Nemu

In my quest to pursue fun builds without chasing softcap I've come upon another well-rounded combo - Stone/Rad Like my Elec/Bio this build uses knockdown/ups to augment survival. It differs from the elec/bio in that it goes all-in on proc-bombing the AoEs to achieve fodder wiping level nukes per spawn. Most of the AoEs also have very good radius so it's easier to tag the entire spawn even without optimal positioning. Since dead things don't fight back, the speed at which this build can take out trash mobs also contribute greatly to survival. Stone melee also offers better ST output than electric melee, so not only does this build have better than average AoE output, it also has very respectable ST output. Like the elec/bio this is not one of those immortal builds. If you play this build like you would a melee blaster you will be fine, if you play this build like a tank then prepare to be disappointed (from time to time). Having said that this build has very little issue doing +4/8, I routinely get my defense debuffed into the negatives but the mitigation kit along with the damage the build brings helps me endure through them. Double ring mistress debuff is a real bummer though and I have been sent to the hospital against that type of mob composition, so prioritize your targets accordingly. This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Atomic Panda: Level 50 Science Scrapper Primary Power Set: Stone Melee Secondary Power Set: Radiation Armor Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Stone Mallet -- SprScrStr-Rchg/+Crit(A), SprScrStr-Dmg/Rchg(3), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), HO:Nucle(5) Level 1: Alpha Barrier -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(5), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(9), UnbGrd-Max HP%(39) Level 2: Heavy Mallet -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(11), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(13), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(13), SprCrtStr-Rchg/+50% Crit(15) Level 4: Proton Armor -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(39), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(39), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(40) Level 6: Build Up -- GssSynFr--Build%(A) Level 8: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(9), WntGif-ResSlow(50) Level 10: Fallout Shelter -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A) Level 12: Fault -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), PstBls-Dam%(29), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(29), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(31), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(34), Ann-ResDeb%(37) Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(15) Level 16: Radiation Therapy -- ThfofEss-+End%(A), Arm-Dam%(17), Obl-%Dam(17), Erd-%Dam(19), TchoftheN-%Dam(19), Arm-Acc/Rchg(21) Level 18: Seismic Smash -- SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21), SprScrStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), Hct-Dam%(23), UnbCns-Dam%(25), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(25) Level 20: Beta Decay -- CldSns-%Dam(A), TchofLadG-%Dam(45), PrfZng-Dam%(45), SphIns-%ToHit(46), AnlWkn-%ToHit(46), AchHee-ResDeb%(46) Level 22: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 24: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), HO:Ribo(48) Level 26: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(27), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(27), ShlWal-Def(49) Level 28: Particle Shielding -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(40), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(40), Prv-Heal/Rchg(42), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(42), Prv-Absorb%(42) Level 30: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-ResDam%(31), Rct-Def/EndRdx(31), Rct-Def(49) Level 32: Tremor -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(33), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33), Erd-%Dam(33), ScrDrv-Dam%(34), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(34) Level 35: Ground Zero -- Erd-%Dam(A), Obl-%Dam(36), ScrDrv-Dam%(36), TchofLadG-%Dam(36), ShlBrk-%Dam(37), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37) Level 38: Moonbeam -- Apc-Dmg(A), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), Apc-Acc/Rchg(43), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(43), Apc-Dam%(45) Level 41: Shadow Meld -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), HO:Membr(47), RechRdx-I(47) Level 44: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A) Level 47: Gamma Boost -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 49: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 1: Critical Hit Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- UnbLea-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 1: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(48), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(48) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 49: Quick Form ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1410;714;1428;HEX;| |78DA5594CB4F135114C6EF3C6AA5946729EF475BA02D940EAD891B7C1291441E09B| |189DB66D25E6062E9346D4D34AEDDABD1B8316E8D7B63DCBA55D1857F84F8004CC4| |880B534FE73B576092E63773CEB9E73B8F99AEDE5E08AEAF2F5E165AFB95925DABE| |57385AA5DA9C8AA3F577064B920055DC1F9BABBE514226B76B968FBC930A8A2F2AB| |B224A595ABBB6589FBC87FD7825C97E59AB4AEDB45C7AE3B6E393F5FDD72AB22B8E| |6BA256B45DA15A7BC11F01E7215298B6DDEEDA2B3B1592747878A2ACA6A6DD3A90C| |5CAD380512B24B372977CEBD55CAAFDAB5BAACDEE9A78222F4EB4C0975350CF1D11| |0226B0AFD1DF33D689E27B769885882A8A9E00376FE024F1F82F13F601765D6342F| |BAE1D3EE9B9E31F080F9100C3E623E06DB2538414A8652325829CE4A71564AFC06B| |B49C987BA1AC2F7421722648A5E1AB99F33E8FEB0861AFFD2E38829B24338394932| |2D1C245ACEC018A274AD6CF4B5DED33DE3F06B01BE4481A3AFC0A8EE43C19F71384| |6B26D7C586B6B0E37DB22DA997192EBC0041BBE8E6EC3ABA5F302143A0577B3A77B| |F6EE7EF87BCEC11FA6245DAAACAEB708EEF900F66E335308EEBFC6DC42E309520E6| |95AC03B1CDA81C2CC3682666A603A8824E94FF0A7DF60941AF514E67744841B7409| |834C7DAACDBEE61DC5CF5EC46B629273402D6F80473FB888E483CB6066094C52654| |3AAADA11DDEEC17E65770EA1BF33B7397DF31521A514A23AC34FA13CED17D56DA03| |FB6880634A698CF71A798A3D469E3179FAD1BBD877F4122B5299317538C641E3BCB| |2710E1EE7814E9CC2EA26E6746FEFCDAE26F9B0393983A0698B39CBCCF036B2E061| |5088244F5D4F726FD61C466CA5A018A201A4D40B9C3A0BE7F329212C65B49E205D0| |F4566D412339C6ECC3CFAA01BC3E6D15F41F399D6BC72CC4F1F2432AD99CA4646CD| |8BDB0D1C8F4BA3B6BD13C6248CFBC78CBA88627EB34B6449106FA0AC1F274E7203C| |BD3470D34FE010F13CD3F| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|

