Doomguide2005

The -defense on a late game SR (owing to DDR) isn't likely to help much but might open some proc options and as mentioned useful while leveling or running exemplar to buff the effective defense a bit more towards caps. One thing many would consider a mistake is not slotting Siphon Life for damage something I have seen on several occasions on builds posted for getting help.

And just wait till she figures out just how offensive almost any support build can get from range or melee in CoX

I've often commented to my fellow D&D players that if you want to find the "gaps" in the rules turn a bunch of min-maxing, rules-lawyering, power gamers loose on the game. They'll find stuff just as crazy and far more "legit" that the most proficient of Munchkins.

nah properly built there's 8 of them (see above).

This. And the idea you can build a single most correct build for a given AT/Pairing and for any given team is absurd in the first place. Especially if not a static team. Even if one assumes you have the responsibility to build a given way to make another player 'happy' that almost certainly means that somewhere in the next few teams, if not the very next, your build won't be correct. My Claws/SR has totally different idea of what the perfect build(s) would be to join them than my Emp/Rad does. And I'd be willing to guess the ideal build to join my Emp/Rad is NOT what the majority of players out there would consider their ideal to maximize my fun. And the whole vice versa thing i.e. the likelyhood my characters build is the ideal for all 7 teammates is also highly unlikely. The only responsibility I have to my fellow players is not to be a douche. And clearly anything other than 8 Empaths is building wrong anyway. I mean what's not to love about a damage capped Nuke everywhere 5 seconds or so on a defense, to hit, recovery, regen, and possible resistance capped team not the most right ... 😘

Random thoughts Knockback/Knockdown. Mez These two things are almost always a weakness for anything at low levels. Anyone can get both if desired from the p2w vendor even mid task force. Plasmatic Taser and Stun Grenade especially the later in multiples can seriously mess them up. Add some team inspires to ensure they hit. I've been known to drop the p2w pets as well (both the PPD and a prestige pet useful to the group). Again you can acquire those while in TF. One of my Empaths could even add both a Shivan and a Vanguard Heavy to the p2w pets. Drop some team inspire buffs for those pets to further enhance their damage and to hit capabilities. Just stay alive ... complete suckage to drop all those pets and die before they even join the fight (yes been there done that in one particularly chaotic and pear shaped effort). A corner pull really helps ensure the pets get to engage before most of the team and you faceplant.

While sober. All bets off if not.

For reference here's the build I've been tinkering with. Reyna Morningdew EmpathyRadBlast Hvy Arm (v1.00 i27.6) - Defender (Empathy - Radiation Blast).mbd

Well I'm still very new to NA especially compared to Empathy but I've paired it with Symphony (to which I'm also fairly new) whose powers so far are also ranged. So mostly I hang back and the cone naturally covers more as the distance from the cones origin grows larger making targeting less necessary i'd guess. Perhaps as I get more into the various auras and the PBAoEs becomes part of the arsenal it'll develop into an issue, But one of my first Empaths was paired with Dark Blast and then Sonic both of which are strongly ranged outside the nuke (No Irradiate type power unlike my Emp/Rad ). I got fairly adept at moving out for Tentacles or Howl and in for other PBAoE's. That and a weakness I have as an Empath especially these days is I don't target by a bind/keyboard I click on the name in the team window and fire off the various buffs and healing via the number keys on the keyboard. That and my main above all is a Claws/SR scrapper so I'm very used to finding and using the 'F' to seek a target(s), well not so much seek but to follow after hitting 'R' for target nearest. Perhaps NA will push this old dog back into using keybinds again and or buying a mouse with a lot more extra keys to target teammates. I have a NA defender just found a shiney that pulled me away I'm guessing as they been sitting in the low teens for a while now. Paired it with Archery Blast so that may be part of the issue. I'm personally fairly meh on Archery. Love the look and idea of it but ... .

Any preferences on travel powers. Powers you do or don't want etc..

Been running a new Symphony/Nature Affinity and enjoy it a great deal. Partly I think it's the lack of having to target anything specific. No matter binds, young reflexes etc., it is an added step where the CM goes to the Tanker rather than mez protection absent support by mistake or Fortitude is redundantly sent to a character instead of another. So much about NA seems more like using the Auras just position and use. And fast moving, chaotic combat makes that much less ... intense than having to target single targets. As for Incandescene (at t3) some minimal testing without PB or PBU (no alt build yet) bumps the Emp/Rad from 300 to 500ish on HA. Makes me think on replacing several of the Panacea's with Doctored Wounds to gain the set bonus (at 5 rather than 6) on your heals and see that difference in output. I also noted the +hit points from the Panacea proc is boosted while under Incandescence. Guessing a similar boost would happen with the Power Transfer proc. Downside is trying to scrape together both power choices and slots for 5 in more Heal accepting powers. Well it's why there's Mids'.

