tidge
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Posts posted by tidge
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Pocket D is also a convenient place to perform AH related activities such as crafting and converting. You can also perform respects there if you are looking for things to do in order to spend time there.
The hour spent there doesn't have to be consecutive.
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I also want to post a warning about a toggle that is often forgotten: Sprint. I prefer to keep sprint toggled on for the movement increase, and sometimes for stealth.
Sprint can be slotted for Endurance reduction too... and every character starts with two Sprints, each available for slotting.
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On 1/11/2021 at 6:05 AM, nihilii said:
This. I will almost always get Shadow Meld if I'm getting Moonbeam, regardless of secondary; just because for 1 or 2 slots it has great value even on softcapped alts.
/nin has squishy DDR and can feel the pain against Incarnate content that defense debuffs. Activating SM as you run to the next group does a great job buffing you up for the first seconds of engagement, after which you have cleared enough of the crowd you control the rest of the fight.
Ditto for me (for both Scrappers and Stalkers). There is some synergy (mostly enemy dependent) between using a long-range Moonbeam while dashing towards an enemy group and activating the Shadow Meld for their alpha-strikes prior to melee engagement.
I think my builds are split roughly 50/50 between those only having Shadow Meld slotted with a single LotG Def/+Recharge and those with an extra slot of Recharge reduction. Personally, I find the (relatively) long activation time (for the duration of) of Shadow Meld to work against me wanting to use it 'regularly'; outside of the 'unlucky' DDR cascades for certain content (AVs, GMs) it is possible to become comfortable enough with their attack chains that you could trigger it as needed.
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Interesting, I'm in the same position with a newish Thugs/thermal MM. I'm now at the point (mid-to-late 30s) where I'm comfortable turning up the number of enemies so it takes very few missions to earn levels. I'm not sure that my (non-incarnate) level 50+ build will have a perma-Gang War, even with Hasten. You can split the ATO Mark of Supremacy set into three 2-set bonuses for the same global Recharge boost.
If you are looking for Global +Recharge boosts and Healing, I have the following powers slotted:
Warmth: 5xPanacea (the proc is in Health) for a 7.5% Recharge boost. I'm using attuned as I level, some pieces will become boosted level 50s later.
Spirit Ward (Sorcery pool): 6xPreventive Medicine for a 8.75% Recharge boost. This isn't a Heal, but a short-term Absorb. I wanted Rune of Protection, so I took this power instead of Cauterize.
Gang War itself (like the henchman summons) can take sets which include Recharge time enhancements and also provide global +Recharge.
My own planned build does not have many opportunities for Luck of the Gambler (a defense set which includes a Defense/+Recharge pieces; any build can benefit from as many as five of these.). Maneuvers and Weave look like it for me. If you are looking for alternate pool choices, I think the Concealment pool has several powers which can act as mules for LotG. I could have tried to add Vengeance to my build (Leadership pool) to act as a LotG mule, but I want to experiment with some Epic powers.
The one thing I've noticed about my Thugs/Thermal build: I really have to stay in Bodyguard mode or alpha strikes will finish me quickly!
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I think the general advice is: as a ranged cone with a Defense debuff component, you can leverage Suppression to do more than "just damage". For example, there are two %Resistance debuff procs (Annihilation, Achille's Heel) that can be slotted in it, plus the Dominion of Arachnos ATO %Terrorize proc. As a VEAT, any given build will probably have sufficient Accuracy (and ToHit) boosts that you probably wouldn't need to slot it for Accuracy. I think there is something like 5 %damage procs that could be put in it if that is how you roll. It's not like the Crabs have a shortage of ranged AoE attacks.
Hmmm.... lemme look quick at the the three Soldier VEAT builds I have on a toon, I suspect I was somewhat lazy with my slotting:
1) The no-pets Crab has it 6-slotted with the Annihilation set.
2) The pets Crab also has it 6-slotted with the Annihilation set.
3) The Bane doesn't have it (obviously).
The 6-slots of Annihilation boost MaxEnd, provide an Endurance discount and cap off with positional AoE Defense boost of +3.75. The defense boost is more important for the pets build, but on the no-pets build I am pushing positional defenses past the (non-incarnate) soft-cap, I should probably consider revisiting my build 1, although I don't usually play that build. I generally don't like putting a level 20+ set in a power that can be taken at low levels, but it looks like I wanted a %-Resistance piece in that AoE attack.
