I started up a Ill/TA based on your recommendations. I've found one bug and wanted to see if anyone else had noticed it. If I lead off with Entangle Arrow and Immediately queue up Blind or Spectral Wounds, I do not get Containment on the Blind or SW attack. I have to wait about a second for the web part of the animation to start in order to get containment. Have others noticed this? Do you think I should /bug it?
Thanks!
[ QUOTE ]
I started up a Ill/TA based on your recommendations. I've found one bug and wanted to see if anyone else had noticed it. If I lead off with Entangle Arrow and Immediately queue up Blind or Spectral Wounds, I do not get Containment on the Blind or SW attack. I have to wait about a second for the web part of the animation to start in order to get containment. Have others noticed this? Do you think I should /bug it?
Thanks!
[/ QUOTE ]
Very old known issue with Entangling. The problem was significantly worse from I5 through I10. It used to land, and the target would keep running for 20-40', then stop, and then Containment would kick in. The delay is much smaller now, about a third of a second, but it's still there.
From playing my Fire/TA, I've narrowed it down to about a third of a second, so the simplest and easiest workaround is to just not queue your next power while Entangling is still animating. You shouldn't even have to wait until you see the net appear, just not having Blind or SW green-lit and ready to go as soon as Entangling finishes seems to be enough. By the time the animation for the attack/hold ends and the damage is applied, Containment should already be active. At least, that's how it's working with Char and Ring of Fire, and even though they aren't quite as snappy as Blind or SW, it should still be a viable tactic for Ill/TA.
Thanks, Dude. I love Ill/TA so far. I love the extra controls that it offers my poor control deficient illusionist. I'm only to lvl 9, but i already love having that missing single target immob that sets up containment. i'm very much looking forward to ice arrow to put that with blind for a boss remover combo. I've definitely noticed that stamina is going to be a big deal. I run out so fast even with no toggles.
My one big concern is the fact that everything is so clicky. I have a game pad that allows me to have 5 attacks ready, but all the rest I have to either keybind or click with the mouse. Has anyone else had this problem. I'm mostly worried that i'm going to be clicking the screen constantly. I'm almost happy that many of the attacks have a min+ recharge. My plan is to have Entangle, Ice, Spec Wound, Blind and Acid Arrow be my big 5 and then click or bind the rest.
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks, Dude. I love Ill/TA so far. I love the extra controls that it offers my poor control deficient illusionist. I'm only to lvl 9, but i already love having that missing single target immob that sets up containment. i'm very much looking forward to ice arrow to put that with blind for a boss remover combo. I've definitely noticed that stamina is going to be a big deal. I run out so fast even with no toggles.
My one big concern is the fact that everything is so clicky. I have a game pad that allows me to have 5 attacks ready, but all the rest I have to either keybind or click with the mouse. Has anyone else had this problem. I'm mostly worried that i'm going to be clicking the screen constantly. I'm almost happy that many of the attacks have a min+ recharge. My plan is to have Entangle, Ice, Spec Wound, Blind and Acid Arrow be my big 5 and then click or bind the rest.
[/ QUOTE ]
I can offer just a little help with the click-fest relief. Not much, but it'll make it a little less annoying.
If you aren't picking up Teleport for your travel power, you can use your mouse to do most of your location-targeted clicks (PA, Phantasm, Oil Slick, etc).
/bind shift+lbutton "powexec_name Phantom Army"
/bind shift+rbutton "powexec_name Phantasm"
/bind ctrl+lbutton "powexec_name Oil Slick Arrow"
/bind ctrl+rbutton "powexec_name Spectral Terror"
Those binds will let you click a little less often. PA will be auto-summoned wherever you're clicking, the others will have to be clicked with the left button again. You can switch any of the powers to any of the binds, so if you wanted Oil Slick on the shift+lbutton bind so you could drop a slick with a single click, for example, that would work just as well.
If you are going to use Teleport, the alt+lbutton and alt+rbutton also work, so you can bind a couple more powers to the mouse if you need to.
There's also a bind for targeting Oil Slick Target so you can ignite it (presuming you're Magic or Tech origin, or have a temp power that deals Energy or Fire damage), but I've never used the bind so I'm not certain if I remember the exact string. Something like...
/bind P target_custom_next "Oil Slick Target"
Substitute any key for P. If the string isn't correct, I'm sure someone will meander through and give the proper one shortly.
Those binds will allow you to move some of your powers out off to the right in the trays and move your other powers to the left for quicker activation using the number keys (and Ctrl or Alt + number key).
You'll still have a lot of clicky action going on, but this might make it less burdensome.
Thanks, that's a great idea. I may actually attach different powers to the buttons but i hadn't thought of that before.
I just realized after reading your post that i was dumb and made the guy a science origin. Am I going to be cursing myself that I can't light my oil slick? Just wanted to check because only being lvl 9 right now, I could start over.
If I decide not to start over are there any temp powers that will ignite it that I can get before I can pick up fire or energy at 41?
[ QUOTE ]
I just realized after reading your post that i was dumb and made the guy a science origin. Am I going to be cursing myself that I can't light my oil slick? Just wanted to check because only being lvl 9 right now, I could start over.
If I decide not to start over are there any temp powers that will ignite it that I can get before I can pick up fire or energy at 41?
[/ QUOTE ]
I think you'll really want to ignite it. I think there's a few temporary powers that will work, but it could be tough to rely on them - that's a lot of uses.
It is critical that you pay attention at this time.
Gaming in Limited Times
Guide to Plant/Ice Doms
Drat. I'll have to try again with a new guy and see if I can get the holiday jetpack before the holiday event ends.....
Wow. What can one say? I have read you're original TA/A guide many times and pointed people there many more times.
That was an excellent guide but this absolutely blows it out of the water. Well done Luminara! 
Same great stuff as the original with even more info. Especially in regards to notes and thoughts on all the powers and the slotting. I really like seeing this in any guide and I'm glad you expounded on that part.
This is one of the most comprehensive guides I've ever read, along with Gamemasters DM/DA Bible. And it is also one of the best. Thanks for taking the time to do this. I have played my own TA/A up to 38 or 39, absolutely love the set and would have to say anyone that makes one and doesn't read this guide first is silly. 
Thanks again
-Doc
Actual Location: Inside the system itself.
