Nick_1080

Hi all, long time lurker here, have been intrigued by this thread, and just so happen to have the keys to a 3D printer at my work, so, today I made this:



which I think is not a bad likeness to my main, Crimson Cannon:



The print is about 11cm tall, made of PLA (Polylactic acid, a cornstarch based plastic), took about 18 hours to print (the model comes out of the printer encased in about its own mass in support structures which have to be broken off and really pushes up the print time). The material used would cost about £3.

The printer used was a Bits from Bytes 3dTouch

As first attempt I'm pretty pleased. I used the tools as described in this thread to export the model (from the costume editor), scratched my head for half hour trying use blender to delete the UI, gave up and took the .obj to work and used a CAD program called Rhinoceros to delete the UI and power FX and to export the model as an .stl which I then just imported into the front-end package for BFB printers and hit build.

Some of the model parts didn't print due to being too thin - the armour backplate basicly isn't there at all. I'm hoping to get round that by printing a bigger copy (about 20cm tall) which should hopefully bring the thickness within the printer's resolution.

Longer term I need to learn how to edit meshes, then I should be able to print capes and suchlike. Also once I figure out how to cut the models up into suitable chunks I can print them as a kit of parts without too much in the way of support structure. That's a stretch goal though, I spend enough time messing with CAD models at work

Woah, that turned into an essay... Massive thanks to Arcanaville for hosting the tools and writing the guide and letting CC escape from his dying world!

Not exactly a new effect combination, but I'd love a blast set where the tier 9 nuke is a superpowered Damage aura toggle - think fiery aura with Blizzard-level DoT and a bigger radius.

Make it a time limited toggle like the GvE jump pack, HUGE end cost whilst active, possibly with end crash at the end, usual nuke recharge time.

Not sure what the theme of the set would be - could shoe horn it into Pistols as some kind of Equilibrium style gun frenzy

I orignally came up with the idea when an SG mate and I were batting around ideas for a sonic melee set where it had the additional effect of giving you super-super speed for the duration - the idea being that your're damaging people with the sonic boom of your motion.

Heres the build on my main, he's a total jack of all trades really - he can dish out ST, blaps and AoE depending on mood or requirment. Mitigation is by Knockback and killing stuff quick.

With Hasten up I can fit in a chain of Bonesmasher,Energy Punch, Power burst, Power bolt, Energy Punch, Bonesmasher into the duration of Aim/BU - which'll pretty much demolish a boss in one sitting.

At range Power Burst, Power Blast, Power Bolt is pretty much a continuous chain.

Or I can just go nuts and Aim/BU, Energy Torrent, Explosive Blast, Burst on an Lt and then mop up any surviving minions with another torrent before turning to any bosses.

I'm pretty happy with him, he's got pretty good +rech, good +dam, capped HP (with accolades), no endurance worries whatsoever and some other other odds and sods.

Plus there was enough slack in the build to accomodate some of my personal preferences, like being fast on his feet and fitting in a pretty quick hover - it'd be easy to lose a few slots and extra powers here and there and cram in some more mainstream stuff, like aid self.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Crimson Cannon: Level 50 Technology Blaster
Primary Power Set: Energy Blast
Secondary Power Set: Energy Manipulation
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Force Mastery

Hero Profile:
------------
Level 1: Power Blast
(A) Apocalypse - Damage
(3) Apocalypse - Damage/Recharge
(3) Apocalypse - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
(5) Apocalypse - Accuracy/Recharge
(5) Apocalypse - Chance of Damage(Negative)


Level 1: Power Thrust
(A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage
(7) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge
(7) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
(9) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance/Recharge


Level 2: Power Bolt
(A) Devastation - Accuracy/Damage
(9) Devastation - Damage/Recharge
(11) Devastation - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
(11) Devastation - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge


Level 4: Energy Torrent
(A) Force Feedback - Chance for +Recharge
(13) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
(13) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
(15) Positron's Blast - Damage/Range
(15) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
(17) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy)


Level 6: Energy Punch
(A) Stupefy - Accuracy/Recharge
(17) Stupefy - Accuracy/Stun/Recharge
(19) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
(19) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
(21) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
(21) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge


Level 8: Build Up
(A) Adjusted Targeting - To Hit Buff/Recharge
(23) Adjusted Targeting - Recharge
(23) Recharge Reduction IO


Level 10: Power Burst
(A) Devastation - Accuracy/Damage
(25) Devastation - Damage/Recharge
(25) Devastation - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
(27) Devastation - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
(27) HamiO:Centriole Exposure
(29) HamiO:Centriole Exposure


