City of Heroes: Live Forum Archive

Stone Armor/Energy Melee Tanker v1.0

Aett_Thorn

By Aett_Thorn,
Posted on: 2007-03-17 19:56 in Player Guides

 

Posted

“Pom Poms Mountain” Stone Armor/Energy Melee Tanker v1.0

When I decided to make a Tanker I was looking for something special and I think I found that combo in Stone/EM. There is an amazing synergy between Stone and EM it’s really hard to explain. I wanted to be a defensive juggernaut and have the damage output to really help my team. I also wanted a challenging build and well this really is the epitome of a challenge. Everything about this build is checks and balances, as you will find out if you decide this Tanker is for you. That’s why I wrote this guide, not just because there wasn’t one written but more-so to share the things I learned. So let’s take a spin on the wild side and become that Tanker I know you want to be. On a side note I will be posting two builds one will be pre-HO’s the other will be HO maximized. This guide is co-written by Fakeness a fellow Stone Armor/Energy Melee Tanker from the Guardian Server.

[u]STONE ARMOR[u]

Stone is a very complicated Tanker to play, a lot of players see a Stone Tanker in the 32+ game and they are in awe of our defensive capabilities. Sadly they don’t understand what we give up to have that type of power. Just so you know if you don’t already, you WILL become the mountain. That means –Speed –Fly –Jump –Recharge –Damage, don’t worry we have ways to make 90% of these “challenges” seem very minimal.

~Rock Armor~

Rating: 4/5
Toggle: .26 end cost
Available level 1
+DEF(Lethal, Smashing), Res(DeBuff DEF)

While this power is active, the Heroes skin becomes Stone. Rock Armor makes the Hero highly resistant to smashing and lethal based attacks. They are less likely to land and affect the Hero.

~My 2 cents~

This is an excellent power; it’s your low level bob and weave power. I would slot EndRedux then Defense Buffs. Pre-HO 1 EndRedux/3 DefBuff, after HO’s 1 Cytoskeleton/2 DefBuff.

~Stone Skin~

Rating: 5/5
Auto
Available level 1
+Res(Lethal, smashing)

The Heroes tough skin is naturally resistant to smashing and lethal damage. This becomes a permanent attribute of the Hero and does not need to be activated.

~My 2 cents~

Now this is a great power, its auto and I love auto powers slot them up and forget about them. Stone Skin is a very important power to have because it works in conjunction with Granite Armor’s Smash/Lethal defense, basically maxing out your S/L percentages. This is the only armor you can have on at the same time as Granite, besides Rooted. I would go 3 Damage Resist and leave it alone.

~Earths Embrace~

Rating: 5/5
Click: 10.4 end cost
Available level 2
+HP, Resist(Toxic)

The Hero is so connected to the earth that he can draw upon its power to add to his own health. Activation of this power increases the Hero’s maximum hit points.

~My 2 cents~

What can I say bad about this power……nothing. At level 50 it heals me for over 1400 hit points. On top of that it raises your base hit points for 120 seconds, and increases your resistance against Toxic damage for 120 seconds. Side note, E/E no longer roots when activating. I would go 3 Recharge/3 Heals when you get HO’s 3 Recharge/3 Golgi works great.

~Mud Pots~

Rating: 4/5
Toggle: 1.56 end drain
Available level 6
PBAoE, Minor DoT, Foe Immobilize, -Speed

While active, the Hero draws upon the geothermal power if the earth to create a bubbling pool of hot mud around himself. All foes in melee range will become snared and entrapped in the mud, immobilizing some and slowing the movement and attack rate of others. The boiling heat from Mud Pots also deals some damage over time to the snared foes.

~My 2 cents~

I have mixed feelings about this power. On one side it’s a really great taunt aura. On the other it causes some pretty big endurance problems. If you want to be able to run this power to help control agro I would really go three EndRedux. Even with three EndRedux slotted in mine I still have to turn MP off from time to time to let my endurance regen. Take Mud Pots after you have Stamina. Slotting 2-3 EndRedux/2 Taunt, the third endurance reduction really doesn’t make a huge difference but every little bit of endurance helps.

FAKENESS SAYS: If you slot 3 taunts in here, AV’s will stick to you LIKE GLUE! You’d be surprised at how needless the Taunt power is with 3 Taunt Durations slotted in your Taunt aura, and it saves you a power dang-it! Also, if you’re geared towards PvP, be sure to slot at LEAST 2 accuracy enhances! I suggest (if you can) 2 Nucleolus/1 Accuracy/2 EndRedux/1 Taunt as a balance for PvE. If you’re looking at a STRICT PvP build, try 3 Nucleolus (or just plain 3 acc) and 3 EndRedux if you can afford the slots. You’ve got to rely on your DoT to interrupt Stalker’s AS because not even granite can protect you from their sneaky strike!

