AustinSmith

When testing out custom enemy group creator in Architect Entertainment, the new Dynamo power for Electrical Manipulation appears to be causing self damage to the enemy entity instead of healing them.

Being able to slot resist procs does give it some nice utility, which probably would raise it to a B Tier. The point of the tiers isn’t necessarily to classify the armors exactly, it’s more to figure out what’s underpowered and needs buffing, and which are above the curve. I will say, if you’re building for Ranged Defense, Frozen/Scorpion don’t help very much since they boost typed defenses. Can just put the procs in Tough (or a resist armor), and shoot for Ranged Def through IOs. I’ll be expanding my evaluation of the pools in additional posts, probably over the weekend when I have time. Short answer is I believe Ice can be buffed a few ways, especially with cripplingly long recharge time of Hoarfrost, and Snow Storm/Flash Freeze being underwhelming debuff/soft control compared to some other sets. Mace does get Summon Spiderlings in the T2 which is kinda unique among the epic pools.

Well, this forum post was originally gonna just be focused around suggestions for buffing Munitions Mastery, one of the more unique epic pools in concept with crap execution/power level, but while I was crunching numbers across sets for comparison, it really struck me how there are a few Blaster pools that are...major outliers in power level. So I figured why not devote the time with all my number crunching to go over how each of the sets compare, and suggestions on which ones most need looking at. Section One: Armors The purpose of an epic pool is to give archetypes access to powers and abilities usually reserved for other archetypes, to help shore up weaknesses in a given archetype. For blasters, clearly that hole is survivability. Given that most of the epic pools are evaluated for their armor variant, and EVERY blaster epic/patron has an armor variant, this is the section I'll be diving into the most. Out of the nine epic pools blasters get, 7 are resistance-based, and 2 are defense-based. Let's breakdown the Resistance-based toggles first, based on their baseline (unenhanced) values: Resistance Armors Body Armor 8.75% Smashing/Lethal auto Pickable at T1 Charged Armor (Electrical) 19.25% Smashing/Lethal 19.25% Energy 0.33 end/s Pickable at T2 Charged Armor (Mu) 19.25% Smashing/Lethal 19.25% Energy 0.33 end/s Pickable at T1 Dark Embrace 19.25% Smashing/Lethal 10.5% Negative/Toxic 0.33 end/s Pickable at T1 Fire Shield 19.25% Smashing/Lethal 14% Fire 7% Cold 0.33 end/s Pickable at T2 Shark Skin 19.25% Smashing/Lethal 19.25% Cold 0.33 end/s Pickable at T2 Temp Invulnerability 21% Smashing/Lethal 0.33 end/s Pickable at T2 All armors provide smashing/lethal protection, all except Body Armor have an endurance cost of 0.33/s, some are first pickable in the pool, some require having another power taken before being able to take the armor toggle, some provide additional protection bonuses. Here's how I'd rate them one-by-one: Body Armor - F Tier This one just plain sucks. Other than costing zero endurance, it offers nothing that other other toggles can't provide, but better. It's got less than half the resistance EVERY. OTHER. ARMOR. PROVIDES. Charged Armor (Electrical Mastery ver) - B Tier This one I feel is the baseline solid toggle all the others can be balanced around. It provides standard smashing/lethal resistance, and additional strong resistance in next most common damage type after smashing/lethal. It requires a power pick before being able to pick up, but that's the opportunity cost for taking an objectively more premium toggle. Charged Armor (Mu Mastery ver) - S Tier Hold up, you say. This is exactly the same stats wise as the Electrical Mastery version. Same resistance values, same endurance cost. Why does this deserve to be S Tier? It's strictly better for the factor of opportunity cost. Electrical requires an entire power slot investment before being able to take the armor. Mu lets you take it RIGHT OFF THE BAT. It's got all three premium damage type resistances, and zero opportunity cost. Not only is Mu Charged better than Electrical Charged, it's the single best resistance toggle of all the epic pools due to its types. For tight endgame builds that value every power pick, not being forced to take another slot in the pool before taking the best toggle is HUGE. Dark Embrace - A Tier This one is definitely an above average toggle. It includes exotic damage resistances to not one but two additional damage types, including Toxic, which is exceptional due to the fact that damage type doesn't have a typed defense. Another reason is this is another freebie first pick that doesn't require another power pick to acquire. Fire Shield - B Tier Average resistance toggle overall. Needs a power pick in order to be available. Offers additional moderate resistances to two uncommon damage types, which is almost as good as having solid resistance one more common damage type. Not great, not bad. Shark Skin - C Tier Kind of a below average toggle. Unlike all other patron armors, needs a power pick to be able to actually access it, which is a point against it. The reason I brought this down a notch is because cold is a rather uncommon damage type, so unless the PVP meta is all Ice blasters, the secondary resistance isn't going to come up very often. Temp Invulnerability - D Tier This is the other toggle that is rather badly another pile of suck. It does have an opportunity cost of a prerequisite power pick, so that makes it worse than a couple other options. The actual upside is an additional 1.75% smashing/lethal resistance against the...19.2% energy resistance of Charged, 10.5% neg/toxic of Dark...yeah that is not nearly enough of an upside to justify a lack of additional damage type. Proposed Changes: - Change Body Armor to be an equivalent of High Pain Tolerance from Willpower instead of Resist Physical Damage from Invulnerability with the following stats: 7.5% Resistance to All Damage Types 20% Maximum HP This allows Body Armor to keep its identity of the "enduranceless armor" while also allowing it to differentiate itself from the other armor types. It's probably still not the ideal armor choice for min/maxed builds, but this gives it what it needs to be a fun, thematic armor. - Buff Temp Invulnerability in any of the following three ways: Make it available at level 35 / Boost Smashing/Lethal Resistance / Replace with Mind Over Body from Willpower Suggested new buffed resistance would be 26.75% Smashing/Lethal Resistance. This is equivalent to the baseline epic resistance (19.25%) plus the value from Resist Physical Damage from Invulnerability (7.5% for Scrapper/Brutes). This would make it an exceptionally strong toggle for those two damage types, but since it needs an additional power pick before being able to be selected, and lack of any other damage type protection, I feel balances it out. The other option would be to rename the power Mind Over Body, bring back the Smashing/Lethal to the normal 19.25%, and add a new stat of 19.25% Psionic Resistance. My concern with this change is whether Mind Over Body thematically translates to "Force Mastery". - Not a proposed change, but the fact that if choosing a set solely for its armor, Electrical Mastery is completed deprecated by Mu Mastery, it's worth evaluating the rest of the set to make sure Electrical offers some things Mu does not (spoilers, it doesn't, multiple powers in Electrical are strictly worse than its Mu counterparts). And now, defensive toggles evaluation: Defense Armors Frozen Armor 10.5% Smashing/Lethal 21% Cold Res 7% Fire Res 0.33 end/s Pickable at T2 Scorpion Shield 10.5% Smashing/Lethal 7% Energy Def 12.25% Toxic Res 0.33 end/s Pickable at T1 Frozen Armor - C Tier This is pretty comparable to Shark Skin from the Resistance toggles. Baseline defense in smashing/lethal (which isn't saying much, given there's only 2 defensive toggles), and additional resistance in some uncommon damage types. Kind of a below average choice given it requires a power pick before it can be taken, and Scorpion Shield...well, exists. Scorpion Shield - S Tier If Mu Mastery Charged is the nut pick of Resistance armors, Scorpion Shield is...well it blows Frozen Armor out of the water, and is honestly one of the best defensive toggles in the game, really. There's no prerequisites to picking up this power, it's takeable from the get-go. The secondary effects are the two best I can ask for; Energy being an extremely common damage type, and Toxic resistance gives resistance protection to the one damage type that doesn't have a typed defense. This toggle might actually look overpowered if there was more to compare it to among epic pools, but since it kind of stands alone, it's just allowed to be good, I guess. No suggestions for defensive toggles, really. **Will update post with additional comparisons, perhaps with less detail**

