WonderGran_EU

Grav/Storm/Ice
Mind/Emp
Ice/Rad (deleted)

Grav/Storm seems to be a very nice synergy - just total random chaos!

Kin/Psi/Psi (favourite)
Emp/Dark
Dark/Sonic
Sonic/Elec
Dark/Arch (deleted)
Rad/Dark (deleted)

Kin/psi - excellent damage output, lots of secondary effects (sleeps/stuns/immobs etc). Not many mobs resistant to it, very soloable (I got mine to 50 mainly soloing). Works very well if your duo partner is a melee toon (scrapper or, even better, tank - will be able to handle AVs with no problems).

Agreed - Dominate is better than scramble thoughts. I had both on my kin/psi defender - and after many different respecs, have finally rid myself of scramble thoughts. As Wilfred said, dominate recharges faster, does more damage (I've got mine slotted with 4 damage procs, so it can do wicked damage!) and activates faster than scramble. However, as Shannon pointed out, scramble is a disorient, not a hold - so it can be useful for blasting those pesky bubblers (who have resistance to hold with their bubbles, but not to disorient) and characters with acrobatics (gives some resistance to hold but nothing to disorient).

So it all depends on your style of play: PvE - definitely dominate. PvP - there's argument for scramble thoughts (though personally, I'd still take dominate)

Hope this helped to make it clear as mud

I recently dinged my grav/stormie to 50 and here's how I have her built so far (ignore the actual levels where I have slotted powers - just literally copied my build as I'm looking at the enhancement screen - the powers are more or less in the right order, but the slotting may not be exactly the same as when I was levelling her):

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.30
http://www.honourableunited.org.uk/mhd.php

Crushing Storm: Level 50 Mutation Controller
Primary Power Set: Gravity Control
Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Ancillary Pool: Ice Mastery

Hero Profile:
------------
Level 1: Crush Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(43), Acc-I:50(43), TotHntr-Dam%:50(46), Decim-Build%:40(50), ImpSwft-Dam%:30(50)
Level 1: Gale Acc-I:50(A)
Level 2: Gravity Distortion Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(3), Hold-I:50(3), G'Wdw-Dam%:50(17), NrncSD-Dam%:30(27), ImpSwft-Dam%:30(27)
Level 4: Snow Storm ImpSwft-Dam%:30(A), EndRdx-I:50(5), Slow-I:50(5)
Level 6: Propel Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(7), Acc-I:50(7), RechRdx-I:50(9), FrcFbk-Rechg%:50(9), ExStrk-Dam%:20(15)
Level 8: Combat Jumping DefBuff-I:50(A)
Level 10: Crushing Field Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(11), ImpSwft-Dam%:30(11), Posi-Dam%:50(13), TotHntr-Dam%:50(13), P'ngTtl--Rchg%:50(15)
Level 12: Hurdle Jump-I:50(A)
Level 14: Super Jump Jump-I:50(A)
Level 16: Health Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:50(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+:40(17)
Level 18: Gravity Distortion Field Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(19), Hold-I:50(19), Hold-I:50(23), RechRdx-I:50(25), RechRdx-I:50(25)
Level 20: Stamina EndMod-I:50(A), EndMod-I:50(21), EndMod-I:50(21), P'Shift-End%:50(23)
Level 22: Acrobatics EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 24: Freezing Rain Acc-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(29), ImpSwft-Dam%:30(29), Posi-Dam%:50(31), LdyGrey-%Dam:50(31), Achilles-ResDeb%:20(31)
Level 26: Hurricane EndRdx-I:50(A), ToHitDeb-I:50(37), ExStrk-Dam%:20(37), FrcFbk-Rechg%:50(40), DarkWD-Slow%:50(43)
Level 28: Wormhole ExStrk-Dam%:20(A), FrcFbk-Rechg%:21(34), Acc-I:50(34), Acc-I:50(34)
Level 30: Steamy Mist EndRdx-I:50(A), EndRdx-I:50(36), ResDam-I:50(37)
Level 32: Singularity Acc-I:50(A), Dmg-I:50(33), Hold-I:50(33), Immob-I:50(33)
Level 35: O2 Boost Heal-I:50(A), Heal-I:50(36), RechRdx-I:50(36)
Level 38: Lightning Storm Acc-I:50(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(39), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(39), Dev'n-Hold%:50(39), ExStrk-Dam%:20(40), FrcFbk-Rechg%:50(40)
Level 41: Hibernate RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(42), RechRdx-I:50(42), Heal-I:50(42)
Level 44: Ice Blast Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(45), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(45), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(45), ImpSwft-Dam%:30(46), RechRdx-I:50(46)
Level 47: Ice Storm ImpSwft-Dam%:30(A), Posi-Dam%:50(48), RechRdx-I:50(48), RechRdx-I:50(48)
Level 49: Tornado ExStrk-Dam%:20(A), FrcFbk-Rechg%:50(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest Empty(A)
Level 1: Containment



