camocanine

Between my and my wife's accounts we have leveled Thugs/Pain, Thugs/Dark, and Bots/Traps to 50 with several other combos not quite there yet. Of them all, I would have to say Thugs/Pain is my favorite so far.

That said, I'm itching to roll either a Demon/Dark or Demon/Therm, so those would probably be my next builds even if all of my MMs were lost and I had to start over. Now, which to roll first... (Die-Hard Altitis at work)

Spose it's been a while since anyone kicked this thread open again, but I just found it and wzsn't able to find any kind of update on the issue. So is this an issue that is still being considered on the Dev-side of the forums, or is it a dismissed notion for the time being?

Ok, let me start by saying up front that I've been a scrapper fan for a long time, but have only recently started playing brutes. HOLY COW!!! I remember there being quite a stir over the proliferation of SR to brutes and a fairly wide spread excitement at the prospect of combining SS and SR into some sort of monstrous, uber-build. So imagine my confusion when I finally decide to give it a try and come to find out that while there are TONS of threads on SD defense heavy SS builds, SS/SR builds are almost unmentioned anywhere...

I have played around with mids to get an idea of what comparison could be made between the two and was shocked that the ONLY areas where SR seemed to hold any superiority with similar IO slottings were Defense Debuff Resistance, Recharge Debuff Resistance, Perception Debuff Resistance, Perception, and the obvious Haste. In all honesty, it almost seems like SD got all of the important aspects of SR ALONG WITH somewhere under half of the more advantageous aspects of WP. So I guess the question I really want to ask is: is SR really as inferior to SD as the numbers appear at face value? Do the higher base Debuff Resistances really balance it out adequately, or is there good reason why so many people are flocking to the boards to discus the latest trends in SS/SD while the SS/SR hype seems to have all but completely fizzled away?

P.S. Come to think of it, there is one other thing I'd like to know. This has bugged me since I first started really playing around with the min/maxxing of my first 50(Claws/SR Scrapper), Where can I find info on the variable resistance buffs provided by the SR passives?! I've searched everywhere I can think of and the only remaining alternative seems to be to build a /SR brute up to 28 and experiment just to find out; which clearly isn't worth it... Anyone have a better alternative or perhaps already have the numbers and mechanics of their inner workings on hand?

In that case, ZNRGY_XERONUS, I'm gonna bet on somewhere in the vicinity of Soon Lambda for the forum migration!
But on the plus side, THEY'RE RELEASING POWER CUSTOMIZATIONS AND MORE PROLIFERATIONS!!! So who cares about anything else, YAY DEVS!!!

I don't know how I overlooked the Devouring Earth Monsters. Thank you for the info, KitsuneKnight and BrokenPrey!

So does anyone have thoughts on the Thugs/Dark MM build or info on any other confirmed GM soloing builds?

Awesome, KitsuneKnight, thank you for the info!

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My brother has try with his Ill/Rad and can put a dent into a DE Monster and he can solo other GM.

Now Silverado has solo DE monster with his Bots/Traps-MM and his Fire/Traps Corruptor. So I would say they would be the best.

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BrokenPrey, I'm kinda' lost with one. I'm not familiar with a GM with the initials "DE" and can't think of any GMs that could be fought by both hero and villain ATs other than Winter Lord, Jack in Irons, Eochai, and the Arachnos Flyer. So what is the "DE Monster" you're talking about and where would I find it?

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take down all the blueside GMs you can, then when Going Rogue arrives flip him over to redside and do the same there.

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You nailed that one dead on, StrykerX. Whether the build starts me on blue or red side, the plan is to solo all of the GMs on one and then move to the other! A few questions for you all though...

Until starting this thread, the only build I had ever heard of soloing a GM was a Thugs/Dark MM. This strikes me as odd because it hasn't even warranted a mention so far. Has it just been forgotten in the previous posts or are the builds listed so far really that much more effective as GM slaying builds?

Ill/Rad is obviously taking the highest nomination so far, but as I sit here looking at the build in MIDs' I still find myself dumbfounded as to how that can be... Obviously Phantom Army being indestructible should take care of the character's survivability as long as PA holds the aggro, but do the Illusion Control pets really do that much damage? PA's description says that their damage "is illusory and will heal if the victim survives long enough", much like Spectral Wounds. So how is it that a GM could actually be killed by something that is only described as doing short term damage? Is the description misleading or am I missing something?

