Silas

The problem with Defenders and Tankers, (and Blasters, to a lesser extent), is that they were designed to fill antiquated MMO team roles. The holy trinity of the healer/tank/nuker.

(Before anyone with a blue shield starts warming up their keyboard for a tirade, I mean healer in the archaic sense of a supporting character, I'm well aware a Defender who focuses on healing is a Defender that is 90% fail by volume. The 'healer' construct is an unfortunate throwback to stuff like EQ.)

Then CoV comes along and shows that the healer/buffer/debuffer character can also nuke. And that the tanker can also smash things to bits. And that the nuker can also mezz stuff.

Now, I don't believe in all the zomgdoom that when GR hits no one would play Tankers anymore. It'd probably be better for 99% of the content from a numbers perspective, but it won't happen. Nor will all Defenders vanish and become Corruptors. Simply because some people prefer being a Tanker to a Brute or a Defender to a Corruptor. In an environment most people are in to have fun, most people will play what they find fun, oddly enough.

For me personally, I find the Defender and Tanker roles unfortunate because they make what I feel is an unnecessary sacrifice for their high buff/debuff/defense values.

If a Brute can be tough enough and a Corruptors buffs/debuffs are strong enough, which they are, why would I make a Tanker or Defender?

That said, I don't think the solution is to make Brutes squishier or Corruptor secondaries weaker. In much the same way that I don't think giving Tankers and Defenders more damage would help them. Sure, it'd help them do more damage and solo faster, but it wouldn't differentiate them from Brutes and Corrs.

Unfortunately, I don't know what would.

Just brainstorming, if a Tanker is supposed to hold aggro and the Defender is supposed to defend the team, then their Inherent should reward them for doing so and help them do it better. All the good inherents both reward the AT for doing what they do best and help them do it better. Scourge, Criticals, Defiance, Fury, Containment, Assassination, Supremacy, for example.

Now, Gauntlet at least does one of those things. It helps a Tanker get and hold aggro. Great, now what? The Tanker only gains a benefit from having aggro if they've got an aura like Invincibility/RttC/Energy Absorbtion or AAO. In which case, yay, they get aggro, their defenses/offenses go up. But all sets should have some kind of tangible benefit from having aggro.

Vigilance does half of one of those things. It helps you do your job, but only if you're doing it badly or not doing it at all. It doesn't reward you for defending your team, in fact quite the opposite. Not bothering to buff/debuff so everyone is dying? Great! Have a massive endurance discount so you can do nothing even cheaper!

Better Inherents are the answer imo. Messing with buff/debuff/damage/defense scalars doesn't do anything but further blur the lines between ATs. The Inherents should be what defines and differentiates them.

Cohort

Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Medial Temporal Lobe
Posts: 666

Do not trust her!

Unless you want to consistently run smooth successful raids, I guess. Maybe then.

...Anyone?

Autocracy, my Fire/Fire dom hit 50 this weekend.

Now IOd and accoladed, thanks to everyone who helped with the leveling and the accolading

Well, I had an EM/FA for a while. Still do, but stripped him as I never play him. Pretty strong soloing combo with the dual BUs, just very weak for AoE.

I found with high recharge I was actually killing myself more than the enemies were due to ET.

So eh, it's an alright combo. The stuns from EM help with mitigation for FA. Unless its a concept char you'd be better off with something else though. ET and TF being so glacially slow is bad news bears when you need to hit Healing Flames in a hurry.

Soloing +4s for anything other than a party trick is untenable. They give bucketloads of inf but for inf generation you're much better off with +2s or +3s.

Also Dispari has the right of it. A Tanker would take years to solo a +4x8 spawn, even a high damage combo like Fire/SS or SD/SS.

AAO buffs base damage, Scrapper base damage is high, Brute base damage is low. Scrapper wins.

SC and LR use pet damage caps, Brute easily hits the pet damage cap with enh, Fury and AAO so their higher damage cap doesn't factor in for SC and LR, Scrapper wins.

Higher Brute hp not a big factor since softcapped is softcapped, more or less a wash.

Fireball >>> Dark Obliteration or Ball Lightning, Scrapper wins.

As much as I love vills, SD and especially this combo is much, much better for Scrappers than Brutes.

Few suggestions:

Drop the Panacea +/+, it's garbage, especially in a toggle. Put a range IO in Throw Spines to maximise it's awesome huge cone. If money is no object and you're building for defense, might as well put a Glad Def IO in Resilience, take the defense slot from CJ since its giving you minimal benefit.

Swap the Aegis's in Tough for Titanium Coatings for the +hp. Swap the Damage in Spine Burst for the dam/end, 4 end/sec or no, the base end cost is going to wreak havoc at your level of recharge.

Hey all. Well aware this isn't the Dominator forums, but it is the forum with the most DPS number-crunching maniacs, and that is precisely the expertise I'm after.