| Copy & Paste this data chunk into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
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Firstly: I am a damaging troller: that is to say, when my procs hit (which is pretty damn often) then I can do superb damage. She is an a pretty good PvP build (that said, I can have the occasional problem with a ranged tanker/scrapper e.g. hurl boulder, throw spines etc cos of the acc debuff of hurricane not hitting) and with the added +end from 4 Thunderstrikes (2-slotted), Numina, Miracle and Performance Shifter, means that I don't have to bother with end reductions in my primary powers.

I took Crushing Field early - found it an ace combo with Freezing Rain (IIRC, it's the only AoE immob that does NOT negate KB/Knockdown effects such as Freezing Rain/Ice Slick etc) and also means that if I ever am exemplared or pop to BB for a spot of PvP, then I've got a very proc-heavy power to do some damage with (can be quite difficult to do damage at low levels on a troller).

I may make a few tweaks to the build (e.g. maybe drop an acc or a recharge from a couple of powers to slot some of the lv 50 procs) but by and large she's finished. She a really good solo character (have no problems with carnie missions on invincible), great in teams (wooohooo, see all the bad guys fly about with stormie powers) and can hold her own in PvP. I'll not go into the debate of 'should I get Dimension Shift or not' because that's a thread in itself; suffice to say that I didn't take it, purely as I see it as far too situational a power to take (would only use it once in a blue moon whereas most of my other powers, I'm firing off once they've recharged). I didn't bother with Lift as, has been mentioned before, a lot of people have KB immunity/resistance - plus the fact my Crushing Field can do more damage (because of the procs hitting) and I was struggling to squeeze all my powers in (would still like to have taken Hasten - but hey-ho, the Force Feedback procs seem to do an adequate job).

If you can make use of my build then please do - if you really hate the look of it, then that's fine too (procs aren't everyone's cup of tea). Hopefully it'll have given you some inspiration for your build though.

[ QUOTE ]
...crushing field is of questionable use really...


[/ QUOTE ]

I used to think that (used it purely to get containment on an entire mob)... until I found the wonders of procs! Now my crushing field is slotted with Trap of the hunter (chance for lethal damage), Impeded swiftness (chance for smashing damage), Posi's blast (chance for energy damage) and Pacing of the turtle (chance for slow). That's THREE damage procs that have a chance to hit EACH mob member (sometimes you see just piffly 2s and 3s appear when you hit - but almost every time, there's at least 2 or 3 big numbers that appear above the bad guys' heads, indicating that my procs are working). So it can be great to deal a huge amount of damage (if you work on the DPS principle) for relatively little endurance cost. It's been known for my troller to take out a +2 minion purely with crushing field and then propel (if all 3 damage procs hit - then instant containment for double-damage on propel).

It's just something to think about - and when you hit lv 50 you can also whack a Gravitational anchor in there (chance for hold) - and you've got a pretty good chance of holding some of the mob too.

I love love LOVE my grav/storm troller. With storm, there's always something to be done (whether it's a debuff - so many to choose from - or tank (with herdicane - esp if teamed with an emp/sonic for CM/Clarity - or even throw the odd heal [O2 boost can be very useful]). Grav, IMO, is a very fun set to play too. For a start IIRC, it's got the only AoE immob that DOESN'T affect powers such as ice slick (so crushing field combined with an ice's ice slick holds them in place plus has the knockdown feature - any other AoE immob negates ice slick), it's got an awesome pet (singy spams holds like there's no tomorrow) and has a high damage ranged attack (albeit rather slow). Also there's an array of stuns at your disposal. Start off you've got wormhole (aoe TP plus it stuns) then there's thunder clap (meh, it's not bad - OK for using when wormhole's stun is going to wear off), there's tornado (wicked mini-pet, especially when soloing as he doesn't need accuracy checks) and lastly lightning storm. And finally, as Otkon said above re: ice, grav too has great slows. The immobs and the hold both slow (even if the bad guy has resistance to hold/immob - say for example a boss which requires 2 applications of a hold, or a warwolf which is resistant to immobs, even if they resist them, the slows still work). Combined with Storm's snow storm (even freezing rain too) then you've got them at slow speed cap.

