SenTheFortress

Hm, someone else told me it was 90% a long time ago, I guess they are mistaken or perhaps they were confused about the 90% proc rate max chance like you said. Regardless, those are very good things to think about. Forgoing recharge on proc heavy powers is the way to go then. Thanks for the insight. I think I am going to experiment further, I might want a different power or two and some set bonuses from those could be better. -> this is what I currently have after messing around for awhile SEN's Variant Blaster AR-TA-AM (original designer - Icesphere) v3.mbd

One question that was unanswered was the accuracy softcap. I believe it is 90% correct? I was told that my Sniper attack at 89.7% (basically 90%) was too little, is there something specific to Sniper attacks that I don't know about? (first time using one). And for sure, I've made like 3 different blasters and this is the first one that made me say "yep, THIS is it.".

Very solid list of general advice. Thank you, you've given me a lot to think about. So it's best to consider yourself at -4% if you're using stealth for DEF bonus, that's very important to know the exact number. What's the softcap for accuracy? I thought it was 90%? Sniper Rifle is sitting at 89.44%. All the other powers seem to balanced around 90% as well (if they are using procs). I haven't even thought about Incarnates yet, but I'll probably choose the ones you suggested. Also something to note, this character has a specific RP and they have no superpowers so only tech based powers are on the table (which this combination succeeds at doing very well). ---- So since I'm losing some DEF from stealth in combat, I was thinking I could make up the difference somewhere else. So I swapped out the Apocolypse set for Sting of the Manticore, giving it more Accuracy (if it needs it, like you said) plus a juicy 2.5% to ranged DEF which is much more useful than the HP bonuses of Apocolypse. This gets me to 35.7%, so -4% will get me to 31.7%, The cost is 20% less base damage (and maybe a weaker proc, idk how they work exactly), but with some recharge + interrupt included in the deal. Then I can get the last 0.9% I need from Artillery, by moving around the Frozen Blast from Flamethrower (Was Ignite) to Glue Arrow (It gains the Immobilize Proc instead of Knockdown, then a Recharge/END bonus, losing 1 Damage proc). Then Artillery can be slotted into Flamethrower, going down 1 damage proc (but get 30% more base damage). That gets me to 32.6% (36.6%) when stealth drops in combat. I'm going to ease off a tiny bit of END recovery like you suggested and drop a Stamina Slot for adding the Achilles' Heel proc to Surveillance. I've honestly not been sure if I wanted Ignite or Flamethrower. I think you sold me on Flamethrower, so I swapped that in (which is thankfully seemless since it can take all the same enhancements). I think it feels good with some of your suggestions, idk if i went about it in the most optimal way. Let me know what you think (if you want to that is). SEN's Variant Blaster AR-TA-AM (original designer - Icesphere) v2.mbd

Did you feel like going all-in for ranged defense was lacking in some way? Would have slightly lower ranged defense, but have a bit more in other categories be better? I noticed yours was much more focused on Smashing/Lethal res and ranged defense specifically. Just trying to learn nuances of character building in this game. ty!

Cool, thanks for the write up. I kinda figured Evasive Maneuvers would be fine to take. Yep, only taking one of the T 1/2 Powers, going for Burst for flavor reasons (but like you said either one between Slug and Burst is fine). Currently it's sitting at a decent 37% ranged defense, which falls short of the soft cap but I don't think Blasters can really get perfect defenses without sacrificing a lot of damage potential. (correct me if I am wrong). Icesphere's build had even less defense since Evasive Manuvuers gives you a lot more in comparison. I generally would trust Icesphere's balance on this one. 37% (25% previously with Stealth over EM) ranged defense with 4 attacks procced-out and 4 used for filler/set bonuses. Seems like a good place to start at least. <- Edit / I did not understand EM completely. I missed the part about EM losing the def bonus when you attack, Since I'm taking a hit to DEF, I think what I will do is drop "Grant Invisibility" so I can pick up Stealth to helps stack DEF with Infiltration, Hover and Weave. Think that's a good idea? < Edit / And now I'm learning that Stealth abilities don't stack. So I guess Stealth / Grant Invisibility it is (since it gives more DEF). I'm now sitting at 24%/33%/24% (M/R/Aoe) for defenses (with everything else being 24% or 34%). For Res I am at 37% Smashing and Lethal res with about 20% in everything else except Psi. Does that seem decent? (you can check the build yourself below), I'm a newish player, so I always second guess myself with any build decision. Thanks again. SEN's Variant Blaster AR-TA-AM (original designer - Icesphere).mbd

You didn't really have to look at EDIT 3, but you did anyways, so I think you like it! So yeah just swapping Burst for Slug would give me basically what I want. No need to make it more complicated than it needs to be. My only other question is, Is "Evasive Maneuvers" a bad pick over "Stealth" from the Concealment pool? Seems like it does a lot more since I'm in the flying pool already as a preference over leaping.

