Back After Five Years, need some help


Amy_Amp

 

Posted

Hello fellow Scappers! I hope you all are having a wonderful time err....scrapping.

Anyway, as you can probably tell from the title of this post, I've just returned after a five-year hiatus. Long story short is that stuff happened, and I had to leave shortly after CoV came online. As a result, you can imagine im a wee bit behind the times.

When I left, I had a good amount of Hami-Os, and did some pretty good damage, but now I find myself far, far behind other people (IOs weren't implemented when I left, but I've bought some regular IO enhancements because they were better than my SOs).

So I asked around and was told to use Mid's Hero Planner and Titan Sentinel to make a build for others to critique.

About my main: A BS/Dark scrapper that I've used since Beta. He's Slotted and Enhanced just like the day I left, minus the aforementioned IOs.

So, critique away, please tell me how things are done nowadays, and please direct me as to which of these newfangled IO sets would best suit me. Thank you in advance.

Build is as follows:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Pacur: Level 50 Technology Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Broad Sword
Secondary Power Set: Dark Armor
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Hack

  • (A) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure
  • (3) HamiO:Enzyme Exposure
  • (3) HamiO:Peroxisome Exposure
  • (5) HamiO:Peroxisome Exposure
  • (5) Damage Increase IO: Level 50
  • (7) Damage Increase IO: Level 50
Level 1: Dark Embrace
  • (A) HamiO:Ribosome Exposure
  • (7) HamiO:Ribosome Exposure
  • (9) Resist Damage IO: Level 50
  • (9) Resist Damage IO: Level 50
Level 2: Death Shroud
  • (A) Accuracy
  • (11) Endurance Reduction IO: Level 50
  • (11) HamiO:Centriole Exposure
  • (13) HamiO:Centriole Exposure
  • (13) HamiO:Peroxisome Exposure
  • (15) HamiO:Centriole Exposure
Level 4: Slice
  • (A) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure
  • (15) HamiO:Enzyme Exposure
  • (17) HamiO:Peroxisome Exposure
  • (17) HamiO:Peroxisome Exposure
  • (19) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure
Level 6: Combat Jumping
  • (A) HamiO:Microfilament Exposure
Level 8: Hasten
  • (A) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 50
  • (19) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 50
  • (21) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 50
  • (21) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 50
  • (23) HamiO:Membrane Exposure
  • (23) HamiO:Membrane Exposure
Level 10: Hurdle
  • (A) Jumping
Level 12: Build Up
  • (A) Recharge Reduction
  • (25) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 50
  • (25) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 50
  • (27) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 50
  • (27) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 50
Level 14: Super Jump
  • (A) HamiO:Microfilament Exposure
Level 16: Health
  • (A) Healing
  • (29) Healing
  • (29) Healing
  • (31) Healing
Level 18: Parry
  • (A) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure
  • (31) Endurance Reduction
  • (31) HamiO:Golgi Exposure
  • (33) Defense Buff
  • (33) Defense Buff
Level 20: Stamina
  • (A) Performance Shifter - EndMod: Level 50
  • (33) Endurance Modification
  • (34) Endurance Modification
  • (34) Endurance Modification
  • (34) Endurance Modification
  • (36) Endurance Modification
Level 22: Whirling Sword
  • (A) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure
  • (36) HamiO:Enzyme Exposure
  • (36) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure
  • (37) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure
  • (37) Damage Increase IO: Level 50
  • (37) Damage Increase IO: Level 50
Level 24: Cloak of Darkness
  • (A) HamiO:Cytoskeleton Exposure
  • (39) HamiO:Membrane Exposure
  • (39) HamiO:Enzyme Exposure
  • (39) HamiO:Membrane Exposure
Level 26: Disembowel
  • (A) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure
  • (40) HamiO:Enzyme Exposure
  • (40) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure
  • (40) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure
  • (42) Damage Increase IO: Level 50
  • (42) Damage Increase IO: Level 50
Level 28: Obsidian Shield
  • (A) Endurance Reduction IO: Level 50
  • (42) Resist Damage
  • (43) Resist Damage
  • (43) Resist Damage
Level 30: Dark Regeneration
  • (A) Endurance Reduction IO: Level 50
  • (43) Endurance Reduction
  • (45) Accuracy
Level 32: Head Splitter
  • (A) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure
  • (45) HamiO:Enzyme Exposure
  • (45) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure
  • (46) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure
  • (46) Damage Increase IO: Level 50
  • (46) Damage Increase IO: Level 50
Level 35: Super Speed
  • (A) HamiO:Microfilament Exposure
Level 38: Murky Cloud
  • (A) Endurance Reduction
  • (48) Resist Damage
  • (48) Resist Damage
  • (48) Resist Damage
Level 41: Acrobatics
  • (A) Endurance Reduction IO: Level 50
Level 44: Boxing
  • (A) Damage Increase
Level 47: Tough
  • (A) Resist Damage
  • (50) Resist Damage
  • (50) Resist Damage
  • (50) Resist Damage
Level 49: Weave
  • (A) Defense Buff
------------
Level 1: Brawl
  • (A) Damage Increase
Level 1: Sprint
  • (A) Empty
Level 2: Rest
  • (A) Empty
Level 0: LEGACY BUILD
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 4: Ninja Run
------------
Set Bonus Totals:------------
Set Bonuses:




