Natural Arachnos Soldier
    Primary Power Set: Crab Spider Soldier
    Secondary Power Set: Crab Spider Training
    Power Pool: Flight
    Power Pool: Teleportation
    Power Pool: Leadership
    Power Pool: Speed
    Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery

    Villain Profile:
    Level 1: Channelgun -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(7), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(19), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37)
    Level 1: Crab Spider Armor Upgrade -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GA-3defTpProc(3)
    Level 2: Longfang -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(19), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43)
    Level 4: Fly -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(5), Zephyr-ResKB(5)
    Level 6: Recall Friend -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
    Level 8: Suppression -- SDoArach-Acc/Dmg(A), SDoArach-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), SDoArach-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9), SDoArach-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), SDoArach-Rchg/DmgFear%(36)
    Level 10: Tactical Training: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(11), LkGmblr-Def(11), LkGmblr-Rchg+(36)
    Level 12: Arm Lash -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(13), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(13), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Oblit-%Dam(37)
    Level 14: Venom Grenade -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(15), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(15), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33), Posi-Dam%(34)
    Level 16: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(17), LkGmblr-Rchg+(17)
    Level 18: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(36)
    Level 20: Tactical Training: Leadership -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(21), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(21), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(23), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(23), GSFC-Build%(31)
    Level 22: Mental Training -- Run-I(A)
    Level 24: Fortification -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(25), Aegis-ResDam(25), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(27), Aegis-Psi/Status(31)
    Level 26: Tactical Training: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
    Level 28: Serum -- Numna-Heal/Rchg(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(29), Numna-Heal(29), Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(37)
    Level 30: Teleport -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
    Level 32: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(33)
    Level 35: Web Envelope -- Acc-I(A)
    Level 38: Call Reinforcements -- BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg(A), BldM'dt-Dmg/EndRdx(39), BldM'dt-Acc/EndRdx(39), BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), BldM'dt-Acc(40), BldM'dt-Dmg(40)
    Level 41: Shatter Armor -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(42), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), Mako-Dam%(43)
    Level 44: Summon Blaster -- BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg(A), BldM'dt-Dmg/EndRdx(45), BldM'dt-Acc/EndRdx(45), BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45), BldM'dt-Acc(46), BldM'dt-Dmg(46)
    Level 47: Summon Spiderlings -- BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg(A), BldM'dt-Dmg/EndRdx(48), BldM'dt-Acc/EndRdx(48), BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(48), BldM'dt-Acc(50), BldM'dt-Dmg(50)
    Level 49: Long Range Teleport -- RechRdx-I(A)
    Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
    Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(40)
    Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
    Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(46), EndMod-I(50)
    Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Clrty-Stlth(A)
    Level 1: Conditioning
    Level 1: Sprint -- QckFt-EndRdx/RunSpd(A)
    Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
    Level 4: Ninja Run
    ------------
    ------------



