Nemo_Utopia

This is an idea based not-so-loosley upon typical team makeups of my VG on Virtue:

Name: Tech Army (the actual VG is MechaNation)

Shard: City of Villains

Theme and Purpose: The theme and purpose of this team is robotics. Cybernetics are fine. The purpose doesn't actually matter, since you could theoretically build "Aasimov Robots" trying to simply found peace, however we stick to a more "grow and assimilate"(by any means) purpose.

Backstory: In our case, an ancient god is locked away and gained access to our realm through technology. After creating an avatar using basic nano-tech, the Nation grew and has been recruited of brilliant minds and rouge robots. Alternate stories could include conclaves of geniuses, post-Cold War think tanks, scrapped government projects, or independently funded AI shadow conspiracies. The Army (Nation) is all Tech Origin, with the exception of possible "converts" from other Origins that have adopted technology (Naturals being the most common).

Group Makeup: The primary core of the team is formed with Robot/FF Masterminds. A team of up to eight is formed, but alternate models are often brought in, and the ideal team makeup is actually:
5 Robot/FF MMs
2 */Rad or */Thermal Corrupotors (support models)
1 Brute (Elec/Elec is most thematic, but anything works since it's the wonders of Technology).

Combat Strategy / Powers: This team has each Mastermind take Dispersion Bubble and at least Assault and Tactics. Manuevers is recommended, as are the single target bubbles, but are not a hard requirement as long as one or preferably two members has (and uses) the bubbles on the team regularly. This itself leads to very high defense (and means that */Energy Brutes are actually discouraged, since they get the least benefit from all the extra defense), with great Accuracy and Damage bonuses. The Mastermids mostly work on keeping their pets managed (and co-ordinating movement through doorways), and provide support from Rifle attacks, buffs, Force Bubble (to keep mobs from the center of the group) and other such tactics. The Brute does what he does best, indiscriminately, taking his resists and just SMASH!!!(tm)ing. The two Corrutpors buff the Brute and team as they can, and co-ordinate debuffs, esentially spamming their AoE Heals and providing powerful Scourge support to drop rough enemies faster. This team runs on Relentless.

Costumes, Names, and Design: The theme itself will determine this. If you are a more peaceful (or think-tank) group, you are likely to have Human, uniformed Masterminds and standard design paramaters for your non-MMs, possibly differentiating by archetype. The Humans are encouraged to have various cybernetics if this a more "against-the-system" group or conquest based group. The other extreme (and the Nation) is to recruit any tech user or robot. A "Nation Chassis" is provided to every member (devote one costume slot to it), and they are encouraged to use it but are free to use their other slots as they please. Newly made models follow a production run ethic, using a "base chassis" and then upgrading over time.

Alternatives: This group has a lot of divergence options. A Dominator can be a welcome addition for AoE control, and any primary is likely justifiably somehow, but Fire is probably the "most thematic." Stalkers are justifiable as stealth models, but don't bring much to the team compratively. Alternate makeups sack one or two Masterminds to add an extra Brute or Dominator, or an extra corrupotr (Kinetics advised!). Also, one of the current Corruptors can easily become a Kinetics.

Hero Alternative: A lot of hero alternatives already exist, but are mostly unified by costume/backstory/RP than actual powers or synergies. Co-ordinating powersets helps solidify the "common design" feel, however, while still allowing for customization. For example, the think tank that defends Paragon wants to send out a Radiation support unit with a Kinetics support unit and their toughest (Invulnerable Tank) model to complement their offensive, X Attack models (Blasters and/or Scrappers unifed by primary and possibly secondary) and primary AI (a Controller, likely Illusion, Gravity, or Fire).

And the new version is up! Thanks for all the input (and special, special thanks to Speqter).

Check it out Here , and please update any bookmarks/favorites about it! Keep providing input, and keep it up!

The Electric SMASH!!!(tm) and You! – A Guide to Electric Brutes, v1.1

Please note, this guide is in Damage Scalar format! For those familiar with Brawl Index, a second notation near damage is included. Brawl Index is the amount of damage the power does compared to your Brawl damage, for those not familiar with either. DS info is Found Here.

This is the Professor Todesfall guide on how to build a better Electric/Electric robot. This guide works just as well if you are a meddling magical fairy, filthy mutie, accident of science, or just naturally electrical, but that is merely an unintended side effect of the nature of this guide.

If you’re looking to be an Electric/Electric Brute, you’re going to want to know the facts. How are you different from your flaming, dark, tough, energetic, and rocky brothers? How are you better? How are you worse? These questions can be tricky, and even a detailed first glance won’t say it all. In fact, before even looking at that glance, you should read: Foo's Brute Guide. Also, while it’s of less concern to you defensively, you should still read Arcanaville's Defense guide. Regardless, here is that glance:

Pros –
-High Resistances
-Resist Psychic Damage
-Resist Endurance Drain
-Endurance Recovery
-TP Foe Protection
-Resist Slows
-Auto –Recharge
-Auto +Speed
-Auto KB/Immob Protection
-Endurance Draining attacks
-A slight AoE bent in attacking

Cons –
-No Self Heal
-No Fear or Confuse protection
-No Toxic resists
-KB/Immob protection is only partial

That’s a pretty big first glance…but can you handle the repercussions? First, we’ll go over the powers in detail, and then we’ll come back to what it all means. For ease of reference, Rch is recharge time, Act is activation time, Acc is accuracy off a base of 1, End is the endurance cost, EPS is endurance per second, Radius is the radius of effect, Rng is range, and Base refers to % resistance. Str is Strength (a Prima guide measurement) and I will convert these to Mag (Magnitude) which is more commonly used by the player base. A Mag 2 (or higher) status effect will affect minions, a Mag 3 (or higher) will affect Lts., and a Mag 4 (or higher) will affect Bosses. Attacks may have another notation of "Drain", which is formatted as (# or # / # for #). The first set shows the amount drained from a target, and the second is the chance to return X endurance. So Drain (5% or 2 / 10% for 5) would mean that the power drains 5% endurance from NPCs or 2 End points from players, and has a 10% chance to give you back 5 End.

Electric Melee

1) Charged Brawl (level 1)
-Attack: Melee / -Acc: 1.0
-Dmg: 0.5 S/L + 0.34 Eng = 0.84 DS (1.3889 + 0.9444 = 2.3333 BI)
-Drain (7% or 1.25 / 10% for 2.184)
-Rch: 3s / End: 4.369 / Act: 1.07s

-Charged Brawl is part of your Bread and Butter attacks, and is a basic punch that serves well as a quick attack. Don’t skip this unless you have a darn good reason. Also puts target to sleep (zappy electric dance!) for 6 seconds 10% of the time…but this is of Str 2.38, which is Mag 2 (minions only). Another 10% check to reduce a foe's End recovery by 100% for 2 seconds.
-Slotting: Standard slotting of 1 Acc, 3 Dmg will serve you well. Additional slots (if any) should go to End and Rch, but this should wait to higher levels (and access to Synthetic Hami-Os).


2) Havoc Punch (level 1)
-Attack: Melee / -Acc: 1.0
-Dmg: 0.8 S/L + 0.52 Eng = 1.32 DS (2.2222 + 1.4444 = 3.6666 BI)
-Drain (10% or 2 / 10% for 3.432)
-Rch: 6s / End: 6.864 / Act: 1.5s

-Havoc Punch is the other part of your Bread and Butter, and you will use it often. Good, builds Fury, use it, don’t skip it. Also puts target to sleep (more zappy dance!) for 8 seconds 30% of the time…but like Charged Brawl this is Str 2.38, and thus only Mag 2. Another 30% check for a 4 second reduction of a foe's End recovery by 100%.
-Slotting: Standard slotting of 1 Acc, 3 Dmg will carry you far. Like Charged Brawl, End and Rch can help, but should only be applied in later levels and after access to more slots (thanks to respeccing with SHOs).


3) Jacob’s Ladder (level 4)
-Attack: Melee Cone / -Acc: 1.0 / -Radius-range: 5’ in a 50 degree arc from target
-Dmg: 0 S/L + 1.5 Eng = 1.5 DS (0 + 4.1667 = 4.1667 BI)
-Drain (7% or 1.25 / no return)
-Rch: 8s / End: 8.528 / Act: 1.67s

-Jacob’s Ladder is where the AoE part of your attack chain starts…and lets you start practicing as early as level four. As a melee cone, this may be fairly familiar to you in application if you’ve played Dark before. Compared to your Bread and Butter, it’s OK as a single target attack, but shines when you can hit two to its maximum of five targets. Every hit target has a 10% chance of getting a Str 2.38 (again, Mag 2) Sleep put on them for 6 seconds as well. Another 10% check occurs to reduce the foe's end recovery by 100% for 2 seconds. Tip: Cluster enemies, and target the one in the back of the cluster. If you target the closest one, you’ll hit only him, but by targeting the back, you catch (up to four extra) targets in between the target and you in the arc. A good attack with decent activation, you’ll want it at low levels and will get use out of it for a long while. You may consider dropping it in a respec later on, but do so only when you know you’ll have a solid attack chain without it.
-Slotting: Once more, 1 Acc and 3 Dmg is really the way to go. Throwing a single End in here may help, but should wait until later levels.

4) Build Up (level 6)
-Self Buff: +80% Dmg / +20% ToHit
-Rch: 90s / End: 5.2 / Act: 1.17s

-The requisite Build Up. +80% base damage, +20% ToHit. Some will skip it and never look back, others will take it and never regret it. Great for opening a fight or complimenting your Fury and external buffage when you’re ready to lay down some heavy smack to higher level and boss level targets.
-Slotting: Base slot goes to Rch. If you have slots to spare, put in up to 2 more recharges. Getting an extra 80% damage every 45 seconds goes a long way to getting it whenever you need it.


5) Thunderstrike (level 8)
-Attack: Melee AoE / -Acc: 1.0 / -Radius: 7’ from target (Eng portion)
-Dmg: 1 S/L + 0.96 Eng = 1.96 DS (2.7778 + 2.6667 = 5.4444 BI)
-Rch: 18s / End: 10.192 / Act: 3.3s

-You’ll want to find room for this one! The activation is a bit slow, but it makes up for it with great single target damage and a high chance of knockdown. Remember those clusters you got good at making for Jacob’s Ladder? Well, now you can target anyone of them, because anyone within about 7’ (2’ ft. past punching range) of your target is gonna get fried by the Energy portion of the damage. They’ll even do the zappy dance for you. This attack is one you’ll want to take, and won’t regret. As a side note, this has a 50% chance to give a Str 3.57 Disorient (Mag 3 Stun) to a hit PvE target, and will knock down your target 80% of the time. The 40% chance to reduce end recovery on a hit target by 100% for 4 seconds is frosting on the cake.
-Slotting: 1 Acc, 3 Dmg, and get them in ASAP. This power can really benefit from an End or Rch boost, even beyond what your sets are capable of, so that extra SO (or two) could be well worth your while. You may be tempted to slot for Disorient, but it only increases the duration, not the chance. Slotting for something that only happens 1/2 the time isn't necessarily wise.
Note: The sleep component appears to be like Jacob's Ladder, with a 10% chance to have a Str 2.38 (Mag 2) Sleep on enemies hit by the AoE portion. This is currently unconfirmed.


