going about soft-capping

Hey i was wondering how much set bonuses you need to soft-cap shields. Not sure how much extra percentage you need. So far i have the +3 Steadfast. Im sure not about the Smashing and Lethal bonus. I am a Fiery Melee/ shield brute, how i slot to soft cap is what im pretty much asking.

How about this build?

http://www.cohplanner.com/mids/downl...E8ED3F96FECC70

The soft cap is 45% defense. On should you want to get that for range and AoE too.
That builds not soft capped, its kinda sad how bad it is.

Also use the data chunk, thats much easier.

I know it isnt soft-cap, but i suck with Mids, this is why i asked on the fourms for help. One thing about the build, its Regen/Recovery capped, good recharge, and i still have that extra DEF, like +10% to everything. Im also using Cardiac, so there Damage Resist in that to help out my resists.

Its not regen/recov capped. Thats not even possible.

I don't have Mid's here at work and so I can't punch out a build, but essentially go to this page: http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Invent...hancement_Sets and find every set that offers the defense bonuses you are looking for, probably melee, AoE and ranged. So, you are going to slot Kinetic Combats and Touch of Death into some attacks. You want lots of Obliterations and a Gaussians slotted up.

Good news is that you won't need many -if any- purples.
Bad news is that many of these are high-demand IOs and can get up there in price.

Also, you want to get Combat Jumping and Weave and slot it accordingly. It isn't all that difficult to softcap positional defense on a brute, but it's not going to happen on accident, unless you're a stony in Granite. You may have to make some sacrifices, dumping powers you like for some you don't so that you can slot a power with more desirable bonuses, picking Fighting pool, short-shrifting some much-used powers and fully-slotting seldom-used ones.

Have fun.

Elec/Shield brute is easy to soft cap especially if you skimp a little on AOE def (my shielders never hit AOE soft cap and you'd never know it). Touch of Deaths and Mako's in your single targets and oblits in your AOE's. Take Tough and Weave.

Assuming you have all the personal +Def powers from your secondary, Weave, and Combat Jumping/Hover with 3 SOs worth of defense slotted into each, you're looking at 30%~. That leaves you with 15% more until you hit the soft-cap of 45%. Maneuvers adds another 3.5%. The Steadfast proc is another 3%. That leaves you with 9% defense needed to hit soft-cap.

A Gaussian's set in Build Up will net you another 2.5% defense to all positions.

So, that leaves you with roughly 6% to go on all positions. Two full set of Mako's Bite in melee attacks will cap you on Ranged. Two full Obliterations or Touch of Death sets will cap you to Melee. Two sets of 5 Aegis or full sets of Performance Shifter will cap you to AoE defense. Since the defense in shield is positional, I'd recommend going for positional set bonuses, as opposed to typed. The typed bonuses wont give you as much bang for your buck, typically.

Here's a fast example build for Fire/Shield that will put you at the soft-cap. This example shows what slotting the above recommended sets will get you. There are lots of slots left over (21) that could be put wherever you want, and the epic powers can be swapped out without affecting the build at all.

Hope this helps.

| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|MxDz;1211;582;1164;HEX;|
|78DA6D53DB6ED340105D270E6912A7B14913F792A46AD2422060C5B4EF48D046426|
|AA448FD80CA22DBD86012CB76A5F68D6FE0FA035C7F85ABE009F10F5C1E78E362C6|
|339BD2D65889CFEE99D9396746EBFEC1A6C2D8DDAB4C2A5C77AD20D8BDE6EF877CA|
|6BF1F5AA1331967B70EAC3B9ECBB38C311D43BB7DEE726EF41CEE1FD2BA46FC26DF|
|E3E3801B3BB6C3DDE174ABDD18DBDCE7E3D0982E94C164E21ADBDCF29CF1A8889B9|
|E33B243D8E571B7E3713E2C4DB386DC0F6CC7D3B63CE7A63138F4C1801584203E0F|
|96D6E0AF4A4C3C11FCE061AFA023866C94621558986C660E21AF22689288B32823E|
|DB1989A1F11D808E71C825B04B7115E43D9B4289BFE5FD9379090A10496D1615167|
|65786785529694664969969454525249A94A4A6FA1504EB494EB5004AA14847881C|
|4151257485C8784A238536CE3997750A62449489556903A0B3B4DF8D19EA4907A4A|
|F00C61EE39C10B84EA4B84F750A82C1A2B37B0900472152157C1A9A781D12949D6B|
|BE8E9BC497085601DE1C2064215DE0BC2C9C24F9459FC45F01BA1F1076125425865|
|E918641059126358A231D4680C351A431312EA22A14EA36B9C80D8E2B230BE8CC63|
|F40774DE1A4494E5AE4A4454E5AE464F584938F0A5DBFB8CEDA252CFD09026D41B5|
|1791FA01591D417588FA0C5986A00C34A081E7AEF0DCA5A64C6ACAA4A66AF2E92B7|
|E31C174138C9960D613CC4682E9C9471F4FB49D880EE4A32F8749C8E454160F04F3|
|BFE4212AEE897419BBFD769CC2035F8F337451BFFFA332D23D9C72EA3E82FC80E02|
|1C29947048F11FE02DC98DD56|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

Oh thanks alot R Tech, your the best just what i wanted to hear

Hows this?

