boppaholic

I have heard great arguments all the way around, but I am starting to think that scrapper is the best way to go about the build. There is too much synergy with musculature to not take that alpha. Damage/EndMod/DefenseDebuff is all about a Katana/Elec Scrapper. I love the extra survivability of the brute, but I believe there is enough defense and mitigation between Divine Avalanche, Endurance Sapping, and Shadow Meld (let's face it, I'm going Soul) to manage. Plus, by having Shadow Meld, I will probably have the freedom to use Power Surge whenever it's up... just before I crash, I softcap my defense for 15 seconds and get ready to use Power Sink to regain my blue bar while I also retoggle all my armors. So there you have it, I'll probably go Scrapper. Although, brute is an extremely close second. Oh so many options... the good news is, I can't go wrong with either.

Also, I am starting to see the benefits of GD -- GC -- SD -- GC attack chain. It's capable of (up to) 3 purple procs, 4 achilles procs, and Fury of the Gladiator proc. That's a lot of proc damage and -resistance. I'm going to work on that attack chain now and come up with some post incarnate DPS values.

Thanks all for so many responses to this question. I have a real good feeling about this set (might even like it more than TW when that comes out... I think there's a lot to be set about faster animation times).

Edit:
I have ran the numbers using arcana time and math that made sense to me. I designed a scrapper build that is recharge intensive enough that allowed for perma-hasten. This allowed me to do a gapless attack chain of GD--GC--SD--GC. I used musculature radial T4 alpha. I used reactive radial T4 interface (which gives me on average 50.1 damage per attack). I did not have assault, but my set IO bonuses did provide me with 7.5% global damage boost. I slotted GC with hecatomb (including the damage proc) and the achilles proc. I slotted SD with the achilles proc and with crushing impact (no damage procs). I slotted GD with Armageddon (with damage proc) and the achilles proc.

The damage from my powers w/ crits% factored in (before procs | after procs) were:
GC -- 130.1 | 215.5
SD -- 283.2 | 333.3
GD -- 369.2 | 454.6
Lightning field (damage over 10s) -- 140.5 || 190.6

The chain duration is 5.448 seconds

This equates to 242.79 DPS before resistance debuffs are factored in.

To calculate the resistance debuffs average % by performing the following steps (I assume the duration of each proc is 10 seconds, which is why I use the number in my calculations):

Attacks per 10 Seconds: 4/(5.448s) * 10 seconds = 7.342.
So during the span of 10 seconds, 7.342 attacks will occur, each with a chance to proc. There is a 20% chance to proc, but because only 1 proc can be active at a time, I look at the 80% chance to fail. The odds of every attack failing to proc over a 10 second span is (.8)^7.342 = 19.43%

So the odds of the resistance debuff proc succeeding during this 10 second span would be 80.57%.
The average debuff would then be 20%*(0.8057) = 16.11%

This is the resistance debuff average I use for achilles... If I wanted to pay out the bunghole for the Fury of the Gladiator proc and used it instead of the Achilles proc in GD, the resistance debuff average would be higher because there is an opportunity to have both procs being applied at the same time. I won't be doing that, so I am not including it in the calculations.

For the reactive interface proc, I again assume each proc lasts for 10 seconds, but can stack up to 4 times. To save myself the time and effort of explaining it, let's just say it's safe to assume the the average -res debuff will be about 4%.

So the combined average resistance debuff would be 20.11%

The final DPS would then equal (1.2011)*(242.79) = 291.62 DPS.

That seems pretty good to me. Granted, I did not factor in misses, build up, and other miscellaneous clicks (i.e. energize every ~30 seconds, hasten every ~120 seconds)

Feel free to correct me where ever I went wrong. Tomorrow I'll probably take a look at the brute's numbers and see how it compares. I may also tweak my build to make it more survivable, but this build was pretty high end and functional.

I want to make a Katana/elec armor character. I'm not sure if I should go brute or scrapper though. But whichever I go with, I will likely build it similarly. I know what I want to do with electric armor, and generally I have ideas as to what IOs to go for with the armor... but I want to know how should I build for the Katana.

What attack chains are optimal for a high end build (say I have enough global recharge to cut downtime of my powers to 1/3 or 1/4 of their original recharge)?

What attacks should I skip?

If I were to farm or take on huge mobs, what is the best AoE attack chain to go with?

Should I go with Soul mastery for darkest night and gloom? Should I also take dark obliteration?

Should I slot an achille's heel proc in each power to give me the best probability of having a near perma -res debuff?

If it helps, I am considering either Cardiac Core T4, Resilient Core T4, or Agility Core T4 for my alpha (Maybe even the Musculature Radial T4 for extra damage, endurance mod, to hit debuffs, and defense debuffs... actually, I probably should be going with this).

I am definitely going with reactive interface 75% DoT / 25% -res proc. The DoT alone would give me an extra 50.1 damage per attack, which makes me think I could go with a ST attack chain of: GC --SotW -- GC -- FS for max attacks per second, giving me more DPS from my interface. Or, I could sub in DA for FS if I need the defense. Or go with an attack chain of GC--DA for max defense. Either way, it seems like I would have no need for my upper tier attack powers, with the exception of the AoEs. It seems like Soaring Dragon is a great power, but I just don't see it fitting into an attack chain. I'll calculate numbers I guess, but I was hoping some experience could lead me in the right direction.

