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Temp Invulnerability is definitely something I'd look for, so that's a big plus. I need to stop closing the Mids' window. The rest essentially seem to be attacks, which is actually a good thing for this guy. Probably not rifle attacks, but what is the ever. That, and Foce of Nature. That's always a plus! |
Originally Posted by Eiko-chan
Tough and Temp Invulnerability (from Field Mastery) give my Mastermind (in addition to her softcapped defences) nearly capped resistance to S/L as well. Once she gets higher levels of Incarnate slotting, she should get capped.
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Bots/Traps is a blast, Sam. Give it a roll. You might even feel a need to creep up from your usual -1/x3 difficulty. 
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And I agree with your assessment. I don't have a Bots/Traps yet, but I have Bots up to about 36 and Traps to 50, so I can definitely vouch for the awesome factor of both sets. This is definitely something to look into, ESPECIALLY for the Assault Bot!
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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You don't have to stay evil. Once you've run the first Patron arc and gotten the badge, you can always have Patron pools.
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Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
I really wish Patron pools didn't require one to be evil. I could use Surveillance. But nah, I'll have to make do with one of the default ones. Probably Field. Again.
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Assuming you still want the original concept... Have you thought about making him a SOA? (Huntsman build)?|
Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
Yeah, crazy idea, I know. When I say "reroll," I mean delete the character and create a new one with the same look and backstory, but different powersets and/or AT. To answer the obvious question of why in as short a form as I can: Because I'm done playing Blasters. I really don't want to discuss this, beyond saying that recent changes to the game have made me realise that I never actually liked them to begin with, and I will no longer torture myself playing an AT I don't like.
The "50" in question is The Steel Rook, my second oldest character ever created, second only to Samuel Tow himself, and designed by a good friend of mine back when we were both much younger. The Rook originally started out as, and still is, an AR/Dev/Munitions (eventually, those didn't exist at the time) Blaster. The concept that my friend gave me amounted to "make me a character that looked like the Brotherhood of Steel armour from Fallout and Fallout 2. I did what I could at the time, and thus The Steel Rook was born, pictured here some time later as evidenced by his Justice shoulders. I didn't give him a story up until somewhere around 2007 when I was in the UK and so had time to kill, but his story isn't all that complex: He's a genius inventor who started out working on creating an autonomous robot with his wife, until she was killed by muggers, causing him to turn around and form his own weapons development and security company to combat crime of all natures. The original idea for the Rook is the idea that never was - that of a guy in very strong power armour armed to the teeth. The "armed" part was easy - Assault Rifle has decent damage and Blasters are good at dealing it. The "armour" part... Not so much. Seven years later, I am done seeing this big armoured brute dying like a chump, so I'm rerolling him, along with a fair few other characters when time and opportunity permits. The question, and the very reason I made this, is "Into what?" I have four options here, highlighting the four ATs I'm prepared to play: Scrapper, Brute, Mastermind, Stalker, in that order. Of those four, I have two overall directions I could go: 1: Melee of some sort, capitalising on his power armour and likely going with Invulnerability. This means either Brute or Scrapper, but WHAT/Inv? I want to keep the high-tech aspect of the character, but I really don't know what to use for that. 2: A Bots/Traps/SomethingElse Mastermind, delving into his background of robotics design and his general aptitude for science and technology. This will probably require that I downsize the armour suit, however, as Masterminds aren't known for being personally very resilient. Any of the ATs above will fill the criteria I have for character performance, so I'm really mostly looking for which one will suit my concept and design the closest. Any ideas? |
They are far less squishy than blasters, and still have the entire "lots of dakka/grenades" feel, they just get a bunch of defence too.
"Men strunt �r strunt och snus �r snus
om ock i gyllne dosor.
Och rosor i ett sprucket krus
�r st�ndigt alltid rosor."
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If I bought you a -KB IO to slot in Hover and sent it to you, would you use it? |
Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
As far as Leaping goes, that's not really how I designed the Rook. If you've ever seen me argue for the introduction of jet packs into the game, this is the guy I've always wanted to give one to, so he's a flier all the way, and that means Hover and Fly.