In regards to the Rad/Sonic and Sonic/Rad builds, what would keep the character alive? All I see in the build itself is a heal, a slow movement, a tohit debuff, and a damage debuff. Those aren't, by themselves, capable of mitigating all of a GM's damage, are they?

And what of the Bots/Traps MM... It seems very promising, but I find myself very confused that the only MM build suggested, so far, is the least recommended. Why is that? Also, if I were to use a Bots/Traps build, does anyone have any advice on how to play it? I know that using bodyguard mode and a taunt is normally highly recommended in a battle with such a powerful single target, but how would that mesh with Traps? After all, two of its seemingly very useful abilities require the character to be in melee range and one of them is interruptible... Or is Trip Mine not worth the trouble?

Thank you all very much for the great advice so far!

I have to say that it's actually kind of surprising that neither suggestion made yet has been a Mastermind! LOL

After you posted it, KitsuneKnight, I've actually had a lot of other people mention Ill/Rad trollers as possibilities. That's DEFINITELY a build I'm going to research more. Thank you!

Has anyone else had experiences with soloing GMs or know of others who have done it?

So here I am, slightly frustrated and VERY tired of riffing through page after page of thread results pulled from searches including various combinations of the words GM, killer, build, guide, and solo. What have I found for my trouble? debates on whether team or solo gaming is better, endless threads on AV soloing build debates, and a few threads discussing GMs(who's the toughest, what ones aren't fought anymore, can we get some new ones, which one has the best beach body this summer... OK, so maybe the last one is an exaggeration, but the rest are still just as unhelpful in my quest.) That's right, I'm not interested in the usual AV solo thread. And I'm sure that I'm not the only one intrigued by the idea of taking it up a notch... This thread's intent purpose is to draw out the advice of those who either have achieved or are interested in pursuing the pinnacle of solo achievements.

And while I do understand that soloing a Giant Monster is something that there might only be a few who have accomplished, I KNOW that there ARE at least a few. And besides, it's likely that with the plethora of "AV killers" and data mining fanatics out there, surely enough quality advice can be pooled together to make the conceiving of the impossible possible.

So...

WELL DONE!!! I would LOVE to see more guides built with your style. This is definitely THE BEST guide I've read yet!

Uh... I see why you would think that I missed that part, LordLundar, but reread your own quote and pay attention to the "turned off the character's regeneration based powers and left them with nothing but defense and resistance to keep them alive" part in particular. Admittedly I probably should have left out the based powers part to simplify and more directly clarify that base HP regen was included.

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Neither situation was really beneficial, so it was most often used to panic the defenders and controllers in the group and start mass heals on the scrapper. As such it got tweaked to the current form, where it serves a much better use.

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Yeah, I remember being warned about this one by other Empaths of the time. If memory serves, weren't all of those frantic heals wasted anyway because they could never restore any HP while MoG was up? I seem to recall a lot of "healers" complaining about that and encouraging me to keep an eye on teammates' active powers while doling out the heals. SO glad I never ran into someone using MoG pre-Issue 11!

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The 15s duration makes it a Moment of Glory.


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LMBO. You know, I'd never quite thought of that Fleeting_Whisper!

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Aside from that, I'll definitely say that if there was any defensive power set that could afford to take on such a Tier 9 short changing and survive, Regen would be it.

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Hooooooo boy, if you think the current version of MoG is shortchanging the set...

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Ok, I'm intrigued. What is it that you're not saying?

I know that the original version robbed the character of almost all HP, turned off the character's regeneration based powers and left them with nothing but defense and resistance to keep them alive, and finally ended with the standard crash PLUS the fact that the character's HP is still bottomed out which seems to total up to the ultimate in inappropriately mismatched power to powerset flop. (not to mention anti-climactic seeing as how one would think that the entire point of the Regeneration set IS TO REGENERATE) But is there something else that your inferring or does that about sum it up?

Also, Blackavaar, how are you able to "usually predict" the "big AV attack"? That would definitely be useful, but it seems to me that the only way to do so would be to familiarize yourself haevily with that particular AV.

