Guides have essentially died due to the complexity of building around IOs and people just find it easier to post a build and have it critiqued.
When I want to read up on a set I'm totally unfamiliar with I just go through the forums of the ATs with access to it and see what people say in any build thread that mentions it. More often than not those threads contain more detailed analysis than simply the builds themselves. KM has recently been discussed quite a bit in the scrapper and stalker forums, a little less with tankers and the brutes don't seem very interested in it. But there is plenty of reading material available!
You really want discussions rather than guides anyway as people can have widely different opinions. The point of guides used to be, IMHO, to check on powers without having to level up and try them out, but now that we can see most of that information right from character creation, it doesn't matter as much.
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They're also a good place to read about how people use said powers, as well as gain a few ideas about weaknesses or issues with them that you wouldn't foresee by just looking at numbers.|
Originally Posted by Nihilii
You really want discussions rather than guides anyway as people can have widely different opinions. The point of guides used to be, IMHO, to check on powers without having to level up and try them out, but now that we can see most of that information right from character creation, it doesn't matter as much.
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Not all of us are good at math. ;-)
I was planning on whipping up a list of observations on KM after I got my KM scrapper to 50 and did some slotting/incarnate work.
Too many alts to list.
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I'm not entirely convinced guides have died out completely, or rather the need for them has not. I would agree the complexity of IO builds certainly changes how guides should be written. |
Originally Posted by Amy_Amp
Guides have essentially died due to the complexity of building around IOs and people just find it easier to post a build and have it critiqued.
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Guides should no longer be about how to slot your powers. Instead, they should advise players as to what bonuses benefit the build most. An understanding of what makes a power combo effective and unique helps players decide how to go about setting up their IO build.
While there are those of us that read the forums daily and can surmise this information in the numerous posts about the same power sets, that doesn't work well for everyone. Forum posters experienced with certain power sets find themselves repeating the same advice over and over again in all the threads about the same builds.
I'm not suggesting we stop or discourage "build advice posts" (cause that's never gonna happen), but I am suggesting we encourage guide writers to adapt to the new era of Inventions and Incarnates.
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Here are some KM Observations/Highlights for your reading pleasure.
Pros:
-Hits like a truck for "Burst" damage, meaning your powers are, individually, very hard hitting.
-Attacks can debuff enemy damage, as well as stun or knock back.
-Incredibly cool animations.
-Ranged attacks give you a bit of versatility when chasing down running enemies, or attacking when health is low.
-Power Siphon is awesome.
Cons:
-High endurance cost
-Weak on the AoE side. The ranged cone has a huge endurance cost and little damage, making it the most skippable power in the set. The PBAoE is like a weaker Footstomp that can be used in midair.
-Comparatively low average damage per second despite the high damage of its attacks due to long animation times.
Tips:
-Avoid Repulsing Torrent as a general rule, though I'm sure there are builds that make very good use of the power.
-This set works very well with secondaries that have damage Auras, like /Fire, /Dark, and /Elec. Power Siphon's damage boost does wonderful things to them.
-Avoid high-cost secondaries unless you have a plan to somehow gain huge amounts of endurance reduction or recovery.
-Hasten is your friend. You'll want to have Power Siphon up as often as possible.
-Don't ignore Focused Burst because it's a ranged attack. It's also one of your heaviest damage dealers.
-Burst is a great way to keep enemies on their backs instead of punishing you. Slot in at least one recharge.
-SLOT FOR ENDURANCE RECOVERY IN YOUR POWERS!
-Concentrated Strike, despite its high endurance cost, should be used often. When this power crits, it reapplies Power Siphon.
Good combinations with KM:
KM/Elec offers a very balanced amount of benefits to KM. It has Energize to help take the edge off of endurance issues (as well as heal), solid if unremarkable resistances that KM's -Damage debuffs will make more effective, a damage Aura, solid mes protection, and a built-in recharge bonus to help keep Power Siphon up and running.
KM/Shield offers big damage with the combination of Against All Odds and Power Siphon, as well as great defenses and additional AoE with Shield Charge. One of the better combos, if you can tolerate the altered animations.
KM/WP lets you combine KM's lovely damage debuffs with Rise to the Challenge for a VERY durable character. Add in Quick Recovery for steady endurance management and Strength of Will for your crashless T9, and you have another very, very solid scrapper with nice damage.
Too many alts to list.
Grumpums has a good start:
One note, I thought CS crits just recharged PS - does it actually apply power or do you have to activate it like normal?
Take your first 3 attacks, at least while leveling.* Pop PS while running to spawn, QS, BB, SB, QS, Burst - by the time you get to burst you should be in the 120 ish % dmg range. PS is basically Scrapper Fury, you want it up as often as possible, and you want to be cycling fast attacks to keep the buff in the 4-5 stack range.
As noted above, KM's -dmg component pairs well with resistance sets (imo also with regen, but regen isn't everyone's cup of tea).
