tidge

Each of the set bonuses from the Guassian's set is pretty good (although I suppose the Health boost at 3-slots is somewhat "meh")... the sixth piece also gives Fire/Cold Defense in addition to the Melee boost. It's certainly no (6-piece) Superior Winter bonus. When folks don't want to invest many slots in a Build Up power, I do recommend backing up the Gaussian's %Build Up proc (if it isn't slotted elsewhere) with a (boosted) Recharge. There are just enough fun team-up missions/SF/TF at low enough levels (i.e. below level 18 where the Gaussian's set cuts out but above level 8 when Stalkers can take Build Up) that having the Build Up available more often (keep in mind that at such low levels a Stalker won't have as many attacks to trigger the ATO) is a relief. Obviously if Build Up is taken at a later level or you don't care, don't sweat it.

If you are testing VEAT builds on TEST, the forced respec certainly adds an emotionally draining tax to things. Even leverage the 2nd and 3rd builds can be tiring.... and then trying to remember which powers get which %procs... MADNESS!

Like I wrote: I'm not going to try to sway another player about their VEAT power choices, I just want to explain some of my thinking. I have 5xDominion of Arachnos in Telekinetic Blast, with the %terrorize ATO in an AoE (where it belongs, IMO) as part of the 'layered defense' of the Fortunata. Obviously that is the sort of slot you might want to go to a different %proc. I don't find that the extra recharge from that piece messes up the %proc chances too bad, on some powers it will have no effect on %proc chances. As for my own slotting of Confuse and Aura of Confusion: Confuse has 6 slots and Aura of Confusion has 2 slots (Malaise's %Psionic and Acc/Recharge). I'd like to get the other %damage proc in there but as you know, VEAT builds get TIGHT fast. Frankly I could probably replace the Acc/Recharge with something else but I don't like the non-enhanced recharge time and I doubt that I'd notice a significant change in performance otherwise.

This has become all too common on Torchbearer. I find it especially annoying on level 45+ LFG announcements... both Red and Blue side have some great arcs that can easily serve as XP farms for characters... plus (especially on Blue side) there are accolades worth working on that require enemies that naturally crop up in content. There has been a nice spate of players running Ouro missions (for completeness, badges) who have been announcing and taking teammates for those arcs.

Those choices remind me of why (for my ranged-only Fortunata) I took Confuse at level 28 and fitted it with Coercive Persuasion, leaving Aura of Confusion as the %damage PBAoE, working it into my regular offensive cycle. As I have written elsewhere, I like scoring %damage as part of the mass confuse in order to get onto the drop tables. Having the single-target Confuse (even with %contagious) takes some getting used to if you are coming from the PoV of MOAR DAMAGE... If so, then I'd recommend the Spin route. @Gulbasaur can describe the joys of having certain enemy LTs buff/heal you (or debuffing other enemies).

Invulnerability/Energy Melee. It can be considered "classic" or "simplistic" but I like the way it channels the feeling of "I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere (until the change to rooted)." In the mean-time, have a glowing pom-pom TO THE FACE. While I see the appeal of auras that do things to enemies, I get the most satisfaction from auras that only makes my tank stronger.

FWIW, my preferred method of (quickly) accruing debt for the badges is to street sweep in Dark Astoria starting around level 45. If I find that this is still taking 'too long' because of character survivability I will street sweep without toggles. Below level 45, I find it is too inefficient to try to 'farm' the debt badges.

Oh... for the record, I played around with Total Domination in my build(s) and I don't remember every trying to put the ATO in it. AoE Holds are obviously good %damage sources, but I found it wasn't available enough to really make a difference for me.

I am very familiar with the 'situational' aspects of a Fortunata's toolkit. I actually use Aura of Confusion on offense (with %damage) as I have the Coercive Persuasion in the single-target Confuse. I won't try to sway you away from your power choices. I'm also well aware of the potential to suffer from lack of Accuracy/ToHit at low levels. My own build has franken-slotted Dominate (5x %damage, with an extra Damage) and Psychic Scream (3x %damage and ATO %terrorize, with a pair of boosted Centrioles... because CONES). I really only suffer in extremely low-level content that has seriously boosted enemies... but I took Aim at lvl 20 to help for most of that.

I have never 'waited' for stacks with my Stalker, so I found myself wondering if I was perhaps 'missing out'. I ran a lot of content across different level ranges and I can report that @SwitchFade comment rings truest. I was clearing mobs fastest by not worrying about the stacks. I suppose it is possible that against very hard single targets I could switch to an alternate playstyle/attack chain... but I don't think I'd notice.