"When the most exciting thing about Mace is AceMace's avatar, then it's time to get realistic."
Shield Guide
The only thing anyone in this game is "supposed to be doing" is having fun. Everything else is negotiable. -Jet Boy
Awesome guide.
From my personal experiences with Trick Arrow, I'd say the main trouble with the set is it tries to be both a Control set and a Debuff set and, as a result, doesn't really satisfy Controllers or Defenders because too many of the effects are dedicated to things they're bad it. It's reasonably good for Masterminds who want a hands-off support set, though, since the henchies tend to do the heavy lifting anyway - it's perhaps the only set that can outrun those spastic ninjas.
Very well done guide, and fun to read to. been helping me quite a bit as I raise my Ill/Ta up.
On the topic of TA and IOs, I have been very happy with the Achilles Heel: Chance for Res Debuff I put in Acid Arrow. When it fires off, stacked with disruption, thats a solid 50% res debuff. Considering the unbuffable status of my Phantom Army (and my veteran attacks!) thats pretty huge. Cant wait to see that proc fire off over a lit oil slick! *happy sigh*
[ QUOTE ]
Very well done guide, and fun to read to. been helping me quite a bit as I raise my Ill/Ta up.
[/ QUOTE ]
For all of you who are finding my guide useful, it'd tickle me several shades of orange, blue and mauve if you'd scroll down to the bottom of the page and 5-star it. I like stars.
[ QUOTE ]
On the topic of TA and IOs, I have been very happy with the Achilles Heel: Chance for Res Debuff I put in Acid Arrow. When it fires off, stacked with disruption, thats a solid 50% res debuff. Considering the unbuffable status of my Phantom Army (and my veteran attacks!) thats pretty huge.
[/ QUOTE ]
I'm just itching to respec Dancing Hawk into at least a partial IO set build, including one of those -Res procs in Acid. I've been playing with one over on Liberty, in my Energy/Rad blaster's Radiation Infection, and I really like it. I want to try out the Call of the Sandman [u]Chance to Heal Self[u] proc I bought, too! 
[ QUOTE ]
Cant wait to see that proc fire off over a lit oil slick! *happy sigh*
[/ QUOTE ]
You can put a -Res proc in OSA. Against +0s, it won't be doing much good, they're going to be barbecued anyway, but +1s and above, you'll get some benefit out of it. And it'd definitely be useful when fighting EB/AVs/GMs.
I've been doing some experimenting with procs and OSA, though, and so far they aren't impressing me. The power is on such a long recharge, I think I'm just going to be happier with procs in powers with shorter recharge times where I can see them working more often. I might be expecting too much out of procs, though, I'm not sure yet. Need to test them some more.
[ QUOTE ]
Back Alley Bunny Leveling Up
Back Alley Bunny with his idol
Not sure if I will keep him yet, but it was a fun attempt in the costume designer
[/ QUOTE ]
Haahahahaha- he sooooo cuuuute!!
"I'm not scared of anyone or anything Angie. Isn't that the way life should be?"
Jack Hawksmoor, The Authority.
[ QUOTE ]
The Oil Slick Target also occasionally attracts critter attention. Although unreliable (it has a -100 Threat), it can be useful and helpful when it happens. Monitor the behavior of your spawns, and when you see one or more critters turn around and try to shoot or stab the Oil Slick Target, go ahead and have a little giggle at the free damage mitigation you just got. In the rare situation where the critter actually ignites Oil Slick, you're authorized to laugh until you poo yourself. A little. Don't go overboard with it, we don't need poo-covered TA players giving the clean ones a bad name.
[/ QUOTE ]
I've noticed on my TA/A, that in RWZ, if you fire OSA under a Rikti Drone, they instantly light it for you about 90% of the time! The Rikti must have a few software/AI bugs to work out for their drones. 
Thanks for the series of great TA and Archery guides, and for championing the set in the forum debates. I rolled a TA/A after reading your "Sharp, Pointy Sticks and You" guide and found a new main blueside (when I'm not doing superteams/teaming projects).
Heck, I even organized a mostly TA/ teaming project. All the stacked debuffs made cutting through mobs easy for a team of "puny archers" who had no AoEs but Fistful until OSA arrived. The only real problem was AV fights when we really missed the -regen (before EMP arrows, ie- Faultline arc). We ran with large success until I9 hit and everyone abandoned ship to IO out their mains.
Thanks again!
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Cant wait to see that proc fire off over a lit oil slick! *happy sigh*
[/ QUOTE ]
You can put a -Res proc in OSA. Against +0s, it won't be doing much good, they're going to be barbecued anyway, but +1s and above, you'll get some benefit out of it. And it'd definitely be useful when fighting EB/AVs/GMs.
I've been doing some experimenting with procs and OSA, though, and so far they aren't impressing me. The power is on such a long recharge, I think I'm just going to be happier with procs in powers with shorter recharge times where I can see them working more often. I might be expecting too much out of procs, though, I'm not sure yet. Need to test them some more.
[/ QUOTE ]
I had not as of yet considered putting one in Oil Slick itself as I'm not actually high enough to use it... but I like that thought. And I do agree about tossing procs in faster rotating powers for more chances(Jab, frozen fist, and barrage I'm looking at you), but sometimes theres that combo I just want to try.
Luminara --
This is an outstanding guide, one of the best on the Boards. It gives lots of information to people new to the powersets, and you identify your personal opinions compared to the "common wisdom." Well done and 5 stars. I can't imagine why anyone would give less.
And, your old guide helped me choose to do an Ill/TA, who is now up to 33. I loved my Ill/Rad, but wanted to try out the TA set, and I thought it would work very well with Illusion. It does, and if it weren't for altitis, Beau Jester would probably already be up to 50.
LOCAL MAN! The most famous hero of all. There are more newspaper stories about me than anyone else. "Local Man wins Medal of Honor." "Local Man opens Animal Shelter." "Local Man Charged with..." (Um, forget about that one.)
Guide Links: Earth/Rad Guide, Illusion/Rad Guide, Electric Control
Many thanks for this guide.
My first TA toon a long time ago was a TA/Elec. The plan was to make da ultimate sapper with Short Circuit + EMP Arrow yelling NO BLUE FOR YOU! And the 3 Holds (Tesla Cage, Ice Arrow + EMP) would make me Controllerish enough. My problem was /Elec's low damage.
