Nemu

Nice, it's awesome to see returning players. I know I got emotional when I fired up CoH for the first time after I discovered homecoming and I know a lot of other people had the feels too. One note about the -kb IO in single target blasts. Conventional wisdom is that it's not necessary. Especially if you are blasting top down which turns those ST attacks into ghetto knockdowns. If you look around you'll see that in most builds only AoEs get the -kb IO treatment because they can still impact AoEs coming from the rest of the team. AoEs is where I'd also look to slot the Force Feedback proc. Those have a lower chance to proc in AoEs but they check for proc per target. Because of that IO you don't necessarily need to shoot for a hard perma hasten recharge time, you can let that IO proc cover some of the ground needed to get there.

Good morning. Part 2 of my feedback, this time with breakdown. I don't know how long either of you have been playing the game but based on my observations on recharge bonus stacking, it seems that you have some understanding of conventional wisdom about builds (recharge recharge recharge!) and playstyle perpetuated a decade ago. This is also evidenced by your pick of phase shift. Nothing about your builds scream PvP, so I made the assumption that phase shift is taken as a safety button, much like personal force field, surge of power, hibernate, etc... to get you out of trouble. Fast forward to today, you have a LOT more options in the way you can handle survival, and you have a lot more options/easier access to hard to get enhancements from yesteryear. Recharge is still important, but there are new breeds of builds that challenge that mantra and take builds to new heights. The current meta is survival, you'll see a lot of talk on the forums about softcap defense and hardcap resists especially in the melee AT sections. Of the two, softcap defense is more "bang for the buck" for most non-armored ATs, because at 45% defense against specific vectors, standard enemies will only have a 5% chance to hit you using attacks that use that specific vector, For example: 45% range defense = mobs will miss 95% of the time with ranged attacks, regardless of whether these attacks are smashing/lethal/energy/neg energy/cold/fire/psi/toxic 45% Smashing/Lethal defense = mobs will miss 95% of the time with attacks that a primarily Smashing/Lethal in damage type, regardless of whether they are melee, range, or AoE attacks. If you are hover blasting, range defense makes more sense since it covers all attack damage types. A lot of builds by vet builders today don't even bother with stuff like phase shift/personal force field/surge of power. They don't need it. Once you get to that level of defense the pre-50 content becomes pretty easy. Post 50 hardmode content is a bit different, as those will greatly depend on team buffs, so for blasters, many choose to embrace the damage and not build as much towards survival. If you want a build that's good for 90-95% of the content available, a standard range defense softcap hover blaster build will do. It's easier to start off with a cookie cutter template which means you will need the following power pools: Flight = for hover and fly, etc Fighting = for tough and weave Speed = for hasten Leadership = for Maneuvers, maybe tactics and even vengeance for the luck of the gambler 7.5 mule. Weave and Maneuvers give the most defense out of all the possible pool powers, and it will be very hard for you to get to softcap defense without those two, so you are locked into those 4 pool picks. My first pass at a standard "no expense spared" ranged hover blaster energy/energy build would look something like this: Standard Energyx2 hoverblaster - Blaster (Energy Blast - Energy Manipulation).mbd I circled the temporary buffs and where you need to click to turn them off. Also note the 45% range defense which is our goal. You can access that window by hitting the "view totals" button, also circled. If you want to learn how to build like this, then I recommend giving the link in my previous comment a read.

Don't, You both need a bit of guidance on mids mechanics and build design. 1 - Hasten is not perma because you have a force feedback proc triggered in power thrust which skews your recharge numbers. De-select the yellow dial on power thrust and you'll see hasten recharge go up to 160 seconds. 2 - two redistributed slots in defense powers isn't going to matter. It's how you stack set bonuses that will greatly augment survival, not one defense enhancement here and there. 3 - when you pick up powers matters. Snipe is taken at level 32 which means you don't have access to it if you exemp down for lower level content. It's available at 12, you don't need grant invis at 12, and if you are just chasing set bonuses with grant invis as a LOTG mule you can easily put that off as a level 49 pick. Same comment with hasten, if that's a key part of your build and you are so keen to get it perma, I would imagine that you'd want that a lot sooner than level 47 4 - the energy manipulator stun proc is pointless in stamina. 5 - you have the +resist defense uniques but I don't see any +3% defense resist uniques. Those are way more valuable than the +resist ones but it's worth having them all 6 - your stats are greatly inflated because you turned on all the incarnate powers + power boost + surge of power. Those are not on 100%, Turn all those off you see what your real stats are, just like force feedback proc skewing you recharge stats. What you are shooting for is a standard hover blaster build since you skipped all your melee attacks. If you want something that can hold its own then the build goals you want to shoot for is ranged softcap backed up by a resist shield. You have the latter, you just need to focus your set bonuses for the former. It's late and I don't have the bandwidth tonight to give you a mids build lesson, but if you are interested in some reading that highlights how to focus your build. Try the following link

Assault Rifle would be my pick as well. You can still do a Rambo AR/TA/Arsenal (LRM) build without full auto, and it'll still be on theme.

