Heraclea

My /Katana tanker is Super Reflexes. I wanted to try that out as a tanker primary. You have attacks that give you melee defense, so it seemed a good fit mechanically as well.

I fully realize I am likely to be the only one obsessing over this stuff, but... We've already done lambda, sigma, and pi. Today we're learning Xi and Omega: προσέξτε τρύπα κλοπής - "Look out for the kicking-hole". Xi is simply three dashes, one on top of another. μολὼν λαβέ - "Come and take them" (our weapons). Omega is O with two -'s added to the bottom. These are from a new base on Indomitable, called simply 'Sparta'. Currently a WIP.

My sentinel is a remake of my i23 character Betsy Ross. There never was a particular reason why Betsy Ross was a spines/WP scrapper, so she's been remade as Mother of Vinegar, a water/WP sentinel. I have a standard path for WP characters. I postpone toggles that aren't mez resist to after Quick Recovery and rely on passives and, now, the self heal. Not much point in taking them when they do about as much as a medium insp. My long term goal invlves parlaying the slow in most of the attacks with recharge slow procs.

Most of my mans on Torchbearer have backstory that comes from outside the game itself. Official lore affects them through the game itself. The character Catrina started as a simple attempt to create the Day of the Dead character from Mexican foklore. Early in her career she got on a team working Skulls stories in KR. After she got the Kill Skuls badge, she became an emissary from the Aztec gods, who are peeved at the Skulls for stealing their shtick. Heraclea was Inv/SS in issue 1. Upon her return, she became Inv/DM, having spent seven years in the Underworld she was changed by the experience. All the best epic heroes do this, apparently.

You can have side by side doors now, turning two parallel rooms into one larger room. That surprised me, and may help.

Depending on how I feel I may launch a Skull Fry on Torchbearer. I get one of my AoE based characters like Catrina or Yamnaya and send them to Perez Park. Once there, I'll start a team and keep killing (or rather, arresting with poison thorns and electrical blasts) Skuls until everybody on the team gets their Kill Skuls badge.

Greek letters. Most of these you probably could have figured out yourself. Νίκη ἢ Θάνατος - 'victory or death'; theta is the O with a - inside. Sigma is the lunate sigma, identical to C, the same one that got into Cyrillic. Tὰν ἢ ἐπὶ τᾶς - (With) your shield or on your shield. What Spartan mommas told their boys as they marched off to battle. Bring us victory, or come back dead, in other words. Pi is two I's topped with a -. Ηρακλειά - the Greek spelling of 'Heraclea'. Lambda is just V turned upside down.

I do a fair bit of this myself. My 'aqueduct' is three long fountains in a row. In order to get the slight slope and levelness I needed, I did it old school, building up platforms of desks below them that were later removed. Then the arches were added underneath, 'Grandfather clock' is three tall wooden posts from Dividers placed next to one another, a short wooden post on top, with the Antique clock wall detain surface-placed on it. Once I make some screen shots I'll show you the fairly easy tricks to make most of the Greek alphabet including theta, lambda, sigma, and pi.

Speaking of binds, I often add powexec taunt to my banter binds, which each character tends to accumulate as a way of characterization by adding snappy banter in Local. "Where I come from, $target, this is called foreplay."

I would definitely move the Panacea to Physical Perfection. Or if nothing else, that's a good place to put another Performance Shifter. You can have as many of those as will fit. And you'll want it, because despite that you have Conserve Power and Physical Perfection, it looks like endurance will be an abiding issue on this build. As /SS you will be dealing with Rage crashes. And you have Hasten in there. If you're taking Focused Accuracy, that's a good place for a yellow end/to-hit button from the cheapest sets, since you apparently can't slot it for endurance reduction directly. This build still looks very different from an i23 build; back in those days, two sets of Kinetic Combat seemed like an out of reach luxury.

I got my electric/electric blaster to 50 today. What alpha should I choose? Musculature seems obvious: if you're on a blaster, damage is part of the program. I am tempted by Agility: the character is basically a sapper, I built her for just this purpose, it contributes quite a bit to her ordinary survival, and it's just fun to turn mobs helpless out of stealth. This works just fine when she solos her tips at +0/1. It underperforms on the +3 and +4 missions everybody likes to run. Would this make her work better as a debuffer?