My grav/storm has been soloing +3 carnies without even breaking a sweat. She rocks in PvP (although I see that you don't PvP - but if you ever did, it'd be a great combo to break in with).

Just something else to throw into the mix and think about

I had the misfortune of doing STF as my kin defender (with no deaths and no temp powers, I hasten to add). I think that I could count the number of times that I was CM'd by the emp defender on one hand. He was actually REFUSING to CM the team because he threw power build up and then RA'd the team, turning us (in his words) 'into regen scrappers' and therefore didn't need CM (go figure THAT one out!) It was quickly pointed out to him that A) regen scrappers have Integration for mez resistance and B) have a lot more HP than lowly squishy blasters/trollers/defenders. This fell on deaf ears. He wasn't bothered and came back with 'Well I am not being mezzed so shove off' kind of reply. What he failed to notice that I, as the kinetics, was IDing the team like crazy (since its buff-time is only half that of CM - and doesn't help against sleeps). It was only as we got to Ghost Widow, and my constant nagging, that he was spamming CM on the tank as we taunt-pulled her. But even then he had to be coerced into using the power.

I've raised this issue before about emps and not using their powers (albeit it was on the troller set - which can be forgiven a little more as it's their secondary). On a defender though it's inexcusable. They are a poor man's blaster; so whereas a troller may not be buffing because they're focusing on locking down on mobs (and hence mitigating damage/mezzes in the first place), with defenders it's their primary and it should be their main focus. Were they a newbie? Was English their primary language? All too often, I've been on teams where people get angry with a player, only to find out that either they don't speak English (or not very good English and hence don't understand the request) and/or that they're new players and either don't know how to use team chat (usually noticeable when everything's in broadcast/local chat) or don't know what their powers do (and when they level they see 'ooooh, nice power' and never use it). However, at the end of the day, it could also be a lazy (or selfish) person who can't be bothered to buff (which, again, begs the question 'why pick empathy as a powerset?) Do what I have learned to do - make a note of their name and never EVER team with them again (even better - add them to global and then ignore them)

Oh, and we managed to do STF (thanks to a kickass kin defender who kept ID and SB on the team constantly)

Gratz hun - ANOTHER one to your collection

My fender is kin/psi, so don't have to worry about endurance, what with transference up every 11 secs or so. I think that I toyed with all the epics (apart from Dark) - and narrowed it down to two; psi and electric. Took electric originally for another AoE attack (thunder strike) - but found that its animation time was ridiculous, and left me far too open and vulnerable and that I couldn't heal myself for over 3 seconds - not good.

Next up was power mastery - tried that for 2 reasons: Power Build Up (which, sadly, doesn't work with kinetics - one suggestion that has been made is that because the healing and endurance doesn't officially come from you - it comes from the mobs) and Total Focus. Total Focus looked yummy - especially combined with Fulcrum Shift. However, I quickly learned that it had just as long an animation time as Thunder Strike. Scratch the power mastery pool from my list too.

So last, but not least, I tried the psychic mastery pool. Oh my gosh, why did I not try this before? Now OK, maybe it fits into my build better cos a) my primary is Kinetics and b) my 2ndary is already Psi. But I used all the powers in this epic pool. Firstly, Dominate is ace - I already have a sleep (Will Domination), a disorient (Scramble Thoughts), an immobilise (Subdue) - this gave me my single-target hold - so I'm just about as trolly as a controller now Secondly, Mass Hypnosis is LURVELY for a) sleeping the mob before I run in with Fulcrum Shift (it doesn't wake them up) - which I could see you being able to use it for before running in with something like Lightning Clap - those that it misses would simply continue to sleep. Thirdly, the shield is brill - my defender has over 40% res to smashing/lethal damage (2 most common in the game) and almost 40% to psionics (very common in higher levels). Lastly - and least useful for me because of my other trolly powers - is Telekenisis; a real marmite power. Personally I love it (takes some getting used to) - but with an arsenal of mezzes at my disposal, I wasn't using it much so respecced out of it. With storm, I can also see that it probably wouldn't get much use - you've already got Herdicane, Tornado and Gale for moving mobs around - can't see that you'd need a 4th (if another mob gets agro'd, just fire off Mass Hypnosis).

So for me, psi epic wins (for my build - and think it'd certainly fit with your build too)

Hope this helps!

