Empathy / Psychic Blast - A Defenders Guide
By
Aeoleon,
Posted on: 2005-09-06 01:50 in Player Guides
Very good guide. Good descriptions for the powers, and in general pretty accurate.
My additions:
1: Psychic Scream would be a must-have if you weren't an Empath. It is a great AoE power, with enough cone range that you can fire it off from pretty far away. Probably the best single AoE power available to Defenders. Of course, the last thing that a healer wants to do is to draw lots of aggro, so while it's a no-brainer for non-Empaths, an Empath could reasonably skip it. Personally, I took it and I'm very happy I did... there are times when a team is just rolling, and then the only things to do are to keep up buffs and blast... and AoE blasts are always the best way to roll through missions.
2: Scramble Thoughts is a great power if you plan to solo. More control is always great, and especially so for a Defender like an Empath who doesn't really have any serious self-defense ability from his primary. A Rad or a Dark Defender could get away with using their primary for defense... an Empath can't. You have to defend by mezzing, and Scramble Thoughts is your best tool for that. Best of all, it's versatile: If you really want to use it all the time, it can use many slots and be a great power. If you don't, you can still 1-slot it with Accuracy, and use it as a "oops, aggroed too many" to get a dangerous Lt out of the way for a bit while you work on the rest. 1 or 6 slotted, it's a worthwhile power.
3: Andrenaline Boost. Just wanted to add: it's my Fire Tanker's favorite boost. Makes me close to invincible, while also increasing my attack speed and recovery rate. It's not as worthwhile on defense-based characters or squishies since they may drop too fast for the regen to help them, but on a resist-based character, it's just amazing.
4: Even slotted for soloing, you won't be one of the top soloers out there. Having many friends and always teaming will help in advancement. To that end, take and keep Recall Friend. Whether you want to use Teleport for travel is your choice, but nothing makes any character as desirable in a team as knowing that he's fast to a mission, and ready to provide taxi service for anyone. Helps with people SK'd up, helps with people going afk to get a drink, helps when summoning corpses out of the battle area so they can be safely rezzed mid-battle, etc. Take it.
Nice guide, maybe more folks will try Emp/Psi. I know I really couldn't find one when I was building Ms Feelgood.
Just a small addition:
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1. Screen Setup.
Open the "team" tab and drop it to the bottom right of your screen above your powers tray. Explode the little arrow (when you are in a team) so you can see where everyone is, and what status effects they all have and how healthy they are. Move the Insp tray to the left so everything you need is accessable.
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I don't have my window this set up this way because I naturally look to the left more...(i am left handed) so my team window is always on the left side attached to the chat window.
But what would recommend changing is the option View Player Health Bars to Show Always. This way you don't always have to look at the team list to see who's dying. You can keep an eye on the action and watch the health levels at the same time.
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I'm still confliced about Regeneration Aura. I have it 6 slotted so it comes up at the same time as Recovery Aura and sometimes it does give me a breather. But in the 40+ game that breathing window is very small. The baddies hit hard and fast and while it can help some of the squisher of the team I don't think it really does much for the heartier of the team (Scraps & Tanks).
I don't know about the numbers on it though. Also if you put in a heal enhancer it might change the recovery rate. (Also not sure)
Absorb Pain comes in very handy even past lvl 24. It's just nice to have 3 heals and if you're not going to take Regneration Aura might as well have the 3rd heal handy. I've also only 1 slotted it, but I know a few other emps have 2 or 3 slots in it with a recharge and 2 heals enhancers.
It does seem that in I5 they have lessened the wait time until you're able to heal yourself after using AP.
On the Leadership line. I just respec'd into this line and have Manuevers and Tactics fully slotted and I picked up Vengeance which works great also 6 slotted (3def, 2heal, 1 to hit). So if someone does die you can boost the team a bit more before you rez him. Also its nice to drop an end redux in those slots. At lvl 50 I can run both Leadership powers, Hover, SS and Mind Over Body (Epic Power) without my end taking a dip...but that's because I have Stamina 6 slotted and I'm getting hit with RA every couple of a minutes.
As a side note: I've used Adrenaline Boost on a blaster and made him nearly god like! 
He was squishy no more. But then again my AB is perma. Sometimes not all tanks require AB and I always pay attention to the Health bar to see if its even dropping...If it doesn't move I go for the person who needs it the most. (Usually the scrapper) but sometimes even they don't need it...then its on to the blasters...and then amazingly enough the Controllers need that end boost so they're even before another defender.
AB isn't just for tanks anymore...its nice but it does help plenty of people.
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When you are on a team and in a fight, don't even look at the screen. Select your target hero, then the appropriate power from the team tray, keeping a close eye on those red and blue lines.
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I gasped when you said don't look at the screen. But then I read further. Anyhoo, you can also put the red and blue lines above your teammates characters...
I haven't read all of this, but what I have seen looks pretty good. Nice job!
Okay I had few more notes to add (I like the guide I just do things a bit differently but not that much so)
1. Screen Setup.
Use your General Options menu to change View Player Health Bars to Show Always
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2. Team Setup.
When you are on a team and in a fight, don't even look at the screen. Select your target hero, then the appropriate power from the team tray, keeping a close eye on those red and blue lines. Assume you're the only one watching that and call for END rests (at lower levels) or help for those that are getting continually battered. Get a feel for who's tough, who's not, who needs Fortitude, and who missed the last drop of RA. The fighters will be looking at the screen for targets. You must be looking at their health. When in a mission, you will quickly get a feel for the team and how badly they need your healing. If they don't need healing. Get blasting! But do it slowly, picking off stragglers and with one eye always on that team bar. Your job is to stop them dying. Blast if you can, but not at the expense of a team mate. Watch out for any AoE's you have. You are the last person that needs to pull agro. Likewise, make sure you're outside the range of enemy AoE's. This is especially important in the 30-40 range when you're going up against AV's and the like.
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Setting up your player view options as previously suggested will allow you to look at the screen. Also on the team window click that little arrow that shows mini icons of the powers your team is using or has been used on them. This will help you identify who has fortitude, clear mind, AB etc. These MINI icons are right clickable so you can see the name and info on them if needed.
If you hover with SS on for stealth (for outside missions) make sure you know how far your vertical range I (most times its a nice height). You can also cast RAs over the heads of your teammates.
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3. Communicate.
Ask who needs Fortitude. Call for recovery Aura. Tell folks to hit "zzz" when they are held, slept or want Clear Mind. Shout when you are out of end. Ask if anyone has spare blues. Give away your reds, purples and yellows (especially at lower levels). They are no good to you, and could swing the tide of battle. Call for retreat and then run! Once you have Recall Friend and Rez, you can pull the whole team back to a safe part of the mish to rest / awaken / rez as needed. If you die and no one has awakens, guess who has the long run back from Hospital?
