Person34
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Posts
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That was a very enjoyable read, made my long night at work pass just a bit more quickly!
Just a few nitpicks on the villain epics:
- Conditioning inherent increases regeneration and recovery
- the forced respec is at lvl 24 -
I've never seen EA as a "weak" set, it just has different tools to get the job done is all.
One of the things that makes energy aura so robust, IMO, is that it has unlimited endurance potential... which means that darkest night becomes a seriously potent survival tool. On my retired DM/EA brute I was able to manage 45%+ to all damage types, including psi, with DN running. Plus it adds a 21% damage debuff to boot!
I'll be resurrecting that toon as a SJ/EA when the new issue goes live, and with its new +defense toggle, + recharge toggle and energize it should be a stellar set once some IOs are plugged in. -
Just verified what Eric had posted, yeah it's only one app per "DoT" (as in hail of bullets, gloom etc), and one check per 10 seconds on damage auras. Regardless of this, diamagnetic is helping me out big time solo now; malta are now no longer a -guaranteed- death sentence on my corr (although I'm timid about going over +4 spawns without having the T4 clarion unlocked).
Thanks for helping me get to the bottom of this guys. -
Thanks for the response, I'll have to craft it and experiment when I get home. I think that being able to stack -20% defense from a single attack seems a bit overpowered, but again I'm not sure on how reactive interacts with DoTs (a DoT from a set like DPs anyways).
I'll research it firsthand later tommorow and see what the results are. -
Was curious how these effects worked with attacks that hit a target multiple times per activation, like DP's hail of bullets and bullet rain: because of their "DoT" nature, can each tick of damage apply an individual debuff, or is it just once for the entire attack?
While reactive is a no-brainer, diamagnetic's +100% chance of -tohit (available at T3)would be a killer soloing tool if I could get it to stack quick enough... it lists as -5% per application and can stack up to four times, although I'm unaware of how long the debuff lasts for.
Also, is the -regen portion of this ability (if I chose the 100% -tohit/ -50% -regen) useful at all outside of AV/GM battles? T4s have been hard for me to come by, so if it isn't a big deal it would be one less thing I'd need to worry about... for a while anyway! -
Quote:Soul mastery for darkest night I'm guessing? Hmmm... I never thought of that approach, thanks for the tips guys.Originally Posted by Auroxis
The thing is that with IO's, Soul Mastery, and Incarnate powers, FA can be made survivable enough while still putting out the best damage. -
I have an idea that someday I will create a /FA brute, I like the visuals of the armor and the board here has a ton of threads saying how amazing its damage is. I am probably going to end up pairing it with WM or maybe the upcoming broadsword, I haven't decided yet. I don't pay much attention to the /FAs I group with on trials, but got to group with a claw/FA in GV the other day and the outcome was eye-opening...
First few missions were just coucil mobs, and this /FA guy literally melted the map. He had the fire judgement and we must had plowed through the map in 2-3 minutes. What is funny is he seemed largely untouchable, and when I asked how /FA was he mentioned that having 45% S/L was was made the set so successfull for him. I thought to myself "ok... making one of these TONIGHT!".
Then we hit a malta map and the dude died probably 10 times. The gunslingers and robots were a nightmare for him, my elec/elec stalker was having more luck with just shadowmeld on tap for defense. It was great watching the first time he reznuked them, but the map seemed to take 15 minutes to complete... about opposite of what the council's performance was.
Then we hit a carnie map and he quit about 2 minutes in. He was getting absolutely shredded here. Yeah carnies are a tough group for a lot of folks, I know, but watching the psi damage and end drains killing him repeatedly was alarming: he'd reznuked once and then after he retoggled he was dead again.
So, I guess my question here is can a /FA brute be successful outside of council maps and AE farms? I was grouped with a guy who was IOed to the gills and he still had trouble with a majority of the mobs we encountered in paper missions. It seems the intent for a lot of people is to create them for farms, so am I going to hate using one for general PvE play? Thanks guys.
EDIT: Grrr, gonna be making one tonight and try and find out for myself. A better question would probably be "what groups should I just absolutely avoid?" lol. -
Quote:- Widows have the better DPS, they can hit 250+ if built right. Banes are more like stalkers and are more suited towards burst damage... which widows can produce as well.Originally Posted by Waylorn
What's the deal between the two?
Who's the best melee DPS overall?
Who's the best survivability?
Let alone they can have both positional def easily softcapped.
- Widows have the edge in survivability IMO, only because they are sooo easy to softcap with and have superior status protection over banes. If you have deep pockets a widow just simply needs both defense uniques to be at 45% softcaps, where banes need to actively build for it using IO sets (esp in melee, which is their weak point sadly). Both have resist mechanics as well, but neither one is spectacular (except for widow's psi resist, which can hit 60%+).
Banes do have better mitigation with knockdowns and can have 300ish more hps than a widow. However, widows get a bit of DDR (enhancable 17.3% in forsight, and about 34% more in elude - mine is running 62% with elude running, which is pretty decent); banes have zero.
