KillerShrike
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Posts
235 -
Joined
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I would look at it this way...do you have any other clickies that are NOT attacks / direct damage dealers that you rely on to make your character work?
If yes, the over all effect of the RECH on all of your clickies might be better for you. If your clickies are just attacks though, the DMG is probably better.
Secondly, look at the t2 incarnate benefits; that might break any indecision for you. If you don't have Heals or Stuns the Spirtual t2 might not suit your fancy, for instance.
So far I've only gotten two of my 50's incarnated out due to time constraints and being distracted by the Winter Event, my MA/SR scrapper and my KM/EA brute.
I went for END / RES on the MA/SR which works very nicely as I slotted heavily for damage and accuracy and have a LOT of toggles between SR, Tough / Weave, Maneuvers, and Focused Accuracy. Thanks to Stamina, Phys Perfection, and the top end endurance helping IO's the character was always _ok_ on END before, but now I'm glad to say that he's now _great_ on END.
I went for RECH / HEAL on my KM/EA. I've already got 4 LotG 7.5%'s and nearly perma-Haste, but the Incarnate helped me get that much closer to perma. Between Power Siphon and Energy Drain (and Haste for that matter), the character benefits from heavy recharge, and between a lot of Regen boosts from IO, Health, Physical Perfection, and the Heal from Energy Drain I notice the HEAL aspect of the incarnate t2.
I'm going to incarnate out a lvl 50 D3 Defender next, and I'll probably go with Damage for when solo, and RECH / Heal when teamed. -
MA/SR can be very fun, but you dont have a lot of options. Except for Practiced Brawler and Elude SR is all toggles and autos, and MA is pretty much just straight Smashing damage.
My original character is a softcapped lvl 50 MA/SR and he's pretty nasty, but I definitely feel the lack of a click heal when things manage to hit me and I get down into the red. If I don't have a green inspir or a team mate with a heal I'm outta luck. If I run into a AV or EB with high smashing resists, I'm in for a hard and frustrating fight.
So, thematically, MA/SR works and can be very competitive, but now that I'm more experienced with the game I tend to opt for power set combos that give me more options. Having played one up to 50 I don't regret the experience and still take the character out for a spin now and then, but I wouldn't make a second MA/SR for a repeat experience. -
Ive never run a Dark / Dark Brute past about 10 or 12, but I've got a lvl 50 dark / dark / energy scrapper and a level 41 dark / dark tank...and a level 50 Dark / Dark / Dark defender for that matter...so I'm pretty familiar with the set.
Dark Dark is really a very powerful combo. You just have to stay on your toes and use your clickies intelligently. The set rewards active management.
If you are more of a click and forget player you will faceplant a lot, because Dark / Dark life and end are yo-yo's. If you miss Dark REgen or Dark Consumption at a key moment, you will have problems. On the otherhand, you can go from nearly knocked out and reeling from lack of END to totally topped off in seconds. My darks usually start off ugly with a Dark buidup (can't recall the power name off hand but its a click siphon that debuffs and damages) and Shadow Maul + Sands of Mu combo, Siphon Life and / or Midnight Grasp as the come up, and a Smite or Boxing to fill any gaps in the chain...my life and END falls quickly, I pop Dark REgen and Dark COnsumption, finish the spawn fully refreshed and dive into the next one.
I use Hover to plug the KB gap, but an IO works also...or Acrobatics even I suppose. THat's the main annoyance w/ Dark / Dark is not having any kb protection. If you can't use your critical clickies because you are getting flipped on your rear end its a problem.
As to the Taunt, it works fine with the combat stealth. Anything you taunt will see you and come to you, other mobs will tend not to notice you. With just a little bit of finesse you can be pretty precise with how many you grab, particularly solo where you are on your own time and everything is under control. My dark tank works like a taunt and burn tanker; I taunt big mobs on to me and let Death Shroud melt them away.
Anyway, Dark Dark is a different feel than other sets. It can be a lot of fun if you like a more adrenaline fueled experience. -
Well, I figured out the incarnate system and got Kid Hype slotted up with the RECH / HEAL boost. Pursuing the incarnate stuff and doing the Apex and Tin Mage TF's (and re-doing ITF, STF and KTF for incarnate salvage) set me back a bit on picking up the last few IO's to complete sets; I got 2 of 4 rather than all 4. But, I'm all incarnated out and back on track to finish the build.
