Slive_Draver

WARNING: INCOMING TERRIBLE BUILD!

The Fire snipe will be the nastiest, because of Build Up and Fire's secondary DoT effect.

This is the best I could do. With Build Up, Aim, Assault, and Gaussian's proc firing, it comes out pretty nice. Add in Boost Range for the silliness of it all.

'course, you neuter everything else, but there's Invisibility for hiding out while you wait for the recharge.

Final numbers:

Recharge: 9.9s
Range: 239.4
Accuracy: 369%

Damage: Fire(897+58.5x4), Negative(35.3), Toxic(14.4) = 1181 (267.4)


I was bored.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]

Level 50 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Fire Blast
Secondary Power Set: Energy Manipulation
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Concealment
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Flame Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Flares -- Apoc-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Apoc-Acc/Rchg(3), Apoc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), Apoc-Dmg/Rchg(5)
Level 1: Power Thrust -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(17), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(19), T'Death-Dam%(19), ExStrk-Acc/KB(40), ExStrk-Dmg/KB(40)
Level 2: Energy Punch -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(5), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(7), T'Death-Dam%(7)
Level 4: Fire Blast -- Dev'n-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Dev'n-Dmg/Rchg(21), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(21), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23)
Level 6: Boxing -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(9), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(9), T'Death-Dam%(13)
Level 8: Build Up -- AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(15), EncAcc-ToHit(15), EncAcc-ToHit/Rchg(17), EncAcc-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(36), Empty(40)
Level 10: Bone Smasher -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(11), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(11), T'Death-Dam%(13)
Level 12: Fire Ball -- Empty(A)
Level 14: Rain of Fire -- Empty(A)
Level 16: Fire Breath -- Empty(A)
Level 18: Aim -- AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(31), EncAcc-ToHit(37), EncAcc-ToHit/Rchg(37), EncAcc-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(37), GSFC-Build%(43)
Level 20: Blaze -- Dev'n-Hold%(A), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), Dev'n-Dmg/EndRdx(25), Dev'n-Dmg/Rchg(25)
Level 22: Stun -- P'ngS'Fest-Acc/Dmg(A), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/EndRdx(31), P'ngS'Fest-Dmg/Rchg(33), P'ngS'Fest-Stun%(33)
Level 24: Stealth -- RedFtn-Def(A), RedFtn-EndRdx(33), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(34), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(34)
Level 26: Blazing Bolt -- Mantic-Acc/Dmg(A), Mantic-Dmg/EndRdx(27), Mantic-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), Mantic-Dam%(29), Dmg-I(29), Apoc-Dam%(31)
Level 28: Power Boost -- Empty(A)
Level 30: Invisibility -- RedFtn-Def(A), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(34), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(36), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(36)
Level 32: Inferno -- Empty(A)
Level 35: Boost Range -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 38: Total Focus -- T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(A), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), T'Death-Dam%(39), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(39)
Level 41: Char -- Lock-Acc/Hold(A), Lock-Acc/Rchg(42), Dev'n-Hold%(42), Dev'n-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg(43), Dev'n-Dmg/Rchg(43)
Level 44: Bonfire -- ExStrk-Acc/KB(A), ExStrk-Dmg/KB(45)
Level 47: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 49: Tactics -- EncAcc-ToHit(A), EncAcc-ToHit/Rchg(50), EncAcc-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance

...the ONLY possible thing that could be appropriate would be crossbows.

At least then the darn sound effects would match up.

*grumbles*

Make a new character.

Absolutely glorious. Still relevant, still phenomenal.

LOVE Super Reflexes. The only problem is, and others have mentioned it, the set is pretty late-blooming. It was a downright pain to get to 22, but once I hit SOs things got a little bit easier.

You're going to spend some time faceplanted. Until you get everything up and running, Super Reflexes is very hit-or-miss when it comes to protecting you. You don't even get your first AoE protection until 28, and won't get the "full" protection available until 35.

From that 35-50 and beyond point, however, you're going to be absolutely delighted with Super Reflexes. I didn't take Elude (but I took everything else). Instead, I spent a small amount of money on IOs and soft-capped my positional defenses to everything. I took Tough and Weave, and the resulting build was ridiculously cheap for the amount of protection I have.

It's going to be a tight build, no matter what primary. In my opinion, Elude is the ONLY skippable power in the set. If you do want to take every (or close to every) power in your primary, be aware that you may only have slots for a few choice powers otherwise. You'll be able to get to Stamina, Weave, and a travel power, but that's about it.

I love it, though. Great powerset. Easily cappable, and once it's up and running it's fast and easy. Just be aware of the few pitfalls; a mandatory (imo) 8 powers, the late-bloominess of the set, and the odd protection distribution through the levels.

