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Microcosm

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  1. Microcosm
    Your survivability sheets are great and I understand why you limited it to the more straight forward. I am only worried that people will take the numbers from them and say "clearly Willpower is the best because it has this number," like seems to have been done upthread, because, unlike you whom the sheet was made for, average forum-browser guy does not realize that there are other things to keep in mind.
  2. Microcosm
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zyphoid View Post
    EA is also much more fun to play. There is just something funny about draining all of a groups end, and beating on them while they can't do anything.
    Now that, sir, is what is hard to quantify I agree though, watching an ambush spawn of vickies and ACU's stair at me dumbfounded and powerless while I beat them is quite entertaining.

    Quote:
    Both of those T9s have a high chance of getting you killed, or at the least its rare high end build players will use them outside of very desperate situations.
    Eh, the electric one is not as bad as the invuln, because it ends in a massive EM Pulse hold. You can also pop a blue, Energize, and Power Sink right after it to be back at full capacity in seconds. If I die after using it, I simply planned poorly.
  3. Microcosm
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Werner View Post
    Active mitigation is, unfortunately, a bit difficult to quantify.
    Definitely, but dealing with an inaccurate assessment of its contribution is much better than leaving it out entirely.

    That said, I also think you should look at Willpower at both max targets and at minimum, because its mitigation value changes a heck of a lot between mobs and AVs. The other two sets don't have that problem, especially if you are capping Invuln with one target in range.
  4. Microcosm

    I'll be damned

    POST-ACTION

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JayboH View Post
    Huh. THAT is a big list of Lore options.

    Not sure how I feel about the buff changes yet. Obviously the end cost and recharge is going to shoot way up just like the Mastermind training powers did.

    Hmm...
    Think about it this way: Power Boost -> Team-wide force fields.
  5. Microcosm
    You left out Power Sink in your analysis. In the scenarios where they are surrounded by 10 or more foes, Willpower may be getting its best regen buff, but a well built Electric can completely neuter up to 16 foes (the target cap), including bosses. With good recharge levels, it would be available every spawn for such use. Active mitigation like this should be taken into account just like it would be for Dark Armor.
  6. Microcosm
    The DoT is 5*12.51 according to tomax, which is increased by damage buffs (from Sweeping Strike, and perhaps globally too) in my experience. So multiply 62.55 by whatever your damage buff is, then if calculating at the tohit cap, multiply that value by .95*.95*.95 (since you have to hit with all three attacks to get the DoT).
  7. Microcosm
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Auroxis View Post
    I think Conserve Power is actually pretty good for DB/ELA. You won't have to use Energize and Power Sink constantly which means less redraw/combo interruption, and also means you get to keep those two powers for mitigation purposes when needed.
    I can certainly see the logic behind that. It's just, to me, there are better powers you could be picking up instead: power surge, caltrops, waterspout, shadow meld...
    When you have high enough recharge on Energize and Power Sink, you can use them as both offensive and reactive tools. As long as Energize is up decreasing your endurance costs, it is also giving you some good +regen; you just lose out on the upfront heal sometimes. You also don't have to interrupt your combos to use either power. Redraw once every ~36 seconds(?) for our OP is really, really minor, and one of the reasons I think db pairs better with /Electric than with /Fire. I think most people feel more comfortable using Energize the way you do, though.
  8. Microcosm
    Quote:
    SS>NS>AB>NS is better in DPS because of NS's shorter animation time than PS.
    Oops, ya
  9. Microcosm
    Looks fine for general stuff. Defense looks good and is probably the best way to build.

    One thing, on electric armor, conserve power/physical perfection/ three-slotted stamina is a bit of a waste. You can keep yourself above water with energize, powersink, and single slotted stamina pretty easily. If you intend to incarnate, I recommend Musculature Radial Alpha, because it makes your Power Sink more powerful, able to sap about 90% in one shot against anything but an EB/AV.

    One other thing, power surge can be really helpful at times (like when facing toxic damage); I wouldn't get rid of it.

    Oh, and you are over the cap for 5% recharge bonuses from sets.
  10. Microcosm
    T4 Ageless will be perma.
  11. Microcosm

    Potential

    POST-ACTION

    Quote:
    Dark - PSIONIC RESISTANCE. After running with my Spines/Elec for a while now, I am really starting to hate carnies, arachnos, and just about anything that does psionic damage. Dark is the only set of the three that offers full resistances.
    ?? Electric armor gets some very solid resistance to psi from Static Shield. Are you slotting it up? Electric has resistance to everything, though you have to use the tier 9 for its toxic resistance.
  12. Microcosm

    Potential

    POST-ACTION

    Something /electric, /dark, or /fire. Resist sets with good heals can stack IO defense for probably the best all-around survivability. Of these I like /electric because its built in recharge bonus and complete endurance sustainability give you a lot more options for the rest of your build and IO's.

    For primary I'd go km, fire, kat, or db for high single target damage potential, and then probably narrow down to fire or db for better aoe damage potential.

