Shallow

Sad, but seemingly true. However, it isn't unlikely that villains and heroes are someday meant to team more proficiently. While it is less likely that an improvement to the arena will be made in regards to the simplistic add-on of larger than 8v8 non-supergroup matches, the possibility of either side 'reforming' or 'turning' could mean the powersets outlined are available to either/both sides, thus solving the problem and adding more content for whoever sought it.

The concepts behind the optomized 12v12 team are also meant to improve readers' analytical skills around identifying the stronger, weaker and balanced points of such a team - whether it'd be faced anytime soon or not.

*Fun fact: Hero and Villain supergroups can Coalition.

I somehow forgot to include a bit about...

[u]-Perception Possiblities[u]

So we've all fought stalkers before, and some of us AS stalkers. Well -perception can really add up for one, and on the hero side of things it's what makes CM especially powerful in Siren's, and what gives heroes another edge over villains, who only have tactics and clarity for ally buffs to +perception.

Now CMs may seem to be the end all be all to -perception, BUT there have been many times while blasting or just chasing after a target that a Can't See Enemy/Enemy Too Hard To See or something along those lines message comes up, even though you can somewhat visibly see them and are chasing after them. That's usually due to the right applications of invis, and not -perception through Smoke, Entangling Arrow, Smoke Grenade etc., but still very annoying, and it's likely what has saved many emps' lives, especially ill/emps.

-Perception is supposed to break when you attack the target you -perceptioned, but oftentimes this isn't so, as I've had Smoke on me and been attacked and still had -perception going on. It seems like a lot of our emps have issues stacking CMs, sometimes next to none, sometimes 7+ on a person who doesn't need it but others do. However, 3 CMs pretty much guarantees you can see all but the sneakiest people.

I think it would be interesting to see how stacked -perception through Flash Arrow (TA), Smoke (Fire Control), Smoke Grenade (Devices) and probably a few other powers would do, in unison with liberal use of Stealth/Grant Invis/Superior Invis. Defender Flash Arrow is unresistable at least.

This might not have much promise at all, but it would not be difficult to integrate stacked -perception onto a team that already had a mix of: fire conts, TAs and /dev blasters, as well as lots of illusionists or people with Grant Invis.

Ever go after a Stalker or anyone just to see them vanish because of Hide or too much Invis? What if it was like that for opponents 1/4 to half the match?

The No-Emp Attempt:

1 Thug/Poison/? MM
1 Merc/Poison/? MM
1 Sonic/Sonic/Psychic Def
1 Kin/Sonic/Power Def
1 Ice/Kin/? Cor
1 Sonic/Thermal/Mako Cor or 1 Rad/Psy/Power Def
1 Fire/EM/Cold Blaster
1 Ice/Cold/? Cor

So, you think it's unwise, do you? Think it's a bad move, huh? Well, let's give it a go and take the idea into consideration. Since Day 1 of the arena, up until a few months of I4, emps were looked at as a waste of space, unnecessary, unneeded and unwanted.

Aside from the latter, the same is still true today, despite how advanced PvP is. An emp is a huge boon for a team (well, a good one is), but in many ways, they act as a handicap. If your emp is poor at evading – you’re may be deprived of heals and buffs, and getting KOs tacked against your team all the while. If your emp(s) get(s) caged, then what you’ve grown accustomed to all this time has your survivability taking a huge dive.

Having someone purely dedicated to buffing/healing can also be a take away, and Corrupters on the whole are a prime example of this, as they make the best of things, able to buff, debuff AND deal good dmg at once, as well as possibly being able to heal. The emp is just buffing and healing (though you could say that improves overall team performance, corrupter debuffs can do far more sometimes).

This team seems a bit wonky, but the eyecatcher is dual Poison MMs.

[u]Note:[u] Enevenom = Bases of -30% resistance, -22.5% defense, -regen, RESPONDS LESS TO HEALING. And, it lasts [u]30 seconds[u], animating in 1.3ish secs too.
Weaken = Bases of -22.5% dmg of all sorts, -11.25% tohit, -secondary effects, which is a big reason people fall in love with Benumb, which has the same -special component. Activates in about 2 secs, and lasts half a minute once again.

Now, with 2 Poison MMs, with SBs, you can effectively stack huge debuffs for 30 secs across 4 people. Now, if you hit the enemy's emp with 2 of each, and then hit the target they're trying to heal with 2 of each (or just Envenom), you'll see a HUGE drop in healing, what might've been a 400+pt heal will definately go down to 200, or more likely 100something heal. This makes killing things way easier. This is also excluding Benumb, which when used will further cripple an empath’s healing.

Survivability might look doubtable, but this team can pull off gather survival tactics just fine, and Frostwork+Cold shields+Thermal shields+IDs+Thermal heals+Antidotes+Sonic shields+Alkaloid heals = probably good survivability too, especially since the MMs might as well be indestructable with Bodyguard. All the different builds make figuring out who to take out a good question, though the Sonic looks like best bet, Frostwork alone will save so many here, that they can do with just an Alkaloid patch up.

You are also able to cage an enemy, have a TK ready, and you think 2 Poison -specials are nice? Imagine stacking Weaken X2, Benumb AND Heat Exhaustion. Suddenly, that target is not only having super crappy buffs or debuffs or WHATEVER, but their dmg has been debuffed... watch this now... to [u]-150% damage[u] for 30 secs. Oh, and those nice SBs mean you can do this to *more than one target*.

The -res really adds up with Poison in the mix too, and Noxious Gas as a debuff is stellar, if their henches can melee with someone. Tp Foe also looks viable here, just to port someone into the MM mass. Mercs pay off with Spec Ops' -jump, Thugs have lots of great benefits you can all guess at; Gang War being a huge target confounder as one of them.

[u]Note:[u] Antidote from Poison lasts 90 seconds, gives good status protection, *and* has a base 7.5% +res to cold dmg. Thaw from Thermal also has this same resistance. It doesn't stack from the same caster, but 3 slots amp each individual buff to about 15% +res to Cold, now with three of those on you; you have (15+15+15) 45% resistance to cold - all aside from Cold shields, Thermal shields AND Sonic shields.

Lots of status protection here too. Fire/EM makes killing easier, plenty of Scourging people on this team as well. Having a rad could make getting kills a lot easier, and grouping up to AoE heal as a rad is still easy as pie, you just lose HE, essentially longer lasting debuffs, some +res (which, with Cold and Sonic shields, you don't *really* need) and autohit ranged heal.

You have mega -resistance here too, more than the -222.5% of Blasters of Nevermore, since Envenom X 2 adds up to 45% -res, while EF is just 40% -res.

Definately something interesting to try out, and the Poison MMs really spice things up.


Terror of the Indoor:

1 Necro/Poison/? MM
1 Merc/FF/? MM
1 Ice/Elec/Cold Blast
1 Mind/Emp/? Cont or 1 Ill/Emp/Primal Cont
1 Fire/Kin/? Cor
1 Earth/Storm/? Def or 1 Ice/Cold/? Cor (Both Optional)

This team is, as the name hints at, desgined for an indoor map. Now, you might say that not bringing an Ice cont with AA, a melee AT, or a Fire cont with Imps and Hot Feet is a mistake, among other things, but looking at the above, it looks pretty dandy as is, and you can include the Storm or Cold for 6 people, or stick to 5.

The MMs bring their obvious advantages, Mercs = no need for devices or traps (as tempting as they are). FF indoors hurts, +def will likely add up more on a smaller team, especially with more –tohit; and you get Detention Field. Necro fits indoors since there's nice melee there, and Noxious Gas paired with them works better than with Mercs. Poison's many benefits are covered in the No-Emp Attempt.

Elec for a blaster really works in this smaller team, and indoors Boost Range may not get as much mileage, so Ice fits for the blast there anyway, and you have an emp and mezzes available, though not incredibly needed, so ditching EM stuns, CP and Power Boost not a huge loss, for more Elec dmg, and a notable factor often forgotten – the sleeps encoded in some of the melee abilities too. A stun may not bust through an ID, but a sleep will.

Mind/Emp provides mezzes if fittable, and a single TK can do more than a PA, Spec Terror and Phant combined. But then again, SI and those same summons can make Illusion look better to some. You want a kin, so there's one, and Fire makes for fine blasting and more AoE power.

You could then add the Earth/Storm cont to flesh things out, or go with more dmg as Ice/Cold. Storm/Psy/Power was also considerable, but I think MM dmg is underrated, especially indoors. Frostwork would allow the team a lot more ease with things though, Sleet rocks, Snowstorm pays off indoors, and you can gather nicely with Arctic Fog too. Additionally, Heat Loss may work out better in an enclosed space.

This team looks pretty strong indoors, a small team like this is very much up for debate, and I can think of many counters to it, with just a cage+TK eliminating a lot of aspects, but if you took this into the office map, you'd have a massively hampered opposition, while maintaining impeccable dmg, removing individuals as you please (via Detention Field and/or TK – or stacked Poison+Cold debuffs), and having good support. This team also makes targeting your players a real pain.

Lots you could add or change, small teams almost want to make me throw in a Dom or way more conts, just because mezzes can add up a lot in a smaller grouping, but this does great with mezzes in Mercs' Spec Ops, Necro Lich, Poison's Paralytic Poison, and of course in /Elec and Mind or Illusion (and Earth if you add it).


Fame and Fortune:

1 Mind/Kin/Primal Cont
1 Ice/Rad/Mako Cor

Self-explanatory. And a long time ago I had planned a duo with these names. Anyway, you could say that fighting another pair that has cage+TK, this team would be in trouble, but having a TK of their own and ID changes things up. Has great dmg, debuffs, good buffs, and the Ice cor having SB means they can cycle a ton of attacks, and Scourge that much more easily.

Rad provides the obvious, obvious benefits, and the Mind cont can also confuse enemy villain (or hero) pets. Terrify, TK and Rad Debuffs isn't so much AoE, but this is really for fighting another duo. Mako PPP means any ice blasts are hitting for less, and Black Scorp seems fine enough, but -jump not so needed, especially with multiple slow sources here (SS, LR, Ice blasts), and +def not being so great in the small sense of things.

The old ill/emp + ice/em blaster combo might work out fine against this teaming, however, the blaster could be TKed away just fine, while the emp is slowed to the floor and taking big damage. Debateable again, but a skilled enough duo could pull this off exceptionally well, and also not be viewed as such a(n) ‘FoTM’.

Optomized Team of 12:

2 Emp Defenders
2 Rad/Psy/Power Defs
2 Fire/EM/Cold Blasters
2 Ice/Cold/? Cors
1 Ice/Kin/? Cor
1 Mind/Kin/Primal Cont
1 Sonic/Sonic/Psychic Def
1 Sonic/Thermal/Mako Cor

So, you've got the basics for the prime hero team, in 2 emp/blast/kin, with a sonic and rad. Toss in another rad for larger numbers, and then look to the exceptional powersets that are Cold and Thermal. With a Thermal you improve the survivability of the group a good bit, and in a 12v12 Heat Exhaustion on the right target can pay off a lot. It also means teams can be completely balanced, with the sonic on one team, thermal on the other.

The big big, really big thing here though is the Colds. Above, Frostwork is emphasized as being a wonder of +HP, dull pain goodness. With 2 Colds and the SBs and AMs, you're looking at Frostwork for possibly each team of 6. That means your group has an extremely high survivability. Combine that with Cold shields, Arctic Fog, Thermal shields, Sonic shields, IDs, Therm, Rad and Emp heals, Emp/Cold +def, and then all the nice debuffs here, and you have even better odds.

Damage wise you have more than enough to do what you want, and Cold adds up again, with 2 Benumbs paying off, Infrigidate being nasty, and Sleet and Heat Loss being useful if enemies group up. Fire/EMs, Rad/Psys, Sonic/Sonic and Mind/Kin for obvious reasons, and you get nice AoE in there, more debuffs, 2 TKs and a cage. Then having an ice/kin cor on your side provides another Scourger, and free dmg. The Ice/Colds should have np attacking too, and gathering with this team is made easier with dual Arctic Fogs, 5 AoE autohit heals, and Sonic Dispersion.

This would be a very tough team to take out, there could be some worry in having your sonic targetted more often than not, or same with Thermal, or blasters being caged/taunted, but you can also stack Frostworks (though a single one, slotted, should cap virtually everyone anyway) and should blasters be caged/delayed, you have 3 Ice Corrupters, 2 Rad/Psys, a /Sonic defender and not to mention a Sonic cor that may be blasting away too.

Big -res as mentioned elsewhere, you're looking at more -150% dmg potential if things get stacked at once, lots of -recovery and slows for enemies, and everything is just great all round.

[u]Note:[u] All of the /? Epics provide option for team to choose best possible option, elec +res might be important in one instance, a snipe invaluable in another, or maybe more -jump would be very good to have.

All of the villains that go with nice PPPs and take the pets are also getting things that can add enrmously indoors, some can heal, some do -jump, some have psy dmg, some have mezzes, a lot can't be mezzed, plenty knocked back. Some have +perception, some are pretty much useless.

They can be very helpful, whether just to make an enemy Tab through something more, to keep someone's PA herd busy, or to add useful effects/dmg to the team.

[u]Abstract FoTM Potential Power Usages:[u]


[u]Team Teleport[u] - sounds stupid, but with ranges the distance IS comparable to normal Teleport, last I checked range does NOT increase the distance you can be from a teammate for them to be tped, but in I8 this could have changed, become more viable, or something else. If one person just kept porting around and their teammates had the tp promot enabled and they dragged the box in an easy to hit spot, if that teammate was being fired at, they could just hit Accept and be ported off to a random location.

The accept box stays up for at least 3 secs too. 2 people hitting Group Teleport at random could mean a [u]lot[u] of difficulty staying on one target or [u]FINDING[u] a target. Also, imagine how EASY EASY EASY it would be to 'gather' using this, or how incredibly successful you could be at staying inside a Hurricane or Force Bubble with this. Notable lag downsides, miscommunication and being ported somewhere even worse though. Still lots of things to do with it.



