Moonlit_Whisper

I'll refer you to the Guide in my Signature. It's been a while since I wrote it but it is still about 95% accurate.

The biggest updates are basically the ease of getting what used to be rather expensive IO's. With Alignment merits, task forces, and so on it doesn't take a huge effort anymore just to earn the ones you want outside of purples (I don't have a single purple on my Widow and there are very few and far between toons out there that can keep up with her in terms of damage AND survivability.)

Additionally, the option to get a Cardiac Boost Alpha slot makes Elude a lot less attractive than it did before. I can still think of situations when I would want it but not as many as before. Anyway again I recommend reading the guide.

Your answer to the BS/Shield problem is of course aid self.

With the inherent fitness changes you can easily fit it into nearly any build plan you might come up with.

There is one caveat though, and that you'll be interrupted a lot trying to heal yourself until you get close to softcap defenses. Getting there is pretty easy once you get enough slots in attacks and defense powers to start collecting set bonuses but that is generally going to start happening in the mid 30's.

Don't despair though because in my experience with this power set even when solo things just melt so fast that unless you REALLY get in over your head you wont have to worry too much about heals mid fight.

To sum up, BS/Shield I think is a set that will have to mature to reach it's full potential but once it does it just plain rocks. Honestly I've not felt this invincible since SoA's first came out.

Lomyril, I put together a build real quick that I think you'll probably get better performance out of. I tried to keep most of your own power picks you chose in the build while also maximizing your slotting capabilities. It also is fairly close to the build I use for my own PB, Domiel.


First I think you had way to many slots in Light Form. Most of your attacks were better slotted in your forms so I can't see you spending a GREAT deal of time in Light form anyway. From an offensive and even defensive standpoint you're better off in Dwarf or Nova. As well, with one slot Light form will nearly cap all your resistances with just a single resistance IO. Add in Shining Shield and you have capped Smashing Lethal and Energy/Neg energy. All you really sacrifice is recharge time here and you can put those slots elsewhere.

Also, you had room for a great many beneficial sets and even more so once I re arranged slots so you could 5 slot everything that was really important. I'll let the build explain that part. Anyway I really think you'll see a noticeable difference with this build. Also keep in mind that with A merits you can pretty easily get the really expensive recipe's with a little bit of effort.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.90
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Natural Peacebringer
Primary Power Set: Luminous Blast
Secondary Power Set: Luminous Aura
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Concealment

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Glinting Eye -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A)
Level 1: Incandescence -- S'fstPrt-ResKB(A)
Level 2: Shining Shield -- Aegis-ResDam(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(3)
Level 4: Essence Boost -- Numna-Heal/EndRdx(A), Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(5), Numna-Heal/Rchg(5), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(15), Numna-Heal(42)
Level 6: Bright Nova -- AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx(A)
Level 8: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 10: Radiant Strike -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx(40)
Level 12: Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 14: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 16: Group Energy Flight -- Srng-EndRdx/Fly(A)
Level 18: Incandescent Strike -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(19), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(19), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 20: White Dwarf -- Aegis-ResDam(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(21), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(34), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(34)
Level 22: Reform Essence -- Numna-Heal(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg(43), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(43), Dct'dW-Rchg(50)
Level 24: Conserve Energy -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 26: Solar Flare -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(43), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg(46), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(48), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(50)
Level 28: Grant Invisibility -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 30: Pulsar -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(31), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(45), Stpfy-Stun/Rng(48), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(50)
Level 32: Photon Seekers -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(33), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(33), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), KinCrsh-Rechg/EndRdx(46)
Level 35: Dawn Strike -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(45), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(45), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(48)
Level 38: Light Form -- ResDam(A)
Level 41: Glowing Touch -- Heal(A)
Level 44: Restore Essence -- Heal(A)
Level 47: Quantum Flight -- EndRdx(A)
Level 49: Invisibility -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Cosmic Balance
Level 1: Energy Flight -- Flight-I(A)
Level 10: Combat Flight -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Flight(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A)
------------
Level 6: Bright Nova Bolt -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(13), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(39)
Level 6: Bright Nova Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(39)
Level 6: Bright Nova Scatter -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(9), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(13), Posi-Dmg/Rng(37), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39)
Level 6: Bright Nova Detonation -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dam%(3), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(17), Posi-Dmg/Rng(40), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(40)
Level 20: White Dwarf Strike -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(27), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx(37)
Level 20: White Dwarf Smite -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(25), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg(36)
Level 20: White Dwarf Flare -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(A), Sciroc-Dam%(23), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(27), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg(29), Achilles-ResDeb%(36)
Level 20: White Dwarf Sublimation -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-Rchg(25), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(29), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Dct'dW-Heal(36)
Level 20: White Dwarf Antagonize -- Insult-Dsrnt%(A)
Level 20: White Dwarf Step -- EndRdx-I(A)
------------
Set Bonus Totals:

• 8.5% DamageBuff(Smashing)
• 8.5% DamageBuff(Lethal)
• 8.5% DamageBuff(Fire)
• 8.5% DamageBuff(Cold)
• 8.5% DamageBuff(Energy)
• 8.5% DamageBuff(Negative)
• 8.5% DamageBuff(Toxic)
• 8.5% DamageBuff(Psionic)
• 4.688% Defense(Fire)
• 4.688% Defense(Cold)
• 5% Defense(Energy)
• 5% Defense(Negative)
• 2.5% Defense(Ranged)
• 4.688% Defense(AoE)
• 80% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 10% Enhancement(Heal)
• 3% Enhancement(Stun)
• 72.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
• 8% FlySpeed
• 92.36 HP (8.624%) HitPoints
• 8% JumpHeight
• 8% JumpSpeed
• Knockback (Mag -4)
• Knockup (Mag -4)
• MezResist(Confused) 2.5%
• MezResist(Held) 8.55%
• MezResist(Immobilize) 11.85%
• MezResist(Sleep) 2.5%
• MezResist(Stun) 4.7%
• MezResist(Terrorized) 6.9%
• 11.5% (0.192 End/sec) Recovery
• 44% (1.967 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 4.41% Resistance(Fire)
• 4.41% Resistance(Cold)
• 6.25% Resistance(Negative)
• 18% RunSpeed

