Story Archer

As I return to the game I loved for so long, I've been trying to familiarize myself with what's new, what's changed, etc. Tanks were never something I really played because I tended to solo a lot and back in the day that's just not what they were intended for. Now I've read some good things about them and I'm giving them a look with fresh eyes. After dipping my toe in with a cursory Willpower/SS build, I went looking to put together a concept I hadn't ever really gotten to try - Shield/MA - and I was not prepared for what I found, so I'm wondering if I'm missing something here: Is this right? It can't be. Now I'm not going to build this character exactly like this but I just wanted to see - by level 12 with Storm Kick, only the most basic slotting and a few Unique IO's, this character is already essentially at the Defense cap for all, has his status protection in place AND is resisting everything but Psi at 26% or higher? If true then that's just crazy. All Tankers can't be like this now, can they?

I know that's where it comes from - how do you raise it? Does it improve automatically through normal slotting of Defense IO's?

It's at about 86% - how do you raise DDR?

I'm curious what a consistent application of Siphon Life might look like in terms of equivalent Regen, operating with the understanding that Regen outside of combat really isn't that important for most melee types. I'd like to be able to compare it to something like Rise to the Challenge (which also doesn't provide healing outside of combat). So something like Siphon Life is equivalent to XXX% Regen using the parameters below. Basic framework - first off, I'm assuming that the heal is based off of some kind of percentage of a toon's health (as is Regen) and that it functions similarly across all AT's. That might be wrong, but hopefully not for the purposes of what I'm trying to figure out. So let's assume that: AT is at base hit points only. Siphon Life is not slotted for any additional healing. There are no additional ancillary healing bonuses or effects in place. Siphon Life is being used as part of a basic attack chain that allows it to reliably hit once every 10 seconds (or 6 times per minute). Hopefully this is something that can be reasonably determined. If not then just tell me to piss off and I'll find some other random, esoteric aspect of the game to become preoccupied with. TIA!

How does somebody rig 10 million pieces of basic salvage?

That's a great suggestion for ToF, I never considered that. Back when I played DM many years ago, ToF was the power you never even considered. How would you recommend slotting it? I shouldn't need accuracy for it any more than I do for Siphon Life, so are you just thinking the six damage procs (4 damage, Glimpse the Abyss and Cloud Senses)? I'm pretty happy with Siphon Life the way it is - the full set of Preventive Medicine really gives me some nice stuff I don't think I'd see from any other non-Purple option. The attack chain already deals pretty solid single-target damage and with my Resistances so low, when I do get hit, it tends to hurt. Having an ablative Absorb shield and being able to Heal up for a lot in response really tends to mitigate that one weakness. I'm open to slotting it for damage, I just tend to shore up defenses before worrying about MOAR offense, especially if I'm planning to run solo.

As the build above is shown (except swap a set of Adjusted Targeting in FA instead of Guissian's), with FA off AND no Soul Drain (something very unlikely to ever be the case), Accuracy is at 43% and ToHit at 6%. That puts Siphon Life at 77% Accuracy against +3's and 65% Accuracy against +4's. Again, this is without any purple sets whatsoever and without Focused Accuracy OR Soul Drain. Turn on either one of those and it jumps up to 86-87% vs. +4's and the Accuracy cap (95%) vs. +3's or lower. Honestly, once I upgrade the Scrapper sets and Soul Drain gets close to perma, there really isn't any reason to turn FA on except when debuffed or up against particularly hard targets. Still, it's good to have when you need it.

Yeah, with Hasten the Recharge for it on my L50 build is just under 61s with only one IO, so I'm sure you're right.

It's a little embarrassing to say this, but the +defense that the set provides evens out my Ranged/AoE Defense and that appeals to my OCD. If it helps, in the 50+ build I swap that out for a set of Warp which grants more tangible benefits. I've also decided to swap out the Guissian's to a set of Adjusted Targeting, since the bonus defense really is superfluous at that point. I was under the impression that there was some benefit to be gained from stacking PB. If not then that's a slot that's easily used elsewhere. Thanks for your comments.

