Nope. Neither Cloaking Device or Combat Jumping offer enough defense to be worth slotting (they both offer 1.75% which is negligible). The only power available to blasters that offers enough defense to be worth enhancing (or noticeable) is Frozen Armor from the Ice Epic Pool (it offers 10.5% to smashing and lethal). There's also Weave which has some defense (3.5%) but again it's really that much.
If you want defense on a Blaster then your best bet is to to use IOs. It's reasonably easy to get ~30% ranged defense on a blaster which does provide a noticeable difference. The other option is to build for Smashing and Lethal defense but for an AR/Dev I'd recommend sticking with Ranged since it tends to be a bit short on the powers that take the good sets for boosting S/L Def.
As an example, here's my AR/Dev build. I went for a mix of defense and recharge so it's not the absolute best for either, it's just a balanced build that suits my playstyle.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.621
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Adeon Hawkwood: Level 50 Technology Blaster
Primary Power Set: Assault Rifle
Secondary Power Set: Devices
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Teleportation
Ancillary Pool: Munitions Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Burst -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(3), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7)
Level 1: Web Grenade -- TotHntr-Acc/Rchg(A), TotHntr-EndRdx/Immob(40), TotHntr-Acc/EndRdx(45), TotHntr-Immob/Acc(46), TotHntr-Acc/Immob/Rchg(46), TotHntr-Dam%(50)
Level 2: Slug -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(9), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(29)
Level 4: Buckshot -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(17), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), Posi-Dam%(19)
Level 6: Combat Jumping -- Ksmt-ToHit+(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(13), Zephyr-Travel(27), Zephyr-ResKB(29)
Level 8: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 10: Targeting Drone -- ToHit-I(A), ToHit-I(15)
Level 12: Caltrops -- RechRdx-I(A), P'ngTtl-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(13)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(15)
Level 16: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(17)
Level 18: Flamethrower -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(23), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(23), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(25), Posi-Dam%(25), RechRdx-I(27)
Level 20: Stamina -- Efficacy-EndMod(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(21), EndMod-I(21)
Level 22: Cloaking Device -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 24: Recall Friend -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-ResKB(37)
Level 26: Smoke Grenade -- HO:Lyso(A), ToHitDeb-I(46)
Level 28: Ignite -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(34), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(36), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), Posi-Dam%(43)
Level 30: M30 Grenade -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(31), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(31), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(31), Posi-Dam%(33)
Level 32: Full Auto -- Ragnrk-Dmg(A), Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(33), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(34), Ragnrk-Knock%(34)
Level 35: Trip Mine -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(36), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Oblit-%Dam(45)
Level 38: Gun Drone -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(39), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(39), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(40), ExRmnt-+Res(Pets)(40)
Level 41: Cryo Freeze Ray -- Lock-Acc/Hold(A), Lock-Acc/Rchg(42), Lock-Rchg/Hold(42), Lock-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(42), Lock-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(43), Lock-%Hold(43)
Level 44: Body Armor -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), ResDam-I(45)
Level 47: LRM Rocket -- Det'tn-Dmg/Rchg(A), AirB'st-Dmg/Rchg(48), HO:Nucle(48), HO:Nucle(48), RechRdx-I(50)
Level 49: Surveillance -- HO:Lyso(A), RechRdx-I(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Dmg-I(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- ULeap-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Defiance
Level 0: Ninja Run
@Adeon Hawkwood
I disagree. Defense based builds use every bit of defense it can find to bolster itself ever closer to the soft-cap. Unless you cannot get up to at least 30%, anything that can help achieve that goal is valuable.
Especially on combat jumping. Using the 'Blessing of the Zephyr' set in combat jumping gives you 3.13% defense to ranged and AOE, with defense to some element types as well. On top of the defense combat jumping gives, when at least 2 slotted with defense, is about 5% defense at .08 endurance a second. You need 45% to reach soft cap, with 30% providing a noticable difference. That means you only need about 25% more to reach 30%. You can also put a Luck of the Gambler +Global Recharge for 7.5% recharge while doing this. IO's make Combat Jumping a hugely useful power.
Now go ahead and take Super Jump and slot IT with some Blessing of the Zephyr as well. There's another 3.13% defense.
There is no reason you cannot take the Ice Epic pool AND build for ranged defense, as Ice Armor pretty much handles S/L defense without much need for IO's focused on it. You obviously don't need it, but I see no reason not to get it. Especially because Hoarfrost is a pretty kick *** heal.