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Posted

I'm afraid you have a lot of reading to do before you can attempt a build. For starters, Hami-o's have limited benefit when compared to Invention IOs. I state this as someone who had every single slot filled with a HO at one time. I removed 99% of them. They do have some uses, but they're limited at best.

Presently, ED compliance is a major issue on your build (see first article). That's before factoring in you have no Set bonuses to speak of. In today's game, it's all about set bonuses.

I strongly suggest you read the following articles before even attempting your new build. BS/DA is a very popular build, so they'll be plenty of advice on the different strategies for building a good BS/DA scrapper, but at the moment you are REALLY far off the mark.

http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Ehance...iversification

http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Invent...n_Enhancements

http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Invent...hancement_Sets


SI Radio has many DJs and listeners whom hold City of Heroes close to their hearts. We will be supporting many efforts to keep CoH ALIVE!!

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Desmodos View Post
I'm afraid you have a lot of reading to do before you can attempt a build. For starters, Hami-o's have limited benefit when compared to Invention IOs. I state this as someone who had every single slot filled with a HO at one time. I removed 99% of them. They do have some uses, but they're limited as best.

I strongly suggest you read the following articles before even attempting your new build. BS/DA is a very popular build, so they'll be plenty of advice on the different strategies for building a good BS/DA scrapper, but at the moment you are REALLY far off the mark.

http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Ehance...iversification

http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Invent...n_Enhancements

http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Invent...hancement_Sets
Ive already been sent to those webpages by...err...I forget his name doh. And I read them so I understand the whole IO system. generally anyway.

But...BS/Da is popular? As in other people play it? WHen I left i was like the red-headed stepchild of scrappers. Wow....


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pacur View Post
Ive already been sent to those webpages by...err...I forget his name doh. And I read them so I understand the whole IO system. generally anyway.

But...BS/Da is popular? As in other people play it? WHen I left i was like the red-headed stepchild of scrappers. Wow....
Sorry, I edited my post for a bit more clarity. The build you've posted completely ignores ED. That's a tremendous waste of your slots.


And yes, while the learning curve for Dark Armor remains steeper than some other sets, it's potential is well known. For those willing to put in the effort, Dark Armor is a top performing set. Granted Kat/DA is better than BS/DA on top end builds, but BS/DA remains very, very solid.


SI Radio has many DJs and listeners whom hold City of Heroes close to their hearts. We will be supporting many efforts to keep CoH ALIVE!!

 

Posted

Now that is old school!


Friends don't let friends buy an ncsoft controlled project.

 

Posted

Sorry, I should have read more thoroughly first.

Quote:
So, critique away, please tell me how things are done nowadays, and please direct me as to which of these newfangled IO sets would best suit me. Thank you in advance.
IO builds are kind of complex, there is not one true way to slot a particular power. The choices you make are based on the entire build (rather each choice for a power is dependent on what you chose for the next power.)

For Dark Armor, there are to basic strategies I like for Resistance Toggles.
  • Impervium Armor grants good resistance, but more importantly, provides +2.25 Max End. This will dramatically improve your endurance management. These are cheaper than option two and a good starting point.
  • Reactive Armor provides good resistance but provides no endurance management tools. The trade off is some nice little defense bonuses. If you can manage your endurance by other means and you pursue defense bonuses in your other powers, This is the superior choice. Keep in mind, this route only works for typed defense bonuses. If your build relies on Parry for defense, this may not be the route to go.

