TalonBlue

This is what I've settled on. I've been testing radio missions at +4/x8. I think Smoke Grenade is key against +4 enemies with soft-capped defense. The build is a bit of a compromise. No travel power, Placate/Slash...to me is underwhelming. Its off CD more often yes, but I don't know... there aren't any other options for Night Widows. Placate being of cooldown more often, does add another layer of damage mitigation. I'm really impressed how resilient Night Widows are now. Villain Arachnos Widow Build plan made with Mids' Reborn v3.6.6 rev. 3 ────────────────────────────── Primary powerset: Night Widow Training Secondary powerset: Widow Teamwork Pool powerset (#1): Fighting Pool powerset (#2): Speed Pool powerset (#3): Force of Will Pool powerset (#4): Flight Ancillary powerset: Soul Mastery ────────────────────────────── Powers taken: Level 1: Poison Dart A: Thunderstrike: Accuracy/Damage 46: Thunderstrike: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge 47: Thunderstrike: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance Level 1: Combat Training: Defensive A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed 46: Shield Wall: +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All) Level 2: Strike A: Mako's Bite: Accuracy/Damage 7: Mako's Bite: Damage/Endurance 7: Mako's Bite: Damage/Recharge 19: Mako's Bite: Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge 21: Mako's Bite: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge 21: Mako's Bite: Chance of Damage(Lethal) Level 4: Pain Tolerance A: Preventive Medicine: Heal 34: Preventive Medicine: Heal/Endurance 34: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime 49: Preventive Medicine: Chance for +Absorb Level 6: Tactical Training: Maneuvers A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance 31: Luck of the Gambler: Endurance/Recharge 33: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance/Recharge 33: Luck of the Gambler: Defense 33: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed Level 8: Follow Up A: Superior Spider's Bite: Accuracy/Damage 9: Superior Spider's Bite: Damage/RechargeTime 9: Superior Spider's Bite: Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime 11: Superior Spider's Bite: Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime 25: Superior Spider's Bite: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime 48: Superior Spider's Bite: RechargeTime/Global Toxic Level 10: Indomitable Will A: Steadfast Protection: Resistance/+Def 3% 11: Unbreakable Guard: +Max HP Level 12: Spin A: Armageddon: Damage/Recharge 13: Armageddon: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy 13: Armageddon: Recharge/Accuracy 23: Armageddon: Damage/Endurance 23: Armageddon: Chance for Fire Damage Level 14: Lunge A: Superior Dominion of Arachnos: Accuracy/Damage 15: Superior Dominion of Arachnos: Damage/Recharge 15: Superior Dominion of Arachnos: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge 17: Superior Dominion of Arachnos: Damage/Endurance/Recharge 17: Superior Dominion of Arachnos: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge Level 16: Smoke Grenade A: Dark Watcher's Despair: To Hit Debuff/Recharge/Endurance 19: Dark Watcher's Despair: To Hit Debuff/Endurance Level 18: Slash A: Hecatomb: Damage/Recharge 25: Hecatomb: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy 31: Hecatomb: Recharge/Accuracy 48: Hecatomb: Damage/Endurance 48: Hecatomb: Chance of Damage(Negative) Level 20: Mask Presence A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed Level 22: Foresight A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance 40: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Recharge 43: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance/Recharge 43: Luck of the Gambler: Defense 43: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed Level 24: Mind Link A: Reactive Defenses: Defense 31: Reactive Defenses: Defense/Endurance 34: Reactive Defenses: Endurance/RechargeTime 37: Reactive Defenses: Defense/RechargeTime 37: Reactive Defenses: Defense/Endurance/RechargeTime 40: Reactive Defenses: Scaling Resist Damage Level 26: Psychic Scream A: Ragnarok: Damage/Recharge 27: Ragnarok: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy 27: Ragnarok: Recharge/Accuracy 29: Ragnarok: Damage/Endurance 29: Ragnarok: Chance for Knockdown Level 28: Tactical Training: Leadership A: Cytoskeleton Exposure Level 30: Mental Training A: Invention: Run Speed Level 32: Kick A: Invention: Accuracy Level 35: Electrifying Fences A: Gravitational Anchor: Immobilize/Recharge 36: Gravitational Anchor: Immobilize/Recharge/Accuracy 36: Gravitational Anchor: Recharge/Accuracy 36: Gravitational Anchor: Immobilize/Endurance 37: Gravitational Anchor: Chance for Hold Level 38: Ball Lightning A: Superior Frozen Blast: Accuracy/Damage 39: Superior Frozen Blast: Damage/Endurance 39: Superior Frozen Blast: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance 39: Superior Frozen Blast: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge 40: Superior Frozen Blast: Damage/Endurance/Accuracy/RechargeTime Level 41: Tough A: Gladiator's Armor: End/Resist 42: Gladiator's Armor: Resistance/Rech/End 42: Gladiator's Armor: Resistance 42: Gladiator's Armor: TP Protection +3% Def (All) Level 44: Weave A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance 45: Luck of the Gambler: Endurance/Recharge 45: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance/Recharge 45: Luck of the Gambler: Defense 46: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed Level 47: Hasten A: Invention: Recharge Reduction A: Invention: Recharge Reduction Level 49: Placate A: Invention: Recharge Reduction ────────────────────────────── Inherents: Level 1: Conditioning | Hidden Level 1: Brawl (Empty) Level 1: Sprint (Empty) Level 2: Rest (Empty) Level 1: Swift (Empty) Level 1: Hurdle (Empty) Level 1: Health A: Miracle: +Recovery 5: Numina's Convalesence: +Regeneration/+Recovery 5: Panacea: +Hit Points/Endurance Level 1: Stamina A: Performance Shifter: EndMod 3: Performance Shifter: EndMod/Recharge 3: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End ────────────────────────────── Incarnates: Musculature Core Paragon Ion Core Final Judgement Assault Core Embodiment Paralytic Radial Flawless Interface Ageless Radial Epiphany

