Scirion
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Posts
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Joined
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Sorry, coming back to this one briefly. I checked my current build in Mids, and am officially confused.
Quote:Incinerate-Scorch-Cremate-Scorch should be a superior chain to the one you're using, but not dramatically so. You can build a decent chain (like the one I just named) without the single-target sword attacks, so those are skippable if necessary, but I would hate to skip Fire Sword Circle. Your concept is your concept, though.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you are saying, but... Since Fire Blast does just over double the damage of Scorch (334.5 for Fire Blast, 165 for Scorch), I'm not sure how that works. >.> Now... Why this fact did not occur to me earlier, I have no idea. lol
Unless Mids is wrong about EPP attacks again, which is... Not completely unheard of... *glares at Stalker EPP attacks* -
Again, I greatly appreciate the help and explanations!
Quote:Yeah, I was more worried about the Acc/End/Rech than the damage. I noticed the damage was already ED-capped.Originally Posted by Hopeling
If you have Musculature, 4 Smashing Haymakers will ED-cap your damage. If not, the 4 Haymakers plus the Mako quad will. If you need more acc, end, or rech the triple is nice, but many attacks can get by without it.
Since it would be going in Ablating Strike, and Ablating Strike comes in at the start of my chain, I'd be using it roughly every 6 seconds, give or take. If it procs again while still active, does that just refresh the timer on the existing proc, or does it just ignore the would-be proc until the next chance?Quote:Careful with that calculation - that's how much the proc is worth when it goes off, which is only 20% of the time. Since the proc rate is the same as most IO procs, you can compare that value directly to the damage from, say, a Mako's bite proc. The Achilles' Heel pretty much always comes out ahead in that comparison, by a wide margin, so it's better than a damage proc. To figure out how much it does for your chain as a whole is a bit more complicated.
As a rough estimate, you can pretend that the proc is a constant -4% resist, which is reasonably accurate if you use the attack with the proc about once every 10 seconds. So if you do 150 DPS without the proc, you'd therefore gain ~6 DPS using the proc, according to the rule of thumb. Using the proc more often will see a larger gain (but with some diminishing returns, since it can't stack), and less often will be a smaller gain.
Since the characters in question are dealing exclusively Smashing or Lethal damage, I was using the ToD proc for just that reason. A different damage type than what I'm already dealing. Good point on the secondary effect procs, though. I frequently forget those.Quote:Other than for hunting Jurassik and similar negative-vulnerable foes, I'd use the Mako proc instead, personally. Lethal resistance is much more common than negative resistance, but not by so much that a negative damage proc's average performance is better with a 1/4 lower proc rate. If you deal lethal damage yourself, it might be worthwhile to use the ToD proc, to hedge your bets a little against lethal resistance. You can also consider damage procs from your secondary effect sets - Touch of Lady Grey has a better negative proc than ToD, Explosive Strike has a smashing proc which is less resisted than the lethal from Mako, etc. -
Quote:For the DB/Ice, I can throw a Touch of Death proc in Nimble Slash by dropping a Mako's tri or quad. Ablating Strike is currently slotted with 4 Smashing Haymaker, plus the Mako's tri and quad to even out the values. If I add the Achilles proc, would I be better off keeping the quad, or replacing it with a proc (Touch of Death) as well? I'm probably looking at this the wrong way, but if my math is right (which it probably isn't, I'm beyond terrible at math), I would be adding a total of 125 damage per use of Attack Vitals (roughly 5 seconds to complete the entire combo, and not factoring in the DoT) by slotting the Achilles proc.Originally Posted by Hopeling
Most powers, even attacks, can obtain sufficient enhancement value with 5 slots or less. This means you can often slot a proc and give up nothing you'd miss. Don't go overboard on this - most attacks are best with either zero or one procs.
I could fit a ToD proc in 5 attacks on the MA/Dark (since I'm six-slotting Crushing Impacts in everything on that)... Which might end up being worth it, especially for the example of Jurassik, since he has reduced NE resistance.
Sorry, I'm just slightly biased against a certain StJ Stalker I know, who frequently reminds me that he can hit Romulus with Crushing Uppercut for something like 3,000 damage. >.>Quote:I'm not sure what you mean about StJ, it's no more broken than any melee set, and dramatically less broken than, say, TW or SS.
[/quote]If you're limiting yourself to S/L only, probably not possible, because that rules out /Fire or any damage aura. GMs have huge regen, around 300 hp/sec for the higher level ones, if I recall, which means you need to do 300+ DPS to make any progress at all, and far above that if you want fights under 10 minutes long.[/quote]
Not "limiting myself" per se, I'm just trying to complete the given task with the tools I already have. I'm trying to use this topic to determine if I'm trying to drive nails with a hammer or a chisel. Like a shop teacher once said.. "Son, you had better stop using that chisel as a screwdriver, or else it'll never work as a hammer when you need it to!" If all I have is chisels and screwdrivers, I might have to invest in a hammer, if you know what I mean.
As I mentioned somewhere in the wall of text I posted (I know, I'm long-winded), I'm eliminating Lore pets, red inspirations (and other artificial damage boosts) and temp powers of any sort from the equation.Quote:If your definition of "soloing" includes inspirations, Lore pets, and/or easily-obtained temp powers (Envenomed Dagger), this admittedly becomes dramatically easier.
Good to know, I'll try that, see what happens. It wasn't initially a concept (just a general dislike of the powers), but... It's kinda grown into one, I guess. lolQuote:Incinerate-Scorch-Cremate-Scorch should be a superior chain to the one you're using, but not dramatically so. You can build a decent chain (like the one I just named) without the single-target sword attacks, so those are skippable if necessary, but I would hate to skip Fire Sword Circle. Your concept is your concept, though.