------------
Set Bonuses:
Steadfast Protection
(Incandescence)

• Knockback Protection (Mag -4)

Aegis
(Shining Shield)

• 5% RunSpeed

Numina's Convalescence
(Essence Boost)

• 12% (0.537 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 20.08 HP (1.875%) HitPoints
• 6% Enhancement(Heal)
• MezResist(Held) 3.3%

Crushing Impact
(Radiant Strike)

• MezResist(Immobilize) 2.2%
• 12.05 HP (1.125%) HitPoints
• 7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Luck of the Gambler
(Combat Jumping)

• 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Touch of Death
(Incandescent Strike)

• MezResist(Immobilize) 2.75%
• 16.06 HP (1.5%) HitPoints
• 2.5% DamageBuff(All)
• MezResist(Held) 2.75%

Aegis
(White Dwarf)

• 5% RunSpeed
• 3.125% Defense(Fire,Cold), 1.563% Defense(AoE)

Numina's Convalescence
(Reform Essence)

• 12% (0.537 HP/sec) Regeneration

Doctored Wounds
(Reform Essence)

• MezResist(Terrorized) 2.2%

Scirocco's Dervish
(Solar Flare)

• 10% (0.447 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 3.125% Resistance(Negative)
• 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 3.125% Defense(AoE), 1.563% Defense(Fire), 1.563% Defense(Cold)

Luck of the Gambler
(Grant Invisibility)

• 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Stupefy
(Pulsar)

• 2.5% (0.042 End/sec) Recovery
• 20.08 HP (1.875%) HitPoints
• 3% Enhancement(Stun)
• 6.25% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Expedient Reinforcement
(Photon Seekers)

• Status Resistance 2.5%
• 3% DamageBuff(All)
• 6.25% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Obliteration
(Dawn Strike)

• MezResist(Stun) 2.2%
• 3% DamageBuff(All)
• 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Luck of the Gambler
(Invisibility)

• 7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Thunderstrike
(Bright Nova Bolt)

• 2% (0.033 End/sec) Recovery
• 2.5% Defense(Energy,Negative), 1.25% Defense(Ranged)
• 7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 4% RunSpeed, 4% FlySpeed, 4% JumpSpeed, 4% JumpHeight

Thunderstrike
(Bright Nova Blast)

• 2% (0.033 End/sec) Recovery
• 2.5% Defense(Energy,Negative), 1.25% Defense(Ranged)
• 7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 4% RunSpeed, 4% FlySpeed, 4% JumpSpeed, 4% JumpHeight

Positron's Blast
(Bright Nova Scatter)

• 2.5% (0.042 End/sec) Recovery
• 1.575% Resistance(Fire,Cold)
• 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 6.25% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Positron's Blast
(Bright Nova Detonation)

• 2.5% (0.042 End/sec) Recovery
• 1.575% Resistance(Fire,Cold)
• 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 6.25% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Crushing Impact
(White Dwarf Strike)

• MezResist(Immobilize) 2.2%
• 12.05 HP (1.125%) HitPoints
• 7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Crushing Impact
(White Dwarf Smite)

• MezResist(Immobilize) 2.2%
• 12.05 HP (1.125%) HitPoints
• 7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Scirocco's Dervish
(White Dwarf Flare)

• 10% (0.447 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 3.125% Resistance(Negative)
• 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)

Doctored Wounds
(White Dwarf Sublimation)

• MezResist(Terrorized) 2.2%
• 1.26% Resistance(Fire,Cold)
• 4% Enhancement(Heal)
• 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Hey folks, am looking for some advise on which alpha to slot for my BS/Shield Scrapper.

I've so far slotted for Defense almost exclusively but given my options for the alpha I am thinking Cardiac Radial will help improve my Squishiness when I DO get hit.

Here's my Build:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.90
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Technology Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Broad Sword
Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Medicine
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Hack -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(7), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(11), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), Mako-Dam%(40)
Level 1: Deflection -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(5), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(7), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(17), RedFtn-Def(27), RedFtn-EndRdx(39)
Level 2: Slash -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(5), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(11), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), Mako-Dam%(43)
Level 4: Battle Agility -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(13), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(15), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(17), RedFtn-Def(31), RedFtn-EndRdx(40)
Level 6: Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 8: Parry -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(9), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(37), LkGmblr-Def(40), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(48)
Level 10: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(13), RechRdx-I(15)
Level 12: Hover -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(50)
Level 14: Aid Other -- Heal-I(A)
Level 16: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Fly -- Flight-I(A)
Level 20: Aid Self -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-Rchg(21), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(31), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Dct'dW-Heal(50)
Level 22: Whirling Sword -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(23), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg(23), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(27), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 24: True Grit -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(25), Aegis-ResDam(39), Heal-I(43), Heal-I(46)
Level 26: Phalanx Fighting -- DefBuff-I(A)
Level 28: Disembowel -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(29), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(29), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Mako-Dam%(42)
Level 30: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(46)
Level 32: Head Splitter -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(A), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(33), M'Strk-Dmg/Rchg(33), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(34), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 35: Shield Charge -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(36), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(36), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Oblit-%Dam(43)
Level 38: One with the Shield -- Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(A), Aegis-ResDam(39), TtmC'tng-ResDam/Rchg(48)
Level 41: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 44: Physical Perfection -- Numna-Heal/EndRdx(A), Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(45), Numna-Heal/Rchg(45), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(45), Numna-Heal(46), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(50)
Level 47: Grant Cover -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(48)
Level 49: Energy Torrent -- Det'tn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Heal-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod(21), EndMod-I(25)

I'm already soft capped to all Positionals excepting AoE and melee (though melee is more than capped with one application of Parry) and recharge doesn't feel like it would make much more a difference in my playstyle as I am playing now. The other alternative is more damage but it doesn't seem like I'd get quite as much return for my buck as I would from the extra resistances that I have not slotted for at all yet.

Am I missing something obvious here or is going Cardiac Radial a solid option?

Thanks in advance.

I would think that Soloing AV's now as a NW or a Fort would be a bit different now than it once was.

When SoA"s were just released you had the glut of people making them, admittedly I was one of them, and while people were learning what they could quite a few soloed AV's.

