Perhaps the first thing you should be asking yourself is why do you feel the need to ignore part of your powerset?
Quote:
This.|
Originally Posted by Zandock
Perhaps the first thing you should be asking yourself is why do you feel the need to ignore part of your powerset?
|
An Empath who ignores their heals is arguably less terrible than an Empath who ignores their buffs, but it's not hard to heal and buff.
Support Guides for all Corruptor secondaries and Fortunatas
The Melee Teaming Guide for Melee Mans
The Melee Teaming Guide for Melee Mans
I *personally* would only do something like it as the solo build of a dual build option. When people invite an Emp, they *do* expect some insta-HP repair on top of the buffs. (Buffs are good, mind you, and it's good to see you want to concentrate on them.)
I'd also probably go with the aura as opposed to "heal other" if you're only taking one. Why deprive *yourself* of assistance? 
Quote:
My goal with this character is to:|
Originally Posted by Zandock
Perhaps the first thing you should be asking yourself is why do you feel the need to ignore part of your powerset?
|
- Avoid the "you suck because I died and your heals suck" thing I fell into last time I had an emp.
- Keep my team buffed and therefore less likely to NEED healing rather than chase people around and heal them.
- Use my debuffs via my ice set to keep the enemies slowed and attack less.
Last time I had an emp I was playing it as a healer and took next to nothing from my Dark secondary. Took everything emp except absorb pain. So I see no difference skipping 3 powers in one set when I skipped all but 3 from another powerset the other time.
Guardian server is Life!
Founder and Leader and all around greatest member of the Solo-SG, The Charybdis Clan.
Well, I personally wouldn't ignore Healing Aura simply because it's your self heal.
As for the rest... you'll probably encounter some complaints occasionally but it'll drop off as you level up (and healing becomes less important).
Personally I'd take an Empathy who just buffs and blasts over one who just buffs and heals but I'd still prefer one who does all three.
Quote:
Doing one extreme in response to another extreme isn't the answer. You can buff, blast and heal. The heal aspect will go down as you level anyway. If I'm a team leader recruiting for a Posi and I grab an Emp that is unwilling to use heals, then yeah, they are going to hear about it.|
Originally Posted by CharybdisClan
My goal with this character is to:
Last time I had an emp I was playing it as a healer and took next to nothing from my Dark secondary. Took everything emp except absorb pain. So I see no difference skipping 3 powers in one set when I skipped all but 3 from another powerset the other time. |
A side thought. I never got the idea about rolling something you knew you were going to have issues with. It's a game. Have fun. If you are rolling something and building a character in a certain way just because of what others think, you are doing it wrong.
Quote:
I'm not looking for issues. I'm trying it out and wondering what kind of resistance I'd get from people that don't know me. Most everybody on the server knows me (I lick everybody) but some people not so much. I think most of my core friends would be happy to team with me, and any resistance from others on the team would be dealt with in a civil manner by my friends and myself.|
Originally Posted by Amy_Amp
Doing one extreme in response to another extreme isn't the answer. You can buff, blast and heal. The heal aspect will go down as you level anyway. If I'm a team leader recruiting for a Posi and I grab an Emp that is unwilling to use heals, then yeah, they are going to hear about it.
A side thought. I never got the idea about rolling something you knew you were going to have issues with. It's a game. Have fun. If you are rolling something and building a character in a certain way just because of what others think, you are doing it wrong. |
As a side-note, I did use a heal last night on a tank that was taking a beating, just twice. Extreme situations I guess. But I don't want to be recruited to teams for healing only, as I know that Empathy is a fantastic buffing set.
As it stands, I don't know for sure if I'd be UNwilling to use heals; just unlikely. As for why I chose "Heal Other," I planned to not use the healing aura on myself. Heal Other, while a single target, is a more powerful heal than the healing aura.
As for all the other comments, with the ice set I am eager to try it to see how well it slows the opponents down, and whether it will counter-act the lack of heals. The buffs I plan to trick out as much as possible so that I can get as many of the people on the team with Fortitude as often as possible and keep it rolling, and keep throwing off the Recovery and Regen auras. Also, my ice powers will be slotted with as many slows/holds as I can before ED kicks in.