[u]Greater Stimulant usage[u]. Stimulant lasts [u]45[u] seconds and protects against the SAME things that CM/Clarity do. Yes, that [u]includes Fear and [u]Confuse. The power description is as follows: Frees an ally from any Immobilization, Sleep, Disorient, Hold, Fear or Confuse effects and leaves them resistant to such effects for a brief time. Protection will improve with Multiple applications and as you advance in level.

The only thing is no +perception. But still, it doesn't take long to apply, lasts just 15 secs less than a Clear Mind, and if worked right you could save emps a lot of hassle or negate break free needing. Not a biggie at all but something to consider. If a team were able to coordinate things well enough, use Tactics (or other +perception abilities) and likely use Interrupts in this power; they could seriously negate the need for much Status protection. I.e. If you’ve got a bunch of heals and have an emp; if most everyone has stimulant and uses it on others, you may not NEED another emp/status protection giver.


[u]Confuse[u]. More reason for mind conts AND/or illusionists, but this also could have changed in I8, and any way you slice it, Confuse can make you buff enemies, harm teammates, have to re-tab, have your own debuffs affect YOU and it does not suppress. So they could stack 8 confuses on a target, it'd last more than 30 seconds (Confuse for mind conts has a 20 sec base IIRC, PvP likely around 15 secs or even lower, but factor in duration enhancers, Power Boost and or Vanguard), a BF wouldn't cure it, and CM stacking does take time, which again plays into Skill kills benefits.


[u]Fallout + Mutation[u], or just one of the two. Fallout IS a massive debuff, the radius of it is sooooo lame though, and people only stay by an enemy's dead body so long AND it can take time to GET to your teammate's body. Still we've seen how great Vengeance is... Fallout might as well be a [u]REVERSE VENGEANCE[u] with -res, nuke damage and more tacked on. If the radius were increased in I9 or something it'd be very usable. Mutation is a very powerful buff. Imagine Vengeance + Fallout + Mutation, all of them activate decently fast too, and Power Boosted magic anyone?

[u]*Facts:[u] The Mutation buff lasts 90 secs, is 50[u]% +dmg, 100% +recharge[u] (3 SOs free!) and around +40% tohit. So Mutation is really better than Fortitude OR Vengeance aside from no +def, having +rech and +recovery mixed in. Fallout has nuke lvl dmg as described, a small radius of 30feet, and debuffs are: -30% tohit, -30% defense, -30% dmg, -50% resistance all for 30 seconds.

In terms of using this combo, if someone on your team has a nuke (i.e. Dreadful Wail, Inferno, Thunderous Blast etc.), they can use it, and inform the team beforehand. Whether they do dmg or not doesn’t matter, the intent is for them to *die*.

*Further usage from there can vary on what powers the team has at their disposal, but through usage would come from incorporating Team Teleport (benefits noted above), Fallout, Vengeance and Mutation.

Once the death has occurred, a rad def gets over immediately, PBU+Fallout, team TPs back to team/as a team, hit Vengeance, hit Mutation. You have a big buffed team, massively debuffed enemy group, and one individual in your group has supersized buffs due to Mutation.

Fallout can be activated from [u]range[u], the Rad doesn't need to be right next to the dead body for it to go off. The Rad could also just TP there with Fallout qued, Team TP back to the group with Veng qued, hit Mutation, possibly Team TP back to the other side where the opposing team is.

Or the rad could just hit Team TP, 7 people move to the dead body, PBU+Fallout+Veng+Mutation and your teammates are doing things all the while. If it's the office and you have your debuffed (and dmged or dead) enemies and buffed selves, a Hurricane, FB or another nuke right in their faces could easily finish them off, or just being that tight as a group means you can try Hami-style heal spam and/or apply any AoE buffs not applied as the match started.

A whole group team tping at once if they have enough AoE effects could also make it a lot more survivable/deadly to opposition. For this initial debuff/buff bit the only person who needs to be on que is really the rad.

Although the timing for this is ‘restricted’ to 10 seconds at most, it can still be pulled off effectively if you have a brain. Besides – it’s not unlikely that someone else on your team may die in the match unexpectedly anyway, in which case these powers can come into play again.
[u] [u]
[u] [u]
[u]EM Pulse[u]. EM Pulse is a power available to level 38 Radiation Emission secondary Controllers, as well as to level 32 Radiation Emission primary Defenders. For those who are not aware, EMP acts as a 60 foot range giant green AoE pulse that does hefty -regeneration, -endurance (a chunk is taken away) and acts as a Mag 3 hold. It also takes about 20 end to activate, and leaves the caster with -recovery.

Doesn’t sound amazing, doesn’t sound bad. The animation is really nice:P in terms of looks, but aside from that, the beauty to be seen here is the fact that it is in the Rad line, which you may take into a team set-up anyway (and see below for more Rad power usage in Fallout and Mutation). In addition to that, there is massive STACKING POTENTIAL with this power. You can also throw PBU into the equation since it can add so much. Also consider a slotted up base -20 end drain being used multiple times with such a large radius. If you had just two rad defenders use PBU+slotted EMP (i.e. 2 acc, 3 end mod, 1 recharge), any enemy in 60 feet (up, down, to the left, to the right - wherever) is likely to be hit and lose the majority of their endurance (20 base drained, with 20 more from enhancements, then PBUed - done twice), as well as get a snazzy -regen placed on them, AND have a very very very long-lasting hold effect placed on.

*Fact: EMP’s hold lasts 15 seconds base for a Defender.

Coordinating this may not only drain enemies, but makes them easier to take down due to -regen and may actually mez them, since two mag 3 holds that may outlast a BF when PBUed and/or slotted.Â

Following up with a nuke is the logical step because you're in -recovery anyway, have lost a noticeable bit of end from hitting EMP,so might as well be drained fully. If you can coordinate this action between 3 or more Rad Defenders, you’re looking at mammoth -endurance (i.e. enemies are drained), big -regeneration (where did my Regen Aura go?!) and plenty of zzz targets.

The downside of this is that it is yet another power to pick up, you will be drained of endurance, and enemies may have +res to endurance drains. Still, this power, when coordinated (or just normally) has plenty of potential.
[u] [u]

[u]The Presence Pool on ‘Squishies’[u]. To be quick on this one, why not outfit your handy rads, sonics, blasters or even emps with taunt? Realistically, the Presence Pool offers tremendous opportunities in terms of ripping incoming damage away from one target, and saving your team many kills.

The powers to take here for taunting would be Provoke and Challenge. If one wanted, they could also take Intimidate or Invoke Panic as fear powers, which few PvPers have resistance to without one of a few powers or a BF active.

Hitting taunt randomly could in fact mess a person up easily - however, using it [u]EFFECTIVELY[u] would mean diverging damage from its target, and likely doing more good than bad for your team. If the taunter has a self heal, such as with a Rad or Empath - they can likely survive the incoming volley with ease (assuming they haven’t taunted 4+ people, which is unlikely) and/or run and heal if needs be.


[u]Conclusion:[u]

I hope that these ideas are of some use to the community, and I do thank Mikey (PvPness Envy) and Manstrid (you know who) for inspiring the last two ideas (Taunting+EMP respectively) here. While you may not agree with them, consider that everything covered does have merit, be it in unique circumstances or ANY place in PvP. I think it’d be great to see some high-end teams take on these ideas, and take a step away from the norm and see how things go.

Though this game has, in fact been out for years now, and PvP released a good time ago in I4 – the powers, powersets, archetypes and game modifiers have undergone successive changes that have made using some things easier or more difficult. Plenty of things are tried and true (/EM anyone?), however the concepts shown above indicate the sheer potency of powers and powersets if you wrap your head(s) around them. There are even more abstract FoTM potentials out there, so keep your eyes peeled :smiles:

Kisses and Hugs.

[u]Dark/Psy/Power Defender[u] - Sounds awfully funny, BUT, for all you cage lovers/haters out there, or anyone that ever thought a Sonic's only role was to Cage a target, don't forget... dark has a cage too. Black Hole anyone? It may not have a fancy +tohit, but an AoE cage has interesting options if desired, and a cage is a cage.

Defender irresistible debuffs are actually pretty rare, but dark has a good share of them. Darkest Night is [u]unresistable -50% Damage[u]. Now that's nothing to sneeze at, even looking at how it really does add up. Then you have -dmg attached to Twilight Grasp, as well as -regen, and oh... -tohit. Now, the -tohit may not mean too much, but remember, Power Build Up works wonders. Twilight Grasp as a heal sort of sucks, but a heal is still a heal!

Fun Fluffy friend. In the office map or Lab, this shadowy friend will add up, another heal, a nice aura, some more mez.

Tar Patch. Anyone want big defender style -res? And -jump? Okay, a patch IS easy to get out of, BUT, look at Freezing Rain for storm.

Fearsome Stare and Howling Twilight. Very nice mez, Howling Twilight also does -rech/slow, and we all know how messed Fear can be at times; plus both being AoEs gives utility, for rushing, making multiple people cower, or beating down a gathered group. Petrifying Gaze doesn't hurt either, aaaaand if for some freaky freaky reason you chose to go with Psy Mastery, you'd have even MORE mez, as Dark/Psy you'd have: [u]a Fear, an Immob, 2 Holds (3 if you cound fluffy's), a Disorient, 2 Sleeps and Repel... not to mention Intangibility and Knockback[u].

Here's the kicker though - Shadow Fall. Stealth is nice... as is a [u]BASE[u] +res to Psionic, Negative Energy and Energy dmg of 25%... enhanceable to [u]39% +res[u]. That's as an AoE.

Rad/Psy got you down? Resist a huge chunk of their dmg, and debuff it majorly with DN and TG, or PB and have them miss you, throw down a Tar Patch and hide somewhere... or Black hole them.

You also have sturdy /psy to back you up, so you have good range, lots of mez, good dmg and if you want to joust with TG as a heal, you can do it backwards/opposite to enemy and probably be in range enough to blast them to bits.

Sounds unlikely, dark animations not always friendly, and many many pros to other sets over this (rad on the whole is better in lots of ways as usual), but still untapped potential lies here. Another secondary to have Black Hole hit and allow TK might be handier, but /Psy meshes very well. To me, this looks like a way more streamlined dark/cold corrupter that is a jack of all trades.

To argue this against someone - Dark has potential, it does die down a lot on a team, BUT 3 stacked Shadow Falls means psy blasts do jack, energy dmg does jack and dark/cold doesn't look very nice no more. The real thing here though is Darkest Night. 2 of them is [u]-100% damage[u]. I cannot stress THAT potential enough; [u]-100% damage, -100% damage, -100% damage, -100% damage, -100% damage, -100% damage[u]. Sure, people can blow through it sometimes, but then there's tohit debuff as well, which can be PBUed to be mega mega mega debuff of over 150% -tohit.

Ok, that can be overcome too, but only so long. Alright, you can run from it, but Rad is 'easy enough' to run from, and look at IT. Bring in 4 or more darks and look at the potential. Do not discout Tar Patch too. Each Dark could get 2-3 of them out AT ONCE, stacking you'd get [u]90% or more -res[u]. AND, it's -jump. Then there's all the gravy mentioned in the other thread. Doesn't strike me as amazing for a team anyway, but if used properly and coordinated, multiple, or just single Dark/Psys could be devestating.


[u]A Scrapper with Weapons Mastery[u]; Perhaps not a build in and of itself, but defining enough to be noted. They hurl Web Grenades AND taunt (and deal dmg)! This could be a place for Claws to shine with stacked Follow Up and then kiting a lot on grounded targets. Or maybe not, but if you're a dmg dealer and being 'perma-taunted', having someone -jumping you on top of that would be REALLY [u]REALLY[u] annoying.

A scrapper with Weapons Mastery undoubtedly has better survivability than an ice/dev or any /dev blaster - not to mention a Trick Arrow user. Having Caltrops to use indoors can also pay off, and while Focussed Accuracy is lost; a team that puts a Fort on this person will see much improvement both in output dmg, and annoyed enemies that are glued to the floor.

Scrappers may not shine so much compared to other builds, but even in a Pentad, having another source of reliable -jump can add up bigtime, and the long-lost spiners or broadsword wielders of old are not to be forgotten for the big Crits they could attain in PvP. Recall that these crits are [u]unresistable[u] and can be a way of sneaking in a kill with ease. Weapons Mastery has long been underestimated, so consider it and a Scrapper comeback in your mindset of builds with future FoTM potential.

[u]Sing’s Guidebook to PvP:[u]


The guides that I have posted below are all explained within themselves. They are supposed to be tools to better everyone’s understanding of the many concepts that lie in the PvP system of CoX, and to improve PvP overall. They refer to the I8 time of PvP, but are written as such that they may apply to many issues to come. If this/the guides are not stickied already, I would appreciate it if they would be. Links to the actual guides are below.


[u]A bit about Sing:[u]


Long read ahead - now you know.

At the time of this writing, I have spent literal years playing this game, and feel I have a more extensive view and grasp of CoX PvP than anyone to every play it. I was there on Test when it first released. I was there at the unveiling of I4, and participated in one of the first 50 arena matches.

I saw the dismissal of emps, storms, and Defenders as a whole in the first few weeks of Test arena. I saw the revival of the aforementioned just months after, and saw the advantage that a very few groups took of Empathy.

I was there for the first Arena Night, I was there for the last we’ve had to this point. I PvPed against all the notables, and with almost all of them, with the ‘legendary’ sgs that have mostly dissipated, and with the most moronic people to set foot in the arena. I brought Ill/Storm to the Test arena, and TP Foed every PvPer at an arena night from I4-I5 as Mistify.

I vented with other Conts at the nerfs to our beloved pets, but played my grav/rad nonetheless. I used my fire/kin cont in a time when SB had no +res to slow, and no one gave a damn about the sets except to PL with.