@GenshinGuy1985 Kismet needs to be moved from Vengeance. Most likely it's rarely effecting you as it's considered a proc 120. It's only benefitting you when the power is active and for a 120 seconds after the power is no longer active or the power is toggled off. So unless you are using Vengeance every 120 seconds or less there are probably lengthy periods where you gain no benefit. In general if your To Hit portion is low raising your To Hit will be of greater benefit than boosting Accuracy further (multiplying a relatively lower value yields a relatively smaller value). Try to get Kismet in a lower level choice. Weave is your lowest placed defensive power. For instance if Vengeance was a toggle you'd still only benefit when playing at or above 43rd when it could be toggled on and active. Multiplying 39+15+6=60 >> 60 x 1.6 = 96% or at that to hit Kismet jumps you from ~86% to 96% and is therefore the single best thing you can do to help your overall hit chance. You are sitting right about the tipping point between hitting 95% and noticeably worse if foes start to to hit debuff you or acquire defense buffs for themselves. Clumped up Cimerorans will become a major issue, for example, as they start buffing each others defense

A few random thoughts. As mentioned or suggested by others you have no real direct control of who they attack and where they move but you can influence things. But it seems likely that threat and aggro (and the rest) work similarly but the pets have their own list. Summon them in close proximity to whom you wish them to aggro and whom you wish to aggro them on. Haunt has, for example, an 80ft range. If you are stealthed use Teleport to move near you target. They'll either run to you drawing aggro as they do so. Similarly I've found Fold Space useful for keeping the short attention span Fire Imps close ... as the Shiney things will be close. Just a few thoughts for now have to head to bed.

Initially it's mostly by experience and feeling. Starting out the gate in the single digit levels Ensure I am hitting reliably on attacks. Likely 2 Acc or equivalent accuracy buff. Still missing then Kismet gets added asap or other To Hit buffs ... plan on early Tactics acquisition. Next up is keeping end usage in check. See #1 missing is bad for both your blue and green bars (out of end can't do damage, damage/defeat is the ultimate debuff and all that). Everything gets at least 1 endred. Still have issues I'll start looking to add Miracle and plan on a diet of recovery buffs (either p2w or empowerment or both buffs) as well as 'do I add a 2nd endred into costly powers'. Lastly start contemplating adding +recovery and other low hanging IO bonuses (+end or end discount) to help end usage Going to tend to take attacks preferentially at this point in things. Defense and Resistance to follow. I want at least the start of 'attack chain' by late teens/20+. What mitigation is built into attacks (kb/kd/ku, stuns, defdebuff etc.). I've been known to use frakkenslotting at lower levels to boost multiple aspects. For example 2 endred/to hit buff IOs in Tactics or a series of dam/rchg IOs in my Nuke or other AoE blast. Or a series of def/endred IOs in my SR or other armor toggles. If they are commonly needed aspects then I'm likely to use unslotters when shifting to a final build. And store for use in another build. In the vast majority of cases nothing pre-planned in Mids until later probably post 40 (and often it's the 'final' lvl 50 build regardless of my current level). Very rarely am I following a pre-planned build from early on or from the start. I think only once among my HC characters have I had a pre-planned build from very early on and that was for a static 'super team' build where I anticipated massive end usage issues owing to power choices (a Fire/Sonic running Hot Feet, Disruption Field, Sonic Dispersion by 20th (2.08 end/sec prior to endred) then tack on Maneuvers and Tactics as well as attacks by mid 20's (pant pant written all over it) Net effect is high confidence of a highly effective build by late game.

I may be wrong but I believe @rolekiwas trying to say this. But yes afaik if it fires and then 3 seconds later fires again you end up at 8 seconds of +100% not 10. Or 13 second and not 20 ... as I don't recall if the duration is 5 or 10 seconds per buff.

Had both the Corruptor version and its mirror on Live. Can't recall if the Defender version hit 50 but i know the Corruptor version did. It's indeed a very potent combo. Maybe a bit slower to defeat things than say Fire/Dark and perhaps not quite as strong for teams as Ice/Cold but only marginally so and exchanges both for being extremely tough.

Okay I put together a build for my main empath an Emp/Rad using PBU and Incandescence. And those number per Mids are not making a lot of sense I think stemming from Incan providing a massive unresistable heal resistance debuff. Going to just have to try it out on the server

Here's what I did with my last character. Entered the game at level 1. Took on a levels worth of Hellions around the lake. Watched for a DFB to occur. Joined it for 2 runs, good for a bunch of low level SOs busy going red. Got a jump pack and tagged all the AP explore badges. Turned those 5 merits and a piece of orange salvage into inf. Bought and upgraded so the majority of the slots on my powers hold an +3 SO. Joined a team running mission content. After about 2 hours now I've hit level 9 fully SO'd with 200k or so in hand and a chunk of converters still waiting prices to rise a bit. Looking to join Posi 1 and 2 now the next time I log in.

And what good is that if you don't use it?

Talk to 100 players and you'll probably get 110 different answers. Take your favorites, get a strong build on them and run them through the 800 series in AE. Mostly you'll probably get chased right out the front door. The ones that can complete the highest and farthest in the series are your toughest and most resilient in all likelyhood (being both your best builds and the ones you play best individually). The series starts at 800.0 and runs upward from there to 800.F at the most difficult end which only the best teams will have a chance at completing. If you can get well past 800.4 at +4/x8 you'll be exceeding I dare say the vast majprity of players and their best builds.

