Story Archer

It's right there at perma (0.2 seconds off, not counting for casting time), but the Ageless Incarnate more than puts it over the top.

Tossing in another approach, just to give you some different things to consider. Dominator (Plant Control - Fiery Assault) L50 alt.mbd I'm going against the grain a little bit by not taking Hasten, Blazing Bolt or Fly Trap and slotting Strangler for damage. My plan is to use a steady rotation of Strangler, Fire Blast and Blaze for my single-target attacks. Blazing Bolt's recharge is too long and it's endurance cost too high imo. My global +Rech without Hasten is 110% which should be adequate to keep Perma-Dom, with the Ageless Incarnate essentially serving as a stand-in and keeping my Endurance up. I'd like to have my Ranged Defense a little higher (35.6%), since I plan to run with Hover/Evasive Maneuvers, but I feel like I'd have to give up too much in the places where I can do it. This is definitely going to be my most expensive build yet, but hey - it's only influence.

Is there any difference between slotting a 'Slow' damage proc and an 'Immob' damage proc?

This is, of course, discounting the benefits of the Ageless Incarnate. I'll have to experiment with Ageless to see what it would need to be if I wanted to use it in place of Hasten. I'm building a Fire/Plant/Fire, and the version of my post-50 build without Hasten has 105% global recharge. Wanting Seeds and Rain of Fire available as often as possible and Creepers perma'ed, it seemed that perma-Hasten might be the way I'd need to go, but Ageless may do the trick to close those gaps. Presumably between the Endurance bar refilling when Domination pops and the +Recovery from Ageless, I shouldn't have any Endurance issues. On a side note - do you know anything about Fiery Orb? I was thinking about putting it in my sixth Creepers slot, but I'm not sure if the proc fires when I use the ability or if it procs like the other damage procs do, continuously throughout its activation... This is the build, just to put it out there. It's looking like it'll be my most expensive build ever, with 7 purple sets plus, but hey - it's only influence, right? Dominator (Plant Control - Fiery Assault) L50 alt.mbd

If you don't take Hasten, what amount of global recharge do you need to make Domination perma?

Here's a truly bad@ss Fire/Atomic Blaster (the best primary and the best secondary imo). Soft-capped Ranged defense and Hover/Flight ftw! [Starsprite].mbd

These are two pretty confusing powers individually, but in concert? Way past my pay grade. And is Fiery Orb ever a worthwhile consideration? I've never used it and never seen it used. I'm currently slotting Creepers like this (see below) and I'm trying to decide on that final slot. Right now it's between another damage proc (like Ice Mistral's Torment or Explosive Strike) or a wild card like Fiery Orb. Carrion Creepers: Trap of the Hunter (ACC/Rech) Trap of the Hunter (Lethal proc) Javelin Volley (Lethal proc) Bombardment (Fire proc) Positron's Blast (Energy proc) [Empty]

Thank you - the text describing it as granting a damage bonus was one of the things that was confusing me. The ToHit bonus seems like a non-factor with its relatively limited duration, so basically it's the increased duration and magnitude of your mez effects as well as protection from mez effects yourself. Does anyone know its duration/recharge? It seems a little bit confusing, the fact that the bar empties when it does and needs to be refilled, but the power also needs +recharge. From what I can tell, it needs about 100% recharge to stay perma, but you really need Hasten to be perma for that to be consistent - is that right? And if there's nothing to attack/mez, then there's nothing to refill it regardless of whether it's up or not, correct?

Unenhanced Duration & Recharge, Damage bonus, etc.? Mids has it wrong. TIA.

For those enjoying this thread: my updated 'pre-50' Plant/Fire/Fire Dom with perma-dom, featuring NO Hami-O's or purple IO sets. Budget friendly(ish) and ready to rock, he got me through levels 1 - 50 and has held me in good stead while I save up for my suite of purps. Dominator (Plant Control - Fiery Assault) pre-50.mbd

Take a look at this, please, and tell me what you think. Dominator (Plant Control - Fiery Assault) L50 alt.mbd I'm going against the grain a little bit by not taking Hasten, Blazing Bolt or Fly Trap and slotting Strangler for damage. My plan is to use a steady rotation of Strangler, Fire Blast and Blaze for my single-target attacks. Blazing Bolt's recharge is too long and it's endurance cost too high imo. My global +Rech without Hasten is 110% which should be more than enough to keep Perma-Dom, with the Ageless Incarnate essentially serving as a stand-in and keeping my Endurance up. I'd like to have my Ranged Defense a little higher (35.6%), since I plan to run with Hover/Evasive Maneuvers, but I feel like I'd have to give up too much in the places where I can do it. Do I have enough Accuracy in Carrion Creepers? I've got +56% global Accuracy, but I don't know how that works with psuedo pets. This is definitely going to be my most expensive build yet, but hey - it's only influence.