After getting a little frustrated with my DM/SR, primarily due to END issues and an understandably lackluster performance given that he was in the mid-to-late 20's at the time, I returned to my 'safe-space' Kat/Will for a while, but now I'm ready to get back on track and push through these growing pains to the sweet, sweet untouchability of later levels. Playing around with different builds, I've been pleasantly surprised to discover how effective you can make them without having to go all-in on purple IO sets, which is good because my alt-itis and somewhat limited time rarely allows me to do so. This build in particular has come along very nicely, and while it's not what I would call a minimal investment, it's fraction of what I could have spent. There are no purples IO sets or Winter sets in this build, with only the lesser versions of the two Scrapper sets. To be honest, even the Scrapper-only sets could be replaced with less expensive IO's without too much of a drop-off in power level, I mainly have them in there for the Global Recharge and Crit bonuses. FWIW, this tends to be my 'solo' scrapper and it's built with that in mind, though I certainly team with him from time to time. I'd appreciate anyone with experience playing such characters to chime in with any thoughts they might have, particularly if they see some sub-optimal slotting (within the criteria mentioned, of course). Hopefully, other players with similar goals and/or limitations will find this useful. (data chunk at the end of the post) There's some pretty good stuff here: 50+% defense to all, along with 84.5% DDR and attacks that inherently reduce ToHit (a little overkill, but that's fine) A self-heal that doubles as a solid attack and grants a chance for an Absorb shield every 4 seconds or so 300+% Regen, not counting a couple of Power Transfer procs A self-recovery that doubles as a solid AoE attack 93.75% Global Recharge which gets you just 12-15 seconds from perma-Hasten Stacking clicky mez protection that doesn't go away like toggles will A very smooth and efficient attack chain featuring a much less-commonly resisted damage type I didn't lean into a Patron pool that gave mezzes or ranged attacks because I don't tend to spend much time controlling when I'm in Scrapperlock and the attack chain didn't need any additions, nor did I need to use any of those options to mule IO sets. Against +3 content or less you don't really even need Focused Accuracy toggled on. This is just straight-up meat-and-potatoes, hit things hard and don't get hit in return. I like that my normal foot speed with Swift/Sprint/Quickness/Combat Jumping (and Athletic Run) is more than enough to get me around locally and the TP really lets me dart across the map when I need to (it also fits the character concept perfectly). Admittedly the damage resistances aren't anything to write home about, so on the rare occasion that you actually get hit you tend to feel it. This is usually lessened somewhat by the Absorb shield that Preventive Medicine gives you, which is why I like having it as part of my steady attack chain, giving you a triple benefit - it deals damage, it heals damage and it potentially sets you up to avoid damage as well. Again, any comments or suggestions are welcome and I hope this helps people trying to muddle through the mid-levels of DM or who are considering SR as a Secondary. 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Hard to argue with Fulcrum Shift, Phantom Army, Speed Boost and Rage. All are excellent and should make anyone's top 5-10. Just can't get away from Seeds for me, though - of course my experience with it is playing a Dominator, so even Bosses get purple clouds more often than not. Creepers might not be top 5 but an argument can be made that they're top 10. As a 1-2 punch I'd say they're right up there with Speed Boost & Fulcrum Shift, though in wildly different circumstances. So, Plant/Kin for the crazy OP?

I suppose I should have been more detailed - edited the OP to clarify that. I meant powers from actual power sets, not generic power pool abilities that any/every build might take. Generic T9 nukes seem like they miss the point as well.

General question and then again with what you think is the ideal slotting. Not worried about getting into the 'OP' debate, just curious what popular choices are. For my money I feel like it's got to be Seeds of Confusion. Basic slotting for Accuracy, Recharge and Range it's pretty ridiculous but at 50 with Contagious Confusion it just gets ratcheted up to a whole new level of domination/control. Gotta figure Carrion Creepers gets an honorable mention here too. EDIT: Okay a couple of qualifiers - it's got to be a powerset power, not something generic that almost every build takes like Hasten. I'd also say shy away from the traditional tier 9 nukes unless they do something distinctive that sets them apart from other Tier 9 powers.

Between being a Defender, taking the Force of Will pool and the Electric Mastery pool that's a wildly different build, but it does open my eyes to a few new things - thank you for posting it.