6) Taunt (level 12)
-Targeted AoE Mez: Draws Aggro (20s in PvE, 5s in PvP) / -Acc: 1.0 PvP, autohit PvE
-Rng: 70 ft. (15 ft. radius) / up to 5 targets / End: 0 / Act: 2.67 / Rch: 10s

-The requisite Taunt. If you plan on teaming and have the room, you might find this useful for drawing aggro away from your decidedly squishier allies (or other Brutes in severe danger). However, you’ll likely consider this power quite skippable. It’s an aggro management tool…but it’s that much less SMASH!!!(tm) or other powers you’ll find more useful.
-Slotting: If you picked this up, you obviously want to taunt. That means Taunt Duration and Recharge are for you. If you PvP, Acc is a good idea too. If your goal is to tank, then you're actually going to want to slot Taunt into your other attacks as you can spare it as well. Tanker-wannabe. Go back to Paragon!

7) Chain Induction (level 18)
-Attack: Melee AoE / -Acc: 1.0
-Dmg: 0.8 S/L + 0.52 Eng = 1.32 DS (2.2222 + 1.4444 = 3.6666 BI) (jumps do .7 DS [1.95 BI] Eng)
-Rch: 14s / End: 10.192 / Act: 1s

-Another gem, you’ll find this attack is faster than Thunderstrike, for the same cost…but it’s also pretty random. There’s a chance that this will arc to other targets, but the chance is random (and seems to be a number of additional targets algorithm). This is a love-it-or-hate it power…and you’ll either love it, or hate it. The real consideration is that it’s paying for Tunderstrike while getting the benefit of Havoc Punch…a Havoc Punch that may just decide to arc and hit extra targets a bit farther away than Thunderstrike would. Diamond in the rough, or waste of space? I can’t really tell you, you’re gonna have to get advice from other Brutes who know how you play and what you like. Me? I like it. There's even a handy 30% chance to reduce the target's end recovery by 100% for 4 seconds.
-Slotting: Acc and Damage, 1 and 3. If you want to use this a lot, Recharge is for the better. I'd save off on that until they get the bug fixed.
Note: Chain Induction is still currently bugged for XP loss. Damage dealt beyond the actual attack (the extra arcs of damage) are not treated as player dealt, pet dealt, summon dealt, or even confusion credit, but as a completely outside entity. This means that any of this extra damage will take a proportional amount of XP to damage dealt compared to the total health of the enemy. Example: Chain Induction arcs and does 1/2 of a minion's HP, and you immediately follow up and defeat it. Because half the damage was "by you" and half "wasn't" (Chain Induction), you get 1/2 XP for that mob. This is currently being looked into, and a fix is coming…SOON(tm).


8) Lightning Clap (level 26)
-Attack: Melee AoE Mez / -Acc: 0.8 / -Dmg: 0
-Rch: 30s / End: 13 / Act: 1.23s / Radius: 19’

-Lightning Clap can save your bacon. This power packs Disorient and Knockback into one happy 100% package…at a slight accuracy penalty. For those who wonder, it’s 100% chance of KB with 100% chance of an 8s Str 2.38 w/ 50% for an 8s Str 1.19 Disorient. For the less game-mechanic inclined, that's a minion level stun, with about a 50% chance to stun any Lts. For those familiar with Magnitude, that's basically a 100% chance of Magnitude 2 Stun with an additional 50% chance for a Mag 1, stacking into a Mag 3 Stun. In PvP, the Disorient goes to 5.34s at Str 2.38. You’ll either find you use this power as an extra soft control (see Power Sink in your secondary), or as a “too many, oh @#$%!” (*CLAP!*) and run away power. Which means you either think this power is completely skippable, because why would you want a power that hurts Fury generation, or a must have because it can make a difference that helps compensate for your lack of a self heal. If you can’t figure out based on that analysis, you’ll just have to test it. Me? I like it, but I see there’s also some trouble fitting it in your build sometimes.
-Slotting: Accuracy. It takes two to get this power up to the 95% ceiling you want to be at against even cons, and 3 to be truly safe. Stun Duration is useful if this is your panic button, but not always so if it's a utility combat power for you. Recharge allows it to be up more, but that's not always good. If you have it, slot 2 Acc and then go from there based on experience. Summary:
-Basic Slotting: 2 Acc
-Panic Slotting: 3 Acc, 3 Disorient
-Utility Slotting: 2-3 Acc, 1-3 Rch, 1-2 End


9) Lightning Rod (level 32)
-Attack: Teleport (60') + PBAoE / -Acc: 0.9
-Dmg: 1 S/L + 0.7 Eng = 1.7 DS (2.7778 + 1.9444 = 4.7222 BI)
-Rch: 90s / End: 13.52 / Act: 2.57s / Radius: 20’

-BOOM!, baby! If you refuse to take this power, I call you a lunatic. This mini-nuke has both an effect (80% Knockdown chance) and a boom (all that pretty, Fury enhanced damage, plus the free light show) to make even a Blaster jealous. This power shines as a way to start (or completely pre-empt) a fight after you’ve ended another. Scenario: you’re right near full Fury, and your team has the situation handled with this group or you’ve just landed the last punch. There’s a pretty group of enemies all nicely clustered for you right nearby! Pop just enough Redage and Build Up to give you the benefit of some serious buffage, and BOOM!...look at all the pretty corpses. One caveat: there IS an acc penalty. You also don’t have Aim (something all Blasters with half a brain use with THEIR nukes). So if you want to BOOM! and not flourish a broken rapier (so to speak), make sure you’ve got Acc in the power, and +Acc/+ToHit as well. Also, get good with that reticule: you’ll be very embarrassed if you just miss an enemy because you’re 21’ away when you BOOM! and not 20’. Lest we forget, this IS a teleport power, allowing you to use it just fine while immobilized.
-Slotting: 1 Acc, 3 Dmg, 2 Rch (advised). If differing from this, 1-2 Acc, 3 Dmg, 1-3 Rch is most serviceable. A single Range can get your range out to 72' and isn't all that bad an idea, if you feel you can sacrifice a Rch.
Note: testing of this power indicates that the current "known" damage values may be incorrect, and suggest that instead this power does a more traditional PBAoE "Nuke" with a standard "Nuke Distribution" of effect, having a base wave of ~1.3 DS value with a chance of one or two "follow ups" of ~.936 DS each. This would make the power most likely to do an actual DS of ~2.1 with a chance of as high as ~3.172. These equate to BIs of 3.7 and 2.6, with the potential for 8.9. This is currently being tested, and I will post when more information is confirmed.

-General slotting notes: Some players find that they can live with only 2 Damages (instead of 3) in any given attack. If you find this true for you, you can either save an extra slot for elsewhere, drop in an Endurance (not really a concern at later levels), or a Rch for faster SMASH!!!(tm). Due to your ability to gain endurance and access to +Rch effects, however, you may find that only 3 or four total slots (1-2 Acc, 2-3 Dmg) is all you'll ever need in any attack (exception being LR, which dern well better have 1-2 Acc, 3 Dmg, 1-3 Rch). Also, some players like 2 Accuracies in most powers to get that much better "I DON'T miss" potential, and LR and LC should very definitely have at least one and likely two Acc.

Electric Armor

1) Charged Armor (level 1)
-Toggle: Self + Res(S/L, Eng)
-Base: 26.25% Smash/Lethal, Energy / -Rch: 2s / -Act: 0.67s
-EPS: 0.26 (0.13 end every 1/2 second as ticks) / Enhancements taken: +Res, -End, -Rch

-You have to take it. Really, you actually don’t have a choice. And you’ll love it. The center of your early resistances, you’ll find S/L is something you’ll enjoy through the entire game.
-Slotting: 3 Res, 1-2 End. You want this power on most of the time and giving the most benefit, so slot up!


2) Lightning Field (level 2)
-Toggle: PBAoE, Minor DoT (Eng), Foe –End
-Dmg: 0.216 DS (0.6 BI) Eng / -Radius: 8ft. / -EPS: 0.52 (0.26 end every 1/2 second as ticks)
-Rch: 10s / -Act: 2.03s

-The best analysis of this power is courtesy of Speqter:
[ QUOTE ]
all these #'s are @ lvl 40
Lightning Field(.2 DS) does 08.342 damage, every 2 seconds.
It costs 1.04 endurance and can harm up to 10 opponents.
It effectively costs .52 endurance/second.
deals 4.171 damage/second (per opponent in range).
gives 8.021 damage/endurance point (per opponent in range).
average performance (3 mobs)
deals 12.513 damage/second
gives 24.063 damage/endurance point
MAX performance (10 mobs)
deals 41.71 damage/second
gives 80.21 damage/endurance point

Compare that to some Electric Melee attacks.
Charged Brawl (2.33 BI, 4.368 end)
34.99 damage/activation
gives 8 damage/end
Havoc Punch (3.66 BI, 6.864 end)
54.95 dam/act
gives 8 Dam/end
Jacob's Ladder (4.5 BI, 8.5 end)
Jacob's Ladder 67.572 damage, every 8 seconds.
It costs 8.528 endurance and can harm up to 5 opponents.
It effectively costs 1.07 endurance/second
deals 8.447 dam/sec.
gives 7.925 damage/endurance point
average performance (3 mobs)
deals 25.341 damage/second
gives 23.775 damage/endurance point
Max performance (5 mobs)
deals 42.235 damage/second
gives 39.625 damage/endurance point
It is more efficient over time than the first 3 electric melee powers, but mainly it's a play style. It's seems to pay off more when there are lots of critters around you or you are fighting on a team.

[/ QUOTE ] That’ll give you a good idea. It’s also a toggle that costs the same as two armors…so it’s decent area damage (and aggro holder), but you may just not think it’s worth it.
-Slotting: 1-3 Dmg, 1-3 End. This is something of a hog, but if you take it, you probably use it to hold agg through damage and drop mobs you don't touch. Being able to run it while protected is a must, and while 3 Ends may be excessive, 1 is a good idea and 2 isn't bad. The damage is discretionary.