    Code:
    | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
    |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
    |MxDz;1505;708;1416;HEX;|
    |78DA6594DB4E13511486F7B4532A14A4B44039530EB5086D6905AF0D01245130C45|
    |66E9BB1DDB4A34DDBCCD4442F7D056304341EE3F1C6448178E445D42750012F8C37|
    |1EEA62FED58276D2E69BF9F7FAF75A7BED99BD7079A6F1F9DCD51342699FCE69A69|
    |99C32B454365F3093F1422EAD4BC379462B5D32B49C5D08E15DD0CC92345286763E|
    |E49F91CB326F4A27E981FF4D66649A6292F1A29E9646450C240C4DCFEBF94C724E4|
    |B6764E9DFA0CAA0702D160AB9C8C99C9EC9963CD67D42E664B16094B4925EC8375B|
    |D2BCD4C86466F56283F51C2F4A996E9F2DEAA9C8D2EC5422B9A0A56412D55EE9D8A|
    |B90FE1E51B9CAAA5821045551B7CA5C033D37C1E15BE04B1751B13C8AF0D14DAF2A|
    |6CC7A8173155B4568644D9A1DC169666BB037AEE827DF740FF7D70F401E8A2B6D9E|
    |1B5D93FD82C4DFDC8FC040628C68118E160AD9D9E9CBC06E775D471E8067305EC5A|
    |0587D6C037B4867AACC15EEF562CADC1CB6C0587DA401F45B9784DAE9FC8D9F88BF|
    |91B1CF8C32C83C30279F6FADCC4B535AD639D8737989BDC8757E0C06BB08516D38C|
    |DA6CCD5C9B9B6B73734D8314D3C27BD03206DF10F31D15EBC598C3FB10F5B43E623|
    |EE69E3D613E05FB9E81EFC9DB06AF680B63BE75D27CD0545F14F93B26989360570C|
    |EC3B0EBE254F27CFD33980793648EB462FECDD71C4F52498E7C0E1B36090D6D7CBF|
    |BDCCBFBEC21AD9FD7DCCF73FA99DFA9DD831C3FD8056DCB85777CAF0F81CFD08E7C|
    |617E656E83C11DE62EF882366D84BD23CBD08E669859A6CEEFEF05E645F007D532C|
    |6DE31CE1BE2BC21CE1BE2BC61CE1BE6BC9B547384BD11F68EB3779CBDE3EC8DB137|
    |C65E3B7D0851EE4194DF85ED06FA1E791F14DECFDD7D4D514E29D6371D5C42DF770|
    |EC68F20FEDBBE6653AE612FC22B60CC8F981EB57A8ED08F2E315AA3446B94588D32|
    |51A34CAAD5D3863E59643DBDAF95E70F3AEA30BEA8564F21A17027EADDD5D3A5FC1|
    |78F13F11B|
    |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
  17. Hybrid is supposed to be a toggle that shuts itself off after 2 minutes, and then has a 2 minute recharge. There are currently some known bugs with this. Watch the defense values in your Combat Monitor window and double-check what the toggle is really doing, especially after you zone. It is possible for the toggle to run without giving you any bonuses, and you'll have to switch it off so it can recharge and start it up again.

    As far as general build advice goes, I would never let my Crab walk out of his front door in the morning without soft-capped ranged defense at the very least. It is possible to be TOO obsessed with recharge.
  18. After years of playing old school MMORPGs, the ones where it could take you 15 minutes of real time to get to a mission, there were three main factors that made me fall in love with City of Heroes: Character Customization, Travel Powers and Recall Friend. It doesn't have quite the utility today that it did when the Shadow Shard was new, but it's still an amazingly useful ability, especially if you've got someone on the team who zones horribly slowly. And it's a power that requires zero enhancement slots... which I always run out of in my quest for more set bonuses.

    If I can make a solid attack chain by adding one more attack and not taking Hasten, I will typically go that route. Ice/Ice doesn't really seem to have any sort of big slow power that's needed as often as possible. Greater Ice Sword is currently in the build to make sure I have a continuous attack chain. Since my IO slotting is currently rather bad, I don't really have a good feel for my attack chain yet.

    I used Aegis to get the large fire/cold defense bonus, but it never got anywhere near soft-cap so I guess it was not really helping. It doesn't seem like anyone is too alarmed by my lack of fire defense and resistance.

    I originally took Icicles at level 12 and was very disappointed with it. The endurance cost is absolutely brutal for the trivial damage it does. If I were soloing, the damage would help me finish fights faster. On a team, Icicles barely nibbles at them before my DPS-obsessed teammates annihilate all the minions. I am considering taking it very late so that I can cover its endurance cost with an alpha slot incarnate power.

    As far as Frozen Aura goes, I have never actually had a chance to try it since this character is currently 35. As above, I'm generally content to let my teammates handle the minion-slaughtering AoE DPS. On the other hand, Ice Storm is another power I've never used. If that doesn't work out well, I might replace it with Frozen Aura.

    As a side note on the sad state of Ice Melee on the forums. Most of the guides are so old that they actually discuss using Frozen Aura as a mediocre sleep power. Time to update Aett Thorn's Issue 7 Ice/Ice build guide!
  19. I missed the fact that Distortion Field is an auto-hit. Any four IOs from Basilisk's Gaze will work to get the coveted recharge bonus. I have no Time characters myself, so I'm a little vague on how Distortion Field works... Kyriani's build doesn't even bother to enhance it; it's just full of procs. I generally prefer to enhance what the power actually does, and gets a set bonus in the process, instead of making any power into a pile of procs.

    Any Time experts have an opinion on how procs in Distortion Field will work in Issue 24? It's a reasonably fast recharging AoE, so I suspect the proc chances will be very low.

