DodgerTA
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Posts
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Joined
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EFence and Dominate are BOTH just as good as any /sonic attack. They have decent recharge times, quick casting times, and do decent damage. Dam/Mez Hami-O's are fairly cheap, and the hold sets are fairly common, so slotting them isn't difficult. Both are fairly effective ways to get things to stay put.
You WILL be able to solo AV's and GM's, just don't expect to do it QUICKLY. With Rad Infection added on, any defense becomes a significant number.
If you can manage end well enough to get to the point where you can run Choking Cloud and take Dominate, if you slot a Lockdown +2 Mag in CC and stack up the hold duration as well as damage in dominate, you can manage to get MASSIVE magnitudes of hold on a single target; you could theoretically keep an AV perma-held so long as the PToD aren't flipped on. -
Oil slick's great, but why does Traps need that? It already has Trip Mine and Time Bomb. Properly utilised, the two together should allow you to pretty much toast an entire spawn.
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Quote:While you have a good idea, and it WILL work to some degree, you will have some of the same problem that I have with my Kin/Archery - the weapon redraw gets annoying because you constantly have to switch back and forth to keep your Kin powers' buffs on and heals and transferences going while keeping up your damage stream.Originally Posted by protector_knight
So I roled a kin/ar, on the flip side I also roled a ar/dev blaster. My goal for the kin/ar is to see if fulcrum shift would allow the kin/ar to out perform the ar/dev. Am I spot on in my theory, or is it as some one else said in their "defs obsolete" post... Is the damage ratio that great?
I am not much of a ranged player, and never gotten a defender past 20's. I never got a blaster past 20's either.
Is the damage ratio going to be like a scrap v.s. tank? My tanks with FS will take about 100 dmg (on average) over a normal scrap, however my scraps with FS will take about 200-300 dmg over normal tank.
I do actually enjoy the kin/ar...
The blaster's damage will STILL be greater, mostly because the blaster has precious little to do once set up at the beginning of a fight, except deal his damage.
Kins have many other things to do. While the Fulcrum Shift/Full Auto/Flamethrower/M30 combo will work very, very nicely, and bring you much joy, the plain truth of it is that you will often find yourself interrupting your attack chain. To reposition yourself, or heal yourself, or re-apply Fulcrum Shift to keep your damage capped, or re-cast Siphon Speed to keep your Full Auto coming back as fast as possible.
So while you can play a Kin/AR like a blaster, post fulcrum shift, chances are it won't be as successful as the blaster. The playstyles are quite different, and you will notice that difference a lot as you level up, especially BEFORE 32/38. -
If you're building one for raids, definitely slot Achilles' Heel in your Radiation Infection. It's auto-hit toggle which ticks your proc often. Combined with EF it's very nice, and it reduces Mito defense, allowing your attacks to hit more often.
You may want to put one in Neutrino Bolt as well, and use that as your attack chain. -
There's a lot of ways to play a Rad/Rad, but the basics you need to know are simple: the three toggles (Radiation infection, Enervating FIeld, Choking Cloud) and Lingering Radiation are your life's blood and total defense. If you can get your enemies in an area to be effected by all four, they might as well be inanimate objects that just sit there ineffectually while you beat on them.
The rest of the Radiation Emission set is down to personal taste, although you probably want your heal (for yourself when you need it if nothing else), and Accelerate Metabolism is an absolute gem of a power which I would never be without.
Rad Blast has a lot of skippable powers, but the combination of Irradiate/Neutron Bomb really shines in the AoE-centric area that the Rad Emission powers tend to be best at. -
With the build I posted, who needs more mitigation? Besides, since I plan to hover mostly, which means little worry about melee attacks, cones will be harder to line up effectively. Also, I have close to soft-capped both other positional defenses and resistances that are insane for a defender. So taking damage really isn't even an issue. As for knockback protection, the build's already got enough to resist Headsplitter, so more isn't really even necessary. 7.5% recharge and 6% regen would be great, but just icing, for the cost of a lot of slots in a marginally useful power.
