Powerforge

Does telling your henchmen "Attack My Target" break BG mode? I see that the stance and orders do not change. They still stay in defensive and follow.

Thanks for the help.

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They said they weren't going to resolve any balance issues with IO's.

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And this suddenly poses a question in my mind. Having played with IOs in mind since they were introduced I find I can't really judge a sets effectiveness if I don't use them. I never create an end build without IOs in mind. I can't speak for /regen. Let me state that right up front.

But I'm just wondering. When the comparisons get made across powersets. Are people comparing IO builds? SO? What?

If the devs aren't going to balance powersets around IOs but the players are going to use them then, well, where's the balance at all really? I mean, if you're going to include them in the game you damn sure better be aware of what the players are doing with them right? Seems like a very difficult job. To balance powersets around two vastly different methods of enhancement and have everything come out ok in the end.

Does /regen lag behind in a SO environment? Maybe the intent is to allow it to shine there? I don't know enough about the set to answer that. Just wondering what you guys thought.

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Didn't you start a Brute at one point in time Powerforge? Or is this for a new AV soloing beast?

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In fact i did! Here's the deal.

As I leveled that brute (Fire/SR) I really wanted an off character to play that would allow me to build patrol XP on my Brute. So I rolled a Mastermind.

The Mastermind is now 50 and pretty well kitted out and that damn Brute is deleted. Masterminding is soooo much fun and being a Brute was so similar to scrapping.

I'm still knee deep in Technogeist at the moment but I really loved Desert Son's name and concept.

Aaaand along comes Iggy.

Now I'm thinking I want to re-imagine Desert Son as Fire/SD if I can build one I'd be happy with in Mid's. So I set out yesterday with Saint October's build and swapped in Fire as my primary. It's still a work in progress but it already has me pretty excited. I may even cannibalize Excelerate to do it if Desert Son makes it to 50.

That's what led me to my question. I was trying to avoid Hasten.

I'll throw the build up and let you guys pick it apart if you like. It's still very early in the process though. Please excuse the power choice order. Still just messing around.

BUT BEFORE THAT!

Surviving Ghost Widow's death hold with only 900 hit points?!?!

This is madness!

Madness?

This. Is. MASTERMINDING!


Errr sorry 'bout that.

Anyway here's the build.

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

[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]

Saint October: Level 50 Magic Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Fiery Melee
Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Medicine
Power Pool: Fitness

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Fire Sword -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(3), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(3), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), T'Death-Dam%(7)
Level 1: Deflection -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(13), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(13)
Level 2: Battle Agility -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(7), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(9), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(9)
Level 4: True Grit -- Numna-Heal/EndRdx(A), Numna-Heal(11), Numna-Heal/Rchg(15), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(17), RgnTis-Regen+(34)
Level 6: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 8: Build Up -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(11), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(21), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(23), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(23), GSFC-Build%(25)
Level 10: Active Defense -- HO:Membr(A), HO:Membr(25), HO:Membr(27)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(A), Zephyr-Travel(15), Zephyr-ResKB(17), LkGmblr-Rchg+(19)
Level 14: Aid Other -- Heal-I(A)
Level 16: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Aid Self -- Mrcl-Heal/Rchg(A), Mrcl-Heal(19), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(21), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx(48), IntRdx-I(50)
Level 20: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
Level 22: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Heal(27), Mrcl-Heal/Rchg(33)
Level 24: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(A), P'Shift-EndMod(29), P'Shift-End%(31), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(34), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(39), P'Shift-Acc/Rchg(39)
Level 26: Incinerate -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(29), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(31), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Mako-Dam%(34)
Level 28: Super Jump -- Winter-ResSlow(A)
Level 30: Tough -- ImpArm-ResDam(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(31), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(36), ImpArm-EndRdx/Rchg(36), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(37), Empty(46)
Level 32: Greater Fire Sword -- Hectmb-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Hectmb-Dam%(40), Hectmb-Dmg/Rchg(40), Hectmb-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), Hectmb-Acc/Rchg(42), EndRdx-I(50)
Level 35: Shield Charge -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Oblit-%Dam(37), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(39), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(42)
Level 38: Fire Sword Circle -- Armgdn-Dmg(A), Armgdn-Dmg/Rchg(42), Armgdn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), Armgdn-Acc/Rchg(43), Armgdn-Dmg/EndRdx(45)
Level 41: Cremate -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(43), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx(45), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(48), T'Death-Dam%(50)
Level 44: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(45), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(46), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(48)
Level 47: Grant Cover -- Ksmt-ToHit+(A)
Level 49: Phalanx Fighting -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit



<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>| Copy &amp; Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
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What's the highest DPS chain for fire please?