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My 2 Inf
Positron: I don't mind the Circle of Thorns connection (because as a villain group they scale to level 50+, plus the whole Incarnate thing)... It's the Vahzilok connection that bothers me. I don't have a good (or coherent) opinion on what type of hero Positron is. Early in the game he was more-or-less the 'tech' guy but then he became the 'incarnate' guy. To stick with the tech theme, I would say Sky Raiders or Freakshow (because the early lore had Positron 'stuck' inside his suit, maybe the Freaks leverage some of that tech for themselves?) Maybe Dr. Aeon could make an appearance?
Synapse: The Clockwork arc of this TF needs a bigger connection to Blue Steel. Normally I'd associate Synapse with a Crey-themed TF. He could be asking you to handle it because of PTSD!
Penny Yin: If Malaise wasn't such a poseur, he could be her big bad. The problem with Malaise is that aside from "Who Will Die", I think I've only come across him working with the Rikti? Or was that his Praetorian version? Anyway... maybe Malaise and the Lost? If we think about redside NPCs... maybe Kalinda is 'probing' around and Penny is interested?
Citadel: The Council and their Robots seems fine to me. The only thing that bugs me about this arc is that I've never learned from where the AI for their MekMen and Valkyries actually derives (as opposed to the reveal of the Malta Titans' OS).
Manticore: Why is his TF not involved with the 5th Column (per his backstory) or the friggin' mass Prisoner breakout of the Zig? He's so far from the Zig and Crey's Folly you would think he was afraid of getting beaten down.
Numina: I like the historical 'City Review' of her TF, but like many others... it sort of comes out of nowhere given her lore. I would have expected somebody like Lilitu and/or Archmage Tarixus to be leveraged. The former could want her 'son' back, and the latter isn't in too much of a radically different situation than Numina herself. If they already didn't consume too much Incarnate content, I'd suggest the Banished Pantheon.
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I've got some play time with this build (although I moved one of the Psi Resist pieces into Stamina to add a Power Transfer %Heal piece) at level 50. Mostly exemplaring, with some 0x8 content in Dark Astoria (arc 1) to build up Incarnate Salvage.
The offensive play is a lot smoother with the full build and extra Global +Recharge boosts (from LotG, Catalyzed ATO sets, Very Rare sets). I was very disappointed with slow-cycling attacks at lower levels, and the pitiful PBAoE of Whirling Mace. The attack chain was so slow I was beginning to regret not rolling the character as a Tanker. Now that I can reliable run missions with larger groups of enemies (solo), the combat experience is more enjoyable.
This build is Endurance hungry; since I haven't maxed out resistances I will use Cardiac Alpha for a while and then probably switch to Musculature depending on content.
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I don't have experience with Force of Will, but I think it has a ranged cone with Knockback/Knockdown so it should be able to slot four %damage procs (Positron's Blast, Bombardment, Javelin Volley, Explosive Strike) and/or a %-Res from Annihilation. I have a controller with Energy Torrent (Primal Forces pool) with the four %damage and then finished off with Range & Damage slotting via HO. All things being equal, the Damage slotting may not be as important as Accuracy for most builds, but I happened to have HO Centriole (Range & Damage) just sitting around. The Damage Scales for Controllers are much lower than most other ATs, so leveraging the %damage procs can improve mission clear times.
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Check out this recent thread:
I have a Robots/Traps that I like very much. They are not the HIGHEST DPS, but they are not the worst.
I don't disagree with the /Time or /FF recommendations, except to write: if you are a new player, /Traps will serve as a good mechanism to understand the role of enemy Debuffs, the enemy AI, and also will offer you some insight on different slotting approaches to the secondary powers.
I would NOT go /Empathy. I will type a small rant about my opinion about healing your MM henchmen:
Healing the henchmen has essentially only two places (I repeat: IMO) in the game's bigger picture:
- At low levels, your henchmen is your only effective way to defeat opponents. You don't want your henchmen dying all the time.
- Against many multiple enemies, or single hard targets (Elite Bosses, Arch Villains, Giant Monsters) the henchmen will take damage for you when in 'Bodyguard Mode'... you don't want them dying because they are a combination of your damage resistance and Health.
