Budget Build(s)

Returning player.

Have a pair of tanks that I would like to upgrade to the inherent Fitness pools and other i20 goodies. One is an Ice/SS and the other is a Stone/Ice. Are there any builders free that can help an old player out that has a limited Inf budget? Thank you in advance.

Hey there! And welcome back!

Sounds like the first things you need is Mids' Hero Planner. It's an excellent tool for losing hours of your life and for seeing how IO slotting will affect your tanker. I highly recommend trying it out before you get a build from someone else. It's an excellent learning tool.

Also, before anyone can make a "budget build" for you, we need to know what kind of budget you have. Also, are you familiar with the Alignment Merit system and the IO recipes it makes available to everyone on a smaller budget? And, last but not least, you'll need to let us know what you'd like to see for you tankers before we can just suggest a build. There's not a lot of point in someone taking the time to make a build only to hear you say later, "Oh, that's not what I was looking to do with my tank."

Best of luck!

Thank you, Rylas.

I do have Mids and have built a couple builds ("losing hours" as you put it has been dedicated to building decent Fortunata builds currently), but they are mostly pure SO builds. My budget can fluctuate and, yes, I do know of the new Merit/Alignment system and have been making strides towards the Hero/Villain merits.

My Ice/SS used to be teamed with a Kin-fender, so I never needed lots of +Recharge SOs/IOs. Had perma-Rage, no Hurl/Handclap or Taunt (never needed it with Chilling Embrace, Icicles, and Foot Stomp), and had every other SS power and all of the Ice Armor powers. Mostly used her for TFs and AVs. Looking to keep her more AOE minded with the boosted difficulty sliders with an eye on these Incarnate trials (her Alpha is unlocked thanks to the new Account Merits).

The Stone/Ice was just a side-project and theme character, but was always another fun one to play. She just had a straight leveling build and I was never interested in taking her on Raids much.

Well, for budget builds, it easier to seperate primaries from secondaries.

ice/ is very cheap (unless you want the LOTG +7.5% recharges).
armors can be frankenslotted with 4 def/end (maximizing both defense and endurance, same as 6 slotted SO). A bit expensive, but you'll find, if you 4 slot armors, you can get cheaper lower levels (e.g. LOTG def/end in the 30's)
hoarfrost - doctored wounds, great set
EA, hibernate - You can also use cheap sets. doc wounds end/rech, rech, and heal/rech about max out hibernate for recharge (end/rech are dirt cheap, but the end/ part wont help).
EA can be frankenslotted wtih end/rech x2 and recharge (max recharge. a 4th slot can be a cheap endmod IO.

I find crushing impact to be a great set for attacks, you can get +7% (global) accuracy and 5% recharge. You have a kin-fender, but SB is 50%, but will you always be certain they will be there?

anotehr nice thing about doctored wounds and crushing impact, they are cheap to craft too.

The cheapest build is just go SO's.
I used to go 2 accuracy, 3 damages and either 1 recharge or end red. Ice has EA, so endruance recovery wont be a problem.


Rylas had some good tips, but finding +SL defense can be expensive and no budget was stated. Mocking beratement can be 4 slotted for 2.5% SL defense and is dirt cheap.
if you have extra slots, drop 2 into rage for retified reticle (1.88% SL).
if you want you can take hand clap and slot taunt (mocking beratement) into it.

as for AOE minded, you have 2 real options: pyre (for fireball), or energy (energy torrent), assuming you dont go ebil for patron pools. laser beam eyes have -14% def debuff, and energy torrent is knockdown.

I haven't checked the prices at Wentworth's in months, so hopefully the same sets that were cheap then, are still cheap.


For me, I'd go with a balanced budget build. Something like this:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Natural Tanker
Primary Power Set: Ice Armor
Secondary Power Set: Super Strength
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Medicine
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Frozen Armor -- S'dpty-Def/EndRdx(A), S'dpty-Def/Rchg(3), S'dpty-Def(3), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(37)
Level 1: Jab -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(9), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(9), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36)
Level 2: Chilling Embrace -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 4: Haymaker -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(5), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(5), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7), F'dSmite-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(45)
Level 6: Wet Ice -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 8: Hoarfrost -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-Heal(11), Dct'dW-Rchg(17), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg(17), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(21), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(39)
Level 10: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I(A)
Level 12: Icicles -- C'ngBlow-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngBlow-Dmg/EndRdx(13), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg(13), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx(15), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(37)
Level 14: Taunt -- Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(A), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg(36)
Level 16: Super Jump -- Jump-I(A)
Level 18: Glacial Armor -- S'dpty-Def/EndRdx(A), S'dpty-Def/Rchg(19), S'dpty-Def(19), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(21)
Level 20: Knockout Blow -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(23), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(23), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), EoCur-Acc/Hold/Rchg(34)
Level 22: Boxing -- S'ngH'mkr-Acc/Dmg(A), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx(34), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), S'ngH'mkr-Dmg/Rchg(46), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46)
Level 24: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx(A), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg(25), RctvArm-ResDam(25), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(27)
Level 26: Energy Absorption -- S'dpty-Def/Rchg(A), S'dpty-Def(27), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx(29), Efficacy-EndMod(29), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg(31), Efficacy-EndMod/EndRdx(46)
Level 28: Rage -- AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg(A), AdjTgt-EndRdx/Rchg(33), AdjTgt-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(33), AdjTgt-ToHit(39)
Level 30: Weave -- RedFtn-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFtn-Def/Rchg(31), RedFtn-EndRdx/Rchg(31), RedFtn-Def(40), RedFtn-EndRdx(40), RedFtn-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(43)
Level 32: Hibernate -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(37)
Level 35: Aid Other -- Empty(A)
Level 38: Aid Self -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx(A), Dct'dW-Rchg(39), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg(42), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Dct'dW-Heal(43), IntRdx-I(43)
Level 41: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(42)
Level 44: Laser Beam Eyes -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(45), Thundr-Acc/Dmg(45), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(50), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(50), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(50)
Level 47: Physical Perfection -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(48), Heal-I(48), Heal-I(48)
Level 49: Permafrost -- S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(40)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(15)


