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Gaidin

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  1. Gaidin
    Most points have been touched on, but I'll throw a bit more out there.

    As far as optimizing Kat/SR, I consider it almost a sin to choose /SR as your secondary and then still resort to lowering DPS significantly by still using DA to softcap Melee at levels where Pool Powers, wise slotting, and a Steadfast +Def IO are available to get you to the softcap (see Werner's earlier post).

    Essentially, the goals should be: softcap all three positionals without DA since this is so easy on a /SR, raise your HP, regen, and resistance levels as high as you can to help you survive when the RNG hates you, build up +recharge high enough to run the GD>GC>SD>GC chain (the most expensive goal), and fit in Aid Self, if you can stand the tri-corder animation.

    I built this for someone else that wanted a build that used the top DPS chain, was endurance sustainable, had a travel power, and used no Purples and no PVP IOs (moderate influence budget), and did not use Aid Self, as they hated the animation. Though the build is not I19, the three extra power picks would allow for Aid Self, and lets say Assault, to be stuck in easily to up both damage and survivability without needing huge slot investments.

    I figure, even if you don't use it, it might give you some ideas.

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  2. Gaidin
    Without DA, Kat is going to be higher ST DPS. The GD>GC>SD>GC chain gets to 243 DPS, if I am remembering correctly from Werner's spreadsheet, with 250% recharge in GD. Claws will have better AoE.

    If you want peak survivability and cheap then I'd suggest /SR. It's a late blooming set but it is the least expensive secondary to get to AV survivable levels and DA helps SR's early levels become easy. SR also allows you to focus on damage more as opposed to lowering DPS with DA during the late game. SR also helps get to the recharge needed for the best attack chain. WP is amazing and easier to level, but takes more effort to get to peak survivability levels.

    Edit: I just noticed that you didn't want to go SR and, in that event, Kat/WP is the runner-up in choice.
  3. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Syntax42 View Post
    Grant Cover was slotted that way to boost DDR in case True Grit's becomes unenhanceable in I19.
    Other's have addressed that GC's DDR is unenhancable, but of note is that True Grit doesn't offer any DDR, but it does offer a significant survivability boost in +HP, which really should be enhanced.

    I'm not even bothering to toy with I19 builds yet. I want to see if the inherent Fitness powers are slottable before I let the idea become a huge timesink.
  4. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Santorican View Post
    That is correct! Usually I just slot Grant Cover with an endurance reduction and call it a day.
    LotG 7.5 mule. .05 end savings with an end redux isn't bad, but it's usually not game-breaking for end sustainability. Using GC for a LotG 7.5 also helps free up another Defense toggle with higher end cost for a full Red Fortune set to help with Ranged Def.
  5. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Iggy_Kamakaze View Post
    Would probably just forget that +res IO and slot a damage proc on Fire Ball, or take the slot from health.
    That, or slot an End Redux in Fireball, which will lower your overall end usage more than the Panacea set bonus will. Even keeping the Panacea in Health, I think forgetting the +Res IO and slotting an End Redux in Fireball would be more beneficial.
  6. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Santorican View Post
    You would give your enemies endurance
    Tangentally to this thread subject, since both of you play DM/ toons, have either of you considered sticking a Theft of Essence proc into Siphon Life? I was wondering how much of an impact it would make.
  7. Gaidin

    "Fighting" Advice

    POST-ACTION

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Clave_Dark_5 View Post
    I'm working on a new scrapper, MA/SR and I need some advice about the Fighting power pool. I'll phrase this in the form of questions to make it easier:

    1) I see people mostly taking Boxing in their builds instead of the Kick - why is this? With my scrapper being MA, I was thinking the Kick would be more thematically fitting. I also thought I heard some time ago that it's not the rottenly useless power it used to be. The silliness of the animation is not an issue to me.
    Generally, people don't use either Boxing or Kick to attack with, but instead use them as set mules. Many builds take Boxing because it can be slotted with the purple set Absolute Amazement which, as far as purple sets go, is rather inexpensive. As far as Kick goes, the only set I sometimes find useful is Explosive Strike - add two slots for 1.88% Ranged Def bonus.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Clave_Dark_5 View Post
    2)Tough and Weave - what kind of slotting works for them? "As much as you can fit" or just the beginning slot? I think I've only taken them on one toon before this one so I really know very little about them.
    It depends on the build. Some people use Tough only as a set mule for the Steadfast Protection unique, most notably on some /SR builds. Tough adds a good chunk to survivability, so I hate to see it go unused. As far as slotting for it and Weave, You want to slot for End Redux and Def Buff on Weave and Resist Buff on Tough. The higher the enhancement values the better.