Rats, I wish I’d known about this thread earlier to throw in my cents. Fortunately Assault Rifle, Stone Armor, and Mercs would’ve been my top 3 anyway lol

Thing about this is, the power is coded to "hit-or-miss" the entire attack, not just the individual punches. I'd imagine this would need fresh code to implement hit check for individual punches, since there is no attack in the game that has the behavior you're describing. It's a DoT much like Burst from Assault Rifle or Fire damage ticks.

The buff to LRM Missile really would to convert it to a sniper power and allow it to take Snipe Damage enhancements, and give it the quick snipe changes. If Mids is to be trusted, the power has a 4-second interruptible "charge-up" time, with a 1.87s actual animation time of the power. That would greatly bring up its usefulness, and actually make it a solid power.

So comparing a lot of the resistance-based armors for Blasters in the epic pools, here's about how it pans out: Body Armor - Auto 8.75% Smashing/Lethal Resistance Charged Armor / Fire Shield / Shark Skin / Dark Embrace - Toggle 19.25% Smashing/Lethal Resistance (All) 19.25% Energy Res (Charged) 19.25% Cold Res (Shark) 10.5% Negative/Toxic Res (Dark) 14% Fire Res & 7% Cold Res (Fire) 0.33 end/s Temp Invulnerability - Toggle 21% Smashing/Lethal Resistance 0.33 end/s To compare and contrast how these armors stack against their armor equivalents for a Scrapper / Brute, I'll bring up the Invulnerability numbers, since those are probably the closest to compare with. Temp Invuln = Temp Invuln, and Body Armor = Resist Physical Damage in this scenario: Resist Physical Damage - Auto 7.5% Smashing/Lethal Resistance 25% Defense Debuff Resistance Temp Invulnerability - Toggle (Scrapper/Brute version) 22.5% Smashing/Lethal Resistance 0.26 end/s Body Armor has (slightly) higher S/L resistance than its equivalent, but lacks the secondary effect. Invuln version of Temp Invulnerability is marginally stronger than the Epic Pool equivalent. I'd suggest the way to buff Body Armor wouldn't be to raise the S/L resistance numbers, but to add 25% Resistance Debuff Resistance to mirror its Invuln counterpart. This evaluation is also outside of the fact that objectively Temp Invulnerability sucks the most out of all the Epic pool toggles; IMO an extra 1.75% S/L resistance does not compare to an entire 19.25% resistance in another damage type that other sets get, and with less investment in the pool (looking at you, Mu Mastery Charged Armor). An alternative buff would be to have it mirror High Pain Tolerance from Willpower, spread out the Resistance among more of the damage types, and grant a MaxHealth boost.

Observing closely, that’s actually the end of a Rikti Rifle that’s replaced his right arm

