Finduilas
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Posts
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Joined
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Quote:Heh, when I started using Reactive Armors they were slightly above vendor trash, and no one bothered with Smashing Haymaker because Kinetic Combats were plentiful and relatively cheap.Originally Posted by Sailboat
CMA's guide was written before the latest inflation in market prices. By the way, that inflation is driven partly by people wanting to soft-cap their Tankers, so you're shaking your fist at yourself to some extent.
Here's a hint: Reactive Armors in the high 30s will still get your resistance to the ED cap, and are much cheaper than buying 40s. If you're not married to the round numbers, shop for 37s-39s.
You can also save a slot in Dull Pain; 5 level 50 Doctored Wounds will work just as well as 6.
I'm going to expand on your advice a bit, Sailboat, I have a *lot* of experience slotting sets on a shoestring.
If you 4-slot with the standard Res, Res/End, Res/Rchg, and Res/Rchg/End, you can go as low as all 35s and still hit the ED cap for resistance. (Ditto for defense powers like Invinc, Weave and Tough Hide)
What I recommend is to look for the IO recipes in the set that are cheaper than the others--usually one or two is a relative bargain. From what I saw when I checked RA prices this morning, it looks like Res/Rchg and Res/Rchg/End are the least expensive. Get the highest level of these IOs you can afford, but be aware that as Sailboat mentioned, a level or two below the max is often much cheaper than the very top level IO.
If you have a couple of IOs that are over the minimum ED level of 35, it will give you more flexibility in levels for the remaining IOs. And play with Mid's to see what IO levels will give you the enhancement levels you need. If you know you need a RA resist enhancement that is say, level 33 at minimum, then you can watch for one to come on the market at a reasonable price.
Some people put out bids on spec even if there's not an recipe at that level, but I rarely have the infl to let it sit around like that. Instead, if I'm actively shopping I check one or twice a day to see what's on the market, and if one shows up in the level range I want, I'll bid on it. Doing that, you *can* lose them to people who have bids waiting, but that's fairly rare since a lot of those spec bids are lowballs.
One last thing, although I prefer to reach the ED cap for def/res in my main shields, if you don't quite make it, don't sweat too much. However, do consider which ones are best to underslot. I'd make much more of an effort to see that TI is fully slotted, for instance, than I would for the resist passives. (The passives don't need end reduction, for one thing, and since their base values are smaller, underslotting has less of an effect.)
You can do the same for attacks; if you have enough slots, you can slot an attack you don't plan to use solely for the set bonuses, without worrying about the enhance values. On my soft-capped Invul/EM, for instance, I have Boxing slotted with low-level Kinetic Combats, including the KD proc.
Good luck and good shopping! -
Quote:There's a costume bug fix sticky in the "Developer's Corner" forum. Probably your best bet is to post there.Originally Posted by askinquestions
I believe there is a bug issue with the new braided hair- on the sides instead of laying against the hesd- the skin on the side of the head shows...I've noticed this on my character when I attempted to use and on another character- who did use it.
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Quote:I agree that frankenslotting attacks is a good way to maximize their effectiveness if you aren't interested in, or can't afford to slot for set bonuses.Originally Posted by Nihilii
Dual Blades attacks hit once, but the damage is displayed in multiple parts so it syncs up with the graphics. You wouldn't get any better effect from procs than on any other powerset.
Reactive Armor is popular because it offers S/L/E/N defense with the set bonuses, which stacks well with Invul defenses. It's on the costly side, though. If you haven't a lot of inf to work with you might want to just mix and match cheap IOs to get the best values in acc, dam, rech and end without worrying about set bonuses.
However, since you're usually only slotting resistance and defense powers for one or two values, there's much less benefit in frankenslotting them than there is for powers with three or four things you need to enhance.
IME, you can get adequate levels of def/res and endurance from 4-slotting any def or res set as long as the IOs are around level 35 or above. I usually recommend getting the set with the best--best for your purposes, not necessarily the most expensive--bonuses you can afford rather than frankenslotting. And if you can't afford sets, common IOs work fine. -
Quote:Just to clarify, I do strongly recommend that you keep and slot the Steadfast +Def IO. It's a key component of any defense-oriented IO build. You won't need the -KB, but the +Def IO is definitely a keeper.Originally Posted by Mace_Ironhead
I respecced Ironhead Prime to the second build I posted above, and it's working great at the moment. I popped out the Steadfast IOs when I did so and just slotted 3 common resist damage IOs; you were definitely right about the knockdown and toggle suppression - I haven't had any difficulties. Thanks for the advice on that.
