Xanatos

Barrier lasts for two minutes and has a two minute recharge. This means the +6% res and +5% defense from it can be cycled for a 100% up time. So you are objectively wrong, here. First of all - why? Second of all - if I wanted a build that didn't use P2W but did use Agless, I'd built for that. I don't. So I don't. Thirdly - P2W exists. What would my motive be for ignoring it? I did: Then you agree with me. *shrug*

Yes, I'm aware that this is a specific term that you have invented rules for. I understand that. I just don't understand how this term is useful in any way to anyone but you. Eh? My build caps at 90% res to all without using P2W. The screenshots I posted earlier in the thread didn't use P2W buffs. I use P2W so I can switch out Barrier for Ageless. (In terms of net build benefits, the P2W buffs allow me to add +defdebuffresist +endreducresist +enddrainresist to my build. This is essentially the only real change they provide to my build.) Yeah the PVE in this game is easy as heck. I tank most stuff on my fire/fire blaster just fine. My invuln brute can tank 99% of the stuff in the game. My gut reaction to any talk of min/maxing is usually "who cares, this game is easy. Just roll whatever character you want, and then press random buttons." I mean, I have Eagle's Claw and Laser Beam Eyes on my tanker because they look cool. Sure there's better options out there to improve my DPS. But will they improve the sheer, attention-seeking, experience of a 2.5 kick animation where you do a backflip? I think not. But yes, back to min/maxing. Fine tuning stuff isn't about need. It's about making things optimal/easier. Because of Ageless, I don't have to worry as much when facing the ITF Kheldian boss ambush, Sappers, Carnies, Lord Recluse's End Drain, etc. Do I need it? No. It just makes the game easier. And as it's not a need, it cannot be a crutch. Make sense? A lot of the powergamers I know do this with purple insps. They build for around 35% defense on their blasters, rely on insps or team-mates having manuevers, and then use those extra slots to crank their DPS up to 700 or something equally insane. Valid playstyle. Valid builds. It's all about the goal of the player. Damn, guess that's the thread over. GG, everyone. Was fun. #nerfhyperstrike.

With respect, "natively available" is a term you've made up which has zero in game value. P2W buffs are active 100% of the time I'm in game. Because of this, they are a better indicator of how I play CoH than Incarnates and IOs. (Due to IOs/incarnates vanishing/decreasing when I exemplar.) But hey, you do you. These last few replies show that lots of players have their own, subjective, list of what does/doesn't "count". That's the fun thing about COH - the freedom to choose: Playing optimally, playing with restrictions, playing thematically, a mixture of all three? All playstyles are completely valid in a gamer that is mostly just PVE with zero competitive element. When people say solo they mean they did it without other players. Similar to how soloing in a single player game works. I can see why RPers might not see it that way, though. It's not just a game to them. It's an expression of character.

Why wouldn't you reset it when you log back in?

Do Magisterium trials take 8 hours?

That doesn't seem like an optimal way to play. I am glad to hear it works for you, but the benefit of the buffs would be outweighed by the micromanagement IMO. Those buffs only last a few minutes. You would be constantly switching between screens. The P2W buffs, on the other hand, last eight hours. It's much easier to build around them than dual-boxing with Emps, or collecting Warburg Nukes between missions, or whatever silly example you're using as false equivalence. I know some people who also build around Kinetic Dampener and Base Buffs...but having to run to a vendor/base every 60-90 minutes would be too restricting to play IMO. The chief benefit of P2W is their fire and forget function.

Xanatos: *Uses P2W buffs* Scrubs: THOSE DON'T COUNT Xanatos: *Switches out the P2W for barrier's perma res & def buff which give the same bonus* Scrubs: BARRIER DOESN'T COUNT EITHER You guys are weird. When I give build advice to others, it's based on the game as it is. Not the game with a bunch of arbitrary limitations I've set for myself.

lol

Hahaha this is why I don't share my builds. There's always someone calling for nerfs.

Not incarnate boosts, but you are right about the defaults being lower. What I have is: -A build that hits 90% s/l, ~70% everything else resistance -A build that hits 53.9% positional defense (w/1 enemy in range of invince) -P2W buffs -Tanker ATO stacked twice. (This has an 100% uptime when fighting. A third of the time it's triple stacked, but I ignore that.) This means, when fighting, I'm at 90% res to everything, and at/above the incarnate softcap for positional defense to everything except psi. It also makes the build friendly to exemplar with because it's not relying on +res or +def boosting incarnates. The only time +res from incarnates (cardiac and hybrid) are useful is when the ATO can't be stacked twice (such as versus tower buffed Recluse or Hami Mitos). I used to rely on Barrier for the small perma defense and resist buff it gives. But once I realised the P2W buffs did that, I switched over to Ageless for the -defdebuffresist -endresist and -endrainresist. (I also use the "100% chance of 5% -tohit" diagenetic interface to help out versus +tohit enemies/act as a ghetto -defdebuff resist.)

