Memphis_Bill
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Quote:Virus removal... part of what I do for a living.Originally Posted by Marsha_Mallow
My spouse and I both have Windows 7 and Symantec Anti-Virus v11.0.5 with current virus definitions loaded. We are both really careful at what we do and where we browse to, but somehow my spouse has been infected with a virus that has completely disabled Symantec Anti-Virus on their PC.
As a precautionary measure I have pulled their hard drive out and installed it into my PC, doing a full virus scan has came up with nothing. Im not really 100% confident that Symantec Anti-Virus is really up to par anymore.
So my question is...is there something better than Symantec Anti-Virus that is free? I say free because I acquired Symantec Anti-Virus from my job, and I dont have funds to purchase anything better at this time. I may be able to in about a month, but would like to know if there is any other Virus Scanner or Anti Spyware application that I can use for now?
First, Symantec (and its stablemate Norton, and any well known AV) is a target. There are viruses out there (trojans, typcially) that have built within them code to disable pretty much any antivirus out there. They're getting to where they load in safe mode (a year ago, we could still hop into safe mode and be pretty confident the viruses would not be active. Now, they still crop up.) Depending on the virus, *any* antivirus runs the risk of being disabled or hobbled when the "right" virus hits it.
The antivirus vendors keep updating, of course, to try to counter these, but new attacks show up constantly.
Some of these will - if run on the same system, not the way you've done it - rename and deny execute to several removal tools (from HijackThis and Malwarebytes to Combofix/GMER) as well. Makes removal and system repair *so* much fun.
My main beef with Symantec has nothing to do with viruses getting around it, because that happens with them all. My irritation is with how invasive it is. Put it on a system, and I'll have it basically hobble networking until I track down where they've hidden settings in *this* version, allow stuff through the firewall, etc.
If you remove it, be sure to get the removal tool from Symantec's website to make sure it's all gone.
If funds are a problem and you want a full "suite" (AV, spyware, firewall,) check with your ISP. Most I've seen offer heavily discounted or just flat out free versions of at least one of the major antiviruses to their customers.
Personally? Mine switched from Mcafee (which played nice with most of my programs) to Norton (which... see prior PITA comment.) I'm using Avast. -
re: Inky Aspect
Quote:I've got to say, I use this on my 'shades (quite a bit) and the damage still, really, isn't noticable - even without taking Stygian into consideration. Just the wording here makes it sound worse than it really is.The power is identical, though due to Kheld's damage modifiers they take a goodly bit more damage than Tankers and Brutes, but they don't have the HP to back it up. -
Glad to hear it!
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Overview
This guide was originally written - well, many issues ago. We've seen several changes to the game (with a big one, inherent stamina, due in Issue 19.) The original guide was getting multiple markups from me for edits - so it's time for a revision to do some cleanup and add some fresh information. There will not be a build here - this is looking specifically at the Fiery Aura set, which is only half a character. I'll go over the sets you can pair with it near the end of the guide, as well as give the occasional slotting or IO suggestion, but if you want specifics I recommend going to your archetype forum and asking around.
Also, note this is primarily written from a Tanker viewpoint, so I may miss some Scrapper or Brute specific items. I'll try to point out differences in the various ATs when possible (and when, oh, people point them out.)
History
Fiery Aura is one of the classic (early) Tanker armor sets (the others being Ice, Stone, and Invulnerability.) As such, it's seen quite a few changes over the years COH has been out, and had a lot of discussion about its place in the Tanker lineup - especially with some of the newer sets, such as Shields. It was a day of release set for Brutes when City of Villains came out, and later was ported to Scrappers.
Fire has historically been called the most offensive of the tanker sets. This is true (and part of why it's popular for Brutes, and was long overdue coming for Scrappers.) With this offense, it was given a few weaknesses by the original design team - tradeoffs hotly debated even years after Enhancement Diversification and the Global Defense Nerf, herding changes and AOE changes, and debated even more after Shields (Shield Charge) were introduced.
The set has a warm (heh) place in my COH heart, too, as my forum-namesake was also the first character I created, back in February of 2005. He's a Fire/Superstrength/Pyre tanker on Pinnacle (and Fire/Energy on Victory,) and still running around the city causing trouble well after hitting 50. I like the set, finding it a great deal of fun and having been with it through the various ups, downs and other changes in the game. Fire's also quite likely my most-created tank, and I also use it on Brutes and Scrappers (though I don't make many of those.)
Strengths
As mentioned, Fiery Aura is a very offensive set. Four powers in it do damage of some sort without leaning into IOs - Blazing aura, Burn, Consume, and Rise of the Phoenix. It also has a fast-recharging heal and an endurance recovery power in Consume.
Also, unlike some of the other "purer" Tanks, Fiery Aura is a resistance set, not a defensive set. You will get hit, make no doubt about it - but you'll be hit for less damage typically. This, combined with the fast heal and mitigation through damage (dea... er, 'arrested" foes don't fight back) make for a very capable tank. But it's a very different playstyle if you're used to building for defense.
Finally, after years of debate, we were given one of our heavy hitters back when Burn had its Fear effect removed and damage frontloaded.
Weaknesses
Fiery Aura has a couple of weaknesses that the player must be aware of.
No inherent Knockback protection. The Fire tanker has no inherent knockback (KB) protection. Unlike every other set (except Dark armor,) which usually gain KB protection with their status effect protection, Fire requires outside help, through teammates, inspirations, power pools or Invention Origin (IO) enhancements for this.
Immobilize protection in Burn. While Burn's usefulness as an offensive power was restored, it still comes very late for being our Immobilize protection. This is still going to drive many Fiery Aura users to Combat Jumping. (Note that at time of writing, Scrappers - and possibly Brutes - need the Burn patch to hit something before they get the immobilize protection.)
No protection from Endurance Drain. There's no direct, permanent protection or resistance to Endurance Drain, or indirect by way of Defense. Consume now provides several seconds of Recovery boost and two minutes of End drain resist (and of course, Stamina will be inherent as of issue 19) but getting hit by a Sapper or stuck in the middle of a pile of carnies when their death drain fires off can still hurt. (That said, I love fighting Carnies. You just have to pay attention.) But it is not available in your shields, nor is there any debuff protection.
Powers overview
So, what do you get, when do you get it, and what does it do? We'll get into detail in a bit. I'm not going to give a build here - everyone's going to have different goals, and your secondary can make a big difference on how useful (or not) some of the primary powers are. Levels given are tank levels. Scrappers get them later.
Quick 'n Dirty List from Paragon Wiki
Quote:Now, one at a time:
Power / Opens at (Tanker) / Description
Blazing Aura / 1 / Toggle: Point Blank Area of Effect, Minor Damage over Time(Fire)
Fire Shield / 1 / Toggle: Self +Resistance(Fire, Lethal, Smash, Cold, Disorient)
Healing Flames / 2 / Self Heal, +Resistance(Toxic)
Temperature Protection / 6 / Auto: Self +Resistance(Fire, Cold, Slow)
Consume / 8 / Point Blank Area of Effect Fire Damage, Self +Endurance
Plasma Shield / 12 / Toggle: Self +Resistance(Energy, Negative, Fire, Hold, Sleep)
Burn / 18 / Location (Point Blank Area of Effect), Moderate Damage over Time(Fire), Self Resistance(Immobilize)
Fiery Embrace / 26 / Self +Damage
Rise of the Phoenix / 32 / Self Rez, Special
Blazing Aura
Open at: Lvl 1 (2 for Scrappers/Brutes)
PBAOE, Damage over time
Your fire damage aura. You'll have this early, most likely, though I prefer to take it after Fire shield on a Tank. You can't hurt things from the hospital, after all. (You don't have any choice as a Scrapper or Brute. As much as you may want it at level 1, you must take Fire shield first. I know, you're disappointed.)
Fire Shield
Open at: Lvl 1
Toggle, Res (Fire, Lethal, Smash, Cold, Disorient)
Your first, basic shield, covering both thematic (fire, cold) and common (smash/lethal) damage, as well as resisting Disorients. Early on, slot for End reduction (especially pre-Stamina, pre-Consume.) As you get into DOs, SOs, and IOs, slot resists. Never forget the END reduction though. This will be on constantly.
Healing Flames
Opens at: Lvl 2
Self heal, +Res (Toxic)
Another "Grab ASAP" power. Not only is it your heal, but early in your tanky career you'll be facing Vahzilok at some point - so the Toxic resist helps a little. It's a big part of your mitigation - at some point, you may even find you have it on autofire, though I personally found it wasn't needed that way after a while.