Below is the build I'm using for AR/Dev. It has around 30% S/L defense, 38.3% ranged defense, 24.5% AOE defense, and a recharge (with Hasten) of 145%. Utilizing Smoke Grenade effectively "adds" another 7.34% defense by lowering the enemies To-Hit. This resets the defense values to Ranged: 45.8%, S/L: 37.5% and AOE: 31.9%.
You don't need the purples, but your recharge will suffer. I see no reason not to aim for the best, but there you go.
It doesn't sacrifice any useful powers to acheive this (as determined by myself, anyway.)
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.621
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
X-330 v9 Improved Ninja: Level 50 Natural Blaster
Primary Power Set: Assault Rifle
Secondary Power Set: Devices
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Cold Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Burst -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(7), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(25), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43)
Level 1: Web Grenade -- Immob-I(A)
Level 2: Slug -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(7), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(42)
Level 4: Caltrops -- TmpRdns-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(A)
Level 6: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 8: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(9), RechRdx-I(9)
Level 10: Targeting Drone -- GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(A), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(11), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(11), GSFC-ToHit(25), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(45), GSFC-Build%(46)
Level 12: Buckshot -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(13), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(13), Posi-Dmg/Rng(15), Posi-Dam%(15), KinCrsh-Rchg/KB(40)
Level 14: Super Speed -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(17), Zephyr-ResKB(46)
Level 16: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A)
Level 18: Flamethrower -- Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(19), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(19), Posi-Dmg/Rng(23), Posi-Dam%(23), RechRdx-I(36)
Level 20: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(21), P'Shift-EndMod(21)
Level 22: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), Zephyr-Travel(43), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(43), Zephyr-ResKB(46)
Level 24: Cloaking Device -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(37)
Level 26: Beanbag -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(27), Stpfy-Stun/Rng(27), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(34), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(37), Stpfy-KB%(42)
Level 28: Trip Mine -- Armgdn-Acc/Rchg(A), Armgdn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(29), Armgdn-Dmg/Rchg(29), Armgdn-Dmg(31), Armgdn-Dam%(31), Oblit-%Dam(31)
Level 30: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(37)
Level 32: Full Auto -- Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(A), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(33), Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Ragnrk-Knock%(34), Posi-Dam%(34)
Level 35: Smoke Grenade -- Acc-I(A), ToHitDeb-I(36), ToHitDeb-I(36)
Level 38: Taser -- Stpfy-Acc/Rchg(A), Stpfy-Acc/Stun/Rchg(39), Stpfy-Stun/Rng(39), Stpfy-EndRdx/Stun(39), Stpfy-Acc/EndRdx(40), Stpfy-KB%(40)
Level 41: Snow Storm -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(42)
Level 44: Frozen Armor -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(45), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(45)
Level 47: Hoarfrost -- RechRdx-I(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg(48), Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(48), Numna-Heal(48), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(50)
Level 49: Super Jump -- Zephyr-Travel(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(50), Zephyr-ResKB(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance
Level 0: Ninja Run
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CJ by itself, or even stacked with Cloaking Device isn't going to give you much, if any defense that's noticeable. It will help a very small amount, but it won't by itself increase survivability by any meaningful percentage. Some things it is good for aside from defense is it's inherent Immob protection, which can be very useful preventing a blaster from being rooted by NPCs (CoT mages, Consigliare's etc) allowing you to get out of LoS before they drop a hold on you. It's also good as a set mule like you said, for stacking defense with set bonuses and for using -KB IOs like the blessing of the zephyr or karma.|
Originally Posted by Jophiel
Is CJ worth it as a "defensive" power?
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Originally Posted by Jophiel
Is my best bet for Defense solely to build up IO set bonuses?
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for example let's take the scenario where you're going for ranged defense, there are quite a few... probably a majority of sets that offer ranged defense bonuses. we'll use Thunderstrike as the example set, it gives you 1.25% ranged defense with 3 slots and another 2.5% ranged with 6 slots for a total of 3.75% defense to ranged... if you were only 3 slotting you'd get just the 1.25%. Combat jumping gives you 1.75% defense to all and doesn't need any extra slots. So if you were going to take, say, bean bag and slot 3 thunderstrikes in it just for the bonus, you'd be better off skipping bean bag altogether and taking CJ instead, which would give you 2 slots to place elsewhere, possibly for a 6th slot bonus in another power.
