Dead Calm

We were only on briefly in the end - ran a couple of missions and hit the giddy hights of level 3. I'm not sure when _Spirit wants to run the team again, but I'm certainly up for it.

I think we had
Sonic/Sonic
Kin/Psi
Rad/Rad
Rad/dunno
Emp/dunno

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Urm havent read earlier posts, but first thing that springs to my mind -

Wouldnt an all Def. team be a bit low on the damage front?

[/ QUOTE ]You'll be at the damage cap most of the time, with a lot of -res going around, and with very high survivability. It might not be quite as high as all-blasters, but high nevetheless.

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Indeed. Last night with five of us we were steamrollering missions at level 1. It got a bit sick frankly when we hit the hights of level 2.

Right, I'm on as Piera O'Lungs.

I'll be coming along with a sonic/sonic.

Yesterday I took my En/Fire out for his first serious spin since the change to HF.

I've also gone for the non-tough approach, and I have to say I'm loving the change, not least because it lets me use energy transfer with a lot more wanton abandon, which is (probably) a good thing.

Count me it. Union is good for me. I'll have a ponder about what I fancy making.

Most defender sets start sufferering significant problems a -5 to the enemies.

Sets that require lots of to-hit rolls (Kin, TA, Dark) suffer.

Debuff sets (dark, rad, kin, storm, TA) get absolutly wasted by the purple patch (iirc at -4 to an enemy debuffs work at 48% effectivness, obviously at -5 this is significantly worse).

Because of this, if you insist on fighting +5s i'd recomend going for a buff set. FF is very effective against high levels, following the I7 defence changes, and resistance sets such as sonic have always been good value against them. Empathy will also not suffer because of the level difference.

Indeed, on some teams I consider it a job well done if the anchor isn't dead by the time DN's animation has finished.

Who to follow really depends on the situation.

If there is multi-group agro in the same room, I try to DN one lot, and hit the other with fearsome stare. Once that emergency procedure has been done I work out what Fluffy is focusing on and go for the other group, possibly TPing him to where I want him if he's faffing. Fearsome Stare is particularly good when a second group accidently aggros and no one is shooting them, as in those cases it works pretty much as a long duration hold that can be reaplied until the team has dealt with the first group.

If, however the team have gone totally whacko and split completely (and not in a planned, "we can cause more damage that way" sort of way) you have a number of options.

1) Ask them not to. If they don't quit and go for a less suicidal team.

2) (against mezzing enemies) Follow the tank. They take all the mezzy nastiness, and you make sure that they can't die. Together you are pretty much immortal. Finish off the group you are attacking and then the defender/tanker combination of godliness can go and find the bodies of the others and you can use Howling Twilight and get some nice progress on the next healing badge.

3) (against non-mezzing, non-Nemesis enemies once you have got Fluffy) Pick a third group away from the others and solo. Once you get past a certain part of the game, as a D3 if an enemy can't mez you, you can take on huge amounts of them at once if handled properly.

4) (against psi enemies) You are the one with the group psi resistance power. Be bossy.

Due to a last minute change of plans with any luck I should be able to make it now, so you'll all get another chance to see my Hami disguise.

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So if i were following that guide for my toon i should slot those enhancements when i reach those lvls

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Depends on who put the build together. When I'm doing one I just sling the slots on at the end in no particular order.

As a rule, add them to the powers you seem to use most first, and don't be afraid of using different enhancements in the slots pre SOs - I often use more accs when using DOs+TOs.

I wouldn't bother 6 slotting Darkest Night - 3 to hit debuffs and an end red is plenty, two end reds if you have a spare one (which you don't). I'd also make sure you have 3 resistance enhancements and an end red in shadowfall.

Obviously put as many slots in fearsome stare as they will let you, and dream about how brilliant it would be if you could 12 slot things.

I go for 2 acc, 2 heal and 2 recharge. Hits reliably, heals well, stacks the -regen debuffs.

More than 2 accs on anything is overkill really. If you're fighting stuff that high all your damage/debuffs are going to be so rubbish anyway it probaly won't matter how often you hit.

Well, that and the random number generator is slightly evil, so you will occasionally miss dead certs 4 times in a row.

DC's quick and dirty solution:

Make Request server-wide, and therefore useful for, well requesting stuff.

The obvious downside it that it would render it useless for hami-raids. However, a hami-command global channel could be created, which people could join for the duration of the raid.

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This all empath team going ahead? Yes or No?

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Are people considdering an all empath team? I didnt read the whole post.

Why oh why? Its a pretty bad combo, well prolly just as good as the random PUG, but prolly not much better.
Defs do 50% dmg of a blaster, and when fort is the only buffer, that means slow lvling.

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Because I think you are very (very, very) wrong.

