dave_p
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Posts
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Joined
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Yeah, I asked before and got mostly negative replies on WoC, but I think it's kinda nice. I'm TIP farming a lot atm w/my FRad, so -1/x1 settings and all, but I sometimes drop CC so that confused mobs add to the kill speed. Being nearly def-capped means I don't have to worry about the mitigation so much against easy settings, but even on harder settings, I see a lot of purple confused dots popping up. Of course, having the Contagion purple proc helps a lot (and one might argue, it makes the whole freakin' power). And it's hell of a (relatively) cheap purple set mule.
Now, Psi 'Nado, ugh, I just don't have the patience for that slow animation. If you're spamming Cages anyway, Bonfire has much, much better damage numbers, absolute, DPA, DPE, hell even DPS at 3x the recharge. Mental Blast is pathetic too. Hell, Fire Cages has a similar DPA to 'Nado (8.48 vs. 10.67) and has a larger AoE, iirc, so as long as you have the end for it, you're just as better off spamming Cages.
As for AS vs. RoF, if you're going to Fly anyway, AS is a fine power to take. But consider the damage/DPA #s:
(Char &) RoF: 33.65/25.49
AS: 30.59/17.83
Overall damage is similar, but RoF animates faster leading to much better DPA, plus it's range, plus it sets up containment on its own, plus it immobs. Recharge & DPE are the same. AS has excellent KD, granted. Still, I've always thought AS a bit oversold as a soloing aid, esp for a Fire/* controller who has a really good 1-2 attack in Char & RoF to begin with, even for those early levels. -
I'd still throw down EQ for the debuffs, similar w/QS, even if everything's caged. Personally, I think running around w/HF, CC & AA all on would be pretty cool. In fact, if everyone also took WoC as their epic (I know, small rad, but there'll be 3 of them), I'd almost drop CC from the mix, and just immob/slow, confuse & burn everyone to death.
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That's funny. Every time someone tosses out a joke about TA's Healing Arrow, I in fact do think about Woundhealer (tho Coinspinner was always my favorite). We're prolly not the only ones either.
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Quote:ST immob is pretty essential if you're soloing AVs, both for the ST damage and to keep them at range, but for anything else it's largely superflous. I should point out tho that both RoF & Char have, once you have containment, comparable DPA to blaster T1/2 attacks, and almost as good as even Fire Blast from the epics. DPE is crap tho.Originally Posted by MaHaBone23
Personally, I never take the ST immob, but I team almost all the time.
I'll also say that I had tons of success w/my FRad w/o either CC or HF. You can totally play that combo from range, or do the PBAoE thing, which I'm doing now along w/WoC even. Or dual build. Tons of options w/a FRad, maybe the most versatile & overall powerful combo in the game. -
Quote:I thought that was mostly a joke thread? Is there anything worthwhile in that thread?Originally Posted by Deus_Otiosus
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Good overview, thanks. I made a quick I19 build in Mids' and got to (way over-) cap all but Neg, but also 35% Psi def. Resists are crap though, even w/Tough. I'm thinking if I want typed def, I'm better off w/an Ice tank, which would actually complete my tanker primary collection. CE, Icicles, EE & Hibernate sound a lot better than the EA powers, though I could prolly make the WM/EA brute work too.
*Sigh* Back to the drawing board... -
Thanks for the advice. Seems to reinforce what was wore nagging at me. Quick followup question: how's Energy Aura? I've heard absolutely no good things about it, but it'd be pretty unique at least (I play a lot of tanks too). Would WM/EA be at least viable?
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Nothing stacks better than Fire/Rad in this game, and mez protection indeed can be had in your epic, which w/3 AMs can come pretty close to perma-ing, depending on how expensive you make your builds. Even before IW, w/3 AMs, most mez effects won't stick for very long (though retoggling HF + CC is a pita). If you really miss the hard control, you can still alternate your 3 FF's every spawn, though I pretty much guarantee you won't need it w/3x CCs running all the time.
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Here's the thing, I don't repeat powersets within an AT, and even without, I'd rather avoid it than not unless there's a pretty good reason. Is there a point in me playing through w/a Fire/Fire brute or should I just roll something else? My only other current brute is SS/SD (have a few other lowbies, but they're mostly shelved), and I'm tempted to take some powers that I can't as a scrapper, like WM/*. In fact, a bat-wielding brute sounds like a hell of a lot of fun.