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Originally Posted by Jophiel
Just to round out the information, my major set bonuses are 5/6ths of a Sting of the Manticore, 5/6ths of a Positron's Blast and a full set of Gaussians. That's about it. I do have Body Armor from the Munitions pool but that's resistance, not defense if I remember correctly. Due to character concept, I'm avoiding Hover.
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I made up a quick build in mids so you can see some of the defense bonuses etc in play (figuratively of course). I used all the powers you mentioned. This build has near softcapped range defense sitting at 39.8% and around 36% ranged defense when Cloaking Device is suppressed. If you swapped your EPP to Force Mastery like I suggested and took Temp Invulnerability, your S/L resistance would be at 49% instead of 30% and you'd have PFF to fall back on. I used one purple set in this build, Ragnarok in Full Auto, to get the recharge below 30 seconds without hasten.. you could always frankenslot too, but the set bonuses are nice. I also didn't use any LoTG's, which you said you had a couple... i'm sure you could sell them for a shiny penny on the market
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.621
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Natural Blaster
Primary Power Set: Assault Rifle
Secondary Power Set: Devices
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Teleportation
Ancillary Pool: Munitions Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Burst -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(5), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23)
Level 1: Web Grenade -- TotHntr-Acc/Rchg(A), TotHntr-EndRdx/Immob(7)
Level 2: Slug -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(5), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(17), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23)
Level 4: Caltrops -- P'ngTtl-Dmg/Slow(A)
Level 6: Combat Jumping -- Zephyr-ResKB(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(7)
Level 8: Buckshot -- Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), Posi-Dmg/Rng(9), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(9), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(13), Posi-Dam%(17)
Level 10: Targeting Drone -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(13), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(15), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(15), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(46), GSFC-Build%(46)
Level 12: Boxing -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A)
Level 14: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 16: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A)
Level 18: Flamethrower -- Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), Posi-Dmg/Rng(19), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(21), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(27), Posi-Dam%(27)
Level 20: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(21)
Level 22: Cloaking Device -- GftotA-Def/EndRdx(A), GftotA-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(25), GftotA-Run+(37), GftotA-Def(43)
Level 24: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(25), RctvArm-ResDam(37), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(39)
Level 26: Ignite -- Posi-Dam%(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(31), Posi-Dmg/Rng(37), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(43), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(43)
Level 28: Trip Mine -- Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(29), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(29), Erad-Dmg/Rchg(31), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), Erad-%Dam(34)
Level 30: M30 Grenade -- Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), Posi-Dmg/Rng(45), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(45), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(48), Posi-Dam%(50)
Level 32: Full Auto -- Ragnrk-Dmg(A), Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(33), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(33), Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx(34), Ragnrk-Knock%(34)
Level 35: Weave -- GftotA-Def/EndRdx(A), GftotA-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(36), GftotA-Run+(36), GftotA-Def(36)
Level 38: Gun Drone -- ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(39), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(39), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(40), ExRmnt-+Res(Pets)(40)
Level 41: Body Armor -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(42), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(42), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 44: Surveillance -- UndDef-DefDeb/Rchg(A), UndDef-Rchg(45), Achilles-ResDeb%(46)
Level 47: Sniper Rifle -- Mantic-Acc/ActRdx/Rng(A), Mantic-Dmg/ActRdx/Rchg(48), Mantic-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(48), Mantic-Dmg/EndRdx(50)
Level 49: Recall Friend -- Zephyr-ResKB(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- ULeap-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance
Level 4: Ninja Run
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Set Bonus Totals:
- 13.5% DamageBuff(Smashing)
- 13.5% DamageBuff(Lethal)
- 13.5% DamageBuff(Fire)
- 13.5% DamageBuff(Cold)
- 13.5% DamageBuff(Energy)
- 13.5% DamageBuff(Negative)
- 13.5% DamageBuff(Toxic)
- 13.5% DamageBuff(Psionic)
- 5.5% Defense(Smashing)
- 5.5% Defense(Lethal)
- 4.25% Defense(Fire)
- 4.25% Defense(Cold)
- 23% Defense(Energy)
- 23% Defense(Negative)
- 3% Defense(Psionic)
- 6.13% Defense(Melee)
- 27.1% Defense(Ranged)
- 5.5% Defense(AoE)
- 5.4% Max End
- 41.3% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 5% Enhancement(Immobilize)
- 65% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 18% FlySpeed
- 22.6 HP (1.87%) HitPoints
- 18% JumpHeight
- 18% JumpSpeed
- Knockback (Mag -8)
- Knockup (Mag -8)
- MezResist(Confused) 2.5%
- MezResist(Held) 2.5%
- MezResist(Immobilize) 4.7%
- MezResist(Sleep) 2.5%
- MezResist(Stun) 4.7%
- MezResist(Terrorized) 2.5%
- 24.5% (0.41 End/sec) Recovery
- 22% (1.11 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 10% Resistance(Smashing)
- 10% Resistance(Lethal)
- 23.8% Resistance(Fire)
- 18.8% Resistance(Cold)
- 10% Resistance(Energy)
- 10% Resistance(Negative)
- 15% Resistance(Toxic)
- 10% Resistance(Psionic)
- 33% RunSpeed
I've never really played with Mids -- is there an easy way to export character data to Mids or do I need to enter everything in manually? I can see where it'd be useful to post my current build but damned if I know when Slug went from being 4 slotted to being six slotted
And, of course, thanks for the help so far. Learning a bit.
