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S'all cool man. I didn't build my crab like yours (none of the Crabbermind, Mace-Bane or Gun-Bane builds are like yours), and I specifically didn't suggest different power choices.... I simply made some slotting suggestions on the defensive side. If you post the code for your build we can do actual tweaking. I use the term 'proc-sloppy' to describe a power that has procs but isn't firing them off 'every time'. It isn't meant to be insulting, it is just a short-hand descriptor. Using MIDS, I replaced the slotting I used (6xSuperior Dominion of Arachnos) with your slotting for Longfang an the improvement (ain your favor) is only on the order of 10 more points of damage 306 v 296)...if the proc fires. I'm not factoring the single-target -Res, as I have -Res in the AoE Suppression. In contrast, I compared your slotting of the (Superior) Dominion of Arachnos in Venom Grenade with my slotting of 5xRagnarok(counting no boosts, including the %Knockdown) + a Positron %Energy. Your build is roughly 178 and my build is roughly 175 (not counting the proc) to all targets. I think my proc-slotting is sloppy (because my recharge time on Venom grenade is almost 90% boosted) but a better choice because I would rather more-reliably AoE a %damage proc (or a -Res) than a -Dmg proc on a large group. I have mixed opinions about the %Terrorize portion of the ATO. @Gulbasaurswears by it in Fortunata builds (in AoE powers) but on my Crabbermind it has little noticeable effect in-game; likewise on my no-pets Crab build. As I noted above, I have the soft-control of Knockdown in Venom Grenade instead. I see you have something similar in Frag Grenade, it is the same concept. VEAT can be built in many different ways, but when you post a build asking for advice you might get some.

Crabs can be varied, but only one part jumps out to me: Level 2: Health (A) Miracle - +Recovery (3) Numina's Convalesence - +Regeneration/+Recovery (3) Numina's Convalesence - Heal/Endurance Level 4: Super Jump (A) Jumping IO (50) Jumping IO Level 26: Fortification (A) Aegis - Resistance (33) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance (34) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3% (34) Steadfast Protection - Knockback Protection I won't criticize anyone's choice of travel power (or slotting), but I would juggle things in these three powers: 1) Drop the slot from Health (3) Numina's Convalesence - Heal/Endurance, move it into Super Jump. My experience is that extra slots in Health aren't usually getting much in terms of Regeneration or set bonuses. If you put the +Max HP piece here, that frees up the slotting in Tough 2) Change the Sumper Jump set to Blessing of the Zephyr This will include 4 points of Knockback protection The three-set bonuses include more defenses (largest gains in positional defenses) The non-uniques can be boosted to 50+5 each. 3) Convert the four slots in Fortification to Unbreakable Guard. You will get an Endurance Discount and more Defense. (You will have to find a home for the Steadfast Protection Global +Def, but I think you can do it, see Tough or Longfang for Example) I chose to 6-slot TT:Maneuvers with the Reactive Defense Set for more Endurance reductions and an 8.75 Golabl +recharge. If you are just chasing Global +Recharge, I think the alterations I suggested above will allow you to move a LotG Global to another power. I think you may be a little 'proc-sloppy' on Longfang (no insult intended, this is how I describe many of my own builds). It already has a base 8-second Recharge, so it isn't the friendliest proc-power. I have Dominion of Arachnos slotted in Longfang. Here's an odd preference of mine: I slot Rest with an Interrupt IO, not Recharge.

On my /Kin controller, I had multiple Travel power IOs slotted (IIRC, only the global Blessing of the Zephyr pieces are unique; the others can be boosted to 50+5 just like PVP pieces) Generally, all my single-target holds will start with a plan for 4xBasilisk's Gaze for the Global +Recharge. I am typically reluctant to try to turn a single-target hold into a 'proc monster'. I usually need slots elsewhere and I am happy enough with those set bonuses from 4-slots. Confuse: Coercive Persuasion (Very Rare) offers good set bonuses across the board. My experience is that the %Contagious Confusion proc is generally wasted in AoE confuses (although FWIW it does improve the 'World of Confusion', as embarassed as I am to admit I know this). My preference would be to put this set in a single-target Confuse because of the proc. Stuns: I've generally been happy with 5-slotting Stupefy for Global +Recharge. My experience has been that it is 'too easy' to get five other 10% Global +Recharge from other powers. Stuns aren't everybody's bag, I know.

I want to spring off of a few posts, on the topic of 'playing a stalker more like a scrapper'... not so much because of solo v. team play, more to 'keep moving' in solo play. I have a low-30s Stalker right now, with a relatively smooth attack chain. I have both of the ATO procs slotted, and the Build Up has a decent recharge without the ATO proc. The %Hide proc is in the Assassin's Strike. Opening an attack on a (even level, or +1) spawn with the Assassin's Strike feels like a net loss of DPS... because the 'slow' strike is taking a while (and when it misses, I miss the lost time more than the damage) I'm starting to think that putting the %Hide into a harder-hitting power (or a melee AoE) would be a better place for it... because presumably if the %Hide procs, I can followup with an Assassin's Strike. Most of my spawn combats are not from Hidden anyway... so I'm a hair's breadth from just opening with any other attack than the Strike. Am I being wrongly seduced away from slow-but-sweet Assassin's Strike damage for the lure of being able to make a faster initial attack? Does the Hidden status (via the %Hide proc) yield the same damage from the 'fast' Assassin's Strike?

