PyroBeetle

To me, on the concept of the AR/TA, which is a heavily modified version of the old Rambo build, it just didn't fit thematically, which was the nail in the coffin for the power choice...no matter how I tried, I could only get it available every other group, and when the alpha strike I already have is sufficient 99% of the time, I couldn't justify the variation from theme. It is a good power, but not available often enough. And yes, like the French, it takes some getting used to "advancing to the rear". I prefer the terminology fighting a retrograde action, sounds more positive, or defense in depth, or any of the myriad terms I picked up in the service to avoid saying retreat!

I can comment on a few things about this build, as I have been playing an AR/TA build recently. Regarding the use of travel pool powers, this is the same route I went with mine. Regarding your macro to target oil slick and light with Electrifying Net Arrow. I have found that my explosive blast, which does a touch of fire damage as well as smashing, similar to your AoE Arrow, is normally more than sufficient to light my oil slick, as well as being a +recharge proc driver. Functionally this has led to me starting a group solo with Flash Arrow, Glue Arrow then Oil Slick Arrow, then Explosive Blast, Full Auto and finally Flamethrower, which if nothing else did earlier, will light my slick. I do have a similar macro to target the slick in an emergency, but do not have to use it...maybe 1 time in 100. Regarding Bonfire, I have this on the precursors to the build that I settled on, Ice Blast/TA, and Fire Blast/TA. I did enjoy the bouncing, but have not found it to be necessary nor really adding particularly to my survival. YMMV of course, but to me it was a crutch and I have left it behind. Just my $.02, and worth about the same. I hope you are having fun!

I think that it is the target caps on a Sentinel that is really going to be the major drawback. It's not the damage scalar, it is the fact that those juicy dark cones will only be hitting a fraction of the enemies at a time that a Blaster would. I ran across this issue with my Sonic Sentinel, which worked great, except for the fact that I just wasn't affecting as many enemies as I would on a Blaster. My experience seems particularly relevant a different cone based set. My main right now is a AR/TA Blaster with 32.5% ranged defense, reaching soft cap with single purple. I don't normally need to pop the purple as Flash Arrow is that good, but against some enemies it is useful, and I have a macro to combine most insp into purples and a bind to eat them for this purpose. I rarely die in team content and am damn effective. Natural character so I don't hover either.

While I do not follow the old Rambo build exactly, I do play AR/TA and have found it to be very very effective. Mine is named Veteran's Vengeance.

I have been the point person on teams with my blasters recently, Fire/TA and AR/TA, and have had quite some success doing it. It is a razors edge playstyle, but can lead to quick TF completion when done well. A blasters best survival tool is always going to be more damage and both of those have damage in spades. Dead enemies cannot hurt you. Flash Arrow, Glue Arrow, and Oil Slick Arrow are available every 15 to 20 seconds with my build, and I open the engagement with those debuffs, then follow up with M30 Grenade slotted to knockdown, which ignites the oil slick most times, then follow up with Full Auto, which also knocks enemies down with the Ragnorak proc, then Flamethrower, which will ignite the oil slick if nothing else already did which polishes off most groupings. At this point ST the bosses who are just getting back up. On to next group with full alpha strike available in 20 seconds or sooner, depending on +recharge proc. No I don't hover, I don't have capped defenses, and I have never felt the lack. I do combine all but reds into purples when I move, and pop one or two if facing certain enemies (looking at you wolves), or if doing Incarnate content. Being the point man is about attitude, not thr build.

