Uun

Speak for yourself. I've been playing since a few months after launch and have been on HC since day #2. I don't farm or PL and only level organically. The game doesn't start at lvl 50. I enjoy playing the content at its intended level.

The assault sets vary as their melee focus. For example, Earth has only 2 ranged powers while Dark and Psi have 5.

I don't disagree with what you're saying, however, if the dev's goal was a degree of parity between the sentinel sets, they failed woefully. I haven't played all the blast sets as a sentinel, but it's clear that Ice underperforms. There was no reason to muck around with the damage scale and recharge of the T1 and T2 powers (which works against parity), nor was there a good reason not to port Freeze Ray as is and just change the hold to a sleep or an immobilize. It's poor design to have a T4 (or T6) attack that performs like a T2 attack.

An additional note regarding the T1/T2 powers. On all other ATs, Ice Bolt is 1.0 damage scale with a 4s recharge and Ice Blast is 1.64 damage scale with an 8s recharge. When the set was ported to sentinels, Ice Bolt was changed to 0.84 damage scale with a 3s recharge and Ice Blast was changed to 1.32 damage scale with a 6s recharge. While this does follow the standard balance formula, it also results in the T1 and T2 powers having lower DPA. Quite a few other sentinel primaries received similar tweaks to the T1/T2 powers (as compared to the versions on other ATs).

Chilling Ray is a T4 power. You're mostly comparing it to T2 powers. On Suppressive Fire, you're using cold ammo, not fire ammo. Comparing to other T4 attacks gives a different picture, but there's also variation in recharge time. Chilling Ray is at the lower end with an 8s recharge. (Psionic Strike is a T6 power with a 14s recharge. It has its own balance issues.) Slug - 63.33 (8s) Disintegrate - 62.56 (10s) Abyssal Gaze - 70.21 (11s) Suppressive Fire - 63.69 (20s) Zapping Bolt - 100.92 (10s) Power Burst - 57.79 (11s) Blaze - 100.92 (10s) Will Domination - 90.83 (10s) Cosmic Burst - 57.79 (11s) Shout - 57.79 (11s) Dehydrate - 50.54 (8s)

I posted recently about psi blast for sentinels needing a few tweaks.

This seems like a tremendous amount of extra work for very little benefit. If you're going to stick with common IOs, there's little reason not to keep lvl 30s all the way to 50. For example, a Schedule A enhancement is 34.8% at lvl 30 and 40.5% at lvl 45. In most situations, that 5.7% increase isn't going to be noticeable (let alone the ~2% difference for a 5-level increase). Alternatively, slot attuned IO sets at lvl 30. If you're just concerned about the enhancement values and not the set bonuses, uncommon sets will work fine and should cost less than 6 sets of common IOs

Freeze Ray was designed at launch and ignores the current power balancing formulas. The devs won't change it due to the massive uproar that would result (as far as I can tell the only thing changed since launch is the hold duration), but I suspect they didn't want to port it to a new AT.

I slot SOs (and prestige enhancements) until lvl 22, then common IOs after that. I build by feel through about lvl 30, which is when I start slotting IO sets. At that point I will put together a build in Mid's. Even then, power picks stay fluid and often change as I go. I usually slot cheaper sets while leveling and replace them with more expensive sets once I hit 50. It costs nothing extra to do this if you respec at 50 and sell off the sets you're not keeping (even if you don't respec, all it costs you are the unslotters).

Just checked the stats on my SR/Staff tank. I've got 43% S/L, 35% F/C/E/N and 32% T/P resists before scaling resists or the ATO. In addition to Rebirth Radial, I've also got Melee Core, which adds another 16-25% resistance.

Not my experience. I regularly hit the 5 target max with the damage component* and the 10 target max with the stun/kb component. The thing to remember is that the damage component is a 55 degree, 20 ft radius cone. It's long and narrow and you have to line it up. The stun/kb component is 15 ft radius targeted AoE with a 20 ft range. It requires far less targeting and will hit everything around you. That said, I don't use Fault as a dps attack, I use it to put everything around me on their butts. * Brute damage component has a 5 target max. Tanks have a 10 target max.

Nemesis Gas is typed Area and Toxic so your AoE defense should counter it, however, the SR scaling resists don't include toxic or psi. There are also psi attacks that have no positional vector that will bypass your defense entirely. Working some toxic and psi resist into your build isn't a bad idea.

In PVE, most of the mob resistance and defense are auto powers that can't be interrupted. Most of the status protection is inherent in mob rank. Those that aren't are clicks, not toggles, and can't be interrupted once activated.

You need to have been 50 when the TF started to receive the Ancient Nictus Fragment. I wouldn't worry about running it again just to get the component. Just craft it from shards or craft your Alpha abilities with threads.

I assume the mechanics of Storm Cell's movement are similar to those of Carrion Creepers. (If they aren't, they should be.) Not sure why Carrion Creepers moves more quickly and efficiently, but I would use it as the model for Storm Cell.

I have Siphon Power in my build but I only slot it with 1 acc IO in the base slot. Once you get Fulcrum Shift it's no longer needed for +dmg (unless you exemp below lvl 25) and is only useful for stacking -dmg on AVs.

