Story Archer

I read a lot of people talking about setting their base accuracy to .39 in MIDS, but on the configuration options I don't see any place where they allow for those kinds of changes. My search-fu has failed me - was there a recent update which removed that option?

Katana/Willpower Scrapper, though theoretically this could be applicable to any Scrapper considering the Body Mastery pool - we have to take one, so assuming we only slot it with the base slot (End Redux for FA, Rech for CP), which would be the way to go? I'd probably use FA on an 'as-needed' basis unless I found it's endurance cost was, well... endurable. On that topic, the character has/will have Stamina, Quick Recovery and Physical Perfection when all is said and done. If I'm tight for enhancement slots, is dropping a Performance Shifter proc in all three the best way to go? I know that the Endurance pop is technically random, though with three potentially cycling through, I suspect they'll more or less smooth each other out. I don't suppose anyone has an idea what the average Recovery rate would be per minute with those three powers slotted with a straight EndMod IO vs. being slotted with the PS proc? Is there a known base Recovery percentage that each is equivalent to? I ask because I'm in my mid-30's right now and I'm still struggling with End issues despite Stamina and Quick Recovery having both an EndMod AND a Performance Shifter proc in both. I know that things should theoretically get better as I manage to assemble more IO sets, but right now it's getting a little discouraging. FWIW, I'm basically taking Body Mastery for Physical Perfection even though it's numbers don't look overwhelming (equal to about half Health and half Stamina, I think?). I do plan on taking a quick ranged attack regardless of which EPP I chose - am I completely missing the boat on a better option for this particular power set?

So even when Evasive Maneuvers is toggled off?

This question is being asked by a habitual Blaster but would probably apply to any ranged player. I much prefer Flight as my travel power and my playstyle generally has me at range so that I can keep an eye on the whole battlefield. It follows then that Hover is an attractive option for me and that my builds tend to focus strongly on a high Ranged & AoE defense. This has led me to a few questions: Is there any value in looking at the 'other' Flight powers? Assuming that I don't have a good melee mez attack, is Air Superiority a worthwhile option, in case I get a pesky flyer up in my grill? I usually have a few open slots in the build and I'm trying to decide how best to use them. What about Evasive Maneuvers? If I'd like to stay in 'Hover mode', does the increased fly speed and control help make that feasible? As it is right now I'm either too slow to keep up with the group or all over the place if I try to hover everywhere. Also, I read somewhere that Combat Jumping gives you more control when Hovering/Flying - is that true? Finally, if you could only pick two of the three, which would they be, assuming a defensive build with moderately high Global Recharge (60-75ish%): Combat Jumping, Hover or Hasten? TIA

I don't run Blappers, only Blasters, so I tend to keep my guys back and often in the air. The vast majority of the time this means I only take Ranged attacks with a smattering of AoE which means I can focus my defenses there. So let's start with the basics: +1.75% Hover or Combat Jumping (unslotted for Defense as I usually put the Kismet +ToHit unique IO there) +3% Steadfast IO (usually in Tough) +3% Gladiator's IO (usually in Tough) +3.5% Maneuvers (slotted) +5.5% Weave (slotted) That gets us to 17.75% Global. Then I always try to six slot the Gaussian's Fire Control IO set into Tactics. You're taking Maneuvers anyway, and with Tactics slotted this way you not only get +2.5% global defense and the ToHit buff (as do your teammates) but you also get a nice little damage boost from the Build-Up proc. A must-get for Blasters imo. +2.5% Gaussian's Fire Control (6-slotted into Tactics) That gets us to 19.25% Global. It's reasonable to think that you'll probably have three single-target attack powers and two AoE attack powers plus your nuke. Your two AoE attack powers (like Fireball or Energy Torrent) gets a full set of Annihilation for +3.75% AoE Defense each while your three of your single-target powers (Like Blaze or Power Burst) get a full set of Thunderstrike for +3.75% Ranged Defense each. What you do with your nuke can vary widely, but I've gotten consistently good mileage out of six-slotting Eradication for 3.13% AoE defense and 1.56% Ranged defense. That brings our totals to right at 30% AoE Defense and 32% Ranged Defense. Consider this sort of your baseline. There are a number of other ways to add to these totals (I'll list a few down below), but which you take advantage of will depend largely on your particular build and style of play. I deliberately mentioned fairly common IO sets that weren't ridiculously expensive and don't require you to be at level 50 to take advantage of, but there are definitely ways to get both defenses into the low 40's if that's your goal. Keep in mind there will be trade-offs in some cases (potentially higher Global Recharge and other things) and that if you're teaming that you're likely to get at least a couple of global defensive buffs from your allies, so don't obsess over completely maxxing out your defenses unless you plan on soloing a lot. The closer you get to that damage cap the more diminishing your returns can be. Favored Ranged Defense IO sets: Blaster's Wrath (Blaster-only set) Defiant Barrage (Blaster-only set) Numina's Convalescence (best used with whichever sustain ability you have) Preemptive Optimization (best used with whichever sustain ability you have) Artillery Mako's Bite (melee set) Favored AoE Defense IO sets: Aegis (Resist Damage set) Extreme Measures (for Snipes, also boosts Melee Defense) Favored sets for both: Lockdown (a Hold set; grants +2.5% AoE Defense AND 3.75% Ranged Defense - my Fire/Atomic Blaster has three full sets of these and the defense they provide carries him)

