Villain Guide to easy Strike Force Recipes
By
Antimatter_NA,
Posted on: 2008-08-09 13:22 in Player Guides
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Nice guide. Not sure what the procedure is, but you might want to get it moved over to the Player Guide section.
Q. Just wondering Posi, where are the new dance emotes we were told would come with GR?
A. Positron: Whoops, my bad.
1387 badges, and counting
Guides that say "never invite" or "always bring" are [censored].
Third fastest CapSF I've ever run was All dominator.
Only one of the runs in my top 10 had a brute.
Buffs and Debuffs are key for most teams, if half your team buffs or debuffs, the rest of the team can be pretty much anything.
Truthfully though, the only real marker you need is number of people who know what they're doing. Most of the team knows what they're doing, and it's Easymode.
"Null is as much an argument "for removing the cottage rule" as the moon being round is for buying tennis shoes." -Memphis Bill
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Guides that say "never invite" or "always bring" are -censored-.
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This is a guide for Pick-Up-Grouping the Cap SF on a regular basis. As such, there are certain recruiting guidelines to follow if you want to get consistantly good results with what are otherwise inconsistant and unpredictable PuG players.
If you don't follow the guidelines you're playing dice with how effective your PuG team will be.
This guide is the result of dozens and dozens of running the Cap SF in various forms to distill it down into the guide I've given you, which is the best formula for achieving consistantly fast speed with PuG groups.
It's always rolling dice when it comes to the effectiveness of dominators and MMs at level 20. Brutes and stalkers, on the other hand, are more likely to perform decent at level 20 because they start out strong.
Corruptors can be hit or miss at level 20 as well, because you never know what mix of damage/secondary they've gone. If you get ones that all focused on their secondary then you're not going to have enough damage output to really take advantage of that.
The average dominators maled down to this level simply doesn't have enough damage, and with the exception of seeds of confusion they bring nothing to the table in terms of increasing your killing speed during the first mission - Nor do they bring anything to the AV fights but subpar damage (sure, they COULD hold the AVs because they have very low mag protection on this SF, but it's not required if you've got a good brute tanking and the AV is debuffed).
The same goes for masterminds: At level 20, even well slotted, they just don't bring much to the table in terms of damage. And summoning will slow down your team's overall speed.
The only time you'd want to recruit one is if they have -regen at level 20, and only if you can't find a corruptor to take their place.
And considering that you want to limit the team size to 4 or 5, there's not a lot of room for low damage ATs. If you've already got your debuffing corruptor, what you want is something that will let you burn through the first mission as quickly as possible.
But because the toon I use for running this SF is already a corruptor, I've got all the angles covered; So starting a TF is simple as finding three brutes/stalkers/VEATs to fill out the team and going from there.
It's not for lack of trying with doms and MMs either, that's just the results I've come to find after a lot of trial and error with PuG team builds for the Cap SF.
Yes, it technically can be done without a brute on a PuG, but having at least one on the team to tank the AVs and absorb alpha is a smart move for ensuring that your PuG always performs decently well.
It reduces the margin of what can go wrong to have at least one decent brute on the team.
The thing about this game is there's more than one way to skin a cat.
You have the way you like to do it. It's not the only way, it's not even the best way.
It works for you, that's great. However most of the people I run with wouldn't follow any of your rules, even when filling a PuG.
Your comments about Doms are a clear illustration. Let's run it down by the numbers.
Earth Control- has Quicksand and Earthquake by level 20.
Fire Control- has Flashfire
Ice Control- has Ice Slick
Plant Control- has Seeds of Confusion
That leaves Gravity and Mind Control. Two out of six primaries that don't have significant AoE powers within the SF range. The ones I listed can mitigate most or all of the alpha or keep the enemies on a tight spot long enough for AoEs to wipe the spawns out in seconds.
That's just one of the ATs you insist is worthless. If I wanted to bother to take the time, I'd find reasons most of your other points are hogwash.
