Warshade slotting questions

So I'm planning my Warshade build and I'm looking for some slotting advice from all you experienced Khelds out there.

First is Sunless Mire. I already plan on slotting for 2 or 3 recharge so it's up as much as possible, but I noticed it takes accuracy and damage enhancements also. It seems to hit pretty reliably against even cons but do I need accuracy later on? and is the damage worth slotting for or should I just stick to recharge for the buffs?

Second is Gravity Well. The hold seems pretty nice right out of the box, do I get much more out of it if I slot for hold? or would it make more sense to just slot it like an attack and work it into my chain since right now I just cycle shadow bolt, ebon eye, shadow blast? And I'm not planning on getting dark detonation or gravitic emanation.

Thanks for the help

btw...this is a human form build

None of the options you listed are "bad", but simply dictate which benefits you get.

Regarding Sunless Mire, my feelings are recharge first, a little accuracy second, damage only if you have slots available. I have a super-high recharge build that allows me to 6-slot Sunless. I have a full Oblit set in it. The damage really isn't anything to write home about. I think mine does around 90-ish damage at lvl 50 (I'm at work, no access to numbers). Mire has an inherent bonus to accuracy, so it doesn't need too much accuracy enhancement. A combo set IO might be enough, something like Acc/Dam or Acc/ToHit. I would suggest trying it without much accuracy and see if hitting is a problem (test server is your friend!).

Regarding Grav Well, my preference is for damage. It's the hardest hitting power a Warshade gets outside of Quasar, albeit as single-target damage vs. AoE. However, since you stated you aren't taking Gravitic Emanation you will have very little control. You might want GW to help make up for that control deficit. As an aside, I would suggest thinking long and hard about skipping Grav Em, especially as a human-only build. It can really add to your survivability, particularly when stacked with Inky Aspect. Perhaps AlienOne can chime in, since he seems to be the resident Human 'shade expert.

The build versatility offered by Warshades can make blanket statements about which way is "better" essentially meaningless. Whatever choices you make, you will almost certainly discover a few that don't really mesh with how you like to play. The single best piece of advice I can offer about build choices (as unhelpful as it may seem ) is to play your 'shade as much as possible, learn what your powers do and how they can interact, how they can synergize or conflict, and then re-evaluate your build.

So many options...

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention regarding accuracy in Mire is global accuracy bonuses. They are fairly common and will go a long way with Mire's inherently higher-than-normal accuracy. 20-30% global bonus might be enough, depending on the levels you decide to fight against.

I assume you mean I should take emanation for it's disorient? I skipped it since it's listed as minor damage. I've been playing my WS kind of like a corrupter with shields. I rely on damage, mire, and stygian circle plus I picked up all the shields. The only problems I've had so far is facing quants and voids, but now that I have grav well I shouldn't have a problem anymore.

I think I'll throw one acc in mire and see how that goes.

I've noticed with Grav Well I can hold minions and leuts with one application and that's usually long enough to kill them, even with recharge the applications only just over lap so I wouldn't be able to hold a boss for long. I think I'll just stick with accuracy and damage.

Thanks for the advice Enigma

Thinking of inky and Gravitic Emanation. How good is the disorient on them? Can I stun a Lt with just one or would it take both? I assume to stun a boss would take both? And how reliable is the stun on emanation? does it happen pretty often or is it more like a bonus that only happens on occassion? I know, lot's of questions :-) Thanks

Gravitic Emanation is a 100% chance mag 3 (stuns minions and Lt's with one application, assuming you don't miss) 40 ft ranged cone stun with a base 13.41 second duration. It has a 45 second base recharge, so with some recharge and stun duration slotting it can easily be made perma. It also does fairly significant KB (not necessarily a bad thing, and in fact often very useful). Inky aspect is a mag 2 (stuns minions only, cannot stack with itself) PBAoE toggle stun.

The combo is pretty powerful. Grav Em is VERY fast animating, so you can fire it at a group, they get immediately knocked back (assuming they don't have KB resists), then run in with Inky Aspect running to stack on top of Grav Em and everything gets up stunned, including bosses (bosses need at least mag 4 mezzes). As long as you can line up the cone every time and the mobs don't wander too far, you can keep whole groups perma-stunned. It's far from foolproof but it really lets you take on big groups, even groups with Void Slayer bosses or lots of mezzers.

You can absolutely function quite well without Grav Em, but it will be tricky and less reliable, I think. Human form damage isn't really enough to rely on speed of killing to keep you alive and the shields only get you to around 35-ish percent resists, and they suppress if you get mezzed. I personally wouldn't consider skipping Grav Em on a human-only build, but arguments can be made for doing it.

Try heading to the test server and trying out Grav Em. You might like it.

EDIT: Check out AlienOne's human-only 'shade guide, although it's primarily geared for lvl 50 play...

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=190529

Thanks for the advice. Think I'll reconsider emanation

Enigma's got some great advice there.... Although I skipped GE on *most* of my builds in my guide, there's still a build or two there with it worked in... If you're planning on sticking with leveling up a human-only shade from 1 to 50, I'd say DEFINITELY pick up all the shields, along with any sort of "control" type power you can get--GE being one of them.

I should eventually include a section with a build for "leveling a human-only shade from 1 to 50"... As Enigma stated, my guide is primarily geared for "upper-tier" playstyles (post-level 38 play, or better known as "post-Eclipse" play). Although I've built my human-only shades to exemp down decently well for TFs, you'll find that human-only 'shades are a hell of a lot more satisfying (and conversely less frustrating) after you pick up the "game-changing" powers "Stygian Circle" and "Eclipse."

Once you pick up Eclipse, your human-only Warshade playstyle will change completely. Remember, when you reach high-level play, you can always drop shields and add more attacks if you're able to get Eclipse "perma."

"Alien"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Infernus_Hades The way you play changes your IO slotting..