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IMO asking who needs fortitude wastes time. I will always hit scrappers and blasters with Fort even before the Tank (who I will give AB unless I can see after we fight a bit that they dont need it). If they dont want it theyll let me know, I wont have to ask.
Always go into missions with a good amount of CABs (Catch A Breath) aka BLUES and 2 Awakens and a couple of Break Free. Most of the time if youre healing and blasting a bit youre going to need blues and people who are doing the heavy fighting will need blues because no one seems to carry them, theyre looking to you for that RA buff and if you dont have end you cant do it.
Let your team know youre end is almost out. Most times theyre not watching your health or end bars
so they might not know their Emp is having trouble. If you let your team know your situation they will give you cabs if youve run out. I always tell them
CAB Reserves Outor End Low. The Lucks I will give away but if one can help me not get hit
Im taking it, because Im no good to the team if Im fighting for my life because I've become some baddies target pratice.
Let your team know to use F8 which is the HELP! Button. This is quicker than type zzz for anyone held or mezzed or needing a heal.
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4 Buff!
If Fortitude is recharged. Hit someone with it. All too often I am on a team with an Empath, and no one has a red head. Even if you hit the same person, it's a big buff and it needs to be continually recharging. Every time you rest, check Fort. If it's recharged, hit a blaster with it. The same goes for Adrenalin Boost and to a certain extent, Clear Mind. This means you are constantly checking to see who has what and who needs what. Empathy Defending requires a sharp mind and quick thinking, if you want less stress pick another AT!
And please save Recovery Aura for a battle. Another common thing I have noticed is Empath Defenders just dropping RA when it refreshes, then watching the team stand around talking about the best way to handle the next mob as the blue bubbles dissipate.
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Once you have Recovery Aura and Hasten 6 slotted for recharge
you can cast RA whenever you dang well please because it's going to be up again before you know it. Obviously if the team is just sitting around planning the the choice is to hold it. Battle RA casting can be risky and not everyone will get hit. Best to cast right before the battle then to miss the chance and get. Also if you have a team that runs around a lot and keeps charging ahead youd better cast that RA whenever youve got them together. Also if you call for a gathering for buffs and not your whole team arrives...cast that RA anyway. Chances are the person who misses it either didn't need or was too slow. Next time you can be sure when you call they'll come a running.
As an EMP you do not have to wait for everyone to gather round the campfire before you cast a buff. If they miss it, they'll get on the next shot. You're there for the TEAM not the single indivudal.
Also its nice to let whoever you are giving AB to, that they don't have to come running for RA casts. Since the have 90 secs of it already. If you have AB perma they don't have to run to you at all for buffage.
Clear Mind is a long animation charge, and tanks and scraps normally come with a resistance or shield to holds and immobilizations. Blasters, Defenders and Controllers dont. But since the animation is so long its best to hit them with this first before your drop your buffs. But let the team know youre applying clear mind to everyone so they can wait for it. Hit them with at least 2 shot of CM
.any more and its wasting time. Also reapplying when the battle isnt heated is best, because of the long animation.
Note; Once youre buffing is completed
Let the team know. Sometimes theyre not sure if youre done buffing them or not. Tell them so. I like to say Okay run along & play nice or some such nonsense
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While I understand building without Stamina by the time you get it RA 6 slotted you'll be wishing you had that END. Mind you to get the RA boost you're referring to you'll need to have Hasten 6 slotted first and then RA 6 slotted.
If your not going to take Regen Aura you might as well use those slots for Stamina. Because Stamina is ALWAYS ON. You don't need to click the power to get your end back, which if you're held or stunned can come in handy.
As I said, I have 4 toggles running with stamina and RA buffs and never have my end bar dip. I wouldn't change this just to get one or two more blasting powers.
Thanks for all the comments. Interesting to see how different Empathy players view their powers.
As to having the blue bars showing all the time, it kinda interferes with RP (for me!) and I'm too lazy to switch it on and off (beginning to see why I chose Flight over tp?)
Some of the screen tips were just suggestions. Ways of moving from the standard setup to make life easier. I guess by the time you get an Empath up into the 20's you've already started tweaking around with things like that.
As for choosing the mez attacks, well that really is down to personal preference. I don't have that much time to test (I like to play too much!) but having read some of the things here, I may well use up that respec on the test server to see what happens.
Thanks again for the feedback.
-H
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4 Buff!
If Fortitude is recharged. Hit someone with it. All too often I am on a team with an Empath, and no one has a red head. Even if you hit the same person, it's a big buff and it needs to be continually recharging. Every time you rest, check Fort. If it's recharged, hit a blaster with it.
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Fortitude is awesome.
I'm very happy you mentioned this. 
It's sad that some Empaths are so focused on healing, that they forget about our 'preemptive heal'. 
I'm confused that you mention Psychic Scream as having a long activation time - it's actually the first one in the set that's almost instantaneous.
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4 Buff!
If Fortitude is recharged. Hit someone with it. All too often I am on a team with an Empath, and no one has a red head. Even if you hit the same person, it's a big buff and it needs to be continually recharging. Every time you rest, check Fort. If it's recharged, hit a blaster with it.
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Fortitude is awesome.
I'm very happy you mentioned this.
It's sad that some Empaths are so focused on healing, that they forget about our 'preemptive heal'.
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Agreed. But if Fortitude is up and no one needs it I am not going to toss it out just to toss it out. I usually have a rotation, and the next in the rotation will get it or if my prime suspect has it up and the buff is ready to go I wont toss it on for the heck of it, I will toss it on when he needs it again. This is especially true for PVP when deaths can really screw up recharge times and buffs, a whole other monster. Want fast and furious game play? Play a defender of any sort in PVP, especially in a large team.
Cheers!
Laughing Man, I just wanted to say thanks for writing this WONDERFUL guide. I've been playing a Emp/Psi on and off for a while, and just recently started playing her regularly, so any guidance is wonderful.
I'm disappointed to hear that Regeneration Aura does not live up to the numbers behind it (500% boost to regen rate, IIRC). I was looking foward to getting it at 26. Oh, well, maybe I'll pick up Psychic Scream earlier in my build, then.
There's several reasons why I've never and will never write a guide like this. One is simple; every <insert primary set here> plays differently and it's better that someone find their own way than try to copy someone elses, and second I'm always afraid that people will follow the guide without thinking and thus I'll have 3948575 clones of my character running about with the people behind the wheel not understanding why that playstyle works for me. It's not to say that guides like this are bad, taken the way intended it's a way of pointing the person in the right direction and also a way for more experienced empaths to get a different take, it's just not something I will be doing.