Level 12: Bone Smasher
(A) Absolute Amazement - Accuracy/Recharge
(29) Absolute Amazement - Accuracy/Stun/Recharge
(31) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
(31) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
(31) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
(33) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge


Level 14: Swift
(A) HamiO:Microfilament Exposure
(42) HamiO:Microfilament Exposure


Level 16: Hurdle
(A) Jumping IO
(42) Jumping IO


Level 18: Health
(A) Numina's Convalescence - +Regeneration/+Recovery
(40) Numina's Convalescence - Heal
(40) Miracle - +Recovery


Level 20: Stamina
(A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End
(40) Performance Shifter - EndMod
(42) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Recharge


Level 22: Hover
(A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
(34) Soaring - FlySpeed
(37) Soaring - Endurance/FlySpeed
(39) Freebird - FlySpeed
(39) Freebird - Endurance


Level 24: Combat Jumping
(A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
(43) Gift of the Ancients - Run Speed +7.5%


Level 26: Super Jump
(A) Jumping IO


Level 28: Hasten
(A) Recharge Reduction IO
(43) Recharge Reduction IO
(43) Recharge Reduction IO


Level 30: Aim
(A) Adjusted Targeting - Recharge
(33) Adjusted Targeting - To Hit Buff/Recharge
(34) Recharge Reduction IO


Level 32: Power Push
(A) Explosive Strike - Accuracy/Knockback
(34) Explosive Strike - Damage/Knockback


Level 35: Explosive Blast
(A) Force Feedback - Chance for +Recharge
(36) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
(36) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
(36) Positron's Blast - Damage/Range
(37) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
(37) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy)


Level 38: Boost Range
(A) Recharge Reduction IO
(39) Recharge Reduction IO


Level 41: Personal Force Field
(A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
(45) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
(45) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Recharge
(45) Gift of the Ancients - Run Speed +7.5%
(46) Gift of the Ancients - Defense/Endurance


Level 44: Temp Invulnerability
(A) Aegis - Resistance
(46) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance
(46) Impervium Armor - Resistance/Endurance
(48) Impervium Armor - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge


Level 47: Sniper Blast
(A) Extreme Measures - Damage/Interrupt/Recharge
(48) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
(48) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Interrupt/Recharge
(50) Sting of the Manticore - Accuracy/Interrupt/Range
(50) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Endurance
(50) Sting of the Manticore - Accuracy/Damage


Level 49: Acrobatics
(A) Endurance Reduction IO


------------
Level 1: Brawl
(A) Accuracy IO


Level 1: Sprint
(A) HamiO:Microfilament Exposure
(33) HamiO:Microfilament Exposure


Level 2: Rest
(A) Recharge Reduction IO


Level 1: Defiance
------------
Set Bonus Totals:
27% DamageBuff(Smashing)
27% DamageBuff(Lethal)
27% DamageBuff(Fire)
27% DamageBuff(Cold)
27% DamageBuff(Energy)
27% DamageBuff(Negative)
27% DamageBuff(Toxic)
27% DamageBuff(Psionic)
0.94% Defense(Energy)
0.94% Defense(Negative)
1.88% Defense(Ranged)
52.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
18% Enhancement(Accuracy)
5% FlySpeed
180.7 HP (15%) HitPoints
5% JumpHeight
5% JumpSpeed
MezResist(Immobilize) 9.35%
17% (0.28 End/sec) Recovery
82% (4.13 HP/sec) Regeneration
3.15% Resistance(Fire)
3.15% Resistance(Cold)
25% RunSpeed






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Thanks, that's exactly the sort of thing I was after Glad you found it interesting...

The Achilles procs in the AoEs were conceptually supposed to be there to prep large mobs for the 'nuke' from Shield charge - I run around spanking romans with parry, herd them into a corner and BU, WS, Slice, Shield Charge for the "all fall down" laughs it generates.

In real life play I certainly don't notice any end issues, but then i don't solo AVs and pylons...

Thanks for the feedback, it'll help loads on my next scrapper, whatever he turns out to be

Yeah I agree really, it's just it amuses me to see how high I can get that +Dam, even if only in theory

Tried the RWZ challenge a few times for laughs - not happening Well, not unless I single pull each boss, which seems to defy the point of the exercise. Pylons and AVs aren't something I too intersted in, but i'd clearly need more mitigation.

