Right off the bat, drop executioner's shot and take pistols instead. Same DPA, pistols can be used while mezzed (not relevant in farming but often relevant elsewhere), pistols fits easily into any chain.
If you can't devote slots to it, don't even bother taking empty clips. The only way to make it worth its cast time is to get it to the ED cap on damage and ideally have a posi's proc in there as well.
Opinion may vary wildly on this but I think drain psyche can be considered good to go at three or four slots. Just a few pieces of one of the accurate healing sets will give it great enhancement values and some all right bonuses.
If you take World of Confusion, six slot that sucker. The only reason to take it is to put a full set of coercive persuasion into it. This confers a five percent ranged defense bonus and sets you down the path toward the range softcap, my favorite direction to take blasters. Again, this doesn't matter for farming but if you ever want to use the character for TFs and stuff you're going to like having high ranged def.
Not sure why you need four slots in CJ? Karma, kismet, lotg global, and a lotg defense? That isn't bad by any means but the last slot is something I'd only go for if I were pretty sure I had slots left over.
I would skip psy scream, psy shockwave, and static discharge. Each of them is a good attack in its own right but the principal selling point of DP is that it has a ton of aoe. You don't need to add any more, especially ones that will cause constant, nagging redraw. Now that I've said this, I'd also recommend taking empty clips and giving it at least five slots. With those slots it is a fine, boilerplate aoe. No redraw, short recharge, kills things.
The hold in the electric APP is the better bet than static discharge I think. You can put lockdowns or basilisks into it, for starters. Lockdown is a great set for ranged defense, and can also be slotted in suppressive fire, which you should take. I'd then put only the steadfast res/def into charged armor and take it off my tray (unless you want it for the looks). Finally, the force of nature clone would probably be more useful than EMP, as good as EMP is.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Or editing it.
If you don't mind a bit long activation times and redraw then dp/mm is a beast. I have one at lv 50 and it's one of the strongest characters i've ever seen.
A dp/mm is meant for melee, take every (pb)aoe you can get and never look back, you'll get used to redraw soon enough. It can also be handy to have a mm attack chain and a dp attack chain, so that when you use a mental attack you can fire off a couple of more good skills instead of immediatly having to switch back to dp for doing damage.
Your power choice looks pretty good, don't drop executioner's shot as the poster above me suggests tough, it's gonna be one of your best attacks for your single target ranged chain ( i use dual wield-exec-dual wield-piercing-dual wield)
This is my build, it has cast me about 8 bil inf, but you can reach the s/l def softcap for around a bil already. The build has softcapped smash/lethal and perma hasten, you do need at least one target in drain psyche tough, otherwise you cant keep up your end for a long fight.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1,942
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Level 50 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Dual Pistols
Secondary Power Set: Mental Manipulation
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Cold Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Dual Wield -- Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), Decim-Acc/Dmg(5), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(7), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(25), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(40)
Level 1: Subdual -- Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob(A), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob/Rchg(19), Enf'dOp-Acc/Rchg(31), Enf'dOp-Immob/Rng(36)
Level 2: Mind Probe -- Hectmb-Dam%(A), Hectmb-Acc/Rchg(3), Hectmb-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), Hectmb-Dmg/EndRdx(5), Hectmb-Dmg/Rchg(7)
Level 4: Empty Clips -- Achilles-ResDeb%(A)
Level 6: Swap Ammo
Level 8: Bullet Rain -- Ragnrk-Knock%(A), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(9), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(15), Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx(34)
Level 10: Psychic Scream -- Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(11), Posi-Dmg/Rng(11), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(13), Posi-Acc/Dmg(13)
Level 12: Kick -- KntkC'bat-Knock%(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(29), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(29), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31)
Level 14: Boxing -- KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(15), KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(21), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36)
Level 16: Concentration -- AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(A), AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg(17), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(17), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx(19), AdjTgt-Rchg(37)
Level 18: Executioner's Shot -- Apoc-Dmg/Rchg(A), Apoc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Apoc-Dam%(43), Apoc-Dmg/EndRdx(43), Apoc-Acc/Rchg(43)
Level 20: Drain Psyche -- Panac-Heal/EndRedux(A), Panac-Heal(21), Panac-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(23), Panac-Heal/Rchg(23), Panac-EndRdx/Rchg(34)
Level 22: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), DefBuff-I(46)