When you look at thier playstyles I don't think it really matters, one is a lowish hp scrapper and the other a debuffing stalker with pets... so their defenses are probably suited for their roles. Banes are somewhat seen as the "low man on the pole" VEAT, but can be quite capable if built right; they have a few defense holes, but the way I see it is -any- defense-based AT is going to looks inferior compared to what a widow can produce out of the box. -
Quote:My view on shatter armor: it's a nice tool to have for a widow. It not only hits hard (harder than anything a fort will get outside of psy wail), it also debuffs and - best of all - adds a non-lethal/non-psy attack option. How many times have you been fighting one of those malta boss robots that is heavily lethal and psy resistant and thought "man, a nice smashing attack would be handy to have about right now"...Originally Posted by Linea_Alba
Shatter Armor: Great for AVs, no real help on softer targets
I guess it depends on how often you plan to use it and if you can afford its high end cost if it's spammed. I reserve it for robots and "hard" mobs myself (paragon protectors, warwolves, AVs, etc), nice to have lying around IMO. -
Quote:I've yet to be killed in one of the i20 trials, even to "dangerous" mobs as you like to call them... and I'm still only +1 level shifted. It isn't endgame trials with hordes of incarate allies backing you up that I fear, heck the trials are honestly a cakewalk.Originally Posted by Flux_Vector
Now you can say that you see survivability gains against non-massive damage, but to that I have to ask... why do you need it? The things I fear from minions and LTs - the only units largely unable to dish out massive damage - are debuffs, not damage. They don't do enough damage to be a serious threat to start with. Only being spiked from less than full hp is going to kill me. When I tackle a spawn I take out things with massive attacks first, like the IDF commanders and their total focus, or the victoria MK-IV and their crits. Those are dangerous.
It's the solo stage where I have four +3 radiation LB wardens focusing on me at the same time, or overlapping PDD groups trying to tear through my defenses that make this game a true challenge IMO. Waltzing into a raid map with large groups of players providing you with unlimited endurance, +50 to all defenses and a fulcrum shifted attack chain is by no means a challenge: it's when you're on your own facing +8/+4s when things get interesting.
Which is why I build my widows to perform at the bleeding edge, or at least as close to it as I can manage. You might think higher hitpoints, softcapped psi defense and running 25-30% S/L resists are trivial, but they have allowed me to do things my previous builds could not. And since I had to sacrifice nothing to add them to my build (other than loads of infamy) it has been nothing but pure win. -
Quote:I generally agree with this. I think a well built DM/nin might outperform a bane, but overall yeah banes have a lot of my stalkers a little bit jealous.Originally Posted by Jibikao
Correction: Bane is a SUPERIOR Stalker
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Quote:Actually, you can get up to @ 31.5% S/L resists -without- the PvP IO, and maybe even higher than that - you just need to build for it. And skipping out on softcapped psi defense is a personal choice, I chose it because it because there are a few attacks that that bypass my positional defenses, and some of them are downright nasty (if you don't ever run x8 arachnos/carnie maps you may never need it, but I've found that having it waaay better than even capping psi at 85%).Originally Posted by Arbegla
Eh, the only way to get 25% lethal/smash reistance on a night widow is to get the 3% PvP +res IO (2 billion) and softcapped to psionic is pretty useless on a night widow...
Yes I'll agree that a widow's psi resistance is nice, but the associated -recharge that goes along with it sucks. Better to just avoid the attack all together to begin with... esp with how easy it is to get an invested widow to the 45% psi mark without the need to sacrifice hitpoints, recharge or additional defenses to make up for it.
IMO if you are going to play a melee toon with just 1250 hitpoints and only positional defense to save your skin, might as well just play it safe and switch to a ranged fort. Or maybe just switch to a blaster. The reason I've put emphasis on +hitpoints and S/L resistance is because if a NW can't survive a melee encounter, what use is it? DPS means squat when you are running from the hospital. That was my experience before I shed the idea of "positional defense is enough" and build for hitpoints, resists and 45+% capped psi to augment the positionals. I was able to fully solve my endurance woes to boot, which was nice.Quote:Originally Posted by Flux_Vector
Something else I've been doing is shedding max health bonuses for their own sakes. If I get them, fine, but it doesn't seem to matter much if I have 1500 hitpoints or 1250 hitpoints in the endgame content...
And the results have been game changing. -
IMO, just get the NW to 1550+ hps, permahasten, and make it endurance friendly (I'm running 0.86 usage with 4.15 recovery per second without any "tricks" or incarnate shortcuts, then just slot some decent end reductions in the attacks and you're golden) while maintaining softcaps<--- all completely doable without purples or pvp IOs. Then just spam whatever attacks make you happy, there's no "golden formula" for widows, just boils down to "what makes this fun to play without gimping its core focus?".
