Teaming with defenders for the rest of us.
By
abnormal_joe,
Posted on: 2006-08-23 06:58 in Player Guides
A very enjoyable guide!
many thanks I'm hoping to get it into the gameplay section one of these days. Ya'll rate it and feed back is always welcome.
Taking It On the Chin I-16 Tanker Guide
Repeat Offenders
Below is the new and improved version formatted, spell checked, and cleaned up.
This guide is all about making your missions easier and more rewarding. We defenders have many ways we can make your enemies weaker and you stronger. Think of us as an intelligent shield, an endless source of your favorite flavor of inspiration.
Some of our powers can be tricky to take advantage of, though, so this guide was written to explain those quirks. This guide will NOT explain how to play these powersets or try to determine which is the most über. All these sets have shockingly strong powers and shine at different styles of play and situations. This is just to let you know how much a defender of any type can help and how to get the most benefit from the team-up.
The first section will be a few game basics for newcomers. Feel free to skip this if you've been around a bit.
The second section will be a brief description of defender primaries followed by an in-depth discussion of what their powers can do for you. Folks who have dedicated entire toon careers to making your life easier wrote it.
The third section will talk briefly about general defender traits and habits.
The remaining sections will be some general tips on how to recruit these defenders and how to make sure they want to stick around for a while.
1.Game basics
Buffs: Anything that makes your toon stronger, e.g. improved damage, defense, accuracy, healing.
Debuffs: Anything that makes your opponent weaker, e.g. reduced damage, decreased defense, decreased accuracy
Anchors: Many of the above-mentioned debuffs are toggles that attach to an enemy in the mob. Generally, you want to arrest that enemy last because the debuff drops the second he does.
PBAOEs: Some of the buffs and debuffs are toggles that run off the defender, and you have to stay close to receive the benefits.
On to the cool stuff.
2.Summary of Defender Primaries.
Dark Miasma: This set has several ways to control mobs, tools to reduce the accuracy and damage of the mobs, and powers that grant increased damage resistance and stealth to teammates.
Empathy: This set can improve your defense and recovery, and it can heal your wounds during and after the fight.
Force Field: This set can be used to push the enemies wherever you want them, and it grants EXTREMELY high defense to teammates.
Kinetics: This set decreases the enemy rate of fire and damage per shot while drastically increasing both for teammates.
Radiation: This set reduces the mob damage, recovery, defense, and damage resistance. It also increases your teams damage, recovery, recharge, and resistance to effects.
Sonic: This set grants your team with high damage resistance to enemy attacks while at the same time reducing enemy damage resistance against your attacks.
Storm Summoning: This set keeps your enemies at a safe distance while giving your team better defense and resistance. Basically a mob can't hurt you if its lying on its back.
Trick Arrow: Probably the least understood set. Essentially, if the mob has a statistic, this set can weaken it. Great to have around when facing that one enemy group that always give you trouble.
Now you know just how much each defender can boost your game. Its time to see how you can best take advantage of these powers.
3. Teaming With Defenders
Players with extensive experience with these powersets and with team support in general wrote each the following sections.
A. Dark Miasma
A Dark Defender can debuff your enemies significantly, so that you're rarely getting hit. If you do get hit, enemies do less damage than normal. They can also heal what little damage gets through.
They can also boost your damage a little bit, but they dont boost your accuracy, so if youre a damage-dealer fighting +3's or higher, we can keep you safe, but being able to hit is your responsibility, either through slotting or inspirations.
DEBUFFING POWERS:
Darkest Night is an anchor debuff that floors the accuracy and damage of the target and all enemies around the target, as long as that target stays alive.
That last part is extremely important.
This debuff will typically drop incoming damage to a 2/3 of normal, but if you kill the anchor, it drops immediately, and it will take a few seconds to reapply onto another anchor. Many Dark Defenders will set up a bind, so if they shout "Anchoring on the Gardvord" or "Kill the Gardvord last!" then pay attention -- that enemy may well be keeping the team on their feet for the duration.
Alternatively, set up a convention if unique enemies are not in each spawn. In the Atta mission, I told my teammate to take out the white T shirted trolls last and always anchored Darkest Night on one of them. It worked wonderfully.
Darkest Night also drops when the Defender gets mezzed, so any mez protection you have should maybe be applied to them.
Visually, all characters affected by Darkest Night have a black smoky patch under their feet. The anchor also has a smoky cloud around their feet. So try not to kill the guy whose feet you cant see.
IMPORTANCE: 5/5! THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE IN WORKING WITH A DARK DEFENDER: DONT KILL THE ANCHOR!
Tar Patch looks like a large swirling smoky circle on the floor, with black bubbles coming through it. This slows enemies inside the patch, but it also reduces their resistance, meaning they take additional damage from all attacks. Red shields orbiting the enemy indicate this.
A Dark Defender can lay down a Tar Patch every 30 seconds or so, and once placed, the patch cant be moved. So, for maximum efficiency, always herd enemies on to the Tar Patch. They'll take more damage there.
IMPORTANCE: 1/5, you'll arrest all targets anyway, this just makes it a bit quicker.
DEFENSE POWERS:
Shadow Fall is a toggle that makes all teammates appear semi-transparent with a black cloud around their feet. You need to be close to the Defender for this to kick in.
It provides a much reduced aggro radius similar to stealth, and it also grants resistance vs. energy, negative energy, and psi attacks somewhere between 20% base and 32.5% fully slotted.
IMPORTANCE: 2/5, if youre fighting enemies who use these attack types (e.g. Clockwork), stay close enough to remain transparent. But then again, you're probably not getting hit if Darkest Night is running....
HEALING POWERS:
Twilight Grasp requires the Defender to hit a target, and it heals all allies in a radius around the Defender. It also debuffs the target, reducing their accuracy and damage. So if you're needing a heal, position yourself close to the Defender. They'll often fire it off on a boss for the debuff as well as the healing.
The animation is slow, so if your DD starts crossing his arms and pulling them up over his face, run in for the heal if you need it. Finally, remember that the heal might not happen - even a good DD with accuracies in his heal misses occasionally.
IMPORTANCE: 3/5, the radius for this heal isn't great, and trying to heal an ally who's running around like mad isnt easy. Plus, a DD cant heal outside of combat, we need that enemy there to pull it off.
CONTROL POWERS:
Fearsome Stare can put a whole group into the Fear state. During this state they'll cower without attacking unless they are attacked. Each attack they take will allow them a single retaliation, so approaching a feared group with a ticking damage aura, or hitting them with a DoT area attack can be counterproductive, since it effectively frees them to fight back.
IMPORTANCE: 3/5 - the wrong power can almost totally neutralise a Fearsome Stare. Then again, if their accuracy is floored and you're arresting them quickly, go ahead.
B. Empathy
This is the set you have undoubtedly seen the most of. After all, who doesn't like the green candy? The heals and rezs are not what defines this set, however. This set is unique in that it is pure buffs with no enemy debuffs whatsoever.
PRE-BATTLE:
Clear Mind gives you protection from most status effects (stuns, sleeps, etc) and allows you to see stealthy enemies. This power has a long animation time and a short duration, so only ask for it if you really need it.
Fortitude greatly improves your accuracy, damage, and defense. The recharge makes it where the defender can only keep this on 2 or 3 teammates at a time, and most defenders tend to keep it on the squishiest teammates only, or the tank if he is taking on mobs who dish out a damage type he is not set up to handle.
Recovery Aura & Regeneration Aura usually are about to be cast when you hear "Gather! or Group hug!" or something similar. The latter makes your green bar recover much faster. The former, your blue bar. These do not make you invincible, just a little tougher. When you hear the call, get close and stay there until the all-clear is sounded. Making an empath chase you to grant this buff is generally considered rude to the defender and the rest of the team that did come when called. If you have a power of your own that grants these effects such as regen, rooted, health, or stamina, the effects stack, and these make it all the sweeter.
Adrenalin Boost is a single-target version of the two auras above, and it also makes your attacks come up quicker. This is typically thrown on a blaster who is about to nova or a squishy who is having to fill the roll of team tank. It only comes up once every 5 minutes, so your empath will be putting it on the person he or she believes can make the most of it.
DURING BATTLE:
With Healing Aura, everyone within 25 feet of the empath gets a small heal. Some defenders run this in auto, some don't. Telling a defender doing it either way that they are doing it wrong is like telling your mother-in-law shes putting on a lot of weight. You cannot take it back and you WILL regret it.
If you want Heal Other, stay within 80ft of the defender and within their line of sight. This may also be a good place to note that a single Empathy defender can only really handle a team of 4 or 5. More than that is a strain on them and a risk to you, as the spawn may put out damage faster than an empath can fix it.
Think of Absorb Pain as an organ transplant: it saves you but your empath BADLY. Try not to need it.
Should you fall in combat, lie there, and don't bother the empath for a Resurrection if they are busy keeping other teammates alive. They will get to you.