Mostly I do lvl 50 TFs with my SG and I roll out Damatria when I'm too tired to keep up with their steam roller AND stay alive on one of my Blasters. So in terms of my orginal goal of a being a tougher Blapper type she's excellent.

Cheers for the feedback.

I'm mostly a Blaster player so when it came to my first serious scrapper I wanted something that a) felt Blapperish, but tougher and b) Hit like a Train.

So, this is Damatria, my BS/SD designed with a laser-tight focus on maximising +Damage from sets and powers, and very much secondarily on the usual IO goals of +def and +rech.

She runs at +75.87% Dam with Assault and one target in AAO but isn't soft-capped on any position (except Melee using parry)

Shes a heap of fun to play but I thought I'd chuck her build out to the experts to see if you guys can come up with any tuning for her and maybe squeeze out even more damage or a few more points of +def.

At the very least it'll give the math-dudes a break from calculating novel ways to soft-cap.

What I'm after in order of priority:

1)MORE Damage
2)More survivability
3)Not to be told that a soft cap build is 'better' - it probably is, but if I wanted one I'd have built it
4)Some of those lovely theoretical DPS etc stats some of you guys are so good at and how she stacks up against the top builds

So, heres the build:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Damatria: Level 50 Magic Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Broad Sword
Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery

Hero Profile:
------------
Level 1: Hack
(A) Undermined Defenses - Recharge
(3) Undermined Defenses - Recharge/Endurance
(3) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
(5) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
(5) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
(7) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage


Level 1: Deflection
(A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
(46) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
(46) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
(48) Red Fortune - Endurance
(48) Red Fortune - Defense
(48) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed


Level 2: Slash
(A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage
(7) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance
(9) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge
(9) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
(11) Achilles' Heel - Defense Debuff/Recharge
(11) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff


Level 4: Slice
(A) Achilles' Heel - Defense Debuff/Recharge
(13) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff
(13) Multi Strike - Accuracy/Damage
(15) Obliteration - Damage
(15) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge
(17) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge


Level 6: Battle Agility
(A) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
(19) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
(19) Red Fortune - Defense
(21) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
(21) Red Fortune - Endurance


Level 8: True Grit
(A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%
(23) Miracle - Heal
(23) Miracle - +Recovery
(25) Healing IO


Level 10: Parry
(A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage
(25) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance
(27) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge
(27) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
(29) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
(29) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative)


Level 12: Build Up
(A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff
(31) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge
(31) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance
(31) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Recharge/Endurance
(33) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Endurance
(33) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up


Level 14: Active Defense
(A) Recharge Reduction IO
(17) Recharge Reduction IO


Level 16: Swift
(A) Run Speed IO


Level 18: Health
(A) Numina's Convalescence - +Regeneration/+Recovery


Level 20: Stamina
(A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End
(42) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Accuracy
(42) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Accuracy/Recharge
(43) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Recharge
(43) Performance Shifter - EndMod


Level 22: Whirling Sword
(A) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff
(33) Achilles' Heel - Defense Debuff/Recharge
(34) Multi Strike - Accuracy/Damage
(43) Obliteration - Damage
(45) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge
(45) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge


Level 24: Against All Odds
(A) Endurance Reduction IO


Level 26: Disembowel
(A) Undermined Defenses - Recharge/Endurance
(34) Undermined Defenses - Recharge
(34) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
(37) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
(40) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
(50) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge


Level 28: Phalanx Fighting
(A) Kismet - Accuracy +6%


Level 30: Combat Jumping
(A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed


Level 32: Super Jump
(A) Jumping IO


Level 35: Head Splitter
(A) Undermined Defenses - Recharge
(36) Undermined Defenses - Recharge/Endurance
(36) Multi Strike - Accuracy/Damage
(36) Obliteration - Damage
(37) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge
(37) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge


Level 38: Shield Charge
(A) Explosive Strike - Chance for Smashing Damage
(39) Explosive Strike - Damage/Knockback
(39) Cleaving Blow - Accuracy/Damage
(39) Cleaving Blow - Damage/Endurance
(40) Cleaving Blow - Damage/Recharge
(40) Cleaving Blow - Accuracy/Recharge


Level 41: Focused Accuracy
(A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff
(42) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge
(45) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance
(46) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Recharge/Endurance
(50) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Endurance


Level 44: Laser Beam Eyes
(A) Achilles' Heel - Defense Debuff/Recharge
(50) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff


