I'd suggest getting Tactics before you take Assault; it will be appreciated from the moment you get it. You may actually want to forego Assault entirely, as its damage boost is fairly weak, and it can't be usefully enhanced.
+---------------------------------------------
+ Built with SuckerPunch's Online Planner
+ http://www.cohplanner.com
+---------------------------------------------
Name: N/A
Level: 50
Archetype: Defender
Primary: Empathy
Secondary: Electrical Blast
+---------------------------------------------
01 => Charged Bolts
Empty(1)
01 => Healing Aura
Empty(1)
02 => Lightning Bolt
Empty(2)
04 => Heal Other
Empty(4)
06 => Recall Friend
Empty(6)
08 => Absorb Pain
Empty(8)
10 => Ball Lightning
Empty(10)
12 => Resurrect
Empty(12)
14 => Teleport
Empty(14)
16 => Swift
Empty(16)
18 => Clear Mind
Empty(18)
20 => Short Circuit
Empty(20)
22 => Health
Empty(22)
24 => Fortitude
Empty(24)
26 => Aim
Empty(26)
28 => Zapp
Empty(28)
30 => Stamina
Empty(30)
32 => Recovery Aura
Empty(32)
35 => Assault
Empty(35)
38 => Tactics
Empty(38)
41 => Regeneration Aura
Empty(41)
44 => Adrenalin Boost
Empty(44)
47 => Maneuvers
Empty(47)
49 => Thunderous Blast
Empty(49)
01 => Sprint
Empty()
01 => Brawl
Empty()
02 => Rest
Empty()
+---------------------------------------------
this is the build I'm going for I just need help slotting it, maybe adjusting which level to take some powers at.
Volt Sentinel Reference
Thunder is good, thunder is impressive, but lightning does the work.
01 => Charged Bolts
Empty(1)
01 => Healing Aura
Empty(1)
02 => Lightning Bolt
Empty(2)
04 => Heal Other
Empty(4)
06 => Recall Friend
Empty(6)
08 => Absorb Pain
Empty(8)
10 => Ball Lightning
Empty(10)
12 => Fortitude
Empty(12)
14 => Teleport
Empty(14)
16 => Clear Mind
Empty(16)
18 => Recovery Aura
Empty(18)
20 => Short Circuit
Empty(20)
22 => Swift
Empty(22)
24 => Resurect
Empty(24)
26 => Regeneration Aura
Empty(26)
28 => Health
Empty(28)
30 => Stamina
Empty(30)
32 => Adrenalin Boost
Empty(32)
35 => Assault
Empty(35)
38 => Zapp
Empty(38)
41 => Aim
Empty(41)
44 => Tactics
Empty(44)
47 => Maneuvers
Empty(47)
49 => Thunderous Blast
Empty(49)
This is a much better order for those powers listed.
The ones in bold are really a very bad idea to take later than they are first offered
@Catwhoorg "Rule of Three - Finale" Arc# 1984
@Mr Falkland Islands"A Nation Goes Rogue" Arc# 2369 "Toasters and Pop Tarts" Arc#116617
Well, consider yourself unlucky. By sheer coincidence, your roleplay concept has led you perilously close to one of the most common bad builds in the game -- even down to the power pool choices. Wish I had a dime for every newbie who rolls a defender and does nothing but heal and recall dead teammates to rez them.
Thankfully, though, you're taking a lot of blasts, which is a great start. The Hover + Teleport combo makes for fairly hassle free travel; Hover + Short Circuit about 10 feet over your enemies' heads also gives you the power of a PBAoE without the nuisance of melee. You're also taking Clear Mind and Fortitude as early as possible, and using them throughout the mission (not just once inside the door), which sets you immediately apart from the legions of empathy newbies. You're putting off either Heal Other or Absorb Pain until higher levels, since it's more important to get buffs and blasts in at the middle levels. Most importantly, you're thinking ahead to dual builds, since empathy gains a tremendous amount of versatility by having two builds to choose from.
