Ehina

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My idea for making AE better: remove it.

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Hmm, remove one of the most active features in years on a niche game that is five years old and facing serious heavyweight entrees at the end on the year. Brilliant.

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/agree. The MA is the best thing that happened to CoX in my opinion. I cant even think of a better update in any game I played previously.

It's the thing that might make me stay here even when all those new MMOs gonna be released.

My idea for making the MA better : add multiple choice missions, with different ways and endings. Would be awesome, as it would definitely avoid the feeling "well I'm still only killing mobs and clicking glowies following a linear story afterall" !

The FF proc still works very well in AoE powers, as it has a chance to proc for every critter you hit.

But I wouldnt slot it on single target powers. I have much better to do with those 6 slots usually, like capping the range defense for squishies for example

Just saw this post now, as I dont often go on the Freedom board section. This is really a great and well thought event !

A bit disappointing that so few ppl showed up for it. It should have filled your agenda for weeks. (I dont count myself in, because I dont have any healer or main support toon anyway).

We should have posted that on RO boards and I'm sure you would have got a little dozen of Defenders willing to run it

For what you like, my vote for Fire/MM.

But give it some time to blossom. And know also that blasters become incredible at 50 when you soft cap their range defense with IO sets (that can be achieved pretty cheaply if you dont go crazy on recharge).

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I have played out all the sets now at least to around 30 (so i don't know much about the nukes) and I am just not seeing "weak damage" from psy. At least not for single target.

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It's not weak. It's just less good than Ice, with overall the same single target focus and the same secondary effect. Ice has also the 2 mag 3 holds, while Psi has just a mag 3 stun that takes forever to animate.

In the whole game, there isnt any primary or secondary broken so you cant succeed with it. There are just some which are less good than others.

Auto SKing is a great thing.

Having 1-54 ranges for most of the stuff is too. That means being able to run everything whatever your level is.

I'd like to see most of the old arcs and TFs, especially the TFs, be changed to 1-54 also. There's a ton of lost content in this game almost noone ever runs : being exe to lower lvls is not fun.

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Ice does every thing that Psi does and does it better.

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Yep, that pretty much sums up Psi/ as a primary. If you compare power/power or the sets as a whole, Ice/ does everything Psi/ does, and does it better. Psi/ really needs to be buffed back to what it should have been in the first place (aka, the defender version without the nerf it got on the way).

And that doesnt mean you cant have fun with Psi/ or feel fine with the set. It's not broken. It works as intended. But from a min/maxer point of view, it's a primary to avoid.

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...

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Not better^^

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8. Branching missions - dependent on user actions

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That.

Such an excellent guide, so complete ! I liked much the part on the binds, and I go try some on my Spine/Inv right now

Personnally I wouldnt skip OwtS, liking challenges it's a no brainer for me : it would allow me to outlive many situations, without using inspis, that I couldnt without. But, it really depends on the playstyle.

Anyway, I have a question : how would you compare your SS/SD and your Elec/SD ? Which one do you prefer ?

All of them. Asap !

Please delay i16, power customization or whatever... But I'd really prefer a big round of proliferation !

Now my preferences :
- Elec on scrappers.
- Spines and Regen on brutes.
- Dark on controllers.
- Rad on blasters.
- New blast sets for doms.

Mngwa is right. With full fury + rage + your dmg enhancements, you're still really really far from the dmg cap which is ridiculously high on brutes.

That doesnt mean you dont deal awesome dmg, which you actually do.

If you really want damage, I would consider rerolling a Fire/Rad corruptor instead.

Rad Blast/ will fall below in terms of dmg output (even with expensive sets and procs). The -def debuff is nice, but nothing you need that much considering you will take and use Radiation Infection for every spawn.

There is an interesting topic with all the figures in the same section of the board below, named DPS Fire vs Rad. You may want to read it too to get a clear idea.

Not saying Rad Blast/ is bad. It can be great, and I definitely love the animations and the green clouds of death. But it's not the primary I would choose if I really wanted dmg in the first line.

Good luck

Very impressive.

Could we have a glimpse at your build ? Or an idea how your toon is built ?

Another question : is this kind of performance specific to your Fire/Traps, or do you think your Rad/Son or Fire/Therm could achieve similar results ?

Edit : last question, what is the benefit of having /Traps in such a challenge, compared to something like a Fire/Rad ?

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Conceptually, Claws is an excellent idea for a Brute. HOWEVER. I feel they would be far too overpowered. The attack rates would need to be slowed down in favor of more raw power. I think it'd have to be a different set, one that involved less... quickness. If it was a Scrapper port... no. That would be WAY too good. Maybe a sort of Broadsword to Katana thing. Same basic moves, but slower.

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People have already computed everything on their spreadsheets. Claws/ on a brute would do a dps really close to Claws/ on a scrapper. Not much a difference there. And Claws is far from the top for scrappers single target dps unless you get more than crazy recharge (see Billzbubba spreadsheet for a comparison).

