Bastille Boy

If you enjoy playing tanks and support, Tanker, Defender, and Corruptor are all great classes for a new player who wants a manageable challenge. (They also happen to be the easiest supers to have as a roommate.) Playing a tanker okay is easy. Playing a tanker really well is difficult. There is subtlety in managing aggro well to keep the team both safe and efficient. Tankers are expected to manage aggro in a way that other melee classes aren't. Brutes can also taunt, but they're not expected to, and they don't do it as well. Defenders and corruptors play differently in CoX than in most other MMOs. They are less about healing and more about buffing and debuffing. The differences between defenders and corruptors are subtle. The differences among the support sets are not subtle. Some solo very well; some don't solo well at all. Some support sets are very busy; you will be spending all your time buffing and healing teammates and very little time attacking. Others give you lots of time to use your attacks. If you want the option of soloing, take a set that includes some form of self protection. I would steer clear of masterminds for your first character. The controls are complex and fiddly. There are statistics about the percentage of toons of each class played to level 50. Less than 5% of masterminds make it to level 50, and there's a big gap between masterminds and the second lowest ranked AT on that chart (sentinels, at 7%). More than 10% of tankers, defenders, and corruptors make it to level 50. I would also steer clear of Energy Blast and any other powerset that relies heavily on knockback. It's possible to use knockback well on a team, but using it without understanding your teammates' tactics can cause unwanted chaos. Knockdown is fine. Super Strength is fine; most of the "knockback" powers actually do knockdown.

I've rolled a bunch of Sonic/ defenders, and I've played a few into the 30s and 40s, but I have yet to get one up to 50. (Edit 5/1: This is no longer true.) I have a few other low-level defenders. The one defender I got to 50 is an Emp/Beam. My level 50 corruptor is Thermal/Ice. My totally subjective impression is that Ice feels more powerful than Beam and Sonic. All three are good sets, but Ice feels as if it is doing more damage, and the holds are useful. I haven't soloed AVs yet on my Ice/Therm corruptor, but I definitely think it's a great solo combination. In the middle levels, the only useful Thermal power while soloing is the AOE heal, but that's okay, because Ice Blast is so great. At higher levels, the debuffs from Thermal are really helpful.

It's essential if you plan to play on teams. People expect tankers to taunt and to do it well. On my first tanker build, I made the mistake of one-slotting Taunt. I wasn't very good at keeping people alive. I was a more helpful teammate after I respecced and six-slotted Taunt. Take Taunt and slot it. Not necessarily six slots, but more than one. Perfect Zinger and Mocking Beratement are both great sets.

I hadn't thought of Kinetic Melee. I've been playing defenders and corruptors lately, and Kinetics is definitely a supernatural powerset. So I didn't think to take a close look at Kinetic Melee. I also hadn't noticed the recharge on Spring Attack. Yikes. Better to take Hurl and deal with having only one AoE. This lets me bring E/N defense up to the softcap. It also lets me take Super Speed rather than Super Jump. I wonder if it's worth skipping the procs in Punch to get the extra mez resistance from Might of the Tanker.

Here is the build that I came up with. It is a slight variation of the build @Sir Myshkin tested. The biggest change is that I am not taking a ranged power. Laser Beam Eyes does not fit the thematic restriction: all powers should have either a natural origin or a plausible pharmaceutical orign. I could have taken Hurl. But on the other tanker I've made (Invul / StJ), I found it frustrating to have only one AOE, and I took the cone power hardly anybody likes. I thought it might be worth trying Spring Attack to have a second PBAoE. The build has hard-capped S/L resistance and fire/cold defense a bit over the soft cap. (Going over the cap wasn't deliberate.) Energy defense is only 42.8%.

Empathy isn't the strongest set in the endgame, but that shouldn't stop you from building an emp if you want one for PVP or for the theme. You will want a good secondary, especially in the late game. Sonic is a popular choice. Beam is also very good. Both give you -Res, which is valuable at high levels. Ice and Water are popular choices for PVP emps. If you want a defender set with healing and you're not attached to a particular theme, Thermal might be better in the endgame. The +Res boosts to your teammates are useful; many players have soft-capped defenses but don't have hard-capped resistances. The -regen debuff power is useful in AV fights. I quite like my Ice/Thermal corruptor. The default animations are pretty weird looking (setting teammates on fire? really?), but the "dark fire" option is okay.