There are a lot of things in this guide I disagree with, some of them fairly strongly, but most not in a "OMG what are you thinking!" kind of way, just a, "well that's interesting, but I've found different results." way. I've been playing my empath/psi since pre-release, and she's now 50. That may or may not color my responses.
For example, I love both tornado and scream. They're the staples of my attack chain. Tornado has its drawbacks, but once the damage has ticed up, it's actually better than screams.
Another example: You say respec out of absorb pain. I say respec into it in the late 30s. It's dangerous to use in the early game, the precentage of your health it takes is much higher. But in the 40s, as the OP may or may not know you get into AV territory, and there's nothing scarier than watching your tank go from fine to red in a shot. AP fixes that. You also class res as a must have, and I disagree. With clear mind, heals and adren boost, awakens can function just as well. Resurrect is sorely lacking.
The reason you dislike regen aura and I like it are pretty simple, and it goes to this quote.
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Standing Around.
I've never been accused of this despite doing it a lot . Better to stand around and keep an eye on things than to get into combat and let someone die. My belief is that an Empath should be support primary and damage secondary. If you are watching team health, buffing with Fortitude, and saving your END for potential bosses etc, then you are not standing around. If the party is having an easy time of it, then by all means blast away, but to be honest, if that's the case, then the team probably doesn't need your skills. If anyone complains, then mention that you're giving them all bonusses via Fortitude.
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This is the only part of the guide I strongly disagree with. If you have half an idea what you're doing, you should be blasting when not healing or buffing, because you should have the ability, as an experienced empath, to react quickly, regardless of what else you're doing. So what does this have to do with regen aura? It gives you an extra second or two to react. Saying you're adding to the damage of the team with fortitude is a cop-out. You'd add more if you were blasting. The chances of someone hitting ground because you're attacking are very very small.
Very good and detailed guides, with good explanations. I appreciate seeing it and agree with many of your observations.
Personally, I have found Regen Aura useful as an "extra" buffer. It cleans up messes that could accumulate into serious damage. (Plus, I don't have Health, so it operates for me in lieu of that, when it's up.) It's not as important as RA or AB or Fort, but it still makes a difference in some situations.
Scramble Thoughts would be useful soloing, as a control power, as you say. As a damage power, it doesn't do much.
Psychic Scream is great for team play, after the tanks and blasters have gone to work -- it doesn't do much comparitively but does contribute useful AoE.
(Um, never use it to snipe though... It's an aggro magnet if no one else is attacking.)
I have four attacks (the snipe, TK Blast, Will Dom, and PsyScream) and do quite well cycling through them with permahasten.
Thanks for the comments on the Psychic nuke, in regards to I5. As the defender, I should be cautious about using up all my END and temporarily kill my End regen as part of an attack. Bummer.
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This is the only part of the guide I strongly disagree with. If you have half an idea what you're doing, you should be blasting when not healing or buffing
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I guess that's fair enough. This was meant as a guide, and a guide alone. Not an instruction manual. Because I didn't take Stamina, I was very conscious of Endurance loss, especially during the 20-30 levels when RA was not fully slotted and/or down. Using up end on attacks was something I saw as wasteful, especially with un-slotted attacks.
Also, not everyone has keybound their heals or is an "expert" combat tactician. To be sure, there are some folks out there who are extremely effecient at what they do. I am not one of those folks, and certainly built my Empath with healing foremost in my mind (rightly or wrongly) leaving attacks as an afterthought.
As for having clones of clueless Mellenta's running around. Well they paid their money and they made their choice. The chances of me ever bumping into them is remote.
Interesting that some find this useful and others not so.
-H
just a couple notes on Psi, since I have zero experience with empathy but have a 40's Dark/Psi defender:
I took psi scream way back, re-spec'd out of it, and then retook it a couple levels later. six-slotted (1xacc, 5xdam) it can do very well against a group. its generally end and time prohibitive against single targets, but does well as a gap-filler. long range and wide cone ... you can fit alot of baddies in there without too much positioning
played briefly with tornado on test. didn't like it. I found the AoE to be too small and I'm not a fan of DoT. this was in i3 or i4, so maybe things have changed, but my non-scientific observations had scream doing more damage similarly slotted
I'm also in the process of dropping the nuke. I love the whole nuke concept, but I honestly can't justify wasting a power choice and 6 slots on a blast that I've maybe used five or six times. the risks associated with all my toggles dropping and being rendered essentially helpless for a few seconds just aren't worth it. but it does look really cool
my only piece of advice that isn't sheer subjective opinion, however ... psi lance is inherently more accurate than regular blasts, and you can get away with dropping that acc enhancement. I subbed in an endred and have zero problems, but if you can't afford the extra slots for damage and you aren't worried about end you could just put another dam in there. sure its got a long activation time, but fully slotted for damage, lance is impressive. and as the OP points out, its very easy to get one off after a TK Blast or a WD-induced sleep
Oh, I just now found this. I like it a lot-- one of my favorite toons is an emp/psi Defender (Biochemist, on Infinity, currently lvl 16). This'll come in handy when I get more slots to add in...
Thanks!
Very good post , I was one of the very few emp/psionics at 50 on liberty before I5 and i must say things have changed a bit. But good guide for any who want to try the empathy way.
Wonderful guide. . . Pre I6.
What have you changed in response to ED?
The SOLUS Foundation - a Liberty and Pinnacle SG
"The Consequences of War" - Arcs # 227331 and 241496
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What have you changed in response to ED?
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*sighs*
ED threw a lot of spanners into what I believed was a smoothly oiled green engine.
For starters, my Empath hit 50 just before ED was introduced, so I don't believe I could offer a constructive guide to getting to 50 with ED in place. All my secondary powers were focussed on damage (5 SO's where I could) and 3 SO's just weren't up to the job (in my opinion!). So i decided to focus on control more, taking Subdue, Scramble Thouoghts and WIll Domination. This begins to make a toon that is something I wanted to play, rather than a more generic toon that was illustrated here.
Also (final disclaimer here) I believe the Empath has changed significantly with ED, and there are a lot more options for slotting which is something that is much more personal preference than something that can be delivered in a guide like this.
For example... (Prepare to cringe....)
