DM has had some changes since you left, I suspect. Siphon Life and Midnight Grasp are now powerful attacks, and Soul Drain has its damage buff frontloaded to where a single target provides 60% +Dam. Don't bother putting a fourth slot in Stamina unless you plan to slot an IO set, as a fourth SO will add very little to your end recovery. Instead, consider respeccing into more attacks if you're used to hammering away with Shadow Punch and Smite, and slot your attacks with less recharge and more end reducers. This will let you keep up a full attack chain with good Fury generation while consuming less end.
If you were to provide a full build, more specific advice could be offered. It'd also help to know what you're missing against, and what your hit chances are. There's a real-numbers tracker built into the game now - if you open your Powers window and select Combat Attributes, you'll be able to see and monitor a number of useful stats including recovery, endurance consumption, and last hit chance. Monitor your last hit chance as you fight, and note when it dips below 95%.
@SPTrashcan
Avatar by Toxic_Shia
Why MA ratings should be changed from stars to "like" or "dislike"
A better algorithm for ordering MA arcs
Quote:
yes a lot has changed with the advent of sets you may want to slot stamina for 4 and put 4 performance shifters in there for a 2.5% end mod increase also build up 4 slotted with a gaussian set for the same. also upgrade from so's to IO's should help too, good luck and welcome back.
|
Originally Posted by Dr_Phenomenon
hello all, i have recently returned from a long stint playing WoW and I find the game is very different in some aspects. I went to look for the guides on the forums to guide my way and Lo and Behold they are broken. So I turn to you for help.
I have a lvl 29 DM/Invuln Brute who doesn't seem to be the power house he once was for me. I miss and often even though all of my main attack chain, Shadow punch, Boxing, Smite. have 2 SO accuracies. Also endurance use has seemed increased dramatically, I've never slotted Stamina above 3 now, but I'm considering at least 4. It has actually been discouraging enough to consider rerolling for a Elec/WP to get more damage and better defenses. Any ideas? |
Here's my build. Mostly it seems I miss on red/purple bosses and luitenants. I was noticing the Family Underbosses, COT Nerva Demonlords, and those darn Swat teams after they used a flash grenade.
[color:#489AFF]Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.401[/color]
[color:#489AFF]http://www.cohplanner.com/[/color]
[color:#B1C9F5]Click this DataLink to open the build![/color]
[color:#489AFF]Proteus Omega:[/color][color:#B3CAF7] Level 29 Natural Brute[/color]
[color:#489AFF]Primary Power Set: [/color][color:#B3CAF7]Dark Melee[/color]
[color:#489AFF]Secondary Power Set: [/color][color:#B3CAF7]Invulnerability[/color]
[color:#489AFF]Power Pool: [/color][color:#B3CAF7]Fighting[/color]
[color:#489AFF]Power Pool: [/color][color:#B3CAF7]Fitness[/color]
[color:#489AFF]Power Pool: [/color][color:#B3CAF7]Leaping[/color]
[color:#489AFF]Power Pool: [/color][color:#B3CAF7]Speed[/color]
[color:#489AFF]Villain Profile:[/color]
[color:#4FA7FF]Level 1:[/color] [color:#B3CAF7]Shadow Punch[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Damage Increase[/color]
- (3) [color:#5EAEFF]Damage Increase[/color]
- (3) [color:#5EAEFF]Endurance Reduction[/color]
- (15) [color:#5EAEFF]Accuracy[/color]
- (17) [color:#5EAEFF]Accuracy[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Resist Damage[/color]
- (7) [color:#5EAEFF]Resist Damage[/color]
- (7) [color:#5EAEFF]Resist Damage[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Accuracy[/color]
- (9) [color:#7AA4EF]Bruising Blow - [/color][color:#7AA4EF]Accuracy/Damage[/color]
- (9) [color:#7AA4EF]Bruising Blow - [/color][color:#7AA4EF]Damage/Endurance[/color]
- (13) [color:#7AA4EF]Bruising Blow - [/color][color:#7AA4EF]Damage/Recharge[/color]
- (15) [color:#5EAEFF]Damage Increase[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Endurance Reduction[/color]
- (5) [color:#5EAEFF]Resist Damage[/color]
- (5) [color:#5EAEFF]Resist Damage[/color]
- (11) [color:#5EAEFF]Resist Damage[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Accuracy[/color]
- (11) [color:#5EAEFF]Endurance Reduction[/color]
- (13) [color:#5EAEFF]Damage Increase[/color]
- (17) [color:#5EAEFF]Damage Increase[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Damage Increase[/color]
- (19) [color:#5EAEFF]Accuracy[/color]
- (27) [color:#5EAEFF]Damage Increase[/color]
- (29) [color:#5EAEFF]Damage Increase[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Run Speed[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Endurance Reduction[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Endurance Reduction[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Endurance Reduction[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Healing[/color]
