Doomguide2005

For me it's also strongly based on whether I intend to to solo a lot or team as to how much defense I aim for. For the most part my 'defense' is +recharge+first strike (stealth) plus some defense. If the mob is reeling from getting mezzed ... no return fire is a really solid 'defense'. Actual defense then means further reducing return fire from the bosses and up while you get them mezzed if the opener didn't or missed (+acc, +to hit). And on the occasion when the rng is really naughty inspires to quickly boost defense to the soft cap.

Can't open Mids' to really have a good look at the build but 5 set LotG strikes me as at least one extra (what is the 5 set bonus for LotG?). What is your DDR (I'm looking for 95% or better)? I generally aim for a net recovery of 2.5 or greater with my normal toggles running. Pretty much want to be able to attack non-stop forever. After that I start adding +max health and +regen for any/SR. Hope this helps.

Not sure, my computer died on me and tight finances (and Covid) have made replacement impossible so far so I haven't been online in a while. Send a tell to @Psylenz0511 or join the channel Buffed Up. Many of the Repeat Offenders also team on Everlasting and, of course, are fond of Defenders as well.

And keep those buffs flowing, should be hitting the Incarnate cap with 3 Forts per Empath (in the area of 66% vs All) as well as boosting damage by an additional 90% over the buff of 4 Assaults running (+72%) on top of hard capped Regeneration ... You can as a static team do some crazy slotting as well particularly once you have AB. As in nothing requires accuracy or endurance reduction as you'll be swimming in endurance and to hit buffs from overlapping RA, Fort and Tactics, plus AB from your 'buddy'. So go proc crazy and damage IO's. Back to work for me.

Empaths are strong buffers, but their strongest buffs are single target (CM, Fort, AB). Any debuffs will come from the blasts/blast set. If this is a static team duo to go all the way to 50 and beyond Empathy should work well and remain very viable but your buff target needs to take what you do into account with their build to maximize that benefit. I'd probably take advantage of one of the alternate builds to either specifically build for when not teamed with you or vice versa depending on how frequently you actually end up running as a pair. Basically he won't need to worry about endurance at all (between perma AB and RA even end draining foes are a non factor in terms of endurance. Hitting the foes should also be a non-issue between Fort and Tactics. And so on. He can focus on raw damage and probably still add lots of procs. For example, a pair of boosted damage IO's and 4 procs for his 6 slots and similar stuff with his mez/control powers as desired. No need for him to slot any endred or accuracy in his powers, you'll cover that. Folks often say debuffers are what are wanted but those debuffs are up against the purple patch hard core vs +4's. It's just normally high end builds cover their own accuracy, endurance, etc., themselves so demand for those buffs drops to those still working towards the high end they envision or it just isn't a concern for that player. Having a dedicated Empath buddy frees your teammate from those needs enabling him to focus elsewhere with his build outside the norm. PS: Oops, meant to post this under Looking for a Buffer by @Deadshot7below.

/Sonic does have one tool in its box that can be quite useful for Traps when solo, Sirens Song.

Yes, just yes

Afaik, no it doesn't. He's just a triggered ambush/event

That might work, at sub 50 (or even 40) content anyway. After that ... well melee guys engaging AV's sounds more like 'redirect, then miss' 🤪

This. Sounds great 'on paper'. Implementation is an enormous can of worms. How do you distinguish between true friendly fire, griefing and PvP in a PvE mission? The best solution to difficulty most likely involves the foe and currently sees minimal playerbase support ... as a whole we don't seek harder foes. See radio missions preferred foes, speed run +0 TF's etc.. You don't see Immunes Surgeons running Leadership toggles, while using Fortitude and Adrenaline Boost on the Boss/EB's (or each other while using a blast set). You could do that in AE however. And some relatively difficult content did and does exist now in AE. Maybe we should be solving some of this itch ourselves, perhaps starting a thread of 'nasty' hard AE content. No it wouldn't be quite the same as 'canon' content but it can be a lot of fun if your itch is for a challenge while the Devs work on solving the very knotty problems involved in created new high end content of the 'elusive' appropriate difficulty.

Maybe a compromise here is possible. The blurb could be "Hidden", want to not have to search for ooc info read on, if you want greater submersion avoid clicking to open the hidden content (with a clear indicator of what the hidden text is, i.e. ooc info)

Doesn't even necessarily have to be a damage/kill effect, a 'respawn' effect would work. It (or something much like it) happens to players, as I recall, in the Shadow Shards if you go off the side and 'fall'.

Paragon Wiki "Attack Mechanics" is where to find out a great deal of detail about the subject. Edit: which Macskull's link just ninja'd me 😁

I'd agree with the above ... especially as the team size grows beyond a friends only composition. It can be done even on fast moving teams but it's not nearly as casual and forgiving as Rad will be. That said the mez protection offered by FFG as well as defenses one can get with minimal effort and IO's are also very beneficial for more casual play. To me they both scream "pick me, pick me" 😁 Maybe that's why my altitis runs rampant.