I personally soloed soloed BaB, Aurora, Valkyrie, Barracuda, Khalinda, and Statesman if memory serves. No, I didn't take any videos or Screenies. Back then it wasn't part of the point as it was just playing for fun.

However, I don't think I could do the same anymore as the Defense calculation changed in regards to NPC rank at some point that I missed. It used to be that if you had capped defense you had capped defense unless your opponent had above par To hit. Now, any Lt,Boss,EB, AV has a higher floored chance to hit than 5% no matter how high your defense is. On a toon as fragile as a widow.... I think I would I have to get really lucky to do those fights again with the possible exception of the Psi heavy damage AV's given that we have decent Psi resists.

Interestingly enough several AV's that seemed to be impossible for me to even come close to doing was Synapse (I only attempted a few times but he seemed to have one attack that never missed) Ghost Widow and Silver Mantis. Didn't seem to matter how many times I tried I either couldn't kill them fast enough or couldn't survive more than a minute.

If you could build a NW with fairly decent resists at least to S/L I'd say it's still very doable. NW's have more than enough DPS to overcome AV regen rates and even though it is very small the regen debuff in PD would only help that even more. The biggest issue now that I can see is survivability.

DS/Dark is a lot of fun and makes for a pretty resilient team. Mine is currently 34 and going strong.

A couple things I have learned on the way-

Definitely slot your Tier 2 pets with some end reduction. Ember Demon in particular needs it. Once I got some into the Tier 2 pets I made sure everyone else had it as well as well just to make sure.

Hell on Earth is a wonderful power to slot the pet unique enhancements. If you have an extra slot slap a rech red in there also, or an extra buff enh as you like but the uniques fit well here.

I can't give any build advise yet as I am still on my first play through of this combo but one thing I did take that I am glad I did was the AoE cone whip lash over one of the single target attacks. It's built in -Res makes taking down packs of bad guys a bit quicker.

Personally I take all the built in toggles for SoA's. My Widow is my highest (Bane is still in mid 30's) but each one has all of the SoA Specific toggles.

I've heard reasons from a good many sources as to why they chose to leave out one toggle or another and in a few cases the logic was understandble, but I still think they bring so much to the table solo that they are very worth taking even if that toon never teams with anyone his entire career.

The guide I have in my Sig is a bit outdated but the opinions I express on the toggles are still relevant.

Now as for auto blacklisting any SoA who doesn't take them - I think that is a tad extreme. As long as the player is contributing to the team I am usually ok with however they build their toon.

Maybe I am in the minority I guess but I really prefer red side to blue side specifically for the missions and story arcs. They actually hold my interest and feel like there was some effort made into making sure things flowed right from one arc to the next.

Yes I think the lack of SF's is a bit of a mistake when compared to how many are available exclusivley to blue side but meh I can live with that.

Blue side is just too random too disorganized and well... boring. I have a hard time getting anything past lv 30 for that reason. I have exactly 1 50 blue, a smattering of 40's and 30's and more than a handful of redside 50's. Are the Rogue Isles more difficult? Maybe, I didn't really notice but even if they are it's a heck of a lot more fun to level through than running the same mission over and over again with a new enemy group and having to travel through 3 different zones to get to it anyway on blue.

As for how this will affect Doms? I dunno really. I don't expect anything really drastic but I guess time will tell.

All this really boils down to one thing. Respect and courtesy.

Now I'll elaborate a little bit on that. First, just because you as an individual might not see something wrong with an action as little and insignificant as sending a tell to someone asking if you can join their team does in no way mean that someone else wont as well.

We are all very different people, with different values and different ideas on what is right and good etc etc ad nauseum. Now I am not saying you should live your life trying to cater to everyone's wishes. It just isn't gonna happen. The old saying that you cannot please everyone all the time holds a lot of truth.

However, I AM saying that common coutesy and respect demands that you at least make the attempt to respect the wishes of others. Result: Don't send unsolicited tells to people who may not wish to recieve them. Instead make your request known in a more public fashion. Broadcast something along the lines of "So and so really looking to join one of the active teams around." in a channel you know said person can see. If they want you they'll contact you. If not, respect that and move on.

I'd be happy with wings, just a little something to set him apart from the others. He does look good, but I think he'd be better with wings.

Just my 2 cents.

Personally I would take all the powers you listed as possible choices with maybe the exception of Eviscerate.

This will probably preclude the option of a Patron power pool but your standard powers make those look like cheap parlor tricks anyway. Still if a patron pool is important to you it will limit your choices.

Your TT:XXX powers are all great even for solo work. Leadership could be skipped I guess but there are still a few enemies out there that can be a pain to hit consistantly and TT:L eliminates that problem. The others are just too good not to get even if the only one benefiting from the power is you. End issues shouldn't be a problem at this stage of the game for you. As long as your attacks are properly slotted the only time you'll have any kind of issues is on the big long fights against AV's. FYI, Elude is a good power to help with Endurance problems as it comes with a hefty recovery increase.

Placate is a skipable power but is great for quick kills. Not really much to explain about it, as it basically just gives you a free crit.

Spin and Evis. Spin is great no matter how you look at it. It's a quick animation, looks awesome and hits as hard as lunge or there abouts. If you have 3 or more enemies around it's easily your most damaging attack, and more attacks is always a good thing. I couldn't imagine playing without it honestly and if you pick it up I think you'll wonder how you ever got along without it. Evis is a different story. I wouldn't count on it for any AE damage as the cone is fairly narrow even for cone attacks. When it hits multiple opponents it's kind of like a bonus. The other downside is that Eviscerate has a lengthy animation time. The strengths of Eviscerate are that it's your second hardest hitting attack behind Slash. Can't deny that it hurts when it hits. It is also probably the best looking attack. Still, I feel it's skippable mainly because of the animation time. It feels like it really slows me down when I use it.

Elude - Well it's your Tier 9 god mode power. If you know other Tier 9 powers you likely know what to expect here too so I wont go over it in detail Suffice to say that outside a few situations you probably wont need the defense boost it provides. However, Elude has a secondary benefit that is really good that I mentioned earlier. It comes with a built in recovery bonus and it can really come in handy when you need it. It wont be often but when you do need it, you'll likely really need it. Skippable yes but usefull enough I wouldn't want to.

