_Malk_

*shrug* Personally, I don't think we've needed to be buffed for a very long time. Makes me a minority, but meh.

True, but defenders will get their order 9 days (levels) sooner, making soloing easier and controllers cry.

You also keep people up and moving by assisting with damage dealing. The more you contribute, the faster things go down, the less you have to rely on these three powers that, according to that Altas Park broadcast discussion, are what defines the empathy set (blatantly, stupidly incorrect). Other incredibly misleading statements from that conversation include in following:

"Defenders are healers." (No. Just...no.)

"Healer is easier to say than defender with empathy" (which was then rebutted by the "Why not just say emp?" comment, which made me laugh.)

"Defenders are the primary support toon" (No, controllers are full support, while defenders are support/offense)

"Empathy has five heals, because regen and recovery aura are more healy than anything" (They're buffs. The total amount of actual heals empathy has is three, unless you want to generously consider stretching the term to include resurrect)

"Everyone loves an emp" (No, people love a well played defender. A lack of knowledge about class and power dynamics is what gets poor emps love)

*gasp*

Do you play on Virtue? Will you be my friend?

Debateable. I was just (un)lucky enough to be on a banners team with 3 defenders, 1 corruptor (me), a controller, and a scrapper. Normally, I would have been ecstatic. This group of defenders, unfortunately, decided to act primarily as healbots and essentially do nothing. Only one of them, who had wonderful psychic blast, was actually throwing down and taking shots at the banner. It's not hard to hit a piece of wood sticking out of the ground with a flag attached to it, but these two twits certainly made it an unenjoyable experience...while chatting.

*toggles civility off*

Something even more effective than fading into the background? Not being there at all. It frees up a spot for someone who actually wants to do something and will contribute, not leech xp and influence off a team.

You're not needed for this in the first place. You're needed to contribute effectively. Wallflowering isn't effective contribution, so why build this way up until a specific point?

Oh yes, this is definitely one of my most favorite things about pets. It's especially rewarding on a crab spider with all pets out.

<3

Sounds like you want illusion or fire. Illusion has multiple summons for fun times, and fire lets you summon three imps to do your dirty work for you.

Edit: And if you're going with a controller, also take a look at the thermal radiation secondary set. It's similar to empathy, but has some high end debuffs in there. Plus, it's fire. Who doesn't like fire?

There is a reason why I've bolded this specific section, because it's not actually odd that you're finding this. When you get one emp or maybe two emps playing this way, it is entirely logical that they're going to "find" that they're "having to heal more": the more teammates you have, the more enemies spawn. The logic behind this is not that the other players can suddenly take on more than the usual amount, but that you will be contributing to the offensive efforts to take down these foes. When you don't, those foes head towards that awkward blaster who now requires some assistance to either stay up or put them down. You choose to help him stay up, he takes longer to put them down; you are effectively the source of your team's healer dependencey. There is nothing odd about it. You may certainly be having fun, but a great many players will not have fun teaming with you and just because they don't voice any opposition to it doesn't mean they're having fun.

To the OP: a great many people have suggested a controller for a "pure support" character, and I am inclined to agree. Mind control/empathy is certainly a good, safe choice, but you might also consider illusion control/empathy. You have many summons who can do your dirty work for you. You click, they appear, you can go back to supporting the team while letting them do their thing. I highly recommend it over making a defender and ignoring half of your powers.

This is why I enjoy my DP/TA character -- instead of disorient, I'm stacking holds with Ice Arrow and Suppressive Fire. Take that, bosses!

Except this is entirely wrong. They're unlocked as of level 2. Think of them in the same way you think of a warshade's version of recall friend. You just get them; no wasting of power choices.

NaturepacknaturepackNATUREPACK! *crosses fingers and toes*

More vines/trees/flowers/bug/antlers/fin parts, please!

Edit: From the i19 page:

Very excited for this, but has integration become a set unto itself?

That's not the way the term 'offender' has been used here in the past, though. 'Offenders' were just very aggressive defenders, not negligent ones.

Defender and offender are synonymous, or at least they should be. Your definition of offender is way, way off. That's just a sucky player.

*was away for over a year and a half before coming back*

*sneaks away to roll an archer*

Yeah, this is just blatantly wrong. Trick arrow is a very, very good set that is simply entirely dependent on the primary and a late bloomer for corruptors. I will agree that A/TA isn't the best, but that's simply because archery is lacking, not the secondary.