Agreed. It feels dead

I designed a fun toon here. It's an end game character with near perma -PB. It uses Ageless Core Epiphany for endurance recovery and for the recharge (I treat it as a perma 10% global recharge such that it's last 60 seconds of duration is 10%). I plan to use the future alpha "Intuition Boost" radial T4. I can't confirm the numbers, but I assume it will provide the following with 2/3 ED protection:

Hold -- 33%
Defense Debuff: -- 20%
Range -- 20%
Damage -- 33%
Slow effects -- 33%
To Hit Debuffs -- 20%

I felt this is a perfect alpha for a dark blaster as it will benefit (nearly)all my attacks with its Damage and To Hit Debuff enhancement. I have 4 cones attacks which will especially appreciate the 20% range enhancement. I also have the 2 hold attacks, which will benefit from the Hold enhancement.

I only went after recharge set bonuses because of my desire for perma-PB. I am nowhere near softcapped defense, but I did slot for the ToHit Debuffs; so I use that as my defense. Against a single hard target, I can use my DarkBlast - Gloom - DarkBlast - LifeDrain attack chain to apply about 50% -ToHit Debuffs. Say 60% of that is resisted, I would still be at softcap. Against large mobs, I will stay at a distance and spam my cones (2 immobs and 2 tohit debuffs if I don't include my Umbral Torrent)... if I want to stay out of their reach, my Umbral Torrent can be spammed fast enough to not worry about any attacker reaching me (knockback cone with ~140' range at a 30 degree arc).

Conserve power is a safety valve for endurance. I didn't feel the need for anymore powers, so I figure just in case (sappers may be lurking).

Feel free to critique, but I just wanted to share a high-end fun character.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.952
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Dark Blast
Secondary Power Set: Energy Manipulation
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Dark Blast -- Apoc-Dam%(A), Apoc-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Apoc-Acc/Rchg(3), Apoc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), Apoc-Dmg/Rchg(5), Cloud-%Dam(7)
Level 1: Power Thrust -- KinCrsh-Dmg/KB(A), KinCrsh-Acc/KB(7), KinCrsh-Rchg/KB(9), KinCrsh-Rechg/EndRdx(9), KinCrsh-Dmg/EndRdx/KB(11), KinCrsh-Acc/Dmg/KB(11)
Level 2: Umbral Torrent -- Cloud-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Cloud-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(13), Cloud-Acc/ToHitDeb(13), Cloud-ToHitDeb(15), HO:Nucle(15), HO:Nucle(17)
Level 4: Gloom -- Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(19), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(19), Decim-Acc/Dmg(21), Cloud-%Dam(21)
Level 6: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 8: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(23)
Level 10: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(23), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(25)
Level 12: Tenebrous Tentacles -- GravAnch-Immob(A), GravAnch-Immob/Rchg(25), GravAnch-Acc/Immob/Rchg(27), GravAnch-Acc/Rchg(27), GravAnch-Immob/EndRdx(29), Ragnrk-Dmg(29)
Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(31)
Level 16: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(46)
Level 18: Abyssal Gaze -- Cloud-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Cloud-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Cloud-Acc/ToHitDeb(31), Cloud-ToHitDeb(33), HO:Perox(33), HO:Perox(33)
Level 20: Tactics -- HO:Enzym(A)
Level 22: Build Up -- HO:Membr(A), HO:Membr(34)
Level 24: Tough -- GA-3defTpProc(A), HO:Ribo(34), HO:Ribo(34)
Level 26: Life Drain -- Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(36), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Decim-Acc/Dmg(37), Cloud-%Dam(37)
Level 28: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(37), RechRdx-I(39)
Level 30: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(39), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(39)
Level 32: Vengeance -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 35: Boost Range -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 38: Night Fall -- Cloud-ToHitDeb(A), Cloud-Acc/ToHitDeb(40), Cloud-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(40), Cloud-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(40), HO:Nucle(42), HO:Centri(42)
Level 41: Soul Tentacles -- Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(A), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(43), Ragnrk-Knock%(43), Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx(43)
Level 44: Soul Storm -- UbrkCons-Dam%(A), UbrkCons-EndRdx/Hold(45), UbrkCons-Acc/Rchg(45), UbrkCons-Acc/Hold/Rchg(45), UbrkCons-Hold/Rchg(46), Apoc-Dmg(46)
Level 47: Oppressive Gloom -- Amaze-ToHitDeb%(A), Amaze-Acc/Stun/Rchg(48), Amaze-Stun(48), Amaze-Stun/Rchg(48), Amaze-Acc/Rchg(50)
Level 49: Dark Embrace -- HO:Ribo(A), HO:Ribo(50), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(50)
Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
------------
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
------------
Set Bonus Totals:

• 4% DamageBuff(Smashing)
• 4% DamageBuff(Lethal)
• 4% DamageBuff(Fire)
• 4% DamageBuff(Cold)
• 4% DamageBuff(Energy)
• 4% DamageBuff(Negative)
• 4% DamageBuff(Toxic)
• 4% DamageBuff(Psionic)
• 6% Defense(Melee)
• 6% Defense(Smashing)
• 6% Defense(Lethal)
• 6% Defense(Fire)
• 6% Defense(Cold)
• 6% Defense(Energy)
• 6% Defense(Negative)
• 6% Defense(Psionic)
• 6% Defense(Ranged)
• 6% Defense(AoE)
• 11.25% Max End
• 118.8% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
• 60% Enhancement(Accuracy)
• 90.36 HP (7.5%) HitPoints
• Knockback (Mag -3)
• Knockup (Mag -3)
• MezResist(Confused) 7.5%
• MezResist(Held) 7.5%
• MezResist(Immobilize) 13%
• MezResist(Sleep) 7.5%
• MezResist(Stun) 7.5%
• MezResist(Terrorized) 7.5%
• 16% (0.27 End/sec) Recovery
• 52% (2.61 HP/sec) Regeneration
• 2.5% Resistance(Smashing)
• 10.08% Resistance(Fire)
• 10.08% Resistance(Cold)
• 3% RunSpeed

Correction: My power thrust is enhanced to about 45 magnitude KB according to mids.

I'm in the process of designing a perma-PB Dark/NRG/Soul blaster. I will be staying at range using my cones with boost range helping out. I was stuck with taking power thrust, but I figure I would go ahead and utilize it's mitigation by 6 slotting kinetic crash into it for the IO bonuses. Now from my calculations, this makes Power Thrust a 48 magnitude knock back, and I thought wow... how far will that knock someone? I couldn't find any info about kb mechanics on paragon wiki, so I am hoping someone can tell me just how far X amount of KB would knock someone back. Can I knock down or back an AV with that? I would love to know just how useful and powerful this T1 power can be.

Seems like there are the same arguing points about DA. I'll address each with my personal opinions... but first, a general opinion about the set.

I find DA to be balanced, a bit of a swiss army knife of a defensive set. It has 2 mez powers... which is awesome. It has a strong heal that has a .... you know what, I'll stop myself right there. The best thing about DA is that it has a personality. It has a little of everything, yet, no other set really feels anything like it. Damage aura, debuffs, mezzes, PBAoE damaging heal, stealth/defense, good resistances... especially against the weird stuff. It even has a self rez -- but a rez that feels more like an on purpose self-sacrifice power (I mean come on, who doesn't want to run in, die, then resurrect to the image of everyone stumbling around as you have fun - the set is just plane fun). But I think it gets misunderstood a lot... and here's why:

DA is a role player, one that I think is great on teams. Its powers are typically designed to help everyone. For instance, ...

CoF: There are a couple of ways to look at this power: A mag 2 fear that has an extremely high endurance cost or as a defensive toggle that can be resisted by harder enemies(-5% tohit is like gaining 5% defense, but the enemy can resist it whereas personal defense does not get resisted). This seems to be the main complaints. Let me address each one individually:
The constant mag 2 fear around you may only mitigate minions by itself, but it is great for teammates that use fear based attacks (Illusion controllers, anyone?). It allows for the mezzes to stack and control more difficulty enemies... typically bosses or EBs. Also (for those who only want to solo), you can stack it yourself. Anyone has access to the Presence pool and can pick up intimidate or invoke panic (for a PBAoE mag 4 fear festival). I am sure this is rarely done, but anyone with the Dark Armor set has the tools to double stack fear to mez up to bosses (or for a chance to mez elite bosses) while solo. I find this aspect of CoF to be very useful and not necessarily an endurance hog (.52end/sec isn't the end of the world after slotting it to about half that).

As for the -ToHit...

The -ToHit is awesome for everyone. A defensive toggle will only help you (great for the soloist, not explicitly for teammates), but by debuffing everyone around you is effectively giving your entire team more defense. Sure, it can be resisted, but say you 4-6 slot this power for the endurance reduction and -ToHit (I doubt people would care to make fear duration last longer, but I wouldn't be against it necessarily), even with SOs you can expect the end result to be somewhere around .27-.31end/sec and -(7-8)% to hit. That's like giving you and your teammates another weave, before enemy resistance of course.

OG: Just like CoF's fear, the mag 2 stun only affects minions. Worst yet, it acts as minion scatterer. But unlike CoF, it's a hard rez (by that I mean, the minions won't attack you), and it's endurance cost is practically nothing. Sure, you take a little bit of damage, but nothing that I have experienced as life threatening (you do have a heal, after all). The other thing that makes OG so great is that so many AT sets have powers that stun. Once again, you're able to provide stacked mez to your teammates, or simply take matters in your hand and stun them yourself. Just looking at the tanker secondaries, 8 of the 13 available sets have disorienting attacks. Although it's a low probability, Flurry and Boxing have chances to stun and are available to everyone in the power pools. Any of these attacks, when hit, will apply at least another mag 2 stun onto your enemy, certainly mezzing them in the process. As for the scattering problem, take an area slow or area immobilize power for the Epic Pools if it's too hard to handle wandering enemies. Otherwise, I love that DA has two mitigation toggles. Two toggles that aren't necessarily difficult to double stack if you wish to design for it... but here's the thing, you don't have to. I rarely take CoF... why? Because OG is enough for me and for how I plan to play my characters. Other times, I may want to go the fear/debuff route and will skip OG. That's ok too, I have options. But don't say they can't be paired together. If I'm soloing or am an alpha dog of the team, I may use my OG+PBAoE stun (if that's the toon I'm playing, which I usually am) to mez all the bosses and below around me. This leaves me with a one on one battle with the few who remain standing (EBs, AVs, or simply those that I missed). When I'm standing toe-to-toe with these guys, it's nice to know that I am applying that -8% tohit debuff. Even if it's resisted 75%, an extra 2% defense can go a long way. Especially if you are nearing softcap.

