NEED CRITIQUE - PvE - Defender - Storm/Ice - Mid's Build Included

I've scoured through dozens of threads for great ideas. This is what I've come up with for myself. Any advice is welcome.


Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.952
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Mutation Defender
Primary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Secondary Power Set: Ice Blast
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Power Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: O2 Boost -- Numna-Heal(A)
Level 1: Ice Bolt -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(5), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37)
Level 2: Ice Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(7), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37)
Level 4: Super Speed -- Winter-RunSpd/Jump/Fly/Rng(A), Winter-RunSpd/Jump/Fly/Rng/EndRdx(9), Winter-ResSlow(43)
Level 6: Steamy Mist -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(7), HO:Ribo(11), HO:Ribo(13), GA-3defTpProc(21), GA-End/Res(37)
Level 8: Fly -- Zephyr-ResKB(A)
Level 10: Freezing Rain -- Achilles-ResDeb%(A), LdyGrey-DefDeb/Rchg(15), LdyGrey-DefDeb/Rchg/EndRdx(17), LdyGrey-Rchg/EndRdx(17), LdyGrey-%Dam(46), P'ngTtl-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow(50)
Level 12: Maneuvers -- SW-Def/EndRdx(A), SW-ResDam/Re TP(15), SW-Def(21)
Level 14: Frost Breath -- Posi-Dam%(A), ImpSwft-Dam%(23), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(25)
Level 16: Freeze Ray -- UbrkCons-Acc/Hold/Rchg(A), UbrkCons-EndRdx/Hold(23), UbrkCons-Hold/Rchg(25), UbrkCons-Hold(29), UbrkCons-Acc/Rchg(39)
Level 18: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 20: Ice Storm -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(27), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(27), Posi-Dmg/Rng(29), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), Posi-Dam%(36)
Level 22: Vengeance -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 24: Snow Storm -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 26: Tornado -- ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(A), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(31), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(31)
Level 28: Bitter Ice Blast -- Apoc-Dmg(A), Apoc-Dmg/Rchg(33), Apoc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Apoc-Acc/Rchg(33), Apoc-Dmg/EndRdx(39)
Level 30: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 32: Lightning Storm -- Dev'n-Acc/Dmg(A), Dev'n-Dmg/EndRdx(34), Dev'n-Dmg/Rchg(34), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Dev'n-Hold%(39)
Level 35: Power Build Up -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 38: Blizzard -- Ragnrk-Dmg(A), Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(40), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(40), Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx(42)
Level 41: Temp Invulnerability -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam(42), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(42), Aegis-Psi/Status(43), S'fstPrt-ResKB(43)
Level 44: Total Focus -- Hectmb-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Hectmb-Dmg/Rchg(45), Hectmb-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Hectmb-Acc/Rchg(45), Hectmb-Dam%(46)
Level 47: Bitter Freeze Ray -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(48), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(48), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(48)
Level 49: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
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Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- RgnTis-Regen+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(9), Mrcl-Rcvry+(50)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(5), P'Shift-End%(46), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(50)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- ULeap-Stlth(A)
Level 1: Vigilance
Level 2: Rest -- Heal-I(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run

No mids at the moment, so a more detailed look at your set bonuses will have to wait. I assume that you know this is very expensive build though, and that is your goal. (You're looking at 4 billion inf just for the shield wall and gladiator's armor) In general I don't see any obvious slotting issues. Initial things that jump out at me:

In general I would not recommend spending 2 billion on the Gladiator's Armor unless you're very near the soft cap. Will have to wait until I get access to see how close you are on this build. I suspect we can get you there without too much fiddling.

Winter's Gifts in Superspeed: Do you really find that you need all three slots? I suspect you won't find the movement speed bonus to be particularly significant and 5% cold resist is of limited use. If you're building for defense, I would consider the blessings of the Zephyr for the small defense bonus, and also consider swapping one of the IOs for a second KB proc from Zephyr.(it's another 1.25% if you need it)

I'm a little curious as to your thoughts behind choosing fly and superspeed. If you want the vertical positioning power, I would recommend you consider taking hover instead of fly (more defense, closer to the softcap). If you find hover too slow (which I haven't since they increased it's speed a number of issues ago) and run fly frequently in combat, I would recommend considering slotting it for more endurance reduction.