~Rooted~

Rating: 4/5
Toggle: .10 end cost
Available level 8
+Res(Knockback, Sleep, Disorient, Hold, End Drain, DeBuff DEF), Self -SPD, +Regeneration

When the hero toggles on this power, he merges with the earth and becomes an immovable object. The Hero temporarily becomes resistant to knockback, hold and disorient although you have reduced movement speed while this power is active. Cannot jump or fly. I would go 1 EndRedux/3 Heals when you get HO’s, 3 Golgi will rock your socks.

~My 2 cents~

I love this power, but I had to give it a four. This is where you really start to feel the pain of the Stone Tanker. This is your mez Protection, it also increases your heal rate which is really a great addition to this power. With Rooted on and Health from the fitness pool this really starts to turn Stone Tanker into something really special. Sadly as soon as you pick this power you get smacked in the face with some pretty terrible penalties. Guess what now you get –Fly –Jump –Speed, ouch that hurts. This is where the planning needs to start if you take Rooted I suggest you take Swift and three slot it for run speed. Without Swift your mobility will be completely gone.

~Brimstone Armor~

Rating: 2/5
Toggle: .13 end cost
Available level 12
+Res(Fire, Cold)

While this power is active, the Hero’s skin becomes encrusted in cracked magma. Brimstone Armor makes the Hero highly resistant to fire and Cold damage.

~My 2 cents~

Well I really don’t know why you would take this power, resistance against Fire/Cold. That’s all well and good but with Rock Armor + Stone Skin + Rooted in all reality you will be doing very well. A lot of Stone Tankers who take this power respec out of it after they get Granite Armor because it’s just not needed anymore. If you take this power slot 1 EndRedux.

FAKENESS SAYS: The important thing to remember here is that some Fire/Cold attacks contain smash and lethal components. This means that you’re rock armor will kick in and cover the defense. For instance Ice Blast is part cold and part lethal and Fire Blast is part fire and part smash! Not taking these armors doesn’t leave you completely vulnerable to these types of attacks.

~Crystal Armor~

Rating: 2/5
Toggle: .13 end cost
Available level 18
+DEF(Energy, Negative), Res(DeBuff DEF)

While this power is active, the Hero’s skin becomes encrusted I various quartz crystals. Crystal Armor makes Energy and Negative Energy attacks less likely to hit.

~My 2 cents~

See Brimstone Armor comments.

~Minerals~

Rating: 4/5
Toggle: .13 end cost
Available level 26
+DEF(Psionic), Res(Confuse), +Perception

Activating this power encrusts the Hero with mineral deposits that can disperse thought patterns and make Psionic attacks less likely to hit.

~My 2 cents~

Now this is cool a Tanker armor that provides defense against Psionics. Talk about filling a hole, no other Tanker gets protection against Psionics and it has a very nice +Perception bonus with it. With your basic defenses Rock Armor + Stone Skin + Rooted and Minerals you are a pretty tough Tanker and seeing Stalkers really isn’t a problem.

~Granite Armor~

Rating: 5+/5+
Toggle: .13 end drain
Available level 32
+Res(All but Psionics), +DEF(All but Psionics), -SPD, -Recharge, -DMG

When the Hero activates this power, he is transformed into a massive bulk of unyielding rock and stone. The Hero’s incredible mass makes him almost completely invulnerable. However, the Hero also becomes quite heavy, cannot fly, is slowed and you do less damage. [u]Cannot be active at the same time as other Armors in this set.[u]

~My 2 cents~

Granite Armor will live up to all your expectations. The first time you turn on Granite Armor is very exciting you will want to run around and let all sorts of bad guys attack you. Let’s be realistic though, it’s not easy being the mountain. There will be times when other Tankers will be running circles around you, all of them with there nicely stacked Armors. That’s neither here nor there, there will be times when they falter and you will be left standing defending the team. That’s what a Stone Tanker dreams of and you will see it time and time again. Now slotting is purely up to you, I've talked to Stone Tankers who kept the default slot 1 DamResist, others like myself, go for the gusto and six slot it to get all the maximum defense and resist. So 3 DamResist/3 DefBuff and with HO’s 2 Ribosome/2 Cytoskeleton/1 DamResist/1 DefBuff.

Jets L50 eLx3 Blaster (1300 Badges) @Jets or @Jets Too
L50 Stalker, 4-Tankers, 3-Scrappers, 2-Dominators, 2-Arachnos, 3-Brutes, Blaster, 4-Controllers, Defender

 

Posted

[u]ENERGY MELEE[u]

Energy Melee, known by many as “The Pink Pom Poms of DOOM” is a very powerful and fun secondary to play. Energy Melee has two of the highest damaging single target attacks in the game, Energy Transfer and Total Focus. Because of Energy Melees higher damage overcoming the –Damage from Granite Armor becomes part of the build. On the off chance you want to run some solo missions you will totally cruse through them no problems at all on Invincible with Rock Armor, Rooted and Minerals on.

