Boy_Oracle

Sonic/Sonic - 4
Dark/Sonic - 9

I like a bit of synergy, there are never enough sonics around and if i'm in a PUG a badly played sonic is infinitely more useful than a badly played dark.

Sonic/Sonic: 1
Rad/Rad: 0

Because sonic is underloved and I didn't want to see Rad win in a 10-0 landslide victory!

I understand you have decided to stick with your original plan and that's fine by me - all the best playing it.

In the last few posts I've noticed that you say you use repulsion without anyone complaining and think ts a great power - can I just ask in what sort of situtation you use it? I have a grav/sonic and I skipped repulsion simply becase it sounded awful on paper and I could't imagine it going down well on a team Just curious to hear from someone who obviously uses and likes the power - thanks!

Even if we can't convince you on the value of shields, I'd still swap repulsion for disruption field so both you and your pets effectively do more damage. I'd also switch clarity for dispersion shield which gives resistance to damage and statuses for both you and your phantasmm as long as it stays within range. As far as I see it - if the phantasm is being held then there is a fairly good chance you will be held by the same mobs. If you are held you can't cast clarify anyway! (Of course if you're planning on using perma clarity on your pet this won't hold true as much).

Anyway you asked for comments on your builds which have been given. Hope you have fun with whatever build you settle on.

Hey. I'm initially looking at build 1. I am a bit confused by the sonic powers you have taken. Is this meant for solo or team?

If solo then clarity is useless and I can't see repulsion being much use. If as part of a team I don't think anyone would thank you for picking cages (not usually a team friendly power) over the shields. Repulsion is usually hated unless you are teaming only with a cade of blasters. I personally would swap repulsion for either dispersion shield or disruption field. As long as end aint a problem stick a disruption field on your tank and the enemies will go down quicker (not that you'll ever get credit for it!).

As was alluded to earlier, if you bring a sonic to a team without shields but with the medicine set there may well be an assumption that you don't know how to play sonics.

Hope this makes sense, but as it is unlikely just ask for clarification!

I enjoyed reading this guide as it has been well written and obviously done by someone who has a fair bit of experience. I agree with lots of it and disagree strongly with other bits but thats to be expected as all empaths play differently.

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There are a lot of dull times as an empath where you will not be needed. If it is important to you that your constantly active, then empath is not for you.

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Personally I don't think this is true and the way I read it, I think it is misleading. I agree that in a well functioning team you won't spend a lot of time using your heal powers but that doesn't mean you won't be doing anything. The three "heal" powers plus rez might not be getting used but that still leaves you the other 5 powers to be using. It is very dependent on team structue - playing with scrappers and defenders will proably require less heals than playing with 6 blasters/khelds.

Just wanted to talk about clear mind a bit. I think that the guide doesn't emphasise how good this power is. Prsonally I try to keep it as a buff on everyone if I'm not worried about more pressing issues - if you have team members bound to the number pad and CM and heal other also bound its pretty easy to cycle through the team and buff everyone quickly.
Its important on other defenders and controllers whose powers drop if they get mezzed - here a CM after the status hits is no good, it needs to be proactively applied. I speak from experience watching the sonic and forcefield big bubbles drop because the defender and troller operating them got hit by the same mez - not a pretty sight.

The other thing I noticed not included in your guide is how to play if you have two empaths/people with healing powers in a team. I often see teams come apart a bit when this happns because both people try and do the same jobs. Am always interested in what other people do in that situation.

One option with wormhole is to set up singularity near a corner then wormhole a goup into said corner. If wormhole isn't slotted for accuracy this nicely divides a group up, if it is slotted for accuracy everyone is now where you want them and you and your pet can destroy them at your leisure.

This is all wild speculation cos my toon is level 29 and so has not got to experience the joy of singularity yet.

Hey - just sticking my oar in where its not wanted, but if you can possibly make space for it in your build I'd put wormhole in there. Its just plain fun.

I found all these funny, and I'm one of those who still makes these sort of mistakes on a semi-regular basis. I still occasionally manage to teleport into trees by accident - very heroic.

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4 - If something hits you hard enough to knock your health down by 50% in one shot, don't bother turning round to see who did it or where they are. Just chuffin' run, you fool!

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- Just don't be surprised if you accidentally run deeper in to the mob of doom by mistake!

Somewhere between mastermind and Controller depending on what side of bed I got out of that morning.

Hi folks.

Am attempting to plan the levelling of my grav/sonic troller. I have space for either dimension shift or sonic cage but don't really feel like I need both (if anyone has a good argument for both I can re-jig things though)

Does anyone have any suggestions/advice/tales of woe relating to either choice? As background I play PvE exclusively and am often in PUGs.

Thanks a lot.

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At any rate, as I have said, I ASSURE you there was no attack.

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thanks for the heads up though, as I certainly didnt mean my response to him to come across that way. I guess its all a matter of perspective and how someone chooses to read it.

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Just to clarify I never thought this was a personal attack so we're all good. After a couple of attempts I still don't understand the OP's logic but I certainly don't think it was intended in an insulting way. As we seem to be using different strains of logic and have a general inability to understand each other its best for all if we leave it alone.

In all honesty I have absolutely no idea what half of those responses meant. But its late and I'm more than likely being dim. Will read again in the morning and see if I can make any more of it then. But good-night in the meantime.

I think the main problem here is that you want to apply what you call "common sense" to the situation. Where rules like this exist there is no "but it's common sense/its obvious what I meant" argument. The rules are there. The indivdual acted within the rules. Whatever your feelings on the morality of it I don't see the problem based on logic.

