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Two_Dollar_Bill

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  1. Two_Dollar_Bill
    Bane Spiders can do a lot of different things well, and there are different types of builds. What do you see your Bane doing?
    Will he start each combat by surprising his hapless victims with Executioner's Strike? Or spraying the room with toxic damage and debuffs? Will he mop up with melee attacks? Ranged mace attacks? SMG attacks? Pets?

    My own Bane Spider is 100% mace attacks and he operates much like a Stalker, except that he has useful ranged attacks, and pets, and and better Leadership toggles than any Defender.
  2. Two_Dollar_Bill

    Crab woes!

    POST-ACTION

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rockshock View Post
    I guess, I must have just skimmed over the build and not put much thought into it, or I would have noticed that lv 32 was blank.

    The build looks ok,
    Well, if it's merely okay, what do you wish it did better? I recommend you look at the suggested builds and see if they are something you'd like to play, and tell us why, or why not. Otherwise, why are we having this discussion?
    - Linea Alba's Hovercrab is a "huntsman" (uses SMG attacks instead of normal Crab attacks). Hovering to avoid melee combat, and protected from ground fire by soft-capped Ranged and AoE defenses, the hovercrab rains down death like a helicopter gunship.
    - The build I posted is more similar to yours, in that it runs around with Combat Jumping and shoots Crab AoE ranged attacks and summons pets. It has a good attack for finishing melee combats quickly, but should avoid melee if possible. Higher recharge and more pets than the hovercrab, but squishier.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rockshock View Post
    but im a little confused as to why I need Maneuvers and Tactical Training: Maneuvers. Also, I would have thought Combat Training: Offensive and Frag Grenade are things that I would really need to be a long range damage dealer, plus the web grenade for keeping the KB down to a minimum.
    What Linea Alba and Trilby said. I would just elaborate by saying: Lobster's Guide to Crabbing!
  3. Two_Dollar_Bill

    Crab woes!

    POST-ACTION

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rockshock View Post
    Lvl 32 slot? Took Omega Maneuver...
    The build I posted left the Level 32 power slot empty. And you have not offered any opinion on whether the build looks good for you or not.
  4. Two_Dollar_Bill
    By way of example, my Empath has a cheap (no purples) recharge build that relies on range, low aggro and a stealth proc to avoid getting clobbered. Most of his IOs are level 30 for exemplaring purposes.

    In combat, I pick my own target (not the tank's target) and pin it to the wall with a barrage of Power Bolt, Power Blast and Power Burst. Ideally, I only get aggro from that one target, so I can keep an eye on the team instead of fighting for my own survival. If I get in trouble and need some crowd control, Power Push slotted with Kinetic Crash can boost an opponent into a low Earth orbit.

    If you want to use a lot of AoE attacks, I recommend a totally different tactic, with lots of ranged defense so you can survive all the attention you get. Knockback makes it harder for a tanker to keep all the mobs under control, and any stragglers that you knock away from the tank may come after you. A Defender can soft-cap ranged defense using Maneuvers, Hover or Combat Jumping, and a whole bunch of set bonuses. The ATO set provides 5% ranged defense, which helps a lot.


    Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.956
    http://www.cohplanner.com/

    Click this DataLink to open the build!

    Captain Improbable I22: Level 50 Technology Defender
    Primary Power Set: Empathy
    Secondary Power Set: Energy Blast
    Power Pool: Flight
    Power Pool: Teleportation
    Power Pool: Leadership
    Power Pool: Speed
    Ancillary Pool: Power Mastery