Good luck to you.

[ QUOTE ]
It looks like your numbers are a bit old. Activation times on Widow powers were changed a while ago, and I don't think City of Data has kept up. Mid's does a better job. I believe these are the current numbers.

Swipe, 0.83
Strike, 1.18
Follow Up, 1
Slash, 1.33


[/ QUOTE ]

I'll double check my numbers but most of them I took in game using the powers details window, hence the reason it took me more than 2 hours to write up the first post.

Thank you for the kind words everyone, and also the criticism's. There is always room for improvements, and I am far from perfect so I would imagine there are more than a few mistakes in there. If you see anymore please let me know and I will do my best to verify and change those.

Also I will be trying to re organize it a bit to make it easier to read.

Thanks again.

Reserved for Power Pools.

Same reason. Natch.

Ok it's time to talk about Slotting, enhancements, IO's and so on.

Slotting -

This is very subjective and as such I thought it deserved it's own section rather than trying to suggest slots for each power (even though I did put in a word or two on those powers that really only need a few slots). I'll make generalities about certain strategies you can use when planning your slots but again this is one area where personal preference usually wins out.

<ul type="square">
[*]First are your attacks. There's 2 strategies to use here for slotting and unfortunately neither one are what I would call "cheap" particularly for the newer player. Generally speaking, the number of slots you want to put in your attacks will depend on the sets you are planning to use in them.

Some will want to go with Mako's Bite and Touch of Death for the +Defense buffs on the 6 peice set bonus. If you choose to go this way you will want to favor Mako's as it provides Ranged Defense which is the weaker of our positional defense stats.

Another viable strategy is to slot for Crushing Impact. The idea here being the 5 peice set bonus of +5% global Recharge, which will aid in making your Mind Link permanent. You can get away with only slotting 5 slots in your attacks then as the 5 set bonus is the important part of this set. You don't HAVE to limit yourself to 5 slots here, however. In my build I was able to comfortably 6 slot all of my attack powers including Poison Dart so feel free to 6 slot away.

For Poison Dart or any other Single Target Ranged power you might take I really like slotting Thunderstrike. It's cheap, easily available, and provides another +Ranged Defense bonus at 6 slots. There is also a +Accuracy bonus in there, not that you really need it but every bit helps.
[*]Lets Talk about Toggles next. I could get really carried away here about slotting and which sets should go in which toggle and so on but I want to try to keep this as simple as possible and instead explain the types of enhancements or sets you might want to look for when deciding what to put in. By the time you are in your 40's you will have 4 maybe 5 Toggle powers. Half of these require only minimal slotting if any at all.

Mask Presence is one which you can invest slots into and try to crank out as much defense as possible from it. If you have the extra slots go for it. Personally I think that the defense contribution form this is small enough that it's not worth the extra slots required for that smidge more defense. In addition you should already be really close to the soft cap anyway. Those slots can go elsewhere.

Indomitable Will is another. I really only recommend 2 slots at the most for this power. You'll want end reduction to try to bring the cost down but you can also slot for resistances as well. With 2 End Redux/Resistance IO's you can get the END cost close to the 0.12/s mark and still get respectable resistances so don't go overboard here.

Your 2 Remaining Toggles deserve a good bit of slotting, however. TT: Maneuvers can make great use of a full 6 slot defense Set as several of them have really nice set bonuses. TT:Leadership likewise can make wonderful use of Bonuses from the ToHit Buff sets.
[*]Passive Powers - These powers generally don't need much in the way of Slotting, but really provide some interesting opportunities when it comes to 2 and 3 peice set bonuses.

Take Foresight as an example which only requires 2 or 3 slots to provide it's full benefit. There's no End cost or recharge time so you can slot entirely for defense and be done with it. But why not use those slots for some extra bonuses. If you look through the various sets some of them have some pretty significant bonuses at just 2 peices. My preffered sets for Foresight are Serendipity and Luck of the Gambler for the same reason. +Regeneration. Serendipity gives a +5% bonus and Luck of the Gambler gives +10%. Obviously Luck of the Gambler is better but it is also more expensive. Just try to nab a Defense IO and a Defense/End or Recharge or somesuch from either of those sets. Anything that helps you heal faster is really good for a widow as you lack a self heal.

As for your other passive powers take a look at the set types they will take and see if there are any interesting bonuses you can take advantage of.[/list]
IO Sets -

For the most part you will want to look for sets which will provide set bonuses that will give you +Recharge, +Defense, +Regeneration, +Recovery, or +Damage. Luckily most sets give some or most of those but if I had to rank the most important ones to me I would put Recharge, Defense, and Regeneration as my top 3 priorities.

Some of the sets can be rather expensive, particularly the melee sets and most of the Defense sets. Usually this is the case because that particular set may include a unique enhancement which does something special. These are really nice, but you CAN live without them. if you have the Infamy to afford these ultra pricey sets and IO's by all means. But don't feel like you will be severely gimped if you don't.

Below I will list what I feel are good sets to invest in that for the most part wont break your budget. If you do have enough to afford the pricey sets and individual IO's you likely don't need my advise in what to slot anyway