One tough choice you'll have to make: Nuke or Leadership. You can have both, but it'll be a source of headaches. If it were my choice to make, I'd have the nuke on my "soloing/tanking/steamrolling" build, but not Maneuvers or Tactics -- use the saved power choices for Provoke and Charged Armor. On my "teaming with dummies" build, I'd skip the nuke and take the whole Leadership pool, especially Vengeance, which should be on auto -- just hit Hasten manually as needed.
Any part of the above which sounds borderline insane will make more sense once you see it in action. 
Quote:
These are all tremendously nice buffs. Is there a reason you're pushing them all off for so long?|
Originally Posted by JGHopkins
24 => Fortitude
Empty(24) ... 32 => Recovery Aura Empty(32) ... 41 => Regeneration Aura Empty(41) ... 44 => Adrenalin Boost Empty(44) |
Fortitude at 12 is vastly more helpful than at 24. Not that it's not useful at 24; it really is a nice buff regardless of level. But as your teammates are in Dual Origins between 12 and 22, that extra defense, accuracy and damage is quite visible in the teens (and later, too, but there's such a contrast with it before Single Origins that not taking Fortitude until level 24 begs the question "Why, oh why?"). Having Resurrect take up the level 12 slot is nothing short of tragic, especially when awakens are easily made with inspiration combining and Fortitude helps prevent the need for awakens/resurrections in the first place.
Recovery Aura and Regen Aura not only make your team unstoppable when they're up, but they're also the only two buffs you get that will affect you as well. Recovery Aura is also available before Stamina, and makes that last push much easier to bear.
As for Adrenalin Boost...if you have some reason for waiting 12 extra levels to be able to pick one teammate and turn them into a god, it's not a good enough reason. I don't even need to hear what it is. It's not good enough.
You're not taking Stamina until 30 (and you don't have Recovery Aura until 32, and not slotted until 33 at the earliest); what is your plan for endurance management?
Taking both Heal Other and Absorb Pain seems redundant to me. If you really find yourself needing that much healing, take your buffs sooner and use them. Or tell your teammates to stop being stupid. Or both.
Part of me is hoping this is just a joke build for the forum's amusement.
Quote:
As far as I am concerned, Absorb Pain is absolutely the worst power for a Defender to get - though I concede that the Medicine Pool is a hearty second.|
Originally Posted by Amberyl
I guess I'll start the wailing and gnashing of teeth....
....You should not take the Medicine pool. I mean it. Don't take any Medicine powers. You will definitely want Stamina earlier on..... ...You should pick up Fortitude as soon as it is available at level 12, and make sure someone gets it every time it recharges..... ....You do not really need both Heal Other and Absorb Pain, although this is somewhat a matter of taste..... |
As a Defender, you have few enough hit points as it is. It drains a lot if not all of your HP and leaves you without the ability to be healed. Some would argue that it is great to be able to avoid debt by using it to heal to heal a tank so that you can fall as a team beings to wipe, but I don't want to fall in battle and I can't help the team if I'm laying on the ground. I strongly suggest not to take Absorb Pain. I'm sure some Tankers will tell you how great it is, but look who's talking. (It was someone that has never played an Empathy Defender that told me that you don't get debt from falling in battle when you use Absorb Pain. So I don't know for sure that it doesn't, but that is what I was told.)
To elaborate on why the Medicine Pool is a bad idea for an Empathy Defender I would like to point out that ::
- Your Primary Heals are far superior to the Med Pools heals.
- Clear Mind is far superior and lasts longer than the Med Pool anti-Mez.
- They are all interpretable powers.
I suggest getting Heal Other, Healing Aura, and Clear Mind as early as possible.
Then I suggest getting Recovery Aura as early as possible.
Then I suggest getting Fortitude, Regen Aura, and Adrenaline Boost as early as possible.
I just dinged my first Defender to 50 on Friday Night/early Saturday AM EST. He's an Empathy/Electric and focus completely on team support. He doesn't have the Fitness Pool. I took the Leadership Pool instead. As a team buffer, the Leadership pools ablity to increase accuracy, damage, and defense can go a long way on a big team. When you have to pull it out, Vengeance can be extremely powerful - I don't like to have to use it, but when it needs to be used, it can save the rest of the team.