    Hero Profile:
    Level 1: Healing Aura -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(3), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(3), Dct'dW-Heal(5), Dct'dW-Rchg(5)
    Level 1: Power Bolt -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(7), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(9), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), FrcFbk-Rechg%(11)
    Level 2: Power Blast -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(13), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(13), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), FrcFbk-Rechg%(34)
    Level 4: Heal Other -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(15), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Dct'dW-Heal(17), Dct'dW-Rchg(19), Range-I(43)
    Level 6: Absorb Pain -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(19), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(21), Dct'dW-Heal(21), Dct'dW-Rchg(23), Range-I(23)
    Level 8: Fly -- Frbd-EndRdx(A), Frbd-Fly(25), Frbd-Stlth(25), EndRdx-I(27), Flight-I(40)
    Level 10: Power Burst -- SDefendersB-Acc/Dmg(A), SDefendersB-Dmg/Rchg(27), SDefendersB-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(29), SDefendersB-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(29), SDefendersB-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), SDefendersB-Rchg/Heal%(31)
    Level 12: Fortitude -- LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(33), LkGmblr-Rchg+(33), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(40), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(40), Range-I(50)
    Level 14: Recall Friend -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
    Level 16: Resurrect -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(31)
    Level 18: Recovery Aura -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(33)
    Level 20: Clear Mind -- Range-I(A)
    Level 22: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(34), LkGmblr-Rchg+(34), EndRdx-I(36)
    Level 24: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(36)
    Level 26: Regeneration Aura -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(36)
    Level 28: Power Push -- KinCrsh-Dmg/KB(A), KinCrsh-Acc/KB(37), KinCrsh-Rchg/KB(37), KinCrsh-Rechg/EndRdx(37), KinCrsh-Dmg/EndRdx/KB(39), KinCrsh-Acc/Dmg/KB(39)
    Level 30: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(39)
    Level 32: Adrenalin Boost -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(43), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(45), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(46), Dct'dW-Rchg(46)
    Level 35: Power Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A)
    Level 38: Air Superiority -- Acc-I(A)
    Level 41: Force of Nature -- Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(A), Aegis-ResDam(42), Aegis-Psi/Status(42)
    Level 44: Afterburner -- Flight-I(A), Flight-I(45), LkGmblr-Rchg+(45)
    Level 47: Tactics -- AdjTgt-ToHit(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(48), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(48), AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg(48), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx(50), AdjTgt-Rchg(50)
    Level 49: Vengeance -- LkGmblr-Def(A)
    Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Sprint -- QckFt-EndRdx/RunSpd(A)
    Level 1: Vigilance
    Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
    Level 4: Ninja Run
    Level 4: Swift -- Flight-I(A)
    Level 4: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(46)
    Level 4: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
    Level 4: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(42), EndMod-I(43)
    ------------



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  5. Two_Dollar_Bill
    It sounds like you've got all your powers picked out, you just want enhancement advice. My recommendation would be to drop half the powers in Energy Blast in favor of the Leadership pool. There's no way you can slot all nine attacks in a useful fashion and still be any good at Empathy. My own Empathy/Energy Blast Defender has an attack chain of all single target attacks so I can avoid aggro and keep my melee teammates from playing fetch with the mobs.
  6. Two_Dollar_Bill

    Crab woes!

    POST-ACTION

    Since I don't think I've ever actually seen a Crab with Mu Mastery, I have dubbed this build The ElectriCrab!(tm)
    - I attempted to make the IOs in this build "cheap" but there are some procs that I feel are worth buying with merits. You could fill in Health and Stamina with regular old Heal and End Mod enhancements until you got the merits.
    - This is a ranged build with only one melee attack. Ranged defense is the easiest for a Crab to pull off cheaply.
    - Recharge suffers due to the lack of Luck of the Gambler and purple sets, so I gave it more attacks than it strictly requires, including the fast ones. I didn't include an immobilize, but one of the attacks could be swapped out for that.
    - Nobody likes Decimation (which makes it cheap) but it actually does work well for cone attacks because there is a fair amount of extra range built-in.
    - I left one power and a couple of enhancement slots unused for... whatever.


    Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.954
    http://www.cohplanner.com/

    Click this DataLink to open the build!

    The ElectriCrab!: Level 50 Natural Arachnos Soldier
    Primary Power Set: Crab Spider Soldier
    Secondary Power Set: Crab Spider Training
    Power Pool: Leaping
    Power Pool: Leadership
    Power Pool: Speed
    Ancillary Pool: Mu Mastery

