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I wish I could offer a more specific set of recommendations for improving defenses on a Seismic/Plant blaster. I don't have that specific build, but I want to note that my Seismic/ and /Plant Blasters also have pretty bad positional defenses (solo). Here are some of the tricks I use: The 2x Globals that give +3% Defense 6x Reactive Defenses in Maneuvers (especially for the Scaling Damage Resistance) Builds don't need all 6, but I like the balance of Defense and Endurance Reduction with set bonus 3 slots of Blessing of the Zephyr in a travel power. Zone Travel is a quality-of-life issue, An Epic power that allows me to slot 4x Unbreakable Guard (including the +MaxHP piece) I almost always 6-slot one of the ATO (typically Defiant Barrage) and then two 3-slot the other ATO. 6-Slotting both is better for positional defenses; I typically split Blaster's Wrath for global Accuracy and Range bonuses. I tune up (i.e. power selection, slot allocation, enhancement choices) different blasters differently, but I keep an eye on weighing the trade-offs between the potential 5- and 6-slot bonuses between Winter, ATO, PVP and Verr Rare enhancements. It is often the 6th piece in one of these "top tier" enhancement sets that brings a noticeable improvement in Defense values. Two of the more budget-friendly sets that fit with most Blaster builds are Annihilation (Ranged AoE) and Thunderstrike (Single-target Range), I find each of them offers a useful suite of good global bonuses for most characters.

I agree that a Gaussian's %BuildUp isn't doing that much for a MM. As I wrote, my attitude is that the MM should act more as a force multiplier (so, debuffs) and less as a damage dealer. I ended up with this slotting for Tactics, to help with target finding, but if +Perception is less important one slot could go elsewhere. Similarly, The Kismet +ToHit piece isn't necessary if the MM is slotting powers for Accuracy (while getting set bonuses). Level 30: Tactics (A) HamiO:Cytoskeleton (Endurance / ToHit / Defense Buff): Level 53 (*) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up Rectified Reticle - Increased Perception Re: AoE, Range is IMO less important than trying to pile on %-Resistance for the Robotic Henchmen. My Robotics slotting is, I believe:

Let's add some commensurate dislike for casual accusations of stubbornness and/or irrationality when folks don't change their opinions or attitudes after they've been presented with (self-assessed) completely rational arguments.

Luckily the MS Server event allowed so many of those camped names to become level 50!

I can't see the build (no MIDS), but I recommend against trying to do damage with MM attacks, especially with %damage. My reasoning: MMs have a very hefty endurance cost associated with attacks Slotting attacks for %damage generally means sacrificing set bonuses that will be useful for a MM (such as Endurance management) I'll guess that the build includes Hasten to get Benumb and Heat Loss up as much as possible (as well as benefiting %damage)... I consider Hasten to be a trap for many AT, but especially IMO for MMs... YMMV. The trap is that it includes an Endurance drop itself, and that it also leads to spamming powers, which cost more Endurance. If I was building a Robotics/Cold, I would plan on these secondary powers: T1 Ice Shield (few slots, possibly just globals) T3 Snow Storm (to grab aggro and slow, similar to how I use Caltrops) T4 Glacial Shield (few slots, possibly just Globals) T6 Arctic Fog (team will need DEF, so either a set bonus or a mix of Shield Wall pieces) T7 Benumb (probably just Recharge, maybe accuracy if Tactics isn't improving ToHit enough) T8 Sleet T9 Heat Loss I would not skip MM Robotic attacks on principle. I'd take Pulse Rifle Burst at level 2, and squeeze in Photon Grenade. The Sudden Acceleration and Annihilation sets offer decent Endurance management bonuses, with a side of %-Res and soft control (knockdown). I want the -Regen on certain enemies.

I want to Echo the post I quoted: It is relatively straightforward to make a Tanker with any primary perform exceptionally well in 98% of the games' content. I think Bio is probably the top primary for a completely engaged Tanker. I don't want to take anything away from Shield or SR, as noted it requires things going pear-shaped to plant them... but when that happens it cane come as enough of a surprise that players with those primaries that (writing for myself) I find it can be more of a scramble to deal with. Invulnerability is what I'd consider the baseline for Tankers. It is a straightforward set to build and boost with a set of "classic" gameplay elements that have to be addressed, with core powers of Invincibility and Dull Pain that when I play my Invuln Tanker I have to pay attention to... the former is for almost all content a mindlessly applied toggle, and the latter is a click that is almost never used, yet for extreme content I find it important to pay attention to both.

The associates in Croatoa and Kings Row do not despawn. Another player is clearing them, or the entire zone is reset.

How about taking AoE immobilization powers? This may not be an option for Kheldians, of course. I think I see what you are trying to do here, but if it is Knockback that is really the issue, the Sudden Acceleration piece is not unique and can be slotted into all powers that do Knockback/Knockdown.

My take: The damage sets are (mostly) missing an Accuracy/Endurance reduction piece at level 50+, and this is where the imagination falls short. IIRC, Multi-Strike (Melee AoE) and Calibrated Accuracy (a Snipe) are the only sets with an Acc/End piece.

Often this is because players don't know any better than to drag the spawns across the map as they hightail it to the team base portal, train station, whatever. It can be especially frustrating to find the flying ones.