This is another reason why I am a fan of Dark Melee. Touch of Fear is a double threat for this. It will take several stacks to actually fear a boss. But each attack that hits in Dark Melee does -tohit on the target(s) except for Soul Drain and Dark Consumption. All of them can also take a Dark Watcher's Despair, Chance for Recharge Slow. The debuff lasts for 22 seconds so it stacks easily. Doing -tohit on the boss is the functional equivalent of giving your team defense to the boss's attacks. Knockdown is another form of melee control; it's the reason why Foot Stomp is still popular. But versus one boss, any tanker can get some knockdown by taking Air Superiority.

My banned AE masterpiece was The Monstrous Regiment of Lesbian Hellions. Probably hasn't aged well, but I still think it was funny.

Can't agree. This is much more fun. Especially pleased with the lack of rigmaole involved in getting alts into the base without having to ask for help under Atlas. Can't add prestige costs without also removing that. The power of base ownership is still limited by storage caps, so beyond that they're just an outlet for creativity, and creativity is what makes the game great.

First power on first tray. Lead with it, even when soloing: the -range is also handy. Generally my first tray is bread and butter attacks, starting with taunt: the 0 and maybe 9 r 8 are for stuff like Dull Pain.

Revised wishlist for Yamnaya. Is Voltaic Sentinel useful for anything? It neither distracts mobs nor does a great deal of daage that I can tell. I currently have it but robably will respec out for sooner Recall Friend. Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.962 http://www.cohplanner.com/ Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Blaster Primary Power Set: Electrical Blast Secondary Power Set: Electricity Manipulation Power Pool: Concealment Power Pool: Flight Power Pool: Teleportation Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: Force Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Lightning Bolt -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(3), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(3), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42) Level 1: Electric Fence -- EffAdp-Acc/Rchg(A), EffAdp-EndMod/Acc(7), EffAdp-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(45) Level 2: Ball Lightning -- JvlVll-Dam%(A), JvlVll-Acc/Dmg(5), JvlVll-Dam/Rech(5), JvlVll-Dam/End/Rech(11), JvlVll-Acc/End/Rech(15), JvlVll-Acc/Dmg/End/Rech(15) Level 4: Stealth -- Krm-ResKB(A) Level 6: Short Circuit -- Mlt-Acc/Dmg(A), Mlt-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Mlt-Dmg/Rchg(9), Mlt-Acc/EndRdx(9), Mlt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), Mlt-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17) Level 8: Fly -- Flight-I(A) Level 10: Havoc Punch -- Acc-I(A) Level 12: Zapp -- ExcCnt-Acc/Dmg(A), ExcCnt-Dmg/EndRdx(13), ExcCnt-Dmg/ActRdx(13), ExcCnt-Dmg/Rng(19), ExcCnt-Dmg/Rchg(42), ExcCnt-Stun%(43) Level 14: Invisibility -- LucoftheG-Rchg+(A) Level 16: Aim -- AdjTrg-ToHit/Rchg(A), AdjTrg-EndRdx/Rchg(23), AdjTrg-Rchg(37), AdjTrg-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(40) Level 18: Tesla Cage -- Acc-I(A) Level 20: Force of Thunder -- EffAdp-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(A), EffAdp-Acc/Rchg(21), EffAdp-EndMod/Acc(21), EffAdp-EndMod/Rchg(25), ThfofEss-Acc/Heal(25), ThfofEss-Heal/Rchg(27) Level 22: Build Up -- AdjTrg-ToHit/Rchg(A), AdjTrg-ToHit/EndRdx/Rchg(23), AdjTrg-Rchg(40), AdjTrg-ToHit/EndRdx(40) Level 24: Recall Friend -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 26: Charged Bolts -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(27), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(31), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43) Level 28: Thunder Strike -- Mlt-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Mlt-Acc/Dmg(29), Mlt-Dmg/Rchg(29), Mlt-Acc/EndRdx(31), Mlt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43), Mlt-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46) Level 30: Charged Brawl -- Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg(A), Mk'Bit-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), Mk'Bit-Dmg/EndRdx(46) Level 32: Thunderous Blast -- Dtn-Acc/Dmg(A), Dtn-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Dtn-Dmg/Rchg(33), Dtn-Dmg/Rng(33), Dtn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), Dtn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rng(34) Level 35: Power Sink -- EffAdp-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(A), EffAdp-EndMod/Acc(36), EffAdp-Acc/Rchg(36), PrfShf-Acc/Rchg(36), PrfShf-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(37), PrfShf-EndMod/Rchg(37) Level 38: Shocking Grasp -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(39), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(39), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(39), CrsImp-Acc/Dmg(48), CrsImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48) Level 41: Personal Force Field -- LucoftheG-Rchg+(A) Level 44: Temp Invulnerability -- EndRdx-I(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(45), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(45) Level 47: Force of Nature -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 49: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(50), RechRdx-I(50) Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- UnbLea-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I(A) Level 2: Health -- NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(48), EndMod-I(50) ------------

Love that swamp/sewer themed base. It inspired me to add a catacomb/sewer room to Amazon Army with a hidden entrance; this too is very Roman. What happens underground, stays underground. Also: Not perfect yet. But when you're a Roman you just gotta build one of these things. Entrance to the Vamp Club, recent addition to the Firemullet Groupies base. Interiors of the Vamp Club. Going for an Edwardian/steampunk feel here.