FAKENESS SAYS: If you want to maximize and overcome the –recharge and -damage, try to go 2/3 Nucleolus HO’s and 3 Recharge to ALL attacks.

~Barrage~

Rating: 2/5
End Cost: 3.54
Available level 1
Minor DMG(Smash/Energy), Foe Disorient

You perform a quick “one-two” punch that deals minor damage. Coupled with other Energy Punches, however, Barrage can disorient a foe.

~My 2 cents~

The default attack, damage is minimal honestly I wouldn’t skip this power even if it was an option. All Energy has a percentage of a chance to disorient your foe great thing is all Energy attacks stun effect stack, yep increasing that chance to disorient. Barrage has a 10% chance for a mag 2 stun. I would slot 1 Acc/3 Dam and when you get the HO’s 3 Nucleolus Exp/1 Recharge.

~Energy Punch~

Rating: 3/5
End Cost: 5.20
Available level 2
Moderate DMG(Smash/Energy), Foe Disorient

You perform a powerful Energy Punch that deals moderate damage. Energy Punch has the capability, when used with other Energy melee attacks, of disorienting you opponent.

~My 2 cents~

Getting better, this is a very good attack. Once again disorient stacking applies here. Energy Punch has a 30% chance for a mag 2 stun. Slot this with 1 Acc/3 Dam/1 Recharge and when you get HO’s 3 Nucleolus/1 Recharge/1 Disorient Duration.

~Bone Smasher~

Rating: 5/5
End Cost: 8.53
Available level 4
High DMG(Smash/Energy), Disorient

Performing a Bone Smasher attack can be slow, but it compensates for this by dealing a greater amount of damage and having a better chance to disorient then Energy Punch.

~My 2 cents~

Now that’s what I'm talking about “KA POW” this attack is sweet looking and sounding. Sometimes I can’t believe this is available at level 4. Any who one of the reasons I took 3 attacks by level 4 was so I could get this attack for the extra oomph. Bone Smasher has a 60% chance for a mag 3 stun. Again 1 Acc/3 Damage and HO slotting 3 Nucleolus/2 Recharge/1 Disorient Duration.

~Taunt~

Rating: 5/5
End Cost: 0
Available level 10
Ranged (Targeted AoE), Foe Taunt

Taunt a foe to get him to attack you. Useful to pull a villain off an ally who finds themselves in over their heads. This is an AoE power and will affect a group of foes. (Auto-Hit in PvE)

~My 2 cents~

Its Taunt…you’re a Tanker, a Stone Tanker. Get it use it as much as possible. With 2 Recharge/2 Taunt Duration you can Perma-Taunt AV’s. Stone Tankers were made to Taunt Hamidon and with this slotting you will have perfect overlap to hold Hamidon’s aggro.

~Whirling Hands~

Rating: 4/5
End Cost: 13.0
Available level 16
PBAoE Melee, Moderate DMG(Smash/Energy)

By focusing your energy into the muscles in your arms, you can launch a dizzying flurry of attacks against every foe you are in melee with. Some foes may be hit hard enough to be disoriented as well.

~My 2 cents~

Pretty decent power Whirling Hands has a 30% chance for a mag 2 stun. Would be great if this power did a little more damage since it’s our only AoE attack not including Mud Pots. Oh Whirling Hands looks pretty sweet in Granite Armor. Slot 1 Acc/3 Damage/1 EndRedux and HO’s 3 Nucleolus/1 EndRedux/1 Recharge.

~Stun~

Rating: 1/5
End Cost: 10.19
Available level 20
Disorient

Using ionized particles focused on your fists, you can turn them into personal tasers. This Stun attack deals minor damage, but has the best chance to disorient the target.

~My 2 cents~

I had this power for a while and I wasn’t very impressed. It didn’t seem to mesh well with the other powers in the Energy Melee. Yes it’s supposed to be pure stun minor damage but all your attacks have a chance to stun. Sadly it's only a mag 3 stun….blah. Slotting suggestion if you decide to take it go 2 Acc/3 Disorient Duration.

FAKENESS SAYS: PvPers love this power. It can really be used to your advantage for the squishy types to keep them in place while you wail on them with the greatest single target attacks paragon city has ever seen!

~Build Up~

Rating: 5/5
End Cost: 5.2
Available level 28
Self +DMG, +ACC

Greatly increases the amount of damage you deal for 10 seconds, as well as slightly increasing your accuracy.

~My 2 cents~

I love Build Up, what’s not to like. 80% buff to damage and a 20% buff to accuracy and it lasts for 10 seconds. Build Up is very simple, slot with 3 Recharges, easy enough.

~Energy Transfer~

Rating: 5/5
End Cost: 10.19
Available level 35
Extreme DMG(Energy/Smash), Foe Disorient, Self –HP

Mastery of Energy Melee begins with the ability to transfer your own vitality (in the form of Hit Points) into a punch that deals superior damage.