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I've been working on my Son/Son build a lot lately, and here's what I came up with:
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Decabelle: Level 50 Technology Defender
Primary Power Set: Sonic Resonance
Secondary Power Set: Sonic Attack
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Electricity Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Sonic Barrier -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(3), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(3), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Aegis-ResDam(5), S'fstPrt-ResKB(27)
Level 1: Shriek -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(7), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11)
Level 2: Scream -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(13), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15)
Level 4: Howl -- AirB'st-Acc/Dmg(A)
Level 6: Sonic Haven -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(17), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Aegis-ResDam(19), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(21)
Level 8: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
Level 10: Hover -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(25), Zephyr-ResKB(27)
Level 12: Sonic Dispersion -- Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(29), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(31), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Aegis-ResDam(31), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(33)
Level 14: Fly -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(19), Zephyr-ResKB(50)
Level 16: Shout -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(33), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34)
Level 18: Health -- Numna-Heal/EndRdx(A), Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(37), Numna-Heal/Rchg(40), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Numna-Heal(42), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(45)
Level 20: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(21), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(23), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(23), P'Shift-End%(25)
Level 22: Disruption Field -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(29)
Level 24: Maneuvers -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(36), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(36), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(36), RedFtn-Def(37), RedFtn-EndRdx(37)
Level 26: Boxing -- P'ngS'Fest-Stun%(A)
Level 28: Clarity -- Range-I(A)
Level 30: Tactics -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(39), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(39), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(39), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(40), GSFC-Build%(40)
Level 32: Amplify -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 35: Tough -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 38: Weave -- S'dpty-Def/EndRdx(A), S'dpty-Def/Rchg(43), S'dpty-EndRdx/Rchg(43), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(43), S'dpty-Def(50), LkGmblr-Rchg+(50)
Level 41: Electric Fence -- Dev'n-Acc/Dmg(A), Dev'n-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Dev'n-Dmg/Rchg(45), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), Dev'n-Hold%(46)
Level 44: Charged Armor -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(46), RctvArm-EndRdx/Rchg(48), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(48), RctvArm-ResDam(48)
Level 47: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 49: Power Sink -- RechRdx-I(A)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Vigilance
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Set Bonuses:
Aegis
(Sonic Barrier)- 5% RunSpeed
- 3.13% Defense(Fire,Cold), 1.56% Defense(AoE)
- 2.5% XPDebtProtection
- 3.13% Defense(AoE), 1.56% Defense(Fire), 1.56% Defense(Cold)
(Sonic Barrier)- Knockback Protection (Mag -4)
(Shriek)- 2% (0.03 End/sec) Recovery
- 2.5% Defense(Energy,Negative), 1.25% Defense(Ranged)
- 7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 4% RunSpeed, 4% FlySpeed, 4% JumpSpeed, 4% JumpHeight
- 2.5% Defense(Ranged), 1.25% Defense(Energy), 1.25% Defense(Negative)
(Scream)- 2% (0.03 End/sec) Recovery
- 2.5% Defense(Energy,Negative), 1.25% Defense(Ranged)
- 7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 4% RunSpeed, 4% FlySpeed, 4% JumpSpeed, 4% JumpHeight
