New Dawn

I dont have haste on my trickarcher and either none of the powers recharge well enough to even cast them again on top of a previous cast to self stack or dont self stack at all. I do like all my debuffs to be happily working together but action times plus fight duration or any unhelpful team dynamics dont always allow for that.

Best at certain things? best at certain enemies? best at taking damage? best at getting aggro? best at doing damage?

There is no win-win build because we dont get upto 3 slots per enhancement type for each power for it.

If anyone comes along and says "this is the holy grail of builds" or "so and so is the best tanker on such and such server" is not very knowledgeable imo and for anyone to go even as far as to say "the best tanker ive seen is..." would of had to of either seen everyone they've ever seen play through so many levels against different types of enemies or of only ever seen one tanker fullstop to be fair.

There are tankers within a certain class to me and they care about whether or not other people get faceplanted and look to resolve issues one way or another to prevent it from happening.

To even come close to the best build we'd all have to slot the tanker up high on hami-o's

Buff SR!
Nerf Regen!

I'm levelling up an sr and a regen together and so far the regen is proving to be the easier one to level up(no surprise and old news).

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1. Uhm 3 damage 2 acc in stun..yeah thats great since stun has a base damage of nothing..slot it with 2 acc 2 stun...2acc/2recharge/2stun if you are planning on stackin it:/..

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Well i'm glad someone spotted my one obvious planned mistake

LOL what was i on at 2:33 am i must of got it confused with something else. Its probably not worth much than 2 accuracies to some people as most people pop a break free in within the time of duration or are already resistant to it.

I have since found that pdf and it looks to me you applied AT mods to the mastermind secondary information. IIRC I vaguely recall flash arrow being compared equally with smoke grenade which is why i asked. I dont have it on my AR/DEV as i liked the other powers alot more. Herobuilder i think is just a guide that needs a self check for confirmation and sadly i am thinking the same for the prima-guide pdf, i hope it gets proof read because picking powers at lvl 31 is just impossible and slotting combat jump for endurance in an example build makes me say "???".
But there is alot of (semi)-useful figures that in no way could I of self checked.

Yeah its probably an "in the state of an emergency" power i'm just missing but i dont have emp arrow yet and i'd have to get the recharge down on that with haste.

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The more I look at it, the more I am thinking Hasten is a no brainer for my controller.

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0nce you have hasten you could most likely barely have a use for your secondaries (i know i dont) until you face AV's.

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Really? Oh, because I barely use them now... I'm only level 15.

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You're not serious right?? The secondaries is there for a reason and should be used.

I'm seeing this more and more....people not using their powers....this is what makes the difference between just another player on the team and a good controller...shame on you!

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My secondary is empathy, if it doesnt need to be used it doesnt get used.

LOL you said all that with a mad icon too you do make me laugh! I have half of my secondary, I am a controller first and the fact i cant do everything at once nor need too, means the secondary is barely used.


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Flash Arrow - only worthwhile before the start of combat. I wish I didn't pick this now, I found out it is about a 5% to hit debuff ( prima guide ) as opposed to the 20% I thought it was.

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Same as smoke grenade? did you see smoke grenade in the guide?

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The more I look at it, the more I am thinking Hasten is a no brainer for my controller.

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0nce you have hasten you could most likely barely have a use for your secondaries (i know i dont) until you face AV's.

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Really? Oh, because I barely use them now... I'm only level 15.

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Of course you most definately would be with single target controls being predominant..DOH! but even later i find everything just drops fast on big teams. Mass sleep - terrify - erm next group! A slight exaggeration by a few seconds but not far from the truth.
On pug like teams its control more than 1 mob at once then have to do a healother somewhere and the most important thing comes down to not missing with controls and being ready for whats next. So all in all i basically worry about accuracy and recharges.
As a trick archer i barely ever get to stack all my debuffs in one place at once, put that with mindcontrol and your build only needs to be only so tight. i'd just decide on the power and workout how to slot as you go if i were you. Then come back with a guide on Mind/TA.

In pvp zones blasters with practically non-existent defence get to use aid self (midfight). If you can keep your opponent preoccupied with enough time just for the interrupt time to pass you use it in mid fight be that with either a secondary effect, keeping the opponents endurance down or the type of travel power you have that can gain you gap time from the opponents attack chain.
People i know have 1 interrupt because they have ways of gaining that gap for the interrupt time. 6 slots are there regardless and the contents can be changed to suit the players personal opinion.
My build, my suggestions are based on my testing and my personal opinion, there is no win win, players make for good pvp performance not the build. If you cant make the gap time as a player then add extra interrupts if you can then dont.