<ul type="square">[*]Mako's Bite - pricey as with all melee sets but not terribly so. It includes a nice +Ranged Defense bonus at 6 peices, and comes with a + damage proc. The downside is that the proc is Lethal Damage.
[*]Tough of Death - A bit more pricey than Mako's but otherwise nearly identical in their make ups. This one provides a +Defense to melee defense instead of Ranged, and has a Negative Energy proc instead of a Lethal one. The downside is that ToD sets max out at level 40 and wont have as big a bonus to them as a level 50 Mako would. Generally the reason this costs more is due to the Negative Energy proc which is resisted less.
[*]Crushing Impact - Pricey but less so than either Mako or ToD. It lacks a Damage proc component but that will mean this has a greater adjustment to accuracy. Not a big deal for you if you have TT:Leadership but can be something to consider. As far as set bonuses goes it has +Recovery, +Accuracy, +Psionic Resistance, and the big one - +5% recharge time. Really the only reason to pick this over ToD or Mako. It is the cheapest option of those 3 sets though.
[*]Thunderstrike - My single target ranged Set of choice. +Recovery, +Energy and Ranged Defenses, +Accuracy, and a minor increase to all movement speeds. It's easy to come by and cheap as well.
[*]Devastation - More expensive than Thunderstrike but has some REALLY nice bonuses. Well one really nice one anyway - The 2 piece set bonus of 12% regeneration. You have no self heal so this bonus cannot be underestimated. Other bonuses include +Damage, +Psionic Defense, and a modest boost to your Max HP. It also has a chance of Hold proc which is nice but can never be relied upon.
[*]Red Fortune - Also my defacto choice for a 6 slot defense power set. It's not cheap per se but tends to be less so than Luck of the Gambler, massively so at the full 6 piece set. It provides not only +Ranged Defense, but also +recharge. There's also a 2% damage increase in there as well.
[*]Luck of the Gambler - The full set bonuses on this set are fairly lack luster in my opinion, but the 2 piece bonus is sheer awesome in a bowl. As stated previously +10% regeneration is Huge for an AT without a Self heal Power. You can also walk away with a massive +7.5% global recharge from the Recharge IO here but that one is very expensive.
[*]Adjusted Targeting - The 6 piece Bonus for this set is pretty pointless for a Night Widow as it's Status Resistance, which we have covered handily with Indomitable Will. However, 3 of the 4 additional set bonuses plain rock. 2% Damage, 9% accuracy, and 5% global recharge. Good all around set at 5 slots.
[*]Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Also a nice set but the really attractive set bonus is the 6 piece bonus which is a straight +2.5% defense across all the positional Defenses. It's a popular way to go and would definatly be a viable option to slot for in TT:Leadership. The downside though is the Chance for Build Up proc. It's expensive and really is not very reliable. If you have the cash go for it, but if you are on a budget I would pick up Adjusted targeting before this.
[*]Multi-Strike - Another set I really like because the bonuses are solid and it's cheap and easy to aquire. The 5 and 6 piece bonuses are 1.88% defense to AoE and Melee, the other 3 are just minor resistances. But again it's cheap and provides nice solid enhancement bonuses to the power.
[*]Scirroco's Dervish - Expensive but worth it. the 2 peice bonus is HUGE again with a +10% regeneration. Additionally it provides +accuracy as well as +defense to AoE and Psionic. The +defense isn't a high priority for me but the +Regeneration is. I chose to 2 slot this set in spin and then slot the other 4 slots for Multi-Strike. Saves some cash and I get to take advantage of the best bonus from either set which is the +Regen.
[*]Positrons Blast - Targeted AoE damage which can be placed in a few powers we have access to but I wouldn't expect to see this set being useful in too many Widow Builds. However, if you do have a Targeted AoE power this is the set to go with. It provides a nice +Energy Damage proc, +6.25% Global Recharge, +Accuracy, and a small +Recovery. It's expensive on a budget though. [/list]
To sum up, try to plan ahead for which sets or enhancements you will want to place into powers. Pay special attention to set bonuses, especially the 2 piece bonuses as they can often be overlooked despite being astonishingly good.

Over the past few months I have looked long and hard for guides pertaining to Night Widows. Gameboy1234 was the first one to take the plunge and delve into this wonderful branch of the SoA Archetype but we have not really seen anything being put out there since. I've finally experimented, respec'd, and replayed my widow enough that I hope I can contribute some information of my own. Hopefully the lessons I have learned through my mistakes and haphazard experimentation can help others make informed decisions.

I want to preface this by saying that a great deal of what I know about the Night Widow today had it's beginning here on these forums, and from the advise given by many other players. Further, the majority of what I write here is my own opinion and should never be taken as the final word. I strongly recommend individual experimentation to find out what works best for you and your own play style. And please remember this is a game and we are all here to have fun

I'd also like to say that this guide is aimed more towards the newer player who has only just made their first Epic Archetype and probably does not have a huge account of Infamy laying around to dig from. Obviously if you have the infamy you can do a lot more than is written down here, but I'd like to show that one does not have to have near limitless resources to make this Archetype Viable.

Given that VEAT's in particular have a mandatory respec at 24 which opens up a whole new branch of powers depending on your choice I am going to write this with the assumption that you have made it to 24 and are able to choose all of the Night Widow powers from the get go. So without further blabing on my part lets begin with Widow and Night Widow Training.

Level 1 - Poison Dart
Average Damage @ 50: 72.29
Recharge Time: 4.00 s
Endurance Cost: 5.20
Activation Time: 1.50 s

Poison Dart is a power that you will either love or hate. The general trend lately is to stick primarily if not exclusively to melee attacks over Ranged attacks. I fall into the category of favoring the melee attacks as well, however, I wouldn't give up Poison Dart for the world.

It can be used for any number of things from filling an attack chain up if you have some dead time to pulling, but where it really shines is taking down runners. It hits pretty decently for a level 1 power, and recharges very quickly. More often than not by the time something is running away from me, I can finish them off with a single shot of poison dart. I absolutely love it. Additionally it imposes a penalty to regeneration and a Toxic Damage over Time component.

That said, if you really don't have room for a Ranged power (and Widow Builds are very tight in most cases) I wouldn't sweat it too much if you decided to drop this one.

Level 1 - Swipe
Average Damage @ 50: 57.83
Recharge Time: 4.00 s
Endurance Cost: 3.21
Activation Time: 0.67 s

Swipe is a great single target attack. It's fast, it recharges just as fast and hits pretty decently. It follows the melee focus and is a really good solid attack. If you are looking to create a machine gun style attack chain then this probably should be a part of it.

Personally, though, I respec'd out of it at 24. The reason was that with the addition of Mental Training and recharge enhancements in other harder hitting attacks I was able to create a near seemless attack chain without this power anyway. It was wonderful leveling up to 24 on but I was looking for anything I could trim out of my build once I hit my 20's. If you find yourself in the same situation I can say I have not since regret my choice to drop this power.

Level 1 - Mental Blast
Average Damage @ level 50: 58.59 psi
Activation: 1.67 s
Recharge: 4.00 s
Endurance: 5.20
-30% recharge on target

If you want to dabble in ranged powers, or even make a ranged variant of a Night Widow then Mental Blast is an option. Activation time, recharge and endurance are all comparable to Poison Dart. It has a recharge rate reduction of 30% but lacks the regeneration penalty or DoT Component of Poison Dart.