*tries to do the math... fails* If it's -150hp per stack, and my math is right... And assuming that I keep a constant 4 stacks... That would reduce Jurassik's (keeping with the example) health regeneration by... 3 HP/s. Yeahhh... Worthless. lolQuote:Degenerative's -hp is basically trash against AVs and GMs. It caps at -150 hp per stack, making it far weaker than Reactive's res debuff, and either will be weaker than the Reactive DoT for all but the most extreme (and extremely expensive) builds.
Thanks alot for the help, I really appreciate it! -
In an effort to avoid cluttering up several different threads, and/or starting several of my own, I figured I'd save some space and just lump everything into one tidy thread... With that said, I have a few somewhat related questions. Mostly relating to the Rikti Pylon thread in the Scrapper forum.
It has dawned on me that despite having my fair share of damage dealers and/or debuffers in several forms, I have nothing capable of truly soloing a Rikti Pylon (or lower-class Giant Monster like the Clockwork Paladin. Exception being my Kin/Dark Defender which can solo the Paladin thanks to Diamagnetic's -Regen, in about 15 minutes, if I recall correctly). By "truly solo" I mean no Lore pets, red inspirations, temp powers, or outside buffs/debuffs. Other inspirations (purples or blues to keep me going, etc), EPP pets if I have them, etc are acceptable to me, as is Destiny/Judgement/Interface.
That said, I have tried the Pylon test with the following characters, and encountered the following issues with each:
MA/Dark Scrapper - Given enough time, might be able to do it, but lacks the survival necessary to avoid using Dark Regeneration frequently, dropping my DPS significantly. I'm running Reactive Partial Radial right now, I'm debating switching to Degenerative Total or Partial Radial.
DB/Ice Stalker - Simply not enough damage, despite being able to endlessly chain Ablating Strike>Attack Vitals>Repeat, throwing in Build Up when it's available. Between the Toxic DoT from Degenerative, T2 Musculature, and the added DoT from Attack Vitals, this was "the one" I was most expecting to be able to do it. I left disappointed. Also has the issue of having 0% Resistance across the board other than F/C, and Toxic when Hoarfrost is up. Icy Bastion can't be relied upon, for the obvious downtime issue. I suspect that being all-Lethal damage (other than Degenerative) may also be a contributing factor.
Fire/Dark Frankenbuild Scrapper (details on this one later) - I'm fairly certain this has the damage output for a Pylon (and I suspect I might be able to take Jurassik as well as far as DPS is concerned), but severely lacking in the survival area (no Incarnate stuff of any kind yet), and drains endurance in no time. I'm hopeful that Cardiac (when I finally get the shards I need) will help with the endurance issues, but I still don't think it will have the prolonged survival necessary for either task.
I've tried it with a few squishies to even more impressive failure.
Now, on to the questions...
First, I've traditionally avoided procs in general (as far as damage and -Res procs go), in favor of more effective overall enhancement values. My logic has always been that I will get more use over time out of better enhancement values than the unreliable nature of procs, however effective they may be when they work. Am I delusional? Should I be throwing procs in everything I can? Will I even notice the difference?
Off the top of my head, I know I can (if I can afford it) put an Achilles Heel proc in Ablating Strike on the DB/Ice. I would most likely drop either a Mako's Tri or Quad to do this. Would this make a significant difference in my sustained damage output?
Second, is it even *possible* for a set dealing exclusively (outside of Interface DoT's) Smashing and/or Lethal damage to output enough damage (short of edge cases like maybe a Stone/Shield Brute or very expensive purple/PvP builds) to solo a GM (or Pylon for that matter), or would you need to add in large amounts of either -Res or -Regen? Street Justice doesn't count, because everyone already knows that it's broken. lol
Third... The build for the Fire/Dark Scrapper is, shall we say... Unusual. Long story short, I resurrected it from the depths of the last page of my characters on Virtue, because I was bored, and wanted something "different". However, I didn't like any of the sword attacks. So, it's attack chain consists of Incinerate>Cremate>Scorch>Fire Blast. I have Fire Ball and an unslotted Fire Breath (I took Fire Breath at 49 because I couldn't think of anything else) for AoE's as needed, and may be able to drop Fire Blast from the chain when I scrape up the cash for the 3 LotG's I have in the build. The damage output is... Rather scary, but I'm coming from playing mostly tanks or damage dealers dealing exclusively Smashing/Lethal, so I might be impressed at nothing impressive. The question is, have I totally gimped myself by not taking Fire Sword, Greater Fire Sword and Fire Sword Circle? Or am I better off with the chain I have now, since I have the recharge I need to chain it without pause? According to Mids, Incinerate crits (and it seems to do so quite frequently) for a total of 662 damage, not counting the Touch of Death proc.
Related to the MA/Dark mentioned above, does anyone know how effective the -MaxHP of Degenerative Partial Radial is against AV's/GM's and such? Would it be worth taking, or would I be better off with Total Radial for the higher chance of damage?
That's all I can think of right now, although I know there was something else I wanted to ask. I'd appreciate any insight anyone can give, and if you want to see the builds for any of the mentioned characters, just yell, and I can put them up.
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In other news... My billing date was the 3rd. I got my points (according to the account log... I don't remember what I spent them on, but I must have used them. lol) on the 4th. I got my Reward Token and monthly badge on the 24th. I'm still waiting for the free server transfer.
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My Ice/Earth Dominator is in the high 30's now, and... Honestly, the only thing relevant to this thread that I would change is increasing the damage dealt by both Flash Freeze and Frostbite. Flash Freeze is perfectly effective for me and my playstyle. Basically, you leap into melee, Frostbite>Flash Freeze>Tremor. At this point, AA has taken hold on most of the spawn, and you can use Block of Ice to keep bosses/LT's under control. Once Flash Freeze/Frostbite wears off of anything Tremor or Mud Pots hasn't disturbed yet, I drop Ice Slick to keep everything either confused from AA or flopping around like a fish on the floor, continuing work on bosses/LT's, etc. Every third spawn or so is like sandblasting soup crackers. The lucky spawn gets a treatment of Domination>Power Boost (I love Earth Assault)>Glacier, Block of Ice/Seismic Smash on Bosses to keep *everything* Held for a very long time.