I have a concept for a melee character whose powers come from a deal with an all-too-human devil. A drug is responsible for his defenses and his energy for fighting. No daily pill, no superpowers. After seeing the proc monster thread, I thought this is a really cool mechanic, and I'd like to roll this toon as a tanker. The theme limits the powerset options. Anything with a supernatural origin is out. Edit: [condensing a long explanation of the powerset options] Thematically, the best powerset combinations would be Super Reflexes / [any melee weapon] or Willpower / Super Strength. I decided that I want some resistance in the build, so I'm going with Willpower / Super Strength. A common combination. But I'm going to have to make some non-standard power choices. Energy Mastery is the only plausible ancillary pool for a toon with purely natural origins, and I have to skip Laser Beam Eyes.

Welcome back to the game! One big change to the game since live is that features that once cost Paragon Points are now either free or purchasable with inf. Most notably, double XP is free now. You can just go to a "Pay 2 Win" vendor (found in Atlas, Mercy, or Pocket D) and ask for up to 8 hours of double XP. Because there is no cost to starting a new character, a lot of people have major altitis.

I have two people on my global ignore list. One did a league TP in a Hamidon raid that got me and a bunch of other people killed, and they didn't apologize for it. The other said antisemitic things in league chat.

There are four costumes I keep repeating with only slight variations: RIPD corruptional officer Prisoner of the RIPD, on "work release" T-shirt, gym shorts, sneakers, ball cap -- a hero who wants to dress like a normal person Motorcycle leathers -- ditto My six level 50 toons have different archetypes, and there's no overlap in their primary and secondary powersets. There are some powersets I've tried out multiple times, but none that I've played to 50 more than once, and only two (Empathy and Sonic Attack) that I've played to 40 more than once. It's likely that the first blaster I get to 50 will use a powerset I've taken to 50 before (either Beam Rifle or Ice Blast).

Update: This toon is great at level 50. Though Thermal is normally a support set, I'm finding that Ice/Thermal/Electric solos surprisingly well. Definitely better than my Empathy/Beam defender. There are two small problems with the build above. One is mez. This can be fixed with Clarion, but I'm not there yet (not enough threads). The other is that the toon had endurance issues with this build. One alternative would be to choose an endurance-increasing Alpha, but I really want Intuition. So I've done a respec, with just a couple of changes. I dropped Power of the Phoenix, and I took Power Sink in its place. Since I usually fight in melee range, this gives me a way to refill my endurance bar. I dropped one of the slots from Ice Storm so that I could two-slot Power Sink with one of the new IO sets. For now, I'm slotting it with Power Transfer, the End Mod and the Chance to Heal Self proc.

Got it. In that case, I still like the OP's suggestion to have the option of turning off buff-related animations on your character. I'd also like to be able to stop or to tone down the visual effects of my Thermal Radiation buffs...but it sounds as if that's a topic for another discussion.

I have seen newer players freak out about getting buffed with Thermal Radiation. And lots of people who don't find the Thermal animations upsetting do find it annoying. It obscures the character's costume in a big way. People work hard on their costumes and want them to be seen. I play thermals and apply the buffs anyway, because they're some of the best buffs in the game, but I wish I could get rid of the visual effects. I like both of the OP's suggestions. I think it should apply to all buff powersets, including Thermal Radiation. I'd like to give both the recipient and the caster the option of turning off the visual effects.

Any thoughts about Electric Affinity as a non-sapper powerset? People on the PVP discord seem to be interested in this as a healing set. Of course healing is critical in PVP and marginally useful in PVE. What would be good defender secondaries, corruptor primaries, or controller primaries to go with this? Just pick a generally good set (e.g. for def/corr, ice, beam, maybe psi), or are there sets with particular synergies?

Thanks to the dev team for their hard work on a very extensive patch! Is there a consensus about how Electrical Affinity stacks up, compared with other support sets? Does it work better with some archetypes than others? Is it viable for PVP?