    If you're using SOs, I'd go with 1 End Redux and 3 +Def or Resist Buff, respectively. If you're going for set bonuses, then the question becomes more convoluted as it will depend on the set you're using. The most common for Tough is the Aegis set for the AoE Def set bonuses as well as slotting the Steadfast Protection unique. Weave often gets slotted with LoTG +7.5% Recharge IO. and 2 or 3 more from the set depending on which bonuses you're after, or a Red Fortune Set for the Ranged Def. Along with these options is slotting them with HamiOs for excellent enhancement without a ton of slots.
  8. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by UberGuy View Post
    Well, if we can still slot them (and we damn well better be!) you are going to have three more powers but no slots to spare for them.
    I recall hearing something about Incarnate levels giving you more slots. If I'm remembering correctly, then you will have the slots for them

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by UberGuy View Post
    Unslottable would be a major downgrade shift in high-end regen and recovery due to loss of the most standard places we slot Miracles, Numina's and Performance Shifter.
    This. As long as they are slottable, then I am all for this. Exciting new build permutations are already simmering...
  9. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nightchill_EU View Post
    What I dont get is how the power works exactly, the tooltip says its 10 sec cooldown and 0.75 sec duration.
    It's a toggle that costs 0.16 EPS.
  10. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Iggy_Kamakaze View Post
    without much concern for survivavility, new or even the old fire would probably take it
    Thanks Iggy.

    It's funny. My wife always feels extraneous when teaming with me, so that's why I'm trying to come up with a not-as-survivable-high-damage scrapper. The "not-as-survivable" part is actually what I'm finding to be the difficult part.
  11. Gaidin
    I need some assistance from the number crunchers out there, please.

    Assuming no use of DA, which secondary would allow for higher ST damage output? Ideally I'd run the GD>GC>SD>GC chain, but I don't know how easy it would be to get the needed recharge on a /FA. No IO restrictions when considering comparisons.

    My gut feeling is that, with the recent re-vamp, /FA will come out ahead, barring inability to run the top Katana chain.

    Essentially, I want a Katana toon that would dish out the most damage possible without concern for survivability since it's going to be with a small team who won't need me to tank for once.

    Thanks in advance!
  12. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nightchill_EU View Post
    Actually I dont know if melt armore is such a loss compared to fire blast. I mean, ignoring the -Def it is still a -10% res that refresh faster (actually twice faster, does it stacks?) than it last. Thats a straight 10% dmg boost that technically "overcap" (the word doesnt really fits here) damage bonus.
    The problem with Melt armor is that when you're using it, you're not attacking. I don't know how much it helps compared to not running your attack chain, though every mention of it in the Scrapper forums has led me to believe it's numbers are terrible. Werner will probably chime in on this one.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nightchill_EU View Post
    Now maybe I could also skip Tactics and slot up Dark Consump with Oblit and save a Crush impact. Or maybe it just ***** everything up. Tho I can very much not having Dark Consum, I like almost never use it and I run already all the Leadership toggles.
    Tactics has the GSFC set in it for the 2.5% Def to all positions, so replacing it with an Oblit set in a different power would keep softcap to Melee, but you'd lose softcap on both Ranged and AoE.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nightchill_EU View Post
    I also see that you use 5x LotG 7.5 AND Basilik's Gaze 4 pieces.. does it stacks? I thought it was only 5 times that same effect.
    You can't have more than five of any set bonus, this is true. However, the LotG 7.5% do stack with normal 7.5 set bonuses. Therefore, you could have five LoTG 7.5% recharge bonuses and also five 7.5% normal recharge set bonuses.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nightchill_EU View Post
    Btw, I feel kina bad having to slot up Stamina with 6. Is it like THAT worth it to go cap AoE def?
    And can anyone explain me how Grand Cover works? I mean, it doesnt looks like a toggle, duration states 0.75s...
    Well, you're going to want 4 slots in Stamina anyway, especially since you don't have CP and PP from Body. The two slots give you a tad more end recovery, a 2.5% damage buff, and bumps your AoE def to softcap. In general, most people view this as worth the slots. Some AVs have some heavy hitting AoEs, so I think softcapping AoE is worth it for that purpose alone. For normal gameplay, no you'd probably not notice the difference very often.