    Villain Profile:
    Level 1: Channelgun -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(3), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5)
    Level 1: Crab Spider Armor Upgrade -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), S'fstPrt-ResKB(7)
    Level 2: Combat Training: Defensive -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(7)
    Level 4: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(9), Zephyr-ResKB(9)
    Level 6: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(11)
    Level 8: Suppression -- Det'tn-Acc/Dmg(A), Det'tn-Dmg/Rchg(11), Det'tn-Dmg/Rng(13), Det'tn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(13), Det'tn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rng(15)
    Level 10: Tactical Training: Maneuvers -- GftotA-Def/EndRdx(A), GftotA-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(17), GftotA-Def(17)
    Level 12: Venom Grenade -- SDoArach-Acc/Dmg(A), SDoArach-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), SDoArach-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21), SDoArach-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21), SDoArach-Rchg/DmgFear%(23)
    Level 14: Arm Lash -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(23), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(25), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(25), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), Oblit-%Dam(27)
    Level 16: Maneuvers -- GftotA-Def/EndRdx(A), GftotA-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(29), GftotA-Def(29)
    Level 18: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(19)
    Level 20: Tactical Training: Leadership -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(31), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(31), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(31), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(33), GSFC-Build%(33)
    Level 22: Mental Training -- Run-I(A)
    Level 24: Fortification -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(33), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(34), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Aegis-ResDam(34)
    Level 26: Tactical Training: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
    Level 28: Serum -- Numna-Heal/Rchg(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Numna-Heal(36)
    Level 30: Longfang -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(43), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(43), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46)
    Level 32: [Empty]
    Level 35: Mu Lightning -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(37), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(37), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43)
    Level 38: Summon Spiderlings -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(39), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(39)
    Level 41: Call Reinforcements -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(42), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(42)
    Level 44: Static Discharge -- Det'tn-Acc/Dmg(A), Det'tn-Dmg/Rchg(45), Det'tn-Dmg/Rng(45), Det'tn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45), Det'tn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rng(46), Range-I(46)
    Level 47: Summon Striker -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(48), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(48)
    Level 49: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(50)
    ------------
    Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
    Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(15)
    Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
    Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(37), EndMod-I(40)
    Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
    Level 1: Conditioning
    Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I(A)
    Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
    Level 4: Ninja Run
    ------------



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  7. Two_Dollar_Bill

    Crab woes!

    POST-ACTION

    That was 10 Million with an M? So I take it you would like to avoid things like Luck of the Gambler and all forms of purples. I do have an all-SO build kicking around here somewhere.
  8. Two_Dollar_Bill

    Crab Tank

    POST-ACTION

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Trilby View Post
    I disagree, longfan and channelgun, used with venom grenade (Longfang, channelgun, venom, longfang, channel repeat forever), forms the best single target attack chain.
    I guess I must be doing it wrong. When I need to remove a single hard target, I close to melee and clobber them with Shatter Armor and cycle Slice, Arm Lash and Venom Grenade.
    I think there's quite a lot of room for interpretation in what makes the "best" attack chain, but I think you'd agree that seven ranged attacks is excessive. You have four in your build and I have only three.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Trilby View Post
    As for tanking, I've come to realise that with the new updates on beta, provoke is nice but not really needed.
    A Crab can attract and survive a lot of punishment by firing off an AoE before any teammates get aggro. My Crab does that, but I don't really feel like I can "tank" unless I can pull aggro off of a higher-DPS teammate. Without a real taunt power, how can you pull that Elite Boss off the team's Blaster? In my case, all I can do is give the Blaster "last rites" with Vengeance.
  9. Two_Dollar_Bill

    Crab Tank

    POST-ACTION

    First, I would decide what your attack chain is really going to be and then get rid of attacks you don't need. Right now for ranged combat you have:
    - Channelgun
    - Longfang
    - Suppression
    - Venom Grenade
    - Frag Grenade
    - Web Envelope
    - Provoke
    All of them except provoke are slotted with 5 or 6 enhancements, often purples, but there's no way you can use all these attacks effectively, because there are just too many of them. I would pick out which ones you really plan to use, make an attack chain, and drop the others. I would say that Longfang is the most skippable, followed by Frag Grenade. You're stuck with Web Envelope as a prerequisite for Shatter Armor, but if you really don't plan to use it, you might as well unslot it and spend those enhancement slots on a power you actually like.

    The 3.13% melee defense bonus from Enfeebled Operation could be more than replaced (3.75%) by adding one slot of Obliteration (Frenzy). The 1.25% ranged defense you are gaining from Thunderstrike (Longfang) could be replaced with an extra slot of Defense in Combat Training: Defensive.

    With your newly free power and enhancement slots, get Assault and Maneuvers from the Leadership pool. How can you pass up an extra 15% damage bonus for the whole team? And an extra 5% defense from Maneuvers will allow you to soft-cap without being forced to take a specific Alpha slot power.