~My 2 cents~

Here it is finally “SSHHHHH POW” Energy Transfer. You are the top dog now, this is your bread and butter attack and you will wait patiently for it to recharge. Energy Transfer is a monster, use it to punch holes in AV’s chests, crumble bones, knock Minions and Lieutenants into the Stone Age. For this go 1-2 Acc/3 Damage/1-2 Recharge. HO slotting 3 Nucleolus/1 EndRedux/2 Recharge.

~Total Focus~

Rating: 5/5
End Cost: 18.51
Available level 38
Extreme DMG(Energy/Smash), Foe Disorient

Total Focus is complete mastery over Energy Melee. This is a very slow, but incredibly devastating attack that can knock out most opponents. Due to the exhausting nature of the Focus, you will leave yourself Disoriented for a short time after performing this attack.

~My 2 cents~

The perfect counterpart to Energy Transfer probably the most satisfying one-two combo in the game. Total Focus isn’t as powerful as Energy Transfer but Total Focus has some fun side effects like a mag 4 stun and a hefty taunt component. It's a jump in the air smash your opponents head type of attack…..its fun watching a Stone Tanker jump. Go with 1-2 Acc/3 Damage/1-2 EndRedux/1-2 Recharge. When you get HO’s 3 Nucleolus/1-2 EndRedux/1-2 Recharge.

Jets L50 eLx3 Blaster (1300 Badges) @Jets or @Jets Too
L50 Stalker, 4-Tankers, 3-Scrappers, 2-Dominators, 2-Arachnos, 3-Brutes, Blaster, 4-Controllers, Defender

 

Posted

[u]POWER POOLS AND EPICS[u]

I just wanted to cover a few additional powers I feel are pretty important to this build. Not saying these are must have powers but they will make your life as a Stone Tanker a bit easier. I chose Speed for my first travel power for the reasons listed below. It's purely your preference just be aware you won’t be using it when you have Granite on.

[u]~Speed~[u]

Ok a lot of Stone Tankers are up in the air about the speed power pool. I took it for Hasten to help me overcome the –Recharge in Granite. Here’s the problem Granite Armor gives you a -65% recharge Hasten gives you a +70% recharge. Is the +5% recharge enough for you. I also like Super Speed as a travel power. It's fun running down the street 100 miles per hour.

[u]Hasten:[u] You can reduce the recharge time of all your powers for 2 minutes. Although Hasten does not cost any endurance to activate, you can tire easily since your endurance does not recover more rapidly. After Hasten wears off, you become tired and will lose some endurance.

[u]Super Speed:[u] You can run at super human speeds! While running at such speeds, you are a blur, and many foes will not even notice you as you speed past them. If you attack a target while this power is on, you will temporarily be slowed to normal speed. You must be at least level 14 and have Flurry or Hasten before selecting Super Speed. End cost: .4

~My 2 cents~

Slot Hasten with 3 Recharge pretty simple. I use Hasten to give me a boost fighting EB’s and AV’s. Keeping Hasten on auto is just not feasible after the 2 minutes of Hasten boost is over Hasten is hit with the -65% recharge if you are in Granite. For Super Speed slot 1 Run Speed and if you can slot a Microfilament HO……..Micro’s are pretty hard to come by just FYI. Fly is also another good travel power, Air Superiority is an excellent pre-requisite power nice damage and the –Fly DeBuff is pretty sweet. Remember this first travel power is just to get you from point A to point B.

FAKENESS SAYS: Hasten, if you’ve got extra slots, 6 slot this mother! You need all the recharge help you can get, even if it is a 5% bonus for the 6th slot……GRANITE DEMANDS IT!

[u]~Fitness~[u]

Fitness is almost a pre-requisite for every AT in this game. For Stone Tankers this Power Pool is pure gold. Swift it seems was designed for a Stone Tanker, Health will help you stomp the bad guys and Stamina will help you in those long drawn out fights you will get in.

[u]Swift:[u] You can naturally travel slightly faster than normal. This is a permanent attribute and does not need to be activated.

[u]Health:[u] You heal slightly faster than a normal person. Your improved Health also grants you resistance to sleep. This ability is always on and does not cost any endurance. You must be at least level 14 and have Swift or Hurdle before selecting Health.

[u]Stamina:[u] You recover Endurance slightly more quickly than normal. This ability is always on and does not cost any Endurance. You must be level 20 and have two other fitness powers before selecting Stamina.

~My 2 cents~

What a great set, 3 slot Swift with run speeds, 3 slot Health with heals, 3 slot Stamina with EndMods. Like I said before I'm a big fan of going for the gusto. All these powers are auto powers with benefits can’t get any better than that.

[u]~Teleportation~[u]

Here it is a big key to your success as a Stone Tanker. Mobility isn’t really our forte’ but there will be times when you will have to move your big rock bottom in a hurry. With Granite and rooted on that just isn’t going to happen. That’s where Teleport comes in to play. This power will turn you into a real threat. Movement across the battlefield just became easier; assisting your teammates is a piece of cake thanks to Teleport. You can go from the frontlines to the rear of the battle in a split second. Recall Friend or Teleport Foe, either is fine to get to Teleport. I have found that Recall Friend is more useful it's what I'm using in my current build.