    Primarily, Grant Cover give you, and nearby teammates, 13.84% DDR and is why you take the power. See Werner's prior post about how DDR works and why having a high percentage matters. GC also gives you and your teammates 13.84% Recharge Debuff Resistance and, while useful, isn't the primary reason to take the power. Finally, GC also gives only your nearby teammates 8.44% +Def to all but Psionic, which is again not generally a reason to take the power, but may be useful to your team. By nearby, I mean 15' radius.
  13. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nightchill_EU View Post
    Does it actually works? My brother tryed it and said it never procs, like -never-.
    I noticed a marked increase in DPS on pylon runs with my DM/SD. Now, it is possible I was more efficient with my attack chain/SD timing, or lucky with the damage procs, as I wasn't monitoring how often the GSFC proc fired. I know on paper it's not a huge boost, but it is a boost. I have Body instead of Blaze for endurance sustainability, so I can afford to run it. With Blaze, you won't be able to run it constantly, so it would be a situational usage barring outside buffing.
  14. Gaidin

    Dark/SR

    POST-ACTION

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SOMEonE Nice View Post
    this build is terri-bad
    The one you posted isn't very good either..Chance for hold proc in MG, under-slotted Hasten, Hecatomb proc isn't in Smite, more Def than is remotely needed which takes away from other things you could improve for Av soloing...

    @OP: The MG>Smite>SL>Smite chain is the best and requires 234.2% Recharge in MG. If you have the global recharge needed to get that, then you'll have enough in Smite and SL by default.
  15. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Werner View Post
    I really don't think 300+ DPS is going to happen without cannon fodder given that some of the really good players with really good builds haven't broken 300 WITH cannon fodder. Shred Monkey broke 300 DPS, but on a much shorter fight, so random chance probably played a larger role.
    Yeah, even with fodder, the 300 mark is tough to get, so going fodderless isn't goign to cut it.

    Once bills stop being so inconvenient and I can afford FRAPS, I intend to give it another go. Sadly, WeGame doesn't support Windows XP 64-bit, so I must shell out for FRAPS. <mumbles about real life being a bother>
  16. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nightchill_EU View Post
    For the build itselft, I was wondering if sacrifying Fireball for basicly more +def carriers was worth it compared to just pick Shadowmelt and drop its cooldown to about 30 sec.
    Forget about Shadowmeld. You don't need it on a /SD toon.

    I came up with three builds. I have issues with all three, but when not using Purples or PVP IOs, it becomes more difficult to nail all of the general build goals I shoot for. If I had to pick one of the builds, I would use the third one - I'll explain why shortly.

    First Build: Has 46% Melee/46.6% Ranged/43.1% AoE. Runs MG>Smite>SL>Smite gapless. Slightly padded Melee/Ranged is good for debuffers, and the AoE not being capped isn't terribly bad. End net gain is 2.06/sec - worse than the other builds. I also dislike that SL is not slotted for any Heal enhancement.

    This build has two things going for it over other builds - it has Shadow Maul(you could swap SM out for DC if you wanted) and SD is slotted with GSFC, so it won't kill your fodder as fast(with a team, this is less important than solo). The issue I have with this approach is that SD's Accuracy is kinda crappy - 79.9% vs. +4.

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    Second Build: Softcapped to all positions - 46.2%/46.1%/45.2%. This build is 2.5% recharge shy in MG of running the MG>Smite>SL>Smite chain gapless. You may not even notice. Net End gain is 2.26. I shoot for 95% Acc vs. +4 in all attacks before SD, but this build falls short in all but SD. SD has an oblit set and 108.1 Acc vs. +4. The build also has Tactics which can be situationally run for a boost to teammates' Acc, as well as upping your DPS due to the GSFC proc.

    This build has one major thing up on the third build - Fireblast is slotted and usable. If you don't need Fireblast, proceed to build three.