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its apparent that those who have said such a stance have no suffered such an occurence themselves

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Hopefully most people will have not suffered a situation the same as yours - but I think its overly optimistic to assume that no-one else has ever suffered a betrayl of trust. Of course people understand betrayl and its an injustice to suggest otherwise.


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If nothing else comes out of the discussion I would expect at the very least NCoft sees that the current permissions system is blatantly iadequate for the security they expect us to provide ourselves and to DO something bout fixing the problem.

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This is the main point of the discussion and indeed the very reason customer support directed you here. Everyone (i think) agrees that the current system needs more flexibility. So the discussion is good to bring this awareness to more people - but unless i'm mis-reading your posts you still expect this person to be answerable to their perceived crime while its clear that even if anything were to be done, you would not be notified. I an unsure what you hope to obtain.

Hello - couldn't resist throwing my two pence in. Before I start I'm on the side of the folks above who have summed it up as "take it as a lesson, don't let it spoil your game"

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although I would certainly have expected the thieved items to be removed from him even if they werent returned..

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Why? No-one is saying that the actions taken have broken the game rules in any way and I'm sure you have said as much yourself. (I refer to rules, not moral obligations or expectations)

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in what UNIVERSE does that seem even remotely acceptable? Whatever spin is put on that, the fact remains it is is just plainly and morally wrong.


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As I post we're onto the 11th page of posts. It is not plainly anything as you have noticed it has generated debate and opinions. I dispute that you can say its a fact that its morally wrong - surely this depends on whose morals?

As you can see by my post count I'm a lurker rather than a poster but I've found this an interesting thread to read. Hope everyone has benefited a little from this cautionary tale.

Interesting question. I don't have a lot of experience of the different powersets so will only be picking from those that I've seen in action.

1. Telekinetic blast - blasting bad guys off rooftops and cliffs never fails to amuse me.
2. Phantom Army - Incredible power nuff said surely.
3. Teleport - Because I actually want to be able to get where I'm going as opposed to the people who have picked 7 uber powers. And then have to walk there. Fond memories of accidental teleporting into trees before it got a key bind.
4. Psi Lance - why yes i'm an empath defender and yes that was me killing a bad guy - why are you so surprised?
5. Propel - Just funny. And painful.
6. Rain of fire - impressive stuff
7. Accelerate metabolism - buff-tastic.

Just disappointed I couldn't find room for the classics brawl and apprentice charm.

Thanks for the advice.

My PvP experience usually only ever involes me teleporting wildly around bloody bay doing the mish to top up my temporary stealth powers. If I accidentaly teleport within buffing range of a hero i'll buff and then head straight back to the helecopter so PvP effects aren't a big factor.

Thank you for your responses. Sounds like Dominate is the way to go.

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They're both pink on your power tray, but scramble thoughts is less garish and has a slightly cooler icon.

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I can't tell you how much I loved this line!

I'll shortly be coming to the point where I will be taking either Scramble thoughts fom psi blast or Dominate from psychic mastery (mid 40's emp/psi defender).

Quick question is - which do people think is better as they don't seem much different to me on first looks. All opinions welcome.

Yeah I totally agree with the offensive empaths who get stuck in an attack chain. This is BAD. Bad empaths who should be kicked up the backside and then encouraged to go roll a blaster. This also applies to other defenders too, in perosnal experience I find bubblers can get stuck in this, bubbles at the start of a fight then offense and don't notice when the bubbles drop. Just a personal opinion and certianly doesn't apply to the vast majoraty!

I'm talking about selective blasting (usually after you've used auras and there isn't the need to be healing). If I have time to chain more than 2 attacks it means I've forgotten someones CM or Fort.

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I hold strong opinions regarding defenders who never use their secondaries, and regarding teams that don't like said usage. Gah.

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Wilfred - My kind of guy! Have you noticed its usually blasters who hate defenders using their secondaries?

I swear I had a blaster leader who had somehow ended up in melee range and was being killed by a Lt. Used a TK blast to diffuse the immediate problem followed with usual heals and buffs. Then got yelled at saying why hadn't I taken Absorb Pain as i should have used that instead. Some people can't be helped. Never mind - sorry for veering off topic.

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i have 2 powers from Psi pool

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I'm just being nosey - but I'm wondering which other power you have other than mental blast. Personally I couldn't imagine not having both will domination and telekinetic blast so wondered what you ended up with.

I think I'm not enough of a pacifist to build my empath like yours, I like to blast on rare occasions and at least be able to hold my own if I bump into mobs outside mish doors.

Had a fair few leaders who think empaths should only ever take passive powers and are mortified when I actually blast somebody! (And I don't mean going like a crazy blaster thru the mish when people are dying around me, I mean a well timed TK blast to take the pressure off other squishies)

Again just my opinions. Take with a large pinch of salt.

Not going to get into the Absorb Pain debate - some people like it some don't I don't take it so can't comment on how you use it.

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Take Telekinetic Blast. It's a solid damage power - and with the best will in the world, even the best tank you're working with will let one or two enemies slip past. A well-aimed and well-slotted TK Blast will shove them back into taunt range - and at least out of your melee zone.


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I can't agree more - TK blast is a great defensive power as well as offensive. Sometimes its easier to knockback a bad guy munching on one of your teamates than trying desperately to heal them before they die. Particulalry good if teammate is held because you can fire off a cm before the bad guy recovers from the knockback.
The fact thats its got decent damage is a bonus and will work on robots resistant to psi, and its great fun for knocking people off buildings or cliffs if you are getting overwhelmed.

It depends a lot on your playstyle but I personally rate Psi lance highly. you get it early on and when you first get it, it does a lot of damage. Think of it as an opening attack before you get to work buffing/healing.

Psi Wail is a personal choice - I like it but you don't get chance to use it very often. If its a choice between wail and TK blast take the TK!