Slotting advice, Elec/shields, experts comment please!

This is my planned slotting for my Elec/Shields/Mu Brute. Here's my problem. I have one extra unassigned slot, and the ranged defense of the build is 44.2%. If I'm not mistaken, I need 45% to achieve softcap. I'd like to get that.

I can use the LOTG/Miracle/Numinas because I happen to already have them. I fear I cannot afford to buy purple sets or the crazy expensive PVP 3% proc.

I picked out Grant cover because as I understand it, it's my only defense against autohit -recharge powers.

Please also tell me how I can improve my build. I want to maximize survivability while raising my recharge as high as I can. I'm willing to lose a wee bit of recharge to get proportionately better survivability, if it's possible. Ideally I'd still like to keep my cooldowns for Lightning Rod and Shield Charge as low as possible.

I'm not too picky about how I perform while Exemplared down, but small changes that don't affect the lvl 50 performance I do not mind making. I have a banked respec to change the powers if need be.

Please note, as I mentioned above, I have one unassigned slot.

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Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.601
http://www.cohplanner.com/


Level 50 Science Brute
Primary Power Set: Electrical Melee
Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Ancillary Pool: Mu Mastery

Villain Profile:
------------
Level 1: Havoc Punch
(A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
(7) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
(7) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
(13) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
(19) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
(19) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal)


Level 1: Deflection
(A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
(3) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
(3) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
(29) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%


Level 2: Battle Agility
(A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
(43) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
(46) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance


Level 4: True Grit
(A) Numina's Convalescence - Heal
(5) Numina's Convalescence - Heal/Endurance
(5) Numina's Convalescence - Heal/Recharge


Level 6: Hurdle
(A) Jumping IO


Level 8: Thunder Strike
(A) Obliteration - Damage
(9) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge
(9) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge
(11) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
(11) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
(13) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage


Level 10: Boxing
(A) Damage Increase IO


Level 12: Active Defense
(A) HamiO:Membrane Exposure
(23) HamiO:Membrane Exposure
(29) HamiO:Membrane Exposure


Level 14: Health
(A) Numina's Convalescence - Heal
(15) Numina's Convalescence - +Regeneration/+Recovery
(15) Miracle - Heal
(17) Miracle - +Recovery
(17) Regenerative Tissue - +Regeneration


Level 16: Against All Odds
(A) Endurance Reduction IO


Level 18: Chain Induction
(A) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance
(34) Crushing Impact - Damage/Recharge
(37) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
(40) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
(43) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance/Recharge


Level 20: Stamina
(A) Performance Shifter - EndMod
(21) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Recharge
(21) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Accuracy
(46) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End


Level 22: Phalanx Fighting
(A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
(23) Luck of the Gambler - Defense


Level 24: Hasten
(A) Recharge Reduction IO
(25) Recharge Reduction IO
(25) Recharge Reduction IO


Level 26: Super Speed
(A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range
(27) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance
(27) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points)


Level 28: Grant Cover
(A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed


Level 30: Combat Jumping
(A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range
(31) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance
(31) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points)


Level 32: Lightning Rod
(A) Obliteration - Damage
(33) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge
(33) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge
(33) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
(34) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
(34) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage


Level 35: Shield Charge
(A) Obliteration - Damage
(36) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge
(36) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge
(36) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
(37) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
(37) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage


Level 38: Build Up
(A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff
(39) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge
(39) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance
(39) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Recharge/Endurance
(40) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Endurance
(40) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up


Level 41: Electrifying Fences
(A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
(42) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
(42) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
(42) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
(43) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy)


Level 44: Ball Lightning
(A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
(45) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
(45) Positron's Blast - Damage/Recharge
(45) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
(46) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy)


Level 47: Tough
(A) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance
(48) Aegis - Resistance
(48) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge
(48) Aegis - Psionic/Status Resistance
(50) Aegis - Endurance/Recharge


Level 49: Weave
(A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
(50) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
(50) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance

I like it. Its a really nice build at or near the soft cap that has good recovery and good recharge.

Some changes I would make....

1. Find a way to slot Thunderstrike with 5 Sciroccos and the Force Feedback Proc. When I play mine on X8 difficulty the proc is something like 80% to fire off every time I use it due to the number of mobs around me. The 5-slot of Scirrocos is due to the fact it gets an AoE defense bonus at the 5th slot, unlike most sets which take 6.

2. Remove one of those Blessing of the Zephyr -kb then because you dont need the AoE defense

3 Convert Chain Induction from 5-slotted Crushing Impact (a wonderfully underused IO set) to 6 slot Touch of Death for the missing melee def

4 Remove the second slot from Phalanx Fighting unless you really like the Regen bonus. Its just not worth slotting up in my opinion to gain a meager defensive bonus when someone else is standing on your butt.

5 Add one of the 2 extra slots you now have to Battle Agility to shore up the hole I just made in your ranged defense

6 Still have one free slot, same regen and recov, soft capped defenses and the chance for 100% recharge.

I was told some time back that slotting proc IOs into Chain induction would bug it and cause the lightning jump to become a proc with a chance equal to the slotted proc IO. Has this bug been fixed?

If you don't want to do all of what Fog said (which is very good advice btw, but may require more work then your willing to do at this particular time) just take the last slot you have left and put it on battle agility and either slot the LoTG trip for a 9% acc bonus or you can just slot a std Def IO and it'll take you over 45%.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Sure, the devs are supposed to listen to their customers, mister business 101 out there. And if I decide to start suggesting that the devs change the game from being about superheroes and supervillains to being about clowns that is my right as well, and technically Paragon Studios is supposed to pay attention to me. But I hope strongly that they assume a meth-head somehow managed to hack into my forum account and make paper airplanes out of my posts, because I hope they recognize stupid when they see it. I assume they will recognize futile just as accurately.

According to MIDS, adding another lvl 50 defense IO will only bring my ranged defense to 44.8%. Does the RNG recognize partial percentage points?

Sept 15 _Patch Notes

Electric Melee - Chain Induction correctly jumps to additional targets when slotted with proc IOs.

http://www.cityofheroes.com/news/pat...rum_patch.html

My biggest concern with the original build is the lack of endurance reduction. Some of your toggles are underslotted for defense and end reduction--I like my toggles to be up to the ED cutoff for def/res, but the low endurance reduction is likely to cause more problems in the long run.

Especially since you've got three attacks slotted with Obliteration; a great set for recharge, but a terrible one for end reduction. I think you should consider using another set for one or two of those attacks. Either that, or build for more recovery and +end bonuses.

I have considered the endurance expenditure, but I'm not really that "nonstop running and smashing". I intend to leave Grant Cover off when there no recharge debuffs and I'm hoping that with softcapped defense I can convert my inspirations to blues if I have to. All in all I think that it'll be fine.

Also, thanks a lot Frogfather for all the help and advice. I had originally avoided putting Mako's Bite in Chain Induction because of what I had heard about the bug.