    I like Kyriani's build in general, though I would add another slot of endurance reduction to Superior Invisibility (0.73 end/sec is too much!) and stick the Will of the Controller ATO set in there somewhere. They're not expensive and if you play the character a lot you will be able to catalyze it fairly quickly, giving you purple levels of performance.
  20. This character is an alt that I play for fun... which is why he's Ice/Ice/Arctic and not something newer and higher-performing. As an alt, he's on a budget and won't be coated in purple sets or PvP IOs. Since I couldn't figure a way around using multiple sets of Kinetic Combat, I made his defensive IO sets top out at 35 for exemplaring purposes. He plays on teams, so DPS is secondary to holding aggro and staying alive. I'm not entirely certain where the Tanker ATO set should go. He's weak versus fire, since I skipped Permafrost and did not worry much about fire/cold defense. If this is a fatal weakness I can switch out Build Up for Permafrost. I don't play Tankers very much, though I am familiar with the joys and perils of a defense build, since I have a melee Crab Spider. Any advice is appreciated.

    Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.956
    http://www.cohplanner.com/

    Click this DataLink to open the build!

    Freezer Gnome I23: Level 50 Magic Tanker
    Primary Power Set: Ice Armor
    Secondary Power Set: Ice Melee
    Power Pool: Leaping
    Power Pool: Teleportation
    Power Pool: Fighting
    Ancillary Pool: Arctic Mastery

    Hero Profile:
    Level 1: Frozen Armor -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(3), LkGmblr-Def(3), LkGmblr-Rchg+(5)
    Level 1: Frozen Fists -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(40), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(40), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43)
    Level 2: Hoarfrost -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(5), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(7), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(7), Dct'dW-Rchg(9)
    Level 4: Ice Sword -- SMotTanker-Acc/Dmg(A), SMotTanker-Dmg/Rchg(9), SMotTanker-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), SMotTanker-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), SMotTanker-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42), SMotTanker-Rchg/Res%(43)
    Level 6: Wet Ice -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(13)
    Level 8: Frost -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(13), Posi-Dmg/Rng(15), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), Posi-Dam%(17), Det'tn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rng(17)
    Level 10: Taunt -- Mocking-Taunt/Rchg(A), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(19), Mocking-Acc/Rchg(19), Mocking-Taunt/Rng(21), Mocking-Taunt(50), Mocking-Rchg(50)
    Level 12: Chilling Embrace -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(21)
    Level 14: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(23)
    Level 16: Recall Friend -- Winter-ResSlow(A)
    Level 18: Glacial Armor -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(23), LkGmblr-Def(25), LkGmblr-Rchg+(25)
    Level 20: Ice Patch -- RechRdx-I(A)
    Level 22: Boxing -- Acc-I(A)
    Level 24: Tough -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(27), Aegis-ResDam(27), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(29)
    Level 26: Energy Absorption -- Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(29), LkGmblr-Def(31), LkGmblr-Rchg+(31), RechRdx-I(31)
    Level 28: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(33), LkGmblr-Def(33), LkGmblr-Rchg+(33)
    Level 30: Freezing Touch -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(34), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(34), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(34), Dmg-I(48), Dmg-I(50)
    Level 32: Hibernate -- Numna-Heal/Rchg(A)
    Level 35: Greater Ice Sword -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(36), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(36), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46)
    Level 38: Block of Ice -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(39), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(39), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(39)
    Level 41: Ice Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
    Level 44: Ice Storm -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(45), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45), Posi-Dam%(46)
    Level 47: Icicles -- Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(48), Erad-%Dam(48)
    Level 49: Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A)
    Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
    Level 1: Gauntlet
    Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Sprint -- QckFt-EndRdx/RunSpd(A)
    Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
    Level 4: Ninja Run
    Level 4: Swift -- Run-I(A)
    Level 4: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(37)
    Level 4: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
    Level 4: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(37), EndMod-I(37)
    ------------