We've had several threads about this already. But last June, @hastened made this excellent point: At this point, several things are clear: Many players would like the game to be harder, or to provide more incentives to play the challenging content that is already in the game. Many players do not want the game to be harder. At least, they (rather, we) do not want to change the game in a way that makes it necessary to go through very difficult missions or a long grind to get a toon up to level 50. Some of us are looking for a casual game or a feeling of power. Some of us have altitis. Some of us are interested in PVP, which is currently only available in a real way for level 50 toons with full accolades. Polling the forums is not a useful way of finding out which group of users is larger. The people who regularly read the forums are not representative of the player base. We have a volunteer dev team. They've worked hard to get the game where it is. They are working hard to keep it going. They have limited time and resources.

My farmer, Fireplay, is a demon who was accidentally summoned by a mad scientist. He lives in her lab on the outskirts of Paragon City, and he is a pain in the tuchus. He keeps melting her glassware into abstract sculptures and staining her windows with images of the underworld. When the scientist can't supervise her unwelcome guest, she sends him to Architect Entertainment to play with the holograms. He likes holograms. Holograms are shiny and make funny noises when they melt. Nick the Felon was just a two-bit crook until the Rogue Island Police arrested him and sent him to the Pen west of Port Oakes. The warden offered him drugs and work release on condition that he turn over his earnings. The drugs that make Nick into a superpowered rogue are addictive, thoroughly enjoyable, and illegal everywhere but the Rogue Isles. So is the "work" Nick does on the warden's orders. As long as Nick wants to remain a super, his home will be a prison. He sees it as an extended stay hotel with spartan accommodations, a curfew, a dress code, and an unusually strict cancellation policy. Little Mikey and Herocatcher Jake work at the Pen and live in the guards' barracks across the street. They could afford their own apartments in Port Oakes, but Mikey is a defender, and Nick is a corruptor, and defenders and corruptors don't like to live alone. Living with dozens of other defenders, corruptors, controllers, and masterminds is much more fun. So many buffs, so much beer! Also there are all the pets. The robots keep the place clean. The dire wolves are just so adorable! The Rogue Isles aren't good, and they're not nice, but for some people, they're right. The tolerant attitude toward recreational drugs, exotic pets, and highly unconventional living arrangements makes up for the dirty streets and the bad weather.

Didn't realize that. Thanks! That's really helpful.

For the toon I'm building, Electricity Mastery makes more sense thematically than Darkness Mastery. Here's another build with soft-capped melee defense and nearly soft-capped ranged defense. I've slotted Freeze Ray for hold (which I've found very useful while soloing) and changed the order of a few powers. I like to take my main travel power early. Edit: It will be necessary to be careful using Thunderstrike on teams, since there is no KB to KD IO in the power. Edit 2: I want two slots in Health. I want the KB protection in Combat Jumping, since that will always be on. I can't deal with having super speed on all the time. Players who are better at navigating with superspeed on should keep the anti-KB IO there, to get the last point of ranged defense. Villain Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.7 https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Mutation Corruptor Primary Power Set: Ice Blast Secondary Power Set: Thermal Radiation Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leaping Ancillary Pool: Electricity Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Ice Blast -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(9), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(11), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(13), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13) Level 1: Warmth -- NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx(A), NmnCnv-EndRdx/Rchg(3), NmnCnv-Heal/Rchg(3), NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(7), NmnCnv-Heal(7), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(9) Level 2: Fire Shield -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(43), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(43), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(43), UnbGrd-Max HP%(46) Level 4: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(5), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(5), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(40), Rct-ResDam%(40) Level 6: Super Speed -- BlsoftheZ-Travel(A) Level 8: Freeze Ray -- Lck-Acc/Hold(A), Lck-Acc/Rchg(15), Lck-Rchg/Hold(36), Lck-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(37), Lck-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(37), Lck-%Hold(37) Level 10: Plasma Shield -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(39), UnbGrd-EndRdx/Rchg(39), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(40) Level 12: Aim -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(31), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(31), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(34), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(34), GssSynFr--Build%(36) Level 14: Ice Storm -- SprMlcoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprMlcoft-Dmg/Rchg(15), SprMlcoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), SprMlcoft-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), SprMlcoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), SprMlcoft-Rchg/Dmg%(19) Level 16: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 18: Tough -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(25), UnbGrd-EndRdx/Rchg(29), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(29) Level 20: Bitter Ice Blast -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(21), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(21), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(23), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(23), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(25) Level 22: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def(A), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(36), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(50) Level 24: Thaw -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A) Level 26: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def(A), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(27) Level 28: Forge -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 30: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(31) Level 32: Blizzard -- Rgn-Dmg(A), Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Rgn-Acc/Rchg(33), Rgn-Dmg/EndRdx(33) Level 35: Heat Exhaustion -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 38: Melt Armor -- AnlWkn-Acc/Rchg(A), AchHee-ResDeb%(39) Level 41: Electric Fence -- EnfOpr-Acc/Rchg(A), EnfOpr-Acc/EndRdx(42), EnfOpr-EndRdx/Immob(42), EnfOpr-Acc/Immob(42), EnfOpr-Immob/Rng(46), EnfOpr-Acc/Immob/Rchg(46) Level 44: Charged Armor -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(45), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(45), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(45) Level 47: Thunder Strike -- Obl-Dmg(A), Obl-Acc/Rchg(48), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(48), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(50), Obl-%Dam(50) Level 49: Power of the Phoenix -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Quick Form Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 1: Scourge Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Pnc-Heal(34) Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(27) Level 50: Agility Core Paragon Level 0: Marshal Level 0: Invader Level 0: High Pain Threshold Level 0: Born In Battle ------------