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But in PvP zones if you dont run around like crazy - you are dead

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If you have to do all the running, either your outclassed by one person or outgunned by too many.

Aid self used versus a dominater can break your attack chain and gain the dominater time to build domination proper, in that case it may of been better to off kept fighting and win with a close call.
If you are an endurance draining type of hero then it is possible for the opponent to lose alot of endurance getting you to low hp, then you aid self so they'd have to lose even more to get you to low hp till finally they have barely any to even keep any toggles on, but there is no win-win, will work everytime set way.
I personally like to use aid self at 1/3rd loss of hp at an early time of the battle saving any respites for last minute dont really want to risk it moments.

guide to aid self

The writer does say that he thinks the best way to slot is a 3 heal 2 int 1 rechg but there is always a YMMV coming into everything as mine did.

It does accept tohit debuffs its just probably no one has ever tested it for how much -tohit it does but it wouldnt surprise me if it was something like 8%.

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The more I look at it, the more I am thinking Hasten is a no brainer for my controller.

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0nce you have hasten you could most likely barely have a use for your secondaries (i know i dont) until you face AV's.

Maximum hit on footstomp is 10, anyother result is a miscount.

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Aid self = 1 int 2 rechg 3 heals (minimum)

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You do NOT need any recharge redux in it at all. Aid self got about 25 sec base recharge but the activation time is very long though (about 3 seconds). So if I were you I'd swap those recharge redux on int redux.

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Thats how i'd have aid self. I never said anything about "needing". It was my thoughts on how i would slot. The 1 int 2 rechg 3 heal is great on my super reflex and is good enough on 3 of my mates elec/elec blasters, to all of us its about right, especially the recharges.

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IIRC, aoe has 16 cap, not 10.

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There are a few tiers of power. Novas have 16 target caps, taunts and melee cones have 5. Most AoEs, including taunt auras have 10 I think. I guess we need confirmation from others.

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Some melee cones have 10, but from information that i can find only fireball and snowstorm "may" have a 16 hit out of anything a tanker can get. But any aoe on a tanker higher than a hit of 10 i'd want to see and count for myself before believing it.

@alvan oh yep -fly in stone prison, i forgot.

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(footstomp) Probably changing the slotting to Taunt, Taunt, Acc, Acc, EndRed, EndRed, (or 2x Taunt, 2x Acc, EndRed, Rechg, will need to test it) because It's not a primary way of taunting for me anyways - no need to have it ready all the time, but once in a while (much like Salt Crystals, FS will be used in some situations, but not all)

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Either way its good to see your slots work rather than feel as though they are so its a good idea to play around with them in game and visually see the effects.

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(Knockout Blow)I will most likely be changing this power into Hurl, just to fit a -fly power in there somewhere. A Hold will not be that necessary power for a Tank and KO Blow having only melee range, makes things even more difficult. Other possibility is getting the single target hold from Earth Epic and getting the AoE Immob instead of Acrobatics at 47. Will have to see what this means for my slotting.

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If you lose this then lose it for a hold, i tend to scrank malta, i like to be first in or first seen no matter. I like to make sure sappers are dealt with for myself. i kill the sapper then worry about tanking the rest of the group. It takes a hold or disorient to see to them comfortably really but with earth epics you have to wait till 44 for a hold. With the pyre and ice mastery you can get a hold at 41 so you may find it best to keep knockout blow until the time is right to lose it really.

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(Salt Crystals)The best thing I see about the Crystals is that they have a huge area of effect (30' if I remember correctly), which means that they can give the team a breather if attacked by overwhelming enemies, giving a second or two to regroup and maybe get a vital member of the team back on their feet. I can also imagine it having use in getting attention of a bit scattered group of enemies in the beginning of a conflict.

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Its a sleep i cant see it getting attention as the effect i'd imagine outlasts the taunt duration. I do like the aoe sleep more for (with correct team cooperation) using just before hibernate or detoggling toggles that maybe there on enemies who arent sleep protected or preventing ambushes. Getting teams to use their powers in synche with your own is often hard, you may say right ill sleep that lot and someone else unleashes rain of fire on them just after.

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8% isn't as bad as it sounds.

First, if you actually use this, you slot it to 13%, that's 25% damage mitigation. In addition to the -Perception that certainly has it's uses.

Second, it is now auto-hit. Whcih should have cured some of the odd aggro issues with it and reduces the required slotting.

Third, it has no anchor and is not a toggle. Who cares if mobs go down, who cares if you get mezzed. It stays with the mobs no matter what, and lasts a pretty long time. This gives it a clear advantage over the (otherwise more powerful) Rad and Dark versions.