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Here's a second take on the 24-50 Bane Huntsman build I came up with tinkering around in Mids: Villain Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.7 https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer Operative Leeroy v2: Level 50 Natural Arachnos Soldier Primary Power Set: Bane Spider Soldier Secondary Power Set: Bane Spider Training Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Leadership Villain Profile: ------------ Level 1: Single Shot (A) Superior Spider's Bite - Accuracy/Damage (3) Superior Spider's Bite - Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime (3) Superior Spider's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime (5) Superior Spider's Bite - RechargeTime/Global Toxic Level 1: Bane Spider Armor Upgrade (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3% (7) Steadfast Protection - Knockback Protection (9) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All) Level 2: Burst (A) Entropic Chaos - Accuracy/Damage (5) Entropic Chaos - Damage/Endurance (7) Entropic Chaos - Damage/Recharge (11) Entropic Chaos - Damage/Endurance/Recharge (11) Entropic Chaos - Chance of Heal Self (13) Decimation - Chance of Build Up Level 4: Combat Jumping (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed (21) Shield Wall - +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All) Level 6: Wide Area Web Grenade (A) Debilitative Action - Accuracy/Recharge (15) Debilitative Action - Recharge/Immobilize (15) Debilitative Action - Accuracy/Endurance (19) Debilitative Action - Accuracy/Immobilize/Recharge (37) Debilitative Action - Disorient Bonus Level 8: Heavy Burst (A) HamiO:Centriole Exposure (17) HamiO:Centriole Exposure (21) Detonation - Damage/Endurance/Range (23) Annihilation - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (29) Annihilation - Chance for Res Debuff (48) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff Level 10: Tactical Training: Maneuvers (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance (33) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge (33) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge (34) Red Fortune - Defense (34) Red Fortune - Endurance (34) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed Level 12: Venom Grenade (A) Superior Dominion of Arachnos - Accuracy/Damage (13) Superior Dominion of Arachnos - Damage/Recharge (31) Superior Dominion of Arachnos - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (31) Superior Dominion of Arachnos - Damage/Endurance/Recharge (31) Superior Dominion of Arachnos - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (33) Superior Dominion of Arachnos - Recharge/Chance for -Dmg and Terrorize Level 14: Super Jump (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points) Level 16: Maneuvers (A) Reactive Defenses - Defense (37) Reactive Defenses - Defense/Endurance (40) Reactive Defenses - Endurance/RechargeTime (42) Reactive Defenses - Defense/RechargeTime (42) Reactive Defenses - Defense/Endurance/RechargeTime (42) Reactive Defenses - Scaling Resist Damage Level 18: Frag Grenade (A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage (23) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance (25) Positron's Blast - Damage/Range (25) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance (27) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy) (29) Force Feedback - Chance for +Recharge Level 20: Tactical Training: Leadership (A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff (45) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge (46) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance (46) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Recharge/Endurance (46) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Endurance (48) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up Level 22: Tactical Training: Assault (A) Endurance Reduction IO Level 24: Cloaking Device (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance (43) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge (43) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge (43) Red Fortune - Defense (45) Red Fortune - Endurance (45) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed Level 26: Mental Training (A) Run Speed IO Level 28: Surveillance (A) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff Level 30: Assault (A) Endurance Reduction IO Level 32: Vengeance (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed Level 35: Web Cocoon (A) Lockdown - Accuracy/Recharge (36) Lockdown - Recharge/Hold (36) Lockdown - Endurance/Recharge/Hold (36) Lockdown - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold (37) Lockdown - Chance for +2 Mag Hold Level 38: Call Reinforcements (A) Call to Arms - Accuracy/Recharge (39) Call to Arms - Accuracy/Damage (39) Call to Arms - Damage/Endurance (39) Call to Arms - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (40) Call to Arms - Endurance/Damage/Recharge (40) Call to Arms - Defense Bonus Aura for Pets Level 41: Combat Training: Defensive (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed Level 44: Build Up (A) Recharge Reduction IO Level 47: Wolf Spider Armor (A) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance (50) Unbreakable Guard - +Max HP (50) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance (50) Unbreakable Guard - RechargeTime/Resistance Level 49: Victory Rush (A) Endurance Modification IO Level 1: Brawl (A) Accuracy IO Level 1: Prestige Power Dash (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Slide (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Quick (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Rush (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Surge (A) Empty Level 1: Conditioning Level 1: Sprint (A) Run Speed IO Level 2: Rest (A) Interrupt Reduction IO Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift (A) Run Speed IO Level 2: Health (A) Miracle - +Recovery (17) Numina's Convalesence - +Regeneration/+Recovery (27) Panacea - +Hit Points/Endurance (48) Preventive Medicine - Chance for +Absorb Level 2: Hurdle (A) Jumping IO Level 2: Stamina (A) Endurance Modification IO (9) Performance Shifter - EndMod (19) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End Level 50: Pyronic Core Final Judgement Level 50: Degenerative Core Flawless Interface Level 50: Arachnos Radial Superior Ally Level 50: Clarion Core Epiphany Level 50: Melee Core Embodiment Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon ------------ ------------ ------------ Set Bonus Totals: 53.54 Toxic Damage (12% chance, CancelOnMiss) 17.5% DamageBuff(Smashing) 17.5% DamageBuff(Lethal) 17.5% DamageBuff(Fire) 17.5% DamageBuff(Cold) 17.5% DamageBuff(Energy) 17.5% DamageBuff(Negative) 17.5% DamageBuff(Toxic) 17.5% DamageBuff(Psionic) 5% Defense 11.31% Defense(Smashing) 11.31% Defense(Lethal) 11% Defense(Fire) 11% Defense(Cold) 7.25% Defense(Energy) 7.25% Defense(Negative) 6% Defense(Psionic) 16.63% Defense(Melee) 8.5% Defense(Ranged) 16% Defense(AoE) 3.6% Max End 6.25% Enhancement(Max EnduranceDiscount) 24% Enhancement(Accuracy) 4% Enhancement(Immobilized) 85% Enhancement(RechargeTime) 2.5% Enhancement(Held) 15% SpeedFlying GrantPower Preventive Medicine (10% chance, if Scourge) 200.8 HP (18.75%) HitPoints 15% JumpHeight 15% SpeedJumping Knockback (Mag -8) Knockup (Mag -8) MezResist(Confused) 55% MezResist(Held) 55% MezResist(Immobilized) 55% MezResist(Sleep) 55% MezResist(Stunned) 55% MezResist(Terrorized) 55% MezResist(Teleport) 100% (20% chance) 9% (0.16 End/sec) Recovery 18% (0.96 HP/sec) Regeneration 16.25% Resistance(Smashing) 24.5% Resistance(Fire) 24.5% Resistance(Cold) 10.25% Resistance(Energy) 10.25% Resistance(Negative) 14% Resistance(Toxic) 14% Resistance(Psionic) 16.25% Resistance(Lethal) 15% SpeedRunning Couple of notable changes: Dropped the Toxic/Psionic resistance set bonus slot from WAWG and shifted it to Combat Jumping for the Shield Wall proc. Provides overall better resistance numbers. Dropped Combat Training: Offensive and added Wolf Spider Armor. Ripped 2 slots from Single Shot and a slot from Surveillance, and 4-slotted the power with Unbreakable Guard to cap melee defense. Reslotted Surveillance with a single Achilles proc. I can't live without a travel power, and double Tactics seemed like both an unnecessary endurance drain and overkill on ToHit. Replaced Tactics with Super Jump with a KB protection IO, and moved the Gaussian's set to TacTrain:Leadership. Reslotted Web Cocoon to 5-slot Lockdown set for AoE defense bonus to cap off AoE. Moved the sixth slot to Health for Preventive Medicine proc, because that thing has gotten me consistently out of any situation where I should've been dead. Now with all that, since my positional defenses are all softcapped, and with Sprint toggled on my end drain according to Mids is a comfortable 1.29/s, I definitely will be slotting this up with Musculature Core alpha.

