Powers I skipped on mine:
Entangling Arrow
Ranged Shot
Stunning Shot
Powers you could also reasonably skip:
Aim
Ice Arrow
Explosive Arrow (I wouldn't advise skipping this but if you have decent recharge and really hate KB you can manage with just Fistful and Hail for AoE).
Explosive Arrow with Overwhelming Force Proc "moderating" the KnockBACK into being KnockDOWN is game changing.
It's the end. But the moment has been prepared for ...
On my A/TA Corruptor (presently at level 40), I've skipped:
Flash
Explosive
Snap
(May skip EMP as well, we'll see when the new pools come out.)
Also, I switch up a lot; when I team, Ice and Entangling aren't in my tray at all, because I'm more focused on the AoEs. When solo, they go back to the tray and I don't use all of my debuffs.
Carl and Sons @Aurora Girl (Pinnacle)
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Originally Posted by EarthWyrm
But I do understand that there is an internet rule that any bad idea must be presented by someone at least twice a year to remind everyone who hasn't already read every previous thread on the topic precisely why the idea is bad.
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Personally I prefer it as Knockback, I find that the extra mitigation is useful for TA.
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Originally Posted by Redlynne
Explosive Arrow with Overwhelming Force Proc "moderating" the KnockBACK into being KnockDOWN is game changing.
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I'd pretty much agree with what's already been said. For a TA/A Defender, I would say that Entangling Arrow, Flash Arrow, Aimed Shot and Stunning Shot would be powers you could skip.
Entangling Arrow is good for bringing down fliers, but unless you're taking it to get a good Set Bonus I would call it skippable. Flash Arrow used to be quite buggy so I hadn't had it for a while, but I've played extensively with other players using it. It's good for preventing accidental aggro and the to hit debuff is nice, but not all that strong. Aimed Shot is your standard slower, slightly more damaging version of the starting blast power and since you have to take Snap Shot, I'm okay with losing Aimed Shot. As for Stunning Shot, I don't generally go in for single-target stuns on my Defenders, especially if I don't have any other stuns to stack with it.
Explosive Arrow is very good for a Defender with or without the Overwhelming Force proc depending on whether you want to do KB or KD, but doesn't pack as much damage as it does on a Blaster (it's a must-have for an Archery Blaster), so that might also be skippable depending on how you prefer to play. I skipped it on my Defender, though I'd reconsidering it now that we have Overwhelming Force. Ranged Shot is another power I initially skipped, but with FastSnipe coming in i24 that's another one I'm considering bringing back into my build.
Iscariot's Guide to the Tri-Form Warshade, version 2.1
I'm sorry that math > your paranoid delusions, but them's the breaks -- Nethergoat
P.E.R.C. Rep for Liberty server
Quote:
Personally I think people tend to underestimate Flash Arrow. Yes it is weak compared to other To Hit Debuffs available to Defenders but it's still pretty useful and unlike the rest it isn't a toggle. If you slot it up then it's a 9.3% To Hit Debuff which basically means an extra 9.3% Defense for you. Additionally since it's not a toggle you can use Power Boost or Power Build Up before casting it to give it a bit more oomph (plus both of these powers enhance EMP Arrow so they're handy for a TA/A anyway).|
Originally Posted by Justaris
Flash Arrow used to be quite buggy so I hadn't had it for a while, but I've played extensively with other players using it. It's good for preventing accidental aggro and the to hit debuff is nice, but not all that strong.
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If you take Power Boost then you can do this at least every other spawn and possibly more depending on your Global Recharge. Power Build Up is up less but I like it for the added flexibility since I use it for the damage buff on RoA in cases where I don't need the extra To Hit Debuff or Hold Duration (plus Force of Nature is an AWESOME power for a Defender).
The two most skippable powers in Trick Arrow are Flash Arrow and Entangling Arrow. Unfortunately, you have to take at least one of them. 
Besides them, you could possibly also go without Ice Arrow, but it can be useful as a hard control (and can stack with EMP Arrow to hold bosses). I would not recommend skipping anything else.
From Archery, you can probably go without Stunning Shot (especially if you take and slot Ice Arrow well enough) and Ranged Shot, though you may want to keep this if you end up building for the insta-snipe stuff currently in beta. I used to skip Explosive Arrow and still performed well enough, though Archery works best when you take and use all 3 of it's AoEs. My current build has enough recharge now where I rarely need to use the ST attacks (besides Blazing Arrow).
