Nightmare Shaman

You just provided the useful information (not just data) that justifies it, as did I earlier. WM hits more targets, has a wider arc, has arguably a "better" damage type (smashing), hits harder with most attacks, and has the hardest hitting single target attack with the lowest animation. So, what are you saying exactly? -def justifies lower damage, less targets, less arc, and no clobber equivalent? Head Splitter and Crowd Control are NOT similar powers. Head Splitter and Shatter are similar. Why would you compare a 180% arc power with a 20% arc power but to muddle the discussion? Clearly, that doesn't make any sense. Why are you so vested in defending a clearly, tangible, mathematical difference that is most readily observable in the manner I listed earlier? (i.e. spreadsheet style) It's an indefensible point, which is why you attempt to muddle the details instead of analyzing simple, relevant comparisons. Broad Sword is simply inferior to katana, War Mace, and Battle Axe, and all it takes is simple math (addition and/or subtraction) to witness this. The only subjective point would be arguing the value of -def versus knockdown, or stun chances, etc. You keep saying versions of the same tired argument ... "many things come into play in assessing value" then you post the numbers that clearly prove Broadsword is objectively inferior. If you take clearly similar powers from each set and put them side by side, there is never an instance where BS comes out on top. Compared to katana, the animations are significantly longer with barely more damage. Compared to War Mace, as I've demonstrated so many times, the animation times are similar, the endurance is similar, yet war mace does more damage and to more targets and has a significantly better single target attack with fast animation. And, BA has similar advantages to WM, but with the added convenience of a pbaoe whirlwind with two true aoe's that don't require positioning. It's the bottom of the pack with no discernable advantages over the others (aside from ability to be used with shield compared to katana).

Buh bye.

I believe you're right in regard to stalker. In regard to katana - It's because Silver Samurai said you have to hold a Japanese sword with two hands. (In "The Wolverine".) lol

When you say something like this, where is the evidence? Because I can simply put the powers side by side and quite easily prove one set is outperforming the other and more importantly, several powers have the same animation time(or similar) but substantially different damage, different # of targets, different arcs, etc. War Mace dam time # targets Arc Bash 10.25 1.33 Pulverize 16.81 1.50 Jawbreaker 20.09 1.83 Clobber 29.93 1.23 WM 11.48 2.67 10 pbaoe Shatter 23.37 2.33 5 45% CC 16.5 2 10 180% Broad Sword Hack 16.81 1.33 Slash 10.25 1.33 Slice 12.61 2 5 130% WS 16.55 2.67 10 pbaoe Dis 20.09 1.8 HS 26.65 2.33 5 20% So, if you look at this: 1) Bash = Slash 2) Pulverize =/= hack (different animation times) 3) Jawbreaker =/= Disembowel (slightly diff animation times) 4) Clobber has no equivalent, but has the highest damage and lowest animation time. Help me under stand how that fits your logic. 5) WM =/= WS (same animation time, same number of targets, significantly different damage) 6) Shatter =/= HS (same animation time, same targets, different damage, significantly different arcs) 7) CC =/= slice (Not even close) There's clearly serious inconsistencies. i.e. There is virtually no consistency between animation time and damage, # of targets, arcs, etc. So, why do you think what you said is accurate? That somehow the damage and animation are correlated?

I've solo'd ITF and done almost all difficult game content. Been playing since 2004. I make my own builds and am well versed in def, res, debuffs, hard caps, etc. With all that in mind, I can tell you Parry is a power from a bygone era. An era long before i/o set bonuses, and the ability to set mission difficulty, and increases to damage scales, etc.. I've seen so many people on forums only talk about parry and its uses and I can tell you with certainty if your build relies someone on parry, well you're doing it wrong (or you're playing on minimum difficulty and don't really understand what is happening behind the scenes). The only thing parry brings to your arsenal is a decrease in dps. I like the way it looks (BS version), but it simply does nothing for your build in terms of actual survivability and actual kill times. It's just a waste of time and slots. And, the only reason I even mentioned parry is because someone actually tried to compare it to clobber. I will say this - if you're using parry and think it is serving a purpose, try doing the same mission without using it and see if you die. Also, try timing a mission with and without using parry in your rotation and see if there is a difference. You know what would be awesome and change the game? Make parry give 10-15 seconds of ddr. Then I would use it, and it would functionally serve a purpose again. Or, just give it mid tier or high tier damage similar to how clobber was adjusted. Then, everyone would take it and the def bonus would just be lagniappe.