3) Conductive Shield (level 4)
-Toggle: Self +Res(Fire, Cold, Eng, Neg)
-Base: 26.25% Fire, Cold, Eng, 15% Neg / -Rch: 2s / -Act: 0.67
-EPS: 0.26 (0.13 end every 1/2 second as ticks) / Enhancements taken: +Res, -End, -Rch

-Your second toggle shield, and the elemental one. If you feel you can live without it, I think you’re crazy, but that’s up to you. 26.25% against both Fire and Cold with the added 15% to Negative Energy is nothing to sneeze at. Especially not when the numbers look more like 42% and 24% when slotted with +3 SOs.
-Slotting: 3 Res, 1-2 End. Just like Charged Armor, you want to get the most benefit and keep it up. Slot, slot, slot.


4) Static Shield (level 10)
-Toggle: Self +Res(Hold, Sleep, Disorient, End Drain, Recovery DeBuff, Psi, TP)
-Base: 26.25% Psi / -Rch: 4s / -Act: 1.17s
-EPS: 0.26 (0.13 end every 1/2 second as ticks) / Enhancements taken: +Res, -End, -Rch

-This is another toggle, and it’s your status protection. Ohhhhh, looky, you get Psychic damage resistane too! Take. It. Protection from all those mezzes and Psychic to boot for the cost of one shield (and something around 42% with SOs, at that!)…that’s a bargin. Note that the Psychic resistance is fixed, and is affected by Damage Resistance SOs, but that the Status protection is unaffected by enhancements, but scales with level. The Endurance Drain protection is also 80%.
-Slotting 3 Res, 1-2 End. Even more so than your other two shields, you want this to be up, and having Psi resists will help a LOT late game. You can likely hold off slotting the resistance component until later levels, but slot for End immediately so you don't have to choose between status protection and attacking.


5) Grounded (level 16)
-Auto: Self +Res(Eng, Neg, End Drain, Immob, KB)
-Base: 9.375% Eng, 7.5% Neg / Enhancements taken: +Res

-This is perhaps the good and bad choice, and the one power that truly has a downside. The energy resistance is almost trivial considering how much you get from other powers, but the extra Negative energy resistance by itself makes this a good auto power. Throwing in moderate Immobilize and Knock Back protection is great too. Here’s the real catch: you have to stay near the ground. That wouldn’t be SO bad, except that the definition of “ground” by the game seems a bit buggy, especially in caves and on ramps, etc. Grounded now scales properly to level. This matters, because previously it failed to grant proper protection against things like Earthquake, but does so now. If you're near the ground, that is, and a still buggy definition of ground. Acro stacks with the protection from Grounded in great ways, but know the ups and downs of Grounded, or be sent up and down a lot.
-Slotting: 1-3 Res. The base slot is only good for Resistance, really. If you find you really, really want that extra Negative Energy protection, slot it more, but this can easily wait until the late game.


6) Lightning Reflexes (level 20)
-Auto: Self +Spd, +Rch, Res(Slow)
-Base: Rch = 20% discount, Spd = +5.2+(lvl*.043) ft./s
-Enhancements taken: +Run

-This power, at first glance, seems almost trivial. Take another look. TWENTY PERCENT RECHARGE DISCOUNT on ALL powers. That’s like having a bit better than a +3 Recharge DO in EVERY power. And it counts as an external buff, so you still slot the appropriate powers with 2-3 recharge if you want. If you use Hasten, this also helps make it that much closer to perma, and stacks with Hasten’s own external buff, which means you can still get the full benefit from any powers slotted for recharge as well! The additional run speed is also nice (and really, the only way to use the one slot). The Slow protection you’ll find you appreciate, even if it tends to only be good against one application. You’re not going to want to waste enhancement slots on this one, but you will notice a definite benefit to taking it.
-Slotting: 1 Run Speed. If you find you have extra slots to spare and just want to run faster, put in another 1 or 2 Runs, but it's a waste of slots IMO.


7) Conserve Power (level 28)
-Self Endurance Discount / 66% Discount
-Lasts 90s / -Rch: 600s / -End: 7.8 / -Act: 1.17
-Enhancements taken: -End, +Rch

-This power IS a good power. The benefits it gives, however, are overshadowed when you are able to have Power Sink, and Stamina and Endurance reduction slots can also be more effective. Many of you reading this will consider this a skippable power. However, if you intend to run all your toggles constantly with Combat Jumping, Acrobatics, and Tough plus Weave (to make your S/L resists truly impressive and add some noticeable +Def), and perhaps even a Leadership or two, you’ll find this to be a boon sent from heaven. Slotted for recharge and with the benefit of Hasten and Lightning Reflexes, this power can be up for good amounts of time with manageable downtime. The fact that it doesn’t hurt Fury buildup is also something to consider.
-Slotting: 3 Rch. If you took this power at all, you want it up. 3 Recharges is the way to do it.


8) Power Sink (level 35)
-PBAoE Self +End, Foe -End / -Radius: 10ft. (Base return = 25 end / minion)
-Rch: 60s / -End: 13 / -Act: 2.03s
-Enhancements taken: -End, -Rch, End Mod, Taunt

-A bane and a blessing, all rolled up into one. This power can give you back a full endurance bar from a reasonably sized fight, and some soft control. However, the fact that that comes at the expense of incoming attacks (meaning less Fury) is something to weigh. Many of you will find that the benefit outweighs the cost (quite handily, in many cases), but there will be a few of you neither want nor feel you need this power at all. The choice is yours, but choose wisely. If nothing else but a mob-control panic button for you, this makes a dern good panic button.
-1-3 End Mod, 1-3 Rch. This power is a very YMMV power. The drain is slottable (and not a bad idea at all) and with 3 Rch you can have this up every half a minute. The only way for you to decide is to play with it on your own and choose.


9) Power Surge (level 38)
-Self +Res(Disorient, Sleep, Hold, Immob, KB, End Drain, Recovery DeBuff, TP, Dmg [not Psi]) +Recovery
-Base: 52.5% (Smash/Lethal, Fire, Cold, Tox), 60% (Eng), 45% (Neg)
-Lasts 180s / -Rch: 1000s / -End: 2.6 / -Act: 1.96s
-Enhancements taken: +Acc, -End, -Rch, +Hold, +Dmg, End Mod
-Special: When this power ends, you drop to 10% HP and 0 End, a special EMP Pulse activates (holds even Lts./minions for 10s). The Acc and Hold affect the EMP Pulse

-Do you wish you could look like a Gremlin? Do you love the cackle of electricity? Do you just love taking only half damage from any non-psychic? Well, this is a power you’ll want, and is your “god mode” button. Unslotted, this thing lasts for three minutes out of just under every 20. Slotted (and with Hasten and Lightning Reflexes), the recharge means it can be up far more often, and resistance slotting means that 52.5%/60%/45% can go to ~84%/96%/72%. When running this and your toggles, you can EASILY cap resistances and have ~42 % to Psychic! That’s a darn good deal. The fact that this completes your status protection and has +Recovery means you’ll love every second of Gremliny goodness. Your slotting will depend on your other powers, however. The EMP Pulse at crash is also a “safety feature” that other builds don’t have. Just don’t go touching any water. Remember, however, that even with this up, Confuse and Fear will still leave you discharging at thin air.
-Slotting: 3 Res, 3 Rch. You want to get the most benefit, the most often, and that's the way to do it. If you find you want to run your other shields, you can sack a few Res slots in this for an Acc, Hold, and/or End Mod. Acc and Hold help the safety button, but are likely a waste, whereas End Mod increases your recovery while Power Surge is up…which can let you run your other shields (and Lightning Field) while attacking like a mad-beast. I'd stick to 3 Res, 3 Rch, and consider 2 Res, 1 End Mod, 3 Rch.


But What Does It All Mean?
-Put together, all of this means that the Electric Brute has options and flexibility, but must face choices. This also means that the Electric Brutes may not be right for you, even if other Brutes are! An Electric Brute is capable of high DPS with a solid attack chain, and has both resistances and the potential to hold aggro that rivals Tankers, especially if you take your Taunt and have experience tanking. Heck, you have resistances that can make even a Tank blush! Your single target damage is a tad lackluster compared to other sets, so while you can eat hordes of minions and Lts for breakfast, expect longer fights against Boss and Elite Boss foes. However, your damage mitigation varies from other sets: you have only your resists and damage to save you, along with the minor Sleep component (negated if you’re running Electric Field) of your attacks. The –Recovery component of your attacks is something you may not even notice, and only comes into play as a tool for keeping a drained target from recovering. This typically only helpful in EB or AV fights, and even slotted to drain your target, you likely can't do it reliably enough without other, also slotted drainers there. If you can utilize this, you can keep a target effectively at 0 End, but it takes a lot of doing, and a lot of drain. You will likely notice the return from your basic punches however, since using them often will help prevent you from running out of endurance quite so quickly. You have no +Def, and NO HEAL. So, more so than other Brutes, Electric Brutes have to ask the question: how do I approach a fight? Other Brutes (with some exceptions) charge in and just SMASH!!!(tm), and know that if things get hairy they can heal, then run if they must.

-You, however, are going to need to question whether it is better to defeat the minion or let him live to build Fury and whether you need to run. You’re going to need to decide faster than other Brutes, too, since the margin of error is smaller if you want to stay standing. Managing herding is also more necessary than other Brutes. Although you don’t get more Fury from the AoE component of your attacks, you can both hold aggro better and hit anywhere from 1-5 (or even 10) extra targets with practice! Enough practice with Chain Induction, Thunderstrike, and Jacob’s Ladder will have even those AoE happy Fire builds envy your kill power, but it DOES take practice. Manipulating targeting (nearest, farthest, next, previous) and your own visibility are key to this, and each of you will develop your own system. Needless to say, Lightning Rod is quite an electrifying experience once you’ve gotten using it down, and is awesome for both opening or closing (or both at once!) a fight. In the late game, however, you do get a powerful tool available to you: Power Sink. Power Sink can save you, and your team…but it can also make a fight take longer (you’re not gaining extra Fury if you’re not being attacked)! The difference here is that your paradox is larger than most other Brutes, and your survival depends upon your experience and knowing the answers. This also means that enemies who can confuse you or fear you have a very distinct advantage, and you will want to take them down first. It’s up to you to determine how to best utilize your slots and powers…and the answer will vary by the player!

