Failsight
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Posts
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Joined
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Both Foresight and Mind Link should be selected as soon as your build allows. They're the basis of your survivability, Widow or Fortunata, at least until the late game. For many builds, for your entire career.
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Quote:Just for clarification, is this an IO'd out build or a vanilla build?Originally Posted by Alabaster12
That was meant for the section where I cover what I run with granite, not what I run without Granite. When I don't have granite on I run rooted.
As far as what I do with those toggles on, I can run a full attack chain and never run out of end.
As a stone/fire.
My attacks include: Scorch, Combustion, FSC, Incinerate, and Melt Armor and Fireball from the Pyre pool. I use them all. -
Quote:Equate QR to end drain resist (not protection, btw. There's no such thing)? No. Definitely not. While EDR is more effective against direct end drain encounters, QR does provide some benefit in such encounters (QR+Stam recovering quicker after being hit compared to someone with just Stam) while providing a significant benefit overall (more end).Originally Posted by dave_p
Also, did someone actually equate QR to end drain protections? Seriously? Sappers will suck you dry no matter how much recovery you have, but my Stony in Rooted laughs at them. For normal play, QR is teh uber, of course.
There are a few ways that end drain is countered in this game:
1) direct end drain resistance
2) higher recovery
3) naturally high defence, generally positional
4) end management powers like AM, Conserve Power, or Power Sink for example
5) immediate mitigation of end draining targets (this applies to everyone, obviously, at various degrees)
That's not equivalence, that's a variety with differing pros and cons. -
Quote:I imagine that while you're in Granite with all those toggles on, you're not doing much more than standing there and hitting Taunt and the occasional AoE?Originally Posted by Alabaster12
For my ultimate survivability mode I run:
Granite
Weave
Maneuvers
Rooted
(Stone Skin)
(Mud Pots)
I really only have Maneuvers for a place to slot an LoTG and a GoTA, but I usually run it and weave to get over the defense softcap to all without having to worry about set bonuses for defense and that seemed like a worthy tradeoff to me since I don't worry about endurance at all.
I toggle off Rooted for 99% of the content in the game.
EDIT:
Oh and solo/small groups I just run:
Rock Armor
Tough
Weave
Maneuvers
Rooted
(Stone Skin)
(Mud Pots)
and possibly Minerals if there is psi involved.
I also imagine that you're not literally running around with Rooted off 99% of the time, considering you kind of need it on when fighting outside of Granite. -
Quote:That's set bonus recharge. Hasten isn't counted in that.Originally Posted by Da_Captain
Can't be his recharge says 73.8 Basilisks Gaze gives 7.5% and he has two so that already makes your statement incorrect.
EDIT: Oh, and he's really gimping himself in a number of ways to get that recharge. No damage in Dominate? No defence in Foresight?
Also, especially V-side, I consider a number of those IO sets to be "higher than normal" in cost. Certainly doable, but still not cheap for a non-farmer. -
Quote:Stone's end drain resist is in Rooted. Willpower has Quick Recovery, so it doesn't have end drain resist--it simply gets to have the option of more endurance recovery all the time (Quick Recovery provides more end recovery than Stamina out of the box, plus you can always take Stamina on top of it).Originally Posted by SinergyX_EU
Does WP have end-drain resist btw? My granite runs only 3 toggles, i wonder what the other 5 would be? (FA, assault, weave, manuevers and err?) Or that was non-granite based? wich is indeed a end-nightmare.
As an addendum, Willpower really has only two weaknesses: its poor taunt aura and its many holes in debuff resistance. The first can be made up for via any combination of extra taunt enhancements, taking Taunt, and using a lot of AoE attacks. The second can be made up for by simply piling on as much defence as possible.
At that point, you're still not as survivable as a similar cost Granite, but well above the survivability threshold needed to tank anything in the game on a team, and many times solo. Plus you'll actually get to run, jump, and do damage. -
Or you can always concentrate fire on particular enemies, defeating them quickly, and thus not having to worry about where they get knocked back, since nobody will need to chase after them anymore. Bonus points if they're not targeted by the melee players.
