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Quote:Epically, Devices just got buffed this morning, while she was writing that.If you hate Devices as much as you imply in this post, why did you roll one in the first place?
Blasters
- Devices - Gun Drone's AI has been modified. It now strongly prefers attacking at long range rather than in melee range, and it will no longer seem to "stick" to the floor when trying to path to its owner.
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Quote:Well, there's Vigilance. Soloing, you'll (eventually, once you're 20+) get a 30% damage bonus. You'll still get some on small teams (20% on duos and 10% on 3-player teams). That should offset at least some of the offensive advantage Scourge gives Corruptors and make the comparison much closer than one might think.Rolled it and teamed a bit for half an hour last night. Got to just shy of level 5. One thing did cross my mind though, other than the obvious "the focus is on support rather than blasts" aspects of defender game play, is there anything that would make this particular combo more effective on a defender than the reverse combo for a corruptor? I tend to play in small teams (2-4) and solo.
The Defender AT mod for ranged damage is .65. The Corruptor AT mod for ranged damage is only 10 percentage points higher -- .75. If I understand it right, that means that with any Vigilance bonus after level 20 (three or fewer on the team), your damage will be at least equal to, or better than, a Corruptor's damage excluding Scourge.
I'm not sure how to calculate Scourge damage, but it's worth noting that Scourge is least effective against low-hit-point foe like minions (because by the time they're at half life so that Scourge might kick in, a lot of doubled damage will be wasted in overkill).
So normally I'd say Corruptors would be better for AV fights, where Scourge can take effect over the long slow decline of AV hit points and really boost the damage output. But the complication here is Sonic -- Defenders will get better Sonic debuffs, helping not only their own damage but the team's.
So if you're soloing AVs, a Corruptor is generally better, but in the specific case of Sonic Blast, the Defender debuff advantage will narrow that difference a lot. If you're teaming to take them out (a much more typical situation), the Sonic Blast Defender's debuff contribution will probably (depending on your teammates' damage output) equal or exceed that of a Corruptor's Scourge (and Corruptor's lower debuff contribution). -
Was it a higher difficulty setting than you're used to?
You're not accidentally switched over to a second build that's not as well enhanced?
What other opponents gutted you, aside from Carnies?
If you're inclined to post your builds, we might notice something significant that could be contributing to the apparent vulnerability.
Generally speaking, neither Tanks nor those powersets have changed in a long time.
Speaking of which, how long ago did you leave? If it was in one of the really early issues, that in itself might be the explanation. -
In a game where the powersets vary fairly widely in performance, it's interesting to me that Invulnerability and Willpower are as closely matched as they are, considering the different approaches each takes to getting there.
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Quote:I've really enjoyed this event. The 4 team dynamic really allows you to make an impact on events, far more so than other, far larger and inferior trials I could mention.
Plus with the amount of AVs and EBs, it's been an absolute debuffer's paradise. I don't think my Defenders have ever had so much play.
Quote:Four was a nice number for the task at hand, too. It's a size where I think just about any team can complete it, but different team mixes can give a different feel to the event (though it probably helped that I played it on probably ten different characters).
I didn't do very well on the rewards -- I don't have my tally sheet with me at the moment, but I got something like 5 procs out of 64 attempts. But I still had more fun with this event than any other. -
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I work at a nuclear safety agency. Admittedly, the consequences are more severe, but I'm aware of what can happen when people use technical terms imprecisely.
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Quote:I have never heard it, ever, that I can remember, and I've been active in a LOT of "Compare WP to INV" threads.I hear the statement often: Willpower is nowhere near as strong as Invuln. This comment seems to be stated as universal truth.
What I have heard (and said myself) is that they are roughly comparable overall (not specifically vs any subset of damage) and that I give a slight edge to invulnerability in some situations (very heavy alpha strikes and defense debuffs). -
Quote:Someone should suggest that!If they would remove bonuses like debt protection and replace it with something a little more worthwhile I doubt too many players would complain because the bonus is small (and debt isn't harsh) and it eventually becomes obsolete. I hate to sound like I'm trashing the recipes but who really needs 1% Debt Protection, or maybe I'm missing something?.