Aside from the debate on how terrible Flash Freeze is (which in reality, it really isn't. Ice Control just requires a different playstyle and more thought, which is fine by me), and what "needs to be fixed" in Ice Control, the only things I would REALLY like to see changed (I was half joking on buffing the damage of FF/Frostbite, but wouldn't say no if they did), would be a drop in the endurance cost of AA (or Mud Pots. lol).
As far as I am concerned, Ice Control is just fine the way it is. Would we all love it if it got buffed? Sure. But I could say the same for a dozen other powersets. It doesn't NEED a buff. Personally, if they buff any particular powerset, I'd like to see Energy Melee get a buff before I would get concerned about Ice Control. That's not to say EM is at the top of my "Needs to be buffed" list, but it's pretty darn close. -
I would probably have to do something really silly... Like a Street Justice/Kinetics with Fury and a Brute damage cap.
Who needs silly things like Defense and Resistance when Crushing Uppercut is guaranteed to hit for something like 2,400 damage, and you can use it every 4 seconds?
Or, for a bit more hilarity, though much less effective... Ice Control/Ice Manipulation(Blaster secondary)/Cold Mastery(Blaster version) for the ultimate in AoE slow/sleep/control power. That would give you, what... 3 ST Holds, 3 AoE sleeps, two Ice Slicks, Chilling Embrace, Snow Storm, and Arctic Air, plus a pet? And you could easily softcap to S/L!
Last, but not least, something that would require minimal changes to the game. Claws/Shield and Titan Weapons/Shield Scrappers or Brutes. No other changes necessary! *imagines stacking Follow Up with Against All Odds* Mmmm, tasty. -
What will I never EVER use again?
Masterminds. Can't stand 'em.
I'll probably never roll a VEAT, because the low levels are too boring for me.
I might roll a Controller with i22 (simply because I have a hilarious concept in mind), but other than that, no plans on rolling one. EVER. I'll roll my second Dominator with i22, and probably never roll another one.
I had a PB once, and tried a WS for a few levels... I'll probably never try either one again.
I honestly can't think of a single individual powerset that when I think of it, I think "I'm never trying THAT again..." Just entire AT's. >.> -
Since there were 80 views, and no replies, I figure people either couldn't find any issues or a better way to accomplish the goals, or (the more likely option) I was terribly unclear as to what I wanted. So... After spending countless more hours in Mids, this is what I ended up with:
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.953
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Technology Stalker
Primary Power Set: Dual Blades
Secondary Power Set: Ice Armor
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Weapon Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Nimble Slash -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(13), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(25), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39)
Level 1: Hide -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), GftotA-Def(5), GftotA-Run+(17)
Level 2: Power Slice -- P'ngFist-Acc/Dmg(A), P'ngFist-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), P'ngFist-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13), P'ngS'Fest-Acc/Dmg(23), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/EndRdx(25), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/Rchg(39)
Level 4: Frozen Armor -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), GftotA-Def(5), GftotA-Def/EndRdx(17)
Level 6: Assassin's Blades -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(9), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(15), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(39), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40)
Level 8: Ablating Strike -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(9), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(15), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(40), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40)
Level 10: Wet Ice -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 12: Build Up -- Rec'dRet-ToHit(A), Rec'dRet-ToHit/Rchg(50)
Level 14: Placate -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 16: Chilling Embrace -- CtlSpd-Acc/Slow(A), CtlSpd-Acc/EndRdx(19), CtlSpd-Rng/Slow(34), CtlSpd-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(34)
Level 18: Vengeful Slice -- P'ngFist-Acc/Dmg(A), P'ngFist-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), P'ngFist-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), P'ngS'Fest-Acc/Dmg(33), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/EndRdx(34), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/Rchg(42)
Level 20: Hoarfrost -- Numna-Heal/Rchg(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(21), Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(21)
Level 22: Hover -- GftotA-Def(A), GftotA-Def/EndRdx(27)
Level 24: Permafrost -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A)
Level 26: Sweeping Strike -- C'ngBlow-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx(27), C'ngBlow-Dmg/Rchg(42), Erad-Dmg(42), Erad-Acc/Rchg(43), Erad-Dmg/Rchg(43)
Level 28: Glacial Armor -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), GftotA-Def(29), GftotA-Def/EndRdx(29)
Level 30: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), GftotA-Def(31), GftotA-Def/EndRdx(31)
Level 32: One Thousand Cuts -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(37), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(37), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), FrcFbk-Rechg%(45)
Level 35: Energy Absorption -- RedFtn-Def(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(36), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(36), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(36), LkGmblr-Rchg+(45), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(45)
Level 38: Icy Bastion -- TtmC'tng-ResDam/Rchg(A), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(46), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(50)
Level 41: Physical Perfection -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Heal(46), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx(46), EndMod-I(48)
Level 44: Targeting Drone -- AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx(48), AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg(48)
Level 47: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 49: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50)
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 50: Degenerative Total Radial Conversion
Level 50: Spiritual Total Core Revamp
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Level 1: Assassination
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Numna-Heal(7), Numna-Heal/EndRdx(11)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(7), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(11)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
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There's some debate about the usefulness of OG. It can only stun Minions, and it costs health to use. *shrug* YMMV. Personally, I don't take it unless I have other reliable stun(s) to stack it with, but there's plenty of people that like it.
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I took Resilient on my "Ultimate Survival" Stone tank concept... My "Hold Bot" Ice/Dark Corruptor took Intuition... I've used Agility on a build or two... However, I'm still trying to find a build other than Empathy or Pain Domination where Vigor would actually be useful.