TBH, I've not had a problem with my WP tanker; in fact, it seems to keep the aggro better than my inv can. Obviously I have to herd up a group first (to avoid any stragglers) but - unless I've got a fire blaster on the team - I seem to hold pretty much all the aggro.

Only time I've seemed to lose the aggro is when I've teamed with a friend of mine who's (you guessed it) an ice tank. But it works pretty well cos he can herd the big group together and I dance around him picking up the stragglers. Doesn't matter then if you have an energy blaster hoofing minions halfway across the screen cos I can 'go fetch'

I've duo'd with my tanker, I've been on teams of 8 - I seem to be able to hold the aggro just fine - and that's with no taunts slotted in my aura. No idea why other people have been having problems.

I haven't taken scream, purely for the fact that I'm more of a troller/defender. Don't really use Tornado that much - mainly for the KD effect, which can be handy for bosses. Main chain of attacks, which I think is the same for most psi defenders, is WD, Telek and Subdue. Though I've taken the psi mastery pool, I do throw Dominate in there quite a lot too.

Have slotted a few powers with Thunderstrike for extra accuracy and Call of the Sandman on a couple for the extra recharge.

Regarding power mastery pool, I dropped it. I found PBU far too random for use with the kinetics power set. Works fine with every other powerset (as far as I can tell - dark, empathy, storm etc - all their heals are boosted). And cos I hit the damage cap anyway with FS, and transference always takes me back up to full end, I really had no use for it. Tried the electricity power pool, but I already have transference and have no need for power sink, and thunderstrike's animation I found just too long (rooting for around 2-3 seconds) - if you get attacked during the animation, it could spell disaster. So I opted for the psi mastery pool - gave me a hold, AoE sleep, shield and telekenisis (massively end hungry, but no problem when you've got transference)

It all depends on your style of play. I've had a long-winded discussion before with people on the benefits of psychic scream which I won't go into again. On the plus side, it does have a big -recharge debuff to the bad guys. On the negative side, it has quite a long animation time, the cone isn't that great (though it states that it's a 30 degree arc, I never seem to hit more than a couple) and the damage is pretty poor, even when FS'd (same with tornado - but I take that for the KD, not the damage).

I took scramble thoughts over scream - most people may view this as an odd choice - but since I've gone for the troller-esque build (a very damaging troller though! ) the disorient (plus Thunderstrike in there, so another 7% to my accuracy) is great. With a hold, a disorient, a sleep, an immob and an AoE sleep I can disable several bad guys at once.

At the end of the day, it depends on your style of play. My build isn't THE most damaging build, but she doesn't do too badly at all. I would definitely think about scrapping the power mastery pool though as it just isn't built to work harmoniously with kinetics. The only real benefit that you'll see 100% of the time is the buffs that you directly give to other players i.e. ID and SB. And with a lot of people already moaning about 'Don't SB me - I can't control it!' - they'll prob hit the speed cap with a PBU'd SB

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.20
http://www.honourableunited.org.uk/mhd.php

Level 50 Natural Defender
Primary Power Set: Kinetics
Secondary Power Set: Psychic Blast
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Teleportation
Ancillary Pool: Psychic Mastery