Then later on, pour some cash into it for softcapped psi defense (I'm running 47.2% atm), 25+/sec hp regen and getting to 70+% psi and 25+% S/L resistances and you will be pretty much unstoppable outside of a lucky hit by a sapper or multiple lucky hits by romans. -
Quote:Ditto, I've never done it myself nor care to; in fact, outside of the i20 trials and the few uninvited heros/AVs I encounter (like in bank missions) the Lore pets sees zero use on my part.Originally Posted by Silas
If it helps any, I don't actually know how to do it, I just know it can be done
Anyone who does know probably isn't going to say how to do it on the forums. -
Quote:While the pet isn't intended to be permanent, there is a way to reset the timer on it. Which I'm sure is an oversight of some kind.Originally Posted by Rintera
you can never get perma-lore. the only thing that effects its recharge is other incarnate powers...so assuming someone got nerve AND the recharge destiny...it still wouldn't be enough to make it recharge much faster. 15 minute recharge grrrr.
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Quote:It does, and might even go beyond that. On the SoA board he has mentioned:Originally Posted by Primantiss
They are including T4 Warworks pets in those numbers, if I'm not mistakin..
Since there's no video of his 33 second run it's really hard to know what really happened, but for him to brag of "double lore summons" has me wondering if there's a loophole/exploit involved of some sort.Quote:Originally Posted by blueruckus
Which is why I went the Boss/LT route and never looked back. Lore is pretty awesome, especially if you can figure out how to perma or double lore summon...
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Nice work. Yeah the Victoria really removes the need for DPS, with just the T2 model I have taken down Ms. Liberty, Mynx, and Citadel as level 50 heroes on my widow. I have clocked a 2 min 19 second pylon time now as well. Incarnate abilities have opened up a whole new world of challenges that were previously impossible to even consider.
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Quote:Yes, you just have a 15 minute cooldown between changes is all.Originally Posted by freewaydoggy
& you can go back & forth between builds, right? Choose one, then the other & vice versa?
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Quote:Not to burst your bubble, but -anyone- with the Victoria pet is gonna do insane damage vs a pylon. My NW went from 5 minutes 36 seconds to under 90 seconds using the T4 lore Victoria vs a pylon, their dps is on a level that almost breaks the game. They cycle 3 attacks for 550, 530 and 775 damage... before crits.Originally Posted by blueruckus
So the next time someone tells you Crabs are crappy for ST damage, just know that this really is not the case and that they're just extremely misinformed.
I'll agree that vs a pylon, where you can get 6 spider pets to DPS against one target, yes crabs can have great damage. But that scenario represents maybe 1% of the game. On full spawned maps the spider pets die left and right and, while they do contribute to some damage, you won't be able to recreate what you were able to do with the pylon.
But impressive numbers regardless. -
Quote:I'm clocking @ 235ish dps before the reactive interface (using the 45% muscular alpha), so dps isn't an issue. I'm also running tough, which helps immensely for survivability. As for heals I was originally just relying on 26/sec regen, which is enough to solo pylons with but just doesn't cut it for heroes like Ms. Liberty an Mynx because they can get in two lucky shots and you're dead. That's why these defeats were only possible for me with the rebirth incarnate regen power.Originally Posted by Torrynt
I would find it hard to believe that you can solo an AV without having Heal Self. They are going to hit you and they hurt with out low levels of resists.
Also are you just doing more damage than their regen? Or are you relying on envenomed dagger to do the job?
And no I don't use the daggers as it isn't so much about being able to damage them, it's about surviving the encounter. The big challenge is leveraging my endurance woes in a ten minute battle: even with 0.87 use and 4.15 recovery I can run into problems when spamming shatter armor and eviscerate. -
Quote:Do heroes and AVs both share this mechanic? I just soloed both Ms. Liberty and Mynx in the "Take out the Vindicators" flashback the other day after unlocking my T2 rebirth heal (regen) and T2 reactive interface. Both were level 50 heroes (not EBs) and both went toe-to-toe with me without running once. I wonder if the interface damage dot has a taunt element of some kind.Originally Posted by Jibikao
Oh yes. This is very critical in soloing an AV. Without taunt, the AV may run too much and you'll lose tons of dps just trying to chase.
BTW, both of these heroes were not possible for me before the two listed above incarnate powers became available. Having the regen/heal rebirth on top of 26% s/l resists + sliding resists, softcapped positionals, softcapped psi defense and 70% psi resist has brought my NW to a whole new level of survivability. Will be interesting to see what she's capable of after unlocking the t4 void judgement with the 30 second -50% damage debuff. -
Ok, thanks for the tip. I'll give that a go Agge.
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I usually don't put bios on my characters, but decided to place some general information about my toon in this box under the I.D. section.
However, the cursor in the box doesn't want to cooperate. It jumps all over when I try to move it, and sometimes dissappears altogether. I've tried logging to correct this and it doesn't seem to help.
Is there a trick to this I don't know about? I feel silly even asking about it, but can't seem to pinpoint why the cursor behaves in this way. -
Quote:Originally Posted by Silverado
Ragnarok
Also takes the achilles resistance debuff proc. It's a crazy useful power to have. -
I love shatter armor, nice to have a hard hitting attack that is all smashing damage which also applies a 20 second resist debuff to the critter. Esp when all of your attacks are primarily lethal and psi, which robots resists quite well (but are vulnerable to the damage shatter armor delivers).
Good for softening up tougher bosses with too, like paragon protectors and warwolves, etc.