Dark Current

After streaming Trinculo's 801 Trials on my Twitch channel, I crunched the numbers collected using Sythlin's DPS Tool and analyzed the stats with Excel. Here's my reaction to that video and report of the results:

Trinculo the Elec / Rad / Mu Controller Mids Build: Trinculo - Controller (Electric Control - Radiation Emission).mbd Build and Solo Test Video:

It's time for the next DEFCON match up!

The Marquis is back with some of the Best of the Worst taking a Slow Walk through a 2-Star Aeon SF. Want to see if he's still an upper echelon DEFCON Supporter? Check out the video "Dr. Aeon Strikeforce - City of Heroes HC" https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2575751944

My deep-dive analysis of Strats and Stats from Over Exposure's team trials is up on YT. Check it out to see how the 'Meltdown' Stalker build fared against her 3 predecessors' builds. Key Takeaways: Incoming Damage metrics... Outgoing Controls metrics... Enemy Takedown metrics... Outgoing Damage metrics... Cathy's Rankings...

Let us know how your build turns out. I'm curious to see if a 'heal' stalker works.

https://discord.gg/VJtUzF7BCP Try that one, @LPMc

And I ran the Team Trials to record stats for comparison with my other Support Stalkers the other day: Check out this video "Meltdown Stalker - Team Trials Over Exposure - The Flash Before the Ash City of Heroes HC | Support Stalker Experiment" https://www.twitch.tv/darkcurrent2083/v/2564149506?sr=a

@Chrome and @LPMc im not at my computer atm, so i cant load the mids builds to check them out. If you use Discord, you can join the server i created for CoH builds and team testing to post the downloadable mids link https://discord.gg/4KfGWshe Just post your forum and/or game global if you do and I'll update your role so you can post.

First would be very smashy. Second im not nearly familiar enough to speculate

Solo Test Run Coucil paper missions in GV 52x8 53x7 54x6 Suffered one defeat in first mission as I got used to Over Exposure's capabilities.

I haven't run that particular combo, but I ran electric on Dead Cell and Psi armor on Uncaged Psyche. The slotting is particular to their build concepts as support stalkers, but you might get some ideas from them if you take a look on page 1 of this thread.

Thanks for the idea. I was going for drain a little bit with Dead Cell, but shifted more towards the sleeps. I updated Over Exposure above with some of the details from the videos.