Temperature protection
Opens at: Level 6
Resist Fire, Cold, Slows (Auto)
Ahh. The first - let's call it "controversial" power in the powerset. FA already can build up to very respectable fire and cold resists - not that these are huge issues in game. And it comes at level 6, the same time your first power pool choice becomes available.
Most fire tanks used to skip or respec out of Temperature Protection.
So why should you take it? Two reasons. First, it's a resist power that doesn't need slotting - but CAN take a Steadfast Protection knockback protection IO. And second, it provides you with something you'll find very helpful - slow (and recharge) resistance, on the order of 20%. It's more a matter of the Recharge, really. You want Consume and Healing Flames up as often as possible. You DON'T want that Cryo Tank slowing you down! (Add a Winter's Gift IO to your build for more slow protection. Stock up over the holidays.)
Don't waste slots here, though. If you have extra and want to use it for a set mule, you can. Otherwise, this is a one slot wonder.
Consume
Opens at: Level 8
There's no argument here. Take it. Don't argue. While it does some damage (remember the "Offensive Tank" idea,) it's usually best to slot this for Endmod and Recharge, with a touch of Accuracy. You'll still want Stamina (And after issue 19 will have it inherently) - an active tank burns End like mad - but this will help keep you going. Plus, it gives a small Recovery boost for a time after use, and two minutes of END drain protection - assuming it hits. It's no longer just a one shot and go power.
Plasma Shield
Opens at: Level 12
Toggle: Res(Energy, Negative, Fire, Hold, Sleep)
Yet another "take it now" power. This is your status resistance, after all. Again, early on, slot for END over resistance, as every bit helps.
Burn
Opens at: Level 18
Click: AOE damage, +Res (Immobilization)
Ahh, burn... Back in olden days, this helped make Fire tanks overpowered killing machines. Mobs would stack, it had no fear effect, and huge, stacking herds could be melted away with little to no effort. This is one of the reasons Fire tanks are considered "Offensive."
And then came the nerf. For many years and many issues, Burn had a Fear component that, for some, added to mitigation - and for others, like me, added to frustration as mobs scattered to the winds. For me, it was a skippable power - I was a tank. I wanted mobs here. Now. Not running away. However, I have four words to say.
Burn Is Back, baby!
Face it, tanks have been given damage since Fire Aura's Burn nerf. Fire is not the only "Offensive Tank." Shield Charge is the biggest culprit here - a nice, big hit of AOE damage, knockdown and no fear or other questionable effect. We've also dealt with Enhancement Diversification, had IOs added - the game has changed a lot. Finally, the developers relented on Burn's Fear, removing it and giving the Resistance based Offensive Tank one of its biggest hits back. And with Stamina's change in I19, you don't even have to worry about when to put it in - only how to fit the slots there.
This is also a source of Immobilize protection for you. (As of writing, Tanks get it immediately upon dropping the Burn patch. Scrappers don't unless it hits something.)
Fiery Embrace
Opens at: 26
+Damage
Grabbing the description straight from the patch notes:
Fiery Embrace power now adds bonus fire damage for all Melee Power Set attacks instead of being a normal damage Buff. All Melee Power Set attacks made for 20 seconds after activating Fiery Embrace will do bonus damage based on that attack's damage. This bonus damage IS affected by enhancements and outside buff/debuff effects. At low levels, this means Fiery Embrace will have lower impact than the old implementation, while at high levels or on teams with lots of +Damage effects, you will see increased damage output.
This does not affect Criticals.
In PVP, the old version (longer damage buff to Fire attacks, 10s build up like effect to other sets) is still in effect.
Worth taking overall.
Rise of the Phoenix
Opens at: 32
Self Rez, +Special (temp invulnerable, Disorient)
"I do not like being dead. It's most... inconvenient."
If you want to start a fight in the Tanker boards, bring up Rise of the Phoenix. "I want a power that makes me godlike, not something I have to be dead to use!"
At first, this looks like a valid argument - it IS a self rez, and to many Tanks, this means they've failed. However, I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Looking at other Tier 9 powers, you've got Hibernate (which speeds up your healing and recovery, but otherwise leaves you in a state like phase shift - unable to affect or be affected by anything,) Granite (high Resists and Defense, but with penalties to speed, recharge and offense,) Unstoppable and Strength of Will (high Resists to everything but Psi, with a nasty crash at the end.)
Fire already has mitigation which is quite good, solid resists, and a powerful, fast recharging heal, on top of damage, damage, and more damage. If you get brought down, this brings you right back up, invulnerable for a time, with a good chunk of health and with whatever brought you down now staggering about disoriented, just asking to be defeated, instead of attacking you or your team.
Yes, even though I don't find myself defeated often enough to use it *much,* I still consider it a very useful tool.
Companion sets (Secondaries for tanks, Primaries for Scrappers/Brutes)
The companion sets all have their plusses and minuses (and some of these have changed as the game has evolved.) A quick look at each of them - I'm not handing out builds. I'm not a numbers guy, and everyone has their own preferences, but these may help you decide what looks fun.
Battle Axe
Pros - Lots of knockdown. (Visually fun, keeps stuff in melee range, and lots of places to put more Kinetic Crash.)
Cons - Lethal damage. (Resisted heavily later. But you're also doing Fire damage at the same time.)
Broadsword (Scrapper only)
Pros - Heavy hitting.
Cons - Nothing for Parry to stack with (Defense,) a bit END heavy.
Dark Melee
Pros - Does -tohit. You may not have defense, but this can help your survivability. Siphon Life. Soul Drain. Dark Consumption.
Cons - Negative Energy is a pain against some foes.
Dual Blades
Pros - Combos. Visually interesting.
Cons - Combos. Looks like ballet instead of fighting. Mostly Lethal.
Electrical melee
Pros - Lightning Rod (Teleporting AOE damage. This +Burn. Mmmm.) Several nice AOEs.
Cons - The -End isn't really noticeable, at least to me. By the time it is, the target's dead anyway.
Energy Melee
Pros - Some hard hitters, not as resisted
Cons - Only one AOE, longish animation. (I ran this to 50, I'm not particularly impressed with it on a Fire tank.)
Fire Melee
Pros - AOEs. Theme.
Cons - Ummm... more Fire damage? Fire with some lethal. While not a huge resistance issue, if you hit something that is, it resists everything.
Ice Melee
Pros - Slow/-Recharge on the enemy.
Cons - Honestly, I can't think of any. Even Frozen Aura, a PBAOE Sleep, does damage, so it's still relevant to a Fire tank.
Kinetic melee (requires Going Rogue)
Pros - Several AOEs, mixed damage types.
Cons - If you don't like Knockback, this isn't for you. Requires Going Rogue (not a "base" set at this time.) "Feels" slow in animation (to me.)
Stone Melee
Pros - Plenty of damage and knockdown.
Cons - All smashing. Feels a bit END heavy to me. (I did mention I'm not a numbers guy, right?)
Superstrength
Pros - omigodilovethisset. Rage is beautiful (as is foot stomp.) Feels powerful. I *love* this set.
Cons - Rage. Not for the -def (you're a resist tank) or END loss as it crashes, but for the -9999% damage at the crash. All Smashing. (Common resistance.)
War mace
Pros - It's a mace. You hit things. Lots of disorients.
Cons - All Smashing.
Non Tanker (at this time) power sets :
Claws
Pros - Fast, END light, AOEs
Cons - ... there's a Con to claws? OK, Lethal damage gets more heavily resisted later in the game. Good thing you burn stuff, too.
Katana
Pros - Faster than Broadsword. Acc bonus.
Cons - Lethal damage resisted more heavily later - but see Claws comment.
Spines
Pros - AOEs on top of more AOEs to go with Fire's AOEs. Toxic (less resisted) damage. DOTs. Impale (-fly, immob)
Cons - In my experience, it *feels* a little END heavy. Some may not like the graphics.
Pools
Two pools leap to mind (appropriately, in one case) when it comes to Fire/ tanks.
Leaping
The first thing that most Fire tanks think of with this is Acrobatics, to cover knockback. Even post-I 12, where it was reduced to "only" 9 points of KB protection (from an overkill of 100,) it's more than enough to deal with the majority of the game.