Okay, yep, absolutely stand corrected on the first bit. Threw up Mids with an unslotted build, plugged in Agility core and verified the defense numbers went up without any enhancement slotting, would infer recharge works the same. For some reason I was taught that Alphas only boost the effectiveness of enhancements and not actual powers directly, good to know I’ve got that straight now. I’d still claim that Agility Core is a viable alpha for this build, but not the slam dunk I originally supposed it would be. However, by claiming these builds are only for leveling and are not endgame builds, kind of makes incarnate choices a moot point.

The recharge boost from Agility only affects recharge from powers that actually have a recharge enhancement in it; as I understand it, Agility will have zero effect on proc chances in Frag Grenade since the Damage/Recharge enh from the set isn’t being used. It also won’t reduce Heavy Burst’s proc chances in any way. (I’m going off the Bane Spider interpretation of Huntsman). You’re absolutely correct that you won’t need Agility if your defenses are already softcapped...but the build presented by OP is not softcapped in Melee or AoE, only ranged. If those were softcapped, yeah I’d absolutely go musculature. But they’re not.

For everyone asking what alpha incarnate to take with this build, the shoe-in is Agility Core. More endurance, recharge, and the defense boost pushes melee and AoE defense numbers to softcap. It’s everything this build wants.

Figured I'd throw this build up on the forums for others to use as a reference. AR/ and Munitions Mastery aren't popular, or powerful sets, but if you want to make a Punisher-type character wading through mountains of brass and every heavy armament known to CoH, this build might be for you. Highlights are perma-hasten by +5'ing the recharge IOs in hasten, and 45% ranged defense (yes, calculating being attacked with Field Operative). Enjoy! Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.7 https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! Bulldog Palmieri: Level 50 Natural Blaster Primary Power Set: Assault Rifle Secondary Power Set: Devices Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: Munitions Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Burst -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(3), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(5), SprWntBit-Rchg/SlowProc(7), AchHee-ResDeb%(9) Level 1: Toxic Web Grenade -- EnfOpr-Acc/Rchg(A) Level 2: Slug -- Apc-Dmg(A), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), Apc-Acc/Rchg(13), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(17), Apc-Dam%(17), Dcm-Build%(19) Level 4: Buckshot -- PstBls-Acc/Dmg(A), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(5), PstBls-Dmg/Rchg(7), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), PstBls-Dam%(11), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(19) Level 6: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 8: Caltrops -- Rgn-Knock%(A) Level 10: Targeting Drone -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(21), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(23), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(25), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(25), GssSynFr--Build%(50) Level 12: Sniper Rifle -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(15), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(27), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(29), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(29) Level 14: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 16: Tough -- UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(36), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(46) Level 18: Flamethrower -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(21), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(31), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(36) Level 20: Field Operative -- NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Rct-ResDam%(23), Prv-Absorb%(31), Prv-Heal(33), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(33), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(33) Level 22: Smoke Grenade -- DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb(A) Level 24: Super Jump -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB(A), BlsoftheZ-Travel(45) Level 26: Maneuvers -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFrt-Def/Rchg(27), RedFrt-EndRdx/Rchg(37), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(37), RedFrt-Def(37), RedFrt-EndRdx(39) Level 28: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 30: Weave -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(A), RedFrt-Def/Rchg(34), RedFrt-EndRdx/Rchg(36), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(42), RedFrt-Def(42), RedFrt-EndRdx(42) Level 32: Full Auto -- Rgn-Dmg(A), Rgn-Dmg/Rchg(34), Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Rgn-Acc/Rchg(39), Rgn-Dmg/EndRdx(40), PstBls-Dam%(40) Level 35: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(46) Level 38: Gun Drone -- ExpRnf-Acc/Rchg(A), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg(40), ExpRnf-Dmg/EndRdx(43), ExpRnf-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), ExpRnf-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(43), ExpRnf-+Res(Pets)(45) Level 41: Body Armor -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(45), UnbGrd-Max HP%(46) Level 44: Surveillance -- AchHee-ResDeb%(A) Level 47: LRM Rocket -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(48), Artl-Dam/Rech(48), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(48), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(50), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(50) Level 49: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(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 -- Run-I(A) Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(13) Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon Level 50: Vorpal Core Final Judgement Level 50: Reactive Core Flawless Interface Level 50: Knives of Vengeance Core Superior Ally Level 50: Clarion Core Epiphany Level 50: Assault Core Embodiment Level 1: Quick Form ------------ ------------ Set Bonus Totals: 23.5% DamageBuff(Smashing) 23.5% DamageBuff(Lethal) 23.5% DamageBuff(Fire) 23.5% DamageBuff(Cold) 23.5% DamageBuff(Energy) 23.5% DamageBuff(Negative) 23.5% DamageBuff(Toxic) 23.5% DamageBuff(Psionic) 7.25% Defense(Smashing) 7.25% Defense(Lethal) 7.25% Defense(Fire) 7.25% Defense(Cold) 27.88% Defense(Energy) 27.88% Defense(Negative) 6% Defense(Psionic) 8.5% Defense(Melee) 31.94% Defense(Ranged) 8.5% Defense(AoE) 3.6% Max End 85% Enhancement(RechargeTime) 48% Enhancement(Accuracy) 5% Enhancement(Max EnduranceDiscount) 10% Enhancement(Range) 15% SpeedFlying GrantPower Preventive Medicine (10% chance, if Scourge) 185.2 HP (15.37%) HitPoints 15% JumpHeight 15% SpeedJumping Knockback (Mag -4) Knockup (Mag -4) MezResist(Confused) 40% MezResist(Held) 40% MezResist(Immobilized) 40% MezResist(Sleep) 40% MezResist(Stunned) 40% MezResist(Terrorized) 40% MezResist(Teleport) 100% (20% chance) 13% (0.22 End/sec) Recovery 36% (1.81 HP/sec) Regeneration 15% ResEffect(SpeedFlying) 15% ResEffect(RechargeTime) 15% ResEffect(SpeedRunning) 35.25% Resistance(Fire) 35.25% Resistance(Cold) 23.25% Resistance(Smashing) 23.25% Resistance(Lethal) 19.5% Resistance(Energy) 19.5% Resistance(Negative) 18% Resistance(Toxic) 18% Resistance(Psionic) 15% SpeedRunning

