Smashing/Lethal vs Ranged - Which is better?
By
Aett_Thorn,
Posted on: 2011-06-21 08:17 in Player Questions
If its a ranged toon go with ranged. It's not feasible to build for this on some ats. Really depends on what the toon is your rebuilding
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^This.|
Originally Posted by Descend
If its a ranged toon go with ranged. It's not feasible to build for this on some ats. Really depends on what the toon is your rebuilding
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If you're playing a character that is at range all or most of the time, Ranged Defense will be a better option. If you're in melee range all of the time, or alternate between range and melee, then S/L is better.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus
what about aoe? if your at range you can still be hit by aoe if you only have ranged def it won't protect you at all
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If you go S/L, then you have to worry about pure Psi attacks, pure Cold attacks, and pure Energy/Negative Energy Attacks, of which there are more than a few as well.|
Originally Posted by Cheetatron
what about aoe? if your at range you can still be hit by aoe if you only have ranged def it won't protect you at all
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Either way, you're going to have holes, but Ranged def would cover more shots at you than S/L would.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus
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And in addition to Aett's point, keep in mind that a lot of AoEs are cones and PBAoEs, and being out of range of those is something you can do via positioning.
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Originally Posted by Cheetatron
what about aoe? if your at range you can still be hit by aoe if you only have ranged def it won't protect you at all
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Originally Posted by Cheetatron
what about aoe? if your at range you can still be hit by aoe if you only have ranged def it won't protect you at all
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I don't usually worry about AOE attacks:
1.) Enemies are notoriously bad at effectively using AOE's.
2.) AOE's don't pack nearly the damage as most single target attacks.
3.) AOE's don't recharge as quickly so most enemies only manage to get one off before they die.
As an avid blaster player, I always build them for ranged and to heck with AOE. If you are in Melee more often PBAOE's can become more of a concern, because there are quite a few PBAOE's that hit really hard. And they are harder to avoid. But at the same time Smashing and Lethal will provide you with a larger benefit in melee as most of the melee in this game has smashing or lethal in it.
I prefer S/L as most of my characters blap into melee range.
One advanatage of ranged def, is more mez attacks have the ranged attribute than s/l (afaik).
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Smash/Lethal and Ranged Def are really different beasts. |
Originally Posted by DarkInvado
Hey all,
I am rebuilding a some toons to take into account inherent Stamina and Healing as well as the more recent changes. On a few of them I have the choice of building for S/L defense or ranged. Ranged seems to create tighter builds but I feel like it is worth the effort. Which makes for a more durable toon - soft capped S/L or Ranged Defense? Opinions and reasons? |
Typed Defense(Ranged, Melee, AoE) is often preferred for defense because it covers more attacks types. However, Melee Def is difficult to cap, so most folks go for softcapping Smash/Lethal as many melee attacks are Smash(punches) or Lethal(Swords and Blades).
Myself, I'd go for Ranged Def first as there is always some shooting at you. If you're scrappy you're taking down those in Melee with you. If you're Blast-ty stay at range and shoot anyone who gets close first.
Although, if you can do both, do so. Defense is always good to have.
The plastic tips at the end of shoelaces are called aglets. Their true purpose is sinister.
--The Question, JLU
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This is so true. |
Originally Posted by Derangedpolygot
Although, if you can do both, do so. Defense is always good to have. |
My Fire/cold corr with soft cap s/l and 40+% ranged defense feels like a /SR scrapper with all ranged attacks and huge buff/debuff powers. Nothing ever seems to hit him.
Are we talking about on a squishy? Then IMO it's more complex than just s/l vs ranged. You have to consider Toughness and the APP armor (that is, the possible addition of Slash/Lethal resistance).
In practice, usually you end up with one of these 3 possibilities:
1) s/l defense with very little s/l resistance (APP with defense armor)
2) ranged defense with moderate/high s/l resistance (APP with resistance armor)
3) s/l defense with moderate/high s/l resistance (APP with resistance armor)
The difficulty and expense of achieving 1 is lowest and 3 is highest. For some characters 3 may not be achievable at all. Also, the harder you're forced to work for defense, the more difficult it is to grab other buffs, like Recharge. This can limit some classes, like Dominators and Controllers.
Making it even more complex, you have to somehow have the endurance to pay for the extra toggles that step-stone you to high defense. For a lot of characters this means taking Cardiac Alphas. Cardiac Alphas also boost Resistance, so a route that's high in resistance is often desirable.
Anyway the main point is that no matter what your defense is you are still going to get hit eventually. Without any Resistance you will still drop like a rock due to your low HP. And Resistance can't be as easily overcome by -Defense or -ToHit from annoying enemies like Devouring Earth.
Hey all,
I am rebuilding a some toons to take into account inherent Stamina and Healing as well as the more recent changes. On a few of them I have the choice of building for S/L defense or ranged. Ranged seems to create tighter builds but I feel like it is worth the effort.
Which makes for a more durable toon - soft capped S/L or Ranged Defense? Opinions and reasons?