I saw the first arena match using an ill/rad, and made my own. I was there when SB got bugged on Test, and acted as Siphon Speed, giving +recharge to the user, and messing up whoever got the ‘buff’. I played against AR blasters on Test when Flamethrower was bugged, against a squadron of Corrupters who used Vengeance before it was supposed to be made unstackable. I remember when villain patron pools came out.

I was there for Enhancement Diversification, and for the Macro overuse and eventual removal in PvP. I saw groups leave and return, as well as players. I saw gimmick teams rise and fall, and Sonic and TA appear to be dismissed, then slowly revived.

I’ve got more experience with Sonic Cage, Detention Field, Dimension Shift, Black Hole and any enemy Intangibility (a.k.a. Cage) power than anyone in this GAME, and never complained aloud.

I’ve played in virtually every type of match there is, against every conceivable group there is, except for a few villain ones. I was the 4th villain to 50 and on the team to first beat the Lord Recluse Strikeforce. I knew the first person with 16 50s, and someone with over 22. I’ve had a level 37 character deleted by a former sgmate, and played on dozens of others’ accounts.

I’ve gotten mad over a game more than once, and had plenty of fun here more than once. I’ve got 3 50 rads and 3 50 kins. Rad is my favourite powerset in the game. Everyone [u]still[u] underestimates it though. I’ve fought supergroups and had our team win by over 100 kills.

I remember a time where debt was limitless, and a time where there were no real, defined ATs. I recall the original respecs, and the challenge, and giggle at soloing them when they were changed.

I’ve disconnected and reconnected and mapservered more times than I can count.

I knew a time where Vent and Teamspeak weren’t so much must-haves, and remember doing spectacularly without them, or an emp, just having teammates that knew what to do.

I recollect points where targeting never came to mind, and when ‘GG’ came into being. I remember when spawn killing was a huge issue, and when the great debate raged about Cage.

It makes me a bit disappointed to see the lack of creativity in the community at large, and that so many groups and individuals are nothing but mimics, and that the average high-end team consists of something I proposed in I5: 2 emp, 2 kin, 2 blast, 2 rad. Except a sonic is usually tacked in now.

It makes me laugh when some people complain, when all they lack is skill - everything else is at their disposal.

I’ve reported dozens of bugs, shared many exploits, had responses clarifying that X or Y problem would definitely be addressed. I’ve showed teams how to win effortlessly, and taught groups how to lose with grace.

I’ve given plenty of advice, and torn plenty down. I’ve played a Fire/EM blaster that’s come into vogue amongst all the other groups, and remember Poison Trapping one in Warburg on my merc/traps MM and /em tapdancing for *minutes*.

Well if you read all that, bravo. It’s been a fun, fun time, and who knows what this implies, who knows what it doesn’t? Thanks to all those that offered me membership, and thanks to you for still reading, and for anyone who reads the guides I’ve put out.

A long time ago I stopped saying ‘GG’, to represent Good Game. To me, sometimes this *thing* wasn’t actually a good game, sometimes it wasn’t fun to play, and a lot of the time, opponents openly expressed that a match wasn’t ‘good’ or ‘fun’ for them.

The guides below took a long time to write-up. The majority of them have been shared with others to advance their skills in PvP, and now I’m sharing them with anyone who wants to read them. Their intent is only positive, though some may find negative connotations. Please excuse any typographical errors, and consider the length of time involved in formatting these to be a bit more appealing, too. If any numbers are off, or change later on, then woops.

Something for *you* to remember, is that no matter how much you read, how much experience you gain, or how much time you devote to something (i.e. practice) – you may never truly ‘get’ it, or you may only reach a certain point. Fun is always important, and remember that this is just a game, so take a break every once in a while.

Some people plateau early on, while others seem to never stop improving. My real hope is that with these guides, everyone will improve, and have more fun while doing so.


[u]With that in mind:[u]


Sing's Guide to Successful PvPing

Sing's Guide to Potent Mixed Teaming

Sing's Highlights on Abstract FoTM Potential

Sing & the Snipe Surprise

Sing's Guide to Peacebringing Love

Sing's Guide to Vengeance in PvP


More may be added later on.

I’ll tell you a secret now. The secret ways of Sing. The way to [u]outkill, outscore, outdo every single PvP sg[u] currently in existence, and [u]MANY[u] of the ones that have left. I’ll tell you how to beat out every other individual, and rise to #1. How to emp, how to kin, how to rad, how to blast, how to be the best on every and any character you’re on. Are you reading? Are you listening?



Good.



Then here it is.
Just play.







GG Everyone.

[u]Sing’s Guide to Potent Mixed Teaming:[u]


[u]Forward:[u]


This guide is meant to further the knowledge base of the CoX PvP community, and outlines some extremely potent mixed team options between heroes and villains. These teams are essentially only viable in the arena, however, and take into account SHW (super heavy weight - lvls 47-50) PvP there.

These teams are, in my mind, geared towards other mixed teams, and taking on as much from both sides as possible, but some may seem very strong against one usual team setup, or very weak against another.

The first several are all teams of 8, but some smaller or larger groupings included later on. Villain and hero teams have great potential, Heroes don't lack so much at all, but villains can improve things further, and throw in some scary debuffs, more dmg or just unique attributes that add up a lot.

Mixed teams are the next step in CoX PvP, and something all serious PvPers should aspire to compete in. Why bring just the power of an ice/em blaster that your team already has, when you could hop on an ice/rad with the power to scourge, mark targets more easily, debuff and reliably self-heal?

The squads below may not seem very powerful in some cases, but they all have enormous potential, and explanations as to why are provided. These teams are just a handful of the many others out there, and in the end; anything can be viable if you set your mind to it. These teams, however, are a real step forward in the evolution of high-end, successful PvP.

[u]The Teams:[u]


Optimized Team of 8:

1 Emp Defender
1 Sonic/Thermal/Mako Cor
2 Rad/Psy/Power Defs
1 Ice/Kin/? Cor or 1 Ice/Cold/? Cor
1 Fire/EM/Cold Blast
1 Kin/Sonic/? Def
1 Sonic/Sonic/Psychic Def

Well this grouping is highly debatable, but I feel like it has a lot of potential. Emp and Therm provide enough heals, and with Thermal you get two very lovely debuffs, sonic primary for anything extra, and Forge is available for 2 people guaranteed, and should be 4 with 2 SBs and AMs. The emp may be the only super +endurance giver at first glance, but again, 2 SBs and 2 AMs helps a lot. Sonic and Thermal = shields that only psy will penetrate, and if you replaced the kin cor with Cold, you make enemy blasters cry.

I really like having 2 rads here, defender rad has obvious bonuses, psy does too, and against another mixed team, you want dual psy dmg. For the corrupters, having Ice to blast with is important, since BiB's extra 10 feet pays off with no Boost Range. You can work with 1 kin, since the sonic provides 30 sec cage and TK, not to mention the team's buffs, and cold being able to Frostwork plenty of people, and Thermal+Cold debuffs on one target = nastiness. The sole kin could also get AB, or perhaps Thaw +res to slow, and a kindly Cold cor tagging them with Arctic Fog will work out.

Fire/EM is peachy, easier to use Fire on Blaster, since they'll have Boost Range, and a real AoE hitter will pay off. You also have other GREAT AoEs, just in notable Melt Armor, Sleet, Heat Loss, and Rad debuffs. Also consider, that this blaster will definately have two AMs, a(n) SB, Forge, Fortitude, Sonic and Thermal shields, and potentially a Frostwork & Cold shields, or another SB and then AB. Forge+Fort are very nice when you look at the combined, perma [u]70%[u]ish +dmg, which should be on BOTH rads, and another person - making even more suped up psy blasts too.

The /? Epics are up for grabs too, might want the kin/sonic to have TK, might rather have -jump with the cold or kin corrupter, or might prefer +res.

This team still has a lot that someone could say is changable, such as having 2 rad defs, when you could bring in a ton of other options, or even having a thermal over an emp, or even bothering with a kin corrupter, when defender has advantages. Still, it's spelled out clearly how strong this team is, and remember that Corrupter dmg is nothing to laugh at, Scourge will have a giant impact on spike dmg, and it makes going with 1 blaster a lot easier.

[u]Note[u] - Defender Fort = +31.25% dmg, Forge = +40% dmg, Forge has more +tohit, but Defenders can PBU (Power Build-Up, Defender Power Mastery lvl 47 Epic power) theirs, and get big +def too. But still, consider thermal shields and debuffs.


Domination Destruction:

2 Emp Defs
1 Mind/Ice/Scirroco Dom
1 Fire/Fire/Mako Dom
1 Rad/Psy/Power Def
1 Mind/Sonic/? Cont or 1 Sonic/Sonic/Psy Def
1 Kin/Sonic/? Def
1 Ice/Cold/? Cor

So, with the whole stacking mez concept in mind, looking at Dominators, who, with Domination, can burn someone out of BFs lickety split, why not give them a go? With an SB, 2 ABs and an AM on their backs, it seems like Domination would be up an awful lot. Having 2 TKs, a 30 sec cage, amazing Frostwork, and 2 emps+sonic buffs also ups survivability.

This team is really oriented around the Doms. They rack up Domination points, until they can start mez spiking (i.e. overwhelming mez resistance in a short period of time) someone. The Mind cont could help in that regard, but Sonic def might bring better things. Once something is held, it won't be a matter of dealing very much dmg by the Doms, since they've got 2 /psy defs and possibly 2 /sonic defs right there, and rad debuffs. Or, with 3 doms, the dmg should be enough.

The fire/fire dom works out nicely, it might seem like having another Mind/Ice or an Ice/Psy or almost anything could be better, but in a smaller map, the imps will add up big time; plus, Fiery Embrace+Domination+any of this person's attacks = big big dmg. They also have access to Smoke, and Blazing Bolt for ranged kills is nice. Could be replaced fine enough by another Dom build though.

Having 3 doms over 2 is a big question, the rad/psy adds a lot, and psy dmg is very big in mixed teams, and while /psy dom is ok for it, a rad def does seem to bring plenty more. With 3 Doms though, you do see a greater likelihood that one will survive. Then again, another kin means better chances for double dom, and potentially more dmg if /psy or even /sonic.

The big reason for considering /Cold though, is Frostwork on a Dom is a big big improvement, not to mention that [u]Benumb will damn any mez protection[u]. There's also more dmg here, and Scourge should fit right in on a badly dmged enemy being thrashed on by Doms with Domination and buffs.

I'm still kind of wary of this one myself. I like the idea of 2+ doms though, and 2 emps and a kin, and cold does seem like good support. This one could be a total wash, but I like the safety net the Doms are provided with, and Domination = double magnitude, double duration, +dmg, super mez protection; and then at least 1 dom has Power Boost.

That means that, instead of having 4 conts spamming on one person, and losing some higher buff/debuff numbers, you can get 2 Doms to blow through everyone's mez protection in a snap. The real hitch is with Escapes, or just too much dmg eliminating the Doms, or one being caged, or too many enemy debuffs. So lots against it, but another key key thing here is [u]Double Domination[u]. That's what you want, and while single Dom is excellent, Double Dom means 2 Dom mezzes should bust through a single CM, with big dmg, and so much mez protection for these Doms, repel doesn't matter with 1 Domination up either.

Also consider that two emps = 60% +dmg and PB Fort still has niceness attached to it. Terrify, possibly Fire Breath, Fire Cages, possibly Hot Feet, Sleet, Rad debuffs and nuke potential from defenders also adds up for good AoE.


Blasters of Nevermore:

2 Emp Defs
2 Fire/EM/Cold Blasters
1 Rad/Psy/Power Def
1 Sonic/Thermal/Mako Cor
1 Kin/Sonic/Psychic Def
1 Ice/Cold/? Cor

Now this one I just love, maybe because I can see so much fun in being the buffed up blaster, and how many kills could be racked up, and how comparable these dmg buffs are +100%, so [u]equal to 4 small reds ALL THE TIME[u] , or maybe because it just meshes.

The name hints at what the focal point of this team is, and it really is in the blasters. They'll be receiving 2 Forts, a Forge, and a(n) AM a piece, meaning really great dmg. The SB and AM, plus someone getting AB for sure also equates to nice +recharge. Then you have survivability, which Frostwork skyrockets, plus Thermal and Cold shields, and 2 Emp and a Thermal healing right there.

Then we bring debuffs into the picture. You've got a kin siphoning things and slapping on -15 to 45% resistance with Sonic Blasts; a rad bringing -40% resistances, LR, big -tohit and -def. The cold is laughing with huge slows, -defense, -50% dmg and status effects, and an attainable -70% resistance on enemies. The thermal just wants to step in and make someone cringe with Heat Exhaustion and Melt Armor, not to mention a sonic blast here or there for 15 to 45% or even more -resistance.

So, your blasters *could* be attacking with: +100% dmg, jumbo +recharge, no chance of dying, and shooting something with an easygoing (15+40+30+22.5+15) [u]-122.5 % resistance[u]. Under more ideal conditions, the -resistance can jump up (40+30+30) to [u]-222.5%[u]. So, you're looking at a dead target, and then you have Scourge available from the nice Ice cor that's able to follow and kill with ease, since Cold buffs last so long, not to mention the Psy blasts and sonic dmg itself.

With 2 fire blasters alone, this team obviously has amazing AoE potential. They can also do a mini snipe surprise with Blazing Bolts and Psionic Lance. Gathering potential for a super ghetto turtle is also here, with 4 autohit AoE heals, and so much ranged potential – not to mention Arctic Fog (good +res to all elemental dmg).

There are vulnerabilities though, in enemy caging, too much TK, or eliminating this team's kin. Still, you have great great +res to Sm/lethal, Ice, Fire and Energy dmg with corrupter shields; Frostwork's +hp acts as the [u]best resistance in the GAME[u] and your kin has TK to hit at least one person with. This TK is up more often, and easy to keep going, since lone kin = AB go-getter.