Hi all, I've been wanting to come up with a decent stalker concept for the longest time, and I finally settled with a good concept for a savage/dark stalker, but I'm unfamiliar with the arch, and looking to see if I can improve the build in any way. Taking inspiration from another Savage/Invuln stalker post, I came up with the following: 45% melee defense softcap, 75% smashing/lethal cap, most other resistances at least in the mid-40s. However, Mids clocks in at 1.51 end/sec even with a global endurance reduction value of 13.8% (ouch). Only restrictions I have are no purple or winter sets. Not picking Hasten was a personal choice. Any improvement suggestions? Villain Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.7 https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer William Afton: Level 50 Magic Stalker Primary Power Set: Savage Melee Secondary Power Set: Dark Armor Power Pool: zn_Experimentation Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery Villain Profile: ------------ Level 1: Maiming Slash (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage (3) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance (3) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge (5) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge (5) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (7) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal) Level 1: Hide (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense (29) Reactive Defenses - Scaling Resist Damage (29) Kismet - Accuracy +6% (31) Shield Wall - +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All) Level 2: Shred (A) Obliteration - Damage (9) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge (11) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge (11) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (13) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (13) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff Level 4: Dark Embrace (A) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance (15) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance (15) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance/RechargeTime (17) Unbreakable Guard - RechargeTime/Resistance (17) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All) (45) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3% Level 6: Assassin's Frenzy (A) Superior Stalker's Guile - Accuracy/Damage (7) Superior Stalker's Guile - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (9) Superior Stalker's Guile - Recharge/Chance to Hide (19) Superior Stalker's Guile - Damage/Recharge (19) Superior Stalker's Guile - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (21) Superior Stalker's Guile - Damage/Endurance/Recharge Level 8: Murky Cloud (A) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance (23) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance (23) Unbreakable Guard - Endurance/RechargeTime (25) Unbreakable Guard - RechargeTime/Resistance Level 10: Speed of Sound (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range/Endurance Level 12: Build Up (A) Recharge Reduction IO Level 14: Shadow Dweller (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed (21) Luck of the Gambler - Defense Level 16: Obsidian Shield (A) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance (25) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance (27) Unbreakable Guard - RechargeTime/Resistance (27) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance/RechargeTime Level 18: Rending Flurry (A) Obliteration - Damage (45) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge (45) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge (46) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge (46) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge (46) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage Level 20: Dark Regeneration (A) Theft of Essence - Healing (31) Theft of Essence - Healing/Recharge (31) Theft of Essence - Accuracy/Healing (33) Theft of Essence - Accuracy/Endurance/Healing (33) Theft of Essence - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge (33) Theft of Essence - Chance for +Endurance Level 22: Kick (A) Empty Level 24: Tough (A) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance (37) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance (39) Unbreakable Guard - RechargeTime/Resistance (50) Unbreakable Guard - +Max HP Level 26: Hemorrhage (A) Superior Assassin's Mark - Accuracy/Damage (39) Superior Assassin's Mark - Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime (40) Superior Assassin's Mark - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime (42) Superior Assassin's Mark - Damage/RechargeTime (42) Superior Assassin's Mark - Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime (50) Superior Assassin's Mark - RechargeTime/Rchg Build Up Level 28: Weave (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance (40) Luck of the Gambler - Defense (40) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed Level 30: Combat Jumping (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense (37) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed Level 32: Savage Leap (A) Eradication - Chance for Energy Damage (36) Scirocco's Dervish - Chance of Damage(Lethal) (37) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage (39) Fury of the Gladiator - Chance for Res Debuff (42) Obliteration - Damage (48) Armageddon - Chance for Fire Damage Level 35: Cloak of Fear (A) Unspeakable Terror - Endurance/Fear (36) Unspeakable Terror - Accuracy/Endurance (36) Unspeakable Terror - Accuracy/Fear/Recharge Level 38: Soul Transfer (A) Regenerative Tissue - +Regeneration Level 41: Experimental Injection (A) Preventive Medicine - Heal (43) Preventive Medicine - Heal/Endurance (43) Preventive Medicine - Endurance/RechargeTime (43) Preventive Medicine - Heal/RechargeTime (48) Preventive Medicine - Heal/RechargeTime/Endurance (48) Preventive Medicine - Chance for +Absorb Level 44: Superior Conditioning (A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End Level 47: Physical Perfection (A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End Level 49: Maneuvers (A) Reactive Defenses - Defense (50) Reactive Defenses - Defense/Endurance Level 1: Assassination Level 1: Brawl (A) Accuracy IO Level 1: Prestige Power Dash (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Slide (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Quick (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Rush (A) Empty Level 1: Prestige Power Surge (A) Empty Level 1: Sprint (A) Run Speed IO Level 2: Rest (A) Recharge Reduction IO Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift (A) Run Speed IO Level 2: Health (A) Miracle - +Recovery (34) Numina's Convalesence - +Regeneration/+Recovery (34) Panacea - +Hit Points/Endurance Level 2: Hurdle (A) Jumping IO Level 2: Stamina (A) Performance Shifter - EndMod (34) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End Level 1: Blood Frenzy Level 1: Quick Form ------------ ------------ Set Bonus Totals: 20% DamageBuff(Smashing) 20% DamageBuff(Lethal) 20% DamageBuff(Fire) 20% DamageBuff(Cold) 20% DamageBuff(Energy) 20% DamageBuff(Negative) 20% DamageBuff(Toxic) 20% DamageBuff(Psionic) 19.13% Defense(Smashing) 19.13% Defense(Lethal) 8.5% Defense(Fire) 8.5% Defense(Cold) 7.88% Defense(Energy) 7.88% Defense(Negative) 6% Defense(Psionic) 24.75% Defense(Melee) 9.75% Defense(Ranged) 11% Defense(AoE) 1.8% Max End 13.75% Enhancement(Max EnduranceDiscount) 5% Enhancement(Heal) 2.2% Enhancement(Terrorized) 61.25% Enhancement(RechargeTime) 48% Enhancement(Accuracy) 7.5% SpeedFlying GrantPower Preventive Medicine (10% chance, if Scourge) 144.6 HP (12.01%) HitPoints 7.5% JumpHeight 7.5% SpeedJumping MezResist(Confused) 68.75% MezResist(Held) 68.75% MezResist(Immobilized) 68.75% MezResist(Sleep) 68.75% MezResist(Stunned) 68.75% MezResist(Terrorized) 68.75% MezResist(Teleport) 100% (20% chance) 4% (0.07 End/sec) Recovery 40% (2.01 HP/sec) Regeneration 28.25% Resistance(Smashing) 28.25% Resistance(Lethal) 9.5% Resistance(Toxic) 9.5% Resistance(Psionic) 11% Resistance(Fire) 11% Resistance(Cold) 24.5% Resistance(Energy) 24.5% Resistance(Negative) 7.5% SpeedRunning

