For my own dp/em blaster, it became clear to me that the options were frozen armor (or scorpion shield I think?) and s/l defense, or no APP restriction and ranged defense. Advantages of the s/l route are that if you plan to blap kinetic combats are a natural fit, and it is much easier to softcap s/l when you start out with such a huge pile of it from the shield. Disadvantages are that the shield is appallingly ugly, but more important is that most mezzes are ranged and not s/l. I tend to feel that combat mobility can keep the big melee hits away from you in the first place and that's where s/l shines. Meanwhile, hopping about does little to protect you from ranged attacks in most circumstances. Even jumping into a spawn to hail of bullets will result in a 90% ranged alpha against you, and by the time they're gearing up to switch to melee, you're out of melee range and they're dead.
Of course, for me, "no APP restriction" means "definitely fire mastery" because char, bonfire and rise of the phoenix are all stellar blaster powers, while fire shield is a good steadfast res/def mule. Char is good for ranged defense and the rest are one slot wonders, which brings me to another advantage of ranged defense - it results in a much more open, affordable build. You don't need any melee at all except power thrust, which goes pretty well with DP's style. The only DP power that requires you to get close is hail and it pretty much speaks for itself. I can't imagine hailing a spawn and then wanting to transition into melee - better to follow up with a bullet rain, or a piercing rounds on a boss if that's all that's left standing.
This is of course one of many ways to do it. Softcapping anything is going to go a long way. Ranged simply seems like the best fit for blasters in general but particularly for this combo.
Yes it is worth chasing defense on a blaster. S/L would be the way to go and choosing the shorter ranged powers would be your best option.
Don't get me wrong I'm not advocating DP/ at all (as most of you are all ready aware). In my opinion it is the 3rd worst blaster set but you can easily soft cap DP/EM to S/L. Below is the build for my long deleted DP/EM updated to take advantage of Scorpion Shield and Web Envelope. It has 51.8% defense vs S/L (I like a 7% pad to defense to mitigate getting hit with a defense debuff). There is only a single hit point bonus wasted to the Rule of 5.
If you REALLY want to take advantage of S/L defense with a blaster I would reccomend Rad/Fire/Mace. My Rad/Fire/Mace has come close to replacing my Energy/Energy/Force as my main.
Edit - When I make a build I really dislike wasting powers as set mules. I try to build so that every power I pick has a use AND gives me my set bonuses. I was toying with leaving Swap Ammo out of the build since I would only be using standard Ammo to take advantage of multiple stuns but taking Stun and Total Focus accomplishes that anyway and the only power I would have picked up was Super Jump so it was kinda a meh moment for me.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.942
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US Marshall: Level 50 Technology Blaster
Primary Power Set: Dual Pistols
Secondary Power Set: Energy Manipulation
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Medicine
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Pistols -- Dev'n-Acc/Dmg(A), Dev'n-Dmg/Rchg(19), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(23), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23)
Level 1: Power Thrust -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(5), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(7), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), KinCrsh-Acc/KB(19)
Level 2: Dual Wield -- Dev'n-Acc/Dmg(A), Dev'n-Dmg/Rchg(36), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37)
Level 4: Empty Clips -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(37), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(40), Posi-Dmg/Rng(40), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42)
Level 6: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(21), RechRdx-I(21)
Level 8: Energy Punch -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(9), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(9), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), HO:Nucle(17)
Level 10: Build Up -- Rec'dRet-ToHit/Rchg(A), Rec'dRet-Pcptn(11), RechRdx-I(11)
Level 12: Bone Smasher -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(13), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(13), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15), HO:Nucle(15)
Level 14: Super Speed -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
Level 16: Bullet Rain -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(43), Posi-Dmg/Rng(43), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43)
Level 18: Swap Ammo
Level 20: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 22: Stimulant -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 24: Aid Self -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(25), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(25), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Dct'dW-Heal(36)
Level 26: Stun -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(27), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(27), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), HO:Endo(34)
Level 28: Suppressive Fire -- RzDz-Acc/Rchg(A), RzDz-EndRdx/Stun(29), RzDz-Acc/EndRdx(29), RzDz-Stun/Rng(31), RzDz-Acc/Stun/Rchg(31)
Level 30: Executioner's Shot -- Dev'n-Acc/Dmg(A), Dev'n-Dmg/Rchg(34), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46)
Level 32: Hail of Bullets -- Oblit-Dmg(A), Oblit-Acc/Rchg(33), Oblit-Dmg/Rchg(33), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34)
Level 35: Boxing -- HO:Nucle(A)
Level 38: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(39), RctvArm-ResDam(39), RctvArm-EndRdx(39), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(40)
Level 41: Weave -- HO:Cyto(A), HO:Cyto(42)
Level 44: Total Focus -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(45), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(45), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(45), HO:Endo(46)
Level 47: Web Envelope -- Enf'dOp-Acc/Rchg(A), Enf'dOp-EndRdx/Immob(48), Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx(48), Enf'dOp-Immob/Rng(48), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob/Rchg(50), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob(50)
Level 49: Scorpion Shield -- HO:Cyto(A), HO:Cyto(50)
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Level 1: Brawl -- HO:Nucle(A)
Level 1: Defiance
Level 1: Sprint -- ULeap-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(3)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), P'Shift-EndMod(3), P'Shift-End%(5)
Level 18: Chemical Ammunition
Level 18: Cryo Ammunition
Level 18: Incendiary Ammunition
Level 18: Incendiary Ammunition
Code:
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-Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein.
