evil_tim

I previously leveled an EM/ELA to 50. I also tried a DM/WP, SS/WP, and SM/WP. The DM/WP won out and I took him to 50. The SS and SM didn't make 20.

Now I'm interested in what the title says. I've played a SS/INV up to 35 many years ago. Never got SM above 16 or so. Now I need to decide if I'm going with SS or SM with my new /ELA brute (assuming for this scenario that conserve power is replaced, knowing that is not a done deal).

With the sets, Stone Fist is the same as Punch, Stone Mallet is the same as Haymaker, Hurl Boulder is the same as Hurl, and Taunt is the same as Taunt.

Seismic Smash and KO Blow are close. They have the same End cost and Accuracy. KO is 5 second longer recharge and .73 longer cast time. SS has a higher mag hold, but KO has knockup. SS does 6.91 DPS compared to 5.45 for KO, and they do the same DPA, not counting rage.
Foot Stomp and Tremor seem a little more different. Tremor is a full 5 End points less than Foot Stomp, 13.5 to 18.5, and has a 14 second recharge to 20. They have the same accuracy and radius. Tremor takes longer to cast, 3.3 to 2.1, and does significantly less DPA, 41.7 to 59.2, and DPS, 2.41 to 2.68. This difference is magnified not only by Rage, but by them being AoE attacks, meaning that less damage is done to more than one mob.

Next there is Hand Clap versus Fault. If Hand Clap still does knockback, that is out. If not, it can make a case to be as good as Fault.

Rage is obviously superior to Build Up, if you can deal with the crash.

Finally, there is Heavy Mallet vs. Jab. In the standard SS attack chain, I would not use jab. I would instead use Punch, Haymaker, Air Superiority, KO Blow, and Foot Stomp. Perhaps Mu Lightning and Ball Lightning when I get there.

I’m not sure what the standard SM attach chain would be. If it is Stone Mallet, Heavy Mallet, Air Superiority, Seismic Smash, and Tremor, Stone Mallet does more damage than Punch and Heavy Mallet does more than Haymaker. Does that make up for the lesser damage of Tremor?

I should also point out that I’m not a fan of build-up or hasten, those types of powers that can’t be made perma (without spending tons of influence that I don’t’ have).

With ELA, I have lightning Reflexes that speeds things up and makes the recharge issues of KO blow and foot stomp less of an issue. If Conserve Power changes to a heal, the mitigation provided by fault for Aid Self is not as needed.

So, my final question is, what is the difference between playing these two sets with ELA, assuming conserve power becomes a heal and medicine pool is not taken. Nor is hasten. My pools would be flight and fitness, all ELA powers, Punch, Haymaker, KO Blow, Rage, and Foot Stomp with SS, Stone Mallet, Heavy Mallet, Fault, Seismic Smash, and Tremor with SS. Don’t know what I would take at 30, or from 41 to 49.

Also, I haven’t asked about endurance. It looks like those attack chains might have similar endurance costs. What advice can you give me?

Thanks again for taking the time to talk with me Smurphy. We've just about got who's gonna play what all figured out.

They are getting married and moving into a new house next week, so I'm not sure when we are going to start this little combo, but we are all looking forward to it.

So my wife convinced me that our kids are a few years away from being able to team effectively with us. But at around the same time, a friend of mine said he was getting back into the game and bringing his girlfriend with him. I have talked with him and we are all agreed on teaming with 4 cor's.

Now that I can do this grouping with adults and we are ready to go, I want to revisit this topic.

I would like to not reuse any primary or secondary powersets.
I'm thinking Fire, Ice, and Rad for primary, can't decide between Dark, AR, and Sonic for the 4th.

I'm thinking /Kin, /Cold, /Dark, and /Rad for the secondaries.

Does that sound like a good mix? Are there any syngergies I should exploit when combining the primaries with the secondaries? In particular, if there are some primaries where I take almost every power, I should combine them with secondaries where I'm taking fewer powers.

Should we all take the leadership toggles? Some of these builds look like they will be tight.

Will we need stamina? Are there enough +end powers in those secondaries that we could skip?

