Grey Pilgrim

True, and it does do a fair amount of damage, too, about on par with Lightning Bolt, which isn't shabby. Just takes a little getting used to.

For the build, I'm shuffling things around so I get Tough and Weave sooner as well. That's one annoying thing with much of the defense coming from Weave and Maneuvers rather than IOs, too (my ranged defense builds don't have this issue). I have to put some things off that I'd rather not.

Thanks for your help again... I knew I just wasn't thinking out of my build box enough.

Blech, I hate Kinetic Combats... so bloody expensive and slow dropping, but pretty much needed to up your Smash/Lethal defense.

I see why you dropped Voltaic Sentinel for Charged Brawl, and I guess it makes sense for a Blapper, but I'd kind of miss ole' Sparky. I'll have to see if I can stomach that. Oy, and slotting a hold with melee IOs... *shudders* slotting for S/L is suggesting I do things on this guy that I don't like.

Don't get me wrong though, Fury. I really appreciate your help. I'm just running into personal preference, concept, etc. issues with this. So thanks, really!

Oh, and I forgot to put this in my first post. I realize the Ice Epic has a shield that could easily help this build plan, but I am not touching it with this guy. His name is 1.21 Gigawatts, and he is coursing with electricity... no ice allowed. I may drop Sparky, but I am not making this guy look like an ice cube (and you can make ice from the epics look clear yet like I did with my Ice Armor Tanker).

*raises eyebrow*

What's in that tea, chap? You're acting a bit odd.

If you're wanting to run it, suggest a time, you should get takers. If you run it right, it's a good way to get merits, actually. I do wish it wasn't such a pain to get there, though.

Article about STO on that Beckett MMO site. I've been gaining more interest as I read about STO, but this bit has kind of scared me off.

"Finally, Borg space is the end game, which will take teams of players to defeat. 'Bridge officers just won’t cut it,” Craig said. “This is raid content.'"

If it's optional like TFs are in CoX, I'm good (and not requiring that you have a consistent group of people to play with at all times). If this means STO is going to be raid-heavy like WoW... there is no way I'm touching this. That'd be a shame, too, as it sounds interesting. But WoW was kind of fun, until I realized how much raiding was needed at the end. That made it work and not fun. Same thing here, potentially.

Yup, when rolling in the 30-35 range on Grey Pilgrim, I've gotten level 30 recipes (as that's where the set ended), or 50s. I find it annoying and mostly just purchase merits at the more expensive price. I know it's technically more expensive, but I usually just cash in on an expensive recipe and buy everything else from Went's.

I'd rather get a recipe that I know I can sell or slot at a level I want, rather than roll on some recipes I know I won't want no matter what. I'm not sure why the system is this way, or why it supposedly is seen as a bad thing (in lieu of any dev comment and often expressed desire for selecting levels on rolled recipes in the market section, I can only assume this is WAI, and not something that they hope to implement due to some weird thing in the system).

Hey all, I planned out an E^3 build that I was pretty happy with, and had it up to about 31% defense to ranged damage, which usually cuts it pretty well for my other Blasters.

Since this guy is usually going to be more up close with mobs (I'm going with the mob draining route for him), I thought maybe I should try setting him up with Smash/Lethal defense. I got a little frustrated doing it, however, as the end use ended up being high for my tastes(might not be a big deal on an E^3). I don't know if I had all the powers nicely slotted, either, and all I got for it was 27% defense to Smash/Lethal. Anyone have ideas about how I could improve it, or is this a usual issue Smash/Lethal defenses on an Electricity Blaster?