    DM/SD is the popular pick for this, I think, but having one at 50, I don't much like it. It feels like the big bonus of the pairing, AAo, also limits my options a bunch.
  13. Microcosm
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jibikao View Post
    They put a "timer" so you can't chain Attack Vital continuously. You have to use other attacks and then go back to the beginning of Attack Vital combo (or simply wait a bit but if you are waiting, you might as well use something else). Yes, it would have been a pretty good dps combo and very cheap cost too.
    I'm not sure this is right. If you have the recharge, it should work. I know that you can chain the Sweep combo into itself for Scrappers. Regardless, Vengeful Slice would tend to hurt your dps at the high end of recharge.
  14. Microcosm
    DB dpa from best to worst for stalkers is:

    Sweeping Strike
    Ablating Strike
    Assassin's Blade
    Power Slice/Nimble Slash (almost identical)
    1k Cuts
    Vengeful Slice

    Something like SS>PS>AB>PS is likely the best chain you will get, which is nowhere near the scrapper damage potential, but I think we knew that already.
  15. Microcosm
    Quote:
    I believe that's because those chains are their ST chains. All their combos end or use AoEs.
    The scrapper Attack Vitals chain ends with Sweeping Strike (AoE), but that's also in the highest scrapper damage chain, of BF>AS>SS(same AoE)>AS. Blinding Feint (the followup clone) does not interfere with the combos, but rather the Vengeful Slice part of Attack Vitals is bad dpa.

    As far as stalker DB goes, my hunch would be the Attack Vitals chain is the best, but I never actually calculated it. The lack of Blinding Feint makes the top scrapper dps chain unavailable to stalkers.
  16. Microcosm
    The range effect on melee attacks is unenhancable except for a few cones. In these cases, not even the HamiO with +range will do anything, unfortunately, though the "real" numbers in game may say they do.
  17. Microcosm
    Thanks, JP.

    Apparently there was a change recently in some patch notes somewhere that made Concentrated Strike autocrit from Hide for Stalkers, which recharges Build Up instantly. You can now get a double built-up AS, or a double built-up autocrit Burst, or just keep a more consistent build up effect by using placate>CS. I am trying to decide whether all of that truly makes a big enough difference.
  18. Microcosm
    I am wondering what the damage buff from Kinetic Melee averages out to at very high levels of recharge. I'm not even sure how to approach calculating this one, so I thought I'd ask around here.

    I keep hearing that KM is better on Stalkers than Scrappers, but if Power Siphon averages a higher damage buff than the high-frequency Build Up on Stalkers, I don't want to waste my time.
  19. Microcosm

    Tri-form WS help

    POST-ACTION

    To me, it only counts if you are still softcapped in forms. Softcapping by using Maneuvers, Weave, etc. is cake.

    @TwoHeadedBoy, the point is simply that it can be done, not that it is necessarily ideal. That said, if you can do it while still getting all the powers you want, then it will add a bunch of survivability. Sure, 85% resistance is plenty for normal content. If you want to be a sologod in itrials, though, you might consider adding either some defense or a lot of +hp.
  20. Microcosm

    Tri-form WS help

    POST-ACTION

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison View Post
    Kangstor, I'll have to look at your build later. I'm at work right now and don't have access to mids.



    Call me Darth Kaison if you want, because I just don't believe it.

    I do not believe you can come up with a tri-form build that softcaps one type or position and still has permanent eclipse.

    I would love to be proven wrong.
    OK, I will send you a build later. It's nova-centric, but technically tri-form, with range softcap and perma eclipse. Happens to be the build I currently run, and it's amazingly survivable.

    Edit: Also, there's this one, which is not necessarily one I would play. It's dwarf-centric, with perma-eclipse/hasten and softcap s/l. Uses Spiritual Core Paragon.

    Code:
    | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
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  21. Microcosm
    This is an unfinished one I was working on a while ago. Clearly much more expensive than yours, but it makes better use of electric armor. Incarnate is musculature radial, in case that doesnt show up. 42-43% is practically softcap.

    Code: 
    | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
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  22. Microcosm
    Ah, it seemed to me he was saying that 35%-25% would be just as good, because there are buffs everywhere now.
  23. Microcosm
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by EJI View Post
    Stop doing that!

    Drives me crazy, hehehe. The mobs come pre-packaged as a tightly bunched herd, just waiting to get burned down by AoE. However, If singy is camping the spawn site, his first action when the new spawn arrives is to blow them all over the place. So, now the adds team has to chase and kill one at a time.

    Strong & Pretty? Singy ain't havin' it.
    Someone was doing this at my door the other day in BAF; throw all the escapees all over the place and away from aoe's. So annoying!
  24. Microcosm
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Desmodos View Post
    Except it isn't needed. I've solo'd grenades while the rest the league went for the acids (there were only 10 of us.) I only run about 35% defense, granted, I have really high resistance values on my scrapper.
    No defense is "needed," but the more you get the better, until you start gimping your build.
  25. Microcosm
    For Electric Armor, extra defense is really potent. You should probably be focusing on S/L defense instead of melee, though, as it covers so much more incoming damage. Because of that, slotting most of your resistance shields with Reactive Armor is your best bet. You really don't have to worry about softcapping E/N, as the more common of the two, energy, is your strongest resistance. Also, F/C is not a big deal. If you have the budget to softcap S/L while not gimping the rest of your build, Electric Armor takes one of the top survivability spots, if not the very top (though I'm admittedly biased).

    A couple of other things: OMG do not get rid of Power Sink! Take it and give it three end mod IO's. Screw Cardiac, get Musculature Radial Paragon; this will also help with your endurance and it can make Power Sink powerful enough to sap a spawns' entire blue bar in one activation. Basically the difference between Cardiac and Musculature is that Cardiac's primary focus, endurance, is mostly a waste for an /electric, but Musculature's primary focus, damage, is still helping you while you get that extra oomph in end mod.

    I slightly disagree with Werner (sacrilege!) on 45% being mostly useless in newer content. Having 45% means you need fewer outside buffs to help get to the new softcap, or you need fewer purple insps to do so if you get stuck alone. My db/elec has 44.92% S/L, and with a small purple he easily solos the warehouses or labs in a Lambda trial. I still recommend getting to 45% unless you are going to hurt your build in so doing.