[u]Recall Friend:[u] You can teleport one of your teammates to yourself. The target must be a teammate and can be selected from the Team Window. You can also rescue a fallen teammate who may be in a hostile location, as long as he or she is on the same map. Range is not infinite, but it is extremely long and can be enhanced. This power can be interrupted. Teammates have the option of refusing to have this power take effect on them.
End cost: 15

FAKENESS SAYS: Don’t forget you may want to swap out Recall Friend for Teleport Foe if your PvP oriented.

[u]Teleport:[u] You can teleport long distances. Teleport has no recharge time and can be reactivated without pause as long as you have endurance. You must be at least level 14 and have Recall Friend or Teleport Foe before selecting Teleport.
End cost: 13

~My 2 cents~

If you get Teleport Foe slot it with 1 Accuracy, Recall Friend 1 Recharge. No reason to over slot either of these powers. Now for Teleport 2-3 EndRedux, Teleport is actually a great travel power once you get the hang of it. I use this bind, /bind e “powexec_name Teleport” this basically eliminates the need to click the power in your power tray. Hit the e button on your keyboard and all you do is put the mouse where you want to go and click.

[u]~Epic: Energy Mastery~[u]

Energy Mastery is the only Epic I've ever had on my Tanker I took it for Conserve Power. Conserve Power is a excellent power works really good with Hasten. I'm sure you can imagine sometimes you can get pretty tired swinging 2 huge hunks of granite around.

[u]Conserve Power:[u] You focus for a moment to conserve endurance. After activation, you expend less endurance for all other powers for the duration.
End cost: 9.75

[u]Laser Beam Eyes:[u] You can emit Laser Beams from your eyes, dealing moderate Energy damage. This attack can reduce the target’s defense. You must have Conserve Power or Focused Accuracy before selecting this power.
End cost: 6.5

~My 2 cents~

Conserve Power and Laser Beam Eyes are the only 2 powers I took in this set. I tried the other 2 but they just wouldn’t fit into my play style. Focused Accuracy is a pretty endurance heavy toggle to run and it really doesn’t help much. Only a 20% boost to accuracy where as one accuracy SO will give you a 33% boost. The endurance cost to me isn’t worth the accuracy benefit. There is a +Perception secondary effect and that makes the power almost worth taking. Energy Torrent is another good power it's just not great and it's kind of a pain getting more than a couple bad guys in the cone radius. Conserve Power 3 Recharges, Laser Beam Eyes 1 Acc/2-3 Defense DeBuff after HO’s 3 Lysosome.

FAKENESS SAYS: For the Tanker who wants more AoE damage. I suggest the Fire pool. Fireball is the perfect counterpart for Whirling Hands and will put your total AoE output at a respectable level.

Jets L50 eLx3 Blaster (1300 Badges) @Jets or @Jets Too
L50 Stalker, 4-Tankers, 3-Scrappers, 2-Dominators, 2-Arachnos, 3-Brutes, Blaster, 4-Controllers, Defender

 

Posted

[u]~FAKE’s addendum for PvP[u]

Stone Armor/Energy Melee…..well what can you really say about Stone Armor/ anything for PvP…..in a world full of hit and run, the immovable Granite Mountain is not the best. The overall theme for Tankers in PvP: YOU CAN’T RUN AND CHASE! You have to make the villains come to you, whether by trickery, persuasion, taunting or force!

[u]Bloody bay:[u]

If you want to PvP in Bloody Bay, Stone Armor/Energy Melee is 100% not the answer! No way no how! SEVERE lack of damage output will hinder you more than anything at this low level, not to mention needing all the armors to be 100% sure you’re covered defense wise. Further, at least on Guardian, BB is full of hit and run Stalkers so with needing Rooted to be mez-free, good luck at chasing and getting a hit in. Plus, no Minerals available means no seeing Stalkers unless you have Assault, Maneuvers and Tactics or a perma-CM’ing emp. If you plan to stay alive in this zone, you better slot Mud Pots with lots of accuracy and hope the Stalkers aren’t flyers!

[u]Siren’s Call:[u]

See BB. Not many changes in this zone except you can have Minerals. However, you still suffer an extreme lack of damage output and with the increased defensive capabilities of Stalkers and Brutes, this lack of damage output become an even greater problem.