I welcome any advice, except play what you want to play. I'm aware some people are not concerned with min/maxing or whatever you want to call it. I am looking for how to optimize team play between these powersets. Or other powersets, if you think something would be better.

Thanks.

Magnus Black has been a great brute for me. He's been level 50 for awhile, done several SF's, done a lot of content. All the accolades except Born in Battle. Does well on LRSF and 3rd respec. Doesn't die much. I'm pretty happy with him.

I want to make him better.

I currently use an attack chain of gloom>boxing>Midnight Grasp>boxing>siphon life>boxing

I rarely if ever use hasten. I even more rarely use Dark Consumption. My end only runs low if I get hit with a sapper. I save Darkest Night for EB/AV/hero.

I run all my toggles all the time. I don't have end issues. My resistance is 50 smash/lethal 8 en/neg/fire/cold/tox and 31 psionic. My def is 16 smash/lethal, 28 En/Neg, 24 fire/cold, and 20 psionic.

My recovery is 218%. 618% regen. 2450 HP. only 15% recharge. 33% acc.

What are your suggestions for attach chain, IO sets, different powers from hasten/dark consumption? I have 300M infamy and 220 reward merits to spend. This is my current build with accurate enhancements except for level. I welcome any constructive criticism. (I don't PVP)

Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]

Magnus Black: Level 50 Magic Brute
Primary Power Set: Dark Melee
Secondary Power Set: Willpower
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Smite <ul type="square">[*] (A) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance/Recharge[*] (3) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance[*] (3) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage[*] (5) Crushing Impact - Damage/Recharge[*] (5) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge[*] (7) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge[/list]Level 1: High Pain Tolerance <ul type="square">[*] (A) Healing IO[*] (7) Healing IO[*] (9) Healing IO[*] (9) Resist Damage IO[*] (11) Resist Damage IO[*] (11) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%[/list]Level 2: Mind Over Body <ul type="square">[*] (A) Reactive Armor - Resistance[*] (13) Reactive Armor - Endurance[*] (13) Reactive Armor - Resistance/Endurance[*] (15) Reactive Armor - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge[/list]Level 4: Fast Healing <ul type="square">[*] (A) Healing IO[*] (15) Healing IO[*] (17) Healing IO[/list]Level 6: Boxing <ul type="square">[*] (A) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance/Recharge[*] (37) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance[*] (37) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge[*] (37) Crushing Impact - Damage/Recharge[*] (39) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage[*] (39) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge[/list]Level 8: Siphon Life <ul type="square">[*] (A) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance/Recharge[*] (17) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge[*] (19) Touch of the Nictus - Healing[*] (19) Touch of the Nictus - Heal/HitPoints/Regeneration/Recharge[*] (21) Touch of the Nictus - Accuracy/Healing[*] (21) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge[/list]Level 10: Indomitable Will <ul type="square">[*] (A) Serendipity - Defense[*] (23) Serendipity - Endurance[*] (23) Serendipity - Defense/Endurance[/list]Level 12: Combat Jumping <ul type="square">[*] (A) Empty[/list]Level 14: Super Jump <ul type="square">[*] (A) Jumping IO[/list]Level 16: Rise to the Challenge <ul type="square">[*] (A) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff[*] (25) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff/Endurance[*] (25) Harmonized Healing - Heal/Endurance[*] (31) Miracle - Heal/Endurance[*] (31) Miracle - Heal[*] (31) Miracle - Heal/Endurance/Recharge[/list]Level 18: Swift <ul type="square">[*] (A) Run Speed IO[/list]Level 20: Quick Recovery <ul type="square">[*] (A) Efficacy Adaptor - EndMod[*] (34) Efficacy Adaptor - EndMod/Recharge[*] (36) Efficacy Adaptor - EndMod/Accuracy[/list]Level 22: Health <ul type="square">[*] (A) Healing IO[*] (46) Healing IO[*] (46) Healing IO[/list]Level 24: Stamina <ul type="square">[*] (A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End[*] (46) Performance Shifter - EndMod[*] (50) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Recharge[*] (50) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Accuracy[/list]Level 26: Soul Drain <ul type="square">[*] (A) Adjusted Targeting - To Hit Buff/Recharge[*] (27) Adjusted Targeting - To Hit Buff/Endurance/Recharge[*] (27) Scirocco's Dervish - Accuracy/Damage[*] (29) Scirocco's Dervish - Accuracy/Recharge[*] (29) Cleaving Blow - Accuracy/Recharge[/list]Level 28: Heightened Senses <ul type="square">[*] (A) Serendipity - Defense[*] (36) Serendipity - Endurance[*] (36) Serendipity - Defense/Endurance[/list]Level 30: Tough <ul type="square">[*] (A) Reactive Armor - Resistance/Endurance[*] (39) Reactive Armor - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge[*] (40) Reactive Armor - Resistance[*] (40) Reactive Armor - Endurance[/list]Level 32: Midnight Grasp <ul type="square">[*] (A) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance/Recharge[*] (33) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance[*] (33) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge[*] (33) Crushing Impact - Damage/Recharge[*] (34) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage[*] (34) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge[/list]Level 35: Weave <ul type="square">[*] (A) Serendipity - Defense[*] (40) Serendipity - Endurance[*] (42) Serendipity - Defense/Endurance[*] (42) Serendipity - Defense/Endurance/Recharge[/list]Level 38: Strength of Will <ul type="square">[*] (A) Resist Damage IO[/list]Level 41: Gloom <ul type="square">[*] (A) Devastation - Damage/Recharge[*] (42) Devastation - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge[*] (43) Devastation - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge[*] (43) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge[*] (43) Thunderstrike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance[*] (45) Thunderstrike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge[/list]Level 44: Darkest Night <ul type="square">[*] (A) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff/Recharge/Endurance[*] (45) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff/Endurance[*] (45) Dark Watcher's Despair - Recharge/Endurance[/list]Level 47: Dark Consumption <ul type="square">[*] (A) Efficacy Adaptor - EndMod/Accuracy[*] (48) Efficacy Adaptor - Accuracy/Recharge[*] (48) Efficacy Adaptor - EndMod/Recharge[*] (48) Efficacy Adaptor - EndMod/Accuracy/Recharge[/list]Level 49: Hasten <ul type="square">[*] (A) Recharge Reduction IO[*] (50) Recharge Reduction IO[/list]------------
Level 1: Brawl <ul type="square">[*] (A) Empty[/list]Level 1: Sprint <ul type="square">[*] (A) Empty[/list]Level 2: Rest <ul type="square">[*] (A) Empty[/list]Level 1: Fury