I rerolled him into a TA/Sonic. Acid + 3 Sonic Blasts let me drop minions, and I can stack Ice Arrows pretty easily. I just hit level 26 and got OSA, w00t! Howl is great for igniting the patch and slapping my foes.
I also have an Ill/TA Controller at 28. Peanut Butter and Jelly, it's the perfect pair. Glue Arrow nicely replaces an AoE immob, and Ice Arrow lets me hold bosses quickly. And my Phantom Army loves Acid + Disrupt Arrow. Since Illusion's pets have ranged attacks OSA shouldn't be much of a problem.
There's also my Bots/TA Mastermind at 9. Um, I think I have an addiction with Trick Arrow...
I wasn't sure whether I wanted to roll up a TA/A (my patience is not my strongest trait... I'm not sure it even exists in me), but this guide convinced me to give it a shot. I'll definitely try to team as much as possible. While I was able to get the power info from Mids, the commentary was invaluable, as well as the 'no pressure, play however it's fun' style of presentation.
Well worth the time to read and wonderfully organized. Thanks for your effort in posting this.
[ QUOTE ]
While I was able to get the power info from Mids,
[/ QUOTE ]
Oh, that reminds me, the damage output listed for Oil Slick Arrow in Mid's is way off. It's twice what it should be. The correct numbers are...
Duration: 15
Ticks: 75
Probability: 0.75
However, if you're changing the values yourself, you may wish to set Probability to 0.95, or even 1, because the Defense Debuff in OSA directly contributes to the chance for each tick to hit, but the planner doesn't factor that when calculating hit chances for any powers. For simplicity of use and convenience, I just set the value to 1.
The database editor is pretty simple to use, but anyone who's uncomfortable making changes him/herself can probably just ignore the errors and wait for an update, it's not a big deal.
I've spent the last couple of days playing Dancing Hawk (my TA/A) pretty heavily. Early yesterday morning, I finally decided that I had enough influence, between what I'd saved from missions and a task force, and what I predicted from the sales of HOs and a Ragnarok +Damage recipe, to push ahead with my respec plan.
This is my current build.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.30
http://www.honourableunited.org.uk/mhd.php
Dancing Hawk: Level 50 Magic Defender
Primary Power Set: Trick Arrow
Secondary Power Set: Archery
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Medicine
Ancillary Pool: Power Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Entangling Arrow -- Acc-I:45(A), TotHntr-Dam%:36(3)
Level 1: Snap Shot -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Glue Arrow -- RechRdx-I:45(A), RechRdx-I:45(3), ImpSwft-Dam%:30(5)
Level 4: Aimed Shot -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(5), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(7), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(17), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(36), Decim-Build%:40(45)
Level 6: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A), Jump-I:50(7), Jump-I:50(9)
Level 8: Poison Gas Arrow -- FtnHyp-Acc/Sleep/Rchg:50(A), FtnHyp-Acc/Rchg:50(9), FtnHyp-Sleep/Rchg:50(11), FtnHyp-Sleep/EndRdx:50(21), FtnHyp-Plct%:50(37), CSndmn-Heal%:45(43)
Level 10: Fistful of Arrows -- Acc-I:45(A), HO:Centri(11), HO:Centri(19), HO:Centri(34), Empty(36), RechRdx-I:45(36)
Level 12: Blazing Arrow -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(13), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(13), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(25), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(25), RechRdx-I:45(42)
Level 14: Acid Arrow -- HO:Lyso(A), HO:Lyso(15), Achilles-ResDeb%:20(15), RechRdx-I:45(19), RechRdx-I:45(37)
Level 16: Assault -- EndRdx-I:40(A), EndRdx-I:40(17), Empty(50)
Level 18: Swift -- Run-I:40(A), Run-I:40(48), Run-I:40(50)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I:45(A), EndMod-I:45(21), EndMod-I:45(45)
Level 22: Ice Arrow -- HO:Endo(A), HO:Endo(23), Hold-I:45(23), RechRdx-I:45(42), NrncSD-Dam%:30(43)
Level 24: Disruption Arrow -- RechRdx-I:45(A), RechRdx-I:45(42)
Level 26: Oil Slick Arrow -- AirB'st-Dmg/Rchg:50(A), Det'tn-Dmg/Rchg:50(27), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(27), P'ngTtl-Dmg/Slow:45(29), ImpSwft-Dam%:30(29), LdyGrey-%Dam:50(31)
Level 28: Combat Jumping -- ULeap-Stlth:45(A), Krma-ResKB:16(31)
Level 30: Aid Other -- Empty(A), Empty(31), Empty(37)
Level 32: EMP Arrow -- HO:Endo(A), HO:Endo(33), Hold-I:35(33), RechRdx-I:35(33), RechRdx-I:45(34), RechRdx-I:45(34)
Level 35: Aid Self -- Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg:30(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:30(40), Dct'dW-Heal:30(46), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx:30(46), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg:30(48)
Level 38: Rain of Arrows -- Posi-Acc/Dmg:29(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:26(39), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(39), Posi-Dmg/Rng:49(39), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:26(40), RechRdx-I:45(40)
Level 41: Power Build Up -- RechRdx-I:45(A), RechRdx-I:45(43), Empty(46)
Level 44: Aim -- RechRdx-I:45(A), RechRdx-I:45(45), Empty(50)
Level 47: Tactics -- Empty(A), Empty(48)