-I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. - Galileo Galilei
-When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty. - Thomas Jefferson
If I had to pick my favorite way in which that build is bad, well, I like how you took the sixth slot out of the oblits in hail, losing that s/l defense, in order to put a performance shifter proc into stamina. Meanwhile you failed to take conserve power at all, one of the highlights of energy manipulation. You also have eleven slotted attacks. Argh, I promised myself I'd just pick one!
Wait I have another one, Jophiel didn't want a premade build to begin with. Gosh this is so hard, I'd better quit before I embarrass myself.
Quote:
The Oblit Proc doesn't really help the damage. That's why it's out of there since another 1.88 defense to S/L is pretty redundant. Sure it would help the melee defense rating but having Web Envelope makes that moot.|
Originally Posted by PleaseRecycle
If I had to pick my favorite way in which that build is bad, well, I like how you took the sixth slot out of the oblits in hail, losing that s/l defense, in order to put a performance shifter proc into stamina. Meanwhile you failed to take conserve power at all, one of the highlights of energy manipulation. You also have eleven slotted attacks. Argh, I promised myself I'd just pick one!
Wait I have another one, Jophiel didn't want a premade build to begin with. Gosh this is so hard, I'd better quit before I embarrass myself. |
Conserve Power takes a power pick which I chose not to waste and it isn't up often enough on a High defense/Low recharge build. So you need the recovery. Even with Alpha Cardiac you can run low on end if you constantly attack (and what is the point of a Blaster if it isn't constant attack?)
The highlights of Energy Melee aren't needed with S/L defense. What is needed is all the single target melee attacks for Kinetic Combats. For example Boost range isn't needed since you have soft capped defense and Web Envelope and have no need to out range the mobs.
There are 10 slotted attacks (not counting Brawl and Boxing) and 2 pure control powers. HoB won't be up every spawn (or even every other) and the other 9 attacks will all see use especially while hasten is down since this is a low recharge build.
Jophiel can do with the build as she sees fit. It's what I had to hand so I put it up for her purely as a sample.
The one thing that you and I will agree on is that you should have quit before you embarrassed yourself.
-Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein.
-I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. - Galileo Galilei
-When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty. - Thomas Jefferson
Quote:
- Miladys Knight, seconds before advocating a build he also noted that he already knew was so bad he deleted it long ago but which also contained about ten powers that are nothing but set mules.
|
Originally Posted by Miladys_Knight
When I make a build I really dislike wasting powers as set mules. I try to build so that every power I pick has a use AND gives me my set bonuses.
|
Quote:
| I was toying with leaving Swap Ammo out of the build since I would only be using standard Ammo to take advantage of multiple stuns |
To be moderately serious for a moment, your crucial mistake is that you feel that capping s/l defense is more important than playing to the strengths of the sets you've chosen. This goes beyond putting the cart before the horse and is more akin to putting the seamen at the bottom of the ocean before the submarine.
Going even further out on a limb and attempting constructive criticism, if you're trying to create a blapper build, dual pistols is literally the worst primary you could choose. If that's where you're coming from, suddenly it all makes sense. The actual advantage of dp/em is that you never need to melee anything at all. Power thrust being the exception to make a mockery out of bosses while you're stunned. Maybe you should try ice/em or something if you want to leverage the melee attacks?
Quote:
An entirely false premise on your part, or acute myopia, or the inability to grasp simple concepts such as reading for comprehension. It is not the build that is bad. The build is almost identical to the build that I use for my Fire/Em/Ice a toon that is just as comfortable in melee as at range. There is not a single set mule in the build. In fact ALL powers that are selected are used at some point of time in a mission. AoE is used to clear minions, single target to clean up lieutenants, and stacked controls to handle bosses and doing those things can be accomplished just as easily at range as in melee.|
Originally Posted by PleaseRecycle
- Miladys Knight, seconds before advocating a build he also noted that he already knew was so bad he deleted it long ago but which also contained about ten powers that are nothing but set mules.
|
The reason the toon was deleted is simple actually. The ridiculous gun-fu animations didn't fit the Wild West concept I had from the time that dual pistols was announced. Stacked upon this insult was the low level of performace provided by dual pistols (outside of Incendiary amunition), the exceedingly long recharge of the tier 9 (double all other comparable tier 9s and lacking the safety of being used at range), and the lack of Aim replaced by a "concept/linchpin power" that neither fit my concept nor was particulary good enough to call a linchpin since its secondary effects were purposely reduced, merely since you could switch between them.