* I honestly don't know what a good top end chain is for KM, yet. Mine is only 32.
Link
City of Data got updated to the current build of CoH so there is Kinetic Melee info up.
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-DMG doesn't pair with Resist in the same way as -ToHit does with Defense. -DMG and Resist are actually two separate layers of mitigation in the same way Resist and -ToHit are (or even how Defense and Resist layer together).|
Originally Posted by MayorOfAngrytown
As noted above, KM's -dmg component pairs well with resistance sets (imo also with regen, but regen isn't everyone's cup of tea). |
-DMG works in parallel to Resist rather than the two working in tandem together. For example if you do -25% Dam and have 50% resistance and something can do 100 damage on average you'd take 18.75 damage (50% chance of being hit for 75 damage, half of which you'll resist).
If you have 25% -dam and 25 defense you'd also take an average of 18.75 (25% chance of being hit for 75 damage a go).
If you have -12.5% ToHit and 25 defense you take an average of 12.5 (12.5% chance of being hit for the full 100)
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Absolutely correct, I didn't mean to imply that it had the same scalar effect as -ToHit or even defense, just that the two in parallel are (at least in theory) nice to have as added mitigation. Not really sure I implied additive behavior, but it's good to have an accurate description of the mechanic since this seems to be serving as an impromtu group-think KM guide. Thanks.|
Originally Posted by Carnifax_NA
-DMG doesn't pair with Resist in the same way as -ToHit does with Defense...
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On that subject, what is the stacking like on the -dmg component. IIRC the scrapper numbers are -5ish % on most of the st attacks. I assume they don't stack with themselves, just with other powers? If something lives long enough to stack qs/bb/sb/cs/burst -dmg, that should come to ~ 30ish% with scrapper numbers, or am I missing something?
I'm interested (mildly, reactive dmg still seems a better choice) in the -dmg component in one of the Interface powers as additive to this. Maybe not enough to be significant though.
Still another layer never hurts, but again I am thinking from /regen terms mostly at the moment, and -dmg seems to be a good idea. base debuff + void debuff + maybe the interface debuff might net some interesting results against things that to mad dmg in bursts.
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Yep, I think the "best" pairings for -Damage are more -Damage, then Regen, then Defense (soften the blow when the RNG hates you) and then Resist. |
Originally Posted by MayorOfAngrytown
Absolutely correct, I didn't mean to imply that it had the same scalar effect as -ToHit or even defense, just that the two in parallel are (at least in theory) nice to have as added mitigation. Not really sure I implied additive behavior, but it's good to have an accurate description of the mechanic since this seems to be serving as an impromtu group-think KM guide. Thanks.
On that subject, what is the stacking like on the -dmg component. IIRC the scrapper numbers are -5ish % on most of the st attacks. I assume they don't stack with themselves, just with other powers? If something lives long enough to stack qs/bb/sb/cs/burst -dmg, that should come to ~ 30ish% with scrapper numbers, or am I missing something? I'm interested (mildly, reactive dmg still seems a better choice) in the -dmg component in one of the Interface powers as additive to this. Maybe not enough to be significant though. Still another layer never hurts, but again I am thinking from /regen terms mostly at the moment, and -dmg seems to be a good idea. base debuff + void debuff + maybe the interface debuff might net some interesting results against things that to mad dmg in bursts. |
That's not to say stacking -dam and Resist is bad, it just seems like -Dam could help Defense base sets out a smidgeon more.
The problem with Regen is that Burst damage is it's nemises and it might take a while to lay down all that -dam as well. Pity Scrappers don't get Darkest Night.
A Shield/KM/Soul tank with the Void Radial, Paralytic Radial and Rebirth Radial slots sounds like it'd be a bit of a monster though in terms of stacking lots of -damage on its defenses and being able to kick in a lot of Regen on itself.
Or an Ice/KM/Soul Tank would be even better at it.
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But then you have to consider that while Ice and Shield can benefit a bit more out of -DMG, they also lack the resistance components of other sets.|
Originally Posted by Carnifax_NA
A Shield/KM/Soul tank with the Void Radial, Paralytic Radial and Rebirth Radial slots sounds like it'd be a bit of a monster though in terms of stacking lots of -damage on its defenses and being able to kick in a lot of Regen on itself.
Or an Ice/KM/Soul Tank would be even better at it. |
So while an Ice Armor tanker can have -75% Damage total, he won't have any significant levels of resistance. Stone/Invuln/Elec Tankers can have hardcapped res and softcapped def, so even if they can only get -60% Damage they have a significant survivability advantage still.
Mains (Freedom) @Auroxis
Auroxis - Emp/Rad/Power Defender Pylon Video Soloing an AV
Pelvic Thunder - SS/Elec/Mu Brute
Sorajin - Elec/Nin Stalker
Neuropain - Sonic/Mental/Elec Blaster
I couldn't find any in the Guide sticky. Are they out there and just not listed?