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Quote:Have a macro/bind to concentrate fire on one target/go wild and another to go back to bodyguard (follow/defensive). Follow/defensive will automatically draw your pets back towards you. Once they're close enough, hit the other macro to get them attacking again (or wait a few seconds while they're under fire).Originally Posted by digitalgm
I play a Robots/Force Field MM and I'm having a very tough time keeping my robots within my Dispersion Shield's radius. I use the goto command a lot, and even the Stay command, but they still tend to take off after the enemy.
Typically I have them set to aggressive. If I don't then they tend not to attack as much. Still, I'd think the stay command would keep them from taking off. I literally have to keep tapping it.
And is there a way from stopping the robots from spontaneously running off to melee people?
Any ideas?
There's no lazy way around it, really. That's all there is to it. -
Don't forget Shields. With pretty minimal IO usage, you can get a very solid Tanker with some interesting and fun gameplay mechanics.
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Quote:Actually, I would indeed argue that PBs provide more utility to a team, for all the reasons previously mentioned.Originally Posted by PrincessDarkstar
I have been wanting to reply to this post for a long time but couldn't from EU side so am very happy with the merger
Anyway I disagree seriously with your take on PB's being more versatile than Warshades, not once have I been in a situation and thought "Yay a PB" (Actually the complete opposite mostly) but I have been grateful for Warshades many times.
Firstly knockback is the worst type of control possible, yes it is total control because things can't fight back but it completely destroys the average kill speed of a good team having to adjust position and targets to see where things have ended up. And as a PB you would be doing the team a much bigger favour just killing stuff. Oh also Gravatic Emination + Inky Aspect from a Warshade totally locks down whole spawns permanently, in a much more useful way than anything a PB can do.
Secondly counting Glowing Touch as a power which gives good utility is laughable. Yes you have a heal but you are never going to keep anyone alive if they were in serious danger, and even if you do it would probably be more use to use that time causing damage and just rez your team mate after the mob is cleared. Putting slots and time into a power which is of so minimal use means there is going to be a more useful power being underslotted.
Scrapping with melee attacks is a valid point as something you can do, but regardless of where you are the; damage form for Kheldians is Nova, so if you want to count damage as a skill you should be slotting Nova not scrapping (And I do not understand why no PB's get this).
The only thing I would be tempted to grant you is that White Dwarf is a better tank than Black Dwarf, but with the new Black Dwarf Mire I would even contest that.
Anyway that wasn't a dig at you DiscoKat, I just don't like to see people being mislead.
But you do make one very good point: in quite a number of situations, utility doesn't trump pure damage output. Sometimes, utility can be a lifesaver. At those times, someone might go, "wow, that PB does bring a lot of cool things to a team." Most of the time, though, a well-played Warshade is just such an engine of destruction that utility falls by the wayside.
Ultimately, I think it comes down to the make up of a team and their mindset. Both Kheldians can adapt to all sorts of teams, but I generally find PBs are easier to play when stuck in a particular role (main tanking or support especially) and Warshades are simply dominant when the team doesn't require anything but for you to contribute (because boy, can you contribute!).
In short: PBs are better for "filling a specific role that is lacking on a team," and Warshades are better when no specific roles need to be filled and they can do whatever the heck they want.
As for solo, I think PBs have the edge for single tough targets due to their more self-contained survivability, and ability to hit more often and, with Achilles Heel proc, debuff resistance, while Warshades are simply superior minion munchers. -
Quote:No, I mean that in order to get "the best out of your defenses," you're also running Rooted much of the time, which of course, combined with Granite, means you won't be running anywhere. Granted, you don't need to be running Rooted much of the time, as Granite's defence and resistance should keep you from needing that extra layer of mitigation. However, when I say "best of your defenses," I am being very much technically correct.Originally Posted by Lacrymosa
You don't teleport to increase or "get the best of your defenses". You teleport to get to the next group....Maybe you posted that wrong. Regardless, I have made an Invul, Fire, Ice, and WP tank. And still find Granite fun. If your really bothered by the need to get around using teleport than really, you need to learn how to play. It's not that hard. By your own admittance, you don't like teleporting, fair enough, but if you think that makes a class dull or boring then you really havent grasped the concept.
And yes, I dislike teleporting around. It's simply not my thing. There's nothing about it being hard. Like I said, I teleport around on Kheldian Dwarves already. I'm not bashing Stone, I'm simply saying that I really enjoy having a Tanker that can run and jump around. Needing to teleport makes Stone dull for me. It has nothing to do with grasping the concept or not.