Looking for constructive criticism on this build idea, not "you suck because you're not taking/using a heal." Would appreciate any thoughts. As it stands, I know that I will meet resistance outside of my core friends, but that won't diminish my fun of the character; but as many of you say, the heal will be less necessary in the higher levels.
Side note- I did use heal other on a tank taking a beating last night and my Fortitude hadn't recharged. So I will use it, but I don't want to be recruited to a team simply to be a heal-bot.
Guardian server is Life!
Founder and Leader and all around greatest member of the Solo-SG, The Charybdis Clan.
My general thoughts on that:
Quote:
Honestly, that's what player notes and /ignore are for. If someone blames you for their death, add a player note and don't team with them again.|
Originally Posted by CharybdisClan
Avoid the "you suck because I died and your heals suck" thing I fell into last time I had an emp.
|
Quote:
| Keep my team buffed and therefore less likely to NEED healing rather than chase people around and heal them. |
Quote:
| Use my debuffs via my ice set to keep the enemies slowed and attack less. |
Quote:
| Last time I had an emp I was playing it as a healer and took next to nothing from my Dark secondary. Took everything emp except absorb pain. So I see no difference skipping 3 powers in one set when I skipped all but 3 from another powerset the other time. |
For example consider the Traps powerset. A Trapper who takes seven powers from Traps and skips Trip Mine and Time Bomb is moderately common while a Trapper who took seven powers but skipped Acid Mortar and Force Field Generator would be regarded as a bit odd.
When I look at power sets I tend to rate powers as "do not skip", "very useful", "personal preference" and "worthless".
If I were asked to select the three primary "do not skip" powers from Empathy I would probably list Healing Aura, Fortitude and Adrenalin Boost. Fortitude and AB are obvious, Fortitude is an Empath's primary damage mitigation and Adrenalin Boost is a VERY powerful buff. Healing Aura comes in the list simply because it is the primary AoE mitigation in the set (Regen Aura is more powerful but has limited uptime so can't be relied upon to be available at need).
Quote:
I understand that it will be difficult if not improbable to keep Regen Aura up at all times even with Hasten, recharge cap and maybe the Spiritual Alpha slot (which I'll be getting due to the healing and slow movement or to hit buffs.) But as for the choice over Healing Aura or Heal Other, I thought that Heal Other would be better because then I can heal more hit points on a target that needs it at range rather than get in the middle of the fight and risk immediate aggro and death. Thoughts on that part?|
Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
If I were asked to select the three primary "do not skip" powers from Empathy I would probably list Healing Aura, Fortitude and Adrenalin Boost. Fortitude and AB are obvious, Fortitude is an Empath's primary damage mitigation and Adrenalin Boost is a VERY powerful buff. Healing Aura comes in the list simply because it is the primary AoE mitigation in the set (Regen Aura is more powerful but has limited uptime so can't be relied upon to be available at need).
|
Quote:
| Honestly, that's what player notes and /ignore are for. If someone blames you for their death, add a player note and don't team with them again. |
Guardian server is Life!
Founder and Leader and all around greatest member of the Solo-SG, The Charybdis Clan.
Quote:
Actually it's literally impossible to get it perma (doing so takes 456% recharge and recharge caps at 400%). Having perma-hasten gets you about 50% uptime.|
Originally Posted by CharybdisClan
I understand that it will be difficult if not improbable to keep Regen Aura up at all times even with Hasten, recharge cap and maybe the Spiritual Alpha slot (which I'll be getting due to the healing and slow movement or to hit buffs.)
|
Quote:
| But as for the choice over Healing Aura or Heal Other, I thought that Heal Other would be better because then I can heal more hit points on a target that needs it at range rather than get in the middle of the fight and risk immediate aggro and death. Thoughts on that part? |
Quote:
| I was on an STF where the tanker was a Level 47, had next to no defense, and was trying to tank LR. I was called all sorts of names (and these were people I knew) because I didn't heal fast enough. I decided to delete my first Emp due to that (probably overreacting, but I was really upset by it, and I was still young in my CoX career.) I no longer hang with that group for that and a few other reasons. I know player notes would be fantastic, but I'm afraid of one-starring too many people. |
. Unfortunately there are always going to be jerks in game, the best option is to ignore them and try to find better players.As for being afraid of 1-starring people, why? The nice thing about player notes and ratings is that you're the only person who sees them. 1-starring a lot of people isn't going to cause you any problems from other players (since they won't know) and you can still team with them if you want. A low star rating basically serves to remind you that you've teamed with that person before and had a sub-optimal experience.