To address (1), you can always take Aid Other from the Medicine power pool. Note that you get a LOT of chances to "respec" your character (change power choices and enhancement slots, but you are 'stuck' with your Primary/Secondary choice. On my MM that played a lot of solo, I used Aid Other for quite some time up (mid 20s?) until I could provide better Defense and Resistance for the pets (through powers and enhancements). At that point I respecced out of the Medicine Pool.
To address (2), well... there are a LOT of options (besides Healing) to speak to this aside from healing. As far as healing: Some secondaries (e.g. Dark, Heat) will get PBAoE (point blank Area of effect) heals that you can toss... but generally Robotics/Traps will have solid defenses (from the FFG) and those Bots are pretty tough.
Also keep in mind that the earliest Henchmen will be at lower levels than you when they are summoned as multiples. It won't be as easy or as useful to try to keep all three of your T1 henchmen alive all the time.
I want to note that there is a difference between Regeneration and Healing (this comes up with Traps via Triage Beacon). Triage Beacon will shorten the "time between (normal) Health recovery ticks" (i.e. it increases Regeneration) for the henchmen/pets (and any players) as long as they are in its area of effect, but it won't increase how much health is recovered 'per tick', which is based on the total Health/HP of the henchmen/pet/player. Friendlies have to stay in the area of effect to get the Regeneration bonus. Just my opinion, but I find Triage Beacon more useful when facing large groups of enemies than small ones, since with large groups your team tends to stay in a smaller area.
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10 hours ago, Quindorrian said:
Yeah, Comic-con is a not a problem, itself. The issue with Masterminds (and this is an issue with all non-tank farmers) is runners.
I did get runners from Comic-con, but not so much that I would consider it a problem. Often it was a single runner. Robotics/Traps has MANY ways to address runners, including:
- Knockdown, from both Henchmen and clever IO slotting of MM primaries (Photon Grenade, Pulse Rifle Burst) and secondaries (Acid Mortar)
- Epic/Patron pools, including both hard controls (e.g. Immobilize) or soft controls (e.g. Knockdown in powers like Bonfire or Mace Beam Volley)
- Caltrops, a placed AoE slow
- Poison Trap, a placed PBAoE hold
- Seeker Drones (although I don't use these after the lvl 50 respec)
- There is also (my personally detested) mandatory secondary T1 single-target immobilize Web Grenade.
With so many henchman and pseudo-pets applying soft controls (Knockdown, Slows) and hard controls (Holds) I see far few runners than I do with my other AT builds that actually focus on hard controls (Dominator) or a mix of hard and soft controls (Fortunata).
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On 1/7/2021 at 8:54 AM, nihilii said:
I'm slotting a new alt as we speak, and there's a supply crunch on several damage procs: going for 6M and above rather than their usual 2M. It is *physically impossible* not to buy a bunch of other IOs in the same set and play converter roulette, even though I know this use of my time is largely pointless.
Hmmm... this surprises me about typical (non-PVP, non-Very Rare) "2M" damage procs. The %proc sector has almost always been upside-down in terms of number available v. number of open bids.
Outside of PVP and Very Rare sets: the primary %proc sector where I've noticed fluctuation is in Holds. I attribute this to a few things:
- There are an over-abundance of Hold IO sets (six, not counting the PVP, Very Rare and Winter IO sets!), so converting between the Hold sets is somewhat uneven (in terms of landing on the better sets)
- Basilisk's Gaze specifically grants a key bonus (+Recharge) with only 4 pieces, and this is a low level IO set.
- Many low-damage ATs have access to Hold powers, so franken-slotting with %damage from multiple Hold sets can significantly boost damage output for those AT.
- Some other players simply can't stop themselves from adding Hold %damage pieces to powers with perfectly acceptable damage outputs (often single-target attacks!) if those attacks have a secondary hold effect.
There are a few %procs in popular Debuff sets which had historically been around 6M... maybe the price of these had dropped to around 2M for a while?