I won't address the Elec half of the build. Lots of procs can be used and I haven't run an Elec troller since Live. That and no way to look at or use Mids' currently. That caveat aside. Same general outline for Empathy I mentioned for the Dark/Emp and Mind/Empathy in earlier threads below (currently right at the bottom of this page). I generally skip both Absorb Pain and Resurrect. Outside of rare instances never needed AP and there are so many ways to rez including inspires and temp powers it saves a power pick. But I'd slot AP like HA and HO -> One gets Preventative Medicine 6 slotted, the other two get either Doctored Wounds or Panacea 5 slotted (low cost vs high cost) and I would just do the base slot of Resurrect with an Endred with 2 thoughts behind that ... first even with very high overall recharge few teams are going to wait around for Rez to recharge from your first use (with multiple down) and second you're a controller (no Vigilance) and Resurrect is not easy on the blue bar. If your end is low you may have trouble paying the 26 end it costs (and you know Murphy being Murphy it'll go pear-shaped while your Auras are down and your blue bar is running dry). Clear Mind -> just the base slot pretty much with whatever you want. I often go with Range. Keep in mind CM is +perception. Good vs stealthy foes and Arachnos with their "blind" powers. And on rare or specific instances even help vs Mez effects on AT's that are normally protected from mez (Tankers, Scrappers, etc..). Your scrapper has a Terrorize hole, not anymore. Romulus and his rez which stuns ... double stack on squishies or one on a melee type and no need for them to break, take cover to avoid getting stunned. Fortitude-> anywhere from 3 to 6 slots. 3 Membrane HO's, 4 LotG, 5 Red Fortune and any of those with LotG increased recharge speed. Recovery Aura-> 3 slots Rech, Rech/Endmod ×2 RegenAura -> 5 slots Doctored Wounds or Panacea Note I usually try to keep the recharge on both auras within a few seconds of each other. Avoids having to keep an eye on both. When one is ready they both are and I'll fire one after the other. Adrenaline Boost -> 5 slotted Doctored Wounds or Panacea Tactics -> I wouldn't bother with Rectified Recticle. Tactics is more than enough +perception. I would grab the Gaussian BU proc.

My main was my main because she was first, first character, first character created in an MMO, first to experience Grendel's Gulch, first to experience anything new be it Croatoa, getting lost at night in Perez Park, Incarnate material, a Hami raid or see the Storm Palace. She was the one who I used pencil and paper to figure out her build a dozen times tweaked over the issues until Mids' existed. She's the one who first solo'd an AV and other silly scrapper tricks. She was the first among my 'mains', first of 100+ alts I had on Live. She was simply First.

Even by my SR scrapper who way back in the day wondered what all fuss was about ... can't drain what you can't hit after all. But once she learned what they did to teammates they became one the first target binds her player learned.

I so need to get a computer up and running. My /SR brain (scrappers, brutes and stalkers) is utterly dying to try out an SR tank. Considering what my main (Claws/SR scrapper) could/can jump into ... really leaves mean wondering.

aka "Where's Leroy Going?"

I would probably be looking at Musculature. Boost damage and it will also help with endurance due to the Endmod enhancement perhaps even making CP less needed outside of encountering end draining mobs. DDR at just under 95% should be fine. Yes, pretty much the only place having stacked PB would help is vs Rommy and the stun of his self rez. Outside of that it's really only helping when exemplaring to low levels or vs massive recharge debuffs that overcome Quickness (and any IO's slotted). What's slotted in Health and Stamina? And is it a soft cap or I-cap build? Lastly I know there's at least a couple of threads about Katana/SR probably worth some digging for further options.

I'm really hampered by the death of my computer as I can't open and look at your build in Mids' but one thing definitely pops out. You probably don't need two recharge reduction in PB unless you are looking to make it stack with itself. I'd likely keep it to the base slot and put an endred in it. Make sure your DDR is 95%+, net recovery 2.5 end/sec. Personally I built my Claws/SR for +health and +regeneration and not for recharge. I'd shoot to have just enough recharge to have a gapless attack chain then start grabbing +health and regen from there on.

Big truth here. Getting mezzed means I can't move to cover, can't use my attacks, can't ... do much of anything for myself or my teammates. And pretty much nothing is more frustrating than knowing the Empath on the team has CM while you stagger about the boss pounding on you till you eat carpet. One of the pros of an Empath as your buffer is there's absolutely no requirement for any foes to be present for any of those buffs or heals to be used.

So there you have it "any/any" defender, corruptor or controller. And really build to their strengths, cover each others weaknesses and you'll have a hell of a ride regardless. Part of the beauty of this game is the way any/any does in fact work.🙂

Yeah Empathy's AB is relatively easy to make perma and Fort is readily 22% defense buff plus to hit and damage. Add in Assault, Tactics and Maneuvers on both of you for 30% defenses, 60+ damage buff and a ton of to hit before sets come into it.

The other option potentially if this is to be a dedicated pairing that might be worth considering is team teleport +/- IO's for individual stealth. Or a set like Storm with Steamy Mist. They stack from different casters and should pretty much allow you to stealth into place as long as you keep their areas overlapping.