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Hmm...Sword/Invul Scrapper comes to mind. Broadsword seems most suitable for a guy in clunky heavy armor, and it'll give you Parry which will make you even tougher. The Tech Broadsword is pretty sweet too.
Or if you want to keep the Assault Rifle, /Traps Corruptors can be quite survivable if you're willing to be flexible with how you handle the power armor concept, or you could make a Defender I guess.
Eva Destruction AR/Fire/Munitions Blaster
Darkfire Avenger DM/SD/Body Scrapper
Arc ID#161629 Freaks, Geeks, and Men in Black
Arc ID#431270 Until the End of the World
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If Blasters are out, then Defenders and Corruptors are DEFINITELY out. I've tried both ATs at various points in time, and neither really works for me.|
Originally Posted by Eva Destruction
Or if you want to keep the Assault Rifle, /Traps Corruptors can be quite survivable if you're willing to be flexible with how you handle the power armor concept, or you could make a Defender I guess.
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To be honest, making the Steel Rook a Blaster to begin with was a mistake, and one born of ignorance on my part. My friend asked for a "Fallout guy" and I immediately though "Durr... Rifle!" with no thought or concept of what AT I was actually picking. In my defence, this was probably done no more than two weeks after I'd gotten the game, back at a point in time when I felt obligated to try and play all ATs because... Well, they're there, so why wouldn't I, right? It's more than a little embarrassing that I managed to let a rookie mistake like this hold me back for seven years, but there you go.
The only four ATs I want to use are Scrappers, Brutes, Masterminds and Stalkers. I've tried Corruptors, and they just don't do enough damage. I've tried Defenders and they're just blah. I've tried controllers and I run out of patience. I've tried Tankers and they're just too slow. I've tried Dominators, and while I was able to play one to level 31, it was with a LOT of effort and a lot of unglorified pain, which is something I just do not want. I've not tried either Soldier of Arachnos AT, or Warshades, but I have tried a Peacebringer and was vastly unsatisfied with the AT.
I have never had a Scrapper, Brute or Mastermind that I have been unhappy with, not in any meaningful way, and while I've been unhappy with a Stalker or two, I don't have many of those, so it's possible I just haven't played them enough. I dare say that after getting three Blasters to 50 by convincing myself that things would be better at some point and still hating the AT, that's reason enough for me to cut my losses and run.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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Probably not. I wouldn't want to get into Inventions until I decide to actually get into them, and even then I probably wouldn't use the non-standard ones. I like repeatability, is all.
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Originally Posted by Eiko-chan
If I bought you a -KB IO to slot in Hover and sent it to you, would you use it?
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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Oooh! I remember why I started playing Blasters and why I thought it was a good idea at the time! Doh, I can be so dense sometimes. Sit back, folks, and let me take you on a journey in the Wayback Machine.
As I mentioned, the Steel Rook was my original Blaster, made way back in 2004, and was AR/Dev. Remember what else 2004 is famous for? "City of Blasters." Remember what Devices was famous for in 2004? Smoke Grenade, or more specifically the decimal point error in Smoke Grenade which made its to-hit debuff 50% instead of the intended 5%, as well as whatever tag wasn't put in place which allowed the debuff to stack from the same caster. Um... Yeah, remember those glory days?
To put it simply, I made the Rook, and I was getting killed. A lot. Right up, that is, until I got Smoke Grenade. From that point on, the Rook became a tank-mage, because nothing could hit him or damage him. Fun was had by all, and a truly overpowered character dashed all the way up to 34. Just in time for I2, and the "Smoke Grenade Nerf." I watched my paradise crumble before my eyes, waking up to the very real experience of being one-shotted by a Tank Swiper back when that could happen and Blasters had less health. I decided I wasn't going to play the Rook any more because... Well, I didn't know HOW. I mean, after all this time relying on the one trick pony of Smoke Grenade which had let me essentially not move and just cycle through my attacks, playing like a Tanker with Assault Rifle, I didn't know what to do and how to play. Truth be told, seven years later, I still apparently don't, so I'm finally calling it quits.