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I have a 50 brute and 28 thugs/dark MM. I'm using my brute to get good IO's for my MM. I got him the Achille's, both 10% res, and the recharge intensive 5% def. But the pet damage 5% def is simply not available for sale.

So, the obvious thing to do is gather up those reward merits and purchase the stupid thing. But as I'm getting close, I now have 220 merits, I start taking a look at prices. When the 5% def are available, they almost always sell for less than 10M. And I start looking at the other recipes I can get for that number of merits. 7.5% recharge. Miracle +end. Numina +rech/+end. These are going for 50M to 200M. How can I justify getting a 10M recipe that is never for sale over a 200M recipe that is for sale?

So do I use the merits to get the heal uniques and just wait for the day when the stupid 5% def comes available? Or do I suck it up and do what I gotta do to get that pesky recipe? What are your thoughts?

Thanks.

I really appreciate all the posts. It sounds like I'm going in the right direction with the brute/cor combo. I have a pretty nice and easy SS/WP build for the kiddos.

I'm not sure about the cor's though. I definitely want at least 1 */cold, and 1 fire/*. I can't decide on the second secondary between */dark, */therm, and */rad, and I've heard calls for /sonic over /therm.

I'm really not sure on the second primary. I have a lvl 50 ice/therm cor, so I'm familiar with that. I'm interested in dark, or even a second fire.

So, 2 SS/WP, 1 fire/cold, and 1 fire/ice/dark//therm/dark/rad.

I'm going with SS over DM so they have AoE to keep aggro off of squishy ma and pa. I think /dark would be a good choice with a better heal than /rad, and a good mix of control and debuff and shadowfall to pair with arctic fog. Then I throw a second fire primary and use snow storm and tar patch to keep mobs in the rain of fire. Also keeps them grouped to fuel RTTC for the boys.