"Null is as much an argument "for removing the cottage rule" as the moon being round is for buying tennis shoes." -Memphis Bill
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The thing about this game is there's more than one way to skin a cat.
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And my way is tailored towards PuGing in the fastest and most consistant way possible.
But if you've got a better way for doing that, and aren't just some bitter dom/mm lover who feels he's getting cheated by this guide, then feel free to post an outline of what you do differently and why it's better or equal to what I'm doing.
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You have the way you like to do it. It's not the only way, it's not even the best way.
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Of course it's not the only way - But it's the best way I've found as far as achieving PuG consistancy goes.
Like I said, if you've got a better way then please enlighten us with a guide of your own.
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Earth Control- has Quicksand and Earthquake by level 20.
Fire Control- has Flashfire
Ice Control- has Ice Slick
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All that does is mitigate damage, but I don't need damage mitigation - I need killing speed.
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Plant Control- has Seeds of Confusion
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The one exception to the rule. But the great thing about my method is that I don't have to run around looking for specific ATs with specific builds. Since I pack everything needed for success in my corruptor, all I've got to do is recruit some damage muscle and we're set to go - Brutes, Stalkers, and Veats. It doesn't matter what their exact builds are because odds are they're all going to be capable of doing the job well enough at level 20.
Keep in mind this guide comes from someone who's two mains ARE a Dominator and MM. But I've also got a 50 corruptor, stalker, and brute. So I'm intimately aware of the limitations of dominators and MMs when brought down to level 20, and practical experience timing mission speed over dozens of trials has shown that Dominators and Masterminds are never worth the invite using my method - And I've already outlined the specific reasons why.
But, by all means, if you feel the need, go ahead and ignore the recruiting guidelines and try following the rest of the guide - It will still work, you'll just probably end up doing it slower.
Over time you'll come to the same conclusions I have, if you desire to maximize your overall completion speed.
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Truthfully though, the only real marker you need is number of people who know what they're doing. Most of the team knows what they're doing, and it's Easymode.
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True, that!
Also, a team of villains who know what they're doing put hero teams to shame. While it seems harder to find villains who really know the ins-and-outs of their character, those who do are a terror to behold and can blast through content I'd think twice about with a hero team. I love it! 
So by your reasoning, I as a Dom should have to miss out on getting a badge/inf/recipies. Your logic behind this escapes me.
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So by your reasoning, I as a Dom should have to miss out on getting a badge/inf/recipies. Your logic behind this escapes me.
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My main is a Dom, but recognizing their severe limitations I was smart enough to make other toons for farming and running task forces. I came to accept that no one needed me for the RSF back before IOs, and I accept that no one needs me for Cap farming either. It just comes with the territory of being a Dom.
I'm not the one you should be complaining to - Go complain to the devs and demand that Dominators be made more useful outside of domination and more useful against AVs.
I don't dictate how the game works, I'm just describing it as it exists.
It's up to the individual leader on whether or not they want to open up pity spots for dominators who will only slow down the overall mission speed.
Maybe I'm doing something wrong then, I don't slow down any team I'm on. I may not have all the best holds a Mnd/Psi will have at level 20, but I do tend to unload at all times with Dominate. My teammates have never complained when we take down Bat'Zul. Any group can do a TF/SF, yes there are some things you need but exculding an AT because you feel they are underpowered is sad. Good thing I've made plenty of friends who like having my Dom on TF runs, even Cap.
i understand what aegis is saying, correct me if i'm wrong. maybe it CAN be run faster with a different team makeup, but it might require certain primary and secondary powersets for each dom or corrupter, and if they got a certain power pre-level 20 or not. its harder in a PuG, especially redside finding a particular type or corrupter or dominitor to do cap runs with.
aegis' method is that you have the flexibility of getting pretty much any type of brute or stalker as long as teh brute has a decent aoe dmg output.
recruiting time plays a factor in it as well, why shouldn't it? if it takes you 30 minutes to get the perfect type of dom/corrs etc.., and you finish the cap SF in 30 minutes, but using aegis method with the flexibility of recruitment, maybe it takes aegis 5 min to recruit, and they finish the cap run in 40 minutes, i'd take aegis method. plus it'll be more consistent rather than trying to get specific types of dom/corrs, and thats IF you are able to recruit them at all.