I will provide more thoughts later.

Thanks, Draggynn. I've read every word of your Storm guide, so you can see a lot of your ideas reflected in the build.

This is the build I have now, so cost isn't an issue. I will play around with adjusting the slotting for speed as I know WinGift is not worth it for the 5% cold resist. I'm at at KB protection of 8 with S'fstPrt-ResKB in TempInvul and the Zephyr in fly (though I'll prolly move it to pick hover instead) Should I go higher than 8?

I noticed that very few people select Frost Breath and Total Focus as powers. Are there two powers I'd be making better use of in place of one or both of them with the rest of this build intact?

Lemme know your thoughts on the soft cap with Gladiator's Armor.

I just have fly because I like to fly around, honestly.

I wouldn't worry too much about whether other people tend to take Frost Breath and Total Focus or not, but rather, about how much you use them. If you find that you use them, then they're a good choice.

In terms of selecting other powers, hurricane is a truly impressive debuff and a valuable tool when you know how to use it. I would consider swapping in Hurricane for Total Focus (you have a stackable hold from ice for when you need to mez an enemy so TF's stun won't be as valuable as it might be on some builds).

Alternatively if you can find another power you want to part with you could consider going with the fighting pool for survivability but then you're talking about significantly more endurance use, so it might be right the choice. As always, there's the issue of trading off between recharge and defense, and the right ratio is really related to your playstyle.

In addition to the Zephyr tweaks I already mentioned there are a couple other small things I can see that pretty much keep this build.
1) You can pull the damage/range from Ice Storm with minimal impact and the loss of 3.13 toxic resistance. Perhaps shift it to Frost Breath if you use it.
2) I would consider replacing one of the shield walls in maneuvers with an LoTG +recharge. (Personally I don't find hp bonuses to help my survivability much. Either I'm not taking damage, or I'm taking so much damage I could have been killed three times)
3) I'm not crazy about devastation's set bonuses. I would probably pull them out and slot decimations for another recharge bonus.
4) Also the pure heal Numina in health will actually contribute more regen then regenerative tissue unless you already have 5, 12% regeneration bonuses.

If you decide you would rather hit the ranged soft cap, I would 1) see if you can be convinced to take weave and then look at three spots in particular for defense bonuses:
1) 6 lockdowns in a hold power
2) 6 expedient Reinforcements in Tornado
3) 6 Mako's Bites in Total Focus
In terms of slots you can pull, you can afford to take one from Stamina and one from health, and the Aegis global IO. With those changes and hover your ranged defense should be up around 40, but that's at a cost of 20% global recharge, and quite a bit of regen. with weave, you'd be at the soft cap. Not necessarily the right option, but certainly one that is open to you.

Great help.

I decided to keep Total Focus as I use it quite a bit while soloing. I like hurricane, but I just don't get as much use out of it like I used to about 6 issues ago. I went ahead and sacrificed Frost Breath because Cryonic as my Judgement is a preferable cone attack.

In lieu of Frost Breath, I tried taking Combat Jumping to up my defense. I also slotted the Kismet +6% to hit because I had 0 to hit bonus. I slotted a LotG-GlobalRech in both Maneuvers and Combat Jumping, so I think I'm pretty set with regards to recharge in addition to Hasten. I'm assuming that it's a good choice that I use a Cardiac Alpha slot, then.

I took the advice and slotted the 6 Expedient Reinforcements in Tornado for the defense bonus. And upon further research, I am in agreement about the preference of Decimation over Devastation slotting. Also, I dropped the extra health and extra stamina slots to make use of them elsewhere.

I think I'm really digging this build. Thanks a lot for the suggestions. Let me know if anything glaring sticks out - otherwise I'm going to respec and get this thing rolling.



Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.952
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Mutation Defender
Primary Power Set: Storm Summoning
Secondary Power Set: Ice Blast
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Leaping
Ancillary Pool: Power Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: O2 Boost -- Numna-Heal(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg(43)
Level 1: Ice Bolt -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(5), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19)
Level 2: Ice Blast -- Thundr-Acc/Dmg(A), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thundr-Dmg/Rchg(7), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), Thundr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15), Thundr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19)
Level 4: Super Speed -- HO:Micro(A)
Level 6: Steamy Mist -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(7), HO:Ribo(11), HO:Ribo(13), GA-3defTpProc(21), GA-End/Res(37)
Level 8: Fly -- Zephyr-ResKB(A), EndRdx-I(9)
Level 10: Freezing Rain -- Achilles-ResDeb%(A), LdyGrey-DefDeb/Rchg(15), LdyGrey-DefDeb/Rchg/EndRdx(17), LdyGrey-DefDeb(17), LdyGrey-%Dam(46), JavVoll-Dam%(50)
Level 12: Maneuvers -- SW-ResDam/Re TP(A), SW-Def(21), LkGmblr-Rchg+(25), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(43)
Level 14: Combat Jumping -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Rchg+(23), Ksmt-ToHit+(29), Ksmt-Def/EndRdx(50)
Level 16: Freeze Ray -- UbrkCons-Acc/Hold/Rchg(A), UbrkCons-EndRdx/Hold(23), UbrkCons-Hold/Rchg(25), UbrkCons-Dam%(29), UbrkCons-Acc/Rchg(39)
Level 18: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 20: Ice Storm -- Posi-Acc/Dmg(A), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx(27), Posi-Dmg/Rchg(27), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), Posi-Dam%(36)
Level 22: Vengeance -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A)
Level 24: Snow Storm -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 26: Tornado -- ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg(A), ExRmnt-Dmg/EndRdx(31), ExRmnt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), ExRmnt-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(31), ExRmnt-Acc/Rchg(37), ExRmnt-+Res(Pets)(37)
Level 28: Bitter Ice Blast -- Apoc-Dmg(A), Apoc-Dmg/Rchg(33), Apoc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Apoc-Acc/Rchg(33), Apoc-Dmg/EndRdx(39)
Level 30: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 32: Lightning Storm -- Decim-Acc/Dmg(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx(34), Decim-Dmg/Rchg(34), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Decim-Build%(39)
Level 35: Power Build Up -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 38: Blizzard -- Ragnrk-Dmg(A), Ragnrk-Dmg/Rchg(40), Ragnrk-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), Ragnrk-Acc/Rchg(40), Ragnrk-Dmg/EndRdx(42)
Level 41: Temp Invulnerability -- Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Aegis-ResDam(42), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(42), Aegis-Psi/Status(43)
Level 44: Total Focus -- Hectmb-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Hectmb-Dmg/Rchg(45), Hectmb-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Hectmb-Acc/Rchg(45), Hectmb-Dam%(46)
Level 47: Bitter Freeze Ray -- BasGaze-Acc/Hold(A), BasGaze-Rchg/Hold(48), BasGaze-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(48), BasGaze-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(48)
Level 49: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 50: Cryonic Radial Final Judgement
Level 50: Reactive Core Flawless Interface
Level 50: Cimeroran Radial Superior Ally
Level 50: Cardiac Core Paragon
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Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(9)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-End%(46), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(50)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- ULeap-Stlth(A)
Level 1: Vigilance
Level 2: Rest -- Heal-I(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run

I am new to mids so how did you copy your build like that. I am also trying to get my storm summoner to be better but I am electric on the secondary side. Well back to reading so I can be a better storm summoner.

Do you mean how the build was uploaded to the forums?
How I do it >> go to the Import/Export tab, choose Short Forum Export. Select the color you like marked with <color you want> (US), make sure phpBB/Zetaboards is highlighted. In the areas below I select (click in the small box) Export Data Chunk if creating a DataLink isn't possible and Export Data Chunk as well as DataLink .. and also Don't Export Invention Levels.
Far as I know this works for posting a build to these forums.

Or how to download it for you to look at on your computer?
Clicking on DataLink near the top of the posted build should work ... when it doesn't it can be for a variety of reasons, some at your end sometimes with the forum post etc., etc..

If I missed a step or whatnot I'm sure someone will say so shortly.

Thanks guys.