And, of course, while you sit and watch the animations play, your insps tray and your other click powers are likewise out of reach. If you want to mess with it, use it with set and forget armors like Willpower or Reflexes. Do not try to use it with armors that depend on click powers for survival like Bio or Fire. I had a level 50 Fire/EM tanker, made pre-nerf; the combination was chosen in the days before power customization, just because I liked the look of them together. After the nerf the character became unplayable. I eventually stripped her of valuable enhancements and exiled her to a seldom visited server. For Invulnerability, if you don't want weapons I would go with Street Justice, Dark Melee, or Kinetic Melee. SJ is quite attractive for a punching set. Dark and Kinetic play to your strengths; Dark improves the effectiveness of your defense, Kinetic your resistance.

I used to recommend Salt Crystals from the Earth Mastery epic pool to Willpower tankers wanting more aggro management. But any level 50 tanker can have a nuke on a 1.30 timer via their judgement slot, one that will eventually put Foot Stomp to shame. Sands of Mu is basically the same as Shadow Maul. It isn't terribly easy or intuitive to use, and I will grant that the cone is very narrow. I do favor power sets that do exotic damage over anything that jusyt does smashing or lethal. You run into much less resistance, very noticeable in the end game. Another advantage is that if you have attacks that do -tohit, stun, slow, or defense debuff this opens up options for frankenslotting that something like, say, fiery melee doesn't have. My Bio/Spines tanker plans on putting a Pacing of the Turtle recharge slow in everything.

I've rolled a tanker on Everlasting and so far gotten her to 9. This one's a Radiation Armor/Street Justice.

Super Strength does have some things going for it. It contains several skippable powers, including Hurl, and yes, Hand Clap. But other attack sets either don't have those disadvantages that are exclusive to Super Strength. They just bring more to the table. Foot Stomp is really only that useful from levels 46 - when a tanker can get it - through 49; because at 50 your alpha slot opens and will mostly replace it as an opening move.

Rage crash leaves you with reduced defense from baseline, reducing your survivability. It also has a large endurance penalty that puts you at risk of dropping toggles. Finally, the crash comes with a damage penalty. All of this reduces your ability to be the last one standing and to hold aggro.

You try being a levelling blaster in a world of Alpha. That too can be frustrating. OTOH, a tanker with an Alpha is currently the ideal soloing class, easily soloing Romans on the wall and well chosen radios at +4/8 for cash and drops, knowing that she can do so in perfect safety and, thanks to the alpha nuke, reasonable speed as well. I have to agree: Stone is a dinosaur. The drawbacks are both gameplay and esthetic. In 2012 I had a level 50 stone/axe, but she was never my favorite, and after I made an Invuln/DM and got that one to 50 the stone tanker sat neglected. Yes, she was hard to kill in Granite, and all but useless on Council catwalk maps. Much easier to build an Invuln, Shield, WP, Reflexes, or Ice up to that level than to work around the disadvantages of Stone, and that doesn't take into account the limited character concepts that work well with Stone. You can make any of those primaries the equal of Granite in pure survivability without IO sets: just pick Dark Melee as your secondary, and there you go. An attack that does decent damage, but it's also a self heal that makes you harder to hit? <archer>I can't believe this is happening!</archer> Stone has two things profoundly contrary to the spirit of the game: it is slow and boring. Super Strength is another set I've fallen out of love with. It relies too much on Rage and Foot Stomp. Before ED I never took Rage on Heraclea for LOLRP reasons. It didn't work with my vision of the character, and for the same reason, she has never had Unstoppable. Super Strength gets by on the name: you want your tanker to be super strong. But it remains an attack set that has intentional misfeatures that are incompatible with your primary role, especially on a team. So when I brought Heraclea back I made her Dark Melee this time around, one of many secondaries that further rather than hinder your main role on a team. There are other power sets like Street Justice and Titan Weapons that keep some of the feel of 'super strength'. Or you can just add Air Superiority to any secondary.

The White Rabbit Lounge, part of the Firemullet Groupies base on Everlasting.