Level 49: Resuscitate -- Empty(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- EndRdx-I:45(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Vigilance
------------
[u]Set Bonus Totals:[u]<ul type="square">[*]+5% Defense(Energy)[*]+38% Enhancement(Accuracy)[*]+4% Enhancement(Heal)[*]+21.3% Enhancement(RechargeTime)[*]+8% FlySpeed[*]+8% JumpSpeed[*]+Knockback (Mag -4)[*]+MezResist(Terrorized) (Mag 2.2%)[*]+10.5% Recovery[*]+5.36% Resistance(Fire)[*]+5.36% Resistance(Cold)[*]+8% RunSpeed[/list]
<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>| Copy & Paste this data chunk into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|MHDz;3893;1157;1544;|
>-KE5DMOXT8,O@?(?]`EV).[FI<>Z,E9=^OM)L4B=MNS5IK$0F3)T`.N@8%^>\G18 R19VKKG(HG-4)]
(#OF1G*W,LTU0!G_*O(BS]&?R$[^_VP1I&*=OUC8XOZOGX"T.U4:^RC22^?W=/H_#=VN=Y]E9K?/P(/
.+^I+"ETQ+]3DN4UD4ZDD&`"X.\0G%$QA3SS**P:I4W[*SS*WGH"CAU?L[6W4_1-7K,*QI39V:UZSF'
)3[/#A9V:M5'J2UK5)XI]X$QP<`<$(TC`E%`;@BO1G\K&N[7B'`KAM%^QP_*?S4+S(\O$1_@SO.-`S<
D7DU55^.)QG)R-J=XU=]PCX(2G40U%?<.&%@B2BA]H<*DU:4>?PN\7`?-\<WP!/A-B?T`3H+^O@2'C3
2L3LDGR`1]4L:0;`&3#NP,P/N4,+O4,19M*F!7A^E``:$\3$H@23U8Q4GT8-&-)5B$%U[?$R`T`F`'/
]6'4^82;O)I`]/1KHVU&N=9W+IPA^'%S]G>5FE0%5K>SFE61$7.E>[1,I3=S3'[CVY2R_T4&*<S4!'=
H5O4F8OH_O,.79?"#J+_Y:$Y8,&LC[%COH4)$G']5V01L<@K;<R2#31.LIPQ0=T]W6BQ:AS-&=]57^"
CLQC>$=0K64V1C^K]F;5C(W;"%@P[0\=$.A-?R$%V&W<!^RMY"?TO[!_%GU-?\IOI#\`9P_.R>#@3#,
?D$^7(L,\NCIM*XZ/9I1<K<-#G"2R^&!MI4S`0[&1W['8KBV:E/L(FW6-)9N;54"CO@\)AJ,;L3T4K5
D#A(:%A[-J9UQS.+VQYRJFQV?]4J7H573=#T^N='Q.-[2&PX^UT3UG$89!^TGLSZJAFR;JI@Z#V4N)'
L!<`W7*>9=R>#2CA`"V6
-]BU&Z6+!?Y=5GJ5Q:.T.51EEY[1;!4RP?A4,.I1BRIS%U<+^G5E4Z#$H
U#K.K<<*R#KBLTNZF4=Q2I=9VDSI$4;T&`<6& lt;!&7<(8/A?68!!-K'ADB`WT/:$?2OLK+I&F279*=<2@
QN\^8=].2!-@^J\(#VGP*HHOU:RXO]0,`D?;$K$7;$(7BV5'\(_V>8;M&%EXJZEV9E`>&l t;SD3T4;CJ:Y
`?`^REKX^@I;QI8F`[&]P"**X=S>0AUT$[GG>3:T376WK%XY>GQ`RCV!S-V(1FT&R-\HH52WIL;K:H-
X%Q.!H%_F^RL,QR2-9?F+1";Y*NS*QM>#@Q6T".ARMCO"LAM/'<"QHD.JM<_,BJQI(?8*?.S27+'9S4
!4Y@":X(/=@VKM^X\1"^!!P,?:]-#/#%N[53%I%I`VS'E[<('+AO&@K=^PNU]DT&.,X%HI:&E;V@G]"
>#]8WQYL;7[2X-*WX_-+0%AUMCTP0TS4SJ"LDRM&+9HSH[X3-%9XL7O*[*[Y]O>#THNAAF+DK/V1L1C
3_M)K5X/?_I&P',9)OU0P^P@10S\,Z$.8T(EZ"',>(I!>%9["VT?I&2\UK7BMV)>!M''BU9"ZZ8AKH>
D;T>]&SC4B,2(W(C&B,><*(QJ[G&&WXOW=/Z]F,F4`
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
</pre><hr />
I originally started out with the intention of picking up all of the +Movement/Jump Speed bonuses that I could squeeze in, but I ran out of influence after purchasing the IO sets, procs and uniques and the appropriate salvage to build them. I actually had to do a couple of missions with most of the common IOs not in the powers, hoping for a drop or two to pay for those.
Even during those first two post-respec missions, I was thoroughly impressed with the results. I'd managed to get to Atlas Park when a Rikti invasion alert went out just a few hours before the respec, and one of the problems I'd noted was that I couldn't keep my endurance bar from bottoming out, despite only having Sprint and Assault running (both heavily slotted for Endurance Reduction). Before the animation changes, that was my standard toggle use and I never had endurance problems, but with the faster animations came faster endurance loss, and I quickly found that I couldn't even defeat a half-HP bomb before running out of endurance.
However, after slotting the Thunderstrikes, moving the +Stealth IO to Combat Jumping and ignoring Sprint completely (no slots, keep forgetting to turn it on now even when i'm traveling), I wasn't even getting down to 75% on my endurance bar, despite not having any Endurance Reduction enhancements in Assault. Just cutting the endurance costs of two of my main attacks made that much of a difference. So much of a difference that I immediately started reconsidering my final slotting and started planning out another respec.
I did manage to get lucky, a Magical Conspiracy dropped in the second mission, which I sold and then used the influence to purchase the rest of the salvage I needed for the common IOs to complete the build. Then one more mission to test the results, and it was off to bed for the day (i work evening shift, so i usually go to bed anywhere from 2 am to 6-7 am and sleep until between 11 am and 3 pm. and i had Sunday off).
This evening, I logged back in to do some more extensive testing and continue to replenish my influence, as there were still a few IOs that I wanted, like the -KB IO.
I had already slotted Oil Slick as seen above a few weeks ago, as a test, to see how well the procs would work out. To say that I was less than impressed would be an understatement. I was so underwhelmed that I was a breath away from scrapping the planned build, but my experiences with the Achilles' Heel: Chance for Resist Debuff IO had been so good that I just had to see how well the other procs would work. And I'm glad I did, because I have to say, in the right powers, procs are definitely very nice.
Glue with the Smashing proc is great. It's that tiny bit of extra damage that saves me an attack or finishes off a critter for me, and I don't have to do anything but play normally. The fact that it has up to four chances to trigger, that's just nifty, too, but seeing those orange numbers float up when I use Glue, it just makes me happy.