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Z Smash Lethal Defense Blaster: Level 50 Natural Blaster
Primary Power Set: Electrical Blast
Secondary Power Set: Electricity Manipulation
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Electrical Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Charged Bolts -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(5), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(5)
Level 1: Electric Fence -- Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx(A)
Level 2: Lightning Bolt -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(9), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(9)
Level 4: Ball Lightning -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(13), Posi-Dmg/Rng(13)
Level 6: Combat Jumping -- Krma-ResKB(A)
Level 8: Aim -- Rec'dRet-ToHit(A), Rec'dRet-ToHit/Rchg(15), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(15), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(17)
Level 10: Havoc Punch -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(17), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(23), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31)
Level 12: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 14: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A)
Level 16: Build Up -- Rec'dRet-ToHit(A), Rec'dRet-ToHit/Rchg(25), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(27), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(27)
Level 18: Tesla Cage -- NrncSD-Acc/Rchg(A), NrncSD-Acc/Hold/Rchg(19), NrncSD-Acc/EndRdx(19), NrncSD-EndRdx/Hold(21), NrncSD-Hold/Rng(21), NrncSD-Dam%(23)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(25)
Level 22: Lightning Field -- Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(33), Oblit-Dmg(34), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(34), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Oblit-%Dam(36)
Level 24: Short Circuit -- C'ngBlow-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx(29), C'ngBlow-Dmg/Rchg(29), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc(33), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(36), Efficacy-EndMod/EndRdx(37)
Level 26: Voltaic Sentinel -- ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(31), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(36), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(37), BriL'shp-Dmg/EndRdx(37)
Level 28: Thunder Strike -- Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(40), Oblit-Dmg(43), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(48), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48), Oblit-%Dam(48)
Level 30: Boxing -- F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg(A)
Level 32: Thunderous Blast -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(40), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(40), Posi-Dmg/Rng(46)
Level 35: Power Sink -- Efficacy-EndMod/EndRdx(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(46), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(50)
Level 38: Shocking Grasp -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(39), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(39), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(39)
Level 41: Shocking Bolt -- NrncSD-Acc/Rchg(A), NrncSD-Acc/EndRdx(42), NrncSD-Acc/Hold/Rchg(42), NrncSD-EndRdx/Hold(42), NrncSD-Hold/Rng(43), NrncSD-Dam%(43)
Level 44: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam(45), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(45), RctvArm-EndRdx(45), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(46)
Level 47: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(50), LkGmblr-Def(50)
Level 49: Maneuvers -- S'dpty-Def/EndRdx(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance

Yeah, I'm cautiously optimistic that we will see new map types, kind of like City of Villains brought to the game. It wouldn't make sense for them not to have them.

I'm less optimistic but still hopeful that we will see different map tilesets and layouts spread throughout the game, too. That alone would freshen things considerably.

And as always, I will ask my rhetorical "where's my Going Rogue info." Because we all know Player Questions is part actual question, part rhetorical. Heh.

One other note, you do get double influence and prestige when you're at 50, so that's been more of my focus with the past couple of double experience weekends. I will also occasionally have characters that are close to a new "should be fun and cool" power, so I'll get them to that point so I can try it out, too.

Not sure where the halfway point is, either. Somewhere in the 30s still sounds right to me, but that's just a gut feeling.

I don't recall all the specific buffs each tower gives Recluse in the STF (it's a good idea to know them at the start, so you can take them out in good order... the ones that buff his to-hit, damage, and defense are big priorities), but at the start, you want your Tank to turn off any damage aura (he might summon a bunch of bane spiders if you leave it on), and get to about 75% defense and resists- that's how much his attacks can do with those towers up. So that means bringing inspirations and having someone support you.

Even at those levels, Recluse will still tag you sometimes, and he hits hard. Even with my Fiery Aura tank that had his heal recharging every 20 seconds, I was glad I had someone there healing me. At any rate, don't take any risks with your health... put it back to 100% ASAP when he hits you. Once you have most (if not all, depending on what your team needs) of the towers down, it helps to move Recluse to a corner of the map, as he'll summon banes when you start injuring him, and this gets them all clumped for the rest of your team to drop easily via AOEs (and for you to draw their aggro).

Fighting the patrons is always a little hit or miss. Hopefully you can just draw one, but if not, you should prioritize. Black Scorpion is usually left for last, as he's not quite as bad/dangerous. Scirocco has some annoying AOEs, so keep him focused on you and pointed away from your team. Ghost Widow... eh, different methodologies. If you have someone that can buff your mez resistance, have them keep it at the point where she can't hold you to death (if the hold does land, your shields mean nothing and the hold does a LOT of damage). If you don't have that, bring a lot of break frees to keep that up while she's attacking you. Having good defense is also a good idea to dodge that. You also have to look out for her heal, which she hits you with. Keeping most of your team at range helps there, and I believe the heal has a to-hit check, so keeping defenses up helps yet again.

Fun challenge, the STF. Also, don't forget to get your resists up when fighting Dr. Aeon in the second to last mission. In this incarnation, he actually hits really hard, and you don't want to faceplant against him (heh, my Fiery Aura tank died against him because we aggroed him unprepared, while my tank was never in serious danger while fighting the patrons or Recluse).

You've got enough feedback on the ITF, I think. Know your teams abilities... most people get buffers/debuffers for the ITF so you can just bumrush Rommy at the end, but separating him does work, as mentioned. If all else fails, you can oftentimes attack one of his fluffies from long range and kill it (don't get in his aggro range for this trick). When it dies, he'll come after you, but you can ditch him and repeat.