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I will echo what others have written about the (self-)heal. My general experience is that the Incarnate self-heal covers what I want for most of the content where I want a self heal. I should note that my Dominator also has Fire Imps, which is a different primary. I don't disagree that chasing Incarnate Barrier powers is probably more efficient... but it doesn't earn the healing badges 😉
The Medicine pool is almost certainly not worth investing in for the self heal. I'll make an alternate recommendation, but this is not a path I have taken with my Dominator. Since a Dominator will be pursuing as much Global +Recharge as possible, Unrelenting (a 3rd pick from the Presence pool) can provide both regular self-healing and a +Damage boost. It can also 6-slot Preventive Medicine for +Recharge bonuses (as well as the +Absorb %proc)
I see several drawbacks to the Presence pool (for Dominators):
- Neither of the mandatory first picks (Pacify, Provoke) is particularly useful for Dominators. Neither power can act as an IO mule. It is practically inconceivable that Pacify would be useful (given Dominator AoE). I personally like the set bonuses from 6-slots of Mocking Beratement, but it is unlikely that a Dominator will have slots to spare for a Taunt.
- The next available power (and you must take a second power from the Presence pool to get Unrelenting) is a single-target Fear (Intimidate). A Dominator doesn't need such a control power, either as a control or for Magnitude stacking of Fear. Fear IO sets are also not anywhere close to being top-tier.
- Unrelenting requires 6-slots to be useful in regular play. That is a LOT of slots (on top of 3 power picks) to invest in a Dominator.
I can imagine character concept builds for Dominators that leverage the Presence pool, but I feel like such builds would risk sacrificing too much Damage/Defense for more Controls. Of course, there is nothing wrong with more Control, but the ceiling is somewhat low for how much you can effectively use.
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On 1/25/2020 at 4:52 AM, Sovera said:
Things like a comicon will just eat your pets alive. Doing a regular map with spawns scattered and taken down one at a time will work better since they are closest to regular play.
HARD DISAGREE follows. Please note that I consider drops to be the farming end-game, since I can collect INF more efficiently using the market. This means I play farms at 0x8. 'Bots are much better at AoE, playing a farm against higher level targets would hurt the return/time ratio.
My Robots/Traps MM can farm the S/L Comic-con map with absolutely no problem. I haven't done this in a LONG time, but finishing the 5 missions at 0x8 would take less than 30 minutes. Incarnates are also in play for team resistances, pet buffing, and Lore pets.
The core strategy isn't particularly imaginative: Keep the bots together, near the MM and the traps, in aggressive mode. The AoE traps are slotted to debuff enemies.
My experience is that while "resisting" the damage types in the farm is important, it is at least as important that the enemies in the farm don't resist you.
What I may be doing differently than folks might expect from a MM:
- The Robot henchmen can all be slotted to Knockdown. This keeps the enemies in one spot (getting debuffed) and taking AoE damage.
- The MM himself has multiple attacks (including a couple of AoE) that also do knockdowns and debuffs. These attacks are also used to drawn more enemy groups towards an established 'kill zone'. As @Unknown Magiwrote, the MM can leverage the aggro cap to draw more mobs while the henchmen are occupied.
This requires a particularly active type of play that some folks may not associate with "AFK-farming", but it still gets mapped cleared.
From memory: I would occasionally have to resummon robotic henchmen which fell, but most of my farm play with this build was before the Homecoming changes to henchmen AI. If the henchmen wandered away from the Triage Beacon, the Protector Bots and the MM's FFG (and Def/Res IO auras on the MM) is what would occasionally lead them to defeat... which is why the AoE debuffs/knockdowns are particularly effective.
EDIT: I feel as if I should write something about the 'INF farming' aspect. If you really want to farm for Influence and absolutely don't want to get involved in the market, I would still recommend playing the (level 50) farms at 0x8 but using the P2W to 'turn off' all recipe drops except commons and very rare/PVPs. The level 50 common recipes average 100 KInf each at a vendor, and the very rare/PVP recipes are too valuable to pass up. The drop rates are the same for +0 content as they are for +4 content.
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I'm firmly against trying to 'scale' the TF missions to all levels. Much of the charm of low-level TFs is tackling them with level-appropriate powers. I see such requests as (stealth?) requests for more endgame content.
I'm not capable of determining what level of rework is "major" and what would be "less than major".
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It occurs to me that if this was LoTR then the fast travel power would be Eagles.
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2 hours ago, Neiska said:
Just my thoughts on the matter, and best wishes to everyone out there, both non-stealthys/speedsters, or plod-alongs!
TLDR - If I want to do something "different", I speak up. If the group is fine with it, then great. If not, I follow the pace of the group if I am enjoying myself, or I find another one if I am not.
If I'm running the arc, I announce my preferences. If I've joined an arc, I always ask how we are running it... if preferencess have not been shared.