- 2.5% Defense(Ranged), 1.25% Defense(Energy), 1.25% Defense(Negative)
(Sonic Haven)- 5% RunSpeed
- 3.13% Defense(Fire,Cold), 1.56% Defense(AoE)
- 2.5% XPDebtProtection
- 3.13% Defense(AoE), 1.56% Defense(Fire), 1.56% Defense(Cold)
(Hover)- 3.13% Defense(Ranged), 1.56% Defense(Energy), 1.56% Defense(Negative)
- 3.13% Defense(AoE), 1.56% Defense(Fire), 1.56% Defense(Cold)
- Knockback Protection (Mag -4)
(Sonic Dispersion)- 5% RunSpeed
- 3.13% Defense(Fire,Cold), 1.56% Defense(AoE)
- 2.5% XPDebtProtection
- 3.13% Defense(AoE), 1.56% Defense(Fire), 1.56% Defense(Cold)
(Sonic Dispersion)- 3% Defense(All)
(Fly)- 3.13% Defense(Ranged), 1.56% Defense(Energy), 1.56% Defense(Negative)
- 3.13% Defense(AoE), 1.56% Defense(Fire), 1.56% Defense(Cold)
- Knockback Protection (Mag -4)
(Shout)- 2% (0.03 End/sec) Recovery
- 2.5% Defense(Energy,Negative), 1.25% Defense(Ranged)
- 7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 4% RunSpeed, 4% FlySpeed, 4% JumpSpeed, 4% JumpHeight
- 2.5% Defense(Ranged), 1.25% Defense(Energy), 1.25% Defense(Negative)
(Health)- 12% (0.51 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 19.1 HP (1.88%) HitPoints
- 6% Enhancement(Heal)
- MezResist(Held) 3.3%
- 3.75% Defense(Ranged), 1.88% Defense(Energy), 1.88% Defense(Negative)
(Stamina)- 5% JumpSpeed, 5% JumpHeight, 5% FlySpeed, 5% RunSpeed
- 19.1 HP (1.88%) HitPoints
- 2.5% (0.04 End/sec) Recovery
- 2.5% DamageBuff(All)
(Maneuvers)- MezResist(Immobilize) 2.2%
- 1.26% Resistance(Fire,Cold)
- 2% DamageBuff(All)
- 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 2.5% Defense(Ranged), 1.25% Defense(Energy), 1.25% Defense(Negative)
(Tactics)- 5% JumpSpeed, 5% JumpHeight, 5% FlySpeed, 5% RunSpeed
- 19.1 HP (1.88%) HitPoints
- 2.5% (0.04 End/sec) Recovery
- 2.5% DamageBuff(All)
- 2.5% Defense(Melee), 1.25% Defense(Lethal), 1.25% Defense(Smashing), 2.5% Defense(Ranged), 1.25% Defense(Energy), 1.25% Defense(Negative), 2.5% Defense(AoE), 1.25% Defense(Fire), 1.25% Defense(Cold)
(Weave)- 4% (0.17 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 7.63 HP (0.75%) HitPoints
- 3% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 1.25% Defense(AoE), 0.63% Defense(Fire), 0.63% Defense(Cold)
(Weave)- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Electric Fence)- 12% (0.51 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 22.9 HP (2.25%) HitPoints
- 3% DamageBuff(All)
- MezResist(Held) 3.3%
- 3.75% Defense(Psionic)
(Charged Armor)- MezResist(Immobilize) 1.1%
- 1.25% Defense(Energy,Negative), 0.63% Defense(Ranged)
- 1.25% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 0.63% Defense(Melee)
- 1.25% Defense(AoE), 0.63% Defense(Fire), 0.63% Defense(Cold)
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Fallout Phil Rad/Rad 50
Bombast Kin/Nrg 50
Arrow Batix Kin/Arch 50
Decabelle Son/Son 50
Voidcharger Dark/Elec 38
Totem Scarab FF/Dark 38 -
Sonic/ isn't difficult to solo - it just takes a little building. By the time you get to 50 and get IO'd out, you will be a BEAST. It's a long road there, and much longer solo, but my Sonic/Sonic is one of the most appreciated team toons I have.
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Superspeed is really the way to go. With Hurdle, and with Jetpacks readily available for spot-flight, the need for vertical travel powers isn't as great, and since you wouldn't dream of skipping Hasten on a rad/rad, it saves a power choice, maybe.
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Quote:The Alpha isn't a problem at all on a Kinetic - you open with Fulcrum Shift, which lowers mob damage output by 25% (to 75% damage taken) then you factor in your epic armor for 45-50% further resistance (down to 37% damage taken) and this is further reduced by any defense powers you have, such as leadership, combat jumping, or if you took the fighting pool, tough and weave (probably another 10% or so damage reduction, closer to 20% with the fighting pool)Originally Posted by Miladys_Knight
The thing that will give you trouble is surviving the Alpha. None of the defender APPs have a defense based armor. You can avoid slotting AoE defense if you are programming your own farm but you'll need ranged defense (fairly easy to come by in sets available to Kin/Arch) and melee defense (not very easy to come by with sets available to Kin/Arch)
So the mobs are doing a fifth of their normal damage output to you, and you can heal for massive amounts every few seconds, so it's not a worry.