Level 47: Maneuvers
(A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed


Level 49: Assault
(A) Endurance Reduction IO


------------
Level 1: Brawl
(A) Empty


Level 1: Sprint
(A) Run Speed IO


Level 2: Rest
(A) Recharge Reduction IO


Level 1: Critical Hit
------------
Set Bonus Totals:
46% DamageBuff(Smashing)
46% DamageBuff(Lethal)
46% DamageBuff(Fire)
46% DamageBuff(Cold)
46% DamageBuff(Energy)
46% DamageBuff(Negative)
46% DamageBuff(Toxic)
46% DamageBuff(Psionic)
6.13% Defense(Smashing)
6.13% Defense(Lethal)
4.25% Defense(Fire)
4.25% Defense(Cold)
5.5% Defense(Energy)
5.5% Defense(Negative)
3% Defense(Psionic)
9.25% Defense(Melee)
6.13% Defense(Ranged)
5.5% Defense(AoE)
32.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
15% FlySpeed
155.6 HP (11.6%) HitPoints
15% JumpHeight
15% JumpSpeed
MezResist(Held) 2.75%
MezResist(Immobilize) 16.5%
MezResist(Stun) 6.6%
11% (0.18 End/sec) Recovery
2.52% Resistance(Fire)
2.52% Resistance(Cold)
15% RunSpeed






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linky

Not much on CoX, but Matt Miller's resolutions include:

"To allow our players to customize their character in ways that have not been possible before."

..Which CLEARLY means we're getting animated hair

Let the baseless speculation commence!

[ QUOTE ]
Diminishing returns from buffs
Melee range increased
Travel power suppression triggered from damaging others, being damaged, healing (self or target), buffing, debuffing, placing an entity or from debuffs
Healing won't be as effective
Control duration normalized
Damage adjustments
Epic Armors, Tough all grant resistance to all damage types in PvP along with a global resistance buff
-75% Range in Taunt powers
Buff to MezResistance

[/ QUOTE ]

Cheers for the bullet points, was having trouble getting my head round the whole wall of text.

From the point of view of someone who really likes casual PvP, but eventually got put off by the need to go fully-pvp spec to be anything other than a speed-bump, i'm quite excited.

Diminishing returns applying to set bonuses plus the whole 'suppression of previously unsuppressed movement' thing are the two points that i have reservation about, but we'll have to see how extreme it turns out to be.

My big hope is that I'll actually get some decent aerial combat out of all this - the few times I actually got into a decent air battle are some of my best pvp experiences...

One thing is sure, it's a whole new ball-game I hope the current Pvpers stick around, give it a shot, put their thinking caps on and come up with new strategies.

You guys will still rule, you'll just having to work harder is all And whilst it must be pretty galling to be back at square one I'm hoping you all rise to the challenge.

So, any initial thoughts on tactics, builds etc?

Oh, and one question - how will Break Frees work in NooPvP? A big old Mez resist, or will they be the only remaining actual mez protection?

Let's see...

Energy/energy (50): My main, and favourite. IOed out the yin-yang and crazy fun. Currently specced as a hybrid AoE/Single target/blapper. feared by romans.

Archery/Energy (50): oringally made as a counter to the one above who was specced as a blapper at the time. fairly IOed, very HOed for maximum range. Original idea was for a PvP sniper build, which wasn't as successful as i'd hoped, but the joys of rain of arrows more than made up for it.

Sonic/fire (35ish): a deliberate attempt to make the rarest blaster combo i could think of. Great fun, with a team to support him, otherwise, the biggest debt magnet going.

fire/elec (15): intended as a PvP character, currently stalled whilst i'm distracted by other alts.

psi/mm (20 ish): I'd always wanted a blaster with 4 ST blasts for some reason, Psi fills the role nicely and has some interesting toys. Leveling well and looking like a keeper.

AR/Dev: name place holder, originally waiting for a new rifle and trenchcoats...now waiting for pistols

Fire/Energy: made on Defiant when Union was down one day.

Hmm, think I have an Orange number addiction problem

[ QUOTE ]
I die fairly consitantly when I do as the half dozen minions I KB'd get up and come and squish me.
Is this a concern with explosive blast and if so what can I do about it?

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Since you say 'half a dozen minions' I'm assuming you're talking about using this whilst teamed, and it sounds like you're launching this as your opening attack, my advice would be fire off your single target attacks first until the rest of your team is well engaged and the tank has got control of the aggro, the controllers have locked the enemy down etc etc. _Then_ fire off your AoEs. Be careful with AoE knockbacks like energy torrent tho - some people get annoyed if you knockback their targets. You can be helpful about this by positioning yourself so that the knockback will throw your targets against walls or into corners.