A few comments: Emphasize powers that you actually use, I'd rather dump slots into smite than revive. I wouldn't focus/slot for passive regen at all, I'd cut the slotting out of fast healing and integration on a first pass and see if there are better options available. Soul drain needs to hit, and your accuracy against +4 or even +3 mobs assuming incarnate bump is not stellar. I'd recommend tactics to up your to hit and to deal with blinds. Build in more slow resistance, all that recharge means nothing once you get a few slows stacked on you. Regen's survival depends largely on how quickly you can cycle those heals, while recharge is important, slows will cripple you, don't skimp on slow resist. Split up the superior brute's fury into 2 sets of 3. 5% s/l defense for 3 slots is as efficient as you are going to get for stacking S/L defense, which for regen builds is the best defense to stack. Dark/Regen is tough, despite the heals and the to-hit debuff, the lack of AoE is going to hurt you against factions with heavy debuffs. No build is going to struggle at survival against a few hard targets nowadays, the real killer is numbers - the damage/debuffs that trash mobs do to you adds up and will be the death of you if you don't have ways to deal with them. Even with a softcapped build you will need to learn to move, use line of sight, prioritize targets, and use every survival trick in the blaster playbook when things get rough. That said you can still build something that lets you breeze through normal content. 45% S/L will cover a lot of attacks and you have enough tools to keep you on your feet against stuff like lol council without breaking a sweat. This Villain build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Mutation Brute Primary Power Set: Dark Melee Secondary Power Set: Regeneration Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Smite -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(3), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(3), KntCmb-Knock%(5), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(5), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11) Level 1: Fast Healing -- Mrc-Rcvry+(A) Level 2: Shadow Maul -- SprBrtFur-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBrtFur-Dmg/Rchg(13), SprBrtFur-Rech/Fury%(13), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(23) Level 4: Super Speed -- WntGif-ResSlow(A) Level 6: Touch of Fear -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(7), SprBrtFur-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7), SprBrtFur-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9), SprBrtFur-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9) Level 8: Siphon Life -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Knock%(34), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(37), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(46) Level 10: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(11), LucoftheG-Def(46) Level 12: Quick Recovery -- SynSck-EndMod(A), SynSck-EndMod/+RunSpeed(17), SynSck-EndMod/Rech(17) Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(15) Level 16: Integration -- TrmIns-Taunt(A), TrmIns-Taunt/Rchg(47), TrmIns-Stun%(49) Level 18: Reconstruction -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(19), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(19), Prv-Heal/Rchg(21), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(21), Prv-Absorb%(23) Level 20: Resilience -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), ResDam-I(43) Level 22: Kick -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(39), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(39), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39) Level 24: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(25), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(25), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(34), UnbGrd-Max HP%(34) Level 26: Soul Drain -- Arm-Dmg(A), Arm-Dmg/Rchg(27), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), Arm-Acc/Rchg(33), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(33) Level 28: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(29), ShlWal-Def(29), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(31) Level 30: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def(31), Rct-Def/EndRdx(31), Rct-ResDam%(33) Level 32: Midnight Grasp -- Hct-Dmg(A), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Hct-Acc/Rchg(36), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(37), Hct-Dam%(37) Level 35: Tactics -- RctRtc-ToHit(A), RctRtc-ToHit/Rchg(36) Level 38: Moment of Glory -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), RechRdx-I(40), RechRdx-I(40) Level 41: Gloom -- Apc-Dmg(A), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Apc-Acc/Rchg(42), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Apc-Dam%(43) Level 44: Dull Pain -- Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(A), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(45), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(45), Pnc-Heal(45), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(46) Level 47: Instant Healing -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(47), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(48), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(48), Pnc-Heal(48) Level 49: Darkest Night -- HO:Enzym(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Fury Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A) Level 1: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 4: Speed Phase Level 50: High Pain Threshold Level 50: Invader Level 50: Marshal Level 50: Born In Battle ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1438;678;1356;HEX;| |78DA55945B4F135110C7CF764F854201B18572690B1428A5856DEB8BD707A3D807A| |40917138D2FA481D3D2D8B44D5B12EF1A3F8297F8201ABC7D123F88AF8A408D68A2| |0FA64EF63F87B69B6E7E3BB3FF993933A767D37716DCD96CEA9230BAAF1432D5EAF| |AE5CA764D75A6B76B995ABE5434055D1D740FDAFEF5B42A28652D642AB7F13802F7| |82CAAA625559AB2AA78AAA62878AAEE552A960AD9595DA74DB8F4B2A53CE17733DB| |691CAE7B66A64F5E9579BAA52DDCA977D57CBF90D0B69D74ADB85F574A65A5395BB| |43B48829BAF7C5F1D5708A6542480AC70A730D94D7992FA4104929BA9E81F7BCE43| |7102CC4223DCD487170EC130D69EC9AB6D2FD8EF909ECDD4586C137E0240DC5E420| |618E42744896536772BE85F2C40EF33D449D1F981FC13A4FD86EA8831B9AE006A65| |6C1196E2CFA1CC9E65FF27228D2C50D395C0306BAFD476680445ED80FA8EB6E2DEA| |DE43E4C93A731F0C51A61E16193D3142D2257A998F28439FCED0A71C4278A4B0B26| |02207DE27513F8B9CFD5FD1DDA96FCC3DD0FB9DB90F0E1E808F29D8A3CB7B7C86DD| |40740EE51DB4B6011E9139C0230AF39E877944611E9149621F6792BED3483FF48BF| |91B9CF8C3FC0BFE24F530FE060D397CD6613B47CE31CF83E317981741499546B992| |39CAC3F7A74C7BCDFE4530780D15FA491CD0E2008B83872CAA83E347101F916A4CF| |7301646B9C90873169C8A3263A0872A84F40843AFB129933BE0539AEF348FD031CD| |E567787B3537A87A44978DCC21EDACC58C33136034093EA4CC311D140BA081B9207| |38C390ECEFBC1271464E99362B1D3E2E03807C73938CEC15FDC4224F4994B9C2148| |53F865F37B403FBA444A364F7963A9EDBD0B6B5E96CD232F0C3BE8A0ABF5D3302F7| |036DB9C137CCADB9C11287FB4395FA1CCE768F323D1B8418AA45ED5CD56E356ABB1| |D26AFC070939C65F| |-------------------------------------------------------------------| If it were me I'd drop instant healing and pick up dark oblit and put 5 piece ragnorak in it for some more AoE and KD mitigation. For every scenario where instant healing made a difference I can imagine 20 more scenarios where I'd rather have another AoE with a chance to KD to cycle.

I've run melee blasters with less overall survival, certainly less DDR. Your build most certainly benefits from the additional defense more because you only took 3 attacks with a paucity of aoe options.. Killing stuff fast is also a form of mitigation and getting rid of fodder around you do wonders in reducing the frequency of those defense debuffs landing and wrecking your day. Moving and knowing when and where to move also does a lot for your survival, that helps buy you time, clump up mobs, screw with mob AI, etc... The build I posted included aid other because you wanted the healing badge, you can easily swap that out with Maneuvers for some overhead. If you want that overhead with aid other, then you can sacrifice some recharge bonuses to get it.