Thanks for the preliminary thoughts. It's just instinct to try and cap my Ranged/AoE defenses on a ranged character, especially if it's not gimping anything else to do so. The build I posted above was for 50, but the pre-50 version (without the 'Superior' versions of Scourging Blast, Malice, or Frozen Blast) actually has my Ranged/AoE at 42% and 37.5% respectively, and even that is actually a lot lower until 47+ (31% and 27%) when I finally pick up and slot Weave & Maneuvers, so it's good to hear that I won't have to be too worried while leveling up and a lot more vulnerable. Taking and slotting Spirit Shark Jaws and Summon Coralax as I do is responsible for about 8% of both defenses. If defense isn't that important, perhaps I should consider something else with those slots or a different EPP altogether? An alternate version I'm looking at goes Psychic Mastery - it'll give me that second Hold to stack, Mind Over Body to help with Psi Resistance and give me access to World of Confusion (which I love, even though its only moderately beneficial on a ranged character). Leaning into more purps for slotting (Unbreakable Constraint and Coercive Persuasion) let's me jump my Recharge up another 20% and still has me at 40% Ranged and AoE defense. Again, all post-50.

I haven't actually played a Corruptor beyond 10th or 12th level to this point and I figured it was time. Ditto the Ice/Cold power sets. I wanted a character that could stay back, (reasonably) safe at range and either shred the battlefield or pick apart hard targets. I wanted to be effective both solo and on teams with the understanding that the former might drag a bit in the early to middle levels. I'd also never done anything with the Leviathan EPP so I thought that might be cool. I put the Build data at the end of the post. So for AoE, this character seems king - I assume the usual pattern is just Sleet + Ice Storm (or Blizzard if its up), then follow up with a Frost Breath? Single target it also seems quite strong, with three powerful attacks and then Infrigidate and Benumb to work into the rotation when facing a particularly hard target. Spirit Shark Jaws is also there when I need to stack Holds in a hurry. I skipped Bitter Freeze Ray because I hate long animation times. I figure the shields are just a nice bonus, a useful mule to help group survivability early and to top players off late, but I didn't see much benefit in slotting them, ditto Frostwork. Having a pet will be kind of cool, but he's really just there to mule Blood Mandate. I feel like Endurance could be a problem with so many toggles, but I'm hoping the 7.5% Gloabal EndRedux will help. Defensively I'm almost at soft-cap for Ranged & AoE (about 43%) with very respectable Melee as well (32.5%). I think Resistances are solid enough for a character who shouldn't get hit very often, though I would like some sort of heal... I suppose that's what the chiclets are for. As I said, I haven't really played a Corruptor or an Ice/Cold character before - any advice from the vets as I set out on this adventure, or suggested tweaks to the build itself? Data chunk: 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

That makes absolutely no sense to me but I'm going to take your word for it. Thanks to you - and everyone - for responding.

And it's not a half-second benefit, right?

Sorry for resurrecting this thread, but I've been trying to understand this for a bit. One of the things that's confusing me is that Mids says that it grants the power Critical Strikes for 0.5s, which makes it sound like, at best, you'll get one attack with it if it IMMEDIATELY follows whatever triggered the proc. From what is being said here, it sounds like the best use of this proc is to put it in the fastest activating, fastest recharging power that you have with the intent that you'll follow it up with one of your bigger attacks so that it will benefit? I'm running a Katana/Will Scrapper and I figured I'd just put it on Gambler's Cut and set that to auto-fire.

SO very helpful - in a million years I wouldn't have seen that drop-down. Thank-you. So the goal is to get to 95% on your attacks with that drop down whatever you want it to be, correct? Anything beyond that is kind of like going over the soft-cap on defense?

Yeah, that's nothing. Interesting - It doesn't do that much for you, but with so little downside I'll have to consider it. If nothing else, it'll mule a unique IO.

If things work out I'll have three each of the Power Transfer and the Performance Shifter procs. Between the 3x Power Transfer and 600%-800% Regen I think I'll be set.

Does Strength of Will not crash? MIDS indicates otherwise - I wasn't planning on taking it because of that.

Very helpful - thank you!

From what I understand it's the best way to tell if you're maxing - or WAY overmaxxing - your accuracy. When deciding on IO sets that can be important sometimes. I've seen it referenced lots of places, but I can't figure out how to do it.