I still have Hasten & Recovery Aura 6 slotted for recharge. Yes, there is little benefit, but when you think that AB, RA(x2), Fortitude and Ressurect (thats over half your primary power set!) have long recharge times, anything I can do to reduce that is a benefit. I wouldn;t advise that in this guide, because that is something that is tough to decide on, and may be a no brainer for some Empaths out there. I spent a lot of time on test with 3 & 6 slotted Hasten, and the difference is worth it to me.
I don't have Stamina still, and I do struggle for end in the long downtime between Conserve Power & RA. Personally though, I can get by with a few blues. Some folks might not like that, and again, a guide like this cannot hope to cover all the possible ways the reader may want to play his or her empath.
On the up side, I have put Absorb Pain back into my build, and it provides a vital extra heal. If I could change one thing in this guide, it would be that an Empath pick this up. It has saved a character's hide on a rocky AV mission more than once.
Finally, I have read the comments above, and everyone has valid points. Where the Tanker, Blaster, Controller and Scrapper all have quite simple defined rolls on a team, the Defender's role is far more blurry and a lot more to do with the player behind the keyboard than the AT itself. (Not to say that is not the case for other AT's, it's just less so) Trying to write a guide for this was perhaps a task that was beyond me.
So currently, I have no plans to revise this guide for "post-ED". Long winded answer. Sorry.
-H
Great job ont he guide. My emp/psi (Serah Phim on triumph) is currently at lvl 16 and will greatly benefit from your words of wisdom. Thanks!
I really enjoyed your guide. It has helped me think about what to take for my Emp Psi Defender and also confimed some of my plannings for the build. I agree they are a joy to play, I love the range that he has.
As of ED, Hasten becomes a take-it or leave-it. Depends on whether you want it to compliment your last three Empathy powers or otherwise improve your DPS. Not essential though.
Here's what I did for Empathy, it works well:
HA = 3 Heal, 2 recharge (without stamina, may want 1 endred)
HO = 3 Heal, 2 recharge (without stamina, may want 1 endred)
DP = 3 heal, 2 recharge (bridges delays in HO, 1-shot Tanker fix)
Rez = 1 recharge
CM = 1 recharge
Fort = 3 DefBuff, 3 recharge (The 3rd recharge only shaves off 6 seconds, it can become a ToHitBuff)
RecA = 3 recharge
RegA = 3 heal, 3 recharge (effectively IH for the team)
AB = 3 heal, 3 recharge (IH+QR+Hasten)
Psychic Blast I haven't used all of yet, but here's what I've got on it:
Mental Blast = 1 acc (bit slow, not all that good, decent DPS if slotted though)
Subdue = (I didn't take it, but it supposedly has good DPS and quick activation)
Psionic Lance = 1 acc, 3 dmg (longer snipe than usual, potent, but still a snipe, some chain TKB, WD, PL, if so use a recharge)
Psychic Scream = 1 acc, 3 dmg (decent but not impressive AoE)
TKB = 1 acc, 3 dmg, 1 rchg, 1 endred (immediate fire, impressive damage, reliable knockback)
WD = 1 acc, 3 dmg, 1 rchg, 1 endred (immediate fire, impressive damage, reliable sleep)
Scramble Thoughts = (I didn't take it, but from observation it appears unimpressive.)
Psychic Tornado = (I didn't take it, but from observation it appears decent but not impressive AoE)
Psionic Wail = 1 acc, 3 dmg, 2rchg (it's a nuke, it's impressive but not as nova, barely resisted but needs acc, without Aim)
I'll put out a full guide eventually but this should give you an idea as to how to go.
I just started playing my Empath/Psychic Blast again and did a quick respec and removed CM. Reason why is I discovered by using HA or HO on a team member that's either sleeping or caged, this effect is removed and they continue the fight. I know CM also buffs against this but besides that I have missed something.
@MarvelatMee and @COL Burn
24 - 50s
Too many ALTs
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I just started playing my Empath/Psychic Blast again and did a quick respec and removed CM. Reason why is I discovered by using HA or HO on a team member that's either sleeping or caged, this effect is removed and they continue the fight. I know CM also buffs against this but besides that I have missed something.
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Heals only help when it comes to sleeps, but it does nothing against disorients, immobilize, holds, terrorize, or -preception powers. You made a huge mistake respecting out of clearmind. If you can keep your team mez free they can kill stuff faster and not have problems which in turns helps them protect you better.
Bump and Grind Bane/SoA
Kenja No Ishi Earth/Empathy Controller
Legendary Sannin Ninja/Pain Mastermind
Entoxicated Ninja/PSN Mastermind
Ninja Ryukenden Kat/WP Scrapper
Hellish Thoughts Fire/PSI Dominator
Thank You Devs for Merits!!!!
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Regeneration Aura (Don't Bother) :
The numbers behind this just dont seem to add up to the effect it gives. When I first had this power, I was expecting a health version of Regeneration Aura, but it wasn't. In fact I could discern no actual benefit to the health of the team in a fight. Given that it has a dreadful recharge time, it would have to be slotted the same as Recovery Aura for it to be of any use, and that uses up 5 slots that are simply not justified by the alleged recovery rate it gives. I would suggest trying this for yourself on the test server, then sighing with relief that you didn't take it. Avoid!
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I said the exact same thing on a thread about the worst powers in the game and got blasted for it; pun not intended (for a change). I'm just happy to see that there's someone out there that agrees with me
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Regeneration Aura (Don't Bother) :
The numbers behind this just dont seem to add up to the effect it gives. When I first had this power, I was expecting a health version of Regeneration Aura, but it wasn't. In fact I could discern no actual benefit to the health of the team in a fight. Given that it has a dreadful recharge time, it would have to be slotted the same as Recovery Aura for it to be of any use, and that uses up 5 slots that are simply not justified by the alleged recovery rate it gives. I would suggest trying this for yourself on the test server, then sighing with relief that you didn't take it. Avoid!
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I said the exact same thing on a thread about the worst powers in the game and got blasted for it; pun not intended (for a change). I'm just happy to see that there's someone out there that agrees with me
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I'll have to throw a counter-arguement out to defend Regen Aura. I currently have it six-slotted, but I plan to drop a slot down the line. However, the effect of Regen Aura isn't noticeable when you have alot of buffs/debuffs on your side, and/or a very aware Empath who hits teammates so fast with green-love, that you don't really see it's effects.
My only attacks as a Emp/Dark/Pow are Dark Blast (One slotted), TT (Five-slotted, and Dark Pit (Also five-slotted). You'll notice the effect especially when soloing. Even two-slotting regen aura with heals makes me unkillable. I have single-slotted Health, and with Regen Aura on, I was able to confront a number of enemies who were otherwise three-shotting me.