I've got a few I'm fond of.

Excelerate, my Claws/SR speedster.

Saint October, DM/SD scrapper.

Cybergator, Claws/Regen scrapper.

US Aegis, BS/SD scrapper.

Powerforge, Peacebringer.

Technogeist, my current favorite, he's a Bots/Dark MM. Mixing science and the ossult a'la Dr. Doom. In fact he is the ghost of a scientist who powers his technology with Dark Energy instead of electricity.

Godbreaker, WM/WP tanker.

Skipping GFS is VERY viable. It's DPS isn't anythinh special at all. Less than Incinerate if I recall. What it does have if front loaded damage so you get that big SMASH at the start.

Other than that?

I skip it myself.

If you can afford it, two Enzymes will put you past the point of diminishing returns on your defense buffs, granting you almost 12% defense and reduce your end usage by 66%.

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Another AI quirk that seems introduced with I15 : the group behind us doesn't aggro, despite being only a few feet away.

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Hehe this reminds me of the first Spiderman movie.

"I don't want to fight you Flash!"
"I wouldn't wanna fight me either."

They just didn't want none 'o that!

Nice work.

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And if you know me, you should know I'll cheat !

*summons Ouroboros portal*
*jumps back to 4 months earlier*

I win !

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LOL! I shoulda known.

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You are supposed to take the pylon out near the mob. Lol

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Right. Take out the pylon while surrounded by a RWZ challenge spawn, then finish the spawn. Alas, yet another thing I've come close to but not succeeded at. I can't remember if anyone's done it yet, but from the other things people have posted, I'm sure quite a few could.

Craziness aside, nice job.

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Ohh [censored]. If I know these forums the race just started!

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From what I have been reading on the boards, it takes an insane amount of inf to make shield defense viable,

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Viable for what? It just depends on how high you are setting your sights.

If you are wanting to try insane things (as Nihilii said ) then it can definitely empty your pockets. But it doesn't have to for regular gameplay no. It's very viable for a modest income provided you have modest goals.

Hi,

I just recently leveled my MM to 50 (go me! First villain yay!) and I find myself in need of merits to help kit him out. I have two accounts with a 30 stalker biding his time on the other one.

I was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction for an Oroborus arc that awards a fair amount of merits, say 10+ but doesn't have me hopping all over the Rogue Isles? Not really looking for the uber merit farm. Just an arc that is fun and not terribly time consuming.

Thanks for your time.

[ QUOTE ]
It will in issue 15.

(I had the same problem before someone answered that question)

Oh, and the Power Soul Extraction will take Intensive Recharge Bonuses and Pet Damage Bonuses in i15.

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Sadly this appears NOT to be the case.

So here we are.

Two weeks from my initial post when I inquired about the viability of Bots/Dark for killing AVs and without a doubt the single fastest levelling blitz I have had in 3 years of playing this wonderful game. All without Com Officers too.

Now, to the OP!

Yes, Bots/Dark can definitely solo AVs.

This fight isn't pretty. In fact it's pretty haphazard. Not at all what I wanted.

But here's the thing.

I never expected to win this fight at all. The fight in the video is actually my fifth attempt because I defeated her on my first try and was totally unprepared so I didn't record it. Like many AV fights there is a certain element of luck involved so, while follow up attempts were still strong, I had to try a few more times to get it right. It's actually rather funny to me that I won this attempt as I forgot to toggle on several powers at the start. I don't have a single set IO in this build atm, although those are coming.

So what did I learn from this initial trial?

Well, provoke would have been useful to be sure. I've already decided to respec into that. Otherwise I think the initial strategy of getting enough recharge to immobilize whoever I am fighting, softcapping my defense to range and having perma fluffy is the way to go.

It's really quite fun. My poor brute sits completely unplayed. Oh well, he does have a full bar of patrol XP. That was my goal right?

