beradical

So much great advice here. I actually rolled this toon to be an AV/GM hunter with ST focus. But it's been super fun on teams and MOs, and then became my badge hunter. Now thanks to you all I've seen things - this toon can actually be a superior team player, and a superior solo hunter. But I'm going to have to roll 2 builds, there's no way to compromise. Totally worth the infamy though. @Darkir - your build is a work of art. This is easily the best team build I have seen. Breaking up Vigilant Assault to get double 10% Recharge is brilliant. With Judgement you have 4 AoEs with +DMG, +ACC & +End. You have the defenses to stand with the group, drop the AoEs when up, pop off heals as needed, and drop AM every 104 seconds. And I do prefer CJ to Hover, faster to kite around. --- Thank you for pointing out the limitations of Rad Infection. I always thought it was a staple power, but you're very right. --- I know you said Melee > AoE, but I don't understand why? In my limited experience I'm rarely the target in the melee group, but I do get hit with AoEs. Then again, there are enough times when the league is split up and I'm not standing next to a tank/brute - UG adds, Lam crates/barrels, all clear mobs sections and most Speed TFs all get super spread out. So maybe that's where you've found more success with Melee? --- An all Radfender team with this or similar build would get crapton of stacking buffs/debuffs, cycle those AoEs to melt minions/LTs, with Hybrid Support/Demonic Aura/Destiny Barrier to tank the AV fights. Enough to survive alpha strikes and drop MLTF/LRSF though? New bucket list item. @DreadShinobi - you are soooo right, didn't realize how golden that confuse purp set is. This means Fender can get 3 sets with 10% recharge + 5% defenses, which is huge. As discussed above, I've appreciated Choking Cloud in with the melee toons, but World of Confusion is actually Mag 2 so I'm curious to see if it lands enough and for long enough to warrant the .23 end/s. Either way a great mule on an AT that has so many skippable powers. The Psionic dmg resist will be nice for iTrials, esp MoM. @Onlyasandwich - thank you for showing me some real dmg potential with proc'ing. I admit I don't really understand the mechanics, but I did go through the proc calculator and you appear to be right for ST damage -- Shout 73.91% 3.5 ppm & 95% 4.5ppm, Dominate/Dreaded Wail +100% 3.5ppm. This actually means that the highest DPAs are proc'd out Dominate, Shout, then Shriek, then way down are Scream and Howl which just can't be proc'd well and I'll use solely as set mules. We'll see if I have problems with GMs hitting me w/o Rad Infection. Solo/ST Dmg Build:

Thanks Nemu, I definitely went this route for my Defender so I could get all up in there with my teammates and generally play super aggressive. Unlike that Defender, however, where max dmg and max survival are so close I can find a middle ground, I see 2 very different builds here - one for dmg and one for survivability. I'm liking this toon so much I might actually drop the coin to roll 2 builds. Small, focused and controlled teams I'll go full damage - Trials and events stick with a tankier build.

I really like the Psi set, and actually chose it first, but eventually swapped it out for the Fire + Cold dmg, which I felt would add better overall protection. I didn't know which damage type was most prevalent in end game TFs & iTrials, so assumed 2 dmg resist were better than 1. I could find a ton of info about various mobs' dmg resistances, but not their dmg types (BTW, Fire is less resisted than Psy by PvE mobs which I find surprising). So you are saying that Psy dmg resist will do more good than F+C? I know Energy & Negative are pretty common, but there wasn't a resist for both, one or the other, so I figured meh. Man I have gotten some great advice and insight, really going to pour over all of this in detail and hit this toon with a respect.

