Do defenders get a raw deal with missions?
By
Avalanche_EU,
Posted on: 2007-08-22 05:09 in Defenders
Couldn't the same be said for most inherent powers?
Gauntlet is (vaguely) useful at lower levels when people don't have their aoe pulsing taunt auras or taunt power. It's not really that good at all. Try doing a hard mission at lower levels with an invuln tank with no taunt and do it again with an ice tanker with chilling embrace. Massive difference in aggro control. (In fact I think tanks post 10 without taunt or some kind of taunt aura need a kick up the [censored]. Would they expect to group an empath with no heals? You are not a tanker if you're going to lose your defender or controller the instant they do any kind of AoE control/debuff that has a negligible damage component)
Same for defenders and blasters. You get better damage and endurance early on when people aren't able to slot out powers with SO's to make them viable. It lets defenders blast early on when you just didn't have the endurance to cope with it before.
The effect is still noticeable at higher level. You only have to take a stormie and go to town in a group with storm powers and blasts all over the place and then try and do that solo and wonder where you endurance is. All my stormies are ultra slotted for endurance as well.
My Dark/Dark could happily solo missions on unyeilding, could have done maximum difficulty too but would have taken too long.
Great team defender too.
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My Dark/Dark could happily solo missions on unyeilding, could have done maximum difficulty too but would have taken too long.
Great team defender too.
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I would agree with this. My Dark/Dark could easily solo at Rugged/Unyeilding. If Defenders and solo play is your thing, then take a look at it.
Your survivability - if indeed thats a word - is very high due to the awesome amount of Acc Debuff and coupled with the deadly beauty of Fearsome Stare, Tar Patch, Tenebrous Tentacles and Nightfall you can melt mobs.
As an added bonus you have a pet (Fluffy 
) that you can use to take the Alpha hit.
Finally, as Star says, Dark/Dark is a great team player and most importantly a lot of fun to play as well.
Proud member of FOXBASE ALPHA and coalition associates.
Hero 50's - 25
Villain 50's - 1
I think the terms 'pure' defender generally means 'lazy empath with gimped build' and offender means 'I'm built properly and didn't just fall out of WoW and into this game with the same conceptions'.
I think that in general, if you are having trouble soloing on your defender then you're likely not contributing to a team as much as the next man either.
EDIT: Should also point out that people should be able to play the game however they like and built how they like. I just get very annoyed at 'pure' defenders advertising themselves as such, then somehow making out like you should be privelaged to have them in your team and ultimately spending 90% of their time standing around with their thumbs up their [censored].
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I think the terms 'pure' defender generally means 'lazy empath with gimped build' and offender means 'I'm built properly and didn't just fall out of WoW and into this game with the same conceptions'.
I think that in general, if you are having trouble soloing on your defender then you're likely not contributing to a team as much as the next man either.
EDIT: Should also point out that people should be able to play the game however they like and built how they like. I just get very annoyed at 'pure' defenders advertising themselves as such, then somehow making out like you should be privelaged to have them in your team and ultimately spending 90% of their time standing around with their thumbs up their [censored].
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Don't sit on the fence Av .. Say what you really mean 
Nice to see you back in the game btw
Proud member of FOXBASE ALPHA and coalition associates.
Hero 50's - 25
Villain 50's - 1
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I think the terms 'pure' defender generally means 'lazy empath with gimped build' and offender means 'I'm built properly and didn't just fall out of WoW and into this game with the same conceptions'.
I think that in general, if you are having trouble soloing on your defender then you're likely not contributing to a team as much as the next man either.
EDIT: Should also point out that people should be able to play the game however they like and built how they like. I just get very annoyed at 'pure' defenders advertising themselves as such, then somehow making out like you should be privelaged to have them in your team and ultimately spending 90% of their time standing around with their thumbs up their [censored].
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I see your point with "Pure defenders" but sometimes (especially in PUG's) the defender is so busy defending the team they have not time to cause any meaningful damage.
My Rad/Rad casts his toggles quite a few times during a fight (anchors mean nothing to some PUG's lol), but I am also firing off what little blasting powers I have for the -def. I doubt if they are doing much (even though they are slotted) as the damage is tiny compared to the other AT's.
Sometimes you havnt't got time to blast!
Well my Kin/Rad can do pretty meaningful DoT using her irradiate attacks after Fulcrum shift and along with the def debuff makes for a useful addition to any team. Also I have a good AoE in neutron bomb. I usually have something I can do with her, I'm not usually waiting for something to do that's for sure.
prettyy much the same thing applies to both my other defdnders, there's usually something that can be done, even if it's simply loosing a few arrows or using energy Torrent to knock a few bad guys down.
Defiant 50's
Many and varied!
@Miss Chief
I find that sticking toggles on a lieutenant at the back of the pack lasts longest. People generally wipe out the minions with AoE and the scrappers go straight for the bosses as they are the greatest threat. The lieuts near the back are often the last to drop, even in disorganised PuGs.
But yeah somtimes when it all goes horribly pear shaped you are just too busy to blast. I didn't really mean that, I meant the ones that stand around occasionally passing out buffs if you beg for them and complement them on their shoulder kittens.
However, I think a lot of the time it's down to people just not knowing the stats on things, which is partly the game's fault for having such vague power descriptions. Some of the secondary effects are really fantastic. I boggle at the emp/psi's that don't have psychic scream. "Hello? It's a 62.5% AoE recharge speed debuff for 10 seconds! and it's aoe damage! It's probably doing more damage mitigation than half the empathy buffs. That's more than Snow Storm, more than Freezing Rain, a little less than Lingering Radiation and over three times as much as Glue Arrow! Slot it up and spam that mother. You will need to heal less, which means you can blast more and everyone is happy!"
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I see your point with "Pure defenders" but sometimes (especially in PUG's) the defender is so busy defending the team they have not time to cause any meaningful damage.
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Defenders for whom a 'pure' build is practical, are usually such that the damage they could inflict is inconsequential anyway. It is different for corrupters who are pretty balanced and can build for either damage or buffing ability. (not both, without sacrifices usually).
I like the idea of 'pure' builds cause it means variety in ways you can build your character.
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I find that sticking toggles on a lieutenant at the back of the pack lasts longest. People generally wipe out the minions with AoE and the scrappers go straight for the bosses as they are the greatest threat. The lieuts near the back are often the last to drop, even in disorganised PuGs.
But yeah somtimes when it all goes horribly pear shaped you are just too busy to blast. I didn't really mean that, I meant the ones that stand around occasionally passing out buffs if you beg for them and complement them on their shoulder kittens.
However, I think a lot of the time it's down to people just not knowing the stats on things, which is partly the game's fault for having such vague power descriptions. Some of the secondary effects are really fantastic. I boggle at the emp/psi's that don't have psychic scream. "Hello? It's a 62.5% AoE recharge speed debuff for 10 seconds! and it's aoe damage! It's probably doing more damage mitigation than half the empathy buffs. That's more than Snow Storm, more than Freezing Rain, a little less than Lingering Radiation and over three times as much as Glue Arrow! Slot it up and spam that mother. You will need to heal less, which means you can blast more and everyone is happy!"
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Psy Scream is actually a cone but that still means its one of the best /psy powers
I don't know the stats but I don't think defenders are quite as squishy as blasters. Apart from a stalker in pvp zones I cant think of anything that has one-shotted me
Also with our heals/debuffs we tend to take less damage on the whole than blasters