For Dark Regeneration, I like using three Theft of the Essence, one Touch of the Nictus and IO that grants HEAL/Recharge/End rdx. With Theft of the Essence, it is vital you get at +End Proc, which will be very expensive but will completely change how you manage endurance.

For AoE attacks (this includes Death Shroud), I like to mix Eradications and Cleaving Blow. This grants good damage, accuracy and recharge enhancement. The bonuses grant you significant Energy defense and endurance management (+1.8% Max End).

For Single Target attacks you want 4 Kinetic Combats and one IO that grants Acc/Dmg/Rchg. Kinetic Combats are one of the most sought after IOs as they offer a hefty S/L defense bonus. As a result they are very expensive. If you are short on funds (which you most likely are), you can use Smashing Haymaker as a temporary substitute until you can afford the Kinetic Combats.

Tough and Weave are strongly recommended, particularly if you pursue defense bonuses, which is highly recommended.

Slot Health with a Numina's Unique and a Miracle Unique. These will massively increase your endurance management. EVERYBODY wants these, so they will be very expensive.


Obviously, there is more than one way to build BS/DA with IO sets. This just a starting point for you to consider.


SI Radio has many DJs and listeners whom hold City of Heroes close to their hearts. We will be supporting many efforts to keep CoH ALIVE!!

 

Posted

Holy moly, that is OLD SCHOOL badass.

BTW: I hope you realize just how much that build is worth, these days. Be extremely careful removing all those Hami-o's, you have BILLIONS worth on there.


You won't have trouble affording a new build, that's for sure!


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Desmodos View Post
Sorry, I should have read more thoroughly first.


IO builds are kind of complex, there is not one true way to slot a particular power. The choices you make are based on the entire build (rather each choice for a power is dependent on what you chose for the next power.)

For Dark Armor, there are to basic strategies I like for Resistance Toggles.
  • Impervium Armor grants good resistance, but more importantly, provides +2.25 Max End. This will dramatically improve your endurance management. These are cheaper than option two and a good starting point.
  • Reactive Armor provides good resistance but provides no endurance management tools. The trade off is some nice little defense bonuses. If you can manage your endurance by other means and you pursue defense bonuses in your other powers, This is the superior choice. Keep in mind, this route only works for typed defense bonuses. If your build relies on Parry for defense, this may not be the route to go.

For Dark Regeneration, I like using three Theft of the Essence, one Touch of the Nictus and IO that grants HEAL/Recharge/End rdx. With Theft of the Essence, it is vital you get at +End Proc, which will be very expensive but will completely change how you manage endurance.

For AoE attacks (this includes Death Shroud), I like to mix Eradications and Cleaving Blow. This grants good damage, accuracy and recharge enhancement. The bonuses grant you significant Energy defense and endurance management (+1.8% Max End).

For Single Target attacks you want 4 Kinetic Combats and one IO that grants Acc/Dmg/Rchg. Kinetic Combats are one of the most sought after IOs as they offer a hefty S/L defense bonus. As a result they are very expensive. If you are short on funds (which you most likely are), you can use Smashing Haymaker as a temporary substitute until you can afford the Kinetic Combats.

Tough and Weave are strongly recommended, particularly if you pursue defense bonuses, which is highly recommended.

Slot Health with a Numina's Unique and a Miracle Unique. These will massively increase your endurance management. EVERYBODY wants these, so they will be very expensive.


Obviously, there is more than one way to build BS/DA with IO sets. This just a starting point for you to consider.
Thanks for the tips. Ill definitely have a good starting off point now.

But unfortunately I still have more questions. Mainly, which powers should I slot? Such, as , is 6 slots still needed in Stamina and hasten? Or is that gone nowadays that there are set bonuses?

Quote:
Holy moly, that is OLD SCHOOL badass.

BTW: I hope you realize just how much that build is worth, these days. Be extremely careful removing all those Hami-o's, you have BILLIONS worth on there.


You won't have trouble affording a new build, that's for sure!
Did they change how you store enhancements? As in can you only have 10 on you at the same time, or is there a way I can take off all of those Hami-Os and be able to sell them?