Ok, first solid day running this toon, it's fully IOd and mostly T3'd and T4'd, and it is a major departure from everything else I have played. Right now this is the squishiest, most complicated, endurance heavy and expensive I've yet rolled, but seriously fun. I haven't died this much in a long time, but my endurance issues were largely resolved once I got my Ageless T4. Finishing my accolades will help a bit more. I find this toon very survivable solo, but actually harder in trials where I'm not entirely certain who has aggro with all the players and chaos, and blappers are so skilled at spreading out mobs making it harder to control. He cannot survive many direct ranged shots, and in the chaos I find myself taking a lot of random damage from unknown sources, relying more heavily on inspirations than I have with any other toon. I'll get better, especially as I get more comfortable with the powers. I noticed that I tend to drop all of my AoE CC with the first group, then have minimal CC for the second group - I need to work on spacing out CC so I have constant mitigation. I haven't grown to appreciate the PBAoE toggles yet (Hurricane & Hot Feet), I'm struggling to stay upright in the thick of it for long, but tomorrow I'm going to run solo tips and focus on practicing melee controls, using Hurricane to pin mobs in a corner as you mentioned above. Also sucks that Fly + Hot Feet/Flashfire don't mesh. Fly is handy to drop storms over groups/AVs, but I might switch to CJ, SJ + Hover. I'm going to set up some target binds for the click locations, I personally hate these in the thick of it. I did this with my Elec/Shied Stalker and it was a game changer. Much more fun and playable. You only have to cast a Tornado on top of a light pole once to get frustrated at it. It also seems like it takes a while to really get my damage going. But once I've got my location DoTs down, then drop the imps, storm, tornados and lore if necessary, then the damage really starts to pile on. I feel like this toon brings a lot to an AV fight, but still decent enough burst dmg to drop portals, crates/barrels, mobs, etc. I can't seem to hold AVs, but I sure can put a beatdown on them. Err rather let all my summonings put a beat down on them. I prefer this. Also, have to disagree with statement above. The heal is super unimpressive. Maybe with Sappers or Mu around, but compared to my AoE heals with Kin and Rad, it's easily the worst of the group. But at least it's super fast so I can spam on the tank, and let everyone else (myself included) die because tank is too slow to pull Voids to the AV lol. It is so awesome to have a real challenge again, and this toon is just so much fun. Even if I have to carry a lot of wakies right now 😃

What, that's an option lol?? Uhh, I think you're fricken nuts. And I really love this idea. It is suuuuuch a long cast time in today's fast-paced game. And you totally hit the nail on the head, 4.6 seconds debuffing, by which time most mobs are long dead. So then untoggle the debuffs, go to the next group, rinse & repeat. But it is nice for soloing GMs, the -ToHit can add to my shrinking defenses. But I really appreciate your insights, and that you're looking at it from a very different direction I have been, that is extremely helpful to me.

once again, thank you Only! I went overboard on survival, and feel like these light losses in def are more than acceptable, esp with Support Radial putting me over softcap and I still have (and regularly use) Demonic Aura accolade for tough fights. Plus a very spammable heal. I stay alive just fine. Choking Cloud was awesome, it really added to my effectiveness in the thick of it with melees, since it often held the minions at bay while i focused on Lts and bosses. But it's totally skippable, just a fun luxury power. I need more dmg, not control. If it could be proc'd out to drop constant dmg, on the other hand, that would be cool. If not I'll go with your recommendations. And thanks for the link, always interesting to read Bopper geeking out on data. I'll try these changes out, once I'm done getting all my T4s on my fully IOd lvl 50 Fire/Storm Troller I rolled up yesterday thanks to your awesome self. I love what Homecoming did to make alting easier, double xp + AE let's us focus on playing high end content, not grinding lowbie arcs we've already run a million times.