Quote:
At this point in the game's life, most of the higher-level teams I encounter understand that generally buffs and debuffs > heals. The ones that don't are usually pretty vocal about their ignorance: "TF team forming. Need healer." I tend to stay well away from those teams.|
Originally Posted by CharybdisClan
Side note- I did use heal other on a tank taking a beating last night and my Fortitude hadn't recharged. So I will use it, but I don't want to be recruited to a team simply to be a heal-bot.
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by CharybdisClan
I was on an STF where the tanker was a Level 47, had next to no defense, and was trying to tank LR. I was called all sorts of names (and these were people I knew) because I didn't heal fast enough.
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
Personally I'd take an Empathy who just buffs and blasts over one who just buffs and heals but I'd still prefer one who does all three.
|
It sounds like most of your problems could be solved by simply ignoring those bad teams. A well rounded Empath who knows how and when to use their buffs, heals and blasts is going to be welcome by any player that is worth their salt. Those people who would deride you for not being able to heal their stupidity aren't worth your time.
Quote:
It sounds like you're going from the one end of "I'm a pure healer and that's all I ever do" to the other end of "I don't have heals at all anymore". This seems... excessive.
|
Originally Posted by CharybdisClan
My goal with this character is to:
Last time I had an emp I was playing it as a healer and took next to nothing from my Dark secondary. Took everything emp except absorb pain. So I see no difference skipping 3 powers in one set when I skipped all but 3 from another powerset the other time. |
Quote:
Not having heals at all will get you more criticism than anything you could possibly do wrong during play. There's no reason you can't do heals and buffs and use your attack powers.|
Originally Posted by CharybdisClan
My goal with this character is to:
|
Having no heals will put you in the same category as "heal bots" who put their Healing Aura on auto and brag about having no attack powers. Bad teams won't want you, which is probably your goal, but good teams won't want you either because you've obviously got a chip on your shoulder.
When you get a tell from someone saying, "we needz a h34l0r" you will know immediately that they're incompetent. Just don't team with them. If you're running regular content with tankers and they're dying something is wrong with their builds or their tactics.
While healing should not be the mainstay of your duties, it is an important ancillary task that you should do as necessary. If you're don't have the powers to do that, you can't be a very good empath.
It took me a while to learn how to monitor the health of my team as an empath: you have to watch the health levels out of the corner of your eye while attacking. But it's a good skill to have; it's especially useful for tankers to sense when the team's in trouble. When you come right down to it, it's a good skill for any AT to have.
In regards to:
Quote:
It really is a matter of play style. I disagree with people who only take Granite and call it a day, but that's me personally. Inertial Reduction, it depends on the player honestly. That's like saying that Gravity Controllers are completely insane or backwards for not taking Dimension Shift and should instead skip Singularity.| Not ignoring part of my powerset any more than people who don't take Crystals or Minerals from the Stone Armor set are, or people who don't take Inertial Reduction from the Kin set do. |
There's some power sets with powers that I will give a crazy look at for not taking, like Sleet/Freezing Rain from their respective, Fortitude for Empathy, Acid Mortar for Traps, etc. Though I'm open to people bringing a different perspective, there's key powers I'd prefer my support set character to have.
Honestly, I don't see too much reason post 25-30 to take more than the AoE heal and one of the ST except very specific circumstances which I tend to give a "*shrug* I plan for the general, not this specific thing when making my builds." Then again, I don't get asked too often about it, because A) I don't play my Empath very much and B) When I do, there tends to be a lack of need for it 9.5 times of 10. Correctly buffing with Fortitude and getting most of my allies with Regen Aura tends to correct most of my healing issues.
I'd say keep the AoE so you can heal yourself, otherwise I see no problem with skipping the heals. I like the insurance policy of the rez (and I have a "well, guess me and/or you need to focus on the you not dying thing" without having to break out a wakie). For me, my most hated power is Clear Mind on Empathy. I want to protect the squishies constantly with it, but don't want to spend the time to buff it when I could be blasting to get my other buffs up faster and continue to help dps and status my enemies so healing isn't needed. Time buffing with Clear Mind -> time not buff/debuff for general survivability (thus creating a need to heal which goes back to the no buff/debuff time once again). Blaster is mezzed? He's got his T1 and T2 blasts for a reason...