Fourth, you use it before battle and it causes no aggro. The area si also pretty large, and it will affect mobs that run out of the area.

However, it does not stack with itself as far as i know.

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lol dont tell me that tell unthing . With my trick archer i like proper tankers, tankers that herd and keep groups herded, ill fire flash arrow in before the tanker herds then once he's herded ill be firing all my other debuffs in so they psuedo stack, the only thing thats required really is the tanker has his own heal. Without a tanker it gets trickier for me to create survivability for the team unless the team know how to work with me, the more foes that are kept together the more that can be debuffed and kept that way. Foes all over the place splintered up dont give a chance for a trick archer to shine.
I did a test once, with a team that also had a tanker and an empath, he did one group properly with just the empath and he did one group properly with just me, the result was really similar apart from the healthbars not being quite as ready for the next group.
I have read what goofy_parrot says and I by and largely i agree with him. It is one debuff set that doesnt have a heal so you would want it to be the best debuff set around.
I'm not convinced it is myself. Whilst its a good defender to have if the team dynamics are suited (which is rarely seen in my personal opinion), i am not convinced its quite up to par with others but the fact that it requires no anchor is just great but i like for the sake of stacking debuffs to have an iced one kept alive for it so i can save time by not retargetting.

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Thats completely rubbish!!!!

What is the point of the power then? Smoke grenade from the Devices set is better than that.

EDIT: Hero Builder says -20% Acc so where did you get the 5% number from, also where did they get the 20% from.

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the -8% from here perhaps

goofy_parrots guide to trick archery

and the -20% from herobuilder.

Out of my invul/ss, stone/stone, fire/fire and ice/ice i will say this even before i7 my ice/ice is simply my best tank ever but yeah thank ice patch for that, no wonder its the lowest damaging secondary set.

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Think of it as a concept build. I'm trying to keep the purpose of the character quite straightforward - a team tank with absolutely no soloing potential.

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As you know i done a tf with you last night, and i said i havent seen a build like that..well since me. Difference with your build and my very first old build is i had jab, punch and brawl till past 20 i think lvl 24 but i never had a travel power until level 30 i was "tp pls" to people who i always teamed with.
I have had the tanker build that was exempable to tank at any level with all of the primaries and the fighting pool.
I'll be right back a similar model is on the forums, i'll get it.

This post will be edited shortly. Sod it, i do know where it is but i'd change stuff with what i know now already.

lets look at this:

01) --> Jab==> Acc(1) if you constantly used it, itll eat up endurance as much as any other single target melee attack in the ss set over time (more than the toggles do per second)

04) --> Dull Pain==> Rechg(4) Rechg(9) Rechg(9) Heal(40) Heal(43) Heal(46) i'm glad you said you slotted any old way
cos heals this late would be bad versus high burst alphas imo.

08) --> Hurdle==> Jump(8) Jump(31) Jump(46) extra slotting is for jump speed, i cant see a need for it.

10) --> Taunt==> Rechg(10) Rechg(11) Rechg(11) Taunt(15) Taunt(15) Taunt(31) best taunt slotting versus upto lvl 53 against lvl 54 we dont have enough slots. imo for RV an extra 3 range slots would be good on top of this.

14) --> Super Jump==> Rechg(14) Jump(34) dont take recharges, an endredux is nice, i have never needed a jump in it, i cant see the benefits.

20) --> Invincibility==> DefBuf(20) DefBuf(21) DefBuf(21) Taunt(25) Taunt(25) Taunt(31) This will keep aggro versus plus levels nicely, the taunt duration runs out before the next taunt pulse, 1 slot fills it versus even to +1 levels nicely imo but the more the better to keep even higher levels more in check.

30) --> Boxing==> Acc(30) same said about jab

32) --> Unstoppable==> Rechg(32) Rechg(33) Rechg(33) DmgRes(33) DmgRes(34) DmgRes(34) 1 dam res helps almost reach your capped resist, most likely you may run other toggles too but most certainly your passives are always there. End mods are very nice though. 3 recharge is basically if you feel you would like to use it more often than you actually would, in RV having such a fast recharge has saved me though.

38) --> Foot Stomp==> Acc(38) Acc(39) Rechg(39) Rechg(39) Taunt(40) Taunt(40) Gauntlet isnt that good its worth slotting taunt at the price of endurance slots, with such a fast recharge taunt and the amount of taunt durations in invincible i cant see it worth losing an endurance slot over. Combined with taunt its good for those just outside of aura to say "remember me".