Hello all, I found this combination to be really fun as a Blaster. Awhile back when I was really new, I stumbled upon ICESPHERE's stache of various builds they've created. I found one they made for this exact combination - See file: ICESPHERE's Blaster (Assault Rifle - Tactical Arrow - Arsenal Mastery) ---------- I pretty much dig the direction of it, but i wanted to make a few tweaks, just to suit some of my own preferences. So I made this variant - See File: SEN EDIT 1 - Blaster AR-TA-AM My character wants to fly, so I moved to the Flight pool instead of Leaping. Since I did this, I picked Evasive Maneuvers (which can grant a good Def Buff) over Stealth from the Concealment Pool since to me these look like "mules" for slotting LotG and Infiltration already provides stealth. I also moved power placement around to my preferences for exemplaring. The big change was my character's main weapon is supposed to be an Assault Rifle, so I really want "Burst" as an attack, so I dropped "Buckshot". By doing this, I needed to slot some new things to cover some of the lost set bonuses. I did this by swapping out parts of Shield Wall for LotG instead, then Frankenslotting "Burst" to pick up the other few set bonuses and a few nasty procs. My other thought was possibly trying to set up procs on Full Auto instead. Let me know if that's a better idea (though it is competing with 2 other powers for parts of Frozen Blast). ---------- The other option, which is much more straight forward, simply moves Poistron's Blast over to "Full Auto", picking up the unused proc from S Frozen Blast, then putting Blaster's Wrath on "Burst" - See File: SEN EDIT 2 - Blaster AR-TA-AM This is more inline with ICESPHERE's original build, just moves the power placement set placement on Burst/Full Auto. Another way to do it would be to replace "Slug" with "Burst", which is the cleanest and easiest way to do it. - See File: SEN EDIT 3 - Blaster AR-TA-AM ---------- So my question is, what is better from among the three? Is it detrimental to lose "Buckshot" as an attack in favor of Burst? and if I keep Burst, would option 1, 2 or 3 be better? Maybe there's a whole different approach to making this build, you'd like to share, please do! --- SEN EDIT 2 - Blaster AR-TA-AM.mbd ICESPHERE's Blaster (Assault Rifle - Tactical Arrow - Arsenal Mastery).mbd SEN EDIT 1 - Blaster AR-TA-AM.mbd SEN EDIT 3 - Blaster AR-TA-AM.mbd

Yeah agreed. Both ATEs could be buffed a bit and it wouldn't make the AT that much different. At least have Chance for Opportunity fill the meter completely, that way you get to be very liberal with how you use Vulnerability, ya know the signature ability of the class. Sent's Ward is think is fine, If it got a buff (like 2x the amount of absorb) it wouldn't break the game and it'd feel a lot better. But that is crazy, didn't know it used to apply more instances on PbAoE.

Wow, that would totally make you reconsider that for AoE attacks. Would it be that much better than a grip of damage procs, or would slotting that enhancement just for the proc would be the best use for it? Maybe it's way too good. Hard for me to say, given my very short time I've been here.

Been chatting with some folks about this AT, a lot of people want these procs to be re-tooled (and Brute too apparently). I really feel like Opportunity Strikes should just completely fill your Vuln meter, or simply apply an instance of Vulnerability as a proc. Sentinel's Ward is okay, A little extra durability isn't unwelcome but maybe it could be slightly buffed. If you were to change these procs, what would you do? Maybe we can see a change in the future from the HC devs after some discussion and consideration.

That would be sick, not gonna lie. I was saying Chance for Opportunity should just fill the meter, but a "mini version" of Vuln as a proc might be better.

I think you both have some good points here. Sentinels don't really fit into the super optimal meta high stuff, simply because of the design of the AT. So a lot would need to change for that to happen. Vulnerability does it's job against single targets, it's a good debuff. If it were to change, it would have to be a different approach. Thanks for the insight, both of you. Maybe the approach is making Vulnerability slightly better in a different way. How would you feel about the Opportunity Strikes proc just completely filling the meter instead of current amount? I think being able to spam it more often would also help the ability be more applicable often, instead of burning out after 2 uses all the time.

There's a lot of people to reply to, but I'll just start by saying I don't think the Sentinel Archetype needs to change, I think they are solid as is. I'm only considering the change to the inherit AT. I mentioned that some people don't vibe with the AT, I am not one of those people. Just wanted to clear that up. The AT is viable, there's no doubt about that. I'm just brainstorming about what could make the AT better or more desirable for a team. My suggestion about it being a global buff is one possibility, if my suggestion is "weak" then pretend the numbers are HIGHER/BALANCED for the sake of experimentation and comparison. Maybe think about it being a debuff aura instead or a buff. (Maybe a debuff stack on enemies as they are hit? (giving value to the AT's AoE abilities that are generally worse than Blaster's). I made this thread hoping that others (who know the game better than I do) would come up with their own suggestions, but if the whole thing is moot then I'll just go back to my noob corner. I do think that letting Vulnerability stack with other Sents (hell, even itself with 1 Sent) would be cool to see 9as someone mentioned)/ Then again, I realize that being a newer player means I miss a lot of the nuance of something that has a ton of history and veterans (this game). But I thought I'd offer a fresh perspective after diving into this game and putting 100+ hours into the AT. I think the general consensus of the thread is "shut up noob". Which is fair. Vulnerability as-is, is good but niche. Maybe it's better that it stays that way, but I would love to see a better reason to include Sentinels in a team composition. Thanks for the discussion.

