Sir Myshkin

I dare say that my knowledge of how the game works is what drove me to have more fun playing it than compared to when I started. I’m a little quirky, a little insane, some might even call me mad in that regard, but I find a certain level of enjoyment in knowing where the limit is and trying to break it. I used to make character AT and power choices based on concepts, now I more make concepts based on the set choices I make ahead of time. When I first came back to Homecoming I focused on building all the pairings I never got around to that I had wanted to, that later evolved into pairings that could do extreme and ridiculous things. I have also invested almost zero major time into costume design as I had so many back logged costumes that I’ve just been pulling old stock and tweaking them to fit new stuff.

Yes, you've got the right idea. It is possible, once a Dimension shift has been activated, to drop Location-Based (TAoE) skills into the shifted space to be summoned or (in the case of powers like Wormhole) moved into. I tested this with Fold Space earlier today too and... that's not 100% confirmed yet but I think it does work, although it might not be intended to, hard to say cause it freaks out and says "unaffected" and then ports the targets anyway. But yes, powers like all of Storm, drop Rains, Phantom Army, pretty much any and all pets, all can be dropped in. There is no target limit on how many things can exist inside a single Dimension Shift, but it does have a physical volume limit, and it auto-immobilizes any enemy mob that it catches inside. It is possible for a single player to get Dimension Shift into "perma" status at 20/s intervals, but there is the recasting gap which... may or may not really be that big of a deal, but still advisable for a second Shift to trade off, or expand the applicable field radius. Just remember that things from outside the shift, like attacking, or general explosions (Novas) cannot impact what happens inside and vice-versa. Black Hole does not work the same, it is a straight void of intangible and suckage.

Did you give any consideration to KM/Ninjitsu? It is a little on the nose for a pairing, but there's a lot about Ninjitsu that sets up similarly to how SR does, but you get a heal out of the package, extra perception, and some workable resistance instead of pretend resistance. There's also a nice bonus in this set with Concentrated Strike and Shinobi-Iri's critical boost (plus you said you mentioned desires for a stealth component).

The concern for some stems more from the buffs that the enemy factions received in Hard Mode. They've been made sturdier than normal, more resistant to certain things, and given stat boosts to things like ToHit and Damage so some debuffs are less impactful when they get easily resisted, or aren't considerable in value. It's almost a flat line case that -Def and -ToHit debuffs are pretty much of zero value through most of the spawn battles because they'll be running around with an egregious amount of group buffs that -7% isn't going to matter when you need -70%, so things have to be a bit more coordinated to stack and be worth it. I do agree that to believe control is lacking at this point is the wrong thinking when in fact it is the very thing that can demonstrate how to turn this around and be the exact thing that makes Hard Mode "easy" by putting a utility back in play again.

I haven't even looked at Symphony in all honesty. Dark though is the hardest hitting Controller primary excluding Illusion, and Fear is one the secret bombs of this game because of how little there is to stop it. Part of what makes Illusion so effective in Hard Mode isn't just the Phantom Army, but Spectral Terror too. Cold has a good tool set, and I think... is it this thread I mentioned that already? Its a good combination of providing team defense and enemy debuffs, the downside is the factor in not being able to support its own player which I think is what makes it a bit of a failing point compared to some other opportunities. Cold has shown to be a popular (and effective) choice though because some of the best team times for 4* ITFs have come out of groups with multiple Cold users. If I were going to pair something with Dark Control specifically though, and try and push for Hard Mode, I'd probably aim for Dark/Dark personally. Shades, Umbral, and Fluffy as a trio of pets would stack well, and Fluffy (Dark Servant) tosses in additional controls and another team heal, plus he can carry the -ToHit damage proc which will tag into everything it does for additional damage on an unkillable pet. Edit: Random side note but I just caught myself thinking, open thought ... there might be a giant handicap to Hard Mode existing in Gravity Control. A team with one, maybe two might be best... with Dimension Shift could run the TF's in almost 100% safety by neutralizing all enemies within a constant Dimensional Shift. Since it is possible to location drop summons and powers into a shift field, things like Phantom Army, Storm Powers, drop Debuffs... can all be placed through the active field. Two gravity players could just cycle stack back and forth and let everything get destroyed with zero AoE fall out...