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    Third Build: This build has all positions softcapped: 45.5%/46.1%/45.2%. Alternately, you could drop the 3rd Enzyme Exposure in Battle Agility and put that slot into Fireball with a Detonation Acc/Dam/End IO, which would drop your AoE Def down to 44.6% but give Fireball better numbers. Net End gain is 2.23/sec.

    This build runs the MG>Smite>SL>Smite chain gapless. All attacks, sans Fireball, have 94.6% Acc vs. +4 before SD. SD has 113.5% Acc vs. +4. I also like the slotting of SL the best in this build. It has Tactics for helping teammates and for adding DPS to yourself due to the GSFC proc.

    What I dislike is that, instead of having Fireblast, you have Melt Armor as a set mule in this build, and the power sucks so you will never use it. All the other numbers I like better, and I personally rarely find myself using a ST ranged attack, so this seems like a fair trade to me. YMMV. If you don't need Fireblast, this is the build I like the best.

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    If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I hope these help you out and I wish you good Scrapping!
  17. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Xinn View Post
    You actually may have nailed it. I've been dabbling with DM/SD, and the two complement each other pretty well; heals from DM help the lack of regen on SD, and SC helps the lack of AoEs on DM.
    DM/SD is an excellent combo, it's my main. However, it's not going to churn through large spawns quickly while leveling as it's very ST focused. SC does assist with AoE quite a bit, but not until 38, and it doesn't quite make up for DM not having one at all (no, I don't count SM, as, while useful, it is far from the usefulness of a PBAoE).

    Keeping that in mind, it is a wonderfully synergistic combination and, when built properly, allows you to feel exceptionally heroic. It is a money pit, so your goal of growing it will certainly come into play.

    Here's a thread that has numerous DM/SD builds in it and will give you alot of excellent advice:

    http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showt...highlight=Dark

    Keep in mind that you'll want to look at the builds later in the thread that account for the BoTZ nerf.
  18. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SOMEonE Nice View Post
    trust me jsut do mine hah
    Your build is less than optimal; it can't even run the MG>Smite>SL>Smite chain. You keep spamming it in every thread, which is upsetting because you're purporting it to be the end-all-be-all of DM/SD builds when it's really quite sub-par. This is quite misleading to new players.

    @ OP: Sant's build is certainly good, but since your initial build shows use of both Purples and the PVP IO, I'd suggest looking through this thread:

    http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showt...highlight=Dark

    It has a ton of excellent high-end DM/Shield builds that will assist you in a final build.
  19. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SOMEonE Nice View Post
    and i had that build saved before the BotZ nerf
    Then why post it if it is no longer pertinent, especially with the moniker "Take this build and no other...."?

    @ OP: You state that you're looking for pure DPS. This includes Fireball by your first posted build, but other builds don't have it. Is Fireball something you want in the build? Also, since you have a /Kin in your party, do you need a travel power? Eliminating a travel power frees up a build quite a bit, and with Ninja Run available, it has become a fairly common practice even without a /Kin to speed you up. Finally, I know you said no purple enhancements, but would you be willing to do a set of Absolute Amazement in Boxing since it's a fairly inexpensive purple set?

    Once I get this info, I'll put a build together for you.
  20. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mauk2 View Post
    Except that broadsword CAN pair with shield defense, and given how gently SD was handled in it's 'rebalance' we can probably assume no further harm will befall it.

    I stand by my statement: The consensus is that kat/ is better than bs/, and the consensus is wrong. Yes, this stance is based upon one specific combo. But that combo is very, very nice indeed.
    I stated:

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gaidin View Post
    The problem is that unless you're going for burst damage, or want to use a Shield, Katana does always beat Broadsword. Katana has better EPS(endurance per second), DPS(damage per second), and DPA(damage per activation) than BS does.

    The only thing I can say that might sway you is that if you're going for an AV killer, I'd have to give the nod to Katana if you're not going with /Shield because Kat/WP can do higher DPS than BS/WP. BS/WP can still do the job, but Kat/WP will do it faster.
    So, I already addressed the Shield issue. Yeah, BS/Shield is a great combo, but that doesn't negate the need for comparison between Kat vs. BS. You can't simply ignore the numbers between the two primaries, especially when the OP is specifically comparing the two while using WP as the secondary.