Well, it IS a support build, so you gotta be into that. I tend to solo a lot and since I have to team, this has been the fastest-leveling toon I've ever played. And on my teams, no one dies. Ever.

I just updated the 2nd post in the thread, pretty much deleting everything and replacing it with all the new stuff - let me know what you think!

Awesome - I'll be very interested in hearing your thoughts. I just updated the 2nd post in the thread, pretty much deleting everything and replacing it with all the new stuff.

I'll pop it up. I'll also include an example of how to build it while you're actually playing it 1-50. The focus in modern CoX seems to be power-leveling as much as possible to get to post-50 play, and there are never any guides on how to actually build your toons to get there. I'll put something up that includes base IO's and the most essential uniques without any L50 purps at all. EDIT: Edited the second post in this thread with the updated build.

nm

G'day, all. 🙂 I'm like to play lots of different types of character sand powers and I'm always trying to decide 'what's next' - a dilemma I'm sure others can sympathize with. With some damage types obviously resisted more than others, when I'm looking at melee characters in particular, I'm trying to figure out how much of a factor the damage type actually is - would the various S/L weapon options (katana, claws, staff-fighting, super strength) be generally considered sub-par damage-wise vs. the more exotic damage types like ice, fire or energy? I know that the secondary effects of damage types play a role in their overall effectiveness, and that some sets have combos or various other utilities (like Rage) that can make up for the more resisted damage type but for the moment let's put those case-by-case instances aside. I know that we can look at the numbers in a vacuum to compare dps and whatnot, but out in the 'real world' where we have to deal in terms of the damage we actually did vs. the damage we were supposedly able to do, how big of a factor does it play? I'm sure this is unrealistic to expect anyone to have done, but considering the staggering degree that some of our local number-crunchers have dove into the system, do we have any sort of quantifiable data on how commonly resisted overall each damage type is? Like, if I fought one of everything, at the end of the day what percentage of each damage type would have been resisted? Seems like a relevant factor to me, but certainly it would be interesting to know.

