Maelwys

I've been experimenting with a few "high defense" blaster builds myself lately.

The best all-rounder powerset for this would appear to be /MM due to Drain Psyche (100HP per second regeneration on top of 45% Defence is just sick levels of mitigation, even before you throw in "World Of Confusion"). Compared to other methods of "pimping-out" a toon with Set IOs, they're quite cheap to build due to Thunderstrike and Makos Bites being comparatively inexpensive.

I usually focus on maximising enhancement percentage increases first and Set Bonuses second, but it's possible to get both if you sacrifice a few power picks (such as Hasten/Aid Self) and a bit of global recharge. Taken in its entirity, the Thunderstrike set is rather lacking in recharge and goes overboard on damage, but if used in a fast recharging set like Sonic or Archery this disadvantage is effectively negated.

[u]Archery/Mental Blaster - Soft Capped Ranged Defence plus 49% S/L Resistance[u]

[u]Sonic/Elec Blaster - Soft Capped Ranged Defence plus S/L/F/C Resistance[u]

Note that in both builds Energy/Negative Defence is also very high, although the Archery one trades a little for more global recharge.

I'm probably going to go this route with my Sonic/Elec Blaster rather than Aid Self + Force of Nature, which is why it's included above. My only minor quibble with it at present is that the Nuke takes 30 seconds longer to recharge than on my other IO build (with Hasten running on the other build it's 55 seconds longer) and aside from Thunderstrike (I hate Howl) the toon is pretty much single-target based. The Arch/MM has very little in the way of weaknesses other than a lack of Hasten.

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I've never understood people's fear of Voids... They're really not much more difficult to take out than any other mob as long as you remember they can resist some of your damage. The only time I ever worry is with the boss void spawns, which if they spawn with a regular boss, or an EB, can REALLY ruin your day. Fortunately, that's quite rare...

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I still smile at the Ambushes that include a Shadow Cyst Crystal. Especially on the ITF Cyst mission.

** PUG team steamrolling through the mission, blowing up the Cysts and kiling ambushes one-by-one **
** All of a sudden, a Cyst appears halfway down the hallway they'd just cleared beside an ambush mob **
"Oh lookie, another one!"
"Must have missed it..."
"Yay! More fodder for my awesome ninjaz!!!"
"WAIT! Don't mob that Cyst!!"
** PUG teammates dogpile it **
** PUG teammates disappear amidst 10,000,000 little purple clouds and a multitude of freem-freem noises **
** Lone Peacebringer in Light Form, with Hasten and the Geas accolade running barely manages to kill the Cyst before his recharge can be debuffed enough to manage one shot every other Wednesday **
** Massive explosion, killing off all the fluffy clouds along with two Brutes and a Scrapper that were too stupid to figure out how to jump out of the way **
"In Todays lesson, children, we learnt the difference between a MISSION OBJECTIVE Cyst and a REAL Cyst... how about tomorrow we cover the difference between an Elite Boss and a Giant Monster?"

Sheesh. I mean, you can solo or duo the things easilly, but they're sheer PUG kryptonite. Especially with Mastermind-heavy teams. Sometimes I wish the VEATs had special enemies that shoot you in the head fifteen times for every teammate of yours that's in melee range of it, just for the giggle factor...

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And (2) Secondly, Superman doesn't feel the need to brag or remind Guy Gardiner about just how many knots he could tie in his intestines every time they meet up.

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In that specific case though, it would probably be hilarious.

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Well yeah, and probably better than most of DC's current offerings...
Though Guy Gardiner's personality (rather than Superman's) is a little bit like the one in question.

I'm reminded about the whole "Guy versus Batman" incident, which was quite possibly the best (and shortest) fight in DC history... Guy was definately a bit of a GodModder prior to being educated with the Bat-LARTbat!

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Title really says it.

So, here's the situation. I got invited to a RPSG with my vill, from a guy I met on Heroes coalition, joined, SG chat is purely strict RP, but that's not the point, here's how it went...

WARNING: Contains LOTS of bad language and suggestive themes.

Sorry for lots of channel, it's SG chat only you should read.