- (19) [color:#5EAEFF]Healing[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Endurance Modification[/color]
- (21) [color:#5EAEFF]Endurance Modification[/color]
- (21) [color:#5EAEFF]Endurance Modification[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Recharge Reduction[/color]
- (23) [color:#5EAEFF]Recharge Reduction[/color]
- (23) [color:#5EAEFF]Healing[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Recharge Reduction[/color]
- (25) [color:#5EAEFF]Recharge Reduction[/color]
- (25) [color:#5EAEFF]Recharge Reduction[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Recharge Reduction[/color]
- (27) [color:#5EAEFF]Recharge Reduction[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Accuracy[/color]
- (29) [color:#5EAEFF]Recharge Reduction[/color]
[color:#4FA7FF]Level 32:[/color] [color:#B3CAF7][Empty][/color]
[color:#4FA7FF]Level 35:[/color] [color:#B3CAF7][Empty][/color]
[color:#4FA7FF]Level 38:[/color] [color:#B3CAF7][Empty][/color]
[color:#4FA7FF]Level 41:[/color] [color:#B3CAF7][Empty][/color]
[color:#4FA7FF]Level 44:[/color] [color:#B3CAF7][Empty][/color]
[color:#4FA7FF]Level 47:[/color] [color:#B3CAF7][Empty][/color]
[color:#4FA7FF]Level 49:[/color] [color:#B3CAF7][Empty][/color]
[color:#489AFF]------------[/color]
[color:#4FA7FF]Level 1:[/color] [color:#B3CAF7]Brawl[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Empty[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Empty[/color]
- (A) [color:#5EAEFF]Empty[/color]
I probably wouldn't be a max difficulty at that level yet, but your build doesn't seem to have any major problems. Make sure you have at least one end redux in all your attacks and maybe two in big ones you use often if you are still running into problems. Make sure SJ is turned off too (ok, silly, but sometimes people forget) I normally just 3 slot my attacks with 1 acc, 1 recharge and 1 end redux as a brute until later in the game and that works pretty well for me.
Yeah I changed the slots around a little bit and it helps. Any advice on slotting Consumption and Soul Drain? Also is there anyway to get Psychic defense? The level 30 Carnival mission to get my auras is kicking my butt
I would say, looking at that build, that you've overslotted your attacks, and with the wrong goals in mind, while underslotting your defenses - and you're missing a key Invuln power.
Here's what I'd do, in general terms:
- Do not slot for damage or recharge. With Shadow Punch and Boxing you already have almost a complete attack chain, and that means you can build Fury quickly. Slot two damage and two endurance reduction in each attack.
- Slot your protective powers, prioritizing those which give the most benefit. Put three more slots in Unyielding - it's all your exotic resistances.
- Slot Dull Pain for 3 recharge, because the +HP effect is your only effective resistance to Psi and you want that available as much as possible. As early as you can, put a fourth slot in it and slot four Heal/Rech IOs.
- Pick up Invincibility at 28. It's a critical power for Invuln, greatly increasing your survivability against non-S/L damage. Contrary to persistent rumors, defense does not inhibit Fury gain - missed attacks against you still give Fury.
- Dark Consumption is not autohit and has no accuracy bonus - it needs as much accuracy enhancement as your other attacks. When you have the slots, add 3 recharge. But you may not need it at all if you enhance your attacks for more end reduction.
- Soul Drain is also not autohit, but it does have an accuracy bonus, so one acc SO should be enough. When you have the slots (after you have fully enhanced your protective powers and all your attacks have 4 slots), add 3 recharge. Herd up some enemies using the taunt aura from Invincibility, using the stacking +def to increase your safety, hit Soul Drain, and wreck them.
- Hurdle makes a better complement to Combat Jumping than Swift: you get a massive bonus to jumping speed, plus excellent air control. Don't bother slotting endredux in Combat Jumping as its end cost is tiny; don't bother slotting endredux in SJ as you will never, ever run it in combat.
As for your tohit issues, Nerva Spectral Demon Lords have an aura called Chill of the Night which applies a hefty -tohit debuff, and PPD Ghosts' Flashbang Grenade has a whopping -45% debuff to tohit and defense. Against the SDLs, don't stay in melee range - use Combat Jumping to leap away, wait for the debuff to wear off (about 5 seconds), then jump in and quickly hit them before the debuff reapplies. Against PPD, the only remedy is to either wait it out or eat a yellow. Invincibility will help with both, as in addition to its +defense it also offers +tohit for each enemy in melee range. And of course, if you are having trouble on a high difficulty level, lower your difficulty level! It's more efficient to handily beat enemies for lower rewards than to struggle and die against more potentially rewarding enemies.
