Help with AR/Energy blaster build for PvE greatness!
By
Another_Fan,
Posted on: 2011-06-11 06:25 in Blasters
AR is the worst powerset possibly in the entire game
Quote:
Ignore this.. |
Originally Posted by Dz131
AR is the worst powerset possibly in the entire game
|
Assault Rifle, especially when paired with Energy Manipulation, is one of the best AOE blaster sets out there.
The synergy between AR & EM is amazing.
Assault Rifle gives you 3 cone attacks: Buckshot, Flamethrower & Full-Auto. Combined with perma Boost Range, the cones cover a huge area, easily allowing you to hit the target cap with every attack.
Full-Auto is a fast recharging tier 9, that is up every 30 seconds or less.
EM gives you Build-Up as early as level 4.
EM has extremely hard hitting melee attacks, which makes up for the somewhat mediocre single-target damage of AR. Ignite is handy against AV's if they are kept generally stationary.
Bean Bag & Total Focus allows you to stack stuns to quickly neutralize boss-rank enemies. For even more fun with stuns, you can add in Power Boost from Energy Manipulation.
I've lost count of the purple drops I've gotten running the wall in Cimerora with my AR/EM blaster, where he usually runs laps around scrappers, brutes and tankers..
I'm at work right now, but I will post a build later on when I get home..
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Panzerwaffen
Ignore this..
Assault Rifle, especially when paired with Energy Manipulation, is one of the best AOE blaster sets out there. The synergy between AR & EM is amazing. Assault Rifle gives you 3 cone attacks: Buckshot, Flamethrower & Full-Auto. Combined with perma Boost Range, the cones cover a huge area, easily allowing you to hit the target cap with every attack. Full-Auto is a fast recharging tier 9, that is up every 30 seconds or less. EM gives you Build-Up as early as level 4. EM has extremely hard hitting melee attacks, which makes up for the somewhat mediocre single-target damage of AR. Ignite is handy against AV's if they are kept generally stationary. Bean Bag & Total Focus allows you to stack stuns to quickly neutralize boss-rank enemies. For even more fun with stuns, you can add in Power Boost from Energy Manipulation. I've lost count of the purple drops I've gotten running the wall in Cimerora with my AR/EM blaster, where he usually runs laps around scrappers, brutes and tankers.. I'm at work right now, but I will post a build later on when I get home.. |
The counterpoint AR is very poor in single target, the rifle imposes a redraw penalty every time you switch from the secondary to the primary . The cones are all 10 target cap and the best cone full auto is very narow, while buckshot and flame thrower need boost range because they are so short.
Yes ignite is hand against AVs if kept stationary. Problem is you have no way to do that till you get to your epics.
AR also does not have aim. This costs you a solid 30% of your overall damage when launching those big AOEs as a first strike.
Truth Full auto is made for the wall. It would be nice if all the game's spawns were laid out in a line and only had about 10 mobs
Quote:
A group could be 40+ ft wide and still be sprayed by bullets with boost range.|
Originally Posted by Another_Fan
Truth Full auto is made for the wall. It would be nice if all the game's spawns were laid out in a line and only had about 10 mobs
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Latest upgrade is Steampunk, AR/NRG looks like one of those that fits the bill.
It ain't always about the best ST, AR does great AoE/s without having to lose an endurance bars worth of end. With conserve energy you can afford to worry about endurance management less for greater recharge too so overtime you do even greater aoe dps.
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
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It just cant have more than 10 be a double group or have an odd shape|
Originally Posted by New Dawn
A group could be 40+ ft wide and still be sprayed by bullets with boost range.
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Quote:
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Latest upgrade is Steampunk, AR/NRG looks like one of those that fits the bill. It ain't always about the best ST, AR does great AoE/s without having to lose an endurance bars worth of end. With conserve energy you can afford to worry about endurance management less for greater recharge too so overtime you do even greater aoe dps. |
If youre looking for a natural/spec ops type character go with Archery. You'll be much happier. It has much better ST, the best ranged nuke in the game and a ACC bonus to all your moves.