Nothing's coming to me. -
I actually *prefer* that the combo's use those powers. It gives more variety than just clicking the same three or four powers over and over. My complaint is that one of those powers can be interrupted, thus effectively eliminating two of your four (five? I forget...) combos from being used while in combat. As far as I'm concerned, remove the interrupt while out of Hide, and we'd be golden. The suggestion of removing the interrupt WHILE Hidden, and keeping it while OUTSIDE of Hide is ludicrous, because honestly, that wouldn't fix the problem. You might could go so far as to say that it would make it worse. You have all the time in the world while Hidden, nothing is attacking you to worry about being interrupted. The problem is once mobs start attacking, that's when you're screwed.
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Alright, now that I'm home and have access to Mids... Here's what I came up with, with as few changes to the overall build as I could come up with. 45.9% Ranged Defense.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.953
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Technology Blaster
Primary Power Set: Ice Blast
Secondary Power Set: Electricity Manipulation
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Ice Bolt -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(23), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(31), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43)
Level 1: Electric Fence -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(34), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40)
Level 2: Ice Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(3), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9)
Level 4: Charged Brawl -- P'ngS'Fest-Acc/Dmg(A), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/EndRdx(5), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/Rchg(5)
Level 6: Aim -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 8: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(9)
Level 10: Havoc Punch -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(11), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Mako-Dam%(36), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37)
Level 12: Freeze Ray -- Lock-Acc/Hold(A), Lock-Acc/Rchg(13), Lock-Rchg/Hold(13), Lock-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(15), Lock-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(15), Lock-%Hold(36)
Level 14: Super Speed -- Winter-ResSlow(A), Zephyr-Travel(17), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(17)
Level 16: Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Bitter Ice Blast -- Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), Thundr-Acc/Dmg(19), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(25), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(34), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34)
Level 20: Ice Storm -- JavVoll-Dam/Rech(A), JavVoll-Dam/End/Rech(21), JavVoll-Acc/Dmg/End/Rech(21), JavVoll-Dam%(23), Posi-Dam%(39), ImpSwft-Dam%(39)
Level 22: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), Zephyr-Travel(40), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(40)
Level 24: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 26: Frost Breath -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(27), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(27), JavVoll-Acc/Dmg/End/Rech(33)
Level 28: Thunder Strike -- C'ngBlow-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngBlow-Dmg/Rchg(29), C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx(29), Erad-Acc/Rchg(31), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33)
Level 30: Tough -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A)
Level 32: Blizzard -- AirB'st-Dmg/Rchg(A), Det'tn-Dmg/Rchg(42), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(43)
Level 35: Power Sink -- P'Shift-Acc/Rchg(A)
Level 38: Dark Embrace -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(39), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(45)
Level 41: Soul Tentacles -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(42)
Level 44: Soul Storm -- Lock-Acc/Hold(A), Lock-Acc/Rchg(45), Lock-Rchg/Hold(45), Lock-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(46), Lock-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(46), Lock-%Hold(46)
Level 47: Shocking Grasp -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(48), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(48), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(48), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(50), Mako-Dam%(50)
Level 49: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(50)
Level 50: Agility Partial Core Revamp
Level 50: Clarion Partial Core Invocation
------------
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod(25)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
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Shocking Bolt.
Single Target? Check.
Ranged? Check.
Hold? Check.
Accepts PBAoE Damage IO sets? Check.
Wait, what?
/thread -
Ice Melee is awesome for Fire by the 30's.
Edit: I should clarify. By level 20, you have Blazing Aura, combined with Ice Patch>Burn>Frost. You can set everything on fire from the safety of Ice Patch, so everything is falling over itself, and can't attack or run out of Burn. -
Typing this on my phone, so I'll come back to this when I get home, but I can offer a couple suggestions now. Bitter Freeze Ray is a terrible power. Drop the slots from it and put them in either Soul Storm or the Electric hold. BFR can be dropped completely for a poower that is actually useful. Blizzard could use some slots as well.
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Quote:My name is Scirion, and I approve of this suggestion.Originally Posted by Redlynne
Two words ...
INSTANT GRATIFICATION
By making Stalkers more like Scrappers, the Devs are indulging the Players' desire for Instant Gratification in a way that is instantly recognizable and doesn't require any "thought" or real strategizing on the part of the Players. It happens, it's automatic, and it doesn't require any attention span/situational awareness to be able to make use of it. The CRIT NAO rather than Crit Later (even if "later" is the very next attack cued up in your attack chain!) is something that everyone can intuitively grasp.
Or to put it another way ... "A Crit in the hand, is safer than the one that *might* land on your next attack."
Everyone wants to go for the "sure thing" as well as the "easy thing" ... and people figure that leveraging Hide (and its mechanics) is neither of those things because it would be more complicated (and require actually Paying Attention to what's happening, as opposed to just button mashing brainlessly).
The funny thing is ... I'm pretty darn sure it ought to be perfectly possible to rig up a power in the game which detoggles Hide, *instantly recharges it*, and then in the very *next* Arcanatime Moment toggles Hide back on with a minimal animation time (ie. not the 0.73 second animation usually used when toggling on the power normally). We know that being able to toggleoff/toggleon is possible, because we use it in keybinds all the time. We know that being able to instantly recharge a power is possible, because Kinetic Combat does it for Build Up when Concentrated Strike scores a Critical Hit. And we know that alternate animations can be used for powers, because that's the key technology that makes Momentum for Titan Weapons possible.
And why would doing something like that be useful? Because being able to do something like an auto toggleoff/toggleon of Hide in near zero time would make it perfectly possible to have ALL Stalker (single target primary attack) Critical Hits "re-engage Hide" DURING combat as the signature means a Stalker uses to deliver Double Damage to targets. It wouldn't be "instant" double damage like a Scrapper does with their Critical Hits ... but it would make the Hide power a combat relevant power since Stalkers would "naturally" flicker in and out of Hide DURING combat.