Hi all, I initially built my Rad/Son for maximum survivability, so I can confidently jump into the fray and support the melee toons. I play super aggressive, and rarely die. But it provides very little in damage. And this is a real problem. Portals pop up in Magi, I'm not taking one down. Crates and Barrels in Lam, it'll take me a while to chip them away. Prisoners in BAF run right by me except when DW & Judgement are up. Technicians in TPN, grab some lunch it'll be dead when you return. So I'm basically just running around slapping mobs while my team does the heavy lifting, waiting for the occasional AV fight. Even then I'm not even sure that my rad/son's debuffs and buffs reduce an AV fight more than just having another high dps toon. I tell myself he is though. I get that not every AT is designed for max damage, but I need to try and increase mine as much as possible. That's where I need your help. What can I do to kill more faster 😃 Are there better attacks I passed up? Can my attacks or toggles be proc'd for dmg or are the PPMs too low on these toggles and high recharge attacks to make it work? Money is no object. Anyone had any luck getting decent dmg out of Sonic?

You weren't kidding about recharge, and this is definitely the softest squishy i've ever rolled. This should be a challenge, and a lot of fun with my aggressive playstyle. Thank you again, off to level up.

Hey Nemu, you make great points, but I already have a Kin Corruptor. Kin is awesome, and yes, it is very active and busy, so I enjoy it. I'd be curious what else you consider top support powers for trollers? And to play devils advocate, my Rad/Son Defender is awesome for support toon, but it provides very little in damage. And this is a real problem. Portals pop up in Magi, I'm not taking one down. Crates and Barrels in Lam, it'll take me a while to chip them away. Prisoners in BAF run right by me. So I think a great team toon has to do better damage than my /Son Defender. The whole point is to kill stuff, and Scrappers add a ton more value than my Defender a lot of the time. I'm not even sure that my rad/son's debuffs an buffs reduce an AV fight more than just having another high dps scrapper/stalker. I tell myself he is though.

I cannot thank you enough for the advice, build and explanations. Much appreciated!

Ok, I just looked at Fire/Storm in mids and am super curious. I have plenty of money, would you happen to have a high end build you could share? Looks super fun and AoE definitely rules the game these days. I can live with running Ageless if that can keep it going. Much appreciated.

I've never played a 'troller, but decided to add one to my arsenal of stalkers, scrappers & 'fenders. What are good troller X/X combo's with strong synergy that add the most value to teams for the various 50+ TFs and iTrials? I like difficult (i.e. busy, squishies in melee, lots of powers, etc) characters to play, but not difficult in that they run out of endurance or super slow powers that go off when the rest of the team has already killed eveyone. I really, really hate slow and bulky in todays end-game. What are your recommendations?

Meh, as Doomguide says above, Enzyme are cool for Radiation Infection cause you get all 3: End Redux, -Def, -ToHit. But in the other powers I just realized that +5 boosts bring an IO to the same bonuses as HO, so for Tactics a boosted ToHit/End is the same numbers as a Cytoskeleton, just about 20 million cheaper. I guess that's what Rejolt was saying, most are obsolete nowadays.

Wait, I can cast Vengeance if someone's pet dies? - nm, i'm dumb. you just meant so it can select players in the entire league and not just on your team within the league. I'm slow but eventually get there... FYI, I used your chain and it worked on the league I'm currently in when a player died, so either way it works. (turns out ToT is perfect for Vengeance testing since we have so many lowbies)

/bind T "Target_custom_next defeated teammate$$powexec_name vengeance" Worked like a charm! Tyvm, this makes Vengeance much more useful. Ya'll rez too fast.

Yeah, that's a solid plan. Thnx again

I don't even know how to test on beta, as I'm not sure how to monitor a mob's resistances. But between both observations above, I'll assume it does not, and stick with End Redux IOs for Enervating Field, and HOs for Rad Infection & Tactics. As a side note, with multiple hami runs every day, you'd think they'd be cheaper =/

thank you all, will try these out and post back on which one works. Vengeance sucks only because it's hard to test. "Hey buddy, would you mind dying so I can test this bind."

Rad/Son Defender, curious if the Ribosome Exposure (33% End Redux & 20% Resist) would work on Enervating Field toggle, which is damage & resistance debuff. Mids doesn't show it does, but Wiki says HOs are weird and sometimes work on both buffs and debuffs: https://cityofheroes.fandom.com/wiki/Hamidon_Origin_Enhancements#Defense.2FToHit_Bug If not i'll just stick with End Redux IOs.