You only run 3 attacks (let's be real, I don't count nimble slash as an attack). and when hasten is down you are going to have gaps. This build will also exemp poorly because of the lack of attacks. I don't see you leveling with this build, and even if you AE this build to 50 and then slot/play it I think you will find it quite boring and unfulfilling. Assault doesn't do as much as you think it does. If you want more damage add procs, don't waste a power pick and 2 slots in assault. You are over softcap even without stealth and maneuvers. There are other ways to get invisibility. Super Speed + a stealth in IO in sprint will do. Because of those power picks/slotting decisions you over-invest in recovery. You can probably squeeze out more recharge and have a more balanced build if you took some more attacks and slotted them with purples for more recharge bonuses. More attacks, especially a couple of AoEs can help kill quicker and that's mitigation too. The core attacks in your rotation can be procced out more, and you can take other attacks and mule them for set bonuses. Defense based sets such as SR lend themselves well to proc heavy builds. 1 - Defense shields can slot 4 LOTG to cover acc bonuses that you need for proc attacks. 2 - SR has quickness which helps with global recharge and slow resist, which is also important for proc heavy builds where slows can cripple the attack chain. 3 - SR is relatively easy to softcap, meaning you can invest more slotting to global recharge/global acc etc... to make up for not being able to slot those attributes as much in proc powers 4 - it's much easier to fit 5 lotg 7.5 into a defense based set, you don't need to go out of your way into pool powers to fit all of those in. Compare your build to this one: This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Natural Scrapper Primary Power Set: Dual Blades Secondary Power Set: Super Reflexes Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Medicine Ancillary Pool: Mu Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Nimble Slash -- SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprScrStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(3), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), SprScrStr-Rchg/+Crit(5) Level 1: Focused Fighting -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(11), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(13), LucoftheG-Def(13) Level 2: Ablating Strike -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), Dmg-I(7), TchofDth-Dam%(9), Hct-Dam%(9), AchHee-ResDeb%(11) Level 4: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(19) Level 6: Typhoon's Edge -- Arm-Dmg(A), Arm-Dmg/Rchg(15), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), Arm-Acc/Rchg(17), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(17) Level 8: Blinding Feint -- SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(21), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(21), CrsImp-Dmg/EndRdx(23), SprCrtStr-Rchg/+50% Crit(23), GssSynFr--Build%(25) Level 10: Practiced Brawler -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 12: Focused Senses -- LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(29), LucoftheG-Def(29), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(31) Level 14: Super Speed -- BlsoftheZ-Travel(A), BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx(27), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(27) Level 16: Agile -- ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(A), ShlWal-Def(31), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(33) Level 18: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(25) Level 20: Quickness -- Run-I(A) Level 22: Dodge -- DefBuff-I(A) Level 24: Kick -- Empty(A) Level 26: Sweeping Strike -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37), SprAvl-Rchg/KDProc(37), Mlt-Dmg/EndRdx(37), Arm-Dam%(39), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(39) Level 28: Lucky -- Rct-Def(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(34), Rct-ResDam%(34) Level 30: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(31), UnbGrd-Max HP%(49), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(49) Level 32: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(33), LucoftheG-Def(33), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(34) Level 35: Evasion -- LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(36), LucoftheG-Def(36), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(36) Level 38: Vengeful Slice -- Hct-Dmg(A), Hct-Dmg/Rchg(39), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), Hct-Acc/Rchg(40), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(40) Level 41: Aid Other -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(42), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(42), Prv-Heal/Rchg(42), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(43), Prv-Absorb%(43) Level 44: Zapp -- Apc-Dmg(A), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Apc-Acc/Rchg(45), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Apc-Dam%(46) Level 47: Ball Lightning -- Rgn-Dmg(A), Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(47), Rgn-Acc/Rchg(47), Rgn-Dmg/EndRdx(48), Rgn-Knock%(48), Ann-ResDeb%(48) Level 49: Super Jump -- WntGif-ResSlow(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Critical Hit Level 1: Sprint -- UnbLea-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(43), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(46) Level 1: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(46) Level 14: Speed Phase Level 49: Quick Form Level 49: Double Jump Level 50: Freedom Phalanx Reserve Level 50: Portal Jockey Level 50: Task Force Commander Level 50: The Atlas Medallion ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1477;702;1404;HEX;| |78DA6593596F12511480EFC02042E9262D7463B785429942E3BE44A3C8435B2A16E| |39B2123BD54E284224B528D1AFD07DA687C31263EFA338C3E199777F5D1C4B5AD89| |31C607339E9973AE8CF186C9C7D9CF3DF7DEC27ACE53ADE68F33A9EFA4A6B65AE55| |2A5A9361ABCE95C52DB9DA6AA316339E11B139672816B9C2BB98EAA954F68EA0A6F| |85FE9A72BCCAEB2DAE943A86B4CCAB1A5FE72DE629AEAD69CA22571BB5FAAADB144| |A0DCE577ACDBFF9DAEAC53618502AF0955AA556E7FE538D5A4529B555ED9251B353| |2EA8AD366F5E19815E12F05D359A92CCF674993DB733969599ED05F125527E457C8| |D2C5882EC6C583295EE01A4C74B1C425E730A5FA63BA4DBB2A9DCB1410C30933BCB| |C0383065C3644F805E99F920D84E95243B55DAF51BC480CCAE83D1419965C7018CE| |C3B483C841C384C3C82BCE1340E4292CC769C77B18DA13BC47B489F6AB4E5623E8E| |F2C8630C2E42B08B2A3257047B5F02658F98460F4D6182A63041530852EF3170EEA| |50CB6DE379876EC2DF11DF23438F553465B7F1E871E9C4786179051701A14A3194C| |61C323C465307AC9C8BC696CF40C2887857238884A1B28FD624B7E1D16BB05AA517| |162A30F7004BB1F121F112F63A5A9A3D8F3D4316CAB04C1E3A2F7F12D5446B689DF| |9176700A889105FC92799CC13934667E117FD0AD03E790700ED17CC334DF30CD374| |2F33D0BCE51E11C25E71839C7C83946CE37C179525CA0C929DA481C194F10A78949| |6400821254C191F8883D4E7F227E267E4126BF123791EF0129F1DC523398714621C| |E1233C87416F9D3C39862DE58A8A8CCA152D943DC8B9CDD47DC4FFC8015FDD06E46| |9C6F661C951332134B879F71E821B9FBA6F5C57FEC76BAFC72F72133C90CDA74778| |328CFB645656311DAFEBC643EEFF4391CFCD6FF71DF2C2A89DDA7096C200D0FFD69| |B2FB74F48564775BFA33AB50844459B191F35641B50A17AC82B9FE00F60DDFF4| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|

Agility is not global recharge, it doesn't affect domination for example. Incarnate alphas are essentially another multi-enhancement IO that gets slotted into powers. That's why most proc builds avoid agility or spiritual and opt for Musculature.

There's athletes run from P2W and it's variants, and you can buy temp jet packs from P2W, They are slower than pool travel powers but they'll get you around just the same. At the time I made this build, the changes to stone armor hasn't taken place yet, so keep that context for my comments below: I look at synergies. If I wanted a high recharge DB build that can skip the combos I have to have a few things in place: A secondary that offers a recharge boost - that narrows my candidates to electric armor, super reflexes, rad armor and energy aura A secondary that offers some sort of endurance management tool, high recharge builds mean that I will burn through end quicker, and high recharge builds also lend themselves to procs which further compounds the endurance issue - that narrows my choices down to electric armor, rad armor and energy aura A secondary that is easy to build for survival, which gives me the option to slot powers not for survival but for recharge/procs - that narrows my choices down to energy aura, because I would have had to dedicate an inordinate amount of resources to electric or rad armor to shore up survival. Since DB doesn't have any mitigation my survival depends entirely on the armor set, rad might do a little better than electric but it's far easier to just softcap Energy aura and call it a day. So do i like the build? Of course. I saw the synergies, set my expectations accordingly and the build does what I expect it to do. I would have stuck with EA even with the stone armor changes. EA has superior endurance management tools and that matters to me since I don't spend all my time playing at 50 spamming ageless. There's no doubt that stone armor will do more damage though. EA also has a proper taunt aura. People that frown at the fact that the build doesn't have 75% S/L resist will probably not like the build, but like I said, don't be a scrub. man the $#%@ up! 😁