@Jacobi : lol, been a long time since I havent read about Claws brutes from you. The waiting must be painful I see

I vote for any proliferation we could have, the sooner the better. Rerolling new toons, trying new things is what makes me stay in the game. So, /signed.

Fire/MM for sure.

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And ... Yeah well ... if you want a defender to do damge build for it. Dont take some lower damage combo then whine.

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The problem being only /Sonic is good at dealing damage for a defender. That's not like there are plenty of choices.

Still better than nothing, I agree.

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Defenders currently have a secondary devoted completely to damaging yet it is my opinion that they fall behind both Tankers and Controllers in terms of damage.

Personally I view this as a gross imbalance of the game.

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And I 100% agree. Having a secondary only devoted to damage, while having a so low base dmg is a contradiction in itself. This leads to defenders being outshined by controllers in many situations they shouldnt.

There are very few cases (Rad/Sonic is one) where I see an advantage rolling a X/* defender over a */X controller. Yes this is a major inbalance to the Archetypes.

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I don't see many builds clamoring for /Thorns for PvP... It has 4 very hard hitting medium and long range attacks...

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PvP is totally broken since i13. Attacks dont get adjustements according to their cast times, their dmg is totally normalized to their cast times. So it's no difference at all if it hits hard or not in PvE. Doesnt count there.

Furthermore, check your Mids on pvp mode to have an idea : Air Superiority, Kick and Flurry deal twice as more dmg as any of your set attacks, so why bother with them unless they're range ?

The new system is an absurdity. The devs are too stubborn to reverse to the old mechanics. Most of the good pvpers have left the game since long, or just pve now. That's why you wont read alot about each of each set being good or not in pvp.

Anyway good luck

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in pvp.

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There is still pvp in this game ? Last time I checked it was totally broken to the core.

So for the only matter that's left, aka pve, no Psi blast is not overpowered at all. It could even need a buff or two as a blaster set.

Well I already have a Fire/Psi. I planned to unslot her, and level a new dom with i15. Not that I'm mad about the PSW change at all... I played this toon alot and spamming PSW became boring anyway. I havent played her for months now.

My question is more about my new powerset picks, and I dont consider Fire/Psi again as an option, because obviously I need a change.

I'd prefer to have this new dom strong on the AoE side. By experience I know I dont play too long my single target specialists.

It will probably be Fire/ or Plant/ for the primary, and /Fire or /Thorny for the secondary. Maybe /Ice could be fun too...

Still not sure

Thorn Burst, Ripper and Fling Thorns are the exact mirrors of Spine Burst, Ripper and Throw Spines for my spine scrappers.

The activation times are not a valid point for me, nor the fact that lethal is more resisted, because I know my Spines/ scrapper tear through spawns faster than other melee toons, despite having the same long animations as a /Thorny dom, and the same dmg type. The only thing missing on a /Thorn dom is Quills, which contributes also alot to AoE damage. (And also Build up for burst AoE, replaced by Aim for a /thorns)

I was thinking a Fire/Thorn dominator could be the mirror of a Spine/* scrapper, having Hot Feet instead of Quills (Hot Feet is certainly better !), and Fire controls instead of a defense/resistance or regen secondary.

I could be wrong in one case I can see clearly : if /thorn AoE damage is still really low compared to a Spine/ dmg on a scrapper, even with the new buff.

Looking at the numbers in Mids, and applying a 40% dmg boost for the dom :
- Fling Thorns/Throw Spines : 68.5 for the dom, 100 for the scrapper.
- Thorn Burst : 71.3 for the dom, 82 for the scrapper.
- Ripper : 146 for the dom, 167 for the scrapper.

We can see here that Fling Thorn is the main problem, its dmg is much too low compared to a scrapper Throw Spines. However the 2 other AoEs are not so far !

However the dominator has the Fire Imps to compensate from this lower dmg on Fling Thorns vs Throw Spines. And he has much better Patron power pool choices : soul drain for a nearly perma build up, and dark obliteration for one more AoE dmg power on a 15' radius !

Could be my i15 build

Edit : another point I just noticed, /Thorny does -DEF instead of -SPD and -RECH from Spines/. So you can slot one or several -RES achille heels proc to boost the dmg more.

Thorns has the same powers as Spines/ for a scrapper (kinda of same animations and area of effects).

I would be curious why so many players consider it a weak set. Despite the slow animations, my Spines/ scrappers tear through spawns at a really high speed.

The only reason I would see see /Thorns being bad is if the damage are really low compared to a scrapper.

With the new global dmg buffs to the dominator AT, I was wondering if I could find some of my scrapperish carnage feelings in a /Thorn domi.

Anyone playing the set, or having tested it with i15 change has some idea about it ?

Thanks for the answer. I already have a Rad/rad defender, and tested Fallout alot... to see that, as you said, it's very situationnal.

I was thinking about picking it in case it worked on the imps, who have the bad habit to die often. But as it doesnt work, I guess i'll keep it out of my build this time

Can you use Fallout on a dead Imp ? Figuring out a Fire/Rad build for a next toon, i was wondering...

Thanks in advance