This team is able to shelve out incredible dmg and debuffs, and can crack a turtle in a lot of ways, as well as regroup exceptionally well. Imagine rushing the other team who is rad debuffed, Sleeted and Melt Armored, with their emps HEd and Benumbed, and using: Inferno X2, Psychic Wail and Dreadful Wail X2, then being Heat Lossed/Transferenced back up to full, all the while in AoE +res to elemental dmg, and surviving any incoming hits.

Or, if things get rough, you can regroup, spam heals, and pick someone venturing within oh, 175-200 feet, and Snipe them dead.
This is a team that can definately focus fire and withstand incoming dmg.


Stalktastic:

2 Ill/Emp/Power Defs
2 Mind/Kin/? Conts
2 Spine/SR/Mu Stalks
1 EM/Regen/Black Scorp Stalk
1 Fire/Dev/Cold Blast or 1 EM/Ninjitsu/Black Scorp Stalk

I like the name of this one, and I think it fits together very nicely too. With defense based stalkers, more defense can add up, especially if you've got two PBed Forts and GIs on top of SR. Should note that two illusionists equates to possibly having Group Invis X2 AND Grant Invis X2. That means that your stalkers are running around Stealth Capped, and the Emps themselves have even less reason to attack anything, and are pretty much stealthed to the max too.

-Jump ftw when someone wants an AS, and fire blaster means the target is going down for sure, plus you get AoE potential there, and another dmg type. This could be replacable enough by another EM stalk though, who might add up a lot more, but -jump is still very meaningful - coordinated ASes anyone?

Two spiners also means you can coordinate Impales. Too bad only 40ft range now, but that can be upped with dmg/rngs, and Quickness = faster Placate AND two surefire Impales in one BU activation. It also means your target is probably dead, since Impales hit at awkward times, and the fire blaster can also fit in here, using Blazing Bolt. The other stalks also fit in even better, since Zapp or Mace Blast as snipes can range murder something.

EM Stalk(s) = burst dmg like few others, Black Scorp pool means that when unhidden, you can at least -jump something. Regen for (at least 1) EM means better survivability for them, and I like having 2 SRs since Quickness helps their Spines out more, and the +def stacking, plus the Regen could always take Taunt, and that throws many off, and [u]Taunt+Placate = freaky results[u]. If you switched the blaster for an EM/Ninj, things look peachy, and while Ninjitsu's heal can be called unnecessary with 2 emps, I think extra psy +res, though small, could add up, and +def here is not too bad, not to mention Smoke Flash and Caltrops possibilities.

Mind/Kins = stalkers on crack, Placate is up very very VERY often, and then the stalks can get ABs too! Double TK here, and they can ghetto mez spike someone, as well as coordinate drains nicely.

The emps mean obvious survivability jump, double Forts on stalkers are gross, and then they might be able to take PA or another illusion power to add a little something more. SI shines a lot in this team too, and Group Invis would add a ton.

This team has loads of -perception, the stalkers are living like kings/queens and doing a lot of damage as they please. I think Smoke Grenade+Placate+Stalker stealth/invis and Ninj Smoke Flash stacks well too, and -jump would add up, and Cloaking Device as a freebie helps the blaster's own invis rush, but again, easily changable with another stalk.

You could divide into two killing sections just fine, or let 1 EM stalk run wild, while the others kill off people. Lots and lots of potential here.

[u]Sing’s Highlights on Abstract FoTM Potential:[u]


[u]Forward:[u]


I remember when kin was highly underestimated and my fire/kin could tear through everyone, because of end drain being the only kin key point for me to use. I remember when people like Citizen Zero blasted on Test as elec/EM, and the end drain did hurt. I recall times *currently* when coordinated end drains by kins can really down a target. Now end drain isn't always so great, and AM screws it over very often, as can O2 Boost, but Power Boost makes it a lot more worthwhile.

That is an allusion to the underestimated powersets/powers/concepts to be discussed below. This guide is meant to improve the PvP communty’s knowledge of these subjects, and hopefully to have some individuals try these things out, and change traditional PvP team and solo make-ups.


[u]Abstract FoTM Potential Builds:[u]


[u]Elec/EM Blaster[u]- Charged Bolts, Lightning Bolt are comparable to Ice Bolt and Blast except for slower animations. The end drain is probably negligible, but the thing that could make this a highly potent build is [u]Power Boost[u]. Amped up end drains anyone? With Hasten, PB comes up very very often, and letting loose an attack chain that takes someone down 25-45% endurance wise is something good. YOU also have no Endurance problems. Ever wanted a nicer reason to give up FoN? Stamina and Conserve Power AND Elec Blasts make for <3. 1v1 against a non-rad this could be nastier than a fire blaster by far too, and could edge out against ice's slows.

Could easily argue against that, but Ball Lightning also has utility as an AoE, dmg looks lame on the surface, but is like another Ice Bolt/Charged Bolts (with longer recharge and end cost). Zapp can also be very very nice, remember Blazing Bolt from Cowboy Jon? BB does the most dmg out of all the snipes because of DoT, but Zapp is very nice nontheless.

All of the elec dmg is 100% completely ENERGY. Absolutely no smashing, lethal or fire damage here. So resisting it looks very tough to do, unless you go 'special' blaster with Elec epic, or have Stormies, or a Dark def (which is covered below), or have a tank/scrap with +res to it (although a /elec brute would make this whole thing cry, that's another situation).

Thunderous Blast is AoE, mega end drain, Power Boosted it'd be even more hurtful, and is RANGED. So while Fire is still king of AoE, and Fireball does do a good chunk more dmg than Ball Lightning ever would, you have to stand there right next to someone for a nice Inferno. Why not target someone across the office map, PB+BU+Aim then Ball Lightning and Thunderous Blast while standing next to people giving you RAs?

Short Circuit is there if you ever reeally wanted to drain someone and they improved it's animation (3 secs is gross). We don't care about Voltaic Sentinel or Tesla Cage, but those could be seen as better than Freeze Ray+Bitter Freeze Ray in Ice.

Elec/EM has the dandiest secondary to fall back onto as well. Range is not a real issue either, and Zapp gives you more ranged power if you need it. Imagine the Eden map and doing PB+BU, Zapp, close in, Lightning Bolt, Charged Bolts, then Total Focus someone who isn't recovering end and is under 20% spamming things to live/run? Exaggerated probably, but still a reasonable scenario.

I was thinking about it some more and there are lots of counterpoints to all of those, which is why they wouldn't be current FoTMs, but still looking at Elec, it's a real mesh of Ice and Fire blasts in that (in SHW pvp) it's:
-got a snipe like Fire
-got two AoEs like Fire
-got a strong secondary effect like Ice
-got two constantly chainable *ranged* single target blasts like Ice
-got Aim like both

Now the dislikeable thing about it all is the animations. Sonic is supposed to be 1.3 and 1.7 secs for the two starter blasts, then Shout is a miserable 2.7, Screech comes in at 1.5. With Elec though, Lightning Bolt and Charged Bolts are both listed as being 2 secs. Ball Lightning is a very nice 1 sec animation though. Now Zapp could be interesting, since with Interrupts you could probably fire it off in under 2 seconds. Thunderous Blast is 3.7 secs which seems off to me but maybe there's a longer delay than it looks like.

Anyway, with your two main blasts taking 2 secs to fire off as it seems, compared to Ice and Fire ringing in at pretty much 1 sec for all 3 blasts, things don't look so great because the Elec will take 4 seconds to fire 2 blasts, the Fire or Ice blasters can probably get twice as many blasts going in that amount of time, or at least have 2 seconds for mobility.

Still, multiple Elec blasters draining things inadvertently/deliberately could be more meaningful than reliable Transferences from a kin. In a way, you could say the target's endurance should not matter since the target *should* be dead within 6 secs, but if they start running and were below 25% end, using much while on the run could drop their end to 0 or shut off toggles. Counterpoint is that a team with CP, AM, RA, SB, AB is way more vulnerable to focussed draining by two kins rather than consistent drains through blasting.

Fun fact: Thunderous Blast deals more dmg than Inferno

It seems like Elec has lots of utility, in a smaller match where there's not dual emps/kins/rads it'd shine more, but would need to see just how effective '2 second' blasts are in taking something down. Elec does not have the 'ranged heavy hitter' like BiB or Blaze though, but Ball Lightning or Zapp could take it's place, again not so sure how well either fits into attack chains though, and BL's dmg is very low compared to Blaze or BiB.


One thing is for sure though, if you were in an 8v8 and the opposition just had 1 emp, 1 kin, 1 rad; the end drain from 2 elec/Ems would be devestating if they used Power Boost very often.

Some individuals have queried on these forums about spamming Tesla Cage due to its -recovery component. I would say that doing so cuts your DPS down a lot, and the point of this build is to act as a HYBRID. If you want to spend time whittling a target’s endurance down, you might as well hop on a kin and spend a portion of the match doing just that; while losing out elsewhere. Spamming TC is viable 1v1 or if they were to cut the animation down, otherwise I would advise against it, and recommend still aiming to deal damage.

[u]Numbers:[u] Looking at the heavy hitter; [u]Thunderous Blast[u] will take away 12.5 endurance for sure.
30ish% Chance for another 6.25
Another 30% chance for 6.25
-100% recovery on enemy for 20 seconds
Power Boost can double the drains to give you 12.5(2)+6.25(2)+6.25(2) = [u]-50 endurance[u]... which is half of a person's end bar.

Charged Bolts: -1.25 End, 25%ish chance for 2 second 100% -recovery.

Lightning Bolt: -2 Endurance for target, around 35% chance of a 4 second 100% -recovery to target as well.

Ball Lightning: -1.25 Endurance for target, around 30ish% chance of a 4 second 100% -recovery to target as well.

Zapp: -3 End, 50% chance for 4 second 100% -recovery.

Here is the interesting one... Tesla Cage: -1.25 End, surefire, [u]guaranteed[u] -100% recovery for [u]8[u] seconds.

Now if you suggest someone will do PB+Aim+Zapp+Charged Bolts+Lightning Bolt+BL+TC+TB you get an end drain calculation of:

3(2)+1.25(2)+2(2)+1.25(2)+1.25(2)+50 = -67.5 Endurance
If all the -recovery rolled nicely you'd get [u]-600% recovery[u] for 2 seconds, guaranteed -200% recovery for 8 seconds, most likely though you'd have -400% for 4 secs, then -200% for 4 more, then -100% for 12 more.

Neglecting TB you have -17.5 end per PBed chain.

The unhappy part is this though; Defender unslotted (though you should be doing HEAL SOs, not recovery, duh) AB gives 800% +recovery for it's whole 90 sec duration. Defender unslotted Recovery Aura is +200% for 90 secs too. A single unslotted Defender SB is an additional +50% recovery. Unslotted AM is 30% +rec and gives 65% +res to drain/-recovery.

Still, not too shabby, it is unlikely that past 2 minutes more than half the team will have an RA/AM on them unless they gather and do it just right, and if someone dies they become even more farmable due to end drain. With 2 elec/EMs in the mix, a single target can be completely floored in terms of recovery and should have [u]NO[u] endurance left with a TBed cycle, discounting an AM, and even then they'd need an AB and more to not be shut down within 10 seconds. Please excuse any miscalculations above, and some very minor rounding may have been used to generate whole numbers to work with.

PB also lasts 15 secs, so you could get in maybe two more attacks to drain, and with dmg/accs Thunderous Blast can have 3 nifty recharge, OR some end modification (for drain AND -recovery), so can all the other elec blasts.

That is also just looking at the endurance draining part of it, the dmg will be very large throughout all of that, and can be done from over 160 feet away each time.

In theory you could do: PB+BU+Aim+Zapp, close in, Lightning Bolt, Charged Bolts within 6 secs for as much/more dmg than a fire or ice blaster, with big end drain on enemy and no end loss for yourself.

Despite the counterpoints I myself have presented, elec/em has [u]plenty[u] of potential, as displayed by the monumental amount of endurance the build can both drain and keep up, as well as by the dmg it can keep churning out.

[u]Sing & the Snipe Surprise[u]


[u]Forward:[u]


This guide is intended to improve CoX PvPers’ viewpoints on the various powers in this game, and to look at Snipes as an alternative means of dmg that is often overlooked in current PvP.

[u]Snipe Surprise:[u]
[u] [u]

So, the benefits of elec which I have posted elsewhere mention Zapp a good bit; and I have tried to point out how nice Blazing Bolt is for Fire/EMs in other postings. Any /psy def players in the room may know the fun wonder that is Psionic Lance. Then there's the less than stellar 'other' snipes. Those would be, in order of worthniess: Moonbeam, Proton Voley, Sniper Blast, Ranged Shot and Sniper Rifle. That's actually a BIG selection of snipes, and a good variety of dmg types.
-Fun tidbit in ranking is also that Proton Volley is pure energy, Sniper Blast is *not*.

Anyway, as a reference to a highly basic version of the concepts below being employed in-game; for anyone that fought the New Vanguard (a European sg that came to these servers for a few months), we saw how Gatling Reborn would slowly glide to the uppermost regions of a map, and eventually let loose what I assume was a nice BU+AIM+PB+Zapp+Thunderous Blast, all Boost Ranged.

This volley pretty much killed off whoever got hit by it, and was relatively hard to expect. Although there was a nuke in play, so duh the dmg would be huge, it's still a big chunk of dmg from nowhere, and the beauty of fitting a snipe into a chain, is that it'll tack itself on midway/later and probably doom your target to 400+ extra dmg at once.

So, what's the point of this? A snipe surprise is what!

So, you take the nice usual builds, throw in a rad/psy here, sprinkle a fire/em there, toss on an elec/em or two, whatever you please. The key is to have them all have snipes in their builds. Now on Test, it's very easy to slot snipes, you can go a lovable 2 dmg/acc, 1 dmg/rng, 3 interrupt, or 3 dmg/acc, 2 interrupt, 1 recharge, or some such combo, as well as you like.

