Winterminal

Hey all.

I'm looking for advice from people who have spent a decent amount of time on CoV and have a good familiarity with the archetypes and their powersets. Basically, I'm looking to roll a Villain, but I am not sure what kind and/or what powersets to choose. I have spent nearly all of my approximately 10 months of play time on Heroes, very little villain play. So I figured I would list what I like to do with characters and maybe some of you folks would be able to steer me in a good direction. The only archetype I have ruled out is the Mastermind, as I am just not interested in that type of play-style.

-I prefer matching powersets. If I choose an Energy Primary, I prefer to match it up with an Energy Secondary. I know there are interesting combos to be made, but that's what I like doing. I don't know how much influence that has on powerset choices, but I figure it is something to consider.

-If I could choose one playstyle that I accel at and like doing (at least on Blue side), it would probably be "blastrolling." I have probably had the most, and widest range of, success on blasters. Obviously, Corruptors seemed like they would be the obvious choice, but it is hard to play blasting powersets and be putting out less damage than you do on blasters, or can't do the same things you do on blasters.

-For the above reason, I have narrowed it down to Dominator, Brute, or Stalker.
>I find the "stealth/ninja/sneaky/assassin/etc." aspect of Stalkers to be very appealing. Of those, the Electric, Energy, and Dark powersets all intrigue me. Is there one among there that is better than the others? Or that you would recommend over another, and if so, why?
>For someone who doesn't like being in melee range, I like the durability of Brutes. I notice that they both say "High" damage output at the character creation screen, but do Stalkers tend to kill everything before getting in over their head? Or would Brutes be the safer choice? I'm interested in the same powersets as the Stalker
>Dominators intrigue me because of the controlling powers combined with the offensive Assault powersets. But because of their mediocre damage output, it seems like they may suffer fomm end problems at least when solo. Is this the case or not so much?

I appreciate any indulgence you all may have for a CoV newb. Any feedback is welcome!

My first and favorite toon to date is my ice/ice/cold blaster. I didn't take Ice Patch until level 49, when I already had all the powers I wanted and decided, "Why not?" As an ice hoverblaster, you won't need Ice Patch since, usually the taking of Hover is an effort to remain out of melee range.

-First off, for a long time, use and abuse Chilblain especially / at least when going solo. It will keep bad guys out of melee range, and most baddies pre-level 20 don't have devastating ranged attacks. In high-ceiling maps that won't be a problem anyway, but in low-ceiling maps it can be a lifesaver.

-This could be defined as a preference, but it is definitely something in which I strongly believe for ice hover blasters: skip the melee powers. Ice melee attacks do not have tremendous strength as is. If you want to stay out of melee range, there is no reason to take them. Plus, by the upper twenties, you'll have 2 ranged holds, a ranged immobilization, and enough slowing power that odds are the bad guys aren't going to have a chance to get within melee range.

-As for endurance, go with Knight_Chill's suggestion. Make sure you take the Fitness power pool, and have at least 2 powers by level 20 so you can take Stamina. Slot it with the 2 slots you get at level 21, and keep those filled with Endurence Modification enhancements, and you shouldn't have any major end problems for the rest of your career, even if you choose to take Hasten (another thing I highly recommend).

Best of luck with your blaster!

I see why you wouldn't use Inky Aspect, and therefore you should indeed respec out of it. Quasar, like most nuke powers, is fun, and as long as you have it properly slotted, you can probably knock out enough bad guys to pop a blue afterward, activate Stygian Circle, and then keep on blasting away to finish off the remainder of the mob. However, I question your skipping of Stygian Return. I have always found that if I have access to a self-rez power, it is worth taking. However, I make no assumptions, since it is entirely possible that you have tried that power in the past and found that you rarely needed it. My other question would be your taking of the Concealment Pool when you already have Shadow Cloak and Super Speed (which when combined offer near Invisibility anyway). Perhaps the leadership pool if you find yourself teaming a lot, or the Medicine pool? That's your choice though, this is just my observations/feedback.

My straight answer for your question: I would take Stygian Return over Quasar, but since you have the other endurence-boosting powers, Quasar might be something for you to look into.

Everything Ehina said is pretty much spot on. The only thing I have to add is that, with ice as your primary, you probably won't have much use for the melee powers due to the inherent slowing effects of nearly all your powers. Of course, that's assuming you are playing a non-crazy difficulty level. Have fun, good choice on the power-sets!

Name: The Recluse Revengers

Currently Recruiting: We are currently recruiting, and welcome all.

RP Level: We're a loose VG, so we welcome RP players, but its not required by any means.

Theme/Concept: We are the answer to the Atlas Avengers from Paragon. Rogue Avengers who have been exiled or shunned, as well as new mercenary recruits we've rallied to our cause: taking down those that fight for justice.

Activity: We have approximately 20 unique members, an extremely small number compared to our coalition size on Heroes. Our peak activity tends to be evenings, between 6 and 11 CST

Requirements for Membership: To get in, you merely have to speak up. To stay in, you have to stay in SG mode all the time at least until 25, log on at least once in a 45 day period. Very laid back.

Leadership: Blackpoint and (occasionally) Max Von Holtz

In-Game Contact(s): @Winterminal

Out-of-Game Contact(s): Send a PM to WinterMission with any questions.

URL: No website, but to find out about many of our members, visit www.atlasavengerseurope.com or www.atlasavengers.cabanova.com

Coalition(s): We hope to build a coalition soon.

Other Details: We are a very young VG, despite our Hero-compliment SG being around for a long time. We hope to measure up to their levels eventually, but we have a long ways to go.