You skipped all the melee attacks, that tells me where your mindset and comfort level is at. That's a good set of starting clues. 45% range defense + epic resist shield is the cookie cutter route for range survival, most people also hover blast if they go down that route. 45% range defense is the softcap for normal content, meaning mobs will only have a 5% chance to hit you without buffs with range attacks. Add a resist shield on top of that means attacks that do get through will hit you for less. Then you layer the controls/other tools you have from your toolkit (including killing stuff fast) to further limit incoming damage. That's called layered mitigation. Don't skip cosmic burst. It's your hardest single target hitter with a guaranteed stun. Slot attacks as attacks first and foremost and not for debuff/secondary effects, looking at neutrino bolt. Typically you can skip either the Tier1 or Tier2 primary pick if you have enough recharge, I'd skip neutrino and sub in cosmic burst. Wild fortress and for that matter any other blaster sustain should be taken the moment they are available so you can mitigate/eliminate any endurance issues. IO sets for your build that's good for range defense: Thunderstrike (3 pieces or full set) Artillery (3 pieces or full set) Blessing of zephyr (2 pieces) Both blaster ATOs (full set each) Basilisk's gaze (2 pieces but you should get 4 for the 7.5% recharge bonus too) Preemptive optimization (full set) I'm going to make the claim that the only reason you went force mastery is because of personal force field so you can turtle up. Temp invuln is just a nice little bonus. Once you get comfortable with playing blasters or if you have a build that hit range defense softcap, you can open up your selection of epics. Soul master and Fire mastery both offer attractive powers that help with your ranged game plan via soul tentacles and bonfire, in addition to providing a resist shield with S/L and other element resists. Finally, learning to play blasters is not an easy journey. There are a lot of things you take for granted playing lol melee that will serve you a hard reality check when you play blasters. A build can only take you so far. Success in playing blasters is a combination of: Understanding inspiration usage Understanding conditions that allows you to go all out vs when you should hold back Understanding your toolkit and how to use them for survival if you have such tools Understanding mob targeting priorities Understanding positioning (where you should and should not be standing) Understanding and leveraging game mechanics such as line of sight, mob fear mechanic, movement, etc... Having said that, a good build can help mask a lot of those nuances and carry you through a lot of content.

What you are looking for is a hover blaster with a resist epic shield and 45% range defense. This is a pretty typical hover blaster ask/goal for those that haven't embraced the finer nuances of blasterhood and/or developed expertise in playing blasters that can function in and out of melee range.... But that's OKAY because hover pure range blasters are still very functional. Although you CAN skip all your melee powers, they do provide a place to slot full sets of mako's bite for 3.75% range defense, my recommendation is to keep at least 1 for that bonus and as a "you'll regret getting in my face" power. Besides Mako's bite, other sets that provide range defense bonus that's pertinent to your combo include Thunderstrike (full set), blessing of the zephyr (2 pieces), eradication (3 pieces), preemptive optimization (full set) . I wouldn't worry too much about kb on single target powers. But do put a KD proc in your AoEs. Artillery is a great set but it has greatly diminished value for energy blast because you will not be slotting the full set due to the KD proc tax. For Epics Dark Mastery and Fire Mastery are both attractive for hover blasters. Bonfire is still pretty strong even after the adjustment to KD rate. Dark Mastery gives you fearsome stare AND possess, the latter can be slotted with a full set of Coercive Persuasion for 10% global recharge and +5% range defense. It is the best bang for the buck if you have the funds to get that purple set. Powers that you can absolutely skip from Atomic manipulation as a pure ranged hover blaster include atom smasher and beta decay, with positronic fist a distant third (although you might consider it for the Mako's set as a mule and never use it). Beta decay is a trap power since it requires mobs within melee range for the bonus. Fighting pool for tough/weave is the norm for defensive blaster builds, you may want to also consider leadership for Maneuvers for the extra defense as well. The last pool depends on your preference, most go speed for hasten, but I can see the case for something like stealth or combat jumping for more defense and you can somewhat make up for recharge by slotting force feedback procs in your AoEs along with the KD IOs. Since you have to pay the KB tax those defensive picks might just be what you need to hit softcap.