This set is very good at keeping you on your feet when things go wrong, but it has no way to slow down incoming damage. You will be fighting full-strength enemies. And keep in mind that many empaths have had some bad team experiences in the past, so be gentle.
It is also worth noting that some empathy defenders are "pure" healers with little or no attacks, while others love to blast. Treat this the same as the auto-healing aura choice: let that sleeping dog lie. It is also worthwhile to note that if you feel you are being missed for buffs, ask the defender to add you to his or her list, as many have a system to cycle through their prebattle buffs.
C. Force Fields
Tiny Bubbles: Deflection and Insulation Shields
Both shields have a nice range to 'em. With the right set of binds, the Bubbler can effortlessly keep the whole team bubbled for the duration of a mission, with no one being the wiser. Those being said, stay in sight. I can't bubble through walls or at snipe distances. The bubbler may have a bind calling the group for bubbles if the team is getting too spread out. We hate using this bind, as a matter of pride, and it's just a polite way of saying, "We're getting too far apart."
The Big House of Bubble Love: Dispersion Bubble
This pumps up the shields. Ranged squishies, stay by me. Actually, stay behind me. There's a lot of room to work with in the Big House, and I'm gonna try to keep the melees covered by it as well, (a tactic that sometimes even works) and people tend to forget that it's a sphere in a 3D setting. Hovering above works, keep an eye on your buff icons. FF's Dispersion bubble also offers +resistance to Hold, Immobilize, and Disorient +def to all, with sleep being the only exception to the status effects resisted.
The Big House is all I've got protecting me, your Bubbler, the only squishy on your team. Don't aggro a room then run and hide by me. I'll hit the deck faster than a French prize fighter.
Tanks a Bunch
Tanks, seriously, as the only squishy on the team, we love you guys and gals. But take it easy on yourselves; should one or two get through your wall of hatred, it's cool. Mr. Force Bolt will have them right back where they belong, hating you, soon enough.
The Bigger House of Bubble Hate: Force Bubble
You know those gifts from on high, the Storm Defenders, and that nifty hurricane thing they do, pushing the baddies around like a Punk in Sissyville and protecting the ranged heroes?
Mine's bigger than that.
Who needs a corner when you can use entire rooms and dead ends? Tanks (did I mention we love you?) just get 'em in the general vicinity, and we'll seal the deal. Let your inner brute run free. The team needs to kill fast, though, because all that hatred is coming at me, the lone squishy. On the bright side, and maybe this has something to do with ragdoll physics, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of return fire, from what I recall.
The Reactor Room is My Domain
I hate to brag, really I do, but on a coordinated respec team, a Bubbler is the proverbial "We Win button. With two shields, dispersion, and force bubble on the reactor, I am Patrick Roy, or whoever one of the top NHL goalies is these days. Get out there and kill stuff! Forget you ever heard of a coolant belt! In fact, you hurt us a little inside just by taking one, but, I suppose it's a good idea, just in case something goes wrong, like a wipe or a disconnect. Most likely a disconnect.
The Bubbler does need help though. When a wave is cleared, call it out, so the Bubbler can go refresh the rad bubble and not have to worry about it during a wave.
If the Bubbler calls for re-shielding, get in sight and within range, generally anywhere on the floor. I've got room to work with and an eye on the buff icons; shielding should go as smooth as... I dunno, insert your own dirty sounding metaphor here.
If you are going to fire off an aura buff, please do it near me. You're gonna call everyone to get close to you anyways, so why not? The bad guys will be there when you get back, and after a long day bubbling, it gets lonely by the reactor (he's not big on conversation), and I can always use the opportunity to refresh the shields.
D. Kinetics
This is primarily a buff/debuff set, The key to benefiting most from a kin on the team is positioning. Lets cover the buffs first.
BUFFS:
Want more damage pre-level 32? Stick right by your defender every time he fires off Siphon Power, and youll get a 25% boost to your damage output.
After level 32, get within melee range of the mob when Fulcrum Shift goes off, and you will get as much as 300% boost to your damage output. Hello, damage cap!
Green bar or blue bar running low? Get within melee range again. Transfusion and Transference are both targeted recharges. If youre in a bind, DO NOT RUN! A Kinetics defender cannot throw a heal after you.
Now for the . . .
QUIRKY ONES:
Speed boost: The jump in run speed gives some folks trouble, but if you can adjust, the payoff is huge. All your powers recharge faster. No more endurance problems. No travel suppression while fighting. You gain resistance to slow effects. If you run into mobility trouble, try using Hover or tapping movement keys rather than holding them down. And if, heaven forbid, you get a Speed Boost after you asked not to be boosted, please be nice. We go through our buff cycle very fast. Accidents happen, and the boost will wear off in a little while.
Increase Density: Think of this as a Clear Mind with slightly different resistances. It also cover repels, knockbacks, enemy teleportation, and it also grants some damage resistance against smashing and energy. This power has a very short duration, so don't ask for it unless you have no status protection of your own, and be aware that it is very difficult to keep on more than 3 or 4 players in addition to a Kinetics Defenders other duties. I generally reserve it for blasters, controllers and other defenders.
Inertial Reduction: Temporary Super Jump, plain and simple. Helps out with travel but also handy later in the game if you want to use a Nova. You can trip it off and beat feet without waiting for suppression to wear off. This is another power where you need to be close to the caster.
DEBUFFS:
Transfusion: Stops enemy health from regenerating. This is huge when fighting giant monsters, archvillains, and elite bosses. You will not believe how fast you can take an AV down with this.
Siphon Power/Fulcrum Shift: Each enemy has his damage reduced 25%. Siphon Power is a single target. Fulcrum Shift is an AoE. Damage-wise, it is like all the enemies just dropped a level in strength after a successful hit with these powers.
Siphon Speed: The enemy is running in slow motion. He cannot attack as much or run quickly away.
Transference: The enemy is sapped of endurance and cannot attack for a bit.
Essentially a Kinetics Defender makes you stronger and faster while making your enemies slower and weaker. You will also notice there is a lot less down time for the team.
E. Radiation
Radiation Defenders are often misunderstood. Rad is, or so I like to think, a toolbox in which you can find the right tool to turn every enemy into a squirming and helpless kitten... and then stomp all over it. Like Kin, Rad is a mixed debuffing and buffing set. Radiation can lower almost every single attribute of an enemy to a point where they are barely any danger anymore, but it tends to do so in a peculiar way, and that is through the use of anchored toggles. Meaning: these abilities target an enemy and affect this enemy and all enemies around him for as long as the target is alive. Not accidentally killing the anchor has always proven the biggest hurdle in dealing with some teammates.
If you're another type of defender: More fun. Having a Rad will help you too, usually. If you're Storm, be mindful of the anchor(s). Otherwise, have fun.
If you're a Blaster: The only way for you to be much safer as you'll be with a Rad is with well-slotted FF or Sonic bubbles on you. If your Rad has Accelerate Metabolism, you'll be coming back for more of that, otherwise you'll be pretty much free to do your thing as long as you leave the anchors alone. Void if you're an AoE specialist.
If you're a Controller: Having a Rad on the team is almost as helpful as having another Controller. With two abilities that set up Containment for you, and all the other helpful tricks, Rad is such a popular controller secondary that you probably knew that anyway.
If you're a Scrapper: You'll likely care for the added damage both Accelerate Metabolism and Enervating Field provide. But keep in mind that the latter only works if you leave the anchor alive.
F. Sonics
A Sonic Defender on the surface may just look like a force fielder with resistance-based shields instead of defense. Well, you've got another thing coming! Well, okay - they have a lot in common, but there are still some big differences between the two.
I think that I should point out here that reducing enemy resistances increases your damage. This of course, can help you reach damage levels greater then your damage cap, as this is a debuff placed on enemies, rather then a buff placed on you. So keep that in mind when team building. (Not solely a sonic fact, but a good thing to know).
First, Ill do a play by play through the powers to give you a general idea of what to expect.
Sonic Siphon: A single-target resistance debuff. The best way to know if a Sonic Defender is using this ability is to listen out for a more female-sounding scream. Most Sonic Defenders will use this on bosses, so watch out for any bosses that have small red shields surrounding them (though very soon, many enemies will have the resistance debuff indicator on them, even faster if the Sonic Defenders a sonic/sonic, so dont fret if you have no idea on whom this was used.)
Sonic Barrier: The first of the three main reasons most people invite Sonic Defenders onto a team. Worth mentioning is that this shield provides smashing, lethal, and toxic resistance, making many early Vahz missions that much easier. You can tell if this is on you by a light series of rotating rings. Also, you should be able to tell when a Sonics Defender is using this skill (along with Sonic Haven) due to loud rapid breath noise as its being used.
Sonic Haven: The second of three reasons, and pretty much an identical power to the first, except for the fact it covers the "colourful" areas of damage (e.g. fire, cold, energy, etc)
Sonic Cage: This skill phases an enemy out to be dealt with later. Usually not taken by most Sonic Defenders Ive seen due to team members getting frustrated with the power, but it does have its uses, especially in a player-versus-player environment. Rule of thumb: if you attack something and it says "Unaffected," that means someone or something has phased it.