Hero Profile:
------------
Level 1: Transfusion Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(3), Heal-I:50(3), Heal-I:50(5), Heal-I:50(5), RechRdx-I:50(13)
Level 1: Mental Blast Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(46), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(48), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(48), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(48)
Level 2: Subdue Enf'dOp-Acc/Rchg:50(A), Enf'dOp-EndRdx/Immob:50(15), Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx:50(15), Enf'dOp-Immob/Rng:50(17), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob/Rchg:50(17), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob:50(19)
Level 4: Siphon Power Acc-I:50(A)
Level 6: Siphon Speed P'ngTtl-Acc/Slow:50(A), P'ngTtl-Dmg/Slow:50(7), P'ngTtl-Acc/EndRdx:50(7), P'ngTtl-Rng/Slow:50(11), P'ngTtl-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow:50(11), P'ngTtl--Rchg%:50(13)
Level 8: Hasten RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(9), RechRdx-I:50(9)
Level 10: Increase Density ResDam-I:50(A)
Level 12: Speed Boost EndMod-I:50(A)
Level 14: Super Speed Clrty-Stlth:50(A)
Level 16: Telekinetic Blast Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(19), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(21), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(21), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(23), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(23)
Level 18: Inertial Reduction Jump-I:50(A)
Level 20: Will Domination CSndmn-Acc/Rchg:50(A), CSndmn-EndRdx/Sleep:50(25), CSndmn-Acc/EndRdx:50(25), CSndmn-Sleep/Rng:50(31), CSndmn-Heal%:50(31), CSndmn-Acc/Sleep/Rchg:50(31)
Level 22: Hover Flight-I:50(A)
Level 24: Recall Friend Range-I:50(A)
Level 26: Transference Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(27), EndMod-I:50(27), EndMod-I:50(29), RechRdx-I:50(29), RechRdx-I:50(39)
Level 28: Psionic Tornado AirB'st-Acc/Dmg:50(A), AirB'st-Dmg/EndRdx:50(34), AirB'st-Dmg/Rchg:50(34), AirB'st-Dmg/Rng:50(36), Acc-I:50(36)
Level 30: Teleport Foe Acc-I:50(A)
Level 32: Fulcrum Shift Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(33), RechRdx-I:50(33), RechRdx-I:50(33), RechRdx-I:50(34)
Level 35: Scramble Thoughts Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(36), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(37), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(37), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(37), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(39)
Level 38: Psychic Wail Acc-I:50(A), Dmg-I:50(39), Dmg-I:50(40), Dmg-I:50(40), RechRdx-I:50(40), RechRdx-I:50(43)
Level 41: Dominate EoCur-Acc/Rchg:50(A), EoCur-EndRdx/Hold:50(42), EoCur-Acc/EndRdx:50(42), EoCur-Hold/Rng:50(42), EoCur-Acc/Hold:50(43), EoCur-Acc/Hold/Rchg:50(43)
Level 44: Mass Hypnosis CSndmn-Acc/Rchg:50(A), CSndmn-EndRdx/Sleep:50(45), CSndmn-Acc/EndRdx:50(45), CSndmn-Sleep/Rng:50(45), CSndmn-Acc/Sleep/Rchg:50(46), CSndmn-Heal%:50(46)
Level 47: Mind Over Body Aegis-Psi/Status:50(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx:50(50), Aegis-ResDam:50(50), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:50(50)
Level 49: Telekinesis EndRdx-I:50(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest Empty(A)
Level 1: Vigilance



| Copy & Paste this data chunk into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
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Yeah, exactly - and that point sums it up perfectly. Just because someone's been playing since day 1 does NOT make them a good player - just an inexcusably bad one!!!

I was teamed with a fire tanker a few weeks ago, who was.... hmmm, how shall we say nicely.... a veteran 'noob'?

He was lv 26 (I think - somewhere around there) - and he was tanking for our team of pure squishies (2 trollers, a defender and a blaster). He didn't turn a SINGLE toggle on! He kept complaining that they 'drained his endurance' (WHY did he not have stamina by the late 20s - or ANY of the fitness power pool, praytell?) He had NO kb protection (lack of Acro OR Hover). He was basically a 2nd-rate scrapper. He wouldn't listen to the advice of "Don't try to kill them - just try to hold the agro and let the blaster/defender kill them"

Aaaaah, you'd think that someone who had clocked up almost 2 years' worth of veteran badges would at least have SOME clue how to play, wouldn't you (or am I just having too high-a hope of some people?)

D'oh - knew I'd gotten it wrong as I was writing it (not on my PC, so don't have access to hero planner to verify for fire tanker) - knew it was cap on one of the damage types. But again, it's just ONE damage, whereas inv still gets 2.

Agreed Max. You can hit the S/L cap (my inv tank has with 3-slotted tough - 90.4%, I think - so capped at 90%). Before I5, I was at something stupid around 150% (that was 6-slotting unyielding, more for the energy/fire/cold etc res than S/L) - so it was overkill.

What has happened is that a balance has been brought about. Look at fire tankers - they can handle energy thrown at them left, right and centre. Their dream mission is a map full of freaks. Then the ice tanker - if they DO get hit, they hit the cap of cold resistance easily. Neither of them can stand toe-to-toe with Battle Maiden as long as an inv tank can because they don't have the same level of resistance to S/L as an inv does.

So to say that inv tankers DO have a weakness - i.e. psionics - is unbalanced. ALL tankers have that vulnerability (the exception of a stone tanker, who has a meagre 16% [unslotted] defense to it - but that makes him unable to run GA if he's running minerals). Inv trades resistance to energy/negative/toxic/fire/cold to potentially hit the resistance cap to S/L. Fire hits the resistance cap to energy by trading off other resistances. Ice is the same with cold damage. From where I'm sat, it looks pretty cushy for what an inv tanker gets. Master of S/L damage resistance (by far the most common type of damage throughout the game) and fair resistance to all other types of damage (with the exception of psionics, but that goes for all powersets available to tankers).