Spines/Dark! Spines/Dark!

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I don't get why the concealment pool is such a popular choice for a pve build. Stealth and invis aren't that useful when you can stealth cap yourself vs npcs with super speed and a stealth IO--which can go in sprint so it doesn't even cost you a slot or a power choice.

Phase shift is of marginal utility in pve and grant invis is also marginalized because so many people stealth cap themselves.

Seems to me that the cost of a pool and power slots could be far better spent.

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But they're good spots for a LoTG +7.5% Recharge IO, and are sometimes situationally useful. I have Invisibility on one of my dudes for concept reasons only, but I have used Grant Invisibility on the occasional Scrapper or Blaster. Blasters sometimes want to get their nuke off early, so they need to be able to get close; similarly, Scrappers are by-and-large nuts, and need all the help they can get.

So, they're situationally useful, and a couple good spots for LoTG IOs in a powerset that would otherwise have few places to put them.


I'm not even going to touch the original build.

I don't mind when another Tanker joins up. Sometimes, it's actually beneficial. As Garthalus said, 90% of fellow Tanks I've played with simply do not push the pace enough for my liking. So I help them out. I'll send a /Tell to the other Tank, and let him know that he should stick with the group, and I'll bring him the mobs. Then, as he shuffles in to the first group, I'll hop ahead to the second and bring 'em on back. Rinse and repeat.

I hate to dig 'em (har!), but this almost always happens with Stone tanks. They simply stay in Granite and teleport from standing-still-spot to standing-still-spot. It really goes a LOT faster with a second tank to round up outside groups.

I echo the DB/WP comments. It'll be the easiest way to start.

I took a different route and chose to go DB/SR. I'm a defensive freak, and wanted to soft-cap as quick as possible. I'm certainly not regretting my decision, as I can waltz through all but the toughest of challenges. But wasn't even that expensive, either, I spent maybe 50 million on it? It's going to get much worse, though; I love the character so much that I plan on putting a significant amount of influence towards him.

-

As for your question, Dual Blades is excellent for a newcomer. The attacks are fairly simple, quite flashy, and fun to watch. The set doesn't come with a Defense-boosing attack like Broadsword (Parry) or Katana (Divine Avalanche), so the early levels are a bit tougher as a result until you get your defenses up and running.

The combos aren't terribly tough to figure out, and they all do SOMEthing. Now, there are many debates as to just how much investment you need to put in to these combinations; many people say that the beginning combinations are not worth it at all. I tend to echo these thoughts; the time it takes to get through the skills, coupled with the possibility of a miss, is often very frustrating. I still liked using the Weaken combination. Yes, it's not extremely useful, but at those early levels everything helps. Plus, it finishes with Typhoon's Edge, which means that if you get into the center of a mob you can send a whole lot of letters flying. That makes me feel like I contribute just a *little* more than those other Scrappers.

The second two combinations are more interesting. Sweep is an excellent power to use in teams, even though it takes FOREVER (One Thousand Cuts takes forever to animate, I'm sorry), but it's a nice little PBAoE knockdown that will help your teammates. I've found it fires off just as a Shield person finishes up with a Shield Charge, or a Foot Stompin' dude fires his off. Nice little bouncing effect. And Attack Vitals does some great damage, and will be your combo of choice once you get your recharge up a little.

In short, it's not bad. Slot for accuracy, hit the combos as you see fit, and have fun. I HAVE found that you'll use your respecs well with this set; I swapped out the lower combos once I could use the uppers, and then again once I started investing in IOs. You'll probably do the same.

Have fun!

Gracious me, I hope so.

If you want toughness and mobility, I suggest (as I have multiple times before) an Invulnerability/Dark Melee character. Read up on soft-capping it (which you can do easily). You'll be tough as nails, have a few ways to heal yourself and regain endurance, and most importantly have the mobility you need to get around.

I'd be happy if they just offered red/orange/yellow/green/indigo/blue/violet choices for each powerset, keeping all the powers the same general hue. That would limit the amount of customization a little (rather than the huge color palette we have for costumes, just keep it to 7) but still make it more manageable for the developers. I don't particularly *need* aqua-teal fire, for instance. Green or blue would be fine.

Welp, back to bed for another hour for me! Was wondering this myself. Thanks.

We had a nice team, and absolutely blew through that TF.

I see no problem. Spend a little more time forming your team, it's (thankfully) slightly more difficult than the average mission.

It's so much...wetter...! Waterier? I dunno, I like it.

(t.w.s.s.)

I think one of the biggest differences between this game's end-game "goals" and that of other games out there would be the fact that you don't VISUALLY see the advancement of your character past hitting 50.