That is sounding better and better to me. fire/cold and fire/dark with two ss/wp. That might be the ticket.

My wife has informed me that I am over-estimating the ability of our children. After watching the two of them work a mayhem I belive that she is correct.

I think the idea of having 1 brute is a good one. I'm also thinking of having them both play brutes. If they both play /wp, and my wife and I play a /cold and a /thermal, their toons would have good regen, good resist, and good defense.

I'd really like to have a debuff toon too, like a /dark or a /rad, but I also want to make the boys as unkillable as they can be, to make it as easy for them as it can be.

Maybe after we get them to level a set up to 50 they would be ready to try something a little more advanced.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Someone mentioned 2 mm, 2 cor, and I kind of like that idea. I am a little worried about lag for the lower-end computers we will have to use.

I'm thinking /ff and /poison MM and /dark and /rad cor, although that strikes me as a little debuff heavy and buff lite.

Thanks for the suggestions and please keep 'em coming. Especially if you have something to say about synergistic combos.

Thanks for all the responses. What kind of strikes me is the 2 MM, 2 cor, or 2 MM, 1 cor, and 1 dom. Of course, with only 1 cor, I'm not sure I would really need the dom for lockdown. Maybe I am misjudging the Thugs potential for AoE, because my thugs is only lvl 28.

I'm getting a lot of responses for /traps. I'm not sure why, but I seem to have something against /traps. I've never played a /traps, and have only played with /traps players a few times.

If I go with 2 cor's, I like /dark and /rad. If I go with 2 MM's, I like /ff and /poison. Unfortunately, that seems like too much debuff and not enough buff.

I understand that the goal of the game is to have fun, and I will certainly be looking for that. One of the ways I have fun is to maximize my effectiveness, which is what I'm trying to do with the support and advice of the community.

So again, thanks for your suggestions.

I am getting close to having 4 viable computers for COV. That will lead to me getting 2 more accounts and playing with my wife and 2 kids, aged 8 and 10. That will lead to me having a reliable 4 person team.

I have heard that COV is about buffs and debuffs. This leads to 4 cor's or 4 mm's. I've already posted in the cor forum for some ideas for builds there. I would like your advice on what powersets to combine for a 4 MM team.

My wife has MM experience, primarily with mercs. I have some experience with thugs. We both have lvl 28 thugs/dark. I know that as you add more MM's, thugs stacks pretty well with the leadership bonuses from the enforcers. I've heard bots are pretty good post 32. It's interesting to think about 4 mercs all gathered in one place, easily controlled and receiving the benefit of 4 leadership toggles.

I don't know too much about the secondaries. It seems like having 1 FF would be a good idea. /dark is pretty good. /pain wouldn't hurt. /poison would be good for AV/heroes.

We won't be doing PvP. We won't be doing AE. We will be doing normal missions. I would like to Strike Forces with just the 4 of us if possible. If not, I have no problem inviting 1-4 more people to join us.

What are your power suggestions for this 4 MM team of death?

Thanks.

We are getting closer and closer to the point where I will have 4 viable computers in the house. This will lead to 4 accounts and me playing with my wife and 2 kids, aged 8 and 10.

I have heard that COV is a game of buff/debuff. Therefore I am considering a team of 4 cor's or 4 mm's. This post will address the cor team.

Defense seems easy to get. I can get it from set bonuses. I can get it from maneuvers, and weave. CJ and/or hover. Scorpion Shield. Cold Shields. Artic Fog/Shadow Fall/Steamy Mist/FFG. So I need a mixture of all that stuff.

I need debuffs (/rad seems to be the king here, with /dark and /storm close behind).

I need some AOE attacks. I want some attacks that debuff enemies (-res/Sonic, -def/rad, -toHit/dark).

I need to combine this all together in a way that makes sense and makes our team awesome.

We won't be doing PvP. We won't be doing AE. We will be doing normal mission content. I would like to SF's if we can with just the 4 of us. If we can't do it, I don't have any problem getting another 1-4 people to help out.