Constructive feedback to @Dracomicon: Getting kick at level 28, putting an FF proc in it when it's very clear you will never use it, not only is that a waste of 2 million inf but it also skews your mids recharge into thinking you have perma hasten, untick the yellow dot in all powers that have a force feedback proc, you are a good 40 seconds shy of perma hasten. Speaking of wasting inf, what's the different between 2 level 50 generic resist IOs vs what you put in ROP? about 2 million inf. An alternative is to 2 slot ROP with unbreakable Guard, a +5 resist and a +5 end/resist piece to get an end discount bonus. All the winter sets seems inefficient for a positional defense set. you can add 5 slots build up for 2.5% defense to all 3 vectors, or you can add 4 slots to ball lightning for 2.5% AoE defense, and add another 4 slots to chain induction for 2.5% melee defense. Slot economy matters and slotting efficiency is the key to optimizing your build. General comments: I think scrappers are tough enough, based on my experiences playing melee heavy blasters. I don't subscribe to the idea that you need softcap + hardcap resists to have a viable build. The type of content where that is beneficial also accords you the benefit of having teammates/incarnates or both. Building for extreme survival carries the cost of offense. And sometimes overwhelming offense is better than fighting a war of attrition. Take Rularuu for example, I have more success surviving with my blaster with softcap defense and very low resists by nuking the spawn, triggering fear AI and picking off runners, than my bane who has softcap defenses and hardcap resists trying to take on the spawn with it's very limited AoE options. The game is not just about defense/resists, for some builds mechanics like knockdowns are game changers but lightning clap is overlooked because "it does no damage and hurts my deeeps" Moral of the story, understanding game mechanics and using the tools in your toolkit will contribute a great deal to your survival. Build suggestions: I would drop jacobs ladder for cross punch. All things considered CP is identical to JL except it can knock down, can fit an ff proc and it gives a little buff when it connects. I know a light bulb just went off in your heads. Going ROP really cuts down on your ability to slot more offensively, you have to dedicate a lot of slots to full sets for those range/aoe defenses. Not having tactics also hurts your chances to hit. Thunder strike, lightning rod and shield charge all scream force feedback proc but going down ROP = womp womp, you need those set bonuses for your precious defenses Since phalanx fighting doesn't benefit from defense enhancements, I'd reserve that as a mule for kismet and the reactive defense/shield wall uniques, and slot the LOTG 7.5s elsewhere. I tend to build my scrappers more offensively. I would have dropped ROP and went with this: This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 49 Technology Scrapper Primary Power Set: Electrical Melee Secondary Power Set: Shield Defense Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: Mu Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Charged Brawl -- SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprScrStr-Dmg/Rchg(7), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), SprScrStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), SprScrStr-Rchg/+Crit(34) Level 1: Deflection -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(3), UnbGrd-ResDam(3), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(5) Level 2: Battle Agility -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(37), LucoftheG-Def(40) Level 4: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), WntGif-ResSlow(46) Level 6: Build Up -- GssSynFr--Build%(A), GssSynFr--ToHit(7), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(40), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(45), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(46), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(49) Level 8: Thunder Strike -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(9), SprCrtStr-Rchg/+50% Crit(9), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), Arm-Dmg(13) Level 10: Active Defense -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 12: Kick -- Empty(A) Level 14: Tough -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(15), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(15), UnbGrd-Max HP%(31) Level 16: Cross Punch -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(17), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(17), HO:Nucle(23), Erd-%Dam(25), Obl-%Dam(25) Level 18: Chain Induction -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(19), Hct-Dam%(21), TchofDth-Dam%(21), Mk'Bit-Dam%(23) Level 20: Phalanx Fighting -- Ksm-ToHit+(A), Rct-ResDam%(47) Level 22: Maneuvers -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFrt-Def/Rchg(43), RedFrt-EndRdx/Rchg(45), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(45), RedFrt-Def(46), RedFrt-EndRdx(47) Level 24: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A) Level 26: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(27), ShlWal-Def(27), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(29) Level 28: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(29) Level 30: Grant Cover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 32: Lightning Rod -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), SprCrtStr-Dmg/Rchg(33), SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), SprCrtStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Erd-%Dam(34) Level 35: Shield Charge -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), Arm-Acc/Rchg(36), Arm-Dmg/Rchg(36), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(37), Arm-Dam%(37) Level 38: Zapp -- StnoftheM-Acc/Dmg(A), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx(39), StnoftheM-Acc/ActRdx/Rng(39), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), StnoftheM-Dam%(40), Apc-Dam%(49) Level 41: Ball Lightning -- Ann-ResDeb%(A), Rgn-Dmg(42), Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Rgn-Acc/Rchg(42), Rgn-Dmg/EndRdx(43), Rgn-Knock%(43) Level 44: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 47: True Grit -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), ResDam-I(48) Level 49: One with the Shield -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Critical Hit Level 1: Sprint -- UnbLea-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Prv-Absorb%(5), Mrc-Rcvry+(48) Level 1: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 49: Quick Form Level 50: Freedom Phalanx Reserve Level 50: Portal Jockey Level 50: Task Force Commander Level 50: The Atlas Medallion ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1451;697;1394;HEX;| |78DA65934B4F135114C7EF74A6027D17CA1B2C45B0406128447C62341158F04848E| |AD634437BA10D13DAB435910FE0CE85BA71A3C685CFAFE20B8D7E041357A0091021| |86D4D3F99F9B9638E9F4977B9EFF7BEE9D957B73BEF5F5859B420BDCB2AD72399DC| |A94AC6251963CB76526B755B00B1BDBA2F634D11B55CEF48AB4A534E76D99A994F2| |19CB86A1EE9F93EB72AB2CCD542E2FEDAC5A0ADF6AA1609BCBD22AE6B736FCCE622| |1BF91ABD02AA85C59592AE7F2458FB34E15A5CC76CE17F3193355B1ECCD5AEBBBE9| |15AB5C91A5ED2E923444EFA19FFE344765D52DDEEB424C19E2CC07D0F7113CFB89F| |9198CED809E86645DB46B8ED115A9B145B80E7487C621E8A5608D835D1A070F85C0| |7804ECA051E91CA4E91C34D18B764754C18D7E55B7FB9D0B5A5F82F157E0F86B70E| |20D987C0B1EFB6BE7C0C94DF7616CBE81CACDD2C0865E309F83BECB88F353720BCB| |122D31818D9256AF60A3B74A8FD0C9E45703F11FA078E09079C4533C061F0C0B11D| |458519015859EA273E819D8314B6E43175D7BE4EF37449740F25F521456C9E18708| |6E7DCC7C044612281A4953589C8A6D42799092DBD494DB4E8453D9DC47E530EDA15| |DDD88760F8E60CC0B8EFB987E3E9A006806C1364AEE5483EA9C8176838CDD6A2ADD| |7CA83D0B68D7B308F62D818314DCABB4F526847377FA982112DEAFCAF773A513324| |6D528A23CC7010B2318586366C05896C9F30C53F2A0BA16839C7CEE1AF30AF32A38| |34CBBC0EFE20C9C36A54C33B18EEF92FCCAFCC6F60FC3B989C42F21F9F10232A79E| |427763F3A0DE7E805E60C38769179090C90EC84E6E8AE8A045F481F194D353AB376| |0CB4C1C9718CAE959C49755B93D33C7443A8A74ABFDA158E1AF56FBABA7CCAAFA3F| |7AAA102C8A83949BB9E7A12D7F9D560728918FA19BBE0E4A2E65CC8BDFFF37E9F32| |3D41CBA5B1BAF8EA2A454C2985771A1756E362AD71F10F0827D87A| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|

