BloodPython

I would totally recommend you pick up Smite if at all possible. It's arguably the best attack in the entire Dark Melee set.

For a long time NOTHING did as much damage with as fast of an activation as Smite, and it's still rarely equaled or surpassed.

You're seriously hamstringing yourself by not having it.

I like the challenge of problem builds! So pardon me for throwing my hat into the ring here...

What I've seen over the years in most "problem" builds is people taking too many attacks.

"But attacks are what let us defeat things! More is better, right?!"

In theory... We have finite slots and finite power choices, though, so it's a delicate dance of both your primary and secondary roles. Everything comes with a price, and attack-heavy builds usually faceplant in the defensive department.

The trick is how much offense can you sacrifice to give yourself near 90% in BOTH offense and defense. If you can get a high level in both (though neither is maxed) you can do 99% of the game easily.

So this's why I try and stick to five attacks or so on a Tank, tops. You as a Fiery Aura will probly want to aim for five from Dual Blades, as Burn and Blazing Aura cover any other AoE you could possibly need.

Whether you want Sweep or Attack Vitals is up to you, but given you have serious AoE in Fiery Aura already taking both seems a tad redundant and constricting on slots.

We're forced as Tanks into taking Nimble Slash, so you may's well have Blinding Feint for the Empower Combo. Running through the Empower chain, then going into Attack Vitals makes a noticeable difference on hardened targets like armored Rikti.

I prefer Attack Vitals (which is what I have listed here) as it's faster, and does more damage per chain. It hits less targets in general, too, so if AoE is your thing you may want Sweep instead. You could easily do Sweep by maybe sacrificing slots off Taunt and losing Super Jump. Stinks, I know, but we do have Ninja Run these days.

If nothing else, keep in mind the Luck of the Gambler trick! The net effect of "muling" powers you'll never use in-game lets you get a lot more recharge than slotting five Crushing Impact sets will. That lets you free up those attacks for other set bonuses.

I also tend to like mule powers, as it's crap I can delete from my quickslots. A crowded power tray is a pet peeve of mine. If I can do a job with ~20 powers, why do I need thirty? That just slows me down and makes misclicks deadly in bad fights.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.96
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Fire&DB: Level 50 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Fiery Aura
Secondary Power Set: Dual Blades
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Concealment
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Fire Shield -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(34), RctvArm-ResDam(34), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(34)
Level 1: Nimble Slash -- SMotTanker-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), SMotTanker-Acc/Dmg(11), SMotTanker-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), SMotTanker-Dmg/Rchg(15), SMotTanker-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), SMotTanker-Rchg/Res%(27)
Level 2: Healing Flames -- Dct'dW-Rchg(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(3), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(3), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(9), Dct'dW-Heal(9)
Level 4: Ablating Strike -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(13), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(15), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(25)
Level 6: Blazing Aura -- Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), Erad-Dmg/Rchg(7), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(42), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(43)
Level 8: Consume -- Efficacy-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(A), Efficacy-Acc/Rchg(46), Mocking-Acc/Rchg(46)
Level 10: Taunt -- Mocking-Taunt/Rchg(A), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(48), Mocking-Taunt(50), Mocking-Taunt/Rng(50), Mocking-Rchg(50)
Level 12: Plasma Shield -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(37), RctvArm-ResDam(39), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(40)
Level 14: Combat Jumping -- Krma-ResKB(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(46)
Level 16: Super Jump -- Winter-ResSlow(A)
Level 18: Burn -- Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), Erad-Dmg/Rchg(19), C'ngBlow-Acc/Rchg(23), C'ngBlow-Dmg/Rchg(23), C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx(25)
Level 20: Blinding Feint -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(21), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(33)
Level 22: Kick -- Empty(A)
Level 24: Tough -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GA-3defTpProc(39), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(39), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(40), RctvArm-ResDam(48), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(48)
Level 26: Fiery Embrace -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(27)
Level 28: Vengeful Slice -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(29), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(29), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(31), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(31)
Level 30: Weave -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(43), RedFtn-Def(43), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(45), RedFtn-EndRdx(45), LkGmblr-Rchg+(45)
Level 32: Rise of the Phoenix -- OvForce-Dam/KB(A)
Level 35: Sweeping Strike -- Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Erad-Dmg/Rchg(36), C'ngBlow-Acc/Rchg(36), C'ngBlow-Dmg/Rchg(37), C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx(37)
Level 38: Focused Accuracy -- Rec'dRet-Pcptn(A)
Level 41: Physical Perfection -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod(42)
Level 44: Stealth -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 47: Invisibility -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 49: Grant Invisibility -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- HO:Nucle(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clrty-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(42)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod(5), EndMod-I(5)
------------
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Set Bonus Totals:

• 6% DamageBuff(Smashing)
• 6% DamageBuff(Lethal)
• 6% DamageBuff(Fire)
• 6% DamageBuff(Cold)
• 6% DamageBuff(Energy)
• 6% DamageBuff(Negative)
• 6% DamageBuff(Toxic)
• 6% DamageBuff(Psionic)
• 23.5% Defense(Smashing)
• 23.5% Defense(Lethal)
• 9.13% Defense(Fire)
• 9.13% Defense(Cold)
• 21.63% Defense(Energy)
• 21.63% Defense(Negative)
• 6% Defense(Psionic)
• 14.75% Defense(Melee)
• 13.81% Defense(Ranged)
• 7.56% Defense(AoE)
• 7.2% Max End
• 57.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
• 4% Enhancement(Heal)
• 10% SpeedFlying
• 161.6 HP (8.63%) HitPoints
• 10% JumpHeight
• 10% SpeedJumping
• Knockback (Mag -4)
• Knockup (Mag -4)
• MezResist(Held) 2.75%
• MezResist(Immobilized) 23.65%
• MezResist(Sleep) 1.65%
• MezResist(Terrorized) 2.2%
• 20% PerceptionRadius
• 2% (0.03 End/sec) Recovery
• 20% ResEffect(SpeedFlying)
• 20% ResEffect(RechargeTime)
• 20% ResEffect(SpeedRunning)
• 2.52% Resistance(Smashing)
• 2.52% Resistance(Lethal)
• 3.47% Resistance(Fire)
• 3.47% Resistance(Cold)
• 2.52% Resistance(Toxic)
• 2.52% Resistance(Psionic)
• 10% SpeedRunning

I have FINALLY managed to get the SE to drop a KB to KD proc, and so yes, I am really rethinking how I use Tornado.

Means the pets will be squishier, but knocked down and dead things don't do them any damage.

First thing I saw was Endurance consumption, man. Your toggles are KILLING your Endurance bar, with it only being about 1.69.

Given the drawn-out nature of a lot of later fights, I'd try to push it more around 2.5ish if possible. That really does make a difference, even though it's +0.8 end-per-second.

That's the difference between turning two to four toggles off, if you wanna think about it that way.

So here's what I came up with! The big non-apparent thing is Brawl, actually. Why waste a Hami-O on Brawl?! Easy! Brawl doesn't force redraw, simply owning Kick will soon make it a useful debuff, and will therefore be a great filler attack when you exemp for lower TFs or missions. You can also use Brawl without resetting your Combo timer.

The chains I set up are Empower and Attack Vitals. Again though, you don't wanna fire both off back to back. That usually causes the second Combo to fail. After I complete Empower, I toss a Taunt (which looks awesome for DB) on whatever's nastiest/running loose, and that seems to be enough time for the game to catch up. Then you can finish with Attack Vitals and shred stuff.

This isn't capped Defense, but what I did was sacrifice a little Defense to better enhance your powers, buff other things like Regen, Resist, and Recovery, and generally give you more tools to draw from than a capped Defense build would.

Lastly, there is no movement pool in this setup. With Sprint + Ninja Run, I've not seen any real need for them. Couple that with Ouroboros, the various TUNNEL spots, et cetera, and you can get anywhere you need in a minute or two, tops. No more 15 minute travel times like we had when the game started out. Besides, Ninja Run looks pretty damn smexy on a DB samurai/ninja.

Feel free to use this, or just steal parts of it! WP is one of the sets that has a pretty bad taunt aura in Rise to the Challenge (1 second versus Invulnerability's 15 seconds), but you can still tank really well by actively attacking and using Taunt. Hope this helps!