Disruption Field: Ah, one of my favourite powers - take a Radiation Defenders foe-based toggle, and center it on an ally instead of an enemy. Whilst this toggle only does one thing (reduce enemy resistance), the stress of having to keep debuffing enemies is eliminated. That said, this power causes a lot of hate from the enemies towards the Sonic Defender, not the person it is cast upon. If you're wondering why only a few attacks from the defender seem to tick things off enough to have them attack him, this is the cause.
If you see that the Sonic Defender has this skill and he hasn't announced on whom he's using it, a rule of thumb is that he will place it on any tanks in the team. Failing that, one of the scrappers. You can check to see if this is on you by looking closely at your feet. If a small amount of pulsing circles are radiating from your feet, he's put the enemy debuff on you. Never be afraid to ask who this is on: you'll want to aim your attacks around that particular player whenever possible.
Sonic Dispersion: The third reason most people want a sonic defender. Essentially, this is a resistance version of a bubblers Dispersion Field. It features the same flaw, in that it has no defense against sleeps, knockbacks and certain other effects, but against holds, disorients and immobilizes, it's golden. Sonic Dispersion gives +resistance to all attacks (except psionics), and that includes holds, immobilizes, and disorients.
If you have no mez protection, it will be a good idea to stick around the Sonic Defender. The bubble can be a bit hard to see, but it makes a very distinct sound upon entering and leaving the field, so listen out for that if you're having trouble seeing it.
Sonic Repulsion: An ally-centered AoE knockback aura. It has some use, but don't really count on a Sonic Defender having it. That said some nifty tactics can be thought up using this skill.
Clarity: Essentially, Clear Mind. You know that whole sleep (and other junk) protection hole? Say goodbye to it! (Well, if its aimed at you at the least) Be sure to shout out to the defender if he has this and you get mezzed by anything not covered under the Sonic Dispersion handbook. It also gives you increased perception, which is great for stalker hunting.
Liquefy: Ah the final power. Well let's put it this way: it has a damage tick, which makes things run. You may notice though, the Sonic Defender jumping into the thick of things after using this ability. Why? Well, usually because it attracts things back, and also because when fully slotted, it has a pretty mean accuracy debuff. The knockdown and defence reduction are icing on the cake (though some defenders may slot for defence debuffs). Also of note is the small, short hold when the power starts (that usually misses). A rare power to see, but it can be really helpful on a regular basis.
So there you have it.
Here are some tips to make the Sonic Defenders life easier:
1) If he's buffing people, don't run off until he's buffed you. A few seconds never hurt no-one.
2) Attack things with small red shields floating around them (they've been debuffed for you to do higher damage on them!)
3) If you don't have mez protection, try to stay close to take advantage of his Sonic Dispersion. If he has Clarity, let him know if you do get mezzed.
4) If you are a tank - expect Disruption Fields to be placed on you, as this will play towards your strengths. Just keep the hate generating and the mobs grouped up nice, and tight and it'll do wonders for your team.
5) If you are not a tank and you have disruption field on you - remember that hate will be generated towards the sonic defender that placed the shield on you. This may not affect the way you play, but do keep it in mind.
G. Storm Summoning
Storm Summoners are often misunderstood. Some only see knockback and start cursing because they think their work is going to be harder. But as matters stand, the reverse is true if a group works to properly integrate a Storm Summoner into their tactics. Storm excels at mob positioning, various controls, and it also adds direct damage into the mix. A well-played Stormie can serve the team as a ranged debuffer and Controller, but is just as much at home in the 'Point Man' role usually taken up by Tanks (though they lack the Tank's Mez Protection) or (my favourite place to be) playing 'Slack Man' and mopping up any stragglers.
Steamy Mist: You've heard that Storms are jack-of-all-trades defenders? Well, this is their Force Field. Everyone in the radius gets a base 20% defense against fire, energy, and (I think) cold. That alone is about equal to FF's Insulation Shield, only it's PBAoE around the Stormy. But wait, there's more! It also tacks on a smallish defense buff (7.5% according to the Hero Builder) and gives everyone in the bubble some stealth!
Those teaming with a Storm defender (or controller) would be wise to try and stand inside this bubble. Unlike FF's, it isn't real easy to tell if you're in or out of the mist so watch for the little blue icon in the upper right of your screen. Storms, you'll be wanting to position yourself in such a way that you get as many damage-drawing folks as possible in your steam. Use the team window for that.
O2 Boost is quite a nice heal. A Storm can't match an empath for healing but, while many other defenders are trying to hit some enemy to get their heal to fire off, the storm can just point-and-shoot then get back to business (like, say, getting closer to get some protection from the steamy mist or pushing enemies away with Hurricane). The heal also has protection from stuns, sleeps, and endurance drains built in, so your heal power also has a little mez protection built in. What this heal style means for other players is that they can back off when they need to back off, unlike most healing players which will want you to stand close to them or even up next to the bad guys! Just don't back off around a corner: O2 boost still needs line of sight.
Freezing Rain is a great power, but it is one that isn't too easy to use. You often hear people complaining about storms using it too much. The freezing rain makes enemies move slower and fall down a lot but its main claim to fame (IMHO) is the lowering of damage resistance. ALL damage that hits enemies in the freezing rain is upped by about 30%, and they are easier to hit, too!
The main problem is that CoH enemies have enough sense to get out of the rain; as soon as the hail comes down, they start trying to get out from under it. In all directions. This annoys other players that are trying to get as many bad guys in their area-of-effect powers as possible, particularly melee types who have very small AoEs.
There are quite a few ways to counter that. Snowstorm slows the bad guys down even more than the rain, so it can take forever for the mobs to get out from under it, at least for those around the anchor. If you know when an important AoE is about to fire, then you can drop the rain on them an instant before the AoE, giving the enemies no time to scatter. Having a controller around with an AoE immobilize makes the problem trivial. Enemies pinned by a Hurricane aren't going to get out of the rain, either. Without any of those, though, the Storm has to decide whether the debuffs are worth the scatter.
(Complaints about freezing-rain-scatter can be caused by defenders who just assume the buffs are better, but they can also come out because some melee thinks it's better to get one or two more bad guys in their AoE attack than to put all those debuffs on most of the spawn.)
Lightning Storm can also cause a bit of scatter. It does a lot of damage (and looks mighty cool doing it) but it can also do a lot of knockback. The Storm defender/controller can help this a lot by jumping/flying/porting into the air right before activating the power - putting the cloud above the enemies. This reduces the knockback quite a bit but retains the knockdown so enemies still have to waste time getting back on their feet.
Gale: I'm afraid a lot of Storm's bad rap comes from this power. Gale is an OK power but it is very situational. You can use it in conjunction with Hurricane to put enemies where you want them or to just blow them clear out of the battle for several seconds. The Storm user just has to learn what those situations are and that always takes some time. (And s/he has to learn to resist the temptation to see your enemies bouncing off into the distance.... which is amazingly satisfying.
Thunder Clap: Dash in and stun the minions. The thing is, stunned minions will wander around no matter how much taunting the tank is doing so you've got scatter again. Like freezing rain, be sure to consider whether it's worth it or not.
If you're another type of defender, support your local Stormie. Stormies tend to draw a ton of aggro and, like most defenders, have no direct means of mez protection. They also tend to burn a ton of endurance. Help in any of these areas is always appreciated.
If you're a Blaster: Rejoice! You're likely as safe as you can get, and you'll likely be doing a solid chunk of extra damage most of the time. Blasters and Stormies make an excellent combination. Not a lot to worry about here. You can even use Rain of Fire.
If you're a Controller: Then you're pretty much on the same side here. Nothing new for you, likely, and not a lot to explain. If you have a buffing secondary, please look at the entry for defenders.
If you're a Scrapper: You might actually not care one way or another. You can take as well as you can dish out. But your team's squishies might care that you cooperate with a Stormie on your team. And if you're AOE-heavy, you might even enjoy letting the Stormie gather enemies in a corner first before really flipping out and killing a ton of people in one go.
If you're a Tank, Ive got bad news for you: you just got some serious competition for mob positioning. But it's not all bad. Just as a team with two tanks can work out beautifully, so can a team with a tank and a Stormie. Two quick and dirty tactics are: tank grabs aggro, Stormie takes care of stragglers, moving them back to the Tank, OR Stormie gathers up a bunch of mobs and pins them down, then the Tank gets the aggro off the Stormie and holds it. Usually, the local topography will dictate what works better.
H. Trick Arrow
The Three Ts: Trick Arrow, Teaming, and Tactics.
Before you team with a TA, you should first attempt to understand just what the basic concept of TA is. At its heart, TA is a team-oriented crowd control and debuff set. Part defender, part controller, strongly focused on team play and tactics, the sum of all the parts is nothing short of amazing when properly played with.