Overall, I didnt really feel much impact from the incarnate slot. It did help close the window on Hasten's recharge a smidge more, and it capped the recharge on some powers that were under ED, so I did get a benefit from it but the bonuses from IO sets is much more essential I think. Granted, it was really easy to get the t2 incarnate; just a handful of unlock missions and some TF's I like to do any way. Maybe the later tiers will change that equation. -
BlissfulChaos:
You might want to consider IO sets that are more DEF focused to pick up your numbers a bit. With the mediocre DDR (50%) EA has you want some buffer to protect you from cascading defense failure if you get debuffed. Also, you can get Fire and Cold up to softcap with a little effort.
EA's Auto RES powers are kind of meh and it is tempting to skip them, but they do allow you to slot the nicer RES IO sets without dipping into the fighting pool.
Alternately, if you are going to get Tough, you should get Weave also. The extra DEF will put the icing on your cake. Personally, I didn't want to pay three powers to get the easy DEF buff, and went with Maneuvers instead and made up the difference with IO sets. Maneuvers is less efficient than Weave, but the power slot trade off is hard to argue with on a tight build.
EA's t9 is very very good. Even if you are softcapped it has extra hit points and also more DDR. It's crash is pretty mild and manageable with good timing and practice such that its just a minor inconvenience. Just save a purple and a blue or two and you can be toggled back up and in the fight within seconds before the crash wears off. If you do also take Conserve Power then its even less of a problem as you can easily run your toggles and fight on while the 0 REC debuff is on by popping a single blue inspir followed by Energy Drain, or two blue inspirs if ED isn't up yet. It's really easy to offset the crash, basically.
You're paying a lot for the medicine pool. If you pump more into your DEF and RES you wont need to heal yourself. With rare exception, Energy Drain slotted as a heal supplemented with the occasional green inspir is more than adequate to keep my KM/EA healthy.
Personally, I pushed the recharge hard on my KM/EA and almost have perma-haste, so my clicks are very available. I also took the RECH Alpha which is just gravy. Power Siphon and Energy Drain are part of my attack chain.
Also, don't underestimate the mitigation of KM's soft control. Burst is a very reliable knockdown, as is the ranged chi ball attack. The knockdowns and to a lesser degree stuns help to keep foes under your thumb. With enough Recharge, you can almost juggle mobs with Burst. Also the damage debuff inherent to KM helps too.
With the combination of Energy Cloak and taunt you can control how much aggro you are managing pretty effectively, which also helps.
All in all, with my KM/EA the vast majority of foes are not much of a challenge. Really, the only mobs that are a problem are ones with heavy ToHit buffs like Rularuu; they pretty much just hit you regardless of your DEF, and hard-hitting un-typed Psi attacks. As an edge case very powerful negative energy users can also put a hurtin on you; Ghost Widow is almost an instant face-plant for my KM/EA if someone else isn't holding her aggro because she hits almost every time for a lot; I hit the t9 and hope we can drop her in 3 minutes or less. Death Mages on the other hand are not a problem. When fighting DE, make sure to wipe out quartz emanators and Gaurdians (the purple gem guys) as it will wipe out your DEF.
I have a lot of fun with my KM/EA; I hope you have the same experience!
There's some discussion in this thread that might help you:
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=237725 -
I just use Conserve Power to mitigate the t9 crash. Pre-I19 I didnt take it at all. If it were to be replaced by some more useful power I would not mind one iota.
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This is my KM/EA lvl 50...
He's pretty solid, but can be one-shotted by the tougher AV's if they manage to hit him.