It is a nice idea, especially if Steve Harvey is the warning, but for some items (think salvage prices) the prices fluctuate by powers of 10^3.

My bots trying to take down the last couple rando mobs:

/agree. My main Fortunata takes a different approach than @Gulbasaur, but the advice is the same. I sacrifice single-target damage for AoE and control, so I can end up in longer fights with fewer opponents. My AoE attack chain is roughly: Psychic Wail -> Ball Lightning (-Res) -> Psychic Scream -> Static Discharge - the faster Single-target attacks are filling in the gaps: Dominate, Subdue, Telekinetic Burst, Mu Lightning. My 'Control Chain' is used to either relieve pressure or just because I want the fight to go faster: - Aura of Confusion (a PBAoE that turns enemies against each other) - Invoke Panic (A PBAoE fear from the Presence pool) - Provoke (A targeted AoE from the Presence pool, used just to try to speed up fights) - Confuse (A single-target slotted with Contagious Confusion, only used rarely most days... good for Magnitude confuse on bosses after the PBAoE) - Intimidate (single-target necessary pick from the Presence pool. It occasionally gets used in very low-level content) Notice no Total Domination. With all this to choose from, my build doesn't include Hasten. One of the things I like about Fortunatas is that because of the ease of hitting capped (Positional) defenses from just the secondary, and the ability to construct solid attack chains from just the primary, there is a LOT of design space to play with in Power pools. I won't try to sell anyone on the Presence pool, except to say that Invoke Panic and Unrelenting are great on Defense-capped builds. I will note that my positional defenses are 51.6% Melee, 47.9% Ranged, 41.7% AoE (without Mind Link, without Winter IOs, without the Fighting pool)... the control and healing contributes to my toon's survival. This toon also went into the Mu Mastery pool (for more AoE and a different type of Damage) , but the damage from those attacks is quite soft. I wouldn't recommend those attacks over Spin or Lunge for raw damage. Here is some advice for your specific build: Flight: Slot a Winter's Gift Slow Resistance in there (or a BoZephyr knockback reduction) just because. Aim: If you are including this in your build, I encourage you to try to find a way to 6-slot it with the Gaussian's ToHit buff set. Steal slots from wherever you can... with your recharge it should be available quite frequently (< 30seconds) and it will greatly increase your damage.

Interesting, my memory is different. I certainly remember all the PVP griping about Stun (not so much the power Stun, but players getting Stunned)... if there is one thing players hate, it is being 'controlled'. While I never really went for PvP, staggering players were a nice change of pace from the original stunned enemy behavior; frequently a stunned enemy would stagger-dash away at Mach 2... not great for street fighting. I kept Stun on me /EM Tank for a good long time (for sentimental reasons), but as a single-target attack it is such a niche power that even I respec-ed out of it. I don't mind the secondary Stun effect of Energy Melee at all... it's all the flavor I want. In contrast, I find Street Justice's extra effects are unnecessarily complicated. In terms of re-imagining the Energy Melee set (as opposed to simply adjusting animations and 'damage per animation') I find Stun to be the outlier. My preference is to not replace it with any sort of AoE (assuming EM becomes the premier single-target melee set), but otherwise I'm open to straightforward suggestions. My guess is that many other folks are also skipping Stun, so another ST-attack is probably not warranted. An aura seems like an odd choice, which is why I suggested something else like an Endurance discount or recovery mechanism.

This is correct based on my observations: I've started getting Purple drops at 47 (you can craft them, you just can't slot them), and PVP recipes come at very low levels... I assume they drop over their entire range, but l'm pretty sure the lowest one I had was at level 11.

start with something like: /bind E "powexec_name aim$$bind_load_file <drive>:\\<directory>\part_2.txt" ..and have two text files (in the appropriate directory) part_2.txt E "powexec_name build_up$$bind_load_file <drive>:\\<directory>\part_1.txt" part_1.txt E "powexec_name aim$$bind_load_file <drive>:\\<directory>\part_2.txt"

The Shield Wall can be boosted and still work at all levels (down to 7). If LotG is boosted (rather than attuned) it will not work over the entire level range.

With the assumption that the semi-casual player is playing an AT that takes an armor set... I'd recommend Invulnerability because it is easy to slot and reinforces the core game concepts of typed damage resistance, endurance management, and (self-)healing. Semi-casual players can work with Invulnerability without having to worry about the Fighting pool, and can explore other options in their build. The player can eventually use this primary's powers to also learn about the role of Defense. It also doesn't have gimmicks.