Attacking first with an AoE is a classic low-level blaster mistake that'll kill you very quick, as you've found

Off course, once you're higher level and more experienced (and have both aim and build up) you learn when you _can_ get away with leading with AoE and astound your friends by wiping out entire spawns before they can blink.

I recently specced back into torrent and explosive blast on my pimped out level 50 energy blaster. With +20% damage and +50% recharge from IOs my usual chain against +1/+2 minion/lt spawns is Aim/Build up/energy torrent/explosive blast/power burst the lieutenant/energy torrent to finish up the sliver of health left on the minions. This will generally kill the whole spawn...

I have 5x positron's blast (all except the Dam/End) in both powers with the force feedback proc in torrent and the explosive strike damage proc in explosive blast and i'm certifiably addicted to energy blast AoE now.

It's not as much damage as a similarly IOed up fire/energy could do but i can get the chain out damn quick thanks to the fast activation times on the powers and the bodies flying everywhere are worth a little less damage imo

I have a lot of fun with my Archery/Energy in _Zone_ PvP. note: that's a long way from saying it's uber

I generally have the most success in Sirens or RV. Warburg just doesn't seem to work out for some reason (not a problem for me, i dislike the 'l33t' atmosphere and all v all nature of WB anyway).

Archery works best in a team - let the others bog down the enemy in melee and just sit back (waaaay back in my case since i have 3xDam/Range HO in most attacks and boost range) and plink away, half the time they don't even realise you're there till it's too late It's also fun to drop your AoEs on MMs who aren't paying attention and follow up with a blazing arrow to the face.

Archery also excels at taking down Stalkers as they try to escape - and the bug/feature that causes the damage on archery attacks to be delays means their often halfway across the zone before the snipe or blazing arrow catches up to em, always good for a laugh

Archery in Zone PvP - it's fun and different, you'll never pwn, but it's no way as bad as you think. Don't try it in a serious arena fight though...

I beleive it's technically possible to overcome Acrobatics, but you have to be an /NRG blaster with power boost, repulsion field 3 slotted for KB, power thrust 3 slotted for KB and possibly vanguard running. You would need to be able to time power thrust so it hits at the same time as Rep field pulses.

Hmmm, actually, looking at the numbers on City of Data it might be possible to do it with power boosted power push and power thrust both 3 slotted for KB _if_ they can be made to stack - I beleive you can self stack KB powers if you're quick about it - My archer has been able to KB DE Devoured (some small KB protection) by hitting them with explosive arrow and power thrust one after the other.

For Pvp Sniping i can recommend Archery - The major advantage of archery is that its non-snipe 'Big Hit', Blazing Arrow, has a base 80ft range, as compared to the 20ft range of the likes of Power Burst and Blaze.
The Ranged Shot/Blazing Arrow combo is the most powerful long-ranged Combo going.

Add 2 range SOs to Blazing and, combined with Ranged Shot, you pretty much have a double snipe that two-shots Corruptors, Dominators and Masterminds who aren't using Bodyguard, depending on the state of the zone buffs/debuffs it'll also just about two-shot stalkers (pop a red to make sure or 2 slot Aimed Shot for range as well for a quick follow up).

You also get Stunning shot which can be range-boosted nicely to turn squishies into sitting ducks (or make em waste their Break-Frees at least).

The down-side of Archery is the animation times - it can get frustrating when your target manages to get a heal off in between your two-hit combo. The quiet nature and lack of tracer on arrows does mean that if your opponent is busy they may not notice the damage until it's too late

If archery isn't for you then as already stated Fire has the nice DoT on it and has the most damage. Whatever you choose i do recommend slotting two ranges in your tier 2 attack so you've got a nice follow-on shot that almost matches the range of your snipe - Remember you can't one-shot people anymore (i think the DoT on Blazing Bolt will only take down MMs from full health with Aim and BU, everyone else will survive on a sliver, sure someone will correct me if i'm wrong ). So unless you're only going to pick off already wounded people (which WILL get you accused of kill-stealing no matter how careful you are) You need to be able to follow up with something.

For secondaries you really want a set with Build-Up IMO, Devices is nice but you can slot Aim/BU with to-Hit boosters or take tactics for a poor-man's targetting drone, you can get stealth in the power pools too. Devices does however have utility if you want a Stalker-Buster build - The double perception from targetting drones/tactics will let you see a lot of them, but not from sniper type distances. Devices does also have some security devices in the form of caltrops and trip mines that can make hanging around in one place waiting for a target a little safer from the predations of the invisible pests.