The Meltdown Stalker Origins Real Name: Danielle Kordell Powers: Radiation Melee / Energy Aura / Fire Mastery Origin: Science (empowered by alien Shivan essence) Backstory: Danielle “Dani” Kordell was an EMT in Galaxy City, known for running headlong into danger with a wry grin. “Reckless but unbreakable,” she spent long nights alongside Freedom Corps liaisons, patching up civilians and heroes alike. So when meteors began streaking across the skies that fateful dawn, Dani was among the first to respond — sprinting into collapsing streets to drag the wounded to safety. One of those meteors struck near the Galaxy Girl statue, erupting in a radioactive plume that shattered stone and scattered glowing fragments across the plaza. Dani was caught in the blast while shielding a family beneath her body. Alien shards drove into her flesh, embedding like glass. Her last sight was the statue’s face crumbling into ash as fire and light consumed everything. She should have died. Most did. Instead, she awoke days later in the ruins — burned, alone, yet alive. Shivan fragments had rewritten her cells, fusing alien proto-matter with her DNA. Her veins glowed faintly, her breath steamed like venting plasma, her skin radiated a constant heat. When panic surged, she could unleash bursts of searing radiation and flame, incinerating the neo-Shivans that prowled the wreckage. Survival came at a cost: Dani could never turn it off. Her very presence emitted waves of invisible poison. The civilians she once saved now recoiled in horror, seeing not their rescuer but a reactor in meltdown. She was no longer a savior — only another monster birthed by the meteors. She took a name to match her new reality: Over Exposure… the Flash before the Ash. Personality & Traits: Recklessly Brave: Dani doesn’t hesitate, even when the odds are overwhelming — hesitation costs lives. Haunted but Compassionate: She carries survivor’s guilt from Galaxy City. She knows pain, and doesn’t want others to endure it. Fiercely Defiant: She refuses to let her fate define her. If she can’t be loved, she’ll make sure she’s feared by the right people. Powerset Synergy Over Exposure’s Radiation Melee / Energy Aura / Fire Mastery build focuses on meltdown debuffing, layered crowd control, and frontline suppression: ① Defense Debuff (-DEF) Radiation Melee (Contaminated Strike, Radioactive Smash, Proton Sweep, Radiation Siphon, Devastating Blow, Atom Smasher): Heavy and persistent -DEF across single targets and clusters. Fire Mastery (Melt Armor): Strong AoE -DEF debuff stacks with Radiation Melee, ensuring enemies remain vulnerable. Keeps enemy defense stripped, enabling team-wide accuracy spikes and amplifying crit chains. ② Resistance Debuff (-RES) Melt Armor (Fire Mastery): Potent AoE -Resist, synergizing with Radiation’s -DEF for maximum team damage output. Achilles Heel (-RES proc): Radiation Melee attacks can be enhanced with -Resist, compounding Melt Armor. Enemies not only take more hits, they take harder hits, turning her into a team-wide damage amplifier. ③ Crowd Control Atom Smasher / Devastating Blow / Disrupt: Reliable AoE and melee Stuns, locking down clusters. Char and Ring of Fire (Fire Mastery): Single-target Hold and Immobilize, perfect for pinning lieutenants or priority bosses in reach of Atom Smasher or Fire Ball. Packs are controlled and clustered, giving allies a stable damage platform while enemies remain helpless. Mids Build: Over Exposure - Stalker (Radiation Melee - Energy Aura).mbd Final Analysis - not all powers listed were chosen for final build... Debuff / Control Type Strength Rating Notes -DEF / -RES ★★★★★ Core meltdown role: heavy -DEF from Radiation Melee chain + Atom Smasher; massive AoE -RES/-DEF from Melt Armor; additional chances from Achilles Heel. Enemies become crit-magnets. Control (Stun, Hold, Immob) ★★★★☆ Char provides strong ST hold, Ring of Fire ST immobilize, Disrupt + Atom Smasher create repeat AoE stuns. Keeps clusters locked for ally AoEs. Knockdown ★★★★☆ Radioactive Smash knockdown plus Atom Smasher’s PBAoE provide layered disruption; useful against bosses. Endurance Drain ★★★★☆ Energy Drain cripples enemy stamina while boosting self-endurance and defense. Excellent in sustained melee. Absorb / Self-Healing ★★★★☆ Energize (heal + regen + end efficiency) plus Overload for survival spikes keep her stable even while face-tanking.