On a team, I've found that my three-slotted Regen Aura makes my Heal Aura/Heal Other/Absorb Pain nearly useless. If RegAura came back up any faster than it does (Even with Hasten), you might not even need to take Heal Other/Absorb Pain, due to the massive regen rate it gives.
I also have Power Boost, which is mega-overkill on the Auras :P
The Empathy Psi Defender
. For an Empath this is bad. In team situations, you can no longer have a heal ready after throwing it and soloing it really does not work unles you have a couple of spare blue insps you can chew on straight away aftwerards. I respecced out of this after I5 simply because it was too risky to drop it and then not have any end left to heal the team. After all, as a Defender it is your job to defend. I may pick it up again later, purely for the sheer fun factor of having a nuke that is just soooo much fun to drop. Try on test!
. Better to stand around and keep an eye on things than to get into combat and let someone die. My belief is that an Empath should be support primary and damage secondary. If you are watching team health, buffing with Fortitude, and saving your END for potential bosses etc, then you are not standing around. If the party is having an easy time of it, then by all means blast away, but to be honest, if that's the case, then the team probably doesn't need your skills. If anyone complains, then mention that you're giving them all bonusses via Fortitude.
OK. I've been planning a guide for a while now. Originally, it was to be just an Empathy guide, but later as I've had time to look at the Psi side of things, I feel able to comment on the build. Especially as there doesn't seem to be a guide out there for it.
To give you a bit of background, Mellenta was my first serious toon, with a couple of others going by the wayside. Psi was chosen because I liked the idea of it rather than any deliberate thought going into it. I'm quite pleased I chose it to be honest. There is a good deal of flexibility in the set, and it is ideal for folks who want to focus on healing initially, and then add a bit of damage later. Just to add, Mel is currently Level 42 and it has taken me a year to get there. I play a fair bit, but not as much as some, but I've been through most of the pre-I5 story arcs, and fought most of the villain groups. I have been on a myriad of teams as well - from pickup teams in the Hollows to reglar teaming with supergroup folks. One of the lessons learned about this build is that early Empathy defending = teaming if you want XP. I never solo'd successfully until I hit 38. However "successful soloing" depends on your description. If you want an Empathy defender that can solo early on, then Psi may not be the best secondary choice. It's beginning powers are mediocre at best.
Powers :
The power choices here reflect one way of building an Empathy Defender. They are not neccessarily the right way! I chose to go for the Hasten + RA focus and not for a build with Stamina. More to be discussed later, but you'll have to alter the slotting slightly if you don't take Hasten.
Empathy
This set is your Primary. All (bar one) are "must have's" but not all need to be slotted heavily. In my opinion, an Empath should focus on these, and focus on the scondaries later. That gives to a "pure" empath at lower levels and a "balanced" empath later. Again, there are folks out there who will maybe pick up one or two of the primary set, and focus instead on other things. This guide will not help you there, and is designed for a player who wants to focus on team play and healing rather than anything else.
Heal Other (Must Have - 6 Slots) :
This is a good single target heal. It is your staple heal for those folks who like to run away from you. Scrappers, Blasters and herding Tankers. Slot it with six heals and be done. In the early lower levels (pre 6 slotted Hasten & Recovery Aura) you may want to mix reduced END and/or Recharge redux enhancements. Either way, 6 slot this ASAP.
Healing Aura (Must Have - 6 Slots) :
The other staple power in your build. As above, in the later game, 6 slot this for heals. Lower levels may want to put a few END reduxes in there as this power does have a heavy END cost, but it is a superb heal. When using the power always try and position yourself next to the main body of the team. Don;t rely on them staying close, because more often than not, they won't.
Absorb Pain (Must Have (pre 24). Plan to respec out. - 1+ Slots) :
Absorb pain is a two sided coin, and has many uses. Firstly, it is almost essential in the lower levels (pre 20) as it has almost nil END cost, and is another big heal that can keep the tank alive for a few more valuable seconds. Later on, when you have Hasten slotted, Heal Aura and Heal Other recharge quick enough for you not to worry about it, and Adrenalin Boost will keep one team mate alive. In the lower levels, death isn't so bad, so getting yourself killed with AP isn't such a bad loss to the team. later on though, if you need AP, the team is in trouble, and if you kill yourself with it, then the team will likely die without your healing. I respecced out of it at 24, then took it again with the I5 respec (at 41). I never missed it. I also never bothered slotting it. It is a massive heal, and your slots will be better used elsewhere. One final note is that if you kill yourself with AP, you do get debt. This has been fixed in I5 from the "no debt" previously. One to watch out for!
Ressurect (Must Have - 1 Slot) :
In my opinion, Rez is more useful than not. You will find that more often than not, you will lose a team member in a mission. Maybe not every mission, but enough to make this useful. In the Hollows it saves the hospital run, and is a conveniance power now that there is no debt until 10, so teams can afford to be a bit more careless. In the later game though, team members getting one shotted becomes more common. Almost always, it is critical to have them back in the fight as soon as possible. As of I5, rez'd team mates are protected from debt for a certain length of time, so they can't even moan if they get raised and then one-shotted again. In the later game (post 35) it is essentail to get those squishy blasters and/or one shotted squids back into the fray. I have mine slotted with an END redux. Others use Recharge redux, and I may consider adding a fresh slot at 43 with one of each.
Clear Mind (Must Have (post 20) - 1 Slot) :
There's no big need to take this as soon as you can. Plan to have it by Lvl20 when the villains start to mez out your team. Up until then, there are other powers that are more useful. This power has a terrible activation time, and doesn't seem to last that long, but it is extremely useful and seems to remove a large amount of different mez effects (it clears the dizzy effect of using a wakey). One good technique of using this is to ask for team members to hit "zzz" in the chatbar rather than try and cover everyone with it. In a fight, you'll be trying to do ten things at once, and refreshing CM will be low on the list. Accept that you can't keep everyone covered and move on. In smaller teams, this is less of an issue of course. As you can't enhance the status protection, slot this as for Rez. Either 1 End redux or 1 Recharge redux. I'd go for the former as the recharge time on it is farily rapid anyways.
Fortitude (Must have - 4+ Slots) :
This is a biggie. The red head glow is the indicator that that team member will need less looking after for a while. An essential power, this increases damage, accuracy and defence. It is one of the few buffs that didn't go under the developer's knife in I5. I have this slotted for Defence. The number of and amount of slots devoted to this is up to the individual, but with so many AT's having accuracy buffs (Aim and so forth), I let them worry about hitting, and I worry about their defence. Currently this is 6 slotted. 4 Defence and 2 recharge redux. This allows Fortitude to be active on 3-4 team members at a time depending on how much time I can focus on checking to see who has got it. At lower levels, Tanks benefit most from this, but in the later game, it's the squishies who like it. I try and scatter it around a team, giving everyone the benefit for a little while, but a good target is always someone who's health is getting battered. Throw it on them and watch their health remain a little more constant.