My point is more about my frustration with characters that can't speed to the end without messing things up for most of the rest of the group. For example, an Invulnerable Tank can almost certainly survive getting to the final room of a map, but it is unlikely that they won't have woken up every mob along the way... and they may end up taking so many attacks that they cannot finish clicking a glowie or cast Assemble the Team.
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This message is not specific to Tankers, or even Tankers with 'Stealth', but it has been on my mind recently:
I do wish that players who join TF PUGs would accept that not all AT are equivalent when it comes to "stealth to the end to fight the boss/click the glowie".
Some circumstances which initiate internal groaning are:
- Squishies who get killed while trying a mad dash to the mission end
- Aggro-magnets who wake up mobs that now block passageways for everyone else
- Aggro-Magnets that draw more mobs into the end area (which only required a glowie click, or a limited number of enemies to defeat, or 10 seconds to Assemble the Team)
Writing only for myself: I don't care if the player has run the TF hundreds of times and knows which missions can be "sped"... if the player isn't playing an AT that can't do this... please don't try to force it.
Q: Why would I post this to a thread on the Tanker forum?
A: Tankers on a PUG typically (especially on lower level TFs/SFs) have powers that are best at staying with the group that can't stealth to a mission's end. Chill out with that first enemy group and collect some XP with the squishies who won't survive the aggro you would be tempted to leave behind.
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I stopped being EbilTM quite some time ago. There have been far fewer PUGmates that didn't have the 10M prestige powers, so I haven't been giving nearly as much away. I definitely stopped playing the market after the this happened on the third character (I play characters through content):
- Pull 200 MInf out of email, spend something like 30% at P2W.
- Somewhere around level 7, go to the SG base and start pulling out attuned PVP and ATO pieces to use
- Somewhere around level 20, go to the SG base and start crafting the non-common recipe drops. Use merits for converters.
- Put the converted pieces on the market. Profit!
- Somewhere around level 25-30, start pulling spare attuned pieces from the SG base, or buying the missing pieces.
- Somewhere around level 40, the character is back past 200 MInf
By now, I'm usually ready to play some of my level 50s... so I go play them and collect more (now level 50) PVPs and Purples and Catalysts and Merits...these go into SG storage.
- Then I come back to the level 40, convert the drops to prep for the level 50 respec, buy some 10M packs to convert to (or fund purchase of) last few ATO pieces I need. Play up to level 47... by now on most AT I can play 0x8 content without trouble, so the drops start rolling in.
- At level 50, buy the missing Superiors, Swap out attuned PVPs to level 50 PVPs, catalyze pieces as needed. Buy boosters with merits.
- Put 200 M Inf in email for the next character.
My builds end up with some pricey pieces... but it feels like I did it all by effectively starting with 100 M Inf (I start with 200M to be able to give away early).
The worst side effect of my now "meh" attitude is that I can't take anyone seriously whenever a "500M Inf build" is mentioned.
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Since this is explicitly a "revamp" thread, I will limit myself to my thoughts on the the TFs (SFs are generally ok, IMO) that need rework: Synapse and Citadel. It is my belief that these two are most in need of rework because they occur at lower levels, and many "defeat all" missions spread all over the city can be extremely tedious for characters in the level range of the Task Forces.
I will sidestep the 'appropriateness' of the TF contacts. I agree that it seems very odd to have Synapse dealing with Clockwork.
Synapse: I feel like this should be split (roughly evenly) between missions in only two zones. It would seem that Steel Canyon and Skyway City would be the obvious choices, but I wouldn't automatically rule out either Boomtown or Kings Row. Boomtown doesn't have a trainer, but leveraging a Hazard Zone could be fun. It might be too much trouble for this level range. I'll come back to this. Kings Row has the ability to leverage the presence of Blue Steel.
The (current) first half should consider revising the "defeat all". I personally don't object to there being a "run between objectives" in a single zone, but it doesn't really scream "Task Force" as much as "Forced Tasks". I don't like that the entire team gets scattered by this activity. Just spitballing, but I like the way The revised Yin TF flows:
- Rescue (in an instanced part of a city zone)
- Objectives (behind a door)
- Multiple specific defeats (behind a door)
- Boss fight with "summoned groups"
I find the "summoning spawns" to be fun, as long as there is not a terribly long delay between spawns (ehem, Terra Volta trial).