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No argument there. BUT slotting Cloaking device or Combat jumping for defense is a horrible waste of slots. It's a base of 1.75% so even if you spend 3 slots on it that gets you less than 1% defense. You can get much better returns on a per-slot basis by skipping that and going for set bonuses. I didn't say "don't slot CJ" I said "don't slot CJ for defense", if you look at my build you'll notice I've got CJ stacked to the gills with a BotZ and several porcs/globals.|
Originally Posted by Warkupo
I disagree. Defense based builds use every bit of defense it can find to bolster itself ever closer to the soft-cap. Unless you cannot get up to at least 30%, anything that can help achieve that goal is valuable.
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| Now go ahead and take Super Jump and slot IT with some Blessing of the Zephyr as well. There's another 3.13% defense. |
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| There is no reason you cannot take the Ice Epic pool AND build for ranged defense, as Ice Armor pretty much handles S/L defense without much need for IO's focused on it. You obviously don't need it, but I see no reason not to get it. Especially because Hoarfrost is a pretty kick *** heal. |
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You've got to do it manually. The good news is that the levels slots were assigned at are largely irrelevant. You don't lose slots when you exemplar down so the only time the slot level really matters is if you're planning a leveling-up build.
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Originally Posted by Jophiel
I've never really played with Mids -- is there an easy way to export character data to Mids or do I need to enter everything in manually? I can see where it'd be useful to post my current build but damned if I know when Slug went from being 4 slotted to being six slotted
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You are not seeing the whole picture. S/L defense is not a simple typed defense, it is the equivalent of melee defense. *Most* melee attacks have a Smashing/Lethal component to them, so building up S/L defense is the equivalent of building up melee defense. Unless you simply don't beleive a blaster should have any melee defense, there is little reason not to achieve it. |
Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
I really, really disagree with this. You can only use your highest defense power against an attack so if you've got high ranged defense then having S/L defense is largely a waste. It will help you against some melee and AoE attacks but in general there are better options. It is almost always better to focus on either positional or typed defenses. Working on both is very inefficient since they overlap so much in usage. Plus if you've got high ranged defense than going Ice is preventing you from taking one of the other pools which would give you more resistance. Having Ranged and S/L Defense slightly widens the pool of attacks you defend against (but not by much since AR/Dev can keep out of melee range without to much trouble) whereas Ranged defense and resistance provides layered defenses.
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You do not need the resistances if you can dodge the attacks. In fact, with Blaster HP and lack of mez protection, it's far more beneficial to build a blaster for defense.
*Edit*-Generalizing Statement are bad, m'kay?
I'd still take CJ even if it granted no defense. All that air control with Hurdle is just that good, you'll avoid more damage by having better maneuverability.
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I realize that, I still consider it a poor choice. AR/Dev has plenty of tools to keep out of melee range so if you're going to build up a second defense I'd consider AoE to be a better choice than S/L. S/L is most useful for a Blapper and AR/Devs make poor blappers.|
Originally Posted by Warkupo
You are not seeing the whole picture. S/L defense is not a simple typed defense, it is the equivalent of melee defense. *Most* melee attacks have a Smashing/Lethal component to them, so building up S/L defense is the equivalent of building up melee defense. Unless you simply don't beleive a blaster should have any melee defense, there is little reason not to achieve it.
You do not need the resistances if you can dodge the attacks. In fact, with Blaster HP and lack of mez protection, it's far more beneficial to build a blaster for defense. *Edit*-Generalizing Statement are bad, m'kay? |
EDIT: That being said, I figure it's more important to make a character you enjoy playing than it is to make one who's the most optimized.