You could use it in place of Poison Dart if you wanted to mix in some Psionic damage over Lethal/Toxic. However, it's average damage is a little lower. The Trade off is that most things do not have a significant resistance to Psionic damage in a world where Lethal resistance is pretty commonplace.

My advise - If you want one ranged attack power like I do take Poison Dart or Mental Blast but not both. Choose one and go with it as each one has it's upside and downside.

Level 2 - Strike
Average Damage @ lvl 50: 111.66 lethal
Activation: 1.67
Recharge: 8.00
Endurance: 4.49
Placate/Hide: + 64.06 lethal

Strike is the big brother of Swipe. It has roughly the same activation time but double the recharge and as you would expect hits quite a bit harder. With Mental Training and some +recharge component from enhancements you can get this recharge down enough that you will very seldom find yourself waiting for it. As with all Widow Claw attacks it comes complete with a -20% run speed, and recharge speed as well as the DoT.

Unless you are trying for a Ranged only build I cannot imagine any reason you would not take this power. It's a cornerstone of nearly any attack chain you might come up with.

Level 6 - Dart Burst
Average Damage @ lvl 50: 60.60 Lethal (50 ft cone, 30 deg. arc, 10 targets max)
Activation: 2.00s
Recharge: 8.00s
Endurance: 8.53

Dart Burst is another Ranged power so if you want to go that way you may want to look more into this. However, as tight as this build is I can't see any justification for more than one ranged attack power. Poison Dart and Mental Blast both win over this one primarily for the activation time, Recharge time and Endurance cost which are all higher than either of Mental Blast or Poison Dart.

I can see where it might come in useful, and for adding in some AE to a build fairly light in that department maybe it's an option. But I think Spin does a better job - More on Spin later.

Level 8 - Follow Up and Build Up
Follow Up
Average Damage @ lvl 50: 50.72
Activation: 0.67s
Recharge: 12.00
Endurance: 10.19
Self Buff: +10 To-Hit and +30% Damage for * 20 seconds
Build Up
Activation: 0.73 s
Recharge: 1m 30 s
Endurance: 5.20
+20% To Hit for 10s
+80% Damage for 10s

This is the subject of much debate. Which is better? Well there really is no concrete answer here. What I can say is that which one you should take will depend entirely on what type of play you enjoy more. Note that you cannot choose both. When you pick one the other will be locked out for you.

Do you really like seeing big big crits coming out of Mask Presence? If you said yes then Build Up is probably the choice for you. Honestly few things are as satisfying as using Build up then Spin in the middle of a group of baddies.

Are you the type of person who likes seeing consistant, sustainable damage rather than spotty burst damage? if this is more your style then Follow up is probably the better choice for you.

Build Up really only has it's place in putting a huge hurt on something with a crit out of Mask Presence. It really only will allow you a few attacks before it wears off but those attacks are guaranteed to hurt. Then you have to wait for it to recharge before you can use it again.

Follow up is different. It's actually a part of your attack chain which has a side benefit of increaseing the damage and accuracy of all attacks made after it for 20 seconds. With some recharge you can even stack this bonus for a few seconds. The end result will be a semi permanent increase to your entire attack chain. The numbers you see with Follow up will never equal those of Build Up, but Follow up almost never wears off. The only downside is that it requires a successful to hit check to provide it's bonuses.

I personally went the Follow Up route but pick whichever one suits you better.

Level 12 - Spin
Average Damage @ lvl 50: 95.68 lethal, PBAoE 8 ft. radius 10 targets max
Activation: 2.50s
Recharge: 14.00s
Endurance: 16.85
Hide/Placate: 50% chance of +48.96 lethal

Spin is a shining Jewel. Take it, love it, use it and be filled with glee! It's a bit endurance heavy but this is in my opinion a Night Widows best form of AE damage. It's a 360 degree damage field that can crit from Hide, incurs a -recharge and - run speed as well as a DoT on anything it hits. The fact that it looks cool doesn't hurt much either.

The only real hard part about spin is deciding when to take it. Widows have the choice of 3 powers available from the 2 Primary Branches at level 12. I put off taking this until 28 because I was so focused on many of the powers from the Widow Secondary set. In Hindsight I would have liked to have taken this sooner, but it is really difficult for me to decide where I should have fit it in. Regardless this is another power I cannot imagine anyone not taking.

Level 12 - Lunge
Average Damage @ lvl 50: 123.68 lethal
Activation: 0.83s
Recharge: 12.00s
Endurance: 9.48
Hide/Placate: +67.62 lethal

Lunge is another step up from Strike and is again a power which has a place in every attack chain. It's pure DPS simple as that. While it doesn't have any bells and whistles aside from the -Recharge, -Spd, and DoT of all the Widows claw attacks, it's hard to argue with the pure damage this can pump out. Another must have power.

Level 12 - Smoke Grenade
Activation: 1.37s
Recharge: 15s
Endurance: 7.80
Target Debuff: -90 ft perception and -3.75 To-Hit for 1 minute. AoE, 35 ft radius (16 targets max)

Smoke Grenade is a power that I was really excited about when I was leveling up. I hated fighting Night Widows primarily because of this power. However, when I finally got it I was really underwhelmed. It's - to hit debuff is really very minor. The Reduction in perception though is truly astounding.

I decided to give it a second chance and after having played around with it a lot I have decided that I do like this power afterall. I think it is very disposable so if you need to trim something off this is a good place to start but for utility it can be really handy.

I have found that it is really great when you have more than 1 large pack of enemies in a room and you only want to deal with 1 at a time. You can blind one and pull the other without fear. You can use it to blind patrols so they walk right on by the commotion of you killing off his friends. It can even allow you to grab a glowie literally right under the nose of an enemy.

If you want this power for the - To hit Debuff, you are going to be disappointed. If you want it to take advantage of the -perception then you will be a happy camper.