It has to be easy enough for my 8 year old to pull off. He has some experience with COV, I have let him play with his brother a bit, but not a lot of experience.

What are your suggestions for power combos for the four of us?

Thanks.

Between Tactics, Supremacy, and the enforcer's tactics also slotted with + to hit, I don't think he needs more accuracy in his pets. I don't know what to add, but I don't think it is accuracy.

Since I didn't mention what I plan to fight, I will add that I would like to do all PVE content to include trials and strike forces. Optimally, I would not require additional toons to complete all strike forces, maybe minus the LRSF. I don't PVP very much.

I was originally thinking brute, but the MM seems to bring a little more to the table. A brute's secondary would seem to be wasted with those cor buffs. Therefore, I substitute a /Pain MM which brings a lot more to the table, while still being able to dish out damage and tank if needed.

I admit, the /thermal and /pain might be overkill for this group. If so, what would be a better MM secondary?

I posted a w hile ago asking for a 4 player dream team. I got some good responses and I was kind of fleshing it out a little. I was going to go with 2 Cor, 1 Brute, and 1 Dom/MM. As I was looking at Cor secondaries, I found something that really surprised me, in spite of previous comments about what Cor's could do when grouped.

Looking at 4 secondaries, /Cold, /Thermal, /Sonic, and /Pain, I find some amazing synergy. /Cold can produce Ice Shields and Arctic Fog, for a total of 23% defense. If all 4 take maneuvers, that is an additional 16%. If they all take Scorpion Shield, that is another 20%, for a total of 59% defense (42% for the /ice corruptor).

/Thermal produces 23.8% res from shields, /sonic produces 23.8% res from shields, and 17.8% res from Sonic Dispertion. /Pain produces 17% res from World of Pain. That equals over 82% res (approx 60% for the /thermal and /sonic).

Is that math right? I can have 59% def and 82% res on my cor's and mm? What need have I for a brute?

Now I know that doesn't all come easy. 20% of that defense comes from everyone taking scorpion shield, which won't happen until lvl 41. The World of Pain will not be easy to make perma. The Sonic Dispertion is a pretty big endurance drain, especially if the /sonic is also using Disruption Field, which I would imagine he would be.

But along with those res/def values, they also debuff mobs pretty well too. The MM will be the tank/healer, not that this group would really need either. Painbringer should probably be put on the /sonic, since his endurance will be hurting with those big toggles.

So the question now, if my math is correct, is what primaries to mix with those secondaries? I would like fire and ice with their rains and mix of AoE with ST damage. Sonic wouldn't be bad either with the -res. I'm not sure what to get for the MM. Thugs might require a little more management with the mix of ranged and melee than I would like. Something that stays grouped together would be better, so everyone can benefit from the maneuvers.

So, am I on the right track, and what primaries to go with this, that is the question. Thanks.

I started a ss/wp, sm/wp, and a dm/wp. My ss is lvl 16, my sm is lvl 14, and my dm is lvl 50. DM adds - to hit which is nice with WP's defense, and it has a good heal/attack in Siphon Life. I play with my wife, who is playing a SS/WP. She has commented on how my brute out-performs hers.

There are several different reasons for that, of course, but my experience has been that DM is a good fit for WP.

I was doing a Ghost Widow mish where we were fighting the transcended Paragon Police guys (me and my wife, who plays a SS/WP brute). There were a few purples and they killed me 2 or 3 times. That mish was really hard. Then we fought Citadel as a hero at the end and whupped up on him.

Frankly, there's not too many times when I'm really in trouble. And if I do get in trouble, there's demonic, SOW, and purple and green inspirations to help me, not to mention shivans and nukes.

I occasionally run a little low on endurance. I'm not too sure how my current build matches the build I've posted, in terms of recovery and endurance drain. This build would probably be better in that regard. I'd really like to have two Chance for + endurance, but I can't even afford one.

I forgot to mention that I have around 100M infamy on this toon. But I'm enjoying him and expect to make him my main, so over time I should be able to accumulate the infamy/recipes/enchancements I need.

Of course, the main weak-point is lack of AoE damage, but that's kind of a given with these powersets.