If you're looking for a role that can both break the ice on an alpha attack while also taking the alpha damage, but also provide assistance/support to the team then you've got a heft checkbook to balance. There's a lot of difference between leading a team, leading the team, and being the lead of a team. Leading a team is to be the individual ahead, the scout, the one who creates initial debuff, potentially an ice breaker before a tank. A roll like this one is often going to be one that coincides with a Tanker/Brute for alpha absorption, they will be following the Tanker's lead of direction, but they will keep the pace ahead to prep contact with things like Disorients, sleeps, confuses, debuffs. In some cases with a dual-tank team, one tank will lead ahead while the other leads into. Leading the team is to be point, you take the alpha break on damage for each spawn, absorb and contain, group the spawn and create initial contact. You are the one that decides which path, hallway, room, enemy, spawn, where, and when. Being the lead of a team is to give direction, organize, create direction and command, call all the shots and make all the decisions for the team even if you yourself are not the one actually in the front charge, but telling the Tank where to go. For a role to not be the front line and be the lead they are likely a heavy support character that can't take that alpha. Can all of these roles exist in one? Yes, but it takes a sturdy build to be something that will open up opportunity for support fixture and tank at the same time. You'd likely be looking at a very robust Defender, Corruptor, or Controller to pull it off, but a Defender would likely be the easiest to accomplish of the three numbers wise while Controller would probably play the easiest with a high enough recharging build for its mass AoE mez effects. Another option that may be worth considering as far as a sturdy ice-breaker, but one that doesn't necessarily have the same level of "team support" is a Sentinel. It can be built strong, have an assortment of good AoE options and be able to create fire from any position so they can bounce around easily. Only thing with these options is that none of them can control aggro like a Tanker or Brute can, and this is a minor short coming. You can make up with this in a small way by creating what's called a "Tankermind", a Mastermind that uses Provoke and Bodyguard to effectively tank while its minions act as both sponge and assault formation, letting the MM to utilize their secondary for everything else and maybe throw in an occasional attack too. With that being said Mastermind is the closest to being able to Lead, Lead, and be the Lead. These are however not a playstyle that fits everyone as they are very... different. Certain Sentinel builds can potentially get their design right to pull off all three assuming they either have some way to gather aggro, or pick up Provoke. A Defender (Corr/Troller) can lead a team, and be the lead, but will have a hard time lead the team due to insufficient capacity to handle and absorb aggro. Tankers can lead the team, and be a sturdy leader, and if you choose the right epic there are a few combinations that give them options for control that can also give you a good collection of build choice to be a support role as well making them a sub-generalist if you want.

@Arc-Mage, I'm gonna be honest, *scratches head*, I don't think we're quite on the same page here. When I said my build was set to +4, I specifically referred to enemy level. Mid's can calculate accuracy against varying enemy level since it scales, and you can set that level automatically so you can see how your attacks scale in the power window in an accuracy check. I set the enemy level to +4 and work to achieve 95% accuracy based on that metric to know that I can hit a +4. The damage procs... you said you sacrificed in your build, I didn't sacrifice anything *shrug* Zapp... are you referring to the Interrupt time? You did enhance this aspect to drop the Interrupt time, but it's still a 3.564/s Arcanatime Cast no matter what. If maybe you're confusing that with Quick Form, the in-combat Quick Form ability occurs no matter what once you're engaged, it will always give you the quick option which activates with reduced damaged at a faster speed for a flat 1.584/s with no interruption. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to get you to change your play style or anything cause I get the small feeling of that in what you said, I'm just trying to clear up what look like misunderstandings in how the build/powers work and find the best solution for you.