Skip Clear Mind for your unconventional build and when people say "zzz" use the AoE heal and say "well, 'zzz' means sleep so I cured it with a quick heal that breaks sleep."
Outside of the dps and holds added from Ice, I'm not sure if that's the best mitigating secondary. I personally like Dark Blast for the -to-hit, immobilizes, and the stun for everything below bosses. Positional with Torret (if you're good with knockback) and a self heal if you really don't want the AoE (or to stack with the AoE for more self-healy goodness). Then again, since you had a bad experience with your last empath that was dark, you may not want to try it again with a new flair.
50s: Bla- Arch/Mental Cont- Mind/FF, Earth/Cold, Ill/Therm, Earth/Rad Dominator- Plant/Psi, Elec/Earth Corr- Fire/Storm, Arch/Sonic, Rad/Kin, Beam/Sonic, Psi/Time Stalker- Elec/SR Def- Storm/Dark, Emp/Psi, Dark/Elec, FF/Arch, TA/Ice, TA/Elec, Kin/AR, Cold/DP, Traps/Psi Scrap- Fire/Shield Tanker- Dark/Mace, Ice/Kin Brute- Claws/WP, SS/Energy, BS/Elec
As others have been saying more or less, build for both unless this is to be some sort of dedicated duo or solo build. No reason not to.
As a member of Green Machine for several years now I've seen some builds with just HA, don't think I've seen one with only HO, though more than a few builds have put it off well into the 20's (My own original GM didn't grab HO until 30th and it remained single slotted on the GM build until very recently, she was pre IO's to 50th). I did recently go thru Praetoria with only HO, figuring as you have that I'd do better with the larger heal and the range. I'd say the 'experiment' was a mixed result. HA would have often helped as much in terms of keeping teammates upright generally ... but personally I sure missed it, particularly when not teamed with fellow Empaths. And both the Praetorian build and GM builds are meant to run with 2 and often 4+ more Empaths around. At that point the +def, RegenA, and AB are generally keeping you upright. And now in the age of IO's even my GM builds tend to have both HA and HO both because the room is there and second where else am I going to fit in my Doctored Wounds sets for all that +recharge I'm aiming at 
Anyway here's one Emp/Ice/Power build (no purples) plenty of blasting power, lacks Rez and Absorb Pain though it would be easy enough to swap stuff around and include one or both of them rather than say vengeance, maneuvers, cj, assault, recall, etc. etc.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.94
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
EmpathyIceBlast GM build (v1.00.i20 sets): Level 50 Natural Defender
Primary Power Set: Empathy
Secondary Power Set: Ice Blast
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Leaping
Ancillary Pool: Power Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Healing Aura -- Dct'dW-Heal(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(7), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(31), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(31)
Level 1: Ice Bolt -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(5), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(9), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), Dev'n-Hold%(36)
Level 2: Ice Blast -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(5), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(9), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), Dev'n-Hold%(36)
Level 4: Heal Other -- Dct'dW-Heal(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(11), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(42), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(42)
Level 6: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(7), RechRdx-I(11)
Level 8: Clear Mind -- Range-I(A)
Level 10: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 12: Fortitude -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(15), LkGmblr-EndRdx/Rchg(15), LkGmblr-Rchg+(36)
Level 14: Super Speed -- Zephyr-ResKB(A), Clrty-Stlth(50)
Level 16: Freeze Ray -- BasGaze-Acc/Rchg(A), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(17), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(17), BasGaze-Slow%(21), Lock-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(37), Lock-%Hold(50)
Level 18: Recovery Aura -- RechRdx-I(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(19), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(19)
Level 20: Ice Storm -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(21), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(43), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(43), Posi-Dam%(43)