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.90
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Kid Hype: Level 50 Mutation Brute
Primary Power Set: Kinetic Melee
Secondary Power Set: Energy Aura
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Quick Strike- (A) Smashing Haymaker - Accuracy/Damage
- (5) Smashing Haymaker - Damage/Endurance
- (7) Smashing Haymaker - Damage/Recharge
- (25) Smashing Haymaker - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
- (9) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (34) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
- (40) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Recharge
- (A) Kinetic Combat - Accuracy/Damage
- (5) Kinetic Combat - Damage/Recharge
- (7) Kinetic Combat - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (25) Kinetic Combat - Knockdown Bonus
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
- (9) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (36) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
- (40) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Recharge
- (A) Adjusted Targeting - To Hit Buff
- (11) Adjusted Targeting - To Hit Buff/Recharge
- (15) Adjusted Targeting - Recharge
- (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%
- (11) Aegis - Resistance
- (13) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance
- (40) Aegis - Resistance/Recharge
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
- (13) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (39) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
- (A) Unbounded Leap - Jumping
- (15) Defense Buff IO
- (A) Mocking Beratement - Taunt
- (17) Mocking Beratement - Taunt/Recharge
- (17) Mocking Beratement - Taunt/Recharge/Range
- (39) Mocking Beratement - Accuracy/Recharge
- (48) Mocking Beratement - Taunt/Range
- (48) Mocking Beratement - Recharge
- (A) Obliteration - Damage
- (19) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge
- (19) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge
- (23) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (36) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (36) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
- (21) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
- (21) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Recharge
- (39) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (A) Reactive Armor - Resistance
- (23) Reactive Armor - Resistance/Endurance
- (43) Reactive Armor - Resistance/Recharge
- (50) Reactive Armor - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Jumping IO
- (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
- (27) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance
- (27) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
- (37) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (37) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (37) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Miracle - Heal/Endurance
- (29) Miracle - Endurance/Recharge
- (29) Miracle - Heal/Recharge
- (31) Miracle - Heal
- (31) Miracle - Heal/Endurance/Recharge
- (31) Efficacy Adaptor - EndMod/Recharge
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (46) Recharge Reduction IO
- (50) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage
- (33) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance
- (33) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge
- (33) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (34) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (34) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative)
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (45) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
- (45) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge
- (46) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
- (46) Red Fortune - Defense
- (A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff
- (42) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge
- (42) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance
- (42) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Recharge/Endurance
- (43) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Endurance
- (43) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up
- (A) Endurance Modification IO
- (45) Endurance Modification IO
- (A) Miracle - +Recovery
- (48) Miracle - Heal
- (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
Level 1: Brawl- (A) Empty
- (A) Empty
- (A) Empty
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift- (A) Empty
- (A) Empty
- (A) Healing IO
- (50) Healing IO
- (A) Endurance Modification IO
- (3) Endurance Modification IO
- (3) Endurance Modification IO
Set Bonus Totals:- 12% DamageBuff(Smashing)
- 12% DamageBuff(Lethal)
- 12% DamageBuff(Fire)
- 12% DamageBuff(Cold)
- 12% DamageBuff(Energy)
- 12% DamageBuff(Negative)
- 12% DamageBuff(Toxic)
- 12% DamageBuff(Psionic)
- 17.38% Defense(Smashing)
- 17.38% Defense(Lethal)
- 11.44% Defense(Fire)
- 11.44% Defense(Cold)
- 9.25% Defense(Energy)
- 9.25% Defense(Negative)
- 3% Defense(Psionic)
- 17.69% Defense(Melee)
- 9.875% Defense(Ranged)
- 10.5% Defense(AoE)
- 1.8% Max End
- 43% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 5% Enhancement(Heal)
- 47.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 9% FlySpeed
- 185.53 HP (12.38%) HitPoints
- 9% JumpHeight
- 9% JumpSpeed
- MezResist(Held) 5.5%
- MezResist(Immobilize) 11%
- MezResist(Stun) 2.2%
- 9.5% (0.159 End/sec) Recovery
- 40% (2.503 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 1.26% Resistance(Fire)
- 1.26% Resistance(Cold)
- 1.26% Resistance(Energy)
- 1.26% Resistance(Negative)
- 14% RunSpeed
Set Bonuses:
Smashing Haymaker
(Quick Strike)- MezResist(Immobilize) 2.2%
- 16.87 HP (1.125%) HitPoints
- 1.875% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 0.938% Defense(Melee)
(Kinetic Shield)- 10% (0.626 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 16.87 HP (1.125%) HitPoints