When a target gets called, these nice dmg dealers can then choose to *lead off* with their snipe, *finish off* with their snipe, or snipe the opposing EMP, or someone else on the other team, and the results may be as follows:
[u]Leading Off[u] - the extra dmg outdoes any emping, killing the target off sooner.
[u]Finishing Off[u] - the chunk of dmg tags the runner and finishes them earlier, = less chasing.
[u]Shooting non-target[u] - the emp may be confused and go after this person with heals, or run themselves; if they don't, you now have an enemy that may choose to pop an insp, waste time healing, evade away, or be a prime *next* target with less hp on them.

Incorporating snipes, you can choose to coordinate for a [u]TRUE[u] damage spike. Imagine 4 x 500 dmg hitting at once - that' 2000dmg instantly on a target. All of the snipes work around a 4 sec 'activation'. Interrupts can basically wittle this down to 2 secs, or 1.72ish secs, so you hit the Snipe, wait for it to release, then fire whatever else you want at whoever you want.

Glancing at snipe BI's (just base dmg), we see:
Blazing Bolt - 8.9 pure Fire
Zapp - 7.7 pure Energy
Moonbeam - 7.7 pure Negative
Psionic Lance - 7.7 pure Psionic
with ranges of 150-175+ base, and recharges of 12 secs.

Comparing to 'heavy hitters':
Total Focus - 9.9 a mixture of Energy AND smashing (boo), rech of
Energy Transfer - 12.7 a mixture of Energy AND smashing again, both with recharges of 20 secs

So while the snipes don't look amazing, they're all rarely resisted dmg types, all recharge faster than ET or TF AND have super amazing range. They can all activate faster than Total Focus too, so you're not stuck there with your arms in the air waiting to die. When you think about blaster Unresistable dmg, having 30% hit as a large number does sound better than having to que up and fire off 2-3 smaller blasts for the same amount of dmg... split up among smaller numbers.

Now there is the downside in that animation/fire off may not be under 2 secs, and interrupts could still happen, but the great utility available here isn't to be ignored.

Snipes also follow people around like piranhas who've smelt blood in the water. Fire one off and zooooom it goes after the person. [u]No more having your favourite pocket blaster dash away after a running target[u], not with a Snipe doing that for them! While elec still has shortcomings and Fire and /psy outdo it vastly in animation times, using a Snipe Surprise in matches could pay off amazingly well.

This idea may not appeal to some, but consider how simple it would be to fit in one extra power that does this much damage, has so much coordinated power, and the potential to do all of the above, in terms of disorienting the other team, and getting kills. While this guide may spoil the ‘surprise’ factor, utilizing any of these strategies in one match but not others would definitely put your adversaries on the defensive.

Hopefully this outline will encourage some to delve into the world of Snipes for PvP, and bring about some interesting strategies.

[u]Sing's Guide to Peacebringing Love:[u]


[u]Forward:[u]


PB benefits are discussed elsewhere, but the short version is: Dull Pain, Unstop, BU, Thunderstrike, Heal Other, Conserve Power, Self Heal, Phase, Nukes, Retarded pets that will add up dmg wise if they hit something at once (or if their AI was improved in I9) are all great aspects that a Peacebringer brings to the table in CoX Player vs Player situations.

[u]Peacebringing Love:[u]


PBs get improved dmg for each defender or tank on team

Kheldian #'s:
+20% dmg for each dmg buffing AT teammate within 300ft. With just 3 Defenders on team and in range, a PB can have a perma 60% +dmg buff. The PB dmg buff also comes from having a tank on the team.
-Tidbit: *Warshades receive +dmg from having blasters and/or scrappers on team!

Now, the negative which jumps out to me *is* the 300ft range requirement for nice Cosmic Balance, but looking at the teams we commonly roll with now, it's rare not to have 2 Defenders, and highly likely to have 3-6. Assuming an average of 4 defenders, when the PB is range, they wind up with [u]constant 80% +dmg[u]. Damage wise, that's better than two Defender Vengeances or two Defender Forts.

The usual/prime team for this PB:
2 Empathy Defenders
2 Kinetic Defenders
1 Rad Defender
2 Blasters
1 Peacebringer

the last spot where the PB is at has been the place of a Sonic, FF, another rad, kin, or more rarely, a blaster or emp. That sounds like a wealth of options, and it is, but [u]first compare the PB to a tank[u]. Remember that there was a time when tanks never died. Ok, that may have been in perma unstop, super hami, pre-ED days, but it was there. That time may also still be seen to exist presently in many matches, when we have been [u]unable to take out a tank, with 3+ damage dealers[u]. And more often than not, that's with one rad/psy on team, where you'd think Psy Blasts and -res would cut through the tank easily. But it was not to be so.

So why did these tanks bother us enough to kill them off? Taunt. With the right build, including Dwarf Form, a PB can have virtually the same 3 taunts as a tank, just with lower PvP scalars. Still, they have better scalars than a [u]scrapper's taunt in PvP[u]. Scalars are what causes taunt durations to fluctuate over lvls, or vary across ATs (i.e. Controller secondary scalars are lower than Defender primary's = 'Conts at 80% of Defender buffs/debuffs'.).

Now in comparing the PB to a tank, we can find similarity in taunt, and obviously in survivability. Or maybe not so obviously, to some. With the PB, we find Essence Boost, which acts as Dull Pain. +HP is the greatest 'resistance' buff in the game, it counters ALL. PBs have Light Form, which for all intents and purposes, is Unstop. The nice thing about Light Form, is that it [u]eliminates rooting[u]. Remember why everyone took Whirlwind? There you go. PBs in human form also have access to fine sm/lethal/ energy/neg energy and fire/cold shields, as well as a decent Inherent for +res to energy and negative energy.

The part where the PB can easily be seen as [u]*better than a Tanker*[u] is with Dwarf Form. Slotted up, you have something that's got more than 55% +res to all dmg, except Psy, built-in teleport, a self heal just like Reconstruction, a 75% increase to base health (this stacks with Essence Boost too), some more +recovery, and three lame attacks. So, with Essence Boost and Dwarf Form going, you basically turn into a tank in Unstop, with 3 attacks that won't do much, but virtually as much survivability, not too far away from dmg +res caps. Something else to mention is Reform Essence, which is ANOTHER Reconstruction/self heal for you, in Human Form, acting far faster than Aid Self ever would.

Now, [u]compare the PB to a blaster[u]. A Peacebringer may not have the glorious range of a /EM blaster, or Power Boost from the same set, or Aim, or a plethora of solid ranged attacks, but it DOES have two great melee hitters. That is, Radiant Strike, and Incandescent Strike. Comparable to a faster, more damage Bonesmasher, and Total Focus. These deal similar mixtures of smashing and energy damage, and also have -fly, knockback and -defense built in. Sadly, no disorients, but Incandescent Strike does have a hold component.

Really, the human form blasts pretty much suck, not great animations with poor bad dmg, but Gleaming Blast is most comparable to high end PvP blasting, with it having *more dmg than Fireball* for .67 longer animation. All of the blasts are also pure energy dmg. You get two good AoEs in Solar Flare which has over a 2 sec animation, but dmg wise is a good bit better than Fireball too. Dawn Strike acts as your nuke. All the blasts come with -defense as well. Wouldn't count dwarf form for dmg at all, but an AoE and two single targets there are better than nothing. And, of course, PBs get lovable Build Up. Even considering 'subpar' dmg here, with 20-80% +dmg for GB alone, things look pretty good.

Lastly, look at the [u]Peacebringer Extra's[u]. These are things that are cutouts from other sets, and generally add a whole extra dimension to things. First, Conserve Power. Yay, no endurance problems! Take a gander at Glowing Touch. This is a watered down version of Heal Other that does the same Ally Heal, but does so from a measly 30 feet. Otherwise, the same excellent 4 second recharge, wishy washy end cost, and 2.27 animation time. Slotted for heals and range, you get a [u]lifesaver[u]. O2 Boost has, since I6 been a reason for Storm's return to teams, and a factor in why killing someone on a stormie team can be so difficult.

Enter Quantum Flight and Energy Flight. Quantum acts as a suped up Fly, that puts you into phase at the same time. Bingo, lifesaver, and an insta-escape from the Unstop/Light Form crash. Energy Flight makes the arena Raptor Pack seem like a joke, and can pay off BIG time in outdoor maps. Someone trying to pull off a snipe from above? Go say hello with your nifty travel abilities. You've got Combat Flight, which is Hover, and with 2 SBs that could be fast too. QF also costs a lot less than it once does, and on this team, there's 2 RAs, 2 SBs and an AM available, as well as you having CP. Also something worth mentioning is [u]Group Energy Flight[u]. Who knows? Maybe team travel will eventually have a lot more presedence, in which case, this'd be usable.

Bonjour Photon Seekers... and Pulsar. PS are those 3 summonable pets with the gimpy AI, but still high dmg. Imagine summoning those into a group that's gathered, or is starting up buffs. Then slap on Pulsar, an AoE disorient. Ok, maybe Pulsar is a wash, and many would say PS are, but still they both have viability, and PS do provide 3 more targets, and in the world of *no macros (or gignore)*, that means a lot.

PBs can then still pick up the lovely Leaping line, speed for Hasten and SS, Fitness for Stamina and better movement, and can even get Leadership if they so desired. Leadership not looking so great since you want Dwarf Form if just for an extra taunt and bonus tp, but could still be nice, and if you look at the debuff/buff icons, self Leadership acts as a GREAT way to see if you're in range of the Defenders (or anyone) on your team, and gauge your increased stats accordingly.

A PB on this team acts as something better than a tank, except for no FA (but then some don't even have that, and Forts can eliminate that worry), as a ghetto blaster, as a really cheap healer, and as someone to just annoy the other team with a plethora of different powers. Having 2 SBs would mean fine taunting ability, and you could keep summoning PSes as you pleased.

A negative for PBs is also found in transitioning between human and dwarf form, and just living through Dwarf Form transformation animation sometimes. There are many many many ways in which the streamlined ATs are better, but considering the potential +dmg, +dmg resistance (from Scraps and Blasts) and even less vulnerability to mez (thanks to conts), having a PB on board can be a lot better than having, say, a tanker, a poor blaster, or an emp/blast/tank that will just get caged the whole time.

So, see someone being wailed on? Well, you can choose to heal your buddy back up, taunt the fiend, or even go in for the kill on your enemy, with scary melee attacks and a halfway blast, or by summoning a trio of mini nukes!

Going back to the top team, you have 5 defs and 2 blasts, the 2 blasts might as well cap the PB's +res no matter what (10% +res to ALL a piece), and 5 defs ups the PB's +dmg % chances even more. There have been great teams that worked in a tank in that last spot, or teams that have foregone a rad or 2 kins for multiple tanks. The Freaks vritually always did well with 2+ tanks in matches too, albeit those were usually larger.

The build I would use for this is a lot tighter on slots than I anticipated, but removing Fitness for more options, and fuller slots on some things = with HOs:

---------------------------------------------
Exported from Ver: 1.7.6.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder
---------------------------------------------
Name: PB PvP Build - Taunt Bot
Level: 50
Archetype: Peacebringer
Primary: Luminous Blast
Secondary: Luminous Aura
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Glinting Eye==> Acc(1)
01) --> Incandescence==> DmgRes(1)
02) --> Gleaming Blast==> Acc(2)Dmg(3)Dmg(3)Rechg(48)
04) --> Essence Boost==> Rechg(4)Rechg(5)Rechg(5)Heal(7)Heal(7)Heal(9)
06) --> Radiant Strike==> Acc(6)Dmg(9)Dmg(11)Rechg(13)
08) --> Shining Shield==> DmgRes(8)DmgRes(11)DmgRes(15)
10) --> Combat Jumping==> Jump(10)
12) --> Build Up==> Rechg(12)Rechg(13)Rechg(15)
14) --> Super Jump==> Jump(14)
16) --> Hasten==> Rechg(16)Rechg(17)Rechg(17)
18) --> Incandescent Strike==> Acc(18)Dmg(19)Dmg(19)EndRdx(21)Rechg(23)
20) --> White Dwarf==> DmgRes(20)DmgRes(21)DmgRes(23)
22) --> Reform Essence==> Heal(22)Heal(29)Heal(31)
24) --> Challenge==> Acc(24)Acc(25)Taunt(25)Taunt(27)Range(33)Range(33)
26) --> Glowing Touch==> Range(26)Range(27)Range(29)Heal(31)Heal(31)Heal(37)
28) --> Provoke==> Acc(28)Acc(36)Taunt(42)Taunt(42)Range(45)Range(45)
30) --> Conserve Energy==> Rechg(30)Rechg(46)Rechg(46)
32) --> Photon Seekers==> Acc(32)Dmg(33)Dmg(34)EndRdx(34)Rechg(34)Rechg(36)
35) --> Dawn Strike==> Acc(35)Dmg(36)Dmg(37)EndRdx(37)Rechg(40)Rechg(48)
38) --> Light Form==> DmgRes(38)DmgRes(39)DmgRes(39)Rechg(39)Rechg(40)Rechg(40)
41) --> Intimidate==> Acc(41)Acc(42)Range(48)Range(50)Rechg(50)Rechg(50)
44) --> Quantum Flight==> EndRdx(44)
47) --> Super Speed==> EndRdx(47)
49) --> Acrobatics==> EndRdx(49)
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Sprint==> EndRdx(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Acc(1)
02) --> Rest==> Rechg(2)
01) --> Energy Flight==> Fly(1)
10) --> Combat Flight==> Fly(10)
01) --> Cosmic Balance==> Empty(1)
---------------------------------------------
20) --> White Dwarf Strike==> Acc(20)
20) --> White Dwarf Smite==> Acc(20)
20) --> White Dwarf Flare==> Acc(20)
20) --> White Dwarf Sublimation==> Heal(20)
20) --> White Dwarf Antagonize==> Acc(20)Acc(43)Taunt(43)Taunt(43)Range(45)Range(46)
20) --> White Dwarf Step==> Range(20)
---------------------------------------------


Now, the Dwarf heal isn't slotted sadly, and the human heal doesn't have the hottest recharge around, but you do have QF, although that is removable for something else just fine.