Much better recharge and S/L resistance too! Thanks for this suggestion.

I'm working on leveling an ice/thermal corruptor now. My tentative plan is below. The build softcaps S/L defense. I went for S/L rather than ranged defense because I'm not good at staying at range. The build is weak on resistance and recharge. Not sure what, if anything, I can do about that. It's definitely a fun combination to play. Solo, on low difficulty (+0/1 or +1/1), I can do OK with mid-30s missions using only my primary and the occasional heal. In a group at that level, I am very busy keeping up shields and healing people while trying to get some ice blasts in. Villain Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.7 https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Corruptor Primary Power Set: Ice Blast Secondary Power Set: Thermal Radiation Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Ice Blast -- SprMlcoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprMlcoft-Dmg/Rchg(3), SprMlcoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprMlcoft-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), SprMlcoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), SprMlcoft-Rchg/Dmg%(7) Level 1: Warmth -- NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(A), NmnCnv-Heal(7), NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx(9), NmnCnv-EndRdx/Rchg(9), NmnCnv-Heal/Rchg(11), NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(11) Level 2: Fire Shield -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(13) Level 4: Cauterize -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(15), Pnc-Heal(17), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(17), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(19) Level 6: Super Speed -- Run-I(A) Level 8: Freeze Ray -- Lck-%Hold(A), Lck-Acc/Hold(19), Lck-Acc/Rchg(21), Lck-Rchg/Hold(21), Lck-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(23), Lck-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(23) Level 10: Aim -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(25), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(25), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(27), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(27), GssSynFr--Build%(29) Level 12: Plasma Shield -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(29) Level 14: Ice Storm -- OvrFrc-Acc/Dmg(A), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(31) Level 16: Boxing -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(31), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(31), KntCmb-Knock%(33) Level 18: Tough -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-Max HP%(33), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(33), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(34), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(34), GldArm-3defTpProc(34) Level 20: Weave -- ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(A), ShlWal-Def(36), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(36), ShlWal-Def/Rchg(36), ShlWal-EndRdx/Rchg(37), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(37) Level 22: Bitter Ice Blast -- SprScrBls-Acc/Dmg(A), SprScrBls-Dmg/Rchg(37), SprScrBls-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), SprScrBls-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), SprScrBls-Rchg/+End(39), SprScrBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40) Level 24: Thaw -- ResDam-I(A) Level 26: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(40), Rct-ResDam%(40) Level 28: Forge -- AdjTrg-ToHit(A), AdjTrg-ToHit/EndRdx(42) Level 30: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(42) Level 32: Blizzard -- SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(A), SprFrzBls-Rchg/ImmobProc(42), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx(43), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(45) Level 35: Scorpion Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(45), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(45) Level 38: Heat Exhaustion -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(46) Level 41: Melt Armor -- AnlWkn-DefDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(A), AnlWkn-Acc/DefDeb(46), AnlWkn-DefDeb(46) Level 44: Bitter Freeze Ray -- GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(A), UnbCns-Dam%(48), GldNet-Dam%(48), NrnSht-Dam%(48), GldJvl-Dam%(50), GldJvl-Acc/Dmg(50) Level 47: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(50) Level 49: Power of the Phoenix -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Quick Form Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 1: Scourge Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 2: Health -- Prv-Absorb%(A), Prv-Heal(13) Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(15) ------------

