Heraclea

All of my builds are made to be quite playable with regular SOs and generic IOs. I seldom throw slots at a power just to chase set bonuses. With SOs you will have just under 40% defense versus all positions, which is quite adequate. But on a SO build, I would probably want to swap in Conserve Power instead of Hasten:

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

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Yansan: Level 50 Mutation Tanker
Primary Power Set: Shield Defense
Secondary Power Set: Electrical Melee
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Deflection -- EndRdx(A), DefBuff(9), DefBuff(11), DefBuff(15)
Level 1: Charged Brawl -- Acc-I:40(A), Dmg(3), Acc(3), Dmg(13), Dmg(37), EndRdx(37)
Level 2: True Grit -- Heal-I:50(A), Heal-I:50(9), Heal-I:50(11), ResDam(15), ResDam(43), ResDam(43)
Level 4: Jacobs Ladder -- Acc(A), Acc(5), Dmg(5), Dmg(13), Dmg(36), EndRdx(37)
Level 6: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(7), RechRdx-I:50(7)
Level 8: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I:50(A), Taunt-I:50(43)
Level 10: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff(A)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 16: Health -- Heal(A), Heal(17), Heal(17)
Level 18: Thunder Strike -- Acc(A), Acc(19), Dmg(19), Dmg(25), Dmg(25), RechRdx(34)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I:50(A), EndMod(21), EndMod(21)
Level 22: Battle Agility -- EndRdx(A), DefBuff(23), DefBuff(23), DefBuff(34)
Level 24: Taunt -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(36), Taunt(36), Range(42)
Level 26: Shield Charge -- Acc(A), Acc(27), RechRdx(27), RechRdx(31), Dmg(33), Dmg(50)
Level 28: Chain Induction -- Acc(A), Acc(29), Dmg(29), Dmg(33), Dmg(33), RechRdx(34)
Level 30: Build Up -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(31), RechRdx(31), ToHit(40), ToHit(46), EndRdx(46)
Level 32: One with the Shield -- ResDam(A)
Level 35: Phalanx Fighting -- DefBuff(A)
Level 38: Lightning Rod -- Acc(A), Dmg(39), Dmg(39), Dmg(39), RechRdx(40), RechRdx(40)
Level 41: Boxing -- Acc(A), Dmg(42), Dmg(42)
Level 44: Tough -- EndRdx(A), EndRdx(45), ResDam(45), ResDam(45), ResDam(46)
Level 47: Weave -- EndRdx(A), DefBuff(48), DefBuff(48), DefBuff(48)
Level 49: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(50), RechRdx-I:50(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet

I see tankers and scrappers (brutes as well) as part of a continuum of play styles. I do tend to lean towards the tanker side of the bar rather than the scrapper side. Tankers bring more to the table than most scrappers do, and as such contribute more to teams. And it seems to me to be easier to add steady state damage to tankers than it is to add survivability to most scrappers.

I have scrappers and brutes that are capable of tanking, and have tanked high level task forces, at least as far as the ITF, Reichsman, and LRSF. My Spines/WP scrapper is designated as my tanking scrapper, and is slotted for debuff and control as well as damage. (-speed and -recharge) My Dark Melee/WP brute is my tanking brute; she has Taunt. All of these builds sacrifice some damage for survivability.

I have another scrapper (dark melee/reflexes) that is plenty tough, but has no aggro or control abilities. I have a variety of regen scrappers built as pure DPS. I don't enjoy these characters nearly as much as my tanking scrappers and brutes, though. My favorite regen scrapper is fire/regen, which is good -- this is the scrapper I use to kill Arachnos with in RV -- but not nearly as fun for me as the spines/WP.

On the other hand, I am greatly enjoying a Shields/Electric Melee tanker. This tanker will be tougher than my Reflexes scrapper, and just as easy to put at the defense cap; and this character is close to the spines/WP tanker in efficiency and will be even tougher - defense equal to the reflex scrapper plus more hit points and resistance. The Shields/Electric tanker is like a tanker with a blaster nuke, and it's going to get better.

Avoiding frustration for me is key. A character that ends up defeated a lot is a character I will lose interest in very quickly. Tankers, by design, will be less frustrating as soon as you solve their endurance problem and get them some slots for damage.

If Aion could be thrown in as a lagniappe to my CoH subscription, I probably would play it, or at least check it out.

I did check out Champions Online, after all. That game had some very interesting features --- cars and trucks you could pick up and throw at bad guys, and the size of what you could pick up depended on your strength stat. But ultimately, that game failed: my character was way too squishy, the active defense was far too twitchy, and there was no reason whatsoever for a team to form and keep together. I hope they fix that stuff. But I haven't logged on for two weeks now. I'll give them another month, but they have an awful lot of fixing to do.

I did read up about Aion, but learning that half the game takes place in an open PvP zone was a major turn off. It may not be intolerable if your faction is dominant on the server you play on. It looks gorgeous, though.

I have taken breaks from here for World of Warcraft (never again: the treadmill is too obvious, and the old-line MMO structure encourages drama) and Lord of the Rings Online (a very good game, but slow and grindy in spots.)