In games like WoW (using it for an example only), you can SEE who's taken the time to trick out a particular character. Upgraded armor is nice and flashy, and people recognize how much time you've invested based purely on your "look".

Now, in CoH, it's slightly different. The character creator is absolutely amazing, and allows a wide range of options. Yes, there are ways for a higher-level character to distinguish themselves, such as capes, auras, titles/badges, and unlockable weapons and armors. But your character could also look the same from level 1 all the way through to 50 and beyond.

Under the hood, however, is a different story. A character using standard enhancements may be somewhat effective, but that same character with a tricked-out IO setup could very well be a scary sight to behold. Only at THAT point will observant players say to themselves, "Holy crow, look at that kid!" and view your info. THEN, when they see the list of set bonuses a mile long, will they fully recognize how much time you've spent on your character.

So, to answer your question, items (in this case Enhancements) are not for vanity at all, as a player cannot look at, say, your helm or pauldrons and see "Oh, Tier 4, nice." However, I feel they do MORE for for vanity, as they enable you to push your character that much further. A Scrapper with standard enhancements might do okay in a team environment, but a tricked-out Scrapper with purples out the wazoo will be off destroying entire spawns by himself while the team just stands in awe. That's the true beauty of the "end-game" enhancements.


In terms of your other questions:

By "raiding" I assume you mean something like Molten Core (or whatever the new stuff in WoW is, I strayed off that path a long time ago), where a bunch of characters take down an instanced dungeon. In that sense, there are a couple "raiding"-type situations in CoH. On the Virtue server, we go after Hamidon once or twice a week, and we also go on Rikti raids a couple times a week as well. Players go after Hamidon for enhancements, and Rikti for Vanguard Merits to upgrade the look of their character. In both instances, they're very fun, and a great way to meet new people.

In addition, random events such as zombie uprisings and Rikti invasions pull players together in the zones themselves to fight for safety. Giant Monsters also spawn in some locations, which players will often band together to take down for badges. Task Forces bring players together as well, and are most like the "instances" that you're probably used to in WoW.

After 38 levels, Psy/EM is no longer very fun. It's just too weak in PvE, in my opinion.

For Tankers?

Easy.

Same idea as a Fury bar, but substitute +Resistance in for +Damage. Make it top out at +20 Resistance to all.

Doing so would promote Tankers to keep moving and keep at the front of the fight, as well as promote them to grab as much aggro as possible. In addition, it would be useful in solo play. IOs don't normally do much for Resistance (which is why I don't think it should add to Defense), so it would be even more of an incentive for fully IO'd out characters to keep a full bar.

I would like to see Gauntlet hang around, though. It's a tremendously amazing inherent for teaming, and really helps out in maintaining aggro. Not only that, but it also promotes punchin' stuff and staying at the front of the fight.

Helps survivability. Promotes keeping the Tanker moving and at the front of the fight. Seems about right.

My pewpews are normally brown.

Had to say it. I apologize.

Hand Clap is useful for the struggle between 16 and 22, when SOs become available to help shore up Tankers' defenses. So what if it's a little chaotic in the process?

I honestly see no problem whatsoever with Hand Clap. I've taken it, and I've respecced out of it later when it loses its usefulness. Sometimes, that's the way it should be. The rest of the Super Strength set is fantastic, so I see no issue in keeping Hand Clap exactly as it is.

Reducing the recharge time might be okay, but Hand Clap, if I remember correctly, was up whenever I really needed it. The endurance issue is a minor problem, but nothing that can't be solved with enhancements.

Bring plenty of Lucks during the early levels. If you don't want to bring plenty of Lucks, bring plenty of Awakens.

The beginning levels of an Ice Tank are a little painful. Your defenses aren't really solid for a while, and with the fantastically amazing Chilling Embrace you're going to be drawing a lot of hate that you'll need to figure out how to deal with.

Don't fret, though! Beginning levels for most Tankers are pretty rough, just because of the nature of the class. Once you grab some SOs, though, you'll be quite happy with your progression and survivability. And once you get Energy Absorption, you'll be loving life.

Trains and Pocket D don't have fees because they still want to encourage players to move around the city and to see new areas. It would be a major turn-off to have a new player unable to move to a mission in, say, Kings Row, because they can't afford the train ticket (yes, they could move through zones, but that's also a big bummer and a waste of time). And Pocket D is just snazzy-looking, and people like the look of snazzy things.

http://cityofheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Weapon_customization

Edit: Bookmark that other guy's site.

[ QUOTE ]
Go. Hunt. Kill Skuls.

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Removing money from the game helps keep inflation down.