Playability of Spines/Dark with a SINGLE -KB IO?
By
Bionic_Flea,
Posted on: 2009-09-12 14:31 in Scrappers
I found a /Fire very frustrating against the Croatoa witches with just one -kb. My solution--a Breath of the Zephyr -kb to get the extra defensive bonus alongside the -kb. (Still got knocked a little on KHTF.)
I'm playing with one knockback IO on my Spines/Dark and my Katana/Dark. No problems. I don't do KHTF. I very occasionally get knocked back, but not enough for me to waste another slot while leveling. I'll probably go with two or three if I ever fully IO the characters.
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One KB IO will take care of almost all the KB you'll encounter in the game.
I have a fire tank who's gotten along fine with his one KB IO, barring some specific problems like the KHTF and massed Council grenade volleys. It happens so infrequently I'm always a little surprised by it.
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While I personally would not chose to do so, it certainly can be done. Against most mobs, you should be fine. Learning which mobs to look out for would/could minimize the rest. Certain mobs will always be a problem, but those could be avoided entirely.
I just wouldn't have the patience for it.
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I run with a buddy who plays a fire/fire scrapper with just 1 -KB IO.
99% of the time, he's fine.
But when we fight Fake Nemesis, he gets ponged around. Marauder spilled him a lot, too. Against Diabolique, he was basically chain KB'ed into uselessness.
Of course, if you avoid EBs and AVs, Pylons, Nemesis, Cabal and a few others, you'll be fine.
If it were me, I'd build with three -KB IOs or take Acro, but I *hate* being knocked around.
Can you do it? Totally. As others have said, most stuff won't get you. Another thing that can is massed 5th/Council, as their grenades can be pretty intense if they overlap.
If you are willing to avoid stuff like that, you should be OK. Like others here, I'm impatient and like being able to fight lots of stuff with less regard than that, so I use more like 2, and/or take Acro.
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I'd say pick up a second -KB IO whenever convienent.
Though currently my Spines/Dark relies on the empowerment station.
My level 50 Fire/Fire has only one knockback IO. So far nothing has knocked her back so badly, and with frequency, that I have thought of going Acro with her.
But now that I have read this, and wrote what I did, I shall get knockbacked my very next mission 
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I used to be fine with 2 -KB IOs, until i realized fake nems and some AVs could still go through it. Now i'm running 3 and it's perfect. I found that a major annoyance to be unable to fight those mobs, since usually they spam their KB, it can become very, very frustrating. Especially when you're about to fire dark regen and it ends up hitting nothing because the mobs pushed you back.
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Originally Posted by Celidya
Especially when you're about to fire dark regen and it ends up hitting nothing because the mobs pushed you back.
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I can not begin to articulate how infuriating this event can be. -KB IOs are one of the greatest QoL improvements to Dark Armor since stacking toggles.
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Actually, I'll give my brand of advice: If you think you're gonna be facing more knockback than normal, visit the base and craft yourself a KB protection temp power.
I wouldn't do it, I get slapped around like a kite during a KHTF when I had 1 knock back enhancement in my spines/dark.
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Like others said 99% of the time you'll be fine with just 1 -kb IO. But, if you continuously run KHTF or fight Fake Nemesis then you'll have a problem.
[U][URL="http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=251594"][/URL][/U]
Before the acerobatics nerf, I wouldn't touch a -KB res IO. After the nerf, acerobatics gave under 10 points and get knocked back in katies, by fake nems, diobolique, longbow ballistas, nasty KBing AE foes... The list goes on and on. All sets with KB protection give 10 points and don't get KBed by any of those things. That has spoiled me. So... I get 3 -KB res IOs. Seems that people are looking at high KB being as uncommon as fear and confuse is on blue side. That may or may not be the case but if you can fix it, why not fix it so it becomes a non factor instead of a sometime factor?
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My BS/DA only has one, and he's a little better off than most, since he's softcapped to ranged and melee so far, meaning KB powers rarely hit him. When his build is finished he will have 2 Blessing -KB IOs and he should be fine. Fake Nems can't KB you if they can't HIT you, so that helps quite a bit.
Diabolique was a PAIN, everything she has does more than Mag 4 KB, so I kinda felt like a pinball. other than those 2 I haven't had much problem.
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Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison See, it's gems like these that make me check Claws' post history every once in a while to make sure I haven't missed anything good lately. |
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Sometimes it can take away from set bonuses.
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Originally Posted by Rieze
That may or may not be the case but if you can fix it, why not fix it so it becomes a non factor instead of a sometime factor?
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Well, that can be said about anything when are setting up an IO build. You almost always have to give up one thing to get another. That's just how it is. Good thing that KB res can be gotten in several ways thus cutting down the amout you have to give up most of the time.
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Originally Posted by MunkiLord
Sometimes it can take away from set bonuses.
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"All problems can be solved by throwing enough scrappers at it."
@Riez on Virtue, Protector, Champion, and Exalted server.
I agree. Sometimes the set bonus is more important, sometimes the KB protection is more important. Just depends on each person and their build.
Considering shaving a slot or two off my build. How practical is it to be a /Dark Scrapper with only one IO worth of knockback protection?
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