Tip - if you slot this, take a little time to run around lowbie zones and Glue random large spawns. Watching critters keel over because you shot Glue Arrow at them is all kinds of giggletastic.
The -Res proc in Acid was a given, and is impressing me greatly. As I said, I've already had some good experiences with it, playing my Energy/Rad blaster, but it's just wonderful in Acid. An instant 40% -Res on one or more targets? Oh, yes, I think I like that very much. I like it even more when the Build Up proc triggers while the -Res proc is in effect. The combination of the two quite literally nearly doubles my damage output. I almost feel sorry for the critters when it happens. Almost.
The Build Up proc doesn't trigger nearly as often as I'd like (i added Healing Delivered to my main chat window so i could track it and make an effort to use it efficiently), but every time it does, I'm very happy that I spent the influence to get it and the slot to use it. I've seen it proc twice in a row once, and almost wet myself out of sheer glee, but I'm quite satisfied with the random "Here Lumi, have some free damage".
I know some of you are staring at my PGA slotting and scratching your heads. Lemme 'splain. Prior to the respec, I teamed up with a friend, Spark-1, to do the last three missions of Dark Watcher's story arc. In the final mission, after I'd died for the second time (for some reason, i'm just pulling aggro left and right lately...), I was lying there keeping Sparky company after the two EBs had been defeated and decided to check my recipe drops. To my surprise, there was purple text, a Sleep/End recipe. I already knew, from having purchased 5/6 of the purple Confuse set for my Ill/Rad, that it wouldn't be worth much at the market, but I thought it was quite thrilling to get an ultra-rare drop on my TA/A. Then I started thinking about buying four more recipes from the set and slotting up PGA with it, instead of the intended 2 Recharge Reduction IOs and the Heal proc. It does have some nice set bonuses, after all, and for this build to match my SO build, I was going to need some minor +Recharge bonuses to make up for the missing few percentage in powers that I was slotting with 2 IOs instead of 3 SOs.
After taking another look at my planned IO build, I decided that I could spare three extra slots to at least test PGA, and the build, with 5/6 of the Fortunata Hypnosis set. And it turned out to be a pretty solid decision. Instead of the +Sleep recipe, I chose the Chance for Placate recipe, and it's actually improved my damage mitigation quite a bit, as well as my combat efficiency. In the tests I've been doing, I've found that a Placated critter drops its toggles, or turns off a power that simulates a toggle, then has to wait for it to recharge or cycles back into its command list to use it again. That, in turn, means that critters like Ice Thorn Casters become less of a hassle, as Placate will cause them to drop their Ice Armor. Less missing, more damage because they only have Lethal resistance when the armor is active, happy Lumi. I also noted that between the 66% chance to Sleep and 33% chance to Placate, I was often finding entire spawns almost entirely stopped completely with a single PGA. Sometimes the Sleep and Placate overlap, other times nothing will be Slept or Placated, but a good deal of the time, I've got most or all of a spawn standing still and looking stupid, and most importantly, not attacking me!
So after testing with the way PGA is slotted now, I'm quite satisfied and intend to keep it exactly like it is. I love the set bonuses, I love the procs, the recipes were quite affordable (even the salvage requirements were much less expensive than other sets) and it's not hard to justify the 3 extra slots for the benefits that I'm getting.
The Heal proc is the one that has thrilled me the least. It triggered all of two or three times in my first round of testing. On the second night of testing, it started triggering somewhat more reliably, at least once every three to five spawns, but still felt pretty unimpressive. I even went out to Perez Park to torture some Hellions and Skulls, testing out Glue and PGA, and couldn't get two heals from any spawn. The last couple of hours that I was playing, it started triggering two or three heals in spawns of two or three, which pleased me, but if it goes back to only triggering one heal once in a great while, I may take it out and move the slot to something else. If it saves my deerskin-clad behind even once, I'll appreciate it and love it forever, but it really needs to do more for me than give me one amusing green number once every hour or two to keep my favor.
The procs in Entangling and Ice are basically there because I consider those "frequent use" powers, things I'll fire off every chance I get in a long, drawn-out fight, but I'm not certain I'll keep those either. The difference between my SO build and this new IO build is just so profound that I've found that I've changed my approach entirely. I almost never used Glue before, I was relying on single-target controls and pumping out as many Archery attacks as I could, but with this new build, I'm opening on every spawn with Glue, following it immediately with PGA, then Acid if I think I need it, and on to the attack phase. The only times I've used the controls is when I've really gotten low on HP and need to back off long enough to use Aid Self, or when I'm facing something that can mez me. The procs work, and they're nice to have, but now that I'm using a different approach, I find myself wondering whether I can improve the build in other areas by moving those two slots elsewhere and getting a more universally useful benefit.
Regarding Aim, PBU and Tactics, I originally intended to just use those as set bonus fodder in order to get another 15% +Movement (two Gaussian's Performance Shifter IOs (third slot reserved for a Recharge Reduction to get them back to a normal recharge rate)), but after seeing the results of the Build Up IO that I have now, and seeing my endurance bar in such a happy place, I've decided to change a few things around. Aim and PBU will be left exactly as they're slotted now, 2 Recharge Reduction IOs, and Tactics will get a third slot so I can put a Gaussian's Build Up IO into it alongside two Endurance Reductions. The overall results should be quite satisfactory. I certainly don't need Tactics with this build, but I won't turn my nose up at another damage buffing tool, and I'm relatively confident that I won't have any endurance issues using it.
The empty slot in Fistful is a placeholder for an Energy damage proc from Posi's Blast. The slot is there in the live, in-game build, I just haven't got enough influence for the proc yet. This is a standard cone slotting technique for me these days, all of my characters with short range cones will have the same slotting. Procs just make so much sense in cones and AoEs, and extending the ranges of the cones really improves their utility, at least for my prefered style of play. I do prefer Centrioles over Dam/Range IOs because the overall buff is higher with HOs, but I'll happily settle for IOs if that's all I can get.