Current scrappers are: Fire/Fire, Kat/Regen, DB/WP, DM/SD, Spines/DA, ELM/SR, Claws/Invul. I'm clearly biased towards scrappers, but I'm out of powersets to play for scrappers (no repeat rule), cuz I don't like ELA at scrapper levels, and I'm pretty meh about MA, BS & KM anyway.
Opinions? -
My only comment would be BA all the way down at 47. Damage auras are a priority power choice for me since they're very DPE/DPS effective, esp in crowds. Of course if you're targetting single mobs or small spawns and killing everything fast enough that a 2 sec tick won't make much of a difference, I guess you won't miss it much. Oh, and I'd go Maneuvers instead of Stealth for the last bit of +def. I'll have to tweak my own Fire/Fire scrapper build for I19 and see what it'll look like (tho I plan on going /Pyre for the extra Fireball at the end).
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Quote:RL currency "depreciates" due to inflation. While there are many merry debates on the existence of inflation in this game, the high end stuff (eg, purp, pvp, big 3) have all gone up consistently. As little as a year ago, having 10+ billion was pretty extraordinary; nowadays, it barely gets you in the door at the Wentworths Country Club. And you don't get the good seats either.Originally Posted by DevilYouKnow
But that's ok because relative purchasing power increases. Since inf doesn't depreciate the way RL currency does, those sitting on huge wallets will get more bang for the buck!
OtoH, sitting on those (ultra) rares instead of dumping them would've made you a whole hell of a lot more money. I remember selling surplus damage purps (and I'm talking like apoc triples) for like 50~70M a year or so ago. Of course I'd bought the recipes for like 25M back then too, so it's all relative.
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Quote:I actually use different trays. So tray 1 is my BF+AV combo, 1, 2, 3, 4 and tray 2 is my BF+Sweep combo, 1, 2, 3, 4 again. I hate reaching over to 6 and beyond for regular moves; I'd much rather hit the alt key.Originally Posted by Sailboat
Here's a tip in case it hasn't already occurred to readers: Dual Blades toons should line up the combo moves in the correct order in their power tray, so pressing 1, 2, 3 activates one combo and 4, 5, 6 another. Don't be like me when I first tried it and try to memorize 4, 1, 3 type combos. :P
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While I agree w/BA in principle on the perils of allowing for both def & resist caps in the game, there are a few differences that should be acknowledged (Aett touches on it a bit below):
First, there's no positions in resists. Whereas you can slot for, say, capped ranged def, or even try to get all 3 positions w/the right powerset + IO combo, you can't do that w/resists. It's already prohibitive to try to build for multiple typed def caps--if you're like Invul w/an already high FECN def, you can prolly cap S/L on top of the exotics, and ppl like Dechs did S/L/E/N cap w/Dark Armor, but a blaster or controller isn't going to be able to do more than just S/L. Add trying to raise your resists at the same time, and I think you just don't have enough slots to do a very good job.
Second, for typed defense, as long as you cover one type, if the damage is mixed, you cover all, which is why S/L def is so popular. Again, not the case for resists, which is why Fire, Invul, even Granite (only) tanks can get chewed up by psi damage. So maybe you can cap your S/L def & resists (made easier w/powers like Tough), and you'll be seriously tough, no doubt about it, but hardly invincible w/all the exotic damage floating out there.
I do think the biggest concerns, also brought up by BA, are when, say, an SR scrapper gets decent resist value while maintaining 95% DDR. Of course, that would just bring SR up to what can currently be achieved w/Shields, but what could potentially be done w/SD tanks might indeed be game breaking. I don't know the solution either--maybe introduce more exotic damage, esp Psi and/or Toxic in the later games. If you're going to cherry pick opponents, you can already do that now. -
Yeah, I was gonna ask if this was due to a mistype, or an interface glitch. Seems the latter; I wonder if we should necro the "we hate the new interface" thread? Seems the devs have stopped working on fixing any of our old complaints, even the fairly universal ones like stop prompting the user fee warning on every toon (and possibly every time we zone).
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First off, thanks for the suggestions.
Your build gets the S/L def to cap, which I wasn't really too worried about anyway (just need 5 in range of Invinc to cap anyway), but the E/N def at 40+ is nice. Unfortunately, that sacrifices a lot of the Psi def, which I admit I may be sacrificing a bit too much for, but I like the idea of Invul w/30+ Psi damage, which you can nearly cap w/a small purple.