41) --> Knockout Blow==> Acc(41) Acc(42) Rechg(42) Rechg(42) Hold(43) Hold(43) again an endurance slot, this can be used to hold sappers for yourself, the thing is can you get to them quick enough. i have that amount of holds in mine currently with 3 holds i can sip a drink and casually kill a sapper but with your lack of damage you definately need someone there.

44) --> Salt Crystals==> Acc(44) Acc(45) EndRdx(45) EndRdx(45) its a sleep, it only takes someone with an aoe to wake everyone up, its still good used for the right groups at the right moments, like while you are tanking one group a patrol appears so you sleep them.

47) --> Acrobatics==> EndRdx(47) EndRdx(48) EndRdx(48)
i cant see you needing this, there seems to be 2 extremes. Unyielding will resist most anything pve but what it cant resist, acrobatics wont be enough.(hurl or air sup for the -fly would be more useful to keep av's grounded so that other people can more easily keep their dps up).

49) --> Weave==> DefBuf(49) DefBuf(50) DefBuf(50) EndRdx(50) another end slot imo

You have made a build designed for taking all the aggro, ive had my moments of having to kill or be killed myself so doing damage has helped me to survive, any attack with secondary effects or control powers from outside pools help do the same but nothing comes with a guarantee.

If i havent commented on a power its a "if it aint broke dont fix it". Your build is designed to last longer in groups, my current build is designed not to spend too long in groups and so i try to tank to not have to be exposed to too much too soon especially when i should never have to.

bah im back...well i never actually left, i couldnt do it, i had promised someone ill be there for manticore lastnight and therefore i had to be. During the TF i had subtle reminders that its not the game makers that make the game worth playing, its mostly the people you play it with.

I am gonna take a look at other games, this is the only game i've ever played and after tonight with my lvl 32 warshade on heroic setting leading a croatoa tf faced against a lvl 37 mary macomber. i've become somewhat dispondant, i felt sorry for the defender having to have to focus on buff symbols for the sheer amount of time she had too. All 10 mary's were absolute hell mary's and i thought the experiences was a mindless moronic workhorse of one, a game like this is no fun. i know there will be future fixes but i am seriously unimpressed with cryptic who when asked when i7 was out had said when its ready as theyd rather iron out all the bugs etc but then simply had to have the 6/6/6 start date instead leaving gaming problems in. I'll try somit new and i'll either like it and stay there or come back.

i might be gone for a bit, im gonna leave the game for awhile until it, if ever again it appeals to me, kick my toons if i am gone too long. thankyou for having me.

The tanking style of other tanks helps to get squishies hit if the AVs hit the tankers with aoes and pbaoes then all around them get hit too. If the tanker isnt part of the linch mob any aoes only effect the tanker and pbaoes are much less likely to happen, cones can only affect whats between tanker and av but mostly its ranged attacks of less damage that the tanker is hit with. Which is why i wanted to out taunt other tanks.

If ya dont get enough names just be there at 7, i should be there with a team anyway with room for you.

If you do get enough names....hmm we might have a team vs team race

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I beleive I have killed more signature villains than anyone on the EU servers, I killed them on the US test, 2 US servers, Union and the EU test server.

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Its a tricky statement to make, i'm not disputing nor trying disrepute you or even compete with you on anything but i do know that you for spending alot of time fighting them and me for a lot of time tanking, scrapping and being a defender against them (i always like to get to know my AV's) for our personal reasons were not the only ones.

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After having read ya last post, plight said leave it there but now its blown over this is what i actually what i mean't it to be read as so no i didnt edit it well but it looked alright to me at the time.

The "not the only ones" bit was meant to be read as we arent the only ones on EU to do what we do". I had actually been working all their attacks, ranges just to find weakness, strengths most survivable method in small groups, team dynamics "what power, when, who on, where should who stand in order to be safe. Stuff like that.
My empath has had to of add ranges to buff slotting so as not to get caught in pbaoes etc that could very much almost 1 shot me.
i considered 6 slotting my taunt in respec (currently 5) to seriously out taunt other tankers to try and make sure that the people fighting AVs werent subjected to pbaoes and aoes. I didnt get any new respecs but i did manage to out taunt other tanks anyway for quite a bit for certain periods, i faceplanted twice on all 5 AV's each time it was the moment my fort ran out of which i stacked with lucks and the pillbox shield that gives +def, the shield gives +res to toxic +regen and -tp as well, kiting from there if you can add survivability all round.
I dont like we need this in the team, we need that in the team or it cant be done, i likew who have we got and how can we make this work, thats why i was there.
The B,C,D,E combination for getting scirroco, ghost widow and captain mako out was simply noticed due to how much time i was there.