[ QUOTE ]
2-29-2008 19:03:28 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>Greetings Me
12-29-2008 19:03:34 [Union Chat]TheFinnish: ill just give 1 finger salute for suckyfinnishtvchannels...
12-29-2008 19:03:42 [Tell] Guy 1: SG n Coalition chat is strict RP
12-29-2008 19:03:45 <color #ffaaff><color2 #ffaaff><colorhover #ffaaff><colorselect #0><colorselectbg #333333><link #ffaaff><linkhover #ffd2ff><linkselect #0><linkselectbg #666666>You are now in Super Group mode
12-29-2008 19:03:52 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>Greetings, mortals.
12-29-2008 19:03:59 [Union Chat]TheFinnish: showing reruns of heroes and lost seasons 1 for the 2nd time >/
12-29-2008 19:03:59 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>mortals?
12-29-2008 19:04:04 [NPC] Sam the Bartender: Hey, be safe out there. That dance floor can get tricky what with it being see-through and all.
12-29-2008 19:04:06 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>Yes, Mortal.
12-29-2008 19:04:08 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>do you know who i am?
12-29-2008 19:04:08 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>Say wha-?
12-29-2008 19:04:15 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>.....No, I do not.
12-29-2008 19:04:19 You are flying!
12-29-2008 19:04:29 [Union Chat]Mother's Love: our networks do that as well sometimes
12-29-2008 19:04:36 [NPC] Joe Young: Never bet against the Banana-nator!
12-29-2008 19:04:37 [NPC] Cornelius: You want in on the fun? Go use a Battle Terminal upstairs.
12-29-2008 19:04:45 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>then bow down, i am the son of Ares, and i am gifted at killing, maybe you will be next for your insult
12-29-2008 19:04:46 [Defiant Events]Leese: offline XP actually cancels out existing debt. Which is nice
12-29-2008 19:04:54 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>I cannot die.
12-29-2008 19:04:57 [Union Chat]Momma Crow: only sometimes mum ?
12-29-2008 19:04:57 [NPC] Sam the Bartender: Hey, be safe out there. That dance floor can get tricky what with it being see-through and all.
12-29-2008 19:05:07 [NPC] Pocket D Hostess: Welcome to Pocket D. Enjoy yourself.
12-29-2008 19:05:14 [47 Ties]AG: [Swift Spine:L50]off for abit cya all
12-29-2008 19:05:18 [47 Ties]Tyketto: [Midnight Mist:17:V:]cya AG
12-29-2008 19:05:22 [47 Ties]Nizru: [PhantomShift:V15]later AG
12-29-2008 19:05:24 [Union Chat]TheFinnish: at least u got more than 4 channels to watch....
12-29-2008 19:05:27 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>Mabye temporarily remain in a form of statis, but not die.
12-29-2008 19:05:37 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>ofcourse you can, my blade was forged to sever immortallity
12-29-2008 19:05:37 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>What the [censored] are you on about?
12-29-2008 19:05:38 [Union Chat]Mother's Love: well, apart from channel 5 and their 'freak of the week' documentarys
12-29-2008 19:05:39 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>I hold respect for one who demands that sort of authority.
12-29-2008 19:05:40 [NPC] Pocket D Hostess: This is the elevator to the club. Have a nice time.
12-29-2008 19:05:43 [47 Ties]Aurora: [Zombie Dufus:V14] cya AG
12-29-2008 19:05:55 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>So, I do respect you, I simply assumed you were a mortal.
12-29-2008 19:05:58 [Defiant Events]Leese: eek, they're hideous!
12-29-2008 19:06:01 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe><yawns>
12-29-2008 19:06:02 [Defiant Events]Leese: wrong channel
12-29-2008 19:06:06 [Union Chat]Luke1: They try to make you feel sorry for them, and give them epicly mean titles like: Freak with a tail
12-29-2008 19:06:10 [Union Chat]Luke1: Mixed messages much?
12-29-2008 19:06:13 [NPC] Port Oakes Bouncer: Hey, how's it going? If you want Port Oakes, it's this way.
12-29-2008 19:06:13 [NPC] Pocket D Hostess: This is the elevator to the club. Have a nice time.
12-29-2008 19:06:17 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>*backhands guy 2* "Quiet"
12-29-2008 19:06:23 [Union Chat]Mother's Love: Surprised you are not within the European satillites footprint?
12-29-2008 19:06:32 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>Assumptions kill my friend
12-29-2008 19:06:34 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>....Yes, I repsect you.
12-29-2008 19:06:45 [NPC] Pocket D Hostess: Welcome to Pocket D. Head through the elevator for a great time.
12-29-2008 19:06:47 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>Hmm. You make a valid point.
12-29-2008 19:06:58 [Union Chat]Envoy of the End: This just shows what peopel who watch Channel 4 want to see
12-29-2008 19:07:06 [Union Chat]Envoy of the End: Channel 5*
12-29-2008 19:07:07 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>Are you retarded or summit?
12-29-2008 19:07:09 [Union Chat]TheFinnish: but im not complainig since havent paid the permit to own/watch tv ever...
12-29-2008 19:07:17 [NPC] Port Oakes Bouncer: I hope you enjoyed yourself. If you're ready to leave, the door to Port Oakes is behind me.
12-29-2008 19:07:18 [Tell] @Natoe: not bad ty
12-29-2008 19:07:20 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>...Are you?
12-29-2008 19:07:21 [Union Chat]Mother's Love: you do realise you've just alienated every mutant in Paragon with a tail Luke1
12-29-2008 19:07:21 [Union Chat]Luke1: LOLTAXEVASION
12-29-2008 19:07:26 [Union Chat]Luke1: LOLPENALTY
12-29-2008 19:07:32 [47 Ties]Destruktor: cya ag
12-29-2008 19:07:35 [Defiant Events]Cyber: Thank for a great fun sister P guys
12-29-2008 19:07:41 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>I am Me, Demon of the satanic creed.
12-29-2008 19:07:43 [Union Chat]Envoy of the End: /e Ringtaxman
12-29-2008 19:07:50 [Defiant Events]Juggernault: Villians, Death Surge Gm sighted in cap Au Diable, anyone wanna come take him down?
12-29-2008 19:07:50 [NPC] Pocket D Hostess: Welcome to Pocket D. Head through the elevator for a great time.
12-29-2008 19:07:52 [Defiant Events]Lal: {Tesla Lal:16:V] o.0
12-29-2008 19:07:54 [Union Chat]Luke1: Bennnnnjamin
12-29-2008 19:07:58 [Union Chat]Envoy of the End: a
12-29-2008 19:08:02 [Union Chat]Envoy of the End: Lukkeeeeeeee! (:
12-29-2008 19:08:03 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>....Oh, and I enjoy burning souls.
12-29-2008 19:08:05 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>I Am Kalliades son of Ares, Demi-God of War
12-29-2008 19:08:05 [NPC] Bartender: Can I help you?
12-29-2008 19:08:06 [sals badgehunters]stayon: good evning all
12-29-2008 19:08:07 [sals badgehunters]Sypher Vendetta: any tfs on
12-29-2008 19:08:10 [NPC] Bartender: Welcome! Enjoy yourself!
12-29-2008 19:08:15 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>Your also modest
12-29-2008 19:08:20 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>And i enjoy pain, suffering and killing
12-29-2008 19:08:21 [sals badgehunters]Mother's Love: evening Stayon
12-29-2008 19:08:29 [Defiant Events]Mean Freeze: sure i can help kill deathsurge
12-29-2008 19:08:30 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>Hah! Demons are not made for modesty.
12-29-2008 19:08:34 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>I enjoy those also.
12-29-2008 19:08:41 [sals badgehunters]Mother's Love: Mothership Raid: 8:30pm UK time
12-29-2008 19:08:43 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>I enjoy sex, stealing and drinking, now the introductions over oh mighty overlord, shut the [censored] up.
12-29-2008 19:08:48 Shutting off Fly.
12-29-2008 19:08:48 You are no longer flying.
12-29-2008 19:08:50 [Defiant Events]Defcon Kid: I'm in for Deathsurge, need him for accolade, just swapping toon
12-29-2008 19:08:53 [sals badgehunters]Sypher Vendetta: ooo ty, im a bit low tho
12-29-2008 19:09:08 [Defiant Events]Juggernault: k, send me a tell who's comming
12-29-2008 19:09:10 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>but can you do it with great skill, and should we prove ourselves on Guy 2?
12-29-2008 19:09:11 [sals badgehunters]Fire Dancer: Sis Psyche tf - lvl 20-25, team now forming - 5 spaces
12-29-2008 19:09:22 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>I would enjoy that.
12-29-2008 19:09:22 [sals badgehunters]Sypher Vendetta: im 26
12-29-2008 19:09:37 [NPC] Warrior Raver: So, I'm about to head to the bar, want me to grab you something?
12-29-2008 19:09:37 [NPC] Vahzilok Raver: Interesting...
12-29-2008 19:09:37 [NPC] Skull Raver: So what's the word on that new Dyne shipment I keep hearing about?
12-29-2008 19:09:37 [NPC] Troll Raver: Me want drink now. You talk lots.
12-29-2008 19:09:37 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>would you mind joining me in the base?
12-29-2008 19:09:38 [sals badgehunters]Sypher Vendetta: u need a stone tank?
12-29-2008 19:09:39 [sals badgehunters]stayon: hi mother
12-29-2008 19:09:44 [NPC] Dockworker Raver: Well, that's an interesting story. Now let me tell you about a little thing I like to call 'reality'.
12-29-2008 19:09:44 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>[censored] no
12-29-2008 19:09:58 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>....He enjoys cursing, I see.
12-29-2008 19:10:02 [Union Chat]TheFinnish: ive been using Confuse on the man trying to see my permits...
12-29-2008 19:10:32 [Tell] Guy 2: Hm?))
12-29-2008 19:10:33 You activate Sprint and can now run faster.
12-29-2008 19:10:47 [Tell] -->Guy 2: ((that means swearing))
12-29-2008 19:11:21 [sals badgehunters]stayon: any gm hunting or mostf starting
12-29-2008 19:11:33 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>...oh, and yes, Im already there.