Knockback's not the only reason to consider this pool, though. Combat jumping, at level 6, not only provides some vertical movement and defense, but gives Immobilization resistance 12 levels (or more, if you're a Scrapper or Brute) before you can select Burn - and it lasts as long as the power is toggled. Plus Superjump is just fun.
Quick power overview:
(6) Combat Jumping - +Def, +Immobilize protection. Slot for End reduction. Also takes a Karma KB Resist IO or Luck of the Gambler +Recharge IO.
(6) Jump Kick - Attack. Cheesy. Skip.
(14) Superjump. Very fun travel power.
(20) Acrobatics. KB protection (9pt,) slight status protection. Slot for End Reduction.
Fitness
After Issue 19, this will be an inherent power pool. You won't have to pick it or sacrifice other powers for it. But don't forget to slot Stamina.
Other power pools:
Flight
If you don't care about Burn, Flight is a very viable choice. Hover provides a sort of KB protection (you flip, and post-I12 you can't do anything while flipping, but it's still pretty quick,) plus it resists -fly. And Air Superiority is a decent single target attack with knockback. Fly's a fun, but slow, travel power. Then there's group fly... yeah, no.
Speed
If anything, you'll take this for Hasten, and possibly Superspeed as a travel power. Flurry's - ok, I suppose, and Whirlwind... just no.
Concealment
You're a tank. Quit hiding, wimp. If you want phase shift, get it for doing a patrol in Warburg, or craft Ethereal Shift. Though if you have a spare pick, this can be useful for either a KB IO or a Luck of the Gambler (LOTG) +Recharge IO. (Up to three, actually.)
Presence
Everything you do taunts, and the fears... eh. not worth it to me.
Fighting
Popular with many fire tanks to add Resists or Defense (Tough or Weave.) Grab a quick attack (Boxing or Kick,) and Tough - then slot the heck out of it for END reduction. I don't see it as *necessary,* honestly, but every bit helps if you can fit bit in. It's worth considering. Plus, you can take Kick and add four Kinetic Crash IO set pieces for another three points of Knockback protection. I wouldn't have this solely as my KB protection, but if you can put the slots in for it, it can't hurt.
Medicine
You have healing flames, and you're not a Defender. If you need Aid Self as well, you're doing something wrong, IMHO. Besides, Aid Self is interruptible, which as a non-Defense based tank is not a good thing for you. Healing Flames isn't.
Leadership
Do you REALLY want more toggles? Besides, Defenders get more benefit from this. (However, again, Maneuvers is a defense toggle - KB IO or LOTG.)
Teleport
While I kind of like Teleport as a travel power (and Stone tanks swear by it,) it's purely up to you. Recall Friend and TP Foe can be useful - as well, surprisingly, as Group Teleport in some situations. Bring a friendly KIN to fulcrum shift as soon as you arrive in the middle of a spawn.
Conclusion
I love Fiery Aura. I just really like the way it plays, even with what some point out as "flaws" (especially knockback protection and a Tier 9 rez.) it's probably my most made Tank, and I have not a few Brutes with it. I find it fun - give it a try. -
OK. Copied over to Player Guides (with mention of BillZ's conversation with castle, hopefully stamina working while in form will actually work.)
Further comments, please leave them there, and thanks for the look-through and comments from everyone. -
The Triform
Ahh. Now here's flexibility - the accuracy (er, tohit) of Nova, the buffs of Human, and the toughness and mez protection of Dwarf, all rolled into one nice tasty package. This is the MF Peacebringer!
Well, no. If you've been reading along, you know why I'm not using that name. A Warshade can really take advantage of the forms to buff itself eight ways to midnight. They work together, powers and forms weaving a tapestry of death, destruction and purple fuzz. The Peacebringer - not so much. Yes, you can leverage your strengths by shifting when necessary, but you can also consider each form a separate entity.
Where they do overlap (and this is true of Warshades as well) is in set bonuses. Bonuses, unlike toggle buffs, stay active between forms. If you've got Thunderstrike slotted in Nova's two attacks, don't ignore them if you're looking for bonuses in Human form's attacks and watching your stacking (the 5 similar buff/percent rule.) Use this for some flexibility.
The only (click) buffs you really keep an eye on as a triform Peacebringer are human - since that's where they all live. You have a heal in Dwarf, and its built in protections. But it doesn't give you anything (save HP from that heal) to carry over to Human or Nova. Human's buffs - Conserve Power and Essence Boost, plus hasten (you are taking hasten, right?) carry through.
Be very, very picky about any toggle you consider. For instance, the shields as I've mentioned before detoggle as you switch forms - you may choose to completely ignore them, or just take Shining. Pools like Leadership? Forget it. Imagine toggling up your tank or scrapper, then accidentally hitting Walk and having to do it all over again. Every few minutes.
I was also going to say think about Stamina here - but with the announcement that the Fitness pool is becoming an inherent in I19 (as I was writing this guide,) that's less of an issue (other than one of slots.) With Fitness inherent, though, you will have more power picks. Remember, though, that while it's one pool you won't have to take (yay! More powers to choose!) you're still stuck with the same number of slots. And as a triform, slots are at a premium. Plot them out carefully - and be prepared to use a second build and re/freespecs, especially on your first Triform.
On a Triform, if you have anything six slotted, take a close look at what's underslotted. Something quite likely is, or you're low on attacks (or have great recharge.) You're going to love to learn two things - IOs, whether you frankenslot or go for sets, and single slot/skippable powers. If they give you some utility (take Combat Jumping for the immob protection, put a single KB IO in or a LOTG Recharge, same with Stealth) grab them first. Put the next two slots someplace - typically an attack or buff - that need it. (This could also be a reason to take the shields - just take them off of your tray.)
Single-Slot Gems
Build Up. Yes, you want some recharge in this. But, if you're going to look at sets, see if you can squeeze in some recharge somewhere via globals and bonuses.
Conserve Energy. Another with a single recharge.
Quantum Flight. I really tend to use an END reduction, but that's habit from when it used to have its END ramp up over time.
Bright Nova. Remember, slot the powers, not the form. (And consider strongly the Performance Shifter +END.)
Restore Essence. Yeah, you might need it - fit whatever you think will work, or a global/proc that works. Say, a Miracle unique.
Combat Jumping. Immobilize protection in Human form, though it is a toggle. Useful enough overall to consider.
Stealth. I know I put it down before, if you're looking for it for the stealth *power* there are other ways to go about being sneaky. But if you're looking for something to put another Defense set unique/proc/etc. in, here you go.
Thoughts on leveling and powers
If you're sure you're going triform, plan on a respec at 20. At worst, run a respec trial at 24 (make sure you're in SOs or decent IOs and that the highest person is the leader.) After the respec, when slotting concentrate on Nova first (until you're at least four slots per power,) then Dwarf (I'd alternate between the form and power until you have four slots in the form - three resists, one ENDMOD proc. Remember, stamina doesn't work in form.)
Don't forget, with Dwarf, that your taunt is NOT auto hit. You'll want ACC in there. (I tend to try to fit acc and recharge, at the least, but it's a very weakly slotted power when I do it.) You also do not have a taunt aura (such as Blazing Aura, Icicles, etc.)
Personal preference on Nova - I like fitting a Range into Nova Scatter, just to get it more in line with the other three powers. No need to duck in and out to maintain damage output.
Must have powers
I'm going to repeat myself here, but there's good reason for it.
Don't skip or underslot Essence Boost or Reform Essence. You want these up and boosting or healing you as much as you can. You are squishy, when you're not in Dwarf form (and don't forget to slot your dwarf heal.)
Don't skip or underslot your two heavy melee hitters of Radiant and Incandescent Strike. Give strong consideration to how you're going to slot Solar Flare, as well - not only is it PBAOE (fits as Peacebringer AOE, too, doesn't it?) damage, but if you need a breather, this will knock whatever is around you away.
Hasten. Especially when you're in light form, you're going to be very aware of having a limited number of attacks. Hasten, even with its crash, is a godsend for you. Low to medium slotting, and your attacks and heals are up faster - carrying over to forms? Yes. You want it.
Build Up, Conserve Energy and Quantum Flight. Yes, these were in the single slot gem list, as well. They're useful enough utilies to be considered "must have," as well as letting you shuffle slots where you need them.
Light Form. Yes, it locks you out of other forms. But if you're going to spend time in human, get it. It's got pretty decent resist right out of the box. And pulling numbers from Mids, a single SO there, stacked with unslotted shining shield and unenhanced Incandescence will give you some very nice resists - 85% smashing/lethal, 74% En/NE, 63% to everything else but Psi.