Reactive Armor is popular because its 3 and 4 slot bonuses are for E/NE and S/L defense. Those are the most common damage types, and stack on the typed defense that Invul has in Invinc and Tough Hide.Quote:I originally slotted the attacks you mentioned with recharge reductions because of how their recharge rate was described on the Dual Blades page on ParagonWiki. Now that I've levelled Ironhead Prime up to 28, and have used both of those attacks without recharge enhancements, I'm definitely going to switch them over to endurance reduction enhancements in the build instead - they don't need recharge to use them in successive combos.
Any advice on IO sets for slotting? I've reviewed a lot of the information about tanker slotting, and it seems Reactive Armor is the most popular at the moment for resistance powers. Why is this?
IMO, the most common IO slotting for Invul these days is to try to reach the defense soft-cap of 45% for S/L damage, and also E/NE damage if possible. You've got a good start on that with the Steadfast +Def IO, plus CJ and Weave.
Call_Me_Awesome's soft-capping guide is a good place to start for more information:
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=126983
As I understand it, single-target attacks (NS, PS, BF, VS) will have one chance to proc since they can only hit one target. TE, SS, and OTC are AoE attacks, and the proc will have a chance to go off on every foe hit. In general, I believe it's more desirable to put procs in multi-target attacks simply because they do have more chances to fire.Quote:One more question about IO sets, this time for attack powers - I think all the Dual Blades attacks hit more than once per use. Does this mean that I should go for sets that have procs in them (like the Touch of Death chance for negative damage, for example)? Do the procs have a chance to fire each time the attack hits? -
Quote:Well, since two 50 IOs doesn't quite reach the ED cap, an argument can be made for devoting three slots to those powers if you're planning to slot them with common IOs. However, I agree that the benefit from slotting them with 3 level 50s is very small; using level 30 or 35 IOs would work just as well at a much lower cost.Originally Posted by Atheism
Three slotting those powers is not overkill. I have those powers slotted that way for my Invul.
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Quote:Same place on all the servers--by the IP gate in King's Row.Originally Posted by Airhammer
Where do you gather on Justice >> I am gonna park my toon there right now so Tuesday and I log on and I dont see him in PI like everyone else I will remember this time.
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Quote:Most experienced SS players recommend that you enhance attacks with one SOs worth of accuracy in addition to Rage. That's 33%, and currently your attacks have 23% or less, so I'd definitely say that accuracy is more important than additional end reduction for you. With IOs, for most attacks I aim for end red in the 40% range.Originally Posted by Oxades
Finduilas, Thank you for the help but I do have some questions. In Mids all my attack are showing at over 100% in accuracy, wouldn’t Dam/end be better? Is there a certain number in accuracy I should try to hit? I understand LotG but why GotA over Red Fortune?
Considering KOB slow recharge time and that Box/Kick is as good as jab I thought I would us it in my attack change. What about using boxing instead of jab?
Keep in mind that those "over 100%" accuracy numbers are with the base ToHit of 75% that you have against even-level foes. The base player ToHit goes down dramatically when you're fighting higher level foes--for instance, with +3 foes, you start with a base ToHit of 48%, and that makes a big difference.
The reason I like GotA is that it not only has a +recovery bonus, but also a +end bonus, which is even better. Recovery bonuses just help you get your endurance back faster; +end bonuses actually increase the maximum amount of end you can have. Some of the most desirable accolades have +end bonuses, and this is another way to get the same type of effect.
Jab vs Boxing? They're very, very similar. Both have a 10% chance to Stun; Jab is slightly less damaging, but uses less endurance and recharges a bit faster. Given that, the reason I'd slot Jab is simple--you get it at level 1, and in your current build you won't get Boxing until level 30!
Hope that helps!
EDIT: A good compromise regarding the Accuracy slotting would be to look for a set that has a Acc/Dam/End IO as a fifth slot. The Crushing Impact Acc/Dam/End would be a good choice for your ST attacks; for Footstomp, I'd replace the Dam/Rchg Scirocco's with a Acc/Dam/End also. -
Quote:With toggle suppression, the chances of you losing UY's protection are very small. And even if you did, at that point KB will be the least of your worries; you're much more likely to die from a mez than from KB.Originally Posted by Mace_Ironhead
Also, the Steadfast Protection IOs were added to it for three reasons:
1) I already have them both, from an earlier dark/dark tanker (horrible end hog) that I deleted. Might as well use them!
