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+dmg is a good idea for Stalkers, though I built my EM/EA for +rchg (mainly to get ET & TF back up as fast as possible) and my Elec/Nin for a mix of +rchg and +def (the latter to softcap him, the former to bring his heal and area attacks up faster). |
Originally Posted by Elaith
This, so this. I'll admit I tend to default to defense if I don't have another priority in mind but it's all about what you want from the build. Take my stalker for example. I was content with where he was on survival, so I focused on getting +damage set bonuses. Sure I got some defense on the way (either from sets I was building for +dmg or in powers that didn't have sets I could use) but the main focus was getting that +dmg as high as possible. My empath built for recharge to get the powerhouse buffs back. My controller DID build for defense, but starting with forcefields meant I didn't really have to sacrifice much in the way of slotting. I'm all for having an IO goal but my general policy is not to change the number of slots I'm giving powers much from SO levels. An extra slot is one thing, 4 slotting a power I normally wouldn't add anything too to get a set bonus is something else.
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But yeah, building on what you said, it's not just a good idea to have a focus, but it's a good idea to have a focus that matches not only the archetype and powersets but also your own playstyle. Some people prefer to fight small spawns of tough mobs, others prefer to face huge spawns of weaker mobs; some prefer to solo, others prefer to team; etc. Just like when you pick your archetype and powersets with a certain role and playstyle in mind (whether it's soloing, team tanking, area damage, burst damage, consistent damage, control, debuffing, buffing, healing, or whatever), if you're using IO sets then your slotting should also match the role and playstyle you have in mind - though you also have to decide whether you're going to patch up the build's inherent weaknesses or just enhance what the build will be good at.
As for allocating slots, set IOs haven't changed how many slots I put in most attacks (still 6 slotting most of them, or 4-5 slotting the attacks I only use situationally such as Hurl on a Brute/Tanker, nukes on some Blasters, Lightning Storm on my Corruptor, etc.), but it has changed how I slot some powers, most notably pool powers - pre-IOs I'd have left travel powers with just the base slot whereas now I sometimes 2-3 slot them (2-3 Blessings of the Zephyr) - Combat Jumping never had any slots added pre-IOs, but now it usually has 2-4 slots in most of my builds (Kismet +ToHit, Karma +KBprot and/or LotG+7.5 and/or ULeap +stealth - or 2-3 BotZ plus 1-2 of the aforementioned IOs) - and in builds with end issues 3-slotted Stamina has gained an extra slot (Perf Shifter +end%, EndMod, EndMod/Rchg, EndMod/Acc). Health sometimes gets 2-3 slots as well (for uniques) whereas before it only had the base slot unless I was playing a /Regen scrapper. Some powers have even saved some slots, such as Teleport dropping from 6 slots (3 EndRdx, 3 Range) to 5 slots (every TP set IO except the +stealth) on the one character I have that uses TP.
Set IOs have probably changed my power picks more than my slotting - lots of +rchg can make skipping certain attacks a lot more viable.
The only time I ever both took and slotted a power purely for a set bonus was on my Mind/Psi perma-dom, where I took the snipe to mule 5 Stings of the Manticore for +rchg, even though I knew I'd never use the power. Generally I pick all the powers I want first, then worry about how I'll use sets to get what I want - I'd never sacrifice a power I wanted purely for a set bonus.
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This. However, building for Defense is usually a slot-cheap (that counts for typed defense) way to greatly improve the survivability of a character. Most of the time you get other useful bonuses/boni for free. For example Kinetic Combat offers 1.5% HP in addition to its awesome S/L Defense. This and the fact that it's a viable tactic for ANY charakter. While Recharge is always good on most toons (except for those who already have endurance issues), it's often more expensive, as was stated before, due to the need of purples to do it effectively. That said, I would rather slot my Fire Brute for Recharge than defense if I find a way to do so in an equivalent way. I personally like toons that don't die at the instant they're being shot at (hence the love for brutes) and would rather take longer to kill stuff and survive the mob than dishing out insane damage but getting a heart attack if I happen to look at my HP bar.|
Originally Posted by Lord Mayhem
Generally I pick all the powers I want first, then worry about how I'll use sets to get what I want - I'd never sacrifice a power I wanted purely for a set bonus.
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General addition: This goes to Fire Minded in person: Your nitpicking on fictive issues that are really viable options, just because you're trying to be different - or maybe because it's not your playstyle (which I can both respect) is getting tiring. I'm all for individualism, really - I refuse playing Super Strength, and I refused to play a Dark/Shield because I hate playing chars that everyone does, so I know what I'm talking about - but what you're doing isn't just stating your opinion. It's more of a desire to make everyone think the way you do (disguised as stating your opinion). So get a grip and just let people do what they like. It's not like they restrict you in any way at all.
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How much you have to sacrifice partly depends on how much inf you have to throw at the problem. If you can make it all or most of the way on set bonuses that's great, but the Fighting pool, Maneuvers, and extra picks to mule cheaper sets can chew into primary/secondary power picks pretty hard when they're added on top of the three-power Stamina tax.
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Originally Posted by Silas
While softcap defenses are pretty awesome, especially on a squishy, it's not worth sacrificing core aspects of a character.
For example, I softcapped my rad/kin corr to smashing/lethal, but this didn't require any sacrifice of important rad or kin powers. If softcapping required me to drop a power I love or is key to a powerset I wouldn't do it. Fortunately, I've yet to come across a combination where I had to make that kind of sacrifice. The closes I've come is my son/rad build which I softcapped to ranged def, where I had to skip some kinda neat but not crucial powers. |
While softcap defenses are pretty awesome, especially on a squishy, it's not worth sacrificing core aspects of a character.
For example, I softcapped my rad/kin corr to smashing/lethal, but this didn't require any sacrifice of important rad or kin powers. If softcapping required me to drop a power I love or is key to a powerset I wouldn't do it.
Fortunately, I've yet to come across a combination where I had to make that kind of sacrifice. The closes I've come is my son/rad build which I softcapped to ranged def, where I had to skip some kinda neat but not crucial powers.
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