Defense--Worth slotting past soft cap for later TFs?
By
Derangedpolygot,
Posted on: 2011-01-10 20:13 in Player Questions
No. Critters don't get tohit bonuses until they're +6.
Edit: they'll get accuracy bonuses (which means their hit chance will floor higher than 5%)
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/36641/My-Little-Exalt
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In this case, this is an over-simplification.|
Originally Posted by Fleeting Whisper
No. Critters don't get tohit bonuses until they're +6.
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In general, critters have a 50% base chance to hit you, with level and rank modifiers to accuracy. Historically, the only exceptions have been critters with massive to-hit bonuses from powers, designed to shred any defense-based character (Rularuu eyeballs, Devouring Earth Quartz emanators). Because of the size of the bonuses, it's not possible to build meaningful amounts of defense against them, and so 45% defense was the target to go for.
However, some of the new critters are an exception to this rule. Praetorian Devouring Earth have a base 64% chance to hit, high-level Resistance have a power (Targeting Drone) that gives a similar effect, and Battle Maiden is reported to have a slightly elevated base to-hit as well. If you're creating a character for end-game play, it may be worth going for 60% defense, which will softcap you against these new threats.
With specific regards to the current TFs, no, there's not what I think is a compelling reason to slot beyond the softcap. The particular mobs in those TFs (except possibly Battle Maiden, which I haven't looked at) do not have inherently higher base chances to hit you, nor to they specifically get +toHit, and defense beyond the softcap does not reduce the extra chance to hit you that they get from increased accuracy.
Several mobs on the TFs do get -defense debuffs, and depending on your powerset and whether it has strong Defense Debuff Resistance (DDR) it may be attractive to try and slot some extra defense to offset these debuffs. However, these debuffs are pretty strong coming from +4 critters (and often bosses and AVs, at that) so it may not be reasonable to add enough defense to offset the debuffs when they land, similar to the point Katie V was making about some of the very large toHit buffs out there.
Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA
I wouldn't build higher DEF specifically for task forces. If you get on a team there's almost no chance your team won't have some form of +DEF bonus, whether it's forcefield, traps, a VEAT, or just someone with shadow fall or something. Heck my Dom runs Maneuvers now because of Cardiac.
Now if you wanted to build DEF to solo stuff then sure, but for TFs? Nah.
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Originally Posted by PRAF68_EU
Dispari has more than enough credability, and certainly doesn't need to borrow any from you.
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There's also the awful, awful Devouring Earth eminators. Specifically, the Quartz give a huge To Hit buff to DE, and suddenly your 45% defense is worth squat.
The plastic tips at the end of shoelaces are called aglets. Their true purpose is sinister.
--The Question, JLU
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Sure. But Katie V pointed out that you can't buy enough defense from IOs to mitigate that.
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Originally Posted by Derangedpolygot
There's also the awful, awful Devouring Earth eminators. Specifically, the Quartz give a huge To Hit buff to DE, and suddenly your 45% defense is worth squat.
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If we are to die, let us die like men. -- Patrick Cleburne
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The rule is that they must be loved. --Jayne Fynes-Clinton, Death of an Abandoned Dog
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The Quartz emanator bonus is +100%. You don't start seeing any benefit from Defense until you hit 55%, and the softcap against one is 145%. You can get there through powers (a Katana/SR scrapper running Elude can hit the softcap for melee), but there's no way you can get there from IO sets.
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Originally Posted by Derangedpolygot
There's also the awful, awful Devouring Earth eminators. Specifically, the Quartz give a huge To Hit buff to DE, and suddenly your 45% defense is worth squat.
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I have a friend who is arguing that it's better to go beyond the soft cap with defense for the Tin Mage/Apex TFs to compensate for the higher levels of the mobs.
Now, I don't know everything about the defense system in this game, just that there will always be that 5% chance to attack per defense type.
So my question is, is that math / reasoning actually valid? I mean, for higher levels, does it really make any difference if you're past the defense cap to compensate for higher accuracy or to hit?
Or can someone just explain this to me and if this is completely wrong or valid.
Thanks!