2) If Prime's toggles were to be dropped, he would still have a mag 4 KB protection, which would save him from getting knocked down/back, further complicating the process of reactivating his toggles.
3) Two Steadfast IOs grant an endurance-recovery set bonus. Mmmmm, endurance.
The -KB IO is worth quite a bit of infl; honestly, I'd either sell it or save it for another character that can actually use it. The recovery bonus from 2 SPs is minor, you'd probably get more mileage out of making sure that all your attacks are slot for end reduction--Typoon's Edge and Blinding Feint are not in the latest build you posted.
But otherwise, the build looks fine. -
Quote:Me too. I just wish they weren't so darn expensive.Originally Posted by Dispari
I <3 Kinetic Combat.
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Not a bad build, but it does need some work.
First of all, you're going to want to get Stamina at 20 and KoB at 22. RPD can easily be delayed until 24, so I suggest you do so and move everything else up so you can take Stamina and KoB ASAP.
One of the biggest problems I see is that your attacks are underslotted for accuracy and damage--everything but Footstomp needs at least another slot. Any Acc/Dam set IO will do.
The Steadfast Res/End is unnecessary, I'd use that slot in one of your attacks.
Are you planning to use Kick? The bonuses for 4-slotting Mako's aren't critical, so I'd leave it single-slotted and move the slots to other attacks.
Eradication is a much better choice for FootStomp, since it gives a substantial E/NE def bonus for 3 slots. I'd put Scirocco's in the last two slots.
I think you mis-slotted Tough; the End and End/Rchg IOs should be Res/Rchg and Res/End/Rchg if you want it fully slotted.
For Weave, I prefer the bonuses of GotA and LotG over Red Fortune, but your call. However, the End IO is unneeded, I'd consider pulling it if you need the slot.
You don't need the S/L bonus in ResEn to soft-cap S/L, so you might want to consider using that 4th slot for something else, or pulling the Reactives altogther and 3-slotting it with Aegis for the F/C def bonus.
I'd recommend that you also slot Aegis in ResEl; since Invul has no Psi res/def to start with, the bonuses in Imperv Armor are doing very little for you.
You'll probably be okay, endurance-wise, but be sure to slot your attacks well for endurance reduction. -
In my opinion, the biggest advantages of typed defense over positional is that as Dispari mentioned, you can concentrate on the most common types of damage, and if you are planning to build for defense bonuses, typed defense is usually a 3-4 slot bonus, where positional defense is most often a 6-slot bonus. Not having to 6-slot powers to get a desirable bonus gives you a lot more build options.
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I've gotten the impression that DB is one of the sets where it's really hard to skip attacks, unless of course, you decide to not use the combo attacks at all. Even if you use only the last two combos the only attacks that aren't needed are Nimble Slash, which Tanks can't drop, and Blinding Feint, which IMO you wouldn't want to drop. So Mace, I'd strongly recommend reading up on the combo attacks before you decide which attacks to drop. Here's more info:
http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Dual_Blades
My experience with DB is limited, but I do know Invul, and I've got some suggestions based on that. First, Invul does *not* need KB protection, it has plenty in Unyielding, so save yourself some infl and drop the Steadfast -KB IO.
Also, you need to take Invinc at 18, it's one of the essential Invul powers. RPD can easily be delayed until after Stamina instead.
If you decide to take the three attacks you skipped in the posted build, (and I think you should) you may have to decide between the ancilliary powers or the Fighting Pool. You could also make room by dropping ResEm, ResEl, and Taunt, depending on your priorities. Of the three, IMO ResEm is by far most "skippable".
Hope that helps! -
Quote:Well, it doesn't quite work that way, because even though it's called "Accuracy +6%" the Kismet unique is actually a ToHit buff, not an Accuracy buff. The two work a little differently, so in some situations the Kismet would improve your accuracy more, and in others the the LotG bonus will. Both are good to have. Here's more information if you're interested:Originally Posted by Glifted
Okay, I followed your advice for nearly everything save dropping the Epic pool (character concept, nothing to be done about that) and dropping Kismet from Tough Hide in favor of a fourth LOTG, presumably because the fourth slot would give me a 9% acc increase versus Kismet's 6%, but I could be wrong (and most probably am).
http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Attack_Mechanics
Look for the sections on "ToHit, Defense, and Accuracy," and "Calculating Accuracy for Players".