Most of the TA set is comprised of AoEs. The set was designed to be played on large teams facing larger spawns, and when it comes into its full strength, that's exactly where it shines. None of the TA powers contain player buffs, relying instead on a higher degree of control than other debuff sets use to mitigate incoming damage. And there isn't a single toggle to be found in the TA set. These points are why coordination and understanding of the set are critical to your success when teaming with a TA. TA is not Kinetics or Storm, throwing everything into a roaring organized chaos. TA is not Rad or Dark, turning your foes into helpless whining puddles for you to punch. TA is not Empathy, FF, or Sonic, standing at your shoulder with a watchful eye. TA is an entirely different animal, one that relies on tactical planning and strategies, and it can be just as effective as any other set at defending a team, if you let it.
TA also changes radically as the defender gains levels. In the early game, a TA works just to keep up with the rest of the team. With no short-recharge toggles and nothing but debuffs and controls, the early levels can be frustrating for many TAs, especially when teams treat them like little more than gimped "healers". Don't make this mistake. Show your TA some consideration by giving him/her the few seconds needed for a power to recharge. Talk to your TA to work out plans of attack that fit both the needs of the team and the capabilities of the defender. Remember that your TA is a defender, not a tank, and don't expect him/her to lead every assault. Traditional team roles become very important when teamed with a low level TA, so organize your team accordingly and adjust your style slightly to give your TA time to do what he/she does best, control and debuff.
From the early 20s on, TA starts to come into its true power. With the addition of SOs to the arsenal, a TA is no longer waiting for powers to recharge between fights. Your TA will be right behind you, whatever you do and wherever you go. From 26 onward, you'll find your TA a completely different defender from the one you thought you knew, contributing heavily to team damage as well as defense.
In the high level game (38+), your TA will finally be experienced enough to know generally what's needed at any given point of time and use only the debuffs and controls he/she feels are required, saving some for emergencies. Have faith in your TA, he/she knows what he/she's doing, and he/she won't be standing idle while everyone else is working. If your TA is wise, he/she has also loaded up on AoEs and cones in his/her secondary and is contributing a respectable amount of damage to the fight, or getting that troublesome boss out of your hair with some well placed controls/debuffs. Don't be too shocked if, once in a while, your TA simply walks up to a spawn, locks it down, debuffs it, and proceeds to /em dance in the middle of the crowd. He/she's earned it. And on the rare occasion when he/she asks, "Want me to take care of this?" when you're facing a horde of ravening evil, don't laugh. When he/she proceeds to actually start ripping that spawn apart, pick your jaw back up and remember what you witnessed.
The only caveat to having a TA as your defender is that they fare relatively poorly against AVs and GMs. Unfortunately, the only power in TA with a -regen component is the tier 9, EMP Arrow, and is not available often enough to make a notable difference against AVs or GMs. TA's resistance debuffs certainly help, but when facing AVs or GMs, you're better off supplementing your TA with a standard defender, one with a spammable -regen power. This is not to say that TAs are useless against these types of opponents, as they do, in fact, have much to offer by reducing the AV or GM's attack rate, damage output, increasing your damage output significantly, and even containing the critter to one spot so you don't have to chase it all over the map. But if you lack high damage output on your team, you should definitely bring in another defender with -regen for that AV or GM so your damage is actually having an impact on that big, ugly HP bar.
AT-specific tips for TA:
Tankers, scrappers, and Dwarf form Kheldians - take that aggro! TA's powers have longer activation times than you're used to seeing, so you need to take aggro and hold it for an extra second or two. It's up to you to handle the alpha. Once you have the mob's attention, your TA will do his/her utmost to ensure your survival. Once everything's under control, your TA may even feel confident enough to simply walk right into melee range and heal you with Aid Other. Plan out your approach accordingly, know what powers your TA has to aid your ability to tank and use your tools to deal with the initial damage.
Scrappers, blasters, and human/Nova Kheldians - take your time! Wait for your TA to debuff the critters before you start laying waste to them. A few seconds is all your TA needs to give your attacks some extra punch and improve your chances of success enormously. Don't be so anxious that you run in before your TA has done his/her job, because that same TA may not have any means of saving you if things turn sour. TA is an empowerment set, not a power set. Let them do what they do best, and they'll make sure that you're doing what you do even better.
Controllers and other defenders - take advantage of the synergy! You're teamed with someone who can supplement practically anything that you can do. Make use of that. Talk to the TA, work out strategies, determine responsibilities, coordinate debuffs and/or status effects. With just the least bit of cooperation, you and the TA will easily be capable of handling nearly any situation. Your team will happily rip through spawns while deleting those silly green pills piling up in their inspiration trays and cracking jokes.
4. Flavor-Unspecific Defender Tricks
Leadership: A lot of us take Leadership, especially Tactics. Why? Well, simply put, the power of the buff varies by the archetype of the user, and defenders happen to get the top spot. If your defender has tactics, stay reasonably close and you will rarely, if ever, miss.
Secondaries: Our blast sets have a few quirks as well. We tend to have access to a lot of AoEs, including nukes. We have access to blast sets blasters don't get, including some that most enemies are very weak to, which is very handy for those tough mid- to late-game tank types you can't seem to dent. And the secondary effects of our blasts are, actually, noticeable. A couple of rounds from a */Radiation will crack open a shield generator so you can hit it. */Sonic will make your attacks do a lot more damage. */Dark floors the enemies accuracy. */Electricity drains the enemies of endurance, and */Psionic slows their attack rate. A lot of defenders slot for these effects and use them.
5. How to Catch a Wild Defender
Now you know a little bit about each of the defender primaries as they affect you, and youre just itching to have those buffs and debuffs on your team. How do you find one of these defenders, recruit them?
1) Send a polite tell. Most of us have chosen to play a defender because we want to help. That said we like to be asked nicely to.
2) Use bait. If you have Aid Other or Stimulant, say so! It works better than Hai Karate. Other lures are a particularly juicy story arc or mission.
3) Read the comments in the member search window. Many defenders say quite plainly what they are and avoid recruiters who did not care enough to read that little bar right next to thier name.
4) If you're partly through a mission, don't look for a noun. You don't need a specific powerset, or a specific tactic. You have a problem: ask if the defender can help with it. Being sapped? You don't need a Kineticist or a Dark Miasmist or a Force Fielder. You're facing Carnies and getting your endurance drained to hell? Being killed? You don't need an Empath or a Healer. Youre just having some difficulty and want some more support? Or maybe youre doing fine? You don't need Speed Boost or Enervating Field. You want some help killing enemies.
5) Be polite, and state what you're doing. A tell of "team?" doesn't give me much information. Tell me if you're asking for a couple quick missions, street hunting, if there are AVs, etc.
6. Care and Feeding Of Your Defender: Keeping the Catch
Now, how do you get them to stick around?
1) Watch what your defender needs. Defenders and controllers are usually the fault-lines for a group. They're often the only people showing any damage for a while, but once they break, the rest of the team goes. If they're running low on endurance regularly and you aren't, pass them blue inspirations. If they're relying on powers with a tohit check, like a Kineticist or Trick Archer does, pass them spare yellows. Storm Summoners usually won't complain about a Purple inspiration or two.
2) Pay attention. Defenders (and, to a lesser extent, Controllers) are gifted with the ability to look over a wide area of combat. If they yell to back up, or watch out, it might be a good idea to pay attention, even though they don't have a star on their name.
3) Communication. Few things make a defenders job more difficult than a team that does not stay together or attack together. A defender is much more likely to stick around after the first mission if you: a) Stay in one group b) give a heads-up before a charge, c) announce herding in advance and point out the final location, and d) designate a point man (lead tank, primary snipe/puller, etc). This is an excellent use for battle cries and the various pre-mapped emotes. Learn them and use them.
4) Location. A defender cannot buff around a corner anymore than you can shoot around one. If you need that buff, stay within range and in line of sight.
5) Power selection. We tend to have minimal defense and are VERY susceptible to status effects. A shot of Stimulant from the Medicine pool before a mob with mezzers keeps us on our feet, where we can help you and will probably make a friend for life. Grant Invisibility from the Concealment pool is a great way to give us the defense we need so badly, and it will keep a lot of aggro off our squishy selves. Neither power has prerequisites and will allow us to help you much better if things go bad.
7. Conclusion
If you want to know more, the best way is to play a defender for a bit yourself! Or look up someone with these powersets. Most are more than happy to explain things if youre willing to listen.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the many people who have donated their experience to this guide, including but not limited to: Blueeyed, Eisregen, DrMike2000, CuppaDuncan, Psylenz, Mister Smythe, Luminara, Possibility, and the many other forum posters I have learned the defender trade from. I can barely believe how many responded to my request for information and I hope that those who read it will learn as much as I did.
Thanks again guys.
Taking It On the Chin I-16 Tanker Guide
Repeat Offenders
shamelss self serving bump.