Level 22: Tactics -- AdjTgt-ToHit(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(23), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(23), AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg(25), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx(25)
Level 24: Recall Friend -- Winter-ResSlow(A)
Level 26: Regeneration Aura -- Dct'dW-Heal(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(27), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(27), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(40), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(40), Dct'dW-Rchg(45)
Level 28: Bitter Ice Blast -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(29), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(29), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Cloud-%Dam(46)
Level 30: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(37), LkGmblr-EndRdx/Rchg(46), LkGmblr-Rchg+(46)
Level 32: Adrenalin Boost -- Dct'dW-Heal(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(33), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(33), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(33), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(34)
Level 35: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 38: Blizzard -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(39), Posi-Dmg/Rng(40)
Level 41: Power Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48), RechRdx-I(50)
Level 44: Temp Invulnerability -- TtmC'tng-ResDam(A), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(45), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(45)
Level 47: Force of Nature -- RechRdx-I(A), TtmC'tng-ResDam/Rchg(48), Aegis-ResDam/Rchg(48)
Level 49: Vengeance -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 50: Spiritual Core Paragon
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Vigilance
Level 6: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-End%(A)
Code:
| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1465;721;1442;HEX;| |78DA8D934B4F135114C7EFB485DAF26C697923D316E8CB0E1D756F82108352AC8FA| |504077A8126B56DDA4165E71770E5021F89AF952B373E779AA8513F8012133F801B| |1F4BE3A69E39FF5B6CD28D0DCCEFCEB9E79CF9CFFFCCCD5D9DEF16E2DA31A1F51E2| |F59F5FAEABCDC90E582AC79972D7BBB6695920B97AA96BDB5B3B82EE728C1D64FE4| |F4B5ED62A9A0272E9B46366B140F67F5BAB4EB49AF1022DC2C5F9DDBDED83054EDC| |87EF4AC55DE9405839AAD72B7C062794BD664D9369A0B7FBE522919E7AA5216FA78| |B9242DAAAC6F15AB41BE3F2F4BB25AA9D9965DAC94BB9B29D5627933B8502DAE1BF| |9CA157A508E9ACBDACE30694AD3FF059750BF86479CD6843045E729C6C11CB00C2C| |315EFD4BEF10BB84B870DD64786E310EDC6674DF61C41E09A7EA355569AA4AFBEFA| |A15AA722B696E48F3435A12D292909684B428D9DCC14F69B83AD2DCA113F00317A9| |9F17FD8437C5A120DDFB50237C110E5994D5852C7757883BF70680202316260C8B1| |895F6A054EBF94A453E61FA08BDE20D5DFBD4DBF67DA29B09D1FF19D86384BE30A6| |7EBB9C7EE61FC61A5D03A872052038789D778237186FE93AA0EC1878C209A1178CD| |453E019F0923140FAC2D0E709DFE50E83F780FB8CE107C043C634A50F297386C6DC| |CEEBACD3C6887A8F11F83F0AFF47E1781C6388630C87F28C775435A6AAC630EB71C| |C7A1CB38E60C8531879E61B7B11F03A57B83E01D7A7E07A06AE67E07A81B22755F7| |4968D2A14987261D9A22D014818383D43DAA5E2E8A46EF69635AB9390D3767E0E60| |CDC9C819BF1E78C0FE448424D2781E9CC0226F09112D2EAEB4B1B30240564188F7B| |84305407A3D98177664D4688446695C82C448E7BF64F1BFDD14F2CB545F29EFDB32| |5348E2C3B3990D2F0F5D3A1C06E23EF77BE55AC575AD656CB7AAD659D6A7B56B62D| |62B6458EB4458EB645BED3533475ECB40C7BF1B3357452733E8D1FADA10467FD6A0| |DEDF26C9D868D3374304C25FB2FB2E2FF05| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Quote:
Given these criteria (especially the last one) I'd suggest something like a Plant/Emp controller instead. Then you can focus on buffing your team, making the enemies hit themselves and make bits of them with Carrion Creepers and by stacking up Roots.|
Originally Posted by CharybdisClan
My goal with this character is to:
|
My Plant/Emp does have the AOE and single target heal but until the Inherent Stamina change didn't have the Rez at all (and I still avoid the fail that is Absorb Pain). I have the rez now because I also have Power Boost and Vengie (and have been known to "accidently" miss a heal on any idiots who start saying "Stop controlling, just heal", in order to get some use out of their sorry corpse). If you're doing it right no-one will even notice that there aren't many heals happening or needed.
Best bit is when you join a team and render "dedicated healorz" obsolete (as happened with me on a Citedal TF, the dedicated healer dropped two missions before the end and no-one even noticed. Then the Tank dropped at the start of the last mission and we still breezed it with the Warshade taking over Tank the AV duties).
