Quick question about Assault Rifle...

I have a AR/Devices blaster that I've recently resurrected (lvl 31) and I'm stuck on a power choice for lvl 35...

The powers I have are:

slug, buckshot, beanbag, sniper rifle, flamethrower, ignite from the primary (and planning to take full auto at 32)

Web grenade, caltrops, targetting drone, cloaking device and tripmine from the secondary

Powerpools are Fitness (swift, health stamina) and superjump (combat jumping, superjump and acrobatics (not as happy with this as I thought I would be...)

Anyway, I was going to take time bomb at 35 but I spoke to some devices blasters and they said that without really having superspeed to add to my invisibility it wouldn't be that useful... so I'm now considering one of the following:

Taser - to combine with beanbag for a bit more stunning
TP Foe - for amusing TP bad guys on to mines
Assault - to make my attacks a bit more powerful (really not sure on this one...)
Haste - so that I could get SS later perhaps

Any advice? anything lacking from what I've got in my build so far??

Doulos from the Precision Rangers on Union or Synaesthetix will be the best people to ask.

Just out of interest are you planning on PvP, PvE or a mix of both?

mostly PvE with perhaps a small foray into PvP if I can convince the Dark Defender I team with that his fear and my mines might be mildly amusing...

You should definitely get hasten and SS to get invisibility for trip mine and time bomb, also I'd say drop buckshot and pick burst as it's more useful.

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You should definitely get hasten and SS to get invisibility for trip mine and time bomb, also I'd say drop buckshot and pick burst as it's more useful.

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I used to have burst before a respec some time ago... I took buckshot so that I could AOE more bad guys... maybe not the greatest idea I admit...

Is timb bomb worth getting then? At the moment I only really battle mine... I wait for the dark defender I team with to fear and tarpatch the mob and then I just run in and mine at their feet as they are either slowly running away or are feared. It's quite effective so far...

I have considered the SS route but I have to admit I really wanted to avoid getting hasten on this build... and I can't really see myself with flurry!

At the moment my cloaking device stacks with the DD's shadow fall... would it also stack with stealth?

At level 35, I err on the edge of not bothering with SS for 'Invis' - too many mobs see through SS+CD in the upcoming levels, and if you've made it that far you can probably live without it. Cloaking Device works well enough alone, just so long as you're aware of mob aggro ranges. Hasten is always handy, that said. For the mobs that exist that you might want to Invis in > Time Bomb > Trip Mine... it's just as quick to use your primary cones, 9 times out of 10.

TP Foe only really comes into play in PvP - although it is good for a laugh to break up the monotony of gameplay, I don't think you'll use it enough PvE.

I took Assault way back when, for the possibility of a way to boost damage given the lack of Build Up/Aim in AR/Dev... and it left me a little underawed, although it did help us struggle through the first wall of the Eden Trial in fairness. Not a dire choice, given it's a team buff - but not an awesome one.

Personally, in a purely PvE build, I'd plump for Taser. The bosses that you'll be encountering in the levels approaching the end game (Gunslingers, DRMs, Fake Nems) can be an utter pain unless you can disable them sufficiently - and Beanbag > Taser gives you a one-two punch with which to do so. With a few Recharges/DisDurs in those attacks, you can perma-mez most (if not all) bosses.

Re: Time Bomb - handy in a tight situation, if you're flexible enough to get used to it.

Cheers for the response...

I think given that it will be mostly PvE I will go for Taser, I like the idea of perma-mezzing malta... should get them back nicely for all those times they stunned my Empath... (and yes, I am vindictive)

With regards time bomb. What do you mean "flexiable enough to get used to it" ? Are there only particular strategies that work with this power or...?

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With regards time bomb. What do you mean "flexiable enough to get used to it" ? Are there only particular strategies that work with this power or...?

[/ QUOTE ]It's not the easies power to use considering it's timed, but with ivisibility and combined with well-timed trip mine and flamethrower/full auto it makes a very nice alpha strike. I'd also imagine it being good for AV/monster fights although haven't had first-hand experience.