If you wanted to continue using ROP the build doesn't change much, take a lot out for ROP and put the final ATO into nimble slash for a easy 6% resist, change the 3 slots in ROP to 3 unbreakable guard for some end discount and energy resist and max HP from the unique. That's a quick and dirty edit. I went back to tough/weave though, stayed on the semi-glass cannon route by electing not to throw slots to hardcapping S/L resists. Got even more recharge, and this is what I respecced into: This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Captain Scissa: Level 50 Natural Scrapper Primary Power Set: Dual Blades Secondary Power Set: Energy Aura Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Nimble Slash -- SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprScrStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(3), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), SprScrStr-Rchg/+Crit(5), SprScrStr-Dmg/Rchg(40) Level 1: Kinetic Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(7) Level 2: Ablating Strike -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), Dmg-I(11), GldStr-%Dam(11), Hct-Dam%(13), AchHee-ResDeb%(13) Level 4: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), WntGif-ResSlow(7), Ksm-ToHit+(15) Level 6: Typhoon's Edge -- Arm-Dmg(A), Arm-Dmg/Rchg(9), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), Arm-Acc/Rchg(17), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(19) Level 8: Blinding Feint -- SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(A), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(19), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(21), HO:Nucle(21), SprCrtStr-Rchg/+50% Crit(23), GssSynFr--Build%(23) Level 10: Entropic Aura -- MckBrt-Taunt(A), MckBrt-Taunt/Rchg(27), MckBrt-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(33), MckBrt-Acc/Rchg(34), MckBrt-Taunt/Rng(34), MckBrt-Rchg(40) Level 12: Kick -- Empty(A) Level 14: Power Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(25), LucoftheG-Def(25) Level 16: Tough -- UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(A), UnbGrd-Max HP%(17) Level 18: Weave -- Rct-Def(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(27), Rct-EndRdx/Rchg(29), Rct-Def/Rchg(29), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Rct-ResDam%(31) Level 20: Energy Cloak -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(31), ShlWal-Def(33), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(33) Level 22: Energy Protection -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A) Level 24: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(34) Level 26: Sweeping Strike -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), SprAvl-Rchg/KDProc(36), Dmg-I(36), Arm-Dam%(37), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(37) Level 28: Energize -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(37), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(39), Prv-Heal/Rchg(39), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(39), Prv-Absorb%(42) Level 30: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(40) Level 32: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A) Level 35: Energy Drain -- SynSck-EndMod/+RunSpeed(A), SynSck-Dam/Rech(42), SynSck-EndMod/Rech(43), SynSck-Dam/Rech/Acc(43), SynSck-Dam/Acc/End(43) Level 38: Moonbeam -- Apc-Dmg/Rchg(A), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Apc-Acc/Rchg(45), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Apc-Dmg(46) Level 41: Shadow Meld -- HO:Membr(A) Level 44: Soul Storm -- UnbCns-Dam%(A), Apc-Dam%(46), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(46), GldJvl-Dam%(47), Dcm-Build%(47), HO:Nucle(48) Level 47: Vengeful Slice -- Hct-Dmg(A), Hct-Dmg/Rchg(48), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48), Hct-Acc/Rchg(49), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(49) Level 49: Dampening Field -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A) Level 1: Critical Hit Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- UnbLea-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 49: 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 4: Ninja Run Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon Level 50: Void Radial Final Judgement Level 50: Cognitive Core Flawless Interface Level 50: Portal Jockey Level 50: The Atlas Medallion Level 50: Task Force Commander Level 50: Freedom Phalanx Reserve ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1624;779;1558;HEX;| |78DA6594DB4FD36014C0BFAE1D65638C8DC1C66D0C10D8D8A56C5E124588172E090| |28664CF66A9F0C12A6534EB48C4A8D1FF408DC61763F4D13FC357AFFF86CA558D89| |3E9879D6733E195993E6D773BE73EF69976ECFF8D6D6E62E33C93F6DEAB65DC8AF9| |475CBE265F5BA5ED92EEB2683CB3FAD5B15DD280DE4570CDBD65550F508BBC21237| |39D766B675B370D5D457B9DDF7FF6886AFF192CDB5D9122FAFEF14AE40BCE07CA9C| |8CBBC54D1C4836F796BCBD416B96E19A5F556479833D68B1590BC8E94B7385F6D13| |56ABBC6C170DAB7BD63256B47C45373720517E6BDB2C2CE976859777BAA0BA0CDC7| |76A65E25575B37732633985B93E103F22954FC4CFC8F87B92C3E026A1B3C43A2547| |D9D481BCAB8A33882C3D521C65F313A4370AEA9C87791318C9977221DF02430A0B8| |3B34C915DB288DC8BC6FEBFA08E2AEC1E18B92983E23E5F8BA0B2E60B48FF043270| |11D93E89BC0F4E2A935C4E59EA532CA7FD19B2E33171128E55998539CAE137589E0| |A0D7BA82CB7A788CA1E0339700B39B8413491F14DA40B32B750B9ACA50A176B8278| |ADA2CD56A74D957505B0DD2E1AA40C7E6DE427B5FDC21904FED02B80C3A0A828788| |0CA9E4364DF11F13BB2FF07F127D203E943E42C8768CAFD73B2F36A06AE1117D0B8| |198C3BC9987546E029AAB221481F111B104931A78141E24338EC161BD0FD124779E| |A15F135913661780AA7347C09D379215DAF68ACF70B2A87BF2247BF1177897BC8B1| |7D64103247C5C8A234D7B833570F0BC1614C34123B07804A5A20DD10635E6797860| |EB1B6B15D64728FB84F3C40D6AA1A110B38927139E1D31A719C984566D2D8E06F1F| |6309B10689895A7A99D5FA4A8951A5E6D13293236EE29BD1D2D89DF602CCE20A1B7| |7B694B107706BA20C6D149DC6E3C404323B464C22DDD070564C217B1A23C794E30F| |BADAA71CFF1A6A32ECEB62DD397CA018695939FED099E4D8EDC31C256127D5FE336| |07770429940E5E109E52096717442F91CD32C24A1604A534D36D6966D54E51A5567| |1A55671B559E007427722D8620BF10D21D2088094D45EA841BDE3AB39BF5825E2F2| |CD70BFF0092E3FCE9| |-------------------------------------------------------------------| There are people that seemingly can't play a anything without softcap defenses and hardcap resists. Don't be a scrub, man the $#@% up. 😁

I weighed the alternatives - HOB will kill fodder so the -res is irrelevant, against +4s that don't die to the the nuke the -res will be useful, I'm also much more likely to use HOB than other PBAOE options against AVs/GMs, especially on a build that is not designed for melee range survival. Plus there are opportunity costs in putting that proc in other powers that disrupt my ability to slot the necessary sets/other procs. I mean you could find a way to fit dragon's tail in but DAT 8 ft radius...

Hmm I have not heard of that claim about slot position affecting procs. Can you cite the reference? I put them in as 1st or second because that's my thought process translated into the build. I know I want to reserve the -res IOs and the FF procs in those powers and those are the first things I slot.

Ok, let's start with the basics: There are a number of different things that contribute to damage - damage enhancements, damage bonuses, damage procs and finally, recharge. You can enhance a power up to around 95% damage before diminishing returns kick in. You can choose IO sets that offer damage bonuses, The first is a no-brainer. Damage bonuses, however, is not worth building for on a blaster. Blasters build up damage bonuses just by attacking, and the practical outcome of someone investing slots/IO sets into damage bonuses is that they often miss out on other important bonuses that they could be building for. If you really want to increase your damage, then procs are the way to go. If you want to learn more about procs here's some recommended reading: Basically procs fire more reliably in powers that have longer recharge times, and procs in Area attacks have less chance to proc but proc chance is calculated against each target hit. So this means it's not worthwhile to load up pistols which has a base recharge of 4 seconds with damage procs, but it might be worth while to put a bunch of procs into suppressive fire, which out of the box does no damage but has a 20 second recharge, and turn this no damage power into something that does good damage. Why is recharge bonuses important? Because slotting recharge into powers with procs reduces proc chances, but global recharge bonuses are not factored into that calculation, so that means you can use global recharge to make those powers recharge faster but still retain their proc chances. On to survival. There are a number of things that contribute to survival, the least of which is hard numbers on resist/defense. I've written posts in the past on how playstyle and mastery of game fundamentals along with the tools you are given (soft control, hard control, debuffs, etc... from your powersets) contributes to staying alive and you are welcome to dig through my posts for those insights. For now I'll just focus on defense/resists. Building for defense offers more bang for the buck than resists. The softcap is 45% which means most mobs have a 5% chance of hitting you. If you build for the appropriate type of defense that also means corresponding mez attacks have a 5% chance of landing. Building for resists can not achieve this. If you are not laser focused on survival but would like some cushion then 32.5% defense is a good alternative, you only need a small luck inspiration to softcap and that's enough for general game play. The type of defense you choose to build for is important and depends on player skill, again, going back to those elements outside of the build that helps your survival. If you are pure ranged then range defense makes sense, if you are going to mix it up with melee attacks, the path of least resistance is to ADD/not replace with, smashing/lethal defense. S/L defense covers the attacks in melee range, and range defense will still cover you for the stuff outside melee range that's still shooting at you. You could just rely on ranged defense as an alternative, but that requires a higher skill level of play. Next, every slot counts. Slotting efficiency is the second most important thing when it comes to optimizing builds. The first is goal setting - if you don't know what you want to build for you won't have an optimized build. Here are some examples of poor slotting efficiency in your build: That 6th slot in these powers does very little. A combined 12% toxic/psi resist is inconsequential on a blaster. If your focus is the 10% recharge, STOP when you get to 5 slots. If you are dead set on 6 slotting them, throw a damage proc in as the 6th IO, you want to increase damage? There you go. (Not how I would slot these powers, but this is an example of how you can make some easy swaps in order to align with your goals) Setting goals is the first step - so here are some goals you should aim for: 1 - find opportunities to proc some of the longer recharge attacks 2 - stuff a fair bit of recharge bonuses to help you offensively 3 - try to aim for around 32.5% (doesn't need to be exact) range and S/L defense (S/L is very easy if you take scorpion shield) If you need examples of attacks to proc look here: Take a crack at it and we can follow up. If you just want a build I can do that too, but I'd rather teach a man how to fish.