My two penneth worth...

My first character that I created was an inv/fire tanker. Picked him for the insane resistance (back in I3 or 4, before ED and when the res/def was still huge) and damage output of fire (arguably one of the most damaging powersets for a tanker - but that's by-the-by).

I sent him to the grave (for about 6 months, thanks to a botched respec) when I5 came out and read, with relish, all the flaming posts that spewed forth onto the forums about "How tanks, especially inv, have been nerfed."

When I respecced when I6 came out to take into account ED and the reduced effectiveness of the resistances that I once had, I started to appreciate the subtleties that it brought with it. No longer could I solely tank for a team of 8 with 7 blasters/scrappers. No longer could I 'BRB - bio break' whilst stood in the middle of 30 +4s with perma-taunt on running invincibility to hold aggro.

CoX is now harder to play solo than it used to be back in the pre-I5 days (due to not being able to whack 5 damage SOs in your powers without being severely reduced, or 6 recharge SOs in RA). So what it seems that the devs want tankers to do, to tank effectively and with less worry of faceplanting, is to team with other ATs (especially defenders/trollers). I found that, with my inv tanker, I can almost get up to the same resistances that I had pre-I5 with just one sonic defender. Get 2, or a sonic and a FF bubbler, and you're laughing.

I don't know how much of this applies now to when I5 was launched, but I remember a lot of tankers with their noses put out of joint (how DARE they - they've made me nothing more than a second-rate scrapper). But it's the same for every AT out there. A blaster and scrapper can't dish out the damage that they used to be able to. An empath can't heal as much as they used to be able to. The poor controller had his controlling abilities nerfed so much that the devs introduced 'containment' as a way for them to in effect double their damage, to make up for a loss of their controlling abilities.

Now, after side-tracking a HUGE amount, I've come about full-circle to address the issue that's being discussed. I don't believe that tankers are under-powered. They can be buffed up to the nines to make them almost unstoppable. If they WERE like they were back in the days pre-I5, then that would make the sonic and FF powersets much less appreciated than they are now. Tankers back then were way overpowered and the only chance of dying that they had is either against psionic enemies or if they'd inadvertently wandered into The Hive (even then, they'd have stood for a fair while before falling!)

That the inv tank is weaker against all damage apart from S/L is balanced IMO. Save the ice tank, he has the highest defense of all tanks, meaning that he will be hit less (the old -5% from unyielding, I do believe, would make a difference, albeit rather minor. As described before, it does not mean that you'll be hit 5% more often with the debuff, it means that each time a bad guy takes a shot at you, you've got slightly more chance of being hit). If the inv tank were like he was pre-I5, then it would be very unbalanced. All builds need to have a weakness. S/L is the most common type of damage in the game. Yes, most mobs do other types of damage too, but they all do S/L when they get into melee range.

Try teaming with a sonic defender/troller - they are worth their weight in gold, and you'll feel what it's like to feel pretty much unstoppable again.

My kin/psi defender build is very similar, with a few differences. Firstly, I respecced out of the fitness power pool (I find that transference keeps me going - this is just my personal preference). I dropped psychic scream (the cone range on it is just awful). I also dropped the snipe attack, as I find that my combo now is mass hypno -> FS -> nuke, which pretty much takes most bad guys out. The ones that it doesn't are staggering around disoriented and I can wipe them up with WD/Telek blast/subdue.

What I HAVE gone for is IO sets in most of my attacks. Slotted thunderstrike in 3 of them (for a nice 21% accuracy buff in total) and also pacing of the turtle in siphon speed and call of the essence of curare in dominate (doesn't hurt to reduce the time that you're held/stunned etc).

I opted for the hasten/SS route, and slotted celerity +stealth in SS, so it gives me invis. Also, hasten is a godsend when a) fighting AVs and you want pretty much perma transfusion and b) your nuke is recharged faster than you can say 'hot potato.'

My kin/psi defender is my favourite toon - kind of a mix of a scrapper (always in melee range), defender (for support) and troller (has a hold, 2 sleeps and a stun).