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With regards time bomb. What do you mean "flexiable enough to get used to it" ? Are there only particular strategies that work with this power or...?

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Max pretty much nailed it, but I'll expound a little further.

Unlike any other attack in CoH, Time Bomb requires split-second timing to work - not just to work well, but to work at all. The long recharge makes it somewhat prohibitive to use wastefully, in addition. These are the ways in which I've used Time Bomb:

[*]Had Grant Invis/Group Invis cast on me, then moved into the centre of a big pack.
Place Time Bomb. At this point, you can either move to a safe distance and wait; or move into a coneable position (Flamethrower or Full Auto) and wait; or place an Auto Turret a short distance away then move into a safe position, or time it so that you place a Trip Mine just prior to the Time Bomb detonating.
The first option will leave many mobs on half-health-or-less, and all looking for you - sometimes this is manageable, sometimes not, depending on map layout.
The second option will allow you to pull the trigger just prior to the Time Bomb exploding - if you're good, this will result in a pile of dead mobs who haven't been able to fire back; if not, you'll end up with a lot of alpha-strikes coming your way.
The third option will allow you to create a diversion hopefully at the point where the TB explodes, allowing you to pick off the remaining mobs as you see fit.
The last option should drop most mobs - if they both hit at the right time. Most stragglers will be one-shottable/AoE fodder. This does leave you in the centre of X angry mobs, though.
[*]Pulling onto a bed of Trip Mines, Time Bomb, Caltrops.
Lay Trip Mines around a corner, garnish with Caltrops just behind the first line of Mines, place Time Bomb on this boundary. Countdown as appropriate, aggro the hell out of all the mobs around the corner, and nip behind and beyond the trap. Await fireworks display. Hope everything moves at the same time, instead of in single-file, thus completely screwing up your trap.
Alternatively, you can do pretty much the same thing to Bosses, with a variation - lay a Time Bomb, use Beanbag to pull, slap them with Taser as they round the corner onto the TB, then throw down Caltrops, Web Grenade, Web Grenade, then Ignite, Ignite, Ignite until TB explodes.
[*]Alpha Strike against high-HP mobs.
Lay down TB at beginning of fight, continue as normal. Semi-useful against some AVs, and the Eden Walls; timing is less important, although you/your teammates have to keep the AV near to the explosion. You do need teammates to make this work, preferably someone with the ability to control aggro away from you.
[*]TP Foe & Trip Mines & Time Bomb.
To be fair, I only really use this in PvP - and again, you have to time it perfectly. TP too soon and the TM detonates, knocking the foe out of effective TB range. TP too late, and the TB detonates too soon, and no damage is done. TP just right, and you have a surprised Tank on 1/3rd HP... the choice is yours. [/list]In honesty, there are probably more ways to use Time Bomb - I guess you could use it as reactor protection in Terra Volta, but TV's never been that much of a problem at the levels that Time Bomb was available, to me anyway.

In short, Time Bomb is all about the timing. If you can adapt to the constraints of being that precise about your gameplay, then go for it. Failing that, if you derive satisfaction from watching things go *BOOOOM*, with the ensuing Ragdoll confetti of bodies, go for it too.

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Max pretty much nailed it

[/ QUOTE ]1800 posts and finally I get a sig-worthy quote

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Failing that, if you derive satisfaction from watching things go *BOOOOM*, with the ensuing Ragdoll confetti of bodies, go for it too.

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that's me getting timebomb then

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Max pretty much nailed it

[/ QUOTE ]1800 posts and finally I get a sig-worthy quote

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If I'd have been fully awake, I might have capitalised your name correctly as well.

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Max pretty much nailed it

[/ QUOTE ]1800 posts and finally I get a sig-worthy quote

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If I'd have been fully awake, I might have capitalised your name correctly as well.

[/ QUOTE ]Bah, not like anyone apart from me does that anyways