And that would be very interesting game mechanically, since Hide isn't *just* about How Not To Be Seen. There are additional buffs (and I'm thinking about the Defenses) to be gained by being Hidden, which ... as Smiling Joe has already pointed out ... includes things like being able to maneuver to escape a bad situation much more reliably.
Furthermore, it ought to even be perfectly possible to code this behavior of Instant Hide On (single target primary attack) Critical Hit (when not already Hidden) during combat to include an 8 ft PBAoE Placate effect as a "freebie" bonus, allowing the Instant Hide to be much more effective against Foes within Melee Range. The only downside to this of course would be that Stalkers would make singularly ineffective Aggro Magnets (filed under the heading of, "Well, DUH!").
Note carefully how everything I'm saying here does not require "Scraptastic" gimmicks to achieve Stalker-ish performance, and instead better leverages already existing Signature Stalker Abilities to achieve the same results by a completely different method. It increases the value of a power that EVERY STALKER IS FORCED TO TAKE ... that otherwise has next to No Value once combat is begun ... and it leads to additional tactical possibilities which otherwise might not be available when using other game mechanical solutions. And because of the "1-2 combo" involved in dealing double damage *this way* being more "complicated" than just simply inflicting double damage *instantly* like Scrappers do ... it creates a system where Player Skill and Situational Awareness can be rewarded in ways that Scrapper Critical Hits cannot be, making the Stalker AT "more unique" and diversifying it away from its melee powerset cousins.
But because it doesn't involve Instant Gratification ... people don't want it.
Seems pretty simple to understand to me, Joe.
In fact, I endorse it. I would even donate to the cause of getting it put in the game.
That said, I also approve of the removal of the interrupt outside of Hide. Why?
Play Dual Blades. No, really. Go ahead, try it. I'll wait here. *waits 10 minutes* Alright, now that you've had a chance to try Dual Blades, did you notice something? One combo (arguably, the best combo, Sweep) requires Build Up AND Assassin's Strike. A second one (Power Up - Or is it Empower?) requires both of those and Placate. Having a power critical to TWO of your combos (the main draw to playing Dual Blades to me, outside of very speedy damage output, while still being kind of flashy) being effectively locked out when not Hidden really kinda sucks, y'know?
I'd go on, but our ITF just filled, and I'm bringing a Dual Blades Stalker. >.> -
Personal recommendation? KM/Shield/Leviathan Brute. You get Repulsing Torrent, Focused Burst, School of Sharks, Arctic Breath, Bile Spray, and Spirit Shark, plus positional defense (easy to softcap to Ranged, since you'll be hover-blasting), a bit of resistance to everything except Psi, and Against All Odds, in case things get too close. Oh, and Power Siphon for more damage while you're spamming Focused Burst and Repulsing Torrent.
I want to make one now... -
Except that the complaint is that CE prevents you from getting an Assassin's Strike after Placate. Which won't change with i22. CE will still prevent Assassin's Strikes, because it will still break the pseudo-Hide created by Placate. However, it does NOT prevent criticals with normal attacks, provided you queue them while Placate is animating. The changes in i22 will make Stalkers better, yes, but it won't fix the issues with Placate and debuff/status auras. Specifically, Ice and Dark Armors.
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So, my DB/Ice is in the 40's now, I've been spending some time in Mids debating on the final build once I hit 47. However, I seem to have hit a snag. I can't decide what to primarily build for. As far as IO bonuses, I would *like* to have softcapped S/L pre-EA, high recharge (near-perma Hasten), and some decent damage bonuses, but those are somewhat mutually exclusive goals. (IE: To efficiently get the required S/L bonuses {on somewhat of a budget, KinCombats are out}, I'd be using Smashing Haymakers, eliminating the possibilities of the 2.5% or 3% damage bonuses from ToD/Mako's, respectively. Both of which exclude the possibilities of the 5% Recharge bonus from Crushing Impact...) As far as power picks, all 9 powers from both primary and secondary are required. The *only* power I would consider dropping is Ablating Strike, but I would still prefer to keep that as well. Power pools (including the Epic) are highly negotiable, and are also where part of my indecision comes in. Weapons Mastery keeps tempting me with Physical Perfection and Targeting Drone (I REALLY hate missing with DB), but Hibernate would also be nice. I kind of want to pick up Assault, but the only way I could squeeze that in is dropping Boxing/Tough/Weave, thus losing my only Resistance of note. Weave could be replaced by Maneuvers, and I could pick up CJ instead of Boxing, so that isn't really a concern. So... With all that said... Here's the latest revision in Mids. I still have 7 levels and two alignment changes to go before I start IO'ing, so I've got some time. >.>
Feel free to tear it apart and tell me to do something completely different. I primarily run Tanks, so I'm slightly lost when it comes to IO'ing a Stalker. lol
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.953
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Magic Stalker
Primary Power Set: Dual Blades
Secondary Power Set: Ice Armor
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Weapon Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Nimble Slash -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(13), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(25), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39)
Level 1: Hide -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), GftotA-Def(5), GftotA-Run+(17)
Level 2: Power Slice -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx(3), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg(13), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(23), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(25), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39)
Level 4: Frozen Armor -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), GftotA-Def(5), GftotA-Def/EndRdx(17)
Level 6: Assassin's Blades -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx(9), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg(15), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40)
Level 8: Ablating Strike -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(9), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(15), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Achilles-DefDeb/Rchg(40), Achilles-ResDeb%(40)
Level 10: Wet Ice -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 12: Build Up -- Rec'dRet-ToHit(A), Rec'dRet-ToHit/Rchg(50)
Level 14: Placate -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 16: Chilling Embrace -- CtlSpd-Acc/Slow(A), CtlSpd-Acc/EndRdx(19), CtlSpd-Rng/Slow(34), CtlSpd-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(34)