Drop me a line if you have any playstyle/fav power tricks for a later version.
After all it's your power sets...represent.
Taking It On the Chin I-16 Tanker Guide
Repeat Offenders
Just a FYI i wanted to add....
Howling twilight frm the dark set, its a wonky rez as far as rezes go. and thouhgt it should have a mention..
1) it requires an enemy
2) it is an Auto hit AOE attack that does a small amount of dmg and a slow and a low mag stun and a -regen
3) (most importantly) it is the only Rez to rez multiple allys at a time. (my DD has several times rezed 7 people at once)
other then that AWESEM guide.. very usefull
As the guy who wrote the Sonics section, feel free to pm me a question or two if you'd like to know more about them (or even /sonics).
argghh I missed your name in the credits. Sorry bout that will be fixed in the next version.
Taking It On the Chin I-16 Tanker Guide
Repeat Offenders
only problem is that it is a lot for someone to digest if they are only browsing...
But the point of the guide is very good and is something players should read to understand there is more than H34l0rz out there.
Member: Mutant Force Five, Chaos Legion & Team Awesome
This was really comprehensive.
I think that the defender set is the most misunderstood and easily so since the abilities vary so much. Some can dish out the damage while others control crowds or heal. Nothing irks me more than some tank shouting at the def to "just heal!"
Loyalist *chokes on it* ... scum!
Your guide is really good but long. You might want to get a bit creative with bulleting or maybe put in a table of contents at the beginning. I've found that can be really helpful as I can just jump to the topic I want.
Dark Forsaken: Clearance Level 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
Infinity
Officer of Fox Force Five
@The Dark Forsaken
[ QUOTE ]
Nothing irks me more than some tank shouting at the def to "just heal!"
[/ QUOTE ]
That's the point at which non-Empathy defenders stop healing, send the tank to a corner for a time-out, and take over the tanking.
Really irritates them. 
guidesThis guide is all about making your missions easier and more rewarding. As defenders there are many ways we can make your enemies weaker and you stronger. Think of us as an intelligent shield an endless source of your favorite flavor inspiration.
Some of our powers can be tricky to take advantage of though, so this guide was writtin to explain those quirks. This guide will NOT explain how to play these powersets or try to determine which is the most uber. All these sets have shockingly strong powers and shine at different styles of play and situations. This is just to let you know how much a defender of any type can help and how to get the most benefit from the team up.
The first section will be a few game basics for newcomers, feel free to skip this if you've been around a bit.
Second will be a brief description of defender primaries followed by an in depth discussion of what thier powers can do for you written by folks who have dedicated entire toons careers to making your life easier.
Third will be some general tips on how to recruit these defenders and how too make sure they want to stick around for a while.
1.Game basics
Buffs anything that makes your toon stronger for example improved damage, defense, accuracy, healing.
Debuff Anything that makes your opponent weaker. Less powerful attacks, more likley to miss etc.
Anchors many of the above mentioned deboffs are toggles that attach to an enemy in the mob generally you want to arrest that enemy last because the debuff drops the second he does.
PBAOEs Some of the buffs and debuff are tobbles that run off the defender and you have to stay close to recieve the benefits.
On to the cool stuff.
2.Summary of defender primaries.
Dark Miasma: This set has several ways to control mobs as well as tools to reduce the acuracy and damage of the mobs and garnt increased damage resistance and stealth to teamates.
Empathy: This set can improve you defense and recovery and heal your wounds during and after the fight.
Force field: This set can be used to push the enemies wherever you want them and grants EXTREMELY high defenses to teamates.
Kinetics: This set decreases the enemy rate of fire and the damage per shot while drastically increasing both for teamates.
Radiation: This set reduces the mobs damage, recovery, defence, and damage resistance. And increases your teams damage, recovery, recharge, and resistance to effects.
Sonic: This set grants high resistances to enemy attacks while making them take much more damage from your attacks.
Storm Summoning: This set keeps all your enemies at a safew distance while giving you better defence and resistance. Basically it can't hurt you if its laying on its back.
Trick Arrow: Probably the least understood set. Essentially if the mob has a statistic this set can weaken it. Great to have around when facing that one enemy group that always give you trouble.
Now you know just how much each defender can boost your game its time to see how you can best take advantage of these powers. The following sections are each written by a player with extensive experience with the powerset and team support in general.
Dark Miasma: A Dark Defender can debuff the enemies significantly, so that you're rarely getting hit, when you do so, its for less damage than normal, and can also heal what little gets through.
They can boost your damage a little bit, but don't boost your accuracy, so if your a damage dealer fighting +3's or higher, we can keep you safe, but being able to hit is your responsibility, either through slotting or inspirations.
DEBUFFING POWERS:
Darkest Night is an anchor debuff, that floors the accuracy and damage of the target and all enemies around the target, as long as the target stays alive.
This last part is extremely important - this debuff will typically drop incoming damage to a tenth of normal, but kill the anchor and it drops immediately, taking a few seconds to reapply to another anchor. (Damage is dropped to about 2/3 normal, and accuracy reduces dramatically, so fewer hits.)
Many Dark Defenders will set up a bind, so if they shout "Anchoring on the Gardvord" or "Kill the Gardvord last!" then pay attention - that enemy may well be keeping the team on their feet for the duration.
Alternatively set up a convention if unique enemies are not in each spawn - in the Atta mission I told my teammate to take out the white T shirted trolls last and alwys anchored on one of them. It worked wonderfully.
Darkest Night also drops when the Defender gets mezzed, so any Mez protection you have should maybe be applied to them.
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE IN WORKING WITH A DARK DEFENDER- DONT KILL THE ANCHOR!
Visually, all characters affected by Darkest Night have a black smoky patch under their feet. The anchor also has a smoky cloud around their feet. So try not to kill the guy who's feet you cant see
IMPORTANCE: 5/5
Tar Patch:
Looks like a large swirling smoky circle on the floor, with black bubbles coming through it. This slows enemies inside the patch, but also reduces their resistance, meaning they take additional damage from all attacks. This gets indicated by red shields orbiting the enemy.
A DD can lay down a Tar Patch every 30 seconds or so, and once placed it cant be moved.
So, for maximum efficiency always herd enemies on to the Tar Patch, they'll take more damage there.
IMPORTANCE: 1/5, you'll arrest all targets anyway, this just makes it a bit quicker.
DEFENSE POWERS:
Shadow's Fall is a toggle that makes all teammates appear semi transparent with a black cloud around their feet. You need to be close to the Defender for this to kick in.
It provides a much reduced aggro radius, like stealth, and resistance vs energy, negative energy and psi attacks, somewhere between 20% base and 32.5% fully slotted.
IMPORTANCE: 2/5, if youre fighting enemies who use these attack types (eg Clockwork), stay close enough to remain transparent. But then again, you're probably not getting hit if Darkest Night is running....
HEALING POWERS:
Twilight Grasp requires the Defender to hit a target, and heals all allies in a radius around him. It also debuffs the target, reducing their accuracy and damage. So if you're needing a heal, position yourself close to the Defender, they'll often fire it off on a boss for the debuff as well as the healing.
The animation is slow, so if your DD starts crossing his arms and pulling them up over his face, run in for the heal if you need it. Finally, remember that the heal might not happen - even a good DD with accuracies in his heal misses occasionally.
IMPORTANCE: 3/5, the radius for this heal isn't great, and trying to heal an ally who's running around like mad isnt easy.
Plus, a DD cant heal outside of combat, we need that enemy there to pull it off.
CONTROL POWERS:
Fearsome Stare can put a whole group into the Fear state - during this state they'll cower unless attacked.
Each attack they take will allow them a single retaliation, so approaching a feared group with a damage aura ticking, or hitting them with a DoT area attack can be counterproductive, effectively freeing them to fight back.
IMPORTANCE: 3/5 - the wrong power can almost totally neutralise a Fearsome Stare. Then again, if their accuracy is floored and you're arresting them quickly, go ahead.
Empathy:This is the set you have undoubtedly seen the most of, after all who doesn't like the green candy.The heals and rezs are not what defines this set however.This set is unique in that it is pure buffs no enemy debuffs whatsoever.
Prebattle:
Clear mind This gives you protection from most status effects stuns sleeps etc and allows you to see stealthy enemies. This power has a long animation time and a short duration so only ask for it if you really need it.
Fortitude This Greatly improves your accuracy,damage,and defense. The recharge makes it where you can only keep this on 2 or 3 teamates and most defenders keep it on the squishiest teamates only or the tank if he is taking on mobs who dish out a damage type he is not set up to handle.
Recovery Aura& Regeneration Aura When you hear "gather,group hug" or something similar these are the powers your empath is about to use. One makes your green bar recover much faster the other your blue bar. These do not make you invincible just a little tougher.
When you hear the call get close and stay there till the all clear is sounded. Making an empath chase you to grant this buff is generally considered rude the the defender and the rest of the team that did come when called. If you have a power of your own that grants these effects such as regen/rooted/health stamina the effects stack and make it all the sweeter.