Level 24: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(25), RechRdx-I(36)
Level 26: Piercing Rounds -- Posi-Dam%(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(27), Posi-Dmg/Rng(27), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(37), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(37)
Level 28: World of Confusion -- CoPers-Conf%(A)
Level 30: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(50)
Level 32: Hail of Bullets -- Armgdn-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Armgdn-Dam%(33), Armgdn-Dmg/Rchg(33), Armgdn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Armgdn-Acc/Rchg(34), Erad-%Dam(42)
Level 35: Super Speed -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
Level 38: Psychic Shockwave -- Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), Oblit-Dmg(39), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(39), Oblit-%Dam(39), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(40), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48)
Level 41: Flash Freeze -- FtnHyp-Sleep/EndRdx(A), FtnHyp-Plct%(45), FtnHyp-Acc/Rchg(46), FtnHyp-Acc/Sleep/Rchg(48), FtnHyp-Sleep/Rchg(50)
Level 44: Frozen Armor -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), DefBuff-I(45), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(45), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(46)
Level 47: Hoarfrost -- Numna-Heal/Rchg(A), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(48)
Level 49: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(50)
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 50: Reactive Radial Flawless Interface
Level 50: Void Total Radial Judgement
Level 50: Warworks Total Core Improved Ally
Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- KntkC'bat-Knock%(A), KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(31), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(40), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 1: Defiance
Level 1: Sprint -- Clrty-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A)
Level 6: Chemical Ammunition
Level 6: Cryo Ammunition
Level 6: Incendiary Ammunition
Level 6: Incendiary Ammunition
Code:
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The sole reason to take executioner's shot over pistols is that you think the animation is cooler. It is inferior in every other respect. Halved range, tendency to overkill where pistols will not, cannot be used while mezzed, and its DPA is actually worse than pistols' using anything but inferno rounds, where it breaks even. The range issue is especially egregious since, as ball says, piercing rounds is an excellent part of your single target chain and when used at long range it can easily hit three targets often and two targets almost always.
ball, among other issues, your aoe chain, if you can call it that, takes over twelve seconds, not including hail of bullets. This raises the question, "why do you need permahasten in the first place?" You could entirely forgo hasten and global recharge and be able to chain all of those aoes together under any but the most severe recharge debuffing.
The other primary problem I see is that you don't ever actually have to worry about recharge debuffing, or indeed single target attacks, as that build appears to be geared toward farming and farming alone. No utility powers apart from maneuvers, and thirteen slotted attacks. That's a tray and a half of attacks. You obviously won't actually be able to use all of these attacks so at least half of them are essentially set mules. Could this character farm? Absolutely, but only in that any aoe heavy blaster can easily farm and this build is nothing if not that!
In immediate retrospect, this post sounds kind of harsh. I'm not trying to personally attack you, ball, I just think that going this gung-ho for attacks is missing a lot of the subtlety available to blasters.
The build above was completely made with the tought in mind of how this character plays, with this blaster i can take the attacks long enough to kill everything, i often even tank with this blaster. Hail of bullets is ready every mob, unless the team is very fast, this means that between hail of bullets and one cycle of my aoes ( usually i dont even use psychic scream, but just fire off bullet rain and psw) nothing under a boss is still standing, at that point the only thing you need to kill the boss is high single target damage ( executioner's shot is a big part in this).
You have a point that executioner's shot can overkill, but if you learn when to use it, and what to target with it, the overkill hardly ever happens anymore. It can also oneshot a minion, which can be extremely handy ( sappers, cimeroran surgeons). The range shouldn't be a problem tough, 'cause when you play a dp/mm blaster and you aren't in melee range you generally aren't as effective as you could be (psw, drain psyche, HoB). Perhaps that pistols is indeed better from a pure dps stance of view, or as an avkiller, but the fact that this char can solo a pylon with his singletarget damage (no insp, no incarnate pets) is good enough for me.
Yes, i have 13 slotted attacks of which 5 are set mules which aren't used (i needed the kinetic combat to softcap my smash/lethal). A smash/lethal softcap for a blaster like this is extremely powerfull, so i gladly offered slots for that. Of the remaining 8 attacks there are only 2 that don't get used to often, but they are part of a psi attack chain which proves very usefull in certain tfs ( cimeroran eb's, marauder in lambda). I don't see how i can reach the softcap for defence and still be able to handle almost every situation the game throws at me without most of the attacks that are in the build now.