I should have been smart. I should have just let the Rook hang and not bothered, but he was a friend's character, so I kept wanting to play at least him, and I kept getting pissed off and logging out in a huff. Eventually I gave him a backstory worth a lot of effort, and Castle did that Defiance 2.0 upgrade, so I managed to convince myself that maybe I could still play Blasters without Smoke Grenade. But I can't. Let's face facts - I don't want to.
Point? Not much, but now I do remember WHY I thought I could and should play the AT - thanks to Geko leaving in a bugged debuff ten times as strong as it should have been and leaving it in for what amounted to six months.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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I'd be inclined towards a Mace/Invun Brute if you can pick a custom weapon model which suits the character. Or SS/Invun maybe. A melee brotherhood, like Veronica from New Vegas.
A lot of that is based on the fact I've wanted to give Mace a run for a while now. In fact I've a tech outfit & name on a non-used level 4 Shield/Ice tank I might reroll into a Mace/Inv Brute instead.
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Sam?|
Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
Oooh! I remember why I started playing Blasters and why I thought it was a good idea at the time! Doh, I can be so dense sometimes. Sit back, folks, and let me take you on a journey in the Wayback Machine.
As I mentioned, the Steel Rook was my original Blaster, made way back in 2004, and was AR/Dev. Remember what else 2004 is famous for? "City of Blasters." Remember what Devices was famous for in 2004? Smoke Grenade, or more specifically the decimal point error in Smoke Grenade which made its to-hit debuff 50% instead of the intended 5%, as well as whatever tag wasn't put in place which allowed the debuff to stack from the same caster. Um... Yeah, remember those glory days? To put it simply, I made the Rook, and I was getting killed. A lot. Right up, that is, until I got Smoke Grenade. From that point on, the Rook became a tank-mage, because nothing could hit him or damage him. Fun was had by all, and a truly overpowered character dashed all the way up to 34. Just in time for I2, and the "Smoke Grenade Nerf." I watched my paradise crumble before my eyes, waking up to the very real experience of being one-shotted by a Tank Swiper back when that could happen and Blasters had less health. I decided I wasn't going to play the Rook any more because... Well, I didn't know HOW. I mean, after all this time relying on the one trick pony of Smoke Grenade which had let me essentially not move and just cycle through my attacks, playing like a Tanker with Assault Rifle, I didn't know what to do and how to play. Truth be told, seven years later, I still apparently don't, so I'm finally calling it quits. I should have been smart. I should have just let the Rook hang and not bothered, but he was a friend's character, so I kept wanting to play at least him, and I kept getting pissed off and logging out in a huff. Eventually I gave him a backstory worth a lot of effort, and Castle did that Defiance 2.0 upgrade, so I managed to convince myself that maybe I could still play Blasters without Smoke Grenade. But I can't. Let's face facts - I don't want to. Point? Not much, but now I do remember WHY I thought I could and should play the AT - thanks to Geko leaving in a bugged debuff ten times as strong as it should have been and leaving it in for what amounted to six months. |
With an IO build, you can have that feeling again.
I'm just saying.
Comrade Smersh, KGB Special Section 8 50 Inv/Fire, Fire/Rad, BS/WP, SD/SS, AR/EM
Other 50s: Plant/Thorn, Bots/Traps, DB/SR, MA/Regen, Rad/Dark - All on Virtue.
-Don't just rebel, build a better world, comrade!
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totally agreed... my AR/DEV blaster (my main toon), with scorpion shield+combat jumping+weave+a bit of set bonus, sits in 40% S/L defence (probably i could softcap, but i was not aiming it), without sacrifizing her 161% global recharge, her 1573 HP points, and way good recovery/regen rate.....i rarely die... also good recharge gives more chances for "Eye of the Magus" ..... give it a thought
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Originally Posted by Smersh
Sam?
With an IO build, you can have that feeling again. I'm just saying. |
defiant only
@amartia
my public list : http://cit.cohtitan.com/profile/9355
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I'm not in the habit of taking something I don't like and turning it into something I do, that's what it comes down to. Not when I can start up a Brute, a Scrapper or especially a Mastermind and have that same experience for none of the hassle.|
Originally Posted by Smersh
Sam?