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Small thing, but ToHit debuff enhancements are Schedule B, so the total -ToHit it can offer on a Defender is around -9.75%.
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Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
Personally I think people tend to underestimate Flash Arrow. Yes it is weak compared to other To Hit Debuffs available to Defenders but it's still pretty useful and unlike the rest it isn't a toggle. If you slot it up then it's a 12% To Hit Debuff which basically means an extra 12% Defense for you. Additionally since it's not a toggle you can use Power Boost or Power Build Up before casting it to give it a bit more oomph (plus both of these powers enhance EMP Arrow so they're handy for a TA/A anyway).
If you take Power Boost then you can do this at least every other spawn and possibly more depending on your Global Recharge. Power Build Up is up less but I like it for the added flexibility since I use it for the damage buff on RoA in cases where I don't need the extra To Hit Debuff or Hold Duration (plus Force of Nature is an AWESOME power for a Defender). |
I take and use the entire Trick Arrow set. It's a team build. I take every power based on the possible usefulness to a team mate.
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
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I'm always doing that. I still think it's useful though |
Originally Posted by Trickshooter
Small thing, but ToHit debuff enhancements are Schedule B, so the total -ToHit it can offer on a Defender is around -9.75%.
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Me to. I judge every power from both of my powersets and the available power pools based on how well it will support the team. A lot of time for my Defenders I find that some of their primary powers are less useful to the team than an extra attack or a pool power to help keep me alive and supporting the team.|
Originally Posted by New Dawn
I take and use the entire Trick Arrow set. It's a team build. I take every power based on the possible usefulness to a team mate.
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I will admit that there is one exception to this rule on my Trick Arrow Defender and that is EMP Arrow. It's very rare that a team really benefits from it. If they truly need it then it's not up enough to matter and most teams don't need it. That being said it's a fun power and REALLY useful solo so I made room for it in my build.
I reworked my build to incorporate the new snipe ability upcoming in i24. I will post it once I get home to give you some ideas. But it is basically Range Defense cap Hover blaster.
1. Why Soft Cap is Important : http://dechskaison.blogspot.com/2011...important.html
2. Limits: http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Limits
3. Attack Mechanics: http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Attack_Mechanics
4. Rule of Five: http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Rule_o...e_Law_of_Fives
Quote:
Adding onto that, I thought Flash Arrow was lower than other to hit debuffs but was trading that out because it wasn't subject to the AVs purple patch.
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Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
Personally I think people tend to underestimate Flash Arrow. Yes it is weak compared to other To Hit Debuffs available to Defenders but it's still pretty useful and unlike the rest it isn't a toggle. If you slot it up then it's a 9.3% To Hit Debuff which basically means an extra 9.3% Defense for you. Additionally since it's not a toggle you can use Power Boost or Power Build Up before casting it to give it a bit more oomph (plus both of these powers enhance EMP Arrow so they're handy for a TA/A anyway).
If you take Power Boost then you can do this at least every other spawn and possibly more depending on your Global Recharge. Power Build Up is up less but I like it for the added flexibility since I use it for the damage buff on RoA in cases where I don't need the extra To Hit Debuff or Hold Duration (plus Force of Nature is an AWESOME power for a Defender). |
Here is the build. I had to give up Flash arrow, I thought it was pretty cool power, Extra 5 defense for everyone when you need it, Helps counter defense debuffs, lower perception and quick recharge, it had its uses. I could have got rid of Ice Arrow but it does really hold when I need it. Plus I love seeing a Giant Mob stuck in big blue ice sometimes and with a giant net over it as well.
But it does have Perma snipe I guess, I'm a bit concerned what this new PPM will do the Karma +ToHit buff. I honestly don't know if it will do anything, so I might be worried about nothing honestly.
But it has the snipe, and now you will have several decent aoe powers with Rain of Arrow, Oil Slick and EMP Arrow.
Code:
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1. Why Soft Cap is Important : http://dechskaison.blogspot.com/2011...important.html
2. Limits: http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Limits
3. Attack Mechanics: http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Attack_Mechanics
4. Rule of Five: http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Rule_o...e_Law_of_Fives
Quote:
Kismet is a Proc120 which are not being changed by the PPM mechanics
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Originally Posted by plainguy
But it does have Perma snipe I guess, I'm a bit concerned what this new PPM will do the Karma +ToHit buff. I honestly don't know if it will do anything, so I might be worried about nothing honestly.