I respecced out of the leadership pool as I found that, as a kin and often in the forefront of battle, I'd get mezzed quite a bit and you're detoggled. Then you've got the hassle of waiting for it to recharge, then re-toggle it, only to be mezzed again shortly afterwards. Of course, this isn't a problem if you team with empaths/sonics who are on the ball (unfortunately, there seems to be a lot out there that aren't on the ball)

The bottom line is, what style do you want to play? My defender is very offensive based, using holds and stuns to keep my foes at bay. Telekenisis is in there as a panic button, but with dominate, will domination, mass hypno and scramble thoughts, I can pretty much hold my own against most mobs. Just remember to carry a stack of BFs

Well, with I9 now in mind, Gran has been respecced again (more like tweaked). I've dropped the leaping power pool and picked up hover for KB protection (I find that acro offers very little res to holds - and none to sleeps and disorients, which is what seems to be used much more than holds). Also picked up IR for my travel power (slot it with a recharge and you've got it pretty much perma).
If you decide to purely solo, and do drop SB/ID, there's not much point in picking up Total Domination (since all the spawns that'll spawn for you will be 3 or 4 at most, and you'll keep them at bay with mass hypno/terrify/mass confusion); having said that, it's not a bad power to have and, with hasten and a couple of siphon speeds, it's downtime will be severely reduced.
Wouldn't bother picking up weave as a) you'd have to pick up a dud power (boxing/kick) and tough (hardly worth it for a troller) and the defense that you get out of weave is negligible. Personally, I think that you'd get more mileage out of Super Speed and Stealth - they stack for invisibility. And it's a neat trick to be able to invis into a mob, mass hypno then FS and then let rip into them.

What it's mean is that if you DID use siphon speed, you could stack mesmerise and dominate and not have to worried about getting attacked - maybe even pop a rest break in whilst they're held to recover endurance. But yes, there IS the temptation to fire off a couple of hugely end draining powers with siphon speed running (esp if you have it double-stacked).

No problems at all Glad to be of service - hopefully you'll be able to make a blinder of a hero!

Don't have any experience on mind/kin; however I have a mind troller and a kin defender, so I'm sure that I could cobble something together

On my kin defender, I found that once I'd managed to get (and properly slot) transference, I didn't need the fitness pool anymore - kaching, 3 extra powers. With transference down only 11 secs or so, I can happily fire it off and recharge my blue bar to full (2 acc, 2 end mod, 2 recharge reductions).

Also, with fly, you only need to 1-slot it for speed (a lot of the time, you'll have SB running and so pretty much hit the flight cap); also if you do decide to ditch the fitness pool, you can pick up IR for a much quicker travel power than fly (and toggle fly for those oh-so sticky moments, like flying through The Hive or Eden). Also, if you want to 2-slot SB, slot it for 2 end mods - it's only got a couple of seconds recharge time on it.

I've cobbled together something of a build, based on my usage of the mind power pool on my troller and my usage of the kinetics pool from my defender. As you'll see, all the powers are included. Just have a play around what you want slotting when.

01) --> Mesmerize==> Acc(1) Acc(17) Dmg(17) Dmg(23) Rechg(40)
01) --> Transfusion==> Acc(1) Acc(3) Heal(3) Heal(5) Heal(5) Rechg(40)
02) --> Dominate==> Acc(2) Acc(7) Hold(7) Hold(15) Rechg(15) Rechg(37)
04) --> Levitate==> Acc(4) Acc(34) Dmg(34) Dmg(34) Rechg(42)
06) --> Air Superiority==> Acc(6) Dmg(42) Dmg(42)
08) --> Mass Hypnosis==> Acc(8) Acc(9) Rechg(9) Rechg(50)
10) --> Siphon Speed==> Acc(10) Acc(11) Rechg(11) Rechg(13) Slow(13) Slow(50)
12) --> Confuse==> Acc(12) Rechg(43)
14) --> Fly==> Fly(14)
16) --> Increase Density==> DmgRes(16)
18) --> Total Domination==> Acc(18) Acc(19) Hold(19) Hold(21) Rechg(21) Rechg(23)
20) --> Speed Boost==> EndMod(20) EndMod(46)
22) --> Siphon Power==> Acc(22) Acc(45) Rechg(46) Rechg(46)
24) --> Telekinesis==> EndRdx(24) EndRdx(25) EndRdx(25)
26) --> Terrify==> Acc(26) Acc(27) Dmg(27) Dmg(29) Rechg(29) Rechg(31)
28) --> Inertial Reduction==> Jump(28)
30) --> Hasten==> Rechg(30) Rechg(31) Rechg(31)
32) --> Mass Confusion==> Acc(32) Acc(33) Rechg(33) Rechg(33)
35) --> Transference==> Acc(35) Acc(36) EndMod(36) EndMod(36) Rechg(37) Rechg(37)
38) --> Fulcrum Shift==> Acc(38) Acc(39) Rechg(39) Rechg(39) Rechg(40)
41) --> Power Blast==> Acc(41) Acc(43) Dmg(43) Dmg(48)
44) --> Temp Invulnerability==> DmgRes(44) DmgRes(45) EndRdx(45)
47) --> Power Boost==> Rechg(47) Rechg(48) Rechg(48)
49) --> Repel==> EndRdx(49) EndRdx(50)