The only worry is the mez. And, as they said, if you're programming your own farm, you can avoid that easily. With Fulcrum/Rain you'll kill stuff fast enough generally that surviving isn't really an issue most of the time. Especially if you go the Dark or Psi epic - Oppressive GLoom can provide loads of mitigation for a fairly small price, and Mass Hypnosis is like a Get Out of Harm's Way Free card for a kinetic. -
I'm still trying to figure out a way to improve my Melee defense, but if you hover just out of melee range, it's not really an issue so much. With the combination of defense/resistance and self-healing from the Medicine pool you're pretty tough. I haven't died on this toon since I put this build together. ;-)
Only problem for soloing is that all your damage is single-target, and it takes a little while to ramp up through stacking the -res. If you're soloing for XP, I recommend missions with bosses or elite bosses rather than minions or Lt's. You will not quite be able to stand up to the damage output of AV's, but EB's are quite good XP and allow you to take advantage of your strengths. -
Here's the build I use for my 50 Son/Son:
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Level 50 Technology Defender
Primary Power Set: Sonic Resonance
Secondary Power Set: Sonic Attack
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Medicine
Ancillary Pool: Electricity Mastery
Hero Profile:
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Level 1: Sonic Barrier Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(3), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(3), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Aegis-ResDam(5)
Level 1: Shriek Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(7), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11)
Level 2: Scream Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(13), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15)
Level 4: Howl AirB'st-Acc/Dmg(A), AirB'st-Dmg/EndRdx(17), AirB'st-Dmg/Rchg(17), AirB'st-Dmg/Rng(19), RechRdx-I(19)
Level 6: Sonic Haven Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(21), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(21), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(23), Aegis-ResDam(23)
Level 8: Swift Flight-I(A)
Level 10: Hover Flight-I(A), Flight-I(25), Flight-I(25), DefBuff-I(27), DefBuff-I(27), DefBuff-I(29)
Level 12: Sonic Dispersion ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(29), ImpArm-EndRdx/Rchg(31), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(31), S'fstPrt-ResDam/EndRdx(31), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(33)
Level 14: Fly Flight-I(A)
Level 16: Shout Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(33), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34)
Level 18: Health Heal-I(A)
Level 20: Stamina EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(36), P'Shift-EndMod(37), P'Shift-End%(45)
Level 22: Disruption Field EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(37), EndRdx-I(37)
Level 24: Maneuvers RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(39), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(39), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(39), RedFtn-Def(40), RedFtn-EndRdx(40)
Level 26: Aid Other Heal-I(A), Heal-I(40), IntRdx-I(42), RechRdx-I(42)
Level 28: Clarity Range-I(A)
Level 30: Aid Self Heal-I(A), Heal-I(36), IntRdx-I(36), RechRdx-I(42)
Level 32: Resuscitate RechRdx-I(A)
Level 35: Amplify RechRdx-I(A)
Level 38: Dreadful Wail Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(43), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(43), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(50), Oblit-%Dam(50)
Level 41: Electric Fence Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(45), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46)
Level 44: Charged Armor Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(48), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(48), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(48), Aegis-ResDam(50)
Level 47: Power Sink EndMod-I(A)
Level 49: Sonic Siphon Acc-I(A)
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Level 1: Brawl Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest Empty(A)
Level 1: Vigilance
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I like the idea of an increase in base damage but a decrease in the damage cap to keep our upper-end damage the same, but essentially giving us more damage solo and in small teams.
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Quote:I was specifically referring to Rad/Rad/Dark. While /Dark is more damaging over time, Rad/Rad/Dark's concentric attacks and leveraging soul drain and using oneself as an aggro magnet to reduce spawn scatter and thus increase the effectiveness of your debuffs, I think /Rad comes out ahead. Especially, the ability to use Soul Drain as an attack before other attacks are fired (Dark is usually best when they use TT first to reduce enemy mobility) the damage potential from Irradiate/Neutron Bomb go up a lot, especially in larger mobs.Originally Posted by Luminara
Well, that's sort of why I asked how it could be done without moving.
Irradiate has a 20s base recharge and deals 36.1 base damage. Neutron Bomb has a 16s base recharge and deals 32.5 base damage.
NF has a base 10s recharge and deals 39.8 base damage. TT has a base 10s recharge and deals 33.8 base damage.