Other power considerations
I'm looking specifically at human form here. As you plan your build, consider just how much knockback you want. If you MUST have two AOEs, you're going to find yourself spreading slots thin. Decide if you want more KB or not, and decide between Proton Scatter (cone) and Luminous Detonation (Ranged AOE with KB.) If you start chasing sets, though, having both is a good source of recharge at 50, both with five slots - give one Ragnarok (if you can afford it) for 10% Recharge at 5 slots, give the other Positron's Blast for another 6.25%.
Photon Seekers - the Peacebringer's pets. Unlike a warshade, these are not long lasting bringers of doom. If you've played traps and are used to seeker drones, you'll find these very familiar (and somewhat dumb - I've had them float around a valid target and do nothing for a fight.) They're best used as a melee attack, as they do hit pretty hard and do some serious knockback on their own. Slottable with both Pet Damage and Recharge Intensive Pets.
Dawn Strike - This is a nuke. You will feel an endurance crash. That said, there's little more enjoyable than just walking up to someone and exploding. It won't tend to kill everything on its own from full health - effect wise, it's more like a Defender nuke instead of a Blaster's - but as a followup AOE (such as after a Dwarf Flare, Photon Seeker, etc.) it can be quite impressive. Have some blues handy for afterward, though.
A triform Kheld is all about making those trade-offs. By the time you're done - well, a triform Peacebringer is, among other things, a learning experience. You'll probably find yourself looking at slotting your normal characters differently afterward, as well - having to decide just what every slot is for can really open your eyes to things like frankenslotting. It can be a difficult road as you level, but it's very rewarding.
The Triform and binds
Binds (also useful as macros) will be a big help to any Peacebringer that uses forms. As many powers as we get, I set these up long ago to have form-specific trays and switch between them as I switch forms. My setup uses the keyboard numpad - 1 for Nova (powers in tray 9), 2 to drop to human (and immediate flight, powers in tray 8,) 3 for Dwarf (powers in tray 7,) 0 for Quantum Flight. You can adjust them for whatever preference you have.
Essentially, I save this as a file (I have a c:\binds directory) called pbbinds.txt. When I make a new Peacebringer, I just /loadbindfile c:\binds\pbbinds.txt and they're all set up.
Code:They're a little simpler than the Warshade binds, as there's not two differently named Teleports to work with. I'll also remove the form buttons for Nova or Dwarf from my trays - they're just not needed. My layout tends to be form powers in the bottom tray, buffs in the middle, and misc. powers (toggles, if any) in the top, with an extra 6x2 horizontal "floating" tray for temp and vet powers, just to get them out of the way.NUMPAD0 "powexectoggleoff Bright Nova$$powexectoggleoff White Dwarf$$powexectoggleon Quantum Flight$$goto_tray 8" NUMPAD1 "powexectoggleon Bright Nova$$goto_tray 9" NUMPAD2 "powexectoggleoff Bright Nova$$goto_tray 8$$powexectoggleoff White Dwarf$$powexectoggleon Energy Flight" NUMPAD3 "powexectoggleon White Dwarf$$goto_tray 7"
Final thoughts
The thing about Khelds in general is, there is no "One True Build." Every path has its strengths and weaknesses, and there's flexibility enough in the Peacebringer to "season to taste." And if you think you know Khelds because you've played a Warshade, well, a Peacebringer will open your eyes. You need a very different mindset and approach to how you tackle spawns, or you'll end up face planting far more than - well, more than you should.
No, they don't have the "higher highs and lower lows" of a Warshade, but the self sufficiency of a Peacebringer can be more attractive at times And a mixed group - well, it's fun all 'round.
Reading list / References:
Initial posting and discussion of this is here, at least until the next forum purge. (Once this is posted in Player Guides, please put any discussion/questions there instead.)
Dechs' The MFing Warshade
Capn_Canadian's IOs for Newbs, Casual Players and Cheapskates (I9) - some formatting issues, but still good to read. Even for non khelds.
Plasma's Ultimate Guide to Kheldians (I8)
ParagonWiki page on Peacebringers (including links to powersets.) -
The Biforms
Biform - aside from what I called "The Inhuman" - is Human and one other form, either Nova or Dwarf. Like I mentioned early on, there's not really the same sort of synergy, the weaving together of powers to create something even more powerful, that there is with the MFing Warshade. That's no reason to discount the bi or triform, though.
Human-Nova
You're a person. You're a squid. You're the sushi place's worst nightmare come true. This gives you many of the advantages of Human form with the ability to concentrate a bit more on Nova's blasts.
Pros
More slots for powers. Nova's form doesn't really need slotting, and it only has four blasts. That leaves a lot of slots for humanform powers.
Nova's accuracy. The plus of Nova is, of course, accuracy, and you can just swap form and blaze away.
Travel synergy. Via keybind, you can drop from Nova to Human with flight toggled on right away - and from human to Nova the same way. No dropping like a rock for you!
Cons
No mez protection. Unlike Dwarf, Nova offers no mez protection at all.
Defenseless form. It also has no defense inherently (not that any Peacebringer form does) and no Resists of its own in Nova.
Slotting - Nova
If you go this way - actually, go with either biform - be sure to slot early using the Kheldian respec ability. Start fitting slots into Nova, but plan them out so you don't end up short elsewhere. You'll still be using Human for a fallback when you need to be tougher, as well as buffing yourself. The only specific recommendation I make for Nova is to put a Range into Scatter to bring it closer to the other blasts. Diving in and out always makes me feel like I'm wasting time. Fitting in some recharge doesn't hurt, either. Don't forget your END reduction. Start looking into frankenslotting or sets.
Powers and slotting - Human
You're going to need to be a little more stingy than the pure-Human Peacebringer. It's not as bad, though, as the form itself doesn't need slotting, just the attacks. With Fitness becoming inherent, you'll have one less choice to consider - though you'll still want to remember any Stamina slotting you need. Hasten is also going to be worthwhile for you. See how much you can get without slotting, though - again, Conserve Energy, Quantum Flight and Restore Essence, while handy on their own, are going to be slot liberators.
You're going to have to retoggle coming out of Nova as well. Between that, possible END issues (if Nova's burned more END than you thought) and slot crunch, you may want to look into just Shining Shield, if any. Tough is still useful, but it edges a bit closer to "Optional." Quantum shield, for all the Energy damage you may face, can go by the wayside or go with just a default END slot, depending on if you want to deal with the toggle or not. Slip an extra slot or two into Incandescence if you have them to make up for it. (Pre-I19 note - Stamina is *supposed* to work in the forms after I19. It's not up to test at time of writing, but if it works, this "END issues" mention will be outdated.)
Most of the "Highly recommended" powers are still recommended here - Essence boost, Reform essence, Conserve Energy, Quantum Flight, Restore, Light Form... the latter especially if you drop the other shields. Incandescent Strike and Radiant Strike are still your go-to powers, and you should have enough slots for your attacks to be quite effective.
Human - Dwarf
Dwarf is more slot hungry than Nova. The form itself should take slotting, plus there are more powers to consider slotting. You'll be looking more strongly at set IOs, even if just for frankenslotting, with this setup. This is probably the heaviest Melee-centered form of them all. If you like getting right up in the enemy's face, this is the way to do it.
Pros
M-M-M-Mez Breaker! Yes, you get a form that you can activate while mezzed, giving you a nice resist boost, a handy heal and more mez protection.
Resistance, Resistance, Resistance - Dwarf is very resistant when slotted to everything but Psionic damage. And you'll still be able to use Light Form, though it locks you out of Dwarf.
Teleport - In dwarf form, that is. Immobilized? Pfft.
Another heal!
Cons
Sensitive to slows - To me, at least, Dwarf feels more sensitive to any -rech you're hit with.
Synergy? What synergy? - Dwarf doesn't even have the "At least you're flying" of Nova. Swap to dwarf in the air, and you're going down.
More slot hungry. 6 powers as opposed to Nova's 4, plus slots in the form itself. Plan ahead. Though don't assume they all need heavy slotting....
No Autopowers in forms - so, again, END management is paramount.
Special PVP note - Don't plan on staying in dwarf while PVPing and being able to teleport away if things go south. Since I13, Teleport's "suppression" has been "It doesn't work at all."