With an IO build, you can have that feeling again. I'm just saying. |
I should never have gotten as "invested" into Blasters as I did, and I blame my own foolishness and a massive case of a sunk cost fallacy for it. I'd sooner play ATs I like and make them better than ATs I don't and try to compensate.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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I'm tempted to start a charity drive for you... post a build, and have people send you all the crafted set IOs needed. You'd have to do nothing but slot what people send you.
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Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
I'm not in the habit of taking something I don't like and turning it into something I do, that's what it comes down to. Not when I can start up a Brute, a Scrapper or especially a Mastermind and have that same experience for none of the hassle.
I should never have gotten as "invested" into Blasters as I did, and I blame my own foolishness and a massive case of a sunk cost fallacy for it. I'd sooner play ATs I like and make them better than ATs I don't and try to compensate. |
Comrade Smersh, KGB Special Section 8 50 Inv/Fire, Fire/Rad, BS/WP, SD/SS, AR/EM
Other 50s: Plant/Thorn, Bots/Traps, DB/SR, MA/Regen, Rad/Dark - All on Virtue.
-Don't just rebel, build a better world, comrade!
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Hey, I offered an IO and he said no. I doubt that would result in a character Sam would play. |
Originally Posted by Smersh
I'm tempted to start a charity drive for you... post a build, and have people send you all the crafted set IOs needed. You'd have to do nothing but slot what people send you.
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Bots/Traps, Sam. Seriously. It's good.
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I tend to feel bad turning down people's good will, especially in situations where I ask for advise, so I just want to generally avoid getting into the hows and whys of Inventions. This never ends well.|
Originally Posted by Eiko-chan
Hey, I offered an IO and he said no. I doubt that would result in a character Sam would play.
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Bots/Traps, Sam. Seriously. It's good.
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Either way, yeah, Mastermind sounds good. I haven't made a new one in YEARS.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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Fortunately, Hover negates the worst part of KB anyway (the actually getting knocked back part), so you should be fine. |
Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
I tend to feel bad turning down people's good will, especially in situations where I ask for advise, so I just want to generally avoid getting into the hows and whys of Inventions. This never ends well.
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| Well, it looks good on paper and I have good memories of both sets, plus very good memories of Masterminds. I do remember getting bored of them quickly for some reason, but then my record-holding character in terms of consistent playing was my Bots/FF Mastermind at 1-36. |
I also find parentheticals to be fun, too, though, so your mileage may vastly vary.
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Banes are pretty awesome.|
Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
Now that's a curious idea. A Bane Spider would, I assume, have access to rifle attacks, melee attacks, personal protection and... I don't know what else. I've never examined the AT. I just have a problem with their being linked to Arachnos, however, and that makes the idea very unlikely. However, yes, that would be very, very close to what I'd want visually. See, this is why I keep begging the developers for a combination Assault/Defence set. I want something that plays like a Peacebringer or an Arachnos Soldier without being tied to Arachnos or Kheldians. --- So far, the things I hear are making me lean more towards Masterminds, simply because I can get personal "toughness," visible technology and a character I actually don't feel afraid to long in. |
A friend of mine has one that puts out a large number of pets (Spiderlings and the large Spider), has Venom Grenade for debuffs and also has a bunch of rifle attacks. On top of that, he has the innate leadership toggles AND leadership pool as well. It's quite the sight and very fun.
If you have trouble being tied directly to Arachnos...well, you can make yourself out to be a spy or an infiltrator or a traitor or just biding your time to leave Arachnos...
Questions about the game, either side? /t @Neuronia or @Neuronium, with your queries!
168760: A Death in the Gish. 3 missions, 1-14. Easy to solo.
Infinity Villains
Champion, Pinnacle, Virtue Heroes
Non-PPP, Chil, Charge, Heat and Field masteries.
PPP, of course, same four as everyone else, so "tech" = mace, or a reason you're throwing electricity/sharks/soul bits around.