I've stated before I think Defenders become more powerful related to how big a team they are on as the more team mates that they have to take advantage of their debuffs and to use their heals/buffs on magnifies their effectiveness.
I do have to be careful about how much END I use on that character, but, with 3 Recharge Redux in Hasten and Recovery Aura, Recovery Aura can recharge fairly quickly. However, when that character is on a big team, I don't need to worry about taking down foes with my attacks. That's the rest of the teams job. I'm there to make sure that the rest of the team can stay up and take down the enemy as efficiently as possible.
Quote:
A lot? Really? I know there is a penalty to using the power, but I have never had the problem of it draining an absurd amount of my HP. I find it tremendously useful as a last resort ST heal. To be frank, if anyone is spamming this power as often as Heal Other of Heal Aura, he deserves to plant. The very description makes one aware that there is a price to pay for using it. I use it very sparingly. I think that the fact that Absorb Pain is more potent a heal than Heal Other makes it a worthwhile power to take as an empath.
|
Originally Posted by The_Alt_oholic
As a Defender, you have few enough hit points as it is. It drains a lot if not all of your HP and leaves you without the ability to be healed.
|
Words to the wise aren't necessary- it's the stupid ones that need them.
"You're right...I forgot...being constantly at or the near the damage cap is a big turn off. Definitely not worth it."
- Vitality
Quote:
Speaking as someone who played to 50 with only Absorb pain and Heal Other as team heals (i.e. skipping Healing aura) and blasted alongside the team I can only suggest actually using the power before complaining about it. Absorb pain is definitely bad for you if you:|
Originally Posted by The_Alt_oholic
As far as I am concerned, Absorb Pain is absolutely the worst power for a Defender to get - though I concede that the Medicine Pool is a hearty second.
As a Defender, you have few enough hit points as it is. It drains a lot if not all of your HP and leaves you without the ability to be healed. Some would argue that it is great to be able to avoid debt by using it to heal to heal a tank so that you can fall as a team beings to wipe, but I don't want to fall in battle and I can't help the team if I'm laying on the ground. I strongly suggest not to take Absorb Pain. I'm sure some Tankers will tell you how great it is, but look who's talking. (It was someone that has never played an Empathy Defender that told me that you don't get debt from falling in battle when you use Absorb Pain. So I don't know for sure that it doesn't, but that is what I was told.) |
* Follow the tanker with Healing aura on auto
* Don't know much about proper positioning in general
* Skip Regeneration aura
* Have problem with your personal aggro management
* Don't know when to use +defence/+resistance inspirations
* Don't pay attention to how many hp the power actually drains
A couple of things, Absorb pain will give debt now (unless they changed it again), makes you immune to +Heal but only resistant to +Regeneration. If you have enough Regeneration it is very easy to still regain hit points during the debuff period. Easy way to get there is to fire Regeneration aura during the fight where you expect it's needed.
"Hard" way is to slot IO's and get some +Regeneration, you only need to overcome the -100% Regeneration. Health slotted with two even-level SO's gets you to +67% Regeneration. That will allow you to still regenerate while debuffed but at a somewhat slower pace than normal. Also slotting two Numina's each in three powers that can take them and you will be regenerating *faster* than normal even after firing Absorb Pain. Regeneration bonuses aren't that hard to come by in the 10%/12%-range.
That said, Absorb pain doesn't fit everyone's playstyle. Try it out properly and then see if it fits your build. Can come in handy during MoSTF-runs for instance, or when you want to see for how long you can keep the scattered teammates alive and need strong single target-healing. If it's not fun for you, too hard to use or whatever, drop it. When in doubt, pick it up *after* Regeneration aura so you can choose whether the -Regen debuff will affect you or not.
I do take absorb pain mainly as an "oh ****" button. I'll take clear mind and fortitude earlier. general opinion seems to be "skip the nuke get hasten" hover is one thing I won't take, my computer is fast enough that it doesn't bother me for a travelling power and I don't like hovering in maps.