Having a PB on the team fills in some gaps, and adds to what other team members are bringing to the table.

Actually looking over it, I really dislike this idea, I'd pick a Sonic over a PB any of the week. This concept does have merits though, and might as well have everyone be able to see them. The ranged ally heal, taunt abilities, [u]survivability[u] and fine dmg are the real attractions here though, which combined with Cosmic Balance, make the PB a solid addition to the team, if they know what they're doing, and if the team can try to stay together. If/when sonics decline, or against certain teams, a PB may add a lot more, and because of all of the above, it would be very interesting to see how one does in a group setting.

[u]Sing’s Guide to Vengeance in PvP:[u]


[u]Forward:[u]

This guide essentially refers to the effective usage of the Leadership pool power Vengeance in Player vs Player combat.

Well here's the rundown for anyone new or anyone who never knew.

Vengeance [u]ROCKS[u]. It generally winds up being the epitome of a tide-turner, and below it will be described just as to why. The intent of this guide is to not only encourage the use of more powers in PvP, but to draw attention to a long-existing BUG involving stacking Vengeance. I would expect some change(s) down the line for this power, but as is and as it has been from I4 to now, people have virtually always underestimated its potential. Even if it is changed, make note of the following as to how potent it once was, and even slashing the numbers it’d still be a hefty buff.

[u]Vengeance:[u]


Vengeance is described as 'Ranged (Targeted AoE), Teammates +DMG, +ACC, +DEF(All), Res(Effects)'. Now, the majority of those boosts are pretty obvious, but delving into '(Effects)', what are we talking about? We're talking about... Confuse, Taunt, Placate Fear, Stun, Sleep, Immobilize, Hold and Repel. Now, resistance clocks in at a handy dandy 55% +res for a blaster, this number INCREASES for controllers and defenders. This means that all of those effects there will last virtually [u]half as long[u], and as many of us have experienced, [u]Repel is nullified[u].

So, that's pretty good, but hey, you might as well have popped some violets and called it a day, right? Well looking at +dmg, for a blaster again, you get +44% dmg, that's more than a defender emp's FORTITUDE is giving you. Sadly, this number can't be Power Boosted or increased in any way, but 44% more dmg adds up very quickly indeed.

Taking a gander at +Acc and +Def, both numbers are fairly large as well. Tohit being a greater value than defense though. For a blaster again, slotted up you get +35% defense and +52% tohit. Yikes. And remember, tohit functions as BETTER than simple Accuracy, so that alone is letting you punch through PBUed bubbles, let alone PBU Forts! But wait, speaking of PBU, it's coolio cousin Power Boost has something to say.

What's that? Power Boost says it can further enhance these numbers? Mmm, sounds like a 53% defense buff and a 78% tohit buff for any of our blasters.

But wait, the defenders want some action too! Our dear rad/psys and honourable emps, and even precious kins and sonics or storms, they can use Veng too, and to even bigger effect!

Slotted for defense on the defender side, the power will give 47% +def to all too, queing PBU before activating = another 77% +def! AND if you slot for to hit or use membranes/cytos, you get 77% to hit too! And even if it doesn't hit a single [u]other[u] teammate, you're an emp on cloud nine, because you've got something better than slotted up Elude on you, and all that juicy mez resistance even if you're out of BFs or have a Force Bubbler tailing you!

Oh, hey wait, there's something else not mentioned in the short help. A [u]HEAL[u]. That's right folks, for the cheap price of a dead teammate, you not only get massive +dmg, +tohit, +defense AND mez resistance and repel immunity, you get a radial HEAL. This isn't worth enhancing IMO, but you'll ballpark around 90-125 hp healed. This can *also* be Power Boosted; making for some easy teammate saves if they're nearby, and then who's going to HIT them after?

[u]Fact:[u] Vengeance lasts 120 seconds, has a radial buff effect of about 60 feet, and has an *unenhanceable* recharge of 300 seconds.

Oh, Sing, wait, why did you bother with this? You KNOW the devs got all mean and said no stacking Vengeance! Well, there's a nifty way of bypassing this! You simply activate the power within 1.5ish seconds of another Vengeance user! This leads to TWO Heals going off at once which is easily noticable, as well as BOTH of the casters' Vengeances stacking.

Now, many many many of us have experienced the fun to be had of a slotted up Vengeance. Plenty of us have received PBU or PBed Vengeances too! A good number have experienced double stacked Vengeance as well! But here's something very few of you, if any of you will have *ever* experienced, and here's something brand new for you to consider. You can just as easily stack 2 Vengeances as you can [u]three[u]. You can just as easily stack 3 Vengeances as you can [u]four[u].

Granted, it's hard enough as is, but a single Veng is near dependent on the dead teammate STAYING dead, and if many of us have had the opportunity to hit PB or PBU before using it, or to countdown, or to double up on Veng, why can't we achieve triple what may be the norm?

Why can't we be running around with a [u]minimum[u]of 105% +def, 156 +tohit, 132% +dmg, 165% +res to effects and a total 270 point heal? That's assuming NO one hits Power Boost, and that all the Vengeances are coming from blasters; if anyone did hit PB or were a defender (with PBU), then the buffs would be even more incredible. Those numbers are from my testing of triple stacked Vengeance in I7.

F.Y.I.: This is a [u]BUG[u]. It is not the intended use for this power, and the fact that Vengeance was deliberately nerfed and patch notes explained as such justify that easily. In my I8 testing I was unable to determine whether or not these stacked Vengeances still overlap +defense and +tohit and +dmg or not, but I’d wager that they still do, as they did in I7 and previously. Vengeance is not meant to stack - period.

I seriously hope that the developers do change something about the ability of this power to stack. Using it as is isn’t an exploit per say, as Sonic Cage and Detention Field are also bugged and the PvP community at large have used them since they’ve been around. Still, do not be shy of petitioning and/or e-mailing someone involved in game development about this problem.

It's just a matter of timing and getting things right. So, Vengeance does indeed rock, if your teammates are falling down, and you get in the right Veng, or hit enough people and stave off further deaths long enough, it can be a match saver. If your amped dmg and tohit is enough to plow through opponents better than before, then it can be a match saver. If anyone is out of insps and Veng helps them in any way... it can be a match saver.

For this kind of buff, it can even be considerable to have someone die, to cement a win for sure (though that's still unadvisable, if someone is going to die, let the other side waste their firepower and buffs DOING that). Also recall that Vengeance and the WHOLE Leadership line only affect [u]teammates[u]! That doesn't mean 'allies', that means ONLY people [u]on your team[u].

Optimal slotting IMO is really just 3 cytos or 3 membs. The +recharge component of membranes doesn't affect anything that can't normally be slotted for recharge, what you want from these Hos is the boost to both defense *and* tohit, though you REALLY want the defense boost if anything. 3 Heals aren't necessary in my mind, since someone dying usually means the other teammates don't *need* a heal if all the dmg was focussed on one individual. That's 3 slots that could be better used elsewhere, but they are still fine.

[u]Fact:[u] Vengeance activates in under 1.5 seconds, but over 1 second. Still a very quick animation.

You never *waste* a Veng, unless it can be better used later on, in which case you're still probably not wasting it. Just 1 person having that big buff makes a real difference, and as you know, larger buffs overcome 'lesser' ones, so if you Fort someone normally, then use PBU+Fort, the PBUed Fort takes precedence. If a blaster hits Veng, and a Defender hits their Veng a few seconds too late, so they don't STACK, they just 'overlap', then the Defender's Veng should just overwrite the other one, providing a bigger buff for all.

PBUing and PBing would have the same impact. It basically always pays off to use Veng, but we don't want to fire it willy nilly, best to try hitting 2+ people, and of course, stacking it.

The thing is that stacked Leadership IS huge, the only thing is that, while Assault is small enough and dmg caps large enough for things not to matter, Maneuvers is near meaningless as is, and Tactics is only so needed when teammates have Fortitude, Aim, RI, CM etc. and you may be hitting fine with acc SOs/HOs. All the leadership *toggles* also only have a certain range, outdoors the stacking feature won't come into play much.

You also HAVE to give up three powers to get Vengeance, that could be 3 more attacks, buffs, debuffs, evasion skills, you name it, it could've been that. A lot of builds are tight as is, as worthwhile a power as this is. The inverse to the above with separate smaller teams is also true, if you have a team of 8, 4 people on the team shouldn't need Vengeance.

So, in closing, never forget Sing's friendly saying:
If you die, stay dead for Vengeance please.

A summation of tools, tips, ideas and information about PvP:

Sing's Guidebook to PvP. Links to 6 Guides are contained within that.

Try THIS version if the one above does not work.

Thanks for the input! I must've been thinking of the change to Hide that made IT immune to debuffs in terms of suppressing Stealth. Despite stealth suppressing in such a way, I would say that it is prudent to make as much use of the temps and powers in your tray as possible. The Ill/Emps of PvP don't run around with their Superior Invisibility off - don't be afraid to turn your watered down Stealth Suit on!

Using PBU (or Power Boost) in conjunction with LR or Siphon Speed is supported by me in terms of 'allowing you to hit anything under the sun' *in addition to* the impact it has on -runspeed. While the maxrunspeed component is not affected, even a minute change in enemy speed to the negative degree is beneficial to you. I was not aware that the speed of jumping was unaffected by PBU/PB, and that seems strange to me considering that (a degree of) runspeed is affected, as well flight speed.

In intensive PvP, and especially in 20 minute matches, [u]every little bit counts[u], and having someone move even slower due to LR that's been PBUed can mean someone being in range to finish them off with an attack.

The likelihood of hitting with PBU being used is what may dazzle you though - if you haven't had time to spare RIing a target, whether you've turned Tactics on or not - PBU is excellent at improving your odds of hitting a target. This is especially considerable in the case of a rad/psy with no Aim. What I really should've pointed out there was the potency to be found in using PB(U) in conjunction with end drains.

Thanks all, and HERE's the big thread where Posi and Cuppa both posted in response to our completing the RSF first, way back on Thursday June 15th, 2006.

[u]Sing’s Guidebook to PvP:[u]


The guides that I have posted below are all explained within themselves. They are supposed to be tools to better everyone’s understanding of the many concepts that lie in the PvP system of CoX, and to improve PvP overall. They refer to the I8 time of PvP, but are written as such that they may apply to many issues to come. If this/the guides are not stickied already, I would appreciate it if they would be. The implementation for the ideas outlined in each guide are entirely my own, except for the two instances noted.


[u]A bit about Sing:[u]


Long read ahead - now you know.

At the time of this writing, I have spent literal years playing this game, and feel I have a more extensive view and grasp of CoX PvP than anyone to ever play it. I was there on Test when it first released. I was there at the unveiling of I4, and participated in one of the first 50 arena matches.

I saw the dismissal of emps, storms, and Defenders as a whole in the first few weeks of Test arena. I saw the revival of the aforementioned just months after, and saw the advantage that a very few groups took of Empathy.

I was there for the first Arena Night, I was there for the last we’ve had to this point. I PvPed against all the notables, and with almost all of them, with the ‘legendary’ sgs that have mostly dissipated, and with the most moronic people to set foot in the arena. I brought Ill/Storm to the Test arena, and TP Foed every PvPer at an arena night from I4-I5 as Mistify.

I vented with other Conts at the nerfs to our beloved pets, but played my grav/rad nonetheless. I used my fire/kin cont in a time when SB had no +res to slow, and no one gave a damn about the sets except to PL with.

I saw the first arena match using an ill/rad, and made my own. I was there when SB got bugged on Test, and acted as Siphon Speed, giving +recharge to the user, and messing up whoever got the ‘buff’. I played against AR blasters on Test when Flamethrower was bugged, against a squadron of Corrupters who used Vengeance before it was supposed to be made unstackable. I remember when villain patron pools came out.

I was there for Enhancement Diversification, and for the Macro overuse and eventual removal in PvP. I saw groups leave and return, as well as players. I saw gimmick teams rise and fall, and Sonic and TA appear to be dismissed, then slowly revived.

I’ve got more experience with Sonic Cage, Detention Field, Dimension Shift, Black Hole and any enemy Intangibility (a.k.a. Cage) power than anyone in this GAME, and never complained aloud.

I’ve played in virtually every type of match there is, against every conceivable group there is, except for a few villain ones. I was the 4th villain to 50 and on the team to first beat the Lord Recluse Strikeforce. I knew the first person with 16 50s, and someone with over 22. I’ve had a level 37 character deleted by a former sgmate, and played on dozens of others’ accounts.

I’ve gotten mad over a game more than once, and had plenty of fun here more than once. I’ve got 3 50 rads and 3 50 kins. Rad is my favourite powerset in the game. Everyone [u]still[u] underestimates it though. I’ve fought supergroups and had our team win by over 100 kills.

I remember a time where debt was limitless, and a time where there were no real, defined ATs. I recall the original respecs, and the challenge, and giggle at soloing them when they were changed.

I’ve disconnected and reconnected and mapservered more times than I can count.

I knew a time where Vent and Teamspeak weren’t so much must-haves, and remember doing spectacularly without them, or an emp, just having teammates that knew what to do.

I recollect points where targeting never came to mind, and when ‘GG’ came into being. I remember when spawn killing was a huge issue, and when the great debate raged about Cage.

It makes me a bit disappointed to see the lack of creativity in the community at large, and that so many groups and individuals are nothing but mimics, and that the average high-end team consists of something I proposed in I5: 2 emp, 2 kin, 2 blast, 2 rad. Except a sonic is usually tacked in now.

It makes me laugh when some people complain, when all they lack is skill - everything else is at their disposal.

I’ve reported dozens of bugs, shared many exploits, had responses clarifying that X or Y problem would definitely be addressed. I’ve showed teams how to win effortlessly, and taught groups how to lose with grace.

I’ve given plenty of advice, and torn plenty down. I’ve played a Fire/EM blaster that’s come into vogue amongst all the other groups, and remember Poison Trapping one in Warburg on my merc/traps MM and /em tapdancing for *minutes*.

