3dent

Lvl 30 set IOs aren't just for LVL 30s. Many builders want their set bonuses to exemp down as low as possible and lvl 30-32 is exactly the point where an average slotted set is as good or better as SOs.

So you aren't competing with other LVL 30s for those IOs. You're competing with LVL 50s. Who can earn millions a mish without even doing anything special.

So you have 2 paths, - either get a 50 for yourself, or turn off XP and farm at LVL 30, so that those 50s would pay you for your drops and stuff you rolled for merits, until you'll have enough INF to buy whatever shiny you're after.

The latter approach requires a bit less upfront investment, but it's not as fun, at least for me. I love getting XP.

thirded. Just for experiment sake I just have done a +4/x8 no bosses radio with my semi-IOed lvl 49 SD/Elec... Half the spawns with SC other half with SC removed from the trays.

Ok, no SC means no "speed of farm" (mainly because you got more strays with full health) but you still can do pretty much everything you did with SC. And it was still fun to play.

Well, you may not notice them at low levels, but they certainly aren't useless ESPECIALLY for a blaster. Two self-buffs most blasters have (Aim and Build Up) when used together add 150% to your damage, for instance.

Now, if a power on its own does, say, 20 damage at your level... Three-slotting it for damage with single origin enhancements would boost this to about 38. When you are under aim and build up effect, that power's damage is adding another 30 to the total, - that's 68 damage. A resistance debuff on an enemy is equivalent to damage buff on you.

To-hit, accuracy and defense are more complex to explain, you may want to read this: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=185167 Shorter version is that 45% defense makes you pretty much invulnerable to 90% of things in PvE. (a forcefield defender can boost allies' defenses to 40% or more.) a to-hit debuff on an enemy is equivalent to a defense buff on you.

Resistance is straightforward, you take less damage from an attack.

Slow, - there are two types of slow movement slow (more of an annoyance/convenience, depending on which end of a slow-inducing power you are.) and recharge slow, - well, enemies shooting less often at you translates to less damage rather straightforwardly.

Recharge buff (e.g. from Hasten) is the opposite of slow. each 100% of recharge buff halve the recharge time of powers. so that power that normally recharges in 10 seconds would recharge in 5 if 3-slotted with SOs, and in 2.5 if you've slotted it and are under effects, of say, Accelerate Metabolism (30%) and Hasten (70%)

Not to mention Desdemona, a Demons MM and signature side-switcher.

Actually, mercs or thugs would be harder to justify blueside than zombies or demons.

Well, at high levels SO-only rad would have problems soloing (Judging by my Rad/Rad main. Carnie mistresses etc. still can kill you easily, near-perma AM, stacked stun and all.)

As for Traps... I have a Traps defender in the low 30s and like him, but on a large team it suffers from "everything's dead just after you deployed your AM and PGT" problem. You can fix it with enough +rech, I guess, but that's expensive slotting.


As for FF in general, - yes, that's one-trick pony set if there ever was one, but that's the point, - it does that one trick perfectly with minimal investment.

BS or Katana scrapper... Now that's something worth thinking about in this context... Thanks for great idea!

Well, as experience shows, enough nagging from players CAN make devs reconsider even things explicitly stated as ironclad policies and/or technical impossibilities, even if it may take a few years. (Inf transfers and power customization being the poster children.)

For something like font size on a single screen, which is neither that deeply game-altering nor as technically difficult as above examples, chances are devs will listen eventually.

Human-only PB? well, that's no fake, that IS Light powerset...

If you want a defender, then I'd personally try a /Rad recolored bright blue or yellow...

I think what is meant by this "Mission Quality of Life" stuff is that the last glowie/hostage/mob/boss on the map are (usually) highlighted once you get reasonable close to them. Very handy when it works.

Well, always wondered how to make screenshots on those screens. PrtScr isn't working...

As for devs saying it works for them... Well, I hope they can be convinced the problem is real.

Can't speak for "the people", naturally but... Personal "yes" to both questions. My levelling in high teens is always Montague->Faultline->Mercedes Sheldon(first two arcs, anyway. 3rd is fine, but Atta's cave is way too big for casual soloing.)->Doc Delilah->Agent G. It's the best content in the entire game, and my only problem with it is that there aren't couple more arcs for 15-19.