Volt Sentinel Reference
Thunder is good, thunder is impressive, but lightning does the work.
Quote:
108.44 points at level 50 and a defender has a base of 1017.4 HP at 50. It's the inability to heal for 20 seconds that gets you killed and not the damage aspect of it.
|
Originally Posted by The_Alt_oholic
It drains a lot if not all of your HP
|
Quote:
If you're don't like hovering i would suggest taking Hurdle instead of Swift and fitting in Combat Jumping if you can fit it in. Together they grant excellent mobility in anywhere but the tightest tunnels, and the protection from immobilization and air control in Combat Jumping allows you to easily retreat from battle when you need to fall back and regroup or to reach allies that need your help. The only downside is moving in hops.|
Originally Posted by JGHopkins
I do take absorb pain mainly as an "oh ****" button. I'll take clear mind and fortitude earlier. general opinion seems to be "skip the nuke get hasten" hover is one thing I won't take, my computer is fast enough that it doesn't bother me for a travelling power and I don't like hovering in maps.
|
i have a few melee types who use Hurdle and Combat Jumping as their only travel powers, and one who went Teleport for cross-zone travel and CJ+Hurdle for combat movement.
Dr. Todt's theme.
i make stuff...
I honestly didn't expect this many replies O.o
I'll take everyone advice into consideration and post a revamp
Here's another build I put together. Not sure how easily you can see it since I'm guessing you don't use Mids from your previous posts. Since Hasten in not in the build I aimed for sets which focus more on ranged defense, +accuracy and +recovery rather than going for recharge and yet more recharge globally.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Emp_Elec concept2 (v1.00.i15): Level 50 Technology Defender
Primary Power Set: Empathy
Secondary Power Set: Electrical Blast
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Power Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Healing Aura -- Dct'dW-Heal(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(5), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(11), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(21), Dct'dW-Rchg(25)
Level 1: Charged Bolts -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(7), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31)
Level 2: Lightning Bolt -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(7), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31)
Level 4: Heal Other -- Dct'dW-Heal(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(5), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(11), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(21), Dct'dW-Rchg(25)
Level 6: Recall Friend -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-ResKB(13)
Level 8: Absorb Pain -- Mrcl-Heal/Rchg(A), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(17)
Level 10: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 12: Fortitude -- HO:Membr(A), HO:Membr(13), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(17), LkGmblr-Rchg+(39)
Level 14: Clear Mind -- Range-I(A)
Level 16: Health -- Mrcl-Heal(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(37), Numna-Heal(46), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(48)
Level 18: Recovery Aura -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(19), RechRdx-I(19)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), P'Shift-EndMod(23), P'Shift-End%(48)
Level 22: Maneuvers -- RedFtn-Def(A), RedFtn-EndRdx(23), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(45), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(46), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(46)
Level 24: Teleport -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(50)
Level 26: Regeneration Aura -- Dct'dW-Heal(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(27), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(27), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(36), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Dct'dW-Rchg(37)
Level 28: Ball Lightning -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(29), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(29), Posi-Dmg/Rng(31), Posi-Dam%(36), Efficacy-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(43)
Level 30: Tactics -- AdjTgt-ToHit(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(33), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(43), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx(48), AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg(50)
Level 32: Adrenalin Boost -- Numna-Heal(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx(33), Numna-Heal/Rchg(33), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(34), EndMod-I(34)
Level 35: Zapp -- Mantic-Acc/Dmg(A), Mantic-Acc/ActRdx/Rng(36), Mantic-Dmg/ActRdx/Rchg(40), Mantic-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Mantic-Dmg/EndRdx(43)
Level 38: Thunderous Blast -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(39), Posi-Dmg/Rng(40), Posi-Dam%(40)
Level 41: Power Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(42), RechRdx-I(42)
Level 44: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(45), RechRdx-I(45)
Level 47: Resurrect -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 49: Team Teleport -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Vigilance