Quote:
Yes you are. Powers vary greatly in usefulness and how often the situations in which they're useful come up. You really can't compare three powers in empathy which make up a great deal of its overall performance to a single power in kinetics whose purposes are to let you get a travel power without a prerequisite and as a novelty for your teammates.|
Originally Posted by CharybdisClan
Not ignoring part of my powerset any more than people who don't take Crystals or Minerals from the Stone Armor set are, or people who don't take Inertial Reduction from the Kin set do.
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by CharybdisClan
Last time I had an emp I was playing it as a healer and took next to nothing from my Dark secondary. Took everything emp except absorb pain. So I see no difference skipping 3 powers in one set when I skipped all but 3 from another powerset the other time.
|
First
I'm going to suggest you read Green Machine specs and tactics:
http://www.repeat-offenders.net/foru...faq-and-guide/
Next
Quote:
Bad players are bad players, and it really appears that you are still over-reacting to the bad players. To completely ignore healing is only a bit less worse than ignoring your buffs.| I was on an STF where the tanker was a Level 47, had next to no defense, and was trying to tank LR. I was called all sorts of names (and these were people I knew) because I didn't heal fast enough. I decided to delete my first Emp due to that (probably overreacting, but I was really upset by it, and I was still young in my CoX career.) I no longer hang with that group for that and a few other reasons. I know player notes would be fantastic, but I'm afraid of one-starring too many people. |
I would never consider a "Heal Other only" build viable; However, an Healing Aura only build is viable, at least within the framework of a Green Machine style team. Heal Other, Absorb Pain, and Resurrect are all optional for Green Machines, but useful none the less.
I would consider a "Heal Aura only" Green Machine build viable. There's currently an evil-empath project running in RO based on Green Machines. There are definitely viable "Heal Aura only" Green Machine builds, both past and present. But, as Gamewolf mentions, it's not that hard to fit in Heal Other with Heal Aura, and it's a great place to put Doctored Wounds, and makes your build more flexible and more applicable to a greater range of situations.
Third
I've personally not run empaths in years, much for the same reasons you dont' want to run a "healer". Traps and Veats have become entirely more my style: Buffing, helping team-mates, ressing using temp powers, but being entirely self-sufficient, tough as nails, and I never take any flak for not using my "Healing Arrow" power even when I'm playing with total morons. All of which is easily fixed by not playing with morons, but sometimes even in a large coalition like RO, people are off on other servers and projects and I want to team, leaving me with only one option other than soloing: morons.
So, if you want a "not healzor" empath, I'd look at Green Machine and similar "Balanced" builds.
In fact, I'd suggest you start a new topic something like "Need Help with Emp/Ice or Emp/Sonic for balanced soloable empath ?"
Fourth
Here's a quick Sample Green Machine Based Build. Probably needs cardiac to survive the RA downtime. Control based ancillary would likely be better for soloing, but defense/resist based better for teaming. I even like the abysmal Emp/Elec for it's hold and endurance drain for solo play, even if it's actual offensive punch is a bit anemic. Personally, I think I'd either go Emp/Ice or Emp/Sonic, with an edge toward Emp/Sonic for the lower endurance usage. Emp/Sonic can also branch out into control as well, for soloing purposes. Emp/Ice has built-in control, and better overall performance, but at the cost of higher endurance consumption.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Emp Elec (v1.00.i19 Musculature Radial Paragon): Level 50 Magic Defender
Primary Power Set: Empathy
Secondary Power Set: Ice Blast
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Power Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Healing Aura -- Dct'dW-Heal:50(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx:50(7), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg:50(9), Dct'dW-Rchg:50(9), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg:50(11)
Level 1: Ice Bolt -- Decim-Acc/Dmg:40(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx:40(3), Decim-Dmg/Rchg:40(3), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:40(5), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:40(5), Dev'n-Hold%:50(7)
Level 2: Ice Blast -- Decim-Acc/Dmg:40(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx:40(11), Decim-Dmg/Rchg:40(13), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:40(13), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:40(15), Dev'n-Hold%:50(15)
Level 4: Heal Other -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx:50(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg:50(17), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg:50(19), Dct'dW-Rchg:50(19), Dct'dW-Heal:50(21)