You're absolutely right that unfun is completely subjective; I have an incarnate AR/Devices blaster, and I personally love to play that character. However, unpopularity is NOT subjective if you have the numbers. And thanks to the FOTM data that's been collected, we can look at the numbers and pretty solidly conclude that Assault Rifle and Battle Axe are unpopular: From the March post, Assault Rifle is CONSISTENTLY the ranged set least taken to 50 for ALL archetypes except for blaster, where it's third lowest. The numbers are very similar to his previous FOTM post as well. That's pretty much what would define "unpopular". Standardizing the cones from AR could very well be a valid improvement to the set. From my limited playing experience of AR though, once you open into a mob with Sniper Rifle and get that range boost, I rarely have to walk up closer to get my cones to hit mobs. Arc sizes I don't have numbers for. I shied away from the idea of "Beanbug but with more damage", since I'm following the design assumption that AR is first and foremost an AoE machine, and is allowed to lack in a ST attack chain in favor of constantly rotating its AoEs. That's of course just an inference, but I'm a believer in that constraints breed creativity, which would help AR find its niche. Also I don't think tagging a recovery debuff on Beanbag would be an improvement to the power in any way; endurance debuffs are pretty much useless unless you're building a sapper type character, which AR is not. Lethal DoT could very well convey the fact that Axe is causing you to bleed from deep gash wounds, but since lethal DoT is already Savage Melee's thing, and they already share a damage type, it seemed too similar to suggest. On the contrary, I think adding resistance debuff would ADD uniqueness to these sets. Currently there are zero melee sets that leverage resistance debuff as part of their core abilities (Street Justice and Titan Weapons each have ONE attack that does resistance debuff), which carves (lol) a nice place for Battle Axe. In terms of ranged sets, Sonic is the only set with resistance debuffs, but it has two other damage types, and the resistance debuffs I'd be suggesting for AR wouldn't DEFINE the set, but just provide it with the additional tools it needs to be deadlier.