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pacur View Post
But...BS/Da is popular? As in other people play it? WHen I left i was like the red-headed stepchild of scrappers. Wow....
How times have changed! There are more popular combinations, but yeah, you're no longer a red-headed stepchild.

The approach I took with my Katana/Dark is at least popular on the forum, which is soft-capping your positional defense (45%, a magic number). That makes you very survivable. It also, without an unlimited budget, involves making some compromises that make you less of a Dark Armor Scrapper and more something a bit different. If you're taking that approach, most of your IOs are going to be picked for their defense bonuses. Things like Gaussian Synchronized Fire Control, Eradication, Mako's Bite, Aegis, Blessing of the Zephyr, Red Fortune and Numina's Convalescence. Oh, and definitely a Steadfast Protection unique. I could post example builds (well, for Katana/Dark), but I'm not sure if you're looking for that specifically, or just the kind of thing to be looking for.

Soft-capping, though, isn't necessary. You can be very survivable without it. Pick up some decent defense, but don't go overboard. Don't compromise on your strengths. Make sure you have and use either Cloak of Fear or Oppressive Gloom. Get a bunch of recharge so that Dark Regeneration recharges quickly.

Oh, definitely put a Theft of Essence proc in Dark Regeneration. Desmodos already mentioned it, but I want to repeat it for emphasis.


"That's because Werner can't do maths." - BunnyAnomaly
"Four hours in, and I was no longer making mistakes, no longer detoggling. I was a machine." - Werner
Videos of Other Stupid Scrapper Tricks

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pacur View Post
Thanks for the tips. Ill definitely have a good starting off point now.

But unfortunately I still have more questions. Mainly, which powers should I slot? Such, as , is 6 slots still needed in Stamina and hasten? Or is that gone nowadays that there are set bonuses?
Ok, you really need to read the first article I linked for you. Enhancement Diversification limits slotting a power that only accepts one type of enhancement to 3 slots, in the vast majority of scenarios. The exceptions to the rule are when you 'over enhance' power for the sake of set bonuses.

In most cases you don't need to six slot a power unless you're after the final set bonuses. See build I am posting below.


Quote:
Did they change how you store enhancements? As in can you only have 10 on you at the same time, or is there a way I can take off all of those Hami-Os and be able to sell them?
Sadly, no. This will be the most frustrating thing about your transition to an IO set build. You can only extract 10 enhancements per respec. Sorry, it sucks, I've been there. Mauk is correct, those HOs do represent a substantial nest egg for you, so don't delete them.


Keep in mind this is a high end very expensive build, just what I have immediately handy. It should give you a better idea what IO builds look like. Keep in mind, this build is based on typed defense. For BS/DA a positional defense build is equally viable.


Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.93
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Desnocta Blades I19 A: Level 50 Magic Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Broad Sword
Secondary Power Set: Dark Armor
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Hack -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(3), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5)
Level 1: Dark Embrace -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(7), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(7), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(9), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(46), GA-3defTpProc(48)
Level 2: Slice -- Erad-Dmg(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), Erad-%Dam(11), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(13)
Level 4: Death Shroud -- Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Erad-Dmg(15), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx(17), C'ngBlow-Acc/Dmg(17), C'ngBlow-Acc/Rchg(19)
Level 6: Murky Cloud -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(19), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(21), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(21)
Level 8: Parry -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(23), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(23), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(25), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(25)
Level 10: Obsidian Shield -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(27), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(27), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(29)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), HO:Enzym(45)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
Level 16: Dark Regeneration -- Theft-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Theft-Acc/EndRdx/Heal(29), Theft-+End%(31), Nictus-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(31), H'zdH-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(33)
Level 18: Whirling Sword -- Erad-Dmg(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Erad-%Dam(33), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(34), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34)
Level 20: Cloak of Darkness -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(36), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(50)
Level 22: Build Up -- Rec'dRet-ToHit(A), Rec'dRet-ToHit/Rchg(36)
Level 24: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 26: Disembowel -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(37), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(37), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39)
Level 28: Cloak of Fear -- SipInsght-%ToHit(A), SipInsght-Acc/ToHitDeb(39), SipInsght-Acc/Rchg(39), SipInsght-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(40), SipInsght-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(40), HO:Enzym(40)
Level 30: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(42), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(42), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 32: Head Splitter -- Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), Erad-%Dam(43), C'ngBlow-Acc/Dmg(43), C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx(45), C'ngBlow-Dmg/Rchg(45)
Level 35: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), HO:Enzym(36)
Level 38: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 41: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 44: Physical Perfection -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(46)
Level 47: Maneuvers -- HO:Enzym(A), HO:Enzym(48)
Level 49: Laser Beam Eyes -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(50), Thundr-Acc/Dmg(50)
Level 1: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), EndMod-I(46)
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 1: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(48)
Level 0: LEGACY BUILD