One thing I want to caution "GM Hunters" who want to use targeting macros... if you use such a thing, please be sure to NOT ignore the level-less strays that will accopmany the spawn of certain GMs, specifically in Croatoa (the "wandering" spawns also need to be cleared, and they are often not level-less) and King's Row. I use /optionset showvillainname 1 which helps to find the level-less. For the others you have to have some experience to find them.

It is clear you believe that, despite me actually making completely different arguments that folks with reading comprehension can assess for themselves. It appears you have jumped to some specific conclusion for some particular corner of the game and are ignoring what I have written. I've repeatedly written that %procs allow for more variety in both build choices and play styles, and this is what I find appealing about the current Homecoming CoX. It is a defect in your reasoning that you equate this to me wanting all AT to have the same damage scalars.

I don't disagree that 50+ play can be boring. This has nothing to do with players building characters with powers that include %damage. As an aside that can speak adjacent to 50+ stalker experience: Is it any wonder that some players branch off from a speed-killing group? It isn't hard to find criticisms of that play choice, sometimes with demands that something be done about that.

Different powers have different arcs: https://cod.uberguy.net/

High Pain Threshold / Freedom Phalanx Reserve is IMO not really worth pursuing that early (say... pre 35), modulo AT, since it is percentage boost to HP. MOAR is MOAR (of course), but it is EVEN MOAR at 40+

It's not about being the same, it is about having the choice to build characters, no matter the AT, and being rewarded at a more approximately equal rate independent of AT. The argument I don't want to make is that non damage dealers should get reward drops by just doing damage things (healing, buffing, debuffing) as opposed to doing damage, or by requiring them to team up. It's not as if non-damage dealers should get more XP, inf and drops in a team up environment (that the high-damage-scalar ATs). That would be crazy to try to balance, and it is currently unnecessary for low-damage-scale ATs that can leverage %damage.

Almost all of the in-game rewards(*1) are for dealing damage (and defeating) enemy critters. The game offers significantly better in-game rewards for DPS than it does for non-DPS. Choosing to play a low damage scale AT shouldn't deny a player the chance to defeat critters at an improved rate. I don't think damage scales needs to be raised for any AT, because %procs can help keep lower damage-scale ATs stay within an order-of-magnitude of rewards-per-unit-time of those higher damage-scale ATs, without forcing the low damage scale ATs to have to team up with higher damage scale ATs, for most content. Again: using %damage is a build choice, opting to team up is a play choice. (*1) XP, Inf, defeat Merits, Enhancements, Salvage, Monstrous Aethers, Recipes, Catalysts, are all examples of rewards that come from defeating critters. The in-game rewards that are not (directly) tied to defeating critters are Brainstorms, Prismatics, "patrol" missions, "exploration", and Day Job rewards. I'm not aware of any merit reward (beyond Exploration) that can be earned solo without doing any damage or defeating a critter, although some arc Merit rewards don't require many defeats.

I especially appreciate that now there is a relevant response to the in-game/in-forum complaints about other players using powers with knockback. Sample conversation: 1: "I wish players would not use knockback, it ruins the game" 2: "Have you tried taking an epic AoE immobilize?" 1: "Don't tell me how to play my character!"

With Fortunata, I don't reach outside the VEAT choices for "teamwork" powers, except possibly as some sort of very late power-pick that can also be an Enhancement mule. Earlier in builds I could usually find some number of power pool picks that (in my mind) improve some aspect of team performance or personal Quality-of-Life in a more obvious way.

As I wrote back on the first page: Choosing which powers to take, how many slots to invest in them, and then what to put in any slots is all part of an individual player's build choices. The current %proc implementation allows players to make different choices, with %damage offering low-damage-scale ATs a chance to complete missions at almost any setting within an order of magnitude of high-damage-scale ATs. There is no reason to swing the nerf bat at the %proc system as implemented, except of course wanting to remove these build choices and force certain ATs back into a ghetto of lower rewards-per-unit-time.

That's exactly the kind of attitude that we can expect from @DougGraves /s

This is what I'm getting at: I've observed that most critters immobilized are effectively prevented from being knocked back. I can't speak to the magnitude of knockback that might move them, just that when my AoE immobs are out, critters don't go flying. On my Dark controller: I don't even see Knockdown happening. I have the O-Force piece slotted in the Umbral Beast, I only witness knockdown on critters missed by the immobilize.

While leveling up, I often make sure I am healing henchmen because they are precious at lower levels. At 50+ I don't go out of my way to heal them. If there is some sort of AoE effect (e.g. Twilight Grasp) that will heal them, or some sort of relatively mindless method (e.g. Maintenance Drone) excellent! Generally I find it better to make them more resistant (or give them better defenses) and to concentrate on debuffing their targets.

Holy Necromancy! I also use Group Fly with Robotics, I have notes: Turning Group Fly off/on can mess with the pathing AI of the henchmen. Sometimes they get "stuck", sometimes they don't want to join the rest of the group when Group Fly is deactivated. I find that I have to pay attention to make sure the squad has not gotten separated. I find Group Fly to be handy in certain circumstances, like outdoor fights against Caleb and Diabolique, and when sending the henchmen against flying "runners". Group Fly is a mixed bag when it comes to NuEochai... it can help avoid/get out of Pumpkin Patches, and it can also get a Pumpkin Patch in the sky... which may or may not be a good thing.

A question Re: Dark/Dark Corruptor and Knockback... Does the AoE immobilize from Tenebrous Tentacles prevent Knockback? Living Shadows (on my Dark/- Controller) prevents Knockback.