As already started, /energy has the perfect sniper's tool in the form of Boost Range, plus the added advantage of getting Build-Up at level 4.

Sadly Boost Range isn't available until Warburg levels, and if you try and snipe one of the horde of SuperSpeeding Regen scrappers that seem to live there you're in for a world of disappointment and sudden death unfortunately...

PvP isn't too friendly to pure-sniper builds - you can get nice kills, but you're never going to mix it up like a fully rounded Blaster. But it's a great feeling when you peg someone out of the sky and can almost hear the "[censored]?".

Also remember your snipe is only one power, you can take it, 6 slot it and still have more than enough room to be whatever other kind of Blaster you want. Building a whole build around that one power doesn't really net you a huge gain in its effectiveness (but it still can be lots of Fun! )

Here's my pure ranged build, currently level 35 which i use for both PVE and PvP -

Snap Shot 1xAcc 3xDam
Aimed Shot 1xAcc 3xDam
Fistful of Arrows 1xAcc 3xDam 1xRange
Blazing Arrow 1xAcc 3xDam 2xRange
Aim 3xRecharge
Explosive Arrow 1xAcc 3xDam
Ranged shot 1xAcc 3xDam 2xInterrupt Reducer
Stunning Shot 1xAcc 2xRange 2xDisorient Duration 1xRecharge
Rain of Arrows 3xDamage

Power Thrust 1xAcc
Build Up 3xRecharge
Boost Range 1xRecharge

Combat Jumping 1xJump
Super Jump 1xJump
Acrobatics 1xEndred

Swift 1xRun
Hurdle 1xRun
Stamina 2xEndurance Mod

Hasten 3xRecharge

Might've missed a slot somewhere in there but it'll be a jump in hurdle or a run in sprint if i have.

This works well in PVE for both Single Target and AoE damage, does have some trouble with soloing Bosses sometimes because of animation times and a lack of control though.

For PvP it's envisaged as a team-based MM/Dominator/Corrupter killer and works very well in that role - basicly hang around off to one side of the main mass of the team and snipe/blazing arrow the support troops whilst they're occupied with the main melee. Stunning shot is used to drop flying or hovering squishies to the ground for finishing off. After that you help bring down any brutes who stick around in melee with some fast burst damage or chase after any runners - Blazing Arrow combined with SJ makes the build into a VERY nasty chaser of injured stalkers.

As i've said before Arch/Energy is not a monster build like Ice/energy can be(or indeed any blaster with well synergised ranged and melee), and any blaster who completely neglects melee is limiting their potential somewhat, but it is fun, different and can deal out enough quick hurt to make anyone think twice.

For the future i'm going to experiment with adding 2 recharges to each of snap shot and aimed - if i'm running the numbers from nofuture correctly then BU/Aim/Snap/Aimed/Snap/Aimed/Blazing (with hasten) should do more damage than the standard BU/Aim/Ranged/Blazing combo
and allow a jump between each shot to reduce rooting time somewhat.

I'll most likely go munitions mastery for epic simply becuase i want to play with LRM missile then once i hit 50 i'll hit test and try and come up with a full-on PvP build.

So long as you activate the power during the self buff period it counts as buffed - which is why long activation attacks should always be used at the end of a chain when your self buffing - total focus is good example. Only exception (i think) is rain-type powers (rain of arrows/fire, blizzard etc)- if the self buff expires during these then the damage reverts to normal.

Looks pretty good to me. Only comment i'd make would be find a 6th slot for flaming arrow and ranged shot (another recred or a range in flaming and a second intred in ranged), one of the slots from aid other and the endred from aimed shot would probabley be the safest.

With regards to fly/hover binds google for citybinder - its a neat little applet that sets up all sorts of movement binds for you with a helpful tickbox interface so you can get it set up how you like. I tried it with my blapper but it had a number of drawbacks, the constant queuing of movement powers can interfere with trying to use aim/build up while moving (say your flying along, hit build up whilst coming to a halt, fly cancels while build up is still firing so you end up dropping a bit until hover can execute) and it plays merry hell with jousting in pvp - especially if you use the auto-sprint function. The binds can get messed up sometimes too, but there is a reset binds button. Its impressive stuff but i found it meant i wasn't fully in control of my character, which was a shame because automatically cutting to hover really makes it easier to get into position and fire a snipe without it interrupting.