PS: The stealth IO in Sprint combined with Stealth gives you "full" concealment against most enemies. I figure a ronin oughta be able to sneak about.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.96
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

WP/DB: Level 50 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Willpower
Secondary Power Set: Dual Blades
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Concealment
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Mind Over Body -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(25), RctvArm-ResDam(27), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(33), GA-3defTpProc(50)
Level 1: Nimble Slash -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(5), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(7), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(15)
Level 2: Fast Healing -- Numna-Heal(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx(19), Numna-Heal/Rchg(19)
Level 4: Ablating Strike -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(5), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(7), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(15)
Level 6: Indomitable Will -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 8: Rise to the Challenge -- Numna-Heal/EndRdx(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg(17), Numna-Heal(17)
Level 10: Taunt -- Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(A)
Level 12: Quick Recovery -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(13), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(13)
Level 14: High Pain Tolerance -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(40), RctvArm-ResDam(46), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(48), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(48), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(48)
Level 16: Kick -- Empty(A)
Level 18: Heightened Senses -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(27), LkGmblr-Def(33), LkGmblr-Rchg+(33)
Level 20: Blinding Feint -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(21), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(21), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(25)
Level 22: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(34), RctvArm-ResDam(34), RctvArm-EndRdx(34), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(50)
Level 24: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(37), LkGmblr-Def(39), LkGmblr-Rchg+(39)
Level 26: Resurgence -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 28: Vengeful Slice -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(29), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(29), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(31)
Level 30: Stealth -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 32: Strength of Will -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(39), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(40), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(40)
Level 35: Sweeping Strike -- SMotTanker-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), SMotTanker-Acc/Dmg(36), SMotTanker-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), SMotTanker-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), SMotTanker-Dmg/Rchg(37), SMotTanker-Rchg/Res%(37)
Level 38: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 41: Physical Perfection -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(42), Heal-I(42), Heal-I(42)
Level 44: Focused Accuracy -- GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(A), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(45), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(45), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(45), GSFC-ToHit(46), GSFC-Build%(46)
Level 47: Invisibility -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 49: Grant Invisibility -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- HO:Nucle(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- ULeap-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Numna-Heal(43), Mrcl-Rcvry+(43), Mrcl-Heal(43), RgnTis-Regen+(50)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod(3), EndMod-I(3)
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Set Bonus Totals:

• 6.5% DamageBuff(Smashing)
• 6.5% DamageBuff(Lethal)
• 6.5% DamageBuff(Fire)
• 6.5% DamageBuff(Cold)
• 6.5% DamageBuff(Energy)
• 6.5% DamageBuff(Negative)
• 6.5% DamageBuff(Toxic)
• 6.5% DamageBuff(Psionic)
• 27.25% Defense(Smashing)
• 27.25% Defense(Lethal)
• 7.25% Defense(Fire)
• 7.25% Defense(Cold)
• 12.25% Defense(Energy)
• 12.25% Defense(Negative)
• 6% Defense(Psionic)
• 18.5% Defense(Melee)
• 11% Defense(Ranged)
• 8.5% Defense(AoE)
• 18% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 47.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
• 15% SpeedFlying
• 351.4 HP (18.75%) HitPoints
• 15% JumpHeight
• 15% SpeedJumping
• MezResist(Immobilized) 28.6%
• 5% (0.08 End/sec) Recovery
• 56% (4.37 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 2.52% Resistance(Smashing)
• 2.52% Resistance(Lethal)
• 2.52% Resistance(Toxic)
• 2.52% Resistance(Psionic)
• 15% SpeedRunning

Howdy! I've a pretty good handle on both sets here, so lemme see what I can throw together for you.

My only current character's an SR/DB, so I'm not even that rusty with it. The trick is that there is a little downtime between combos. You can't fire off an Empower and immediately go into Attack Vitals, say. That's always chapped my butt, but that's the way it seems to work.

How I get around that's to simply toss in a Taunt between the two combos.

You're gonna want to be using four slots of Reactive Armor and Kinetic Combat sets, or Smashing Haymakers if you can't afford the Kinetic Combats.

+Regen and +HP from Numina's Convalescence sets can really help as well, but you don't gotta go too deep in those. Maybe two or three tops. Enhancement Boosters are great at capping values if you can get within 83% for most stuff. Keep in mind Defense IOs are on a different scale, and only cap at 55% max enhanced value.

I'll go work up a build and see what I can come up with, but please feel free to play what you WANT to play. Way better for you to understand why I did what I did and then put your own spin on it than it is to simply copy any build you find here.