I think I might the only person that isn't on board the gloom/st from epic train and instead chose to embrace arctic breath for a super proc tank. Most Rad/SS proc builds I see still gives up proc slotting for enhancements that boost acc/dam/end. As far as I know @Spaghetti Betty is the only other poster that has linked builds where attacks are 6 slotted with just procs. I remember a post a while back where someone asked what's the build with powers that can hold the most procs and most responses were /temporal defenders or some such. No, Rad/SS is the poster child for extreme proc builds. It's very effective and it's a breath of fresh air compared to the conventional "You should shoot for 45% defense and/or resists cap" mentality that dominates the Tanker forums.

Someone on Excelsior asked me in game about Dark Dark. Here are the criteria he listed: Solo Friendly Exemp Friendly Budget build < 500mil Flight pool, fight pool, speed pool The build needs to elicit feelings of "Wow I pulled that off" It's a tall ask. Dark/Dark works better at range. It's not one of the more damaging combos which makes it more tedious to solo with. Temper your expectations, you are not going to be plowing through x8 mobs with this combo at lower levels. The ST immob is taken here to aid with soloing. The low level playstyle is going to be very single target focused. This is a cheapish build with only a few expensive pieces. The goal is softcap range defense and then as much recharge as I can cram. I also built up some respectable psi defense along the way. The upgrade would look drastically different than this cheap build, it would include a lot more slow resist. If it were up to me I'd ditch the entire flight pool and grab combat jumping instead for guaranteed immob protection. If I need to fly, there's temp flight packs for that. I'd also make sure I'm at 95% chance to hit against +4s, With the higher values that purples and ATOs provide there's a reasonable chance that the build can also hit perma-hasten and AoE softcap as well. Budget Friendly D/D/D - Hero Controller Build plan made with Mids' Reborn v3.6.6 rev. 3 ────────────────────────────── Primary powerset: Darkness Control Secondary powerset: Darkness Affinity Pool powerset (#1): Flight Pool powerset (#2): Speed Pool powerset (#3): Fighting Pool powerset (#4): Leadership Epic powerset: Dark Mastery ────────────────────────────── Powers taken: Level 1: Dark Grasp A: Basilisk's Gaze: Accuracy/Hold 3: Basilisk's Gaze: Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold 3: Thunderstrike: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance 5: Neuronic Shutdown: Chance of Damage(Psionic) 27: Ghost Widow's Embrace: Chance of Damage(Psionic) 45: Cloud Senses: Chance for Negative Energy Damage Level 1: Twilight Grasp A: Touch of the Nictus: Healing/Absorb 5: Touch of the Nictus: Accuracy/Healing/Absorb 33: Touch of the Nictus: Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge 34: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime 48: Preventive Medicine: Chance for +Absorb Level 2: Shadowy Binds A: Invention: Accuracy Level 4: Fly A: Blessing of the Zephyr: Knockback Reduction (4 points) 43: Winter's Gift: Slow Resistance (20%) Level 6: Possess A: Malaise's Illusions: Accuracy/Recharge 7: Malaise's Illusions: Endurance/Confused 7: Malaise's Illusions: Accuracy/Endurance 9: Malaise's Illusions: Confused/Range 9: Malaise's Illusions: Accuracy/Confused/Recharge Level 8: Fearsome Stare A: Glimpse of the Abyss: Accuracy/Recharge 11: Glimpse of the Abyss: Endurance/Fear 13: Glimpse of the Abyss: Accuracy/Endurance 13: Glimpse of the Abyss: Fear/Range 15: Glimpse of the Abyss: Accuracy/Fear/Recharge Level 10: Hover A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed 11: Shield Wall: +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All) 29: Kismet: Accuracy +6% Level 12: Tar Patch A: Invention: Recharge Reduction Level 14: Hasten A: Invention: Recharge Reduction 47: Invention: Recharge Reduction Level 16: Shadow Fall A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed 17: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance 17: Luck of the Gambler: Defense 19: Impervium Armor: Resistance/Endurance 39: Impervium Armor: Resistance/Endurance/Recharge 39: Impervium Armor: Resistance Level 18: Haunt A: Expedient Reinforcement: Accuracy/Recharge 42: Expedient Reinforcement: Accuracy/Damage 48: Expedient Reinforcement: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge 49: Expedient Reinforcement: Damage/Endurance Level 20: Fade A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed 21: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Recharge 21: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance/Recharge 23: Impervium Armor: Endurance/Recharge 23: Impervium Armor: Resistance/Recharge 29: Impervium Armor: Resistance/Endurance/Recharge Level 22: Kick (Empty) Level 24: Soul Absorption A: Preemptive Optimization: Accuracy/Recharge 25: Preemptive Optimization: EndMod/Endurance 25: Preemptive Optimization: EndMod/Recharge 27: Preemptive Optimization: EndMod/Accuracy/Endurance 36: Preemptive Optimization: EndMod/Accuracy/Recharge 42: Preemptive Optimization: EndMod/Endurance/Recharge Level 26: Umbra Beast A: Expedient Reinforcement: Accuracy/Recharge 33: Expedient Reinforcement: Accuracy/Damage 33: Expedient Reinforcement: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge 34: Expedient Reinforcement: Endurance/Damage/Recharge 43: Expedient Reinforcement: Damage/Endurance 43: Expedient Reinforcement: Resist Bonus Aura for Pets Level 28: Tough A: Gladiator's Armor: TP Protection +3% Def (All) 40: Impervium Armor: Resistance/Endurance 40: Impervium Armor: Resistance/Endurance/Recharge 40: Impervium Armor: Resistance Level 30: Weave A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed 31: Reactive Defenses: Defense 31: Reactive Defenses: Defense/Endurance 31: Reactive Defenses: Scaling Resist Damage Level 32: Dark Servant A: Cloud Senses: Accuracy/ToHitDebuff 34: Cloud Senses: Accuracy/Recharge 36: Cloud Senses: Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge 36: Cloud Senses: ToHit Debuff/Endurance/Recharge Level 35: Murky Cloud A: Steadfast Protection: Resistance/+Def 3% 37: Impervium Armor: Resistance/Endurance 37: Impervium Armor: Resistance 37: Unbreakable Guard: +Max HP 39: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance Level 38: Darkest Night A: Invention: Endurance Reduction Level 41: Howling Twilight A: Invention: Recharge Reduction Level 44: Umbral Torrent A: Artillery: Accuracy/Damage 45: Artillery: Damage/Endurance 46: Artillery: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge 46: Sudden Acceleration: Knockback to Knockdown 47: Force Feedback: Chance for +Recharge Level 47: Shadow Field A: Basilisk's Gaze: Accuracy/Hold 49: Basilisk's Gaze: Accuracy/Recharge 50: Basilisk's Gaze: Recharge/Hold 50: Basilisk's Gaze: Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold Level 49: Evasive Maneuvers A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed ────────────────────────────── Inherents: Level 1: Brawl (Empty) Level 1: Containment Level 1: Sprint A: Unbounded Leap: +Stealth Level 2: Rest (Empty) Level 1: Swift A: Invention: Flight Speed Level 1: Health A: Panacea: +Hit Points/Endurance 15: Numina's Convalesence: +Regeneration/+Recovery 45: Miracle: +Recovery Level 1: Hurdle A: Invention: Jumping Level 1: Stamina A: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End 48: Performance Shifter: EndMod Level 4: Afterburner