I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to keep OSA six-slotted. The procs really aren't impressing me in the least in that power, though I really did have some high hopes for it previously. A -Res proc would be more useful, or even a -Recharge proc, but frankly, the recharge time is the biggest factor. I'm starting to feel that anything that I put into those last two slots is likely to end up doing less for me than I could achieve by simply moving the slots elsewhere, or going with 3 Dam/Rchg, 1 Dam, 1 Rchg and moving at least one slot somewhere else. I'm actually satisfied with the recharge time as it is, 90.1 seconds, and the extra bit of Slow from the Dam/Slow IO, so I'm leaning toward moving two slots to other powers.
In general, I've very happy with these IOs and this particular build. It wasn't terribly expensive, it feels much more stable and capable than the SO build did (TA/A in previous issues always felt a bit... edgy. dangerous at times, trying to maintain control of situations and stay alive without "wasting" powers). I'm leaning toward doing another respec soon to refine my choices and see how much better I can make it, but even if I don't, I feel like a cleansing wind has swept away the miasma of uncertainty that I had before trying this build out for real, as opposed to laying it out in Mid's. It's just as strong in the ways that it was before the respec, it's gotten a lot of shoring up in its weaker areas and it feels... very good.
I've always loved playing my TA/A, but after this respec, I'm nothing less than ecstatic. I'm going to have to put up a sticky note to myself, reminding me that I have other characters that I should play.
[ QUOTE ]
I've spent the last couple of days playing Dancing Hawk (my TA/A) pretty heavily. Early yesterday morning, I finally decided that I had enough influence, between what I'd saved from missions and a task force, and what I predicted from the sales of HOs and a Ragnarok +Damage recipe, to push ahead with my respec plan.
[/ QUOTE ]
Very interesting post. Thanks a lot.
Well now you made this complicated for me =P I was working on the Blaster Guides and FAQs, and someone recommended your Archery Codex for the Archery section. Now there's this. Should I add both? I need an answer soon, it's going up probably tomorrow =P
[ QUOTE ]
Well now you made this complicated for me =P I was working on the Blaster Guides and FAQs, and someone recommended your Archery Codex for the Archery section. Now there's this. Should I add both?
[/ QUOTE ]
No. Stick with the Archery Codex for blaster use. While I do and will continue to discuss Archery in this guide, it's only in relevance to TA/A as a whole and not terribly suitable for blaster use.
After spending a couple of days running missions and getting more experience with the IO build, I talked myself into going ahead with another respec to make a few minor changes. This is almost a record for me, two respecs in less than a week (recently respeced my Ill/Rad twice in a single day because i couldn't stand using the Ice APP any longer and thought i wanted the Earth APP, then realized it just wasn't "doing it" for me and respec again into Fire).
This is the "final" build that I've been playing.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.30
http://www.honourableunited.org.uk/mhd.php
Dancing Hawk: Level 50 Magic Defender
Primary Power Set: Trick Arrow
Secondary Power Set: Archery
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Medicine
Ancillary Pool: Power Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Entangling Arrow -- Acc-I:45(A)
Level 1: Snap Shot -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Glue Arrow -- RechRdx-I:45(A), RechRdx-I:45(3), ImpSwft-Dam%:27(3)
Level 4: Aimed Shot -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(5), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(5), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(7), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(17), Decim-Build%:28(36)
Level 6: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A), Jump-I:50(7), Jump-I:50(9)
Level 8: Poison Gas Arrow -- FtnHyp-Acc/Sleep/Rchg:50(A), FtnHyp-Acc/Rchg:50(9), FtnHyp-Sleep/Rchg:50(11), FtnHyp-Sleep/EndRdx:50(21), FtnHyp-Plct%:50(37), CSndmn-Heal%:22(43)
Level 10: Fistful of Arrows -- Acc-I:45(A), HO:Centri(11), HO:Centri(19), HO:Centri(34), Posi-Dam%:42(36), RechRdx-I:45(36)
Level 12: Blazing Arrow -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(13), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(13), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg:50(25), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx:50(25), RechRdx-I:45(42)
Level 14: Acid Arrow -- HO:Lyso(A), HO:Lyso(15), Achilles-ResDeb%:11(15), RechRdx-I:45(19), RechRdx-I:45(37)
Level 16: Assault -- EndRdx-I:40(A), EndRdx-I:40(17), EndRdx-I:45(46)
Level 18: Swift -- Run-I:40(A), Run-I:40(48), Run-I:45(50)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I:45(A), EndMod-I:45(21), EndMod-I:45(45)
Level 22: Ice Arrow -- HO:Endo(A), HO:Endo(23), Hold-I:45(23), RechRdx-I:45(29)
Level 24: Disruption Arrow -- RechRdx-I:45(A), RechRdx-I:45(42)
Level 26: Oil Slick Arrow -- AirB'st-Dmg/Rchg:50(A), Det'tn-Dmg/Rchg:50(27), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(27), P'ngTtl-Dmg/Slow:50(29)
Level 28: Combat Jumping -- ULeap-Stlth:50(A), Krma-ResKB:16(31)