I do like slotting for 4 Basilisks for a nice 7.5% recharge bonus--I'll have to see if I can spare the slots somehow. Strike & Slash both recharge in <2sec, Focus in 2.32 and Evis in 3.4. I'll have a gapless chain, but certainly not the optimal one--what is the best Claws chain, and how much recharge do you need?
Potential end issues are why I pick up CP & PP from the Body pool, even though they're mostly afterthoughts. I likely won't have to run Tactics very often except when debuffed or facing Nemmies & Vengence or the like. Still, I like to see closer to a +2.0 recovery-to-end use differential, which I'm well shy of.
BTW, your build exceeds the cap for the 10% regen bonus, which is why I have a generic def IO in Tough Hide instead of another LotG. -
Yeah, sleeps are nice for TIPs. I was using Siren's Song a lot w/my Son/Son defender, but his kill speed is so much slower than my controllers/scrappers(/blasters/tanks) that I don't run him often for TIPs. Too bad none of my controllers have any sleep powers atm... :/
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I've been spending the last few weeks TIPs farming w/my various toons, and I'm torn bet if I like it best on my scrappers or controllers. Scrappers are kinda obvious, except none of mine have full stealth (1/2 w/a stealth IO) and my controllers, all with full stealth, can get through clickies faster. Of course, hostage rescues (which I try to avoid) are better on my melee since I can drop stealth and sprint-jog through the map just ignoring various mobs trying to hit me.
Of my controllers, I've been running mostly my Fire/Rad & Ill/Kin, both fully pimped out. I've ran my Ice/Storm a few times, haven't tried w/my Earth/TA or Plant/Cold just yet, but mostly I really like my Fire/Rad & Ill/Kin's speed through TIPs, set at -1/x1 for max speed.
Fire/Rad just kills fast, esp small groups. Don't even bother summoning the imps unless it's the last fight, since I don't want to deal w/them while stealthing through stuff. HF + Cages + EF is enough to kill things fast w/CC + WoC for the small amounts of mitigation I actually need. I have Char slotted for damage so lts fall fast, and there are no bosses to worry about. Only con is I have to retoggle all my damage/control auras after stealthing to a target. Not a big deal, but kind of a low level pita.
Ill/Kin is the best stealther in the game, bar none. SI + Deceive means I never have to break stealth to get a glowie if I don't feel like it. Or I just cast PA and get the glowie that way, if it's surrounded by mobs. Can kill single targets as fast as my Fire/Rad thanks to Spec Wounds, but even w/FS + Fireball, I seem to go through crowds faster on my Fire/Rad.
Both of those guys can get through a set of 5 TIPs in about 30~35 min solo, depending on how fast the TIPs drop. Add a teammate and the speed drops since you have to deal w/bosses, but it's still around 40min per set. This is about the same as some of my scrappers & my Fire tank, and frankly, most of the time is spend traveling, getting TIPs and loading so I don't think the times are going to drop any more.
My Ice/Storm is a bit slower since I mostly rely on my Storm powers to do significant damage (again, pets are rarely used), and even LS + Tornado takes a bit of time to go through stuff. Still, I can get through a set of 5 TIPs in around 40~45 min, which doesn't suck. I imagine my Earth/TA would be a bit slower. Not sure about my Plant/Cold.
Anyone else having good success running TIPs on their controllers? -
Post weekend bump. No critiques or suggestions at all?
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I assume your guide is more or less an intro guide to Fiery Aura since you barely talk about IOs or tactics and don't go into any real numbers. As such, it's a good introduction to the set, but just a few comments that are mostly differences of opinion (so take them for what they're worth):
I know Consume's improved and all, and w/I19 freeing up 3 power choices, I'll certainly respec into it, mostly for the end drain resistance addition, but it's hardly a "must take" power, what w/the to hit check and the (still) long recharge. My (admittedly, fully IOed out) Fire/EM has really zero end concerns these days, even when fighting Carnies or Sappers, though I'm careful about keeping a blue insp in my tray at all times for those encounters. Playing w/SOs, Consume still doesn't recharge quite quickly enough to be a reliable end recovery system, which is to say, if you're not already slotted well for end redux, Consume isn't going to fix that by itself.
Hover/Fly is a horrible substitute for -KB from Acro or IOs. I would never recommend that. Fly's gotten faster tho and is a perfectly good travel power, tho you can just get Jet/Raptor packs.
