archtype differentiationhrlp (corr/def specifically)

So...returning player here, and I'm a bit baffled by the differences between some of the archtypes...defenders and corrupters in particular. With GR they're not limited to red/blueside. In the past I would have thought that corrs would be more damage focused but with the update to defenders inherent recently I'm not sure that's the case anymore.

So...what's the major difference between the two now?

Corruptors will still do SCOURGE type damage to enemies with waning health. Defenders get a damage boost that reduces with the number of people on team. Solo, I would say they are about equal damage wise. Teamed, the damage slider might tip in favor of corruptors. Debuffs/ buffs still will favor defenders as they have a higher mod value for such.

The only difference I see between the two is just a few sets and their Primal Earth starting points. Fire blast, thermal radiation and pain domination are still corruptor exclusive, while empathy, force field, and psi blast are still defender exclusives. If you wanted to roll one in Praeotoria, you start out neutral and choose your path.

On the whole though, I would say these are the two ATs that are almost completely interchangeable. I welcome a well played corruptor or defender with open arms on just about any team I am running.

Defenders have better buffs/debuffs.

Corruptors do more damage with their blasts.

Defenders might do better damage when it comes to sonic blast, because the -res is stronger. I don't feel like doing all that math.

For what it's worth, I'd rather have defenders on my team than the equivilant corruptors. But I'd still rather have a corruptor than anything melee.

Damage.

After the defender damage buff, I tried soloing my dark/dark defender, and while I could do so, it was slow going, and consequently, really boring. I just started toying around with soloing my dark/fire corruptor this morning, who has a pretty team-oriented build, and was surprised to find I could solo at 0/x6 without a problem, and will try it out at 0/x8 next time.

I've been playing for almost 3 years, but am really new to corruptors, so I don't know if this is typical or expected, or wussy or what (don't care for redside, so only started on villian AT's when side-switching was announced). To my (limited) experience, I'd describe the damage as feeling like "Blaster Lite."

IN general, a defender will bring more to the team with higher modifiers for buffs/debuffs. Defenders also get a bit extra out of the leadership pool. Eventually, someone will show the math as to which one is better under a certain specific set of circumstances. But even that will probably be borderline meaningless. Fact is, on teams my AR/Trap corruptor barely has time to pull his gun out.

A plus for defenders is that they get the support powers first. Some things like Sleet and Transference are long waits on defenders. On a corr, well, at least you are sitting down already.

A plus for corrs is they don't have to take the default attack, although they do have to take the default support power. I like not taking Flares on Fire blast.

Unofficial opinion that I'm sure will change soon enough is that I like defenders better for buff sets since they get the better numbers and it's easier to hit the buff cap if there is one, ie FF soft capping a team. I like corrs for the debuff sets even with the lower numbers because it's harder to hit the caps, ie -res, so you won't notice the lesser numbers anyway. This would seem to line up with the philosophy of good using buffs and evil using debuffs. Kin is a tweener set really with buffs/debuffs and has worked well with "lesser" numbers so I would say Kin works better with corrs. Fulcrum + Scourge is a beautiful thing.

Yeah, they're pretty much equivalent for most of the game.

The order thing is big; by 32 corrupters can have all their blasts. Defenders must wait until 38.

The inverse is true for defenders: a kin/ defender has fulcrum shift at 32. A corrupter must wait 6 more levels.

Also, corrupters are excellent damage dealers vs. hard targets. Scourge triggers after the enemy takes a lot of damage, fine, but that is overkill on minions. But if the enemy is something like an AV, they still have a significant ammount of health to go even at 25% health...at which point the corrupter's scourge starts pounding the nails into the coffin.

You can almost tell who is primarily a blue side player and who is primarily a redside player on these kinds of post.

As stated above, early on with power selection is the big difference. Do you want to level up offense or defense first.

Other than that, you will probably not even tell the difference in a typical paper/radio mission.

Simple.

If you feel like you like to Blast more, go with Corruptor.
- Sooner access to better blasts
- Scourge helps you finish off hard targets

If you feel like you like to support more, go with Defender.
- Sooner access to better support powers and stronger support powers


Before you can argue that Defender has better epic tools but it shouldn't be a problem now since Corruptor has access to epic tools. I don't know if there's any major difference in epic tool numbers.

I will say this as you do see the difference in playstyle to those who are used to redside versus blueside.