Level 18: Vengeful Slice -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(19), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(33), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), T'Death-Dam%(42)
Level 20: Hoarfrost -- Numna-Heal/Rchg(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(21), Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(21)
Level 22: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 24: Tough -- Aegis-ResDam(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(27)
Level 26: Sweeping Strike -- C'ngBlow-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx(27), C'ngBlow-Dmg/Rchg(42), Erad-Dmg(42), Erad-Acc/Rchg(43), Erad-Dmg/Rchg(43)
Level 28: Glacial Armor -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), GftotA-Def(29), GftotA-Def/EndRdx(29)
Level 30: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), GftotA-Def(31), GftotA-Def/EndRdx(31)
Level 32: One Thousand Cuts -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(37), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(37), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), FrcFbk-Rechg%(45)
Level 35: Energy Absorption -- RedFtn-Def(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(36), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(36), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(36), LkGmblr-Rchg+(45), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(45)
Level 38: Icy Bastion -- TtmC'tng-ResDam/Rchg(A), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(46), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(50)
Level 41: Physical Perfection -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Heal(46), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx(46), EndMod-I(48)
Level 44: Targeting Drone -- AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx(48), AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg(48)
Level 47: Permafrost -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A)
Level 49: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50)
Level 50: Spiritual Total Core Revamp
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 50: Degenerative Partial Radial Conversion
------------
Level 1: Assassination
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Numna-Heal(7), Numna-Heal/EndRdx(11)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(7), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(11)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
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I've said it before, I'll say it again. Rad/Fire. Take your pick of either /Fire or /Force for your APP.
And this is why.
(Link points to XFire video of many Rikti being melted)
That's running +0/x8 Bosses on. Of course, that's also around 2B in IO's (about 90% of that being the LotG's, a Miracle proc, and Steadfast Res/Def), and a T3 Clarion, but still. It's a Blaster soloing x8 Rikti, with minimal inspiration use.
(By minimal I mean, you can see that I used a medium purple for the first alpha, and then spammed a few greens at the end before I died. lol)
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Apparently, I forgot to put in another minor point in my other post.
Tanker base damage is equal to Brute base + 3% Fury. Tanker damage is just fine where it is, thank you.
I was going to write a big long post with multiple quotes... But then I realized there's just no point. -
Quote:Let me make sure I understand what you're trying to say here.Originally Posted by Johnny_Butane
IOs and the Incarnate system "don't count" when it comes to AT issues.
That's the excuse Brute boosters have been regurgitating for years.
It's bogus shield they hide behind so they can keep being utterly broken.
It ignores the fact of what happens when you balance damage against survivability, but allow Brutes and Scrappers, who have the survivability bar pretty high to begin with compared to other ATs, to gain more survivability via IOs and Incarnates without any required decrease in damage. You lower the risk of danger they're in, but they keep their damage edge.
Damage versus survivability is a dumb axis to balance on anyways. More survivability only becomes useful to a point. Once you can take the damage from whatever you're fighting, more than that is redundant. Comparatively, increasing damage is always useful, and doesn't become redundant until you can one shot anything and everything (GMs, Hamidon, you name it).
That is a point unlikely for any character to ever reach.
But being tough enough to handle like, 95% of the game's content, and see no drawback from not being as tough as a Tanker, is a point much more easy to get to, and one Brutes and Scrappers often do get to, and will continue to get to more easily the more Incarnate abilities, IOs, team buffs and temp powers are added to the game.
That should NOT be ignored, regardless of if the game is or is not 'balanced around IOs'.
.
1) The game is not balanced around IO's/Incarnates, it's balanced around SO's.
I think we can all agree on that. I'm pretty sure that's been said by the devs at some point or something. But honestly, it doesn't really matter at this point.
2) Brutes and Scrappers are clearly inherently better than tanks, because they are (according to you) equally survivable (comparing either of them to a Tank) with IO's, and do significantly more damage than a Tank.
False. More on this in a moment.
3) Any (presumably, you're talking about a high-end IO/Incarnate build on this point) Brute or Scrapper can tank 95% of the content in the game.
Possible. I've seen some pretty impressive Scrappers and Brutes (mostly Scrappers). But what about the other 5%, which sums up about 75% of my personal gameplay on a regular basis?
---
I'll cover point two first. Brutes are not inherently better than Tanks. I'm ignoring Scrappers completely because honestly, I'm too tired to compare all three at once. They are different than tanks. Different != Better. Brutes have the same Resistance cap as Tanks, but lower base values. Example: Stone Skin, from Stone Armor. Base of 10% Resistance for Tankers (14.3% two-slotted with Aegis Res + Res/End), 7.5% (10.6%) for Brutes. For the record, 4-slotting common Resistance IO's will get the Brute to about 12.5%. Still short of the Tank. But, it's not just Resistance that the Tank is better at. With equal slotting, Earths Embrace will get the Brute about 800 MaxHP, while the Tanker gets roughly 1,020. The list of things the Tanker can do better to get more survival for that tiny 5% of the game goes on. And on. And on. Brutes were intended to provide near-Tanker survivability, while providing near-Scrapper level damage. Unless I'm mistaken, it's been proven on several occasions that with similar builds, a Brute at full Fury outputs roughly the same damage as a Scrapper.
On to point three, "any Brute can tank 95% of the content in the game". Sure they can. (only being a tiny bit sarcastic here) A Brute can tank (for example) Reichsman just fine. But what happens when you add in another four level 54 AV's, two of which do Psi damage? Hint. Every one I've seen has a habit of dying. Not to say that NO Brute can do it. I'm sure there are builds around that *could* do it. It's just going to be much harder to do than with a Tank.