Rad/Stone was my first L50 Tanker and I still love him. Shield/Stone seems intriguing, I could definitely see myself experimenting with that, especially since my Rad/SS is getting all my Tanker love these days and she doesn't exactly play like a 'traditional' Tanker. I personally prefer Bio on Scrappers & Stalkers, though.

I'm seriously considering a DM/Bio Scrapper. I feel like it could be a real boss...

I'm sorry, I'm just seeing this. If you're still interested, this is an updated version of what a 'no budget' Kin/Sonic Defender would like like if I were building it. There are many knowledgeable and experienced folks on these boards who might offer a different perspective, and I've always learned a lot from them so (if any of you are glancing in) I'd love to hear it! Basically on offense, your primary focus is, of course, FS and even without Hasten this build will have it up for you every 20-25 seconds. After that, you either chain together your three cones at groups or chain together your three single target attacks at the hardest target in the room, applying Transfusion & Transference if or as needed. Between fights you refreshen everyone's Speed Boost and Increase Density. In my opinion, Kin/Sonic is one of the best post-50 builds because so many characters have their defenses and Endurance issues already figured out, and the most welcome assistance you can offer at that point is to speed everything up for everybody. 90% of the time that means keep them fighting at the damage cap and stack -Res debuffs on your enemies while staying alive yourself. Teleport gets you across the board in the fastest way possible and Teleport Target is so damned convenient on teams I really miss it when I don't have it. As for Incarnates: Cardiac Core Paragon increases the Range on your cones which can make a huge difference and helps you smooth out your potential Endurance issues. I like the Pyronic Core Final Judgement because of its fast activation speed and superior damage. As an alternative, the Void Radial Final Judgemenbt is a killer follow-up to Dreadful Wail and a very effective area-wide DeBuff when things get hairy. I find Degenerative Core Flawless Interface to be the most effective Interface option. Longbow Core Superior Ally is a powerful, complimentary Lore option, but if you like smaller Lore pets, I'd probably go with Talons of Vengeance Core Superior Ally. I selected the Barrier Core Epiphany Destiny to do my part on teams that like to try and rotate them. For Hybrid, I like the Assault Radial Core because you get more bang for your buck with it and none of the other Hybrids really benefit you all that much. [K-D1VA].mbd A couple of minor edits: I like to slot the Celerity Stealth IO in either my prestige slide and the Quickfoot Run speed/End Redux IO in the other, so I can toggle back and forth depending on whether I'm currently Stealthing it. Also, since I tend to only use Amplify in conjunction with Dreadful Wail, I've moved that Rech Redux IO from there to Fulcrum Shift to get it up a few seconds faster each time.

...plus having the added benefit of stacking Holds, just in case. It really is an amazing Tanker build. I remember how proud I was for having figured out all of the little synergies... and then I turned around and everybody else had figured out the exact same thing.

PTR?

Yeah, good point about it stopping runners - as a Scrapper, that might benefit me more than the greater mitigation of Confuse even if I have a ranged attack or two.

Yet, for some reason, every metric tells me that my damage auras consistently deal more damage with damage procs than with sets alone. In my particular case, it's a mix of set bonuses and damage procs, and I'm not running a Tanker. I didn't want to get too specific because I was curious what other perspectives people might have. Let's assume that someone wants to just be a lunatic and actually slot procs that affect enemies into a damage aura - apart from straight damage procs, are there that are available to everyone which you would suggest? Ideally focused on some combination of mitigation and damage?

So you're a melee type with a damage aura and in the first five slots you've got your accuracy, endurance redux and damage all pretty much sorted out - what's the best thing to do with that final slot? For discussion's sake, let's assume that whatever piece you select, it won't be adding to any existing set bonuses. Fury of the Gladiator (Chance for Res DeBuff) I was unable to find the duration of the DeBuff, but -20% to multiple targets at a time is nothing to sneeze at. Overwhelming Force (Damage/Chance for KD) Seems like a legit option. The chance for KD would at least provide some mitigation when surrounded by mobs, and you get a little damage bonus besides. Cupid's Crush (Damage/Chance for Confuse) Seems like the strongest overall option to me right now. I couldn't find the PPM rate for this, but near as I can tell, the duration is just under 12 seconds, which is pretty legit mitigation, certainly more than simple KD. The Damage increase is also greater than that offered by Overwhelming Force. Thoughts?

I appreciate the head's up there. Honestly, I don't know if this is even a bug or not. It might have always been a thing. Or, like I said, I might just have some setting turned off that I don't know about. I'm hoping someone who's particularly knowledgeable/experienced with MID's can pop in and give me an idea what's up, or whether they can even replicate the issue...

Definitely using the latest.