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This is based on someone else's build (forget name) but I adapted a few things.
Should be softcapped with ton of recharge and permasnipe come i24.
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If I saw your build I'd realise which flexibilities you can and what flexibilities you can not offer a team under a variety of circumstances. Some people have solutions and some people do not to a variety of circumstances. Some people concern themselves with themselves or 95%-99% of the game, not some 1%. Everyone builds based on what they know and value. If you suggest something can't be done using your TA only for support do not do it thinking everybody elses TAs can't either.
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Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
Me to. I judge every power from both of my powersets and the available power pools based on how well it will support the team. A lot of time for my Defenders I find that some of their primary powers are less useful to the team than an extra attack or a pool power to help keep me alive and supporting the team.
I will admit that there is one exception to this rule on my Trick Arrow Defender and that is EMP Arrow. It's very rare that a team really benefits from it. If they truly need it then it's not up enough to matter and most teams don't need it. That being said it's a fun power and REALLY useful solo so I made room for it in my build. |
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
Although I play the corr version of this toon I skipped:
Archery:
Ranged Shot
Explosive
Stunning
Trick:
Poison Gas
Post i24 I could be sold on switching a single target out for Ranged shot and I haven't tried Explosive with the new KD IO but can see how that would eliminate the draw back of scattering your targets.
Poison gas just was underwhelming for me, didn't see anyone else mention it though so maybe I'm missing something.
Also, I didnt slot or use entangling. Just had to take it.
I wouldn't recommend skipping PGA, especially on a Defender. Maybe on a Corruptor or Mastermind, but even then the -Damage effect is a pretty significant debuff to have, and the AOE sleep is nice when you're in a small team or solo and can actually make use of it before teammates break the sleeps.
That said, if you're killing things too fast to need the debuff and you're playing more a damage role than a debuff role, I can see skipping it. It really shines on high difficulty tough mobs and hard targets like GMs or AVs, but might not be helpful every spawn the way Acid and Disruption arrows are.
Iscariot's Guide to the Tri-Form Warshade, version 2.1
I'm sorry that math > your paranoid delusions, but them's the breaks -- Nethergoat
P.E.R.C. Rep for Liberty server
For Corruptors, Poison Gas Arrow is the second highest Damage Debuff AoE they have available in their secondaries (Dark Miasma's Darkest Night is the highest), and the recent change to make the source of the debuff and sleep from a pseudopet has really improved it. The sleep's duration is now effectively much, much longer because the pet continually reapplies the effect, and with extra recharge, you can actually stack a second Poison Gas Arrow for double the Damage debuff and the ability to sleep up to Boss rank foes.
The only downside is the debuff is no longer 'sticky', having a duration only slightly longer than the activation cycles, but I guess it just makes Glue Arrow that much more useful to have.
In the early levels I found entangling to be a lifesaver for kiting help, but could see dropping it once a build is IO'd with some decent recharge. Ice arrow is anemic in its control and if you don't have a hold to stack it with it's skippable, it's just too weak.
I found early level TA to be an odd duck on a defender felt sort of like a weak controller or dom I suppose with all the early powers being control with little debuff. Which is why mine has languished a bit.
Numbers wise for TA it would be entangling, ice, EMP, flash or PGA in that order for skipping. Flash is really useful for covering that last bit of defense though. I never use EMP on my rad defender so feel the TA version may suffer a similar fate, it's effective for what it does if you do need it though. I found the sleep in PGA good enough to help mitigate alpha and the damage debuff on teams would be worth the pick in my view.
For archery, it would be aimed and the stun, then ranged if not building for perma-insta snipe, then maybe your choice of explosive or fistful if you only want two aoes.
I would skip (and have) Flash, Ice, and maybe Entangling from TA and from Archery, I'd lose Exploding, Ranged, and maybe Stunning.
I have a Trick Arrow/Archery defender at level 30, but I'm overwhelmed with power choices... so many clickies!
What powers in Trick arrow and/or archery did you skip? and Why? I'm not looking for builds so much as skippable powers, because they all look good when they become available... but I'm not smart enough to manage 16+ attack powers.
(Feel free to post "TA LOL!" if you'd like)