I have tried builds with Dark Consumption and/or Touch of Fear, and find I just don't use them too much, although if I continue to have end problems, I can see using DC.

The main toon I duo with is my wife's SS/WP, so there is nothing to stack touch of fear with, outside of the to hit debuff from my DM attacks.
Hopefully that answers your questions.

I'm constantly revising my build it seems. Magnus is now at 49 and I'm about to respec him. I have been looking at other threads, such as maximizing /WP survivability. I have made changes and now have my final power and last 2 slots in doubt.

I chose resurgence for the final power because I thought I didn't have any extra slots left, but I have the two. I can consider super speed there instead, or, since this latest build minimizes my recharge, I could drop hasten as well and go for two completely different powers. Also, I'm not completely sold on darkest night because most of the time I don't need it, and when I do it will be heavily resisted. So that's three possible powers and 7 extra slots to play with. I'm pretty good with the rest of the build, i.e, everything before lvl 44.

Any suggestions on what to do with the last three powers and 7 slots?

Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]

Magnus Black: Level 50 Magic Brute
Primary Power Set: Dark Melee
Secondary Power Set: Willpower
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Smite -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(5), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40)
Level 1: High Pain Tolerance -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Heal(27), ImpArm-ResDam(29), ImpArm-ResPsi(34), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx(46), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(46)
Level 2: Mind Over Body -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-EndRdx(27), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(39), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(48)
Level 4: Fast Healing -- Numna-Heal(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(23), Numna-Heal/Rchg(43)
Level 6: Boxing -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(7), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(7), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(15), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15)
Level 8: Siphon Life -- Nictus-Heal(A), Nictus-Heal/HP/Regen/Rchg(9), Nictus-Acc/Heal(9), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(13)
Level 10: Indomitable Will -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(31), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(39)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- Ksmt-ToHit+(A)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Jump-I(A)
Level 16: Rise to the Challenge -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb(A), DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(17), Numna-Heal(17), Numna-Heal/EndRdx(19), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(19), Numna-Heal/Rchg(40)
Level 18: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 20: Quick Recovery -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(21), EndMod-I(21)
Level 22: Health -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(23)
Level 24: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(25), P'Shift-EndMod(25), P'Shift-End%(46)
Level 26: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-EndRdx(29), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(37), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(50)
Level 28: Heightened Senses -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(31), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(40)
Level 30: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(31), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(37)
Level 32: Midnight Grasp -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(33), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(33), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(34)
Level 35: Soul Drain -- AdjTgt-Rchg(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(36), AdjTgt-ToHit(36), AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg(36), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(37)
Level 38: Strength of Will -- ResDam-I(A), ResDam-I(39)
Level 41: Gloom -- Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Dev'n-Dmg/Rchg(42), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(43), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(43)
Level 44: Darkest Night -- DarkWD-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(A), DarkWD-ToHitDeb(45), DarkWD-Rchg/EndRdx(45), DarkWD-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(45)
Level 47: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48), RechRdx-I(48)
Level 49: Resurgence -- P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Fury



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Thanks for the responses. I have re-tooled and went ahead and plugged in slots for Luck of the Gambler + recharge, just in case I can ever afford (several) such items.

I kind of had 2 free powers at the end but not a lot of slots so I went with hasten and resurgence because the two of them only require 2 slots total.

This build has hasten on a 19 sec downtime. I will probably not be able to afford this build for awhile but here it is.

Any additional feedback?

Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]