I forgot to mention that crowd control not only has a wider cone and does more damage, BUT ALSO hits 10 targets vs 5 for slice. It's clearly superior in every way, just like clobber compared to parry. You made these comparisons, not me. When I posted what I posted, I thought it safe to assume people would understand the apples to oranges difference between a power with the same animation having a different function, amount of damage, cone size, number of targets, etc. It's quite clear with your comparison, that WM is not the same as BS in any tangible way aside from lining up animation times. WM hits HARDER, more targets, wider cones, and has the hardest hitting single target ability out of either with a tiny animation time. It is superior to BS in every way, aside from maybe a preference for -defense. And, katana and BA are also superior to BS for similar reasons. (Katana being an inversion of WM, but the damage is only slightly less with massively less animation times.) BS was inferior to katana on release, and is now inferior to WM and BA since their reworks. It's clunky, slow, and it's not a coincidence that you almost never see them on a scrapper, brute, or tank.

Cast times are not the only issues. Cast times aren't a problem if they are long BUT ALSO hit hard. For example: 1) Parry is effectively useless damage wise versus clobber which is the hardest single target attack of both BS and WM. It hits like a truck in the same time as a mostly useless power. (and in less time than literally anything else BS has to offer) 2) Head splitter has a 20% radius vs 45% with shatter which makes a huge difference on how many targets are hit. 3) Slice, again, does paltry damage compared to crowd control BUT ALSO has a smaller radius. In short, WM has some similarly slow attacks, but they hit HARD and hit MORE targets. And, to throw even more into the mix, it's hardest hitting attack has a comparatively tiny animation time (clobber). It's not even close. Every weapon you can put side by side with BS outperforms it in its own way. The two that didn't years ago were tweaked and now are superior. So, katana, WM, and BA are all tangibly better choices.

I just want to point out - that is not passive aggressive behavior. That is aggressive behavior. Passive aggressive is someone saying they'll show up at 8am, then being late every single day. Then, saying "oh, I'm sorry, I'll be there on time tomorrow," then showing up late again. Then telling you "I'll be there early at your party to help out", then coming late and not bringing the desert. Not responding to texts. Not keeping promises. Offering to help, then not answering the phone when they were supposed to be at your house, etc.

I love the weapon designs. There's so many to chose from. But, despite trying over and over, in many builds, I just can't play it. I want to like it. But, it's just too ... darn ... slow. (Also, the first two attacks say 1.33 animation time, but they lock you in place for longer than that. So, it feels much longer.) Despite being having substantially slower animations than katana, the damage is only slightly better. Barely better. It makes no sense. War mace got an update which made it amazing. Battle axe got an update which made it amazing. Make broadsword amazing again! That is all.

How do you plan on playing: 1) Solo or in team, or both? 2) Do you plan on actively tanking? (herding, pulling, essentially leading the team) 3) Will you play on +4/8 if soloing? 4) Do you plan on doing high end content at +4/8? (ITF, DA missions, PI arcs) 5) What is your skill and/or comfort level with making builds?

I forgot about that - you're right. (no -def) Truth be told, fire is simply the easiest. Too much to fiddle with to make cold feasible. Although I'm sure someone else has tried it. Hell, just search "cold farm" in the AE. I'm sure there's something there.

I just want to point out that dark doesn't actually convey any bonus to your survival as an sr even though people frequently give it as an answer. It's completely redundant as you'll be softcapped with 95% ddr, and enemies will always have at least a 5% chance to hit you. Ironically dark is most effective on low or medium defense builds vs softcapped builds with ddr. Your best bet is picking what you like, or if looking for an optimal build, pick the secondary that gives the best options to fill the holes in your res with i/o bonuses.