    If you plan to use lots of crowd control procs and immobilization powers, I would drop Frenzy. You just won't be surrounded by enough foes to make it worth using. Arm Lash would be a better choice since it recharges faster and does more damage per activation to targets in a narrow cone. It also takes the Obliteration IO set.

    If taunting really is going to be part of your routine in combat, there's no harm in being good at it... you could slot Provoke.

    I'm not a big fan of Wolf Spider Armor for Crabs. It gives a very small bonus to damage resistance and you don't need any more status protection. You would be better protected by getting the Shield Wall +3% Resistance IO, which gives you damage resistance to exotic damage types that Wolf Spider Armor doesn't.
  10. Two_Dollar_Bill

    Crab woes!

    POST-ACTION

    Your build is missing some of the most important Crab powers, the ones you should never ever skip, like Tactical Training: Maneuvers and Serum. And it's got some really odd slotting that misses important bonuses. And, yes, it does have the lowest defenses I've ever seen on a Crab Spider. But you've come to the right place; people around here have lot of opinions on Crab builds.

    First of all, I recommend you familiarize yourself with the wonders of Crab Spiders by reading a guide! Lobster's Guide to Crabbing is somewhat dated but it's quite detailed and comprehensive. Trilby's own guide, The Tanking Crab may be a different sort of Crab than you plan, but it is modern and points out which powers are good and why. (Where is that new version anyway, Trilby?)

    As a general character building tip, I like to use the Paragon Wiki to list set bonuses and where to get them. For example, you can pull up Category:Sets that improve Ranged Defense and make it display the Bonus column from highest to lowest, and see which of those sets you can fit in to your build.

    In general, your build specifications are pretty easy to meet:
    - Ranged damage dealer
    - Not overly reliant on pets
    - Mu Mastery
    - Cheap
    I can make useful suggestions on most of these things, but I'm a little vague on the Mu Mastery part. Since all the Mu powers in your current build are rather, um, underslotted... what is it that you love about the set and want to emphasize? Do you like sapping endurance? Or dealing energy damage? Or just the idea of shooting lightning bolts in general?
  11. Two_Dollar_Bill
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Son of Amber View Post
    I am considering the Frag Grenade but in originally had it and the WAWG. I found it to be situational because of the kb. WAWG is a lie and usually only hit one or two for me, so at least one foe went flying.
    Well, Frag Grenade IS situational if you don't want to be scattering your foes. But if that's a bad thing, you're going to get a similar effect from the ATO fear proc and the Rognarok knockdown proc. If you only have one annoying knockback power, you can simply choose not to use it when it's inappropriate. If all your ranged attacks cause these sorts of effects, it will be harder not to interfere with the team's tank. My own Crab uses the ATO proc in a melee attack, since I'm okay with them cowering in fear after they're already in melee range, and I don't use the Ragnarok proc at all. I'd rather gather them all up for efficient disposal.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Son of Amber View Post
    A friend gave me his idea on a modified version of your suggested build, Two Dollar Bill. He wanted me to run it by you.
    - Tactics can be useful, especially for your pets, but I would not give up a global 15% damage boost for it. It's not going to make yourself or your team hit 15% more often. Also, Leadership pool toggles cost 0.39 end/second and I would not run one without any end cost reduction.
    - The cost of slotting your pets with the +Def and +Res uniques is that these do not improve the pets' basic stats... accuracy, damage, recharge. If you are six-slotting the pets you can have respectable stats and still find room for a unique or two. If you've only got three slots that contribute stats, the pets will be weaker. It's a tradeoff, but I perfer to get the 6.25% global recharge and the best enhancement values possible with the fewest number of slots.
    - Range/Damage Hami-O or Range IO in Suppression? The Centriole Exposure does contribute damage but since the power is already experiencing the full effects of Enhancement Diversification, the huge majority of that damage is lost. Meanwhile, the plain old Range IO gives you greater range than the Centriole. In a cone attack, range IS damage if it means you catch extra targets. Give that range IO some enhancement boosters and that becomes one big cone!