[u]Warburg:[u]

Here is where it gets interesting. You’ve got all you’re toys to play with here, all the most important ones that is. This is when things can start turning to you’re favor. With Granite/Rooted and your Taunt Aura going, you’re great for team PvP since baddies can only attack you. But on you’re own, try to stick to soloing or fights where your opponent isn’t going to run. With Granite/Rooted going, now you’re even more ‘rooted’ and less mobile b/c of Granite’s –speed stacking with Rooted’s –speed. However, if you’re not going up against many Villains, don’t be afraid to be drop Rooted. Granite’s built in mez protection is quite strong; strong enough to withstand 2 stacked Soul Storms. Teleport Foe is good, be careful what you use next, because those who you can kill easily will not make it easy for you. Dominators, Masterminds and Corrupters are always jumping around and as soon as they’re ported, their jumping continues. Here is a good way to get a hit in: target someone if you can and go somewhere where you can teleport them into a ‘trap’ somewhere where they can’t easily get away. On top of this, try hitting Build Up then Teleport Foe (since it DOES need an accuracy check) and have Energy Transfer set to auto. As soon as you teleport them, Energy Transfer will hit and if you’re lucky, stun them and leave them open to pwnage. (The nice thing about Energy Melee is there is no power pool to protect against disorient in a preventative manner unless someone is constantly hitting aid self. Its much harder to get away with holds b/c everyone using Acrobatics) if you can get them stunned, try leaving Rooted up, then dropping Granite to continue you’re attack chain, if no one is close by, you’re in the clear since you’re stun effects will stack before they can get free to attack back so you wouldn’t really need Granite. Problem is, serious PvPers carry lots of break frees…but we all know anyone who can truly pwn, doesn’t use temp powers or inspirations, they don’t need them to own .

[u]Recluse’s Victory:[u]

This zone is much like Warburg in that you’ve got your bread and butter powers now. The nice addition to this is the use of epics, taking Arctic Mastery is GREAT at slowing down runners and those trying to flee from your Pom Poms of doom. Stacking any amount of ice powers that have 1 or 2 slows in them can be very effective at slowing targets down. Energy Mastery is also good in PvP for Focused Accuracy and its +perception. Another thing I’ve found works well if you’re up against those without KB protection is Energy Torrent. The KB on it can actually buy you the time you need to knock a runner down and move in for the heavy hitting.

[u]Also to consider for PvP in general:[u]

One of the main nuisances of PvP are Stalkers. YOU NEED Mud Pots to combat them. Slot it up with 6 slots if you plan to PvP. Put at LEAST 2 accuracy SO’s in it if you can, and if you can spare a 3rd. You need pots to hit every time to interrupt their AS! Also, if you think you can spare 2 powers, pick up Provoke/Intimidate! Fear is VERY effective in PvP! VERY VERY VERY! Though it doesn’t drop toggles, it stops a foe dead in their path and buys you very valuable time either to attack or to….well attack….only pansies run, no matter what the conditions.

[u]Final Thoughts:[u]

DO NOT PvP in Bloody Bay or Siren’s if you are a stone/em! There are much, MUCH more effective builds for PvPing at this level range. However, much like in PvP in Warburg or RV the Granite Mountain is very effective and take can take a whole lot of punishment before going down and Energy Melee is by far one of the best PvP sets do to its awesome single target damage potential. However, the immovable mass is very inviting of ganking, so prepare to get it from all sides and from many baddies! See: Exhibit A.

Jets L50 eLx3 Blaster (1300 Badges) @Jets or @Jets Too
L50 Stalker, 4-Tankers, 3-Scrappers, 2-Dominators, 2-Arachnos, 3-Brutes, Blaster, 4-Controllers, Defender

 

Posted

[u] THE BUILDS [u]