Cold resistance is also a bit of a weakness of Fire that deserves a mention. Also, zero mitigation against Psi.
I think Tough is pretty much required for a "tough enough" Fire tank, and I'd take it over Consume any day of the week. The difference bet. 47% & 70% S/L resist is huge. Weave is quite good to if you build for defense (though obviously not w/just SOs). Try taking your Fire tank to S/L def cap and you'll marvel at the difference.
Hasten, esp at the SO level, is pretty crucial to getting HF up more often. Faster recharging Burn is nice too. Fitness, Fighting, Speed & Leaping were pretty much the "required" 4 pools for Fire tanks back in the day. W/-KB IOs and inherent Fitness in I19, you can have far more varied builds (like Flight or Leadership), but I'd still heavily recommend the Fighting & Speed pools for all Fire tanks.
Speaking of recharge, Temp Prot is still kinda lame, but again w/3 added power slots in I19, I think it's a good investment. Fiery Aura is largely dependent on recharge of HF for survival (not as bad as, say, Regen, but it's kinda crucial), and -recharge debuffs kills us almost as fast as Psi. Temp Prot + the Winter's Gift slow resist adds up to a respectable 40% resistance, which I'll certainly be pursuing come I19. Plus, you'll get some more Cold resists, which will still kinda suck, but better than what you get w/just Fire Shield (<20%). -
Quote:This is pretty much what I'm doing. There's no point in my storing yet more inf in my mattresses (so, no random rolls for fun & profit), so I figure I'd just load up w/LotG's, though I'm alternating bet. 50s and 25s, and keeping a reserve of HMs on various characters to see what I might need for future use.Originally Posted by Kitteh
I random rolled the first week or so, but I've switched to cherry-picking LotGs across the board.
I'm not selling them because I'm loaded with INF.
I'm storing them for my 4 or 5 "inherent-Fitness, purple-IO, getting ready for whatever this end game content is going to be" builds.
I already have enough Miracle/Numina uniques, -KB, stealth & Steadfast +def to equip every toon I run, but not quite enough LotGs just yet to slot 5x on all 31 of my alts on my main server. Of course, I could just buy them, but what'd be the fun in that?
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So I'm designing my Claws/Invul for the inherent changes in I19 in mind and I don't know how much I like this build. I'm trying for decent Psi def/res and I might be sacrificing too much since I can only get my defenses to 40/31/33 (SL/FC/EN) range w/1 in range of Invinc.
I also have no idea what an optimized Claws attack chain should look like and don't have a lot of global recharge anyway. Followup stacks 2x comfortably, but not 3x. I meandered a lot, but ended up dropping Shockwave, even though initially I had envisioned a sweet Shockwave + Energy Torrent chain, but I figured w/spamming Spin, and wanting to be close to lots of mobs, I'd be better off, or at least can live w/no ranged cones (esp one w/KB).
Anyway comments & suggestions are greatly welcome.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.803
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Natural Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Claws
Secondary Power Set: Invulnerability
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Strike -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5)
Level 1: Resist Physical Damage -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), ImpArm-ResPsi(7), ImpArm-ResDam(29), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg(29)
Level 2: Slash -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(7), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(9), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), Achilles-ResDeb%(48)
Level 4: Temp Invulnerability -- ImpArm-ResPsi(A), ImpArm-ResDam(11), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(13), ResDam-I(13)
Level 6: Spin -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(15), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg(15), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(17), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(17), Sciroc-Dam%(19)
Level 8: Follow Up -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(19), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(21), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(25), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(43)
Level 10: Dull Pain -- Numna-Heal/Rchg(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Numna-Heal/EndRdx(31), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(46)
Level 12: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 14: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam(25), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(27), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(27)
Level 16: Unyielding -- ImpArm-ResPsi(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(31), ImpArm-ResDam(33), Aegis-Psi/Status(33), Aegis-ResDam(36)
Level 18: Focus -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(46), Thundr-Acc/Dmg(48), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(50)
Level 20: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(34), LkGmblr-Def(34)
Level 22: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(23), RechRdx-I(23)