I didn't say a toggle power.

Gotta say, I didn't expect Widows/Forts to get any updates because I never thought they were ever in a bad place. My initial thoughts are this: Widows already have several auto self/passive powers. CT: Defensive, Foresight, Mental Training. Do Widows really need another one? I like new toys, but essentially another passive isn't thrilling me. And these new passives feel like what their inherit powers frankly SHOULD be, if that is an option. I would rather have an another active ability. And when Forts have so many nice choices, and Night Widows have...well less... I do think Night Widows need something, more than Fortunatas do. More HP does bring them closer to Stalkers. I do remember the HP buff Stalkers got on Live. If you want to buff their base HP, sure go for it. But I don't think Pain Tolerance is the way to go here. Problem of course is if you want buff the base HP, both AT's benefit, which may not be your intent. I just wish Night Widows had more offensive tools, than defensive. The Placate buff is exciting though. I've really wanted Night Widows playstyle to be more a Stalker than a Scrapper, or even a pseudo-Tank.

For a Controller: One lvl 53 Cyto in Tactics per Mids is 12.3% To-Hit Buff @ .28 endurance per second. Two lvl 53 Cyto in Tactics per Mids is 14.54% To-Hit Buff @ .22 endurance per second. For a Defender One lvl 53 Cyto in Tactics per Mids is 15% To-Hit Buff @ .29 endurance per second. Two lvl 53 Cyto in Tactics per Mids is 18.18% To-Hit Buff @ .22 endurance per second. We're talking about 2-3% for an extra lvl 53 Hami-O.

You're not getting as much with the second Cytoskeleton Hami-O enhancement due to diminishing returns.

This biggest advantage for using lvl 53 Hami-O's or D-Syncs to get the most value out of enhancements with the fewest slots used on a power. Tactics for example. One lvl 53 Cytoskeleton covers that power's To-Hit and Endurance Reduction values most efficiently, saving you from 2 or 3 slotting it. 2 lvl 53 Ribosomes covers any resistance power toggle like Tough or Dark Embrace. Or the holy grail of 2 lvl 53 D-Sync Provocations, saves you 2 or even 3 enhancement slots on a power like Fulcrum Shift, where in the past you had to run like 2 Accuracy IO's, 2 Recharge IO's and maybe an End Reduction IO.

https://www.flyingcoloursmaths.co.uk/the-law-of-inverse-ninjas/

Night Widows. Night Widows could really use a buff/rework. Some additional powers to their tree as they only get 12 powers from their primary and secondary, whereas Fortunatas have 15 in total from its primary and secondary in total. I'd like to see Night Widows melee attacks have their recharge reduced to bring them more in line with the primary melee set Claws. I'd love to see a new power that functions like Focus for Night Widows serving as a good ranged attack. I don't think Night Widows have a good ranged attack that you want to regularly use. Night Widows need signature powers, high impact play style defining powers. Fortunatas have Psychic Wail and Aura of Confusion, Banes have Surveillance and Shatter, Crabs have Frenzy and Omega Maneuver. Night Widows feel strictly melee. Scrappers with team wide buffs, but less damage. Widows have less...modes compared to Forts, Banes, and Crabs who all have varying powers that can serve multiple roles. For an archetype that is supposed to be a "Jack of All Trades", Night Widows feel the least so.