Show me a Brute that is capable of getting equal results (short of using both PvP IO's, etc, etc), and I'll admit that you're right, and nobody will ever need to roll a Tank again, because a Brute or Scrapper can do just as good. To save time, I'll just tell you that that build is over the softcap (minimum 46.8%) to all types except Psi , hardcapped to all Resistances except Psi (0%, I didn't even bother trying to fill the hole) and Energy (something like 89% with Resilient Alpha), and (with the Accolades I currently have) has 2,541 HP before Earths Embrace, regenerating at just shy of 50 HP/s, with capped HP at 69 HP/s when EE is up. That build is capable of tanking all four patrons, plus the flyer, indefinitely, with only Increase Density (stacked to give 150+ Hold Protection from Ghost Widow) for buffs.Code:| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1483;705;1410;HEX;| |78DA65945B4F134114C767DB2D654B115A5A0A8502E5622997D246A251516304154| |24D0DE86BB3C1A55D5A769B6D4DE4D1AFE0852F60F4D157FD003EE867F0F6E09351| |D4278DD7F574FE2785A49BB6BFE9B9CCF9CF9C99CDDF590E3EBD72F782508297AA7| |ABD5EDCD4AD8AE104368DADB26557EDD29E683E7EFAC6E12A2E1BDB865537321B0D| |DB328A179D5DDB89B12B6F540D23B3AC3B150C45B860DBD5CC268D6BB6D3D01BA66| |DF548D3BAA1DF329C7AD9AC75CBFF97CD52B9615AA590FC97D72DB376BB2AE3C32B| |35732BB3A23B8D7231AFD71B86B337406AA6E9FB46A31FA5A9CF55C4220D72AA886| |7C1EF9AE0C7F509BF5788942A3C9D5EE90B6A6038000E7781130921F943E36985AB| |2A570909CA5D05836B6098E71AE6B9DE528E175ABCDE023474E4C1CE6B6064037C4| |7B13EC4AABE8F1E395FC727B0F3008C7C067349687AAFA10BCDF5F86F629ED40D70| |E63A38775E9139736798E7C09F94AB71AE56F6C8D880C9DC01072ACC2A38B20BA6A| |8681772455710B610D9BA79ADDD51D43E1661F682939A22F7FC1715EEE1DA3D7DD8| |ABDE08330A8EF4336360720054A84E886B875C7A84972C7D6CE98B61752AD9A2AC2| |6CA6AFA594D3FAB99603553141BE3FC989CF135E91B64CB2047FD21DB903C01AE32| |7496CFC612F89B7C09C42B8967D88F85E7E007F28D42896F94CFE3189FC7B11C931| |526B956720EFDFD4BB9E35C739C6B4E72CD7FE49BE23D9CDA46FCF112B3CC34C1D4| |0EB302C6FDB82BCDDC69EE7D9A7B9FE6DEA7B9F733DCFB79EEFD032A3F8B5CCFEC2| |BE89E7FC97C013EA4980CC7641EA1E6C263E613709F62B21C933D8935E54E314FF3| |3D525BF7953ECDCEA4D5D6ED7667DABCD9364BAECD72A2CDB2D866596FB314D4D6E| |D178AB41C04C8C2EF19651E6B9A647E3DF4799435F4545D05E32BE097C3189EF1DB| |D1AC7BD86DF53E77611FD47AE98D021DEE121DFA1C8F0B01A9558EF523E3FF7D7AE| |C05| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Now, just for giggles... Let's see what happens if you build your Brute for pure damage, and ignore trying to build for survival: (This is just a quick build I just whipped up. Someone could probably do better with more time and effort)
That's still reasonable survival numbers (considering I didn't even *try* to softcap), and a 50% Damage bonus before Fury (with the one enemy for AAO), putting Seismic Smash at 368 damage. Full Fury and AAO saturation puts it at 299.5% damage bonus, which gets Seismic Smash to 739 damage. Show me a Tanker that can do that. And I didn't even use purples or PvP IO's.Code:| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1428;634;1268;HEX;| |78DA7594D96F125114C6EFC050CAD6D285D2055A8AD62E2096B8BE99685B5353929| |A465F09815B9884B40834D1C7AA559F5DFA6C7C35D17F428DFBF67FB8BCBBE0E97C| |5FB161E284C96FEE77EF77CE3DE7CE90BBB6107C7A61FBAC3202E7AB8546237FAEB| |ED5D49E5CA16C15DD4A2EAFDC515BCCE77455EBCC5A737383CF31E80B7A5D6F3464| |A662E96A697FA842AB9B9BD5CC9255AE34AD8D72D01EADE8424D067E7BB056D3BAD| |4BBAF9774BD51B16AFD8B35AB98592CD49B957CAED068EAFAF561D9C294DCC386E2| |D532D5BA206B2A57190C56C0210B4C14C13741A1ED6B79548F616BA61FEC0980432| |13091018FCC812306AD92CFF84FBE5847BEB792CF8D7C2E7784F906992F0C8E0A3C| |8CEB61DC6EC60D77C49D64DC7712D7CB3ABC5710A7FB3218BE044EAE916978A6C9F| |7E2F5219FCB9782E6EF604CAC01EE2970CB853E6C9337C0E99B607A0734E4DD08C1| |A3422DB9D407C9D46B18B6D23B89C8E332ECC32A4F1FABED67B5FDAC7690D50E96E| |8D1E047893780AAD500BBE996AC116A91A83CC4A5C3A245D9F528D70D770BA78526| |38246B46B866846B46B966D4077E927C638C3DC63549F1C55965DCAE32211313AC6| |8A2869D1EBE4AD6C906CFA009CE6E819F254392DEE44FF4F1D02FF237F9079C6D91| |CA6DF34B10DFC1DE4EA678B60F646A86E736F31A3B9E7B4EBE205F81E997E043F1A| |4B887D48EB23B98BE0D1EBD43DE251F214FF631B82BDE0CBD9993D8D7B153E469F2| |0C987D46EF139EB674729EDD9DE7DB1133DBDFB4FCF6BA3BE750E61D4AD6A11C772| |8271CCA92D9FE2F68AD386657CDF6D7AE0C5BF185957243697DF5CBAC7170F6FB3F| |C5655CC4FBD3B50C8E2F82DF1CAE1F075DF770BE5DF7C1F15DF02FA2F6E06D| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
If it wasn't 4AM, I'd give some visual examples. Maybe tomorrow. For now, I'll leave it at this. Your arguement that Tankers are surpassed by Brutes and Scrappers is invalid. Brutes will never be able to get the same high end survival numbers that Tankers can get. Tankers will never be able to do the obscene amounts of damage Brutes are capable of. They just aren't the same. -
If they were to do *anything* to change Tankers (and Tankers alone), my only requests would be...