Also, Does anyone have anything to say in regards to MoG's PVP application? I know, I know, I used the unspoken four letter word, but I would like to know if it as utterly useless as I'm guessing it is against the typically less predictable player to player confrontations.

Shortening the recharge to 240 seconds base was a cool move and I love the lack of crash and the fact that it doesn't rob anyone of HP to use it, but what good does a 15 second duration do for a tier 9 defensive? I could easily understand a 30 second duration with a 480 second recharge, but 15 seconds?! What is this supposed to be, a defensive version of Build Up? With Build Up, you activate it before your going to use the attacks that you want most to enhance, but what about MoG? Are you supposed to try to plan out when your enemy is going to take the big shots you really don't want to get hit by? The only good application I can think of for that would be absorbing the Alpha. Is THAT what they wanted to do with it? A buddy of mine tried to make it a perma-power, but he said it wouldn't auto activate for him. Realistically I don't see the appeal of a 15 second buff that requires me to stop EVERYTHING I'm doing for 2.57 seconds, leaving me with only 12.43 seconds until I have to stop again anyway. So even a perma version would be impractical.

On the other-hand, if the idea is to make it an alpha-immunity power, then I do have to applaude the Devs on their efforts to diversify the uniqueness of each Tier 9 defensive power. Aside from that, I'll definitely say that if there was any defensive power set that could afford to take on such a Tier 9 short changing and survive, Regen would be it.

Well, I guess what I'm really posting for is that I'm looking for anything I might be over-looking. Does anyone have any useful suggestions for how to use MoG I might not have yet considered or anymore USEFUL (I stress that for a reason, as in "FULL OF PRACTICAL USE AND APPLICATION" or "VIABLY PRODUCTIVE") thoughts to consider on the subject? I would especially LOVE to see any posts or discussions that involved the Devs expressing their purposes on the redesign.

Note: And yes, I do realize that Paragon Wiki lists that this version of MoG has been in place since Issue 11, but I've just found out about it and can't seem to find anything on the forums in regards to it.
Second Note: Player Questions was the best single location I could think of for this post as the other option would be identical posts on both Scrappers AND Stalkers or one or the other.

Yes it is a difficult build to work up, but that's as far as I'll agree with the "DOOOOMM!!!!!!" reply you got right off the bat. I really haven't a lot of experience with Doms, but the only one that has actually interested me enough to stick with past level 20 has been a Grav/Psi. The replies warning you of how difficult it is as opposed to the other Dom Primary powersets are right on the money in that respect. I mean take a look at the alternatives: Fire does lots of damage along with good controls, Ice includes movement/recharge slow secondary effects that have the potential of locking down the targets even when the mez effects don't, Earth includes tons (pun intended) of defense debuffing in nearly every power, Mind just plain buries the enemy in more mez than most players know what to do with, and Plant, I don't honestly know a thing about Plant so I'm not even about to touch on it!

On the other hand, Grav's only secondary is a quite unextraordinary Fly detoggle effect that seems to have been added to a few powers only for conceptual purposes. Some of the powers in the set do pretty good damage, but it's all Smashing and there isn't enough to really put them above the other sets. But where Gravity Control finds it's strength is in the trademark Grav-unique abilities Dimension Shift, Wormhole, and Singularity. Dimension Shift is a TAoE enemy intangible ability that is useful if slotted right and reserved for appropriate occasions (NOT BEST USED ON TEAMS). Wormhole requires care, practice, and understanding to make effective use of, but once one takes the time to learn its use and learn it well, it WILL MAKE THE BUILD for you. And as for Singy, it's one of a control user's greatest dreams come true: a pet that is practically invincible and almost does your job for you while also taking the agro.

Lately I came across a guide thread started by Sir_Quixotic that is ALL ABOUT really good advice and insight on Grav/Psi Doms. I would HIGHLY recommend checking it out if you still want to run this build. And if you aren't interested in running the build anymore that's fine, as most of the posts above should pretty obviously show you: Grav/Psi Dom isn't for everyone.

"Grav/Psi Dominator - Slow Start, Strong Finish" by Sir_Quixotic

Bluethorn,
Please note the post made 12 hours and 14 minutes before your OP response; that one's for you.