Okay, right off the bat I'd remove two slots from concentration and slot it with two rectified reticles and a common recharge. I'd drop flash freeze and replace it with snowstorm, slotting that with curtail speed or impeded swiftness, depending on your available slots. I'd try to ED cap weave, which is worth approximately one more moderate s/l bonus. I'd save a slot in mind probe and use kinetic combats there rather than hecatombs. You can see where I'm going with this - less purples, more defense. This in turn would let you make changes in other areas - swap out kick or boxing for tough and slot that with reactive armors, for instance. Less s/l defense in exchange for a very decent amount of resistance.
An additional slot in stamina for two level 50 generic endmods and one or two slots in health for a numi global, a miracle global, and a numi heal would also have a major impact on both endurance sustainability and survival, or at least how often you need to use greens. I also see you haven't listed a destiny yet. If you go barrier, at tier four that's five percent s/l defense that you simply no longer have to worry about for normal content, and the spike at the start has you covered a quarter of the time even in trials. Alternately, and this is what I chose on my pistol blaster, rebirth is better than you might think on a so-called squishy. I actually settled for ~37% ranged defense, if I recall correctly, and it just isn't an issue most of the time. Any size luck means softcap and as you well know, inspirations drop at an alarming rate when you're burning down spawns. Rebirth simply takes it even further, letting you bounce back from imminent doom (if your timing is good) and continue to ignore bosses for the next thirty seconds, while sitting at one or two drain psyche targets worth of regen for the entire duration.
You may note I proposed a lot of additional slotting without committing to equal slotting cuts. That's right, I'm a US senator. Seriously though, I think just dropping a couple of your least favorite attacks will easily recoup plenty of slots and you won't miss em in the end.
Hi all,
I'm looking for some help with a build but this is my first time trying something this ambitious. I'd like to soft-cap this characters defense either for ranged, fire, or s/l. I understand to do this I will need to use IO sets and ultimately very expensive ones. I was hoping that someone with more experience in this could take a look at my basic power selections/slotting and give me some feedback. Maybe provide some suggestions for what IO sets to use, what re-slotting might be needed, and possibly if my power selections are off. I know I am way off but I have a thick skin so feel free to not hold back.
The idea is to ultimately turn this into a farming character to fund my others.
Thanks for any help and advice.
-cg
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
kitty: Level 50 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Dual Pistols
Secondary Power Set: Mental Manipulation
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Electrical Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Dual Wield -- Empty(A), Empty(3), Empty(3), Empty(5), Empty(5), Empty(7)
Level 1: Subdual -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Empty Clips -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Mind Probe -- Empty(A)
Level 6: Hover -- Empty(A), Empty(7), Empty(9)
Level 8: Swap Ammo
Level 10: Bullet Rain -- Empty(A), Empty(11), Empty(11), Empty(13), Empty(13), Empty(15)
Level 12: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 14: Fly -- Empty(A)
Level 16: Concentration -- Empty(A), Empty(17), Empty(17)
Level 18: Executioner's Shot -- Empty(A), Empty(19), Empty(19), Empty(25), Empty(27)
Level 20: Drain Psyche -- Empty(A), Empty(21), Empty(21), Empty(23), Empty(23), Empty(25)
Level 22: Tough -- Empty(A)
Level 24: Weave -- Empty(A), Empty(27), Empty(29), Empty(29)
Level 26: Combat Jumping -- Empty(A), Empty(42), Empty(42), Empty(42)
Level 28: World of Confusion -- Empty(A), Empty(37), Empty(40), Empty(43)
Level 30: Piercing Rounds -- Empty(A), Empty(31), Empty(31), Empty(31), Empty(34)
Level 32: Hail of Bullets -- Empty(A), Empty(33), Empty(33), Empty(33), Empty(34), Empty(34)
Level 35: Psychic Scream -- Empty(A), Empty(36), Empty(36), Empty(36), Empty(37), Empty(37)
Level 38: Psychic Shockwave -- Empty(A), Empty(39), Empty(39), Empty(39), Empty(40), Empty(40)
Level 41: Static Discharge -- Empty(A), Empty(46), Empty(46), Empty(46)
Level 44: Charged Armor -- Empty(A), Empty(45), Empty(45), Empty(45)
Level 47: EM Pulse -- Empty(A), Empty(48), Empty(48), Empty(48)
Level 49: Maneuvers -- Empty(A), Empty(50), Empty(50), Empty(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Defiance
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Empty(A), Empty(43), Empty(43)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- Empty(A), Empty(9), Empty(15)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 8: Chemical Ammunition
Level 8: Cryo Ammunition
Level 8: Incendiary Ammunition
Level 8: Incendiary Ammunition