Personally, Sonic is one of my favorite secondary sets of any AT. I loved it when I played as a Defender for a while, and it meshes well with my playstyle as a controller. However, there is no good /Sonic guide for the Corruptor. So I figured that I would make one for you all to enjoy
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Who am I?
My name on the boards is Redux, but in-game, my character of choice is Dean Harper. You can call me Dean or Redux or whatever you like. I've been playing CoH/CoV for about 6 months now, and have a pretty good understanding of the game. I have played other MMOs such as WoW (I know, shoot me please), Guild Wars, and some other free online games. Overall, CoH isn't hard to pick up compared to the other MMOs out there, so I feel I'm prepared to make this guide.
A Disclaimer
Sonic is NOT a horrible secondary set. Yes, it is a very mixed bag of powers, but that doesn't make it bad. It serves a definitive purpose on a team: +Defense of allies in the form of +Res, and -Res of foes. If you want to be a more "controlling"/defensive Corruptor, I suggest taking Force Field and utilizing the knockdown/knockback effects of the set. Sonic is much more of a DeBuff/Buff set than FF, and should be treated as such.
Sonic Resonance (A Power Analysis)
Sonic Siphon:
By setting up a constant vibration within the body of your foe, you weaken their Damage Resistance. Affected targets will take more damage from successful attacks.
This power isn't bad, as most people think. It is a cheap and good -Res. Since you must take it, use it on bosses as much as possible.According to a thread I read a while back, this power has been calculated to give +20% damage on the target from all sources on your team! That's a large increase and can make fighting bosses much easier. If you forget to use it, its not the end of the world, but it is nice if you do. Not one of the main powers of the set, but not a bad one either.
Note: Sonic Siphon DOES NOT STACK WITH ITSELF! Whoever tells you that it does is totally wrong! If you have it on a boss, drop another on recharge to reset the duration.
Slots: 1-2 accuracy
Rating: 2.5/5
Sonic Barrier:
+Res ally shield against Smash, Lethal, and Toxic damage.
A staple power of the set. You will NEED this power to up the "defense" of your allies. Use it in conjunction with Sonic Haven to dramatically buff allies. Unlike the pure defense of Force Field, +Res lowers the damage taken from attacks. Some would say this is not as good as FF, but they really don't know what they're talking about. Sonic Resonance is intended to be a buff/debuff set. FF is intended to be a Knockdown/Back set, not a Defense set. Keep this and Sonic Haven on all party members at all times and keep track of when they both start dropping or else your party will take a lot more damage!
Slots: 3 Resistance
Rating: 5/5
Sonic Haven:
+Res to Fire, Cold, Energy, and Negative damage.
Same as Barrier except it buffs against "elemental" damage. Take it and love it.
Slots: 3 Resistance
Rating: 5/5
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You have no resistance buff for Psi damage. This is a major minus in some people's playbooks. Don't let this deter you! You get a large +Res to Immob, Disorient, and Holds later on, and Clarity, which removes sleep. As a Damage/Support AT, you are going to be spending a lot of time helping out your allies. However, do not forget to deal out damage as well. A dead foe = 100% damage mitigation from that target. Try to support as much as possible and when all shields are up, start picking off Lts. and Minions.
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Sonic Cage:
Encases the target in an impenetrable field of sonic waves. Target cannot be attacked.
This is your intangibility power. Basically, it's not a really good power. Some people like intangibilities, but I don't. Sometimes, this can really help, like against a Hero, but it is really rare that you will ever need it. If you like the power, take it. But if you can't stand intangibilites or don't want to bother educating your teams about the power, then don't take it.
Note: If you are going to PvP with a /Sonic anything, take this power! It's great for keeping an annoying player out of the fight.
Slots: 1-2 Accuracy
Rating: 1.5/5
Disruption Field:
You set up a constant wave of sonic energy around an ally, weakening the damage resistance of all nearby foes.
This is a GREAT power. Contrary to some belief, the -res makes this power worth its slightly high energy cost. Basically, you slap this on an Brute or Stalker, and all nearby foes die faster than usual. It's like a mobile Sonic Siphon. Keep this on a melee party member as often as possible. The -Res is 10%, same as Sonic Siphon. So this + SS on a boss = some serious +Damage. If you have end problems, slot this for a few end redux enhancements and look forward to Stamina at lvl 20.