Thanks for catching that, I've corrected it.

Power Transfer's Heal Proc goes off nearly clockwork in Stamina and is essentially equivalent worth to 6/HPs Regen for a Blaster. Your build: 36 HP/s, Mine: 30 HP/s+PTHeal = effective 36 HP/s. Some times trying to cram excess Regen into low-HP AT's just doesn't have the same trade off as it does for things like Tankers and Brutes where the difference of 10% Regen is scaling against 100's of HP and not 10's of HP. Also make sure it's apples to apples (as the saying goes). I obviously took a look at your build and there were several things that I was scratching my head at going "why doesn't this make sense?" Well I discovered something about how the Mid's team has updated the program into this 3.4.6 build. It appears enemy level and certain settings like "view damage per animation, attack, or second" carry over in the import. Once I toggled that back, and reset enemy level to +4 then things started making a lot more sense again. If you're trying to compare to my build it is most definitely set to +4 and Damage Per Animation (not default Activation like yours). You did add Charge Up and Vengeance, but once all of those are detoggled the base average isn't the same. Procs really add up and not only did I pack in damage procs, but I also packed in -Res procs to scale up that performance. As an example, how you slotted Zapp versus how I slotted Zapp. Your DPA is 141.4 under Quick Form, and mine is 250.3 (I even turned Musculature off since you didn't have an Alpha included). On your defense side of things, why did you invest six slots on Hover? That power taps out at like 2.5 max defense when you could easily just put those slots into Weave and recover a much larger investment?