@SPTrashcan
Avatar by Toxic_Shia
Why MA ratings should be changed from stars to "like" or "dislike"
A better algorithm for ordering MA arcs
I used my long overdue respec to fix a few things, I still have a couple of questions though. Mainly should I slot Invincibility with Defense enhancements (I"m assuming 3) and should I take Resist Elements and Resist Energy and just leave them one slotted?
Invincibility should definitely be slotted with 3 defense SOs and an endredux. As for the other two passives, they have useful secondary effects now: Resist Elements includes a moderate resistance to recharge debuffs, and Resist Energies has a small resistance to endurance drain. They might be worth picking up later on in the build, but I would prioritize getting Tough, to improve your S/L resist further, and Tough Hide and Weave to push up your defense. Some /Invulns also take Aid Self for additional survivability, but you should be able to get by on Siphon Life.
The good news is that you've managed to get past the rough part for /Invuln. With a well-slotted Invincibility you should be seeing a significant improvement to survivability, especially when combined with the tohit debuffs from Dark Melee.
@SPTrashcan
Avatar by Toxic_Shia
Why MA ratings should be changed from stars to "like" or "dislike"
A better algorithm for ordering MA arcs
So running 5 toggles doesn't cause your endurance bar to commit suicide? Oh well at least it isn't my /rad controller with the horrible anchor toggles.
This is my hesitant build sans IOs for 50
Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Natural Brute
Primary Power Set: Dark Melee
Secondary Power Set: Invulnerability
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Leviathan Mastery
Villain Profile:
Level 1: Shadow Punch
- (A) Empty
- (3) Empty
- (3) Empty
- (5) Empty
- (40) Empty
- (45) Empty
- (A) Empty
- (A) Empty
- (7) Empty
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- (9) Empty
- (A) Empty
- (5) Empty
- (9) Empty
- (11) Empty
- (42) Empty
- (42) Empty
- (A) Empty
- (11) Empty
- (13) Empty
- (13) Empty
- (42) Empty
- (43) Empty
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- (15) Empty
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- (34) Empty
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- (17) Empty
- (17) Empty
- (19) Empty
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- (19) Empty
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- (21) Empty
- (21) Empty
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- (23) Empty
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- (25) Empty
- (43) Empty
- (43) Empty
- (A) Empty
- (25) Empty
- (37) Empty
- (A) Empty
- (27) Empty
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- (37) Empty
- (45) Empty
- (45) Empty
- (A) Empty
- (29) Empty
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- (31) Empty
- (A) Empty
- (31) Empty
- (31) Empty
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- (48) Empty
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Level 1: Brawl
- (A) Empty
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You can probably free up some slots here because not all your primary powers need be 6-slotted. In particular, Soul Drain will probably do just fine with one accuracy and three recharge. The attack powers will do just fine with four slots for most of your career; you may want to stick in more later to pursue set bonuses, but they're not at all necessary. I would definitely move a slot into Resist Physical Damage in order to get your S/L resist as high as possible.
Tough and Weave are unusually expensive for the protection they provide. I suggest you experiment with them and decide for yourself if the protection is worth the endurance; if not, you can trade them in for the passives, which are free. Keep in mind though that for most builds, the endurance consumption from toggles is dwarfed by the cost of attacks.
I'd recommend consulting more experienced builders if you want to pursue an IO build, but I can offer this: for Invuln, set bonuses to typed defense are very valuable. If you can survive, say, 20 DPS with no defense, you can survive 100 DPS with 40% defense - and 200 DPS with 45%. +Recharge is also good, as it means more uptime for Dull Pain.
@SPTrashcan
Avatar by Toxic_Shia
Why MA ratings should be changed from stars to "like" or "dislike"
A better algorithm for ordering MA arcs
hello all, i have recently returned from a long stint playing WoW and I find the game is very different in some aspects. I went to look for the guides on the forums to guide my way and Lo and Behold they are broken. So I turn to you for help.
I have a lvl 29 DM/Invuln Brute who doesn't seem to be the power house he once was for me. I miss and often even though all of my main attack chain, Shadow punch, Boxing, Smite. have 2 SO accuracies. Also endurance use has seemed increased dramatically, I've never slotted Stamina above 3 now, but I'm considering at least 4.
It has actually been discouraging enough to consider rerolling for a Elec/WP to get more damage and better defenses. Any ideas?