As for the OPs concerns, I would rather see Dark Regeneration be as extreme as it is as opposed to looking like just another Armor set self heal. I love that with the right slotting (recharge, heal, endurance, accuracy) I could have a heal that is up roughly every 10-15 seconds that can propel me from the brink of death back up to (or near) full life. Again, that's the fun of DA. It's everywhere, and it has extremes (such as high endurance cost, and high hit point swings). With DA there is strategy involved in the chaos. But most importantly, it is different. And it shouldn't be changed.

Here's a thought for everyone... which AT do you believe benefits most from TW? I am sort of thinking Scrappers because I think of critical hits as Proc damage. And with so much AoE, it just increases the odds of atleast one enemy takes double damage and likely dies... leading to more steam rolling. But then again, tanks get higher a benefit with the T1 attack as they have a higher defense benefit (15% as opposed to 11.25% for melee and smashing defense, plus you can add bruising to that) and their -res debuff has a higher base (-10% vs. -7.5% I believe). Then again, brutes are brutes. So how bout it, what do you think?

I'm really interested in the OP's original question. Can someone post the list of titan weapon powers... and possibly add details for each powers a la red tomax? I'd love to know the cast times, damage, recharge, endurance, buffs/debuffs, etc.

Good points. I should focus on more Energy defense to compensate for my low energy resistance. The reason for taking so much leadership powers was because I was imagining this character to be a team build, one who controls the aggrieve while I let others do the killing... thus I figure I'd buff them. But I will look more into making it a solo build, by trading tactics for leadership and swap out vengeance for a pet and trade assault for a mallet. I'll make a build and probably post it Tuesday when I get back from vacation. As for endurance issues, I will be using cardiac T4 and ageless T4. I don't know if it's possible to have endurance issues using those together.

Thanks for the suggestions. Theft of Essence process should've been obvious and is an oversight on my part. As for the defense IO set bonuses, it should be pretty obvious that I went for S/L defense. I don't think I can softcap anything else... but with mag 4 stun, I don't think I have much to worry about. Disruptor blast only has a 10% chance of KBing so I figure I can risk it while still enjoying the 15' radius of web envelope. But I do like the AoE available with Mu and could easily switch it out. Thanks again for the suggestions. I'll play around with the build tomorrow and show my new results.

Wow, thanks for the great info. The new alphas look awesome, and the interfaces seem like they're going the reactive route. Makes me wonder about all the new DoT stacks are going to melt enemies in team or league battles.

Can someone provide me the info about the new incarnate abilities coming out soon? Is it only new alpha slot abilities?

I posted this in the build workshop forum, but it lacks love in there. So I am reposting this in the tank forum to get some real insight from the experts on the matter :P.

I want to build a tank-troller by implementing perma-mag 4 stuns around me using fault and oppressive gloom. Could someone get me started with this with a Mids build suggestion? I can afford purples in the build but likely no PvPs nor expensive hemis. My overall goal is to be able to taunt a mob around me, immobilize them, hit fault, have everyone stunned and standing still while my damage auras and pbaoes slowly dwindle their life down while teammates have a feed fest on the inept enemies. Now if you can make a build that could accomplish this while still remaining survivable and can still bust out the DPS against hard targets, that would be awesome. Thanks for the help.

I took a shot at it. This build has softcapped S/L. S/L/NE/Psi resistance is in the 70% area. Any suggestions? Probably drop assault for something else? Pick up Cloak of Fear for its ToHit debuffing capabilities? Right now, I figure in big mobs I would drop fault, tremor, and disruptor blast for mass PBAoE stuns, damage, and enjoy the benefits of 3 FF recharge procs having a chance to activate. While in ST land, I will string together Stone Fist -- Boxing -- Seismic Smash (whenever its up). With the Reactive Interface Proc, I wanted as many attacks per second as possible to maximize the 50.1 damage per attack that the Reactive Interface proc provides. I also use cardiac and ageless. Please, suggestions:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.952
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Dark Armor
Secondary Power Set: Stone Melee
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Death Shroud -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(48), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(50), Oblit-%Dam(50), Erad-%Dam(50)
Level 1: Stone Fist -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Hectmb-Dam%(33)
Level 2: Dark Embrace -- Aegis-ResDam(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(9), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(11)
Level 4: Murky Cloud -- Aegis-ResDam(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(7)
Level 6: Obsidian Shield -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), S'fstPrt-ResDam/EndRdx(9), S'fstPrt-ResKB(33)
Level 8: Dark Regeneration -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(34), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(34), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), Oblit-%Dam(43)
Level 10: Taunt -- Mocking-Taunt(A), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg(11), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(27), Mocking-Acc/Rchg(27), Mocking-Taunt/Rng(31), Mocking-Rchg(31)
Level 12: Boxing -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(13), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(13), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Mako-Dam%(31)
Level 14: Tough -- Aegis-ResDam(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(15), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(15)
Level 16: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(17), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(17)
Level 18: Cloak of Darkness -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(19), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(19)
Level 20: Fault -- Amaze-EndRdx/Stun(A), Amaze-Stun/Rchg(21), Amaze-Acc/Stun/Rchg(21), Amaze-Acc/Rchg(23), Amaze-ToHitDeb%(23), FrcFbk-Rechg%(25)
Level 22: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(25)
Level 24: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 26: Oppressive Gloom -- Rope-Acc/Stun(A)
Level 28: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(29), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(29)
Level 30: Tactics -- Rec'dRet-ToHit/Rchg(A), Rec'dRet-ToHit(34)
Level 32: Soul Transfer -- Dsrnt-I(A)
Level 35: Tremor -- Armgdn-Dam%(A), Armgdn-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Armgdn-Acc/Rchg(36), Armgdn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Armgdn-Dmg/Rchg(37), FrcFbk-Rechg%(37)
Level 38: Seismic Smash -- UbrkCons-Dam%(A), KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(39), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(39), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(39), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), Hectmb-Dmg/Rchg(40)
Level 41: Web Envelope -- Enf'dOp-Acc/Rchg(A), Enf'dOp-EndRdx/Immob(42), Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx(42), Enf'dOp-Immob/Rng(42), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob/Rchg(43), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob(43)
Level 44: Disruptor Blast -- Posi-Dam%(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45), Posi-Acc/Dmg(45), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(45), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(46), FrcFbk-Rechg%(46)
Level 47: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48)
Level 49: Vengeance -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 50: Cardiac Core Paragon
Level 50: Void Radial Final Judgement
Level 50: Reactive Radial Flawless Interface
Level 50: Cimeroran Radial Superior Ally
Level 50: Barrier Invocation
------------
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(7)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), EndMod-I(46)
Level 1: Brawl -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run