Dragon's tail only has an 8 feet radius, I feel that martial isn't really a good melee blasting set if you are also going to skip eagle's claw because there isn't really any good incentive for you to get into melee. Burst of speed is cute but not a game changer as far as damage is concerned, and storm kick is fairly vanilla, and dragon's tail.... womp womp.... So, working off that angle why not just use the melee stuff you do pick as mules and focus more on ranged options? Here's what I crafted. It stays on theme with what you are looking to do (I think). It's got a good density of force feedback and there are enough ACC bonuses and +to hit to make sure you can hit consistently, it also has all 3 -resist procs. A second proc monster hold + surveillance means you can do some stupid ST damage (more than usual for pure ranged DP builds) as well. And the invisible LRM Rocket is also meme worthy. You can easily swap out munitions for something like flame mastery for more protection, but you know, gunz and stuff... This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! What Rocket? Where? How?: Level 49 Mutation Blaster Primary Power Set: Dual Pistols Secondary Power Set: Martial Combat Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Fighting Ancillary Pool: Munitions Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Pistols -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(7) Level 1: Ki Push -- ExpStr-Dmg/KB(A), ExpStr-Acc/KB(40), ExpStr-Dam%(43) Level 2: Storm Kick -- Hct-Dmg(A), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), Hct-Acc/Rchg(29), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(29), Hct-Dam%(31) Level 4: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(5), WntGif-ResSlow(42), BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx(43), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(43) Level 6: Swap Ammo Level 8: Bullet Rain -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), Ann-ResDeb%(9), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(9), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), IceMisTrmt-+ColdDmg(31), PstBls-Dam%(31) Level 10: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(37) Level 12: Suppressive Fire -- HO:Endo(A), Dcm-Build%(13), Apc-Dam%(13), GldJvl-Dam%(15), NrnSht-Dam%(15), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(17) Level 14: Reach for the Limit Level 16: Burst of Speed -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(17), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(25), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(27) Level 18: Executioner's Shot -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(36), GldJvl-Dam%(36), IceMisTrmt-+ColdDmg(37), TchofLadG-%Dam(37) Level 20: Reaction Time -- PreOptmz-Acc/Rech(A), PreOptmz-EndMod/End(21), PreOptmz-EndMod/Rech(21), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/End(23), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/Rech(23), PreOptmz-EndMod/End/Rech(25) Level 22: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-ResDam%(42), Rct-Def(45) Level 24: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A) Level 26: Kick -- ExpStr-Dmg/KB(A), ExpStr-Acc/KB(27), ExpStr-Dam%(46) Level 28: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A) Level 30: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(42), ShlWal-Def(45), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(45) Level 32: Hail of Bullets -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(33), Arm-Dam%(33), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), Arm-Dmg/Rchg(34), IceMisTrmt-+ColdDmg(34) Level 35: Body Armor -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), UnbGrd-Max HP%(36) Level 38: Cryo Freeze Ray -- HO:Endo(A), GldJvl-Dam%(39), NrnSht-Dam%(39), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(39), UnbCns-Dam%(40), GldNet-Dam%(40) Level 41: Surveillance -- AchHee-ResDeb%(A), HO:Lyso(46) Level 44: Inner Will -- RechRdx-I(A), Prv-Absorb%(49) Level 47: LRM Rocket -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(47), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(47), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(48), PstBls-Dam%(48), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(48) Level 49: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 1: Brawl -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(46) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Sprint -- UnbLea-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A) Level 1: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 6: Chemical Ammunition Level 6: Cryo Ammunition Level 6: Incendiary Ammunition ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1443;724;1448;HEX;| |78DA55944D4F13511486EF4CA702A5404BA12D94420BA52D2D0C60A20926A64681A| |0D284C0822599C04027D6B669A7017E807B5D9900EAD6189746D91A8D3B7F816E5C| |B902352E143F524FE73D3796493A4FCEB9E7FBDC697E6FDEBBBDBD784D285D378A4| |6ADB6719DDEB6596DCFD76DC3B6CA25414F78BD60D8B1D5F2E61DD3CEC5D60B66D5| |CCC596CABBB9363A8CB0C7C6AA51DA31B7F4F9BA51DC58B16A76B9584BC8B3B57AA| |552AEDA7ADEA8DA169DE78D9255A91791C1BB522E17F565D3A858A51D8F23AC554C| |73AB47EAB7CC6AAD6055BA1C79D1DA29D864185CA8589B7ABE5EB29A416A14B2996| |93F4C258DD16FC0472FA559BD68B885D08498D584AA30555073811734A61BF4259A| |CE8E774315BBAA10014DA4F6C0CC3EE84F346D60A42949D5F1F4A4C1A10966061CC| |E82411A998BCBD25CFD0ACAF84B62541313119723673EC038F39183502F6E766A44| |4968E3B4EEB67BB068FF0CCFF61768C0F3121CEE7683C7C2E128A5EFE0484A4716C| |A0473982277CAC89D97099A4B788F88294D786791A97B1299BA0DC5A9D977173DF4| |D234BA648D7D24F4C8E1F71CC0C37708F61E311F81E1C7E0E0137084CAF04B67FF5| |334127F068E3D677219096E30F11E4B0952E680740EFC8071DF4FE61918FCC5FC0D| |86FF807E9A4E3F3BABFDBC9C89EFC834790A06C828C44622740953524939202FCC0| |05F9841BE30537C615C6414919E918B08A79132CA4A5754E65CE49CB798B7C1388D| |6644F0864678F7B11C0E635759BED2648788CF3179446FC86C54EE7E3484F58D9DC| |1F92D615CCE6D9C779FE4212779D749DE75EA2632A51670FECD2B449ACB52D2AFB9| |EB390409D146B2326D96AFDACC093CDF1174D990CE0DE99F70A8BFC25AA68F25E13| |CADA2A13E1ADD8CE079CEF0E88634219F8622EEC373EA01DF22EDFF9F4263B945A0| |8F12B95734A923A5D2A0479C785AEDA650C39773CA380A3E3DA74CC3F2EB39E543A| |439F0D317CD691A87ADC251ABE03CFF004E5DCECF| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|

There's room for improvement. Turn the green and yellow dots off in hail of bullets, and turn on maneuvers/weave and hover to see your actual defense numbers. What was your build goal when you started building in mids? How do you want to play this build and what do you expect it to do?

Your build suffers the same issue many beginner builds do - lack of focus. Know yourself, know your game plan, then work the build to revolve around your game plan. You can not just throw a bunch of full sets together and make a good build, this is not that type of game. First define your goal(s). How do you want to play this build and what do you expect this build to do? What is endgame S/L? S/L farm? SL softcap? etc...