12-29-2008 19:11:45 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>You two are [censored] weird
12-29-2008 19:11:46 [sals badgehunters]Fire Dancer: 2 spaces for sis psyche tf lvl 20-25 for xp
12-29-2008 19:11:47 [sals badgehunters]Mr Wallace: any room on raid for a couple of lv 46 rad troller
12-29-2008 19:11:51 [47 Ties]Greenstalker: [Violetwalker:L6:Arachnos Widow] hi ties
12-29-2008 19:11:52 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>You can talk.
12-29-2008 19:11:57 [sals badgehunters]MESS: any one know id the bombs in the "stop rikti bombing" count towards the watchman badge
12-29-2008 19:12:01 [47 Ties]Nizru: [PhantomShift:V15]hey
12-29-2008 19:12:12 [sals badgehunters]salacious: they dont, nor do heavies
12-29-2008 19:12:12 [sals badgehunters]Biscuits: no, they don't.
12-29-2008 19:12:15 [47 Ties]Tyketto: [Midnight Mist:17:V:]hey
12-29-2008 19:12:24 [sals badgehunters]Cavima: hello, are you starting to form teams for raid?
12-29-2008 19:12:27 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>I can also kick the [censored] outta smart mouths like you, I didnt sign up to take [censored] by some demi-god up his own [censored]
12-29-2008 19:12:29 [sals badgehunters]MESS: ah well
12-29-2008 19:12:34 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>i suppose it is instinct for it?
12-29-2008 19:12:34 [sals badgehunters]Statesdane: already?
12-29-2008 19:12:44 [Defiant Events]Defcon Kid: anyone interested in defeating Deathsurge send tell to Juggernault
12-29-2008 19:12:56 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>I hate it when they complain. It makes killing them so very irritating
12-29-2008 19:12:59 [sals badgehunters]Mother's Love: 8:30pm UK time Cavima
12-29-2008 19:13:32 [sals badgehunters]Cavima: yah i have read it, just asking becouse mr wallace asked for team...
12-29-2008 19:13:35 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>i think it is more fun, you have to work so very hard for that final scream for mercy, so satifying....
12-29-2008 19:13:41 [sals badgehunters]Cavima: i wanted to make sure you havent started already
12-29-2008 19:13:47 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>Well, that is the good part, yes.
12-29-2008 19:13:53 [sals badgehunters]Mr Wallace: no just wanted ot know if its ok for toons lower than 50 to join
12-29-2008 19:13:54 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>Do you two ever get laid?
12-29-2008 19:14:01 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>[censored] is good
12-29-2008 19:14:04 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>Yes, actually.
12-29-2008 19:14:04 [sals badgehunters]Cavima: hehe ok so
12-29-2008 19:14:08 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>I do.
12-29-2008 19:14:20 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>[censored] makes sense, no one would willingly give you a [censored]
12-29-2008 19:14:23 [sals badgehunters]Biscuits: for a ship raid? as long as they don't mind being sidekicks.
12-29-2008 19:14:29 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>*sighs*
12-29-2008 19:14:36 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>which is more than I can say for you.
12-29-2008 19:14:39 [sals badgehunters]Mr Wallace: np with that just never done one
12-29-2008 19:14:43 [Defiant Events]nidah: need help still?
12-29-2008 19:14:49 [sals badgehunters]KDR: mothership raid aint about exp, but the merits
12-29-2008 19:14:52 [Defiant Events]Juggernault: yep
12-29-2008 19:14:52 [47 Ties]Nizru: [Sgt. Fist:V19]back
12-29-2008 19:14:55 [sals badgehunters]Mr Wallace: count Mr and Mrs Wallace in then
12-29-2008 19:14:58 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>HAH
12-29-2008 19:14:58 [Defiant Events]Juggernault: who u wanna come with?
12-29-2008 19:15:04 [Defiant Events]nidah: k i can get on my brute
12-29-2008 19:15:10 [sals badgehunters]Cavima: you can get 400merits each raid easily, very worthly
12-29-2008 19:15:14 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>Is he always this annoying?
12-29-2008 19:15:14 [sals badgehunters]Biscuits: their's 53's in the raid itself, so a mentor's more than just handy.
12-29-2008 19:15:14 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>You [censored] kiddin' me?, ive had more sex than your ever gonna get
12-29-2008 19:15:16 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>i could have any one, i can mind control anyone, i could force you and make it seem like you actually love me
12-29-2008 19:15:30 [sals badgehunters]Luke1: and 54s
12-29-2008 19:15:31 [sals badgehunters]Luke1: iirc
12-29-2008 19:15:40 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>He?, you [censored] retards havent even heard a womans voice have you?, let alone screw her, im a woman you retarded [censored]
12-29-2008 19:16:00 [sals badgehunters]Biscuits: possibly, wasn't too certain.
12-29-2008 19:16:01 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>......Really? you sound like a man...
12-29-2008 19:16:07 [sals badgehunters]Mr Wallace: cool just want to see the mothership sound like fun
12-29-2008 19:16:12 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>More of a man than you'll ever be
12-29-2008 19:16:18 [sals badgehunters]Fire Dancer: 2 spaces left on Sis Psyche - lots of freaks
12-29-2008 19:16:27 [sals badgehunters]Luke1: like this channel ;0
12-29-2008 19:16:29 [sals badgehunters]Luke1: jokes :P
12-29-2008 19:16:30 [sals badgehunters]salacious: is that the team or the enemies?
12-29-2008 19:16:37 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>Well, Man is but a title for a puny human, is it not?
12-29-2008 19:16:37 [sals badgehunters]Sypher Vendetta: how long dus sister psyche last?
12-29-2008 19:16:39 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>oh come now
12-29-2008 19:16:45 [sals badgehunters]Biscuits: 2-3 hours?
12-29-2008 19:16:45 Your friend Nithion is now online.
12-29-2008 19:17:13 [sals badgehunters]Fire Dancer: yea - 2-3 hrs
12-29-2008 19:17:20 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>Man is but a creation of my whim
12-29-2008 19:17:27 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>Riiight..
12-29-2008 19:17:32 [Defiant Events]nidah: k back
12-29-2008 19:17:35 [sals badgehunters]Fire Dancer: lol Sal - bit of both
12-29-2008 19:18:02 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>You created man?....
12-29-2008 19:18:09 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>I highly doubt as much.
12-29-2008 19:18:11 [sals badgehunters]salacious: best team build imo
12-29-2008 19:18:13 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>by accident
12-29-2008 19:18:30 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>along with Hades and Hephaestus, we got bored
12-29-2008 19:18:30 [Defiant Events]nidah: oh he not in the usual place
12-29-2008 19:18:35 [sals badgehunters]Biscuits: which side are you in that build, sally?
12-29-2008 19:18:44 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>....well, thats more likely. What right thinking god, would make something so worthless and insignificant.
12-29-2008 19:18:46 [sals badgehunters]salacious: enemy?
12-29-2008 19:18:57 [Defiant Events]Juggernault: second team is forming if u can find us
12-29-2008 19:18:59 [sals badgehunters]salacious: who am i kidding?
12-29-2008 19:19:05 [sals badgehunters]Lightnia: evening
12-29-2008 19:19:12 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>it is fun being worshipped
12-29-2008 19:19:18 [Defiant Events]nidah: where is he
12-29-2008 19:19:25 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>...And feared, that is rather amusing.
12-29-2008 19:19:46 [Defiant Events]Juggernault: east of the vanguard enterance
12-29-2008 19:19:47 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>feared?
12-29-2008 19:19:57 [Defiant Events]Juggernault: about half way to the edge of the map
12-29-2008 19:20:00 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>Not many exactly worship demons, do they.
12-29-2008 19:20:05 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>Not anymore, anyway.
12-29-2008 19:20:16 [Defiant Events]Defcon Kid: 517 yds East Vanguard entrance exactly
12-29-2008 19:20:18 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>Where the [censored] is Someone Else?, I aint takin' this [censored].
12-29-2008 19:20:24 [sals badgehunters]Lightnia: we doing another raid tonight mimsy?
12-29-2008 19:20:25 [Defiant Events]Juggernault: showoff:P
12-29-2008 19:20:29 [Defiant Events]nidah: ahhh see him
12-29-2008 19:20:37 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>Is the human always this annoying?
12-29-2008 19:20:37 [sals badgehunters]Lightnia: oops mumsy*
12-29-2008 19:20:42 [SuperGroup] Guy 1: <color #ff0101><bgcolor #010101>Someone Else is 'mislaid in time'
12-29-2008 19:20:49 [sals badgehunters]Biscuits: 8:30, yes.
12-29-2008 19:20:50 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>Then [censored] this
12-29-2008 19:20:53 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>Mislaid?...
12-29-2008 19:21:03 [sals badgehunters]Biscuits: (UK time, just over an hour).
12-29-2008 19:21:20 [SuperGroup] Guy 2: <color #0101fe>I signed up cus' Someone Else gave me a good job offer, and pay was aight, but I aint working with retarded [censored] like you two, later, not.
12-29-2008 19:21:22 [sals badgehunters]Lightnia: hehe just under its 7.20 :P
12-29-2008 19:21:29 [Defiant Events]nidah: heh too easy
12-29-2008 19:21:31 Guy 2 has quit the Super Group
12-29-2008 19:21:35 [sals badgehunters]Mother's Love: yes Lightnia. (sorry, afk, getting a jaffa cake)
12-29-2008 19:21:48 [sals badgehunters]Biscuits: ..so, just over an hour..
12-29-2008 19:22:00 [SuperGroup] Me: <color #010101>Well, that was strange.