Level 6: Frost Breath -- Posi-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:50(21), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(23), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(23), Posi-Dam%:50(25), ImpSwft-Dam%:30(25)
Level 8: Clear Mind -- Range-I:50(A)
Level 10: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(27)
Level 12: Fortitude -- LkGmblr-Rchg+:25(A), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg:50(27), LkGmblr-Def:50(29)
Level 14: Aim -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(29)
Level 16: Hover -- Zephyr-Travel:50(A), Zephyr-Travel/EndRdx:50(31), Zephyr-ResKB:50(31)
Level 18: Recovery Aura -- RechRdx-I:50(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg:50(33), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg:50(33)
Level 20: Ice Storm -- Posi-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:50(33), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(34), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(34), Posi-Dam%:50(34), ImpSwft-Dam%:30(36)
Level 22: Maneuvers -- LkGmblr-Rchg+:25(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(36), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx:50(36)
Level 24: Assault -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 26: Regeneration Aura -- Dct'dW-Heal:50(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx:50(37), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg:50(37), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg:50(37), Dct'dW-Rchg:50(39)
Level 28: Bitter Ice Blast -- Decim-Acc/Dmg:40(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx:40(39), Decim-Dmg/Rchg:40(39), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:40(40), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:40(40), Dev'n-Hold%:30(40)
Level 30: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A)
Level 32: Adrenalin Boost -- Dct'dW-Heal:50(A), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx:50(42), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg:50(42), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:50(42), Dct'dW-Rchg:50(43), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg:50(43)
Level 35: Freeze Ray -- Lock-Acc/Rchg:50(A), Lock-Rchg/Hold:50(43), Lock-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold:50(45), Lock-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold:50(45), Lock-Acc/Hold:50(45), Lock-%Hold:50(46)
Level 38: Blizzard -- Posi-Acc/Dmg:50(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:50(46), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:50(46), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(48), Posi-Dam%:50(48)
Level 41: Power Build Up -- RechRdx-I:50(A)
Level 44: Temp Invulnerability -- TtmC'tng-ResDam:50(A), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx:50(48), TtmC'tng-ResDam/Rchg:50(50)
Level 47: Force of Nature -- Aegis-ResDam/Rchg:50(A), TtmC'tng-ResDam/Rchg:50(50), RechRdx-I:50(50)
Level 49: Vengeance -- LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(A)
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon
Level 0: Geas of the Kind Ones
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clrty-Stlth:50(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Vigilance
Level 6: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I:50(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+:40(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:50(31)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I:50(A), EndMod-I:50(17)
Code:
| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1471;732;1464;HEX;| |78DA65534B6F125118BD43A108A52D14B04FDAA1B4E5650788BA7065525B932A545| |293AE6CEA14A6300902E1A176E71F70E5C2D7DEB872A34677BEA3FE05F52FF8D8F8| |DCE0C7776EE9244CE09E3BDF9CF33DEFCD5D5FF50871E3B45046CE54F4667367D5D| |833AA45A3E1C8E925B3905ABB5257D72A46418D5DCD68E9B466664EA9B976B3D0AE| |E8AD76C35037F5A2A957D4BCDED04BB56ADC2984081EB8D85969EFED69E4416F95F| |7277BD64DBD5A328ADA7AC1D859A1902DDF7AB56C348C6A4B3BD8B8F3B55A45BB58| |378CE2106FCF56CC52B935CAFBACA1939766D9AC7B0EDEEB66B534B656370B5ABE7| |68D22E4C8ABD1D89FA06492F4BF6413F2E9D8C50545888C183CCF702407C833B8B3| |0C2F0EE90E719B202A6C77007719ECF701F718061F8AAEEA25A914A952A07243E58| |1CA03FA08C423506D936A40A636809CBCC8620CA98D21B500D27E4574870CE278CC| |1E024F188E3E053C6398780E7840AA90B84C2A2754C299E02FF3F4EEE2743B8A2BC| |9A629804EE421906D4341A24C88291F079F0930BC26C23008CA3034330017391D85| |53DBE8275BD734FB19F0856197569F24F8A0516FF217F516C35B5AFDB23E3FEA535| |15F18F585515F18F545509F8FE206A5DB20528E7839D7881B4D24C23808623CCCD2| |02459A84C93E89E62EA0FF0B68FC02C6B084FEBF23FAB44C6C1AD35DC2749730DD2| |8A61BC574A3DDE986849FE28664DCD04902FB802892A739E9690E81E3081C47E0F8| |0643028113E8CF1B5AE7A56AFE179B12BF198EFD01FC05FC6458FEC7F09ED64579B| |A16D1CE65B47319ED4CA19D29B4F3039DC4983C27318CE7239992B2B5498D334A25| |1832498647741434795CB48CF54B061E02D483B4749A0EE220D97B178C7EF488ACD| |5E2E2DCF3F6DE7D120A9336BA24E4D271797B17A19377B38CF7DB96BD6ED9EF5AF6| |89BEF0E93E4BA6CF72BCCF72A2CFF295A22872DE4A84CBFF7E685294734AF770CC6| |E7117BE59C93126FFB09255367901597F7745FE5B965AFE036695FC7F| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Quote:
I can't speak for others, but personally, I'd look at your build, wonder why you'd shortchange it so, shake my head and keep playing normally.