    Ultimately, none of these factors makes or breaks a build. Finding the perfect build is a matter of endless fine-tuning and respecs, and when you finally get it perfect, your build will probably look quite different from my perfect build.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Son of Amber View Post
    One of my concerns is that i am often premium and therefore can Not rely on my Alpha to boost me.
    Crab Spiders don't require any Incarnate powers to fill in skills they're lacking. You can have soft-capped defenses, 50% S/L resists, a self-heal, status protection, pets, and lots of attacks for any playstyle, all without incarnate powers. This should not be a problem.
    The Panacea proc and the Gladiator's Armor +3% Defense are both worth picking up if you have the dough. I'm not sure the Shield Wall +3% Resist is really in the same category of usefulness, though I am using one on my Crab.
  12. Two_Dollar_Bill
    My Crab's primary build is very melee-oriented and does a lot of its damage with Frenzy. It doesn't have Frag Grenade, because the knockback hurts my DPS by preventing mobs from gathing in melee. I was ranting about the evils of crowd control in another Crab thread yesterday. So, I do understand your point about knockback.

    However, I also have a second build on my Crab that concentrates on ranged combat and pets, and doesn't use Frenzy as the basis of its DPS. That build has Frag Grenade and I like it. I just don't spam it around the fire Tank who's trying to herd.

    Also note, neither of my builds uses Longfang. I'd rather have a situational but powerful AoE attack than a redundant second filler attack.
  13. Two_Dollar_Bill
    You can make a perfectly good Crab without an epic power pool. The one I posted above doesn't have one, and I see Trilby's current and future builds don't either. My own Crab uses Mace Mastery, largely for Shatter Armor. AoE attacks may be a Crab's stock and trade, but when fighting an elite boss, archvillain, giant monster, etc. spamming it with Suppression just doesn't cut it; I want that single-target smackdown.

    In terms of general advice.... As long as your Crab has soft-capped positional defenses and ~50% smashing/lethal resistance, you can pretty-much choose what sort of combat you prefer, and do it well. I do recommend always taking advantage of Leadership toggles since Soldiers get very favorable numbers from all the pool powers, as well as having their own superior versions. Being able to off-tank is nice, but being able to add 20% defense and 30% damage to a whole team is huge.
  14. Two_Dollar_Bill

    Crab Tank

    POST-ACTION

    Issues of exact slotting aside, I'm curious to know what you feel makes a Crab a "tank". I like to damage and debuff everything with my ranged AoEs, then slaughter them with Frenzy and Arm Lash when they bunch up around me in melee. This works well because I encourage them to surround me and then allow them to do it. It doesn't work nearly as well if your victims have been knocked down with Ragnarok, rooted in place with Web Envelope, terrorized with the ATO proc and razzle-dazzled with Omega Maneuver. This build also lacks a melee attack chain. To me, this is a control Crab (Crabtroller?), not a tank. It may make your teammates safer, but it will also hurt DPS and drive the real tank on your team batty.

    In any case, I think a "tank" Crab should be able to herd them up them for the team to destroy. But if you want to focus on crowd control that keeps them scattered and in various states of incapacitation, I think we could come up with a build that does that. There's always Wide Area Web Grenade and Call Reinforcements.
  15. Two_Dollar_Bill
    Well, this is my interpretation of it. The one major thing that is lacking is Leviathan Mastery. I'm sorry, I just can't advise anyone to make their otherwise-cool Crab Spider run around vomiting and shooting fish at people.
    Instead, I recommend taking Maneuvers and Assault from the Leadership pool. Giving yourself, your pets, and your teammates an extra 5.4% global defense means that you don't have to gimp any of your attacks by slotting them with Shield Breaker. Similarly, the extra 15% damage that yourself, your whole team and your pets gain from Assault makes your cool Crab Spider attacks so damaging that you don't need any uncool fish powers.

    I removed Longfang and replaced it with Frag Grenade. Why have a single target attack when you can have another AoE? Channelgun is really the only fast filler attack you need.

    In general, I tried to keep the use of purples to a minimum, although higher levels of performance could certainly be achieved if you have an extra billion burning a hole in your pocket. I also didn't include any enhancement boosters.

    If you really want Call Reinforcements to be genuinely "permanent" you can swipe a slot from Health and give it a Recharge IO.


    Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.954
    http://www.cohplanner.com/

    Click this DataLink to open the build!