    OP: Shadow Meld will be extraneous once you have invested some influence into the toon and get your defenses built up to 45%+. This is true of Parry as well.

    True Grit is a great power and if you take it at low levels, it really helps survivability before your defense has matured. Active Defense is a must take ASAP - getting mezzed will be not only lead to deaths, but will become very frustrating.

    As far as a build goes, I don't have a BS/Shielder, but here's my DM/Shield. It's a very expensive build, but it should at least give you some ideas of what can be done with /Shields. This is my actual live build and it's designed to exemplar down to level 27 without losing softcap, which is why most IOs are level 30 or lower.

    Code:
    | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
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  21. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Hai Jinx View Post
    Why would you say most /SRs are not soft-capped? You can soft-cap /SR with a very minimal investment.
    Because the majority of the player base has no idea what "softcap" even means.
  22. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Xinn View Post
    I've heard Katana is, strictly speaking, better due to faster animations.
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mauk2 View Post
    That is the consensus, with which I heartily disagree.
    The problem is that unless you're going for burst damage, or want to use a Shield, Katana does always beat Broadsword. Katana has better EPS(endurance per second), DPS(damage per second), and DPA(damage per activation) than BS does.

    That being said, I have a BS/WP and it was indeed a very fun toon. BS has a CRUNCH! factor that is lacking in Katana. Katana is more flowing and aesthetic looking, plus it has better numbers. When I made my BS/WP, I didn't know the numbers. Now that I do, if I had to do it over again I would definitely make a Kat/WP instead.

    Also, the one thing BS has going for it, burst damage, is usually wasted as you're doing more damage than a target has HP, wasting the big damage number. The exception would be hard targets, but in that case Katana does better DPS, so it's still the better option.

    For a first Scrapper, many forumites usually recommend Kat/WP, and for good reason. It's a solid combo that offers early high survivability with Divine Avalanche(DA) stacking with WP's regen and resists. WP has the ability, with Inventions and certain power choices, to get enough Defense to not need DA, which then raises how much DPS you can do quite a lot. WP also has Quick Recovery at 20, allowing you to put off the Fitness pool until much later in the build, if at all. Kat/WP will allow you to level quickly and safely without needing to invest anything beyond what you would get from leveling anyway.

    BS/Shield would be good as well, though /Shield is a late bloomer, much like /SR, since it is a Defense-based secondary. It does have the ability to become absolutely amazing in the endgame with a significant investment and, built correctly, you can attain excellent survivability while leveling, though this usually relies on using purple inspirations for tough battles.

    All-in-all, if you're deciding between BS and Kat, go with what feels fun. Both perform well and neither will be terrible. The only thing I can say that might sway you is that if you're going for an AV killer, I'd have to give the nod to Katana if you're not going with /Shield because Kat/WP can do higher DPS than BS/WP. BS/WP can still do the job, but Kat/WP will do it faster.
  23. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Arcanaville View Post
    Maybe Claws/Shields for AoE more than single target. .
    Instead of a mistype, I'm hoping it's an unintended foreshadowing to a future patch... I know I'm not the only one either. <looks at BillZ>

    edit: Hope addressed and smashed while I was typing even.
  24. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ClawsandEffect View Post
    No, no gap....Parry. It activates and recharges fast enough that it fits nicely in the gaps of a Broadsword attack chain.

    It just seems logical that time spent doing little damage will improve your DPS more than time spent doing no damage at all.

    My chain goes Parry-Hack-Parry-Disembowel-Head Splitter, mostly because my recharge blows on my build.

    I'd rather be hiting with a weak attack and improving my defense than standing there doing nothing while I wait for Disembowel to recharge.
    The highest DPS BS attack chain is HS>Hack>Disembowel>Hack>(gap) @ ~154 DPS. If you need Parry to cap Defense, then that's a different story.
  25. Gaidin
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Iggy_Kamakaze View Post
    OP

    Not gonna happen...
    the 1st char I rolled when GR hit was a Scrapper.... and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one
    Nope. You're not.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Bill Z Bubba View Post
    That'd be cooooool. I'd love to dump the teen rating and get some persistent gore flyin around.
    I think this is at least a fourthing.