I prefer my DA toons as tanks >.> Not that DA is squishie, but I got used to DA's amazingness as a Tank and I can't go back :/ Higher base numbers and HP. I just don't see it as good on a scrapper.
Your character does not have capped defense. Depending on your AT the cap is between 175% - 225%. Your defense is not teal in the combat window, it can go higher. STOP SAYING IT IS CAPPED! The correct term is Soft Cap.
I enjoy playing in Mids. I specialize in Melee Characters, other AT's usually bore me.
Quote:
Defense didn't win, a combination of defense and resistance won -- whatever gets through the defense is mitigated by your resistance. This is the advantage that resistance-based power sets have over defense-based ones. Defense always has a 5% chance of getting hammered, but a soft-capped resistance-based build has 5% chance of getting hammered for a lot less (at least for a little while -- see below).|
Originally Posted by TheCooler
Apparently the Res Vs. Def battle is over and Defense won. Why didn't I get the memo? Someone fire Jim in the mailroom...
So anyway... I broke out MIDs and I gave it a shot... I failed miserably. Then I tried again. I failed that time too. But I'm a trooper, so I read a guide on building with MIDs and then I made the most wonderfully failerrific build EVER! I'm not sure you can even soft-cap on DM/DA... Not without giving up too much of what makes it... Dark... |
You can't soft-cap all defense for DM/DA scrappers, you have to pick some kind of defense and go with that. A popular one is Smash/Lethal, because most attacks include a smash/lethal component. These days there's a good argument for soft-capping Energy instead (because it's so common in the iTrials).
You don't really have to sacrifice much to soft-cap DM/DA scrappers for Smash/Lethal. I used four Kinetic Combat sets, plus Tough/Weave, two Obliterations, a Multi-Strike in Death Shroud, and three sets of Reactive Armors. The only slightly weird thing was five-slot Siphon Insight in Touch of Fear to get the 3.75% S/L bonus.
The main problem with putting defense on /DA characters is that you don't have any inherent defense debuff resistance (there is, however, a Destiny power for that). Defense debuffs are pretty common and even when you're soft-capped your defense can melt pretty fast. That's why hitting the soft-cap in the first place is considered so important.
I made this build before iTrials came out and might do it differently now, but that character's on Triumph and I rarely play there. But it works fine for regular content; I haven't run it on any trials yet.
The other thing you can do is get Cardiac Alpha to solve your endurance problems, and the Barrier Destiny power, which completely eliminates your Defense/Resistance problems for several seconds every two minutes. That coupled with a S/L or Energy soft-capped build should be able to get you through anything, along with your ability to heal yourself like crazy.
Quick question, for referance (didn't feel like making a new thread while an expert was in this on): Would 32.5.% to S/L/E/N be worth getting or just aim for 45% S/L?
A long time ago, in a game far, far away...
The DM/DA Scrapper seemed to be at the forefront of the Def Vs. Res debate. Before real numbers and IOs and Incarnate powers, some very determined player would join a level 40 group and fight some Malta without fear of Sappers, Rikti? Cake. Carnies? Stale Cake because they're a little tougher to chew through.
That determined player suffered without Stamina till level 20! Usually giving up the quality of life an early travel power gives, and struggled simply to define what Resistance was all about. It wasn't futile!
So Now I'm lost. I'm 50, I've done the incarnate thing. I've died. Alot. People keep telling me to cap defense, and I'm thinking to myself... Can you actually play the game blind, cause my info says DM/DA what are you talking about Defense? hah! Crack smoking hippies what do they know?
Apparently the Res Vs. Def battle is over and Defense won. Why didn't I get the memo? Someone fire Jim in the mailroom...
So anyway... I broke out MIDs and I gave it a shot... I failed miserably. Then I tried again. I failed that time too. But I'm a trooper, so I read a guide on building with MIDs and then I made the most wonderfully failerrific build EVER! I'm not sure you can even soft-cap on DM/DA... Not without giving up too much of what makes it... Dark...
So if you capped defense, would you even be able to hit anything? And if you did, would you hit like an emp defender? I mean I can 6 slot every mule power I can think of and at the end, I just don't get it and then my good powers are short slotted and barely missing ED with frankenslotting
The strange thing is, while I'm not doing +4x8 missions, I am doing +1x4 at the most and I'm doing ok with 12% defense and 40-50% resists all around. I chew some purples, but it's either purples or blues you can't have your stale cake and eat it too can you? And if that's possible can you also have a side of pie?
So I guess the question is... What DO you build for in an endurance heavy, Defense light, resistance based combo like DM/DA? And how do you not short-slot yourself in the process?