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Heh, I was going to jokingly comment by fixing it like this; Energy Blast/Energy Manipulation. |
Originally Posted by Dz131
AR is the worst powerset possibly in the entire game
|
Just passing through...
------->"Sic Semper Tyrannis"<-------
Hello, never posted before but this has caused me to post. AR is not the worst power set in the game, depending on the situation far from it. I've been playing my AR/Fire/Mun on and off for the past 5 years happily. It may not have the best ST attacks, but it doesn't really matter when after the first 2 cones you've only got the bosses to deal with and they are almost dead from the AoE's anyway (no matter how much resistance they have)
Sure most of it's damage may be heavily resisted and it's more AoE focused then the other sets but thats the point.... It's an AoE damage set so saying it lacks ST potential is pretty obvious.
Never used EM but AR i've played for ages. All of the cones and AoE's are must have in my opinion. The lack of aim isn't really that noticeable if you use your buildup. After the first few levels the lack of ST damage isn't really that hampering as the AoEs more then make up for it imo.
Full Auto can put out some amazing damage if used after buildup and slotted right.
Buckshot and M30 are great for both finishing off minions that may have escaped the fiery rain of bullets and are also great for bring some soft control by occasionally throwing the lieutenants around (i always find that fun)
Flamethrower is a must have, Fire damage with a great DoT cone is great to round off the AoE.
Slug and Burst are the only real ST attacks in the set but Slug puts out respectable damage (especially when slotted) and burst does a nice -def component to it's attacks. Whilst they aren't exceptional, they are nice to have to finish off enemies when the AoEs are recharging.
And besides, thematically using a gun is just awesome. Who doesn't like firing indiscriminately into a mob.
I had some ideas I was kicking around, like this one
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showp...66&postcount=5
Soft-cap to S/L with Full Auto up every 18 secs. This build sort of assumes you'll take Clarion for perma-mez protect. I have another one I'll try to post that works in Acro earlier and gives up Power Boost (because I couldn't really see what it was boosting much to justify the power pick).
And here's the other version. This one works in Acro for more mez protect without relying on Clarion (I know Acro sucks but it basically lets you dodge 1 mez). And I pulled out 1 set of Kinetic Combat to save on costs. This is the one I'm working towards right now. The biggest problems here may be the underslotting of Energy Punch and Bonesmasher.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
AR EM: Level 50 Magic Blaster
Primary Power Set: Assault Rifle
Secondary Power Set: Energy Manipulation
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Medicine
Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Slug -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(5), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(7), ExStrk-Dam%(46)
Level 1: Power Thrust -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(36), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(36), KBDist-I(37)
Level 2: Burst -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(9), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(9), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(11), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), Achilles-DefDeb/Rchg(50)
Level 4: Energy Punch -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(23), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(23), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31)
Level 6: Build Up -- Rec'dRet-ToHit(A), Rec'dRet-ToHit/Rchg(45), RechRdx-I(46)
Level 8: Buckshot -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(13), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(13), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(15), Posi-Dam%(15), ExStrk-Dam%(46)
Level 10: Bone Smasher -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx(34), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg(36), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(17), ULeap-Stlth(40)
Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(31), RechRdx-I(34)
Level 16: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(17)
Level 18: Flamethrower -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(19), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(19), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(21), Posi-Dam%(21)
Level 20: Kick -- Empty(A)