Level 18 - Slash
Average Damage @ lvl 50: 155.45 lethal
Activation: 1.17s
Recharge: 16.00s
Endurance: 14.2

Slash is the big bad heavy hitter of the Night Widow Build. If you are facing a single target, this is the attack to lead off with out of Hide. Use Build Up before it if you have it. It hits and it hits hard. When I first got this power I was dropping Minion to 20% HP with a crit slash alone. The animation is of a one two punch with a long saber like claw, which personally I don't care for, that splits the overall damage in half. Half on the first punch, half on the second.

Again get this, and don't look back.

Level 18- Confront
Activation: 1.67
Recharge: 3.00s
Target Debuff: Mag 4 taunt for 26.25s.

Ok It's a taunt. If you plan on tanking for a team as your primary role then maybe this has a place for you. Otherwise, I cannot find any reason to include this in a Night Widow Build. Normally I try to say something good about a power even if I don't like it myself, but for Confront I can't come up with anything aside from using it to save a fragile team mate who has drawn too much aggro from one mob.

Level 26 - Eviscerate
Average Damage @ lvl 50:129.06 5ft cone, 90 Degree Arc
Activation: 2.33 s
Recharge: 12.00 s
Endurance: 13.52
Hide/Placate: 50% chance +77.28 lethal

Eviscerate is another AoE damage attack and is probably the most recognizable attack in the powerset. It's the Jumping Spin that Blood Widows do and yes it does look cool. It also hits really hard.

I have this in my build but it's cone is pretty hard to work with so I wouldn't count on it as a full fledged AE attack. It will commonly hit multiple targets but only ones that are very close together. I also had a very very hard time fitting this in before level 41. You might put a higher priority on it and get it sooner, you might decide to leave it out entirely.

The choice is yours. In either case you can build a continuous attack chain without it, but the extra damage this brings to the table can make it worthwhile.

Level 32 - Psychic Scream
Average Damage @ lvl 50: 67.73 psi, Cone 60 ft, 30 degree arc (10 targets max)
Activation: 2.67 s
Recharge: 16.00 s
Endurance: 7.07
Target Debuff: -50% Recharge on target for 10 seconds

Another Ranged Power, and an AoE as well. I'd like to take this power. I really would. It's cool looking, it has a wonderful arc which can be modified by range enhancements, and it's Psychic damage. However, I just cannot find room for more than 1 ranged power in my build. The other downside is that this has a rather long activation time. I'd rather have Poison Dart or Mental Blast over this as my single Ranged power choice. But if I could find a way to fit this in I would.

Next we'll go over the many wonderful powers in the Widow and Night Widow Teamwork branches.

Level 1 - Combat Training: Defensive
+7.5 def to melee
Sliding Resists.

This is your primary form of Defense at level 1. It's passive so it costs you no END and you don't ever have to worry about it. Just slot it and forget about it. There's no reason ever to skip this power. You only need to slot it very minimally to get the full benefit of this power and it's a hefty Buff to boot.

Additionally it provides Sliding resists, which means that the lower you HP goes the greater the resistance buff it provides.

Level 2 - Combat Training: Offensive
Buff on self: +10% acc, +33% resistance debuff to hit

This is another Passive power which serves to increase your Accuracy for all of your powers. This power really doesn't get as much credit as it deserves. This power alone is responsible for making a Night Widow so powerful in the early levels in my opinion. Heck all SoA's across the board actually since both Soldiers and Widows get access to this.

I am the type of player who HATES to miss. You can't do damage if you don't hit what you are swinging at. I always slot 2 accuracies in powers before anything else on all of my characters. The SoA is the only exception to this because of CT Offensive. Slot this power for 2 Accuracies and you can get away with zero to one accuracy in all of your other powers which will allow you to slot it for damage. You hit harder without sacrificing accuracy.

Now the downside. It's not as effective as Tactical Training Leadership as +To Hit has a bigger impact on the to Hit equation than +accuracy does. However you cannot take Leadership until level 20. In the meantime use Offensive. Personally Offensive served me well until level 35 when I respec'd into Leadership.

Bottom line: Later in the game you will want to drop this in favor of Leadership but until that time this is a wonderful substitute that doesn't cost any END. (Leadership is a toggle and therefore uses END).

Tactical Training: Maneuvers
Activation: .50 s
Recharge: 15.00 s
Endurance: 0.21 /s
PBAoE Buff: +5 def to all, AoE 80 ft.

This is your first Toggle skill and will give you your first bit of Ranged defense also. It would be a significant power even if that is all it did but it buffs your whole team's defense to all as well. It's fairly cheap on the END cost so run it without too much worry. This is one of several skills which make an SoA really shine in team play.

Some people skip this power and there is logic in the explanations I have seen for doing so but for all the benefits this power provides I cannot imagine building a Night Widow without it.

Level 10 - Indomitable Will
Activation: 0.75s
Recharge: 4.00 s
Endurance: 0.21 /s

This is a power that you will never see working. But that's the beauty of it. It's a Night Widows Status protection power and boy does it protect you from just about anything and everything out there. Ever since acquiring this power I have not been held, Stunned, Confused, Immobilized, Slept, or feared by anything I have encountered PvE. heck I have not even seen a single Knockback/down while this toggle is active.

You'll forget it's running half the time but heaven help you if you forget to turn it on. You'll notice an immediate and drastic difference.

GET IT! ASAP! I'd say more but really that's all there is to it. Just get it.

Level 16 Tactical Training: Assault
Activation: 0.5 s
Recharge: 15.00 s
Endurance: 0.21 /s
Self Buff: AoE, +15% damage, resistance to Taunt and Placate

This is a stright increase to all Damage across the board. It's the same end cost as all your other toggles and the Damage buff cannot be modified with enhancements. It's the type of power you leave at one slot, put an end reduction in it and forget about.

Try as I might I can't fit this in my build early on. I always end up planning for it in the late 30's and 40's. Is it a whorthwile power? is an extra 15% damage worthwhile? Thought so.

Is it skippable? I'd say yes. I'd prefer not to but if it comes down to it I'd say you can get away with it.

Level 20 - Tactical Training: leadership
Activation: 1.50 s
Recharge: 15.00 s
Endurance: 0.21 /s
PBAoE Buff: +10 To-Hit, AoE 80 ft; +51.90% resistance to perception, +69.20 ft. to perception, +60.55 resistance to confuse and terrorize, +5.19 protection to confuse and terrorize

When you can make the switch to this from CT:Offensive without worrying about the END cost of the toggle respec into this. It's preferable you do it when you have some slots to put into Leadership from the get go but not a necessity.