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Smashing Blow)- MezResist(Immobilize) 2.75%
- 22.49 HP (1.5%) HitPoints
- 3.75% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 1.875% Defense(Melee)
(Power Shield)- 10% (0.626 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 16.87 HP (1.125%) HitPoints
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Power Siphon)- 2% DamageBuff(All)
- 1.26% Resistance(Energy,Negative)
(Dampening Field)- 3% Defense(All)
(Dampening Field)- 5% RunSpeed
- 3.125% Defense(Fire,Cold), 1.563% Defense(AoE)
(Maneuvers)- 10% (0.626 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 16.87 HP (1.125%) HitPoints
- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Taunt)- 1.8% Max End
- MezResist(Held) 2.75%
- 2.5% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 1.25% Defense(Melee)
- 3.125% Defense(Fire,Cold), 1.563% Defense(AoE)
- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Burst)- MezResist(Stun) 2.2%
- 3% DamageBuff(All)
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 3.75% Defense(Melee), 1.875% Defense(Lethal), 1.875% Defense(Smashing)
(Energy Cloak)- 10% (0.626 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 16.87 HP (1.125%) HitPoints
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Energy Protection)- MezResist(Immobilize) 1.1%
- 1.25% Defense(Energy,Negative), 0.625% Defense(Ranged)
- 1.25% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 0.625% Defense(Melee)
(Focused Burst)- 2% (0.033 End/sec) Recovery
- 2.5% Defense(Energy,Negative), 1.25% Defense(Ranged)
- 7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 4% RunSpeed, 4% FlySpeed, 4% JumpSpeed, 4% JumpHeight
- 2.5% Defense(Ranged), 1.25% Defense(Energy), 1.25% Defense(Negative)
(Energy Drain)- 2.5% (0.042 End/sec) Recovery
- 28.11 HP (1.875%) HitPoints
- 5% Enhancement(Heal)
- 1.875% Defense(AoE), 0.938% Defense(Fire), 0.938% Defense(Cold)
(Concentrated Strike)- MezResist(Immobilize) 2.75%
- 22.49 HP (1.5%) HitPoints
- 2.5% DamageBuff(All)
- MezResist(Held) 2.75%
- 3.75% Defense(Melee), 1.875% Defense(Lethal), 1.875% Defense(Smashing)
(Overload)- MezResist(Immobilize) 2.2%
- 1.26% Resistance(Fire,Cold)
- 2% DamageBuff(All)
- 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Focused Accuracy)- 5% JumpSpeed, 5% JumpHeight, 5% FlySpeed, 5% RunSpeed
- 28.11 HP (1.875%) HitPoints
- 2.5% (0.042 End/sec) Recovery
- 2.5% DamageBuff(All)
- 2.5% Defense(Melee), 1.25% Defense(Lethal), 1.25% Defense(Smashing), 2.5% Defense(Ranged), 1.25% Defense(Energy), 1.25% Defense(Negative), 2.5% Defense(AoE), 1.25% Defense(Fire), 1.25% Defense(Cold)
(Physical Perfection)- 2.5% (0.042 End/sec) Recovery
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Here you go....this is the current state of Kid Hype (note that I'm filling in 4 non-essential IO's that I don't have yet but will within the week, but this is about 98% accurate).
Eventually I plan on picking up some other key IOs such as Numina's +Rec +Reg, and mabye replaceing Smashing Haymaker with another Kinetic Combat set. But...not really essential at this point as I have plenty of DEF and plenty of Rec and Reg.
I haven't figured out the Incarnate system yet, but I plan to angle towards increasing Regen and Recharge if possible.
Enjoy....
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.90
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Kid Hype: Level 50 Mutation Brute
Primary Power Set: Kinetic Melee
Secondary Power Set: Energy Aura
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Quick Strike- (A) Smashing Haymaker - Accuracy/Damage
- (5) Smashing Haymaker - Damage/Endurance
- (7) Smashing Haymaker - Damage/Recharge
- (25) Smashing Haymaker - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
- (9) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (34) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
- (40) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Recharge
- (A) Kinetic Combat - Accuracy/Damage
- (5) Kinetic Combat - Damage/Recharge
- (7) Kinetic Combat - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (25) Kinetic Combat - Knockdown Bonus
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
- (9) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (36) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
- (40) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Recharge
- (A) Adjusted Targeting - To Hit Buff
- (11) Adjusted Targeting - To Hit Buff/Recharge
- (15) Adjusted Targeting - Recharge
- (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%
- (11) Aegis - Resistance
- (13) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance
- (40) Aegis - Resistance/Recharge
- (A) Endurance Reduction IO
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
- (13) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (39) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
- (A) Unbounded Leap - Jumping
- (15) Defense Buff IO
- (A) Mocking Beratement - Taunt
- (17) Mocking Beratement - Taunt/Recharge
- (17) Mocking Beratement - Taunt/Recharge/Range
- (39) Mocking Beratement - Accuracy/Recharge
- (48) Mocking Beratement - Taunt/Range
- (48) Mocking Beratement - Recharge
- (A) Obliteration - Damage
- (19) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge
- (19) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge
- (23) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (36) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (36) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage
- (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
- (21) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
- (21) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Recharge
- (39) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
- (A) Reactive Armor - Resistance
- (23) Reactive Armor - Resistance/Endurance
- (43) Reactive Armor - Resistance/Recharge
- (50) Reactive Armor - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Jumping IO
- (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage
- (27) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance
- (27) Thunderstrike - Damage/Recharge
- (37) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- (37) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (37) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (A) Miracle - Heal/Endurance
- (29) Miracle - Endurance/Recharge
- (29) Miracle - Heal/Recharge
- (31) Miracle - Heal
- (31) Miracle - Heal/Endurance/Recharge
- (31) Efficacy Adaptor - EndMod/Recharge
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (46) Recharge Reduction IO
- (50) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage
- (33) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance
- (33) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge
- (33) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- (34) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- (34) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative)
- (A) Recharge Reduction IO
- (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
- (45) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
- (45) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge
- (46) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
- (46) Red Fortune - Defense
- (A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff
- (42) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge
- (42) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance
- (42) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Recharge/Endurance
- (43) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Endurance
- (43) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up
- (A) Endurance Modification IO
- (45) Endurance Modification IO
- (A) Miracle - +Recovery
- (48) Miracle - Heal
- (A) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
Level 1: Brawl- (A) Empty
- (A) Empty
- (A) Empty
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift- (A) Empty
- (A) Empty
- (A) Healing IO
- (50) Healing IO
- (A) Endurance Modification IO
- (3) Endurance Modification IO
- (3) Endurance Modification IO
Set Bonus Totals:- 12% DamageBuff(Smashing)
- 12% DamageBuff(Lethal)
- 12% DamageBuff(Fire)
- 12% DamageBuff(Cold)
- 12% DamageBuff(Energy)
- 12% DamageBuff(Negative)
- 12% DamageBuff(Toxic)
- 12% DamageBuff(Psionic)
- 17.38% Defense(Smashing)
- 17.38% Defense(Lethal)
- 11.44% Defense(Fire)
- 11.44% Defense(Cold)
- 9.25% Defense(Energy)
- 9.25% Defense(Negative)
- 3% Defense(Psionic)
- 17.69% Defense(Melee)
- 9.875% Defense(Ranged)
- 10.5% Defense(AoE)
- 1.8% Max End
- 43% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 5% Enhancement(Heal)
- 47.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 9% FlySpeed
- 185.53 HP (12.38%) HitPoints
- 9% JumpHeight
- 9% JumpSpeed
- MezResist(Held) 5.5%
- MezResist(Immobilize) 11%
- MezResist(Stun) 2.2%
- 9.5% (0.159 End/sec) Recovery
- 40% (2.503 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 1.26% Resistance(Fire)
- 1.26% Resistance(Cold)
- 1.26% Resistance(Energy)
- 1.26% Resistance(Negative)
- 14% RunSpeed
Set Bonuses:
Smashing Haymaker
(Quick Strike)- MezResist(Immobilize) 2.2%
- 16.87 HP (1.125%) HitPoints
- 1.875% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 0.938% Defense(Melee)
(Kinetic Shield)- 10% (0.626 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 16.87 HP (1.125%) HitPoints
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Smashing Blow)- MezResist(Immobilize) 2.75%
- 22.49 HP (1.5%) HitPoints
- 3.75% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 1.875% Defense(Melee)
(Power Shield)- 10% (0.626 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 16.87 HP (1.125%) HitPoints
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Power Siphon)- 2% DamageBuff(All)
- 1.26% Resistance(Energy,Negative)
(Dampening Field)- 3% Defense(All)
(Dampening Field)- 5% RunSpeed
- 3.125% Defense(Fire,Cold), 1.563% Defense(AoE)
(Maneuvers)- 10% (0.626 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 16.87 HP (1.125%) HitPoints
- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Taunt)- 1.8% Max End
- MezResist(Held) 2.75%
- 2.5% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 1.25% Defense(Melee)
- 3.125% Defense(Fire,Cold), 1.563% Defense(AoE)
- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Burst)- MezResist(Stun) 2.2%
- 3% DamageBuff(All)
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 3.75% Defense(Melee), 1.875% Defense(Lethal), 1.875% Defense(Smashing)
(Energy Cloak)- 10% (0.626 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 16.87 HP (1.125%) HitPoints
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Energy Protection)- MezResist(Immobilize) 1.1%
- 1.25% Defense(Energy,Negative), 0.625% Defense(Ranged)
- 1.25% Defense(Smashing,Lethal), 0.625% Defense(Melee)
(Focused Burst)- 2% (0.033 End/sec) Recovery
- 2.5% Defense(Energy,Negative), 1.25% Defense(Ranged)
- 7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 4% RunSpeed, 4% FlySpeed, 4% JumpSpeed, 4% JumpHeight
- 2.5% Defense(Ranged), 1.25% Defense(Energy), 1.25% Defense(Negative)
(Energy Drain)- 2.5% (0.042 End/sec) Recovery
- 28.11 HP (1.875%) HitPoints
- 5% Enhancement(Heal)
- 1.875% Defense(AoE), 0.938% Defense(Fire), 0.938% Defense(Cold)
(Concentrated Strike)- MezResist(Immobilize) 2.75%
- 22.49 HP (1.5%) HitPoints
- 2.5% DamageBuff(All)
- MezResist(Held) 2.75%
- 3.75% Defense(Melee), 1.875% Defense(Lethal), 1.875% Defense(Smashing)
(Overload)- MezResist(Immobilize) 2.2%
- 1.26% Resistance(Fire,Cold)
- 2% DamageBuff(All)
- 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
(Focused Accuracy)- 5% JumpSpeed, 5% JumpHeight, 5% FlySpeed, 5% RunSpeed
- 28.11 HP (1.875%) HitPoints
- 2.5% (0.042 End/sec) Recovery
- 2.5% DamageBuff(All)
- 2.5% Defense(Melee), 1.25% Defense(Lethal), 1.25% Defense(Smashing), 2.5% Defense(Ranged), 1.25% Defense(Energy), 1.25% Defense(Negative), 2.5% Defense(AoE), 1.25% Defense(Fire), 1.25% Defense(Cold)
(Physical Perfection)- 2.5% (0.042 End/sec) Recovery
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Thanks!