I took a shot at it. This build has softcapped S/L. S/L/NE/Psi resistance is in the 70% area. Any suggestions? Probably drop assault for something else? Pick up Cloak of Fear for its ToHit debuffing capabilities? Right now, I figure in big mobs I would drop fault, tremor, and disruptor blast for mass PBAoE stuns, damage, and enjoy the benefits of 3 FF recharge procs having a chance to activate. While in ST land, I will string together Stone Fist -- Boxing -- Seismic Smash (whenever its up). With the Reactive Interface Proc, I wanted as many attacks per second as possible to maximize the 50.1 damage per attack that the Reactive Interface proc provides. I also use cardiac and ageless. Please, suggestions:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.952
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Dark Armor
Secondary Power Set: Stone Melee
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Death Shroud -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(48), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(50), Oblit-%Dam(50), Erad-%Dam(50)
Level 1: Stone Fist -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Hectmb-Dam%(33)
Level 2: Dark Embrace -- Aegis-ResDam(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(9), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(11)
Level 4: Murky Cloud -- Aegis-ResDam(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(7)
Level 6: Obsidian Shield -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), S'fstPrt-ResDam/EndRdx(9), S'fstPrt-ResKB(33)
Level 8: Dark Regeneration -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(34), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(34), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), Oblit-%Dam(43)
Level 10: Taunt -- Mocking-Taunt(A), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg(11), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(27), Mocking-Acc/Rchg(27), Mocking-Taunt/Rng(31), Mocking-Rchg(31)
Level 12: Boxing -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(13), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(13), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Mako-Dam%(31)
Level 14: Tough -- Aegis-ResDam(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(15), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(15)
Level 16: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(17), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(17)
Level 18: Cloak of Darkness -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(19), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(19)
Level 20: Fault -- Amaze-EndRdx/Stun(A), Amaze-Stun/Rchg(21), Amaze-Acc/Stun/Rchg(21), Amaze-Acc/Rchg(23), Amaze-ToHitDeb%(23), FrcFbk-Rechg%(25)
Level 22: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(25)
Level 24: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 26: Oppressive Gloom -- Rope-Acc/Stun(A)
Level 28: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(29), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(29)
Level 30: Tactics -- Rec'dRet-ToHit/Rchg(A), Rec'dRet-ToHit(34)
Level 32: Soul Transfer -- Dsrnt-I(A)
Level 35: Tremor -- Armgdn-Dam%(A), Armgdn-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Armgdn-Acc/Rchg(36), Armgdn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Armgdn-Dmg/Rchg(37), FrcFbk-Rechg%(37)
Level 38: Seismic Smash -- UbrkCons-Dam%(A), KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(39), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(39), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(39), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), Hectmb-Dmg/Rchg(40)
Level 41: Web Envelope -- Enf'dOp-Acc/Rchg(A), Enf'dOp-EndRdx/Immob(42), Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx(42), Enf'dOp-Immob/Rng(42), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob/Rchg(43), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob(43)
Level 44: Disruptor Blast -- Posi-Dam%(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45), Posi-Acc/Dmg(45), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(45), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(46), FrcFbk-Rechg%(46)
Level 47: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48)
Level 49: Vengeance -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 50: Cardiac Core Paragon
Level 50: Void Radial Final Judgement
Level 50: Reactive Radial Flawless Interface
Level 50: Cimeroran Radial Superior Ally
Level 50: Barrier Invocation
------------
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(7)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), EndMod-I(46)
Level 1: Brawl -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run