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Am I correct in interpreting this:
Quote:...to mean that it will end at midnight tonight (Pacific time)? That is, not at noon today, right?The 2012 Summer Blockbuster Event is scheduled to run from 10:30 a.m. PDT, Wednesday, June 27, 2012 to 11:59 p.m. PDT, Monday, July 30, 2012.
(and midnight Pacific would be...3 AM Eastern? Heh.)
Another question -- I tried an experiment. A character who had just run the event ran it again, but quit without selecting a reward. If I log back into the character tonight (before the event expires) and check, will the reward screen still be available, and might I be able to select an Overwhelming Force enhancement, now that the 20-hour cooldown has expired? Or did I "waste" the reward screen by not picking before I logged out (in which case I'm out the 8 reward merits, no big deal)? -
Right. And now that we can start our epic/Ancillary pools at a lower level, it's somewhat easier to do this.
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Revised build. This one has an Alpha selected (but not activated when I saved the build) and all the passive accolades.
Big differences: added Scrapper ATOs, but that cost me some ranged defense, so I changed out the purple set in Firebolt for Thunderstrikes. Used boosters strategically here and there. More endurance recovery.
What do you think?
Last power pick is negotiable -- I can use any travel power to hold that IO. The daisycutter bomb was air-delivered, however, which is why I used Flight. (I think Shield Charge and Lightning Rod only work close to the ground, though.)
Not quite sure how to interpret what I've read about the Scrapper ATO proc. It looks like (when Superior) it adds 3% to crit chance (globally) against minions and 6% against bosses? Mid's had a somewhat confusing statement in the "list set bonuses" forum output to the effect of "36% GlobalChanceMod PlayerCrit." Does it add to the crit chance every (crit-capable) attack, or does it "proc" separately and only increase crit chance when it procs?
I like rolling crits.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.957
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Daisycutter Dream Build: Level 50 Mutation Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Electrical Melee
Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Flight
Ancillary Pool: Blaze Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Charged Brawl -- Mako-Acc/Dmg:35(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx:35(3), Mako-Dmg/Rchg:35(3), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:35(9), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(11), Mako-Dam%:35(11)
Level 1: Deflection -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:35(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:35(5), LkGmblr-Def:35(5), LkGmblr-Rchg+:35(13), ResDam-I:50(46)
Level 2: Jacobs Ladder -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg:35(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx:35(7), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg:35(15), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg:35(15), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:35(17), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(17)
Level 4: Battle Agility -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:35(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:35(7), LkGmblr-Def:35(9), LkGmblr-Rchg+:35(13)
Level 6: True Grit -- Mrcl-Rcvry+:20(A), Mrcl-Heal:35(19), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx:35(19), GA-3defTpProc:10(21), GA-ResDam:35(21)
Level 8: Thunder Strike -- Armgdn-Dmg/Rchg:50(A), Armgdn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(23), Armgdn-Acc/Rchg:50(25), Armgdn-Dmg/EndRdx:50(25), Armgdn-Dam%:50(27), FrcFbk-Rechg%:21(27)
Level 10: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(29)
Level 12: Build Up -- GSFC-ToHit:35(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg:35(36), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx:35(48), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx:35(48), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx:35(50), GSFC-Build%:35(50)
Level 14: Boxing -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 16: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 18: Chain Induction -- SScrappersS-Acc/Dmg:50(A), SScrappersS-Dmg/Rchg:50(29), SScrappersS-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(31), SScrappersS-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(31), SScrappersS-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(31), SScrappersS-Rchg/+Crit:50(33)
Level 20: Tough -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx:35(A), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg:35(33), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:35(33), Aegis-ResDam:35(34), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg:35(43)
Level 22: Phalanx Fighting -- LkGmblr-Rchg+:25(A)
Level 24: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:35(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:35(34), LkGmblr-Def:35(34), LkGmblr-Rchg+:35(36)
Level 26: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(36)
Level 28: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+:25(A)
Level 30: Grant Cover -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 32: Lightning Rod -- Oblit-Dmg:35(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg:35(37), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg:35(37), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:35(37), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(39), Oblit-%Dam:35(39)
Level 35: Shield Charge -- Oblit-Dmg:35(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg:35(39), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg:35(40), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:35(40), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(40), Oblit-%Dam:35(42)
Level 38: Char -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 41: Fire Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg:35(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:35(42), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:35(42), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:35(43), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:35(43), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(50)
Level 44: Fire Ball -- Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg:50(A), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(45), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg:50(45), Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx:50(45), Ragnrk-Knock%:50(46), EndRdx-I:50(46)
Level 47: One with the Shield -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:10(A)
Level 49: Fly -- Winter-ResSlow:50(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I:50(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I:50(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I:50(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:30(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I:50(A), P'Shift-EndMod:50(23), P'Shift-End%:21(48)
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 50: Agility Core Paragon
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
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Quote:All right, it looks like I might have been trying to put the Scrapper ATOs into an ancillary power like Firebolt, whereas they only go into primary Scrapper powers. Got it.There is -- right click the slot, left click the "Set" icon in the upper right corner of the pop-up window, and then the right column of the window should show icons for damage (or damage and knockback or whatever) and at the bottom of the column, the ATO icon.
