Stretching For Soft Cap

I think there's a fairly widespread misconception among people who don't build for DEF that soft-capping often requires loony-toon build sacrifices or contortions. I've found that that's almost never true, as long as your goals are reasonable.

For instance, if you're playing a Blaster, then soft-capping either Smash/Lethal or ranged DEF should be fairly easy (from a build-resource standpoint, not necessarily from an influence-cost standpoint). If you're willing to take Scorpion Shield, then Smash/Lethal/Energy is usually pretty easy to soft cap. You can potentially soft-cap to Smash/Lethal/Energy and Ranged DEF on the same Blaster build, but in that case you probably are going to have to make at least a few unpalatable trade offs -- if only because Targeted AoE sets don't offer useful DEF bonuses.

Whatever extra +recharge or +damage you could have gotten by not soft-capping Smash/Lethal or Ranged DEF usually isn't a big deal. In some cases, the offensive difference is less than negligible. On a Blaster, you generally have the least access to large DEF bonuses, but on the upside you also generally don't have a lot of must-have powers. Blaster Secondaries are rife with skippables.

Most every other AT build is both easier and harder to soft cap for that reason. One position or two (linked) types is almost always pretty easy to do with a little time spent in Mids', though. If you play a melee-centric character (either armored or squishy), going for 32.5% DEF to multiple positions (to put yourself one small luck from the cap) is also an attractive, and usually readily achievable, option. Or even ~20% DEF (two small lucks from the cap) to several vectors might float your boat, especially if you employ Inspiration combining binds/macros. Again, it all comes down to having plausible and playstyle-appropriate build goals, but as of now, the IO system heavily favors DEF over almost every other type of bonus, and so it's almost never true that gaining X performance boost from DEF requires as many resources as does gaining an equivalent or even similar performance boost in other areas.

If, like the OP, you're trying to soft cap a build that already starts with massive DEF bonuses, then you shouldn't have to make any noticeable trade offs at all. Maybe one or two areas of over- or under-slotting this-or-that power, but with respect to theme and gameplay, there shouldn't be any significant, difficult decisions you have to make.

Apologies for rambling. Good topic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iggy_Kamakaze Nice build

"I can buy that game with only a £5 note; not a £1 note or a £10 note." Quite a bit different meaning using "with only" in that sentence. Does it adhere to the uncompromising and rigid regulations of word ordering in the English language? Or is it something up with which we can put?

I can buy that game with only with a £5 note.