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SI Radio has many DJs and listeners whom hold City of Heroes close to their hearts. We will be supporting many efforts to keep CoH ALIVE!!

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pacur View Post
which powers should I slot? Such, as , is 6 slots still needed in Stamina and hasten? Or is that gone nowadays that there are set bonuses?
How many slots are needed in powers is often more a funtion of what set bonuses you are after than it is about the power itself. You do typically six-slot attacks, though occasionally you get away with five-slotting. For most other things, though, it's highly variable depending on what you're slotting.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pacur View Post
Did they change how you store enhancements? As in can you only have 10 on you at the same time, or is there a way I can take off all of those Hami-Os and be able to sell them?
You can only have ten enhancements on yourself at the same time. So to pull all those Hamios out of your build, you'd need to do multiple respects, reslotting all but ten every time. You might still use some Hamios, but it's usually not many any more. They definitely have their uses, though. I have 14 in my own build, but I think that's way more than typical.


"That's because Werner can't do maths." - BunnyAnomaly
"Four hours in, and I was no longer making mistakes, no longer detoggling. I was a machine." - Werner
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Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pacur View Post
Thanks for the tips. Ill definitely have a good starting off point now.

But unfortunately I still have more questions. Mainly, which powers should I slot? Such, as , is 6 slots still needed in Stamina and hasten? Or is that gone nowadays that there are set bonuses?

Due to the Enhancement Diversification change, it is no longer wise to slot a power with more than three IO's worth of a single enhancer. (And with the Alpha Slot, often only two is useful.) No more than three slots in stamina and hasten. If you use the Alpha Spiritual, two slots in hasten. The only reason to slot more than that in stamina is if you want set bonuses.



Quote:
Did they change how you store enhancements? As in can you only have 10 on you at the same time, or is there a way I can take off all of those Hami-Os and be able to sell them?
Hmmm.

No, they did not. 10 per toon.

HOWEVER, they added 'gleemail', which will allow you to e-mail IO's to yourself, and temporarily 'store' up to 20. (Check the email tab in your UI.) Also, in Wentworth's, you can temporarily store 15+ IO's or hami-o's.

If you want permanent storage, you will want to make yourself a small SG base for yourself only. (There are guides to this in the forums, it is not difficult.)

For a small price in Prestige, you can get an IO storage rack that will hold 100 enhancers permanently.

For things as valuable as those Hami-o's, I would highly recommend the base.

You Will Like It.

Sadly, the bottleneck is that you can only remove 10 enhancers per respec. I hope you have some respec's saved up!


 

Posted

Welcome back! I remember both that name and the forum icon.


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Posted

Wow, so much response that I don't know where to get started. MAN I missed these forums.

Ok, so I went back and re-read the ED thing, (because in retrospect, reading it while falling half-asleep doesn't seem like a good idea), and have a lil better grasp of it now.

But i still need some clarification: The build Desmodos kindly posted, for example, has only 1 slot in hasten, and 2 slots in Stamina, and the later is unenhanced. As you can imagine, me coming from a time when both of these were pretty much mandatorily 6-slotted, this is a little surprising. Are the effects of the set bonuses so powerful that they have the same power as perma-hasten? And I guess 2-slotting Physical perfection is the same as 6-slotting Stamina in the old days?

On another matter, I do have something like...4 or 5 free respecs lined up due to the veteran rewards program (which also wasn't implemented when I left), so hopefully I can get the expensive stuff out of my build and have some cash which I can utilize. Hmm.. I foresee a giant Hami-O sale in Pinnacle's future.