Adrenalin Boost This power is a single target version of the two auras above and it also makes your attacks come up quicker this is typically thrown on a blaster who is about to nova or a squishy who is having to fill the roll of team tank it only comes up once every 5 minutes so your empath will be putting it on the person he or shes believes can make the most of it.
During Battle:
Healing aura Everyone within 25 feet gets a small heal. Some defender run this in auto some don't Telling either they are wrong is like telling your mother-in-law shes putting on a lot of weight you cannot take it back and you WILL regret it.
Heal Other If you want this stay within 80ft and in line of sight.This may also be a good place to note that a defender can only really handle a team of 4 or 5 more than that is a strain on them and a risk to you as the spawn may put out damage faster than an empath can fix it.
Absorb Pain Think of this as an organ transplant it saves you but hurts them BADLY. Try not to need it.
Resurrect Lay there,and don't bother for an instant rez if the empath is busy keeping other teamates alive, they will get to you.
This set is very good at keeping you on your feet when things go wrong but has no way to slow down incoming damage you will be fighting full strength enemies. And keep in mind that empaths ahve had some bad experiences in the past be gentle. It is also worth noting that some are "pure" healers with little or no attacks,others love to blast treat this the same as auto healing aura let that sleeping dog lie. It is also worthwhile to note that if you feel you are being missed for buffs ask the defender to add you to his or her list as many have a system to cycle through prebattle buffs.
Force Fields:
Tiny Bubbles, Deflection and Insulation Shields
Both shields have a nice range to 'em. With the right set of binds, the Bubbler can effortlessly keep the whole team bubbled for the duration of a mission, with no one being the wiser. That being said, stay in sight. I can't bubble through walls or at snipe distances. The bubbler may have a bind calling the group for bubbles if the team is getting too spread out. We hate using this bind, as a matter of pride, and it's just a polite way of saying, "We're getting too far apart."
The Big House of Bubble Love, Dispersion Bubble
This pumps up the shields. Ranged squishies, stay by me. Actually, stay behind me. There's a lot of room to work with in the Big House, and I'm gonna try to keep the melees covered by it as well, (a tactic that sometimes even works)and people tend to forget that it's a sphere in a 3D setting. Hovering above works, keep an eye on your buff icons. FF's Dispersion bubble also offers +resistance to Hold, Immobilize, and Disorient +def to all, sleep being the only exception to status effects resisted.
The Big House is all I've got protecting me, your Bubbler, the only squishy on your team. Don't aggro a room then run and hide by me, I'll hit the deck faster than a French prize fighter.
Tanks a Bunch!
Tanks, seriously, as the only squishy on the team, we love you guys and gals. But take it easy on yourselves; should one or two get through your wall of hatred, it's cool. Mr. Force Bolt will have them right back where they belong, hating you, soon enough.
The Bigger House of Bubble Hate, Force Bubble
You know those gifts from on high, the storm defenders, and that nifty hurricane thing they do, pushing the baddies around like a Punk in Sissyville and protecting the ranged heroes?
Mine's bigger than that
Who needs a corner when you can use entire rooms and dead ends? Tanks (did I mention we love you?) just get 'em in the general vicinity, and we'll seal the deal. Let your inner brute run free. The team needs to kill fast, though, because all that hatred is coming at me, the lone squishy. On the bright side, maybe it has something to do with ragdoll physics, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of return fire, from what I recall.
The Reactor Room is My Domain
I hate to brag, really I do, but on a coordinated respec team, a Bubbler is the proverbial "We Win Button." With two shields, dispersion, and force bubble on the reactor, I am Patrick Roy, or whoever one of the top NHL goalies is these days. Get out there and kill stuff! Forget you ever heard of a coolant belt! In fact, you hurt us a little inside just by taking one, but, I suppose it's a good idea, just in case something goes wrong, like a wipe or a disconnect. Most likely a disconnect
The Bubbler does need help though. When a wave is cleared, call it out, so the Bubbler can go refresh the rad bubble and not have to worry about it during a wave.
If the Bubbler calls for re-shielding, get in sight and within range, generally anywhere on the floor. I've got room to work with and an eye on the buff icons; shielding should go as smooth as... I dunno, insert your own dirty sounding metaphor here.
If you are going to fire off an aura buff, please do it near me. You're gonna call everyone to get close to you anyways, so why not? The bad guys will be there when you get back, and after a long day bubbling, it gets lonely by the reactor (he's not big on conversation), and I can always use the opportunity to refresh the shields.
Kinetics: This is primarily a buff/debuff set, The key to benefiting most from a kin on the team is positioning.Lets cover the buffs first.
Want more damage pre level 32 stick right by your defender every time he fires off siphon power you get a 25% boost to damage after 32 get within melee of the mob when fulcrum shift goes off you will get as much as 300% hello damage cap!
Green bar or blue bar running low close to melee again tranfusion and transference are both targetted recharges. If your in a bind DO NOT RUN a kinetics cannot throw a heal after you.
Now for the quirky ones.
Speed boost: The jump in run speed gives some folks trouble but if you can adjust the payoff is huge. All your powers recharge faster(reduction #s?) No more endurance problems. No travel suppresion while fighting. Resistance to slow effects.If you run into trouble try using hover or tapping movement keys rather than holding them down. And if heaven forbid you get a speed boost after you asked not to be please be nice. We go through our buffs cycle very fast accident happen and it will wear off in a little while.
Increase density:Think of this as a clear mind with slightly different resistances. It also cover repels,knockbacks, enemy teleportation, it also grants some damage resistance againt smashing and energy. This power has a very short duration so don't ask for it unless you have no status protection of your own and be aware that it is very difficult to keep on more than 3 or 4 players in addition to other duties. I generally reserve it for blasters,controllers and other defenders.
Inertial Reduction:Temporary Super Jump plain and simple. Helps out with travel but also handy later in the game if you want to use a nova you can trip it off and beat feet without waiting for suppresion to wear off. This is another power where you need to be close to the caster.
Debuffs.
Transfusion: stops health from regenerating this is huge when fighting giant monsters, archvillains, and elite bosses. You will not believe how fast you can take an av down with this.
Siphon Power/Fulcrum shift:Each enemy has his damage reduced 25% SP is a single target FS is an aoe. Damage wise it is like all the enemies dropped a level in strength.
Siphon Speed: The enemy is running in slow motion. He cannot attack as much or run away.
Transference:The enemy is sapped of endurance and cannot attack for a bit.
Essentially a kin makes you stronger and faster while making your enemies slower and weaker. You will also notice there is a lot less down time for the team.
Radiation: Radiation Defenders are often misunderstood. Rad is, or so I like to think, a toolbox which finds the right tool to turn every enemy into a squirming and helpless kitten... then stomp all over it. Like Kin, Rad is a mixed DeBuffing and Buffing set. Radiation can lower almost every single attribute of an enemy to a point where they are barely any danger anymore, but it tends to do so in a peculiar way and that is through the use of anchored toggles. Meaning these abilities target an enemy and affect this enemy and all enemies around him for as long as the target is alive. Not accidentally killing the so-called anchor has always proven the biggest hurdle in dealing with some teammates.
If you're another type of Defender: More fun. Having a Rad will help you too, usually. If you're Storm, be mindful of the anchor(s), otherwise have fun.
If you're a Blaster: The only way for you to be much safer as you'll be with a Rad is with well-slotted FF or Sonic bubbles on you. If your Rad has Accelerate Metabolism, you'll be coming back for more of that, otherwise you'll be pretty much free to do your thing as long as you leave the anchors alone. Void if you're an AOE specialist.
If you're a Controller: Having a Rad on the team is almost as helpful as having another Controller. With two abilities that set up Containment for you and all the other helpful tricks, Rad is such a popular Controller Secondary that you probably knew that anyways.
If you're a Scrapper: You'll likely care for the added damage both Accelerate Metabolism and Enervating Field provide. But keep in mind that the latter only works if you leave the anchor alive.
Sonic:A sonic defender on the surface may just look like a force fielder with resistance-based shields instead of defence. Well you've got another thing coming!.. Well, okay - they have allot in common, but still there are some big differences between the two.
I thought that I should point out here that reducing enemy resistances increases your damage. This of course, can help you reach damage greater then your damage cap as this is a debuff placed on enemies, rather then a buff placed on you - so keep that in mind when team building. (Not solely a sonic fact, but a good thing to know).
First Ill do a play by play through the powers to give you a general idea of what to expect.
Sonic Siphon: A single target resistance debuff - the best way to know if a sonic defender is using this ability is to listen out for a more female sounding scream. Most sonic defenders will use this on any bosses, so watch out for any bosses that have small red shields surrounding them (though very soon, many enemies will have the resistance debuff indicator on them, even faster if the sonic defenders a /sonic, so dot fret if you have no idea who this was used on.)