Original Photo: Lucasfilm Author's Note: It doesn't take much more than an image to create that mental audio effect from a drawn lightsaber to pop into one's mind. Simple elements like this are demonstrations in the power of fandom, and through fandom is the desire for creation and the want to experience that world, so of course with the vast tools at hand here in City, more than a few folks have made attempts of varying degrees at creating Jedi or Sith based characters. Typically they end up in the melee section, often as Scrappers or Stalkers with Katanas looking to manipulate that character into the mold of George Lucas. After pondering it during a costume contest one night however, and seeing a rather interesting (and wholly unrelated) character, it is possible to get access to that same Katana skinning weapon on Blasters and get access to a slightly better option of attacks to simulate a few other options for Force abilities, or just the general notion of the Star Wars universe. What is a Mad King? As a refresher for those that are newer players, or have let it slip past the memory banks over time since they were last introduced, a Mad King Special is a unique build style utilizing a specific proc (Force Feedback +Rech) and pouring the entirety of the resource of the build into relying on that trigger effect to speed the build up allowing for aggressively faster cycle times on a lot of abilities that should otherwise not get used or be used at the types of levels this proc can help them achieve. Beyond this the builds are Proc Monsters at their core and tend to sacrifice typical building methods for the sake of offense offense offense. Gotta be a little crazy. A note on triggers: A FF+Rech in a ST attack going off in chain will often take care of the chain it resides in well enough. For TAoE/PBAoE/Cone in order for successful response for any Proc there needs to be on average 4-5 targets in the field of effect for any chance of something happening, and if there's at least 9-10 it's near-assured that the FF+Rech will trigger 90% of the time. This proc will tap out at two stacks due to duration and what it takes to even get one trigger, but if kept continuous they can super-charge many other long-lasting effects in a build like Nukes or T9's. Why Blasters? The O.G. MKS builds started out as Energy Blasters for their KB component and expanded from there. The pairing that this focuses on includes a handful of primaries, and one secondary that this utility still works for the design even though I'll also include and house non-MKS builds that are "Force Relevant" here as well. The Star Wars universe, when it comes to what a lot of folks are looking to design, is focused on a Jedi or Sith based concept, both using Lightsabers, one possibly with Force Lightning, but these are not exclusively the only options for Force abilities, and are also not the only weapons used. Blasters and rifles are other common weapons of choice, although rarely is a Sith seen picking up one, many many Jedi had/have carry a firearm of some form. Princess Leia was connected to the Force, but only ever used a sidearm herself as an example. The Focus Sets: Dual Pistols Bullet Rain and Hail of Bullets are going to be the keystone powers out of Dual Pistols to carry the FF+Rech proc. Executioner's Shot and Piercing Rounds will be the two single target tools that will help in deliver strong ranged damage and excellent -Res solutions. Swap Ammo - Lets talk about this for a second. Interesting effect, can change up damage types, give some interesting side effects, all neat and everything but they can hinder the target goal of Piercing Rounds by shutting down its -Res. It does not however impact FF+Rech being able to trigger in Bullet Rain or HoB. Very much a "fine to take if there's a spot to fill, but can be sacrificed." Assault Rifle Very easy to treat this set as a Trooper Character or Blaze style build, even a Mandalorian for the varying effects attached to the rifle powers. Most of the straight forward shots include a KB/KD component giving trigger options for FF+Rech to get slotted into. Much of the Rifle portion of this type of build will easily focus on being an AoE specialist by gravitating towards M30 and Buckshot for FF+Rech cycles. With Hasten and some Global Recharge this build will be grossing 200%+ on an attack chain of Buck > M30 > Ignite with Full Auto sprinkled in on 10/s intervals (down from 60/s). Electric Blast Force Lightning, not just a Sith ability (now) (/s), and Electric Blast best illuminates that in the game to near perfection with plenty of variety. Regrettably these powers lack the KB component needed to retrofit a FF+Rech into them making any choices to get this system working reliant either entirely on Golden Dragonfly, or by utilizing outside sources like Force of Will's powers to keep the grease going effectively. Key powers here that are going to focus on thematic aspects will be Tesla Cage, Ball Lightning will sub in a nice arc of AoE lightning at a distance, and of course Lightning Bolt. Zapp and Thunderous Blast just get to become our "angry" versions of the previous attacks. Ninja Training Golden Dragonfly is the FF+Rech kicker for Ninja Training and carries the single target chain functions for any combination of these builds. Choking Powder, while not an immediate consideration for some, is also going to be a heavy contending abilities for its proc capacity. Smoke Flash and Blinding Powder also get to serve as "Force Tools" for however someone would want to play those out. Pool and Epic Focus: Presence Pacify - This is not the droid you are looking for... There's a ton of both general utility to a Blaster, and general RP value in this pool between both Jedi and Sith sides of the coin. Pacification, Fear, Taunt, and then Unrelenting at the end that adds another incredibly huge heal with Recharge and a chance to auto resurrect yourself if timed correctly. Force of Will The other "mind trick" pool of options available. Weaken Resolve acts as the typical Jedi hand wave with Project Will and Wall of Force acting as Force maneuvers without needing any major slotting across the board. Bonus on Unleashed Potential being a great power for +Def as well. Mace Mastery We are men of action, lies do not become us. We are just here for Scorpion Shield. Force Mastery Force of Nature is the gold mine power here. Once a build starts running around at 300+% global recharge and ability like this starts shrinking its down time considerably giving Blaster's access to a T9 level power normally reserved to Melee on a cooldown they'd never normally see. This will hit 50% uptime with a recharge timer potential somewhere around 240-250/s. Personal Force Field will act as a nice panic option, and Repulsion Bubble is another "interesting Force mechanic" power that's on-theme. This defines the outlying structure of the Force user builds and how each will function within the parameters of the MKS design spectrum. To keep the Lightsaber theme in a Melee setting a transition would have to be made to Katana, and much of how Ninja Training functions can be acquired in Katana/Ninja for Scrappers to achieve similar effects, although more thematic, and less MKS focused. I will include those builds later on just because it keeps in the spirit of the universe. Each of the Corresponding builds that follow will require Mids Reborn update 3.4.6 or any later update from that point. Ranged Builds (Blaster) Build One: DP/NT Defense Focused Build Two: DP/NT Defense Focused | Swaps Presence for Force of Will Build Three: DP/NT/Force Full MKS Force of Nature Build Four: Electric/NT Defense Focused | Sith designated, trades out placating effects for fears and taunts thematically. Build Five: AR/NT Defense Focused | Swaps Presence for Force of Will Melee Builds (Scrapper) "Jedi" Build: Katana/Ninjitsu/Weapon "Sith Lord" Build: Katana/Ninjitsu/Mu Mastery Update Log: Addition of AR/NT Build Five Corrected Electric/NT to the right build.