Recovery Aura (Must have - 6 Slots) :
Once you get this, life gets a lot easier for 90 seconds of every fight. When it is active, you will never run out of end and I have never seen a team mates blue bar drop into the trouble zone when the blue bubbles are running round them. Take it, then 6-slot it for Recharge Redux as soon as you can. It is well worth making a key bind ior a macro to call for it, as the team need to know you're about to drop it to get close (see more on Keybinding later). If things are too hectic, then get close to the Controllers and Blasters if you can. They are the ones that run out of END the fastest more often than not. This is the jewel of the set.
Regeneration Aura (Don't Bother) :
The numbers behind this just dont seem to add up to the effect it gives. When I first had this power, I was expecting a health version of Regeneration Aura, but it wasn't. In fact I could discern no actual benefit to the health of the team in a fight. Given that it has a dreadful recharge time, it would have to be slotted the same as Recovery Aura for it to be of any use, and that uses up 5 slots that are simply not justified by the alleged recovery rate it gives. I would suggest trying this for yourself on the test server, then sighing with relief that you didn't take it. Avoid!
Adrenalin Boost (Must Have - 5 Slots) :
This power combined with Fortitude will turn any single target into pretty much an unstoppable force (with the exception of going up against the AV's later on). The only downside is that you'll get no recognition for it. The amount of scrappers that congratulate themselves on surviving insurmountable odds when in fact you've been stood there in a withering hail of <insert damage type here> throwing Fort, then AB on them continuously is quite amazing "Wow, I didn't realise my regen was that good!". 5 slotted with recharge Redux + Hasten = Perma AB on any target. If you've got one team member who consistently gets the snot beaten out of them, make sure this is perma-on them, and you'll never have to worry about them again.
Psychic Blast :
Not many folks play this. Well not many that I've seen anyways, and there are precious few guides out there. As an Empath primary, I don't tend to focus on these so much, but at later levels, the animations and special effects do look pretty cool. One of the major benefits is that the Psi set seems to have the longest ranges in the game, which makes you a perfect puller at lower levels. Also, as not many folks choose this set, it does have a nice wow factor sometimes (but this is no reason to actually choose the set if you're a mini-maxer!). Slotted for damage later, and soloing suddenly becomes a lot easier. The following descriptions are based on my desire to play more of a Blaster oriented defender, rather than a debuff/hold, but this can easily be changed by altering the slots. The thought basis behind this goes into trying to develop an attack chain that actually does damage rather than a lot of different attacks with different effects. Also, powers with a long animation time have been removed, as you can't heal while you're animating. It is better to be sat waiting for attacks to recycle, and a finger over the heal button rather than being stuck in a long animation while a team mate gets his face planted.
Mental Blast (Don't Bother) :
Horrendous animation time makes this power unworthy of anything other than a single damage SO and never being used again unless you exemp down. I removed it from the power tray it was so awful. Long animation = reduced flexibility.
Subdue (Don't Bother) :
Moderate damage, long activation and a hold that doesn't stop the target attacking. Not really any use unless you want to be different.
Psionic Lance (Nice To Have - 3+ Slots) :
Massive range, tons of damage, and with hasten, a fairly quick recharge. The only thing that lets it down is the animation time. It is the opportunistic attack in the four attack combo that we are building. If you get one of the side effects from the other attacks, then you can slip this one in easily. It works very nicely as your opener in a fight, putting a large dent into the first villain. Initially slotted with Accuracy, add damage slots as you see fit. This power is accessable very early on in the game and if you are looking for early damage, then pick it quick. My respec options below show it being picked much later, but a respec is always different.
Psychic Scream (Nice to Have - 3+ Slots) :
Not essential, this is a flashy special effect, average damage (for a Defender) and has an overly long activation. However, when slotted for damage (+1 accuracy) it does a pretty impressive amount of damage to the bad guys. It also has a nice Cone area (with a decent range).
Telekenetic Blast (Must Have - 6 Slots) :
This hits hard, knocks back, and has a short activation time. If you hit and knock back a single target with this, you can fire off a Psi Lance before the hapless villain can get back to his feet, doing a very nice combo of damage to a single villain. Very quick activation and a fairly quick recharge (with Hasten) make this one of your staple attacks. Unfortunately, you can't get it until level 16. One of the main reasons why you shouldn't plan to solo until then. Six slot this as soon as time permits. I have this slotted for 1 accuracy, and 4 damage currently, but as I'm not a big damage freak, I may add a knockback in there just for fun.
Will Domination (Must Have - 6 Slots) :
This is the second of your staple attacks. Not only does it do decent damage, but it will sleep your opponent. Here we begin to build the true soloer ans you can now face 2 targets. Will dom the first, let him snooze while you TB + Psi Lance the other. Then Will Dom him and turn your TB + Psi Lance back on the original target. Two targets perma locked down if you're lucky. I still haven't got this fully slotted and am experimenting with Damage, Sleep and Accuracy. Choosing this and TB above and getting them slotted really turned my defender from a "heal bot" into someone that could lay damage down if she needed to.
Psionic Tornado (Don't Bother) :
Again, a terrible activation time ruins perhaps the flashiest power in the set. Damage is awful, and the knockdown just doesn't give you enough time to do anything. Also, it pulls a lot of agro your way, which to be honest, you're not capable of handling. Try it on test, marvel at the special effects, then go back to your live character and sigh with relief again.
Scramble Thoughts (Optional - depending on preference) :
You already have a single target hold that does a good amount of damage with the Will Domination. As the character can chain together TB + WD + PsiScream + PsiLance, this additional hold is not neccessary. If you have a spare slot, and want more controller style capability then take it, but it is not neccessary.
Psychic Wail (Optional) :
Pre - I5, you could run Recovery Aura, then hit a mob with this, take a step back, and within a second or two be ready to throw another attack at your heavily damaged, mezzed-into-next-week survivors. I5 has fixed the "nuke" attacks to flatten your END line regardless of the recoveries you have in place for 8 seconds
Secondary Sets
Below are the four sets I have chosen for Mel, and my reasoning. I have commented on the others, but the best thing about this build is that save for Speed, there are no other "Must Have" sets, allowing quite a high degree of flexibility regarding travel powers etc.