It's a bigger bang for your buck than CT:Offensive but it's also a power you should grow into. When should you make the switch? That depends entirely on your own build and slots. Just use your END consumption as a guideline to help you decide when you can make the switch.

Level 20 - Mask Presence
Activation: 0.75s
Recharge: 20.00s
Endurance: 0.21 end/s
Self Buff: +2.50 def all; +5.0 def to all when hidden, +40 ft to stealth radius to self.

This is the Night Widow version of stalker's Hide. It's not as good as Hide in that if you get really close to an enemy they will still see you, however, with some practice you can get to a point where you can use it with almost impunity. For instance, PvE perception is funky in that you can stand behind an enemy for long periods of time without them noticing you there even if you are inside their perception radius.

There are exceptions to this of course and you will learn what those exceptions are pretty quickly. But in all a very useful tool. In addition it grants us the ability to crit which cannot be under estimated. Again, get this power early.


Level 22 - Foresight
Defense: +7.5% defense to AoE, Ranged, Melee
Self Buff: +20 resistance to psi
Mez Resistance: +25% resistance to stun, sleep, immobilize, hold, terrorize, confuse
Debuff Resistance: +17.30% resistance to defense debuff
sliding resists

Another Passive skill, more status protection, and Defense. But wait there's more! This also has sliding resistances! Basically this means that the lower your HP gets the greater the amount of resistance this power will impart to you.

If there is a downside to this power I don't know what it is. I suppose one might say overkill in the defense/status protection department but in the world of CoX I say there is no such thing.

Minimal slotting required. I went with 2 slots and called it good. Get this power and get it early. You'll be happy you did.

Level 22 - Mental Training
Self Buff: +20% Recharge, +35(?%) to run speed, +13.65 (%?) to fly speed
Protection Resistance: +40% to run, recharge and fly speed resistance.

If you are familiar with SR's Quickness power then this one wont be anything new to you. It passive, it's yummy goodness. There's nothing bad that can be said about this power.

Night Widow Secondary Branches have quite a few must have powers. They are all just THAT good. Mental Training is one of these. If you do not take this power I truly pity the time you will spend in game.

Level 26 - Mind Link
Activation: 3.67s
Recharge: 240s
Endurance: 10.2
Click AoE, 35 ft radius. This is important. This is a click buff, not a toggle. +5 To-Hit for 1m 30s. +30 resistance to psi damage for 1m 30s. +10 defense to all.

Night Widow Mind Link is better than Fortunata Mind Link solely because of recharge times. This is important because one of your goals as a Night Widow is to get this power as close to permanent as you can. For a Fortunata this task is many degrees of difficulty harder if not impossible. As a Night Widow it's relatively easy, however.

This is another Must have power and the reason is that this gem will take you to the Defense soft cap when combined with the +Defense powers described earlier in this guide. It will get you there with very very minimal effort in the way of IO sets or slots and so on.

The trick is figuring out how to slot this as it wont take +Recharge enhancements as is. You sort of have to "trick" the system. It will take any IO that has recharge as a component of the enhancement. Likewise with Hami-O's. The accepted method is to slot in 1 Defense/recharge IO from each of the Defense sets and then if you want to bring the recharge down further you can slot in another IO from one of the sets like Def/End/Recharge or some such.

Note: Currently you CAN slot in the +recharge IO from the Adjusted Targeting Set. This single IO will likely grant you the greatest reduction to the recharge time of Mind Link over any other that you could slot here.

Level 28 - Placate
Activation: 1.50 s
Recharge: 60 s
Mag 4 Placate on target for 17.50s

It's Placate. if you are playing a SoA you probably know what this is, but just in case - Placate when used on an enemy will momentarily place you back into stealth and will de aggro you from said enemy. This will allow you to get in another crit.

More crits = More damage = Good.

So why didn't I take this in my build? No room. Simple as that. If you can fit it in more power to ya.

Level 35 - Tactical Training: Vengeance
Activation: 1.17 s
Recharge: 300 s
AoE 100 ft
+25% defense to all for 2m
+35 To Hit for 2m
+35% to damage
+10 terror and repel protection
+69.2 resistance to Terror, Stun, Sleep, Immobilize, Hold, Confuse, Taunt, Placate for 2 minutes.
+100 kockup and kockback protection for 2 minutes.

Lotsa Buffs. Lotsa Useful stuff in there. The bad part? One of your team mates has to face plant before you can use it.

It's situational but when that situation comes up it's an awesome power. I wouldn't slot it beyond it's initial one slot and then I would just do a recharge enhancement and call it good there. I also planned this for my 49 power as a result. It's a great power, but too situational to justify taking it before something else.

Level 38 - Elude
Activation: 2.00 s
Recharge: 16 m 10s
Endurance: 2.60
Self Buff: (all for 3 minutes) +60% melee, ranged and AoE defense. +100 (%?) recovery, +200 (%?) Jump height, +34.60% defense resistance.
Crash: -100 Endurance, -10000% Recovery for 20 seconds

Elude is your big bad buff at 38. It works just as advertised. You activate this and you become nearly untouchable. Only in the most lucky instances will anything hit you PvE. It also lasts quite a long time at 3 minutes.

It's not essential though and this is why - You are already at the soft cap for defense by this time. Certain enemies can still hit you through the soft cap and even worse there are enemies out there that can create a cascade effect with defense debuffs which will be a nightmare for you. However, these are not commonplace situations.

That said I find Elude is worth taking for a couple reasons, not all of which might be obvious at first glance.

First, Elude provides a hefty endurance recovery increase. Night Widows can really burn through endurance in longer fights due to all the Toggles we run and moderatly hefty end costs on our attacks. When you are starting to flag hit Elude and you can continue to wail away at that ArchVillain or Elite Boss.

Second, there are times when as I mentioned above your defenses can be compromised. Elude can really save your rear end if you find yourself in that situation. Your survivability depends on your defense. Without it you will go down pretty fast.

The downside is the crash. When you do crash all your toggles will shut off as well leaving you literally defenseless. So make sure you are safe or can get to a safe place before the crash happens.