I respec'd for i19 last night. I'll try to make time to get the current post-inherent fitness build into Mid's and posted up by the end of the weekend.
The good news is that, predictably, it's even better. -
Used to be Axe, but War Mace got buffed at some point and is just better in the mid to late game.
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I have played KM on a Scrapper, but not up to level 32 so I can't really say if the crit factor makes that big of a difference.
But really, Power Siphon is up for me most of the time on my brute, thanks to the heavy recharge in my build, and even without it I do a lot of damage. With Fury alone I float at around 130-150% damage enhancement; with Power Siphon saturated I get up to around 250% at peak. I generate so much damage and threat that I sometimes take aggro away from actively taunting tankers.
As to the Energy Cloak aspect, I took Taunt (also good for an IO set mule; taunt sets are pretty tasty), and just aggro at will whatever mobs I need to maintain Fury. It's not a problem at all, and the extra option to stealth is very handy.
I do have to be careful against Psi, but a single small purple inspir is usually enough to cover the hole while I clean out the Psi, and if all else fails there is always the t9 god mode which grants extra hitpoints. It's manageable. By comparison I've got experience with Invulnerability and it's Psi hole and while Dull Pain is hard to argue with as a counter, EA can still cope with its Psi hole in the mid to late game.
EA is a weaker set, but its not unplayable and it is fun (for me). -
Yes, I have a level 50 KM/EA, Kid Hype on Champion. It's a very fun, capable combo, but I aggressively invested heavily in IO's from level 12 up.
Here's an older build post:
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=237725 -
I posted my KM/EA build here a while back:
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=237725
In the meantime, I've reached 50 and am well on the way to completing the last few IO's (one more LotG global recharge and numina's +REC +REG to go, and a couple of optionals). I made a couple of corrections / tweaks from the posted version (I used Miracle in Energy Drain vs Numina's being the main one). I need to sit down and re-build for I19 and will post that when I'm done.
The character is very potent and a lot of fun. -
I can't speak to Energy / Energy directly, but I do have a level 50 Kinetic Melee / Energy / Energy and he's quite powerful.
I find KM to be very thematically and SFX matched with Energy Aura; the animations and auras synch up very naturally. I also like having an uncommon power set combo; I've only run into one other KM/EA early on, and not at all in the upper levels.
It required persistent pursuit of key IO sets, of course, but I've got 46-47 percent vs Smashing Lethal Energy Fire and Cold, 35% vs Negative, and 20% vs Psi.
As a side effect, Melee, Ranged, AoE are also btwn 20-25% DEF from the IO bonuses, CJ, and Maneuvers.
The combat stealth is actually quite nice and though I didn't think I'd like it on a Brute, I've had no problems maintaining Fury at max. I took Taunt both as a set mule and to help me pull exactly as much aggro as I want / need to keep Fury going; secondarily it allows me to be helpful on teams. It's actually very efficient.
The control and Damage Debuff of KM is very effective. The AoE knockdown of Burst, and stuns are very reliable and help boost up my survivability.
I never ever ever run out of END, except right after the T9 crash. With accolades and Superior Conditioning I have 120 END, a really high REC, and with Energy Drain I can get back END as frequently as every 28 seconds (and a decent heal - I slotted it as a click heal and get 86 health per person around me). Even the T9 crash is easily manageable.
I recently ran the Sarah Moore TF and the Rularuu tore me up a bit (I'm DEF based; what are ya gonna do?), but other than that I very rarely go face first. I sailed up to level 32, and quickly got thru the 40's. I ran a lot of TF's, did the badge granting missions via Ouro, and did a bunch of Hero Merit missions; leveling was on "automatic".