The only time I feel my Ice/Ice Dom is contributing to a team as much as I normally do, is on ITF.
But as someone mentioned, it is not the AT as much as it is the player knowing how to play their AT.
As a general note, this could be used as a guideline, but by no means should it be set in stone.
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Oh, I see what the problem is here. Some genius started thinking about his hobby like it's his job.
Paragon Unleashed, Unleash Yourself!
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Oh, I see what the problem is here. Some genius started thinking about his hobby like it's his job.
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And it all goes downhill from there.
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i understand what aegis is saying, correct me if i'm wrong. maybe it CAN be run faster with a different team makeup, but it might require certain primary and secondary powersets for each dom or corrupter, and if they got a certain power pre-level 20 or not. its harder in a PuG, especially redside finding a particular type or corrupter or dominitor to do cap runs with.
aegis' method is that you have the flexibility of getting pretty much any type of brute or stalker as long as teh brute has a decent aoe dmg output.
recruiting time plays a factor in it as well, why shouldn't it? if it takes you 30 minutes to get the perfect type of dom/corrs etc.., and you finish the cap SF in 30 minutes, but using aegis method with the flexibility of recruitment, maybe it takes aegis 5 min to recruit, and they finish the cap run in 40 minutes, i'd take aegis method. plus it'll be more consistent rather than trying to get specific types of dom/corrs, and thats IF you are able to recruit them at all.
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No... just the opposite. Since the OP's method is to only use two of the seven archetypes (yes, there are seven now -- any archetypist guide should take that into account), he'd wind up waiting longer to put together a group than someone who welcomes all ATs, because, the SF can be done quickly with any mix of ATs (with any set of powersets) as long as the leader has the ability to quickly stealth-tp and give quick, explicit instructions to the team.
My MM and my Stalker run Speed Caps all the time with PuGs and all ATs are welcome.
-Regen is not needed to take down these low level AVs.
This 'guide' is the villain equivalent of a Task Force guide that begins with: "Get a Tanker and Healer...."
There are real guides in the Guide to Guide section that run through this SF without any AT limitations.
Speeding Through New DA Repeatables || Spreadsheet o' Enhancements || Zombie Skins: better skins for these forums || Guide to Guides
theres only 2 cap SF guides in your guide to guides link. the 1st one is just a general overview of each mission and objectives, and the 2nd link is broken.
well certain AT's generally weren't wanted for certain TF/SF's, such as LRSF. stalkers (before the huge buffs it recevied, i don't know if they are valued now in LRSF), MM's, (the only useful 2ndary is/was dark miasma, but it was better getting a /dark corr), and doms(i think only a certain type of dom was accepted, that was able to lockdown 7 of the 8 heroes in the last mish). so really, that effectively shut out 3 out of 5 AT redside (veats weren't introduced yet). 1 brute, preferable a stoner, and 7 corrs.
if you welcome all at's, even if all 8 teammates are better than avereage players, they might not be able to pass the last mish of LRSF w/8 lv 54 heroes at once, let alone the one mish with 4-5 heroes.
haven't played redside for a long time so i don't know if the perferable team makeup is still 1 stoner, and 7 corrs; since now stalkers are buffed up, and veats are very group friendly, im sure there is some flexibility as to the AT's you can choose now for LRSF, but MM's and doms are still at the bottom of the barrel i believe.
edit: i think the guide is very well written and i like how descriptive it is. also, he does advocate VEATS:
<<5. Stalkers and VEATs of any type make for good damage based filler after you've already got your brute and corruptor.>>
So technically its only 2 out of 7 AT's that are not wanted. MM but if they have a -regen debuff they are fine(but still a corr would be better), and doms.
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If you don't follow the guidelines you're playing dice with how effective your PuG team will be.
