I know half the people here will be rolling their eyes at this, but....
Force Fields. If you're planning on being the only Defender on an 8-man team, and you expect to keep the whole team alive all the time "easily", then Force Fields has the simple mitigation that will do that for you.
You buff the team, make them into Gods and then either play around with your other toys or blast [censored] in the face the rest of the time.
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I know half the people here will be rolling their eyes at this, but....
Force Fields. If you're planning on being the only Defender on an 8-man team, and you expect to keep the whole team alive all the time "easily", then Force Fields has the simple mitigation that will do that for you.
You buff the team, make them into Gods and then either play around with your other toys or blast [censored] in the face the rest of the time.
[/ QUOTE ]
This. There is no other defender primary I've encountered that can do so much for a team's survivability. Sure, it's pretty much useless for offensive contribution (beyond Repulsion Bomb), but that's why you take Sonic Blast.
What about Dark? Sure Fearsome Stare is not available till lvl 12 but come on, it's two levels. And if you go Dark/Sonic, its attacks' resistance debuffs stack with tar patch.
Here's what's available by lvl 12
Tar patch- Resist debuff w/Big slow
Twilight Grasp- AoE Heal w/regen debuff, to-hit, dmg debuff
Darkest Night- big dmg debuff w/ big to-hit debuff
Howling Twilight- AoE Stun that happens to rez any/all dead allies around you. Big regen debuff.
Shadowfall- This one you can put off till later. Def to All/Res Buff to Psi/Energy/Dark
Fearsome Stare- Big to-hit debuff than happens to fear/ Alpha Breaker.
For a "rolling 8 man team" I would say Force Fields or Sonic are the good choices. They provide simple, guaranteed, near-foolproof, effective mitigation.
On an 8-man team there's a good chance that, when something goes wrong, it goes REALLY wrong really fast. Force Fields [and to a lesser extent Sonic or Cold] prevents that.
FF will turn all your Blasters into people who can start the fight, and when you have several Blasters starting the fight, those are some short fights.
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
Would it be better to do FF/Sonic or Sonic/Sonic? Thoughts?
For straight "It's all on me to keep the suicidal team alive!" scenarios, I say FF/Dark.
Seriously though ANY well played defender should make a team safer and more effective offensively. Just concentrate on the team flow and use your available powers to make a difference. If a team is steamrolling (i.e. not really being threatened with death) then throw out team damage boosting powers (Disruption Arrow, Enervating Field, Tar Patch, Sonic anything, Freezing Rain/Sleet, Fortitude, Siphon Power, etc), and AoE blasts. If a team is taking some lumps, then focus on mitigation (Glue Arrow, Tar Patch, Snow Storm, maybe Healing).
I feel that Dark/Sonic brings a great package of team protection (especially after lvl 12 with Fearsome Stare) and offensive boosting at a relatively early point and has a devastatingly effective mid/late game.
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Would it be better to do FF/Sonic or Sonic/Sonic? Thoughts?
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Sonic gives you additional 30% mass Res debuff on top of Howl's 20%, and an extra 30% again on top of the single target Res debuffs from Shriek and Scream. So it boosts team damage here by about 25% or so. (1.5/1.2 = 1.25)
Sonic mitigates about 60% of incoming damage. Force Fields mitigates 90%+. Force Fields also covers Psi damage and End Drain, which makes a big difference in the late game vs Malta, Carnies, Rularruu and Rikti to name a few.
So FF/Sonic is more defensive in both breadth and depth, but Sonic/Sonic gives you a better damage boost.
I love both playing sets.
I'd say Sonic/Sonic provides eneough mitigation for all but a team full of blasters.
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Seriously though ANY well played defender should make a team safer and more effective offensively.
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This.
I'm something of a Defender aficionado, and I find that once you really get the hang of the AT, the power combo isn't really all that big a deal...they all work. That said, D3s are my personal favorite. In fact, Dark/anything is very effective. Pretty much any Kin/ Defender can turn a team into an unstoppable killing machine, too...but you have to be willing to spend a significant amount of your time buffing (and putting up with "SB plz" in chat).
"And in this moment, I will not run.
It is my place to stand.
We few shall carry hope
Within our bloodied hands."
I like my FF / Dark. He's awesome. FF is about keeping your teammates alive, while Dark helps keep you alive with the self-heal.
@Celestial Lord and @Celestial Lord Too
My basic feeling is that it's nearly impossible to build a team without SOMEONE who will help you keep it alive. No controllers, no tanks, no other defenders? Pfeh. You'd have to be hunting for just Blasters and Scrappers and actively rejecting other defenders/controllers/tankers.
Given that, I'd suggest Sonic/sonic. FF is still my preference, but that is kind of defensive overkill.
I like overkill.
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
Awesome advice - tyvm all!
When you see yourself in a crowded room / do your fingers itch,are you pistol-whipped
Will you step in line or release the glitch / can you fall asleep with a panic switch
For 8 man pugs where none of the other 7 are controllers or defenders and you're probably stuck with only one functioning brain cell, I'd go with a Dark/Dark/Dark defender.
I've asked this on the controller boards too, but bear with me
I find myself really enjoying the heck out of running full 8 man teams. Since I switched servers I never have problems getting in to one.
So...
I love pretty much every defender primary. Which seems to offer the most benefit to a rolling 8 man team? I love Storm but it seems to have it's best tricks a little late in the set and I like to be useful before level 10. Rad is fun but anchors get killed fast in 8 mans. I have a fire/kin so I am not so interested in Kin, but maybe - not sure.
Thoughts?
TY for any ideas.
When you see yourself in a crowded room / do your fingers itch,are you pistol-whipped
Will you step in line or release the glitch / can you fall asleep with a panic switch