Erin Go Braugh

Give me Ingition Witch, deli!

I'm not going to get into which is better. Versitile? I think the SoA are.

I have a tricked out Crab with a Bane build, as well. I don't mind the crab legs on my Bane. Never have. So, if the team needs a stealth/TP ST damage dealer with capped D, buffs and perma Hasten...I have my Bane build. If the team needs ranged attacks, buffs, and a blaster-type with perma Serum level HPs, I have a build for that.

I think that's why I enjoy playing the SoA. The only role is doesn't do exceptionally well is debuff. Exceptionally well, folks. I know it debuffs.

Sonic/Kin Corruptor or Kin/Sonic Defender

They work best with how I construct characters.

Cold is also a great support powerset, but I typically have my defenses and resistances pushed already. The debuffs are great in that set, of course. In the end, the boost from a Kin and the added -Res from sonic are more helpful to me.

I recently took a WP/SS tank from 1-50 on the double XP weekend and ran him through nearly every TF that extended weekend. Great learning experience.

I poured a good chunk into his build, but I'm now as satisfied with his build as I am with my Inv/SS. He has insane HPs and Regen (with the Alpha slot, he's 3,200+ HPs and 112 HPs/sec), has s/c defenses and built his Taunt to ensure teammates remain upright.

I hope to get on Virtue tonight to be the Hami taunter, if I can beat Arky to the punch. He is tricksy, though.

TA/Archery is flat out fun and feels, I don't know, "heroic" when soloing.

Corruptors really are what I wanted Defenders to be. This is not a knock on what defenders are. This is not a knock on what defenders are. This is not a knock on what defenders are. Repeated to remove any doubt.

However, blaster attacks (not their damage, of course) and controller level holds and debuffs and such is what I was really looking for when I rolled a number of defenders.

Only issue I have, from time to time, is folks not reading team chat to get gameplans. Stopping at 2 pipes left means slowing at 6 pipes left. If I tank, I move to the platform with about 8 or so left and ask the debuff to go with me.

Haven't had one go badly since the Strike Target concept, though there was a team I didn't bother to start one with. Leader wanted two Emps and shrugged off getting any debuff. Vaya con Dios, fellas.

I got to thinking that having so many do this TF in a concentrated time may actually improve players, since the knowledge sharing is widespread and the repetition is so immediate. I was on an all-PUG and there was almost no team chatter. Everyone just seemed to know their roles and went about their duties.

/WP

Keeps regen and recovery up so you get to be in each fight without stopping a lot and having toggles crash.

My first scrapper was claws/wp. Still have it. I haven't played it in a while, but I'd wager it's as durable as my elec/sd, maybe moreso given the insane regen.

I really like my EM/SD scrapper and, in many ways, he's my "signature character," but he can't match a SS/FA/Pyre brute on a fire/ambush map.

Now, I can take my scrapper on every map and clean clocks, while the brute gets beaten like a rented mule. The versitility of the EM/SD scrapper is second to none (IMO) for TF AoE and he can come close to what the brute can do, but he's not overtaking in Inf/minute.

Animal Pack should have been the loyalty gift, not re-gifted Vanguard pieces that we either have or could earn easily.

I'm fine with it as it is.

The stealth strike would be a nice option for folks using Invis. You have one chance to pop someone or click the glowie and then it's suppressed. The difference from just unclicking would be the stealth strike can be cast while invisible and you get maybe 1 second of Invis while clicking a glowie. Then, you'd fully visible with no defense bonus.

Stacking Stealth with the proc in a travel would be nice, but I can understand it not stacking.

Much of what I would say has been said.

I do want to add that Rad/ is hard to screw up debuffs. I think that may be why someone was picky about the type of debuffs for the last spot on a team. I know folks get picky on the "failable" TFs. PUGs can be great or trainwrecks. The team leader probably wanted to up his chances when dealing with the unknown.

Personally, I'd alt to my Fire/Rad if I needed debuffs for a team I'm forming and let someone bring what they wanted. Heck, my Earth/Storm (troller) can melt AV defenses, resistance, and ToHit. A lot of auto-hit or near auto hit debuffs and, if all hit, the defense is reduced almost 20% after AV DDR. No -Regen, though.

I have a Fire/Thorn. He's pretty much tricked out with perma Hasten/Dom and 45% S/L (and some other stuff).

He deals a TON of damage, not sure if he rivals a Fire/Fire/Fire. I'll leave comparisons to folks who work the math. My sense is it doesn't, but it also does debuff and toxic damage.

The biggest issue is survivability. He is an aggro magnet and, even with 45% defense, he has no real resist other than Tough. You really, really have to be patient and let the tank get aggro before you go in and rip the mob apart.

It's clearly a melee toon. With Thorn Burst, Thorntrops, Hot Feet, Fire Cages, Flash Fire and cone attacks...he wittles down mobs quickly.

With all those toggles, would moving MA up sooner make sense?

It's not as critical now, since Stamina is inherent.

I wonder if MIDS can be tweaked to test this out on paper.

I never took Unstoppable with my Invul and never really needed it. As stated, if built well, an Invul cruises through the ITF and Khan. I made him into a soft-capped, stealth/TP/do it all after I 19. The STF is fine, especially if he parks near a tower while taunting. I've never run a Stone, but on paper, it looks EZ mode. Probably not going to make one, but that's because I made an Invul first and, well, he's incredibly durable.

My SD/SS tank is a little different. Made him to do more map-clearing team missions than AVs. I pushed for max Def Debuff Resist and I've come very close. Never took him on the STF. I know folks say the flying taunt would work. Never did it, but it seems like it would work on him. He's Frankenslotted and probably the highest damage dealing tank I have, such as it is.

I just leveled a WP/SS tank during 2bl XP. Got him from 1-50, Task Force Commander, Atlas Medallion and the AV arcs (only need Seige for Portal Jockey). I've got a capped build for him with far more HPs and Regen than my other tanks. Looking forward to finishing his build. "On paper," he may be more durable than the Invul, but he doesn't have the S/L resist capped. I hope to have him taunting Hami in a week or two.

Don't get dissuaded by the term, "cheap." ultrawatt's build is very effective at +2 X8. I used it, made some minor alterations, and have no problems.

Posted in another thread, but it's a bit more germane here.

I just finished getting a SS/Fire/Mu to L 47 or 48.

Not interested in getting into the Elec/Fire vs. SS/Fire contest. I think, at best, we're talking about wiping mobs out in 8 seconds, rather than 9 seconds (or whatever, I didn't actually time it). I use Rage and have more than Foot Stomp firing off every few seconds. It doesn't have near the End issues I thought it would.

In the end, I appreciate the discussion. I never would have tried the SS/Fire/Mu because I was fixated on Defense.

In addition, it is a ton of fun. Power up, roll in, foot stomp, unload other AoEs and mop up the bosses with a couple punches.

Thanks, folks. Your advice is appreciated, even if it wasn't directed at me.

Also, I think someone posted a pesudo-cheap build earlier (other thread). I used that as a guide and it worked well.