Hmm, now another question springs to mind. The majority of IOs I see in Desmodos' build (thank you again for that) are lvl 20 and 30, so Im assuming from what I've read of IOs they don't occur at something closer to lvl 50. Is it the case that for useful IOs that they occur at lvl 20 or 30, or was it that you just posted, or should I look for the lvl 50 version of these IOs? (after all, it was stated that it was just "what I had on hand").


 

Posted

Ok, something got corrupted on that build, sorry about that. I'll post a corrected build shortly.

Not all IO sets go to level 50. Set bonuses are only valid with in 3 levels below the IO level. So if you use a IO set at level 50, you'll retain none of the bonuses associated with the set when you exemplar to level 45. It boils down to how you play CoH. If you frequently exemplar down to run lower level TFs, you may consider using lower level IOs. If you rarely exemplar down, then using level 50s would be the better choice. Me personally, I always build for level 30 IOs as a minimum standard to base my build off of. In actual practice, I'll go with what's available as close as I can to level 30, lvl 29-35.

The exception to the above rule will be PROCs. PROCs don't have a level association, so the function at any level. Purple Sets also function at any level.

Perma-Hasten is no longer possible with enhancements alone. It is possible to collect enough recharge bonuses to achieve perma-hasten but rarely worth the sacrifices associate with it. In the case of this build, Hasten only has one slot simply because I ran out of slots. 2 lvl 50 Generic IOs are the ideal slotting for Hasten.

Because of ED, slotting more than two Generic IOs in Stamina isn't very useful. Simply put, you can get better endurance management else where. You will frequently see a third slot in Stamina from those using a Performance Shift + End PROC.


SI Radio has many DJs and listeners whom hold City of Heroes close to their hearts. We will be supporting many efforts to keep CoH ALIVE!!

 

Posted

Here's the corrected build. Basically what happened was I imported a legacy build into the new mid's and a few things got corrupted. Sorry for confusion.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.93
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Broad Sword
Secondary Power Set: Dark Armor
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Hack -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(46), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(48), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(50), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(50)
Level 1: Dark Embrace -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(45), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(45), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(45), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(46), GA-3defTpProc(46)
Level 2: Slice -- Erad-%Dam(A), Erad-Dmg(42), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(43), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43)
Level 4: Death Shroud -- Erad-Dmg(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(5), C'ngBlow-Acc/Dmg(40), C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx(40), C'ngBlow-Acc/Rchg(40)
Level 6: Murky Cloud -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(7), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(7), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(39)
Level 8: Parry -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(9), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(9), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15)
Level 10: Obsidian Shield -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(11), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(11), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(13)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- Zephyr-ResKB(A), Krma-ResKB(13)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
Level 16: Dark Regeneration -- Theft-+End%(A), Theft-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Theft-Acc/EndRdx/Heal(17), Nictus-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(39)
Level 18: Whirling Sword -- Erad-%Dam(A), Erad-Dmg(19), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(21), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(23), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23)
Level 20: Cloak of Darkness -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), HO:Enzym(21)
Level 22: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 24: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(25), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(25), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(37)
Level 26: Disembowel -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(27), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(27), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36)
Level 28: Cloak of Fear -- SipInsght-ToHitDeb(A), SipInsght-Acc/ToHitDeb(29), SipInsght-Acc/Rchg(29), SipInsght-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(31), SipInsght-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Abys-Acc/EndRdx(34)
Level 30: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), HO:Enzym(31)
Level 32: Head Splitter -- Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Erad-%Dam(33), C'ngBlow-Acc/Dmg(33), C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx(34), C'ngBlow-Dmg/Rchg(34)
Level 35: Build Up -- Rec'dRet-ToHit/Rchg(A), Rec'dRet-ToHit(36)
Level 38: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(39)
Level 41: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), HO:Enzym(42)
Level 44: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 47: Laser Beam Eyes -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(48), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48)
Level 49: Physical Perfection -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(3)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(3)



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SI Radio has many DJs and listeners whom hold City of Heroes close to their hearts. We will be supporting many efforts to keep CoH ALIVE!!

 

Posted

No, I really don't exemplar, I always like to push forward on a character, and if I want to experience something, I do it on a lower lvl character.

So i guess Ill be mainly looking for the lvl 50 versions.

Edit: Thanks for posting the corrected build. Now I have to go see how much this would roughly cost me.

P.S.: Whats a legacy build anyway?