---------------------------------------------
Name: Pre-HO's
Primary: Stone Armor
Secondary: Energy Melee
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Stone Skin==> DmgRes(1)DmgRes(11)DmgRes(15)
01) --> Barrage==> Acc(1)Dmg(15)Dmg(25)Dmg(46)
02) --> Energy Punch==> Acc(2)Dmg(3)Dmg(3)Dmg(45)
04) --> Bone Smasher==> Acc(4)Dmg(5)Dmg(5)Dmg(25)
06) --> Swift==> Run(6)Run(7)Run(7)
08) --> Rooted==> EndRdx(8)Heal(9)Heal(9)Heal(11)
10) --> Rock Armor==> EndRdx(10)DefBuf(27)DefBuf(27)DefBuf(29)
12) --> Hasten==> Rechg(12)Rechg(13)Rechg(13)
14) --> Super Speed==> Run(14)
16) --> Earth's Embrace==> Rechg(16)Rechg(17)Rechg(17)Heal(43)Heal(43)Heal(43)
18) --> Health==> Heal(18)Heal(19)Heal(19)
20) --> Stamina==> EndMod(20)EndMod(21)EndMod(21)
22) --> Mud Pots==> EndRdx(22)EndRdx(23)EndRdx(23)Taunt(46)Taunt(46)
24) --> Taunt==> Rechg(24)Rechg(37)Taunt(40)Taunt(42)
26) --> Minerals==> EndRdx(26)DefBuf(29)DefBuf(31)DefBuf(34)
28) --> Recall Friend==> Rechg(28)
30) --> Teleport==> EndRdx(30)EndRdx(31)EndRdx(31)
32) --> Granite Armor==> DmgRes(32)DmgRes(33)DmgRes(33)DefBuf(33)DefBuf(34)DefBuf(34)
35) --> Energy Transfer==> Acc(35)Dmg(36)Dmg(36)Dmg(36)EndRdx(37)Rechg(37)
38) --> Total Focus==> Acc(38)Dmg(39)Dmg(39)Dmg(39)EndRdx(40)EndRdx(40)
41) --> Build Up==> Rechg(41)Rechg(42)Rechg(42)
44) --> Conserve Power==> Rechg(44)Rechg(45)Rechg(45)
47) --> Whirling Hands==> Acc(47)Dmg(48)Dmg(48)Dmg(48)EndRdx(50)
49) --> Laser Beam Eyes==> Acc(49)DefDeBuf(50)DefDeBuf(50)
[b]---------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------
Name: After-HO's
Primary: Stone Armor
Secondary: Energy Melee
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Stone Skin==> DmgRes(1)DmgRes(11)DmgRes(11)
01) --> Barrage==> NucleExp(1)NucleExp(15)NucleExp(15)Rechg(45)
02) --> Energy Punch==> NucleExp(2)NucleExp(3)NucleExp(3)Rechg(43)DisDur(46)
04) --> Bone Smasher==> NucleExp(4)NucleExp(5)NucleExp(5)Rechg(43)Rechg(46)DisDur(46)
06) --> Swift==> Run(6)Run(7)Run(7)
08) --> Rooted==> GolgiExp(8)GolgiExp(9)GolgiExp(9)
10) --> Rock Armor==> CytosExp(10)DefBuf(27)DefBuf(27)
12) --> Hasten==> Rechg(12)Rechg(13)Rechg(13)
14) --> Super Speed==> MicroExp(14)
16) --> Earth's Embrace==> Rechg(16)Rechg(17)Rechg(17)GolgiExp(25)GolgiExp(25)GolgiExp(34)
18) --> Health==> Heal(18)Heal(19)Heal(19)
20) --> Stamina==> EndMod(20)EndMod(21)EndMod(21)
22) --> Mud Pots==> EndRdx(22)EndRdx(23)EndRdx(23)Taunt(37)Taunt(40)
24) --> Taunt==> Rechg(24)Rechg(31)Taunt(42)Taunt(43)
26) --> Minerals==> CytosExp(26)DefBuf(29)DefBuf(29)
28) --> Recall Friend==> Rechg(28)
30) --> Teleport==> EndRdx(30)EndRdx(31)EndRdx(31)
32) --> Granite Armor==> RibosExp(32)RibosExp(33)DmgRes(33)CytosExp(33)CytosExp(34)DefBuf(34)
35) --> Energy Transfer==> NucleExp(35)NucleExp(36)NucleExp(36)EndRdx(36)Rechg(37)Rechg(37)
38) --> Total Focus==> NucleExp(38)NucleExp(39)NucleExp(39)EndRdx(39)EndRdx(40)Rechg(40)
41) --> Build Up==> Rechg(41)Rechg(42)Rechg(42)
44) --> Conserve Power==> Rechg(44)Rechg(45)Rechg(45)
47) --> Whirling Hands==> NucleExp(47)NucleExp(48)NucleExp(48)EndRdx(48)Rechg(50)
49) --> Laser Beam Eyes==> LysosExp(49)LysosExp(50)LysosExp(50)
---------------------------------------------

I hope this guide helps all of you future Stone Armor/Energy Melee Tankers.

Thanks to www.nofuture.org.uk and, Hero Builder @ http://sherksilver.coldfront.net/index.php for all the great information.

Look HERE for a guide to Hamidon Origin Enhancements.

Special thanks to Fakeness for helping me put this guide together. His knowledge of PvP and the Stone Armor/Energy Melee Tanker really helped pull this guide together.

Jets L50 eLx3 Blaster (1300 Badges) @Jets or @Jets Too
L50 Stalker, 4-Tankers, 3-Scrappers, 2-Dominators, 2-Arachnos, 3-Brutes, Blaster, 4-Controllers, Defender

 

Posted

way to go dude! gratz on the completion and the nice clean look!

 

Posted

Very good guide and definitely one I'd recommend to stranglers of both sets.

 

Posted

One thing I noticed in this guide is on Mud Pots. You mention slotting it for only EndRed and taunt. Now, most stone tanks I've seen on these boards and in the game who take this power usually mention that they recommend picking it up after stamina, since it is a huge end drain.

Also, while part of Mud Pots is autohit, the damage part isn't. Slotting for Acc in that can help. Most of the time I see people slot 2 Acc, 2 Dam, and 2 EndRed in these damage auras. I'm curious to know why you recommend slotting the way you do, since it seems very non-standard to me.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus

 

Posted

I slot Mod Pots as a Taunt Aura, seems pretty straight forward, 2-3 EndRedux/2 Taunts. Since im not using it as a Damage Aura I dont need the to-hit checks. Good catch on the Stamina and Mud Pots, if you looked at the suggested builds I posted Mud Pots is the level 22 power taken right after Stamina. I am going to drop a note on that in the guide, thanks Aett .