Overall looks very solid. What follows is mostly either alternative ideas or food for thought especially after the Fort comments. Yes I'd agree Fortitude needs more loving. Minimal slots I'd go with is 3->> 2 Membrane HOs and a LotG 7.5%. Or if trying to get back lost +def from changing up in AB, for instance, go with a full 6 set of Red Fortune. Or there's a gazillion other options for Fortitude. In fact there's a whole thread buried pretty well in the Defender forums on this very subject. I'd also love to see it moved up to an earlier slot. It's one of the premiere buffs from Empathy I'd be trying to slip it in as close to as early as can (20th iirc) unless you plan an almost no exemplar work. And as @MonteCarlasaid I'd spend the slots on Fort before I'd spend them on Superior Invisibility. Or drop the Preemp from AB between SI and PA you shouldn't be getting that much attention and can probably stand the loss of range def as you'll still be well over the soft cap. Also in the nitpik category is I'd slot Resurrect with an Endred rather than recharge. As a controller you've no Vigilance working to reduce you end costs if/when things get pear shaped and Resurrect is a 26 end cost power. And Murphy seems to say things will go pear shaped right as you hit that short cooldown period with RA. Ditto for Clear Mind especially on such a solid high recharge CM should be almost immediately available again. I'd slot a Range IO in there to catch that one guy who's always across the room getting in trouble. Consider swapping around one of your Unbreakable Guard in Fire Shield to include the special UG instead. You can also tinker with things in both Fort (6 Red Fortune) and Tough (6 slot Glad Armor for a total +5% ranged defense to offset the loss in AB, even gain a small amount pushing a bit closer to Incarnate defense cap (and add in a slot for the Steadfast +3% in Fire Shield). Both Recovery Aura and AB can go with minimal slotting of 2 recharge as base RA is more than enough for most characters and the most important thing about AB is all the "special" bonuses and the recharge boost none of which can be enhanced. And if you do want some added regen out of AB go 3 slots (2 heal/rchg and a rchg IO all boosted if desired or needed to +5). Is this intended for solo work? If not why no HO?

I'm guessing the same things that would effect HA when concerning other defender heals like Transfusion would apply. If so one big advantage to HA vs other is a complete lack of aiming or requiring a foe to be present, positioning issues would be about as minimized as you'd get. I really need to dig around these forums for info about how recharge, cast time, arcanatime and the rest all interact. While I'm probably more a numbers guy than a lot of folks are I'm nowhere near the same league as the top folks are. So just how fast on 300% recharge could one spam HO/HA rinse repeat ad infinitum is not a question playing to my number crunching strengths. And I remember the days my Kin/Psy/Power using PBU Transfusion and watching a fairly jaw dropping number come up. And that was probably on SOs only as they were one of my earliest characters on Live. It's also why I'm a little annoyed with myself for not taking better notes on where the info about Incandescence came up and it put replacing 3000+ hp in the 3 use of HA or less category. Still as long as it hit not hard to see something like Transfusion putting up similar numbers in a similar time span.

Thanks for the very prompt reply. The answer is much as expected leading me to many of the same conclusions as MonteCarla. First I've minimal experience in Hard Mode and none of it so far is as an Empath but I have put a couple of builds together in Mids which have included AP because much like I'm experimenting with adding Elude back into my SR build seems like the utility of both Elude and AP might find a place in a Hard Mode specific build. The massive size of a single heal is appealing indeed even tough I'm not yet convinced AP would significantly out preform spamming HO/HA. And of course there's nothing to say AP can't become part of the spammed healing especially if distance is an issue. But there's also things I've read and heard about Incandescence particularly coupled with PB or PBU that might make AP iffy again (as in when spammed HA alone becomes thousands of restored health. But I definitely need some experience with that whole process to draw any solid conclusions personally such as how restrictive that becomes to building "the one true way". I don't as a rule think there ever is a one true way. I mean that's why Green Machine and later making builds for the RWZ challenge and soloing Cimeroran repeatables was my thing. I also suspect the blast secondary plays a strong role here. My main Empaths are Rad Blast, Electric Blast and Fire Blast. The first two in particular mean i spend a great deal of time face to face with whatever is trying to defeat my allies and myself. Becoming immune to healing not just from my own HA but anyone else's be it Transfusion or Radiant Aura etc. just seems like a particularly unsmart thing to do. I might have a much different outlook if my favored secondary sets were Ice, Dark and AR blast sets (and I have run all 3 to 50 on Live). Two of those blast sets don't even require being at melee range to unleash a GM's Nuke nevermind a less restrictive offender and badass Empath type build.

@MoonSheepand others who think we're a bit harsh on Absorb Pain what do you like about the power? What do you see as pros to the power that make the cons worth having it in your tool kit? Is it merely the size of the heal or do you find it more useful at certain level ranges. Do you find it less hazardous to use than implied?

Don't know whether to laugh or cry on thar one