Erratic1

(1) I almost always team as well. I happen to greatly enjoy the Protean story arc and so do it on every character. (2) Sentinels are a dps class, but I am pretty sure that when you are in the character creator nearly every other class with the exception of Controllers and Masterminds is listed there. Doing dps covers a very wide range. (3) I admit I have not done nearly as much in pushing veteran levels as I could have, so far preferring to work character ideas as they come to me over polishing their post-50 forms. Even putting half of them on the back burner for various reasons (did not evolve to play as I expected, or requires more influence expenditure than I am prepared to make at this point) that still leaves me with ten characters in their 30s, five in their 40s, and five at 50+. However, I think when looking at where the population bulge is for actively played characters is I have that ground pretty well covered. (4) Most ATs feel pretty superfluous as you near 50. The Tanker is wondering what role he is serving when spawns die instantly, the Blasters feeling outshone by other ATs which may not kill quite as quickly but do so quickly enough while bringing other benefits to the team, the Controllers feeling a lot like the Tanker, etc. So good are the various ATs at that point that you see "degenerate" teams of single ATs forming. Tanker Tuesday is a cross server, scheduled event. Pure Defender teams go back to the early days of the game. I have seen pure Mastermind groups form (shudder to think what that must be like in a cave). And just this week I was invited to an all Sentinel supergroup. Point here being that endgame, chocked full of IOs, who is filling a team slot is pretty meaningless. It's in the lower game that AT matters. (5) As I noted, I agree that Sentinels need something when it comes to teams. I just do not agree that more damage or buffing damage is it. The name of the AT does not suggest damage powerhouse nor damage enabler. In fact, I would go the opposite way and instead have Sentinels redirect a portion of damage dealt by their targets to themselves for a duration after being hit. If that is too hard to code, then a damage debuff on their targets.

Yes, that is what they were designed to have. And in exchange for their controls and buffs/debuffs they get crappy damage. What precise downside do you want to give Sentinels for top level damage, second best defenses and now, at your suggestion, debuffing? I literally (as in your reply notification made bleep) just soloed Protean with a level 23 Sentinel. Of the 40 characters I have, each of which I invariably do the Protean arc with (excepting the two controllers because that would be exercise in frustration) I have precisely two others who have done it--a Reflexes Tank and a Mastermind. The Reflexes Tank relied on not getting hit and even then had to retreat twice and rest up to do it. The Mastermind ran out of pets once, got put down, and managed by summoning pets, waiting for cooldowns to reset so as to be able to resummons during the fight as needed, and then facing Protean. The Sentinel? One pass, no retreats, popped 4 Respites. Its as cake walk as I've ever done against an AV at that level. All I had to do was stay in constant motion (so much for the notion that range is not a defense you were putting out) and between good damage, healing, and an absorption shield it was not a problem. The controllers, defenders, and corruptors of the world? They would have been in for a world of hurt. I would agree Sentinels need to bring more to a team. Debuffs do not strike me as that something they need to be bringing. There's the level 50 blaster I just finished levelling last week. Yes, Blasters do mondo damage. Something about glass cannon. It does not take much going wrong for a blaster to face plant.

Thanks for the reply. Makes sense.

I am curious what the issues are.

Why not give them radial healing around the target and themselves too? Oh, and have them buff all friendly units within 255' range with extra damage, resistance, and defense? And while we're at it, Sentinels should spawn pets with each attack (which die upon zoning...wouldn't want to get out of hand).

Specific sets on all ATs traipse across role lines, sure. With proper power set choice one can make a controllery blaster or a buffy controller, or whatever. That is wholly different from implementing an AT-wide mechanism which tramples on what another AT does. And at the point where Sentinels get Scrapper level damage, which is what Blasters are supposed to have in exchange for weak survivability, what is the point in having Blasters...longer range?

Late response, but Resistance Debuff is the realm of Defenders and Corruptors. So your proposal would step on their feet with neither of those ATs dealing Blaster level damage nor having the inherent survivability of Sentinels. Seems a bit unfair.

Thank you everyone!

Having started an Ice/Time Corruptor this past weekend and having found him more enjoyable than several other Corruptors I have had, I am surprised to see the negative comment near the beginning of the thread.

I played in Beta, in release, and tried multiple times to take a Blaster up, but invariably something just didn't click. Most attempts felt off by their mid-20s while a few made it into their 30s. Finally, with Beam Rifle/Martial Combat/Mace everything felt good the entire way. In truth, I suspect Beam Rifle did most of the lifting for getting me over the hump since seeing Disintegration appear over multiple heads in a thrill, though Martial Combat providing endless endurance played a part. Not sure yet what to do with a 50 Blaster, but looking forward to finding out.