Alright kiddos, this has been done a hundred times in the forum already, but buckle up cause I'm going to throw my own two cents in the ring anyway because my brain is unbelievably big and my heart swells with love for this game. I present to you, a long ass post going over the top sets of each category, after cultivating through the forums, hours of napkin math, and my own opinions, that deserve to be buffed. Maybe not to steroid levels, but maybe they won't be consuming questionable foodstuffs at the bottom of the dumpster. IMPORTANT: This is an opinion wishlist and is in no way a directive for the devs to 'get on it', plus the changes I am proposing are only my ideas. BUT, based on the criteria I will be laying out forthwith, I confidently believe the following sets deserve the most scrutiny and candidacy for buffness. Cool? Cool. PREFACE: THE CRITERIA So, turns out there's a lot of power choices in Homecoming that do a lot of different things, at varying power levels and niches. Huh. It's almost like personal customization and diversity is a huge appeal to the game or something. So, how do we narrow down which sets need the help? Basically, the set had to fit the following description: "Not only is my set underperforming from a numbers standpoint, in which other sets beat me on a mechanical level, but I'm also relatively unappealing/unfun to play." Therefore, I will be excluding reasonably powerful sets that are unpopular (Ice Armor was a candidate in this vein, but because I couldn't find any evidence that the set is BAD, just kinda meh, I skipped it), or popular sets that are relatively underpowered (sorry, Regeneration diehards). However, unpopularity isn't the best indicator of power level and this is first and foremost a power level suggestion post. So, if you feel like Regeneration absolutely needs to be looked at by the devs before my armor choice, please, respond in the thread! There are existing threads in the forums that go over the nitty gritty numbers for these sets, and while I will try to cite MOST of them, my suggestions are going to be more general than numbers charts. I determined set popularity by going over the Flavor of the Month posts Cipher compiled and looked over sets that were consistently low-picked among archetypes, fairly straightforward. Another important note; my buff suggestions, and especially my suggestions to REPLACE powers, must keep in line with the perceived strength or focus of the set. (example; Regeneration is, you guessed it, a health and regeneration focused set. Swapping out one or more powers to say, buff defense, is outside the intention of the set, even if it would make it more powerful) Now that we've established criteria, OP should get around to his damn point someday. Well, look no further. CATEGORY 1: RANGED SET Category Winner: Assault Rifle Assault Rifle is one of the original blast sets in City of Heroes, and its age shows. Old ass animations that give me the nostalgia butterflies, simplistic attacks with at most one secondary effect, no fancy combo system or flashiness. And really, AR should be that; it's a gun that should deal solid damage with nothing too fancy. But, it kinda sucks in modern times. Not only is it consistently one of the least-picked ranged sets among 50s per the FOTM post, it's kinda known the raw effectiveness of the set is lacking, and the lack of good secondary effects these days kinda kills it, nevermind the fact its base damage type is one of the worst (although lethal as a damage type is a whole other balancing discussion). In buffing Assault Rifle, some of the set's big points to stick to: Lack of a true Build Up power. Yeah, it'd be nice if it had one, but let's keep this constraint, even if we're gonna bend it a little. It's an AoE machine. Over half the powers in the set are cones or TAoEs, let's focus on that strength. Secondary effects should be few, focus should be on pushing damage. With that, the proposed changes: Burst - fine, keep as is. -- Slug - fine, keep as is for the most part. Suggestions: Add -Res(Smashing,Lethal) Reasoning: This would emulate an armor-piercing round and shore up one of the set's biggest drawbacks (primary Lethal damage). -- Buckshot - fine, keep as is. -- M30 Grenade - fine, keep as is. -- Beanbag - Needs a rework, low damage output and a light mez aren't useful. Suggestions: 1) Replace with Calibrated Shot Ranged, Moderate Dmg(Lethal), Self +Dmg, Self +ToHit Reasoning: Assault Rifle maybe shouldn't have a Build Up power, but what if we did a Claws and added a Follow Up-style power to the attack chain? This would greatly help Assault Rifle's damage output while technically maintaining true to the set's design. 2) Replace with FMJ Round Ranged, Moderate Dmg(Lethal), -Res(All), -Def(All) Reasoning: Alright, let's say Assault Rifle shouldn't get a buildup power of any kind, and if Beanbag should be replaced, let's replace it with a like power; an offensive debuff tool. This type of power would provide a meaningful type of debuff that's kind of the inverse of Calibrated Shot (-Res equivalent to +Dmg, -Def equivalent to +ToHit). -- Sniper Rifle - Pretty good power, but could use some extra oomph. Suggestions: Add -Res(Smashing,Lethal) Reasoning: Even more so than Slug, a high caliber bullet should probably be armor piercing. -- Flamethrower - Long ass animation, slow DoT, and no secondary effect. Suggestions: Replace with Plasma Flamethrower Ranged (Cone), Extreme DoT(Fire), -Regen Reduce the number of DoT ticks by one half to one fourth, while boosting the damage of the ticks so overall damage output stays the same Reasoning: You know those robotic dudes in Praetoria that are super annoying for lower level characters to deal with? Clockwork Sweepers have that cone attack which is the inspiration of what I want here. Regeneration debuff is a good tool to have, and reducing the number of ticks helps how the damage is actually dealt with this power. -- Ignite - Always been considered bad. Need to preserve the theme of the power while buffing it. Suggestions: Replace with Incendiary Grenade Ranged (Location AoE), Moderate Dmg(Lethal/Fire), Moderate DoT (Fire), Foe Knockdown Reasoning: Inspired by the Destroyer Blast Master/Scrapyarder Demolitionist and Assault Bot incendiary swarm missiles, this would keep the "burn patch" intention of the power, but adds extra frontloaded damage and additional utility with the knockdown. -- Full Auto - Just needs a couple improvements to get it in line with other nukes. Suggestions: Increase cone arc from 20 to 30 degrees, increase target cap from 10 to 16 Reasoning: Word on the street is this power was overlooked when the endurance crash was removed from blaster nukes. If AR is going to be an AoE machine, its best power should probably have a cone equivalent to Soldiers of Arachnos Heavy Burst, and have a target cap equivalent to other nukes. That about wraps up my proposed changes for Assault Rifle. Keeps what I believe is the spirit of the set while providing the tools it needs to become viable. CATEGORY 2: MELEE SET Category Winner: Battle Axe Another set from the beginning of time, Battle Axe is part of the infamous trio of weapons sets that constantly get compared to one another in an endless quest to definitively show off how great War Mace is. If anything, If anything, Battle Axe should probably FEEL like the heaviest hitter between the three; you're not cracking skulls and breaking bones like mace, and you're not elegantly dueling your foes with swordplay, you've heroically taken up a giant heavy meat cutter designed to dismantle body parts in ways the Vahzilok surgeons think about in their wet dreams. Unfortunately, it suffers from a crippling case of being meh. The lumbering animations don't really have a powerful payoff, and it has the unfortunate combination of one of the weakest damage types coupled with the most polarizing secondary effect, leading to a lackluster set. Points to stick to: Knockback and knockdown should still be integral to the set in some way, it's currently the big defining trait of Battle Axe. Battle Axe should be utilizing the other weapons sets as a reference, NOT Titan Weapons. TW is its own beast, even if it is a "modern" weapons set. Also, it goes against the original design of the set. There was a pretty great forum post I came across that highlighted the average DPA of Battle Axe and gave me some numbers to work with, but I disagreed with that OP's solution of making most of Battle Axe's attacks cones. To me, the way to improve Battle Axe is to incorporate Resistance Debuff into its attacks, shared with Knockback, much like War Mace shares disorient and knockback. Plus, it makes Battle Axe a nice mirror to Broad Sword's defense debuff theme. Beheader - Needs secondary effect port and increased DPA Suggestions: Add -Res(Smashing,Lethal), remove knockdown, reduce cast time Reasoning: Resistance debuff conveys that your big ass axe is actually hacking away at your opponent's armor (aka what axes do), and leads to better damage in follow-up attacks, conveying that Battle Axe hits hard. -- Chop - Needs secondary effect port Suggestions: Add -Res(Smashing,Lethal) remove knockdown -- Gash - Needs secondary effect port Suggestions: Add -Res(Smashing,Lethal), remove knockdown -- Build Up - fine, keep as is -- Swoop - fine, keep as is -- Taunt/Confront - fine, keep as is -- Whirling Axe - Needs secondary effect port and increased DPA Suggestions: Add High -Res(Smashing,Lethal), remove knockdown, reduce cast time Reasoning: Opening a big mob with PBAoE and setting up mobs for taking increased damage over your next attacks would be a great way to boost this rather underwhelming power. -- Cleave - Needs the Shatter buff that allows it to actually hit multiple targets Suggestions: Increase cone arc from 20 to 45 degrees Reasoning: This gets the power in line with the gold standard of this power in the weapon sets, Shatter. -- Pendulum - fine, keep as is The above buffs technically violate the cottage rule by removing knockdown from a few powers, so if necessary to compromise, the knockdown chance could be reduced to make room for the resistance debuffs. Someone better than me would have to run numbers, but that suggestion sounded like TOO strong of a buff to the set. For additional information on Battle Axe numbers, please refer to the handy dandy spreadsheet in this post: Will be working on the proposals for Armor and Pets soon, for now I'm going to play the game. Later, a separate proposal will be made for the other categories; Assault/Manipulation, Control and Support. Thanks for listening to some nostalgic, overly passionate dude venting about how great certain powers in the game could be!