Jets L50 eLx3 Blaster (1300 Badges) @Jets or @Jets Too
L50 Stalker, 4-Tankers, 3-Scrappers, 2-Dominators, 2-Arachnos, 3-Brutes, Blaster, 4-Controllers, Defender

 

Posted

Would it be possible if we could see a couple example pvp builds? I like the one with the idea of Provoke/Intimidate in mind, or the one with Focused Accuracy. Thanks in advance

 

Posted

outstanding post. my fave toon is my stone/energy tanker. my question is how do you find time to use all those attks? i tried slotting 6attks (jus wanted to see jumpkick in granite hehe) but i didnt hav time to use all my attks so i went back down to the big 4, bonesmasher, whirling, ET and TF and yea having conserv pwer as my only epic. NOW i wanna change to pyre epic for fireball for a lil better aggro hold..so back to possibly 6attks. with my invention enh i can actually pop BS, ET 2x and TF once b4 buildup expires while in rock armor/rooted. thas crazy dmg! in granite with one sb i can get that same chain off in granite, while hasten is on in both circumstances.

 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]
Conserve Power and Laser Beam Eyes are the only 2 powers I took in this set. I tried the other 2 but they just wouldn’t fit into my play style. Focused Accuracy is a pretty endurance heavy toggle to run and it really doesn’t help much. Only a 20% boost to accuracy where as one accuracy SO will give you a 33% boost. The endurance cost to me isn’t worth the accuracy benefit. There is a +Perception secondary effect and that makes the power almost worth taking. Energy Torrent is another good power it's just not great and it's kind of a pain getting more than a couple bad guys in the cone radius. Conserve Power 3 Recharges, Laser Beam Eyes 1 Acc/2-3 Defense DeBuff after HO’s 3 Lysosome.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just a little side note. IIRC the base TO HIT VALUE! of focused accuracy is 25%. 3 slotted takes it to just about 40% TO HIT BONUS. Note this is TO HIT BONUS. It doesn't work in the same way as accuracy does anymore. With the way that accuracy/defense/buffs calculate now, to hit buffs are actually more powerful than your standard accuracy enhancement value. Think of it as a multiplicative value, instead of just a standard addition. Although in reality, it kinda works the other way around lol, with the enhancments multiplying off your base accuracy, and the to hit being a separate addition to your chance of hitting a foe.

Either way, take it out like this, 3 to hit buffed FA >>>>>>>>> 1 accuracy SO.

For an example, on my claw/regen scrap (no follow up), pre-FA, i would start to hit inconsistently around +3-+4 level enemies. Once i got FA slotted, I dropped an accuracy SO so i now only have one and FA, and i was hitting +5-+6s, +4s aren't even a problem.

Plasmic's Guide to Sonic/Mental

Plasmic's Guide to Regeneration

Plasmic Fire - 50 Fire/Rad Victory Server

 

Posted

I see a flaw in your build that has been discussed in these forums since forever

It seems that the most natural reaction for all players is to slot end in the shields to save endurance but if you look at the math you will notice that the slotting attacks with a end instead of shields saves you a load of more endurance.

My suggestion is that you move your end slots from the shields to your attacks.

 

Posted

Not sure how slotting endredux in toggle armors could be considered a flaw. IMO its a preventative measure and if you look at the builds again the 3 heaviest endurance draining attacks are slotted with endredux.

Windenergy21, you might want to check you math on your FA numbers. Dont forget tohit enhancements are Schedule B so its only a 20% buff on them not 33% like Schedule A. So your looking at 30-31% tohit buff, so not quite one SO benefit but pretty close . FA also ticks twice per second, .59x2=1.18tps is a pretty heavy toggle to run for Stone/EM.

Jets L50 eLx3 Blaster (1300 Badges) @Jets or @Jets Too
L50 Stalker, 4-Tankers, 3-Scrappers, 2-Dominators, 2-Arachnos, 3-Brutes, Blaster, 4-Controllers, Defender

 

Posted

Any plans for IO's with the Stone/EM tanker?

Paragon Studios, thanks for all you've done. You've made this a great game, and a great community. I see this as six years well-spent. NCSoft, I'm seriously disappointed in you. This is not how you get or keep customers.

 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]
Any plans for IO's with the Stone/EM tanker?

[/ QUOTE ]

If I ever get motivated enough, I might write/post an IO Stone/EM guide.

 

Posted

The new IO guide is done v2.0 the link is in my signature.

Jets L50 eLx3 Blaster (1300 Badges) @Jets or @Jets Too
L50 Stalker, 4-Tankers, 3-Scrappers, 2-Dominators, 2-Arachnos, 3-Brutes, Blaster, 4-Controllers, Defender