Please replace Vigilence inherent with something that lets us slot intelligently

I see where the arguements for a change to Vigilance is coming from.

Solo, it does nothing for you. This I understand.

On a team that isn't dying. It does nothing for you. And this has people upset how? If the team isn't dying, you're lack of an active inherent shouldn't be a problem anyways.

But, why not keep any change to the inherent simple, and close to what it does now?

Vigilance: Grants 4% END REC to the Defender, plus an additional 3% END REC per member on the team.

On a full team, the Defender has unslotted Stamina level recovery. And when solo, while it isn't much, it's still more than nothing.

One thing to think about is the dev thought process behind Vigilance. I think that if the idea that "if your team is doing well, they don't need a buff" really is their thought process, then Vigilance is highly unlikely to get a major change. If so, I wonder if suggestions should be handled differently.

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding your wording but Vigilance doesn't actually give more endurance--it globally reduces endurance costs. I tend to find that useful since a lower strength version of it does kick in simply for having more members on the team. Perhaps my perception is different since on a team and running my toggles I have no endurance problems despite NOT having Stamina and only having minimal endurance slotting. On the flip side, I admit that usually am gasping for air when soloing but I don't plan to solo with the character at all so it doesn't bug me. Some sort of benefit solo would be nice but I think PennyPA makes a valid warning that a chance to Vigilance might possibly be counterbalanced by a nerf to Defenders. Not guaranteed but something to think about.

CRITICAL DEBUFFS/HEALS

I'd really like the higher debuff numbers to work similar to scourge on the Corruptor.

How about giving Defenders a Chance to land a critical Debuff/Heal which could be a heal or an attack driven debuff effect.

Extra slow from an Ice blast
Extra -Defense from Rad Blast

Add in a Nice Visual Effect Like : "Critical" for the scrapper or "overpowered" and people will see it in action

I wouldn't condone it on direct buffs like: Speed Boost, Force Field, Cold shields etc. That would potentially be too overpowered.

But a chance to heal or debuff inherently critically would be very useful.

I just had a thought. The higher damage with support role is claimed by corruptors, the current vigilance only seems to directly benefit healing primaries in their support role, and any sort of boost to support strength/recharge will throw multiple primary's balance out of whack. So what about survival?

The defender, no matter what the primary, is the weak guy around. They make up for this by dipping their friends in awesomesauce or by making enemies twice as pathetic as they, but they are just...weaker. Low health points, lower defenses than what they can provide to allies, and low damage before they get to boosting and weakening. This is what I'd propose:

Vigilance
The defender is warry of threats. The greater danger they face, the more vigilant they become. This grants the defender defense and resistance to damage as they are hurt, perception to hidden threats, as well as resistance to mentally debilitating effects.

Basically, the harder things get, the harder to finish off or control a defender becomes. It helps all defenders at what they're worst equipped to do: keep themselves alive, and capable of responding. It helps them support the team, as they do that better when they're alive. (And sober) Same for the damage thing. It takes a sidestep for the whole defender/corruptor thing, as it makes the corruptor better at finishing off a fight, while defenders become better at surviving it. Plus I like how it's almost the diametric opposite to scourge.

Just a thought.

Controllers are a team based Archetype, probably more so than Defenders, and the Controller Inherent power:

A. Does something.
B. Helps them solo.
C. Does more damage.
D. All of the Above.

I don't even remotely think that Defenders are actually balanced against the other archetypes. I like them. I think they are fun. I want them on teams, but I'd just as soon have a Controller or Corrupter. As far as I can tell Defenders get the shaft all the way around.

I hear all the time 8 Defenders can take down XYZ, but guess what so can 8 Controllers almost as quickly, possibly more quickly since they can probably do it safer.

Whether it is a Controller or Defender that does the buffing and debuffing I really can't tell the difference. I know the Controller does a better job of mitigating damage than the Defender does that I can tell. Late game, the Controller will do near the same amount of damage. (I'm excluding the Fire/Kin Controller that is the best farmer and most complete toon in the game which does much more damage).

Controllers basically give up a slight difference in damage and buffage for a ton better Control which turns into more life, but also more status protection for the team (since a mezzed mob can Mez your teamates).

As bad as Fire Controllers are at controlling, they still barely worry about being mezzed or damaged with a Fire/Kin controller. Fire is the least safe of the Controllers. So Controllers have:

1. Good Controllers controls that work.
2. Almost as good of Buffing and Debuffing
3. Almost as good of Damage as a Defender
4. Controllers bring more to a team

Defenders just have their whole world nibbled at from all sides.
1. They are one of the least damaging archetypes
2. They are squishy
3. They have no mez protection
4. They have limited numbers of Controls
5. They are the most mezzed Archetype

I want to know what Defenders are really good at? Because from what I can tell, Corrupters and Controllers are doing it better. I don't understand why you think they are so balanced.

Yes, I understand that defenders are weak. I said so. The true strength of a defender is that they are (supposedly) the best force multiplier to be found. This might come under scrutiny when compared to the similar force multiplication with different, sweeter flavors of icing on top that the similar support types bring, but there it is.

I was simply saying that rather than make another corrupter by upping damage, or bringing up all sorts of buff/nerf things that come from giving boosts to recharge/potency as is oft suggested, give defenders a different strength: make them the most resilient individual support type. (I say individual, as a fully guarded mastermind should by design be the toughest) This helps on teams by keeping a valuable ally around, it helps solo by keeping the only team member alive, and it gives a unique role to defenders: the tougher ones. The scaling protection is so that the stuff is there when the manure hits the fan, but doesn't throw off team roles/gameplay by making them so tough up front that it goes to their head. (Or boosting an already crazy boosted defender on a crazy steamroller team that just turns into a tankmage)

I also wouldn't mind, though, if defender became medium hp rather than low, as they were once intended to be.

My problem soloing my defender isn't a lack of resilience, it's that it takes so long that I gave up and only play her on teams.

Balancing controllers by making them suck from 1-31 isn't balance, it just makes for a really poor experience leveling to 32. This is explicitly (as in was stated by a dev) one of the reasons controllers have containment.

People will still play defenders and invite defenders to teams, but I've found that people tend to ask for defenders or controllers - and with GR, Corruptors will be added to that list. Come GR, I think you'll see far more corruptors being played than defenders, whether or not you personally will choose to continue with your own defenders.

Also, the existence of rad/sonic or dark/dark or good soloists, but that doesn't really balance the entire AT, no more than Fire/Kin and Ill/Rad controllers balance that AT (if they did, there'd probably be no containment).