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I know this was ICly, but Guy 2 then told the leader we were "godmodding", when we didn't godmod at all, just used threats.

So, my question is, why do people frown 'godly' characters? In RP you are who you are, he's a god, he's a human. In RP OOC powers/ATs don't affect IC power, as far as I'm concerned.

Discuss.

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To quote Dr. Ian Malcolm,
"That is one big pile of [censored]."

To elaborate: you (or at least "your characters") both come across on the same level as a couple of primary school kids. The little whiny weasels who come up to the other kids in the playground and go on about how their Dad is better than your Dad, or how their big brother could beat your big brother up.

The sort of kids that have to feel that they're utterly invincible and the best at everything, who when they get as far as second-level school tend to be bullies (if they're big enough) or GET bullied (if they're not).

When you take that personality and translate it across to a superhero game, it works out much the same way: their powers are better than your powers. They can't die, and if they can then YOU sure as heck couldn't manage to do it, because they're just so much better and more powerful than you are. It doesn't matter who you are. You could be Galactus's big brother, but anything you can do would just tickle. Unless you actually threaten to engage them in actual PvP, at which point they usually either point-blank refuse to "put their money where their mouth is", or blame the game designer's when their Invincible Demonic Warrior loses an arena match to an unpowered fat man with a pointy stick.

When two of these people get together, you get a sort of "I'm more invincible than you are" posturing. It's boring, it's old, it's juvenile, and it's certainly something that I sure as heck don't want to have to listen to in my chat channels. Frankly if that transcript's accurate then I've a lot of respect going for "Guy 2".

Which is silly really, since if you examine any accounts of actual comic book heros, you'll find a fairly consistent "underdog" theme going on. Even the really highly powered guys such as Superman or Thor tend to battle against foes that are even tougher than they are. And whilst, yes, such powerhouses COULD take on weaker guys like the Blue Beetle or Aquaman and paste their innards across the countryside... (1) Firstly, they simply don't do it because hurting those weaker than you is not heroic. I don't care what Judge Dread or the Punisher tell you. And (2) Secondly, Superman doesn't feel the need to brag or remind Guy Gardiner about just how many knots he could tie in his intestines every time they meet up. And (3) Finally, you never know who could have smuggled in a little nugget of Kryptonite...

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But one underlying problem is that Dwarf still can't tank. Might as well remove the taunt as I've never used and I haven't seen anyone else use it. It's far too big a risk of dying.

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But thing is, I'm not really looking for a build that expensive...that's the underlying problem (probably) why I can't tank and you can.

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SOs are hardly "Expensive"...
All the expensive HOs or set IOs in my builds are frills and icing. The main stuff, the stuff that my PB depends upon to function and survive, comes down to boosting raw enhancement % numbers - even SOs can do that.


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All of course an opnion...

Some people think differently.

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If you think that SOs are too expensive, there's not much advice I can give you other than "go earn inf".

Last I checked, you could fully outfit a level 50 with SOs for well under 10 million influence. That's the equivilant of one decent Taskforce Set IO drop, or a few hours playtime at level 50 out of SG mode.

Currently my main character has a little over 500 million influence on him, and had 100 million before issue 13. That's 400 million earned in under a month, just by casually running Ouroboros TFs every few days.

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It's not often I find myself in complete agreement with Shannon, but my Dwarfies can tank just fine...