You'd really want to have Kinetic Combat sets in your attacks instead of the Smashing Haymakers, but they may be out of your budget. You can always substitute them later if you get the cash.

6 slotting Icicles with 3 Cleaving Blow, and 3 Eradication would also give you a nice boost to ENG/NEG defense to get you closer to the 59% defense trial soft cap I've been hearing about.


I added Aid Self because of my experience with my Invul on the Keyes TF I had today. I just didn't have enough regen to overcome the constant 1500+ damage from the 30 second pulses while trying to tank without healing. Dull Pain just wasn't up enough, and I'd imagine the same would happen to Ice with Hoarfrost. Just do the old Footstomp then Aid Self trick if you start to get low on health.
I may have to respec back into medicine as well like back in issue...10?...I can't even remember, it's been so long.

Anyways, I hope this helps.

For your Ice/SS, you don't need to build your defense up past ~47%. Getting to a spawn first and firing off EA will put you up to ~55-57% which is more than enough to get through the iTrials. Admittedly, starting out with just the alpha level shift is a bit rough, but once you get the hang of things it balances out in your favor. After you get the other 2 level shifts it'll be almost like non incarnate content.

Basically main goals for Ice/ is:
-softcap s/l/e/n (you can get f/c/p defense if you want. I prefer Darkest Night to cover those). This goal isn't too bad on the wallet.

Apart from it's inherent +def toggles, all you need to achieve 45% is tough/weave, a steadfast +3% def IO (perfect for permafrost), and CJ/Hover. Tough gets 4 reactive armors and your 3 def toggles need to be slotted close to the ED cap. Mine I use LotG: +rech, def, def/end, and def/end/rech. CJ/Hover just needs a LotG: +rech and your 5th one can go into EA (just an FYI). All of this will have you sitting at ~42.5% so all you need is 2 different attack sets in order to fill in the rest (Kinetic Combat for s/l and Eradication/Basilisk Gaze for e/n).

-Perma Hoarfrost. In fact, going past perma is even better as, unless you have another heal, you'll want Hoarfrost back often to use as a heal. Cramming in +rech is where the build begins to get expensive.

-Slot EA for rech/endmod/def. If you can get your hands on a couple membranes, they go great in EA.

-Other set bonuses for +hp/regen/rech. You want enough +hp to be able to cap hp with Hoarfrost up. Regen I try to shoot for 1% hp/sec to heal back minor-moderate damage. Recharge to get your goodies back - I've got 82.5% pre-Hasten on my Ice/Ice/Soul.

Finally, a suggestion to think about - stacking damage debuffs with CE. CE is a 14% dmg. You can go Soul for DN for an additional 21% and then choose diamagnetic/void for your interface/judgement slots to stack even more. I don't remember the numbers for diamagnetic but void radial has a 50% debuff. So just using CE, DN, and Void Radial you're looking at 85% dmg debuff for the duration of Void.

CJ and Hover can both be run at the same time, and CJ costs almost zero endurance. It's one of the most effective ways of getting extra Defense there is. That said, I'm throwing out a wild guess, having never played SS, that Foot Stomp cannot be used unless on the ground, so Hover may be a Bad Idea(TM). Someone who has used SS can probably confirm yes or no on that.

Hibernate does NOT, I REPEAT NOT need recharge. Base recharge for Tanker Hibernate is 120s. After exiting Hibernate, you are granted a power called NoPhase, which prevents you from entering Hibernate (Or I presume similar phase powers like Phase Shift from the Concealment pool, though I haven't tested that) for 120s. Thus, the power cannot be used any sooner than it's base recharge of 120s, and adding more recharge is a waste of slots and influence. Throw a basic Heal IO in the included slot, and call it good.

Doh. I forgot that the secondary was /SS so you'd be using CJ. /SM would be another secondary like this. The rest should be free to use either CJ or Hover. Heck, Stealth could even be used, instead.

CJ is the cheapest option, though.