EDIT2: I'd also say that if you are buildiing up S/L defense then Ranged defense loses a lot of utility. S/L is almost as common for ranged attacks as melee attacks.
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I don't *need* to avoid melee range. This has many useful applications, such as being able to throw down a Trip Mine wherever I please (and the AOE potential is *incredibly* worth doing this), stay within buff radius of the defender/controller/whatever, not accidentally aggroing other groups because I'm trying to stay at range, etc. |
Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
I realize that, I still consider it a poor choice. AR/Dev has plenty of tools to keep out of melee range so if you're going to build up a second defense I'd consider AoE to be a better choice than S/L. S/L is most useful for a Blapper and AR/Devs make poor blappers.
EDIT: That being said, I figure it's more important to make a character you enjoy playing than it is to make one who's the most optimized. EDIT2: I'd also say that if you are buildiing up S/L defense then Ranged defense loses a lot of utility. S/L is almost as common for ranged attacks as melee attacks. |
Ranged Defense is not at all trivialized by having S/L defense. While there *are* ranged attacks that have a S/L component, they are not nearly as abundant as melee attacks. You will be very vulnerable to many different attacks if you only slot for S/L defense, unless you can somehow *also* raise all of your typed defenses to equal values, which I do not see happening. You are also vulnerable to just about EVERY ranged control, and there are a *lot* of them.
I've sacrificed absolutely nothing in order to take Ice Armor. All the Primary/Secondary powers I would have picked without it are there. My ranged AND AOE defenses are still high, and with smoke grenade my ranged is *capped*. Not to mention that the Ice Epic pools has it's own share of rather nice powers *anyway*, with Snow Storm very much complimenting a defense set by slowing the incoming hits that are already likely to miss me anyway, and Hoarfrost covering the hits that *do* go through, so it's not as though I've missed out on anything but not taking some other Epic Pool.
Having melee defense is not a detriment. All it can do is help you and make you a more useful player.
This character is fun *and* optimized. It sacrifices nothing to do this.
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You have sacrificed the ability to take one of the resistance armors though. That's about 30% S/L resistance to layer on top of your ranged defense.
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Originally Posted by Warkupo
I've sacrificed absolutely nothing in order to take Ice Armor.
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Which, as I've already mentioned, isn't as useful as defense. Especially not for a blaster who still takes full mez effects regardless of how much resistance they have. Should my Blaster get hit with that 5% chance a ranged attack has to hit me (in combination with the -50% recharge he has in all of attacks), I can simply use Hoarfrost to restore my HP and make me sturdier than I was a moment ago. Again, I've also already mentioned this strategy. |
Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
You have sacrificed the ability to take one of the resistance armors though. That's about 30% S/L resistance to layer on top of your ranged defense.
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The resistance you can gain from the other epics is NOT better mitigation than the defense and utility you gain from the Ice Epic.
Ok, here's my Mids so people can start telling me in earnest how gimp I am... heh
Ok, I kid. I will say that I'm a casual player so I picked powers pretty much as they sounded nifty and stayed within my Natural character concept. Set bonuses are kind of the same -- I'd get one or two as drops and decide to try to expand upon them. I have about 95mil influence on this character so I won't be purpling her out any time soon (that and I'm still lvl 47 anyway). It's sounding more and more like I'll respec out of Combat Jumping unless there's a good argument for keeping it there and I'm not in love with Ignite either so I might drop that for something else. Aside from that, I'm actually pretty happy with my character and just trying to take her up a level rather than straight out min/maxing her. Oh, and finally, the power levels are approximate based on how they're arranged in my enhancement screen. I might be off a level or two especially when I flipped back and forth between pool/archetype powers.
Without further ado...