The gameplay mechanic is so different. I really like how busy I feel. Very reactive as opposed to my normal scrapperish "repeat the attack chain/Heal when needed" process. Not that I'll ever forego my scrappers either, but it's truly a wonderful addition to a game I thought I knew inside and out. I'm sure Technogeist will go through a few revisions still, if not a bunch.

Always learning. Thank you everyone for the advice!

Can someone tell me if the servant takes Nucleosus? I was just about to slot two in mine and saw that it appears fluffy will only benefit from the +Acc, not the +Dam. Is that correct?

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Blitzwolf getting some new googles

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That's great stuff. Kickass mix of pieces there.

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Hide gives that kind of defense unsuppressed, but as soon as you attack or are attacked it drops to ~2%.

As for CB vs Havoc, I believe most stalkers don't care about DPS or soloing anything bigger than an EB, hence they go for burst over anything else. That's purely conjecture, though.

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Nihilii's here! Yay!

Hi,

I'm just playing around with Stalkers but I'm definitely intrigued. Maybe some folks can help answer a few questions.

The first is regarding the initial Attack choice for Elec Melee. The consensus that I see on the boards is to take Havoc punch over Charged Brawl. In fact I haven't seen one dissenting opinion on this. My character is for PvE only and I come from a scrapper background (maybe why I might be missing the point here) but I don't understand why folks feel this way. Charged brawl appears to yield a good bit more DPS. I realize that Havoc punch offers more burst damage but in any kind of sustained fight I would think Charged Brawl would be preferable. Primarily I am looking at high end level 50 builds with the goal of possibly defeating AVs.

My second question regards Hide and Mids. Are you guys seeing a crazy amount of defense being added to your AoE defense when you toggle Hide on in Mid's? I am /Nin and when I turn Hide on in Mid's it's granting me 39.5% defense . That can't be right can it?

Thanks for the help.

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For anyone who builds their Shield Scrap or Brute for soft-capped Defense, do you skip the Tier 9 like you might for SR or Inv?

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I think the power holds more merit for less expensive builds but for a completely IO's build (as per your question) , no. I opted to pass on it. I didn't feel it added much and I needed the extra endurance management that Conserve Power brings to the table instead. One With the Shield didn't help enough in that area due to it's crash.

Hurmmm

What am I doing wrong? I don't see any of these pieces in AE? I am using a character that was copied over before the patch so I think it should work.

Am I missing something?

A few more questions for the experts please.

On slotting the 'bots. Most of the pet sets seem a bit lacking to my inexperienced eyes. Apart from the uniques which I DO think seem desirable. The bonuses seem to focus around Mez Resistance. My build isn't terribly concerned with this. I was using the pet sets just because they are for pets, but in the end I have 11.9% res to hold,8% to stun, and 4.7 to imobilize. The other resistances are good, over 50%, so I think that's worth it. If I understand correctly having 11.9% resistance to hold will shorten the duration of a hold attack that hits me by 11.9%.

Is that correct and is that worth it at all?

Next question regards slotting Probots. I understand that the game actually makes no distinction mechanically between Defense Buffs and Debuffs. It appears I can slot the Probots with two Enzymes for maximum effect. Can someone verify this for me?

Thanks for the help!

Haha Nice work Silver!

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According to Red Tomax City of Data, the -resistance does not stack from the same caster. That said, being able to place a tar patch nearly adjacent to the first or on a separate group does have its attraction.

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OK, thanks for the info!

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My question is, do you all think scrapper epic pools will "finally" get the needed attention its requires? Or is this just wishful thinking and I should just look forward to editing the colors of the powers of the "one" scrapper that I have that will benefit the most from this?

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I understand that changing the colors of your powers may not seem like a big deal to you.

But it is to a helluva lot of people.

In fact I can't think of one request that I have heard more over my three years of playing. The short of it is that the devs simply can't please all of the people all of the time.

If Posi's hint really does mean power customization I am thrilled, in spite of the fact that there are plenty of more useful changes I would be thrilled with also. This game isn't just about battles and leveling and min/maxxing to me. I really enjoy the conceptualization of my characters.

Bye bye green regen! Bye bye.

A quick comment on Active Defense and fast recharge. If you double stack Active Defense it will improve your Defense Debuff Resistance considerably so it can be worthwhile in some fights to aim for that. Worth mentioning.