I want to build a tank-troller by implementing perma-mag 4 stuns around me using fault and oppressive gloom. Could someone get me started with this with a Mids build suggestion? I can afford purples in the build but likely no PvPs nor expensive hemis. My overall goal is to be able to taunt a mob around me, immobilize them, hit fault, have everyone stunned and standing still while my damage auras and pbaoes slowly dwindle their life down while teammates have a feed fest on the inept enemies. Now if you can make a build that could accomplish this while still remaining survivable and can still bust out the DPS against hard targets, that would be awesome. Thanks for the help

Thank you Obitus for the excellent replies and for performing the new calculations incorporating arcanatime. I wanted to look at the Reactive DoT interface proc some more to get an accurate assessment of its DPS. Now I don't know what the facts are for this proc, but assuming you're correct (stacks up to 8 times, there are 5 ticks for each proc where each tick has a 75% chance at firing, and each tick of damage is 13.36 damage) then I figure the character has no chance at saturating the number of DoT procs on a single target... so I will look at what the DPS added for each attack would be using binomial probability of a 75% Dot 25% -res proc (T4)

Here is my formula:
DPS added (prior to -res buffs) = (13.36)*[5C0*(.75^0)(.25^5)*0+5C1*(.75^1)(.25^4)*1+5C2*(.75 ^2)(.25^3)*2+5C3*(.75^3)(.25^2)*3+5C4*(.75^4)(.25^ 1)*4+5C5*(.75^5)(.25^0)*5
Which equals:
13.36*[1*1*0.0009765625*0 + 5*0.75*0.00390625*1 + 10*0.5625*0.015625*2 + 10*0.421875*0.0625*3 + 5*0.31640625*0.25*4 + 1*0.2373046875*1*5]
Which equals 13.36*(3.75) = 50.1

So you're right Obitus, you can expect a 50.1 Damage increase for each attack. Instead of using 30 DPS, I will calculate the number of attacks per second, and multiply it by 50.1 for my calculations.
As for the -res debuff. That will stack up to 4 times for a 10 second duration I believe (maybe 8.3 seconds). Now this could saturate, so I need to keep that in mind with my calculations. Also, this is also dependent on the number of attacks per second... or better yet, the number of attacks in a 10 second duration (or 8.3 seconds if my assumption of the -2.5% resistance debuff is wrong). Now, I won't bog down this post with all the numbers, but I will look at what the expected -res debuff % would be if one can achieve 5, 6, 7, or 8 attacks per 10 seconds. I'll show how it's calculated for the 8 attacks, but after that I'll just post the results.

For 8 attacks over 10 second duration:
average -res debuff would equal:
0*8C0(.25^0)(.75^8) + (-2.5%)*8C1*(.25^1)(.75^7) + (-5%)*8C2*(.25^2)(.75^6) + (-7.5%)*8C3*(.25^3)*(.75^5) + (-10%)*8C4*(.25^4)(.75^4) + (-10%)*8C5*(.25^5)(.75^3) + (-10%)*8C6*(.25^6)(.75^2) + (-10%)*8C7*(.25^7)(.75^1) + (-10%)*8C8*(.25^8)(.75^0)
Which equals : -4.920196533203125% resistance debuff.

For 7 attacks over a 10 second duration: -4.33929443359375%
For 6 attacks over a 10 second duration: -3.73779296875%
For 5 attacks over a 10 second duration: -3.12255859375%

Now, I don't have time now to do all my numbers again, I'll leave that for a later post. But using my Fire Blast #1 attack chain of Flare - Fire Blast - Blaze, my attacks over a 10 second period would be about 7 (using arcana time and rounding down from 7.102). Using my Sonic #1 attack chain of Shriek - Scream - Shriek - Shout, my attacks per 10 second period would be 5.612.
Using these numbers, my Fire Blast should have proc DPS to be 7.102*50.1/10s = 35.58 DPS and the resistance debuff would be approximately the -4.3393% (from above).
My Sonic Attack should have proc DPS to be 5.612*50.1/10 = 28.11 DPS and the resistance debuff would be between -3.12255% and 3.73779%.
So, as you can see, having more attacks per second is much better when using the reactive interface proc, and as the attack chains for Fire Blast are very good in this area, it pulls further away from Sonic Attack.
Now, as mentioned before, the Sonic Attack is still very good ST DPS while solo, but it just can't quite compare with Fire Blast... however its benefits are far better with a team (as everyone gets the buff) and when using a pet. So there you have it, for now (as I continue my overuse of the word "now"). I'll run more numbers later but this week I'm away from home and don't have easy access to a computer. If you have attack chains that you'd like me to calculate, post them, and I'll jput out final numbers using the methods mentioned in this thread.

Here are my calculations.

I make the following assumptions when calculating an attack chain’s Overall DPS.

First off, I assume the character will have enough recharge to accomplish 300% recharge enhancement overall for each power (so that the recharge of each power is 1/4 of its base recharge... such as making Drain Psyche perma). This is extremely high, but I give the character the benefit of the doubt that it could get enough set bonuses and perma-hasten (which provides 70% already) to accomplish this. It will take a lot of purples and other IOs, but assume 90% from enhancements, 70% from hasten, and 140% from set IOs such as LotG, purples, decimations and positron’s blast. Again, I am only giving the character the benefit of the doubt that they COULD get to 300% recharge enhancement if they wish to go for it… but likely the recharge won’t have to be that high. But I will provide what recharge enhancement is necessary for each attack chain I speak to below.