Hi peeps, I need help with a vengeance bind, or macro if necessary. I just want one click to have it select nearest fallen teammate and cast Vengeance. I tried this, but didn't seem to work (unless I have a typo): /bind t "target_custom_next teammate defeated$$powexecname Vengeance" Advice?

Full disclosure, I just didn't make a good proc build above ^. Some of you awesome people shared your own proc'd out builds with me., which were nothing like mine. Many of these sacrifice a lot in the name of damage, and I'm not quite that adventurous, but I learned a ton in going through them. So I proc'd out what I could, muling less valuable attacks for purps and other set bonuses, and was able to come up with a more proc-centric build that still has "almost" soft-cap (turns out 44.5% defense in Mids equals 43% in game which sucks), decent resistances and solid dmg, rech and accuracy. So then I tested it out in live (not beta), and got over 300 ST dps on a pylon, and over 700 MT dps in AE farm. Massive gains in damage, with acceptable losses in def, res, rech, dmg & acc. The loss in rech hurts the most, losing perma-haste, triple stacking Active Defense, & gapless attack chain. But that gap is ok, at least I have time to pop off AD, Hasten & Agility. My favorite part is putting Stalkers Guile with Hide proc in Shield Charge, so I can go LR > BL w/ crit from hide > SC > TS w/ chance to crit from hide. I didn't like it in AS where I'd prefer dmg, plus it's usually followed up by a weak attack with minimal crity goodness.

Hell yeah, that just made this proc a lot more useful. In fact, maybe even adding value to the Decimation proc in Zapp which I hit every time it's up. It has 1 PPM (16.7%). With no rech IOs, it will average out (80%/12) to about 6.67% dmg, better than the global 3% I'd get from 4th SotM set piece. Of course, global applies to all attacks, even AoE where I won't be using Zapp as much. But here's the thing - if u/macskull's formula is correct, with NO rech in Zapp, it actually has a 42% chance to proc due to long recharge. That is awesome, but somehow doesn't seem believable or everyone would take it...maybe it's for a non-homecoming build of CoH? > Here's the info I'm using: https://www.reddit.com/r/Cityofheroes/comments/c5ub58/all_about_ppm_procs_per_minute/ specifically "EDIT: u/macskull has information collected into a spreadsheet here." edit: here's the table used to calculate. Activation time is cast time - interrupt? longer actually improves chance to proc btw. SINGLE-TARGET PPM amount 1 Activation time 1.33 seconds Base recharge 24 seconds Recharge slotting 0.00% in Pines/Mids Chance to proc 42.22% Either way I'll roll with it on my new build, which I think is the most balanced build I could muster, with solid def, res, dmg, acc, rech & procs. And not too expensive.

Thank you Omega, once again you've helped a ton. What do you all think about Decimation: Chance of Build Up in Zapp? A 16.7% chance for a 5s BU for an attack every 8.5-9s isn't huge, but 2-4 attacks doing 80% more base dmg is sweet, esp if AS is one of those. The Assassin's Mark proc is huge, seems like BU is always up, plus the Gaussian's proc in BU - but a passive BU from Decimation would be a nice addition to the active BU. In my head. And we've seen how flawed that is.

Ok, and hide forces a crit, which doubles enhanced base dmg, not counting procs from incarnate or enhancements? If so, yeah, it would be more valuable than a standard proc of 71.75 dmg at 53% chance.

Ok, one more sniper question -- if I use the Stalker's Guile Chance to Hide, will that cause Zapp to do the slow long animation, like how Assassin's Shock would? If so, is it even worth it if AS & Zapp are half my ST attacks? And would that insta-cast proc affect the hidden mechanics? If so, I could see an argument for putting Chance to Hide in AS, but more and more I'm suspecting a dmg proc in both AS & Zapp would do more than Hide and inst-cast.