The proposed second arc seems natural to keep the Skyway warehouses, the GM spawn and the AV. To spice this one up, I'd beef up the "Court" (requiring a defeat of multiple specific members of the court: Queen, Prince, Knave, Bishop, Knight) add a pseudo-pet enemy combat effect to one of the missions... similar to Battle Maiden's fields of death... but slightly less deadly.... some Psy damage, or Endurance drain. I'd like the back half of this arc to feel like it was designed by a kid really into chess (or D&D).
I'll hold off on my suggestions for Citadel... but I think that putting the first half of all of his missions in Boomtown would be slightly less annoying than traveling to the far corners of Independence Port and Talos Island.
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Frankly, I barely pay that much attention to that piece from the Numina set but its nice to know that the recipe is (slowly) selling at a better price than the piece itself, should I get the recipe drop. A 2M Inf sale (of the crafted enhancement) allows for a profit in most cases, but I dislike niches where there are 500+ for sale, especially with so many unfilled bids. To me it just looks like people aren't paying attention to that piece, and that it isn't all that important for a majority of builds.
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6 hours ago, Verix said:
Be careful about overslotting powers. You can take combat jumping and 5 slot it but it won't really give you that much defense no matter what you do. The better defense powers start with like 12% instead of only 3-4% defense.
Amen.
I want to note that I often will invest more slots in Defense and/or Resistance powers to use as mules for IO uniques, especially if the AT's primary/secondary/APP pools don't naturally have slots to put those pieces. Certain pieces will "work" even if you don't have the power on (or avialable!), provided that you are not playing content below the level where the piece could have been slotted. I'm sidestepping details on attuning IO pieces and/or PVP pieces.
The first global IO pieces you should consider adding are:
- (Resistance) Steadfast Protection Resistance/+3% Global Defense
- (Resistance, PVP) Gladiator's Armor TP Protect/+3% Global Defense
- (Defense, PVP) Shield Wall TP Protect/+5% Global Resistance
After those three, it is important (IMO) for a MM to increase it's own survivibility while in Bodyguard mode, so I suggest:
- (Defense) Reactive Defenses Scaling Damage Resistance
- (Healing) Preventive Medicine +Absorb
- (Resistance) Unbreakable Guard +MaxHP
I will also typically slot a (4 points of) Knockback protection unique. 4 points is enough for almost all situations. IIRC you need MUCH more (12 points?) for the specific enemies which will use extreme knockback/knockdown, and your henchmen won't get it so don't go overboard here.
- (Travel) Blessing of the Zephyr (4 points) Knockback Protection OR
- (Resistance) Steadfast Protection (4 points) Knockback Protection
A personal disclosures: I will note that the first of the IO sets that I will 'overslot' to get the 5- and 6-piece set bonuses is Reactive Defenses. The 5th piece will contribute an Endurance discount to all powers, which can be important for very active MM builds.
A note about PVP IO sets that also applies to Universal Travel sets:
The enhancement values from PVP set pieces will contribute (at a scaled value) at levels below their identified value, just like a common IO piece. This means that if you slot a lvl 50 piece and boost it to 50+5 you can eek out more enhancement from it. Note that a character stills need to be at a high enough level to be able to slot the piece, and that the "global" pieces can't be boosted (although they can be converted into, but a 'boosted' global piece has no extra effect. I mention this only because if (for example) you have a Resistance toggle with a Gladiator's Armor global Resistance piece and intend to also enhance resistance/endurance reduction in that power, then a 50+5 piece from the Gladiator's Armor is going to offer the most benefit, plus give you a set bonus (for this set: a small Recovery boost).
Typically, I will slot attuned versions of PVP pieces while leveling and then switch to level 50 pieces when my character is high enough for them. The PVP recipes drop across all level ranges (10+), and catalysts drop 1 per day (for each level 50 character) so some converter roulette can get me the pieces I want from those sets with very little effort. The Global PVP pieces don't need to be attuned, but I often find myself eventually attuning them anyway since an attuned PVP piece can be unslotted and donated to a lower level character. I should note that with a large stable of level 50s, I consider myself 'catalyst rich' but the auction house can be leveraged to get attuned (and level 50) versions of particular PVP pieces.