Sonic Barrier: The first of the three main reasons most people invite sonic defenders onto a team. Worth mentioning is this shield provides toxic resistance, making many early vahz missions that much easier. You can tell if this is on you by a light series of rotating rings. Also, you should be able to tell when a Sonics defender is using this skill (along with sonic haven) due to loud rapid breath noises made by the defender as its being used.
Sonic Haven: The second of three reasons and pretty much an identical power to the first, except for the fact it covers the "colourful" areas of damage.
Sonic Cage: This skill phases an enemy out to be dealt with later. Usually not taken by most sonic defenders Ive seen due to team members getting frustrated with the power, but it does have its uses, especially in a player versus player environment. Rule of thumb, if you attack something and it says "Unaffected" that means it's been phased by someone or something.
Disruption Field: Ah one of my favourite powers - take radiations foe based toggles, and place it on an ally. Whilst this toggle only does one thing (reduce enemy resistance). The stress of having to keep debuffing enemies is eliminated. That said, this power causes a lot of hate towards the sonic defender, not the person it is cast on. If you're wondering why only a few attacks from the defender seem to tick things off enough to have them attack him - this is the cause.
If you see that the sonic defender has this skill and he hasn't announced whom he's using it on - a rule of thumb is that he will place it on any tanks in the team, failing that one of the scrappers. You can check if this is on you by looking closely at your feet. If a small amount of pulsing circles are radiating from you, he's put the debuff on you. Though never be afraid to ask who this is on - you'll want to aim your attacks around that particular player whenever possible.
Sonic Dispersion: The third reason most people want a sonic defender. Essentially a resistance version of a bubblers disruption field. It features the same flaw in that it has no defense against sleeps, knock backs and other effects - but against holds, disorients and immobilises it's golden. Sonic dispersion gives +resistance to all attacks (except psionics) including holds, immobilizes, and disorients
If you have no mez protection it will be a good idea to stick around the sonic defender. The bubble can be a bit hard to see - but it makes a very distinct sound upon entering and leaving the field so listen out for that if you're having trouble seeing it.
Sonic Repulsion: An ally aoe knock back aura. It has some use, but don't really count on a sonic defender having it. That said some nifty tactics can be thought up using this skill.
Clarity: Essentially, clear mind. You know that whole sleep (and other junk) protection hole? Say goodbye to it! (Well, if its aimed at you at the least) Be sure to shout out to the defender if he has this and you get mezzed by anything not covered under the Sonic Dispersion handbook. It also gives you increased perception, which is great for stalker hunting.
Liquefy: Ah the final power - well let's put it this way - it has a damage tick, which makes things run. You may notice though, the sonic defender jumping into the thick of things after using this ability. Why? well, usually because it attracts things back and also because when fully slotted it has a pretty mean accuracy debuff. The knockdown and defence reduction are icing on the cake (though some defenders may slot for defence debuffs), also of note is the small short hold when the power starts (that usually misses.) A rare power to see, but it can be really helpful on a regular basis.
So there you have it.
Heres some tips to make the sonic defenders life easier:
If he's buffing people - don't run off until he's buffed you - a few seconds never hurt no-one.
Attack things with small red shields floating around them (they've been debuffed for you to do higher damage on them!)
If you don't have mezz protection - try to stay close to take advantage of his Sonic Dispersion. If he has clarity, let him know if you do get mezzed.
If you are a tank - expect disruption fields to be placed on you, as this will play towards your strengths. Just keep the hate generating and the mobs grouped up nice and tight and it'll do wonders for your team.
If you are not a tank and you have disruption field on you - remember that hate will be generated towards the sonic defender that placed the shield on you. This may not affect the way you play, but do keep it in mind.
Storm Summoning: Storm Summoners are often misunderstood. Some only see Knockback and start cursing because they think their work is going to be harder. But as matters stand, the reverse is true if a group works to properly integrate a Storm Summoner into their tactics. Storm excels at Mob positioning, various controls and also adds direct damage into the mix. A well-played Stormie can serve the team as a ranged DeBuffer and Controller, but is just as much at home in the 'Point Man' role usually taken up by Tanks (though they lack the Tank's Mez Protection) or (my favourite place to be) playing 'Slack Man' and mopping up any stragglers
Steamy Mist - you've heard that Storms are jack-of-all-trades defenders? Well, this is their Force Field. Everyone in the radius gets a base 20% defense against fire, energy, and I think cold. That alone is about equal to FF's Insulation Shield only it's PB AoE around the Stormy. But wait, there's more! It also tacks on a smallish defense buff (7.5% according to the hero buildier) and gives everyone in the bubble some stealth!
Those teaming with a Storm defender (or controller) would be wise to try and stand inside this bubble. Unlike FF's, it isn't real easy to tell if you're in or out of the mist so watch for the little blue icon in the upper right of your screen. Storms, you'll be wanting to position yourself in such a way that you get as many damage-drawing folks as possible in your steam. Use the team window for that.
O2 Boost is quite a nice heal. A Storm can't match an empath for healing but, while many other defenders are trying to hit some enemy to get their heal to fire off, the storm can just point-and-shoot then get back to business (like, say, getting closer to get some protection from the steamy mist or pushing enemies away with hurricane). The heal also has protection from stuns, sleeps, and endurance drains built in so your heal power also has a little mez protection built in. The big thing this heal style means for other players is that they can back off when they need to back off - unlike most healing players which will want you to stand close to them or even up next to the bad guys! Just don't back off around a corner - O2 boost still needs line of sight.
Freezing Rain is a great power but it is one that isn't too easy to use. You often hear people complaining about storms using it too much. The freezing rain makes enemies move slower and fall down a lot but it's main claim to fame (IMHO) is the lowering of damage resistance. ALL damage that hits enemies in the freezing rain is upped by about 30% and they are easier to hit, too!
The main problem is that CoH enemies have enough sense to get out of the rain - as soon as the hail comes down they start trying to get out from under it. In all directions. This annoys other players that are trying to get as many bad guys in their area-of-effect powers as possible - particularly melee types who have very small AoE's.
There are quite a few ways to counter that. Snowstorm slows the bad guys down even more than the rain so it can take forever to get out from under it, at least for the anchor. If you know when an important AoE is about to fire then you can drop the rain on them an instant before the AoE giving the enemies no time to scatter. Having a controller around with an AoE immobilize makes the problem trivial. Enemies pinned by a hurricane aren't going to get out of the rain, either. Without any of those, though, the Storm has to decide whether the debuffs are worth the scatter.
(Complaints about freeezing rain scatter can be caused by defenders who just assume the buffs are better, but they can also come out because some melee thinks it's better to get one or two more bad guys in their AoE attack than to put all those debuffs on most of the spawn.)
Lightning Storm can also cause a bit of scatter. It does a lot of damage (and looks mighty cool doing it) but it can also do a lot of knockback. The Storm defender/controller can help this a lot by jumping/flying/porting into the air right before activating the power - putting the cloud above the enemies. This reduces the knockback quite a bit but retains the knockdown so enemies still have to waste time getting back on their feet.
Gale: I'm afraid a lot of Storm's bad rap comes from this power .Gale is an OK power but it is very situational. You can use it in conjunction with hurricane to put enemies where you want them or just blow them clear out of the battle for several seconds. The Storm user just has to learn what those situations are and that always takes some time. (And s/he has to learn to resist the temptation to see your enemies bouncing off into the distance.... which is amazingly satisfying.
Thunder Clap: Dash in and stun the minions. The thing is, stunned minions will wander around no matter how much taunting the tank is doing so you've got scatter again. Like freezing rain, be sure to consider whether it's worth it or not.
If you're another type of Defender: Support your local Stormie. Stormies tend to draw a ton of aggro and, like most Defenders, have no direct means of Mez Protection. They also tend to burn a ton of End. Help in any of these areas is always appreciated.
If you're a Blaster: Rejoice. Your're likely as safe as you can get, and you'll likely be doing a solid chunk of extra damage most of the time. Blasters and Stormies make an excellent combination. Not a lot to worry about here. You can even use Rain of Fire.
If you're a Controller: Then you're pretty much on the same side here. Nothing new for you, likely, and not a lot to explain. If you have a buffing Secondary, please look at the entry for Defenders.
If you're a Scrapper: You might actually not care one way or another. You can take as well as you can dish out. But your team's Squishies might care that you cooperate with a Stormie on your team. And if you're AOE-heavy, you might even enjoy letting the Stormie gather enemies in a corner first before really flipping out and killing a ton of people in one go.
If you're a Tank: I got bad news for you. You just got some serious competition for mob positioning. But it's not all bad. Just as a team with two Tanks can work out beautifully, so can a team with a Tank and a Stormie. Two quick and dirty tactics are: Tank grabs aggro, Stormie takes care of stragglers, moving them back to the Tank -or- Stormie gathers up a bunch of mobs and pins them down, then the Tank gets the aggro off the Stormie and holds it. Usually, the local topography will dictate what works better.