A note on Power Pools
-The powers you take and how you slot them, as well as your play style, will determine the pools you take, and these are examples of the choices (and player types) that make the Electric Brute fun and variable. To get a self heal, you need Aid Self…and another power just to get it. Aid Self is certainly more powerful in pure HP gain…but it is slower, costlier, and interruptible, disadvantages all compared to “true” self heals. Tough (and the extra attack necessary to get it) can also be useful if you can spare the endurance and slots, since with it your S/L resistance is very, very high. If this fits you well, you might also consider weave (especially if you have the Jumping Pool) for the defense bonus. Another consideration is that you may not need Stamina…but you may want Health. This paradox is another choice that must be made. Health is the poor man’s Regen, and with your high resistances, can be very useful in long fights. Stamina also can free up end redux slots for other attributes (like resistance and SMASH!!!(tm)). You’ll also find these help you recover much faster from the crash from Power Surge, and between it and Conserve Power let you run more toggles with less slotting. The cost is three powers, however, and while Swift or Hurdle can be quite nice, it’s something you very well find you don’t need.

A note on travel
-Another hard choice faces you pool-wise: fly, speed, teleport or jump? Fly can give you Air Superiority…and it is possible to fly near the ground to stay grounded. Speed can give you Hasten and the best linear speed possible…added to Lightning Reflexes, you may even consider dropping a primary attack for another power! Jumping can give Combat Jumping and Acrobatics…two key powers to close gaps in your Mez defenses that you may find you feel you need, or may not consider worth the powers at all. Jumping is also nearly as fast as Super Speed…but not being near the ground for Grounded can put you at risk!

A note on Teleport
The fourth option you have for travel is Teleport. Unlike Fly, Speed, and Jumping, you cannot attack while moving (only before or after), but you skip over the space between you and the location. Teleport also means that you either get Recall Friend (great for getting allies out of a bind) or one of the best pulling tools around: Teleport Foe (which is also fairly good in PvP, for those who do). Teleport means that you can either stay Grounded while traveling...or not need Grounded at all. Remember, you can Teleport while Immobilized (and KB doesn't mean anything), which means that with some slotting, it can be a good way to zap around. Again, if you're really hung up on which pool to get, read over TopDoc's guide, and remember the power you get BEFORE your travel power (which may decide for you). If you feel you need Hasten (or Flurry), Air Superiority (or Hover), Combat Jumping (or Jump Kick [but really, leading to Acrobatics]), or Teleport Foe (or Recall Friend)...you've probably chosen your mode of travel and are just having cold feet because the others are cool too. What you choose will be up to you…there is no “right” answer! The powers you might choose to save can even lead to you getting Presence for Fear (or even just Taunt) or even Leadership to give you both that small boost in potential and help get some status resists not just to you, but your team. The fact that Leadership can help provide Confuse and Fear mitigation is nothing to sneeze at, and means that if you can team with folks who have it, you’ll be very happy indeed. For an in-depth skinny on movement, try TopDoc's Movement Guide.

A note on Patron Powers
-41 may seem a long way away. And it is. But Patronage is something to consider. Sirocco is naturally the most thematically fitting and game stacking Patron to take. More damage and more end drain (and recovery). If for some reason you don’t want energy damage, but similar benefits, remember that the other Patrons each offer the same benefits of a two ranged attacks (one an AoE) and an area immobilize…and of course, a pet. The true difference is damage types: Energy for Sirocco, Negative Energy for Ghost Widow, Lethal/Toxic for Captain Mako, and Energy/Smash/Lethal for Black Scorpion. The secondary effects are Endurance Drain, –Acc, Tox/More damage, and Knockdown, respectively. Sirocco is undoubtedly the best fit power wise, but if you want to change things up, pick another patron, but be ready to deal with the non-synergistic effects.

-The final consideration means your build can be very flexible if you are flexible or very tight if you have a core idea in mind, and provides a challenge that can be its own brand of fun. Each Electric Brute is a truly customizable circuit of binary components…and your combination of on and off is going to make or break you! Hopefully, I’ve given you the construction plan: all possible parts included, not all parts will be used in every installation. Use the parts you like, throw out those you don’t, and go bring some ELECTRIC SMASH!!!(tm) to the Isles!



Only half-Electric? Here's how you stack up!
Electric Melee but not Electric Armor
Not having the armor means that you have all the pros and cons of your chosen armor set, whatever it may be. It means you have a fully different set of tools, and while your resists are lower, you compensate with defense (a lot of it, in Energy's case) and some self-healing. Hasten may actually mean more than ever: Electric Melee is good, but it's single target damage will be found a little lacking without Lightning Reflexes (since recharge is a tad slow in comparison to some other sets). Take the notes from the melee set and find what meshes with your armor and play style. Your armor is your other survival tool, and you'll need to know what it can do. Each set has it's own jolly run around which take too long to go into, but other guides out there should give you the feel for each armor set, and hopefully, my notes on ElM can set you right for what you want when put together.

Electric Armor but not Electric Melee
These notes are short enough to go into here, but a little harder to really piece together. You have all the pros and cons of your armor...perhaps the most important of which is (still) no self-heal.
1&2)- Stone and Energy Melee: superb for taking out single targets (and are in that sense the opposite of ElM: instead of dropping a group together, you pound them out one by one). This changes a little as Fault and Whirling Hands come into play, but the reality is the same: you survive by taking out each target before he can hit you enough that you feel it, and you do it well. Lightning Reflexes and the ability to recover with Power Sink (and you may consider taking Conserve Power, even with Power Sink AND Stamina) is a boon for these slow recharge, high endurance sets.
3)-Fire Melee gives an interesting mix that like Stone and Energy, benefits from your +Rch and better ability to get endurance back, but unlike them gives great AoE capacity (Great Fire Sword...you'll love it), it doesn't take up quite as much Endurance, however, which can free up another few powers and/or slots for more utility and versatility.
4)-Super Strength is something like Fire in terms of AoE + Single Target capacity, and can take you far. It's still the first odd man out, tho, because Rage is a superb self buff...but has that aggravating crash. Popping a blue could allow you to recover with Power Sink after a drop in Rage, which could be the key to keep smashing instead of just taking an actual breather (as well as keeping foes from attacking long enough for you to either finish pummeling them or get away as needed). And, let's face it: Rage + Power Surge = grown men giggling like school girls in front of their computer. The additional recharge to your one ranged attack (who DOESN'T want to rip up rocks and chuck them at people?) and the ever-devastating KO-Blow means they could actually come in more handy than usual, and this set combo is one I'm tempted to play in the future.
5)-Dark Melee is the second (and more odd) of the two odd men out here. Dark Melee has decent capacities, and the fact that it is NEGATIVE Energy can make a lot of difference in being resisted by most foes (unless you're facing another Darkie or a select few PvE enemies, that is). It's also the fastest recharging, fastest activation, lowest endurance set. This means that Power Sink and Lightning Reflexes are not so critical to your abilities, but may come in handy if you literally want to have only three or four specific attacks that chain endlessly. One power (and one of those attacks you WILL want up often and accurate) that is sometimes skipped by other Dark Meleers is one you will want to slot like a mad-man: Siphon Life. You have no self-heal in your armor, and this accuracy dependant one is no slouch. Slot this baby triple acc, because you want it to hit whenever it's up. You also have the ability to fear enemies at critical times, debuff hit opponents, and get a variety of buffs (like more End recovery from Drain Life, more Accuracy and Damage from Soul Drain, and a great "HOLD...STILL!" with decent damage power at 32). You give up some SMASH!!!(tm) compared to other set combinations, but between DM and ElA, you have survivability options that are relatively unrivaled.


Information in this guide comes from both experience and observation. The hard numbers in this guide are thanks to Stupid_Fanboy, Speqter, and NoFuture. If you find any errors in this guide or have insight of your own, please post for the benefit of others. I realize that the endurance drain protection portion of the armor powers are not present. If anyone has the appropriate, tested data on this, I would love to add this to the guide (so I can also give more tangible descriptions, too). Any typos I missed in editing would be appreciated as well. I will edit this guide as necessary as long as the window is open, and will repost any major corrections in the future.

Completely ignore my last post. The corrected version is The Energy Manipulation Factbook.

Since the original EM bible has not been updated in...ever, I am going to unabashedly here steal information from Pulsewave's Original EM Bible and Yusaka's Excellent guide to the Energy Blapper. This is specifically information on EM, however, and does not include anything about syncing with primaries, just the powers, what they do, some advised slotting for different purposes, and a few observations. Act is activation/animation time, Rch is recharge, End is Endurance cost, KB or Dis is chance of Knockback or Disorient, and KB and Dis will have a note in (#) or (#, #s)format giving a number (Knockback in feet, or Magnitude of Stun followed by duration). Eng is Energy, S/L is Smashing/Lethal. Damage is in Damage Scalar Format (for the Data Standardization Project). I obtained my Damage numbers by converting the known BI values from Bean Sidhe's E^2 Guide, and have been confirmed (with minor correction) by independant testing Here. If you want to convert to BI because you're an outdated dinosaur, just divide the DS value by 0.36 (you dinosaur, you), or heck, just check out Bean's guide.


Energy Maipulation
1) Power Thrust
Act: 1 / Rch: 6s / End: 8 / KB: 100% (30) / Dmg: 0.8 (0.4 S/L, 0.4 Eng)
The first punch, the open-palmed wonder, and required to take as a Blaster with EM. The purpose of this power (other than 2 Brawls) is the 100% chance of Knockback on a hit target. Any Blaster who has learned to use this effectively will tell you that this is a very important solo tool throughout their career, and can even be a team saver (need to get rid of that high-health mob on your H34lz0r? WHOOOSH!). Slotting is up to you, but the default slot should be given over to Accuracy. If you're going to slot it up, another Accuracy, a Recharge (for faster sending action!) or one or two KB (this is mostly for amusement more than actual effectiveness purposes, tho). A few Blasters DO use this power for Damage, however this is mostly for builds that focus on being in melee like a Scrapper. Speaking of personal amusement, however, if you get bored of dancing in Atlas, slot this power triple KB. This adds to the base KB by some ridiculous number like 360%. Activate your Vanguard Medallion (Power Boost on a 25 minute timer, really) and then Power Boost. Go hit any level one Hellion for around 660% of the (already drastically more effective because of the 49 level difference) KB and have fun!

2) Energy Punch
Act: 1 / Rch: 10s / End: 6 / Stun: 25% (2, 5s) / Dmg: 1.96 (1 S/L, 0.96 Eng)
Quick and dirty, with a chance for a Stun that will get a minion for sure if it goes off. As a punch, it's default slot should go to Accuracy. Extra slots should go to Damage (up to three) to maximize it, with potential for another Accuracy and Disorient (not necessarily reccomended, but it helps a stun that goes off stick). Not for all Blasters, but a very good attack (especially at low levels) with ridiculously high DPS (not burst damage, just out the gate over time) and minion popping power.