Level 24: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), DefBuff-I(45)
Level 26: Eviscerate -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg(45), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(45), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46), Sciroc-Dam%(48)
Level 28: Invincibility -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(37), LkGmblr-Def(39)
Level 30: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(37), LkGmblr-Def(37)
Level 32: Tactics -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(42), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(42), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(42), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(43), GSFC-Build%(43)
Level 35: Tough Hide -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), DefBuff-I(36)
Level 38: Resist Energies -- ImpArm-ResPsi(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(39), ImpArm-ResDam(39)
Level 41: Resist Elements -- ImpArm-ResPsi(A), ImpArm-ResDam(50), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg(50)
Level 44: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 47: Physical Perfection -- EndMod-I(A)
Level 49: Super Speed -- Clrty-Stlth(A)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 1: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 1: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 1: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(40)
Level 1: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod(40), EndMod-I(40)
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The last three powers were more or less tacked on for lack of better ideas. Ninja Run is more than fast enough for travel, but doing TIPS mishes and the like, I now stick some stealth on even my melee, but usually just a stealth IO in an alt Sprint power. I figured, getting SS + the stealth IO would be better still has an occasional full stealth (and a "real" travel power). -
Quote:What are you looking at, the burst or DPA? Cuz, DPA-wise, it only gets one, ET. I'd hardly call TF's 46.15 an "extreme" attack. Even if you were just looking at the big number floating above mobs' heads, many sets get 2 "heavy" attacks, and most of those heavies would also translate to higher DPAs than TF.Originally Posted by StratoNexus
That being said, you are being unfair. You attempt to demonstrate that most sets get 1 extreme damage power, Clobber, KoB, ET, SS. Yet you then try to point at TF and say, "Look how badly it compares to Clobber." Except EM is the only set to even get two extreme attacks.
Looking at Tanker sets that have 2 attacks that do 100+ base damage (dam/DPA):
Axe: Swoop (101.43/51.23) & Cleave (122.79/48.96) (Gash actually has a higher DPA, but lower orange number)
EM: ET (202.87/69.86) & TF (158.38/46.15)
Fire: Incin (111.2/61.17) & GFS (144.15/57.48)
Stone: SS (158.38/92.3) & HM (101.43/54.89)
WM: Clobber (129.91/89.47) & Shatter (101.43/40.44)
Of those, DPA-wise, the only attacks that go under 50DPA are TF, Cleave & Shatter. Cleave & Shatter are cones (okay, Cleave is narrow, but you can often line up 2 mobs w/no trouble). TF has the stun, which I admit was worthwhile when it was a mag 4, guaranteed boss stun, but at Mag 3, I don't think it pays for the animation, so to speak. Now, if you're looking at burst...
That big orange number is the only reason why I can fathom some ppl (including the devs, evidently) think EM is balanced currently, because they do in fact produce the biggest numbers. EM does have impressive burst capabilities in certain timeframes. Exceed those timeframes though, and you suddenly find sets like Stone & Fire perform better, but then you start drifting away from "burst" metrics. We can also talk about overkilling or corpse-punching, but let's save that of another day.Quote:It is also improtant to remember that DPA is indeed a very good metric to look at, but it is not the only metric to consider, especially when we start talking about the really high powered attacks. As much as we (rightfully) downplay its importance on the forums, sometimes, the fact that a power puts out a big orange number needs to be considered. ET deals 1.82 times the damage of Incinerate (which is not really Fiery's big hitter, but it is the power you listed, so I stuck with it), 1.56 times the damage of Clobber, and 1.28 times that of Seismic Smash.
And then there's the end cost, which I'll again admit, EM is good for, esp ET, which is an obscene 19.90 DPE vs. most ST attacks' 8.56 or even Fire's 10~11 range (Incinerate, btw, comes close at 16.2, but Fire always has better DPE due to the extra damage).
Let's face it, EM's ST capacity is good--I never meant to say otherwise. It's simply not the best any more, and it may need to be to make up for its other deficiencies. Or give it more control, as in...
Yeah, I sorta meant one or the other, though both would be fine by me. Give Stun a PBAoE effect and now you have a control set in line w/Ice & Stone Melee. Give it either greater ST damage, or a smaller increase as AoE damage and this too would address other balance issues.Quote:[Re: Stun] Not both. Adding damage to Stun seems pointless, the set already has 5 single target attacks and two big hitters. Adding the AoE stun is much more interesting, IMO.