    X's Spider 2.5: Level 50 Natural Arachnos Soldier
    Primary Power Set: Crab Spider Soldier
    Secondary Power Set: Crab Spider Training
    Power Pool: Leaping
    Power Pool: Leadership
    Power Pool: Speed
    Power Pool: Fighting

    Villain Profile:
    Level 1: Channelgun -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(40), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(43), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(43), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46)
    Level 1: Crab Spider Armor Upgrade -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), S'fstPrt-ResKB(3), GA-3defTpProc(5)
    Level 2: Combat Training: Defensive -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(3)
    Level 4: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(5)
    Level 6: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def(7), LkGmblr-Rchg+(7)
    Level 8: Suppression -- SDoArach-Acc/Dmg(A), SDoArach-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), SDoArach-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9), SDoArach-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), SDoArach-Rchg/DmgFear%(40), Range-I(50)
    Level 10: Tactical Training: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def(11), LkGmblr-Rchg+(11)
    Level 12: Venom Grenade -- Ragnrk-Knock%(A), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(13), Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx(37), Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(37)
    Level 14: Arm Lash -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(15), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(15), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), Oblit-%Dam(23)
    Level 16: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(17)
    Level 18: Frag Grenade -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(19), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(19), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(21), Posi-Dam%(21)
    Level 20: Boxing -- Acc-I(A)
    Level 22: Mental Training -- Run-I(A)
    Level 24: Fortification -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(25), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(25), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Aegis-ResDam(37)
    Level 26: Frenzy -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(27), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(27), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Oblit-%Dam(34)
    Level 28: Serum -- Numna-Heal/Rchg(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(29), Numna-Heal(29), Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(31)
    Level 30: Tough -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Aegis-ResDam(31)
    Level 32: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def(33), LkGmblr-Rchg+(33)
    Level 35: Summon Spiderlings -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(36), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(36)
    Level 38: Call Reinforcements -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(39), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(39)
    Level 41: Omega Maneuver -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(42), Posi-Dmg/Rng(42), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43)
    Level 44: Tactical Training: Leadership -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(45), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(45), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(45), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(46), GSFC-Build%(46)
    Level 47: Tactical Training: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
    Level 49: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(50)
    ------------
    Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
    Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(48), Panac-Heal/+End(50)
    Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
    Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(48), EndMod-I(48)
    Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
    Level 1: Conditioning
    Level 1: Sprint -- QckFt-EndRdx/RunSpd(A)
    Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
    Level 4: Ninja Run
    ------------



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  16. Two_Dollar_Bill
    The criteria you have listed are actually very easy to meet:
    - Cheap
    - All three pet powers (no mention of "perma pets")
    - Ranged or melee/ranged combat

    I actually posted a build last year using only Single-Origin enhancements that does all these things:
    http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=269943
    Nobody else seemed to like it, but if I were flat broke and couldn't access the invention system, I'd play this crab.

    One of my more recent IO builds for a crab with pets/ranged/melee combat was here:
    http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=284380
    I tend to think of this as a "cheap" build in the sense that it has LotG (easily obtained with merits) but no purples.

    The things that Crab Spiders are really good at, right out of the box, are ranged AoE attacks, ranged defense, non-permanent pets and team buffs. If these things are the focus of your play style, you never need any expensive IOs. It's only when you start to want crazy recharge for perma-pets and all your positionals soft-capped at the same time that things get out of hand.
  17. Two_Dollar_Bill
    It has lots of ranged attacks, they're well slotted, and it has soft-capped ranged defense. In that sense, I think it's a servicable build.

    In terms of general building advice, for all characters, the main thing I would change is... don't six-slot an IO set if you can get all the important bonuses with 4 or 5 slots. Those 3.13% toxic resist bonuses from Positron's Blast and Aegis? Not that important. Those spare slots could be used to add something to the power it really needs (like Range for Suppression) or they can help out other powers that are underslotted (pets, maneuvers).
  18. Two_Dollar_Bill

    My First Bane

    POST-ACTION

    My Bane Spider's "leveling up" build was melee-oriented and very confused and inefficient, but I didn't really have endurance problems... even with the notoriously end-hungry Obliteration set in Crown Control. I also skipped Hasten and worried more about defense than recharge.

    If you plan to open your attack chain with melee attacks, then you should start with Shatter so you gain the benefits of the Executioner's Strike. You can buff yourself with Build Up and debuff your foe with Surveillance without breaking your stealth and then WHAM! If your target is an annoying Lieutenant, one attack should finish them, and you can begin another attack chain with Shatter Armor.