I feel like my vacation was taken at the correct time.

And succeeding half the time. And half the time might be generous. Its more like a third of the time. Honestly, I've never experienced misery playing CoH, but I'm in the thick of it now. The hard mode settings need to be scaled back in some way. Its unpleasant, frustrating, and way too time consuming for my liking.

Ok. Wiki says ranged but not type. Fair enough. Still feels broken to watch your defense go from positive 45% to negative 30%. To have 7 stacks of Soul Drain and not be able to hit anything. But I digress. 😉

I 100% disagree with that that first part. I would like to know what the intent is behind any proposed changes. I would like to know the context behind any changes in game. I used to play Magic: the Gathering back in the day, and when it came time for Wizards of the Coast to ban or restrict cards from a specific format, they at least explained why they had to do so. So, no I don't like changes made in a vacuum without some context. But, if the intent is to make the "squishy" ATs less durable as you say, and which is also what I believe is case. Then why wasn't nerfing Scorpion Shield and other similar powers in ancillary and patron powers not an option? If that had been the case, personally I wouldn't have raised an eyebrow in the first place. I can get my head around that change, because for me it is simple. Yes, others would most definitely still be upset, but you would have one less skeptic had that been the case. As an aside, I would love to see all the epic powersets reworked and this would have been a perfect reason to do so. I am testing on Brainstorm. I wanted to see if there is a difference on a tanky character first. I am using a Dark Melee/Dark Armor Brute, with IO's. I am running at +4/x8, basic paper missions as suggested. I am softcapped in S/L defense, and at around 43-44 % to E/NE defense. I don't have a lot of AoE damage outside my Death Shroud and Shadow Maul, so I kill groups slowly and exchanges with a full mob take a fair amount of time. I realize not everyone plays with IO's, but I do. I like to min/max in every game I play. That's the type of player I am. I'm noticing more damage from fire and cold attacks particularly from the Circle of Thorns. The Council, I notice no difference. Carnies, I notice no difference... although I am now wondering when or if Mask of Weakness and Mask of Vitiation will get a attack type other than being just purely ranged. An amusing instance occurred were I got max stacks Soul Drain twice, only to be double stack debuffed by Mask of Weakness. Two, maybe three minutes went by where neither the crowd of enemies or I took any damage. Just the word MISS kept appearing over our heads. 🙂 IMO, Mask of Weakness and Mask of Vitiation are completely broken. I haven't tested Malta yet, or Arachnos. I know I can't solo Arachnos even on the current patch, they just have so many different ways of debuffing you. I'm planning on testing with a Blaster and a Defender soon. I do think it is normal. I think it is a common enough way to play the game for some, but not all. Maybe not at +4/x8 per say. But, I do think people soloing x8 missions is common enough even going back from the days on live. Now whether or not that is considered game breaking, well I don't. Others may disagree, but I don't know where to draw to a line. The argument to me goes to, "Well if Tankers, Brutes, Scrappers can solo at x8, then why can't a Defender? or Blaster? or etc?" And I think that's something that has to be discussed. Anyway, I'll keep testing.

If someone can tell me how to measure, qualify/quantify those tests, I’m all ears.

What specifically? I’m not for or against the change. I just want the context, for something that is implied to be a minor change. It isn’t minor. If the intent is making squishy AT’s squishy again. Why isn’t this being done in a more round about way? Something clear, and understandable, and with context and transparency?

So. I haven’t tested this. I’ll try to get to beta at some point. I’ve never been the type of player who gets too involved with any game in such a manner. However, since I can’t find a dev’s explanation, I’ll phrase it like this: What does this proposed change do that would not be affected if instead, Scorpion Shield, Frozen Armor, and Stone Armor were nerfed? I think this is what is being danced around, IMO. My suspicion is that this is trying to encompass more than S/L defense and I’d like to know what exactly. What I don’t like is that these changes are presented in manner that are only minor. That is my concern.