I've two PBs; a Bi-form Human/Dwarf and a Triformer (Human for buffing/team support). They play very differently in terms of dealing damage, but they can both tank +3 AVs or a mission for a standard 8-man team.

I do think that PBs still get a rough time trying to slot everything though. Assuming you take (and at least slot the stomp/heal of) Dwarf, it really comes down to a choice between using either Nova or Human form for damage. Triformers just don't got the slots to do all three "properly", even with HOs + frankenslotting IO sets.

You asked about build critiques, here's an idea of what my two will look like at level 50 (Biformer's been there for years, Triformer is a work in progress). The Biformer only goes to Dwarf when he's tanking these days, as he can easilly go toe-to-toe with EBs such as Nosferatu in Human form.

[u]Bi-former build[u]

[u]Triformer build[u]

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Well, I've never seen you in action, Shannon or Maelwys, so I guessed that was the general case.

But thing is, I'm not really looking for a build that expensive...that's the underlying problem (probably) why I can't tank and you can.

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What you need to "tank" as a PB Dwarfie:

1. 3 Resistance SOs in White Dwarf
2. 3 Heal SOs and 3 Recharge SOs in Dwarf Heal.
3. One Acc SO, two Recharge SOs and one Endred SO in Dwarf Footstomp
4. Two Acc SOs, One Taunt Duration SO and One Recharge SO in Dwarf Taunt.

The first two help you survive, the last one helps you keep aggro, the third one does a little of both.

More Acc and Recharge/End in Stomp, and more Acc and Recharge in Taunt is better, but not needed.
Likewise, Hasten and Essence Boost are both very good but not needed.
If you suffer from low endurance, slot one EndRed SO plus two EndMod SOs in White Dwarf.

SOs are hardly "Expensive"...
All the expensive HOs or set IOs in my builds are frills and icing. The main stuff, the stuff that my PB depends upon to function and survive, comes down to boosting raw enhancement % numbers - even SOs can do that.

If you're willing to spend a little extra on your PB, you can free up enhancement slots by using set IOs - that's why you'll see many of my PB's powers "frankenslotted" with sets designed to free up as many slots as possible so that those slots can be used elsewhere in the build (multi-form PBs suffer seriously from a lack of slots).

(No doubt Shannon will chip in later on with a spiel about how a nice fluffy mindset is more important for tanking than slotting or power selection... but personally I'm more of the opinion that you need to have the right tools before you can learn how to use them properly! )

I'd second dropping CoD, you don't need it when you've got Combat Jumping and it costs a lot of endurance. Weave does very little too, but I'd keep Tough.

Run just the armors, CJ and Tough and you should be fine... Tough could do with better endred slotting though (personally I'd go with End/Res and Res from Impervium, and End/Res and End/Res/Rech from Aegis) as could Dark Regeneration (6-slotting is best, and in i13 you're looking at "best slotting" being the following: Touch of Nictus Acc/End/Heal + Acc/End/Rech, Obliteration Acc/Rech + Acc/Dmg/End/Rech, Doctored Wounds Heal/End/Rech, Numina Heal/End/Rech).

In case you're interested in some more slotting advice, here's how I've tweaked [u]my Spines/DA for i13[u]

It's not often I find myself in complete agreement with Shannon, but my Dwarfies can tank just fine...

I've two PBs; a Bi-form Human/Dwarf and a Triformer (Human for buffing/team support). They play very differently in terms of dealing damage, but they can both tank +3 AVs or a mission for a standard 8-man team.

I do think that PBs still get a rough time trying to slot everything though. Assuming you take (and at least slot the stomp/heal of) Dwarf, it really comes down to a choice between using either Nova or Human form for damage. Triformers just don't got the slots to do all three "properly", even with HOs + frankenslotting IO sets.

You asked about build critiques, here's an idea of what my two will look like at level 50 (Biformer's been there for years, Triformer is a work in progress). The Biformer only goes to Dwarf when he's tanking these days, as he can easilly go toe-to-toe with EBs such as Nosferatu in Human form.

[u]Bi-former build[u]

[u]Triformer build[u]

Yes. But it's rather difficult.

You've no chance of "weathering" the hold, so your only option is to floor her ToHit chance, then do enough damage to counter her natural regen rate.

A /SR scrapper can just about do it if they're built right, same for a well-built /Rad (-regen, but primarily tohit debuffs). Presumably an Ice Controller or a Cold Defender with Power Boost might be able to slow her enough so that her powers only activate, say, every once a week or so...

She only really has the hold (heavy negative damage DOT and Mag 100 hold) and PBAoE leech heal (think Dark Armor's "Dark Regeneration") to worry about. Also I think that she can't heal off Phantom Army.

As an Ill/Kin I don't think you'll be able to solo her unless you have enough global recharge to keep Perma PA out and you can keep her focussed on *them* rather than you and your Phantasm.

Have bugged this ingame, but thought I'd post here too to see if anyone's experienced any similar issues...


1. Firstly, Quantum Flight (Peacebringer's "Phase Shift Flight" mode) is bugged.

It appears as though Quantum Flight is shutting off its STEALTH component along with its Phased component whenever the 30-second Phase Shift suppression kicks in. In other words, you only remain Stealthed for 30 secs when turning this power on.

This makes it very difficult to judge whenever PvE mobs can see you, as the PvE Stealth Radius keeps constantly shifting - this can be seen in the combat attributes real numbers display. Stealth IO + Quantum Flight should in theory equal "full invisibility" for PvE constantly - the endurance cost for the power is sky high and capped speed flight alone is not enough to justify this.

It is also very difficult to tell whenever the Phase Shift suppression on Quantum Flight actually kicks in - currently it still simply says "Only affecting self" - which remains visible even after suppression kicks in, stealth drops, and nearby enemies start hitting you.


2. Secondly, Photon Seekers when slotted with Purple "Soulbound Allegiance" Set IOs currently do not receive any damage enhancement when you are exemplared. At level 50, these are fine- damage is enhanced as would be expected. However when exemplared on a TF or via Ouroboros even to level 45, Photon Seekers damage numbers are cut in half - they act as though they are unslotted. I have not tested this with other IO sets recently, but have only noticed and recorded the behaviour since refitting my Peacebringer with the Soulbound Allegience set.

On a lighter note, Photon Seeker AI is currently fantastic... they actually follow you around and home in on enemies like they're supposed to, and also blow up immediately upon releasing them in a "crowd" of foes. Now if only they did full damage upon exploding, they'd be prefect!

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Try producing builds and then not using the words "professionals". Vanity is our favourite sin.

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Mine's not. Mine's Sloth...

(Build 2) Is going to be a problem because PvP was changed drastically recently, and even if people knew what was now a "good PvP build", Willpower got very badly affected. (RTTC gets completely distoggled due to the tiny foe -tohit debuff, not suppressed). In general EM is still alright if a bit slower and less damaging than folks are used to. The stuns certainly help. And take and slot Taunt for the -range. WillPower is a bit pants due to the RTTC issue, and you're going to get hit with "diminished returns" for both Defense and Resistance. Focussed Accuracy isn't worth a power pick anymore.