Well, Defensive Sweep was arguably one of the best Tier 1s anywho!

On my Dual Blades, however, Nimble Slash is pretty "meh" apart from it now doing Bruising. Sure it's quick, but I'd rather be able to get Bruising from the attacks in my Attack Vitals or Sweep chains. As is, I've gotta work Nimble Slash in there as well.

So in certain sets it works great, but in others it does pigeonhole you into using (and probably slotting) the Tier 1 attack.

If something like this does go into effect, it really oughta be on ALL the powers, of course.

One of the things I dislike about our current Bruising is that to get any benefit from it, you have to work the 1st attack into your attack chain. I know we all have to take it as Tanks anyways, but we're still forced to USE it to see any Bruising benefit.

And sorry for my topical repost! Here I thought I was being all original. Just like everyone else, as they say.

Do you guys think 30% to 40% -Res would be enough? I'm more of a biologist, so the hard math'll have to be left to someone else, but I'm wondering how effective those numbers would stack up next to a Brute versus a long AV fight, say.

Obviously a Brute should come out on top, as they're a Damage Primary. But Tanks oughta be within enough of a distance to at least make an impact.

If I'm correct in my line of thinking, the reason Khelds won't be getting the nuke change is that the Devs may be planning on revamping the AT as a whole along the lines of what Dominators went through. Probly gonna hold off on the work until then. Or so the voices in my head tell me.

Just spitballing here...

I was thinking about Bruising as a concept, and perhaps it's just not developed enough yet to have the effect they were hoping.

There are a ton of sets out there that have -Defense, but not a whole lot with serious -Resistance (outside of sonic and some debuff sets).

If Brutes get stackable Fury to help them generate damage, why not give Tanks a stackable 5 to 10% -Resistance on their attacks to compensate? Throw each on a 10 or 15 second timer, and you could maybe stack up to -50% resistance on a single target, or -20% to -30% on average with AoE damage.

Thematically this makes sense, as Tanks are the "big guys who hit really hard yet slowly". It would make sense that they could beat the crap out of a robot and eventually rip their way through it by simple sheer force.

Also, this would make them suddenly VERY desirable on teams, as not only can they tank like a Brute or some Scrappers, but a single Tanker will be adding serious -Resistance debuffs to the team's capabilities. A single Tanker to soften up some +4s would let the Blasters, Scrappers, et cetera with him wreak havoc.

I honestly think a stackable SOMETHING along these lines could work. It works so well for Brutes, why not extrapolate a different flavor of that concept for Tankers?

But there IS a good deal of synergy to the two if you take time to find it.

KnockBACK may suck, but knockDOWN is actually great for pets. So that being said, you can wipe out entire spawns by leading off with a Freezing Rain and turning your pets loose with the occasional O2 Boost.

Here's the kicker, though. Beast has no pets that can use the Recharge Intensive Pet IOs. Storm lets you slot them in Tornado.

So you can theoretically slot both +Resist and +Defense IOs, as well as the +15% AoE Defense ATIO. I put them all into Tornado as a mule, and then slotted full Blood Mandate sets to cap my own Defense out as well. Your pets are getting +20% Resistance to all damage, +10% Defense to all, and a bonus +15% Defense to AoE doing that.

Add all the IOs to your control in Freezing Rain, the buffs from Steamy Mist, your Minion-level lockdown from Thunderclap, and your spot-heal in O2 Boost, and Beast/Storm is a pretty damn strong setup.

It's active, though. This isn't Bots/Force Fields by any means. If you miss a power activation or time things badly, you can and will get yourself or your pets killed.

That being said, nothing but Nemesis with stacked Vengeance really gave me problems.

Been running with a Water Blast Corruptor of late, and I gotta say having a decent-recharge crashless nuke is MUCH more enjoyable than the big crash nukes I've also run.

No more "I better not use it or I won't have it up for when I need it against a bad spawn". With Geyser, it's fire and forget until the next spawn, but it is up ON THE NEXT SPAWN.

That is huge. Basically the crash nukes are going from a situational power for me, to a power I will use every single time it's up. Need it for clearing a really bad spawn around a boss? Just takes me on average 20 to 30 seconds waiting for cooldown from the previous fight, and I'm good to go. No more minute plus twiddling of the thumbs. A mainstay of any Blast set, if you will.