    In my own experience, the melee attacks are a bit too slow to make a satisfying attack chain without Hasten unless you have all four. On the other hand, it's perfectly valid to open with an Executioner's Strike, Shatter Armor and Crowd Control, and then mop up with ranged attacks.

    I agree with Jibikao that Venom Grenade is a great attack, but I think it's mostly great as a first attack to soften up a group before you hit them with AoE attacks. But if you prefer to use your Executioner's Strike and melee attacks, I don't think Venom Grenade is nearly as useful.

    I would organize your powers to get the real Bane abilities early and the pool powers later. For example, I like to leave Assault (Pool) until 47 or 49 because it does not require a lot of slotting (suitable for 49th) but it is an endurance hog that I don't want to run unless I also have my alpha power covering its cost.

    One of my Bane builds is in this thread. It is similar to what you have outlined here, but has pets instead of crowd control powers. Massive DPS is its own form of crowd control.
  19. Two_Dollar_Bill
    Without knowing what your new and improved build looks like, I can't be too specific. But if it's anything like your old build, you need to seriously reduce the cost of the most endurance-hungry toggles. They were beeding you dry.
  20. Two_Dollar_Bill
    I have a 50 Robot/Sonic Mastermind on Justice and have been generally pleased with his performance. See previous thread.

    Disruption Field will not get much use unless you are fighting opponents with a strong preference for melee combat. However, if you find that you really require more debuff on a target than Sonic Siphon can provide, you can always tell your pet to go stand right on top of the target.

    Aid Other is problematic because it has a very short range and you must be stationary when using it. Repair is a far more powerful tool if you can spare the slot for it.

    When I'm soloing, I let my pets handle their own repairs and they generally keep up pretty well. I try to save Repair for my Protector Bots. Since they don't heal themselves, Protector Bots have to wait twice as long for a heal, which may be too long. Protector Bots can often use a shot of endurance too. On teams, it's usually the Assault Bot that gets into trouble and needs a timely Repair to keep it from being dragged down.
  21. Two_Dollar_Bill
    You listed "No Pets" as a "Con" which seemed to indicate that you did want them but couldn't fit them in. That's why I included them.
    (My Crab Spider gave up on pets because they die so rapidly in +4/x8 missions and incarnate trials, but I keep looking for ways to add them back in to his build, because they're fun.)

    While I may be a heretic in the cult of infinite recharge, I'm a true believer in soft-capped defenses. There is a huge difference between really soft-capped and not-quite-soft-capped. Since Bane Spiders do have the ability to soft-cap all their positionals with little effort, I always try to fit that in, just in case. There's always a cave map where you can't gain altitude, or a Blaster teammate who insists on hovering beside you and getting you caught in AoE attacks, so I feel that complete defenses are cheap insurance.

    Since you left two of your attacks with a range of 40 and took Crowd Control, I envisioned your Bane as being willing to mix it up at close range when needed. I've never wanted a HoverBane, but one of my oldest characters is a Dark/Dark Defender that hovers everywhere and uses cone attacks. Cones are much easier to line up for maximum effect if you are on the ground, or close to it. And they hit a lot more targets if you enhance their range. Since your plan is to fight only from altitude, I would absolutely put some range enhancement in Mace Beam Volley, and in Poisonous Ray just so you can use it as part of a regular attack chain and not just when things get too close for your normal attacks.

    If you like knockback as a form of damage mitigation, I would slot the proc from the Dominion of Arachnos set in Mace Beam Blast. The fear proc does have a real effect on how much return fire you suffer and it works on opponents that aren't impressed by knockback.
  22. Two_Dollar_Bill
    Okay, I admit that I'm a heretic to the cult of recharge. My Bane doesn't even have Hasten. Even so, I think your perma-Hasten comes at too high a cost in wasted enhancement slots. I mean, six-slotting Hover with Defense sets?
    If you just give up a few of those small-but-wasteful recharge bonuses, you can have things like genuinely soft-capped defenses, pets and damage resistance.


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  23. Two_Dollar_Bill

    Refining my build

    POST-ACTION

    The Gladiator's Armor +3% Defense IO allows some wiggle room on your positional defense IO sets. So, which sets do you really dislike, but you took them for their defense bonuses?