    Code:
    | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
    |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
    |MxDz;1477;697;1394;HEX;|
    |78DA6594DD52525114C7F7E11C340453041405E408628A4290DE374EA64349831FD|
    |32DC3D04E8FE281397051DDF50075D14DB7D50374D1F72BF4317DCC549ABE425A6F|
    |705A9CF54F99E1CCC06F9FFF5E7BEDFF66AD4DF1CE92EFF9CAFDCB42F15DA9559AC|
    |DF266C5DC9596BB58D932AA821EFFB225E53D69E92B667D4FEA854BF3BDA48639AC|
    |BC246F4BB329B385AA2C2F5A7B756B18134559932C3B237FC1DC9696345BD9FF035|
    |FA95EAF655765A561985B43CECB264536EA56ABD232EA66BF232D1B5BDB2D0AF0F2|
    |5BADFD1AB8DA30AAD945ABDA32AAE562A5D992D6DD30794AD1E7BD87BE94B66F5B1|
    |583344868C21500834C2DC41CEB13786CB7280947BBB006AE831BCCF42D629EB8C3|
    |FCE0C136C2D694EB8AA369ABCC9E22788379AEC48CD07E2A7B73AB3F559EDB67F61|
    |D80BF983387CCF411F313EDE7E6B58A7B823DF8C028E5EDC5397A5F62EE15F3FC1B|
    |F02D73F01DF88219A3B51EACF5182EE7AC433BE02E335863E6B7C13DE6475AE8852|
    |72FBC04C11132D4CF7995FE4397A30D1F31533437C0736220C2E7FB42B9FCA89B1F|
    |751B46DDC2A85B18758B93E700D60766793F857286A085C65853491B41CE911C6A3|
    |E0F2E30A3ED809826BED2FEA34E456D6DF401FB8C3E648E07B97EE321107B6A943F|
    |82FC1178D6E15987671D9E75F21CC3EF1CFBEE72F69CF801EE8307CC8B31CE9F07B|
    |F91B738CE16DF600F13942F817C09F46E12BD9B44EF26D1BB19F46E06BD5B52F9AE|
    |B47DA7E0650A5EA6E0650A5ED628769A635DD34F38DFCC53F019739D6266711766D|
    |17F73E8BFB9D720FA2F83FEFB4C67CA226FF637CE7D0C9E30C7E98C399C3B87DF3C|
    |AA9DDE592150E719EDF4CEDBE9CE799B1E91EB52F25DCA7C97B2D0A5AC762A3DDC1|
    |925EDF45F402870E819A45BCE9A7D7C76E3859AE1F93F679AA25EA34140139337B9|
    |0B4F3AE3A739FEEF99E6521FF1BE938F8941A2CE31FF003284D5EB|
    |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
  21. Permanent Phantom Army is sort of the gold standard of Illusion Control. Many builds obtain it with the help of a ton of purple IO sets. However, there are cheaper ways to get lots of recharge. Below is basically your existing build stuffed full of recharge bonuses (and consuming 3 more enhancement slots). Hasten is still a few seconds away from being permanent, but it's getting there.

    There are a few changes here that improve recovery and reduce endurance cost, but the main thing I would do to improve your endurance economy is shut off Tough and Weave. As long as you are running Superior Invisibility and standing off to the side (so as not to get caught in AoEs intended for your teammates) your own crowd control should be sufficient to protect you from what little aggro you get. You can always switch Tough and Weave on in emergencies (ambushes that don't care about your invisibility, for example).

    I also made Deceive into a real attack. It's an amazing power that can turn the tide of battle if you know where to use it.

    Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.956
    http://www.cohplanner.com/

    Click this DataLink to open the build!

    Dr Night: Level 49 Science Controller
    Primary Power Set: Illusion Control
    Secondary Power Set: Time Manipulation
    Power Pool: Speed
    Power Pool: Fighting

    Hero Profile:
    Level 1: Spectral Wounds -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(3), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39)
    Level 1: Time Crawl -- Acc(A)
    Level 2: Blind -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(5), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(7), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(7)
    Level 4: Deceive -- SWotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear(A), SWotController-Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/Rchg(17), SWotController-EndRdx/Rchg(19), SWotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx(27), SWotController-Acc/Conf/Hold/Immob/Sleep/Stun/Fear/EndRdx/Rchg(31)
    Level 6: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(9), RechRdx-I(9)
    Level 8: Superior Invisibility -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(11), LkGmblr-Rchg+(11), EndRdx-I(13)
    Level 10: Flash -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(15), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(17), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(39)
    Level 12: Temporal Mending -- Mrcl-Heal/Rchg(A), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(13)
    Level 14: Time's Juncture -- DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(A), DarkWD-ToHitDeb(15), DarkWD-Rchg/EndRdx(19), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(21)
    Level 16: Temporal Selection -- Mrcl-Heal/Rchg(A), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
    Level 18: Distortion Field -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(21), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(23), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(39)
    Level 20: Phantom Army -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(23), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(25), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(25), RechRdx-I(27)
    Level 22: Boxing -- Acc(A)
    Level 24: Tough -- EndRdx(A), EndRdx(29)
    Level 26: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(29), LkGmblr-Rchg+(40), EndRdx-I(42)
    Level 28: Spectral Terror -- Acc-I(A)
    Level 30: Time Stop -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(31), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(34), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(36)
    Level 32: Farsight -- LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(33), LkGmblr-Rchg+(34)
    Level 35: Phantasm -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(36), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(37)
    Level 38: [Empty]
    Level 41: [Empty]
    Level 44: [Empty]
    Level 47: [Empty]
    Level 49: [Empty]
    Level 1: Brawl -- Acc(A)
    Level 1: Containment
    Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Sprint -- Run(A)
    Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx(A)
    Level 4: Ninja Run
    Level 4: Swift -- Run(A)
    Level 4: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(31)
    Level 4: Hurdle -- Jump(A)
    Level 4: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(33), EndMod-I(33)
    ------------