Slots: 2 -Dmg Res, 2-3 End Redux
Rating: 4/5
Sonic Dispersion:
You create a large field of sonic waves, protecting all allies inside. +Res all damage except Psi. Protection from Immob, Disorient, and Holds.
This is the reason you took Sonic Resonance. This power is your only +Res power to affect you, but it also affects all allies inside. You get a a major +Res to all damage forms except Psionic. That is the only downside to this power. You should have this on at all times... (low end is the ONLY exception). Keep your backline/midline inside as much as possible, and if you can manage it without drawing too much aggro, on your melee team mates as well.
Slots: 3 +Resistance, 2-3 End Redux
Rating: 5/5
Sonic Repulsion:
You create a powerful sonic resonance around and ally, repelling all nearby foes. You will lose end for each target repelled.
Not a great power, but if you want to take it, it has its uses. This is like FF's Repulsion Field. It knocks back nearby foes and makes the target like a human bowling ball. You can throw this on a melee covered squishy but generally a newb with this power on him running around knocking away Brute and Stalker targets is not wanted. Grab it if you like repel powers, but if not, you don't need it.
Slots: 3 Endurance Reduction
Rating: 2/5
Clarity:
Free ally from any Disorient, Hold, Sleep, Confusion, Fear and Immobilize effects and leave them resistant to the effects for some while. Also enhances perception.
WOW! This is an awesome power that no /Sonic Corruptor, Defender, or Controller should be without. Grab it as soon as it is available. Not only does this power remove status effects, but it also leave the target resistant to those effects (who's laughing at resistance now!?!?!)! This power can be used as just a buff as well. Drop it on backliners such as other corruptors and dominators, and use it whenever you see a status effect. In addition to its plethora of goodies, Clarity gives a small +Perception bonus.
Slots: None, this comes great out of the box
Rating: 5/5
Liquefy:
Unleash a barrage of waves on the Earth itself, generating a powerful, localized earthquake. Most foes that pass through the location will be knocked down. Reduces chance to hit and defense.
Not a great tier 9 power, but it's really not bad either. Grab it when you can (38 for most people), but don't fret if you don't get it for a few levels. Its damage isn't all that great, same with the minor hold it has. However, the Knockdown is well worth it. Use this on clumped foes whenever it's up (which isn't very often) to reduce their defense to your attacks and chance to hit. This power needs a lot of enhancing love to be effective, but if you are willing to 6-slot it, by all means do so. Be careful though as Liquefy can draw a lot of aggro if used liberally.
Slots: 2-3 Recharge, 2-3 Accuracy, 1-3 ToHitDeBuff, 1-3 Defense DeBuff (IO's and HO's work really well if you want to max out this power)
Rating: 3/5
Epic Power Pools:
I am no expert on Villain power pools, so I won't address those here. Look to other guides if you want the info.
Power Pools:
Speed: Not the greatest set for a Villain, as the Isles are hard to navigate with SS. Hasten is a great power, however, and if you can fit it in, take it.
Flight: Hover provides a good defense buff for battles, and Fly is great for getting around the Isles. Air Superiority isn't needed because you shouldn't get into melee.
Leaping: Probably the best travel power for the Isles, Leaping has good defense buff toggles.
Teleportation: As a corruptor, you probably will run out of end fast. I don't recommend Tele because of the high end cost and sheer focus it takes to use the travel power. If you want it though, it is good for traveling in the Isles.
Fitness: Stamina is almost a must for all characters. Take it and love it. If you take Leaping or Flight, take Swift and Health, and if you take Speed, take Hurdle and Health.
Leadership: Good defense buffs, but toggle heavy. Not recommended
Medicine: Take this if you want to focus on support more heavily. With your constant upkeep of bubbles though, healing could drain your end very fast, and lower your damage output tremendously.
Concealment: I don't recommend this set. Only take it if you want to bypass a lot of missions.
Fighting: You won't be in melee so you won't need this set.
Presence: You won't need this set because you don't want or need aggro.
Blast Sets:
This guide is not meant as a primary set guide, but as a guide for corruptors in general for /Sonic. If you want advice on Primaries, look elsewhere.
Overall, /Sonic doesn't get a lot of love. Most players think it is too weak to compare to other sets. Don't conform to the popular belief. Hopefully this guide is educational and informative. Any advice is appreciated as long as it's not flaming. Thanks for reading!
-Redux
**Please link to corruptor guides thread.**
***Updated most powers with a little more info.***