Trick Arrow:The Three Ts - Trick Arrow, Teaming, and Tactics.
Before you team with a TA, you should first attempt to understand just what the basic concept of TA is. At its heart, TA is a team oriented crowd control and debuff set. Part defender, part controller, strongly focused on team play and tactics, the sum of all the parts is nothing short of amazing when properly played and played with.
Most of the TA set is comprised of AoEs. The set was designed to be played on large teams facing larger spawns, and when it comes into its full strength, that's exactly where it shines. None of the TA powers contain player buffs, relying instead on a higher degree of control than other debuff sets use to mitigate incoming damage. And there isn't a single toggle to be found in the TA set. These points are why coordination and understanding of the set are critical to your success when teaming with a TA. TA is not Kinetics or Storm, throwing everything into a roaring organized chaos. TA is not Rad or Dark, turning your foes into helpless puddles of whining for you to punch. TA is not Empathy, FF, or Sonic, standing at your shoulder with a watchful eye. TA is an entirely different animal, one that relies on tactical planning and strategies, and it can be just as effective as any other set at defending a team, if you let it.
TA also changes radically as the defender gains levels. In the early game, a TA works just to keep up with the rest of the team. With no short-recharge toggles and nothing but debuffs and controls, the early levels can be frustrating for many TAs, especially when teams treat them like little more than gimped "healers". Don't make this mistake. Show your TA some consideration by giving him/her the few seconds needed for a power to recharge. Talk to your TA to work out plans of attack that fit both the needs of the team and the capabilities of the defender. Remember that your TA is a defender, not a tank, and don't expect him/her to lead every assault. Traditional team roles become very important when teamed with a low level TA, so organize your team accordingly and adjust your style slightly to give your TA time to do what he/she does best, control and debuff.
From the early 20s on, TA starts to come into its true power. With the addition of SOs to the arsenel, a TA is no longer waiting for powers to recharge between fights. Your TA will be right behind you, whatever you do and wherever you go. From 26 onward, you'll find your TA a completely different defender from the one you thought you knew, contributing heavily to team damage as well as defense.
In the high level game (38+), your TA will finally be experienced enough to know generally what's needed at any given point of time and use only the debuffs and controls he/she feels are required, saving some for emergencies. Have faith in your TA, he/she knows what he/she's doing, and he/she won't be standing idle while everyone else is working. If your TA is wise, he/she has also loaded up on AoEs and cones in his/her secondary and is contributing a respectable amount of damage to the fight, or getting that troublesome boss out of your hair with some well placed controls/debuffs. Don't be too shocked if, once in a while, your TA simply walks up to a spawn, locks it down, debuffs it, and proceeds to /em dance in the middle of the crowd. He/she's earned it. And on the rare occasion when he/she asks, "Want me to take care of this?" when you're facing a horde of ravening evil, don't laugh. When he/she proceeds to actually start ripping that spawn apart, pick your jaw back up and remember what you witnessed.
The only caveat to having a TA as your defender is that they fare relatively poorly against AVs and GMs. Unfortunately, the only power in TA with a -regen component is the tier 9, EMP Arrow, and is not available often enough to make a notable difference against AVs or GMs. TA's resistance debuffs certainly help, but when facing AVs or GMs, you're better off supplimenting your TA with a standard defender, one with a spammable -regen power. This is not to say that TAs are useless against these types of opponents, as they do, in fact, have much to offer by reducing the AV or GM's attack rate, damage output, increasing your damage output significantly, and even containing the critter to one spot so you don't have to chase it all over the map. But if you lack high damage output on your team, you should definitely bring in another defender with -regen for that AV or GM so your damage is actually having an impact on that big, ugly HP bar.
AT-specific tips:
Tankers, scrappers, and Dwarf form Kheldians - take that aggro! TA's powers have longer activation times than you're used to seeing, so you need to take aggro and hold it for an extra second or two. It's up to you to handle the alpha. Once you have the mob's attention, your TA will do his/her utmost to ensure your survival. Once everything's under control, your TA may even feel confident enough to simply walk right into melee range and heal you with Aid Other. Plan out your approach accordingly, know what powers your TA has to aid your ability to tank and use your tools to deal with the initial damage.
Scrappers, blasters, and human/Nova Kheldians - take your time! Wait for your TA to debuff the critters before you start laying waste to them. A few seconds is all your TA needs to give your attacks some extra punch and improve your chances of success enormously. Don't be so anxious that you run in before your TA has done his/her job, because that same TA may not have any means of saving you if things turn sour. TA is an empowerment set, not a power set. Let them do what they do best, and they'll make sure that you're doing what you do even better.
Controllers and other defenders - take advantage of the synergy! You're teamed with someone who can suppliment practically anything that you can do. Make use of that. Talk to the TA, work out strategies, determine responsibilities, coordinate debuffs and/or status effects. With just the least bit of cooperation, you and the TA will easily be capable of handling nearly any situation. Your team will happily rip through spawns while deleting those silly green pills piling up in their inspiration trays and cracking jokes.
Non specific defender tricks.
Leadership: A lot of us take leadership especially tactics why well simply put the power of the buff varies by the archtype of the user and defenders happened to get the top spot if your defender has tactics stay reasonably close and you will rarely if ever miss.
Secondaries:Our blast sets have a few quirks as well. We tend to have access to alot of aoes including nukes. We have access to blast sets blaster don't get including some that most enemies are very weak to which is very handy for those tough mid to late game tank types you can't seem to dent. And The secondary effects of our blasts are actually noticable. A couple of rounds from a /rad will crack open a shield generator so you can hit it. /sonic will make your attacks do a lot more damage. /dark floors the enemies accuracy. /Elec drains the enemies of endurance, and /psionic slows their attack rate. A lot of defenders slot for these effects and use them.
Care and Feeding Of Your Defender.
3.Now you know a little bit about each of the defender primaries as they affect you, and your just itching to have those buffs and debuffs on your team. How do you find one of these defenders, recruit them, and hopefully get them to stick around?
How to catch a wild defender.
1.Send a polite tell. Most of us have chosen to play a defender because we want to help,that said we like to be asked nicely to.
2.Use bait. If you have aid other or stimulant say so it works better than high karate. Other lures are a particularly juicy story arc or mission.
3.Read the comments in the member search window. Many defenders say quite plainly what they are and and avoid recruiters who did not care enough to read that little bar right next to thier name.
4. If you're partly through a mission, don't look for a noun. You don't need a specific powerset, or a specific tactic. You have a problem, ask if the Defender can help with it. Being sapped : you don't need a Kineticist or a Dark Miasmist or a Force Fielder - You're facing Carnies and getting your endo drained to hell. Being killed : you don't need an Empath or a Healer - You're just are having some difficulty and want some more support. Doing fine? You don't need Speed Boost or En Field - you want some help killing enemies.
5. Be polite, and state what you're doing. A tell of "team?" doesn't give me much information. Tell me if you're asking for a couple quick missions, if there are AVs.
Keeping the Catch.
1. Watch what your Defender needs. Defenders and Controllers are usually the fault-lines for a group. They're often the only people showing any damage for a while, but once they break, the rest of the team goes. If they're running low on endurance regularly and you aren't, pass them Blue inspirs. If they're relying on powers with a tohit check, like a Kineticist or Trick Archer does, pass them spare Yellows. Storm Summoners usually won't complain about a Purple inspir or two.
3. Pay attention. Defenders (and, to a lesser extent, Controllers) are gifted with the ability to look over a wide area of combat. If they yell to back up, or watch out, it might be a good idea to pay attention, even though they don't have a star on their name.
4.Communication:Few things make a defenders job more difficult than a team that does not stay together or attack together.A defender is much more likely to stick around after the first mission if you.1.Stay in one group 2.give a heads up before a charge3.announce herding in advance and point out the final location.4.designate a point man (lead tank,primary snipe/puller,etc)This is an excellent use for battlecries and the various premapped emotes.Learn them and use them.
5.Location:A defender cannot buff around a corner anymore than you can shoot around one,if you need that buff stay within range and in line of sight.Power selection:We tend to have minimal defense and are VERY succeptible to status effects.A shot of stimulant from the medicine pool before a mob with mezzers keeps us on our feet where we can help you and will probably make a friend for life.Grant invisibilty from concealment is a great way to give us the defense we need so badly and will keep a lot of aggro of our squishy selves.Neither power has prerequisites and will allow us to help you much better if things go bad.
If you want to know more the best way is to play it a bit yourself, or look up someone with these powersets most are more than happy to explain things if your willing to listen. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the many people who have donated thier experience to this guide including but not limited to:Blueeyed, Eisregen, DrMike2000, CuppaDuncan, Psylenz, Mister Smythe, Luminara, and the many other forum posters I have learned the defender trade from. I can barely believe how many responded to my request for information and I hope that those who read it will learn as much as I. Thanks again guys.
Taking It On the Chin I-16 Tanker Guide
Repeat Offenders