3) Build Up
Act: 1 / Rch: 90s / End: 6 / Duration: 10s
+100% (Base) Damage, +33% ToHit. For 10 seconds. That's a few attacks, or a snipe and a follow up, in practice. This power is one that all Blasters should take, and you get it early (yay, you!). Use the Base slot for Recharge, and only slot more if you particularly find you want it up more often. 3 Slotted Rch can get you a 45s Recharge, but it's up to you.

4) Bone Smasher
Act: 1 / Rch: 15s / End: 10 / Stun: 50% (3, 10s) / Dmg: 2.6 (1.82 S/L, .78 Eng)
(*long, low, whistle*) That'sa one spicy meatball. Take this early, one shot minions with it, and oggle. While not quite that effective in the late levels, this power is one mighty punch. Slot for Accuracy (1-2), slot for Damage (3, you fool!). Putting an End and Rch in is wonderful (and 2 of either is fine too). Slotting for Disorient will help a sticker keep a minion or Lt. stunned longer, but slotting for what happens ~1/2 the time isn't always wise. It's up to you, but I'd hold off until you know you can afford it (or have Hami-Os!).

5) Conserve Power
Act: 1 / Rch: 600s / End: 10 / Duration: 90
This power cuts the cost in powers effectively by half for 90s. With 3 Rch SOs (the only thing to slot for, really), you can have it up just about every 300s (5 minutes). So you can have it up just shy of 1/3 of the time, getting closer to that with Hasten. Some take Stamina. Some take this. Some take both. YMMV, and it's up to you. I personally don't use it. Yusaka swears by it (and has Stamina). Pulsewave uses both it and Stamina. Try it yourself, and find out (it will be useful enough to justify it until you can respec out if you truly don't like it). When I did use it (and the way it is primarially used) is as a pre-Nuke. Using it right before your normal buff chain and then Nuking, you still crash. But by popping a Blue, you get back X End and are now able to use it twice as well!! This means that you can use it with a Blue to really stay in a fight post-crash. Assault Rifle and Archery being the obvious exceptions here.

6) Stun
Act: 2 / Rch: 20s / End: 10 / Stun: 100% (3, 10s) / Dmg: 0.25 (.15 S/L, .1 Eng)
Stun is a utility tool, and as a WEAKER THAN BRAWL level attack, should NEVER be slotted for Damage. However, popping an Accuracy in the default (with another for good measure) and some End, Rch, and Dis (I reccomend 1 Acc, 3 Dis, 1 Rch, 1 End, myself if you really want to slot this up all the way) this power can be a great utility tool. This sure fire Lt./Minion stun is a great way to take an enemy out of the fight long enough to deal with their friends. With 3 Disorient Durations and a Rch, you can chain stun non-Bosses using just this power reliably. However, your wind-up fastball has Activation time issues that keep you from Blapping or Blasting. This power can wait, but is great for stacking stuns on bosses (especially resistant ones) and keeping Sorcers or Nemesis Lt.s (or any other annoying Lt.) out of a fight.

7) Power Boost
Act: 1 / Rch: 60s / End: 10 / Duration: 15s
Doesn't affect Damage or Accuracy. Gives +100% (that's DOUBLING the base value of): Disorient Duration, Sleep Duration, Confuse Duration, Fear Duration, Immobilize Duration, Hold Duration, Knockback (KnockUp) distance, Repel stregth, Run speed, Fly speed, Defense Buffs, Heal, Accuracy Buffs, AND Endurance Drain. With 3 Rch (HIGHLY reccomended by me), you run and fly faster (great for Hover manuevering and fly travel), Heal stronger (awesome for Aid Self and Aid Other), Disorient longer (great for opening chains), KB farther, and a whole grab-bag of other goodies. While I didn't take this right off, I took it pre-Total Focus. Like Pulsewave, I find that this power grows on you (fast). This power is crucial to chain-stunning bosses (Boost, Focus, Stun, BS, EP, keep chain active). When combined with slotting for Disorient, you can get a lot of mileage out of this power just from the rest of EM.

8) Boost Range
Act: 1 / Rch: 60s / End: 15 / Duration: 30s
+54% range (just shy of THREE Range SOs). With three Recharge SOs, this power can be up 100% of the time. This will not help any power in EM, but will help ANY Blast set. This power allows you to outrange mobs (and actually be able to use range as a defense...you know, like we're "supposed" to be able to), and can give Snipe the ability to...well...actually Snipe. This can also let your "Burst Power" (high Dmg, short range blast) reach a heck of alot farther and be more than effectively another punch for any set that has one. YMMV based on Primary. If you find you want it, then slot it thrice. If not, then leave it be.

9) Total Focus
Act: 3 / Rch: 20s / End: 22 / Stun: 100% (4, 10s) / Dmg: ~3.56 (1 S/L, 2.56 Eng)
A set defining power, it's not hard to see why. This power will Stun most bosses. Alone. Combined with Stun, the Magnitude stacking will stun those few bosses who resist stuns. This power is a mighty, mighty punch that will make the team jealous. Slot the base for Accuracy. Slot in 3 Dmg NOW. Don't wait, NOW. Why are you still here without 3 Dmg in your Total Focus?!?!?! DO IT, THE POWER OF HEROES COMPELS YOU!!!! (*COUGHAhem*) Sorry about that outburst. Slot in a variation of another Acc (for facing higher level foes), a Rch, an End, and since it's 100% Disorient, those certainly aren't bad ideas. I reccomend 1 Acc, 3 Dmg, 1 Rch, 1 End until HOs, where you have the freedom to slot 1 Acc/Dmg and 2 Dmg/Mez, with a Rch and End thrown in and one more of choice (Acc/Mez reccomended!). It's slow, but powerful enough that skipping this power is insane in 99.99999% of cases.




Creator's note: This guide is essentially a 1.1 version at the moment. If you find an error in any of the numbers (for example, testing indicates that a stun chance is off, or a slightly lower/higher DS value, or whadevuh), PM me or post and I will be sure to fix it, since I want to keep this guide updated and accurate throughout upcoming issues. This guide was designed pulling all known player-tested data and is therefore designed to be complete, but if you see something that is just plain missing...post it or PM me so I can make it complete! --Nemo

Rats, past the edit deadline. These are good notes and will be included in the v1.1!! And, as someone who used to do that very thing (and is considering picking it up to do it again), I'm honeslty surprised that I completely forgot about it. Oh, frack. Bone Smasher is supposed to be 1.82 Energy and .78 S/L...well, looks like it's time to repost this thread with the appropriate correction for that, and note on CP![/edit]

[edit2] Alright, new guide is up Here .[/edit2

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Oh yeah, to keep the Corruptor busy healing me?!

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And how ELSE do you expect those Corruptors to get their shiny badges? (/sarcasm)

I can't speak for everyone, but I love having Dominators on my team at any level. They may be rather Jeckyl and Hyde, but their Jeckyl isn't as shabby as a lot of people make it out to be. Timing is everything, and drawing too much aggro will wipe anyone. And, by the time you reach 8-man teams, barring extremely rough stuff like the RSF, you can usually get by while one member is afk and not truly notice a lack anyway. This has actually kind of always been the case.

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Awwww.... I killed another thread

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Don't worry, I intend to ressurect it when my scanner starts working again

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i though the word nerf originated from star wars galaxies. i thought the term was used because a nerf was a highly unplesent animal. (dont ask how i know that)

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A nerf is a highly unpleasant animal referenced in The Empire Strikes Back, which I suspect predates SWG by a few years.

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A nerf is not just ANY unpleasant animal, but one that is used for food and basic clothing on agricultural colonies as well. They also make sausage. That's widely distributed and a staple for those who can't afford "better" food. Yeah, yeah, I'm a nerd. Sue me Anyway, the most correct answer here is that term STARTED being used way back in MUDs as a term for being weakened. Since then, the term has grown in "popularity" (a better word would be "infamy") and stuck. Because of the multiple connotations (the nerf bat/sword or becoming like a Nerf foam weapon), it hasn't changed and will likely be around for evah and evah. And evah moh.

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Nice guide.

It should also be noted that a level 50 blaster can go to Atlas Park and slap around level 1 baddies with Power Thrust for endless amusement. I think I measured the knockback to be something like 180 yards once. This, in my opinion, beats dancing under Atlas any day of the week. Have fun.

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I totally forgot about this! For best personal amusement, get to level 50. Activate Vanguard medal and then Power Boost. Use your triple KB slotted Power Thrust on any random level 1 Hellion, aiming roughly for the globe It's a level of awesomness that can go unbounded. Note added in the guide

Nemo's (new) Energy Manipulation Factbook

This is essentially an I7 version (that will continue to be updated as future issues come out) of Pulsewave's guide, and is designed to give the facts to any EM Blaster out there. Check it out, and if something IS wrong, then by golly inform me so I can update it.

Since the original EM bible has not been updated in...ever, I am going to unabashedly here steal information from Pulsewave's Original EM Bible and Yusaka's Excellent guide to the Energy Blapper. This is specifically information on EM, however, and does not include anything about syncing with primaries, just the powers, what they do, some advised slotting for different purposes, and a few observations. Act is activation/animation time, Rch is recharge, End is Endurance cost, KB or Dis is chance of Knockback or Disorient, and KB and Dis will have a note in (#) or (#, #s)format giving a number (Knockback in feet, or Magnitude of Stun followed by duration). Eng is Energy, S/L is Smashing/Lethal. Damage is in Damage Scalar Format (for the Data Standardization Project). I obtained my Damage numbers by converting the known BI values from Bean Sidhe's E^2 Guide If you want to convert to BI because you're an outdated dinosaur, just divide the DS value by 0.36 (you dinosaur, you), or heck, just check out Bean's guide.


Energy Maipulation
1) Power Thrust
Act: 1 / Rch: 6s / End: 8 / KB: 100% (30) / Dmg: 0.8 (0.4 S/L, 0.4 Eng)
The first punch, the open-palmed wonder, and required to take as a Blaster with EM. The purpose of this power (other than 2 Brawls) is the 100% chance of Knockback on a hit target. Any Blaster who has learned to use this effectively will tell you that this is a very important solo tool throughout their career, and can even be a team saver (need to get rid of that high-health mob on your H34lz0r? WHOOOSH!). Slotting is up to you, but the default slot should be given over to Accuracy. If you're going to slot it up, another Accuracy, a Recharge (for faster sending action!) or one or two KB (this is mostly for amusement more than actual effectiveness purposes, tho). A few Blasters DO use this power for Damage, however this is mostly for builds that focus on being in melee like a Scrapper. Speaking of personal amusement, however, if you get bored of dancing in Atlas, slot this power triple KB. This adds to the base KB by some ridiculous number like 360%. Activate your Vanguard Medallion (Power Boost on a 25 minute timer, really) and then Power Boost. Go hit any level one Hellion for around 660% of the (already drastically more effective because of the 49 level difference) KB and have fun!