And while we're talking accuracy, I just looked more closely at your Smashing Haymaker/Pounding Slugfest slotting and noticed that you didn't use the PS Acc/Dam. I strongly recommend that you do so, since as a set SH is low in Acc and as slotted, those attacks only have about 23% Acc, less than an SOs worth. I'd drop one of the others to get the Acc/Dam slotted in all the SH attacks--you really don't want ET and TF to miss if you can avoid it.
Otherwise, looks good!
EDIT: Forgot to mention that keeping the three ancilliary pool powers for concept is perfectly reasonable. Having ResEn is useful, but it's not make-or-break, like say, skipping Unyielding or Invinc would be. -
Okay, starting from the top:
TI has unneeded RA slot, the Endurance IO. You haven't slotted a Steadfast +def, so use the fifth slot for that, in TI or one of the other resist powers.
I prefer Doctored Wounds for DP, since it has a recharge IO, where Numina and Miracle do not not. As it is, you're underslotted for Recharge and overslotted for Heal. If you don't want to go the DW route, swap out the Miracle Heal/End/Rchg for a plain Recharge IO.
I'd recommend delaying Whirling Hands until after Stamina. I've tried it with WH first, and the wait for Stamina was painful. Also, though the Erads are a good choice for WH, combining them with Oblit is not, IMO, since neither set has any end reduction to speak of. Instead of the Oblit's, try 2 Scirocco's for the regen bonus, heavy on the end red, then perhaps the proc of your choice.
Invinc is overslotted; it doesn't need more than 4 def slots, unless you want to slot some ToHit buffs. Red Fortune isn't a particularly good choice, either, it takes too many slots to get the minor E/NE def bonus. I'd go with 4 GotA there and use the other slots somewhere else.
The Stamina slotting is okay, though you should consider dropping the End/Acc/Rchg if you need the slot somewhere else.
I think when C_M_A said that Tough Hide was overslotted, he meant that you can fully slot it for def with 3 slots since it doesn't need end reduction. As I mentioned above, Red Fortune's bonus aren't that great and the Kismet is really nice to have, so I actually preferred the slotting in the last build! However, if you want to keep it to 4 slots, try 3 slots of LotG (unlike GotA, they go up to 50, so you can get close to the ED cap with 3) plus the Kismet.
I also preferred the way BU was slotted in the last build, if you are going to put that many slots in it. At least the 6-slotted Gaussian's got you closer to the goal of soft-capping S/L. But here's another option: Two Rectified Recticle (including the +Percep) for the S/L def bonus, plus a slot or two for Recharge.
I'm guessing that you went with 4 Pounding Slugfests in TF for the E/NE bonus, but I think you'd be better off concentrating on S/L wherever possible. I'd slot 4 Smashing Haymaker there, too.
However, ranged attacks are a good place to slot for E/NE def, so find a couple of slots for LBE and slot 3 Thunderstrike there.
Regarding your power choices, personally, I'd drop one of the epics for ResEn, but that's your call. (I often don't pick up any ancilliary powers at all, so I may be biased!)
With the changes I've recommended, you'll be very close to soft-capping S/L def (43.6%) and still have a good soloing build. I think you'll find it'll make a big difference in your survivabilty. -
Quote:Although I always take it, I agree that for a team tank Build-Up is largely a matter of preference. However, it is much more useful (and I think necessary) for a small team/solo tank which is how the OP says he's going to use this character. 6-slotting BU with Gaussian's isn't a bad idea for Invul if you have the slots, though it's a better choice for a positional defense build. I usually don't do so on my Invul tanks simply because I have a more pressing need for the slots elsewhere.Originally Posted by Call Me Awesome
Third, you can stop your armors with 4 slots of Reactive Armor, that 5th slot bonus is fairly pointless and you will want slots for your 41-49 powers. Likewise Tough Hide is overslotted as is Build Up (which I always skip on a tanker anyway). Combat Jumping I would stop at 2 slots, just the BotZ set.