Raise the target cap on Taunt. Like, 20 targets or so. 5 is almost not worth using, except in emergency situations (like needing to pull an ambush off the Blaster on a Master run or something. Which it still fails at, because ambushes almost always spawn more than 5 targets).
Remove the aggro cap for Tankers. If the tanker wants to aggro the next three rooms at once, why shouldn't they be able to? That *is* their single purpose for being on the team. 90% of the Tankers in the game can handle way more aggro from 90% of the enemy groups in the game than they are allowed to take due to the aggro cap. Removing the aggro cap would also give the side benefit of making the AT more entertaining to play, as the driver would need to pay attention and not aggro more than they can handle, instead of it being as it is now, and just running around punching things while the team blows it all up. Rinse, repeat.
Personally, I also believe this would have the side benefit of seeing a resurgence of some of the more "neglected" powersets in the game. In particular, Empathy and Pain Domination. As the tank gets more aggro, they have more need of superior buffs (and possibly healing) that other AT's might not benefit from as much as a Tanker swimming in 80 <insert preferred enemy group here>. Less-used powers like Share Pain would start being useful again, rather than being the "LOL, You took THAT power?! LOL!!ONE" laughingstock it is now. (To that end, I think people are silly not to take it as things are now, but that's irrelevant.)
Other "buffs" that I wouldn't mind seeing, but also don't consider terribly important:
Raise the HP cap for Tankers. I have a Stone Armor tank that can self-cap HP using only TFC/Freem Phalanx (still missing Portal Jockey) and 3-slotted Earth's Embrace, plus a couple IO bonuses. OK, alot of bonuses. But it still wasn't a primary (or even tertiary) goal with the build. MaxHP was more like 5th place. Ally +MaxHP buffs like Frostwork are almost never taken, because the AT's that could benefit the most from them (namely, Tankers, Blasters on sub-par or Tanker/Brute-less teams, and Stalkers {though if I recall, Stalkers are getting an increase on their cap?}) can't benefit due to the HP cap. And just to clarify things, reducing the effectiveness of buffs to make it harder to hit the existing cap REALLY is NOT the right way to go about making changes.
Raise the existing taunt magnitude for all Tanker powers. Scrappers having a taunt aura with the same effectiveness as a Tanker is kind of silly, when you think about it.
I had another idea, but I spent so long typing all of that, I forgot about it.
Also, I only read the first and 25th pages, I skipped the other 23. So, sorry if this has all been beaten to death in this topic already.
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Quote:You forgot to allow for debuffs. With a Sonic (I forget if it was Blast or Resonance) and a Kin along, I've gotten crits out of Eagles Claw (Yeah, you know... That terrible All-Smashing-Damage Scrapper set) on Reichsman for well over 3,200.Originally Posted by Katie V
Best attacks under current game mechanics:
1 - Fulcrum-Shifted Critical Crushing Uppercut as a combo finisher: 2,230 damage.
Edited to add.... Just for the sake of argument, let's say the proposed Hybrid AT idea went through. From what I understand, the proposal calls for one "support" powerset, and two "non-support" (for lack of a better way to describe it to encompass all AT's). "Support" referring to the armor toggle side for Scrapper/Stalker/Tanker/Brute, buff side for Corruptor/Defender, Assault/Manipulation side for Blaster, and buff side for MM/Controller. I don't recall seeing Dominators mentioned, so we'll just assume they get to pick two Assault sets. Now, let's also assume that the proposed "Max Value" limiter (whatever that is. I have absolutely no clue what the OP was trying to say) is, in effect, limiting how much damage each power does, based on all powers taken. Or something. I'm not really sure. That's all well and good. Let's take Stalkers as our example:
Without doing detailed math, we'll just say that you can use Placate every 30s, and Smoke Flash (From Ninjitsu) every 60s. Build for recharge, and you could probably get significantly less.
This means that roughly once every minute, you can use at least three of any of the following: (Numbers are enhanced damage {using an appropriate set, Obliteration or Crushing Impact} when used out of hide, with build up active. Not allowing for inspirations, buffs, or Alpha slot)
Sweeping Strike - Cone - 441 damage
One Thousand Cuts - Cone - 593 damage
Ripper - Cone - 566 damage
Throw Spines - Cone - 354 damage
Spine Burst - PBAoE - 262 damage
Energy Transfer - Single Target Melee - 713 damage
Total Focus - Single Target Melee - 729 damage
Midnight Grasp - Single Target Melee - 907 damage
I imagine getting consecutive crits coming out of Hide from Sweeping Strike, One Thousand Cuts and Ripper in the span of a few seconds would qualify as "broken". Or, Energy Transfer, Total Focus and Midnight Grasp if you're the AV-soloing type. Add in a teammate with Fulcrum Shift+SB, and some -Res, and you basically have a three-man team that could conceivably run leagues on their own.