VEATs have a natural point (the level 24 respec) which mandates you to 'try out' certain powers before you can choose the final path. Obviously you won't have all your slots, and cannot slot lvl 50 sets, but it is still a good chance to explore your powers. One comment about slotting (in general): When going after ATO set bonuses, I usually slot the ATOs in as fast a recharge power as possible (typically earlier in the build) because the longer recharge powers (typically later in the build) are better suited for procs. Widows are End-hungry: a player will likely not have toggles running at low levels, unless they choose not to make (as many) attacks.

Thanks for this thread. I have only reviewed the Tanker template. My current (base)-Invulnerability Build goes in a different direction (plugging the Psi hole, at least for Resistance.) and chasing slightly different set bonuses. I also wanted more slots outside the Primary, so power-for-power (primaries) I'm generally investing fewer slots. I do have 1 (minor) piece of advice for the Tank build for folks who keep attuned versions of the non-PVP pieces in the powers: Wherever a power includes a PVP Shield Wall (Global Resist) and a LotG: Defense, the LotG (Defense) can be replace with a PVP Shield Wall Defense (+5 boosted) for a little bit more defense, and no change in the 2-piece Regeneration bonus by switching from LotG to Shield Wall. In the posted build this is Invincibility at lvl 18. I was also surprised that the Unbreakable Guard (+Max HP global) wasn't included for the Tank baseline. (Did I miss it?) I feel like it could be dropped into Temp Invulnerability with no noticeable negative effect on S/L resistances. The only other comments I have are really just a matter of taste: I think you have Dull Pain chosen at level 6. Good choice, but if you are going to keep it in the template I would go ahead a drop the Preventive Medicine (+Absorb) piece in it just to remind Tankers that they can get the Absorb shield under certain circumstances. Mileage varies: I find I rarely use Dull Pain even though I have it 6-slotted with the Preventive Medicine set. As part of the Homecoming "page 4" patches, Leadership Pool: Maneuvers should be granting a 3.5% Defense buff for Tanks (Equivalent to Defenders). It would be my preference for the Tanker template to replace Combat Jumping with Maneuvers, only because the Tanker AT can share that nice Defense Buff from Leadership with teammates. YMMV.

It's obvious we are talking past each other. Knockdown is a perfectly good soft-control to use in other powers, such as cones or PBAoE... or an all-time favorite: pets. Many Very Rare (Purple) sets' 6th bonus is a resist bonus, after a large (10%) 5th-piece Global Recharge bonus... I don't think twice about using the 6th potential slot for an off-set piece like the %Knockdown. I use the Overwhelming Force set while leveling up, but to be honest I don't think the 6th set bonus (4 Mag Knockback protection) is worth using all 6 pieces of the set. My toons almost all use a Blessing of the Zephyr (4 Mag Knockback protection) as soon as they get a travel power... if I had to wait to have 6-slots in a power to get KB protection I feel like my leveling build would be... peculiar. In my experience: Bonfire is one of those powers that is best Franken-slotted; it is very proc-friendly.

I occasionally find myself longing for a 'time travel' mission in which your hero participates in the conversion of Indigo. (She is a former KoA, right?)

I don't have experience with Body Mastery on Stalkers, but I have used Energy Mastery on a Tanker which is similar. These are good sets for addressing Endurance issue (obviously) but the ranged attack is nothing spectacular (again, my experience is with a Tanker). As a single-target attack, I can't say that I ever really noticed the -Def effect (again, as a Tanker where I try to rotate targets for aggro management) The recharge time is very fast, so Laser Beam Eyes is not a good choice for Frankenslotting with procs. Laser Beam Eyes is a good choice to slot a full ranged attack set for extra defenses. Body Mastery (for Stalkers) appears to be superior to the Tanker Energy Mastery if it has two Auto powers ... they appear to be excellent options to add procs.

Just popping in from the future... all these changes were implemented and there is still no one playing Goldside.

Ah, that is very possible (and what the log shows "Mook" and "Mook Hitman"). During the actual attack I only had one target (per my view) but I must have run past a position (with the power clicked) where two were able to be targeted simultaneously. This was during a low-level mission with very few targets (and very few attacks).

Can anyone explain what happened in this case? I was in a low-level mission using Sands of Mu (prestige power), where part of the attack missed, but then part of the attack was recorded as a hit. My previous attack had been a Hit (with a 95% chance to Hit).

What? Overwhelming Force is Universal Damage and goes in any power that takes damage enhancements.

On my (not 'optimized') Inv Tank, Psi has the second highest value (after Smashing/Lethal). Defense is a different story.

There is no wrong way in City of Heroes!

The Overwhelming Force KB->KD is unique (although it also enhances Damage), so the Sudden Acceleration (Bonfire accepts Knockback sets like Sudden Acceleration) is my recommendation. Save the OF unique for powers that don't otherwise accept KB->KD.