Otherwise, I heartily agree with your advice. Of the sets chosen, Eradication is the best choice for Whirling Hands, but the others are definitely less than optimal because the "bang for buck" of sets like ToD and Mako's is small compared to sets that give larger typed bonuses--usually for fewer slots and less influence. -
Umm, yeah, this build definitely needs some work.
Active Defense is your status protection and needs to be taken *much* earlier. Take it at 10, move Taunt to 22 and Phalanx Fighting to 32. You'll also need another recharge slot to make AD perma.
I'd also suggest finding room for Shatter, if possible, it's part of the reason that WM is such a good AoE set. It's also WM's most damaging power other than Clobber.
You have several expensive specialty IOs slotted that are a waste of influence, IMO. AD has KB protection, so the Steadfast KB protection is uneeded. Likewise, the Aegis and Imperv Skin status resist IOs are unneeded, as is the Imperv Armor Psi resist.
Deflection should be slotted with resistance as well as defense; drop 2 or 3 of the RF (End and End/Rchg) and put in some resistance IOs. To make up for the lost Ranged defense, find another slot for SJ (the Scirocco's sets would be fine with 5) and 2-slot BoTZ.
IMO, True Grit should be slotted 1/2 heal and 1/2 resist; plain IOs would do more for you than the hodgepodge you have in there now. Definitely move the Regen Tissue to either Health or PP, it's doing little for you where it is.
Health is underslotted, very suprising considering it has 5 slots! I think you mistakenly put in the End/Rchg IO rather than the Heal IO.
Instead of the three Steadfast, I'd slot Tough with the SP +def and 2 plain resist IOs or add another slot for a set Resist/End Red IO.
Rather than 6-slot Battle Agility with RF, I think you should strongly consider moving two of those slots to Build Up, find another slot from somewhere, (CP is a good candidate) and 6-slot BU with Gaussian's for a 2.5 % def bonus to all positions.
Hope that helps! -
Nice build! Your E/NE and F/C def totals have certainly improved over the last one you posted. A couple of things:
IMO, the Aegis Psi/Status is a waste of infl for a Invul tank. Going from 0 to 3% Psi resist is basically doing nothing for you, and UY gives you all the status protection you need for almost everything in PVE. You'd be better off slotting the Aegis Res/Recharge instead.
Also, I believe the current consensus is you would be better off with some or all of the +regen/+recovery uniques in Physical Perfection rather than Health, but I haven't used PP myself so maybe someone can confirm that.
Good luck with your tank! -
Quote:Perhaps you can't do both damage and survival *as* well as you could do one or the other at the extremes, but it's certainly possible to build a highly survivable tank who can also do respectable damage.Originally Posted by Ironblade
My point is, when I build a tank, I decide if the focus will be on damage output or survival. You can do both simultaneously, but not well.
P.S. I don't see much point to Hasten unless it's to boost DPS. Taking it just for Dull Pain seems like overkill.
I agree it would help if the OP was more clear about his goal for this build, but he doesn't have give up damage for survivability. I know I don't with my tanks.
And just to clarify, I never suggested that the only reason one would want to take Hasten is for DP; I happen to think that boosting DPS is a quite reasonable goal--which is why I usually take both Build Up and Hasten on my tanks. But having DP available sooner is also useful, especially if since the OP is considering giving up Aid Self to get it. -
Quote:My main point was that slotting positional defense sets like Multi Strike when typed defense is the goal is a inefficient use of slots. You could boost your E/NE defense by quite a bit just by making a couple of minor changes; replacing three of the MS in WH with Eradication, and slotting 2 Blessing of the Zephyr in CJ/SJ.Originally Posted by Hollows
Thx for the advice. I'm not gonna reach the numbers that you have by just a few % due to different power choices, but I at least feel a lil better about my energy resists. DP is almost perma now too, so that is another bonus. Thx again.
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I don't see the big deal about the male walk, it seems pretty normal and unfeminine to me. The female walk *is* a bit over the top, which I suppose means that I'll have to save it for special occasions.
Not that I was planning to use either very much anyway... -
Do you *need* ResEn and Hasten? Well, no, I'm sure you'll do fine without them. However, I think most players who are going for a soft-capped def build do not take the Medicine Pool. For one thing, it's hard to fit in, and for another, you probably won't need it as much if you're building for high defense.
ResEn and Hasten are good choices if you're thinking of dropping Aid Self, since ResEn will give you a little more damage mitigation and Hasten will bring DP up sooner. If you are serious about soft-capping, I personally think ResEn and Hasten are a better choice, but either will work.