Speed :
The only set that it a must-have is Speed. Hasten is the presumption upon which this entire build is designed, and getting it as soon as possible and six slotting it for Recharge redux (effectively perma-Hasten) is of paramount importance. Super Speed is a good travel power, and if you decide that it is the only one you need, then perhaps Flight and/or Teleport can be dropped in favour.
Flight :
As this was my first toon, I had to have Flight. There is a lot to be said for hovering out of the range of the mobs and throwing buffs around. I have tried a 6-slotted Hover on test, and it is very quick (as fast as 1 slotted flight) but for getting around, I love my 5 Slotted Flight. It's quick, it's easy, and it's just plain fun. When RA is up, it can even be used in combat. yay me! This is a luxury power unless you are nimble fingered enough to Hover during combat and keep an eye on the team.
Teleport :
As "team support" which is what I consider myself, Recall Friend is something that I just couldn't respec out of. There are so many uses... pulling friends across large areas. recalling "lost" friends from multi tiered cave systems and the Thorns' underground cities. Stealthing (see later) to mission points and tp'ing the team there. The most important being recalling dead friends from a fire zone, then raising them and sending them back into battle. In the lower levels of the game, this power can be used to pull entire teams out of trouble. I consider it to be too much of a useful power to leave out of the defender build.
I have tried Teleport as a travel power. Even with it keybound, I still find it tricky in an emergency. Also, as a UK player on US servers, the lag gets sticky sometimes, which leaves me falling. It just doesn't work for me. There's no need to slot recall friend with anything other than a recharge redux or End redux (as you desire), but TP as a travel power needs slotting with either End redux or increased range to make it effective (and fast).
Leadership :
I respecced out of Stealth into Leadership, just to give my new "Blaster-Defender build" a try. So far it seems to be working, and added to Fortitude, my slotted Assault and Tactics add even more to the team performance. Not something I have played around with much yet though. It fits more with the "Defenderish" mold than the "Stealth-and-grab" build I had pre-I5.
Stealth :
This really helped through the lower thirties. Grant Invisibility is a great team mate buff. With Fortitude it makes a huge difference to defence. Invisibility helps you to stealth the "grab-a-glowie" missions and Phase Shift was a nice "get-out-of jail" card. I5 changes (particularly to Phase Shift) and a "need for change" just made me respec out of it.
Choosing four from the above 5 is around where you want to be to be a balanced/pure Empathy defender. The following comments are included more as food for thought, as I have never tried the power sets (on this toon)
Fitness :
You really don't need it. With RA 6 slotted by level 23 you'll have a downtime of around a minute, then 90 seconds of endless END. For the sake of the three powers you'll have to take and the slots you'll use on Stamina it's just not worth it. Live life on the edge!
Presence :
It's just not your job to scare people. Let the tanker do that with his big axe/fist etc. (Unless this is for RP purposes)
Medicine :
No. You will never need this. Plus it doesn't compare to your primaries. Again, RP aside, this is pointless.
Fighting :
If you want to be good at melee, you really did choose the wrong secondary. Don't compound the error with this pool - Roll another toon!
Leaping :
I suppose this could squeeze into your build. Leaping is extremely fun. Extremely. Is it for a Defender build though? I don't think so. Each to her own though.
Respec Options :
I added this bit, because a respec is something you should plan for. Some powers in this build are more useful at certain stages of the game. Absorb Pain for example, can be respecced out at 24 to make room for another attack, changing your hero quite considerably at each step.
I can not recommend enough using the test server to test the build first. You may not discover all the nuances of the build, but you will spot any glaring errors. For example I wanted to have TP back as a travel power, thinking I could slot up Hover, not bother with Flight, and speed up my between-mission travel. I slotted Teleport for range and END reduxes, then tried it on test. I hated it.
I tried max slotting Psi Scream and Psi Tornado, to see if I could get the damage out of the AoE attacks that would make Mel a good blaster. They were rubbish.
Moreso than any other build, you need to bear in mind that you will almost certainly exemp back down to a lower level at some stage in your career. Remember that the power choices you make during your respec, will alter the powers you get when you are busted back down to low level. No travel power? No heals? Argh!
Here is a ling to the Hero Planner. A nice little program that allows you to build your hero offline : Hero Planner
Team Play :
Time is your greatest enemy. Heals never recharge fast enough, animations never finish quick enough, and you always need RA ten seconds before it refreshes. If anyone dies, though no one says anything the Empath always feels responsible.
This is a team oriented AT. Without a doubt. No one will argue that there are many (perhaps all!) other AT's that solo better than an Empath. Bad low level secondary powers mean that the lower levels (pre 18) are going to be especially painful. Take your pill and swallow it, because the rewards are (for me at least) well worth the pain pre 18. Pre-I5, Empathy defending wasn't too strenuous unless you had that loopy scrapper who charged into everything, agroing left right and centre. Post I5 tactics now require almost a degree of military precision, with little room for error. Still, being a good Empathy defender requires only a modicum of common sense, whereas it's easy to be a bad one. Here are some tips for team play.
1. Screen Setup.
Open the "team" tab and drop it to the bottom right of your screen above your powers tray. Explode the little arrow (when you are in a team) so you can see where everyone is, and what status effects they all have and how healthy they are. Move the Insp tray to the left so everything you need is accessable.
2. Team Setup.
When you are on a team and in a fight, don't even look at the screen. Select your target hero, then the appropriate power from the team tray, keeping a close eye on those red and blue lines. Assume you're the only one watching that and call for END rests (at lower levels) or help for those that are getting continually battered. Get a feel for who's tough, who's not, who needs Fortitude, and who missed the last drop of RA. The fighters will be looking at the screen for targets. You must be looking at their health. When in a mission, you will quickly get a feel for the team and how badly they need your healing. If they don't need healing. Get blasting! But do it slowly, picking off stragglers and with one eye always on that team bar. Your job is to stop them dying. Blast if you can, but not at the expense of a team mate. Watch out for any AoE's you have. You are the last person that needs to pull agro. Likewise, make sure you're outside hte range of enemy AoE's. This is especially important in the 30-40 range when you're going up against AV's and the like.
3. Communicate.
Ask who needs Fortitude. Call for recovery Aura. Tell folks to hit "zzz" when they are held, slept or want Clear Mind. Shout when you are out of end. Ask if anyone has spare blues. Give away your reds, purples and yellows (especially at lower levels). They are no good to you, and could swing the tide of battle. Call for retreat and then run! Once you have Recall Friend and Rez, you can pull the whole team back to a safe part of the mish to rest / awaken / rez as needed. If you die and no one has awakens, guess who has the long run back from Hospital?