There's an easy answer to your question, but there's several things to cover. Namely: 1) Fire/cold are arguably the easiest res to top off outside of s/l due to the abundance of +6 res i/o bonuses available. Almost all purple i/o's and all the winter i/o's increase this. So, you can add +30 fire/cold res to any build easily just by using these. 2) Although inv is known for the s/l res, the real strength of the set is the potential for softcapping def to everything while surrounded by at least 10 enemies. (Something you'll do constantly in farms) It's quite easy to have fire/cold softcapped. And, as a very important bonus outside of farms, you have ddr of 50%. This is extremely important in high end content like ITF and DA missions. 3) If you add #1 and #2 together, you can see how you can just as easily do fire farms as you can s/l farms because you can be softcapped and res capped to both s/l and fire. 4) Once you get your alpha slot to the third tier, you get a level boost for regular content. This makes things substantially easier in farms as you effectively fight one level higher. (If doing incarnate content, you can eventually be +3.) 5) Incarnates also allow you to increase either def or res depending on what your build needs. My last inv build had 88.3% res, and 64.5% def to fire, and 90% res, and 53.2% def to s/l with 10 enemies present. Invulnerable is a beast. On top of those numbers, you also have the aforementioned 50% ddr, along with 25% end/rec debuff resist. In my opinion, it's one of the most durable and efficient tanks available. HOWEVER... Farming isn't about survivability. Survival in a farm is binary. You either survive or you don't - the enemies are exactly the same depending on the farm you choose. People mistakenly think people use fire tanks on fire farms because of the fire res. That's not true. It's because of the immense damage potential of fire tanks on top of the easily attained 90% fire res. (You also quickly find out that 90% res isn't enough - you absolutely need 45% def to survive) SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION - Without a doubt you can survive s/l farms on +4/8 without missing a beat. But, you can also survive any farm with inv. You'll just do it slower than a fire tank and many other more optimal farming builds. You may do it once or twice, but you'll probably get annoyed because it takes so long. Hope this helps. Good luck.

There's been a lot of people "correcting" me, but I need to re-emphasize I'm not a theory crafter. I've solo'd ITF on several builds, done high level +4/8 content including DA missions, and against all enemy types. I've tanked *4 ITF, and done it on regular (+4/8) teams countless times. I'm a pragmatist who speaks from experience and what works, not by using a calculator and arguing over percentage points. Also, someone mentioned that softcapping defense equals 95% mitigation and that is not accurate. The purple patch changed how defense works. I don't think the specific details are available online as I remember having to calculate it years ago in excel. Oh, I found my post and calculations on these forums: +1 enemies: .05 X 1.1 = .055 (5.5%) +2 enemies: .05 X 1.2 = .06 (6%) +3 enemies: .05 X 1.3 = .065 (6.5%) +4 enemies: .05 X 1.4 = .07 (7%) So this is strictly for regular mobs. There are additional modifiers for different ranks as follows: Lieutenant 1.15 Boss, Elite Boss, Sniper 1.30 Monster, Giant Monster, AV 1.50 Lieutenant +1 enemies: .05 X 1.25 = .063 (6.3%) +2 enemies: .05 X 1.35 = .068 (6.8%) +3 enemies: .05 X 1.45 = .073 (7.3%) +4 enemies: .05 X 1.55 = .078 (7.8%) Bosses +1 enemies: .05 X 1.4 = .07 (7.0%) +2 enemies: .05 X 1.5 = .075 (7.5%) +3 enemies: .05 X 1.6 = .008 (8.0%) +4 enemies: .05 X 1.7 = .085 (8.5%) AV's +1 enemies: .05 X 1.6 = .08 (8.0%) +2 enemies: .05 X 1.7 = .085 (8.5%) +3 enemies: .05 X 1.8 = .09 (9.0%) +4 enemies: .05 X 1.9 = .095 (9.5%) So, softcapping does not equal 95% mitigation. I think that's only true against +0 level minions. Everything else increasing incrementally based on the level and type of enemy. I stand by my original statement that consists of the following: 1) The most dangerous thing at end game is not damage, it's debuffs. Especially when dealing with large numbers of enemies as you do when challenging yourself or doing hard content. 2) Thus, mitigation becomes mostly irrelevant when 50 enemies are hitting you with -regen, -acc, -def, etc. It simply ceases to matter and you will die quickly or slowly, but either way you will eventually die. 3) Max (softcapped) defense is preferable to almost anything, and although it's true that many times people have barrier, they don't always and it creates a build that requires other people to have powers, buffs, etc. that are required to maximize my build. That is never my goal, nor is it optimal imho. I like to have the ability to go in blindly, on any PUG, and carry the team or carry myself. Softcapped def is almost always the optimal way to achieve that. 4) There are some enemies that have +acc, but they are rare. Especially for the content I do. (ITF, DA missions, end game TF's) The only ones that stand out to me as being a real thorn in my side were DE because they appear before I have full set bonuses. But, then you outlevel them anyway. To restate, I don't theory craft. I use mids to create an outline of a build, then I play it. If I like it and it performs well, I use it. From that experience I give advice and I stand by that advice because I've used it in the hardest content, solo and in a group. I started playing back in beta 2004.