2) Energy Punch
Act: 1 / Rch: 10s / End: 6 / Stun: 25% (2, 5s) / Dmg: 1.96 (1 S/L, 0.96 Eng)
Quick and dirty, with a chance for a Stun that will get a minion for sure if it goes off. As a punch, it's default slot should go to Accuracy. Extra slots should go to Damage (up to three) to maximize it, with potential for another Accuracy and Disorient (not necessarily reccomended, but it helps a stun that goes off stick). Not for all Blasters, but a very good attack (especially at low levels) with ridiculously high DPS (not burst damage, just out the gate over time) and minion popping power.

3) Build Up
Act: 1 / Rch: 90s / End: 6 / Duration: 10s
+100% (Base) Damage, +33% ToHit. For 10 seconds. That's a few attacks, or a snipe and a follow up, in practice. This power is one that all Blasters should take, and you get it early (yay, you!). Use the Base slot for Recharge, and only slot more if you particularly find you want it up more often. 3 Slotted Rch can get you a 45s Recharge, but it's up to you.

4) Bone Smasher
Act: 1 / Rch: 15s / End: 10 / Stun: 50% (3, 10s) / Dmg: 2.6 (2 S/L, .6 Eng)
(*long, low, whistle*) That'sa one spicy meatball. Take this early, one shot minions with it, and oggle. While not quite that effective in the late levels, this power is one mighty punch. Slot for Accuracy (1-2), slot for Damage (3, you fool!). Putting an End and Rch in is wonderful (and 2 of either is fine too). Slotting for Disorient will help a sticker keep a minion or Lt. stunned longer, but slotting for what happens ~1/2 the time isn't always wise. It's up to you, but I'd hold off until you know you can afford it (or have Hami-Os!).

5) Conserve Power
Act: 1 / Rch: 600s / End: 10 / Duration: 90
This power cuts the cost in powers effectively by half for 90s. With 3 Rch SOs (the only thing to slot for, really), you can have it up just about every 300s (5 minutes). So you can have it up just shy of 1/3 of the time, getting closer to that with Hasten. Some take Stamina. Some take this. Some take both. YMMV, and it's up to you. I personally don't use it. Yusaka swears by it. Pulsewave uses both it and Stamina. Try it yourself, and find out (it will be useful enough to justify it until you can respec out if you truly don't like it).

6) Stun
Act: 2 / Rch: 20s / End: 10 / Stun: 100% (3, 10s) / Dmg: 0.25 (.15 S/L, .1 Eng)
Stun is a utility tool, and as a WEAKER THAN BRAWL level attack, should NEVER be slotted for Damage. However, popping an Accuracy in the default (with another for good measure) and some End, Rch, and Dis (I reccomend 1 Acc, 3 Dis, 1 Rch, 1 End, myself if you really want to slot this up all the way) this power can be a great utility tool. This sure fire Lt./Minion stun is a great way to take an enemy out of the fight long enough to deal with their friends. With 3 Disorient Durations and a Rch, you can chain stun non-Bosses using just this power reliably. However, your wind-up fastball has Activation time issues that keep you from Blapping or Blasting. This power can wait, but is great for stacking stuns on bosses (especially resistant ones) and keeping Sorcers or Nemesis Lt.s (or any other annoying Lt.) out of a fight.

7) Power Boost
Act: 1 / Rch: 60s / End: 10 / Duration: 15s
Doesn't affect Damage or Accuracy. Gives +100% (that's DOUBLING the base value of): Disorient Duration, Sleep Duration, Confuse Duration, Fear Duration, Immobilize Duration, Hold Duration, Knockback (KnockUp) distance, Repel stregth, Run speed, Fly speed, Defense Buffs, Heal, Accuracy Buffs, AND Endurance Drain. With 3 Rch (HIGHLY reccomended by me), you run and fly faster (great for Hover manuevering and fly travel), Heal stronger (awesome for Aid Self and Aid Other), Disorient longer (great for opening chains), KB farther, and a whole grab-bag of other goodies. While I didn't take this right off, I took it pre-Total Focus. Like Pulsewave, I find that this power grows on you (fast). This power is crucial to chain-stunning bosses (Boost, Focus, Stun, BS, EP, keep chain active). When combined with slotting for Disorient, you can get a lot of mileage out of this power just from the rest of EM.

8) Boost Range
Act: 1 / Rch: 60s / End: 15 / Duration: 30s
+54% range (just shy of THREE Range SOs). With three Recharge SOs, this power can be up 100% of the time. This will not help any power in EM, but will help ANY Blast set. This power allows you to outrange mobs (and actually be able to use range as a defense...you know, like we're "supposed" to be able to), and can give Snipe the ability to...well...actually Snipe. This can also let your "Burst Power" (high Dmg, short range blast) reach a heck of alot farther and be more than effectively another punch for any set that has one. YMMV based on Primary. If you find you want it, then slot it thrice. If not, then leave it be.

9) Total Focus
Act: 3 / Rch: 20s / End: 22 / Stun: 100% (4, 10s) / Dmg: ~3.56 (1 S/L, 2.56 Eng)
A set defining power, it's not hard to see why. This power will Stun most bosses. Alone. Combined with Stun, the Magnitude stacking will stun those few bosses who resist stuns. This power is a mighty, mighty punch that will make the team jealous. Slot the base for Accuracy. Slot in 3 Dmg NOW. Don't wait, NOW. Why are you still here without 3 Dmg in your Total Focus?!?!?! DO IT, THE POWER OF HEROES COMPELS YOU!!!! (*COUGHAhem*) Sorry about that outburst. Slot in a variation of another Acc (for facing higher level foes), a Rch, an End, and since it's 100% Disorient, those certainly aren't bad ideas. I reccomend 1 Acc, 3 Dmg, 1 Rch, 1 End until HOs, where you have the freedom to slot 1 Acc/Dmg and 2 Dmg/Mez, with a Rch and End thrown in and one more of choice (Acc/Mez reccomended!). It's slow, but powerful enough that skipping this power is insane in 99.99999% of cases.




Creator's note: This guide is essentially a 1.0 version at the moment. If you find an error in any of the numbers (for example, testing indicates that a stun chance is off, or a slightly lower/higher DS value, or whadevuh), PM me or post and I will be sure to fix it, since I want to keep this guide updated and accurate throughout upcoming issues. This guide was designed pulling all known player-tested data and is therefore designed to be complete, but if you see something that is just plain missing...post it or PM me so I can make it complete! --Nemo

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I hope I'm right about this and not wasting my time, also I hope no one else wrote this, but I think the Paladin Spawns about 3 or 4 times a day. I remember looking for it, giving up, then about 12 hours later I came back to KR after a few missions and someone Broadcasted there were two Paladins running around, which made me feel better since I didn't know if one being spawned affetced the next. So, a couple days later I go to KR, hoping and praying, and about 9:25 p.m. EST comes around and who pops up....that's right, the Paladin Construction site. I get the badge with a couple of people with a full built Paladin apparently still running around. I'm so happy I take a break. Then, at around 4:20 a.m. EST, guess who pops up again. So that's about a 7 hour difference. I could be wrong about being off for 12 hours, it could have been more. All I'm saying is, I think it spawns every 7 hours or so. I won;t be able to wait another 7 hours because I'll be asleep, just something to think about I guess heh Good luck all!

...though I could be wrong and it really could be completely random.... :P

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It has been nearly confirmed by various monster hunters that monsters tend to have a timer, that has a +/- 1 to 2 hour variability. So, a monster that spawns every, say, 5.5 hours, could "randomly" spawn as early as 4.5 and as late as 6.5, while something that spawns say every 12 might spawn as early as 10 hours and as late as 14. I don't have any of the hard information on this, but I've heard this from a number of moster hunters, and tend to believe it based on experience.

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Okay, since the Mighty cute is started, I tested out my new pencils (2B lead 4tw!): "Magic!" starring Hex Girl.

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Awesome hun.

Also, I like to think that it's edible body paint

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(*train of thought crashes*) (*picks up the rubble, gets back on the track, and keep moving*)

Oy. Somebody's tempting the teen rating, eh?

Alright, I really AM working to update this guide guys, I just need to finish some more stuff and make it not look bad or be in the wrong order. Version 1.1 should be up sometime this Saturday (the 15th of July)!

NemoUtopia's "So You Want to Be A Corruptor? (a guide, v1.0)"

Hope this helps, surprised no one else made one first, and any feedback on improving it is welcome!

In all honesty, I'm surprised no-one has made one of these yet, so here goes:

So You Want to Be a Corruptor? (A Guide, v1.0)

So, you want to be a Corruptor? Well, whether you picked the AT because the name sounds cool, because you were a Blaster Hero or Defender Hero who wants to reap the fruits of villainy, or just joe shmuck who picked up the box and rolled up a random toon, here's the skinny.

A few abbreviations before starting: Dmg = Damage, Acc = Accuracy, Def = Defense, Res = Resists, Rch = Recharge, End = Endurance, Spd = Speed, AoE = Area of Effect, KB = Knockback (D for Down).

First, credit North Star (Truth): Disclaimer:
Corrupters are a balanced hybrid; they do both damage and group support (in the form of heals, buffs, and debuffs.) Both roles are important; a corrupter overly focused on damage is just a gimped blaster; a corrupter focused on support is nothing but a gimped defender. As a personal preference, I want a character who can solo effectively, bring a lot to groups, and be viable in PvP. There's a lot of ways to play a corrupter; this is my personal opinion. Mileage may vary.


And now back to your scheduled programming:
Rule numbah 1: You are NOT a Blaster.
Rule numbah 1A: You are NOT a Defender.
Rule numbah 2: You can put them both to shame.

I'll go back over these rules in the "CoH rehab" section, but for now, we'll stick with more generics. Corruptors ARE the ranged damage AT for villains, and are also the primary buff/debuff class. This means you're filling TWO roles, and while you don't have to choose, you do need to manage them both. This means (first and foremost) you have to put up with people who want a healer. No, seriously. The two most common misconceptions about what you do are covered in Rule numbah 1. So what's the deal?

Your primary is identical to a Blaster Primary (or Defender secondary, which gives you access to two Blast sets that Blasters cry themselves to sleep at night because they can't have them). Almost. Although you're techincally supposed to look at your Damage as being 115% of a Defender, it helps to look at it as 75% Blaster damage. You also get Scourge, which gives you free criticals more often the lower an enemies' health gets low. So, a Scourge attack actually does 150% Blaster damage! For those of you who missed that, that means you're more effective picking off weaker targets than starting on one at full health. In team settings, be the vulture, at least when you start out.