I have followed both of these guides to a "T". I have even tried manually setting up txt files from a legacy guide as well. Absolutely nothing has enabled key binds with my numpad for mastermind pet commands. Anyone got any advice? I tried changing capital letters to lowercase ones (when I saw that they were listed differently from eachother in different locations, such as the guide calling the folder "C:/Binds" but inside the txt files for commands it's listed as "C:/binds" (not sure if that matters) The character uses Necromancy. /bindloadfile "C:\Binds\Necro.Txt" is what I've been typing. (for the guide that uses the binds folder), Yes numpad is enable on my keyboard and I can type with it just fine. Anyone got any advice? Please ignore the link at the bottom it is a duplicate of an above link and I don't know how to delete it (even refreshing or creating a new topic, it haunts and taunts me. lol) --- ^ this wont go away

Hi all, I'm somewhat new to the game but I've absorbed a lot of the discussions about the Sentinel archetype since a Sentinel was my first character. I know they were changed in the past to be what they are today in terms of balance. I think the common sentiment towards the AT is either they are "fine" or "not worth playing", since with the right know-how all characters in the endgame can be fairly well protected, making their Def set seem pointless when other ranged ATs get more utility options. That being said, the experience of taking one from 1-50 was really solid especially when doing content solo. I have learned that it is intentional to keep the AT from being "too good" since it is essentially a fan AT. I have met some people that can make some really cool Sentinels, as it stands they can do well enough to be viable. HOWEVER, I think one thing the Sentinel haters and lovers have in common (at least, that I've met) is Vulnerability is not a good Inherent. So, Vulnerability does as follows: −11.25% defense −15% resistance to all normal damage types — smashing, lethal, fire, cold, energy, negative, psionic, and toxic −15% resistance to confusion, fear, hold, immobilize, sleep, and stun, causing these status effects to have longer durations on the target −15% resistance to recovery, regeneration, and to-hit debuffs, causing these debuffs to have a stronger effect on the target −150' stealth ....to one target. Now honestly, all these things do sound good on paper and it can help a bit when applied to a enemy with a lot of HP. But that's the problem, this power is NICHE. It's not as "generally good" as a lot of other AT Inherents. This is good when you have a big bad villain to drop it on, but 90% of the time you're up against big mobs of enemies and your team has already started tearing into it. I think what the Sentinel needs is something that is more valuable to a team more consistantly. In terms of power, they are a solid solo AT and can hold their own on a team, but no one is asking for a Sentinel to join a team (that I've see) and what is the benefit of taking one if you have melee combatants to engage the enemy? The archetype and it's name would lend itself well to being based around accuracy and assessing the battlefield for the team. This had me thinking, knowing what this AT represents I came up with this: - New Inherent - Vigilance Each time the Sentinel attacks with a primary power, they project a buff aura (15ft) that provides allies with a +1% buff to Accuracy, Defense, Resistance (Mez) and Damage. This buff can stack up to 10 times, but the aura and stack expires after 4 seconds if the Sentinel doesn't hit an enemy with a Primary power. Additionally, the Sentinel receives 1/2 of the buff from the Vigilance aura when it is active. (Can effect 200+ allies, or whatever the highest limit is, but they don't stack with multiple Sentinels, anyone inside multiple auras gets the highest bonus of any aura they are inside of.) This power recontextualizes Vulnerability into a global buff, making it more universally useful and turns it into something of a foil to Blaster's inherent Defiance. By landing blows, the Sentinel calls out both the weaknesses and flaws of their opponent's attacks, creating that buff. This highlights the Sentinel as a reliable ranged combatant that uses their superior senses to expose weaknesses of the enemy. I think this ability is much better and is by no means overpowered. This also add value to having a Defense set to begin with, since you need to choose between moving into the fray to buff your melee combatants or hanging back to buff the ranged ATs on your team. Whenever you're around, you nudge things to be a little bit easier for your team, the AT is going for a "balanced" feel, so I think something like this fits. In theory, this ability could also be reversed to apply a debuff aura to enemies instead of buffing allies (using the same numbers and stacks) if that seems more thematic. (Opportunity Strikes proc could just add stacks to Vigilance as a fix to that enhancement) What do you think of this idea? Got suggestions? What do you think about Vulnerability/Opportunity right now?