While I do understand the draw of Drain Psych, and have played a Psychic Blast Mental Manipulation blaster after the changes, I do not think that the pairing works well as a ranged blaster. Ignoring the PBAoE is just handcuffing yourself, and defeating enemies while handcuffed is not easy. If your goal is to make a ranged blaster, other sets work a lot better for this. The Tactical Arrow secondary in particular is strong for a ranged blaster, offering good tools to help keep mobs at range, and extra ranged damage in Oil Slick. I have played Ice/TA and Fire/TA into Incarnate levels, and found them both quite strong, though in different ways. However, I am just beginning the Incarnate journey with my Assault Rifle/TA blaster and have found this pairing to be the chef's kiss for a ranged blaster. Please keep in mind I do not farm my toons up, I level them through play, both solo and teams to get an idea as to how to play them. Enjoying a set oftentimes means maximizing what it does well, otherwise you are just hurting yourself and worse, your team.

Sorry for the necro, but I saw a link to this build in a semi recent post about TA. Thank you for this build Nemu. I have been using a slightly modified (updated level range for selecting power and some minor substitutions) and have been quite impressed with its capabilities. I use two basic AoE combos each of which is available every other fight...Flash Arrow, Build Up, Blizzard, Rain of Ice, Glue Arrow and then burn down bosses remaining health with single target powers or Ice Breath if targets are clumped, and Flash Arrow, Aim, Bonfire, Oil Slick Arrow (Immediately lights because of bonfire), Rain of Ice l, then the same ST or Breath as above. Soloing content is easy on x8, and is useful on teams. I run a couple macros to combine all inspirations except +damage ones, and then try to always pop one before I fire Flash Arrow, and the +damage insp are used automatically when I use Aim or Build Up.

I have played a Sonic/Bio Sentinel through Incarnate levels, and it works quite well. The concept was originally a Sonic/Stone, but I did not enjoy stone enough as a secondary. As always, the problem ends up being the target caps on the Sentinel primaries, and ultimately I ended up doing the Sonic on a Blaster, enjoying the same cone grinder mayhem with better caps, and a longer recharge on the T9 that I felt compelled to work into my chainsaw cones. Sonic/Temporal just ended up working better, and is also a functional at range Blaster secondary, though I might want to redo as Devices

This, which is why I use the Macro set that I mentioned

If you check out the Farm Fresh Builds post in the Guides section, there is an intricate series of macros designed to do this that I still use to this day...

Stupid counting error on my part, please ignore!

I ran a StJ/SR stalker, very effective

Most people won't remember it, but I loved Motor City Online when it launched. However, like many EA games it was a money grab and then sunset. When they patched in the Japanese 90s cars at the end the game was already done for, but it was an outrageous affront to the classic muscle cars to do that.

I have been using a variation of this build to rousing success. Varying power level selection and four slotting Maiming Slash with Kinetic Combat. L30 now and picked up Feral Charge, and build is rounding into shape very nicely. I moved Ice Slick much earlier, and lead with that when available. Thank you Darkir for a great build and fun pairing.

TBH I have found that my Rad Tanker does just fine without slotting for defense. Pump the resistance pump the regen and pump the recharge. Proc bomb and enjoy.

A tiny bit of a necro, but Chess.com also supports Human v AI and can also expand into playing online

Greetings and welcome back, I am at work now, but have a L50 Elec/EA sentinel at home. I will copy his build for you later but her e are some things to consider. I built the toon on the concept that Drained mobs cannot shoot back, and he functions very well at draining mobs. He spends a vast majority of his time in melee range, due to the nature of some of his powers, the drain in EA and short circuit, and he also took the aura in the Electric epic. General strategy is to fire off Thunderous Blast and Ball Electric and shoot on into melee, what isn't dead is drained, follow up with the Electric Immob and then finish off with short circuit and ST blasts. When Thunderous blast is not available I look for problem mobs before dashing in and make sure to gun those down first (looking at you sappers etc.) Obviously there is a rhythm that is learned, but it is generally playable and a very good combo follow8ng the above basic strategy. I skipped the T1 Blast as it was not needed in the final build. Actually the build was posted here in another thread, you can find it by searching posts I made with explanations etc. Again fun pairing and welcome back.