Slotting - Dwarf
Unlike Nova, you'll want to slot Dwarf. I assume 5 slots if possible - three for Resist IOs (I don't care about END or recharge, just bumping that resist up,) one for a Winter's Gift (stocked up on a few last winter to fight off slows) and one, if possible, for a PS +End IO.
You'll also really want to watch your attacks. Recharge and END reduction most of all. You only have three. You'll also have your heal, a taunt (that can use accuracy,) and Teleport. At least Teleport doesn't need to be six slotted - one to two slots at most (set, or END, or ENd/RANGE.) You can, of course, put PSI damage in the taunt via proc to try to turn it into another attack.
Powers and slotting - Humanform
Feeel the crunch. You'll really want to start frankenslotting with one of these, as many of the powers you want hitting hard are going to not have six slots. You can still fit in Tough and Shining Shield and have them slotted pretty decently. You'll like having Light Form later on, though it locks you out of Dwarf's heal. You can, if you choose, underslot one of your ranged attacks (such as Gleaming Bolt/Eye) to move those slots into the melee.PBAOE attacks. Just be sure you're not going to be sitting around offering nothing to your target but conversation. If you're not punching face, tweak a bit. -
Forms and You
So, here you are at 22. Ready for a respec and some nice, shiny level 25 SOs. (Or IOs, or sets. I'm not picky.) Again, we're not just rewriting Dechs' guide with less purple, we're looking at being a Peacebringer - and that means human or multiform.
"But Bill, you studly tanker/peacebringer/plays everything altoholic," you say, "I'm not sure what I want to be." (OK, maybe you don't say it that way. It's the thought that counts. Stop laughing.) Well, let's go through the pros and cons of the various configurations. This is not simpler to more complex - each strategy has its own tradeoffs. We'll start with... humanform.
The All Human League
So, you decided being seafood just wasn't for you. You've got two arms, two legs and don't have people singing B-52s songs when you walk by. Fair enough. If you like the Blapper playstyle, you'll be right at home here - you'll probably think you've gone to Blapper heaven, because that's just what you are.
Pros:
No slot crunch. Really. You're not splitting your slots between your human powers, two forms (well, I know you wouldn't slot Nova) and the ten powers that come with them, trying to stretch them as far as you can. No, all your slots go right in your human powers. And you'll like it that way.
No form switching to buff *clap-point* you up. Hasten up? Click it. Essence Boost ready? Autofire? It's going off. All your powers are there at your beck and call, not hidden away in other forms.
No loss of powers. OK, one word. STAMINA. It will be running eternally. No loss when you swap forms. Edit: Post I19, of course, this isn't an issue.
No retoggling. This is a complaint of multiforms. Have Shining Shield? Maybe Tough? You don't when you come back from your other form... oh, wait, you don't HAVE other forms! So long as you have endurance, you have your toggles running.
Cons:
No forms. Yes, you want to be human, but the forms have their uses. What are you losing? While Nova's not that big a loss, you lose your mez protection and a second heal in Dwarf form.
Set loss: 1 set type (Taunt.) If you're looking for set bonuses, of course, you can snag the Presence pool for this.
Power and leveling strategies
You'll have most of your attacks available. Absolutely don't skip Radiant Strike or Incandescent Strike. Just like the prior section, Essence Boost is a must have, as is Reform Essence.
To help with the slot crunch (IE, I want a strong heal NOW!) consider Conserve Energy at 24. It's helpful on its own, but doesn't really need slotting - which means you get the slots at 23 and 25 to put right into your self heal. Also, Quantum Flight is a really nice SHTF button - instant phase (30 sec) with max flight speed. Another with no slotting really needed, which lets you spread those out to other places.
The shields will be more useful to you. You're losing the high resists of Dwarf form, after all, but at the same time, you don't need to retoggle. Shining Shield, the Smashing/Lethal, should obviously be first on your list when you pick them up. Quantum Shield next - you're a Peacebringer, you will face Voids doing Negative Energy damage. Might as well mitigate some of it. Thermal is totally up to you, but really... how often have you said "I really wish I had fire/cold resist?" If you want it for another resist set bonus and have the slots, go for it.
Light Form. It's Invincibility. Yes, it has a crash. It also turns you into a ball of fluff that can beat on your enemies from inside, which I find oddly amusing. Grab and slot. Unslotted, on its own (in Mids) you'll be at 52.5% resistance. Combined with the other shields... yeah, it's nice. Just watch for the blinking icons.
You'll appreciate having the Fitness pool as an inherent after Issue 19. Be sure to remember to slot Stamina. (Or don't and throw an assisting Miracle in Health.)
Optional powers
Group Energy Flight. It's group fly, with all the plusses and minuses. By the time you get it, though, most everyone else has a travel power. And with jetpacks given out so freely, well, it loses some of the luster.
Pulsar. It's a stun, which can open up some sets and bonuses, and you'll have the slots. You won't stun bosses with it, though.
Glowing Touch - If you want to be a khealer, here's your Aid Other. But it looks cooler.
Restore Essence - It's a rez. It's something else that doesn't really need slotting, and it's useful for what it is. I usually grab it.
Photon Seekers. Still dumb as rocks, but released in melee, it's not a bad attack, usually. Take Solar Flare first, though.
Dawn Strike. Do you like exploding? Consider this. Don't forget, though, you've got Conserve Power, not Stygian Circle - you're not doing an instant refill when you're done.
Power pools, aside from Fitness:
- Concealment. I mentioned before, I'm biased, I like stealth on my Peacebringers. However, unless you want a Def set, you don't need the power pool. 15-25, Hyper Stealth in Bloody Bay. 20-30, Combat Invisibility (better than stealth.) 30+, Hyper Phase from Warburg. Alternately, you can get the stealth IOs to put in Sprint, Hover or Fly. Plus, if you want a phase, you have Quantum Flight. Concealment is generally skippable.
- Speed. Just for Hasten. Snag when possible. If you want superspeed, go for it.
- Leaping. Primarily for Combat Jumping's Immob protection (and/or a place to put a second Karma KB protect IO, if desired.)
- Fighting. Incandescense works with Quantum shield to boost your Energy/Negative resists. Tough works with Shining Shield. Worth the investment? That's up to you. Me, I like staying alive longer. Three SOs in each = almost 53% resistance.
Playing the humanform
You're melee. All the time. Even your ranged attacks, just consider a REALLY LONG punch. You can lean more toward multiple target with Proton Scatter, and Solar Flare will scatter enemies to the winds (so pay attention when you're on teams - stay toward the edges to keep them together.) This is also where my stealth bias comes in - I love to get the drop on a Void hunter. Stealth, fly, follow, queue up Incandescent Strike, finish him when he's down. (Solar Flare can take care of getting the rest of the group off your back right away.) If there's not a mezzer, hit the first target with a quick Gleaming bolt (that -def, remember) before hitting him hard with Incandescent. Mezzers and voids, open with Incandescent (or Radiant to knock them down and away.) There's really no need to ever hang back. You are the front line.
The Inhuman
This is just the conceptual opposite of humanform. Yes, you do have a human form, but your focus is on Nova and Dwarf.
I'll admit, for me this is pure theorycraft. I've never gotten into this particular style, but others have, and it might appeal to you. What you'll end up with is a fully slotted Dwarf and Nova, with some utility in Human form.
Pros:
Fully slotted forms. Go with sets if you want. Your blasts, your taunt, everything about your forms will be the best you can make it.
Set bonuses. Humanform set bonuses still carry over. You can look at some powers for oddball sets or power choices you wouldn't actually use otherwise for set muling, if you choose.
No retoggling. Since you're concentrating on the forms, you're not taking shields and such - so, no retoggling needed.
Cons:
<Mention of "No stamina" deleted after Inherent Fitness.>
Switching for buffs - Hasten, for instance, cannot be activated in form. You MUST switch to human for it. Same with Essence Boost and Reform Essence. Note this doesn't apply to Accolade powers.
Boom-Boom - OK, Khelds are noisy when they switch. You'll be switching. If the sound annoys you, this isn't for you. Of course, you'll have more reason to stay in form anyway, compared to, say, the MFing warshade...
No real synergy.
Power suggestions
Hasten. You'll want it, even though you need to drop to human to use it. The other suggestions of Build up, Essence boost, Reform essence and Conserve Energy also hold true here. I'd also suggest Quantum Flight here - again, it's a great get-out-of-jail-free card, and doesn't need slotting. However, if there's something else that fits your needs better, grab it.