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On 12/29/2020 at 1:53 AM, ExeErdna said:
The main reason for permadom to me is being immune to being mezzed. To have your dom drop in the middle of a group is one of the worse things. Especially if you're fighting Malta, Carnies, Longbow or Arachnos.
I'll add that I find it almost as important that Domination will refill the Endurance bar. My (perma) Dominator runs much hotter with less concern for Endurance management that my other ATs.
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Maximum Endurance determines "how much Endurance you get per tick". You can increase MaxEnd through accolades, set bonuses.
Recovery determines the "time between ticks". You will eventually hit the point of diminishing returns on Recovery; this point can be reached faster than you might expect, especially now that Stamina is inherent to all characters. You can increase Recovery by slotting Stamina, set bonuses, unique pieces, (temp) powers, SG crafted buffs, etc.
Endurance +End "occasional boosts" are rarer: Two IO pieces (Panacea, Performance Shifter) are the ones everyone focuses on. Some game effects will also refill the Endurance bar (e.g. Domination).
Endurance savings can come in two flavors: reducing the Endurance cost of individual; powers with Enhancements, certain powers, or getting global endurance discounts from IO set bonuses.
I am ignoring Incarnate powers for the purposes of this discussion.
(1) I will always slot the +End boosts:
Health: Panacea %+HP/End (default slot)
Stamina: Performance Shifter %+End (default slot)
(2) After those two, especially at high levels, the best investment for Recovery is in a second Stamina slot, using a 50+5. While leveling, I'll typically use an attuned Performance Shifter End Mod piece, just to not have to think about it.
(3) If that extra slot in Stamina isn't enough to help out with Endurance management (and often it is NOT enough while leveling, usually because I'm running too many toggles or using temp power attacks) I will invest a second slot in Health, and add the Miracle +Recovery unique there.
(4) That is pretty much where I stop (*1) because the time "between ticks" (from Recovery) is far less noticeable than
- Slotting "Endurance Hogs" with an Endurance reducer IO (common or set piece)
- Waiting a tiny amount of time before mashing each button
- Turning off a toggle (usually Sprint or something like Ninja/Athletic Run)
Even without 'unlocking' the Prestige Sprints, you will have two to choose from... slot the second sprint with an Endurance reducer if you want Sprint on during combat. You can always toggle it with the other Sprint if you want that power to have a different configuration of Enhancements.
(4b) All other things being equal, if I have another slot available it goes to
- in Health it would be for the Preventive Medicine %Absorb piece.
- in Stamina it would be for the Power Transfer %+HP piece.
See discussion elsewhere for the relative effectiveness of Panacea v. Power Transfer +HP.
TL;DR: Generally, you will get a much bigger bang for your buck by increasing MaxEnd and decreasing Endurance costs.
(*1) I think I may have a Crab VEAT build with a 3rd slot in Stamina with a second End Mod piece... and I feel like I have another build (an aggressive Mastermind?) without so many set bonuses to help with Endurance management that may dig deeper into Recovery because he just can't help himself.
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3
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Like most of my characters, this one has a 'concept'; To use a hand-held weapon in melee and not have obvious defenses. I also was fighting the urge to make another Stalker or Tanker, and wanted a secondary set that I didn't have to worry too much about. I also chose to NOT include Hasten in the build, but to get a decent amount of Global +Recharge from set bonuses and LoTG.
The lvl 50+ build I'm noodling with is below. I'm looking for advice on the choice and placement of the IO sets. With the exception of the (possibly odd) franken-slotting of Whirling Mace (current slotting: I'm not sold on), the chosen sets are typically 6-slotted to eek out some extra Defense/Resistance, so in some circumstances they can be painlessly swapped between powers.
I want to note that my first concept for the build included Spring Attack and not Cross Punch, but Spring Attack is essentially "immune to improvement" via slotting, so I opted to drop in Cross Punch. I'm not thrilled with the narrow cone, and Obliteration isn't one of my favorite sets (because of 27+ level range)... but I have grown accustomed to using as a fast-recharging attack to break up the monotony. Cross Punch and Invincibility have a nice synergy with (Fast) Moonbeam because of the ToHit boosts they both offer.
The last 3 powers (Shadow Meld, Weave, Maneuvers) are more-or-less LoTG mules until I start running into seriously difficult content (and get some Alpha-level Endurance assistance). I miss not having a dedicated taunt (Confront or Provoke) to slot but it would have come late enough in the build without available slots to do what I wanted with it.