See, I was going to coin that name in my other posts, but I didn’t want to sound TOO snarky. Bombardment went from being the most eye-catching set in its first iteration to the most disappointing.

See, that's my biggest gripe here...that the set bonuses are SO CLOSE together. There's almost no difference between the two in terms of set bonuses except for tier 1 and resistance typing. Is the substantial bonus to one power's recharge really worth a Praetorian clone of Positron's Blast? I'd argue not. There's so much other design space that could be explored, or even numbers just tweaked slightly, just to make them different. It just kinda sucks to see a new, rare IO set being added to the game, and it's not that it's bad, it's boring.

Yeah you're right, I was working off memory there, both procs are 3.5 PPM. Which to me, still doesn't excuse Bombardment's lackluster set bonuses. Now that I'm not typing on a phone and I'm back on my PC, I can compare and contrast the set bonuses more: At 2 slotted: PB grants 2.5% recovery, and Bombardment grants 5% range increase. Okay, good start, but tier 1 set bonuses are rarely important. At 3 slotted: Both PB and Bombardment grant 2.25% damage resistance bonus (PB does Fire/Cold, Bombardment does Smashing/Lethal) and some mez resistance. A bit of overlap, but okay. At 4 slotted: PB grants a 9% accuracy buff, and Bombardment a 7% accuracy buff. Well, Bombardment is a clear loser here. Let's see if the next tier is better. At 5 slotted: PB grants a 6.25% recharge bonus, and Bombardment a 5% recharge bonus. Fourth and fifth tier are usually pretty important set bonuses, since you're devoting a lot of slots at this point for these bonuses. Bombardment is still a loser here, it's just strictly worse. Maybe the final tier makes up for it? At 6 slotted: Both PB and Bombardment grant 4.5% damage resistance bonus (PB does Toxic/Psionic, Bombardment does Energy/NegEn) and some mez resistance. There really isn't any improvement here (and I'd argue that toxic/psionic resistance is more valuable than en/negen, but let's discount that) to make up for the fact that the third and fourth tier bonuses are STRICTLY WORSE than Positron's Blast. They're both rare Targeted AoE enhancements with a 3.5PPM damage proc as the "special" slot. To me, there's nothing interesting about Bombardment that makes me want to take and slot it over Positron's Blast. I'm raising the point that the set bonuses between these two, VERY similar enhancements, should be diversified in some way. Either granting defense at the fifth tier (prolly not as strong as the original design, however), or swapping places between the recharge and accuracy bonuses maybe? The short of it is, there's nothing about this enhancement that makes me want to use it when Positron's Blast exists.

I’m kinda glad Artillery got split off from Bombardment, because it looks like a fantastic set for getting ranged def capped on many blaster builds and the like. But now it feels like Bombardment is in an awkward place, since it’s so similar in set bonuses to Positrons Blast, which in turn is a depowered version of Ragnarok. Bombardment with its current numbers trades recovery for a range bonus, trades F/C resistance for equivalent S/L resistance, has a lower accuracy buff, a lower recharge buff, and trades T/P resistance for an equal amount of E/N resistance. With the only real tradeoff being an additional .5 PPM in its damage proc, and the IO enhancement bonuses shifted around, it doesn’t make for a very interesting set in its current iteration.

Which thread has a screenshot of the new Homecoming loading screen?

Funny enough, my buddy and I are looking to improve his staff/Dark scrapper build, and this is the first post in the scrapper forum lol. I don’t have experience with the set, but I can barf up an IO build with some capped numbers and see what the community thinks.

At work at the moment, but I’ll post my Ice/Thorns/Ice build I cooked up later. I managed to cap S/L defense without any incarnates, and no purples. I don’t know whether it’s perma-Dom, I don’t know the magic number for that. If I overslotted Hasten I’ll probably move a slot from it into health for my third endurance proc

I have an Incarnate Super Reflexes/Battle Axe tanker on Everlasting, but don’t see the pairing in the list, curious if I am a unicorn EDIT: also, no comparisons for Crab v Bane and Fortunata v Night Widow for the VEATs?