Empathy Defender Team Ankh's 801 Trials - Team 2 Mission Overview Mission 1: 801.0 f IC 6034 = 13 minutes Mission 2: 801.5 F IC 6035 = 23 minutes (team defeated) Mission 3: 801.0 f IC 6034 = 17 minutes Mission 4: 801.5 F IC 6035 = 46 minutes (timer expired) Teammates Missions 1-2: Gammalock (Dominator), Wednesdaywoe (Tanker), Fire Marsh (Blaster), Golden Anathema (VEAT Crab). Teammates Missions 3-4: Gammalock (Dominator), Nate Radrock (Tanker), Hank Kirchhoff (Blaster), KILL O’WATTS (Scrapper) Empathy Verdict Reaction and Analysis - Ankh vs. Frisson Sensate (DEF vs CON) Defensive Metrics Defensive Summary Survivability: Ankh only fell 2 times vs Frisson’s 17. Clear durability edge. Ally Risk: Ankh’s allies suffered fewer defeats (22 vs 35), even with reckless teammates. Resilience: Ankh absorbed half the damage (29k vs 57k) and withstood spikes far better. Punishment & Overwatch: For Frisson, damage taken was directly tied to both his own and his team’s defeats. For Ankh, those links were weaker — he could take hits without dragging allies down. Avoidance: Frisson dodged more hits on paper, but when he was struck the damage was devastating. Ankh took more hits but reduced their impact. Provision (Buffs): Ankh nearly doubled Frisson’s buff output and delivered it more consistently. Warding (Buffs vs Ally Defeats): Frisson’s buffs tracked with collapses (reactive). Ankh’s broke the tie, preventing defeats. Shielding (Buffs vs Pet Damage → proxy for teammates): Frisson’s buffs rose alongside pet damage (reactive). Ankh’s reduced the link, showing true prevention. Verdict Defensively, Ankh was the far stronger supporter. Frisson: avoided more hits, but every landed blow punished him and his team. His buffs were reactionary, tied to defeats. Ankh: took more hits, absorbed them at half the cost, kept defeats low, and proactively blunted damage with nearly twice the buff volume. Takeaway: Defensively, this one wasn’t close. Frisson dodged more, but when he got hit, both he and his team collapsed. His buffs mostly came too late, chasing damage. Ankh, meanwhile, soaked more hits, turned them into half the damage, barely fell himself, and pumped out almost double the buffs — actually preventing collapses. Bottom line: Ankh was the sturdier, steadier supporter… defensively speaking. Offensive Metrics Offensive Summary Lethality & Kill Share: Ankh nearly doubled Frisson’s kills (339 vs 162) and claimed a larger share of team lethality (22% vs 14%). Amplification: Ankh’s buffs scaled cleanly with ally kills, while Frisson’s were inconsistent. Threat (Raw Damage): Frisson dealt more total and per-minute damage (384k vs 323k), showing higher ceiling for raw output. Potency (Damage → Kills): Ankh converted his damage into kills far more reliably. Frisson’s damage often failed to finish. Engagement (Under Fire): Frisson held the edge — at his worst he matched Ankh, but at his best he outpaced him even when targeted. Disruption (Controls): Frisson dominated volume (4,151 vs 985), but Ankh’s knock-up controls hit harder and were tied to kills. Efficiency: Ankh turned damage taken into output more effectively (10.2 vs 9.0 average ratio). Pets: Ankh’s pets contributed more (81k vs 60k), were more efficient, and tied tightly to kills. Frisson’s pets were steadier but secondary. Verdict Offensively, Ankh was the more efficient and lethal supporter. Frisson: excelled at raw damage output and constant control pressure, thriving when under fire — but much of that effort failed to translate into kills. Ankh: dealt less raw damage, but converted more of it into decisive outcomes. His pets, buffs, and efficiency made him deadlier and more reliable in supporting team offense. Takeaway Frisson flooded the field with pressure, but Ankh struck with sharper results. Offensively, Ankh comes out ahead. Final Verdict… In this Empathy showdown, Ankh comes out on top. Defensively, the difference wasn’t close. Ankh only fell twice compared to Frisson’s seventeen, absorbed half the damage, and still kept his allies standing with nearly double the buffs. Frisson dodged more hits, but when he got tagged, both he and his team collapsed. Ankh, on the other hand, soaked more pressure and turned it into half the cost. Offensively, Ankh was just as decisive. He nearly doubled Frisson’s kills and claimed a bigger share of his team’s lethality. His pets were stronger, more efficient, and tightly tied to actual enemy defeats. Frisson still shined in raw damage output and sheer control volume — he blanketed the battlefield and put up the bigger numbers. But much of that pressure didn’t finish fights, while Ankh’s output translated directly into results. ⚖️So here’s the Bottom Line: Frisson was the louder supporter, overwhelming the field with suppression and damage. He fought hard, putting up bigger raw numbers and constant suppression pressure, but he was fragile: when hit, he and his team paid dearly, and his offensive volume often failed to convert into kills. Ankh was the stronger supporter — sturdier, steadier, and far more lethal. He absorbed twice the punishment at half the cost, kept his team standing with superior buffs, and turned his output — and his pets’ — into actual victories on the field. So while Frisson made a lot of noise — Ankh brought receipts carved in stone. And in this matchup, that makes him the true pharaoh of Empathy. DEFENDERS Win Empathy!!!