I assume the character will use the 75% Damage / 25% -resistance interface proc. For a fast enough attack chain, I assume (from prior calculations not included here) the average DPS added by this damage would be 30 (this assumes no pets while soloing) and the average resistance debuff to be about 4% (this is slightly rounded down than my prior calculations, but we'll attribute that to the occasional miss). I could go into the math deeper, and get more specific, but for benefit of the doubt let’s assume these values for all attack chains (Faster attacks per second would have higher DPS and resistance debuffs, but I'll assume its negligible enough to not complicate these calculations further).

I assume the character will have the musculature 45% damage enhancement alpha. With E.D. saturation, I assume each attack will have an average of 125% base damage improvement using the alpha and regular enhancements. Along with this, I also assume the character will have assault for 10.5% damage bonus and will achieve about 12.5% damage bonus from set IOs for a nice 148% overall damage enhancement to all attacks. This is an estimate that is reasonable while not using MIDs to make a full build, just to evaluate an attack chain with some mitigating factors incorporated.

I treat resistance debuffs as a damage bonus. So -10% resistance is the same as a 10% damage bonus, but is a multiplicative bonus, not an additive bonus. What I mean by that, the resistance bonus is factored in after all base damage in cumulated (this includes the damage enhancements and damage procs). For instance, say you have 10% damage bonus to a power and a 15% resistance debuff applied to the intended target. The overall damage above base value (100%) would be: (100%+10%) then apply the 15% debuff, to make the overall damage (110%)*(100%+15%) = 1.1*1.15 = 1.265. This is an overall 26.5% increase to damage above base instead of 25% if you treated it as cumulative (10%+15% = bad math). This gives sonic a very nice bonus, because it is multiplicative, not additive to base damage (which makes up for its low base damage a lot) and it is applied after everything. Meaning damage procs get the damage bonus (or rather, resistance debuff bonus) too. It’s a double whammy of awesome. Also, when teaming, everyone on your team attacking the target gets this bonus, now making is a triple whammy of awesome.

I assume the apocalypse damage proc is used in the most used attack of the attack chain. I don’t use the PvP proc for these assumptions, but I will assume 1 damage proc from Positron’s blast if an attack chain used a Targeted AoE attack. If I use a melee attack, I'll assume the Hecatomb proc in it. But I'm really only wanting to look at ranged primary attack chains so that I'm not limited to having to be a blapper (within melee range) and I don't want to have to pre-decide what secondaries are to be used.
I won’t incorporate accuracy for the attack chain, I assume that the accuracy to hit for each attack chain is the same and assume it would be approximately the same ratio of difference when accuracy is factored in. It will make the calculations below easier to follow. This is merely a simple enough look at a general comparison between potential attack chains. I welcome you to provide deeper analysis if you choose.

Here are my formulas for calculations (along with what is known and unknown):

Base Damage = 62.56 (This is the base damage for a blaster’s ranged attack)

Chain DMG Scale = ??? (This is the accumulated damage with in the attack chain, in terms of its ratio to base damage - it'll make sense when I go through the calculations)
Chain duration = ??? (how long is the attack chain?)

Defiance Chain Damage Bonus (DCDB) = ??? (Assumes a consistently hitting attack chain and averages the inherent damage bonus over the duration of the attack chain)

Damage Bonus = DCDB + 148 (from the assumption mentioned above, assault, enhancements, and musculature)

Resistance Damage Bonus = ??? + 4 (from the assumption mentioned above, reactive proc. This calculates similarly to ICDB for sonic attacks)

Proc DPS = (Cummulated average Proc Damage in chain)/(Chain duration) + 30 (from the assumption mentioned above, reactive proc) (Apocalypse Damage Proc averages to 35.7 damage per hit)

Chain DPS = (Base Damage)*(Chain DMG Scale)*(Damage Bonus)/(Chain duration) + Proc DPS (This is the total DPS of the attack chain prior to factoring in the resistance debuffs)

Final DPS = (Chain DPS)*(Resistance Damage Bonus)

Reiterating what some of these knowns/unknowns are:

Base damage for ranged blaster attacks is 62.56

The Chain DMG Scale is the cumulative damage of the entire chain (i.e. a Shriek-Scream-Shriek-Shout chain would be .84+1.32+.84+2.12 = 5.12.

Damage Bonus is the cumulative damage enhancement for each power. This includes enhancements, IO set bonuses, and powers (assault). I make the assumption that each power will have relatively the same overall damage enhancement so that I don’t have to make a complete Mids build to analyze… just gives me a rough overall estimate.

NOW FOR THE REAL FUN --- The attack chains:

*SONIC ATTACK*
*Note* I know that Scream does DoT and that some of its ticks of damage gets the benefits of its own resistance debuff. I did not factor this in for the calculations, so keep that in mind when my final numbers are presented. Its actual DPS will be a little bit higher if I did factor this in.