Level 22: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(37), RctvArm-EndRdx/Rchg(39), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(40), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(43)
Level 24: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(25), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(25)
Level 26: Ignite -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(27), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(27), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(29), Posi-Dam%(29)
Level 28: Super Jump -- Winter-ResSlow(A)
Level 30: Aid Other -- Empty(A)
Level 32: Full Auto -- Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(A), Ragnrk-Dmg(33), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(33), Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx(34), Posi-Dam%(40)
Level 35: Boost Range -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 38: Aid Self -- Numna-Heal/EndRdx(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg(39), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(39)
Level 41: Web Envelope -- Enf'dOp-EndRdx/Immob(A), Enf'dOp-Acc/Rchg(42), Enf'dOp-Immob/Rng(42), Enf'dOp-Acc/EndRdx(42), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob/Rchg(43), Enf'dOp-Acc/Immob(43)
Level 44: Scorpion Shield -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(45), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(45)
Level 47: Summon Spiderlings -- ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(A), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(48), S'bndAl-Dmg/Rchg(48), S'bndAl-Build%(50), Achilles-DefDeb/Rchg(50)
Level 49: Acrobatics -- EndRdx-I(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg(A)
Level 1: Defiance
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A), EndMod-I(3), EndMod-I(3)
Code:
I guess the last thing I'd say is that AR/EM is never really going to outperform a strong Huntsman (SOA) build -- you pick up Full Auto, some burst capability, and some gems like Boost Range, but at the expense of mez protect, debuffs, resistance, and the other tools of a Huntsman. And yes AR/ gets better gun models | Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1374;653;1306;HEX;| |78DA65935B6F12511485CFC0202D2D965EB8F506F446CB65045B7D6D6AAD8949495| |AF09D4CE84827C1618469226FFE04AFA95AFF851A4D7CF10FA9D5477DC03D7B1D28| |664838DF39EB5CD69A3D732A4FEE4E0AF1745728E1FD96DEEDD6EF50EB189D40456| |F9A8DC05E357D50090A2116A55EAFEA56D338D1F6BA5DFDACE5D4ABE6C396B13A98| |AC9DD976BBE3680796D169F6EA15DD32EDB396EE986D6BFABE756A740CCBD1069DC| |9A376BBA51D1ABA6D5ACD100F6AB6619C84B97BCF6C9E3A348151C538311BA66524| |0F6CB3A10DEC2A7AC3A0C6EDF71214729DFE1B62F0EB07C439212BD4B7C03BC6B50| |BE00DA3D8F309312B1E5DED52C51161452CD718ABC74095B1B64528B391224D1498| |8CC1640CC786E0158257F91B9B5834F06397DF0F93184E8F55472DDBD406B0CE17B| |8E0AD85F78C629EEDB3D406A57DF0034B931F814F8CEB9F812F0CF98C360DC6A5FD| |38EC33FF3F1CEC6374F48402FB89A8E29E10996364FD3E172BB4202C1784916819C| |8008FA99D829332052902B8EDB4ACF33492CF20F90C92CF21F91C92FB826E705E2E| |66FBF4137E52A2F056A3CB8A5BDDB5146323CDC86618B9386149A8B43C2EA3C6F12| |C093C4B22C228D05452064A22D03C02CD23D022022D22509CCE5B90811616FCAEB4| |14748D202D71C622F553F2F5A4B6B964E99BC00E708B91B9CDC8E268C72D3EA28A1| |5542B15C437EDA65F3FE6BC1B35E001E34F44884DE9B4F99CA5AD67C04BE00523F7| |0A78CDF84BBBF2B2287914A580A2145094AFF48A3479AC76C9216FFC067E01BB8CF| |23E80CF3B41694BB210A50CAAA60EAF9590D72AA30EEE4EBF9F1B9DE6D2953C4AD9| |A36C7B941D8F72E8518ED4E195150A2BE391E175EC7F0FD1AC323AFBD3A3FCF0289| |7578A4F39E75AF8D26204FF0018D9EC42| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
But check out the SOA boards for some huntsman tips.
Boost Range alone makes AR a great primary. You can hit a group with Full Auto 130+ feet away. As they run at you (As most enemy range is too short to counterattack), hit them with M30 Grenades/Slugs and if they're not dead by then, finish them off with Buckshots/Flamethrower.
Here is a secondary build I am thinking about making with Mace Mastery chosen as my epic. The idea is to immobilize a group with Web Envelope and shred them to bits where they stand. The build cost will be around 2.5 billion.
I am going to play around with the build some more before I create it to try to get some more endurance.
Code:
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looks for the OP ... he's dead jim ....
My next character is going to be an Assault Rifle / Energy Manipulation blaster... obviously! I am looking for some builds to be thrown on this thread or maybe even help on building my own.
Any help is welcomed whether it be a Mids build or just experience from playing this power combo.
Thank you.