The Build:
SpoilerHero Plan by Hero Hero Designer 2.23
https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designerClick this DataLink to open the build!
Temp War Mace: Level 50 Mutation Scrapper
Primary Power Set: War Mace
Secondary Power Set: Invulnerability
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Soul MasteryHero Profile:
Level 1: Pulverize -- SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), SprScrStr-Dmg/Rchg:50(48), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(48), SprScrStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(50), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(50), SprScrStr-Rchg/+Crit:50(50)
Level 1: Resist Physical Damage -- ImpArm-ResPsi:40(A)
Level 2: Jawbreaker -- Hct-Dmg:50(A), Hct-Dmg/Rchg:50(3), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(3), Hct-Acc/Rchg:50(5), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx:50(5), Hct-Dam%:50(7)
Level 4: Temp Invulnerability -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(A), ImpArm-ResPsi:40(9)
Level 6: Build Up -- GssSynFr--ToHit:50(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg:50(11), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx:50(11), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx:50(13), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx:50(13), GssSynFr--Build%:50(15)
Level 8: Clobber -- SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg:50(A), SprCrtStr-Dmg/Rchg:50(15), SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(17), SprCrtStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(17), SprCrtStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(19), SprCrtStr-Rchg/+50% Crit:50(19)
Level 10: Dull Pain -- Prv-Heal:50(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx:50(21), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg:50(21), Prv-Heal/Rchg:50(23), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx:50(23), Prv-Absorb%:50(25)
Level 12: Super Jump -- WntGif-ResSlow:50(A)
Level 14: Resist Elements -- GldArm-3defTpProc:50(A), ImpArm-ResPsi:40(33)
Level 16: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Rchg+:50(A)
Level 18: Whirling Mace -- HO:Nucle(A), HO:Nucle(25), Obl-%Dam:50(27), ScrDrv-Dam%:50(27), Erd-%Dam:30(29), Arm-Dam%:50(29)
Level 20: Unyielding -- UnbGrd-ResDam:50(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx:50(31), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:50(31), UnbGrd-Max HP%:50(31)
Level 22: Resist Energies -- Ags-ResDam:50(A), Ags-ResDam/Rchg:50(33), Ags-Psi/Status:50(33), ImpArm-ResPsi:40(34)
Level 24: Kick -- FrcFdb-Rechg%:50(A)
Level 26: Shatter -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg:50(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx:50(34), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(34), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(36), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(36), SprAvl-Rchg/KDProc:50(36)
Level 28: Invincibility -- Rct-Def:50(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx:50(37), Rct-EndRdx/Rchg:50(37), Rct-Def/Rchg:50(37), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(39), Rct-ResDam%:50(39)
Level 30: Tough -- ImpArm-ResPsi:40(A)
Level 32: Crowd Control -- Arm-Dmg/Rchg:50(A), Arm-Dmg:50(39), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(40), Arm-Acc/Rchg:50(40), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx:50(40), FrcFdb-Rechg%:30(42)
Level 35: Tough Hide -- ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP:50(A), ShlWal-Def:50(42), Ksm-ToHit+:30(42)
Level 38: Cross Punch -- Obl-Dmg:50(A), Obl-Acc/Rchg:50(43), Obl-Dmg/Rchg:50(43), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(43), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(45), Obl-%Dam:50(45)
Level 41: Moonbeam -- StnoftheM-Acc/Dmg:50(A), StnoftheM-Dmg/EndRdx:50(45), StnoftheM-Acc/ActRdx/Rng:50(46), StnoftheM-Dmg/ActRdx/Rchg:50(46), StnoftheM-Dam%:50(46), Apc-Dam%:50(48)
Level 44: Shadow Meld -- LucoftheG-Rchg+:50(A)
Level 47: Weave -- LucoftheG-Rchg+:50(A)
Level 49: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Rchg+:50(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- EndRdx-I:50(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:50(A)
Level 2: Rest -- IntRdx-I:50(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I:50(A)
Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End:50(A), Mrc-Rcvry+:40(7)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%:50(A), PrfShf-EndMod:50(9)
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
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New Player Mastermind Questions
in Mastermind
Posted
I also put the %Build Up on the T1 henchmen. My theory is: as long as they have enough cycling attacks, the Build Up will help counter the level shift. I see it firing almost constantly on one or more of the T1 robots.