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Slot for IO sets for global recharge, global damage and global accuracy
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Those bonuses are key to overall performance and are my priorities as well. I learned how to avoid death on my Blaster long before I started slotting for bonuses.
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Sure, if I wanna solo that AV, it's not optimal
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I'm a little less than halfway near the soft cap in ranged defense and can solo most AVs with the right inspirations.
To eaches own, on most of my ATs I like to build on strengths and weaknesses. Mainly building on weaknesses.
A Blaster is a ranged offensive Juggernuat dealing massive amounts of damage from range, why would I need to build on damage they already do enough. However they have low hit points and can't take a hit well. So I know that I am good a range but can't take a hit. Well if I stay at range and focus on dodging ranged attacks I am not just viable to high level enemies but taking on average groups will not be a problem.
I don't plan on taking on any AVs solo, but when I am fighting average enemies losing half of my health it sucks. Really I like the reduced down time. I am right now at about 24% ranged defense from IOs and solo I am able to swiftly move through mishes without the need of greens, resting or waiting for health to regenerate me. QoL
Also in some sets you are building up damage while building for defense. I don't do recharge because most of my attacks cycle fast enough, I guess you could for your Tier 9, but for a nuke that takes all your end not worth it me, I hardly use mine.
"Yes, winning all the time can be boring."
-Knight_Chill
"It's amazing how well you can put up with endurance issues if you hide them under a large enough pile of bodies."
-Spiritchaser speaking on Dom Revamp
Depends on what I am doing.
Farming builds its rechare over everything. I want recharge, recharge and recharge. Thankfully with that you also get acc and usually recovery.
Everything else I like to have range defense. I don't want to be taking ROTP let alone slotting it for damage and recharge.
Dual builds are the best. On my main I have a super high recharge build and I have a capped ranged defense build. I use it for ITFs, STFs, and other stuff that is usually difficult.
Virtue: @Santorican
Dark/Shield Build Thread
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To eaches own, on most of my ATs I like to build on strengths and weaknesses. Mainly building on weaknesses.
A Blaster is a ranged offensive Juggernuat dealing massive amounts of damage from range, why would I need to build on damage they already do enough. However they have low hit points and can't take a hit well. So I know that I am good a range but can't take a hit. Well if I stay at range and focus on dodging ranged attacks I am not just viable to high level enemies but taking on average groups will not be a problem.
I don't plan on taking on any AVs solo, but when I am fighting average enemies losing half of my health it sucks. Really I like the reduced down time. I am right now at about 24% ranged defense from IOs and solo I am able to swiftly move through mishes without the need of greens, resting or waiting for health to regenerate me. QoL
Also in some sets you are building up damage while building for defense. I don't do recharge because most of my attacks cycle fast enough, I guess you could for your Tier 9, but for a nuke that takes all your end not worth it me, I hardly use mine.
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I hardly ever use greens. I pile em for blues. I aoe everything and hardly ever rest. I run into melee and energy melee anything left standing.
Yup. I die. But not often. RoTP is up and I keep chugging. At 50, debt is a joke.
I have hardly any ranged defense. I solo well unless it's more than 3 red bosses. Yeah, I guess it's just a playstyle thing.
And put me on a team with a tank or a controller... oh my.
Just wondering. I mean, I have no real defense to speak of and I guess that's weird.
I have a defensive build on my ice/fire and my average defense is 20%, but for my 2nd build I'm going with max damage, thinking its hard for things to kill me when i kill them first.
I'm a Mac user, no Mid's for me
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I could care less. Slot for IO sets for global recharge, global damage and global accuracy, take RiseofthePhoenix and never seem to have a problem.
Yeah, I got a stealth IO and a -KB IO in hover, but I never seem to need defense. I have a buildout for it and when I switch to it, I die about as much.
Sure, if I wanna solo that AV, it's not optimal... at all. But with most combos having decent built in mitigation, why go running around trying to get global defenses capped?
Naw naw naw. I know the response. And it's very valid if you like to avoid some hot strikes, but does anyone feel like me and not consider death and damage even a speed bump?
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Smart play or overwhelming offense > defense. It's how blasters used to play before IOs. Ranged defense is the new black only because it allows blasters to go into unheralded areas previously reserved for scrappers/brutes. It's not new; it's actually old school.
With that said, there are some builds that work very well with a lot of ranged defense. My AR/Dev devices blaster will be spec'ing into that largely because AR's damage output without build up is laughably poor compared to what blasters are typically capable of. My ice/ice on the other hand won't need it. Everything is frozen or slowed to a crawl even before I start firing. And she's still on SOs/HOs.
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Dual builds are the best. On my main I have a super high recharge build and I have a capped ranged defense build. I use it for ITFs, STFs, and other stuff that is usually difficult.
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So do I! 
@Demobot
Also on Steam
Me. I don't dcare to try to solo AV's. I generally avoid teams that are planning on fighting non TF AV's. AV's are (to me) incredibly boring and pointless, regardless of build.