Allow me to second the above comment regarding Poison. You can make a character that functions with it, and I have done so more than once. But I also had experience playing a lot of Defenders and Corruptors at that point. While Fire/Kinetics and Fire/Time are both solid suggestions, let me also toss Ice/Time out for consideration. What you end up with is a damage dealer with a side order of control. This gives you the ability to face groups solo because you can delay incoming attacks to so great an extent. Because you have three holds, keeping boss mobs locked down is simple (and two of your holds deal damage).

Tanker armor abilities start with higher base values meaning they take less damage out of the box, get more value form enhancements, and have an easier time reaching defense/resistance caps. All secondary set attacks provoke, so a Tanker has an easier time holding aggro. At any given level with similar investment before IOs come into play a Tanker will be more survivable and hold aggressive better than another AT*. *There may be a few edge cases where another AT may equal/surpass a Tanker in a particular aspect, but as a total package with equal resources, I think they would fall short.

Since I did not quote you, I think you are confused.

I have a Mind/Savage Dom I started recently. Fun, though I can see no end of influence consumption in his future.

By definition, applying to most everyone is not a narrow way of looking at things...it covers most everyone. Personally, I would not be so hasty in replying so as to miss things like that, but you do what makes you happy as it is not meaningfully annoying to me.

Fortunately I wrote, "most everyone" (intentionally so as to avoid pedantry even though sensible reading should have covered most everyone had I only written, "everyone").

Pushed mine to 50 last weekend. It has its joyful moments, though you will definitely want to push your resistances up (and defense too). You may also want to grab an epic set with AoEs, as that is an area DM is weak in.

No. Lists and "house rules" are absurdities you've introduced. Most everyone else is able to go by common sense sociability rules regarding behavior in groups that were inculcated in childhood.

And the other seven people on the team who do mind? If you are not making others dance to your tune, seems clear to me you should not be taking actions which make it increase the likelihood of wiping.

Not really, as I am not here demanding that me having fun outweighs everyone else's complaints. In the abstract, perhaps. But we are talking about team play. The idea of a team is that you are working together towards a common goal. In pursuit of that, one should be prepared to accommodate others AND expect a certain amount of accommodation in exchange. If one person having "fun" annoys everyone else in the group...why did that person join the group? I have three dozen characters and play most ATs. I get to experience the wide range of what players do which is annoying. Most times it's small things and I tell myself, "Its not making that much difference" and carry on. As example, I really wish when I am playing my Tanker that Controllers would wait two or three seconds after I get to a group of foes for those foes to gather near me before Immobilizing them since that means I can keep aggro directed at me as opposed to the fringes of a slightly scattered group deciding they will take interest in the group's ranged attackers. Buy if the group is not having problems with fringe, ranged fire I tolerate it. I have a Kinetics Defender who has Repel. It is a lot of fun going, "Bowlng for Nazis!" and scattering groups like bowling pins. Know how often I do that in group play? Only when the group is being overwhelmed and knocking a bunch of opponents down will decrease incoming attacks. Otherwise I position myself with the ranged attackers to prevent stray melee from approaching because just knocking everything around for no other purpose than "fun" (a) does not accomplish the group goal and (b) annoys everyone else. Likewise on my Gravity Dominator I do not use Dimension Shift willy-nilly because it would be fun but rather when an unintended second spawn gets pulled. The last three letters are the key--it's your opinion. A group is more than just you.

I tend to enjoy the Kinetics heal overlapping me instead of empty space because someone else happens to knockback his anchor a fraction of a second before the Kinetics presses Transfusion. I certainly have fun when Soul Drain hits multiple foes as opposed to two or three because someone else was having "fun" scattering everything I took the time to get in the middle of. Most times I see people justifying their actions on the basis of fun it invariably is only their own fun they are talking about.

...and anyone who hates their area powers on long times hitting nothing because a second before their cast is done someone has scattered the group or anyone who requires an anchor for their AoE power and wants the area of effect to hit nearby targets (say like Transfusion or Fulcrum Shift) but finds their anchor similarly hurled away a fraction of a second before the power animates. I suppose one could see it as min-max to want a heal to hit party members instead of radiating over empty space. Not the usual way people refer to not dying, but if I squint real hard, I can kinda see it.

Unlike other people, I really dislike going with the same theme for primary and secondary. But Rad is one where I can see merits to it as Rad Armor addresses some of the downsides of Rad Melee. I do have both a Rad/SD and Rad/FA (brute). Both are endurance hungry until you deal with the issue. That really makes me wonder how Rad/Electric or Rad/Ice might fare.

What is the theme? Radiation is a very good, potentially too good powerset with not downsides. If having pulses of energy orbit you like in a diagram (inaccurate) of an atom doesn't bother you, it should work wonderfully. I have not played Energy Aura since live, but I had no complaints. Certainly it is less flashy than Radiation.

What are you trying to get out of the secondary and what is the concept?