The new build has force feedback turned on and that applies a constant 100% recharge boost to mids stats which is not accurate. click the yellow dot next to water burst to turn the FF proc off and you will see your true recharge. That's what we are trying to break. Builds are not prescriptive, you need to look at the numbers and consider synergies. I'm not saying hasten or perma hasten is bad, but you need to understand why you are chasing that goal and if chasing that goal makes sense in the context of your overall build. Let's use hasten as an example. You want geyser to recharge asap. that is ONE single power that you are revolving that entire build focus around. What's the practical impact of how you engage spawns with geyser if hasten had a 4-8 second gap? The truth is something like this: with perma hasten you are using Geyser every other spawn. With less than perma-hasten you are still using geyser every other spawn. That's the typical cadence of fights. Rain of arrows is the only T9 that you can reliably use every spawn, and even if geyser does recharge a little bit faster, enough for it to come back during the second spawn fight, I doubt you'd want to waste it on a group that's 50%-75% dead already. How does building for that much recharge impact your other powers which you will use far more? The shorter the recharge of a power, the less incremental value you will see in their recharge reduction as you start to stack recharge bonuses. At that point you will need to look at their cast times vs recharge and determine whether it's going to impact your attack chain. On synergy - I already discussed range defense and resist as a way to stack layered mitigation. Let's use your first build and expand on the consequences of you avoiding melee. Water blast is rich in AoEs, skimpy on single target attacks, one way you can look to build synergy with high recharge is to proc monster an epic hold with a 16 second recharge like shocking bolt to give you another hard hitting single target ranged attack to use in your single target rotation - synergy. On assault from the leadership pool, read this post: I'd also recommend some slow resistance especially if you are going to be on the ground. Keeping yourself at range is a good plan except when someone throws an ice patch or web grenade at you. It also helps you when your recharge gets debuffed. Imagine all that effort building perma hasten just to have it obliterated by an ice storm. As you can see, there are a lot of things that can be weighed in here that influences how you design the build. Blindly tossing 3 slots to health for the recovery uniques and slotting as many purples as you can for perma hasten because other builds do it is the reason I see so many mediocre builds posted on the forums. Conventional wisdom is not a bad thing, but you need to ask why and how does that apply to what you are trying to do. I can spend another post or 3 discussing slotting efficiency and getting the most value out of each of your slots, because every slot matters in an optimized build. If you are interested read this post Here's the build that I put together based on the decisions you made in your original ranged only build. This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5 https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Mutation Blaster Primary Power Set: Water Blast Secondary Power Set: Earth Manipulation Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Electrical Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Aqua Bolt -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(7) Level 1: Stone Prison -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(47), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(48), SprWntBit-Rchg/SlowProc(48) Level 2: Water Burst -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(37), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37), Ann-ResDeb%(40), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx(47) Level 4: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), WntGif-ResSlow(17) Level 6: Whirlpool -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(7), Artl-Dam/Rech(9), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(9), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(11), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(11) Level 8: Tidal Forces -- GssSynFr--Build%(A) Level 10: Super Speed -- BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx(A), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(45) Level 12: Dehydrate -- Apc-Dmg(A), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), Apc-Acc/Rchg(13), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(15), Apc-Dmg/Rchg(15) Level 14: Kick -- ExpStr-Dmg/KB(A), ExpStr-Acc/KB(31), ExpStr-Dam%(42) Level 16: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(17) Level 18: Water Jet -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(19), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(21), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(23) Level 20: Mud Bath -- PreOptmz-Acc/Rech(A), PreOptmz-EndMod/End(23), PreOptmz-EndMod/Rech(27), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/End(29), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/Rech(29), PreOptmz-EndMod/End/Rech(33) Level 22: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), UnbGrd-Max HP%(45) Level 24: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(25), ShlWal-Def(25), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(27) Level 26: Steam Spray -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(33), Artl-Dam/Rech(33), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(34), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(34), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(34) Level 28: Beryl Crystals -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 30: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def(31), Rct-Def/EndRdx(31), Rct-ResDam%(42) Level 32: Geyser -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(42), Artl-Dam/Rech(43), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(43), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(45) Level 35: Fracture -- AbsAmz-Stun/Rchg(A), AbsAmz-Acc/Stun/Rchg(36), AbsAmz-Acc/Rchg(36), AbsAmz-EndRdx/Stun(36), AbsAmz-ToHitDeb%(37), AchHee-ResDeb%(48) Level 38: Shocking Bolt -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(39), Apc-Dam%(39), GldJvl-Dam%(39), UnbCns-Dam%(40), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(40) Level 41: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A) Level 44: Charged Armor -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx(46), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(46), RctArm-ResDam(49) Level 47: Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 49: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Sprint -- UnbLea-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 1: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 1: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A) Level 1: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 1: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 1: Combo Level 1 Level 1: Combo Level 2 Level 1: Combo Level 3 Level 10: Speed Phase Level 50: Portal Jockey Level 50: Task Force Commander Level 50: The Atlas Medallion Level 50: Freedom Phalanx Reserve ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1491;710;1420;HEX;| |78DA55935B4F135110C7CF7677A15C2A60B9430B6D81422F4B6BE2BB518B02AD127| |9F0C9901516D8A4B69BB244F8007E06EFFAEAF5CDDBABF12BF860A2EFA80917E383| |A22675BAFF3969BBE9EEAF3367CEFC67CEEC1676CE77AEAFCF9D114AE05CD1DCDA5| |A394B4FD7AAF80BDBAEE9DAE592A85DAD740FF3CACA15B3B461AD1957CD9AE139A3| |726979DB71CA15D7C899157773A560966C67BB88349D4BE572D1C85BA6639736DA3| |D63D9B1ACB580F777CEDED87469A14B46AD5995AD4DDB19C839F6AA912B5AAB6EC5| |5E358B94B326B43B4805C5E9CEC5E8A178355675213421B29AF0294C1FA8A94C0D6| 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|-------------------------------------------------------------------| The achilles proc can go into dehydrate or fracture. The former will have lower proc chance but can provide occasional advantage on boss/av/gm fights. I slotted mud pots with pre-emptive because at the core it's a endurance sustain power, the heal is icing on the cake. I could 6 slot numina for the range defense bonus as well but then I lose out on the recharge bonus, and in my experience I don't find slotting blaster sustains like this for heals worthwhile, but plenty of other people do.

I'm going to be fair but brutal, the below comments are aimed to get you to think about your decisions. Have you ever thought about WHY you NEED perma-hasten? What about your build makes it absolutely not okay if hasten is a few seconds off? Even if hasten is not perma based strictly on set bonuses, have you thought about how force feedback procs can change that outcome? Based on your current powers selection there are 2 powers that can take the proc. If your whole plan is to stay at range since you skipped the melee attacks which arguably is what makes earth manipulation so appealing, can you explain why you took scorpion shield and even bothered to throw some S/L defense in stone prison? Can you explain why you wouldn't want to take a resist shield like charged armor or dark embrace, etc... so that when ranged attacks do get through your range defense, you get hit for less? Can you explain why you found it important to throw the achilles heel set into salt crystals for the AoE defense, and why you didn't stop at 5 slot winter's bite in dehydrate for just range defense, but went the extra mile and added that last slot for the AoE defense? Why is AoE defense important to your build and your game plan? What does AoE defense contribute to your game plan that Range defense doesn't cover already? Understanding the "why" is important. It's the first step to making optimized builds.

I would welcome you posting your builds here and in the other respective AT forums for other people to chime in on. The last time I checked that thread, you missed some key blaster nuances and there was room for improvement. I also see you have gotten feedback on your offer to help in the sentinel and stalker forums from the resident experts there. If you truly want to help, taking in some constructive feedback and incorporating them into your build will go a long way. But more importantly, teach people game mechanics and how to use the tools at their disposal. That can carry across every AT the people play, instead of benefiting the one build your fans ask for. The trend of softcap + max resists across all builds deprives new players of even the most basic understanding of the game outside of those two attributes.

Pretty solid rationale for the most part, I think you have a good understanding of slotting efficiency and not wasting slots on bonuses you don't need. For example, quite a few posters I'm seen in the past would have just slotted 6 Reactive defenses instead of the 1 LOTG + 5 red fortune split because they don't really understand why they do what they do. You can spam both. Blaster T1 and T2 blasts along with the T1 from the blaster secondary are immune to Mez, so to speak. I prefer snap shot because it has higher damage per activation time. I find the lotus drops a skippable power depending on how many AoEs you have. It's got a tiny radius and the damage isn't so spectacular that you absolutely feel compelled to move into the danger zone to use it. But mostly it's the radius that makes it a "womp womp" power. The one thing it is good for is for muling some set bonuses. Since it's archery and you can get rain of arrows down to a reasonable timer, you might not find lotus drops as useful. If you up your budget then you can consider fitting in the -res procs as those are always useful, and if your budget climbs higher you can look into slow resist via winter IOs.

If you are using a Mac I can understand that approach (unless you have the ability/tools to fire up a windows virtual machine), but for PC users there is the Mids Reborn app. There is a whole subforum dedicated to it https://forums.homecomingservers.com/forum/74-forum/ The download site is here: https://midsreborn.com/

What's the difference between a softcapped billion inf scrapper vs softcapped billion inf anything else? Not much. If you truly want something different then play a blaster, and not the pure ranged type, SOs only. That's about as different as you are going to get in terms of how you approach the game. When everything can kill you with a look, you get to learn a lot more about how your powers work and about the game. Soloing AVs and +4/8 mobs will pale in comparison to the learning curve someone who's used to IO set bonuses and softcap/jhardcap xyz easy mode has to adopt to do this. And if you are successful it will be far more rewarding. I also meant doing so from 1-50 without powerleveling, without double xp. Do various story arcs and not radios/papers so you experience more content and understand mob factions instead of cherry picking lol council from 1-50.