Shriek à Scream à Shriek à Shout Requires recharge enhancement of 172.5% above base (reasonable)

Base Damage = 62.56

Chain DMG Scale = (0.84 + 1.32 + 0.84 + 2.12) = 5.12

Chain Duration = (1 + 1.67 + 1 + 2.67) = 6.34 seconds

DCDB = (6.6%*8.5s + 11%*9.17s + 6.6%*8.5s + 17.6%*10.17s)/6.34s = 61.8394%

Damage Bonus = 148 + 61.8394 = 209.8394%

Resistance Damage Bonus = (13%*5s + 13%*7s + 13%*5s + 13%*10s)/6.34s + 4 = 59.3628%

Proc DPS = (35.7+0+35.7+0)/6.34s + 30 = 41.2618 DPS

Chain DPS = (62.56)*(5.12)*(1+2.098394)/6.34s + 41.2618 = 197.7977 DPS

Final DPS = (197.7977)*(1+0.593628) = 315.2161 DPS

*FIRE BLAST*

(I didn’t use fireball because of high recharge and low defiance damage bonus, although it does have a great individual DPS)

Flare à Fire Blast à Blaze Requires a recharge of 274.5% above base (very high)

Base Damage = 62.56

Chain DMG Scale = (1.01 + 1.48 + 3.02) = 5.51

Chain duration = (1 + 1.67 + 1) = 3.67s

DCDB = (6.6%*8.5s + 11%*9.17s+6.6%8.5s)/3.67s = 58.0572%

Damage Bonus = 148 + 58.0572 = 206.0572%

Resistance Damage Bonus = 4%

Proc DPS = (35.7 + 0 + 0)/3.67s + 30 = 39.7275

Chain DPS = (62.56)*(5.51)*(1+2.060572) + 39.7275 = 327.1924 DPS

Final DPS = (327.1924)*(1+0.04) = 340.2801 DPS


Now, I don’t know what the best attack chain would be for Fire Blast using the above formulas, but Flare-FireBlast-Blaze may not be optimal. It may be best to replace FireBlast with FireBall or to incorporate a melee attack from the secondary (let’s assume the MM secondary because it’s popular for soloing AVs and GMs). Here’s some looks at other Fire Blast attack chains.

*FIRE BLAST #2*

FlareàFire BlastàFlareàBlaze Requires recharge of 172.5% above base

Base Damage = 62.56

Chain DMG Scale = (1.01 + 1.48 + 1.01 + 3.02) = 6.52

Chain duration (1 + 1.67 + 1 + 1) = 4.67

DCDB = (6.6%*8.5s + 11%*9.17s+6.6%8.5s+6.6%*8.5s)/4.67s = 57.6381%

Damage Bonus = 148 + 57.6381 = 205.6381%

Resistance Damage Bonus = 4%

Proc DPS = (35.7 + 0 + 35.7 + 0)/4.67 + 30 = 45.2891 DPS

Chain DPS = (62.56)*(6.52)*(1+2.056381)/4.67s + 45.2891 = 312.2422 DPS

Final DPS = (312.2422)(1.04) = 324.7319 DPS

*FIRE BLAST #3*

FlareàMind ProbeàFlareàBlaze Requires recharge of 215.5% above base

Range Damage Base = 62.56

Melee Damage Base = 55.61

Ratio Melee to Range = 55.61/62.56 = 0.8889

Mind Probe Damage Scale = 1.64*0.8889 = 1.4578

Chain DMG Scale = (1.01+1.4578+1.01+3.02) = 6.4978

Chain duration = (1 + 1.17 + 1 + 1) = 4.17s

DCDB = (6.6%*8.5s*3 + 7.7%*8.67s)/4.17s = 56.3691%

Damage Bonus = 148 + 56.3691 = 204.3691%

Resistance Damage Bonus = 4%

Proc DPS (35.7 + 14.35 + 35.7 + 0)/4.17s + 30 = 50.5635 DPS

Chain DPS = (62.56)*(6.4978)*(1+2.043691)/4.17s + 50.5635 = 347.2704 DPS

Final DPS = (347.2704)*(1.04) = 361.1612 DPS

*NOTE* This is the best Final DPS So far, if you’re willing to blap. (Also, you could put much more procs into Mind Probe for additional DPS).

*FINAL SUMMATION*
Fire is still best for ST damage. It also is king for AoE damage which is great for the appropriate content. But the pros for Sonic Attack show that it is great for ST damage as well, and it is great when teaming (everyone gets the resistance debuff bonus). Sonic Attack also doesn't require as much global recharge to accomplish its top attack chain, but you may still need high global recharge for other needs such as perma-Hasten/perma-Drain Psych/perma-PB/etc.

I have been doing some calculations between these two blaster primaries considering resistance debuffs, defiance damage boost and incarnates. Now my calculations come out to fire besting sonic, but it's not that much off... 20-25 DPS. I'm on my cell phone now, so I'll post my calculations later; but I wanted to ask everyone what their calculations come to when comparing these primaries' best attack chains. The ones I compared were shriek-scream-shriek-shout vs. Flare-fireblast-blaze. I used the apocalypse damage process in flare and shriek.
Here are the assumptions I used:
Enough recharge to make each attack capable of a recharge time 1/4 of its base (300%).
Using assault, musculature 45% and an estimated enhancent values and set IOs; each attack has 148% damage bonus above base.
I didn't factor in accuracy as I figured comparing between the two the effects would be the same

I did these assumptions to avoid making mids builds and having to choose a secondary. I wanted a general analysis while being allowed the flexibility to choose a build to fit my other needs, whatever they may be.

Also feel free to tell me of better attack chains