I like playing morally ambiguous characters. Of the two morally ambiguous alignments in CoX, I much prefer rogues to vigilantes. Vigilantes may have good intentions, but they are on the road to Hell, doing 85 mph. And there's nothing charming about all that anger. Rogues, on the other hand, are often charming. Though they aren't good people, they can end up doing good things if the incentives are right. The game and the wiki say fairly little about the Rogue Isles Police. Since there's open space in the canon, I feel free to speculate. Presumably the RIPD is a profit-maximizing organization. They cannot finance their operations with tax revenue. (Villains paying taxes? Really, now.) They get income primarily from private security contracts and bribes. They also use their jails as a source of profit, whether by extracting labor from prisoners or by renting out cells to people who need a discreet, safe hideout and don't mind spartan accommodations. They have no particular loyalties. For the most part, they'll take contracts from whoever pays them well. They'll even take gigs consulting for the Paragon Police or for Longbow if the price is right. So most of my toons are rogues, and many are either RIPD cops or their voluntary or involuntary guests, out on "work release." I switch my rogue toons to blueside for accolades. My first 50, the escaped convict Bastille Boy, is and always will be unambiguously a hero. (He denies that he is a hero, but of course that's what a hero would say.)

I take Maneuvers on all my toons, for selfish reasons. I solo all of my toons at least occasionally, including the support types, and I prefer to have at least one defense soft-capped without buffs from other players. I find it hard to do that without including Maneuvers in the build. It's nice to have an extra place to slot Luck of the Gambler. I sometimes take Tactics, depending on what other powers I want in the build and whether I expect endurance issues. (Currently debating whether to give up the rez power for Tactics in my new ice-therm corruptor...) I never take Assault. It's an endurance hog.

I'm considering creating a Thermal defender. (Altitis!) My hope is to have something that's viable for PVP and useful on teams for late-game PVE. The top-rated blast sets for defenders in PVP are Psy, Ice, and Beam (according to the tier list on Reddit). Do any of these make a particularly good pairing with Thermal? I already have an Emp/Beam, so I'm tempted to try Ice or Psy for the sake of novelty. But Beam is a great set. I could be persuaded to create a controller instead, but I'm not excited by the top-ranked PVP sets, except for Mind, which isn't ideal for PVE. Edit: Advice in the PVP discord is to go for Ice or Beam on a corruptor, Ice on a defender.

It's not just WoW players thinking "Oh, a healer!" There are at least two other big reasons people create empathy defenders: Roleplaying: When superhuman empathy is a superpower, almost any story can be an origin story. Ordinary suffering can make someone a superhero. "He was always picked last for kickball" is a totally valid explanation for the ability to fortify the underdog. The only power with comparably flexible potential for origin stories is Willpower. PVP: Healers are essential in team PVP. The two healing sets that are widely considered viable in PVP are Empathy and Pain Domination. (Thermal is also considered a viable set in PVP, but not for the "emp" role--at least, not according to the guides posted in the forums.) The tier list posted on Reddit lists Empathy as the top power for defenders and does not identify Pain Domination as one of the viable options. When I was choosing powersets for my first PVP defender (still in development), I consulted this tier list. I doubt I'm the only one. https://www.reddit.com/r/Cityofheroes/comments/cfgpzq/pvp_tier_list_recluses_victory_ioincarnate_meta/ https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/15386-pvp-resources/ Yes. Psi and Energy are both top-tier PVP powers. My first toon with full accolades is a Psi/Energy stalker. When I go into Recluse's Victory, he dies a lot, but not as fast or as often as the other toons I've attempted to bring there.