By the way, WWTF (and yes, there definitely should be one.) could be fun as a sub-30 TF, because everything we have now in that level range is designed like that Monty Python "spam" sketch. Council, Council, Council, baked beans and Council. (or Freaks, or CW.) Comic book WW fought pretty much every prominent villain group there is, so it would be easy to design a story for her TF that isn't quite as monotonous. (then again, that sort of variety didn't save Posi TF... )

Thanks these suggestions are very helpful. A few comments:
1) Well, it's not overslotted if these were lower level LotGs, as I eventually plan...
2) No, it's not because of -KB it's to get AoE defense. If there were any other well-exempable source of it I'd be quite happy with just one (they're rare and expensive, for one thing.) Just have switched from Rikti ti Cimerorans as my "training" mob, and the fact that AoE defence is not capped yet is quite noticeable... (I'm fine against +0/x5s, but +1/x8s wipe the floor with me unless I eat a purple before each fight) Thinking of three-slotting high-level Aegis somewhere as a temporary measure, although it won't be exactly cheap either.
3) Well, I suspected as much... Foprtunately 5th and 6th slot aren't yet there, so it may be changed to just shinies+Numina heal easily.
4) Well, I didn't want Fighting mostly because I couldn't find a way to keep it while exemped @30 without some very obviously gimp choices. For lvls 35+ your build is obviously much better... Something to think about.
5) Good idea and easily done, would do just that.
6) As I said FA is there mostly for set bonuses and +perception, still the less I have to use it the better.

Again, thanks for very useful build advice.

I understand that quite well, and that's why I never ever pl a new powerset, let alone AT. The problem is that while I didn't PL the tank (if you don't count lvls 10-15, I was sick and tired of the Hollows... ) I didn't team much either. One Synapse TF during DXP (and only because there was a tank already.) maybe a couple PuG teams early on.

I also probably made a few build mistakes... Here's more or less the build I plan to use when I hit 50 (still lvl 45) Hami-Os, naturally, aren't yet there, and common DefBuff IOs would be replaced with LoTGs (for +regen), and I still haven't got two BoTzs -KB (I want them to be fairly low level...)

The idea was more or less to avoid expensive set-slotting attacks if at all possible (so that they could be re-slotted without respec if I misjudged what they ought to be slotted for), and avoid Fighting pool. Focused Accuracy is there solely as a set mule/prerequisite for PP (I wanted BU and two nukes to recharge simultanrously) and for fighting Night Widows, bubbled Rikti, and other situations where you may want to trade End for accuracy/perception. Most sets are around lvl 25-35, except when it made little sense.

The problem, as I see is that I took too much powers from the primary to early, so at first I had excuse of having too little attacks and no Taunt to be effective, then it was because I haven't got all the set bonuses I wanted, then I plainly decided that I'm not a good tank...

EDIT: Slot levels aren't at all like he levels I actually placed them, I've lost my original buildfile somewhere, and had to recreate it on the fly.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1,601
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Shield Defense
Secondary Power Set: Electrical Melee
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Deflection -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(3), DefBuff-I(3), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(5), ResDam-I(37), ResDam-I(40)
Level 1: Charged Brawl -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(5), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(7), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), T'Death-Dam%(9), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9)
Level 2: Battle Agility -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(11), DefBuff-I(11), EndRdx-I(13)
Level 4: Jacobs Ladder -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(13), Dmg-I(15), EndRdx-I(15), RechRdx-I(17)
Level 6: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(17)
Level 8: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 10: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(19), Zephyr-Travel(19), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(21), Zephyr-ResKB(21)
Level 12: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 14: Phalanx Fighting -- Ksmt-ToHit+(A)
Level 16: Thunder Strike -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(23), Zinger-Dam%(23), Zinger-Acc/Rchg(25), Zinger-Taunt/Rchg(25), Zinger-Taunt(27)
Level 18: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(43), RgnTis-Regen+(46), Numna-Heal(46), Mrcl-Heal(46), Numna-Heal/EndRdx(48)
Level 20: Stamina -- Efficacy-EndMod(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(27), EndMod-I(29)
Level 22: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(29), Zephyr-ResKB(31)
Level 24: True Grit -- Heal-I(A), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(48), Heal-I(50), Heal-I(50), ResDam-I(50)
Level 26: Shield Charge -- HO:Nucle(A), Dmg-I(31), Dmg-I(31), RechRdx-I(33), RechRdx-I(34), RechRdx-I(34)
Level 28: Taunt -- Zinger-Dam%(A)
Level 30: Chain Induction -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(34), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(36), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg(37), Zinger-Taunt/Rchg(37)
Level 32: Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A), AdjTgt-Rchg(33), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(33)
Level 35: Maneuvers -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(36)
Level 38: Lightning Rod -- HO:Nucle(A), Dmg-I(39), Dmg-I(39), RechRdx-I(39), RechRdx-I(40), RechRdx-I(40)
Level 41: Focused Accuracy -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(42), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(42), GSFC-Build%(42), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(43), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(43)
Level 44: Physical Perfection -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(45), Heal-I(45), Heal-I(45)
Level 47: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48)
Level 49: Grant Cover -- EndRdx-I(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Mako-Dam%(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
------------
Set Bonus Totals:

• 7% DamageBuff(Smashing)
• 7% DamageBuff(Lethal)
• 7% DamageBuff(Fire)
• 7% DamageBuff(Cold)
• 7% DamageBuff(Energy)
• 7% DamageBuff(Negative)
• 7% DamageBuff(Toxic)
• 7% DamageBuff(Psionic)
• 8% Defense(Smashing)
• 8% Defense(Lethal)
• 7,38% Defense(Fire)
• 7,38% Defense(Cold)
• 7,38% Defense(Energy)
• 7,38% Defense(Negative)
• 3% Defense(Psionic)
• 10,2% Defense(Melee)
• 11,8% Defense(Ranged)
• 11,8% Defense(AoE)
• 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
• 5% FlySpeed
• 140,6 HP (7,5%) HitPoints
• 5% JumpHeight
• 5% JumpSpeed
• Knockback (Mag -8)
• Knockup (Mag -8)
• MezResist(Held) 2,75%
• MezResist(Immobilize) 4,95%
• MezResist(Terrorized) 2,75%
• 5% (0,08 End/sec) Recovery
• 22% (1,72 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 5% RunSpeed

Basically what I'm doing now, only with Borea's missions instead of radios. (Those +def sets have to be purchased with _something_, and Rikti drop Positronic Matrices and Rikti Alloys fairly reliably at these difficulties, not to mention more inf in general...) "Taunting then breaking LoS" method works, but as you have said, not every team likes this style of tanking, and not every map allows it. And everything else... Had it been a real team, half the aggro would be somewhere I don't want it, or so it seems to me.

First one that wasn't deleted after dinging 15 or so, anyway.

Yes, I've taken all those, it's easy to find _build_ advice, much less so anything about what to do with those things. But I still don't quite see how this is supposed to work. Let's take, well, Rikti as an example. Those drones, mesmerists, comm officers, and etc. would still stay where they are, -range or no. Wouldn't it mean that I would have to re-taunt mobs often, losing my melee targetting?
Hmm... That's part of it, I'm just not used to controlling the camera that way, especially on the move, it confuses me. In fact I set up my binds in such a way that view is re-centered whenever I follow something. probably, just for tanks I should do something like
/bind BUTTON4 "follow"
/bind F "follow$$camreset$$camdist 20"
instead of the other way around I use on the most characters... (button 5 is Tab with a priority for cysts, voids and sappers, and Tab itself is for whatever I'm hunting (glowies, badge mobs, etc.) That probably could be left alone. )

Sorry for being unclear. I never ever for a moment thought that tankers AS A CLASS are failure. The whole post was exactly about that single point: I discovered that I personally suck at tanking, by my own standards of mostly-squishie player. (My first 50 was a scrapper, but most-played alt is rad/rad defender, and also Traps/Dark.)

Believe it or not, and call it whatever medical name you like, but I really hate having no clue about what I'm doing in front of 7 other people... Even in a computer game. I know it's silly, and no one would fire you or slap you in the face, but... Well, you got the idea.


Thanks for the advice and encouragement part, though. It helped.

And whether or not I would get better at tanking, trying it was interesting. (and still is, although not in a sense I thought)