I haven't even bothered to slot sets on anything yet, and very very few non common IO's on any of my toons.
Defense is so unblastery.
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
I don't find AV's "incredibly boring and pointless" because I'm usually on a team that has SOME way of dropping them in under three minutes.
One SG team, I took inspirations and they lasted longer than the AV did.
Getting back to the original point: Yes. Defense is the new "whatever" to me. I tried a high-defense build and it was fine. My other 5 or so high-level blasters didn't go high-defense and they play just fine. I can hold ten or twelve purple insps, and if I need more than that I'm doing something wrong.
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
My defense is my offense.. Take them down before thet take me down..
The hard things I can do--- The impossible just take a little bit longer.
If numbers are so much more important than a teammate who is fun to play with, forget about the game altogether and go play with a calculator instead. -Claws and Effect-
I'm more of a fan of high +regen mixed with good tactics and skills on my blasters. Should all else fail, pop a few purples, mixed with the high regen and you can survive most things.
It also works wonderfully with some epic powers like PFF, and power surge and force of nature.
Plasmic's Guide to Sonic/Mental
Plasmic's Guide to Regeneration
Plasmic Fire - 50 Fire/Rad Victory Server
I'm not anti AV or anything, it's just not my cup o' tea.
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
Right now I have 13% ranged defense from IO set bonuses and Hover and it has helped to certain degree. Flechette pretty much nailed it by saying smart playing and a survivability mindset is more important.
There's always Force Mastery to consider. Not only do you get PFF when under critical fire, but two good resist powers that will help your surivivability alot. I find the epic pool the best option so far for my Blapper build.
My Sonic/Devices I'm working on softcapping ranged defense, but he is also my only flying blaster. My Fire/Fire and Fire/Electric and even my Archery/Energy are just pure damage builds.
Once you get your ranged defense over 30% you really start noticing it. At this point he is basically an untouchable weapons platform. But like I said, my other blasters are pure chaos and damage. Especially my two fire blasters, they spend way too much time in melee burning and/or blapping things to death.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison See, it's gems like these that make me check Claws' post history every once in a while to make sure I haven't missed anything good lately. |
Defense?
Death is the ultimate -Acc debuff. I don't care if they shoot at me; I can do that too, and I'm better at it.
Hover, a control or two, and the ability to control when and where engagements take place via Stealth and KnockBack have stood me in far better stead for most battles than defense ever could- I think my main blaster is still in Hami-Os, so really not that much in the way of IO sets 
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"
... I will admit for all my macho "I just blow them up" claims, I usually have an Ethereal Shift if I need a moment to myself.
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
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AV's are (to me) incredibly boring and pointless
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Fine, "boring" to some, but it's certainly not "pointless".
The point of soloing AVs is to accomplish something that requires careful planning and execution. More so than say blasting your way through missions on Heroic.
I don't worry about defense a whole lot either. I got used to not having it, back before we had inventions, so I don't miss it.
And you know, it's really all about priorities. Slotting for defense bonuses would cost me some time and trouble, figuring it out, getting the inf for it, and then respeccing my older characters. OTOH, I can put together a frankenslotted attack in a couple minutes, now that I've done it a few times, and it's super cheap most of the time. Getting a bunch of ranged defense would probably be good, I just don't put high enough priority on it to go to the trouble.
there is a reason why people call my blaster Agro-Pa, cause I just lay out aoes and go balls to the wall. What is def when the bodies just keep stacking up in front of you.
For better or for worse I try to softcap the ranged defense on all my blasters now. That, in conjunction with hover and a -fly power makes for one hardcore blaster. It's reached the point for me where I hold perma-dom and softcapped ranged defense in similar regard.
It isn't necessary for blaster play but I don't want to go without it.
When there is no room left in Hell, the Dead shall walk the earth.
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It's reached the point for me where I hold perma-dom and softcapped ranged defense in similar regard.
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Me too lol.
"Yes, winning all the time can be boring."
-Knight_Chill
"It's amazing how well you can put up with endurance issues if you hide them under a large enough pile of bodies."
-Spiritchaser speaking on Dom Revamp
I couldn't care less
fixed for you... sorry... that is one of my pet peeves how that word is mis used.
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I couldn't care less
fixed for you... sorry... that is one of my pet peeves how that word is mis used.
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You must be into lost causes. That one's right up there with "definately" and "your welcome".
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mis used
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Incidentally, "misused" is one word. 
I could care less. Slot for IO sets for global recharge, global damage and global accuracy, take RiseofthePhoenix and never seem to have a problem.
Yeah, I got a stealth IO and a -KB IO in hover, but I never seem to need defense. I have a buildout for it and when I switch to it, I die about as much.
Sure, if I wanna solo that AV, it's not optimal... at all. But with most combos having decent built in mitigation, why go running around trying to get global defenses capped?
Naw naw naw. I know the response. And it's very valid if you like to avoid some hot strikes, but does anyone feel like me and not consider death and damage even a speed bump?