Magnus Black: Level 50 Magic Brute
Primary Power Set: Dark Melee
Secondary Power Set: Willpower
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Smite <ul type="square">[*] (A) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance/Recharge[*] (3) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance[*] (3) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge[*] (5) Crushing Impact - Damage/Recharge[*] (5) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage[*] (40) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge[/list]Level 1: High Pain Tolerance <ul type="square">[*] (A) Miracle - +Recovery[*] (27) Miracle - Heal[*] (29) Impervium Armor - Resistance[*] (34) Impervium Armor - Psionic Resistance[*] (46) Miracle - Heal/Endurance[*] (46) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%[/list]Level 2: Mind Over Body <ul type="square">[*] (A) Titanium Coating - Resistance[*] (27) Titanium Coating - Endurance[*] (39) Titanium Coating - Resistance/Endurance[/list]Level 4: Fast Healing <ul type="square">[*] (A) Numina's Convalescence - Heal[*] (23) Numina's Convalescence - +Regeneration/+Recovery[*] (43) Numina's Convalescence - Heal/Recharge[/list]Level 6: Boxing <ul type="square">[*] (A) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance/Recharge[*] (7) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance[*] (7) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge[*] (13) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage[*] (15) Crushing Impact - Damage/Recharge[*] (15) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge[/list]Level 8: Siphon Life <ul type="square">[*] (A) Touch of the Nictus - Healing[*] (9) Touch of the Nictus - Heal/HitPoints/Regeneration/Recharge[*] (9) Touch of the Nictus - Accuracy/Healing[*] (11) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge[*] (11) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance/Recharge[*] (13) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge[/list]Level 10: Indomitable Will <ul type="square">[*] (A) Serendipity - Defense[*] (31) Serendipity - Endurance[*] (39) Serendipity - Defense/Endurance[*] (50) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed[/list]Level 12: Combat Jumping <ul type="square">[*] (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed[*] (50) Kismet - Accuracy +6%[/list]Level 14: Super Jump <ul type="square">[*] (A) Jumping IO[/list]Level 16: Rise to the Challenge <ul type="square">[*] (A) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff[*] (17) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff/Endurance[*] (17) Numina's Convalescence - Heal[*] (19) Numina's Convalescence - Heal/Endurance[*] (19) Numina's Convalescence - Heal/Endurance/Recharge[*] (40) Numina's Convalescence - Heal/Recharge[/list]Level 18: Swift <ul type="square">[*] (A) Run Speed IO[/list]Level 20: Quick Recovery <ul type="square">[*] (A) Endurance Modification IO[*] (21) Endurance Modification IO[*] (21) Endurance Modification IO[/list]Level 22: Health <ul type="square">[*] (A) Healing IO[*] (23) Healing IO[/list]Level 24: Stamina <ul type="square">[*] (A) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Accuracy[*] (25) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Recharge[*] (25) Performance Shifter - EndMod[*] (46) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End[/list]Level 26: Tough <ul type="square">[*] (A) Titanium Coating - Resistance[*] (29) Titanium Coating - Endurance[*] (37) Titanium Coating - Resistance/Endurance[/list]Level 28: Heightened Senses <ul type="square">[*] (A) Serendipity - Defense[*] (31) Serendipity - Endurance[*] (40) Serendipity - Defense/Endurance[*] (48) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed[/list]Level 30: Weave <ul type="square">[*] (A) Serendipity - Defense[*] (31) Serendipity - Endurance[*] (37) Serendipity - Defense/Endurance[*] (50) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed[/list]Level 32: Midnight Grasp <ul type="square">[*] (A) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance/Recharge[*] (33) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance[*] (33) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge[*] (33) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage[*] (34) Crushing Impact - Damage/Recharge[*] (34) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge[/list]Level 35: Soul Drain <ul type="square">[*] (A) Adjusted Targeting - Recharge[*] (36) Adjusted Targeting - To Hit Buff/Recharge[*] (36) Adjusted Targeting - To Hit Buff[*] (36) Adjusted Targeting - Endurance/Recharge[*] (37) Adjusted Targeting - To Hit Buff/Endurance/Recharge[/list]Level 38: Strength of Will <ul type="square">[*] (A) Resist Damage IO[*] (39) Resist Damage IO[/list]Level 41: Gloom <ul type="square">[*] (A) Devastation - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge[*] (42) Devastation - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge[*] (42) Devastation - Damage/Recharge[*] (42) Decimation - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge[*] (43) Decimation - Damage/Endurance[*] (43) Decimation - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge[/list]Level 44: Darkest Night <ul type="square">[*] (A) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff/Endurance[*] (45) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff[*] (45) Dark Watcher's Despair - Recharge/Endurance[*] (45) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff/Recharge/Endurance[/list]Level 47: Hasten <ul type="square">[*] (A) Recharge Reduction IO[*] (48) Recharge Reduction IO[*] (48) Recharge Reduction IO[/list]Level 49: Resurgence <ul type="square">[*] (A) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Recharge[/list]------------
Level 1: Brawl <ul type="square">[*] (A) Empty[/list]Level 1: Sprint <ul type="square">[*] (A) Empty[/list]Level 2: Rest <ul type="square">[*] (A) Empty[/list]Level 1: Fury



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So Magnus Black has been a lot of fun for me. I started with a SM/WP, SS/WP, and DM/WP, and ended up playing the DM/WP so he is now lvl 47, and the other two are both under 20. Now I'm almost 48 and I need to start thinking about how to maximize my build.