The fact that Kheldian's are eventually getting the same nuke treatment kind of makes me wish I still had a Warshade. Quasar and Dawn Strike are my ultimate nuke shiny. Ah well, can't have everything.

Hey!

One thing I would say is worth looking at is taking Titan Sweep instead of one of the singletargets.

You actually see a net damage gain while using AoE to hit multiple enemies (it takes less AoEs to kill 5 minions than it does singletargets). The one/two AoE punch off Defensive and Titan Sweep deliver some serious AoE pain.

Also! Titan has a decent chance to proc a knockdown effect on any of the targets it hits. This also increases your survivability, as it functions like a soft control. It's not predictable, but the effect is noticeable.

If you plan on PvP, ignore the above! But for PvE setups, the more AoE you have the better off you almost always are.

Link's dead, so here's the chunk!

Howdy!

Tossed this together after looking at things and trying to get a feel for what you want to do.

I did sacrifice some Defense compared to your build, but the reason being is I also kept a close eye on each power's overall enhancement values. i.e. your damage, endurance, and recharge numbers. Ya still have high Defense in the lategame, but your powers will be more economical.

Also worked in the new Burnout power, as it'll let you sling your RAs again as soon as the first ones wear off.

Hasten has a 10 second downtime with just the IOs, but as soon as you can get a Spiritual Core Paragon in your Alpha Slot, Hasten is permanent.

With perma-Hasten and a Spiritual Core in your Alpha Slot, your pet Disruptor is permanently out, too. And yes, it is good!

You DEFINITELY want to slot Cosmic Burst as an attack. It's Rad's strongest hit, so attack slotting takes it from 76 or so to over 190 damage with Assault running. Won't need to stun stuff if you can just flatout kill it.

Hope this gives ya some ideas! I personally always wind up tweaking "perfect" setups to what I enjoy, so I'd recommend ya do the same. If it's no fun, there's no point in playing it.




Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.952
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Defender
Primary Power Set: Empathy
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Blast
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Concealment
Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Healing Aura -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Dct'dW-Heal(7), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(11), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(34)
Level 1: Neutrino Bolt -- HO:Nucle(A)
Level 2: Heal Other -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Dct'dW-Heal(7), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(11), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(34)
Level 4: Super Speed -- Clrty-Stlth(A)
Level 6: Resurrect -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 8: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(9), RechRdx-I(9)
Level 10: Electron Haze -- Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg(45), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(46), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(46), Posi-Dam%(46), UndDef-Rchg/EndRdx(50)
Level 12: Fortitude -- RechRdx-I(A), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(13), LkGmblr-EndRdx/Rchg(13), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(15), LkGmblr-Rchg+(15)
Level 14: Clear Mind -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 16: Burnout -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(17), RechRdx-I(17)
Level 18: Recovery Aura -- RechRdx-I(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(19), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(19), Efficacy-Acc/Rchg(21)
Level 20: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(21)
Level 22: Tactics -- GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(A), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(23), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(23), GSFC-ToHit(25), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(25), GSFC-Build%(43)
Level 24: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(43), LkGmblr-Def(43), LkGmblr-Rchg+(45)
Level 26: Regeneration Aura -- Dct'dW-Rchg(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(27), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(27), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Dct'dW-Heal(40)
Level 28: Cosmic Burst -- Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Decim-Acc/Dmg(29), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(29), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(31), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(31), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31)
Level 30: Stealth -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 32: Adrenalin Boost -- Dct'dW-Rchg(A), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(33), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(33), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Dct'dW-Heal(34)
Level 35: Neutron Bomb -- Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg(36), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(36), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Posi-Dam%(37), UndDef-Rchg/EndRdx(37)
Level 38: Atomic Blast -- HO:Perox(A), HO:Perox(39), HO:Perox(39), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), RechRdx-I(40), RechRdx-I(40)
Level 41: Scorpion Shield -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(42), LkGmblr-Def(42), LkGmblr-Rchg+(42)
Level 44: Focused Accuracy -- Rec'dRet-ToHit(A), Rec'dRet-Pcptn(45)
Level 47: Summon Disruptor -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(48), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(48), C'Arms-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(50), C'Arms-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(50)
Level 49: Invisibility -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 50: Spiritual Core Paragon
------------
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), P'Shift-EndMod(3), P'Shift-End%(3)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I(A)
Level 1: Vigilance
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run

Thought of trying a Plant/Poison Controller? Just Seeds of Confusion, Roots for AoE containment damage, and Venomous Gas going, you can stand in the middle and watch stuff kill each other while you saw their legs off.