Well if you read all that, bravo. It’s been a fun, fun time, and who knows what this implies, who knows what it doesn’t? Thanks to all those that offered me membership, and thanks to you for still reading, and for anyone who reads the guides I’ve put out.

A long time ago I stopped saying ‘GG’, to represent Good Game. To me, sometimes this *thing* wasn’t actually a good game, sometimes it wasn’t fun to play, and a lot of the time, opponents openly expressed that a match wasn’t ‘good’ or ‘fun’ for them.

The guides below took a long time to write-up. The majority of them have been shared with others to advance their skills in PvP, and now I’m sharing them with anyone who wants to read them. Their intent is only positive, though some may find negative connotations. Please excuse any typographical errors, and consider the length of time involved in formatting these to be a bit more appealing, too. If any numbers are off, or change later on, then woops.

Something for *you* to remember, is that no matter how much you read, how much experience you gain, or how much time you devote to something (i.e. practice) – you may never truly ‘get’ it, or you may only reach a certain point. Fun is always important, and remember that this is just a game, so take a break every once in a while.

Some people plateau early on, while others seem to never stop improving. My real hope is that with these guides, everyone will improve, and have more fun while doing so.


[u]With that in mind:[u]


Sing's Guide to Successful PvPing

Sing's Guide to Potent Mixed Teaming

Sing's Highlights on Abstract FoTM Potential

Sing & the Snipe Surprise

Sing's Guide to Peacebringing Love

Sing's Guide to Vengeance in PvP


More may be added later on.

I’ll tell you a secret now. The secret ways of Sing. The way to [u]outkill, outscore, outdo every single PvP sg[u] currently in existence, and [u]MANY[u] of the ones that have left. I’ll tell you how to beat out every other individual, and rise to #1. How to emp, how to kin, how to rad, how to blast, how to be the best on every and any character you’re on. Are you reading? Are you listening?



Good.



Then here it is.
Just play.







GG Everyone.

[u]Sing’s Guide to Successful PvPing[u]


[u]Forward:[u]


So I'll start this off and say that this guide is meant to outline both general and high-end PvP advice. It will serve to help anyone that chooses to read it, regardless of experience and whether or not they actually do the things below – or just remember to do them more often now. It is not intended to demean anyone, but rather to help the PvP community at large and to pass off a lot of the things I've gotten down pat all the way through from I4 to now.

Much of the stuff outlined is highlighted because I've seen dozens of people here die off/decrease kill counts/allow teammate death(s) because they didn't/did do something. This guide may seem to apply largely to team PvP, but it also holds many important points on how to effectively solo PvP.

The tips below will help outdoors, in the arena, or likely any new venue of PvP to arise in CoX. It can benefit any player, of any origin, AT or faction, though there are many examples and items directed at specific powers or powersets. The topics are not specifically ordered, and it is intended that one read the entirety of this guide to get a much better overview on how to successfully PvP.

Some of it may seem obvious, but take a look at your own performance sometimes. There are many more things that could be added, but I think that these things are very key and it's sad how lacking some people can be in terms of some of these bits. No one's perfect but remembering some of this stuff, and knowing your character for a match pays off majorly.

A few things may sound similar, but each point is different unless it’s to try to hammer in an important idea. Some of this is what those other ‘nice’ PvPers may never share with you, some of it is what few players have ever considered, and most of it is what elevates a good player to another level.

Oh, and it's lengthy, but you know how nice reading is. The bolded, underlined, italicized, capitalized stuff is especially good to keep in mind.


[u]PvP Advice:[u]


-[u]Always[u] move, even if you can’t find a target or are caged, keep moving around unless you can really utilize standing still e.g. You’re phased and the other team are all attacking you to no avail, you’re far off in the map not near other teammates, so staying there a while could make sense since it means the opposition spends more time to get back to the others.

-Learn to make good, quick judgement calls. From the above example, it could also make more sense to run back towards your team to unphase and get rebuffed by someone, buff another teammate yourself, or just have less distance to cover yourself to get back to the group for spiking/buffing/being in range of your own buffers.

-Move BEHIND objects when trying to evade. Evading isn’t just running deadpan in one direction, an ice/em with Boost Range is going to be hitting from plenty far away, as can a psy def, and if someone slams slows onto you or you somehow get mezzed, milliseconds spent dodging behind objects can mean BF popping time, more time spent by opposition searching for you.

- Do not play in first person view. What the HELL can you really see like this?! Probably not a great idea to play more than 5x zoomed out, 3x or 4x from first person can be just right.

-Look for weak links in your enemy always.

-[u]EXPLOIT[u] weak links in your enemies always. If you see an emp get stunned and waddle behind a crypt but just stay there, go KILL them or point it out since they obviously didn’t pop a BF; force them to use that insp for fear of being trapped there/dying, or attack them and know that they don’t HAVE any BFs left, then point out that to your team and USE it.

-Use [u]all[u] of your arena temps when you can. They’re cheap, you’re 50, everyone has influence, 5 disorients and 5 –jumps/immobs can be powerful tools, not to mention insta-tp, flight to evade, etc.

-If you have rad/a toggle debuff on you and the situation is alright for you/you can hit the button without flopping dead, turn on some stealth/invis possibly meaning if you get farther away, the debuff may drop off as the person loses you as a target/their CM vanishes and they can’t see you any longer. The arena temp stealth power works wonders on a rad without much/any +perception!

-Take potshots at [u]emps, kins, stalkers, illusionists[u]. Make the other team consider rushing to these people to heal them because they see an ice bolt/blind/levitate thrown on them. Hit them and cause their invis to be NONEXISTANT as it suppresses, and stalkers can’t crit if they’re not Hidden, duh! If you shoot at an emp and they reflexively heal and no big green numbers appear for them, it’s also a tip off that they APed and want to be shot at MORE.

-Change your tactics dependant on the way the match is going.
-if fire and ice blasts are killing off your side, find a way to kill/disable those fire and ice shooters.
-if your damage dealer(s) is/are being taunted, turn on Assault, find a way to disable the taunter – slow them, tohit debuff them, take 18 secs or less to stack 4 mezzes and overwhelm their protection.

-In 6v6+ matches, tanks and scraps very rarely bring BFs, and if they do, few pop them as quickly as a routine squishy player may – use this to your advantage!

-Regens are not indestructible.

-Invulns are not indestructible.

-Controllers and defenders have the lowest hp, they’re the only ‘true’ squishies now. This means they’re nice targets.
-This also means that with enough experience they may be very good at evading/surviving.

- Hibernate only lasts so long.
-this means you should go back to that target that hibernated within 20 secs of their ice-blocking and presto, you may have someone who’s buffs wore off/are trying to get back to their team; a.k.a. easy target, and they almost died the first time to be forced INTO hibernate anyway, so duh, go for them again when hibernate is recharging!

-Phase only lasts so long. Hibernate only lasts so long. Yep that’s one up, but this is for you phase and hibernate USERs.
-Use phase and hibernate to your [u]ADVANTAGE[u]. It’s advantageous to not die off, but it’s *actually* advantageous to hibernate off where the other side is scrambling to find a target elsewhere, or where you can easily duck behind a corner if they come back to you/wait for Hibernate to wear off.
-If the other side keeps spamming damage on you while phased/caged/hibernated, point it out so your teammates may think to stay Unaffected! A tad longer, and try to keep those idiots still shooting at you ON you, don’t have wasted a 3 sec animation and potentially wasted self buffs/emp APing in at the last sec for those people to just scatter off of you!

-3 CMs/Clarities = all is visible. Basically. So don’t stack much more than that. Maybe 5, but after that, better to not be stuck in that animation the second a torrent of dmg is going off on your squishy teammate when you COULD have been just zooming around that teammate with a heal ready to fire if necessary and them at 3+ CMs and perfectly fine.

- [u]Do not keep chasing someone that will not die[u]. You’re wasting time, it may seem like a great idea to keep that person tied up running, or maybe they’ll mess up, but [u]if they’re not dead in 30 secs[u] from your damage, move on and only engage again if they’re called as a target or 4+ mins later if possible.

-BU and Aim are not mutually exclusive – nor are they to be used only at the same time. Use BU for those damage spikes when you can, have Aim there as back up. Be wary of using BU+Aim because that’s pretty much 3 seconds popping both, and those cagers are just frothing at the mouth waiting to cage you [u]RIGHT[u] as you hit both of them. But again, be logical, and BU+Aim can let you kill any squishy off in 3 shots.

-Powerboost, don’t forget about it, but don’t overuse it. It can be a lifesaver for you boosting that +def, or allowing you to hit anything under the sun. PBU can also mean you don’t have to AP someone since your heal is supped up, and a mega-slowed target is one you can smile about after PBU+Siphon Speed/LR; same thing for end drains, def debuffs and so so much else.

- [u]Accolades aren’t imaginary[u]. Use them. Don’t use them all at once though. Best to use Archmage and Geas separately. If you’re being drained off, don’t be shy of Geas! It’s not JUST for +rech or to hit ANYTHING. Archmage can wind up being a major lifesaver, but for that reason save it when you can, try not to pop it unless you see ¼ of your hp down, no help about, and your self heal floored recharge wise/insps down low/3 dmg dealers on your tail.
-Vanguard+acrobatics protects from 1 controller hold. Don’t forget. That last minute where you’re out of BFs and the cont knows that? Say hi to my handy dandy accolade

- [u]Individual kill counts almost always mean NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING[u]. Stop trying to get the highest #, it makes you seem like a petty idiot and means you’re detracting from the team. You want the [u]TEAM[u] to have the highest kill count, not [u]YOU[u]. Who cares if it’s you that kills off that lonesome blaster? If you point out that weak point and someone assists the blast can be dead in half as much time, with less chasing and maybe you don’t have to que up any red insps or BU or Aim or EF to kill them off when you have some teammate dmg backing you up.
-Kills go to the last person to get a shot in, this can mean that those shooting after someone who got the kill count either have slow pcs that fire off powers less quickly, or they’re literally slower people and reacted less timely, letting their blast get in last and earning them a kill. Obviously not always true, but that’s one way to look at it, and nicer to see your 3 dmg dealers with similar high kill counts instead of one person with many more. You probably don’t feel as good when you don’t get high kill counts anyway then, so might as well stop striving for high #’s and promote the whole team.
-Better your team actually win, than lose because you’ve been trying to increase your personal kill count.

- [u]Suppression[u] works, remember how it does.
-Know when to use BFs, when to conserve them.
-Know when those mezzes will be doing NOTHING for 10-15 secs, and when they’ll all come crashing back down unsuppressed on a person.

-Maps aren’t just flat, you can go [u]UPWARDS[u].

-If you have a key point to make, such as the kin not having any buffs on, or the blaster not having any BFs, or the FF is being a real pain, SAY something, just do it quick and spell out what you want. I.e. Can we kill off that bubbler fast please?!
-If Mr.McTargeter doesn’t listen, find a way of getting the point across or make a note of it for next time, but don’t take away a minute from the 10 min match just to draw attention to getting one opponent killed.

-Use your brain, remember who was forted/sbed/buffed by you, rotate downwards/upwards in some easy pattern. Even if you’re on the middle of the list and buffing, even if you’re buffing and contributing damage, try to remember WHO you buffed, don’t slap a speed boost on some person, see them being dmged, worry about that sb wearing off, then pelt off across the map for 30 secs and lose a kill to sb the person who wouldn’t have needed it for another minute+.

-Applying sb is an insta-slow/immediate halt, careful as you apply it to someone chasing down a painted target/someone near death, because that delay in their movement can really mess things up.

-We don’t need you to spam 4 different binds in team chat, so don’t.

-Clarify who is targeting before match start if possible, if not, spell it out within the first minute or be doomed to some confusion.

-Organize teams before the match, discuss strategy then/MAIN TARGETs.

-Total Focus. Don’t do it, KNOW [u]WHEN[u] TO USE IT!!!!!!!!!!
-Long animation when you COULD have thrown 2 blasts in at the person, be very careful about TFing; it may also = a likely stun, but you have 5 stun grenades that you can chuck REAL fast on the run, and you could have spent that time you had with the person in melee using *another* shorter animation attack.

-AoEs work in PvP. Learn not to gather up so much, or grow to move even faster, and not stay in one place too often. Recognize when another team is gathering or close enough that an AoE will have an impact, and USE that AoE.

-Always try to close in on a target, but again, use real judgement in how close you get. If you doubt you’ll need to melee and the person will die from ranged attacks, maybe don’t close in so fast since you’ll need to jump to another target soon, and getting 100ft closer could cost you 2-5+ seconds on the next target and ruin damage on that target.
-Try not to get too pissed off on vent, don’t be afraid to point those key things out. Don’t congratulate someone on that breathtaking kill MID-MATCH! Do it [u]AFTER[u], you just wasted time in the middle of the match saying something that could’ve waited.
- [u]STAY WITH THE GROUP[u]. It’s ok to split off *occasionally* if you’re a powerhouse ice/em or rad/psy and you KNOW you can kill off who you’re going after, and do it in UNDER 18 secs, but aside from that, if you’re not evading, [u]STAY WITH THE GROUP[u].

-Bring the right [censored] insps to the match. If you don’t know what to bring, ask someone. If you just have an emp you can trust, your green and violet/purple/orange insp count should look different.

-If you are duelling or in a small team with little +perception, take into account enemy stealths. I.e. Debate using yellow insps to actually SEE something, rather than taking in reds to hit *nothing*.

-In a large match, you blasters are least likely to be targeted, REMEMBER.

-Look at multiple sides of a situation.

-If the opposition is spawn killing you… [u]DO IT TO THEM[u]. Otherwise, aim to refrain from it as much as possible – it should be unnecessary if you have any skill, and it undermines your appearance and can make playing no fun for someone.

-If the other side has no damage dealers chucking damage, your support has it easy.