Only there's that other lingering catch, your Secondary. Your secondaries look a lot like Defender Primaries...but you aren't as effective as they are on a power by power basis. This is not an excuse to not take your buffs if you have them! Any buff is well appreciated by team-mates, and the longer your team-mates are alive, the longer YOU'RE alive. Even if you take every power in your Blast set, make sure to pick up the better powers from your secondary, or you're going to regret it in the long haul. No-one wants to play a gimped Blaster (too much Primary, not enough Secondary) or a gimped Defender (too much Secondary, not enough Primary), but will love plaing the mix that gets to solo well and be welcomed on teams.

Here's a look, more from a powerset perspective. Your concept toon is great...but here's a (very) basic overview of what your sets DO:
Primary
1Assault Rifle - Grab bag. You have lots of different ammunition (and a flamethrower!). This is a high damage, high endurance cost set, but Smashing and Lethal damage (your bread and butter) are often resisted in-game. Despite this, your damage output is still often as good or better than other sets (unless you PvP). Instead of a Nuke, you get Full Auto, which recharges far faster and can be very useful to follow up AoEs from teammates (especially with Scourge!).

2Dark Blast - An interesting middle of the road set in terms of damage, you do Negative Energy damage, which is not often resisted by NPCs or Players. You get resonable damage and some interesting powers (some with DoT). Your attacks also leave a target with a -Acc penalty...and every bit less they hit you and your team helps. You also get some soft control (Immobilize) and even a minor self heal. You may be trading damage for utility, but that utility facilitates more damage.

3Energy Blast - My personal favorite (but I'm heavily biased in this case). This, like Assault Rifle is a fairly high damage, high endurance set, but is not as draining. As Energy damage, it's kind of hit or miss: mobs that resist it resist it a lot, but for the most part only certain groups do. The other portion of your damage is actually Smashing/Lethal, which is also hit-or-miss. However, you have KnockBack in every power (except Aim), and managing this can be the key to both a great solo career and a happy team. Mismanaging it can lead to a dead you and a pretty angry team.

4Fire Blast - Damage. Lots of it. You get high single target damage with some area blasting capacity and Damage over Time (DoTs) for hit targets. However, this damage and lingering damage mean you'll draw aggro on teams, so you'll learn fast (or die trying). Fire may be just about the second most commonly resisted damage type in the game on average (right there behind Smashing and Lethal), but don't let that stop you!

5Ice Blast - This set gives cold damage (fairly rarely resisted) and slows, along with Holds! You get two, in fact. You also get a Rain (like Fire), and your Nuke is a super-rain.

6Radiation Blast - Fast recharges, decent damage, and -Def to hit targets (which facilitates more hit targets). Built like a "Standard" Blast set, it's anything but standard. Blasters would give their very souls for access to this set.

7Sonic Blast - Never been with a screamer before? They're great. With -Res in every attack, you facilitate more damage to hit targets, and while your first attack (as Smashing/Lethal, mostly) may not be THAT impressive, follow-ups (from teammates, too) will look and work better.

Secondaries
1Cold Domination - Perhaps misnamed (you're no Dominator), this set still has some wicked buff/debuff potential, at the expense of no healing. No rez, either. You have two ally sheilds (one VERY situational), an area buff, and an ally HP buff (Brutes will love it), as well as Dmg/Res debuff (with KD), a Dmg debuff, and an endurance killer.

2Dark Miasma - Debuffer. Dark will debuff the enemy, keep them still, and have an accuracy dependant heal that's gonna make a Thermal jealous. You do have an ally AoE buff, a drop, a pet, a target toggle debuff, some fear...did I mention the debuff? This set is perhaps one of the most surviveable secondaries available to you.

3Kinetics - Whirling Whirlwind Shredder Team of DOOOOOoooom(tm). This set breaks the mold play-style wise: you WANT to be in melee. You also want accuracy, since you can buff and debuff in one go, but need Acc to do it. With some -regen, lots of -Dmg, plenty of -spd and -rch and the accompanying (magnified) +Dmg, +Spd, +Rch, and even nice +End Recovery and AoE target Heal (rivaling even Twilight Grasp from Dark), this late blooming set will make the end game on large teams a thing of joy.

4Radiation Emission - Considered the AV killer set, and it's not hard to see why. You can debuff just about everything straight to heck (AoE, no less), have a self based AoE Hold (and a nice AoE one-shot hold). You can also rez fallen allies (after using them to blow the bippy out of the spawn with Fallout) and you STILL have the fabled Accelerate Metabolism (+Dmg, +Spd, +Rch).

5Sonic Resonance - This set gets little love, because it's misunderstood. This set is heavy on the -Res debuffs and +Res buffs. You can't rez or heal (a major minus in most playbooks), but you have two good ally shields, some AoE buffs, an ALLY TARGET AoE debuff (rather unique, and a great way to debuff things around a Brute), and -Res debuffs that are nothing to dismiss offhand. You can even give (some fairly impressive) Mez protection to your buddies. Honestly, it's a shame more players can't seem to fall in love with this set.

6Thermal Radiation - You prove that setting things on fire is good for them. With heals, ally shields, three great ally buffs, a rez, and a killer debuff and End drain power, you've got a lot going for you. The common misconception, however, is that this is "Empath Lite." You are not an Empath. Debuffing enemies so they fall faster is a wonderful thing to do, and something you should do often. Heal, but don't put up with any team that tries to say that that's all you should be doing (and it may not be wise to stick with a team that you're scrambling to heal, despite your other pluses).

7Traps - Traps is an odd set, to be sure, and is different from the Blaster version. Your odd grab bag includes the famous Caltrops and Web Grenade, with a limited pet, a mobile ally +Def buff, a locational +Regen buff, Seeker Drones, and the also famous Trip Mine (and its not-nearly-as-loved red headed stepchild: Timed Bomb).

There are a lot of Corruptor Guides available (and if you found this, you probably just need to hit the back button in your browser to get to them). Each one will give you tips and tricks. Some will tell you how to put out truly impressive damage, others will give you a solo powerhouse or PvP monster, and others will give you a toon built for team-play. Your playstyle is up to you (it's YOUR fun, not mine), but I recommend the balance mentioned above, since even if just to help yourself out, every secondary has plenty of gems that are also great team-play buttons.

Now, if you're new, there are plenty of other guides to help you out, and I can't really help you much more. However, if you played in City of Heroes it's time for rehabilitation.

(Thinking you're a) Blaster Rehab
The Blaster mindset has issues if ported over to a Corruptor toon. Part of this is that with the exception of Kinetics (and having certain, specific power combos from other sets), getting into melee at all is likely a death sentance, unlike Blasters who can Blap. You get no special damage buff for being in melee, you get no melee powers, even. Unless you have Kinetics or a specific build built for it: STAY OUT OF MELEE. Also, (us) Blasters tend to love opening fights with attacks and making things fall over fast. As a Corruptor, doing so will get you agg you don't need, and you have less hit-points to take it with. Until your toolbox includes the debuffs and/or control you need to open a fight, avoid doing so. Even then, co-ordinate with your team or develop the solo tactics that involve agg mitigation to someone who can handle it (and you can sometimes heal). You're better off sniping from the edge of the battlefield, setting up the team as a mighty hammer, and playing vulture (that's what Scourge does, after all). If you have a Nuke, however, there may potentially be ways to open that DON'T involve a faceplant and still involve lots of dead mobs. Many Corruptors can self buff to an extent, and when teamed with other Corruptors (especially Kinetics buddies) can reach the damage cap and really explode into fights by buffing each other. Whatever the guides tell you, if you find yourself faceplanting, it's time to rethink your tactics, and maybe consider dropping a Range SO into your attacks (an extra 16' or so does more than many realize). Use your tools, and if you constantly remember Rule numbah 1, you can go a long ways towards obeying Rule numbah 2.

(Thinking you're a) Defender Rehab
If you've played a Defender, you actually may not have too much to go over, since you are likely used to managing when to buff/debuff, setting up chains and combos properly, managing aggro for your squishy self, and blasting. It doesn't require too much rethinking to shift to the new equilibrium you'll find as a Corruptor. If, however, you don't play Defenders too much, are trying for a more Empathic style of play, or have misconceptions about what Defenders actually do and how they contribute with both buffing/healing AND their debuffing and blasts, you are gonna be in trouble carrying that over as a Corruptor. Playing a team-friendly or solely team build is nice...but you're a villain! Picking up EVERY power in your secondary isn't always wise, and even if it is, you need the right Blast powers. I mean, come on, you're freezing your allies, summoning the darkness of the Netherworld around your allies, setting your allies on fire (SETTING...THEM...ON...FIRE!!!!), overextending their bodies' resources, infecting them with (potentially lethal) radiation, screaming at them constantly, or using potentially hazordous inventions around them. You are obviously not nice. You do more damage to wounded things!!! Ay carumba. Keep your alies alive, but remember that defeating enemies is also 100% damage mitigation from that mob. Don't hesitate to be a vulture and pick off the wounded so that your allies can move to other threats. You don't want too many Blast powers (barring some exceptions), but you want an attack chain at least. If you have an attack chain (for when things are going sweepingly well), a buff/debuff suite (for helping things go well), and learn to use utility powers and soft (or even hard) control, you can fill both your roles, and learn to balance things to do both when needed.

The moral of the story: learn your primary. Learn your secondary. Always remember that both are equally important, and find the balance that's right for you. Now go prove that you're what Defenders wish they could grow up to be and make those Blasters jealous!

Thanks to all you Corruptor guide writers out there, and thanks for sticking with me. If you spot typos or have other input about how this guide can be better, either post in this thread or PM me! This guide is not meant to be the definitive "C0rrupt07 1s j00" guide, but instead something to help any Corruptor choose what they want and run with it. Help make it better for all the fledgling villains out there, so that Paragon City will fall that much faster.

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So would a 3 slotted swift, sprint, and hurdle be a good substitute to a travel power? This idea is really intriguing to me.

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Ehhhh, not so much. It's kind of like having SuperSpeed and moving at the speed of Fly. It works for certain concept toons, but is a bit-subpar. If you can live with it, it's a relatively cheap way to get travel if you're taking Stamina anyway.

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Lastly, realize that almost all ATs have some sort of super cool AoE. If you can coordinate yours with theirs the fireworks are spectacular and the TEAM profits instead of you being a showoff and the team having to save you from the highly pissed of mob that you almost killed.