Skip the shields. Barring wanting them for set bonuses, you're not going to want to spend time toggling them on between forms. You're not going to concentrate on human attacks, just your buffs.
If anyone who plays this form wants to chip in with their experiences, you're more than welcome.
Quick direct reply from Vessel of Light with their experience:
Quote:Slotting for the most part was simple, Nova and Dwarf are fully slotted except for the dwarf teleport. It works well enough in combat situations with no slots and if I need to travel any real distance I'll switch to human or nova and fly. Hasten, Essence Boost, Build Up, Conserve Energy, and Photon Seekers all have extra slots devoted to them as I found them to be the human form powers I used most.
I didn't build my PB is mids or go into anything to intensive it came about naturally and I have selected and slotted the powers I found myself using most. I don't really frankenslot and tend to go for the full 6 piece set in my powers So I'm guessing that there are places that my build could still be improved on. I picked sets with an eye toward recharge with the low number of powers available to me in each form having them up as much as possible helps a great deal. Also End was rarely a problem, I could already cap my HP with Essence Boost and Dwarf. Resist bonuses don't seem large enough to be worth the effort ( and on teams could be wasted when in Dwarf ) and at the time I started building up IOs for my PB I didn't think I could get enough defense to make a noticeable difference ( having seen some other players builds I think it is possible now ).
You note End as being a concern but to be honest I rarely felt it on my PB. putting the +end proc into both the nova and the dwarf solved almost all my problems. Until I got the +End accolades and a couple of random bonuses while slotting IOs I could burn myself out of End by hitting hasten without conserve energy and then go nova and constantly fire off my AoE attacks when they were up and ST attacks as filler. Even this would take a minute or two of constant fire before my end bottomed out though.
Lastly a bit on how I play, as I find knowing the context of what a player wants out of a PB helps me make more sense out the powers taken. Solo I play simply. start in human, throw up the buffs that are up (with the amount of recharge I have now days build up is almost always up every mob and the others are up fairly often). Then switch to nova, fire off my AoEs then start working on the remains. If I get held or start taking to much damage I'll drop down to dwarf and then ground and pound the rest of the mob. Rinse and repeat with the next mob. Note I love photon seekers. Both AoEs along with some blasts from them is a wonderful way to open up a fight against a large group. And alternately against a tough melee target/group I will summon them and then engage from range, when the bad guys get close to my squiddy self the seekers generally will home in cause some good damage and more importantly have a chance to send them flying away giving me more time to blast in nova before having to drop down into dwarf for the resistances.
On teams I fill the gaps. If they need a tank I just happen to do fairly well at that job. I have just enough heals to keep a slightly squishy tank alive ( I admit at 50 this isn't as big of a deal but while leveling a surprising number of tanks struggled and the extra heals kept them going ). And with Nova I put out a decent amount of damage. In most groups tanking is covered and my small amount of healing is not needed constantly so I get to play in Nova alot. So human form before the fight, throw up my buffs, switch and then blast away. I also look to play a protective role. being ranged dps gives me a good view of the fight so I can see problems developing and move to counter them. The most common one being ambushes or extra spawns getting aggroed. fly over blast a couple times then drop to dwarf and hold them up until the group gets around to dealing with them. Fill in tanking also comes up from time to time when the RNG decides it doesn't like the main tank and they drop to a bad string of attacks. Spot healing and mez breaking fall under this umbrella as well. A buffer/debuffer/controller that is mezzed can quickly turn the tide of a bad situation if I can get a stimulant off on them. I don't use the heals a lot most times I float merrily along shooting bad guys all day long but having the extra support options on hand for the rainy day is always a good thing. -
Growing Up Squiddy
OK, we're finally into the meat of the guide. How do you grow from a sea monkey to a white, glowy squid of doom? Well, sit on down and... forget some of what you read in Dechs' guide. I'm going to have you put off your final decision on what you want to be until level 22, and I'm going to make a few assumptions.
Levels 1-22
First, even if you really, really want to be human form, pick up Nova at 6 for now. Yes, I know it screws with your RP concept. Believe me, you'll be in Human enough, and people will forget all about that little seafood indiscretion as a kid. (Alternately, well, keep your second build handy at level 10.)
Quote:Unlike Dechs, I'm not going to suggest you respec at level six. No, it doesn't matter which attack you take at levels 1 and 2. Stick a slot in both at 3 if you want. But at level 4 you get your first "old reliable" power. At level 4, Essence Boost comes up. This gives you a self heal and bumps your maximum health (HP) up. It also gives some Toxic resistance - and this early, y'know, you're going to fight Vahzilok. Every little bit helps. Slot for health and recharge. Don't worry about sets right now.Aside: The second build and Khelds
If you're considering forms at ALL, I'd recommend going ahead and starting that second build at 10 anyway. Yes, it's another respec you'll have to burn, but the first time you use it, you won't be able to do the Kheld "respec" trick, where Nova and/or Dwarf powers are available as inherents. Doesn't matter, perhaps, if you want to go all human.
Pre-22, the shields just aren't worth taking and slotting. We'll worry about them during the respec, when we're near SO levels.
So, Nova. Leave the form at the default slot, and start sticking slots in the attacks. Don't worry about the slots you put into your initial attacks, we're respeccing at 20 or so anyway.
Yes, the form gets a tohit boost. Slot your accuracy. Slot at least one END reduction - remember, even though you'll have Stamina as an inherent from level 1 after issue 19, it's not going to affect this form. And I personally like to slot Bright Nova Scatter with a range, to help get it close to the other three attacks.
Ahh... but don't forget, you're a Peacebringer. You will be dropping to human whether you like it or not. While on your journey, there ARE some powers to keep in mind.
Radiant Strike - your first melee attack. It comes at level 6, same time as Nova. Snag it ASAP. Good damage, and it does knockback. Good for playing keep away from the squiddy. Third most important during this stage, through the mid teens or so, right behind the Nova attacks and Essence Boost.
Build Up - Level 12. Fire it off, swap to Nova. Yes, you're wasting some of its duration in the transformation, sorry.
Incandescent Strike - level 18. Yes, this close to the respec. It's still a "must snag" power. It's one of the heavy hitters of Peacebringerdom.
White Dwarf - Level 20. What, no respec at 20? Yeah, I know. We can, or we can wait for SOs at 22. Because the other thing we're taking opens up then - Reform Essence. That and we can sell off all the DOs, TOs, and common IOs (if you so choose) all at once to fund your transformation. Pick it at 22, and then...
Decide your future.
You're 22. How do you want to proceed? Humanform, the Inhuman (forms only,) Human/Dwarf, Human/Nova or Triform? It's time to decide. -
Peacebringers and enhancements
"Woah, wait, you haven't even started talking about leveling and you're going into enhancements? And I though you weren't giving a build!"
Yes, I am. And no, I'm not giving a build.
There are a few things to keep in mind when planning out your Peacebringer (even if, like me, you don't really "plan them out." MIDS is nice, but just letting them grow can be fun, too.)
If you're going to go multiform, you'll feel the crunch.
Slot crunch, that is. Human form isn't bad. Bi-form can start getting a little tight. Triform, you'll have to get creative. What does this mean? Really consider your slotting. A Peacebringer, especially your first one, you can expect to burn respecs and that second build on as you "get it right." You'll also find yourself thanking the devs for putting IOs into the game.
Pre-I9, Hami-Os (available late game) were the Kheldian's friend. Multi-aspect enhancement at full SO power (more, at one point) in a single slot? Obviously, we were dreaming! It was late-game heaven! (Yes, Titan-Os also exist, but faded so fast it just wasn't funny.)
After I9? Multi-aspect enhancements are commonplace. And really, really useful - often exceeding SO slotting even without set bonuses.
Required reading. No, really. Capn_Canadian's IOs for News, Casual Playas & Cheapskates. It's an I9 guide, and still formatted for the old forums, but really will show you what I mean. And you don't need to spend a lot! What it boils down to - take advantage of frankenslotting.
Frankenslotting aside, it's really worth looking at sets as well. The set bonuses carry over between forms - not just for a few seconds, but as long as the set/power is viable. That can be a BIG boost, especially when you start building for bonuses. Fortunately, you have a lot of sets to choose from....
IO help - Remember everything your powers do!
The frankenslotting guide was great reading, isn't it? Now, don't limit yourself to which sets you can take. Think of what your Peacebringer does. What sets come to mind?