(Build 1) is easier. How tough you are outside of GodMode really depends on whether or not you want to go for the fighting pool. In general you'll want perma-capped HP (from accolades and set bonuses) with 100% Healing values in RTTC, Health and Fast Healing. For Aggro control, you'll need to take and slot taunt as well as put two level 50 Taunt Duration IOs in RTTC. Because quite frankly EM's aggro control is virtually worthless, and RTTC by itself has issues holding the attention of anything over +2s. You'll want Superspeed or SJ as your primary mode of travel, as RTTC requires you to be in melee range of foes to get the +Regen. Hover-Tanking is a bad idea. You may want to take an extra AoE attack from the Epic pools to increase your aggro control.

EM in general is geared towards the soloist. Slow high-damage attacks, very little AoE (Whirling hands is very low damage and tends to make foes stagger out of taunt aura range). Likewise, Willpower is more a soloing set since it's very self-sufficient with all the +regen and +recovery, but poor at holding aggro (RTTC's taunt "ticks" are very low duration and do not overlap when fighting above +2s). So if you want to be able to effectively tank for a PvE team, you'll really need to slot RTTC and make good use of both taunt + gauntlet.

Umm... how to put this?

Well, I'll let you see for yourselves - Note the Top Left Corner!
Is ol' Mr. Emmert finally showing his true colours?

3:59... Great Job all!

Solo? Pop four purples. It's Mag 100 (would need loads of breakfrees to beat it) but has an accuracy check.
Another option is to get out of range and fight her from a distance, as Soul Storm's limit is about 80 feet.

Sonic/Sonic - 1
Dark/Sonic - 3

Whilst Dark/ has ToHit and Damage debuffs which are good for actually defending teammates, and -Regen, and the Cone Fear, and the powerful PBAoE self heal, and the AoE rez, and Shadowfall, and Fluffy...

...there are just SO MANY of them. Dark/ is incredibly popular. Probably because it's such an awesome set.

Oh, and nothing ever actually stands inside Tar Patch.
And 'Petrifying Gaze' and 'Dark Hole' both suck donkeyballs.

Sonic on the other hand is such a pain in the posterior to play that it takes a special kind of masochistic idiot to get one the whole way to 50. With extra bonus points if you don't develop a strange phobia of Tangerines.

Kryten: "Damage control report: Dehydration level 45%; Recall of previous evening 2%; Embarrassment factor 91%! Advise repair schedule: Reboot startup disk, offline for 36 hours and replace head. Boy! What a night!"

Sonic/Sonic: 7
Rad/Rad: 3

The only Defender set with BOTH self mez protection and a self-damage buff. And can cap own resists with an epic shield. What's not to love? The obscenely good /Sonic secondary is just icing on the cake...

"I am Dyslexia of Borg. Festus is Residual. Your asss will be laminated."

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I have it in Call Thugs. I've run 3 missions in a row with a Punk's combat attributes open with no change to damage or ToHit numbers. Is this proc broken or something?

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It Procs fine as far as I can remember, but it has a VERY short duration. About 5 seconds IIRC.

Bottom Line is that your pet will only get use out of the buff if it can:

1./ START one attack (Proc activates but the +damage is not applied to THIS attack)
2./ Finish animating that attack
3./ Begin another attack (Proc +damage is applied)

all within a period of 5 seconds.

Neat. I'm a legend too.
It says so right under my screenname.

<<<-----------------------------------

....what? o.O
(Fine. If that doesn't work, I also have cookies...)

I love these pat-on-the-back-for-no-apparent-reason threads.
I'm not telling you all who [u]MY[u] Defiant Legends are though.
I'll just say that not everyone can pull off dayglo underpants...

(figuratively speaking of course... )

If claws ever got -defence on all their attacks instead of just on "Slash", it sure could...

(And no, surprisingly pointy sticks are if anything a little bit faster now... at least in terms of animation "cast" time on the first three attacks, AoE, and highest-damage attack... Nyah, Nyah, Nyah? )

Bah, you and your fancy-schmancy Nictus swords... I'll stick with my Talsorian Katana...
("My pointy stick is faster than yours, so my procs go off more often! Nyah!")

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" (iv) No ranged attacks (OK, so only Claws and Spines get them... they're still handy!) "

Wrong, fire melee has ranged attack.

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Where? >.>

The 15 Foot on 'Breath of Fire'?

Well, if you want to get technical in that it's slightly more than standard melee range, then fair enough... But you'd need to call KO Blow, Headsplitter and Golden Dragonfly ranged attacks as well then...

(I'd call it a ranged attack if it had Blaster's "Fire Breath" range of 40 feet on it, but as it stands it's only 15 foot with an arc of 30' and a rooted animation that's nearly 3 seconds long... Frankly if you ever manage to hit anything at range with it that's still at range after the animation finishes, then you deserve a cookie... )

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Other than that, good guide... still a bit skeptic though.

With any other primary the minion / LT will probably be dead before Achilles heel have a chance to go off.

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The Achilles' proc is for things that take longer than 1-3 hits to die. Like AVs, EBs, Bosses, or tougher LTs.

Because it's in Gambler's Cut, it should be going off every 1.5 - 2.0 seconds. At 20% chance to kick in, realistically speaking it should be active within 8-10 seconds of beating on something... and at 10.3 secs duration it tends to stay permanently active once it's on (older applications get overwritten by newer ones).

For things that die in 1-3 hits, you'll probably not see much benefit from of the Achilles' Proc: even if it does Proc on the first strike, the mob will STILL die in 1-3 hits... but that's not exactly the sort of enemy you need help to defeat, as Katana doesn't lack the damage needed to 1-3 shot minions in the first place...

The Damage Procs will help much more with one-shotting stuff. Achilles' is for added Damage Over Time versus stuff that resists lethal damage. If you find one isn't enough for you (although AFAIK only one can be active at any one time) you can slot more into different attacks. They're a dirt cheap source of extra DPS.

(As an aside, I keep Gambler's Cut on "Auto" so I don't need to hammer it. It's my joint-2nd-best DPA attack and inflicts -resist, with such a short animation time it should never be recharged and unused during a fight)

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I would very much appreciate if someone could tell me how
to do this, or if it's even possible.

Thanks in advance.

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See where it says "Filter by:" and you've got "Groups" selected?
Change it to "All Sets".

You can't add another powerset while you're filtering them.

Once you've done that, you can add a new entry using the middle column. It might compain about an invalid name depending on what you stick in, but it'll still create a new powerset item at the bottom of the list.

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But that is only me, and I know we have plenty of players running around doing their good deeds as scrappers and I was wondering if any of them took taunt?