IMHO, Stone is the classic Tanker primary for those who like to be the number one aggro spunge of a team. That's just not my playstyle when it comes to Tanking. I much prefer the active mitigation and damage routes. It's also why I don't like WP for tanking, as the taunt duration on its aura is so short that it's difficult to keep enemies on you while moving about (significantly easier to handle aggro standing still or minimally moving). -
Quote:Mind you, despite soft capping defence for both being possible, both sets have very mediocre defence debuff resistance such that Granite's capable resistances do play a significant factor in survivability.Originally Posted by BrandX
End Game WP Tanker
vs
End Game Granite Tanker
Yup, you can softcap all those defenses (except to Psi) and have capped (or nearly so) resistance to all dmg types (except to Psi), have Dull Pain heal and a Regen aura. But with all those negatives! :/
With WP, you can softcap all those defenses, cap the HP, and have better Regen than the Granite Tanker!
There is nothing a IO'ed out Granite tanker can stand up to, that an IO'ed out WP tanker can't stand up to in my experience.
the breaking point then becomes NEGATIVES + Better Taunt Aura vs Worst Taunt Aura in game.
Personally, I prefere WP. I don't care for Stone's negatives and I like that I can see my costume with WP.
Mind you, I'd still rather play an end game WP than an end game Granite. Having to teleport all over to get the best out of my defences isn't exactly my idea of fun. If I wanted to do that, I'd play my Warshade in Dwarf form all the time.
And in any case, I'd rather be playing my Shields or Invul characters. Mobility, great taunt auras, "good enough" (IMO) survivability, especially with IOs...no penalties to speak of. -
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If you try to take down a white lieutenant and minion standard solo combination, a tanker will surely need to rest if the lieutenant of that combo is a Tsoo Sorcerer.
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I don't have that problem.
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Dropping the mission isn't an elegant option
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I don't have that problem, either. But maybe I'm just smart enough to not simply stand in Hurricane wailing away on a target with floored ToHit until my end is gone? -
That's right. I stand corrected.
Though I suppose the ultimate point is that MM pets overall aren't really that different in practice to players. -
Best way to not alienate yourself on a team as an MM? Do whatever it takes to help steamroll through enemies.
Often times on large teams, I'm generally playing a tidal game of "attack this target" and "pull back to bodyguard" between buffing and debuffing.
On smaller teams, well, I play like I solo, as there's bountiful targets for all. -
Bwah? I would imagine that it's the same as player defence cap. Which is to say inconsequential.
However, the soft cap numbers vary somewhat due to the level differences amongst MM pets. I don't know the exact numbers, but lowest tier pets require a substantial amount more defence to be as safe as a highest tier pet, simply due to level differences, and the likely level difference between them and the enemies you're likely to be facing.
Remember: if you're facing +2s, then your lowest tier minions are facing +3s (assuming the full complement of pets). -
I say leave things as is. Farming Maniac Slammers isn't really much of an exploit. They still hit hard enough to be a threat. If people are that willing to log into a game to have another tedious job, that's okay. Farming doesn't bother me.
But there are three things that do bother me:
1) Rampant exploitation of targets way out of the risk/reward parameters (fixed for now at least, it seems);
2) People who PL new players (not much for the Devs to do there--that's a player choice, just one that I personally don't like, and thus never do);
3) Very little incentive to go about testing arcs that aren't 5-starred.
Point 3 is the one that I want the Devs to address somehow. The MA is kind of...how should I put it...IMO, not meeting its goals if it's not promoting arcs from apparent nobodies as well as the ones with already notable quality. I think the MA is about 80% (yes, random pulled-out-of-hat number) as good as it'll ever be. I just hope that the Devs will think about it a bit and keep working at it to help highlight all kinds of arcs. -
Question:
Does anyone feel that the issue has been at least reduced since the Mito farms were fixed? I see a lot of boss farms on broadcast, but they tend to either be looking for Brutes or Kins above 35 or so. I haven't hung out around the AE much lately, myself. -
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I think it's better to cancel powers upon defeat. It keeps behavior more honest that way.