I find 16 extra DPS less useful than the benefits of Cardiac. The Ageless -enddebuff and -recoverydebuff pairs well with cardiac's increased net endurance gain to let me shrug off the sappers/carnies that @Werner said he saw detoggle his friends's invuln tanks. Fair. Although in both of those instances (min/maxed teams and soloing AVs) I wouldn't want to play an invuln tank without damage procs. (Probably wouldn't want to play an invuln tank at all, tbh. Not when invuln brutes exist.) Most teams aren't min/max'd, though. That's where my invuln tank tends to do well. FU - 14.2 extra damage Focus - 26.5 extra damage Slash - 26 extra damage Average = 22.23 extra damage I think it's fair to say 22.23 extra damage is "like 20 extra damage".

Got curious, so decided to run the numbers on a procless Inv/Claws with three +5 Damage IOs slotted. (Roughly how much +damage a purple/WTO/etc IO set will add) Without: FU - 91.8 Focus - 173.5 Slash - 170 Total: 435.3 over 4.092 or 106.3 DPS With: FU - 106 Focus - 200 Slash - 196 Total = 502 over 4.092 or 122.68 DPS Works out at: ~16 extra DPS ~15% damage buff Not especially impressive. It'll have negligible impact when teaming, but I could see an argument made to take it when soloing. Although, the "damage buff: kill speed" ratio is not 1:1 due to attacks landing for surplus damage. I.e. If an enemy has 20HP left, and you hit him for 140 damage, you're still only taking off 20HP. I find Cardiac's +res +range and reduced endurance cost of my AOEs much more useful overall. But yeah I could see an argument for using muscular when soloing. (Although if I was soloing a lot, I'd probably prefer a brute.)

Bill's build uses damage procs. Remember when I said this:

Yeah those were my findings, too. That's why I said musculature was useless [on an invuln not using damage procs in attacks]. Everyone who attempted to argue with me, for some reason, ignored the bit in square brackets.

Inv/Claws tank?

No. It's 20 more damage. I know this because I just looked in mids and compared the damage before/after toggling musculature on/off on a tanker attack that had 90-100% damage slotting. The extra resistance, range, and having my toggles/attacks costing less endurance, far outweigh such a mniniscule increase in damage.

20 extra damage per attack is useless. And yes I'm also running Cardiac for the res and range.

If I'm slotting my attacks for 95-100%% damage with purples/ATO/WOS/etc then musculature provides like 20 extra damage. Which is...useless. If I'm slotting out my attacks for 70-80% damage (due to proccing them out) then musculature would be more useful. But, as I said, I don't really use damage procs in my attacks on my invuln as I build for set bonuses for maximum survivability. So cardiac is a much better option.

My invuln is built for set bonuses, not procs. So musculature is useless.

Invuln's endurance hole can be plugged pretty easily with IOs and Cardiac. From there, all you need is the def debuff Ageless when fighting -def enemies, or Barrier when fighting everything else. (Barrier is more to help keep the team alive tbh.)

Resistance. Because streakbreaker and other autohit mechanics exist, and more enemies do -def than -res.

Taunt is good because: -Autohit -No end cost -Duration is longer than punchvoke -Has a wider AOE taunt radius than ranged ST attacks (15 vs 10) -Your character makes a weird frog noise

Mendor costume pieces at vet level 100 would be cool. The idea being that you got so powerful, your future self came back and took your place. I know it goes against the alt-friendly nature of the game to have character-bound unlockable costume pieces, but as a one-off it could be cool.

Rad doesn't rely on defense as much as Invuln does. Because of this, Rad pairs better with SS due to the -def from the rage crash having less of an impact, and its AOEs syncing well with Footstomp. (Plus rage's constant +tohit means the +tohit from Invincibiility is less of a boon than it is for other secondaries.)

Tanker players are always defensive over their main's armour set. I used to play with a guy who refused to accept Ice Armour wasn't the undisputed best set. It's weird, I've only ever seen this egotism in tankers. (An egotism which, sadly, lead to them getting a buff to aggro control at the expense of Brutes.) I love my invuln. I posted its numbers earlier in the thread. It's pretty much unkillable. But I know Bio and Rad are objectively better sets due to +absorb. Does "better" translate into anything practical in-game, though? I'm not sure. Tanking without dying is a binary thing. Better/worse doesn't matter if you're able to tank everything just fine.