I see you've done some tweaking, so I'll make a few comments without knowing exactly where you landed. I have a distinctly different approach to my (solo) Fortunata, so my feelings won't be hurt by counter opinions. My (ranged only, solo) Fortunata has two slots in Aim, with the second being a +5 Recharge IO. On the build from the post I am quoting, I would pull the %proc out of Strike for it. I get the sense that you are walking a line between having enough Accuracy/ToHit to support the %procs... I have more set bonuses so it is hard for me to judge, but I found that my Fortunata didn't really need more Accuracy. Similarly, I didn't chase Damage buffs from sets... even with MOAR damage, most attacks have damage from set slotting. What is your (practical) up-time on Mind Link? I ask for a couple of reasons: It seems like you are juggling a lot between Rune of Protection, Hasten, Mind Link... I'm aware it can be done (and occasionally do such things myself) but as a practical matter on my Fortunata I find myself not using it so much solo (but I rarely bother with +4 solo) and with teams I try to keep it up on the team (or troubled allies) more than for my benefit. If you aren't keeping Mind Link up "perma", I think you eek out slightly more (positional) Defense (without Mind Link clicked, but with Evasive Maneuvers toggled on) by putting Reactive Defenses into Evasive Maneuvers. This is a different sort of 'numbers' game that factors in play style, I went with alternate slotting for Foresight, Mind Link and Mask Presence. I have no Sorcery pool in my build, I also forgo the Kismet piece, so CT:Defensive holds a LotG. I don't have Maneuvers in my build. If the level at which the powers are picked seems odd, just imagine I have certain powers I want at lower level content. For reference Defense/Resistance slotting is: Level 1: Combat Training: Defensive -- LucoftheG-Rchg+:50(A) Level 4: Tactical Training: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx:50(A), LucoftheG-Rchg+:50(13) Level 22: Foresight -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(A), LucoftheG-Def:50(29), LucoftheG-Rchg+:50(29) Level 24: Mind Link -- AdjTrg-Rchg:50(A), ShlWal-Def/Rchg:50(31), LucoftheG-Rchg+:50(31), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP:50(31) Level 30: Mask Presence -- Rct-Def:50(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx:50(37), Rct-EndRdx/Rchg:50(37), Rct-Def/Rchg:50(39), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(39), Rct-ResDam%:50(39) Level 49: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Rchg+:50(A)

Mastermind direct attacks have a very poor damage scale and are Endurance heavy. IMO they are best leveraged by slotting with: %procs (assuming you have enough Accuracy/ToHit without adding some Accuracy Debuff / control effects (e.g. Knockdown) set bonuses

Masterminds don't NEED Provoke to be able to get aggro (and hold it if other characters cannot). They do need to be bigger threats than other characters. As was mentioned above, Robots/Traps is a reliable combination that doesn't need the Presence pool.

I definitely agree that Masterminds were the "Tankers" of City of Villains; anyone who claims that "Brutes" were intended to fill that role is confused (understandably, but they are still wrong). Masterminds do have to work much harder to tank (I am including build choices in the 'work') and typically can't just turn on a toggle that generates aggro and claim to be L33T T4NK3R. Generally (some of this was written above): A MM has to be paying attention to the AI stance and physical positioning of the Henchmen A MM needs to be aware of the assorted debuffs they have available A MM with Provoke (from the Presence Pool) needs to have is lotted (Accuracy first, Taunt second, plus Recharge to spam) because it is NOT an auto-hit like Taunt and Confront are. Investing in an actually set (I like Mocking Beratement at 5x or 6x slots) is worthwhile. It should be re-emphasized that part of what makes Masterminds able to "tank" is the pool of Health provided by Henchmen in Bodyguard mode... so you will need to have some investment in Henchmen Defenses and Resistances as well. In my experience, the most problematic enemies in the game for a Mastermind to 'tank' (ignoring non-Incarnate level shifted enemies) are those that have NASTY AoE (because losing all the henchmen means losing most of your Health) or large spawns that simply will not group (because many MMs have some sort of AoE that can draw attention).

With an appropriate character concept, I will always consider such things. As I wrote, after level 35 my Stalker builds are usually really tight for slots, and I (as at matter of personal preference) dislike having 'too many' attacks, balanced against having as smooth as possible attack chains across almost all levels. There is certainly a lot of fun content at 40+, but I'm not likely to go out of my way to %proc on an Epic AoE ranged attack just because I can.... even if Obviously I'm not required to invest many slots in something like Ball Lightning (perhaps not even Accuracy), but if my melee AT character is going to be throwing attacks, I would prefer the game to display damage. Otherwise, I'm more likely to make power choices and slot investments that scale to much lower content than for which such a Patron power would be available. Having written all that, I definitely have a character concept that could fit with more Epic/Patron AoE so I'm not taking it off the table.