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I don't believe this. One good player with a good build on almost any AT is enough to carry a PuG through the Cap SF in less than 40mn, unless you run into retards/griefers who do stupid stuff like sitting in missions, standing still while they have the hostage, and other things like that, but in this specific situation their AT is irrelevant.
While I mostly disagree with the wording of the OP... I can sort of get at what they're saying. However, I think that changing the statement to more accurately reflect something that doesn't sound biased (whether or not an actual bias exists) would perhaps be beneficial.
IE: Mention instead that Dominators and Masterminds are not ideal for putting together a run for the shortest time possible, and that for the sake of consistency you advise against their recruitment. However, they can be added in, if one is willing to accept the additional factors that come as a result.
That's a lot less harsh then saying, flat out, 'never invite X AT, they suck before Y level'. And more of an accurate portrayal for a set of guidelines.
we can duo most strike forces..
so why even pug at all?
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we can duo most strike forces..
so why even pug at all?
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Because some of us are masochistic, obviously.
Or like people (which can be construed as a form of masochism if you ask me).
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we can duo most strike forces..
so why even pug at all?
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Because some of us are masochistic, obviously.
Or like people (which can be construed as a form of masochism if you ask me).
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Guides to PUG strike force or task force is silly
Say in broadcast, Hey we are going to do XXXXXXX st/tf it takes XX hours.. Who wants in?
then start sending tells asking people to join.. and tell them right up front how long it will take them..
send invites to the people who say sure..
Bam thats my guide
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we can duo most strike forces..
so why even pug at all?
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Because some of us are masochistic, obviously.
Or like people (which can be construed as a form of masochism if you ask me).
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Guides to PUG strike force or task force is silly
Say in broadcast, Hey we are going to do XXXXXXX st/tf it takes XX hours.. Who wants in?
then start sending tells asking people to join.. and tell them right up front how long it will take them..
send invites to the people who say sure..
Bam thats my guide
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Eh. I can see the point in doing it, because it seems like the Cap SF is the only rough equivlant to the Katie TF that villains have. It's short, quick, and dirty. The only thing I can see this having over the Katie TF is that you only, really, need 3 people to run it (Last time I ran it, we had a Corrupter [Fire/Cold], a Brute [Sets escape me], and a Mastermind [Thug/Poison], and it didn't take us more then 45 minutes to burn through things. My only regret is I didn't have Neurotoxic Breath at that point [having taken it 2 levels later. :/]), and that you only really have to worry about one EB/AV (Depending on difficulty and group size, I guess - I'm not really sure).
Oh. And that you can start farming it at 15 if you're so inclined.
Handy to have a guide for that, to be honest..
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we can duo most strike forces..
so why even pug at all?
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Because some of us are masochistic, obviously.
Or like people (which can be construed as a form of masochism if you ask me).
[/ QUOTE ]
Guides to PUG strike force or task force is silly
Say in broadcast, Hey we are going to do XXXXXXX st/tf it takes XX hours.. Who wants in?
then start sending tells asking people to join.. and tell them right up front how long it will take them..
send invites to the people who say sure..
Bam thats my guide
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Eh. I can see the point in doing it, because it seems like the Cap SF is the only rough equivlant to the Katie TF that villains have. It's short, quick, and dirty. The only thing I can see this having over the Katie TF is that you only, really, need 3 people to run it (Last time I ran it, we had a Corrupter [Fire/Cold], a Brute [Sets escape me], and a Mastermind [Thug/Poison], and it didn't take us more then 45 minutes to burn through things. My only regret is I didn't have Neurotoxic Breath at that point [having taken it 2 levels later. :/]), and that you only really have to worry about one EB/AV (Depending on difficulty and group size, I guess - I'm not really sure).
Oh. And that you can start farming it at 15 if you're so inclined.
Handy to have a guide for that, to be honest..
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On Virtue, I have an Ice Psy Dom tricked out with IOs just for that specific strike force..