P.S. Almost fergot! On the Controllers I've run it on, I only ever bothered using Alkaloid when I had nothing else to do. Your debuffs and lockdown will do WAY more for the team than a long-animating single heal ever will. It's decent to have when ya need it, but in a lot of situations it's just a waste of time that would be better spent proactively hammering stuff. Those Freakshow aren't going to poison themselves, after all!

Quick thoughts after just having gotten a Willpower/Street to 24.

It's good. Holy god is it good. I found myself smiling like an idiot as I tore through stuff like a human wrecking ball.

Since you're WP, you can go 1 Acc/3 Dam/2 Rech on attack powers. That makes the first two light strikes easily spammable. I've picked up Ribcracker, and plan to hold out for Spinning Strike and Crushing Uppercut. That said, both Sweeping Cross and Shin Breaker are damn good as well.

Far's animation times, this is a very fast set. The combo builders come in at 1.33 seconds for the longest of them. The first two lighter hits are .8 and 1.07 seconds, respectively.

I rolled a Tanker, but find myself wondering how bad$^# this set will be for a well-built Brute.

I've tried the MA Tank as well, and while good, I don't think it has nearly the feel that Street Justice has.

Street Justice just FEELS dirty and violent. You can hear ribs break, for petes sake!

Destructive Harmonics

Anybody remember those?

Easy fix. You just have Sonic Siphon cause the "Destructive Harmonics" status. Thereafter, any other power in the set has its effects amplified on that one target.

We've even got precedent for this mechanic in Time and Beam Rifle.

I'm finding Beam's singletarget is brutal fun. Mine's running on a Defender, but to restate what others have said, Bosses drop really fast. Outside of Sonics, I don't think I can remember a Defender who chewed through hard targets as fast as my Beam does.

You're never gonna be great at spawn sweeping unless you can really ramp your nuke's recharge quotient, but I'm envisioning the day when my Time/Beam is Defense capped and soloing small groups of +4s. And a lot of that is due to Beam's takedown.

Well, the Defenders debuffs and heals are gonna be stronger. Defenders get the best values for nearly everything buff or debuff related (not mez powers, that's Controllers).

On the other hand, given Dark's massively effective AoE attacks, you've got the ability to really leverage Scourge to rot whole groups really quickly on a Corruptor.

I'm not sure if there's a numerical difference between the two Dark Servants.

A lot of it can be alleviated simply by your tactics, man. If you're drawing way too much heat with your AoE, it may be wiser to hang back or Hover at longrange while you snipe the problematic stuff with singletarget. You'd still be helping the team a lot by taking out the mez critters or killing Lts. in one or two volleys.

It's awesome when it works, but after I get my second or third faceplant running Inky Aspect/Orbiting Death on my Warshade, I switch strategies and turn it off.

I should start by saying that I am very much pro-giant robot. I'm also pro-giant robot fighting, naturally.

My question is, are the War Walkers currently implemented in I18 the standard? Cuz, geeze.

I know for balance reasons they can't all be monsters or AVs, but it seems like a stiff wind could take em down at their current iteration of Boss.

Something that big oughta be a little tougher to drop than a single Death Mage.

I'm hoping there'll at least be Elite Boss versions, or something. Cuz if that's really all Praetoria's got, man, they oughta just stay home and spend the war chest on raising sharks.

With laser beams on their heads.

Heya, Jonny! Dunno what you're looking for, but I'm running a mixed Night Widow build at the moment.

Benefits of going mixed are I can change my tactics on the fly in a fight, I'm not chained to either ranged or melee.

Typically I'll run in for the Slash kill and/or Critical Spin, then if I'm drawing too much heat I pull back to use Poison Dart and Dart Burst while Placate recharges.

But wait! Widows have the highest non-IO defense in Melee, right? Why bother going to Range?

Reason for doing this is game mechanics. Most enemies waste time closing the distance (they're usually way slower than a Widow with Sprint and Mental Training), and they usually (not lategame stuff like Malta or Nemesis) do less damage at range.