Quote:
| He here boasts that he would skip one of the most important, and least demanding, powers in the set because it would change one tangential power from a stun to a hold with the happy side effect of causing him to do approximately 20% less damage overall. |
No boast was made at all. I said, " I was toying with leaving Swap Ammo out of the build since I would only be using standard Ammo to take advantage of multiple stuns." I said that not because I was boasting but because there are only 2 types of Ammo that it makes sense for a blaster to use. Standard for the mitigation provided by the KD and incendiary for the time when you have enough other mitigation providing powers or set bonuses that the KD becomes less crucial to your survivability. The secondary effects provided by cryo and toxic are fine for defenders but are entirely inadequate for a blaster. Archery is an almost entirely lethal damage set. It lacks Swap Ammo and doesn't need it. DP's damage is pre-nerfed just to FORCE you to take a "key" power to partially redeem the set's performance.
Quote:
| To be moderately serious for a moment, your crucial mistake is that you feel that capping s/l defense is more important than playing to the strengths of the sets you've chosen. This goes beyond putting the cart before the horse and is more akin to putting the seamen at the bottom of the ocean before the submarine. |
My Arch/Dev/Munitions is a recharge build that uses no defense at all.
My Energy/Energy/Force is a KB focused blapper that has an accidental 7%ish total defense. That toon relies almost entirely on KB and positional awareness for survival.
My Arch/Energy/Elec is soft capped to ranged and plays as a hover blaster.
My Rad/Fire/Mace is S/L soft capped and seeks melee range playing as a PBAoE damage machine.
My Fire/Energy/Ice is soft capped to S/L and plays at range or in melee. Where ever the next target happens to be.
My Sonic/Ice/Elec has no defenses of any kind and skipped the armor toggle. He relies on stacked sleeps, maximum -rech and -speed and stacking single target controls.
Quote:
| Going even further out on a limb and attempting constructive criticism, if you're trying to create a blapper build, dual pistols is literally the worst primary you could choose. If that's where you're coming from, suddenly it all makes sense. The actual advantage of dp/em is that you never need to melee anything at all. |
There are multiple posts of people lamenting that their DP blaster "feels squishy" this is mainly due to these weaknesses and lack of counter balancing strengths.
Failing to take and use the melee attacks makes you only half a blaster and it is now clear to me what your mindset on playing blasters is and why you think that a build that is balanced around being equally useful at range or in melee is "bad".
Quote:
| Power thrust being the exception to make a mockery out of bosses while you're stunned. Maybe you should try ice/em or something if you want to leverage the melee attacks? |
In any case the build is here for Jophiel to use, reference, and compare. Not for you.
-Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein.
-I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. - Galileo Galilei
-When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty. - Thomas Jefferson
You know, the temptation to be snide is nearly overpowering but I think I can contain it long enough to impart and important message. If you loathe dual pistols with every fiber of your being, to the extent where you can't even conceal it, and in a thread asking for advice about dual pistols you have no choice but to not only post at all but to preface all of your statements with qualifiers about how horrible the set is, how bad a person anyone who uses it is, et cetera, you should perhaps rethink your priorities in general. It really doesn't matter why I or anyone else likes the set, what matters is that we do. Yes, you abhor it, you find it to be worse than Hitler. This has become abundantly clear. I'm sick of refuting your bizarre points so please consider simply keeping them to yourself.
Short Version: Is it worth chasing Smashing/Lethal on my DP/NRG?
Longer Version: My previous characters that chased defense were mostly melees and had sets that favored chasing positional defense. With this character, I thought maybe Smashing/Lethal would be a better choice since my T9 involves me getting cuddly with the enemy and I don't have much mitigation besides knockback in my "natural" ammo and knockback/stun secondary powers that still require being in melee. But it looks as though my only IO Set options that give a significant boost are Kinetic Combat in my melees. That's pricey but I could grind out the merits/A-Merits/cash to do it if I put my mind to it. I would combine it with Weave, Combat Jumping, 3% Steadfast & Scorpion Shield. Not likely to get a +3% PvP.
Any thought or experience on this? Have people done it and found it worth it or is there a better way? If I'm using KC's, would you slot mules like Boxing or Brawl for them or pick the NRG melees (I've been picking the utility secondaries and the stun so far, not the attacks)? I wasn't originally going to chase defense but, at 32, I find myself feeling particularly squishy.
I'm not looking for a full build (I'll make one myself when I pick my direction) but just some opinions and advice.