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I wouldn't be as mad into Scrapper-Tanking as Shannon, but both my level 50 Scrappers have taunt (albeit taken at 38 on one and 44 on the other) and use it. I've tanked AVs before with both of them.

One's /Regen, the other's /DA. The first only took Taunt recently, but uses it occasionally on AVs when aggro control is poor, when there is no tank or when the tank just plain sucks. The second used to be one of the better Psionic tanks around before DA got 'ported to Tankers, and still has no fear of Psychic AVs/GMs.

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And the inf cost of the above is ... ?

Seriously, it looks as if you've made level 50 katana wielders very effective, and grats on that - but I want my builds to start coming good before the late 40s.

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Well as Dante said, the two "main" procs are not that expensive, really... since very few builds can slot many of them they're a bit of a glut on the market. Definately comparable to most other Set IOs.

Concerning levels, the Lady Grey Proc is available from level 21-50, and the Achilles' Heel from 10-20. You'd probably be able to get ahold of them by the time you're looking into slotting SOs/IOs.

Granted, the Purple Procs are very expensive (region of 25,000,000-45,000,000 for the recipe) and only available at level 50, but Mako's Bite is a filler option for the ST Melee attacks from level 30 onwards (and the "Touch of Death" Negative damage one from level 25, though that has a lower chance for activating). For the PBAoE attacks, you'll have Eradication "Chance for Energy Damage" (level 10-30) and Obliteration "Chance for Smashing Damage" (level 30-50) available as cheaper options when Issue 13 goes live.

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Very nice guide Mael

As a longtime katana user I must add in something too;

Slotting the "PBAoE" attacks with a full scirocco's set is also a good idea. Even though you "only" get one proc it's good

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True that. I tend to avoid going down the Scirroco route because it gives more lethal damage (Yuck!). The new Eradication "Chance for Energy Damage" definately looks to be one to watch out for if it's cheapish...

--> "The heck? Why do we need ANOTHER Scrapper guide Mael?"

Well... it's not exactly a Scrapper guide per-say. A guide generally takes a Primary/Secondary combination, then tells you all about the powers, what to pick and how to slot etc...

This is more of a perception-shifting exercise. I'm assuming you know about all the powers in Katana. I'm not going to tell you what they do (much). I'm hardly even going to touch on secondaries, except to say that this will likely work best with something that doesn't run out of endurance very easily. Like /Regen, /Fire or /Willpower.

And on that note: My Katana/ is /Regen, and even with good attack slotting, Stamina, Quick Recovery and both +Recovery uniques, his blue bar still creeps very gradually downwards when he's attacking full-tilt with the chain that I will tell you about later on here. However it takes a long time to actually run dry... and the drain is completely offset by a single +recovery buff, or by not attacking during the few seconds it takes to reach the next group of foes, or by using MoG when I get too low.


--> "Perception-shifting WHAT?"

Look Einstein... the traditional idea behind Katana is that it is a medium damage but fast recharge set, right?

It's essentially a carbon-copy of Broadsword, which has virtually identical attacks with higher damage but longer recharge times.

The major downsides to Katana are:
(i) Very resisted damage type (Lethal)
(ii) Little burst damage (can be tricky to kill dangerous mobs like sappers quickly)
(iii) Not much mez to speak of- just two Knockdowns (Soaring Dragon and Golden Dragonfly).
(iv) No ranged attacks (OK, so only Claws and Spines get them... they're still handy!)

It DOES have decent AoE capability (Golden Dragonfly, Flashing Steel, Lotus Drops), Decent ST damage over time and a good survivability self-buff in Divine Avalanche.

Naturally, you know all this already... and if you didn't before then you do now!


--> "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah... Perception-shifting WHAT?"

I'm getting to that dammit!!

Because of the above 'downsides', traditionally Katana is viewed as one of the weaker Scrapper powersets.

The perception people have is that whilst Katana's damage output over time may be comparable to Broadsword's, Broadsword is better at spike damage (one-shotting or two-shotting a foe)... Spines is better at AoE... Claws and Dark Melee (and to a lesser extent, Martial Arts) are better at damage over time... Martial Arts has more mez.

When Firey Melee was introduced, it got even worse: beating Katana in all three categories... Spike Damage, Damage over time and AoE damage.

Essentially, Katana is percieved as having no "niche". It's not a "top set" at anything... the best thing it has going for it is Divine Avalanche, and Broadsword has that too, along with better burst damage. So why pick it for anything other than "concept"?

However, ([u]and here is where this "Katana is rubbish" perception hopefully begins to shift a bit![u]) this all changed with the recent animation tweaks, and the introduction of Debuff Set IOs.

Currently Katana's attacks are much faster-activating than they were previously... meaning that provided that a Katana user has a fair bit of +recharge, they'll now comfortably beat a Broadsword user in Damage-over-time. In fact, they'll also beat Martial Arts. They still won't beat a well-built "permafocus" Claws build or 'machinegun' Dark Melee build when slotted like-for-like, but they're roughly on-par with Firey Melee.

However there is another major source of damage output for a Katana user, and it's what puts Katana in the lead over the other high-damage-output primaries ("Permafocus" Claws and "Machinegun" Dark Melee builds included)... Damage Procs.

Namely, two of them:

1. Touch of Lady Grey - Negative Damage Proc
2. Achilles' Heel - Chance for 20% resistance debuff.


--> "Claws and Dark Melee can slot Procs too, you steaming nutter!"

Sure. But Katana has something they don't have...

Katana's secondary effect lowers Defense on every attack.
Every attack in the set (apart from Divine Avalanche) can be slotted with a damage proc.

It isn't a % chance to inflict that -defence, it's 100% activation... meaning that on EVERY attack, Katana gets a "chance roll" for any slotted Defense Debuff set procs to activate.

This is important to note, since other Damage Procs such as those from the Knockback sets are often slotted into an attack that has a % chance to inflict the effect that triggers them. Procs only get a "chance roll" for their extra damage to activate whenever that effect is inflicted (which can be as low as 10% of the time depending on the attack... so 10% of the time that attack will activate a Proc which then has a 25% chance to actually be inflicted).

The First of the Procs that Katana users should be considering is of obvious use. The Lady Grey Proc does Negative Damage, which is unresisted by a lot of stuff... and (aside from certain "Ghost" mobs) the only things that tend to resist it tend to also be weak to lethal damage.

The Second Proc is also fairly straightforward: The only real weakness of Katana these days is that it does Lethal damage, which is probably the most resisted type in the game. The Achilles' Heel Proc can help out here, reducing foes resistance by 20%. This is naturally most effective against foes with high resistance to lethal damage, but even against foes with [u]no resistance[u] to lethal it'll still effectively multiply all your damage output by a straight 20% across the board. The value also scales against foe level... so against +2s there'll be less -resist inflicted, against -2s there'll be more, etc.