They are - they give defense bonuses with a smaller investment in slots.

I'll admit it was slower here than in Zimbabwe. But the net effect of the excess ratio of inf to goods over the past couple issues was more or less exactly as you describe in the first paragraph quoted.

Prices skyrocketed, while the inf dropped by mobs over the course of play remained static. For someone for whom mob drops were the chief source of inf, the result was identical. The end result was to force you into a strategy of peculation and speculation on the markets, the only way to gain enough inf to meet current prices; or of hoarding and AE ticket farming, to minimize resort to the market.

It does fine for damage; although Boxing is slotted mostly as a set bonus mule. I don't find the animation all that annoying, and it's semi useful as a filler attack, esp. since this build doesn't have Air Sup like my main build does.

That build could easily drop the ancillary pool and also Resist Elements in favor of Hasten, Unstoppable, and Punch. I always take 2 of the first 3 attacks from a tanker secondary, and Haymaker is better than Punch IMO. All those things are a matter of taste.

But once you start getting close to 45% smashing and lethal defense and 40% energies defense even without any bad guys around you, I guarantee you will find that Unstoppable serves mostly as a hazard on your toolbar. Its chief purpose will be to remind you to be careful what button you press. You'll eventually eat another respec getting rid of it.

I would not recommend it for soloing, although it is not impossible. Ice is not terribly efficient, and Dark Armor would need something like that because of its endurance cost. But fortunately I have plenty of other tankers that solo quite well, so I just haven't.

Just so. Currency is a divisor. Its value is contingent by the supply of actual goods available for purchase. So if all the inf in the game were reduced by a factor of 100, no one would be poorer; and if everyone were awarded 2 billion inf, after a brief period of chaos, but in the aggregate there wouldn't be any more actual wealth in the system.

The problem is that over i14-i15, inf has been something like the Zimbabwean dollar.


Worth about a buck and a half in American.

This is a sample build I'm in the process of assembling the makings for. This will be quite costly if bought with inf, but as noted, you can cash in some Hami-Os for a bit of cash, and more importantly, even with SOs your tanker is more than capable of tanking any AV. This build is slightly more desirable for a Master run on the Statesman task force, but no set bonus is going to make or break you there; it's a matter of buffs and inspirations. At any rate, make a habit of running TFs and it's relatively easy to assemble the merits to buy stuff that's out of reach with inf alone.

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

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Heraclea II: Level 50 Mutation Tanker
Primary Power Set: Invulnerability
Secondary Power Set: Super Strength
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Temp Invulnerability -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(7), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(11), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(13), RctvArm-ResDam:40(31), RctvArm-EndRdx:40(33)
Level 1: Jab -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg:40(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx:40(3), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg:40(3), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:40(36), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:40(46), T'Death-Dam%:40(46)
Level 2: Dull Pain -- Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg:50(A), Dct'dW-Rchg:50(7), Numna-Heal/Rchg:50(13), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:50(45), Mrcl-Heal/Rchg:40(45), Mrcl-EndRdx/Rchg:40(46)
Level 4: Haymaker -- Mako-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx:50(5), Mako-Dmg/Rchg:50(5), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:50(15), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(15), Mako-Dam%:50(36)
Level 6: Swift -- Run-I:50(A)
Level 8: Unyielding -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(9), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(9), RctvArm-ResDam:40(34), RctvArm-EndRdx:40(34)
Level 10: Combat Jumping -- S'dpty-Def:40(A), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx:40(11)
Level 12: Taunt -- Mocking-Taunt:50(A), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg:50(40), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng:50(42), Mocking-Rchg:50(43)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel:50(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx:50(45)
Level 16: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:50(A), Numna-Heal:50(17), Mrcl-Rcvry+:40(17), Mrcl-Heal:40(43)
Level 18: Invincibility -- GftotA-Def/EndRdx:40(A), GftotA-Def:40(19), DefBuff-I:50(19), GSFC-Build%:50(37), Rec'dRet-ToHit:20(37), Rec'dRet-Pcptn:20(37)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I:50(A), EndMod-I:50(21), P'Shift-EndMod:50(21), P'Shift-End%:50(43)
Level 22: Knockout Blow -- Lock-Acc/Hold:50(A), Lock-Acc/Rchg:50(23), S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg:35(23), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx:35(25), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg:35(25), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(34)
Level 24: Boxing -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg:35(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx:35(36), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg:35(42), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(42)
Level 26: Tough Hide -- DefBuff-I:50(A), DefBuff-I:50(27), DefBuff-I:50(27)
Level 28: Rage -- AdjTgt-ToHit:50(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg:50(29), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg:50(29), AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg:50(50), AdjTgt-Rchg:50(50)
Level 30: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(31), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:40(31), RctvArm-ResDam:40(33), RctvArm-EndRdx:40(33)
Level 32: Resist Physical Damage -- Aegis-Psi/Status:50(A), Aegis-ResDam:50(48)
Level 35: Weave -- GftotA-Def/EndRdx:40(A), GftotA-Def:40(48), GftotA-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:40(48), GftotA-EndRdx/Rchg:40(50)
Level 38: Foot Stomp -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg:50(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx:50(39), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg:50(39), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx:50(39), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(40), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(40)
Level 41: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I:50(A)
Level 44: Physical Perfection -- P'Shift-End%:50(A)
Level 47: Resist Energies -- ResDam-I:50(A)
Level 49: Resist Elements -- ResDam-I:50(A)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet

My DA tanker went for /Ice. Since I planned on being primarily a team oriented tanker, I went for control. Also, I had never played /Ice before.