I am fully equipped with grant invis + teleport..
and befor i went on my vacation from the game.. I had the maps mesmorized 
In the interest of increasing the availability of Strike Force dropped recipes on villainside, I'm going to post a guide to the fastest way to complete the Cap Au Diable Strike Force (level 15-20).
It's not as fast, on average, as the Katie Hanon Task Force, but it's the best thing we villains have got so we have no choice but to roll with it.
This is how you can do the SF in guaranteed 30-50 minutes, using only Pick-Up-Groups.
Quick overview of mission structure
-The first mission is a kill all. This can be vary in length based on the size of the mission. It's quite random.
-Everything else after that can be ghosted to the end objective with the same predictable speed (although the second mission can be a bit tricky)
-The second to last mission where you have to capture a scientist and bring him to a console can be quick or long depending on where the scientist is in the mission, but there are some tactics you can use to make this mission always go smooth and as fast as possible.
-The last mission requires killing two AVs, and there are some special tactics to speed up the process of the last mission so you don't have to kill everything.
Leadership:
1. If you intend to farm this TF regularly, you're going to need to spec out a character who is well suited to the job, rather than try to rely on recruiting other people who have the skills required.
2. First you need a form of stealth. Superspeed works if you are good at running through missions without getting stuck on stuff, otherwise it could result in many deaths. A combination of superspeed and concealment makes things easier, but is not necessary if you're experienced and carry a tray full of purples just in case.
3. Second you need recall friend. Obviously after ghosting to the objective you recall your team to the target to kill it.
4. Your Strike Force leader toon should be something that performs well at level 20, and has something to bring to either the mission killing speed of the first kill-all mission (A brute wth good AoE damage), or has something to bring to the AV fights at the end (debuffs/buffs/healing/etc)
Masterminds should not be used because they are weaker than average at level 20 and setting up will slow you down.
Dominators should be avoided because their damage sucks at this level and their control doesn't bring much to either the first mission or the final mission.
Stalkers work, but because they don't fill a vital role themselves it will require you to get a brute and corruptor for the team.
By going either a brute or corruptor yourself, you make team formation faster and easier. Especially if you go with a corruptor that has -regen powers, because brutes are a dime a dozen to fill your team with.
5. You will need an Ouroboros portal, for quickly recharging your inspirations before the final mission.
Team structure:
1. If you are not a leader with debuffs, then only invite masterminds if they have -regen debuffs, and only if there are no other corruptors available.
2. Never invite dominators. They will just slow you down if they're capped at level 20, before they get their best attacks and best control. This is also why you should never invite masterminds unless you have no choice for their debuffs.
3. Always have at least one brute who is decently specced for level 20 and can take punishment.
4. Always have at least one corruptor with -regen debuffs.
5. Stalkers and VEATs of any type make for good damage based filler after you've already got your brute and corruptor.
6. Typically you'll only want to run with teams of 4 or 5, because anything in the 6-8 range is likely to just make your progress slower than average - UNLESS you fill the team with all level 40+ toons who are reasonably well specced for level 20 combat.
7. Never invite anyone under level 30 unless you need to dip that low to get regen debuffs (another reason why my preferred leadership class is a /rad. He can heal the team and debuff). Inviting people in the 15-25 range will just slow you down because they are not slotted well and probably don't know how to play their toon that well either.
8. Don't fill up on corruptors either. At this level they are hit or miss in terms of whether or not they can do good damage. You're better off relying on brutes or stalkers as damage filler. A team full of corruptors at level 20 has a chance of being very slow and ponderous in missions that require killing everything.
Travel powers
-Make sure your leader character has a fast travel power at this level to speed up the go-between before you get the contact's cell phone number. Superspeed is a good choice here.
-But if you find that you're forced to put off a travel power until later to make you more combat effective at level 20, then you can go to siren's call and grab a temp travel power from there which will last long enough for this strike force.
Difficulty
--Be sure you're set to villainous. you gain nothing by running this on anything harder. The chance of dropping a good recipe at the end is the same regardless of difficulty setting.
Inspirations
-As the leader, load up on purples before starting.