I can offer my attitude; I can't say if it is 'conventional' or 'wise'. My attitude is based on the primary/secondary combinations that I've chosen. Mileage may vary with other choices. My Stalkers (and Scrappers) ALWAYS take a Snipe. The Snipe serves a few different purposes for my playstyle: I almost always have the Kismet +Accuracy (really +ToHit) piece in Hide; Hide is almost always toggled on; the +6% from the piece boosts the (Fast) Snipe damage (there is a cap of the boost from +ToHit which is otherwise easy to reach but not easy to maintain - from team buffs, Build Up, etc.) Slow snipes don't get a bonus from +ToHit. The extra ranged attack is a useful part of the attack chain, especially if debuffed enemies begin to scatter. I rarely open with the Snipe; as a matter of practicality: the nerf to the range of Fast Snipes has limited the utility of the Snipes for me. Some enemies run VERY FAR, VERY FAST so I would use the Snipe to tag those runners. I also used to use the (Fast) Snipe on the NEXT enemy spawn not just to 'ping' a target but to keep me from going into Hide 'too quickly' if I was worried about DPA with the Assassin's Strike. My Stalkers have never taken an Epic/Patron AoE power. To the first order, I am focused on the melee performance of my Stalkers. I can believe that there are circumstances of play and concepts of characters that would lend themselves to some sort of AoE. I can also appreciate that players coming from other ATs may really miss not having MOAR AoE. Finally, for my own approach and builds for Stalkers/Scrappers it is typically the case that I have any 'extra' slots that can be invested in an Epic/Patron AoE. As a practical matter: for those AT if I have ANY extra enhancement slots above the level 35 power (when I typically take the Snipe) those slots will be used in Defense or Resistance powers for mules or set bonuses.

That escalated quickly! Even though I use Unrelenting on my Fortunata, I can totally grok why Rune of Protection is a valid choice for others. Frankly, the most controversial point in the thread is that Widows don't need Tough/Weave ... which I agree with 100%. It used to be MUCH more common (at least from my casual reading of this sub-forum) that there were a few (demonstratably) experienced players who would casually suggest to a newer (VEAT) player that their proposed build could do without Tough/Weave only to be met with disbelief. I find it to be much more interesting discussion regarding the choice between Rune of Protection and Unrelenting. Some unrelated blather that came to mind: I'll make as many of my own biases explicit: I don't like to play Incarnate content, and even 45+ tends to be monotonous (I'll happily join AV teams of course). This means that (as a player, independent of character) if I am looking for extra coverage of any sort, it is almost always coming from SG base buffs and the core build, not from Incarnate choices. Ironically perhaps: my Fortunata probably has the most veteran levels (well above 100) and a LOT of that came from Incarnate content. When I (the player) play lvl 45+ content it will almost always be with PUGs (except for Television, because WE ALL LOVE TELEVISION, but my love for Television is especially unique), and I actually do expect us to play as a team, not as 8-solo characters. I will do my fair share of 'solo' work on lvl 45+ teams, but that is based on my mood. I really do believe that lvl 50+ missions that involve defeating AVs and lots of mobs go faster when the team sticks together, but YMMV.

I also prefer Unrelenting, especially for Defense-based ATs as the "Oh $#!+" power backing up the Absorb %proc/set bonus and Scaling Resistance Global pieces. My experience has been that once I am comfortable with the character's performance I will start using Unrelenting for the offensive boost. Heck... I often forget that it has a self-rez component as well. The Presence pool is slightly problematic: it requires FOUR power picks to get the two best powers (Unrelenting, Invoke Panic) behind three choices, two of which will barely rise to the level of "meh". Far more annoying to me than the mechanics of those first three choices is that those three (Pacify, Provoke, Intimidate) don't synergize with each other so being forced to take TWO of those three is a real waste of a power pick. I suppose I'd be bothered slightly less if Pacify worked like Placate (at least for the ATs that have such a power), but the only rework the set really needs is to be able to pick Invoke Panic as a second pool pick. Unrelenting is already awesome and needs no adjustment. Because I have written this in months: the game need both a PVP and Purple Fear set. I'd prefer both: the PVP set would be a good spot for another %damage proc and the purple set should have a %Contagious Fear proc (like Contagious Confusion) to make the single-target fears slightly more effective when facing larger spawns.

I'm a 'free thinker' on the topic of soloing AVs. Once a character can survive an AV, my primary consideration is surviving boredom when fighting solo against an AV. It's not as if there is a day job for having an AV beat at/on a character. Many of my characters can survive AVs (and higher level zone GMs) without being able to defeat them. Some of my characters can survive and defeat AVs, but only if RNGsus is kind. One missed attack/debuff at an inopportune time can have a BIG effect on how the fight goes. A few of my characters can defeat AVs through some combination of button smashing. Depending on the character, sometimes I consider it a 'win' if (solo) I can get the AV/GM stunned (or otherwise victim to 'control') or flopping around from knockup/knockdown/knockback.

I plotted how my exemplared Controller was going to solo finish the Moonfire TF. Answer: Build Snowbeast.