It may not be for everyone, but honestly this character has been the most fun character I've ever leveled in CoH, even displacing my original year one character and long time main from my "most favorite" spot. And I've leveled a bunch of characters. Give it a try and see what you think... -
Maybe the Tank isn't used to working with a Brute and didn't realize that they can function as a Tanker-lite.
Maybe the Tank was trying to herd for maximum AoE effect and you were contravening their basic and more team-centric tactic.
Maybe you aren't used to working with a Tank and didn't realize that when there is a real damage sponge on the team you are better served generating DPS.
If you really want to be an island unto yourself without team interference instead of running one mob over you should run two mobs over...or just solo.
Maybe your tactics work fine for some groups, but on that particular team the dynamic was different and you missed the opportunity to adapt.
It's difficult to say, but it doesn't sound like anything to lose sleep over. -
With hero merits it becomes kind of moot I think. I'm just doing endless Hero Merit loops, picking up prime recipes every 2 or 4 days (some cost 1 hero merit, others 2). If I still have time to kill after hitting the daily alignment mission cap I either do something to earn normal merits (ouro is good for this, or a fast TF) or log a different character for a while.
I tend to buy the recipes that only require 125 normal merits or so with normal merits and the more unreasonable expenditures I get with hero merits. If I need some fillers to complete a set and they are cheap on the market, I'll pick them up with influence.
I'm most of the way thru a very expensive build doing this. Other than the monotony of doing the same missions over and over its painless. -
I have it on a WP tank. I use it as a set mule for a Taunt set, and as an occasional panic button. It also looks cool to bat away a crowd of bad guys.
Is it great or optimal? No. Could I live with out it? Yes. Does it sometimes help out? Yes. Does it look cool? Yes. Is there some other power I'd take instead if I got rid of it? No, not really. -
The value of Gaussian's is the 6-set bonus to DEF. The build up is just an incidental.
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My limited experience taking an EM brute to 10 was pretty painless and fast, but the set _felt_ slow and limited, and I ultimately parked the character and moved on.
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I don't see what the problem is for people. It's just a gauge. The speedometer in my car goes to 180 mph, but that doesn't bother me when I'm cruising down the I-5 at 90 mph.
Similarly, when I'm one-shotting bad guys with my fury bar way over to the right I'm not obsessing that its not quite _all the way over_.
Enough is as good as a feast.
We know that post I18's adjustment, that we're hitting the expected threshold. And I for one think the Fury changes were for the better over all. -
After a certain threshold, it ceases to matter; once you are tough enough to survive anything over that is just gravy. Properly selected (ie not self-gimped by bad power selections) slotted (ie, sufficient slots on key powers and using IO's effectively) and played well (ie the player is competent) pretty much all of the sets are very survivable - even Energy Aura.
However, if you are casual, don't want to min/max, don't want to wait until the last 10 or so levels to feel powerful, and want to just wade into packs of mobs and stand there while they beat on you, I think Invul or WP are your best bets.
Invul is tougher but not entirely toggle and go - you'll occasionally need to click Dull Pain or Unstoppable vs certain types of baddies. WP has issues with big initial salvos, but this is easily mitigated with orange purple and / or green skittles. You do have a t9 clickie but its so mild that I don't even bother to take it on some WP characters.
With both Invul and WP tankers (not brutes), I've gone and made a meal or a fresh pot of coffee while being pack attacked. They're still healthy when I come back. Sometimes I'll auto-toggle an PBAoE and let them auto-whittle the mob down while I take care of other business. Very durable.
I've got some soft-capped DEF characters that are equivalently tough, but you can't ever really rule out the RNG hating on you unpredictably, so they aren't quite as reliably tough. Also, it takes an IO investment and effort to get there. They also tend to be squishier at early levels, pre-DO and pre-SO.
Dark/Dark is AWESOME and powerful and does crazy things at the high end, but you have to pay attention and use your clickies or you will go down. For thematic reasons I've never paired Dark Armor with anything other than Dark Melee so I can't speak to how it fares with other attack sets. EDIT: though, now that I think about it, it's really Dark Regen and Siphon Life (not to mention to hit debuffs) that keep me alive, so maybe DA itself isn't the awesome in that awesome sauce.
Fire is obviously not that "tough" in the taking of damage department, but it does feel tough in the wow I totally waxed that mob in no time flat sense.
I haven't gotten an Electric Armor guy very high yet, but I like it. I can't speak to its high-end toughness yet. It feels very similar to Dark Armor to me, at least at lower levels.
Shield is interesting. With IO's its really ridiculous, but out of the box its squishy. A lot of swing. You do need to pay attention with shield, its much more offensive and aggressive than most sets, though not as far over as fire.