If you read my Ice Melee guide, I'm all about balancing sets around ST damage, AoE damage & control. Ice Melee has pathetic ST damage, but is balanced by good AoE & superior control. Stone Melee has pathetic AoE damage, but excellent ST & superior control. EM currently has pathetic AoE, good, maybe even superior, ST and... well, adequate control. EM used to have pathetic AoE, adequate-to-good (w/the mag 4 stun in TF) control & fantastic ST, which made it worthwhile to play. Bring the stuns fully into "good" category (yes, those terms are horribly subjective) and I think we achieve balance. -
Quote:Did you notice the part in B's calcs where SM's attack chain uses Brawl every 3rd attack? So, yeah, if you're attacking a Pylon that warrants a gapless attack chain using only basic IO slotting that makes you resort to Brawl, the Brute's EM will be superior to Stone. In real world situations, the higher recharge of Heavy Mallet won't be *that* detrimental (and you'll likely have a high enough recharge to compensate), and SM's ST DPA will outstrip EM's.Originally Posted by Reiska
Claws?
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showt...results+are+in
Powerset DPS EPS
Brute Energy 157.5 3.3
Brute Stone 137.5 3.5
?_?
Plus, I was talking only about Tanker EM, as I rather pointedly stipulated at the top of my post. Not that it should affect the calculations too much, but remember that Tanks are required to take the T1 power and Stone Fist owns Barrage by a mile, a discrepancy you can adjust for as a Brute. -
I play neither EM stalkers or brutes, but my 2nd 50 ever was a Fire/EM tank, so this is all from a tanker's perspective.
First some tanker DPA numbers (base damage at 50 w/Arcanatime):
Old ET: 170.77
New ET: 69.86
TF: 46.15
Some other heavy hitters as a comparison:
Incinerate: 60.17
KO Blow: 66.66
Clobber: 89.47
Seismic Smash: 92.30
And for the hell of it, the rest of EM:
Barrage: 37.07
EP: 42.13
BS: 42.52
WH: 16.85
Barrage, EP & BS are more or less normal. Barrage used to be worse than Brawl, but thankfully, it's merely a typical sucky T1 tanker attack. EP & BS are nothing to write home about, but are adequate filler attacks.
Whirling Hands is a joke. All the "Whirling" attacks are terrible, but the weapon sets have cones to supplement their AoEs. But fine, EM is a ST "specialist", right?
TF's DPA of 46.15 is also pretty disgraceful, even w/the mag 3 stun. Look at Clobber.
ET's DPA of 69.86 is actually pretty damn good for a tanker, but no longer warrants the self damage. Consider Clobber again or Seismic Smash. Clobber also recharges faster (16 vs. 20). Incinerate is lower DPA, but recharges in 10 sec and no self damage. In fairness, ET's DPE is fantastic, which I guess is the rationale behind the continuing self-damage, but I'd at least trade for some higher end cost for a faster animation.
EM is not the ST king and hasn't been for a while. Both Fire & Stone outdamage EM, and let's not even talk about AoE damage. Control through stuns are also shaky, since Stone Melee will have better controls while outputting better ST damage (admittedly, Stone may have even worse AoE damage than EM). Again, no other set does self-damage. So what exactly is EM's attraction again?
If it's going to be stuns, I like the idea of making Stun a minor AoE. Giving it Clobber damage would also help overall ST DPS while increasing the stun quotient.
If it's going to be ST damage, we need to return to ET's original animation, or closer to it. That's prolly never going to happen (the old DPA was kinda ridiculous), but keeping the self damage is just an insult. TF getting a new animation to bump its DPA over 55 would be another solution. In fact, giving TF ET's current animation would bump its DPA to 54.54, which would be respectable and the animatino would be more fitting IMO. Then lower ET's animation to about 2s to get its DPS up to Seismic Smash territory and EM's back to being king of ST damage.
If we're going to address the AoE damage, giving TF Thunderstrike's splash damage (but w/stuns instead of KB) sounds like a pretty good option.
Whatever the solution is, EM needs help. I've been playing my Fire/EM for the first time in years because of the recent buffs to Fiery Aura. I lead off most fights w/Burn now and rely on Fireball & Fire Blast from my epics and use EP to beat on single things. I cringe when I have to go into my ET/TF animations, even though they offer superior DPA to EP or Fire Blast. -
Quote:Your efforts and Leandro's are greatly appreciated. I couldn't d/l crap from fileserve w/my various security settings in FF, and I'm not about to resort to IE.Originally Posted by Roderick
As far as why I did it - It took me over a half hour to download the file, because it kept dropping mid-transfer, and then wouldn't start again, because of the 10 minute timer between downloads. If you'd rather not have the mirror, I'll happily remove it. I was just providing it for people who don't like dealing with the annoyances of "free" hosting sites.