Stateman Task force

Well, a team of 7 Fire/Rad and 1 Fire/FF controllers have done it fastest... somewhere around 25 minutes as I recall. Apart from that it's been done by practically any team combination you may think of.

I've done it on teams that by the numbers should crush it who were so terrible at coordination that it failed. I've done it with teams that shouldn't have a chance that succeeded. The most important component is to have 8 competent players behind the keyboards, everything else is optional.

The classic strategy utilizes a tanker who's durable enough to handle the AV's and Lord Recluse... Stone's the classic choice but I tend to prefer Invuln, if it's built right it's more than tough enough. I've tanked the STF with both Stone and Invuln and been on successful runs with every tanker primary except Dark and Electric (no, I'm not saying they can't handle it, just that I haven't done an STF with either tanking) and with no tank at all.

Backing up the tanker is damage, Blasters are a popular choice. Controllers/Defenders are always welcome; really any set will be an asset if well played.

Truthfully if I'm putting together an STF I look primarily for Controllers and Defenders... one good tanker is all you'll need, although your "tanker" can be any AT that can manage AV aggro... I've tanked the STF with a perma-phantom army Ill/Rad controller.

Here's your keys to an easy STF

1. Aggro control - classically a tanker who's tough enough for the job. If built right several sets can handle the job unassisted and all can handle it with team support. The tanker will have to be able to hold the aggro of the AV's solidly... Taunt is STRONGLY recommended for this as auras are less effective against AV's.
2. Debuffs/Buffs - Controllers or Defenders, one of the things you're looking for are resistance and/or regen debuffs or team survivability buffs. A kinetic who actually keeps the team speed boosted is a huge asset.
3. Damage - you need heavy damage, both single target and AOE. The more damage you have the faster the team will move. This can be Controllers/Defenders (it's amazing just how powerful stacked buff/debuffs are and several controller sets do great damage) or it can be Blasters/Scrappers.

That's it, if you have competent players and you have those three bases covered you should have a quick, easy and successful STF.

I've been on at least 70 STF runs since issue 9, probably more. I can recall 4 failures in that time, all of them were from bad players and poor play. The Master STF is a different story; I've attempted it 20 times and succeeded 6... even the MoSTF "failures" succeeded in completing the TF. I wouldn't suggest trying for a MoSTF with a PuG team; you'll want 8 players who are totally familiar with the TF and their characters.

Read up on the strategy for the STF in the guides section; some things have changed over the years but the basics are the same... I can't think of any changes that invalidate a strategy since issue 10.

One who knows how to play. I've seen it done well by Dark Armor tanks and Shield Defense scrappers; I've seen it done poorly by Invulnerability tanks. I've heard of it done in hilarious fashion by a team of eight Mind Controllers (apparently, if you Mass Confuse Lord Recluse, and he'll assist you in taking down the towers).

Competence is essential, but the Statesman Task Force is one of the few things in the game that benefits from specific builds: Ghost Widow is much easier to fight if you've got Empathy with Clear Mind, Kinetics with Increase Density, or Sonic with Clarity to protect the tank from Ghost Widow's mag 100 hold.

That said, there are all sorts of combinations that can work. For example, I was on a successful run where my scrapper, who had taken Web Grenade for thematic reasons, immobilized Ghost Widow while the tank kept her distracted from range and two blasters defeated her.

Empathy with Clear Mind, Sonic Resonance with Clarity, Kinetics with Increase Density or Thermal Radiation with Thaw, just to be complete. Also, if we're listing specific niches which are helpful in the STF, old Domination's Benumb to neuter Ghost Widow's healing power and Force Fields or Sonic Resonance to cage towers are also helpful. If you have a Cold on the team, it eliminates the need for melee artists and pets to keep their distance from GW. Depending on team composition this can be a major factor or a total nonissue.

Thank you, Champion.

Stacked AM and debuffs are incredibly potent, I'm not at all surprised that team spanked the TF. What were the controller primaries?

8 competent players.

Tank powersets don't seem to matter a whole lot.

As far as support goes, I'm partial to Cold Domination and Thermal Radiation, but specific sets aren't as important as having players that can function as part of a team together.

Master runs are a whole different ballgame. Stone tanks have the easiest time of it, and Kinetics and Thermal get my vote for support. Cold Domination and FF get a nod as well for helping keep squishies (and Regen scrappers) alive.

Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison See, it's gems like these that make me check Claws' post history every once in a while to make sure I haven't missed anything good lately.