Melee.
PBAOE.
Ranged damage.
Targeted AOE.
OK, think a little more...
Heals.
Resistance.
Flight/Universal Travel.
We're getting a pretty good little list. But you're missing a few.
Pet damage.
Recharge Intensive Pets.
Endurance Modification - you'll want to remember this!
Defense Debuff.
ACCURATE Defense Debuff.
ToHit Buff, especially good to remember if you take Nova.
Leaping, if you take Dwarf.
Knockback
Holds - yes, you have a hold in Incandescent Strike.
Stuns - if you take Pulsar.
Defense - Get a Karma instead of a Steadfast Knockback Protection recipe? Level 10, Combat Flight. AKA Hover.
That's a pretty damn healthy list, ESPECIALLY if you want to frankenslot! Can't find an Acc/Recharge? Check your "other" sets. You may want to keep this page from the wiki handy. Bookmark it right next to the IO sets page. That way you can see easily what exactly has the combinations you want.
IOs to watch for.
OK. There are some IOs, especially for multiforms, that you'll want to go after. Call them high priority.
All Khelds:
Steadfast Protection: Knockback protection
You're a Peacebringer. Even if you go primarily for forms, there's a chance you'll be in melee when you have to drop down to Human for a buff or two. All Khelds get an inherent resist at level 1. Slot this in there for four points of knockback protection. (You can pick up the other shields and put it in them if you want, but four points really does take care of most of the game.) They're (comparatively) cheap - and if you don't want to spend the inf, run some AE arcs and burn bronze rolls in the 15-19 range. Sell everything else you don't think you'll need.
Forms in general:
Performance Shifter: Chance for +End
Even though after Issue 19 you'll have Stamina in human form, that doesn't carry over into Dwarf or Nova form at this time. (Seriously, bring up the Combat Attributes window, Base stats. Watch your Recovery rate, and switch into a form. It will drop in seconds.) Yes, the forms have some END recovery built in to offset the toggle cost. This proc can help. Grab it. Every ten seconds, it has a chance to fire off and give you a small END boost while you're in form. It can help.
Edit: For clarification, when the guide was written it didn't carry over. Inherent Stamina does. Still, the proc doesn't hurt.
Dwarf:
Winter's Gift: Slow Resistance.
Just play around in the ski chalet during the winter event, gather candy canes and get this. Slows are NOT your friend as a Dwarf. yes, you can teleport. You still don't want to sit there with no attacks and your heal taking forever to recharge.
IOs to keep in mind
These are more "if you have the slots." Not needed, but they might give a little extra kick now and then.
Overall:
I'm not going to give a big list here. There are a LOT of procs in the sets we can take that give a chance for specific damage types. Khelds, by default, only do Energy damage (except for Radiant and Incandescent strike, which also do Smashing.) If you meet an Energy resistant foe, a chance for Smashing or Lethal damage can't hurt... if you have the slots for it. There are also those that give a Chance for Build Up or Chance for Recharge. They can't hurt. But don't sacrifice a needed slot elsewhere to fit it in.
I will suggest, at least in AOEs, an Achilles' Heel Chance for Resistance Debuff. You're already making them easier to hit. Why not give yourself a chance to hit harder at the same time? Alternately, again in AOEs, Force Feedback: Chance for +Rech. Another luxury slot choice.
Dwarf:
Miracle +Recovery. For the same reason I suggest Performance Shifter: Chance for +End. This will fire off any time you use the Dwarf heal and give you a little Recovery boost. (15%)
Perfect Zinger - Just in general, as four slots will help your recharge a little. If nothing else, grab the Psi damage proc for a chance of more damage. Turn your taunt into an attack. Don't forget, though, the Kheld taunt benefits from Accuracy as well.
Nova:
You can get away without slotting the form, generally. However, if you have extra slots - a Kheldian luxury - there are a few you may want to look into.
Freebird: +Stealth. I like stealth on my Khelds. In your Nova form, you're going to be squishy anyway. If you can get a little closer before being spotted, it helps. It doesn't, of course, add to your defense. And if you have to escort someone, you'll have to drop form in many cases for them to follow. Still, after I18, the Stealth from this drops as soon as you detoggle (no 120 second timer.)
Rectified Reticle: Increased Perception. Another personal choice, primarily to deal with ghosts that vanish and run away. Keep them in sight and slap them around.
Gaussian's Synchronized Fire Control: Chance for build up. Who doesn't want a chance at more damage? It's admittedly 5% every 10 seconds, but still. It's a luxury slot purchase.
Post - Freedom edit - But what about the premium players?
I almost added free there - if you're an actual "free" player, you don't have access to Khelds. Once you DO, you've either purchased them or subscribed. Welcome to premium or VIP!
For Premium, you'll either be at Reward Tier 7 (lifetime unlock) or use an invention access license. Do note, though, that ATOs (including universal damage) and any store bought enhancements (from the Paragon Market) will work no matter what - and some of the mentioned enhancements do have SBE versions. Your choice. Otherwise, Dwarf form, Stamina slotting, Acrobatics and Combat Flight are there for knockback management. -
How to Raise a Peacebringer
I was going to write this guide initially while riffing from Dechs' "The MF Warshade" guide. It's a good guide overall to compare and contrast, and I strongly recommend anyone considering a Warshade to read it. But the more I wrote, the more it came back to me just how dissimilar a Peacebringer is.
That said - go read Dechs' guide. Take a few minutes to do so. We ARE going to do some contrasting here, and if you want to try both Khelds, you should know how the other half lives.
What this guide is not
I've got a philosophy that Dechs' guide works well with, and which I'm going to adhere to here. I am not going to give you an "uber lvl 50" build. You may spend thousands of hours at 50, and I hope they're enjoyable hours on your Peacebringer. (They certainly are on mine. I have, at time of writing, two at 50.) What I am going to do is give you tips and things to look for on the journey.
We're also going to split things up a bit when we hit 20. That's really where you've got a decision to make. (You can always go back through the magic of dual builds and respecs if you change your mind, of course.) I'll go into considerations for human, bi and triforms at that point.
I will also mention helpful IOs, slotting suggestions and such - but again, don't expect a build. (I will, however, point out "Don't miss" and "Seriously consider" powers.)
The Peacebringer difference.
"What's the difference between 'shades and Peacebringers? Insult a Warshade in a bar, they'll go out, slash your tires and put sugar in your gas tank. The peacebringer will just break your face." -Me.
That simplifies things a bit. It's a good attitude comparison (though the 'shade goes from sneaky to demigod later.) But at the same time, it simplifies things a bit too much. So we're going to do some comparisons here.
1. Secondary effects. A Warshade slows their enemies with their attacks. Easier to keep together, a little safer with -recharge. A Peacebringer debuffs defense, making them easier to hit with followup shots (and thus easier to kill.)
2. Steady state versus rollercoaster. A Warshade has incredible highs - and low, low lows. Their self buffs, self heals and the like rely on enemies, alive or dead. (This is the balance which lets them get such nice buffs off of Mire, for instance.) A Peacebringer is entirely self contained. When Build Up or Restore Essence come up, they're going to do the same buff for the same amount at the same level with the same slotting. No worries that you're down to fighting one tough boss versus a crowd of minions. Your buffs are always there for you.
3. Fluffies of Doom vs Fluff. OK, this doesn't make the Peacebringer come out quite so well. The Warshade's extracted essences are reasonably long lasting, ranged attackers that add seriously to damage for a while. The Peacebringer's Photon Seekers are... um... well, a melee attack. Don't drag them behind you and expect them to explode. They had an AI upgrade a while back that upgraded them from "Dumb as dirt" to "Just somewhat dumber than an earthworm." I've had them float harmlessly right on an enemy's head through an entire fight, apparently deciding to make them die of embarassment ("Oh no, dandruff!") instead of explodiness.
4. MF for strength versus MF "because I want to." If you read Dechs' guide like I said, you'll see how the Warshade's dwarf mire, human mire, Eclipse and pets all work together to make a Warshade an engine of purple destruction. Bi and humanform are still viable - but you do lose out on some power, depending on combination. The Peacebringer? The idea of "Self contained" carries through here. If you go human form, you don't lose much by not having Dwarf - no mez protected form*, no second heal.
*Edit - Since this was written, Light Form has had some changes, and you can with some builds (go ask in the forum) perma it. Which will take care of the mez bit.