Regarding the posted build, keep in mind that you should be focusing on typed def, not positional def. Touch of Death and Multi Strike are both primarily positional def sets, which means that you get a small amount of usable def for a big investment of slots. Multi Strike in particular, gives very small typed def bonuses, so I think you'd be better off swapping three of those slots out for Eradication, which has a substantial E/NE def bonus.
Here's my Invul/EM build as a example, which is soft-capped for S/L and nearly so for E/NE. Hitting the soft-cap will be even easier for you if you take CJ, which is worth around 3% defense.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Watcher's Wrath: Level 50 Natural Tanker
Primary Power Set: Invulnerability
Secondary Power Set: Energy Melee
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Arctic Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Temp Invulnerability -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:35(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:35(3), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:35(3), RctvArm-ResDam:35(5)
Level 1: Barrage -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg:25(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx:25(5), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg:25(7), KntkC'bat-Knock%:30(33)
Level 2: Dull Pain -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx:35(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg:35(11), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg:35(13), Dct'dW-Heal:35(13), Dct'dW-Rchg:35(34)
Level 4: Bone Smasher -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg:30(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx:30(7), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg:30(9), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:30(9), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:30(15)
Level 6: Air Superiority -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg:30(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx:30(11), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg:30(39), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:30(43), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg:40(48)
Level 8: Unyielding -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:35(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:35(15), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:35(17), RctvArm-ResDam:35(17)
Level 10: Taunt -- Mocking-Taunt/Rchg:40(A), Mocking-Taunt:40(23), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng:40(34), Mocking-Acc/Rchg:50(34), Mocking-Taunt/Rng:50(39)
Level 12: Swift -- Run-I:50(A)
Level 14: Fly -- Zephyr-Travel:30(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx:30(23)
Level 16: Health -- Mrcl-Heal:35(A), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx:35(36), Mrcl-Heal/Rchg:35(36)
Level 18: Invincibility -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:40(A), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg:40(19), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:40(19), LkGmblr-Def:40(21)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I:50(A), P'Shift-End%:50(21), EndMod-I:50(31)
Level 22: Whirling Hands -- Erad-Dmg:30(A), Erad-Dmg/Rchg:30(25), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:30(25), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx:40(27), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:40(27), Zinger-Dam%:40(36)
Level 24: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(31)
Level 26: Tough Hide -- GftotA-Def/EndRdx:35(A), GftotA-Def/Rchg:35(31), GftotA-Def:35(37), Ksmt-ToHit+:30(37), GftotA-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:40(50)
Level 28: Build Up -- Rec'dRet-Pcptn:20(A), RechRdx-I:50(29), RechRdx-I:50(29)
Level 30: Boxing -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 32: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(33), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(33), RctvArm-ResDam:40(43)
Level 35: Energy Transfer -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg:35(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx:35(37), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg:35(40), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(42), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:40(45)
Level 38: Total Focus -- P'ngFist-Acc/Dmg:25(A), P'ngFist-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:25(39), P'ngFist-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:25(40), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/EndRdx:25(40), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/Rchg:30(42), P'ngS'Fest-Acc/Dmg:30(48)
Level 41: Block of Ice -- BasGaze-Acc/Rchg:21(A), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold:27(42), Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(43), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(45), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(45)
Level 44: Weave -- GftotA-Def/EndRdx:40(A), GftotA-Def/Rchg:36(46), GftotA-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:30(46), GftotA-Def:36(46)
Level 47: Resist Physical Damage -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(A), ResDam-I:50(48)
Level 49: Resist Energies -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx:35(A), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg:35(50), Aegis-ResDam:35(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- ULeap-Stlth:50(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I:50(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
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Set Bonus Totals:- 20.5% Defense(Smashing)
- 20.5% Defense(Lethal)
- 9.25% Defense(Fire)
- 9.25% Defense(Cold)
- 18.9% Defense(Energy)
- 18.9% Defense(Negative)
- 3% Defense(Psionic)
- 11.8% Defense(Melee)
- 13.3% Defense(Ranged)
- 6.13% Defense(AoE)
- 7.2% Max End
- 10% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 16% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 4% Enhancement(Heal)
- 161.6 HP (8.63%) HitPoints
- MezResist(Held) 2.75%
- MezResist(Immobilize) 13.8%
- MezResist(Sleep) 2.2%
- MezResist(Terrorized) 2.2%
- 20% Perception
- 8.5% (0.14 End/sec) Recovery
- 28% (2.19 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 6.26% Resistance(Fire)
- 1.26% Resistance(Cold)
- 5% RunSpeed
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The Dell you listed seems underpowered for CoH. The processor is okay, but pretty much the minimum you'd want to get. And with Vista, you're going to need at least two GB of Ram, three or four would be better. (I'm surprised that Dell hasn't upgraded to Win 7 yet, which from what I've heard actually needs less RAM to run well.)
