A New Defender Idea

In my perfect world where combat mechanics are easier to alter, Defenders would be the only AT who could achieve 100% chance to hit (instead of 95%). They would basically bypass the 95% hard cap and be able to have 100% reliable bounce-heals, debuffs, attacks, and whatever else. They would still do less damage, but be the most reliable about predicting outcomes.

With that achieved, I'd than bump their single target hold or stun powers in the blast sets from Mag 3 to Mag 3.5, and make sure Fire Blast acquires one. They would not have the AoE potential of either Controllers or Dominators but they would have reliability to single shot hold most bosses, assuming they have the accuracy for it.



Now for the change I'm actually willing to push for for real:



I do think self-buffing really should be allowed (for all ATs with these sets). Masterminds can already basically do it. I would consider making it so with two catches:

• You receive 50% of the base value of the power (unmodified by enhancement, Power Boost, etc).
• You only receive effects that you can slot for. You therefor do not get +Recharge, +Damage, +Exotic, or Mezz Protection, but you can get +Regen, +Recovery, +Resist, +Defense, +ToHit, or healing.

I'd hesitate to add a buff to all buffing sets across the board. Time and Cold are already top-tier compared to say Trick Arrows, which would receive nothing from this move. You're widening a gap that already exists here.

Even Force Fields (a less uber buffing set) doesn't need much help soloing bosses with mez protection, 16% defence, and Force Bolt.

I also like the existence of ally-only buffs. They're easy to avoid if you dont like them - pick a set that focusses on debuffing (eg Rad, Dark) or that applies its best buffs to the user (eg Time, Traps).
They encourage teaming.
They're the price you pay for having massive force-multiplier abilities that are not diminished by AV resistance. Dark or Rad's mitigation falls of quickly against an AV compared to Force Fields or Cold.

I think that we should have a clearly marked option on character creation to make a character who's bottom of the heap for soloability and top of the heap for teaming, which is pretty much what we have with, say a Thermal/Psi.

I like the huge variablity in roles provided by the support powersets, and don't want to see them smoothed out.

Yeah, thats often my preferences too. I know where you'r coming from.
And there are options for exactly what you're describing - team support with good soloing.

Traps, Dark, Radiation, Storm and Time all boost a team's performance significnatly while leaving you a capable solo-er when you choose to do so. My first defender was Dark/Dark way back and I was suprised how good he was solo.

Even with a non-solo friendly Defender you aren't unable to solo, just less capable. I recently ran a Beam Rifle/Pain Corrupter to 50, probably a similar experience to your Empathy/Elec Defender. (Pain Dom being a mediocre team set that doesnt offer much in the way of personal protection).
I'd solo on and off, and it was never amazing but it was doable at +1 or +2. I'd teleport-kite Shock Treatment with her god-mode up because I couldnt hold or stun her reliably.
I even managed to solo Darrin Wade and his Rularuu ally in the SSA where Statesman dies, although I cheated in a pretty extreme way, using the temporary PPD power and stacks of red and purple inspirations mailed to myself.

I've played the other non-franchise superhero MMO, where team buffs are much less potent and everyone's a rugged soloer, and it sucks because no-one ever teams up there. (Although there are other reasons too.)