Reptlbrain

Working on an /FA (lvl 36) and a WP/DB (lvl 40), I'm in total agreement. The problem with Dual Blades from a tanker perspective is unlike a scrapper you can't skip Nimble Slash and Taunt (well, I can't). I found I needed all the powers in DB to be happy. (Happiness includes making words in the air, lots.)


Three disagreements here:
1) I don't think Temp Protection takes def IOs.

2) A Fire tank needs two -kb IOs.

3) Do not save merits for a Steadfast. Roll Bronzes 10-14 if you have tickets, and you will get one in rapid order. If you do not, craft worthwhile Bronze recipes and sell them and buy your Steadfast -kb. If you don't AE, sell your salvage carefully. 10 commons these days can often garner you half a million. If you save merits, roll them too, preferably choosing the range 35-39, if you can wait that long.

See also lvl 48.

Barring AE (though excluding recipes), all the loot in the game comes from random "rolls".

Defense bonuses are hard to build into a leveling character because the best positionals (Zephyrs excluded) are in the sixth and sometimes fifth slot. You rarely have the slots to get ample def bonuses until in your 30s.

Exaggerating doesn't help your case. At least some of the Performance Shifter procs are selling for around 6 million (including a few crafted). Running radios intently for one hour with a 50 scrap with a few lucky drops could easily earn that six million. If all your 50s don't have six million total ur doing it wrong.

Other indications that ur doing it wrong: If you bought those three recipes with merits you spent more than 600, which rolled would likely have gotten you far more riches. Even targeted merit purchasing could've earned you quite a bit--selecting minimum or maximum levels of those recipes, selling them, then buying a cheaper recipe in the middle and pocketing the change. Although the price has ballooned recently, I've seen a gap of almost 100 million between different levels of Miracle uniques.

It's a lot like New Jersey.

Hmmm. Think I have my new team search comment for my DM/Shield.

I could swear on one of your ITFs you said "we need more Fallout"!

Does not compute! (When is Throw Spines not used in a 10 second span?!)

The -rech for all the powers except Throw Spines (-16%) and Impale is -8%. The run speed is -16% for each of the powers (Quills doesn't self-stack) except for Throw Spines (-40%). You should probably use Throw Spines as often as possible to keep them from running out of the area (which, of course, against purple cons won't be so effective).

I think that Throw Spines has the biggest slow, though Quills may self-stack?

Oh, like torching zombies is a bourgeois pastime...

The -rech stacked from spines might be making no attacks ready, inspiring the critter AI to try to flee.

It's hard to tell what looks good without your even general enhancement ideas. /kins are able to underslot recharge (in short recharge powers) and eventually end redux compared to other toons. A few comments:


Ice/Kins are relatively light on defense compared to many other troller combos, particularly without Glacier and Arctic Air. BoI should have 6 slots, frankenslotted for acc/hold/dmg/endrdx/rech.

Frostbite will *not* need its slots early. Acc and Endrdx (maybe two Acc) should be enough til you get to epic power levels.

Early on this will be an end sucker, because it recharges fast, and you click it.

CJ does not need extra slots unless you're using interesting IOs--and it can use a lot. Karma -kb heavily recommended. Unbounded Leap stealth also highly useful here. All the special def IOs with the exception of the Gift of the Ancients are good in here.

Overslotted unless you're going for a whole slow set's IO bonuses. One Acc will probably do.

Good slots, but a priority, not lvl 40+ additions. 2 acc 3 recharge.

Health doesn't really need to be slotted unless you have Heal uniques. Those aren't even that valuable on a /kin once you reach 35.

Two or three slots. Maybe four if you put a range in there (which can be quite handy). Start with 2 recharge. One additional recharge will probably only get you 3 or 4 seconds (with Hasten/Siphon Speed up)

As remarked above. Pretty inferior to Glacier. (Super Jump here?)

The only reason to take these is if you build for softcap (or near) defense. Building to get great defense requires a lot of sacrifices and careful planning. (Adding Weave to the Ice Armor below can get you pretty substantial smashing/lethal def, though.) Boxing is almost always a waste of slots (it can be a set mule sometimes), though taken at a lower level can help soloing (though it's no Air Superiority). Congratulations, you have three new powers and 7 slots!


One slot will do.

I would grab Ice Storm. It is deliriously damaging (am not sure if Fulcrum Shift buffs this "pet," which would of course make it better) and critters on Ice Slick stay in it.

I find IR inferior to SJ, because its cast time is way longer, it costs more end, and nearly everybody has travel powers by 28 (or 49).

If you plan on soloing at all, pick up Chillblain initially instead of Frostbite. You can vetspec or freespec into Frostbite when you hit the epic levels and your attack chain is fuller.

Not on the AE team I was on the other night. Tar Patch was repeatedly carefully placed between the boss spawn and the body of corruptors.

Thanks for the response--and I did hit 36, three-slotted Sweeping Strike, with a kin/ on the team, and I was filled with glee making the much larger Vital Strike word animations. (Might've ignored the tanking business a little just to make more pretty words.) Also worked on getting better at ending the combo with a cone. (On other toons no problems opening with one and a strafing movement for maximum coneage.) Now salivating over a future that alternates Attack Vitals and Sweeps.

I had spec'd out of Blinding Feint, mainly because Empowerment is lousy and I wanted to try all the others before 40+. In retrospect that was a mistake, since the only really dangerous mobs are ones that his to hit isn't capped against.