Stun heavy sets like Mace and Stone may also have some synergy with Dark Armor.

I know, anecdote is not proof. But last time I did a random roll, I did end up with an Edict of the Master. I crafted it and palmed it off on a controller I seldom play. (Her secondary is empathy, which is not much use solo, and no fun on teams unless you hide from /tells. I do believe that buff sets are not for me.)

Now, most of my merit purchases or rolls are intended for some character other than the one who has the inf or merits. The fact that random rolls get bumped up to their highest level for the merit owner rather than to the desired level means that even if I get what I wanted, it might not be useful until the target character hits 47.

I have designated one character on my main server as chief ticket farmer, salvage maker, and inf holder. When I do have a character with short merits who isn't saving towards a particular goal, I will roll them, craft the button, and if it isn't something worth saving I will pass it to this character to take to the market. And every so often she takes stock of the salvage needed to craft desirable or vendible drops, and stocks the shelves with it, mostly with MA tickets. So far, she's managed to accumulate around 70 million inf, an unimpressive sum here, and not nearly enough to buy any of the truly desirable recipes.

One problem I have ever had was that the inf and merits were scattered over multiple characters. This is what I am trying to remedy. If I occasionally resort to random rolls, it's for pooling purposes rather than for making every character rich. If I decide that a character needs a bonus or a set, the rest of them will pitch in.

The thing is - the stuff that nobody wants isn't going to help you accumulate inf. This is the issue I have with random rolls. You might end up with pet damage, immobilize, sleep or some of those other pool Cs that will fetch more inf from a vendor than from the market. 20 merits you could have saved for later down the drain. The burnt hand fears the fire.

I don't have an "issue with the actual act of buying and selling", though I do think that the Golden Rule applies and that no one should try to sell anything for more than what they are willing and able to pay themselves. But that's another screed of doctrine entirely.

I typically run a TF or SF every night. Sometimes two. Since i16, you can level on anything you can run, so I have spent less time on level 50s since it went live than usual.

There may have been other reasons. Because of travel power suppression, turning on Fly is my first line of defense against Speed Boost.

Take Fly and don't worry about it. There is a world of mitigation in Air Superiority that makes it as good or better than Hover or CJ in some circumstances.

On a purely min/max theme, a lot depends on where you run at. On full team spawns, it's probably true that CJ > Air Superiority; on smaller spawns, AirSup > CJ. If you're running full teams, you shouldn't have to worry all that much whether you min/maxed your defenses; teammates ought to be supplementing them. If you're soloing full team spawns, you're probably at a point where the difference between them is mostly moot.

But AirSup is an attack; it does damage, and it has a very nice recharge that makes it a good substitute for a tier 2 secondary attack you probably won't take anyways. CJ is just a toggle, eating some of your endurance. If you save your merits and put in 4 Kinetic Combats you'll get more melee defense out of AirSup than from CJ or Hover as well.

I wouldn't take Hover if you are super strength, though; it prevents Foot Stomp.

Probably about 12-15 per character. If I really need merits, I'll join Positron or Synapse.

It specifically works better for me this way because generally I am more eager to build up lower level characters than farm with level 50s. The fully built 50s generally serve to fund my lowbies with their drops and merits. I'm a concept artist, and the chief pleasure I find in the game is in learning how to approach the same content with different tools.

This is another reason why direct merit purchase works better than random rolls; the results of a random roll, even if I get what I hope to get, may be outside the level range for the character I intend the IOs for, while direct purchases can be set to the appropriate level at will.

Edit: to Catwhoorg - no, it's not you, it's just the whole "you don't deserve purples and there's nothing wrong with the market, even if you have to play for inf instead of for xp to participate" attitude that vexes me. Though I do agree with the OP on one point. The market is another PvP zone, and as such it brings out the PvP attitude in some people.

I am once again starting to purchase at least some salvage with inf instead of tickets, unless it is obvious from the screen that the market is upside down[*] on that particular piece. Still, I'm on a wait and see mode.

That's the thing about hedging against inflation with goods of intrinsic value. Regardless of whether prices are trending up or down, a Karma -Knockback IO is still a Karma -Knockback IO. Unless the underlying game mechanic is changed, it's just as good a year from now as it has ever been; and if I need it, it's there. So I hoard, and I am not eager to convert anything to inf.

Given my play style and priorities, I find it easier to accumulate 250 merits on a character than 250 million inf. So if I want a LotG recharge, that's the way to go. What doesn't sit well with me is the implication that those who don't convert their drops and rolls to inf are irrational or undeserving. No character of mine is going to have enough inf to acquire the costliest set IOs on the market. Random rolls are too risky for me; you could always end up with an Edict of the Master.

[*] E.g. 2242 bidding / 186 for sale