I'll be up for this, depending on when it is

Crimson Cannon Nrg/Nrg @Crimson Cannon

If you're not taking stunning shot power boost won't help your primary much at all. Things it will do for you:

*Increase KB distance on power thrust
*Increase disorient time on Bone Smasher and Total focus
*Increase toHit buff from Aim and build Up - Good for PvP but possibly overkill in PvE (handy for taking out MoGed Paragon Protectors tho)
*Increase movement from things like Swift, Combat Jumping and Hover
*Increase healing if you are taking the medicine pool

I intend taking Power boost at level 38 or 50 (running a fully ranged build atm so i'll be skipping TF, which i realise is blasphemous to the blaster gods, i shall do penance later) for the toHit boost in pvp and the extra duration on stunning shot.

With blazing arrow, aimed and fistful you've got the basic attack chain - those three chained will down most yellow minions (with 3 damage SOs). (can do the same with snap shot instead of fistful, but snap shot is *meh* at best, i just have it as a filler, it definitely has drop potential come my next respec)

Slot wise (talking SOs here) on these i go with 1 x Acc 3 x Damage the last two slots are down to personal choice - i go with 2 x range on Blazing Arrow so its closer to the range of Ranged shot but 2 x recharges is very nice too - pretty sure you can cram two blazing arrows into an Aim/BU cycle if you're running hasten and 2 recharges.

I have stamina two-slotted at the moment and i only run out of end if i'm really going for it with hasten running chaining shot after shot into an AV so i should say its possible to get away without it - conserve power is a viable alternative i'd guess, but as a personal thing i can't get on with it - not up long enough for its recharge time, YMMV, naturally. Depends really if there's two other power pool powers you really want instead of swift/hurdle i guess.

Aim/BU,Ranged shot, blazing arrow is an alpha strike of beauty - you'll take out the first two minions from a spawn with this, (the blazing target will get a shot off before the DoT gets him usually) you can then follow up with aimed, fistful and a blap on the last guy in your typical three man spawn. The same alpha will usually kill an Lt if both shots are directed at him and make a good size dent in a Boss. All this from an unenhanced range of 80 feet

Don't neglect power thrust before you get your blaps - keep it handy and with a nice ACC enhancer in it - that power will save your life when a Freakshow tank gets in your face and gets ready to smear you over the carpet.

Don't dismiss stunning shot too quickly - it IS situational, and you won't use it every fight but the ability to reduce the number of people wailing on you by can make all the difference. Its animation is a little long for it to be a good panic button so its best used at the start of a fight. Good in Pvp against corrupters and dominators too - its great fun to leap off a building, pass a flying squishy with it queued and drop them into the street, they will get there own back tho (Hellooooo Darksiren ). With your blaps stunning shot will give you the ability to stack some powerful stuns too. Its essential for my playstyle, it might not be for yours.

This is all single target stuff, the true beauty of archery IMO is that it mixes all this single target goodness with some impressive AoEs.

Your basic bread and butter Aim/BU, fistful, explosive arrow is nice, but it does tend to leave minions alive and gunning for you unless you chew on a red insp beforehand.

True joy, however, comes at 32, this is as high as i've gotten my archer (Pvp keeps getting in the way) and i've only got a single damage SO in it atm but the first time i hit Aim/BU and dropped Rain of Arrows followed by explosive arrow on a tightly packed street spawn and all the mobs fell over on the spot i was grinning from ear-to-ear.

Best of luck with your build, Archery/energy is never going to be a the new Ice/energy but it offers some unique possibilities to the thoughtful player due to its range and AoEs and is very rewarding to play - playing mine has definitely made me a better blaster, you learn the importance of choosing the right shot at the right time and the of good positioning and keeping mobile. I'll be keen to hear to how you get on combining blapping with archery too, since its a playstyle i'll most likely end up using on my archer at some point.

Don't know about other sets but the energy snipe's 'firing' anim (i.e. at the end of the interrupt time) is very very short - so much so that i think if i can get an Acc/Dam HO in place of my acc enhancer and drop a 3rd interupt reducer into it then my snipe wil actually be my lowest rooting time ranged attack - i just have to wait a bit till it goes off...

