It's a lot harder to slot for S/L on a blaster than ranged, but I have an Ice/Ice/Cold blaster that's at 40.3% S/L defense. If I break down and get two sets of Kinetic Combat I'll be at 44.1% (without Tough/Weave).
It works pretty well against mobs that don't have a lot of -Defense attacks. I use Ice Patch, Chilling Embrace, Flash Freeze and Snow Storm for additional mitigation. I've soloed +0/x6 Nemesis, Freaks, Malta and CoT without much trouble, but it doesn't work so well against Carnies. I'm not sure how much ranged defense would help against them, though: some of the psionic attacks have no positional component.
I used a lot of Curtail Speeds in the build, so it was pretty cheap. But you won't be able to use that with DP because your ranged attacks won't take Slow sets. The easiest way to do it is probably taking Frozen Armor, which gives 16% S/L defense, but if you don't like the ice effect it may not be the choice for you. Corruptors have a lot easier time getting S/L defense; Scorpion Shield can give 20% all on its own.
The main problem with ranged defense is that most blasters don't have a good way to keep enemies at range. It's easy for my Dark/DP defender because of Tar Patch, but with a DP blaster you'd have to rely on something else, like Hover.
I used to slot Ranged on my blaster, until my last one, an Arch/MM who is soft capped to S/L.
I must say that I feel better with a S/L soft cap, and it makes for more survivability on the average especially if you're into blapping, or your blaster has some close range AoEs to use often. It's also more expensive (kinetic combats cost alot !) and kinda force you into Cold Mastery for the armor.
staying at range isnt a problem (kiting ftw) + WoC for anything that gets close.
Positron's i13 letter: We are trying to make PvP more accessible to new players, while giving experienced PvP'ers the advantage that comes with formulating tactics around the new systems we're putting in place. PvP from now on will be on our priority list. If something isn't working out, we'll be in there tweaking it and making it work, for the entire future of the product, not just Issue 13.
If your blaster is /MM, I'd really go for S/L then. You'll often want to go in the middle of a mob to use Drain Psyche and Psy Shockwave, and WoC while being a decent mitigation and a good spot for the purple set, wont prevent you from being hit/stun alot. The main annoyance is the cold armor spoiling your costume, as well as the price of the kinetic combat sets.
On the other hand, if you think you can maintain range almost all the time because it fits better to your playstyle, then go for range soft cap for sure. Stacking zephyr sets is not that expensive at all.
well i also wouldn't have any place to put Kinetic combats since i've got 1 melee attack
Positron's i13 letter: We are trying to make PvP more accessible to new players, while giving experienced PvP'ers the advantage that comes with formulating tactics around the new systems we're putting in place. PvP from now on will be on our priority list. If something isn't working out, we'll be in there tweaking it and making it work, for the entire future of the product, not just Issue 13.
Mind Probe, Brawl, Boxing/Kick. Slotting Brawl is lol but its only 3 slots and its definitely worth it for easy softcap s/l, leaving you plenty of slots for other stuff.
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Ranged defense allows you dodge all ranged attacks. (just like Melee allows you to dodge all melee attacks and AOE allows *you get the picture) whether its smashing, lethal, fire cold, psi, toxic whatever. You can dodge anything but special damage such as hamidon damage. While smashing, lethal etc defense is blocking and allows you to only block that type of damage. I find it often times to be easier to slot for ranged defense on blasters and smarter.
Just get hover and swift and slot them with fly speed increases and hover at range until you need to fly in and use a blapper ability.
I can get pretty funny building a blaster tank and getting tells from the face planted tanker wondering how you're still alive.
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While that is true, some 60% of the attacks in the game have a smashing or lethal component. The most common ranged attack in the game by far is machine gun fire, which is pure lethal damage. Most melee attacks have a smashing or lethal component, with a few exceptions. And the exceptions are mostly player powers, I can't think of too many NPCs that are going to hit you with Mind Probe, and only a couple have Scorch. |
Originally Posted by Noyjitat
Ranged defense allows you dodge all ranged attacks. (just like Melee allows you to dodge all melee attacks and AOE allows *you get the picture) whether its smashing, lethal, fire cold, psi, toxic whatever. You can dodge anything but special damage such as hamidon damage. While smashing, lethal etc defense is blocking and allows you to only block that type of damage. I find it often times to be easier to slot for ranged defense on blasters and smarter.
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Energy melee attacks are all part smashing, electric melee is part smashing except for a couple powers. Fire Sword (which is fairly common actually) is part lethal. Obviously smash/lethal covers your basic punch and knife or sword attacks as well.
Smashing and lethal defense actually gives you more protection that is readily apparent, since it covers any attack that has a smashing or lethal component, even if it includes another damage type.
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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. |
In order to achieve high S/L defense, you are locked into taking the Cold APP. You can achieve high ranged defense regardless of what APP you take.
That's the main difference.
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If you only want 2 slots for the ranged def I suppose. If you want the AoE defence as well, I am discovering that that 3rd slot is EXPENSIVE - the -kb recipes are going for something like 100m.
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Originally Posted by Ehina
If your blaster is /MM, I'd really go for S/L then. You'll often want to go in the middle of a mob to use Drain Psyche and Psy Shockwave, and WoC while being a decent mitigation and a good spot for the purple set, wont prevent you from being hit/stun alot. The main annoyance is the cold armor spoiling your costume, as well as the price of the kinetic combat sets.