-Instruct the rest of the team to stock up on whatever they will need before you start.
-The Brute may want defensive stuff, but instruct the stalkers or damage dealing corruptors to stock up on reds (and if they need it, blues).
-The primary reason you need purples is for ghosting with SuperSpeed only, to avoid getting killed if you get unlucky.
-You might need to stock up on purples to complete the 2nd to last mission quickly, but you'll definately need to have a full tray of purples before going into the final mission.
First Mission
Kill everything.
-Travel to the door and TP anyone who doesn't have a travel power yet. If you're working with with experienced players they'll already be at this door.
-Kill through this mission as fast as you can. The best makeup for this mission is one corruptor for mitigation (healing or buffing) and AoE debuffing, combined with one brute, and filled out with 2 stalkers.
Second Mission
-TP everyone to this mission entrance as necessary.
-Have everyone wait inside at mission entrance while you scout for the two mission objectives.
-There are three places where each objective could be, so you'll learn where to look eventually.
-Start off by TPing the team to the foreman once you've found him.
-Then go find the attack leader and find a safe spot near him to teleport the whole team.
Out of any point in the SF, this is where any deaths are most likely to happen. So go in together, pop breakfrees to avoid any knockback or control from the mages, and try to keep it tight so you don't aggro the surrounding groups.
Third Mission
-Simply ghost to the end of the mission (it's usually very long, which is a good thing you can ghost it), and find the leader and the glowie (THey are almost always together at the end, but occasionally they will be in two different locations so keep in that mind).
-TP everyone to near the end objective from a safe spot, then let them kill. Easy.
Fourth Mission
-Simply ghost through the tunnel to the end, near the objective, and TP everyone from a safe place.
-The one thing you have to be careful of here if you're a superspeeder is that you don't get caught up in the mob groups in the narrow hallways or stuck on torches as you try to zip fast everything.
Fifth Mission
-Have everyong wait inside at entrance while you ghost ahead to find the scientist. Once found, recall the team to liberate him (or if he's real close, the team can just fight their way from the starting point).
-Once freed, make sure he's attached to yourself, then pop some purples and run with the scientist directly towards the glowie control panel, which will complete the mission without forcing you to fight your way to the panel.
Final Mission
-This one requires a full tray of purples on the part of the leader before entering.
-The purples are so that you can ghost to each altar, pop 4-5 purples, and then click on the glowie without getting interrupted. Then you zip off to find the next one. There are 5 altars, and something like 10 holes to check, so superspeed helps check them all fast.
-After you've gotten all the altars, three ambushes will be triggered. Run back to the starting entrance of the mission where your team should be.
-Now move forward and fight your way towards Infernal the AV, clear everything around him, then kill him.
-Next, jump off to the left and clear out the cave immedately there. This will be the cave you drag Bat Zul the AV down into (because otherwise you'd have to fight him in the middle of a lava pit).
-Once everything is clear, pull Bat zul out of the lava and into the cave, being careful about his quirky AI he sometimes will run off in random directions if he think he can't fit, but he can.
-Be careful of additional ambushes that may still be happening if you killed infernal real quick before the third ambush from clicking the altars hasn't arrived yet.
-Bat Zul hits harder than infernal, but has much less HP, so with some -regen on him he'll go down fast.
-Spam any immobilizes you've got to keep him from running around once you've got him out of the lava.
-The reason you don't try to pull him up to the area where you fought infernal is because he could try to run away and then get stuck in the lava pits flanking this area, forcing you to fight him down there.
And there you have it, a TF rare recipe in 30-50 minutes guaranteed. There ARE ways to get this time down to about 25 minutes, but that requires specialized 3-4 man teams who are purpose built for this TF. They already know what they are doing (Ie. on those teams everyone has stealth so you save time by not having to TP people, wait for them to travel, wait for them to zone, or do all the ghosting yourself).
The advice I've given you is how you can run the Cap Strike Force reliably at an average of 40 minutes using typical Pick-Up-Groups.
Happy hunting!