5. The Chosen One brings Balance. Similarly to the Warshade, your Inherent - Cosmic Balance - buffs your stats. Every Control (Controller/Dominator) character helps your protection from Control effects, and every other Epic AT (Hero or Villain) gives you Slow resistance. However, everything else is turned on its head. Are you protecting squishies? Every defensive AT (Tanker, Mastermind, Defender or Corruptor) helps your ability to protect them by giving you a damage boost. (OK, tanks and masterminds in bodyguard aren't generally squishy, but they are classed as defensive here.) Every offensive AT, such as sweaty Scrappers, BO Brutes... eh, wrong kind of offensive? Anyway, Scrappers, Stalkers, Brutes and Blasters all help you stand on the front line with them by buffing your Damage Resistance. "A Peacebringer is what the team needs; a team is what the Warshade needs." -Dechs
These aren't all the differences, but it's part of what we'll focus on as we grow our Peacebringer. -
Quote:So don't purchase it if you wouldn't use it. And this is not a "sci-fi themed game," this is a very wide ranging comic-themed game. Which includes common man, gods, high tech, low tech, possible, way out there, magic and mundane themes But if you want to say "Alien heads are appropriate," well, Star wars - cantina patrons, Bothans, Mon Calimari, Quarren... hmmm, seems to be a number there. Babylon 5 gives a number of others, including distinctly non human, insectoid looks well beyond what we have in game. So call them "alien" themes for yourself if that's the only way you can "accept" them.Originally Posted by Bad_Influence
...the problem is, that this is a game centered around SUPERHEROES. I can think of very few comics characters offhand that utilize anything other than wolf or cat heads. Alien heads? Ok, this is a sci-fi themed game, we could use more of those.
No, we want to encourage peoples creativity. It would not "break the theme of the game."Quote:The problem is that a bunch of people running around with elephant heads [recently suggested in another thread] would break the theme of the game quite severely. In essence, do we want to encourage things like clones of Beta Ray Bill?
We need more than the one somewhat-odd lizard (which is a skinny, strange looking thing on a female character,) something that looks like a PO'd mutant ape, and an annoyed dog. Or just a pattern over a normal face (and one that for whatever reasin is missing a mouth.)
Give me a better cat face. Yes, we have feline, which isn't particularly discernable 'til you're close, and cat ears on a human face just doesn't cut it. Give me a better, crocodile-like face. Something birdlike with a variety of beaks. Go look at the Egyptian pantheon - there's a whole mess of history to draw on there. (And it is fitting, if nothing else for the mention of Gadzul oil and the Blood of the Black Stream being Egyptian-based bits of lore.)
Give me something that looks more draconic. No, the current "lizard" head does not, especially female.
Give me a rat head. And it'd be quite fitting - Not only do we have all sorts of odd things being dumped in the sewers of Paragon and the RI, but - "Splinter."
Give me something that evokes a cobra's hood. (See also Sstheno for "appropriate to the game.") As well as a flat, non hooded snakelike hood for other uses (multiple mythologies.)
Frankly, I can think of quite a bit for an animalistic/beast pack without even leaving *heads* that would fill a number of concepts I've scrapped or seriously toned down (and had to ignore physical attributes of) because it just couldn't be made to look decent with the current choices in game. -
Feelin' this more. (Well, I think it's interesting.)
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I generally like Sparky there - but yeah, adding the 'jump' would help. And be fun.
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Quote:Look up several posts in this thread. BillZ asked castle.Originally Posted by seebs
Wait, are they making fitness work in forms? I thought that was still an unanswered question.
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Quote:They're not that bad. Besides, the first is very useful on its own. The second a bit more. The third, not so much. And you only need one.Originally Posted by IanTheM1
And, to boot, Empowerment Stations contribute to your SG base tax, on top of the relative priceyness of the later models, requiring both a chunk of salvage to craft and a chunk of prestige to place.
We've made it a point, at times, to buff the pets just to see if we can get them to make it through a mission. To the point where they're shielded and have as much HP as a player (sometimes more.)Quote:Originally Posted by ClawsandEffect
Well, except for the fact that they die if a Hellion looks at them funny.
I've used the vet pets, and I gave up on them after they consistently died 3 seconds into a fight.
Plus it's amusing to see this little ice-doll-thing floating around when you buff a Wisp. -
I've got to agree with the "There's more to useful than just 'can it take a set.'" Then again, I've been playing Khelds since I4, so paying attention to stretching slots is pretty much second nature.
Stimulant, for instance, may not take a set, but it's useful on its own, even with a single slot. Keep the squishy that's keeping you from being mezzed up and in action.
I'd definitely expand it past "useful because it can take a global/proc." -
Quote:Originally Posted by Havoc_X
Fixing the PVPers would go a long way to increasing PVP.
Getting them to stop whining about I13 would probably help as well. It's done get over it. Much like ED and GDN. Not going to change by whining every chance you get people.
Well, here's the difference. With ED and GDN, it was a step towards something better (the skills system, though that got scrapped and replaced with Inventions.) The I13 PVP changes, while well intentioned, haven't led to a followup PVP improvement. It was supposed to be a first step - it hasn't been followed up on. And we've *had* a staffing increase since.
As far as "Fix PVPers?" Get over yourself. Yes, there are some jerks in PVP. Yes, the competition leads to some smack talk. Do the same thing you do in Atlas broadcast - stick the irritating ones on ignore. The real loudmouths can't tend to back it up - they tend to get beaten down repeatedly when they finally have to put their money where their mouth is. And y'know what else? There are also complete jerks who never PVP, so don't pin that on "PVPers."
Yes, it gets a little tiresome to hear about how broken it is, I'll admit. However, like I said, there hasn't been a followup change that has made it worth it like there was for GDN/ED. There's been no word (aside from, basically, "We know it's broken and didn't bring more people in") that there's any sort of followup on the horizon. I'd say they have some right to complain. The part of the game they loved was drastically altered in ways that make it "not fun." -
Quote:I don't know, I can see the slot crunch argument in some cases. Some are still going to slot stamina, of course - but now they'll pick some other powers, say, another attack, or they'll dip (or dip deeper) into Fighting, or want to pick up Medicine - and those will likely need slotting as well.Originally Posted by Gehnen
I think the major mitigating factor is that we will still have a slot crunch to deal with. Again, I just can't see this overpowering Khelds.
In fact, I think it's funny how many threads have popped up with people running around, flapping their hands squealing "What about slots? Boo-hooooo...what about slots?"
They'll just have to learn what we Khelds have learned long ago - prioritize your slots, and learn to love powers that can be single slotted (or even ignored.) -
*points a bit farther down*
Read through "Raising a Peacebringer" - no longer "in progress," going to copy the final form of it to Player Guides this weekend. -
Quote:This is true.Originally Posted by Bill Z Bubba
Considering how oddly cheap they are with HV merits.... I dunno.
... hmm. Wonder how insane the marketeers will be with all this going on.
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Quote:Granite, at the moment, does - part of the reason it's not customizable at all is that it is set to replace your character model.Originally Posted by GetBackJack
I foresaw this response, and I should've headed it off in the original post.
Make sense? In a game in which people fly and summon demons, etc.?
And Minimal FX for those could actually be minimal. Maybe it could be barely perceptible, but it doesn't have to completely shroud my toon in special effects. -
Of course, part of the question is, "Where are you taking the screenshot from?"
In game, it should automatically go into your \city of heroes\screenshots directory.
If you're looking at the costume creator or character select screen, it does NOT save those - you'll have to manually paste them into paint or another image program (or use Vista/7's clipping tool.) -
Quote:It'll definitely be a large change. Part of me is overall hesitant just wondering how this will affect the next round of balancing and the like, but other than that...Originally Posted by Bill Z Bubba
Late edit: I'm finding myself surprised at the lack of excitement about this. Is it because most of the forms users tend to form hop so much that you don't feel this to be as large a change as my brain is telling me it is?
I'm still going over how it'll impact quite a few characters. I agree it won't affect Warshades anywhere near as much, thanks to Stygian, but even unslotted it'll help Peacebringers. For me, I think it'll mostly be for triform Dwarf, as that seemed to be my biggest END usage issue there while leveling.
Edit: Marketwise, oy, wonder how high this will drive up the Miracle and Numina uniques, and Performance Shifter's Chance for +End. -
Must be a recent patch breaking it, first time I ran this (and a time a bit after running a friend's) it worked properly.