Update: Alright, I wanted to give you guys an expanded update on the build as well as a little bit of a guide for exactly what to do with it on the way to 50. I've made some changes to the initial build shown above, and I've changed the slotting around to show the best way (in my opinion, of course) to slot as you advance. Also included are the base IO's that you should buy while working your way up, more or less in the order that they're slotted, before you start focusing on putting together all of your full sets. First, the initial build: 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 (is there a better way to do this than just a massive chunk of text?) So, if you look at that, you'll see that this build incorporates Melt Armor and is much more specific in its slotting progression. Initially I lean pretty hard on Seeds and Strangler for my control, with Vines only being used to stack with Strangler on Boss groups when necessary. The Lockdown +2 Mag procs are a help with the latter. You're going to be providing a fair amount of protection and healing to your allies, but for your own defenses you're pretty much going to be relying on the kindness of strangers. Keep in mind how relatively fragile you are at this point and be patient. Teammates may come to depend on your heals and they can't have you faceplanting because you drew unwanted aggro. This build is a little Recovery-tight for most of its pre-50 career, so try and be judicious with your heals rather than simply auto-firing Warmth. Sometimes its fun to take a break from manically mashing buttons like a spider monkey on meth, so enjoy a more measured pace in combat, keeping an eye on the battlefield and your allies to see where your heals or your control might be most judiciously applied. I tend to use Hasten situationally since eventually everything that I need has pretty good recharge on its own. Later on I'll try to pop Hasten when I drop Creepers, just to get it back faster (EDIT: Hasten and Super Speed should be swapped, as the Stealth provided by Super Speed can make it a little easier to position yourself for Seeds, at least until you get the Celerity unique in Sprint). To conserve Endurance, I generally don't run Tough, I just use it as a mule for the IO uniques. The empty slots are placeholders for the sets you will eventually be inserting, which is why they're placed last. By the time you drop them, you might already have some of the pieces to fill them, but for convenience sake, I made sure to use all of the exact same slots on the post-50 build. The final build: 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 So you can see that we've got our Ranged & AoE defenses up right where we want them, so close to soft-cap that literally any buff from a teammate will put it over the top. Ditto with the S/L Resistance, though the rest of your resistances aren't really worth writing home about. A few comments about the build: Seeds of Confusion, slotted with Contagious Confusion just might be the most powerful ability in the game. Your sets get you to Hasten-like recharge without Hasten. Again, I usually only pop it in big boss fights or as a follow-up to Carrion Creepers. You'll notice that I ditch the procs in Carrion Creepers for a full set of Superior Will of the Controller. Some people live and die by the procs, but I find it to be the perfect option as it already has a pretty potent damage proc of its own and the fact that it buffs ALL aspects of control means that it improves all of the things your Creepers do, instead of just one element of them. I take Vengeance in the 49 slot, but you could just as easily slot Thaw in there and take the Unbreakable Guard unique for a nice bump in Hit Points instead. Ditto Power Boost, but that's a pretty strong button to lose. That's pretty much all I got right now. I'd love to hear any thoughts or comments from Plant/Thermal experts or questions from those interested in giving it a shot. Thanks for taking the time to read. 🙂