I've been noticing a number of issues with MIDs lately and I'm trying to figure out if its buggy, if these are known issues or if this just a case of gross user error. I'll post a 'for example' build below and then mention the specific issues I've come across, in case somebody might be able to shed some light on what's going on with it. [Ladyshrike III].mbd Issue #1: Super Jump not registering. When I toggle Super Jump on or off, nothing changes in the Misc Buffs tab of the View Totals window. The Jump Height and Jump Speed numbers remain the same. Hurdle, by comparison, significantly affects them both. Issue #2: Adaptation stances not registering. The various effects of Adaptation don't all seem to be functioning. For instance, when I toggle on Offensive Adaptation, I see a 7.5% bump in ToHit but the damage bonus shown in the Misc Buffs tab of the View Totals window doesn't change, nor do any of my Defense or Resistance numbers. Interestingly, the damage listed for the individual powers does change, but seem to do so rather erratically. Strike, with a base damage of 78.38, jumps from 241.6 to 300.8, a 75% increase over the base damage. Spin, with a base damage of 114.7, jumps from 330 to 418.2, a 77% increase over the base damage. Spring Attack, with a base damage of 93.84, jumps from 353 to 473.2, a 128% increase over the base damage. unenhanced Brawl, with a base damage of 22.52, jumps from 44.68 to 78.95, a 152% increase over base damage. The numbers continue to be even more erratically affected depending on whether I've got things like Follow Up or Musculature toggled on and off, and not by any formula or pattern that I can detect. Are these known issues, recent bugs, or do I just have some wonky settings I'm unaware of? TIA for any assistance or insight.

Another great and much-appreciated response! [EDIT: I took your thoughts and some of the ones offered by others and went through the build again, managing to slot both Genetic Contamination and Spring Attack, while keeping Shadow Meld and shifting my Destiny Incarnate over to Ageless Radial... Reduced Moonbeam, though not significantly numbers-wise and added Maneuvers. Altogether, she seems to be giving me the best of both worlds now and, I gotta say, after one night of running her, she bangs like no Scrapper I've run before. Loving her! [Ladyshrike].mbd Back to the original response...] A couple of quick things: First off, I'm glad you're an unabashed min/maxer. That can make speculative conversations or debates about the effectiveness of going one route over another much easier and more productive as, like me, you're always looking for anything that can give you a reasonable edge even if you weren't necessarily the one who came up with it (rather than taking differing perspectives personally). I can't tell you how many times I was sure that I had a build locked up and someone just came out of the blue with an approach I had never even considered before. I'd suggest that you give Spring Attack another serious look, even though your current build doesn't have you taking a travel power at all. Putting aside it's ability to mitigate an alpha (or simply additional damage when using it mid-fight) or its occasional utility to simply get into a particular spot, let's look at it in comparison to Genetic Contamination from a purely damage angle. With everything else in our two builds being equal (1x FU, same crit chances, same Incarnates active, etc.), GC as you have it slotted looks like it deals about 47 points of damage per tick on average and ticks every 10 seconds, so let's say 282 dpm (47 x 6). By comparison, Spring Attack as I have it slotted deals an average of 476 points damage per pop and can be used every 40 seconds or so. That works out to 714 dpm, using it three times every two minutes, except that it's even better than that because all of its damage is front-loaded: after 10 seconds GC has done 94 damage while SA has done 476 after 50 seconds, GC has done 235 damage while SA has done 952 after 90 seconds GC has done 423 damage while SA has done 1,437... Plus SA has the advantage of a 15' radius (as opposed to GC's 8' radius), though - its worth mentioning - it does lack the DMG debuff that GC provides, which is legit. Personally, I'd like to take Genetic Contamination if I could - so much so that I'm actually considering giving up Moonbeam for it, since my attack chain is already pretty much seamless without it. The only reasons I haven't is that it would also eliminate Shadow Meld as an option and I worry it'd drop my single target damage a bit too much (especially considering how heavily resisted Lethal is). Speaking of Shadow Meld, on the surface it seems like a great power, and I haven't used it enough yet to truly decide if its as much of a no-brainer as I once thought. The pro's are obvious, but consider the con's: 1) I already have Spring Attack as my opener, so I don't need it for that, 2) I'm taking Barrier as my Destiny Incarnate, I've already got a longer lasting more effective option that essentially serves the same purpose, and 3) that 3 second activation time can be a little frustrating in some of situations. With most of my defenses already pretty high, and the Barrier Core Incarnate to boot, I'm not sure I'm getting that much out of it except as a LotG mule. On the flip side, I'm a big fan of the Ageless Destiny - especially with Bio lacking DDR - so if I were to decide to swap over to it, that might go a long way towards making Shadow Meld more integral to the build. I don't like Shockwave. I've tried to like it and I just don't. I think it's one of those things that comes down to playstyle. I don't generally like cones, I don't like having to take the time every time to reposition myself to use it (and then to reposition myself back to use Spin), I don't like having to waste an enhancement slot that could be getting me +10% Rech or a FF proc for a KB/KD converter, and I've already got my opener with Spring Attack. Just gotta be a pass for me there. On the flip side, there's Eviscerate. I'm with you on the annoyance of being rooted for its animation, but it's one I've learned to live with for my most consistently damaging power - and I can promise you it takes less time than moving away, activating Shockwave and then moving back. It's integral to both my single-target and AoE attack chains, and it's increased ability to potentially crit multiple foes really appeals to me. My two attack chains are very tight. Without ever getting a bump from the FF proc in Focus, they look like this: Single Target: FU -> Focus -> Eviscerate. There's a half-second gap in there for me to fire off whatever I might need (Ablative Carapace, DNA Siphon, Parasitic Aura, Hasten, Moonbeam, an Incarnate, whatever) if and when I need it, but all three repeat every 5 seconds if I don't interrupt them. AoE: FU -> Spin -> Eviscerate. These three repeat every 5.5 seconds if I don't interrupt them, with no gap in the chain whatsoever. I find that keeping my attack chain as tight and efficient as possible frees up at least one power selection and numerous enhancement slots that can be used elsewhere. I keep Strike in the tray that I reserve for exemp'ing down and that's the only time I use it. BTW - do I have something set wrong, or does MID's not really account for the variations of the different adaptations. When I toggle on 'Offensive Adaptation' for instance, it reflects a ToHit and damage boost but nothing moves on my defense or resistance totals. For that matter, Super Jump getting toggled on and off doesn't move the needle at all when it comes to my Jump height or speed. Bug or just user error? Thanks again for your response above and any future thoughts. It's all been very helpful.

