My First Corruptor or Sonics/Kinetics, A quick overview
Hello, and welcome to my first attempt at a guide. Quite frankly, I never feel I am the right person for this type of stuff, but I am feeling frisky today. Sonic Blast seems to be overlooked by many for various reasons. Some of the more popular gripes are:
The supposed or is it factual 5% Accuracy Penalty?
The lack of a "Snipe" flavor of attack
The *ahem* unique graphics and sounds
It is a Primarily Single Target Set in the City of AoE
While many of these quibs have some merit, I just think people have never really given it the 'ole college try. Yes, at times there seems to be some accuracy issues, but it is not every fight. Actually the set kind of helps itself after the first attack, so it doesn't seem totally whif-o-riffic. How does it help itself? With the secondary effect of course, which is Damage resistance debuff.
Now most of these guides I have read go over the in-game power descriptions and other stuff. I don't plan on doing that here. I just want to describe the powers in laymans terms, recommend a slotting, and move on. So without further delay:
Sonic Blast
Shriek
Good range, fairly quick recharge, and decent damage. Take this power at the start. This power represents the first of three powers in the set that do direct single target damage, and believe me you want them all.
Enhancements: 5 Total
Type: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage
Scream
Good Range, fairly quick recharge time (almost identical to Shriek) and good damage. Now this power deals the damage but don't expect to be wow'd by a big orange number. Instead we are treated to a "pulsing" damage giving two hits each tick (energy, smashing) for about 6 ticks.
Enhancements: 5 Total
Type: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage
Howl
Hey who said this was a single target set? Here it is boys and girls our first AoE attack. Basically what it all boils down to is a 90 degree cone that does Shriek style damage to a bunch of mobs. Good closer in a group situation where the aggro is pretty well handled by others before you break this one loose.
Enhancements: 5 Total
Type: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage
Shockwave
If knockback is your bag, then by all means pick this up. I personally decided to skip it. Though I was temped to take it considering it is a 90 degree cone attack, but Howl is much better.
Enhancements:
Type:
Shout
Our close range damage dealer. How much? Two orange numbers (energy and smashing) fairly large or large enough to take an even con foe (PvE) to half health or close to it. Good attack, and the last of our major single target damage dealers. Put this on the Christmas list folks.
Enhancements: 6 Total
Type: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 Recharge
Amplify
This is the sonic version of Aim, I guess. I say I guess because I skipped it. In an attack set with known accuracy issues this power is a little late in arriving for me. At this stage in your corruptor's career if you haven't slotted a majority of Accuracy enhancements into your powers, then what went wrong?
Enhancements:
Type:
Siren's Song
Our second cone status effect power. (Shockwave being the first) At first to your average Corruptor a cone based sleep might seem a little wonky. I can tell you that it is VERY useful. The base sleep duration is pretty lengthy even on yellows and it can really help you solo through some missions while waiting for the next group to come along. It can also help in groups to thin the herd when people aggro other spawns. Try it , you might like it.
Enhancements: 3 Total
Type: 2 Accuracy, 1 Sleep Duration
Screech
A single target disorient. Once again at the Trainer, I spent some time hemming and hawing over taking this power. Ultimately I took it and am better for it. I use it in conjunction with the Siren's Song. I give a basic attack chain at the end so you can see how.
Neglible damage, and the disorient is about 10 seconds or 3-4 attacks long. This will NOT stun a Boss.
Enhancements: 2 Total
Type: 2 Accuracy
Dreadful Wail
The Sonic Nuke. Many people don't like this power from sonic blast because it supposedly has no secondary effect associated with it. Or at least that is the rumor. Have no fear there is a secondary effect to this power. While not as impressive as some nukes where after doing crazy damage mobs are scattered to four corners, but something more friendly. Disorient. Anyway I find these types of powers overly situational, but a must have none the less.
Enhancements: 6 Total
Types: 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage and a Recharge
Kinetics
Everyone knows about Kinetics. If you don't there are a plethora of guides on it over in the Defender's Forum. Those folks have put a lot of time into them, so I will not go into the individual powers here. From the build below you can see which ones I deemed vital to my personal build and the playstyle of Enabler.
I will, however, go over which ones I did not take and my personal reason why and let you decide for yourself whether or not to pick them up over something else.
Repel
Knocking back a bunch of mobs from myself seems like a good idea. Knocking them back from my team of Brutes and Stalkers?
Not a very good idea if you want to stay teamed. Knockback has it's place and the thought of continually occupying a bunch of mobs seems like a good idea but it really doesn't put this in the "must have" category for a team based villain.
Inertial Reduction
Whee free super jump for everybody! At level 28?! Honestly this was an easy skip for me. The power needs something else. A secondary effect that is worth having perhaps or something entirely different than un-suppressible super jump.
Playstyle:
This is a personal part of Corrupting. How you play your corruptor is up to one person; you. Sonic/Kinetics Corruptors can solo but it isn't the most efficient ride in CoV. Basically since we are mostly single target folks, we have to carefully manage a solo fight. I found it very possible to manage encounters by using an attack chain similar to this:
Get myself noticed either opening up with a Howl or simply being seen.
Find a way to get them clumped together
Siren's Song
Anyone not caught taking a snooze are now the primary targets.
Now for the snoozers.
Attack chain:
Screech - Shout - Scream - Shriek - Howl but only if we aren't going to wake the others.
Reapply Siren's Song as required to keep the encounter simple. Oh and just so you know, if one mob hurts you pretty bad you can use the sleeping mobs to "buff-up" without breaking the sleep. Almost feels like cheating.
Teaming Up
Hey now this where Sonics takes a back seat and Kinetics really shines. Brutes and Stalkers are your meal tickets. Bascially, Kinetics is the ULTIMATE Brute Enabler. Those Brutes are addicted to the SMASH and the one thing that takes them out of SMASH mode is Endurance and Health (mostly endurance). Speed Boost and Transfusion, and believe it or not Increase Density are the 3 reasons why your chat box will be flooded with Tells for teaming up.
Speed Boost in general is so popular that you almost feel like a drug dealer with constant requests for a speed boost pick me up.
Also a good source of hilarity when used on certain type of pets thorughout the game.
Siphon Speed while a handy pseudo-travel power early in the game really finds a home as a boss slower. You know those Freak Tankers running through your group like that jerk in the pit that thinks slam-dancing is a boxing match put to music? Yeah, him.
Slow him down and watch how much that alone helps the survivability of an encounter.
Fulcrum Shift, once you get there will dramatically improve a teams damage dealing ability which has been documented by many others in the community.
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Name:
Level: 40
Archetype: Corruptor
Primary: Sonic Blast
Secondary: Kinetics
01) --> Shriek==>
01) --> Transfusion==>
02) --> Scream==>
04) --> Howl==>
06) --> Siphon Power==>
08) --> Recall Friend==>
10) --> Siphon Speed==>
12) --> Shout==>
14) --> Teleport==>
16) --> Increase Density==>
18) --> Hurdle==>
20) --> Speed Boost==>
22) --> Health==>
24) --> Stamina==>
26) --> Siren's Song==>
28) --> Screech==>
30) --> Stealth==>
32) --> Dreadful Wail==>
35) --> Transference==>
38) --> Fulcrum Shift==>
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Sprint==>
01) --> Brawl==>
01) --> Scourge==>
02) --> Rest
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