4 Buff!
If Fortitude is recharged. Hit someone with it. All too often I am on a team with an Empath, and no one has a red head. Even if you hit the same person, it's a big buff and it needs to be continually recharging. Every time you rest, check Fort. If it's recharged, hit a blaster with it. The same goes for Adrenalin Boost and to a certain extent, Clear Mind. This means you are constantly checking to see who has what and who needs what. Empathy Defending requires a sharp mind and quick thinking, if you want less stress pick another AT!
And please save Recovery Aura for a battle. Another common thing I have noticed is Empath Defenders just dropping RA when it refreshes, then watching the team stand around talking about the best way to handle the next mob as the blue bubbles dissipate.
5. Heal First talk Later...
With Recall Friend, you can pull wayward team mates back and heal them. If the bar goes red. Do it. Worried about a blasters Defiance bar? Heal them now then argue later. If they want to be left alone, then they'll be sure to tell you. When they've died a few times, they are either happy with the debt, or (unlikely) they'll come back to you and ask you to heal them.
5. Key Binds.
At the very least, you should macro or bind your calls for RA. Later in the game, I found binding team select to the number pad (i.e. press 1, selects team member 1) then Fortitude, Clear Mind and Heal Other to "/" "*" and "-" respectively, with Heal Aura on "+" are invaluable in laggy situations where mose clicks dont respond. You can practice the keybinds on the Police Drones. Although the powers dont work, they still go through the motions, and there's no one to laugh at you if you make a mess up! There are many guides to this here, but the one I followed is available here.
Misconceptions :
Empathy Defenders Are Healers.
Yep. Most of them are. However every person paid their own money to get this game, and can build whatever AT however they like. Want an Empath with 6 slotted Fort and a ton of attacks. That's fine. Don't criticise another Empath's power choice. You are not a heal-bot / trans-bot / anything-bot. You are an Empathy Defender. Be proud and advertise yourself as such.
Only Empath Defenders Can Heal.
I love having other defenders on the team. Many of them can heal. In fact, any AT has the potential to heal with the Medicine aux pool. There has been talk of team leaders booting non Empathy defenders, and I have never experienced this with my non Empathy toons. To be honest, if I were to see that sort of attitude, I'd be speaking to the team leader, but that's just me.
Standing Around.
I've never been accused of this despite doing it a lot
"We need a healer" / "R U a Healer?"
If a team sends you a tell saying they "need" a healer, then approach with care. They probably only want someone who can stop the green bar falling, and often this is to compensate for bad tactics. No amount of healing can save poor teamwork. I tend to give these teams a very small leash, and leave at the first sign of a poor team. (Feel free to try and sort out where the problem lies. I rarely have time!) Of course there are exceptions to this, but my experience is such that "we need a healer" usually = debt.
Final Thoughts...
Empathy defending is rewarding. Saving lives, pulling teamates out of trouble, blasting, buffing, chucking up auras... It is certainly the most interesting AT I have played, though I am not an "I have several 50's" player. Certainly if there is nothing going on or no teams, I can go badge hunting, TP folks to Atlas globe, or spend an hour or so in the Hollows pulling teams from trouble and helping out new players. Almost always, I get tells of thanks from players who were in trouble. I'm no taxi-bot, but don't mind responding to calls for one. I like to RP, exemplar, and am happy to just fly around. Both the Scrapper and Blaster AT's don't seem (to me at least) to have that level of enjoyment. Maybe it's because I do get bored of the mission grind, or perhaps it's because I like the character. Mel is certainly not a "pure" Empath, but neither is she a fully offensive Blaster. I wonder if any defender AT can claim that (perhaps Sonic can now, but again, I'm not qualified to comment)
I think the Psi secondary is an unusual choice, and rare. I still don't get tired of knocking trolls of roof's in the Hollows with Telekenetic Blast. A lot of folks bemoan it, but even if I could respec out of it I don't think I would.
Mellenta L42 Empathy / Psi Defender (Virtue Server)
Below are my choices w/L42 Respec - It would perhaps make a good build for power choices from the ground up, but there are no attacks other than Mental Blast (not shown) until L22!). I think it is a good build for exemping too. Most exemping at later levels is done to complete Task Forces & trials which historically have big teams. Big teams & task forces have enough damage and often require lots of healing, so the Heals are focussed on at early stages (as well as Recall Friend and Flight at 14)
Level 1 : Heal Aura (+Heal 3) (+Heal 3) (+Heal 7) (+Heal 9) (+Heal 11)
Level 2 : Heal Other (+Heal 5) (+Heal 5) (+Heal 7) (+Heal 9) (+Heal 11)
Level 4 : Absorb Pain
Level 6 : Recall Friend
level 8 : Hover
Level 10 : Ressurect
Level 12 : Fortitude (+Def 13) (+Def 13) (+Def 15) (+Def 15) (-Rech 42)
Level 14 : Fly (+Fly 17) (+Fly 17) (+Fly 36) (+Fly 36)
Level 16 : Clear Mind
Level 18 : Recovery Aura (-Rech 19) (-Rech 19) (-Rech 23) (-Rech 23) (-Rech 27)
Level 20 : Hasten (-Rech 21) (-Rech 21) (-Rech 25) (-Rech 25) (-Rech 27)
Level 22 : Telekenetic Blast (+Acc 29) (+Dam 29) (+Dam 31) (+Dam 36) (+Dam 42)
Level 24 : Assault (-End 37) (-End 37)
Level 26 : Tactics (+Acc 37) (-End 39)
Level 28 : Will Domination (+Acc 31) (+Dam 31) (+Dam 34) (+Dam 34)
Level 30 : Vengeance
Level 32 : Adrenalin Boost (-Rech 33) (-Rech 33) (-Rech 33) (-Rech 34)
Level 35 : Psychic Scream (+Acc 40) (+Dam 40) (+Dam 40)
Level 38 : Psionic Lance (+Acc 39) (+Dam 39) (+Dam 42)
Level 41 : Conserve Power (Epic)
It would be easy to drop three of the Concealment powers into this build as straight replacements for Leadership, choosing Grant Invisibility (slotting for defence), Invisibility and either Stealth or Phase shift depending on your preference.
That's it. Comments and thoughts are welcome, but bear in mind that this is not a guide that tells you what the best defender is. Only you can decide that! This is hopefully simply an insight into one method of playing an Empathy Psi defender.
Have fun heroes and keep on plugging away. Together we'll keep the streets of Paragon safe.
-H
P.S. A big thanks to Antanya for her help with getting Mel from 20 - 30. Those were rough days, and your comments and advice form the basis for this guide. Cheers!