Click the ATO icon, and then you have to pick between (in our case) "Scrapper's Strike" and "Superior Scrapper's Strike." Click one of those and then you get your choice of the six ATO's of that type.
Okay, I've had yet another bright idea -- the sort of fundamental aha! moment that will make this build come together "just so."
Rather than boost the Obliteration damage/recharge IOs (to get the damage and recharge to the ED cap, largely to make myself feel better) I will leave them at base, because boosting all the level 35 Gaussian's set pieces that have a recharge component will put Build Up at the EXACT same recharge as un-boosted Lightning Rod and Shield Charge.
I might then boost the damage-only Oblit piece in each, just to eke out a little more damage (I think I only need +3 or +4 to hit the ED cap).
That means I can drop Maneuvers and Tactics entirely, and move a slot somewhere, perhaps put a pure end reduction in Firebolt.
Question: Projecting about +82 global to-hit (!), can I reasonably live without the Kismet +6% To-hit proc?
Hrm. I will rejigger a bit and post a New & Improved template soon! -
The newly-available knockback-to-knockdown proc may lead you to rethink this. Tornado becomes a good knockdown power and a great damage power, and might be worth slotting for damage and recharge instead of just serving as a mule.
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Currently having fun with Beast/Storm. Storm might be good for monologuing; you can create an ominous cloud over your head, make attention-getting thunderclaps, and generally toss people around like rag dolls.
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Quote:Horse cap. The term "soft cap" is well-established in every subforum, and in this forum we have indeed touched on the actual hard cap in discussions, so the difference matters.The slang term "def cap" used on this forum means at the limit of effective defense. People aren't going to stop using the simpler term to describe the effective cap when the actual cap is unreachable/unnecessary/rarely discussed. The soft cap is still a cap, and it is the only relevant cap. If you want to use a simple slang term to describe the actual defense cap, you better make up a new one because the word "cap" is already taken
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I've had a Dark/Sonic who's languished for several years. She's got a good concept, and I like Defenders. But I had some issues with the combination of the two powersets.
Mainly, both the Dark debuffs and the Sonic attacks are sort of slow-animating, or at least feel like it. To a lesser extent, the single-target orientation of Sonic Blast can make it seem to take even longer. Furthermore, both sets take some set-up to come into their full glory -- the first cycle of Sonic Blasts debuffs resistance for the later blasts, and the Dark powers need to stack up to really come into their own. I can put up with a slowish set if it's good -- and both these sets are good -- but when both sets are slow-starting, it can try one's patience.
Also, and this is just personal, the fact that Dark's to-hit debuffing, while monstrously strong, is (at least until you get Fluffy) divided into two separate powers (Darkest Night and Fearsome Stare), bugged me. As a devoted Storm player, I was used to flooring everything's to-hit with one power (Hurricane) I didn't even have to spend animation time to use (just move near the foes). Having to cast an anchor toggle, wait for it to animate, and cast the cone fear, seemed cumbersome.
But I also had a bad build (pre-Inherent Stamina, for one thing). And the animation times are mostly an issue on large steamrolling teams.