[EDIT: Updated build in the post below this one] Morning, all! I was working on a Plant/Fire Dominator when I realized that I couldn't remember the last time I had played a controller. I tend to be of the more Blastery/Defendery sort and I hadn't found any Controller sets that I really liked, except Plants on the Red side (it had never been a Controller option when I played back in the day). I looked and sure enough it was available for Controllers so I immediately went to work. The reason I'm making this post is twofold: to get input and advice from the more experienced players on the board (whom are always so knowledgeable and helpful), and to create a guide of sorts for less experienced players who might be interested in one or both of these power sets, as well as how to build a well-rounded and effective Controller. Play style/concept: This toon is obviously intended for group play - almost exclusively - so it'll need to be effective against tougher mobs with the understanding that it's primarily a support character and I'll be looking to the others for damage. I just want to make sure nobody has to worry about me and that the game feels like it's on easy mode for my teammates. I also want a 'clean' build that feels smooth to run, with clear options for each situation, one that allows me to focus on the group between fights and our enemies during fights. Goals/parameters: I generally try to plan my character builds with as few purps as possible (assume I'm probably not going to get into Incarnates), usually just 1 or 2 of the class-specific purple sets. Within that framework, I want to get my Ranged and AoE defenses as high as possible because I generally try to stay back so that I can keep an eye on everything going on, capping S/L Resistance would be a bonus. Result: Between shields/maneuvers and both area and targeted heals, the group feels like it's in good hands, but they probably won't need them very often them as Carrion Creepers and Seeds of Confusion should keep most mobs preoccupied and then some. Strangler and Vines are primarily for stacking on hard targets supported by Heat Exhaustion and Power Boost. My defenses are all precisely where I wanted them, so hopefully the group won't have to worry about keeping me alive (not that they would anyway). So this is the build: 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 As you can see, I've managed to get the character's defenses above the soft-cap for both Ranged and AoE and hit the Resistance cap for S/L (though the remaining resistances are certainly nothing to write home about). For most experienced players, what's above is all they need to break it down and tear it apart (and thank you for getting through the text wall to this point), but I wanted to comment a little bit on my power selections and thoughts on slotting. Hopefully if I've misunderstood something, everyone can point out my errors. Plant Control: Strangler + Vines: I absolutely love the Lockdown IO set for these powers, due largely for their defensive buffs but also for the potential to stack higher-mag holds on targets. In most fights, once I've dropped Seeds of Confusion and made sure Carrion Creepers is up and running, casting selective Stranglers, spamming Warmth and monitoring the group's health bar in case a timely Cauterize is needed will pretty much be my focus. I took Vines primarily to slot if with a second Lockdown set and so that I had two Mag 3 Holds I could drop back to back on a particularly hard target. Roots: Didn't take - I didn't feel like I had room, though I've heard it can have some nice uses. I just don't rely on this guy for damage and I like the clumping effect caused by seeds of Confusion. Spore Burst: Didn't take - Sleeps always seem so situational and this one doesn't even deal damage. Seeds of Confusion: One of the main reasons to play Plant Control imo, if not THE reason, especially so early in the build, letting you have a highly effective control mechanism for group play almost from the start. In addition to basically shutting down entire groups of mobs it tends to group them up for my allies AoE attacks (assuming Creepers lets them). Cones can be tricky but you get the hang of it pretty quick and slotting a Celerity +Stealth in Sprint can make it easy to position yourself if the group lacks a Tank. Much less simple is the Overwhelming Presence IO set. This is something I'm struggling to get my mind around. I've thought about going with four slots in Seeds along with a couple of Range IO's and then sticking the other two into Carrion Creepers to double up on the Mez bonus. That would wreck my carefully cultivated Ranged/AoE defenses, so I'm not sure if it'd be worth it. I also have absolutely no clue how useful the Energy Font actually is - at this point I'm basically treating it like lagniappe, but am I missing an opportunity there? Spirit Tree: Didn't take - Could theoretically be useful for long fights, but with the healing offered by the Secondary it seemed pointless. Carrion Creepers: I'm just getting the hang of how this power works. I've read a lot of advice about slotting this power for damage procs, but I love everything that a full set of Superior Will of the Controller brings to the table too much (including its own damage proc) and, again, this character isn't being built to be a damage dealer. Whatever meager damage I managed would undoubtedly be dwarfed by anything a half-way decent group would be putting out, so better that it compliments all the disruption and control that I bring to the table instead. I'd also rather have it up more often and with Hasten up its almost perma. With all of that in mind, am I totally wrong here? Fly Trap: The way I see it, literally anything he brings to the table is just bonus. More chaos and control, a little damage, maybe draws some fire away from an ally - mostly he lets me 6-slot Blood Mandate for some excellent defensive bonuses. Thermal Radiation: Warmth + Cauterize: I'm not 100% sure exactly how the Preventive Medicine +Absorb works - I could just as easily 4-slot Panacea in there and move the Preventive Medicine into Health instead, if that would be better. Likewise, I should get the full benefit of the Unique in Numina's Convalescence where it is currently slotted in Warmth, correct? Thermal / Plasma Shield: Not much to say here. Reapply between fights or as needed and they serve as nice mules for the Aegis IO sets to boost AoE defense. Honestly if all Thermal Radiation did was the shields and the heals, it'd be a solid support set, but there's more! Power of the Phoenix: Somebody should be able to Rez in the group, especially if the Rez happens to also be their highest damaging power. Popping Vengeance after an ally bites it and then following up with this bad boy can turn a tough fight into a cakewalk. I think I can stick the Miracle Unique in this power, but I'd just as soon not have allies having to wait any longer than they have to in case more than one goes down. Thaw: Didn't take - I chose Power of the Phoenix here and Vengeance later on, and those are really the only places in the build where it could go. It would make for a nice Unique mule, but I don't know what I would drop for it. Besides, by the middling levels, most players have already attended to their own Mez protections, one way or another. Forge: If you pay attention, you can usually have this up and active on all of your team's damage dealers, which is amazing. It's basically like having a second Tactics AND another 2-3 Assaults up at once. Did I say this cat didn't deal damage? Your teammates will thank you for this more often than for their shields, I can promise you. Heat Exhaustion: This is explicitly for going after hard targets like Elite Bosses, Arch Villains and Giant Monsters. Personally I think that single-target powers with long recharge times and don't take IO sets should have a higher base accuracy, but whatever. With Hasten up I've got this more or less perma and it makes most of those tough fights a hell of a lot easier. Melt Armor: Didn't Take - honestly, most other players don't need me lowering defenses for them in order to hit (especially not already loaded up with Tactics and Forge) and minions tend to get mowed down too fast for this to do much good anyway. I thought this would be a nice compliment to Heat Exhaustion - which it's clearly intended to be - but I don't know what I would take out for it. Maybe I'll drop Vengeance and take a slot each out of Maneuvers and Weave to make room for it at 49. I just worry about my Accuracy as it is and those fourth slots in LotG help a lot. My biggest concerns regarding the build are: Relatively low non S/L resistances, though ideally I shouldn't be attacked very often, much less actually hit. Relatively low Recovery, though life has got to be a lot easier when you're not spamming attacks like a frenzied spider monkey. Relatively low Accuracy (+33% global ACC, +21.75% ToHit), especially vs. high-level mobs. This worsens if I go the Melt Armor route, but then I suppose if I opened with Melt Armor every other fight... Well, that's what I got. I'd appreciate any thoughts or comments on specific aspects of the build - particularly if I'm completely backwards on something - and I hope that what was posted is useful to someone out there. Thanks for reading!