    Code:
    | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
    |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
    |MxDz;1226;564;1128;HEX;|
    |78DA75935B4FD36018C7DF1EB0EC48CB360E631B3B08044D8844EF4D04458C18128|
    |CB76419059B946E69BB442FFD0ADEE02191830AEA859746FD1C1AFD1208D10F509F|
    |F5F9B32D3434697EEFFB7F9FF3DBAE3C594C7E5E7A765348FA825DF7BCF585A6E3B|
    |B4DDB365D6DAD61994EC314F40C2EBAE507D6D6635FA34DAD6773663EB76CDB6DCF|
    |6A3A6742A5CFE6567B7373EEA1B56DAEAFD41DABD5B6EB3E598AF86A931CD75AA6B|
    |9910A97773A092C672B899DEF989E97E08DDD39336EB7AC061DB89D489E6FBA4FC7|
    |A89C297A7725812750C50E614615F20BF025537DC59C7ECD7C93EDFA305445EC511|
    |C0E1528D20F598822F9FD645EFA05FE66EE93A1829CCA21ADE655A11F31873F30F3|
    |1F99A54FCC2ACD6F204C10C8035745A80D9EE35B3AD7D846D17429D4E21930C74C5|
    |6D8F680B631D41B43BD69D4ABA3DE69D4BB4BFD26D8564A2C49E10C9277997B7496|
    |42CED457398C9DFEC21CFEC6CC7E67EE93ED10E20C21CE2CE21CD099817A0CD4934|
    |53D23E7EA794F2E19CC2F73C2B1474E99637FC17FCC3C6623D1FC72B8B31CEE4C21|
    |6D14F58C6AAC154095388EBEC631CB0266398359CE629687B49D40EC893CEE82FA2|
    |9A29F22FA29A19F0AFAA9A19F77643B89BB9D34387619B92AC87544A8225E153DD7|
    |D0730D3D5F46CFC1454F418D7EB8C59E165CE93FEF38886B11653EA25C8F283722C|
    |AFD7E25C39957D5EE2F232483B598DEFD3582E338AD792C4281CF494F93947BFCE9|
    |941EF188FEF4DBA7D9FEB4A7C9CA731E4F79072CF355FD07B47BD894|
    |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
  22. You cannot get rid of the arachnos logo on the backpack. It's not just colored, it's actually molded into the pack. The ability to have a backpack without it has been requested.
  23. Back when I had brand loyalty to specific characters/titles, I was a Marvel reader. I would read my favorite titles no matter what talentless hack was writing them, because I was a fan of <insert character here>. I did eventually snap out of it and recognize that good stories tend to come from good writers, and the good writers don't stay with the same title forever. So, I now follow creators that I like and I don't care who's corporate logo is on the cover.
  24. The forced respec happens automatically when you talk to any trainer after getting enough XP to advance to level 24. You don't need to use /respec or talk to Jack Wolf; you just walk up to Ms. Liberty (or whoever) and Poof! you're doing a respec. So, don't train up to 24 when you're in the middle of a task force.
  25. I don't buy anything new off the rack as a single issue. I generally wait for something to become recognized as good enough to reprint before I'll take any interest in it. The horrible truth is, most comics are trash and a waste of money. There are sometimes indie comics that never get the TPB treatment that I do scrounge for, but only after they're old and cheap.