I wouldn't hold much water with this cup. There's already been quite a few prolific posts about successful runs completed with Controllers on board, and even non-Illusion to boot. The most beneficial to bring into these are going to be supportive aspects: Defense, Resistance, DDR, and direct impact on HP capping the team to widen the gap from instant hits to avoid instant deaths from huge attacks. Dark is already a good contender as mentioned. Force Field, Cold, and Time Manipulation are all good defense candidates with Time likely being the most logical for large crowd impact that also catches the caster. Traps has one of the best -Regen tools in Poison Trap (also packs FFG if it can be kept alive). Trick Arrow has two tools that contain unresistable components with Flash Arrow and Poison Gas Arrow (-ToHit and -Dam) and also a -Heal in PGA that's useful against Surgeons. Last but not least is Storm which tosses in two more unkillable damage fiends in Tornado and Lightning Storm backed by Freezing Rain. To a certain extent if a coordinated team is built, Pain Domination can also work since it brings -Res and lasting +ToHit/+Dam to the table with heals that can support behind what will likely be stacked Barriers serving more consistently than most other options (this last one is a calculated choice). Yes Illusion is the most ideal option for these because of Phantom Army being unstoppable and a pinch-hitter for a tank falling. Above all of these if I had to pick one to stand out individually it's likely Ill/Storm as the most capable of self-serving. I am currently working towards building up my own Ill/Pain and then I'll be venturing into seeing about getting an Illusion team to do a 4*. I'm fairly confident that a 2x TA, 1x Trap, 2x Time, 2x Storm, and 1x Pain can execute it without death.

Bit late to the party on this one, but for what it may still be worth @Arc-Mage: Electric/Nrg was a small project of mine a long while back (it sounds weird to say that now, it's already been two+ years) so the build might seem odd for having double travels and such, but it hits a bunch of standard key metrics. Just off 45% S/L/E, 536% Regen, Musculature Alpha, "Perma" Power Boost (which effectively makes it iCap).

For like a good hot minute there I was dedicated to try and make "Miss American Pie" lyrics work for a back story on one of my characters, but that song is like crazy long and really it was just a flight of fancy and I gave up. I tend to bounce from one focus character to the next once one hits 50+T4 Incarnates, but there are a few that have logged considerable more play time overall (I suppose) than the majority, and those would be my "Mad Kings." Link in Signature kind of explains that concept, but I am in all intents and purposes the Mad King, so it's only justified for them to be my primary focus I suppose. Storm/Energy Defender - The Matador MK1 S There are those who lead, and those who follow, and there there is the Matador, ahead of the herd by a mile clearing the path. She travels beyond the extent and range of the point tank not because she wants to, but because she must; the winds of change (Tornado) demand it. Triple Lightning Storm, double Tornado, Nova on 30/s tap, endurance neutral, and just plain hard to stop. She can aggro 50 Cims without breaking a sweat. Once she starts rolling it is very hard to slow her down. RadArmor/SS Tanker - Carthage Power. Undaunted, extreme, rage, hellbent power. Double stack Rage, Meltdown used for its damage bonus, triple pack procs, 5/s cooldown on KO Blow, able to take down an even-con AV in >3 minutes and +4 Nictus-backed Rommy in 9 with zero support or inspirations. Hard capped resistances, and just doesn't die. He is the epitome of everything that is broken about Rage. Once he was complete I used to run near-nightly Tinpex's with him for several months because I could clear both together in 25 minutes on my own, so having others tag along just meant smoother finishes (and sometimes shorter).