Firstly, I've taken out the fitness pool (I kept it until approx lv 30 on my defender, then respecced out of it) and haven't looked back. I guess the one thing that I DO miss from the pool isn't stamina, but health (for the reduced sleep time). I've also put in Hasten (for the long recharges on your AoE holds) - stacks great with siphon speed; also put in inertial reduction (faster than fly and no 'suppression' so you can fight and immediately jump away) and repel (it's a love/hate power - it's GREAT against PPs before they use MoG - just keep em bouncing all over the place and they can't touch you hehe)

Personally, I've not got siphon power in my defender's build, but I can see a use for it; I wouldn't use it to buff my own damage (at later levels - use fulcrum shift for that) - but would rather use it as a debuff on an enemy; so target the boss/AV with it and watch their damage output fall.

Regarding the robots/banished pantheon (they, too, have resistance to psi powers) - levitate is rather effective against them (though if you have the 12 month veteran power, you could also pick up sands of mu) - and with your air superiority, you've got 3 non-psi attacks (4 at later levels with power blast).

Also picked primal forces rather than psionic mastery for the power pool, purely for power boost. If you've gotten to lv 41 and think you still need protection against mez (i.e. indomitable will) then just carry a load of break frees. But honestly, as a mind troller, you'll hit them with a LOT more than they can hit you (as in previous post, you've got FIVE AoE/cone trolly powers) - plus, you've really only got 9 more levels to go before you hit 50; indom will would be great if you could pick it early on, but since you can't, you've managed this far, you'll be fine without it. Besides, with power boost, just imagine your holds lasting twice as long, and being able to use every minute (with 3 recharges in it - even less if you use hasten/siphon speed) - that's a LOT less waiting around than the Vanguard accolade!

And finally, kinetics is probably one of the best suited secondaries for mind; because mind has 2 'holds' that are really sleeps, any kind of debuff/anchor wakes up the target; however, all of kinetics' powers (with the exception of repel) do NOT wake up a sleeping target. Just imagine mass hypnoing a group of baddies, running into them, fulcrum shift them all, then hit terrify - double-damage from containment and lovely lovely damage output from fulcrum shift.

As I said before, this is just a build that I've cobbled together in a matter of minutes - try using it as scaffolding to build around, rather than a straightjacket that forces you to pick power A and B when it says.

And above all, have fun experimenting!!

Disagree re: TK - I find that it's an AMAZING power; IMO, I find that it's Mind's defining power. Yes, it's end hungry (mine's 3-slotted for end redx) and it can take a while to master; but once you have got the hang of it, it is well worth the while. Imagine being able to control a large mob without panicking. With TK, you can have 3 or 4 huddled together in a corner (comfortably - you can get more but it's a pain without constantly moving) and with terrify, TD and MH, you can have others held and locked down too. It's yet ANOTHER multiple controlling power (that brings Mind's AoE/cone powers to 5 if you count Mass Confusion).

Just one thing to note with TK is that it will NOT pick up a boss or higher rank (unless he/she is already mezzed, in which case they will happily sail along with the other minions until the mez wears off) - so it's pretty handy if you want the scrappers/tankers to take out the boss/AV whilst you deal with the lil' guys.

Yup, WS is a hoot in triform; not to mention the mire malarky (I tend to use one mire at a time - then morph into squiddy - by the time I've used one, then the other, the first has recharged) there's also the pets that stick around when you change into alien form. So you could have a couple of blobs of shooty-killy purple clouds to help you take down the baddies too. Not 100% sure, but I don't think the PB 'pets' (the name eludes me right now, as am on work's PC and don't have hero planner available) carry over into alien form.

I've /bug reported it too many times to remember now - each time I get the standard 'blah de blah' automated response from NCSoft and never any follow up - I think that every /kin defender who's picked PBU has /bug reported it but to no avail. Even after all the different 'mini patch' updates it's not been properly fixed. Here's hoping that I9 will bring that fix.