-You picked all the powers you have with you in the match, if you aren’t using something, figure out why and see if there’s something better to replace it.
-You should know your powers too, especially general animation lengths, not TIMES, no one says you have to memorize those, but KNOW how long it’ll take to do the TK animation or how fast you can shoot off 2 blasts. It pays to have the right animations going at the right times.
-Know the general range on your powers. It also pays to have the right placement to buff someone/debuff/shoot an enemy rather than having to close in farther or wind up being 120+ metres out and having wasted that attack as it’s healed up with you running in to actually fire off some more stuff.

-Know the layout of at least one arena map like the back of your hand. Try to know them all!

-Coordinate on vent if you can. E.g. “I’m running, gonna pass by the statue (in center) soon so someone with sb say when there so I can get some speed!”

-Look for your own self-difficulties in a match if you can.

-If you see a flaw in someone else, try to help them correct it after a match in a nice, advising way.
-Always look at who is on your team before the match starts; chime in if you think it’s unbalanced and you have real reason to want it different.

-Always keep fun in mind.


Now Don’t Forget.

[u]Sing’s Guide to Vengeance in PvP:[u]


[u]Forward:[u]

This guide essentially refers to the effective usage of the Leadership pool power Vengeance in Player vs Player combat.

Well here's the rundown for anyone new or anyone who never knew.

Vengeance [u]ROCKS[u]. It generally winds up being the epitome of a tide-turner, and below it will be described just as to why. The intent of this guide is to not only encourage the use of more powers in PvP, but to draw attention to a long-existing BUG involving stacking Vengeance. I would expect some change(s) down the line for this power, but as is and as it has been from I4 to now, people have virtually always underestimated its potential. Even if it is changed, make note of the following as to how potent it once was, and even slashing the numbers it’d still be a hefty buff.

[u]Vengeance:[u]


Vengeance is described as 'Ranged (Targeted AoE), Teammates +DMG, +ACC, +DEF(All), Res(Effects)'. Now, the majority of those boosts are pretty obvious, but delving into '(Effects)', what are we talking about? We're talking about... Confuse, Taunt, Placate Fear, Stun, Sleep, Immobilize, Hold and Repel. Now, resistance clocks in at a handy dandy 55% +res for a blaster, this number INCREASES for controllers and defenders. This means that all of those effects there will last virtually [u]half as long[u], and as many of us have experienced, [u]Repel is nullified[u].

So, that's pretty good, but hey, you might as well have popped some violets and called it a day, right? Well looking at +dmg, for a blaster again, you get +44% dmg, that's more than a defender emp's FORTITUDE is giving you. Sadly, this number can't be Power Boosted or increased in any way, but 44% more dmg adds up very quickly indeed.

Taking a gander at +Acc and +Def, both numbers are fairly large as well. Tohit being a greater value than defense though. For a blaster again, slotted up you get +35% defense and +52% tohit. Yikes. And remember, tohit functions as BETTER than simple Accuracy, so that alone is letting you punch through PBUed bubbles, let alone PBU Forts! But wait, speaking of PBU, it's coolio cousin Power Boost has something to say.

What's that? Power Boost says it can further enhance these numbers? Mmm, sounds like a 53% defense buff and a 78% tohit buff for any of our blasters.

But wait, the defenders want some action too! Our dear rad/psys and honourable emps, and even precious kins and sonics or storms, they can use Veng too, and to even bigger effect!

Slotted for defense on the defender side, the power will give 47% +def to all too, queing PBU before activating = another 77% +def! AND if you slot for to hit or use membranes/cytos, you get 77% to hit too! And even if it doesn't hit a single [u]other[u] teammate, you're an emp on cloud nine, because you've got something better than slotted up Elude on you, and all that juicy mez resistance even if you're out of BFs or have a Force Bubbler tailing you!

Oh, hey wait, there's something else not mentioned in the short help. A [u]HEAL[u]. That's right folks, for the cheap price of a dead teammate, you not only get massive +dmg, +tohit, +defense AND mez resistance and repel immunity, you get a radial HEAL. This isn't worth enhancing IMO, but you'll ballpark around 90-125 hp healed. This can *also* be Power Boosted; making for some easy teammate saves if they're nearby, and then who's going to HIT them after?

[u]Fact:[u] Vengeance lasts 120 seconds, has a radial buff effect of about 60 feet, and has an *unenhanceable* recharge of 300 seconds.

Oh, Sing, wait, why did you bother with this? You KNOW the devs got all mean and said no stacking Vengeance! Well, there's a nifty way of bypassing this! You simply activate the power within 1.5ish seconds of another Vengeance user! This leads to TWO Heals going off at once which is easily noticable, as well as BOTH of the casters' Vengeances stacking.

Now, many many many of us have experienced the fun to be had of a slotted up Vengeance. Plenty of us have received PBU or PBed Vengeances too! A good number have experienced double stacked Vengeance as well! But here's something very few of you, if any of you will have *ever* experienced, and here's something brand new for you to consider. You can just as easily stack 2 Vengeances as you can [u]three[u]. You can just as easily stack 3 Vengeances as you can [u]four[u].

Granted, it's hard enough as is, but a single Veng is near dependent on the dead teammate STAYING dead, and if many of us have had the opportunity to hit PB or PBU before using it, or to countdown, or to double up on Veng, why can't we achieve triple what may be the norm?

Why can't we be running around with a [u]minimum[u]of 105% +def, 156 +tohit, 132% +dmg, 165% +res to effects and a total 270 point heal? That's assuming NO one hits Power Boost, and that all the Vengeances are coming from blasters; if anyone did hit PB or were a defender (with PBU), then the buffs would be even more incredible. Those numbers are from my testing of triple stacked Vengeance in I7.

F.Y.I.: This is a [u]BUG[u]. It is not the intended use for this power, and the fact that Vengeance was deliberately nerfed and patch notes explained as such justify that easily. In my I8 testing I was unable to determine whether or not these stacked Vengeances still overlap +defense and +tohit and +dmg or not, but I’d wager that they still do, as they did in I7 and previously. Vengeance is not meant to stack - period.

I seriously hope that the developers do change something about the ability of this power to stack. Using it as is isn’t an exploit per say, as Sonic Cage and Detention Field are also bugged and the PvP community at large have used them since they’ve been around. Still, do not be shy of petitioning and/or e-mailing someone involved in game development about this problem.

It's just a matter of timing and getting things right. So, Vengeance does indeed rock, if your teammates are falling down, and you get in the right Veng, or hit enough people and stave off further deaths long enough, it can be a match saver. If your amped dmg and tohit is enough to plow through opponents better than before, then it can be a match saver. If anyone is out of insps and Veng helps them in any way... it can be a match saver.

For this kind of buff, it can even be considerable to have someone die, to cement a win for sure (though that's still unadvisable, if someone is going to die, let the other side waste their firepower and buffs DOING that). Also recall that Vengeance and the WHOLE Leadership line only affect [u]teammates[u]! That doesn't mean 'allies', that means ONLY people [u]on your team[u].

Optimal slotting IMO is really just 3 cytos or 3 membs. The +recharge component of membranes doesn't affect anything that can't normally be slotted for recharge, what you want from these Hos is the boost to both defense *and* tohit, though you REALLY want the defense boost if anything. 3 Heals aren't necessary in my mind, since someone dying usually means the other teammates don't *need* a heal if all the dmg was focussed on one individual. That's 3 slots that could be better used elsewhere, but they are still fine.

[u]Fact:[u] Vengeance activates in under 1.5 seconds, but over 1 second. Still a very quick animation.

You never *waste* a Veng, unless it can be better used later on, in which case you're still probably not wasting it. Just 1 person having that big buff makes a real difference, and as you know, larger buffs overcome 'lesser' ones, so if you Fort someone normally, then use PBU+Fort, the PBUed Fort takes precedence. If a blaster hits Veng, and a Defender hits their Veng a few seconds too late, so they don't STACK, they just 'overlap', then the Defender's Veng should just overwrite the other one, providing a bigger buff for all.

PBUing and PBing would have the same impact. It basically always pays off to use Veng, but we don't want to fire it willy nilly, best to try hitting 2+ people, and of course, stacking it.

The thing is that stacked Leadership IS huge, the only thing is that, while Assault is small enough and dmg caps large enough for things not to matter, Maneuvers is near meaningless as is, and Tactics is only so needed when teammates have Fortitude, Aim, RI, CM etc. and you may be hitting fine with acc SOs/HOs. All the leadership *toggles* also only have a certain range, outdoors the stacking feature won't come into play much.

You also HAVE to give up three powers to get Vengeance, that could be 3 more attacks, buffs, debuffs, evasion skills, you name it, it could've been that. A lot of builds are tight as is, as worthwhile a power as this is. The inverse to the above with separate smaller teams is also true, if you have a team of 8, 4 people on the team shouldn't need Vengeance.

So, in closing, never forget Sing's friendly saying:
If you die, stay dead for Vengeance please.

Aid Self falls under #2 and #3, but is Interruptable. I'm assuming it won't be subject to unrooting? Or is there a plan to abolish interruptables entirely at some point?

[ QUOTE ]
lol harder setup, any team you take in there its hard with, there is not an easy way of doing it... but thanks for the info.. now run back to your server pls.. #2

MF

[/ QUOTE ]

They're actually #4, since there were two teams on Justice before that got it done too. Gratz to all that have completed the SF now though, it is a big feat to accomplish!

I think that they should just remove Lysosomes from the game and give everyone who has one a new SHOE/HO of their choosing... someone also got an Enzyme SHOE recently and it was made by Sister Psyche. The dmg/rng and dmg/acc were Positron's. Dmg/mez and Acc/mez were Numina. Lyso is Bastion (even more gimp now than Citadel's might be), so Micro is probably Synpase's, the rest is guesswork. Would be very surprised if they added any new SHOEs though, I doubt that States or Ms. Lib would have any.

[ QUOTE ]
If that's the case... considering the required team setup and the fact that there will be only 8 people to trade with at the time, can we please have the option to CHOOSE our SHO? It'll definitely be a huge quality of life improvement.

[/ QUOTE ]

/agree, and HOs are in far greater abundance for heroes, even if you're a new 45+ on the block, if you step up you can get one weekly. If you actually get a comptent team together for this SF, you can't repeat it right after, and if everyone can't show up the next day or whenever, you're in more trouble than not having enough holders at a raid, since you're locked IN the TF and can't do anything else, and if someone quits you might as well give up because 7 villains vs. 8 54 heroes is just a bit too much sounding, though it could be possible. There are points for and against this, but I think just allowing us to at least choose the SHO would be a big leap forward, and for the next month+ we will have a REALLY small trading pool, and even when this SF becomes 'regular', it won't be as easy to get the SHO you want, whereas at a raid you just broadcast right after Hami pops.

[ QUOTE ]
Team member levels?

[/ QUOTE ]

Team Members:
Isyss - ice/rad corr 50
Misstress Foley - fire/fire brute 50
IceMaiden - ice/cold corr 50
Despair - ice/rad corr 50
Walks Among You - necro/ff MM 50
Skrape - ice/kin corr 50
Arctic-Doom - ice/thermal corr 50
Necroshade - necro/dark MM 47 for a few missions, then 48

Everyone is from Shadow Empire but Skrape, who is from DARK GODS.

Thanks to all and power to Triumph once again! Hopefully they do institute a respec-esque enhancement selection screen like devo said though. It's a shame they didn't keep that contest running for a few weeks on live...

Edit: Thanks Posi!

From the RV event on test and playing there before, the Firebase/Pillbox guns are still way too strong IMO. Those babies can range kill any squishy with ease, and grant a ton of protection to anyone inside. I see the RP point and it is a good theme, but the dmg on them is SICK, especially when you can hit anyone you can tab with them via a simple attack command. Even if it is a challenge to get the Pillboxes, or to take them back, I think that they should be vastly toned down when someone actually is in one.

The same goes for all of the NPCs in the zone. I don't know if the devs were just feeling crazy or what, but just about every NPC in that zone can take off 1/4-1/3 of almost any squishy AT's hp. If you stick around to fight them you can prevail sure, but the Wardens are a sight to behold, and just running by any = a chunk of your hp is gone. Everyone is also still fond of utilizing the NPCs to whittle down an opponent, or just to grief the person for some debt. Again, they make sense, like with all the other zones; but I think the NPCs are too much to contend with on a regular basis in RV, especially if you have no mez protection or are out of insps. Go ask any Dom that wandered by a Warden or Spec Ops and they'll tell you how quickly they were stunned/killed.

Normally I'd be very upbeat about this interesting zone, but from RV on test, it's easy to see how everything is out of whack. Even if 4-1 situations, heroes still overcome villains with ease, and when EPP/APPs/PPPs come into play, we all know who has the better deal. Very few villains can reliably hit the hero +def sets, yet even WITHOUT Foccused Accuracy, heroes are able to bypass villain +def with ease. Since heroes have unresistable dmg in scrappers and blasters, vs. villains who only have AS as unresistable; the +res on villains isn't helping so much.

HP is the big thing that bothered me here, the disparity between hero and villain HP in this zone is a joke. If not the hp, then the dmg output of a blaster vs. ANY corrupter, MM or Dom that hasn't been massively buffed is a sight to behold. MMs, Cors and Doms do not have reliable mez protection, sure, 3 hero ATs do not as well, but conts do get IW in their epics, and emps, sonics, kins, rads are more popular on ther hero side, and can buff the mez right out of a person. The zone is interesting, but the NPCs and lack of balance between both sides makes it a lot less fun. Chuck in respawning at 1 hp as a villain while heroes have Longbow that spam AoE heals, and emps; and everything looks that much worse.

I'm really surprised that they removed the SR passive buff! It wasn't even a big increase, but looked like something nice enough to give SR the little 'king of +def' edge or something, and it would've given people a better reason to actually take those powers, especially as a Stalker. I really do not see a need to remove them unless they stealth-patched some other buff to +def/sr or a nerf to tohit all round' somehow. If anything I'd say restoring the little boost back wouldn't have been enough anyway, adding an unenhancable 5% +def to PB as well might have done it though.