On the other hand, if you think you can maintain range almost all the time because it fits better to your playstyle, then go for range soft cap for sure. Stacking zephyr sets is not that expensive at all. |
Lady Valentyna Penderghast, Archmage
"Love her not, lovely though she be/
Watch warily: there lies/
A glint of ghoulish ancestry/
Deep in her green bright eyes..."
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Correct me if Im mistaken but I thought that all attacks could have only one damage tag and one positional tag. So although tis true that the majority of attacks deal some smashing or lethal damage, its not necessarily true that the majority of attacks have the smashing/lethal damage tag.
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Originally Posted by ClawsandEffect
While that is true, some 60% of the attacks in the game have a smashing or lethal component. The most common ranged attack in the game by far is machine gun fire, which is pure lethal damage. Most melee attacks have a smashing or lethal component, with a few exceptions. And the exceptions are mostly player powers, I can't think of too many NPCs that are going to hit you with Mind Probe, and only a couple have Scorch.
Energy melee attacks are all part smashing, electric melee is part smashing except for a couple powers. Fire Sword (which is fairly common actually) is part lethal. Obviously smash/lethal covers your basic punch and knife or sword attacks as well. Smashing and lethal defense actually gives you more protection that is readily apparent, since it covers any attack that has a smashing or lethal component, even if it includes another damage type. |
Lady Valentyna Penderghast, Archmage
"Love her not, lovely though she be/
Watch warily: there lies/
A glint of ghoulish ancestry/
Deep in her green bright eyes..."
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Originally Posted by Valentyna
Correct me if Im mistaken but I thought that all attacks could have only one damage tag and one positional tag. So although tis true that the majority of attacks deal some smashing or lethal damage, its not necessarily true that the majority of attacks have the smashing/lethal damage tag.
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You are indeed mistaken. An Attack such as Bone Smasher is both energy and smashing damage as well as having the melee positional tag on it.
Global: @Kelig
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Technically attacks could have all of the tags. In practice the devs seem to have a policy of one positional tag and 1 or 2 damage tags depending on the power (non-damaging attacks will generally only have the positional).
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Originally Posted by Valentyna
Correct me if Im mistaken but I thought that all attacks could have only one damage tag and one positional tag. So although tis true that the majority of attacks deal some smashing or lethal damage, its not necessarily true that the majority of attacks have the smashing/lethal damage tag.
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Originally Posted by joebartender
You are indeed mistaken. An Attack such as Bone Smasher is both energy and smashing damage as well as having the melee positional tag on it.
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just to make sure i'm understanding this correctly, if some hit me with bone smasher and i was soft capped to s/l the energy component would hit me but the smashing wouldn't?
Positron's i13 letter: We are trying to make PvP more accessible to new players, while giving experienced PvP'ers the advantage that comes with formulating tactics around the new systems we're putting in place. PvP from now on will be on our priority list. If something isn't working out, we'll be in there tweaking it and making it work, for the entire future of the product, not just Issue 13.
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The game takes your highest defense number against the ENTIRE power, with softcapped S/L defense, Bonesmasher would take the Smashing defense to see if the power would hit/miss, and if it does miss, the entire power misses, there is no half miss etc. If you had softcapped melee defense, it would do the same, which is why people recommend to stack one type of defense, typed OR positional.
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Originally Posted by PC_guy
just to make sure i'm understanding this correctly, if some hit me with bone smasher and i was soft capped to s/l the energy component would hit me but the smashing wouldn't?
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"An army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team. This individuality stuff is a bunch of BS." -General George Patton
-Lord Azazel
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ah ok good to know
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Originally Posted by Lord_Thanatos
The game takes your highest defense number against the ENTIRE power, with softcapped S/L defense, Bonesmasher would take the Smashing defense to see if the power would hit/miss, and if it does miss, the entire power misses, there is no half miss etc. If you had softcapped melee defense, it would do the same, which is why people recommend to stack one type of defense, typed OR positional.
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Positron's i13 letter: We are trying to make PvP more accessible to new players, while giving experienced PvP'ers the advantage that comes with formulating tactics around the new systems we're putting in place. PvP from now on will be on our priority list. If something isn't working out, we'll be in there tweaking it and making it work, for the entire future of the product, not just Issue 13.
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To put it in a slightly different wording, the game uses your highest Defense rating for any of the tags the incoming power has.|
Originally Posted by Lord_Thanatos
The game takes your highest defense number against the ENTIRE power, with softcapped S/L defense, Bonesmasher would take the Smashing defense to see if the power would hit/miss, and if it does miss, the entire power misses, there is no half miss etc. If you had softcapped melee defense, it would do the same, which is why people recommend to stack one type of defense, typed OR positional.
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Using Bonesmasher for example, the game will use your highest Defense rating for Melee, Negative Energy or Smashing.
Beowulf -
Too many Alts, not enough 50's. Story of my life...
Is there a difference between slotting for S/L defense and ranged? I normally slot the latter but I've never really attempted to slot for S/L defense. does it hold up well on a blaster? planning on doing it on my DP blaster (which is hard atm since mids is behind) but not sure if its worth doing over ranged.
Positron's i13 letter: We are trying to make PvP more accessible to new players, while giving experienced PvP'ers the advantage that comes with formulating tactics around the new systems we're putting in place. PvP from now on will be on our priority list. If something isn't working out, we'll be in there tweaking it and making it work, for the entire future of the product, not just Issue 13.