Drop Snap Shot. Flash Arrow is autohit in PVE and doesn't require accuracy. Slot with a ToHit Debuff set. Slot Glue Arrow for slow, not end reduction. Drop the %BU from Blazing Arrow. It's a 1 PPM proc and will almost never go off in a power with a 5s recharge. Drop the +stealth IO in Combat Teleport. It will only work for 120s after you use the power. It's far more efficient to slot +stealth in Sprint. Poison Gas Arrow is autohit in PVE and doesn't require accuracy. There's no reason to enhance the sleep duration either. Put a Call of the Sandman %heal in the base slot and call it a day. Slot Disruption Arrow with 1-2 recharge IOs. Drop Stunning Shot. You already have Ice Arrow and a second ST mezz doesn't do much for you. Slot EMP Arrow with a Hold or End Mod set. Why on earth didn't you take Rain of Arrows and Oil Slick Arrow when they became available at lvl 26/28? These are signature powers and absolute must takes. For reference, I'm attaching my current Archery/TA build. Uunfair - Corruptor (Archery).mxd

Fault has 0.8 accuracy for the stun/kb AoE and 1.0 accuracy for the damage cone. On a successful hit the kb has a 100% chance to occur, but the stun has a 100% chance of mag 2 and a 50% chance of an additional mag 1, meaning you have a 100% chance to stun a minion but a 50% chance to stun a lieutenant. On my brute I slot it with Absolute Amazement and find it provides solid mitigation.

Positron I / II: 20-30 minutes each. Synapse: 60-90 minutes. Penny Yin: 20-30 minutes for a non-speed run. Moonfire: 30-45 minutes. Citadel: 45-60 minutes. Having 3+ people with Team TP speeds things up considerably. Katie Hannon: 20-30 minutes at +0. Increasing the notoriety will add significant time to the first mission (on higher difficulties the final waves will be +5). Manticore: 45-60 minutes if you stealth to objective on missions 3, 5, 6 and 7. At least double that if you kill to objectives. Numina: 40-50 minutes. Admiral Sutter: 40-50 minutes. Varies depending on familiarity with the missions. Imperious: 15 minutes for a speed run, 45-60 minutes for a +4 kill most. Kahn: 15 minutes for a speed run, 45-60 minutes for a non-speed run (longer if team isn't Incarnates or notoriety is increased). Apex / Tin Mage: About 15 minutes each. Can run a few minutes longer if the team is inexperienced. Apex is essentially a kill all. Tin Mage is typically run as objectives only with most of the mobs in missions 1 and 3 skipped (mission 2 is a kill all).

Talk to Prometheus in Ouroboros. He explains the story behind all the Incarnate Trials.

The -res lasts for 10 seconds. It doesn't stack from the same proc (i.e., Achilles' Heel from the same or different casters won't stack), but it can stack from different procs (i.e., Achilles' Heel can stack with Annihilation). I feel like @Ston has run tests on the effect of -res procs on ST dps, but I'm not aware of any testing on team damage. I will often slot one in an AoE if I have a spare slot. In theory this should improve team damage, but I don't think the magnitude is significant.

Unless you've got a ton of global accuracy/tohit, Infridgidate requires accuracy. Short Circuit is a good place to slot Synapse's Shock or another end mod set. The damage is quite low and you're better off enhancing end mod. In Arctic Fog, swap the Aegis for Gladiator's Armor resist and resist/end and LotG def/end. Among other things, this will give you 3 pts of kb protection. In Tough, swap Reactive Armor for Unbreakable Guard. Slotting Sleet for damage is a waste. Slot two +5 recharge IOs or 3-4 pieces of a Defense Debuff set. Move the extra slots to your shields. In Mind Over Body, swap Reactive Armor for Unbreakable Guard. World of Confusion is hot garbage. Drop it for almost anything else. Tesla Cage? Voltaic Sentinel? Frostwork? Tactics? Assault? Snow Storm should get end/slow. Accuracy and damage do nothing. One thing to note, while Power Boost does buff your end mod, it doesn't affect your shields (which are tagged to ignore external buffs).

Cloak of Fear is hot garbage and should be dropped entirely. It has a huge endurance cost and a 33% accuracy penalty. It requires 6 slots to be remotely effective and even then it only affects minions. In addition to the recommendations above, be on the lookout for IO sets that provide an endurance discount. Unbreakable Guard provides a 2.5% end discount for 2 pieces, which you can slot in each of your shields. Also, make sure you have the Performance Shifter: Chance for +end slotted in Stamina.

Most of the epics follow a similar pattern: 1) ST melee attack; 2) AoE immobilize; 3) ST hold; 4) PBAoE attack; 5) utility power. The patron sets swap the PBAoE attack for the pet. There's a pretty wide variation in the damage/recharge times for the melee attacks. Sting of the Wasp (Weapon) has a 10s recharge while Knockout Blow (Leviathan) has a 40s recharge. I went Dark for Smite and Engulfing Darkness on my Elec/Bio and Psi/Nin. Nothing to write home about, but Smite is a solid melee attack with good DPA and Engulfing Darkness gives you another PBAoE attack (I use it as a follow up to the nuke to take out any stragglers). Darkest Night is also good. I went Elec for Havoc Punch and Paralyzing Jolt on my Rad/Rad (PJ is a stun, not a hold, and stacks with Cosmic Burst to affect bosses).

Mighty Leap and Super Jump are suppressed in combat for 4s. Infiltration isn't suppressed in combat, it's cancelled. Since the power activates every 0.5s, it comes back much more quickly (if you stop attacking).