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pacur View Post
No, I really don't exemplar, I always like to push forward on a character, and if I want to experience something, I do it on a lower lvl character.

So i guess Ill be mainly looking for the lvl 50 versions.
That's fine, but keep in mind that acquiring merits and incarnate salvage my be faster, more efficient with a lower level TF, granted, not every scenario. There is certainly no shortage of ways to do it at level 50.


SI Radio has many DJs and listeners whom hold City of Heroes close to their hearts. We will be supporting many efforts to keep CoH ALIVE!!

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pacur View Post
P.S.: Whats a legacy build anyway?

Basically a build made before a major change to the powers. In this case, Fitness pool became inherent. When you do a respec, Fitness Pool will not be a power choice, because you get the entire pool automatically. Still need to slot it though.


SI Radio has many DJs and listeners whom hold City of Heroes close to their hearts. We will be supporting many efforts to keep CoH ALIVE!!

 

Posted

With the Spiritual Alpha slot, perma Hasten or near perma Hasten is a little more achievable these days, and is a good idea on a number of builds if you can afford the recharge (good recharge defense bonuses tend to come from the more expensive sets). My opinion is that it doesn't bring enough to Dark Armor to be worth the sacrifices elsewhere. I don't even have Hasten on mine - one of the compromises I made to soft cap positional defense.

I'll go ahead and post a couple other builds for comparison purposes. These are both positional defense builds that hit the soft cap with a single hit of Divine Avalanche (Parry on Broad Sword). Broad Sword is very similar to Katana, though you likely wouldn't just do a one for one swap of the powers and slotting due to the differing recharge requirements for Broad Sword chains.

The first build is a budget build by Ramia Angriffe as modified a bit by Iggy Kamakaze. It's still not exactly cheap, but you could probably trivially afford this build after the great Hamio sale. It has quite a few compromises to hit the soft cap. One of the big ones is that it lacks both Cloak of Fear and Oppressive Gloom. Dark Regeneration is a underslotted. I'm sure there are other issues. I still consider it a very good build as long as you can stomach the compromises that have been made.

The second build is my own build. It's likely far too expensive even after the great Hamio sale. It has significantly better numbers with fewer compromises. Cloak of Fear is underslotted but usable. Dark Regeneration is fully-slotted. Now, you wouldn't normally slot as much healing in Dark Regeneration as I did. I did it that way to help out in 1 on 1 fights with no minions around for healing fodder.

If you went with this sort of approach, you'd probably want something about halfway between these builds. And lest you think I'm saying otherwise by posting these, the build Desmodos posted is excellent too (one minor "bug" - an energy/negative bonus over the cap), a good representation of what you can achieve focusing on typed defense instead of positional defense. In fact, what really seems to be missing now is a representation of less defense-heavy builds. Something with maybe 32.5% defense (one small purple from soft cap), a lot more recharge, and maybe some more bells and whistles, like maybe picking up some AoE from an Epic pool.

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"That's because Werner can't do maths." - BunnyAnomaly
"Four hours in, and I was no longer making mistakes, no longer detoggling. I was a machine." - Werner
Videos of Other Stupid Scrapper Tricks

 

Posted

Thanks again for the info and the options. Honestly I have a lot to think about, and I still don't fully understand all this positional and type defense. Sigh, looks like I have homework, heh.


 

Posted

Welcome back, I too resubbed recently after a hiatus. Positional/typed defense are basically categories of attacks, with a corresponding value for defense (with the exception of Toxic, which has no explicit defense number of its own).

Cliff Notes:

Quote:
Mechanics
"Every attack power is classified based on how the attack is delivered, and based on the type of damage it delivers, and every defense power has an associated type or types that represents what types of attacks that defense power is effective against." –Arcanaville

Attack Tags
There are ten possible tags an attack can have. These tags fall into two conceptual categories: positional and delivery.