For the Dr. Kahn TF, defense is a good idea while fighting the Reichsman, as he has his one power that can hold you if you're not careful. After that, he can do enough damage to drop you since your shields are down. Also have a good plan for taking on the other AVs that come in periodically, as it usually helps a bit to keep them separate from Reichsman. That one is a lot less complex, though... it's more important to have enough buffs and debuffs to overcome his regen, massive HPs, and Unstoppable. Ugh. First time I ran that one, it took us 45 minutes to drop him, as we didn't have quite enough to hurt him quickly (it was the first day or two after the TF came out... it's much easier now that we know how to handle him better).

Elektro, there's no real rhyme or reason to getting invited. It doesn't matter who I'm playing, I'll get random tells sometimes (or tells from people I know), other times I don't. It really doesn't have bearing on the character I'm playing, either. It happens with Scrappers, Blasters, Tankers, etc.

Your experience is anecdotal, as is mine. But through all the posting and attitudes I've seen, there are some that are picky and some that aren't, and it's going to come out in a wash. Just play and have fun, and don't let other people dictate your fun.

You also go to this room for the last mission in Dark Watcher's arc, which is the very end of the Vanguard story arcs. As someone said earlier in this thread, the most annoying thing probably is that the mobs keep disappearing. In that final mission, you fight Hro'Dhotz, Nemesis, and great big waves of ambushes. It wasn't so bad on my Scrapper who wanted them all up close, but my Blaster that was trying to take things out before they got to him had a harder time.

There's also the whole "looks really bad" issue with it. Can't think of any other uses of this room, but that's a lot. Great room, really spooky to be under the mothership and all, but I want it working again, please!

See you there.

I like it a lot. LRM and the hold are most useful on an Assault Rifle character (since you have to draw out a rifle to use them), but I wouldn't think it would be bad on an Elec/Elec. I grabbed it on my Archery Blaster, but just for the armor and the debuff power (forgot the name).

One nice thing about the armor is even though it's weaker than the other epic armors, it stays working even when you're mezzed. As Hamster said, it's a nice place to throw some enhancements. I usually put the Steadfast +defense and 1-2 mez resist enhancements. Works out pretty nice.

For looks, LRM and the hold are cool. It's an ice hold, and even though LRM is interruptible, you can fire it from long range, and it has a large area. Almost a long range nuke (no crash, either).

Works well, but you'll want to balance it out with what you could get in other pools, like Electricity.

I'll join up for Moonfire and Hess, depending on how long the Moonfire takes. After that I will need to head out, I think.

Well, I do rather wish he had at least mentioned the improvements he's wanting to make. You can easily spin that as "good now, but going to get even better." Which the AE is at, arguably.

If anything, CoX and the AE haven't got enough got enough press as it is. It's a fun, different style that's worth a look from most players.

Ah, I generally don't prioritize on my mission teams, as I mostly just want to get a full team and keep it there. TFs are a different matter... I'll usually shout out for debuffs or a Tanker if needed, but most people are willing to swap characters if the team is lacking a bit. Even then, you don't have to be too picky with a lot of TFs. Newer TFs, though... yes, as the devs managed to make them a bit more challenge heavy.

At any rate, I was mostly saying that in general... some people tend to be AT snobs, and for no good reason. The great thing about CoX is about how you can make very diverse teams work. Just wanted to clarify for the OP.

One other thing to note... just because a team is rushing in doesn't mean there aren't tactics involved. When my team is steamrolling through mobs, it's usually because we're time it right. People who can take alpha start it out, holds and debuffs are fired off to make it all easy, etc. It can look seamless and tacticless, but not so, I would say.

It's not necessarily the high strategy needed in a strategy game, but it is there. I know, because with some teams, the above formula doesn't come together. And there are times where pulling a mob from close proximity to others is a good idea, and teams should pull. Doesn't always happen.

In playing every AT heroside and couple villainside, along with big and small teams, I can safely say there are tactics needed in game- above and beyond killing everything with fire.

Eh, I wasn't all that jazzed about the gift, as all I really need is more slots on my home server, Victory. I don't really care to play anywhere else... it has a good enough population, I know everyone, and I pretty much like them all.

Since the devs haven't said if we're getting more slots with Going Rogue, I made the hard choice to move a couple characters off Victory so I would have room for two characters to play through that from the start. Luckily, I already knew Champion was fun from Tanker Tuesdays, so I have a little personal SG there for when I feel like running those heroes.

No desire to play on Virtue or Freedom... it's all the same on any server, and playing elsewhere helps contain the notion that the other servers don't have people (it's not true, people just aren't looking). Quite funny situation, that... people leaving "smaller" servers perpetuates the problems I see people posting about. Not finding people, having too many people on Virtue and Freedom for special events. Heh.

Nothing against those servers, I just like people playing everywhere and follow through on that myself.