Here is my current build for my Fire/Fire dom.

Poison Trap from /poison.

Yeah, I know but I couldn't fit it in. (No, that is not what she said). If it were Fireball, on the other hand....we'd talk

It was very tempting though. But I decided I'd rather have Incinerate. Set dudes on fire, show them who is boss.

Protip: it is me, I am boss.

If they have 450m, I'd say its at least not totally unlikely they might read this forum.

People go /MM because MOAR AOEZ and Drain Psyche/PSW being PBAoE works well with Hail of Bullets.

If this is for the Storm/Rad in your sig, no. As DJ said, on a kin you could get away with not slotting damage because of Fulcrum, not on a Storm.

As Tangler said the +tohit proc is a waste. You'll also have no acc/recharge/end in it. I went with 5 Armageddons and an Achilles proc. Cheaper option would be 5 Oblits and an Achilles proc.

If you really wanted to go proc crazy with it, I'd put the Achilles proc, the Lady Grey proc and one of the PBAoE damage procs in it and then 2 Obliterations (triple and quad) and a Multistrike Dam/End/Rech.

Here's my Fire/Fire dom. Softcapped smashing/lethal defense, permadom without Hasten level recharge.

I play twice as badly as usual whenever I'm playing it because of all the bloodflow being diverted away from my brain and hands.

Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.621
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Autocracy: Level 50 Natural Dominator
Primary Power Set: Fire Control
Secondary Power Set: Fiery Assault
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leaping
Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Char -- UbrkCons-Acc/Hold/Rchg(A), UbrkCons-Hold/Rchg(19), UbrkCons-Acc/Rchg(19), UbrkCons-EndRdx/Hold(21), UbrkCons-Dam%(21)
Level 1: Flares -- Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(23), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(23), Decim-Acc/Dmg(25), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(25)
Level 2: Fire Cages -- GravAnch-Immob/EndRdx(A), GravAnch-Hold%(3), GravAnch-Immob/Rchg(3), GravAnch-Acc/Immob/Rchg(9), GravAnch-Acc/Rchg(9)
Level 4: Incinerate -- Hectmb-Dam%(A), Hectmb-Dmg/EndRdx(5), Hectmb-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), Hectmb-Dmg/Rchg(7), Hectmb-Acc/Rchg(7)
Level 6: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50)
Level 8: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 10: Fire Blast -- Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(11), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), Decim-Acc/Dmg(17)
Level 12: Flashfire -- Amaze-EndRdx/Stun(A), Amaze-Stun(13), Amaze-Stun/Rchg(13), Amaze-Acc/Stun/Rchg(15), Amaze-Acc/Rchg(15)
Level 14: Super Speed -- Clrty-Stlth(A), Clrty-RunSpd(50)
Level 16: Fiery Embrace -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50)
Level 18: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A)
Level 20: Stamina -- Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(A), Efficacy-EndMod(36), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc(36)
Level 22: Cinders -- BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(A), BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(48), BasGaze-Acc/Hold(48), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(48)
Level 24: Boxing -- KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(33), KntkC'bat-Knock%(33), KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(34)
Level 26: Kick -- KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(A), KntkC'bat-Knock%(34), KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(34), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(36)
Level 28: Consume -- Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(29), Oblit-Dmg(29), Oblit-%Dam(31), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(31), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31)
Level 30: Tough -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A)
Level 32: Fire Imps -- ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(A), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(37), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(37), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37)
Level 35: Weave -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def(39), RedFtn-EndRdx(39), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(39), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(40), LkGmblr-Rchg+(40)
Level 38: Blaze -- Apoc-Dam%(A), Apoc-Dmg/EndRdx(40), Apoc-Dmg/Rchg(42), Apoc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Apoc-Acc/Rchg(42)
Level 41: Scorpion Shield -- RedFtn-Def(A), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(43), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(43), RedFtn-EndRdx(43), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(45), LkGmblr-Rchg+(45)
Level 44: Blazing Bolt -- Mantic-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Mantic-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Mantic-Acc/Dmg(46), Mantic-Acc/ActRdx/Rng(46), Mantic-Dmg/ActRdx/Rchg(46)
Level 47: Personal Force Field -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 49: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(27), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), KntkC'bat-Knock%(33)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Domination
Level 2: Ninja Run

As in-game mechanics, defense makes attacks less likely to land, resistance and damage debuffs make them hit for less damage.

CJ and Weave give defense, so they wouldn't make the AVs attack hit for less, they'd make the AVs attacks hit less.

Tough would make the smashing/lethal component of the AVs attack hit for less. IOs can give some resistance bonuses but by and large they're negligible so you can't really rely on IO bonuses for resistance.

Defense wouldn't make the attack hit for less, it would make it less likely to hit. He could be at the defense hardcap and it'd still hit for full damage.

Something working in a stupid way in PvP? Say it ain't so!