Katana can also slot two categories of damage set IOs: Single Target Melee (Sting of the Wasp, Gambler's Cut, Divine Avalanche and Soaring Dragon) and PBAoE sets (in Flashing Steel, The Lotus Drops and Golden Dragonfly). Mako's Bite from the standard Melee set has a decent Damage Proc, and the Purple sets for PBAoE and Melee both have VERY nice Damage Procs.

Now for the clincher: because Katana's attacks are so fast recharging and fast-activating, it's not uncommon to have the Achilles' Heel Proc up constantly, AND have several different damage procs activate in the space of, say, ten seconds. The top three "Damage per activation time" attacks in Katana are Golden Dragonfly, Soaring Dragon and Gambler's Cut... in that order ('Sting of the Wasp' comes in 4th). Gambler's Cut has one of the shortest activation times for any attack in the game, and a very low recharge time and endurance cost.


--> "Soooo what you're saying is that 'Procs are good and Katana is fast'.....?"

Oh c'mon, you can't see where I'm going with this?

With Hasten and decent attack slotting, it doesn't take a Katana user very much extra global recharge to get an attack chain of Golden Dragonfly --> Gambler's Cut --> Soaring Dragon --> Gambler's Cut. There'll be a split-second gap until you get very high levels of recharge, so if needed you can use 'Sting of the Wasp' in place of GD/SD whilst they are recharging.

Gambler's Cut is dirt cheap and doesn't need much extra slotting to get the cost down, it just needs decent accuracy and capped damage... so it'll have 2-3 slots free for Procs. Soaring Dragon can take the Melee Purple ST set Proc. Golden Dragonfly can take the PBAoE Purple set Proc. They can [u]ALL[u] take the Lady Grey Negative damage Proc, and Gambler's Cut's low recharge and fast cast time is just [u]begging[u] for the Achilles' Heel Proc.


Let's compare DPA ([u]D[u]amage [u]P[u]er [u]A[u]ctivation time), before and after Procs:

+ [u]Normal Slotting[u]:
Gambler's Cut - 108 (0.67 Secs cast time) = 161 Dam/Sec
Soaring Dragon - 233 (1.33 Secs cast time) = 175 Dam/Sec
Golden Dragonfly - 323 (1.83 Secs cast time) = 177 Dam/Sec

+ [u]Normal Slotting + Average Proc damage[u]:
(two procs in each: Purple + LG for SD/GD, Makos and LG for GC)
Gambler's Cut - 137 (0.67 Secs cast time) = 204 Dam/Sec
Soaring Dragon - 283 (1.33 Secs cast time) = 213 Dam/Sec
Golden Dragonfly - 373 (1.83 Secs cast time) = 204 Dam/Sec

+ [u]Factoring in the Achilles' Heel -resist Proc as +20% Damage[u]:
(usually kept permanently activated via just one IO in Gambler's Cut)
Gambler's Cut - 164 (0.67 Secs cast time) = 245 Dam/Sec
Soaring Dragon - 340 (1.33 Secs cast time) = 256 Dam/Sec
Golden Dragonfly - 448 (1.83 Secs cast time) = 245 Dam/Sec


You're looking at some insane damage numbers, comfortably beating the likes of Claws even before you start thinking about using 'Build Up'.

The best thing is that Katana keeps its versatility - you still have the ability to change your attack chain at a moment's notice.

The above GD>GC>SD>GC chain pretty much inflicts perma-knockdown and is obviously the best option for single target damage... but if you find yourself fighting something that is Knockback resistant and tough enough to kill you, you can switch to using Divine Avalanche instead of Gambler's Cut- mixing very respectable damage with soft-capped melee/lethal defense. Or if you find yourself fighting a lot of foes, you can mix in Flashing Steel and Lotus Drops along with Golden Dragonfly to unleash some nasty AoE carnage.

Please note though that this does not make up for [u]ALL[u] Katana's shortcomings. It is still "balanced" in that it still lacks major spike damage (Whilst Golden Dragonfly becomes a fairly heavy-hitter at 373 average damage and 502 max, Greater Fire Sword still wins with similar slotting at 443 average and 572 max - at least until you factor in animation time!) and it's still fairly well resisted (the -20% is certainly very nice, but it won't floor the Lethal Resistance of some tougher mobs like Elite Bosses or AVs, especially since they actually tend to have resistance to Resistance debuffs). And, naturally, unlike Spines and Claws it still doesn't have any ranged attacks...

(And no, it doesn't magically gain any mez beyond the Perma Knockdown chain. Or any extra AoE damage beyond the moderately decent increase from damage procs. So Spines' "AoE damage-dealer" crown is safe.)


--> "Wow! Katana is nice - SLOTTING ADVICE PLEASE!!"

The below is how [u]I[u] would have [u]my[u] attacks slotted Pre-i13. It's quite expensive, and YMMV!
(Currently i have all these attacks slotted up this way in my Katana/Regen except for 'Lotus Drops', which I'll be taking instead of Focussed Accuracy in I13)

If you're on a budget, the Procs are definately the main concern... and the purple 'Hecatomb' Proc can be replaced by a 'Mako's Bite' Proc if your wallet is still hurting and you don't mind a slight damage decrease.

+ [u]Gambler's Cut[u] +
Nucleous, Nucleous, Common Damage IO,
Mako's Bite - Lethal Damage Proc
Touch of Lady Grey - Negative Damage Proc
Achilles' Heel chance for -resist debuff

+ [u]Sting of the Wasp[u] +
Crushing Impact Set (not the Dam/End one)
Touch of Lady Grey - Negative Damage Proc

+ [u]Divine Avalanche[u] +
Nucleous, Nucleous, Common Damage IO,
LOTG +Rech, LOTG +Defense, Membrane.
66.7% Acc
109% Damage
61% Defense
33% Recharge
(23.4 Defense buff, Perma-Double-Stackable)

+ [u]Flashing Steel[u] +
Scirocco's Dervish Acc/Dam/End and Acc/Dam
Cleaving Blow Acc/Rech and Dam/Rech
Armageddon Dam/Rech
Touch of Lady Grey - Negative Damage Proc

+ [u]Soaring Dragon[u] +
Hecatomb Set (not Dam/Rech)
Touch of Lady Grey - Negative Damage Proc

+ [u]Golden Dragonfly[u] +
Armageddon Set (not Dam/Rech)
Touch of Lady Grey - Negative Damage Proc

+ [u]Lotus Drops[u] +
Scirocco's Dervish Acc/Dam/End and Acc/Rech and Dam/Rech
Multi Strike Dam/End/Rech
Nucleous
Touch of Lady Grey - Negative Damage Proc

...note though that there are new PBAoE sets due to be released in Issue 13, so my slotting for 'Lotus Drops' and 'Flashing Steel' will probably change whenever I get my grubby mitts on them...