As for the rest of your reply, I really do agree. If anything, I would have to say that I'm just hoping to inspire the release of at least a few more Proliferations sometime soon. Personally, I'm looking forward to the content they are adding, but the game for me is still more about the characters. It is after all City of HEROES/City of VILLAINS and not City of PARAGON/City of ROGUE ISLES. This MMO's FOUNDING STAPLE is character diversity and customization. The Devs have released several new costume pieces and power sets that are absolutely AWESOME (grinning wide eyed at Pain Dom) and there lingers the recently reignited hope of a couple others that are long awaited (dual pistols and more MM pets), but that still leaves a LOT of already prepared power sets ripe for the Proliferating that the fan base have expressed much eager anticipation of. I'm sure there is a LOT more work than I could even guess involved in building a brand new power set and tailoring it to each Arch Type it is appropriate for. Where it comes to Proliferating power sets on the other hand, it should be significantly less difficult to retailor a couple per Issue or so to fit the one or two appropriate Archtypes.

NOTE: And before the "teh game not all abt U" bandwagon forms, notice that I said "for me" as in FOR ME PERSONALLY WHILE NOT DISCOUNTING THAT OTHER'S GAMEPLAY WILL VARY.

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The devs stated that their intended goal was to not go two consecutive issues without new enhancements and likewise not go two consecutive issues without new proliferation. Please note the words "intended goal".

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That does sounds like the quote that I have been trying to find. Yes I know it is not a promise, my use of the word "promise" was not in reference to a dev clearly stating "We promise that we will..."

It was my oversight that the statement "the promised Enhancements" would be interpreted as the "end all, be all, must reply based off of" three word stretch from the middle of the OP. I apologize for bothering all of you out there who were burdened with reiterating the fact that the last several people who wanted to sight the single word "promise" didn't quiet cover my gross error nearly well enough. The word was used figuretively in much the same way as one might say "the dog sat eagerly wagging his tail at the promise of a treat presented by the very bone which dangled from between his masters fingers" or "our ancestors moved to this great land dreaming of it's promise of wide open spaces and freedom for all." I promise you that the person in the latter was not the recipient of a letter written personally by the continent of North America that said "I promise you'll come here and find..."

On the other hand, thank you very much to those who responded with what they remembered. That and especially those who clarrified that it was stated as an intended goal helps tremendously. In regards to the matter of what powers to proliferate: I agree that there really aren't that many to be done, but there are still several that would be really awesome and likely not too dificult to balance. Personally I like Blackavaar's and Suzianne's suggestions!

(Note: I will not be editing anything out of the OP because if I did, the responses that are nothing but citing my "promise" screw up wouldn't make any sense. This post is however meant to acknowledge that I am well informed of my foolish mishap.)

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Well, if it makes you feel better, I can yell "Ur Rong!" or something.

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LOL, yeah that'll teach me real good!

I absolutely agree on the "give them a break" point. This is my wanting to know if I'm remembering things wrong, which the overall consensus seems that I am! :P
At least I've still not been able to find the quote I'm looking for and have checked every interview I can find around I12's release (the ones that are still up anyway)...

Unless I am mistaken, amidst all of the hoopla of I12 a guarantee was made in at least one interview that no more than a single Issue in a row would be released that did not include new Enhancements and no more than a single Issue in a row would be released that did not include new Powerset Proliferations. While so far the promise of Enhancements has been kept up with quite nicely, I13 and I14 have come and gone without hide-or-hair of a single Proliferation... I am still trying to find the exact quote, but unfortunately I believe it was the Split Infinity Radio interview with Positron released on 07MAY08. An interview which unfortunately is no longer available...

Not to stir up any trouble or offend in any way,(Forum trolls looking to wine about "TEH EVL DEVS!!" can turn around and find something else to post to) but was this or was this not said? Either way, we know that it hasn't been done for two Issues in a row so far and as of yet we have not even the slightest indication that there will be any in I15, so what's the deal? Am I wrong about this and remembering something that wasn't there, or am I just the only person who would like to know why we're receiving guarantees that are swept aside as soon as the hype creeps just out of sight?

"Touch my Type R button"...