Chazzmatazz

You're not imaging things. I just checked it myself. Honestly, I'm surprised it says that. I seem to remember one of the devs saying something to the effect that the Dark Servant wasn't intended to be an offensive-focus pet (not sure about this) and that was why DS couldn't take the other pet sets.

So, it looks like there is a bug at work, either with the power description or with it not allowing the set to be slotted.

You're not crazy.

Since Dark Servant can't be slotted for damage, they can't be slotted for any of the pet sets. Working as intended.

Have you slotted the Kismet +ToHit Unique IO? That adds +6% toHit (yes I know it says +acc, but it's +toHit, which is even better). That makes a noticeable difference. I have it slotted in every scrapper (and most other chars), just for QoL. That's for zero power picks and zero endurance. I would do that before taking a dive into Foc. Acc..

Nice debuffage.

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my dark/dark is a beast

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Why /Dark over /sonic? I know the -to hit is nice, but what about the damage?

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/Sonic definitely has more damage, but /Dark isn't too bad in this regard, and the -to hit (especially when added to the primary) is crazy effective. The additional soft control of Tenny Tents is a plus, too...especially useful to keep spawns bogged down in your Tar Patch.

[/ QUOTE ] Sonic has single target damage, but in AoE Dark crushes it. Well slotted TT and Nightfall lay out a continuous rain of not insignificant damage, dwarfing Sonic's AoE output against large groups.

This is of course "in a vacuum". The sonic res debuff in Howl is a team force multiplier and if there is a lot of other team AoE damage, it may balance out in Sonic blast's favor. Single target is no contest in Sonic's favor, but I think Dark's damage is often very underestimated.

I do not disagree that Vigilance is a comparatively weak inherent and should be reviewed for alternatives, though I do not find it a "gross imbalance" but rather a minor one. I do question several of the premises leading to the suggestion that defenders need a damage boost.

1st. That the secondary is devoted solely to damage.

Except for Archery, the debuff aspect from the secondary is very substantial and contributes to the performance of the set (which again, to a large degree is NOT "devoted solely to damage")

2nd. That controllers and tankers bring more damage to a team than a defender.

This is situationally based, depending on the powerset combinations being compared and should not be taken as sufficient justification for an AT-wide damage boost.

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Speaking as an Empathy player, the heals are very important; just as important as Fortitude.

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First, I'm not diagreeing with you, as much as using this statement as a starting point for my own take on quality Empathy play.

I agree that the three heals (I do not consider Reg Aura to be a heal but a team buff. One may reasonably disagree on that position) are approximately as valuable as team-protection tools as Fortitude is, which really makes a case for effective Fortitude usage being seen as fundamental to even 'adequate' Empathy play. This is not something you see manifest in most 'healers' playing the game. After lvl 33, with well slotted AB and Regen Aura joining Fortitude to round out the buff arsenal in Empathy, healing becomes very much a secondary aspect of the set, though not exactly an afterthought.
In truth, in late game a decent Empath defender, unless playing as the only support on a large team, will probably find themself using Heal Aura for damage taken to themself from agro they earned dealing damage to baddies more than for healing imperiled teammates (though covering the team while firing off HA to heal oneself can provide a handy (but not typically vital) top-off function).

For straight "It's all on me to keep the suicidal team alive!" scenarios, I say FF/Dark.

Seriously though ANY well played defender should make a team safer and more effective offensively. Just concentrate on the team flow and use your available powers to make a difference. If a team is steamrolling (i.e. not really being threatened with death) then throw out team damage boosting powers (Disruption Arrow, Enervating Field, Tar Patch, Sonic anything, Freezing Rain/Sleet, Fortitude, Siphon Power, etc), and AoE blasts. If a team is taking some lumps, then focus on mitigation (Glue Arrow, Tar Patch, Snow Storm, maybe Healing).

I feel that Dark/Sonic brings a great package of team protection (especially after lvl 12 with Fearsome Stare) and offensive boosting at a relatively early point and has a devastatingly effective mid/late game.

One of these just sold for 1.8 BILLION inf.

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(QR)
There is no such thing as "Global" defense. Global just means EVERYTHING.


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Not Quite

you are correct in that most powers just grant +def to everything, but there is "base" defense which is technically global defense.

[/ QUOTE ]IIRC, however, PFF is the only power that gives base defense (Base Defense is added to all other defense types when calculating defense). Defense debuffs, on the other hand, frequently target base defense.

[/ QUOTE ] One of the veteran buff pets (at least when introduced. It may have been changed.) also grants a buff to base defense.

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AE IMO has brought on a whole new level of ignorance about the characters people are playing. It seems that people are leveling SO fast that they don't get enough time to play with their powers and to get good at using them...

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SO very true!

I've been seeing 35+ tanks that run into herds, mid-mission mind you, without any toggles going. I've had 'fenders stumble right into the middle of a mob that we're killing with hurricane spinning 'round him... the whole time spamming "I love Hurricane!". I've even seen a 28 tank run into a fat pack of foes, die almost instantly, and when asked what enhancements he was running, he says "None." While I love the AE system, the lack of knowledge is becoming far too common in higher level players.

Oh... and if one more level 50 team leader asks me if I'm a healer when I'm standing next to him with green glowing eyes and a huge Radiation Trifoil on my chest, I'm going to shoot someone...

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AE noobs remind me of the following scene from Aliens:

Ripley: How many drops is this for you, Lieutenant?
Gorman: Thirty eight... simulated.
Vasquez: How many *combat* drops?
Gorman: Uh, two. Including this one.
Drake: (expletive)
Hudson: Oh, man...

Lt Gorman is an AE noob.