46-80-74 Robotics/Storm Summoning MM - yay!

Panda Roll Travel power. (imagine that with whirlwind) I have very simple needs.

Gingers can't be Jedis!

Or you can just make a fortunata. That AT has claws and psi attacks and its pretty self sufficient to boot.

Defense never stacked across different tags, an attack only checks for the highest defense you have against its respective tags. That's one piece of conventional wisdom that I believe without questioning.

Awareness (both mob target priority and situational awareness), jousting, inspiration use, proactive mitigation and knowing how to use your toolkit, high defense. stuff like rune of protection and clarion. dealing with mez is not just for blasters but all squishies. You have to spot or create opportunities for you to go into melee, and once you are done what you need to do in melee, you need to get out of melee. It takes game knowledge and skill first and foremost, in addition to builds, to be successful as a melee blaster. Here's a tip - if you are going into melee open the fight with force of thunder(with a knockdown proc), then either short circuit followed up with powersink or alternatively thunder strike(also with a knockdown proc). Hop out of melee range and pew pew after you do that, when the powers recharge, hop back in and repeat. When you get good you don't need to hide behind tanks, when you are at the state of play where you can play super aggressively and be the first one to dive into a +4/8 spawn and still kick ass, and when you can do this even without a softcapped defense build or rune of protection, then you have graduated CoH and you can play any other AT (except kheldians and masterminds) well.

I take soul to sustain whirlwind. IMO these are the top candidates in no particular order for regen, and what they have in common: Ice melee - ice patch Stone melee - fault/tremor rotation Electric melee - Thunderstrike/lightning clap rotation Regen does fine against single target. It's overwhelming odds (and debuffs) that kill regen. AoE damage and AoE mitigation (I prefer pbaoes and not cones) allows regen to survive. Staff has AoE damage, and a +def spam that's also an AoE, soul allows you to supplement that with AoE mitigation via whirlwind in addition to eye of the storm. While whirlwind kd proc chance is drastically lower than KB, these combination of synergies pushes Staff/Regen above Axe in my opinion. The fact that most of these KD powers on that list also support force feedback procs further synergizes with regen build goals.