As a scrapper, pretty sure this is the way. This is the way.

Siphon Power adds +ToHit, don't forget about that part. Why not just grab Super Jump instead then? Energy Cloak is already a stealth power so Infiltration is unnecessary to begin with (it has terrible end cost for its movement components imo). There's room to crank up the defense into Incarnate territory if you desire. Energy Drain double stacks with the right amount of available global recharge and will push it beyond that giving some room for debuffs as well, and thus also opening up your options for Destiny to pretty much whatever you want since none of them are a "must have" to fix anything.

Sonic offers -Res in its attacks which is a multiplier to team benefit (damage), which makes it popular. If you’re looking for a fun build and don’t mind it being a bit challenging to learn then I’d suggest taking a look at the Mad King link in my signature or do a quick forum search for Mad King, sorry I’m on mobile and it makes it more difficult to grab quickly. I have discussion and builds posted for several things but there is specifically a Nature/Energy in there that is fun and dynamic, and if you want thematic Water Blast can sub in for Energy.

See this is one of those weird cases were I chime in as Devil’s Advocate that SR is better for Scrappers and Stalkers because it is so easy to soft cap and serves them better than it does Tankers/Brutes. It is just as possible to get 59% positional defense on a Scrapper as it is a Tanker, yes the Tank is easier to accomplish but it is doable.

I in no way justify the actions of anyone when I say this, but there are tools in the game to prevent these types of actions from occurring between the ignore function and the report function if a player feels they are being harassed unduly. Use these tools. We have an opportunity to experience this game again and there's absolutely no reason to tolerate poor behavior when it is incredibly easy to exclude that player's [voice] by simply tossing them onto the global ignore list and move on. I say this regardless of whether the reason any player is spoken against is because of farming or otherwise, step away from the situation, report it if needed, and go about your gaming experience.

There is sooooooo much argument potential for this from Street Fighter's Hadoken to Dragon Ball's Kamehameha, there's always portrayal of short and long variations of "blast/ball" techniques with varied strength levels. I would love love love LOVE to be able to QS > BB > SB > [QC]FB

The Devouring Earth are made by Hamidon, a sentient alien life form that believes that Humanity is a plague on Earth and needs to be eradicated. It uses humans and plant life to create its DE soldiers by transforming them into the various different aspects of creatures and Devoured. Jurassik itself is essentially a Quarry (or possibly a Sentry) that has been extremely mutated by the chemical waters in Crey's Folly, and continues to live in the waters because of the mutative features. It was simply just another Hamidon creation that the ahem folly of man transformed into an even more viscous nightmare. It is intended to be a slightly ironic Giant Monster.

When you're on a mission with folks stomping though, and others talking about squeezing out 1.5% more damage into their builds, they got to that stomp point by talking about squeezing out that last percent. For some players that type of play really is the enjoyment of the end game, but isn't for everyone. As others have mentioned there are definitely opportunities to alter the play experience for oneself to drive it in different ways. Last night I joined an ITF, just a regular ole basic one to waste some time. We kicked off one player short (no big), we lost a player after the first mission, and another after the second, but the situation was saved by the fact that there were a couple of us a bit more loaded out then normal. My build alone was designed for Hard Mode, so doing it on regular was easy peasy. Basic rule of thumb is find the parts of the game that are the most enjoyable, and stick to them. If it doesn't spark joy, don't do it. 🙂

Nice work getting to your goal line. And in regards to running KM in partnership with a "non-offensive" secondary, my "career" with the set personally was a KM/SR Scrapper and I still think of it as one of my favorites. I refuse to reroll that character on Homecoming for sentimental reasons though so it's just memories for me at this point. Taking Super Reflexes as the secondary allowed me to pour all my efforts into power though once I hit my defensive goals.

I couldn't help myself.