Blueside its BUFF ME!

Redside its SLAUGHTER THE BASTAGES!

This plays out when people from blueside pick up a corr and say well this doesn't buff like a defender - No kidding.

But they can solo at +2 x 8 for the most part once you are 22 and have SO's. Defenders have trouble with that. Corruptors in a game thats all about damage are a force to be reckoned with. They are far safer than a blaster, can buff/debuff damage into the high end of the scale (I am looking at you Tarpatch and Fulcrum Shift), they can Tank as well as most Tanks or Brutes can and onto of all that they are dead sexy.

Playing the steamroller style is what Corrs excel at. The frantic mad dash of overwhelming force, Brute Force and Ignorance is what they do best. The steady controlled antiseptic style from blueside - yeilds far less for a Corr.

I play my Fire/Dark like a herding machine. I let the group attack the first group drop tarpit and fear the group - run to the next TWO groups throw Darkest night on a boss and zip back to the team screaming INCOMING! as I go. The huge group gets there and I use Howling twilight to stun all the minions, fear again and rain of fire! I then run off to get MORE!

It is intense, fast and wild and crazy fun for all. I let the tank hold the aggro as I pour groups at him. Most tanks aren't sure what to do (unless they played redside) but i send them a tell saying - I will bring 'em to you you just keep pouring on taunt and attacks! After 2 or 3 groups we are steamrolling.

First off, I don't see the difference in soloing speed between a Corruptor and a Defender.

They both feel slow.

Now, there may be a difference between picking a Fire/Dark Corruptor VS a Dark/Psi Defender, but I'd say that has more to do with Fire being the top blast set, and Defenders not having it.

Teaming wise, I'm happy with either. However, that said, I'm more likely to see a /Cold Domination Corr skip the Buff Shields, than I am to see Cold Domination/ Defender skip the shields (admittedly, this is all from in game experience, maybe I just haven't run into the Cold Domination/ Defender who skips those powers yet. *replace Cold Domination with any shielding replacement for that topic to still hold true*)

Now on a team, a Corr will do more damage, and truthfully, still do enough debuffing/buffing that as a player of Corrs/Defs and one who teams with Corrs/Defs, if you as a player prefere to do as much damage as possible, then you're set with a Corr.

The big difference to me is, what do I want to have access to first? Blasts or Buffs/Debuffs. Then I make my choice.

Its really a question of powersets and AT not just AT.

Take Dark/Dark vs even con enemies with no special resistances.


The defender has more -To Hit, More heals and - Resistance than the corruptor. The corruptor has scourge and a variable amount more damage.

Now if you go to Ice/Dark corruptors and Dark/Ice defenders the big attacks Ice Storm, Blizzard have the same base damage because they are on the blaster scale, so it becomes a toss up of scourge vs a 30% damage buff when solo.

If you are thinking of taking any kind of defensive set over debuff the defender really shines because of the way the softcap works. Even small improvements to the defense buffs translate into large improvements in mitigation.

The Defender Inherent only increases its damage significantly when it is solo. On a team of two or three (with the Defender being the second or third, obviously) it is possible to provide enough damage to fill in as a damage dealer. But past that, the damage bonus disappears.

Defenders, in general, have higher burst damage, and thus provide slightly more damage at the beginning of a fight. Corruptors provide more damage at the end of the fight, with Scourge. Outside of that, and the slightly higher damage for the Corruptor and slightly higher buffs for the Defender, there is not that much difference. It is not even as much as between a Tanker and a Scrapper.

It's really not the case that the other ATs are that similar. And even Defenders and Corruptors have their own "style". Their roles are similar, just with a slightly different emphasis on how they go about those various roles.

I have to disagree.

The Corruptor is VERY capable in a large team of delivering huge amounts of damage. I was helping in a team running the Dreck mission and I was tanking, herding 2 groups near a 3rd group so I could cheat the aggro cap - well due to a little side aggro the other 7 stopped to deal with a single group someone strayed too near.

I then proceeded SOLO to defeat the entire 3 groups pull of freaks. I was never threatened, never out of the green and it was EASY. Not as fast as the other 7 helping - but I was never in any danger.

I have never seen a defender who can do that with such ease.

My Dark/Ice defender could do it with Blizzard and in time - but not with such speed. There is a vast difference in a fully IO'd corruptor and an IO'd defender.