So you've got two powers with slower recharge times and lower base damage in /Rad. If all other things are equal (primary, +Damage, +Recharge, -Res, procs, accuracy, etc.), the /Rad just isn't going to be dealing as much damage or dealing it as quickly as /Dark. The numbers just don't permit it. In order to surpass /Dark's damage output, the /Rad has to use Electron Haze.
Which requires moving.
Unless the /Rad is using Electron Haze and Neutron Bomb... but even then, the difference in recharge times (2x 10s versus 2x 16s) indicates that /Dark is still capable of matching or exceeding /Rad.
/Rad does have the advantage of all of its damage being delivered more quickly, though, even instantly if Irradiate is not used, which, as BlackSly noted, is the weak point in /Dark's damage output (and the reason i started playing around with procs in that power).
The 20s base recharge timers come down to about 7s or less with Hasten/AM and sets or slotted recharges.
The AoE/PBAoE nature of Irradiate/Neutron Bomb allows it to hit more targets consistently than having to line up cones.
Electron Haze is no good for this tactic. Yes, it does better damage, but the knockback seems to prefer hitting my anchor and nobody else... so I never take it. -
It is still my belief that for straight damage-dealt-overall (ie, Time-to-kill a large spawn mob), Rad/Rad/Dark cannot be beaten. It usually takes 30s to kill a mob, and move to the next one to repeat the process. It can take more if there are energy resistant mobs, but there are a lot more energy-weak mobs (like Freakshow) than energy-resistant ones (like Sappers). Also, the AoE focus is more endurance efficient against a large mob spawn than any other set except /Dark
Energy Blast and Sonic Blast are both half-and-half Smashing and Energy, and there's an awful lot of stuff that resists Smashing. Sonic's debuffs increase damage dealt significantly, but only stack on one target at a time. This makes /Sonic a great AV killer, but lousy for killing big spawns.
/Dark is great, but requires you to move around a lot more; with Rad there's no lining up cones, you just stand in the middle and kill everything off while they are harmlessly nerfed around you.
/Archery is excruciatingly painful right up until 32. Rain of Arrows is a great attack; however, it is slow to execute, and in teams you will often find that even if you use it right after putting up your toggles, most things will be dead before it hits them if you have another AoE-centric toon on your team.
Also, another perk of /Rad over /Sonic is that /Rad can slot an Achilles' Heel proc in any and/or every attack.While not quite as effective as /Sonic's debuff, it will make an noticeable difference, especialy if you slot it in your AoEs -
Looking at your set bonuses, I'm not really sure what you're slotting for. The only useful bonuses you have are 40% recharge time.
While trying for perma hasten/AM is commendable, the difference in actual recharge times between having that extra 40% and NOT having that extra 40% are probably not worth the effort.
One thing you may consider slotting for is Defense. While Radiation Infection's -acc is your bread-and-butter defense, some personal defense (especially Melee and AoE defense) stacks well with it. Ranged defense allows you to be defended against mobs outside your debuff cloud.
Obliteration in Irradiate and Soul Drain is great for this (7% defense from slotting the 2 sets).
You could also benefit from slotting Aim with Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control (2.5% to all positions, 1.25% to all types) -
I'll throw my 2 cents in for Rad/Rad.
Don't go Rad/Sonic. Sure you can solo AV's... but you take for-freaking-ever and that's also how long you take to kill average groups of stuff.
Rad/Rad is still the best defender synergy for damage contribution on large teams.
Empathy's great, but it's a very reactive playstyle, while Rad/ is PROactive. -
We all know that Vigilance should be a click power that disconnects any idiots from your team that can be fired every two seconds.
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I personally believe a purple build isn't worth it for a Rad/Rad. Purples are ridiculously expensive, and will give you relatively little benefit vs. cheaper alternatives.
I HIGHLY recommend six-slotting Choking Cloud. Two End Reducers, two Hold, and two Lockdowns: the +2 Mag Hold proc (Choking cloud can now hold BOSSES sometimes) and the Hold/End/Rech.
If you have the slots, Thunderstrike is an excellent set for your single-target attacks. It's cheap, and it raises your range defense. For a Rad/Rad, range defense is important because the Melee types will be in your debuffs with you, but ranged types can attack you from well outside your debuff cloud.