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.621
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Rose Veldt: Level 48 Natural Blaster
Primary Power Set: Assault Rifle
Secondary Power Set: Devices
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Medicine
Power Pool: Leaping
Ancillary Pool: Munitions Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Slug -- Dmg(A), Dmg(3), Dmg(3), Acc(5), RechRdx(5), RechRdx(7)
Level 1: Web Grenade -- Immob(A), Slow(7), Acc(9)
Level 2: Burst -- Dmg(A), Dmg(9), Dmg(11), Acc(11), RechRdx(13), EndRdx(13)
Level 4: Caltrops -- P'ngTtl-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(A), TmpRdns-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(15), TmpRdns-Rng/Slow(15)
Level 6: M30 Grenade -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(17), Dmg-I(17), Range-I(19), Det'tn-Acc/Dmg(19), KBDist-I(21)
Level 8: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 10: Buckshot -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(21), Dmg-I(23), Range-I(23), RechRdx-I(25)
Level 12: Targeting Drone -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(25), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(27), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(27), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(29), GSFC-Build%(29)
Level 14: Health -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(31), Heal-I(31)
Level 16: Sniper Rifle -- Dmg-I(A), Mantic-Acc/Dmg(31), Mantic-Dam%(33), Mantic-Dmg/ActRdx/Rchg(33), Mantic-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Mantic-Dmg/EndRdx(34)
Level 18: Flamethrower -- Range-I(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg(34), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(34), Posi-Dam%(36), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(36), Posi-Dmg/Rng(36)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(37), EndMod-I(37)
Level 22: Cloaking Device -- DefBuff-I(A), EndRdx-I(37), LkGmblr-Rchg+(39), LkGmblr-Def(39)
Level 24: Beanbag -- Dsrnt-I(A), Dsrnt-I(39), Range-I(40), Acc-I(40)
Level 26: Ignite -- Dmg-I(A)
Level 28: Aid Other -- Heal-I(A)
Level 30: Trip Mine -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(42), RechRdx-I(42), RechRdx-I(42), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(43)
Level 32: Aid Self -- Heal-I(A)
Level 35: Full Auto -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(45), Dmg-I(45), RechRdx-I(45), RechRdx-I(46), EndRdx-I(46)
Level 38: Smoke Grenade -- ToHitDeb-I(A)
Level 41: Body Armor -- ResDam-I(A), Aegis-Psi/Status(46), Aegis-ResDam(48)
Level 44: Surveillance -- DefDeb-I(A)
Level 47: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I(A)
Level 49: [Empty]
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I(A), Run-I(40), Run-I(43)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance
Level 2: Ninja Run
------------
Set Bonus Totals:
- 5.5% DamageBuff(Smashing)
- 5.5% DamageBuff(Lethal)
- 5.5% DamageBuff(Fire)
- 5.5% DamageBuff(Cold)
- 5.5% DamageBuff(Energy)
- 5.5% DamageBuff(Negative)
- 5.5% DamageBuff(Toxic)
- 5.5% DamageBuff(Psionic)
- 1.25% Defense(Smashing)
- 1.25% Defense(Lethal)
- 1.25% Defense(Fire)
- 1.25% Defense(Cold)
- 2.19% Defense(Energy)
- 2.19% Defense(Negative)
- 2.5% Defense(Melee)
- 4.38% Defense(Ranged)
- 2.5% Defense(AoE)
- 21.3% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
- 9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
- 5% FlySpeed
- 22.6 HP (1.87%) HitPoints
- 5% JumpHeight
- 5% JumpSpeed
- 6.5% (0.11 End/sec) Recovery
- 22% (1.11 HP/sec) Regeneration
- 1.58% Resistance(Fire)
- 1.58% Resistance(Cold)
- 3% Resistance(Psionic)
- 10% RunSpeed
Quote:
I wouldnt take Combat Jumping at all.In fact, taking any defensive % powers or IOs for this build would make me have to ask "Why?".|
Originally Posted by Jophiel
My AR/Dev is up to level 47 now and trying to up my defense a little. I have Cloaking Device four slotted with an IO Defense, IO EndRx, LotG Defense and LotG+7.5. At 47, on something of a lark, I decided to pick up Combat Jumping. It only has one IO Defense in it at the moment but I'm not sure how useful it is.
Is CJ worth it as a "defensive" power? There's a thread in the Player Help section about slotting it and most people seemed to say it's not worth it except as a set mule. Is my best bet for Defense solely to build up IO set bonuses? I have plenty enough respecs from Vet rewards, etc that I can drop out of CJ if it's worthless but thought I'd get some opinions. Just to round out the information, my major set bonuses are 5/6ths of a Sting of the Manticore, 5/6ths of a Positron's Blast and a full set of Gaussians. That's about it. I do have Body Armor from the Munitions pool but that's resistance, not defense if I remember correctly. Due to character concept, I'm avoiding Hover. |
When I play a AR/Dev Blaster (The only Blaster build I can stand to play), I give it a Stealth IO for its Cloaking Device and its done.The defense % is acctually rather irrelevent for the build when you know how to use it.Granted your level 47, it by no means gives you a single idea of what that Blaster is capable of.If you did, you wouldnt try adding Def % to the build at all.