I have found the same thing actually, not meaning to thread jack, but the new cone with a 1 second activation time is very nice, for leveling particularly, or if I have to stay at range, as is having another AoE, even if it is a chain. I do not use the Mental cone due to its long animation, but did find during beta that soft capped S/L/E/R while running Closet of Confusion made for a fun build.

You are very welcome, and I am glad that you got to stick to your concept. As to your question, its not just the cones to AoE that makes a large difference, but that the tractor on Axe Cyclone pulls the mobs together nicely. I hope the tractor effect remains an Axe thing, because it is still Lethal damage, and needs a perk to help it. Melee cones are always usable from above to hit crowds, pop and shoot style. Jacobs Ladder suffers from activation time issues as well though. As far as the targeted close range AoE goes Street Justice used this even on live, and moving Pendulum there is a good balance. Where you might see a change is in the other Lethal T9s to make them more like Cleave.

Although not listed above, If you are wedded to the Axe, and really why wouldn't you be, endurance and recharge are going to be your bridesmaids. I highly suggest Energy Armor, which will give you the tools to manage the endurance and a bonus to recharge. In addition, you also gain a stealth power. I tried Axe on other concepts and found them playable at incarnate levels when I could use Cardiac to offset the endurance, but with Energy Armor, I could play at every level. Regards,

There was also the problem with the Brimstone messing with the sleep, but overall, I just am happier with Bio. One of the attractions of Stone was Terra Firma increasing range to help the cones. Bio doesn't need to make a similar sacrifice.

Greetings, Coming back to Homecoming after a year away and found some very nice changes had been made to Sentinels. I attempted to roll this toon as a Sonic/Stone but was less than enamored of being on the ground as a primary ranged toon, so I decided to give it a go with Bio. It is not that Stone was bad, but it was too easy to get swarmed with the cap limitations, and the temptation to run in with the T9 as an opener when solo was...well too much for me to withstand, which was also contributing to the aforementioned swarming. I wanted to take advantage of the cones and have found, solo at least, that the cones are the most efficient way of mowing down a group, and I tend to only use the T9 when I am part of a team, or as a closer, not an opener. The build is below. It does manage to achieve soft cap defense to E/N/F/C, and soft cap resistance to S/L, even in Offense Adaptation, with the Incarnates chosen. The 3 Cones also are matched at 75 Foot Range, which is deep enough to get nice coverage. Some tips and tricks: the cone chain I use is Sirens, Shockwave, then Howl or duck in and Nuke. The mitigation in the primary attack chain is awesome. The Incarnates chosen were Cardiac Radial Paragon for the Range and Absorb Boosts, as well as keeping the Endurance in line, Ageless Radial Epiphany for the Global Recharge as well as to top off Slow Resist, and Assault Radial for the damage boost. Because it is not showing Health was slotted with the two remaining Health Uniques, and Stamina was slotted with Performance Shifter Unique and Performance Shifter EndMod. Regards,

Having played multiple Sentinels to Incarnate levels, I have to say, compared to a build that leverages props, you are going to feel like you are tickling mobs, not blasting them. Set bonuses are tasty, but Sentinels path to damage is to leverage procs.

This is the largest failing with Sentinels...the lack of build variation because one EPP choice makes the AT almost viable and none of the others do. I have multiple Sents at 50, and ultimately the only ones that feel right are ones that leverage Mind Probe in their attack chain. To the point that is being made regarding Regen. Sentinel Regen should be ported over to other ATs, the HC team got so much right with it. Other ATs should keep the original Dull Pain though, even if it is another click. Regen would not be broken on tanks, you would have to leverage winter sets for slow mitigation, which would reduce recharge opportunities. Also being hit by every other nasty debuff that is thrown around by some groups, it just would not stack up against the top performers without significant buffs, which would kinda defeat the point of having nerfed it into the ground.

I havent really been using the Mids values, I use in game figures. I think the general SR framework is yours anyway for the SR Claws tank...In game it results in 58.something Melee and 53.something Ranged and AoE, sufficient for anything I have run it through so far.