    Sovereign Right is the one I would probably ditch first. All those status resist bonuses are junk for a Crab Spider, and your Melee defense is still soft-capped without it.
    Give the Spiderlings four slots of Expedient Reinforcement, which can include the 10% Resist unique if you want it. Slot #5 can be the Sovereign Right resist bonus unique. Slot #6 could be added to Health and slotted with the Panacea proc.
    Call Reinforcements could also be tweaked a bit. Since you don't really require the ranged defense bonus that Slot #6 gives you, you could get rid of your least favorite IO from that set and replace it with a Recharge IO, giving you more quality time with your pets.

    Minor point: I assume that Aegis Resist/Recharge in Fortification is meant to be a Resist/Endurance?
  24. Two_Dollar_Bill
    My characters tend to be heavy on concept, and "quality of life" considerations (like having exceptionally well-slotted travel powers) so they are weaker than equivalent characters that are purely min-maxed for combat power.
    My supergroup also has a lowbie group that shuts off its XP for a month at a time and plays all the content at that level (currently 20).
    Do I ever permanently shut off XP because I feel a character is powerful enough? No. I can always choose not to use the higher level powers and keep them off my hotbar while still playing level 50 content.
  25. Two_Dollar_Bill
    My own Crab Spider's primary build is all melee, no pets. I've tinkered with a number of different "MasterCrab" builds but none of them have been able to displace my tank-like primary. But, I do have an old spec here that is similar to yours... high defenses, melee attacks and pets.

    I skipped Hasten but took all three pet powers. I would rather have a non-permanent Arachnobot Blaster than all the Spiderlings in Grandville. I also took Taunt so that I could keep my pets from getting in to trouble. Pets that aggro bosses and get killed are not as permanent as their high recharge values might indicate.

    This is an old build so your old copy of Mids' should load it without a problem.


    Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.954
    http://www.cohplanner.com/

    Click this DataLink to open the build!

    Tank Crab w/ Pets: Level 50 Natural Arachnos Soldier
    Primary Power Set: Crab Spider Soldier
    Secondary Power Set: Crab Spider Training
    Power Pool: Leaping
    Power Pool: Teleportation
    Power Pool: Fighting
    Power Pool: Presence
    Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery

    Villain Profile:
    Level 1: Channelgun -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(3)
    Level 1: Crab Spider Armor Upgrade -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A)
    Level 2: Combat Training: Defensive -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(5)
    Level 4: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(7), Zephyr-ResKB(7)
    Level 6: Recall Friend -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
    Level 8: Suppression -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(9), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(9), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), Posi-Dam%(43)
    Level 10: Tactical Training: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def(11), LkGmblr-Rchg+(11)
    Level 12: Venom Grenade -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(13), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(13), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), Posi-Dam%(40)
    Level 14: Arm Lash -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(15), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(15), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Oblit-%Dam(37)
    Level 16: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(17)
    Level 18: Boxing -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(19), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(19), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), T'Death-Dam%(36)
    Level 20: Tactical Training: Leadership -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(21), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(21), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(23), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(23), GSFC-Build%(34)
    Level 22: Mental Training -- Run-I(A)
    Level 24: Fortification -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(25), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(25), Aegis-ResDam(34), Aegis-Psi/Status(34)
    Level 26: Frenzy -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(27), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(27), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), Oblit-%Dam(46)
    Level 28: Serum -- Numna-Heal/Rchg(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(29), Numna-Heal(29)
    Level 30: Tough -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(31), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(31), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Aegis-ResDam(33)
    Level 32: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(A), LkGmblr-Def(33), LkGmblr-Rchg+(33)
    Level 35: Web Envelope -- Acc-I(A)
    Level 38: Provoke -- Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(A), Mocking-Acc/Rchg(39)
    Level 41: Shatter Armor -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(42), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(42), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), T'Death-Dam%(43)
    Level 44: Summon Spiderlings -- BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg(A), BldM'dt-Dmg/EndRdx(45), BldM'dt-Acc/EndRdx(45), BldM'dt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45), BldM'dt-Acc(46), BldM'dt-Dmg(46)
    Level 47: Call Reinforcements -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(48), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(48)
    Level 49: Summon Blaster -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(50), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(50), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(50)
    ------------
    Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
    Level 1: Conditioning
    Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I(A)
    Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
    Level 4: Ninja Run
    Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
    Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(17)
    Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
    Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(5)
    ------------



    Code: 
    | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
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|-------------------------------------------------------------------|