This is exactly what I was looking for, clearly and concisely - thank you so much. And thank you everyone for taking the time to answer on this thread. I love how helpful and knowledgeable this community is.

What enemies tend to feature Regen DeBuff? I get that Regen is a big part of what Willpower does, but I wouldn't call soft-capped Defenses and 90% S/L Resistance exactly neutered...

Thanks - that's what I was trying to figure out. So straight up, without worrying about Defense DeBuffs, when fighting higher level foes you benefit directly by exceeding the soft-cap.

I can appreciate that perspective, I'm just trying to find out how the mechanic actually works, more than the best way to build various power sets. Too many subjective factors come into that. FWIW, I can't technically call this a 'defense-focused' build. It's definitely as mutli-layered as it comes... Defense: S/L - 44.8% E/N - 45.0% F/C - 45.0% PSI - 43.9% TX - 21.1% Resistance: S/L - 90% (91.8%) E/N - 20.6% F/C - 36.4% PSI - 67.4% TX - 34.1% Max HP: 2919 Healing: 1 Foe in melee range: 542% 2 Foes in melee range: 589% 3 Foes in melee range: 636% 10 Foes in melee range: 965% Darkest Night + Rise to the Challenge (AoE toggles): All foes suffer in area suffer -18.5% ToHit DeBuff and -30% Damage DeBuff

Gotcha. I didn't know if 45% was 45% against even-level foes but was maybe 42.5% against +1's, 40% against +2's , etc., so I would need to go over the soft-cap to ensure that +4's continued to only have a 5% chance to hit me.

For the purposes of this discussion, let's exclude Incarnate abilities. So, discounting Defense De-Buffs, if I've got 45% Defense it doesn't really make a difference if I'm being attacked by an even-level foe or a +4 level foe, I've gotten the full defensive benefit I can?

I understand that most power sets do not provide a great deal of resistance to Defense De-Buffs, and going above the soft-cap of 45% can be beneficial in that case. What I don't understand is what benefit it provides apart from that, which is to say that I don't fully understand all the nuances of how Accuracy / ToHit works, especially with regards to relative level between the attacker and the defender. If you are regularly battling foes who are 3 or 4 levels higher than you, does the level difference affect the calculations in such a way that you're really not at the Defense soft-cap, you're actually much lower? At the moment I'm working on a Tanker build (Willpower/) that puts me right at the defense soft-cap for S/L, E/NE, F/C and Psy, but I'm only just there. I'm trying to decide between a final set that will either grant +5 Def to E/NE, F/C and Psy bringing them from 45% to 50% OR a set that will grant a host of other useful benefits that I'd much rather gain if it turns out that I've reached the point of diminishing returns when it comes to buffing my defense (Apocalypse vs. Superior Winter's Bite). It's not just that scenario though, otherwise I'd be on the Tanker forum - the question is applicable to a broader understanding of how defense works and any future builds I might try to put together.

lol - I tend towards high defense builds for my ranged types and I love that AoE & Ranged defense you get from Lockdown, plus potentially stacking higher Mag Holds for hard targets. It's just habit though - first time with an Ice/Cold Corruptor.