Stick with a alternate Idea like using your cloak to set up a Time Bomb, Trip Mines, and then Unloading this Full Auto at the proper times and there shouldnt be anything left by the time your Full Auto completes it cycle.
If your basing this AR/Dev Blaster by teaming standards.Then by all means grab up as much Def % with Combat Jumping ect as possible.On teams you dont have time to use this Blaster correctly the majority of the time.
Quote:
I guess if you wanna play on the weakest solo difficulty possible, sure. By that logic you don't ever need IO's for anything.|
Originally Posted by Fire_Minded
I wouldnt take Combat Jumping at all.In fact, taking any defensive % powers or IOs for this build would make me have to ask "Why?".
When I play a AR/Dev Blaster (The only Blaster build I can stand to play), I give it a Stealth IO for its Cloaking Device and its done.The defense % is acctually rather irrelevent for the build when you know how to use it.Granted your level 47, it by no means gives you a single idea of what that Blaster is capable of.If you did, you wouldnt try adding Def % to the build at all. Stick with a alternate Idea like using your cloak to set up a Time Bomb, Trip Mines, and then Unloading this Full Auto at the proper times and there shouldnt be anything left by the time your Full Auto completes it cycle. If your basing this AR/Dev Blaster by teaming standards.Then by all means grab up as much Def % with Combat Jumping ect as possible.On teams you dont have time to use this Blaster correctly the majority of the time. |
You should never be using Time Bomb. By the time the animation finishes and the countdown is over you've wasted a good 24 seconds. Far better to just Toe Bomb, that is, setting down a trip mine close to the spawn while fully invisible and then running backwards as it goes off. The KB it causes combined with SS or SJ will ensure that you are out of range by the time everyone gets up again.
There is so much misinformation about AR/Dev I think I will write a guide for it one day.
Quote:
I cannot for the life of me get your build to open, so I'm going to just have to eyeball it. |
Originally Posted by Jophiel
Ok, here's my Mids so people can start telling me in earnest how gimp I am... heh
Ok, I kid. I will say that I'm a casual player so I picked powers pretty much as they sounded nifty and stayed within my Natural character concept. Set bonuses are kind of the same -- I'd get one or two as drops and decide to try to expand upon them. I have about 95mil influence on this character so I won't be purpling her out any time soon (that and I'm still lvl 47 anyway). It's sounding more and more like I'll respec out of Combat Jumping unless there's a good argument for keeping it there and I'm not in love with Ignite either so I might drop that for something else. Aside from that, I'm actually pretty happy with my character and just trying to take her up a level rather than straight out min/maxing her. Oh, and finally, the power levels are approximate based on how they're arranged in my enhancement screen. I might be off a level or two especially when I flipped back and forth between pool/archetype powers. Without further ado... Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.621 http://www.cohplanner.com/ Click this DataLink to open the build! Rose Veldt: Level 48 Natural Blaster Primary Power Set: Assault Rifle Secondary Power Set: Devices Power Pool: Fitness Power Pool: Medicine Power Pool: Leaping Ancillary Pool: Munitions Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Slug -- Dmg(A), Dmg(3), Dmg(3), Acc(5), RechRdx(5), RechRdx(7) Level 1: Web Grenade -- Immob(A), Slow(7), Acc(9) Level 2: Burst -- Dmg(A), Dmg(9), Dmg(11), Acc(11), RechRdx(13), EndRdx(13) Level 4: Caltrops -- P'ngTtl-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(A), TmpRdns-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(15), TmpRdns-Rng/Slow(15) Level 6: M30 Grenade -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(17), Dmg-I(17), Range-I(19), Det'tn-Acc/Dmg(19), KBDist-I(21) Level 8: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 10: Buckshot -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(21), Dmg-I(23), Range-I(23), RechRdx-I(25) Level 12: Targeting Drone -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(25), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(27), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(27), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(29), GSFC-Build%(29) Level 14: Health -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(31), Heal-I(31) Level 16: Sniper Rifle -- Dmg-I(A), Mantic-Acc/Dmg(31), Mantic-Dam%(33), Mantic-Dmg/ActRdx/Rchg(33), Mantic-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Mantic-Dmg/EndRdx(34) Level 18: Flamethrower -- Range-I(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg(34), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(34), Posi-Dam%(36), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(36), Posi-Dmg/Rng(36) Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(37), EndMod-I(37) Level 22: Cloaking Device -- DefBuff-I(A), EndRdx-I(37), LkGmblr-Rchg+(39), LkGmblr-Def(39) Level 24: Beanbag -- Dsrnt-I(A), Dsrnt-I(39), Range-I(40), Acc-I(40) Level 26: Ignite -- Dmg-I(A) Level 28: Aid Other -- Heal-I(A) Level 30: Trip Mine -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(42), RechRdx-I(42), RechRdx-I(42), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(43) Level 32: Aid Self -- Heal-I(A) Level 35: Full Auto -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(45), Dmg-I(45), RechRdx-I(45), RechRdx-I(46), EndRdx-I(46) Level 38: Smoke Grenade -- ToHitDeb-I(A) Level 41: Body Armor -- ResDam-I(A), Aegis-Psi/Status(46), Aegis-ResDam(48) Level 44: Surveillance -- DefDeb-I(A) Level 47: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I(A) Level 49: [Empty] ------------ Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I(A), Run-I(40), Run-I(43) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Defiance Level 2: Ninja Run ------------ Set Bonus Totals:
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Your set bonuses are pretty bad, there's nothing outstanding anywhere. You want to pick a focus for your set bonuses and work towards it. For general blaster play, recharge is your best bet. If you were still interested in a defense set, the one I gave you more than suffices that need.