What graphics card does that computer have? I couldn't find it in the listing. The graphics card recommendations for CoH are 1) a separate card, not an "integrated graphics solution", 2) a card with a model number of 6 or above as the second number, and 3) the most recent card you can afford. IIRC, the model numbers of the newest cards from Nvidia start with "2", but 9 or even 8 would be fine as long as the second number is 6 or above. For ATI, look for a model number starting with 4 or 3; "4" model cards are the newest.
EDIT: D'oh! Just realized that's the system you have, not one you're looking at. Yes, adding RAM should help a lot. Ram is very cheap these days, so if your comp will take more than 2 GB, I'd get it. You might also want to consider upgrading to Win 7.
As I said, I can't tell what sort of graphics card you have, but if you're thinking of upgrading, the advice above applies. However, with a machine that old, I wouldn't buy a top-of-line card since the CPU speed will always be something of a restriction. Unless, of course, you want to buy a card that you can move to a new machine in the not-too-distant future.
Regarding the Kingston memory, as long as you know it fits in your computer, it should be fine. Kingston is a well known company, no reason to think it won't work. -
Quote:3 SOs in toggles as well as passives? If so, I don't think that's common practice, since in the toggles you'd have to either forgo end reduction or underslot for resistance or defense. It would be easier to get away with 3 slots in a toggle with IOs, but even at 50 you'd be slightly underslotting for res/def.Originally Posted by protector_knight
You make some valid points here. however when you get into set bonuses whose to say 4 slots vs 5 slots is better? If it was a standard SO build I wouln't but 4 slot any shield. Yes you would need just as much end red as tough, in weave.
How do *I* determine how many set slots are appropriate? For res/def powers I go by how many slots it takes to fully enhance the power, (56% res/def enhancement plus ~40% end reduction) and how desirable the set bonuses are. Consequently, I'm much more likely to stop at 3 for a passive which doesn't need end reduction than a toggle--that's why I'd recommend Aegis for passives and RA for toggles, since the good set bonus for Aegis is a 3-slot bonus for RA it's a 4-slot bonus.
Four slots of RA will more than adquately slot any resistance toggle, so I don't see any need to add a 5th slot just to get a measly .63% f/c def bonus. -
Quote:If you're talking about Reactive Armor, the 5-slot bonus isn't S/L defense, (that's the 4-slot bonus) it's .63% F/C def. I can *always* find a better use for a slot than slotting purely for a .63% F/C def bonus, especially since F/C is the least common of the damage types other than Psi. Also, if you do want F/C defense you'd be better off taking those three slots and 3-slotting Aegis in RPD or ResEn for a 3.13% bonus.Originally Posted by Heraclea
I always plan on 5 slots for resistance powers, because that last small defense bonus against S/L/Melee does no harm; and four slots for defense powers because six slotting defense powers means taking away from your attacks, where even more desirable bonuses can be had.
And I still don't see why adding more than four slots to a defense power is "taking away from your attacks", and adding a 5th slot to a resistance power to get an minimally useful bonus is not. -
For both of these builds I'd argue that the Res passives can easily be delayed until the 30s or 40s. IMO, taking your travel power on time is more valuable as a QoL improvement than the small benefit in damage mitigation you get from RPD and ResEn.
I also disagree that TI, UY, and Tough needed to be 5 slotted. TI and UY in particular are standard, low-end cost toggles and do fine with 1 End Red SO. And once you get to sets, the need for a fifth slot is even smaller, since typical 4-slotted Reactive Armor slotting, for instance, gives you more than a SOs worth of end reduction.
Tough and Weave cost a little more end than TI and UY, but they have the same end cost. So if you need additional end reduction for Tough, wouldn't you need it for Weave also?