I'm not sure if this's viable lategame; it's very much a work in progress. I just wanted to point out the fact that there is no "best" attack chain. Everything's got its strengths and weaknesses!

Bottom line is, play whatever you want, man. We can help you tweak what you want to be more effective, but we can't tell you what you want. What works for me, you may hate. What I'm really good with, you may not be able to run as well, and vice versa.

Here's my setup for the heck of it. Got him at level 30 right now, and I've only got some frankenslotted IOs on his four attacks for max damage and 60% enhanced recharge. The rest are just common 30 IOs. He's a total monster on big teams, and last night I got that stupid Midnighter mission where every spawn's a Boss and a Minion. Hellfrosts, Succubi, Behemoth Overlords, and Agony Mages, I ripped through em all with a vengeance.

I plan on moving up the Leadership when I19 drops, but if this works well for me (and is damn FUN) now, I don't think I'll be changing much else. This's geared for adding the 41+ slots to complete IO +recharge buffs for perma Mind Link. Easy to do if you take the first three Concealment Pool powers as "Luck of the Gambler: +recharge" mules.

Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.81
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 40 Natural Arachnos Widow
Primary Power Set: Night Widow Training
Secondary Power Set: Widow Teamwork
Power Pool: Fitness

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Poison Dart -- Empty(A), Empty(3), Empty(3), Empty(5), Empty(5), Empty(23)
Level 1: Combat Training: Defensive -- Empty(A), Empty(27), Empty(33)
Level 2: Combat Training: Offensive -- Empty(A), Empty(34)
Level 4: Tactical Training: Maneuvers -- Empty(A), Empty(33), Empty(34), Empty(34)
Level 6: Dart Burst -- Empty(A), Empty(7), Empty(7), Empty(11), Empty(11), Empty(17)
Level 8: Build Up -- Empty(A), Empty(9), Empty(9)
Level 10: Indomitable Will -- Empty(A)
Level 12: Spin -- Empty(A), Empty(13), Empty(13), Empty(15), Empty(15), Empty(17)
Level 14: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 16: Health -- Empty(A)
Level 18: Slash -- Empty(A), Empty(19), Empty(19), Empty(21), Empty(21), Empty(23)
Level 20: Mask Presence -- Empty(A), Empty(37), Empty(40)
Level 22: Stamina -- Empty(A), Empty(25), Empty(25)
Level 24: Mental Training -- Empty(A)
Level 26: Foresight -- Empty(A), Empty(27), Empty(33)
Level 28: Placate -- Empty(A), Empty(29), Empty(29)
Level 30: Tactical Training: Leadership -- Empty(A), Empty(31), Empty(31), Empty(31)
Level 32: Tactical Training: Assault -- Empty(A)
Level 35: Mind Link -- Empty(A), Empty(36), Empty(36), Empty(36), Empty(37), Empty(37)
Level 38: Elude -- Empty(A), Empty(39), Empty(39), Empty(39), Empty(40), Empty(40)
Level 41: [Empty]
Level 44: [Empty]
Level 47: [Empty]
Level 49: [Empty]
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Conditioning
Level 4: Ninja Run
------------
------------
Set Bonus Totals:

Gotta keep in mind that pre-22 NO archetype is really performing well due to not having SOs. That being said, Peacebringer's only reliable mez power against Lts. or higher is Incandescent Strike. Pulsar's only a percentage of affecting a Lt., and that randomness can get ya killed in highstakes play.

Warshades get Gravitic Emanation and Gravity Well, and Gravitic Emanation's a cone stun (ya don't have to be in melee) which lets ya take out multiple targets. Honestly, after ya got Gravitic maxed most enemies are dead before your initial shot of it wears off.

Peacebringers have nothing like that. So while a Warshade can cork two dangerous Lts. (I won't even mention bosses), the Peacebringer has to choose one. All the while they're fighting that one, the other is attacking them. This's exacerbated on higher spawn settings.

Again, a Warshade has no problem here. They just stun the whole group.

So apart from the damage buff and duration differences for the two, Peacebringers are subpar to Warshades in mezzing as well.

If ya fixed the damage issue and made Pulsar a Mag 3 Stun, (or better yet a Hold so you can stack it with Incandescent) then PB seems pretty dang fixed ta me.