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Quoted for Complete Truth. My extension of Blaster tips (advice from Star Scout MK-4, Energy/Energy/Force Blaster on Infinity):

1) Nukes are fun, BUT: Note that until your Nuke is slotted with three damage SOs...it's actually not that impressive, even with Aim and Buildup. However, once it has those three damages, you can use it to one shot even +2 spawns (minions and leuts only) pretty reliably IF YOU USE BOTH AIM AND BUILDUP. Unless the mob is very damage and you're closing the deal, do not open a fight with a Nuke without using Aim and Buildup. Your team will appreciate watching their xp bar move because you defeated 16 minions from full health and sped up the mission. They will not appreciate an entire angry 8-man spawn with a dead Blaster. For AR and Archery, this is a little different: find the best cluster of wounded mobs, buff yourself, and then use FA or Hail of Arrows to finish them off (say it with me: "Do the last 60% quickly, not the first 60% early"). Never forget: your Nuke (and other AoEs) work best when debuffs and other AoEs are applied. If you co-ordinate your Nuke with a team, you can destroy the entire spawn without anyone taking even 1 point of damage. If you co-ordinate your Nuke with controls from a team, you can have the same effect.

2) Rains and AoEs are a soloer's friend, BUT: When you have KB of any kind (or rain powers that make mobs run), co-ordinate with your team. Using Rain or Fire is great over the mobs attacking the Tank...until they scatter as if you had hit them all with Explosive Blast. Use positional powers to set up a killing field or finish wounded enemies, don't open with it unless you've got others doing the same and the Tank doesn't mind. The exception to this is a setup like: Tank herds, Caltrops drop, Rain goes off (this is also great for cones like Ice Breath). That way, you're knocking down effectively controlled mobs and not scattering aggro.

3) Manage your soft controls!!! If you have Knockback, Slows, or Disorients you need to learn to manage them. Also know when to use your Immobilize on a runner, or combine immobilizes with teammates to keep bosses in one place. Slows are relatively easy, because they are additional soft control on attacked spawns. Don't rely on them: stack them. Disorients are also your bestest friend, but you need to learn how you can stack them (alone or with your team) for best effect. It's better to have two leuts drunk than fail to disorient the entire spawn, or have two leuts drunk instead of over-stacking on one. Knockback is the trickiest, but also the most easily solved. Single target Knockback is great aggro mitiagation: it keeps the mob you attacked from attacking you. But AoE Knockback WILL make the Tank angry at you unless you learn the tricks. Hover is the easiest way to turn KB into KD. Walls are your friends too, so get the tank to herd to a corner, so that when you KB the spawn into the corner, you get mitigation without scattering. The same applies to Rains: Rain to make mobs run TO a corner, not FROM a corner. If you can master jousting, you can also position great KB even when originally in a bad position, or reliably turn KB into KD.

4) I got my APP, now I'm a TankMage(tm)!! *BZZZZZT!* Wrong, Timmy. Sit back down. If you took Fire, Cold, Electricity, or Munitions, you have extra tools to lay down the law, but one toggle shield or an auto-resist is a far cry from being a Tank. Co-ordinate your APP controls with your team and your APP attacks like you would your other attacks. If you've got Fire and DO die, get your team to bring mobs to you (or you to them) so that when you rez yourself with Rise of the Phoenix, you can stun the spawn for cleanup.
What about us Force users? Shush, I haven't forgotten you. The same rule applies: you got utility, not TankMage(tm). Your armor is good, but nothing to rely on. PFF is like Phase Shift, and is only for running away, it has few uses on teams other than "stealthing" missions or getting into place safely and waiting for the signal. Repulsion Field will keep enemies away from you, but is like a constant Rain power around you: co-ordinate use with teammates for the best effect, or prepare to be kicked. But Force of Nature makes me UBER? *BZZZT!* again, Timmy! Force of Nature lets you take damage well for two minutes. This power is best saved as a panic button for "Oh no3s, the tank and the h34lz0rs are down!" moments, where the team is facing a team-wipe and needs a savior. Your team will NOT appreciate you using FoN every time its up (and crashing End) with extra setup time and baby-sitting. They WILL (very, very much) appreciate you allowing the Defender and Tank to get back on their feet safely and get the spawn back under control, preventing a team-wipe.

That's my advice to you young-uns, now listen to the others here and you may learn a lot.

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I have to ask you this straight out.

Now I know its either not coming or not coming soon.

But do you honeslty believe most players would take a dominator over a controller if side switching were in the game? or would controllers completly deteam dominators.

Also I think you are missing the point, dominators are for alot of people already too dependant on domination. Dominators need more oompf out of domination. Not more dependance on it.

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If a Dominator is too dependant on Domination, giving Domination more oomph isn't going to fix that, but make it worse. If anything, Doms need more oomph while not in Domination (like when the got the recent across the field damage buff). I myself have found that I could never really get into the Dominator frame of mind (and haven't been able to do it for Controllers for a long, long time), but I personally love having them on the team. In fact, I'd rather have a (reasonably experienced and competent) Dominator than a Controller in many cases. People keep trying to match up the heroes and villains AT by AT, but the fact of the matter is that the villain pentad is NOT the hero pentad...they operate in almost completely differnt ways, and the strategy for a pentad of heroes has some similarity but a lot of differences from that of a pentad of villains. Dominators need some tweaks, but the people who think they suck wind are the ones who either want to play one as if they were a controller, or the ones who just don't have a dom playstyle and have never really run across seeing what a good Dom can do (solo or teamed).

Stunning Shot is effectively equivalent to "Power Push" from Energy (my area of level 50 expertise), but with a stun instead of a KB effect. Trust me, you don't want to slot it for damage (total waste). Slot for Disorient, slot for accuracy, slot for recharge (and maybe an End Redux).

Love the guide, and I may re-roll up the TA/A Defender I had deleted because of the horror stories I heard about recharge times. Consider this one person becoming a Sharp Pointy Stick lobbyist

Love the guide, it's very well written. One thing to note, tho, is Stamina and Endurance reductions. As a currently level 42 Bots/FFer (who has gone both with and without Stamina), I can say that Stamina makes your life a lot easier (especially if you're running 3 Leaderships, Dispersion, Force Bubble, and trying to control with Force Bolt), but can be overshadowed with Endurance Reduction Enhancers. The question (that I'm still asking myself, to be honest), is whether three powers and two slots are worth the additional endurance reduction slots necessary (to bring it up to three in each power) in Dispersion Bubble, Force Bubble, Tactics, Assault, and Manuevers to make using the powers like Force Bolt and the Rifle Burst and Aid Other a viable option in battle (or if you need to battle bubble!). It's super being able to run 5 toggles and Group Fly and keep everyone bubbled and not worry about your End bar...but that means you likely don't have the power choices to take much else. For a level 50 respec build, this is less of concern, but while on the road is a choice that has both pros and cons.

A note on healing (and part of why I don't have the powers available for Stamina =P): having both Repair with Aid Other can either be your best friend on large teams...or pointless on large teams. If you're running a Mastermind heavy team (especially one with a Thermal or Rad around), you may never need to use either. But if you're the only MM on an 8-man team, you may easily find yourself in situations where having both is a boon (and I've found more than a few soloing on Relentless, too ^_^. This is again more of a personal play-style choice, and Blasterminds(tm) won't like it while Defendsterminds(tm) (like me) will.

A note on Group Fly: you're very right in your assesment of Group Fly, but if your Bots all have three Acc SOs (or even just two in your Assault and Protectors) while running Tactics and in Supremacy range, your bots will still be hitting fairly often. That said, however (and as much as I do like the power), now that all the bots have Super Leap to reach high places, it's less necessary. Although convoluted caves and interior designs can cause AI pathing trouble...I've stuck by this power, but am considering Recall Friend in its place. Unless I take Stamina, in which case I'll have too many pools (Fitness, Leadership, Fly, and Medicine leaves no room for TP).

Another note on healing: Protector Bots. Call me crazy, but I slot my bots 2 Accuracy, 2 Heal, and 2 Defense. Like you, I would never under any circumstances consider dropping those two Accuracy slots. However, I have found that with two Heal SOs, a Protector bot can bring another Pro Bot from 1 HP to almost full and bring the Assault Bot from critical condition to safely in the green (over 3/4th health). One other phenomena that came from this: I could solo a +2 Longbow Ballista (something I simply couldn't do when I had 2 or 3 Dmg in them)...without using Pulse Rifle Burst and only very intermitently using Aid Other or Repair (something I had found myself scrambling to do before). There was also no need for using a Shivan or other temp powers, or even inspirations. Having the bots all fully upgraded and in range of being buffed (Drones 3 Acc / 3 Dmg, Assault 2 Acc / 3 Dmg / 1 Disorient) by triple slotted Dispersion, Insulation, Deflection, Manuevers, Tactics, and (the obviously not slotted for anything but End Redux) Assault. My only real wish for the Protectors is that were some way we could throw about a final total of 14 slots in them (so we can slot them for more attributes), but hey, a guy can dream, right?

My points are mostly nitpicking from personal experience and preference, and again, the guide is great. If you're a Defendstermind(tm) like me, you'll probably find yourself liking my input, but if you're a Blastermind(tm) you'll find you would rather go with the guide over my nitpicks and have more offensive slotting (and skip Repair).

[edit] Almost forgot! My villain SG (MechaNations) on Virtue consists of robots and tech users of all types, but Bots/FF MMs are predominant (still make up about half the SGs toons). I gurantee that if you get three Bot/FF MMs in a mission, you can eat Relentless missions. One time we had a team of five Bot/FF going (all VG members), with a good Thermal Corr (wife of an VG mate), a Brute (VG mate), and a Rad Corr (also a VG mate). None of us ever used our single target bubbles: we didn't have to. The AoE heals from the Corruptors covered all our healing needs, and without them, I suspect the Protector Bots (there were only ten of them, after all) would have handled the lack. We just moved through missions like an unstoppalbe juggernaut. It was an impressive day in the Isles, and when we actually faced an AV, it went down fast. (Five assault Bots + 1 Rad + 1 Thermal = n0 r3g3n 4 j00!) Lag was actually a non-issue (even with the 30 extra bodies), since all we really had to do was keep moving forward The only thing that slowed us down was summoning/buffing, and we didn't have to wait for the bots to be fully buffed before starting on a steady keel. If you have a choice of teaming with other Bot/FF MMs: do it. You'll love every second of it.[/edit]

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Hi. I don't know when's the last time this forum has been replied - did someone find a build yet? Including enchant slots. =)

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There's actually a build discussion going on HERE.

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This discussion has strayed from a discussion of break frees, but I'd like to make a small suggestion:

Have break frees dramatically lower accuracy. Their primary function should be for escaping overwhelming situations, not for plowing through holds and beating the neutered Dom/Controller down. Make break frees the escape inspiration, not the the attack with impunity inspiration.

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/signedwithouthesitation

Is it overcomeable by Yellows? Sure. But at least it will help.