I've never gotten a stone past 10; I just d o n o t l i k e i t. YMMV.
Hope that helps.... -
I have an Ice / Ice / Ice at 45, a year 1 character actually that I've just never taken the time to kick over to 50. It's a different experience to be sure, and a power combo you don't see very often. People don't seem to have a high opinion of it, generally.
However, it's a powerful, utilitarian combo with a lot of options available to it.
The slows and holds are brutal; I've actually managed to stack enough holds to hold AV's (though just briefly), and the slows, ice storm, and ice patch generally leave mobs too busy running (slowly) in all directions to pay any attention to me while i pick them off. It's like shooting fish in a barrel.
On the other hand, you have to marshal your AoE's carefully and if you lose control of a fight you need to bottle out and run, then come back in and reassert control after the mob bunches up again.
Outdoors I hover-blast. You have several drops and cones, and a top down attack works extremely well.
Indoors I typically stay on foot and use Ice Patch + corner pulls to excellent effect. The cones and ice storm work really well in hallways, especially with an ice patch between me and the mob. It's pretty comical to see the mobs in disarray, slipping and falling, and generally bumbling around in slow motion.
I use the Concealment, Fitness, and Flight pools, and skipped all the melee attacks.
In the Ice epic pool, I have Snow Storm which is a really major benefit, and Ice Armour. The Cold Mastery pool is very cool in general; I'm planning on getting Hoarfrost and Hibernate if I ever level to 50, and wish I could also pick up Flash Freeze.
I tend not to use Blizzard (the t9), unless my goose is already cooked, but that's because I generally don't care for the big-crash nukes. However, it is pretty brutal when I do use it.
Bottom line, Ice / Ice is very tactical and controller-ish. If you want to just run around and blast things it's probably not a great fit for you, but if you like to run around and set up killzones, or use some basic strategies it is very effective for that kind of play style.
It also teams very well, particularly on smaller teams thanks to its hybrid nature. All of your slows and holds benefit your compadres, and only Ice Storm and Blizzard have a side effect (mobs scatter to get out of it) that might irritate teammates. -
Try SS / Will. It's a great combo, and you wont have END issues.
SS / SR doesn't really combo well in my opinion. No real synergy. -
Depends on what you want it to be good at.
If by good you mean fall asleep at the keyboard while surrounded by angry +4 mobs and not have to worry about it, then: not so much.
If by good you mean viable and playable, with a legitimate niche to fill then: Yes!
If you are an aggressive player and want to play a flaming whirlwind of fiery conquering doom, then FA is really good at that. -
Here's a couple of other very recent threads about Energy Aura, one of them my own (my target build for my KM/EA brute):
What's wrong with energy armor*? *[sic]
KM/EA Build
And here is my rough, probably naive, idea on possible improvements to the set from the first linked thread:
I want to like EA, but it does seem to be a tad bit anemic compared to other defense sets. It tries to be off-center and a little toolboxy, but it just doesn't offer enough in any area to compensate for its lack of focus. Compared to the somewhat similar Dark Armor for instance, it just fails to compete.
On the otherhand, I think it wouldn't take anything drastic to make this set very viable. The minor tweaks made a few issues ago (I forget which ish, but when ED got a heal added to it, and so forth) helped and were moves in the right direction, but just aren't quite enough.
One change that would immediately improve the set would be to make the DDR (or at least a chunk of it) enhanceable. If the set could get up to 75% DDR base not including t9 god mode, the cascading failure problem would be greatly reduced.
The other obvious target for improvement is the two resistance Autos. The low base numbers combined with the very limited damage types make these powers not worth taking. They simply don't do enough. Lots of things could be done with these two powers without breaking the Cottage Rule. An interesting idea might be to make them both grant 5% RES vs all damage types except psi, and 10% vs energy; enhancehable to ~16% vs all and ~32% vs energy if both were taken and fully slotted.
It doesn't make much difference mechanically, but thematically it would be nice if EA offered elevated levels of DEF vs energy specifically; perhaps even enough to softcap without IO's
As for END efficiency; Conserve Power just seems to be unneeded for this set in its current incarnation. It's redundant. It would be more interesting to see something like an AUTO effect that had a much milder global endurance reduction, similar to Quickness vis a vis recharge times. EDIT: an effect similar to the temp mutation Pain Tolerance, actually.
Just my $.02. I keep chisling away with EA for concept reasons hopping that my perseverance will one day be rewarded with a buff. This has panned out in the past with SR, Dark Armor, Invul, and I'm hoping it will again.