You can get higher resists with elec and probably rad. (rad is busier than elec though) Invulnerability was the king when the game first came out before ED, inventions, and invention slot bonuses. It's still pretty good, but in your particular build there's a lot of wasted potential going into smashing/lethal since so many bonuses have sm/le added in. Your build has 126.16% sm/le which is 36.16 of waste. Here's some quick facts in regard to making any functional build in this game: 1) The biggest problem/obstacle in end game is debuffs. 2) A build with max defense/middling resists > a build with high resists/middling defense in all the hard content. (people will debate this, but it's my opinion) 3) Most theoretical builds ignore the difference between endurance recovery and end drain. Your build is so so on that front, +1.3. But, inv has no means to acquire endurance, neither does your secondary, and you only have 25% res to end drain/recovery. That's gonna hurt against stunners, arachnos, and anything else that saps end. 4) What do you plan on fighting? Some people strive for farms, some ITF, some generalists, some pvp. Very important consideration. 5) There are a ton of fire/cold set bonuses, but much less so nrg/dark bonuses. Doesn't make too much difference when dealing with inv, but it does with other set considerations. 6) It's always good to click on "view totals" in mids to see what debuff resists you have. One of the reasons I never build inv builds is because the set is severely lacking in this department. Anything with -def is going to chew through any middling defenses, even when you're softcapped over time. That's why defense debuff resistance is so sought after, and in the absence of that I'd say end drain/rec is next in importance. 7) One of the biggest obstacles to making a sound build is having enough slots to take advantage of the 6 slot bonuses. Something that is frequently overlooked imho is how many powers do you have to take and slot to maximize your build. Elec has virtually all of its armors in 3 powers. You can compare this to something like stone with has all of its armors spread out over multiple powers which all require at least four slots to be effective. (I hope this makes sense.) Having fewer powers in a set allows you to maximize your slots into a variety of damaging abilities getting more and more 6 slot power bonuses. 😎Incarnates - People always suggest fixing end problems with incarnates but in my opinion that's a huge wasted opportunity. You really want to take advantage of that +45% damage increase from musculature. So, it's imperative to either have some kind of end drain/rec resists, high end recovery over usage, the ability to acquire end (power sink or similar), and focus on any and all end reduction or recovery bonuses you can squeeze from sets. Damage is king in this game, and pretty much all mmo's nowadays. The days of standing there tanking and taunting with little to no consideration for damage are long gone. You can do insane damage as a tank. With all that in mind, you could both hit higher numbers, have end drain/rec not affect you at all, have speed/recharge resists at 100%, have an endurance refill with power sink, and overall achieve better results with elec. (assuming you want the goal of 90% to all) In my opinion, elec is one of the best resist sets considering everything in my list. Unfortunately, you have limitations with increasing your defenses and zero defense debuff resistance. Despite that, it's a very strong set. I know my last elec tank could tank ITF and I believe my melee defense was softcapped, and aoe/ranged was around 38%. (something like that) But, never forget with a resist set that every single debuff will affect you. And, the more enemies, the more likely you will be hit by these debuffs. -regen, -acc, (-end won't matter with elec but will with others), -per, are the more annoying ones. One last point just to hopefully give a morsel of credibility - I have never used other peoples' builds, and have made at least 50+ fully functional builds in game with those details in mind. I learned from experience just how important 45% defense is versus 35, 38, 40, 42, etc. How different 90% resist performs against 85, 80, 75, etc. (hint-it's huge, like exponentially different). How important the endurance deficit is, endurance drain, etc. I've solo'd ITF and others, and have finished *4 TF's. Good luck!