Level 30: Aid Other -- Dct'dW-Heal:40(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx:36(31), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg:33(31), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:32(37), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg:30(42)
Level 32: EMP Arrow -- HO:Endo(A), HO:Endo(33), Hold-I:45(33), RechRdx-I:45(33), RechRdx-I:45(34), RechRdx-I:45(34)
Level 35: Aid Self -- Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg:30(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:30(40), Dct'dW-Heal:30(46), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx:32(46), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg:36(48)
Level 38: Rain of Arrows -- Posi-Acc/Dmg:29(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:26(39), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(39), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:25(39), Posi-Dmg/Rng:49(40), RechRdx-I:45(40)
Level 41: Power Build Up -- AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg:29(A), AdjTgt-Rchg:35(43), RechRdx-I:45(43)
Level 44: Aim -- AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg:31(A), AdjTgt-Rchg:35(45), RechRdx-I:45(45)
Level 47: Tactics -- GSFC-Build%:42(A), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx:40(48), EndRdx-I:45(50), EndRdx-I:45(50)
Level 49: Resuscitate -- Empty(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Vigilance
------------
[u]Set Bonus Totals:[u]<ul type="square">[*]+4% DamageBuff[*]+5% Defense(Energy)[*]+38% Enhancement(Accuracy)[*]+8% Enhancement(Heal)[*]+26.3% Enhancement(RechargeTime)[*]+13% FlySpeed[*]+13% JumpSpeed[*]+Knockback (Mag -4)[*]+MezResist(Terrorized) (Mag 4.4%)[*]+10.5% Recovery[*]+6.62% Resistance(Fire)[*]+6.62% Resistance(Cold)[*]+13% RunSpeed[/list]
<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>| Copy & Paste this data chunk into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|MHDz;4157;1209;1612;|
>-KE5TMSVS80OGO&_X$73TYJB`=?TY-LU56:>"9CN<F9(6&+-45J0&I<=S#\[=T%2(*2P50^=QQ'Z\6
'Q6)WOUUH+62]2MOTFY!-45>_DE_XY<4JK;*B>O+6Z<NSNDN?BDRMQ*.H&l t;B$O+QYDD3U[2RGK%[64V5
;(5_6I@@]1M>JV:"O1-.J+2`'<;(L]BGLPINY$7H!5H;[6+T)Z=VG3PM;+"U_9GVZ991WM:-CQCG6<:
^6"]*OFL^O\;D$`X'=DNH[_4_CI[D6VO<__!CN<:1C8(6XU59]V>Y&+W-N\%(_:]6Z5[JY@G5.JG:`A
H,9#&%@B*E`/VP-&HVEE\2S0ZX^KW1/@21`9UQ.`.D$?[[.M1H;^@.0G2$3]5N7@K`73GX$'5)`,J'#
6I,;%`XZ$D-FLV*4M)+^[/A1E?J41)@,T4BPPM\?[!_K^$.(_#KL]!M(W@4Q@Y4C7^_!6%]M01O#+8>
-M+=M#!27HK5_W5=T4C0[5IA1B/]PL],>3HKD-(Y38PQS0([M!,D:,^//H,7*A/^:!.O%?RZR]TD`VU
D&H;M*R].I'K]T*;Y-6^2ZMNK5(2UUG?<50HOBDT!(=Z."($;ID$]7=`--D`7L"JK50HN"]4QT[U8P!
"9NBE77UH?&N2Z#B4/8DYL9Q@ID_)8WFY%`1FG18&.P\0@#V7$80^AY*.-%O.4'YF:0`H//BG$PNSC0
?`/GEM
QNI&.[B+&8>2JV6V+<I2-!^\M1`EG-"LQ`^,>>0'IIWY"',>C8ET-3`HKI&=!-W1].PO13
MF#+`$%YWJ\*T:;SHA/8$>H%MK=W^H\/!@W!R]U?%3'5I+)M:P,;+>R;LZQV/IV*43IQJH=J(V9KE-!
R6Z.3,-U)'G0^1AR:$$!]9UJ0U&@T%*W<&GDZY%,1;A[#QA_UTY--#-CZEE(;WK@T3N3>HU(D.G`^!*
M'5E>O,1)A@QH8/)$V1,ILA43_6^$3T<9%L:$FS*^@5;$1L).%Q9#]4("AW%/ZL?-?(G]W"F=YNV;+?
81$DP;HO4YU3N4BSNS]>@I=RP"LJ/368UQ>F`[7]59VTMP>WM-SHKH@;V%A0`'6!+'$9,PV?Z2.<V#
X:;*A[.HL\[C&,F6;("!+M=,,IMG\O)$?99O@1J\!1@\Q5F.RD,`W+9UX ULWHVJ[>.<84O&WY&Q'R\%
./OB1AN2'Z>76T5&LTYV?4Q!0ZL.P50"3R:W#2"VL44O& amp;'*9$Q%B7$I1O@<<#(MXCXP4'3QN12<0TZL
&@+"`)JU6AFC?1>,,<SN7"<V`AP;#DZ&9 ?[7`9[=N?>0RB?10C?H'NIUT8Z/I\AP"<(`>QSH$=?SD^.
CQ=WR)H\9CL]&_H[SF=YSWOESPWHR'7BH3V?J]_30-$6*(=V\5MD6HEO\`P?<%E(L;FIX*-6E?06',1
G>0F#AK+WF-O:]V">T'XRN29O,J:WW,3"5G7[SX>-0,E]\R.Q7H^&+T?PZT<$Y62?'^P/S1Z]93/[]G
Y3]1$1V+4QG)RP`;L68`,)"(^+S,`RM2$8QB"W6M]K$:JG=%O?BD`+>^X&/;A;A44P#H]B*R2C&OA6)
%5F16ML3BPHK4;AU;DO7AY\2\YO93M
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
</pre><hr />
All of the IO levels are correctly represented. I do lose various bonuses at sometimes wildly different times in the same power when exemplaring, but the procs and uniques continue to work at all levels, and the overall values that I need to be higher do tend to remain higher in most cases due to the extra stats from the higher level enhancements.
I removed and sold the procs in OSA, Ice and Entangling, they simply weren't giving enough of a return to justify the slots they were taking up. The subsequently freed slots were recycled back in where they could be used to gain set bonuses, mostly in Aid Other with a 5/6 set of Doctored Wounds.
I also stopped chasing +Movement bonuses, having realized that even though they looked like they were going to add up to moderately nice totals on paper, they simply weren't going to be noticeable in the game. I'd be able to tell if I were moving slightly faster if I were actually timing my movement with a stopwatch, but not when I'm just hopping along, and when I'm bouncing, my mind isn't on whether or not I'm benefiting from another 1'/second, it's on how much I'm enjoying the experience. And I do thoroughly enjoy it now, so I've achieved a point of "good enough".
Also of note on +Movement bonuses, I've determined that what I have now is almost exactly what I need to leap up onto train platforms. Slotting Hurdle with three level 50 common Jump IOs and leaving Combat Jumping unslotted for Jump, I was incapable of clearing the rail surrounding the platform, but if I turned on Sprint, I could just make it onto the rail and thus skip running up the ramp. So this tells me two things: first, that +Movement affects leaping height as well as speed, which is an interesting discovery (well, interesting to me); and second, that a minimum of 10% +Jump Height is required to make that specific leap. So regardless of whatever future changes I might make to this build, I'll never go below 10% +Movement, that's what I consider my baseline from this point on.