A team in which everyone is going to have a 90%acc bonus, a 90% damage bonus, a 90% defence bonus, a 30% recharge boost, the equvilent of double or triple stacked stamina and regen at a level that makes IH look like utter rubbish in comparison and in which everyone is nigh on completely unmezzable is not poor.

It is utterly, completely, totally unkillable, and probably shouldn't bother doing anything less than +4s.

Also, defenders do 65% of the damage of a blaster, not 50%.

I should be able to make it. Happy to just shoot stuff/help with the GM patrol/hamitank*/whatever.

*may not be a great idea

I'd guess (bear in mind I've never played an empath above level 4 before) the key powers would be clear mind, fort, AB, heal other and both RAs. Healing aura would be useful, particularly at low levels, and it would be nice to have a couple of people with resurrect, although by no means everyone would need it. I'd activly avoid AP, simply because it would be really annoying on that team to be unhealable for any amount of time.

I wouldn't bother with the fitness pool, simply because of the amount of RA and later AB getting thrown about. I'd pick up hasten for the recharge.

Here is a very rough, non-slot build, using elec just because I quite fancy it.

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Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder - (http://sherksilver.coldfront.net/index.php)
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Name: Offensivly Built Empath Number 1
Level: 50
Archetype: Defender
Primary: Empathy
Secondary: Electrical Blast
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01) --> Heal Other==>
01) --> Charged Bolts==> Empty(1)
02) --> Lightning Bolt==> Empty(2)
04) --> Ball Lightning==> Empty(4)
06) --> Healing Aura==> Empty(6)
08) --> Hover==> Empty(8)
10) --> Short Circuit==> Empty(10)
12) --> Fortitude==> Empty(12)
14) --> Fly==> Empty(14)
16) --> Aim==> Empty(16)
18) --> Recovery Aura==> Empty(18)
20) --> Clear Mind==> Empty(20)
22) --> Resurrect==> Empty(22)
24) --> Hasten==> Empty(24)
26) --> Regeneration Aura==> Empty(26)
28) --> Tesla Cage==> Empty(28)
30) --> Assault==> Empty(30)
32) --> Adrenalin Boost==> Empty(32)
35) --> Voltaic Sentinel==> Empty(35)
38) --> Thunderous Blast==> Empty(38)
41) --> Dominate==> Empty(41)
44) --> Mind Over Body==> Empty(44)
47) --> Telekinesis==> Empty(47)
49) --> Tactics==> Empty(49)
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Sprint==> Empty(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Empty(1)
01) --> Vigilance==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Empty(2)
---------------------------------------------

I'm up for a bit of all empath action

Dark Miasma is very good for offender builds as every single power is beneficial to yourself, including the rez (it's also a very nice auto-hit PBAoE dissorient and debuff), and they make it fairly safe to rain down Vast Swaithes of AoE Death(tm).

One idea I fancy trying is the empath offender duo. While empathy is generally regarded as the worst set for building offenders, if you paired two together to exchange buffs, they should be awesome.

The logical extension of this is the all-empath offensive super team, with everyone with tripple stacked fortitude, AB and enough regen/recovery auras to make a regen scrapper look positivly underpowered.

I have never seen an empath halffender build that doesn't waste a huge amount of slots/powers on stuff just to fill up space by late game. Silly stuff like slotting health (you're a bleeding empath for crying out loud! You don't need to up your regen!), six slotting fly, and taking three travel powers.

Besides, it's not like a full attack chain consisting of fast-animating, low-end powers takes a lot of slots and powers. Just pick /rad, and slot up the first power. Presto! You can blast away in between sticking out buffs and bunging out the odd heal.

Or you know, get more rad powers (or dark or elec or, well most of them really) and slot for the debuff/end drain/whatever and use them to, you know, protect the team.

Specialisation is for insects and Scrappers. Defenders multitask.

Indeed, it all went swimmingly well.

Good job all.

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How does Dark/Dark play? I was contemplating rolling a D3 the other day...

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Controllery. It's very good at Cone DoT attacks on a locked down group, but has fairly poor single target damage.

D3s are very soloable - the only things that will really cause you problems are mezzers (and when you get fluffy you it is perfectly possible to survive the occasional mez) and things that are very resistant to negative energy damage and fear - Banished Panthion, I'm looking at you.

The to hit debuff on fearsome stare is roughly the same as that on darkest night, at about 18% unslotted.

The debuff on Tentacles is a tad under 10% unslotted I think, but also doesn't last as long.

I've gone with a full control slotting strategy with FS, a full debuffing strategy, and my current HO enhanced mixed strategy. All of them work because it is fantastic.

Now in I4, it was godly. You could triple stack it with only hasten running and no recharge slots.