I'm taking all the WP powers, plan to take resurgence at lvl 49. I've tried using both brawl and shadow punch as my auto-attack in lieu of brawl. I don't use shadow maul. I tried a build with dark consumption for awhile and almost never used it. I tried touch of fear for awhile and didn't use that either.

My power pools are Fighting for tough and weave, whether I use boxing or not, Leaping for CJ and SJ, and fitness.

My attack chain is boxing/SP, Smite, boxing/SP, SL, boxing/SP, MG, repeat. Soul Drain when it's up. I'm getting along pretty well, but I want to maximize this build to the extent I'm fiscally able. I have only 100M infamy. He is mostly IO'd out right now with frankenslotting and standard IO's.

I have worked on several builds in Mid's and can't find one I really like. I know the standard with WP is to focus on HP, then Regen. I'm also interested in defense, and I'm saving up my reward merits to purchase the Steadfast Protection +3% defense IO, but when I'm done with my build in Mid's I'm only at 10% melee, 13.7% S/L, 15.7% ranged, 13.2% AoE, 31.1% E/N, 20.4% Psi, and 26.1% F/C. My S/L res is 49.1%, everything else is under 10% except Psi at 30%.

So I ask you, the community, to present me with a build that fits my playing style and budget to make Magnus Black even more of a bad-[censored] than he already is.

Thanks.

Gang war can take it. Of course, that is not one of the "standard" pets.

Another thought is 4 fire/cold cor's. Everyone should be at defense softcap, and with 1 or 2 rain of fires up every spawn to go with fireballs and fire breath, I can see them running through stuff quickly.

My kids are 9 and 7. They have several toons because they like making new characters. We let them team together sometimes so they have an idea of what's going on. They have mostly played stalkers and brutes so far. I wonder if Masterminds would be good for them?

Smurphy, you mention force fields. Isn't MM the only villain-side toon that has that as a secondary? I wonder about 4 thug/ff MMs? I guess that would kind of be overkill with all the defense from bubbles and enforcers. Plus, my God, how much bubbling would you have to do. Crazy.

I guess 4 thugs/* would be fine, I would think once everyone has two enforcers that all the pets would be at the defense soft cap and beyond. Maybe if we mixed up our secondaries, so we had a pain dom, a dark, a storm, and something else. Does steamy mist stack with shadowfall for stealth?

I've been playing COV for almost three years. I have a 50 brute (EM/ELA which I enjoyed), a 50 cor (Ice/Thermal which I didn't enjoy but I teamed with my wife's SS/ELA brute), a 46 DM/WP brute, a 27 Thug/Dark MM, and many lower level toons.

I've been playing with my wife for a little over a year now, which makes the game more fun for me. I'm looking forward to the time when I get a few more computers, 2 more accounts, and I start playing with my kids.

So when I have the family going, and we have 4 players, what will be the most efficient combo for playing all PVE content? I want to be able to do strike forces, EBs, trials, and all mission arcs.

The thought of an Ice/* and Fire/* cor sounds neat with laying on two rains. A Dom could help keep mobs in the rains. I'm not interested in /rad because I don't want to worry about anchors or taking the time to debuff everything like that, I just want to go in and lay waste to things.

I'm interested in what power selections for the AT's as well. Curious to hear your thoughts. Anyone can come up with an 8 player dream team. That's easy. Take the challenge and come up with the best all-around PVE 4 player dream team!

Edit: I don't play COH too much, so please give dream team in COV AT's. 2 of the accounts would have 50's, so there can be up to 2 SOAs. Thanks.