Soliciting builds...

Perhaps this is something that bothers me alone, but I have noticed it more and more frequently. Many people aren't requesting help with builds, but are instead simply soliciting a completed build outright. Check any AT forum and you'll likely find a post akin to "Any got a build for an x/y?" without any guidance to what they player hopes to achieve with said build.

This irks me for a few reasons:

First, it smacks of laziness. Creating a build with Mid's is a reasonably simple thing. Posting without one suggests that you haven't consider power selections, sets, or even an over all goal. Put some effort into it if you expect others to put effort into helping you.

Secondly, requesting builds generally eschews all conceptual considerations. If I've decided to create a build there are still some powers I'd like simply for thematic reasons. I, for example, like to have Flight for magical characters. Eventually, you may butt against the problem of performance vs. concept, but to me it's disheartening to see people throw concept out from the get-go.

Finally, there is the difficulty of offering advice to these individuals. Those that would help are face with a blank slate. Do you want an AoE damage machine? Do you want a strong team support character? An AV solo'er? There are many ways to build a character in this game, even using a single AT with the same primary and secondary. Do you want top performance or do you hope to incorporate some conceptual powers into the build? What is your budget? It's like asking "How to I go to China?" We need to know where you're beginning, how you want to travel, and how much you can spend on the trip.

So, please, I implore anyone that plans to request a build. Put some effort and some thought into what you want before making a blanket request. You'll find people more receptive if you give them something to work with.

And this is why I only ask for builds to people I play with.

I just wish some of the guides were updated. Some of those Guides date back to CoV release with no updates.

I touched on this very topic in my "award"-winning analysis documentary historical movie regional catering bonanza, The Best Build

i dont mind helping poeple or giving away builds, because to me, the build is all well and good, but even the "best" build for something can still be pretty bad in the hands of an inexperienced player

its not about the build, its about the player and their skill level, anyone can have an uber build but it takes a players skill to be able to use that build effectively

Every time I see a request like "I need an x/y build with z caveat" or something similar, I always reply with the same.

Half the fun is making your own build

I often ask for tips and ideas, sometimes i overlooks something but ultimately i make my own!

This is my Ice/Axe Tanker build at level 38 (number of slots in parantheses):

1 Hoarfrost (4)
1 Beheader (6)
2 Chop (6)
4 Chilling Embrace (2)
6 Hover (3)
8 Stealth (1)
10 Gash (6)
12 Wet Ice (2)
14 Fly (4)
16 Swift (1)
18 Health (1)
20 Stamina (3)
22 Swoop (6)
24 Permafrost (1)
26 Invisibility (1)
28 Build Up (1)
30 Frozen Armor (4)
32 Glacial Armor (4)
35 Cleave (6)
38 Energy Absorption (1)

And... I like it!

So would you want me designing builds for you? Oh, I don't think so.

I have tried to build a good brute with the DM/WP build. Got him all the way to 50. However, I wasn't satisfied with him. I wanted him better. That's when I started to ask around.

I've gotten several good pointers from some of the players on Guardian. I even got a Mids build from one player. Because of those pointers and the Mids, my brute is better for it. I still want to change a few things, but I'm waiting for I19 to be released.

All of my characters have been blindly made, and after 4 years in the game, I am actually trying to make some uber toons. Especially after seeing how some of my friends seem to effortlessly plow through the mobs.

I'm still learning a lot of things here, so I don't think it's a bad thing to ask for some pointers. But I will say this: Uber toons do not make good players, but good players can make the game more fun, even without uber toons.

I don't mind giving away builds I already have saved in Mid's that meet the criteria the person posted. These criteria should preferably be stated in an elaborate and friendly manner. Basically this means that the person who wants a build without posting one themselves, has to have very clearly stated goals for it. If, however, there are no criteria posted other than "best build for x/y plz" I rarely even bother responding.

Rolling builds completely from scratch is one thing I'm just not willing to do. If you don't even bother thinking or telling me what you want to do with the build, why should I bother making the build for you? It's another thing if you don't have access to Mid's for whatever reason, but you should at least mention it so that people don't automatically assume you're lazy.

When creating and playing a character, I often find myself looking at others' builds. Especially when it's something I am unfamiliar with. I primarily play melee, and so Silas' guides and builds were a godsend for me when I decided I wanted to try a Corruptor. I had a basic concept of what I wanted to achieve, but his build as a sample really helped to flesh things out for me. I have not copied it, and I haven't taken it as gospel, but I kept a copy saved for reference.

At the same time, I often DON'T know what I want to do with a character, and so seeing someone else's build helps for me to see what it's capable of.

Thank you, Champion.

I don't think I've ever asked someone directly for a build, but I've been known to copy ones that have been posted. I don't see anything wrong with it. Different people enjoy different aspects of the game. I like beating up bad guys. I like collecting badges. I like designing costumes. I don't like crunching numbers or min-maxing. I downloaded Mid's Planner once. I started it up, and then just kind of stared at it for five minutes, because I had no idea where to even begin with it. I'm sure it's very useful if you understand the numbers and know what you want.

I don't want a godmode build, and I'm not looking to be PL'd to 50 overnight. I just want to play the game and not feel like I'm horribly gimped. So if someone who actually understands all the ins and outs of the system is willing to share, then heck yeah I'm going to take advantage of it. Is that lazy? I suppose it is. But then, so is looking on the wiki to find out what the requirements for the Atlas Medallion are, or checking Vidiotmaps to see where the history plaques are located. People share information about the game all the time, I don't see why sharing builds is any different.

QR:

Without reading every post here - I've not seen this posted as a response but here's a bit of a thought from a devil's advocate.

If you post a build and it's not very good - not everyone is comfortable with Mids - there's a bit of a tendency with many to not mince their words and in some cases use the /em pointandlaugh response. That's not so uncommon - and if you are of a sensitive disposition can have a far more negative impact than the respondents intended.

So perhaps, just maybe, people who want a build aren't confident enough in their own abilities to design a build and are perhaps a tad fearful of perceived ridicule.

"You got to dig it to dig it, you dig?"
Thelonious Monk

I never just give someone a build because they said "I need a build for X to do Y"

If I see a thread that starts out like that, I'll give them some basic advice on how to go about building the character themselves and be on my way.

I'll usually reply in my first post with a request to give me more of an idea what they want the character to do, and a suggestion to post their own so people reading it have an idea what they have in mind. If such information is not forthcoming, I ignore it and again move on.

I will happily give any advice I may have about a given powerset combo, but I don't like being asked to do all the work for them.