The Summer Event has changed my perception. Because it an only be run about once per day on a given toon, but isn't long, it rewards cycling through your stable of alts, and I brought my Dark/Sonic out to play once more. On the smaller teams, against harder foes, both powersets really shine. Also, I respecced her into a modern, substantially better build (still haven't actually invested in invention sets yet, just plain IOs and SOs). Lastly, she hit 32 and got Dark Servant (Fluffy).
The cumulative effect of these changes has sparked my interest once again, and I can see myself playing her much more frequently now. The responses of teammates have been positive too -- ranging from players who know the sets ("Dark is awesome!") to players who aren't sure why this team worked better ("I thought that guy would be harder, I usually have a lot of trouble with him.")
So put me down as a Dark/Sonic fan too. -
Well, at work without access to Mid's right now.
If you look closely, you'll see that all sets that give a defense give half that value in the "mirror" sort of defense -- smashing & lethal typed defense sets give half that value in melee, and melee positional defense sets give half that value in smashing & lethal. Ditto for energy & negative <--> ranged, and fire & cold <--> AoE.
Since positional defense plays differently from typed (if you have high melee positional defense, you want to close in, but don't care what sort of damage the enemy meleers are wielding; if you have high fire typed defense you don't care where you stand but like to fight fire-wielding foes, and so on) I prefer to avoid intentionally mixing the two on a given character. But theoretically you could have a high investment in melee defense and a high investment in energy/negative (and fire/cold, although that's not nearly as common and thus not quite so important) typed defense and make it work, but you'd have to think about defense in battle more.
Since I can't see your actual defense numbers right now, I don't know how you're doing for energy/negative defense. But my usual solution to pair with Kinetic Combats is to slot the PBAoE powers (that you have put Oblits into) with 3 Eradications and 3 Cleaving Blows to add significant e/n defense. If you choose the right set pieces you can get very nice enhancement values as well. You'll notice that will stack with the Reactive Armor bonuses too.
Once you have good s/l defense and good e/n defense, you've probably run out of slots, or close to it. :P But that may be good enough. Several of my typed-defense builds have mediocre-to-low fire/cold defense, but still seem to do fine.
Generally I would treat damage bonuses themselves as pure freebies if you happen to get them, and not as a typical goal for slotting, unless I was making a special-purpose max-possible-damage build of some kind.
edit: an alternative is to go all positional -- typically Touch of Death or Mako's in the single-target melee attacks, Sirocco's, Erads, or Oblits in the PBAoEs, and Thunderstrike in the ranged attacks. Gaussian's is also a great positional set. Use this link for choosing positional sets and this one for typed defense sets -- or go here for the whole shebang. -
Haven't reviewed in detail. At a cursory glance, however, you're using a lot of Obliteration sets that are notoriously bad for endurance, but give positional defense...and you're using Kinetic Combats and Reactive Armors for typed defense. It's less than optimal to mix positional and typed defense bonuses -- unless there's some specific reason you're doing it, you might want to go all one or all the other.
Also, some attacks appear to be 4-slotted while Health is 5-slotted. I like having stuff in Health, too, but not at the expense of my attacks. -
I've never really understood the belief that some Corruptor/Defender blast powers having Blaster modifiers is "correct" and will remain unchanged. It's not like they give Blasters access to Corruptor/Defender buffs and debuffs, do they?
I can imagine Corruptors & Defenders being happy to have Blizzard use the Blaster damage modifier, but I kind of roll my eyes at any proposition that it's "right, proper, and will never be changed." -
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This is brilliant. I looked at doing that on all 3 purple sets (the Ragnarok, Armageddon, and Apocalypse) to push them up to the ED cap (which makes me feel better, even if the difference is small). That will let me put the Force Feedback +rech into Thunderstrike without losing any enhancement.
Then I realized I could do the same on the Obliteration sets.In an extreme case, I might also do it on the solo end reduction IOs (have to check what the payoff on that will be when I get Mid's fired up again).
Speaking of Mid's, is there a way to get the ATOs into a power? I looked at experimenting with Scrapper's Strike, but couldn't figure out how to add it. -