Make sure all your powers are IO slotted with Recipes. This will increase every aspect of your power, usually capping out Acc and Dam, while substantially increasing your recharge and lowering your endurance use. if all of your powers are using less endurance you will find that you are far more sustainable in combat than before. Even if you aren't going to focus on set bonuses you should do this.
I've never liked M30 Grenade because it knocks everything in different directions, which really screws up the rest of your AOE chain. With enough recharge Buckshot, Full Auto and Flamethrower will more than suffice, else use M30 Grenade carefully.
You don't have a travel power at all. I suggest taking Hasten + Superspeed. Superspeed and Cloaking Device will cap out your stealth for PVE, which means you can do fun things like walk right up to a group of monsters, drop a Trip Mine, and then run backwards as it explodes in their faces. Hasten will increase the recharge of all your powers, meaning you'll be doing far more damage than someone without it. Considering the recharge on Full Auto, it's very beneficial to aim for Recharge Reduction on AR so you can get it working as often as possible.
if you take Super Speed you won't need Sniper Rifle either, as you can usually get by with Jousting. Jousting is shooting while you are jumping backwards. The result is that you wind up firing an attack at an enemy while simultanously landing far out of their range.
To summarize:
-Take Super Speed + Cloaking Device
-Lay down a trip mine at the enemies feet, and begin running and jumping backwards as soon as you hear it beeping.
-As soon as you jump, Hit Full Auto. You will be out of the enemies range of fire, and they will be hit with Full Auto.
-Finish off anything still alive.
Smoke Grenade is a useless power if you are not building for a defense set. The piddly amount of damage mitigation you'll be getting from Body Armor is not worth even taking the power. Do not Skip Cryo Freeze Ray if you're going for the Mutitions Mastery pool. At least don't pick it over Survaliance. And if you are going to take Survaliance, which I don't recomend doing really, slot it up for recharge and acc, not defense. With IO sets and targetting drone you shouldn't be missing normal enemies.
Once you have a Hold in your build, you won't need Web Grenade. You shouldn't still be using it anyway, you should be stealth toe bombing and using AOE's. Go ahead and remove all the slots from it, and only use it if you're fighting an AV or something where the -recharge might be beneficial.
Combat Jumping isn't worth taking if you aren't building for defense or getting a Travel Power. You can probably drop it from your build as well, though the Immob protection is useful.
My AR/Dev is up to level 47 now and trying to up my defense a little. I have Cloaking Device four slotted with an IO Defense, IO EndRx, LotG Defense and LotG+7.5. At 47, on something of a lark, I decided to pick up Combat Jumping. It only has one IO Defense in it at the moment but I'm not sure how useful it is.
Is CJ worth it as a "defensive" power? There's a thread in the Player Help section about slotting it and most people seemed to say it's not worth it except as a set mule. Is my best bet for Defense solely to build up IO set bonuses? I have plenty enough respecs from Vet rewards, etc that I can drop out of CJ if it's worthless but thought I'd get some opinions.
Just to round out the information, my major set bonuses are 5/6ths of a Sting of the Manticore, 5/6ths of a Positron's Blast and a full set of Gaussians. That's about it. I do have Body Armor from the Munitions pool but that's resistance, not defense if I remember correctly. Due to character concept, I'm avoiding Hover.