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My aim when starting this character was to be a debuff/control monster, able to ruin the chances to hit of anything I encountered. I have worked out a build using sherksilver's planner and currently have a to hit debuff and 2 damage in Dark Blast and Gloom. Am I better off slotting purely for damage in those or is the the debuff a worthwhile slot?

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Personally, I go for three damage, simply because dark blast doesn't have a lot of single target damage at the best of time, and with Dark Miasma you'll have loads (and loads and loads) of to hit debuffs anyway. However, I can see the point of going for two damage and a to hit, as it would mean that you'd get full effect from the third enhancement. I assume you are sticking an acc or two in them as well?

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Also Tentacles, I am currently planning to slot it for extra immobilisations. Should I instead slot it for damage?

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I go with damage. The Immob lasts a longish while anyway, and without enhancement the damage is fairly low.

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On a similar note, sloting things like immob or fear increases. Do they just increase the magnitude of the hit or the duration of the effect? (or both even?)

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Duration. Regarding Fearsome Stare (I'm guessing you are going for this, if not, do.), it's a power I'd like about 12 enhancements in if I could. As it is, most people tend to put in an acc or two, and then a combination of recharge, fear duration and to hit debuffs. Personally I currently go for 1 acc, 1 acc/mez duration HO, 1 fear duration, 1 to hit debuff and 2 recharge.

Syn and MaX are right. Being able to not only resist Psi but bestow that power on other people will make many players fall at your feet and proclame you their saviour.

Add that to the protection from being terrorised (which those pesky Longbown Ill/ Wardens love to do with their spectral terrors in higher levels) that SF gives, and people will flock to you as if you were the kid who had all the Transformers, including Megatron, so they could play with them at your house, because their own parents refused to buy them anything bigger than Bumblebee, even when they had managed to persuade their friends to buy them Protectobots for their birthday, and they only needed one more to build Defensor. Megatron was obviously a total no-no for their mothers, as he looked like a gun, and thus would corrupt their fragile little mind.

Bitter? Moi? Never!

Here's my current build, which is very similar to MaX's.

Note, it does include a few Hami-os, and the slots are stuck on in no particular order.

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Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder - (http://sherksilver.coldfront.net/index.php)
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Name: Dead Calm I7
Level: 50
Archetype: Defender
Primary: Dark Miasma
Secondary: Dark Blast
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01) --> Twilight Grasp==> Acc(1) Acc(3) GolgiExp(3) Heal(5) Rechg(5) Rechg(40)
01) --> Dark Blast==> Acc(1) Dmg(7) Dmg(7) Dmg(9) Rechg(9) Acc(40)
02) --> Darkest Night==> EnzymExp(2) EnzymExp(11) EnzymExp(11)
04) --> Gloom==> Acc(4) Dmg(13) Dmg(13) Dmg(15) Rechg(15) Acc(43)
06) --> Tar Patch==> Rechg(6) Rechg(17) Rechg(17)
08) --> Hasten==> Rechg(8) Rechg(19) Rechg(19)
10) --> Swift==> Run(10)
12) --> Fearsome Stare==> Acc(12) Rechg(21) EndopExp(21) Rechg(23) Fear(23) TH_DeBuf(46)
14) --> Super Speed==> Run(14)
16) --> Tenebrous Tentacles==> Acc(16) CentiExp(25) Dmg(25) Dmg(27) Rechg(27)
18) --> Hurdle==> Jump(18)
20) --> Stamina==> EndMod(20) EndMod(29) EndMod(29)
22) --> Night Fall==> Acc(22) Dmg(31) Dmg(31) Dmg(31) Rechg(33)
24) --> Shadow Fall==> DmgRes(24) DmgRes(33) DmgRes(33) EndRdx(34) EndRdx(34)
26) --> Petrifying Gaze==> Acc(26) Hold(34) Hold(36) Rechg(36) Rechg(36) Acc(43)
28) --> Howling Twilight==> Rechg(28)
30) --> Recall Friend==> IntRdx(30)
32) --> Dark Servant==> Acc(32) TH_DeBuf(37) TH_DeBuf(37) TH_DeBuf(37) Rechg(39)
35) --> Hover==> Fly(35) Fly(46) Fly(50)
38) --> Blackstar==> Acc(38) Dmg(39) Dmg(39) Dmg(40)
41) --> Dark Consumption==> Acc(41) Rechg(42) Rechg(42) EndMod(42) Rechg(43)
44) --> Dark Embrace==> DmgRes(44) DmgRes(45) DmgRes(45) EndRdx(45) EndRdx(46)
47) --> Soul Drain==> Acc(47) Rechg(48) Rechg(48) Rechg(48)
49) --> Fly==> Fly(49) Fly(50) Fly(50)
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01) --> Sprint==> Run(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Acc(1)
01) --> Vigilance==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Rechg(2)
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