Ugh, Yellow Recipes (sometimes true Uncommons!) that require Rare salvage are a grief. The Orange (Rare) recipes that don't require Rare salvage don't make up for it IMO.

I also have a Mind/Poison/Primal that I enjoy playing. This was intended to be a sort of goof-ball character, but with lots of AoE and heavy leveraging of %damage procs, I find that he is a very capable solo character. I should note that my goofball doesn't leverage many of the (secondary) Poison powers; this is a conscious choice that makes him slightly less effective (on teams) than he could otherwise be: Secondary choices: Alkaloid (slotted with Miracle +Recovery only), This helps (me) during low level TFs. Other powers act as mules for other pieces. Envenom (6-slotted: 4xShield Breaker w/ %damage, Achilles' Heel %-Res, Touch of Lady Grey %damage) Weaken (skipped; should I ever drop another power this would be the first power I add into the build) Neurotoxic Breath (skipped; no great %damage, my character is less about 'control') Elixir of Life (mule for the Gladiator's Armor global) Antidote (skipped) Sorry teammates, I know you have a Break Free in your pocket! Paralytic Poison (6-slotted, 3xGladiator's Net with 4x %damage procs) Poison Trap (6-slotted, 5xArmaggedon plus an extra %damage proc) <- I opted for Armageddon as opposed to 'proc-monstering' this because I wanted the global Recovery, Accuracy, and Recharge bonuses. I play a lot of lower-level content. Venomous Gas (skipped), see below I tried to make Venomous Gas work for this character, but it simply wasn't working for the ranged attacker I built him into, especially with Terrify and Energy Torrent as cone attacks; every other offensive or control option works at range, aside from Poison Trap. In addition to being a ranged attacker, I wasn't going to be able to improve Defenses and Resistances enough to want to put him in close combat. I spent most of the time between levels 40-50 trying different play styles and slotting options; Venomous Gas simply wasn't a power for this character.

It is hard for me to take the Praetorian Calvin Scott storyline seriously when the Primal version of the Calvin Scott arc (and adjacent characters) is also so messed up (from my PoV). In case my opinion isn't clear enough: I really didn't like the 'forced evolution' of the main NPCs over the course of the Live game. It's been a more classic trope that 'heroes never change' in comic books... or alternatively: after an author has played with them, they get put back in the box as they were found for the next author. Updating the costumes was fine (original Positron was ugly), but (for example) I would have been totally ok with Positron being stuck in his armor as a result of the Rikti Invasion. Only for the most extreme examples (such as the introduction of vigilante and rogue alignments) would it have made sense to me to pull one 'big NPC' from both sides and drop someone else in their place (Manticore, Scirocco). My attitude is distinct from updating/revamping the 'hazard zones'... unless characters were driven to them by specific contacts, the only appeal (to me) was for a riskier caliber form of street sweeping for level appropriate characters. Revisiting the Hazard zones (including the RWZ remake, which I am somewhat cold on) addressed more problems than they caused... although I cannot imagine ever liking the plans for Perez Park... the lowest level Hazard Zone needs to stay as is IMO.

I don't like that Praetoria was destroyed per the 'official Lore'. I prefer my CoX to be open-ended without necessarily trying to bring 'epic storytelling' into the MMORPG. My own feelings on this are tied up with how the desire for Incarnate-level content essentially demanded a blood sacrifice, and the end of Praetoria gave us a good look at the direction the Live Devs would have taken the game (as if Galaxy City and Dark Astoria were not sacrifices enough). So... with my 'magic wand', I would Subtly alter the resolution of the Praetoria story such that Hamidon doesn't win, but reaches a new accord with either Emperor Cole (preferable but unlikely, without some mission rework) or a suitable replacement character that essentially maintains the status quo of all the existing zones. Heck, I 'd accept primal Lord Recluse stepping in and putting a lackey in charge as long as the general populous of Praetoria doesn't know! Arcs that rely on the 'total destruction' would have to be altered to be "what if? / Ouroboros" types ortweaked to simply be one-off examples of "Angry Hamidon" or as a result of general "escaping chaos in Praetoria" Invent Praetorian Epic Archetypes. One PEAT would be a multi-path DE hybrid (demonstrating new levels of 'experimentation/trust', another PEAT would be a multi-path IDF... much like how VEATs work. After this... well, I look forward to reading other player's ideas.

For the record: I have no issues with the AI that allows enemies to run... my in-game annoyance with runners is two fold, with an added third annoyance due to (I think) client-server mechanics: Some of them will run VERY far away. I find this most annoying on 'defeat all' or 'defeat a particular spawn'. Some of then will run/fly away at speeds that would be impossible for a player to achieve thanks to movement suppression. The mechanics of 'follow (F)' can make it such that a player can get just close enough to an enemy mob to stop moving, but still be too far away for a melee attack.