Go to the effects tab for..? I've got them both six-slotted with Lockdown. On the Info tab FR still shows an unaugmented 8s and BFR shows an unaugmented 18s. On the Effects tab it shows them both at 18.59s.

Looking at Mids, slotting them for Hold Duration, they don't seem to be ffecting these powers at all. Is this the way it works (for some reason) or is it an issue with Mids?

Thanks for the response - out of curiosity, why skip Hurricane? It seems so powerful...

This is a very new power set for me and I've only seen it used a handful of times. Reading through the boards I've come across some conflicting information regarding powers and how to best slot them and I'm trying to figure out what my playstyle might be in this controlled chaos of a power set. I want to present my thoughts and some questions in the hope that some of you vets can properly educate me. FWIW, I'll probably be going Electrical Blast or possibly Storm Blast for my Primary. One of my concerns is how it will play out on teams. At mid-to-higher levels, it seems like I'd spend my time setting things up and by the time I do everything will already be dead and the group moving on. Is that a realistic concern? Gale: Seems like a decent early power, but the only long-term value I see in it would be if it were slotted with two Accuracy, a KB/KD and a Force Feedback proc. Even then, with everything I expect to be doing at higher levels, it just doesn't seem like I'd get around to using it very often. Still a decent way to soften up a potential alpha, though. O2 Boost: Feels like a relatively weak Heal and mez protection. At higher levels I'd expect everybody to be taking care of their own mez protection and the last thing I want to spend my time doing in combat is healing. Snow Storm: Another power that feels like it would be useful at lower levels but there wouldn't really be time for at the higher ones. Honestly, all three of the initial powers seem like options I'd choose initially but respec out of later. Steamy Mist: Now this power seems great, group +Def and +Res and a little Stealth over a really wide radius. Plus is seems like a potentially useful place to mule a host of Uniques. Freezing Rain: Also seems like a must take, it should probably be used to open most combats, yes? Maybe toss in an Achilles Heel proc, or should it get proc'ed out completely? Hurricane: Now this is one of the powers I have the most questions about. It seems wildly powerful and like it would be one of the foundational powers of the entire set. A couple of -Hit DeBuff IO's and you're burying their chance to hit. I'd expect to slot it with a KB/KD and a Force Feedback proc as well. Seems like it'd offer good protection for other players who want to stay back with me, and let me focus my defensive build almost exclusively on range? Is this right? I ask because I honestly can't remember the last time I saw anyone running Hurricane in-game and it makes me wonder if my evaluation of it is accurate. Between Steamy Mist and Hurricane, I'd think set it and forget it. Thunderclap: PBAoE with low accuracy, long recharge, Mag 2 effect - this power seems imminently skippable to me. Tornado & Lightning Storm: I'm including these together because they seem to be so related, pretty much my one-two drop in every group of enemies, moreso than even my primary attacks. The question becomes how best to slot them? Do they both need to be six-slotted? I'd think KB/KD and a Force Feedback procs in both - but how would FF procs work with these, would they proc off of the time that I cast them or continually while they were in effect? Do these two powers have the self-negating result of chasing all the mobs out of their area of effect? Lightning Storm takes ranged damage sets, so I'm not really sure how to read that. From a playstyle perspective, my initial expectation is that it basically consists of running around with Hurricane and Steamy Mist up, opening each combat with Freezing Rain, Tornado and Lightning Storm - possibly popping of my primary T9 - and then picking off stragglers with the rest of my primary powers. Does that sound right? Finally, not to be sacrilegious on the Corruptor forum, but is this a power set better suited towards Defenders, because we seem to focus so much more on it than on the ranged attacks? TIA for any responses, I'm really curious as to how this set plays out.