|
Originally Posted by CharybdisClan
what kinds of opposition would you expect from people I might team with?
|
Quote:
I know, it's really weird isn't it?
|
Originally Posted by Linea_Alba
PS: *Face Palm* I never thought I'd see the day I'd have to defend taking a healing power on an empath. *head desk*
|
Wondering if your ice blasts would make up for you not healing and buffing? No, they would not. Thats why teams have proper debuffers, you know, like a PRIMARY set of debuffs?
The ice blasts are your secondary..your asking if you should be using that MORE than your primary? Need a dictionary?
Its like a ice rad corr never using his rad toggles and saying..its ok..im slowing the baddies down..who needs those silly toggles!
Not to mention..WHY even make an emp if your skipping the heals? Make a rad and get the same aoe heal and debuffs..
Non healing emps are fine..IF they are buffing enough so the team doesnt need healing. Which is helping a team more..lil fender ice blasts..or keeping everyone from being hit, mezzed and at full hp?
Thanks for those answering civilly. Much appreciated.
As for the builds, I'll happily get to them when I'm less drunk. What I was able to skim through on them seemed very helpful, especially with the non-purple part (only planning to purple two toons out.)
Third, the reasons for the HA rather than HO are logical and I was waiting on respeccin' her until I got some cogent arguments regarding it. I'll prolly hit her up on the HA rather than HO.
Fourth, I should state that the incident with the STF happened well over a year and a half ago, probably two years ago. My deletion of my first emp was over a year ago. This isn't a "holy cow I'm upset and want to go the complete opposite because I'm upset" thing, it's something I've been thinking about doing for quite some time; at least a few months. This has been thought of and planned off and on for a while, and on a whim I decided to make her, then sidelined her for a month before playing with her the past week. I, too, avoid teams that say "healer wanted." That makes me think that team is going to just run into situations that they shouldn't be. But I wanted to make an attempt at an emp that was solely buff and not a heal-bot. As I said, I figured that there would be resistance, but those people wouldn't know me very well as it was so I wasn't worried about them.
As for the player notes, I'm just too nice a guy, and even though nobody else can see them, I feel bad seeing a 1 star above somebody's head unless they were complete and utter tools.
To those that decided to be snarky in their replies to this thread, I have but this to say: <licks snarky people, drools.>
(Ask anybody on Guardian about me and licking. They'll tell ya.)
Thanks again all!
Guardian server is Life!
Founder and Leader and all around greatest member of the Solo-SG, The Charybdis Clan.
If you like to buff, there are other sets like Kin or bubbles.
Play a bubbler mastermind, that'll keep your buffing fingers busy!
Search-fu is weak in me, and I tried lots of permutations, so if this has been asked/discussed before, shoot me and I will accept it.
I'm making a heal-less Emp/Ice Defender. Naturally, I had to take a heal power as my first power choice for the Emp side, but I plan to not keep it in my tray (took the Heal Other for potentially extreme situations.) Now, the only powers I plan to take from the Emp set are the buffs; not even resurrection.
Essentially, my questions are: has anybody else tried/done this, and what kinds of opposition would you expect from people I might team with?
Guardian server is Life!
Founder and Leader and all around greatest member of the Solo-SG, The Charybdis Clan.