Positional (a.k.a. Vector) Tags
Three tags reflect the range and targeting nature of the attack:

Melee Attack (includes both single-target and area attacks)
Ranged Attack (single-target only)
AoE Attack (also includes placed patches, non-melee cones, and non-melee PBAoEs)


Delivery (a.k.a. Damage) Tags
The other seven tags reflect the primary method used to deliver the attack's effects:

Smashing Attack (for powers that work through blunt physical impact)
Lethal Attack (for powers that involve sharp objects or high-speed force)
Energy Attack (for powers that involve radiation, electricity, or some other untamed energy)
Negative Energy Attack (for necromantic powers and powers that weaken life)
Fire Attack (for powers whose effects are caused by flames or high heat)
Cold Attack (for powers whose effects are derived from extreme cold)
Psionic Attack (for powers involving mental manipulation)
Although the names are similar, delivery tags and damage types are different things with different meanings. Damage types come directly from a power's effects, and each instance of damage has exactly one type and is applied separately against its appropriate Resistance. Delivery tags are conceptual and were added by hand. Attacks can have multiple tags, and all the tags apply to the attack as a whole, which either entirely hits or entirely misses.
Once the game figures out which ones of those is coming at you it codes with a position (with rare exceptions) and a type. aka:

Ranged + Smashing/Energy is coming at you. The game picks the highest of those 3 values (Ranged, Smashing/Lethal -or- energy/negative) for your defense and makes a hit roll.

Generally, since it's an either/or people go for either positional or typed. With the latter, because the vast majority of things coming at you have a smashing/lethal damage component, s/l defense is the common choice for typed.


Linky:

http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Defense


 

Posted

Oh boy... so very variables.

So I've begun to narrow down my options, and I have the following question:

From what I'm hearing both from the forums and in-game, type defense is the best one to have nowadays (meaning smash, lethal, fire, psi, etc...) is that the case or am I wrong?

From what I heard once you hit 45% defense on everything you're pretty much unhittable, is that right? If thats the case, I'll probably follow the build Desmodos posted, and hope for the best, since although nothing is at 45% there, smashing and lethal go to 44%, and everything else is 20% and above.

Basically, I guess what I'm asking is is 20% good enough defense for a single type of damage?

Edit: just realized that I now have to also factor in resistances....*head hits table* Sweet jesus why cant this be easy? lol


 

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Softcap is no longer as great as it was. Nerfs here and there and enemies with buffed accuracy and to hit. You actually want more than 45% now at times. But most of the older enemies ingame still miss you alot with 45%.


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Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pacur View Post
Oh boy... so very variables.

So I've begun to narrow down my options, and I have the following question:

From what I'm hearing both from the forums and in-game, type defense is the best one to have nowadays (meaning smash, lethal, fire, psi, etc...) is that the case or am I wrong?

From what I heard once you hit 45% defense on everything you're pretty much unhittable, is that right? If thats the case, I'll probably follow the build Desmodos posted, and hope for the best, since although nothing is at 45% there, smashing and lethal go to 44%, and everything else is 20% and above.

Basically, I guess what I'm asking is is 20% good enough defense for a single type of damage?

Edit: just realized that I now have to also factor in resistances....*head hits table* Sweet jesus why cant this be easy? lol

The notion that you are 'unhitable' at 45% defense is a gross exaggeration. Yes, it will substantially increase your survivability, but it's not an "I win button."

With Dark Armor, soft cap is a questionable endeavor because you'll never acquire any signifcant amount of defense debuff resistance, which can quickly rob you of all the defense you've accumulated. Broadsword and Kitana are somewhat of an exception because Parry/Divine Avalanche provide some additional buffer.

The vast majority of attacks have more than one damage type. The most common attack types are Smashing and Lethal. So even if an attack does Energy damage, if it's paired with Smashing damage, your Smash/Lethal defense mitigates the attack. The next most common attack is Energy. This is why typed defense builds will amass as much Smash/Lethal defense first, then target Energy Defense. This particular strategy works well for Dark Armor because it has very little mitigation towards Energy Damage.

The appeal of Typed defense over positional is that typed defense generally requires less slots for comparable defense. The appeal of Positional defense over typed defense is that you can achieve soft cap to all positions, soft capping to all types will require massive sacrifices (if possible at all) that will render your character rather useless.


Yes, all of this talk defense is just one form of mitigation. It's discussed in isolation of other forms of mitigation, hence folks like Werner and myself will tell you that soft capping is not always the most viable option. Dark Armor has multiple layers of mitigation (mez toggles, Dark Regeneration, and resistances), all of which determine your final survivability.

Defense is a powerful form of mitigation. Each point of additional defense increases your survivability more than the last. However, it is not the end all be all of damage mitigation.


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