Rad/Rad and Epic power pool


BurningFist_EU

 

Posted

I am playing a Rad/Rad defender who has just turned lvl40. I have been looking at the epic power pools for character enhancement and have come across a quandry.

Having read through the different epic powersets I have set my mind on Dark Mastery.

Given the powerset I use (and my almost constant use of the RAd toggles), is it better to go for all 4 powers from Dark Mastery or Oppressive Gloom from that powerset and Swift, Health and Stamina from Fitness.

In the end game, will Dark Consumption be good enough to keep endurance up or is Fitness required?

Let me know what you all think...


My Powerset:
Rad Emission:
Rad Aura, Rad Infection, Accel Metabolism, Enervating Field, Mutation, Lingering Rad, Choking Cloud, EM Pulse

Rad Blast:
Neutrino Bolt, Xray Beam, Irradiate, Proton Volley, Cosmic Burst, Neutron Bomb, Atomic Blast

Concealment:
Grant Invis, Invis

Flight:
Hover, Fly

Teleport:
Recall Friend


 

Posted

With Capt, I have Choking Cloud, Maneuvers and Tactics running on constant. Add Radiation Infecton and Enervating Field, along with attacks when in battle. Yet still I don't find it a huge drain on my endurance. Its when I start spamming heals and then setting off EM Pulse usually results in a drop of some of my toggles.

You'll find a number of your secondaries have low endurance cost. With Capt I've only gone for Neutrino Bolt, Irradiate, Cosmic Blast and Atomic Blast. Atomic Blast I don't use too often and may respec it out. May take in Proton Volley or another power pool.

I tend to leave out X-Ray (looks camp), Electron Haze (long animation and recharge time, also has higher end cost to most of the other blasts) and Neutron Bomb (high end cost and poxy damage...only does about same amount of debuff as Irradiate).

I have Conserve Power from the Power Mastery Pool, however don't use it as regularly as I would have thought. I believe Dark Consumption has a quicker recharge rate and lower endurance cost then Conserve Power.

Fitness will be essential and I believe it is important to get Stamina early. I tend not to go for Health, as I prefer to have Swift & Hurdle for the best mobility possible when in battle.


@Captain Solaris
Guild of Extreme Heroes
"Strength is in Unity"

 

Posted

If your playing style has been enough to get you to lvl40 without Stamina, then I don't see why you should need to spend 3 of your last 4 picks to get it - Dark Consumption is a very nice End booster, especially as you'll be in the middle of a group of enemies a lot of the time. Opressive Gloom is great - does a similar job to Choking Cloud but is cheaper. Also, you can stack Cosmic burst with it to easily Disorient bosses. Soul Drain also suits you down to the ground - again as you're in the middle of groups of enemies a lot. Oddly, the armor is probably the most skippable of them - partly because you're already pretty well defended and partly because it needs slotting and I'd prioritise slotting the other powers from the Dark pool first.


By my 50s shall ye know me:
Tundra, DVM, The Late, Neutrino Ghost, Sir Clanksalot, End Of Days, Prof. Migraine
Howler Monkey

 

Posted

DC is nice, but you need to be really close to your targets. With my own rad/son/dark, I've found it's not that easy, because even with LR the mobs tend to wander a bit from OG (and turning off OG is risky with the acc debuff enhancement nerf).

If you're looking at something to improve your end, check the Elec epic. Sure, you have to wait until 47, but power sink is amazing. Better range, auto-hit, drains endu.

IMO, you should pick what you want. If you made 1-40 without Stamina, you'll be fine 40-50 without. Carnies and sappers won't be as hard as they are for others ATs, because AM gives you end drain resist.

My bad then. Too much controller crits I guess.

However, I'm 100% sure Atomic blast is a hold.


 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]


You can't.

Cosmic burst has the disorient animation which can be confusing, but it's a hold (same with EMP and CC).
OG is a disorient.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is that really true? It takes disorient enhancers and I don't remember it stacking with CC


IN MEMORIUM OF GAYBABY
CRUELY TAKEN FROM THIS WORLD WHILE SO YOUNG

 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


You can't.

Cosmic burst has the disorient animation which can be confusing, but it's a hold (same with EMP and CC).
OG is a disorient.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is that really true? It takes disorient enhancers and I don't remember it stacking with CC

[/ QUOTE ]

Cosmic Burst does two things other than damage. Disorientates and Debuffs Defense, therefore doesn't stack with CC.

EMP and CC are the only powers in the Rad/Rad set that stack on hold.


@Captain Solaris
Guild of Extreme Heroes
"Strength is in Unity"

 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]
If your playing style has been enough to get you to lvl40 without Stamina, then I don't see why you should need to spend 3 of your last 4 picks to get it - Dark Consumption is a very nice End booster, especially as you'll be in the middle of a group of enemies a lot of the time. Opressive Gloom is great - does a similar job to Choking Cloud but is cheaper. Also, you can stack Cosmic burst with it to easily Disorient bosses. Soul Drain also suits you down to the ground - again as you're in the middle of groups of enemies a lot. Oddly, the armor is probably the most skippable of them - partly because you're already pretty well defended and partly because it needs slotting and I'd prioritise slotting the other powers from the Dark pool first.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly. I run Nikta like this now. Jump in a group, 50% of the minions are disorientated on the first 'to-hit' roll and with luck your cosmic bust stacks with a successful opressive gloom tick on an Lt or Boss.

Much much cheaper than choking cloud and actually more effective since you can control lts and bosses more readily.

Between Nikta and Chaplain I have tried every single epic power and I think i am now happy with Nikta -> dark. Chap still needs some work.


 

Posted

I run both Choking Cloud and Oppressive Gloom with Nucleopatra, and back them both up by slotting Irradiate with -Def. I've also started slotting my other attacks with a bit of -Def too. After the first tick of CC and OG the result can be quite hilarious.

I do get End issues in long fights with both debuffs running but Stamina makes it manageable, and with all the held/stunned fools in the vicinity Dark Consumption should help with that.

One thing though, Oppressive Gloom does damage to your Hit Points for each of its victims and although it's not very much it can really add up if you're affecting a lot of mobs for a long time, so you might be using the Rad heal a bit more often. It's not a deal breaking issue mind, but it's worth considering if you think you might have End issues.

That said, the only time I've seen my Health go down a lot solely due to OG was in Perez Park while bullying Hellions.