Villain Plan by Mids' Villain Designer 1.92
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Example: Level 50 Mutation Brute
Primary Power Set: Fiery Melee
Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Villain Profile:
Level 1: Fire Sword -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx(3), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg(33), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33)
Level 1: Deflection -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(9), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(11)
Level 2: Cremate -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(25), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(25), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(39), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), Mako-Dam%(39)
Level 4: Battle Agility -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(9), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(11)
Level 6: True Grit -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), S'fstPrt-ResDam/EndRdx(46)
Level 8: Incinerate -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(15), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(15), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Mako-Dam%(23)
Level 10: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(13), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(13)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Jump-I(A)
Level 16: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Build Up -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(19), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(19), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(21), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(21), GSFC-Build%(23)
Level 20: Phalanx Fighting -- DefBuff-I(A)
Level 22: Boxing -- P'ngS'Fest-Stun%(A)
Level 24: Tough -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(40), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(40), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(40), Aegis-ResDam(42)
Level 26: Fire Sword Circle -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(27), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(27), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Oblit-%Dam(37)
Level 28: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(29), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(29)
Level 30: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(31), RechRdx-I(31)
Level 32: Taunt -- Zinger-Dam%(A)
Level 35: Shield Charge -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(36), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(36), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Oblit-%Dam(37)
Level 38: One with the Shield -- ResDam-I(A)
Level 41: Superior Conditioning -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(42), P'Shift-Acc/Rchg(42), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(43), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(43), P'Shift-End%(43)
Level 44: Physical Perfection -- Mrcl-Heal(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(45), P'Shift-EndMod(45), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(45), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(46), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(46)
Level 47: Energy Torrent -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(48), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(48), Posi-Dmg/Rng(48), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(50)
Level 49: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(50), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Fury
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Numna-Heal(34), Numna-Heal/EndRdx(34)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(3), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(5), P'Shift-Acc/Rchg(5), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(7), P'Shift-End%(7)

Definitely an improvement over the original build. My thoughts on the matter:

- I feel that you have overslotted Physical Perfection and Superior Conditioning. Without the full set of Perf. Shifters you're at the AoE defense soft-cap, so the set bonus sort of goes to waste.

- True Grit adds nicely to your total HP, and thus regen rate. Adding some heal enhancements would be worth it, IMO.

- Is there a specific reason why you skipped Greater Fire Sword? I.E., not a fan of its animation? It's part of Fire's best single target DPS attack chain and is a good attack all on its own.

Here's an example of what I'd do with the slotting. I avoided purples and PvP IOs, and kept most of the powers you had in your build. I did swap One with the Shield for GFS, but that can be changed to suit your taste obviously. You could also consider picking up Grant Cover; it wont add to your defense, but it's nice combined with Maneuvers for your team, and is one of your sources of Defense Debuff resistance. Not a requirement by any means, but it does come in handy if you plan on running a lot of ITFs.

A note on the Enzyme in Active Defense: That was chosen to boost the power's inherent Defense Debuff protection. It's much more expensive, but the protection is nice for the same reasons Grant Cover is.

| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|MxDz;1459;695;1390;HEX;|
|78DA6D53DB4E1351143DA79D0ABD494B0BE50EE55A814E5B21F1C5C444298986261|
|0E225BEE0480F9DD13A346D49F0CD6FF0FA035EDF4DFC07AFF143BCBC7B297BF63A|
|949A3A6967ED59B3F6DEEBEC39A774B81611E2C10521C397AA56A3B173B17ED054B|
|DA583A6D574F6DD58D1B52D775795A78A87D6BD5A55F5082152ACD929A9AA52E6BA|
|A3EAF7118F815F537BCA6D2873DB7654B57CFC18BFECDAAAAEDCA6791C4436F7F7A|
|BE686B26A8E5B09F1C3764DA97294C375A76237E945DFB1AAACEA0DDBA90D176BCE|
|AE597455BD426DAD46D36BCF8D87C85A96FE3129F4D532C42D8282F0590CC62EC3A|
|932435631BCA7F50B4E69F9C580F4A84892E1748C21BDCCBAB8D432D10AC83D94AD|
|A0AC8DB20EC3E01DC05D860F54DD8FEA3EFFFFAA7F244140B70FA4281817B12D7ED|
|3BF0DB8CA90A07B8F6EDF83F6BD68DF8BF621B40FA17D0CED3F51F520B244F01C81|
|E117835426AC2D85616919969661294582A84E8A8EFA3DEA33D5E99392A9BE34979|
|E26555C97892F3135F40F7CA19C040422813EFD741FD08B1878EEF3A8851780970C|
|675E015E03DE3048EA94D27E5223982E151AD685867FB16AE437E00FC3D85F408B6|
|142F02AFC5468148E8CD13C3B5A2C00CE02563087550683E4E37A85E358C0040635|
|A147E97DAF49BDD526B1D5A66E03B0D5A6B0D5D2D86A5F6922D3DAF5345CCFC0F50|
|C5CCFC0F52C5CCFC2759C6CCC691B73E83F8F0F35AF6D04E34264B422F39073B38F|
|00CF18222458D28225087210E4208892C084339F791E55736FD974E11D83D7380F8|
|5CCDB9C54703063A37DDEE8479758EC62F25D4CA18B59E96256BB9875A37D585B1B|
|5D6F378DF611159299604C784364FDB710BDD5FB516679513F4E289FBC42C18248E|
|3B815AE317CEFCCC970CECF132A2031CB2466997C8CCFF68461FE29363606DC6A5F|
|5B097AD64B0011F2660AE27A477CA323BED9111F01AE22FF49|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|