The procs in Glue, Fistful and PGA continue to impress me more with every mission I run. With my current slotting, the buff from Assault and the small bit of +Damage from set bonuses, I'm seeing the procs almost exactly match Fistful's damage, so every time one of them triggers, I'm essentially getting the equivalent of a "free" Fistful of damage (not dollars). It's actually very useful, essentially allowing me to spend less time attacking and burn through spawns more quickly. The fact that they continue to function when exemplared is just delightful, they made my runs through Flashback story arcs to get badges MUCH more enjoyable. These two procs alone are performing well enough that I'm beginning to feel comfortable with exemplaring, something that I've been very negative about in the past. I ran through the David Wincott story arc via the Flashback system, exemplared to level 14, and blazed through every run. I didn't try the Player Debuffed, Enemy Buffed or No Enhancements challenges, because I'm really not interested in feeling like I have to struggle to play (this is my main, i want to have fun, not grit my teeth to make it through something), but I did play with all of the other challenge settings and found them to be very easy to accomplish even at that level.
The Placate proc in PGA is much more powerful than most people would likely believe. While it is only a 33% chance to trigger, what makes it so good for PGA is that it's a mag 4 proc, meaning it can affect up to bosses, whereas the Sleep in PGA is only mag 2 and thus doesn't affect anything above minions. Essentially, the proc expands PGA's damage mitigation to a potential 100% versus bosses, and that alone makes it immensely useful. It's not a guarantee, it's a chance, but it's a chance that didn't exist outside of OSA or EMP, the only other powers in TA that could effectively negate bosses without being stacked with something else. Additionally, the proc increases the likelihood that minions will be taken out of the equation. What this proc is doing is essentially turning PGA into a one-shot minion disabler and offering a chance to deal with lieutenants and bosses at the same time. And it's really effective. I'm tearing through scanner missions set to Heroic in just a few minutes now, and I almost never do anything more than Glue and PGA a spawn before attacking (solo). It's improved my safety and speed tremendously.
The Heal proc is still making me wonder if it was the best use of a slot, but at the same time, I'm starting to lean on it a bit and use it pro-actively. Instead of healing myself up before approaching a spawn, I'm now simply running to the next spawn and hoping for one or two lucky heals from the proc. Worst case, it doesn't heal me and I have to duck around a corner after the Glue/PGA alpha to use Aid Self, but it's triggering just often enough that I can usually keep going from spawn to spawn without touching Aid Self, just relying on normal regen and occasional heals from the proc, until the fifth or sixth spawn, and sometimes not at all for an entire mission. It's a bit risky, but between the damage debuff from PGA, the Recharge Slow from Glue and the combination of Sleep and Placate effects, I'm starting to see it all work together pretty well. The only time I even consider using Ice is when I get to a mezzing critter (heavy mezzing critter, not a minion with a short Hold or Stun) or I've been unlucky and taken enough damage to drop me into the orange.
The -Res proc also continues to delight me, it's simply unbelievable for a TA, especially in concert with one or both Build Up procs. If I get lucky and get one of the Build Up procs triggering after the Achilles' Heel proc, it literally almost doubles my damage output. Aimed Shot goes from 80 to 150+, for example. It's a glorious sight to see. I haven't had both Build Up procs trigger at the same time, or within a short enough span to both be active at the same time, but if it does happen... well, I feel sorry for whatever I might be shooting at, because it's going to hurt.
With all of the different procs that I've got now, I'm seeing a really notable upswing in damage. At least one proc of some type is triggering in every spawn. Sometimes it's Glue, sometimes it's Fistful, sometimes it's Acid, sometimes it's one of the Build Ups, but at this point, I've got an almost constant source of extra damage, and it's very effective. I have to debuff less, I'm barely bothering with control at all, and I'm spending less time attacking, and still moving along at a very rapid pace (i have to wait for Glue to finish recharging for at least half of the spawns now) and maintaining very nice levels of both health and endurance. I'm actually anxious to see how all of this works out on a good team, and on a bad one.
Moving slots to Aid Other for the 5/6 Doctored Wounds set hasn't profoundly changed the feel of the build, so I'm still scrutinizing everything in search of ways that I could improve, but in general, unless I suddenly find myself in possession of a wildly enormous amount of influence, or fall backwards into a pile of purple IOs, I don't see anything else in the build changing. It'd be nice to slot RoA with 5/6 Ragnarok, or Aimed with Apocalypse and Blazing with Decimation, but I really don't foresee that ever happening, or if it does, it'll be far in the future, so I'm probably not going to respec again for a good, long time.
Something to keep in mind while reading all of this is that I solo at Heroic, both out of preference and due to extremely negative experiences back when TA was in the dark days. Those who have had to try to deal with a +1 Warwolf boss as a TA will understand (and i'll say again, i am absolute ELATED that the developers finally fixed the bug that allowed Council lieutenants to spawn boss-level Wolves when they self-defeated), it's just an awful, nightmarish experience. I like playing at Heroic because I'm trying to relax and have fun, not prove myself or see how far I can push my build/character before hitting a wall, but I'm also extremely skittish about bosses after those Warwolf experiences, I just do not ever want to have to deal with that kind of... bleh, and I classify all bosses as bleh at this point. I could quite easily handle them with EMP + Ice, or simply switch to Psi as my APP and stack Ice with Dominate, but I prefer to avoid them simply because they're more trouble than they're worth.
Finally, I'm going to take a moment to toot my own horn. I just hit 341 badges this afternoon, before leaving for work. That's a very big accomplishment for me, because I don't actively farm (the only badge that i ever did that much work for was Illusionist, and i will NEVER do that again. ugh!), I just try to collect them through normal play. One of the reasons I chose to make a travel power-less TA/A my badge character was that it was something that many people would've considered nearly impossible back in the dark days, and where other people consider defeating an AV solo to be a challenge, I consider doing normal things with unusual characters to be achievements. There are different types of challenge in this game, what the developers offer and what we create for ourselves, and I find the latter to be far more rewarding because it's more personal. So getting past 300 badges not only fulfilled a personal goal and gave me a sense of achievement, it also gives me further drive to continue playing and finding new challenges, like reaching 400 badges.
This is the single best guide I have read for any game, let alone CoX. The depth of knowledge and careful explanations of tricky subject matter (igniting OSA) are just incredible. Thanks so much for this!
Back Alley Bunny Leveling Up
Back Alley Bunny with his idol
Not sure if I will keep him yet, but it was a fun attempt in the costume designer