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I agree. Right now, it's really just annoying my new Stalker, which I'm actually trying to enjoy (found they're a real grind until the 20s, more so than other ATs), and she keeps on getting smacked by people she's dispatched. Not so much fun for a sneaky squishy in melee. -
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One of the touted charms of CoH was that 'this game is about the journey, not the destination'. Well, when the journey only takes a week now, what will become of it all? An endgame, with cool stuff that only *experienced* highlevels can do, is needed, IMO. Maybe Going Rogue will provide it.
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Maybe. But there's two things the Devs have to watch out for regarding high level content:
1) no matter what, someday it'll get stale;
2) it has to balance being rewarding and not draining the low level player base such that it provides even more incentive for players to PL to 50 just to play the "cool" content.
Not easy to fix these things, and I have no solutions. Just things to watch out for.
I'm actually hoping that Going Rogue will provide more content across the spectrum, considering it's an entire expansion pack. -
I honestly think things have improved somewhat since the Mito exploit was fixed (or at least I'm pretty sure it's been fixed...). Boss farms at least involve some combat (and risk), and they're generally asking for mostly higher level characters, at least from the broadcasts I've seen while not spending much time in AE-heavy zones.
My personal gripe is still that the MA doesn't promote trying story arcs that have largely gone un-played. The random button is buried on the third (last) layer of search options for some silly reason, and I'd love for it to come with some kind of incentive (like a slight ticket earning increase) to be trying random MA arcs, as you're likely to not be earning at top levels anyway.
Ticket farm abuse via a minor ticket earning increase isn't much of a concern due to ticket caps.
Please, Devs, find a way to make the MA based on exploring new content, and maybe finding some great gems! People doing reviews help, but unless more players get out there and play people's actual story arcs, the potential of the MA is really being missed. -
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Is this a dominator with perma-domination? My impression from scant reading on the I15 changes was that they were intended to smooth out the curve for early-to-mid level Dominators (Dominators without perma-dom). I assume that Perma-Doms remain unchanged (or, judging by the message boards, are even worse off).
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Assuming that all end-level Doms are perma is a bit...how do you say...off? The changes are a sizable benefit to all Doms across all levels when they aren't perma, and of benefit to perma Doms who team and can get damage buffs, as their effective damage cap is higher. The only people shown to lose out are Doms who stacked Domination. Even then, a non-perma Dom now can outpace a pre-change stacking perma for damage with enough buffs or reds. -
Shield Charge and Footstomp together are generally enough to wipe out most, if not all, minions in a spawn (I'm talking orange minions). It's even more effective if you herd for yourself to get the most out of AAO's damage boost.
AoE two-shotting minions with a couple of 15 ft radius attacks, often every 45 seconds or less (seem people get it down to 25 for Shield Charge) isn't enough AoE? Well, pick up the Fire ancillary set! -
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.... Basically, an MM who doesn't know how to control their pets will end up drawing additional enemies into a fight ...
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Funny, I consider it my job to shovel as many groups into the killing zone as possible. I'll pull using an enforcer, or even pull two different groups using an enforcer each, add in a Darkest Night pull, and a tar patch to funnel them all into a nice pack in the killing ground. One group with 2 darks and 2 rads we were each of the 4 of us pulling 1-2 groups simultaneously into one giant AoE Conflagration centered on a (optional) tank with a plant/ dominator as lockdown with a couple of blasters and a spines scrapper. Nice Stuff, we couldn't pull enough of them fast enough. I guess each to their own.
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... An MM who knows what they're doing, of course, is a force to be reckoned with....
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That, at least, I can agree with.
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Sorry, I meant "drawing more adds than the team wants to handle." Nothing wrong with drawing adds if the team won't get angry at being wiped by it (or won't wipe in the first place). -
At this point it's "ask a Dev's opinion and (probably) get no response" time.
Me, I'd err on the side of providing various types of feedback, and not just relying on tiny little icons that not everyone has memorised or can read well.
Basically, I have no problem if you want to hide your effects on your screen, especially if it's just your character in particular, but you can already do that with a simple macro or bind. The visual effects are far more for other people than they are for you, really, and forcing everyone to use power icons out of "reliability" is a dubious design decision at best.
You're definitely speaking from a Vet's perspective, in which case taking some of the "ease of use" out of the game makes things interesting. But I don't think that's a design goal of the Devs, to be quite honest, nor of any MMO that considers itself open to casual play.