YMMV of course, but my snipe is a big part of a lot of my attack plans. Gotta love blasters, so many different ways to make em

On the Knockback thing, i've been messing around with slotting 3xKB in power thrust to try and see if KB distance IS KB magnitude and therefore you can overcome resistance with enough enhancers (and a bit of vanguard and power boost) - seemed to be knocking back a lot of people with it in pvp today who weren't getting KBed by my (non KB enhanced) blasts. Don't know if they were all /nin stalkers and /fire brutes but it was definitely noticeable - normally against stalkers and brutes i forget about KB altogether.

Could be worth a more scientific look

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i agree snipes arent bad dmg, but as i have posted in pve guide threads lots and lots of times, whats the point of essentially wasting aim and BU then spending 3-5 seconds getting into range for blasts/melees.

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This is where interrupt reducers and slotted sprint and combat jumping come in. Power boost/Aim/Bu, start snipe, small pause, leap into melee with your target. Time it right and you hit them with your snipe and Bonesmasher(or whatever) pretty much simultaneously and still have time for one more attack during the aim/BU period. Works a treat in PvE too - my Nrg/Nrg can take out 3 orange minions in 10 seconds with this method (depending on their resistances).

I agree with Plight on the rest tho - a balanced mix of range and melee will let you unlock your full SMASH potential in both PvP and PvE.

That said, i'm running my Archery/Nrg in Pvp atm as a pure ranged blaster at the moment and its a heap of fun. Learning how to kite effectively with the animation times on archery is a real challenge but taking our runners with a range enhanced blazing arrow is a joy Only trouble is the damage outside of Aim/BU ranged shot/blazing arrow is kinda pathetic so i'll likely be respeccing energy punch and bonesmasher into the build at some point.

Had my first Pvp whines about my archer the other night, so i must be doing something right Apparently two-shotting stalkers from the roof of our base in SC is 'talentless'

IMO this change is a bad one - Pvp will pretty much guarantee debt now. It's pretty much impossible to PvP in the zones without picking up at least some pings from flying over groups of ,for example, Warriors, and don't even go there with the turrets on the villain bases in sirens - no more fighting the villains on their own walls or taunting them from the sunken ship

Worst of all you even get debt from falling damage (someone in the US tested it) which has all sorts of nasty connatations for Knockback powers and air-to-air use of -fly powers. Punching people off buildings was one of my favouritist things but i can't really do that anymore because i don't want to be responsible for inflicting debt if i can help it.

I would ask the devs to please reconsider this change - It's an over complicated fudge that will do more hard than good, whereas a night's heavy pvp _might_ result in a couple of deaths worth of full debt now you're pretty much guaranteed a constant slow increase in your debt level whenever you pvp. Trying to win control of Sirens will now be a major debt-giver if the zone is remotely contested.

If it's considered necessary to change debt in the zones then my solution would be to make it so you only get mission level debt from pvp-zone deaths. (I shy away from making the zones completely debt-free because they'd probabley have to remove xp as well, which would just be sucky)

I'll hopefully be on the raid with Crimson Cannon, but i think everyone should read this:

clicky

its a U.S forums thread about some differences the stateside players have noticed in Hami since I7 came online.

Cobaltix writes:

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Items that were noted to be different :


-Aggro Team (Tankers and Illusionists) had a much harder time holding Aggro on Hamidon and the Mitos. We went through two full wipes before getting more back-up and making a successful third attempt.

-Hamidon is now able to attack even while held. The aggro team was taking damage from Hami until it was defeated.

-Enhancement Drops are not working as before. Many people reported not receiving a Hamidon Enhancement from Sunday night's raid. Last night, an informal poll over Broadcast regarding SO Enhancement drops yielded a lack of SO drops from Mitos. Salvage was still received.



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It all sounds quite nasty
CuppaJo says its being looked at, but the leaders of this raid may want to consider what effect this stuff will have on our strategies...

I messed around with a couple of level 40 builds of my Archery/EM blaster, had a real blast. Its never going to have the shear SMASH value of my NRG blaster but with range mods (slotted all the single target shots Acc/Dam/Dam/Dam/Range/Range except the snipe where i put in 2 interrupt reducers instead) and boost range i was achieving some very comfortable standoff distances.

Its a very good squishy killer build plus lots of people don't seem to notice they're being hit till the last shot is animating.

Super Jump combined with the extended range also meant i could easily get in range for a final shot on any runners - even Super speeders. Always makes me grin to see a distant target drop, can almost see the [censored]? look on their face

Definitely going to finish levelling up my archer Serious good times to be had stealthing up to a vantage point over a group of villains and picking out a target for some long range justice.

Had some interesting games of cat and mouse with the stalkers that seem to orbit every large group of villains though