The Performance Shifter +End is REALLY useful, slot one in Stamina and another in AM!
One thing I notice about your build: You may be the first rad/ I've ever seen NOT to have Hasten. No hasten means no perma-AM. No perma-AM means you will have end problems, while you wait for your AM to recharge, especially if you run Choking Cloud (which you should anytime you're fighting a group bigger than three because it's a brilliant defense mechanism)
And with Hover, knockback protection isn't as necessary, but it's still useful. Grab a couple Steadfast Protection/Karma procs.
IO's aren't necessary to be a good Rad/ defender. But they can make life much more liveable. -
I still think Rad/Rad is the best. While Rad/Sonic is an AV-killer, Rad/Rad is the Massive! AoE! Damage! machine of the defender world.
And I always prefer to use AoE when possible. After all, Irradiate, on 10 minions, can do 1600 damage with one shot. None of your sonics will ever come close, with the possible exception of Howl. -
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/rad whilst thematic is certianly a little overkill on defense defbuffing, but any of the three are pretty fun combinations.
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When you're fighting Paragon Protectors, Nemesis, Rikti, or Mako, there's no such thing as overkill on defense debuffing. -
I would recommend Dark or Psi depending on playstyle.
If you tend to be a bit of a blapper (always in melee, blasting away, running choking cloud, etc) I would recommend Dark because you just can't beat its synergy. Soul Drain to open most fights, Dark Embrace for the armor value (great on those ITF's, let me tell you) and Dark Consumption for the occasional end-boost.
I don't like Oppressive Gloom on a Rad. Yes, it stacks with Cosmic Burst... but frankly, it's just un-necessary. Cosmic Burst stacks just fine with itself, and properly slotted, Choking Cloud will control everything that OG would, anyway.
While there are those who will tell you to take Power for Power Build Up, I highly recommend NOT buying into a power pool for one power you're only going to rarely get the full benefit of. As a Forcefielder or an Empath, I love PBU. As a Rad, it's not worth the effort.
Instead, if you're NOT the melee type, but the ranged type, I HIGHLY recommend Psi Mastery. Dominate is one of the best attack powers available to a defender, bar none. It does less damage than Cosmic Burst, but it's a Hold instead of a Disorient, and stacks with Choking Cloud. Properly slotted (I recommend 3 Peroxisome (Dam/Mez HO's), and 3 Basilisk's Gaze (Acc/Rech, Acc/End/Rech/Hold, and Chance for Recharge Slow) you get an attack that recharges in 7.5 seconds and holds for 36, with a 20% chance of a 25% slow for 20 seconds. And it does the same damage as Irradiate, more or less, with a fast 1.1s cast time.
As I said, I love this power. I wouldn't bother with World of Confusion. Grab Telekinesis as a sometimes power if you want it, but definitely grab Mind over Body. Don't touch Mass Hypnosis; with all your AoE's it will be a waste of end to cast most of the time. -
What they said.
Also, for a team-friendly Rad, you can be anywhere, but your sweet spot is always going to be in melee (in the middle of your debuff clouds). While Electron Haze does better damage than Irradiate or Neutron Bomb, its long activation time and the need to exit the group to aim cones makes it slightly annoying. That, and it may or may not knockback some foes; often the one it knocks back will be your toggle anchor.
Achilles Heel proc is really, really nice in Irradiate and Neutron Bomb. In a group, it is likely to affect one if not more of your foes with every cast. If you can spare the slots, put one in Radiation Infection too, for repeated stacking goodness!
I HIGHLY suggest slotting out Choking Cloud (2 EndRdx, 2 Hold, Lockdown End/Hold/Rech, Lockdown Proc). With this slotting, almost everything around you will be held almost 100% of the time, especially with your toggles running. It's part of the 1.2.3.4 defensive suite you have in Radiation Infection, Enervating Field, Choking Cloud, Lingering Rad. Anything that can still hurt you after applying these four powers... deserves to! -
My Rad/Rad/Dark is nearly a tank. FF and Sonic are the only ones who can really be built to "tank" because they're the only defenders with mez-protection. With IO's, Sonics especially can get ridiculous (softcapped defense + 75% resist S/L and 55% resist Energy is just awesome.)