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Now the real question I have here is this: Is Creativity more important to you with this system than overall rewards such as exp and tickets?

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No, creativity is not more important. I am in the game to level, or gain other rewards, be they direct or indirect. I will put up with missions of mind-numbing boringness to level up, especially between 45-50.

My guesstimate is that about 98% of current playerbase feels exactly the same way. Just a guess, mind you. If it has a good story, or a good map, great. But I can overlook the lack of that for great xp.

[/ QUOTE ]Count me in the 2%.

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*pats you on the head* Awwwww, that's so cuuuuute! You guys are 2%ers! Awesome. I am impressed, I tell you! Devs, bring unto them cookies and other dessert-foods! Sweets for the sweet!

*goes back to Battle Maiden map*

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So rough for you to continue to play a game, in which you just know the devs are on a COMPLETELY different page than you are, while they continue to work diligently to improve the game for the silly 2% who you clearly hold in such contempt. That's got to be frustrating to you. You must wonder whether there's a kindred-spirit game developer out there for you somewhere.

Good luck finding them. In the meantime, most of the rest of us (FAR more than your estimate) actually do look at creative, experiential rewards as a significant part of the reward package and really appreciate the devs efforts to emphasize such traits in their game.

Can't please everyone, I guess.

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Um, no it isn't. The blaster EM Pulse is a stun and the graphic fx are quite a bit different.

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Oh...cause the animation looks exactly the same...with the throwing the arms out and everything....

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Which is why I said graphic fx and not animation. The graphic fx of the two powers are apples and oranges. Of course with the similar names, and the odd stun-like held animation, I can see how you got confused. No biggie.

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Now the real question I have here is this: Is Creativity more important to you with this system than overall rewards such as exp and tickets?

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No, creativity is not more important. I am in the game to level, or gain other rewards, be they direct or indirect. I will put up with missions of mind-numbing boringness to level up, especially between 45-50.

My guesstimate is that about 98% of current playerbase feels exactly the same way. Just a guess, mind you. If it has a good story, or a good map, great. But I can overlook the lack of that for great xp.

[/ QUOTE ]Count me in the 2%.

Um, no it isn't. The blaster EM Pulse is a stun and the graphic fx are quite a bit different.

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Earth/TA. Lock thread.

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I seriously frankenslot it. (Keep in mind this in LVL 33 slotting on my Earth/Storm). I was mainly looking to max recharge and end reduction, because I find Earth/Storm to be a bit of an end hog for me, especially casting FR as frequently as I like to.

My slotting is:
Analyze Weakness- Def debuff/end/rech
Undermined Defenses- end/rech
Shield Breaker- Def debuff/end/rech
Tempered Readiness- Slow/end/rech
Pacing of the Turtle- Slow/end/rech
Achilles Heel- -res proc

This gives almost ED-capped rech and end reduction with almost 40% extra def debuff an slow enhancement plus the Achilles Heel proc (lvl 36 enhs, mostly). I will probably respec it later (as I near 50) to fit in a couple Lady Grey's (including the damage proc), but right now it is working like a charm.

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(In fact, in some situations, such as where the tank takes more than half her health in damage each second, WoW raid healers will not even abort heals, because the cost in terms of mana is not worth the risk of a damage spike occuring just between the time you aborted it and the time the heal would have landed.)

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It was the same way in Everquest, especially during the golden age of raiding when 72 people or more were needed, and the plurality of them had to be clerics chain casting Complete Heal. On some fights you needed a Complete Heal landing on the tank every second. Whole chat channels were set up for raid clerics to call heals in order to let the next cleric in the chain know it was her turn.

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Those were the days.

[/ QUOTE ]That sounds horrific. Glad I waited for CoH, before getting into the MMO shtick.

How about YOU pay ME 1.5B for wasting a character spot with such a weak, no-imagination name.

For the same reason you don't order filet mignon at McDonalds.

I currently have the Dark Watcher's Despair -rech proc in RttC in my Fire/WP scrapper, thinking it might buy me a little extra melee mitigation. Just want to make sure that it is actually doing something.

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The person in question was on crack.

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Thanks MMX. Good tips. I have the endurance covered (even without Stamina) at this point (lvl 43), thanks to the Unique +rec IOs and good end reduction in the single target attacks. I figure picking up the Portal Jokey and Atlas Medallion (or is it the Freedom Phalanx) Accolades should be helpful and Eradication is the planned set for FSC. Aegis for Tough and MoB sounds like a good call too. Looking forward to fleshing this character out. She's a lot of fun and gets the most play time of any of my alts currently.

Makes sense. Was kinda what I was expecting. So it looks like I will need to do some tweaking on my DM/Inv if I want to get into the AV hunting game.

Do you find that there is a huge difference between Rikti Pylons and an equal level AV (say a smash/lethal one like Shadowhunter), from a survival standpoint? The reason I ask is that I just soloed my first rikti Pylon on a FM/WP that is just lvl 43. Took about 13 minutes I think and was never really in any danger of dying. I am fairly well IOd out, for being lvl 43 (Numina/Miracle/Kismet/Steadfast +3% def uniques), but still have substantial development achievable (Tough and Weave are barely slotted, no Health yet, Only 3 slots in Focused Senses). This scrapper seems to have superior ST DPS than my MA and BS scrappers, neither of which can seem to make much progess on the Pylons.

Is it apples and oranges?

Edit: FWIW, I currently have the Kinetic Combat KD proc IO In Fire Sword, Cremate and Incinerate (along with 5 Crushing Impacts) and find that I get a very gratifying amount of pavement-bouncing from the baddies. Not that this will help me vs AVs, who are KD immune (essentially)