And I'm saying you can just take hover, fly above mobs and just make range defense work for you. If you truly want no-skill ez mode it doesn't get any easier than staying in one spot shooting mobs that can't touch you with their really bad touch attacks and avoiding 95% of their range attacks, with a healthy amount of resists to mitigate what little does come through. In addition, if you are going to sap melee range stuff then there's already enough melee range mitigation over time there, so that means you need to worry more about range stuff as the stuff around you gets sapped. As I said in the rest of my post, you can interact with those in melee range with the tools at your disposal (even "gasp" move a few feet away from them), you can't interact with those shooting you from afar. You already possess one of the best heals in the game, and a damage debuff, and end drain, have you thought about putting the knockdown procs into your alpha openers such as ball lightning or short circuit? Even Repel? These are all mitigation tools you have at your disposal. I made a Rad/Kin Proc Corruptor that doesn't hover, doesn't have softcap defense nor any s/l resist and guess what? I don't fall over and die every time I hit an attack with that build. So no, I don't see 45% and 75% as the holy grail, because when you know what you are doing you have the freedom to move away from those crutches. And that's something the forums doesn't teach enough, how to actually play the game.

There is a difference between min/max and optimization. People typically associate min/max with the ideology of only playing the best AT combo and only the best most OP builds. Optimization is just that, you can play a lesser performing AT/combo, but you can still optimize your build so you can get the most out of it. Optimization is not a bad thing. If you want to develop a discerning eye for good, well planned builds, start by understanding some fundamental game mechanics. - What are set bonuses that builds typically chase, and why? - What is the significance of defense, how does it work? - How does your choice of ATs/powersets impact your general approach to builds? - what synergizes with the powersets? - what are potential holes that you might need to plug in? - what are some tools available to you within your powersets that can help you plug in those holes? - Why is range defense important? even for builds that would want you in melee range? If you understand those you can develop build goals that you can focus on, which is the first step to creating good builds. Advanced build topics that you will pick up as you practice building as these gravitate more towards optimization: How procs work Do you NEED to plug in every hole you find? What is the cost of doing that? Slot economy/efficiency - How do you use the least number of slots to achieve your goals. I see newbies doing this a lot: slot 6 pieces of a purple set when all they really want is the recharge bonus at the 5th slot. Bonuses vs real numbers - Is your blind devotion to set bonuses missing the forest for the trees when you could have just slotted another power a normal way and gotten more value out of it? I see this a lot with people chasing S/L resist. They will 5 slot combat jumping with lotg for that resist and ignore slotting tough or epic/patron shields with basic resist enhancements. One final thing. Don't blindly follow the herd on every build. You see things like these echoed over the forums: You NEED softcap defense and hardcap S/L resist Don't take this power, it does no damage Don't take this power, it has horrible animation times You NEED Perma-Hasten They are not always wrong, but they often disregard synergies in your particular build or your own build goals, and your skill as a player. So I'm going to cover some basic mechanics here: - What are set bonuses that builds typically chase, and why? You seem to have a decent grasp of this. In general all ATs can benefit from Recharge, defense and +HP, and slow resist. Slow resist is especially important for powersets whose survival depends on click powers such as fire armor or regen. If those builds gets slowed and their heal recharge is neutered to the ground, they die. - What is the significance of defense, how does it work? Defense gives more bang for the buck than resist for survival, especially for squishies that lack mez protection. Resistance won't help you avoid mezzes, defense can. 45% defense is the softcap which means enemies will have a 5% chance to hit you. But another stopping point for builds is 32.5 defense, at that point a simple luck inspiration will help achieve softcap 1 minute at a time. Defense is divided into 2 major categories - typed and positional. Typed defense will cover any attack that has a matching damage type, even if the attack as a mix of other damage types (an attack with smashing/energy damage can be defended by smashing defense or energy defense) If multiple defenses can defend against such an attack then the defense with the highest value is used. That last sentence is tremendously important. It applies to typed and positional defenses and combinations of the two. Positional defense is broken down into 3 categories - melee, range and aoe. These don't care about damage types only the position tag of an attack, they are a bit more "catch all." Most AoEs are coupled with either a melee or range tag, so in general it's far more efficient to focus on the other two vectors than building exclusively for AoE defense. - How does your choice of ATs/powersets impact your general approach to builds? Melee ATs tend to lend to a more comprehensive survival loadout by softcapping as many defenses as possible and hardcapping resists. This is especially true for tanks/brutes where you see people everyday trying to softcap and get 90% resists. Again, this is not always the rule, you CAN make builds that don't follow that rule and still be successful. Squishier ATs don't have the luxury to do that. There are exceptions. In general it's not wise to try to chase multiple positional defenses, you end up sacrificing a lot. Squishy ATs usually have other tools for survival that you need to consider - heals, debuffs, pure damage(blasters), soft control(knock back/down patches, slows), hard controls (stuns/holds/confuses). A lot of people that go out of their way to build survival via set bonuses don't look at these. Bottom line, the way you build tanks is not the same way you build squishy ATs. With lower overall HP and lower resist cap and the fact that most squishy builds can't cap all resists, going out of your way to build a squishy like a tank is a fools errand. Do you need hasten? Kinetic defenders have siphon speed which can stack at least 2 times for 40% recharge boost. Defender ATOs are also fantastic for recharge bonuses. Of all the powers in kin/elec the only one that can really benefit from ridiculously high recharge is Thunderous Blast. - Why is range defense important? Even for builds that would want you in melee range? Kin/elec has transfusion, short circuit and fulcrum shift, they both need you to be in melee right? How do you define melee? Would you consider being 10 feet away from mobs where they can't swing back at you melee? If they can't swing back at you they will either run towards you or shoot you, if you take away the option for them to run to you is 10 feet still melee? So if they can't run to you, and can't swing at you, they will be shooting at you with either single target or AoE range attacks, melee defense does nothing against those pew pews, and AoE defense does nothing to stop single target range attacks, a lot of which carry debuffs or mez. Short circuit has a 20 ft radius, fulcrum shift also have a large radius, as does transfusion. People who build for melee defense on squishies that play in melee range generally do not understand this subtlety in game mechanics, nor do they understand the simple yet subtle art of moving. The other defense that can be important for squishies that spend a lot of time in melee is S/L defense, as S/L covers most melee and melee pbaoe attacks, range defense covers the rest, including range AoE attacks. With proper mitigation tools S/L defense is not necessarily all that paramount. Range defense is always important because it covers attacks from mobs outside of your zone of interaction. Final food for thought - Have you considered Hover? Consider the synergies: Siphon speed helps you hover faster without the need for evasive maneuvers. You can keep your distance and still reap the benefits of transfusion, Short Circuit and Fulcrum shift. Nothing in your toolkit requires you to be on the ground or close to the ground.

All dominator attacks build the domination bar, even temp powers, even brawl. I just tested this. That's not what I'm talking about, I'm talking about doubling mag and duration for those powers that have a mez component when domination is active. There's a lot of inconsistencies there among secondaries/pools/epics/patrons. There seems to be a bit of "it is what it is" sentiment that I see. If something is not working as intended then it's a bug for better or worse, I am not discounting that possibility that non-primary mez powers are not supposed to be affected by domination. And we the players don't need to worry about how to fix the bug for the developers or assume the code complexity of a fix on behalf of the developers. Leave that up to them, they have their methods and priorities, all we need to do is inform them that a discrepancy/bug exists and provide steps to reproduce. If a fix comes great, if it doesn't they have their reasons and priorities and that's ok too.

It might be a thing on production but doesn't mean that they necessarily need to be "a thing." If these are deemed working as intended or if only primary powers are supposed to work with domination, cool. If they are bugs, then where that falls in the list of priorities to address is up to the dev team. I'm simply bringing it to their attention, and if there are powers that do what you described with scrapper crits and tank gauntlet those should be brought to light as well. If I recall things like this have been fixed before. There was an issue with scrapper snipe crit rate that was addressed a few major patches ago.

Fully aware, but I also love my +perception from tactics because I hate blind with a passion. Stealth also allowed me to softcap Psi defense and the completionist in me favored that to Hasten and SS haha. Looking the build now I could absolutely drop super jump and stealth for SS and hasten, but with 111% global recharge I don't find myself needing hasten as much. Point taken about the bastion proc. A simple substitution with lancer shot will do the trick, add a slot to Lancer and 2 piece bastion with the proc there, then slot a level 50 recharge IO in acid mortar at the 5th slot and that should do it. It's been a while since I played this build, but I was very happy with the survival goals I set out to accomplish when I finalized it and put it into practice.