No, I don't think so - and I really appreciate you taking the time to respond in such detail. One of the things I try to figure out when looking at different builds is which decisions were made as a result of personal play style and which as a result of one decision being objectively better than the other. Again, thanks for sharing your build and the reasoning behind the choices you made. It's offered a great deal of insight.

Alright, roping you two into this same reply. I'm posting the most updated build I'm currently using below, and I'm going to have some questions specific to the builds you guys are using in comparison to my own - not necessarily saying that one is better than the other, just pointing out my reasoning for what I did so that you can tell what I'm missing, if anything. Note: the two empty IO slots will have FF +Rech procs in them, I just leave them out to keep them from skewing my recharge info. [Ladyshrike II].mbd So first off, the defensive side of things. I've been accused of chasing defensive numbers on my Scrappers a little too much, and I'm fine with that so long as I'm not sacrificing any obviously greater benefits elsewhere. I notice that my defenses are considerably higher than either of yours, specifically with regards to E/N/F/C (46.2% for me vs. 34.1% for Camel and 31.8% for SomeGuy). We're pretty even everywhere else except for SomeGuy's 50% S/L Res, which Camel and I basically have soft-capped at around 75%. I can't find any other aspects of the build where I'm lagging (like recharge or offensive output), so I'm assuming that's all good? I tend to value defense very highly because of its ability to mitigate debuffs and other secondary effects, but since Bio has no DDR, I don't want to lean too heavily on it. Camel, I noticed that you took the Ageless Incarnate - was that why, or do you just like the additional Recharge? Next, Genetic Contamination. I see that both of you took it, though you did different things with the slotting. I chose to use that power slot and those enhancement slots on Spring Attack instead. My reasoning was that 1) the damage from one Spring attack is the equivalent of about 10-12 ticks from Genetic Contamination (closer to 15 if I make that last slot a damage proc), but I get the benefit all at once, and I get it every 35-40 seconds instead of spread out over 1-2 minutes, and 2) the initial KB helped me avoid the threat of alpha strikes whenever I engaged a new mob which could jumpstart a cascading defensive collapse. I know that GC grants a damage debuff against your foes in addition to its damage - how noticeable is that in terms of your survivability? You both took Maneuvers - was that primarily so that you could slot another LotG +Rech IO? Between Maneuvers and GC, your endurance totals are notably ahead of mine. Are you noticing any issues with that, or does Parasitic Aura perform so well that its not a problem? I think you guys also both took Shockwave. I've kind of avoided that power as I'm pretty happy with my attack chain as it is. For single targets its just FU -> Focus -> Eviscerate and for groups its FU -> Spin -> Eviscerate. Those chains really don't have any gaps, and just throw in Moonbeam whenever it comes up in either instance. I'm guessing that you took and use Shockwave in the same way that I use Spring Attack, as an opener to help mitigate alpha strikes? I can't help but notice the HUGE Psi hole we all have in our defenses. Has that ever actually been an issue for either of you guys? Is there anything obvious in the build that I linked that I may have overlooked or might not properly understand when it comes to slotting? Thanks again for your insights!