Dan Petro

You have to take a good bit away to actually die in melee 1 v 1's. Incarnates powers, inspirations, movement powers are a start. After that you have things like hiber and sometimes phase being able to hard reset encounters every ~120 seconds. And even if you ignore all that stuff, there are still plenty of builds, sets, etc that will end up in a draw if they just stand still fighting each other. Tanks get ~1100 points of absorb built into their attack chain every 15 ish seconds, powers like unrelenting and aid self can give any set massive amounts of sustain. Sets like Rad melee have a 20% heal you can fully enhance on a 10 second CD. For perspective, reconstruction from regen is a 25% heal on a 60 second CD.

If both players are using all the tools they have available to them, neither will die if played correctly.

What if I told you there were pool powers that literally everyone no matter the build can take and do the exact same thing as crey pistol. What if I told you that the "crey pistol" mechanic can be done with a decent number of primary, secondary, and epic powers as well. The earliest evidence of this was on live when people figured out (and took videos) how you could essentially skip every animation using either Katana or TW, I forget which. It doesn't actually affect the DPS of any set, just the freedom of movement you get.

Hey CR Banana Man WHAT is the status on those new ARENA maps. We are very MUCH looking forward to having a new setting to play in. THANKS!

It is pretty comical, you can stack taunt on a person and any ranged character is forced to essentially KoB / melee range with their attacks while having none of the benefits of being melee (higher res, hp, self sustain powers etc). Taunt in zones isn't anything crazy because nothing organized happens there. Taunt in team pvp is just broken overpowered as it lets you take your weakest player and shut down the enemy teams strongest while putting them on a nearly unkillable character.

Add the ability to slot this power for +range enhancements. Speed up the projectile of the power. Standing at max range for the power it takes almost 6.5 seconds from the time the buff shows up on your bar until the first tic of absorb hits.

I'll see if I can get Wolfgang Blade, probably the best undefeated Kat/Regen in the game to hook you up with some feedback.

Something to note with fire blast, it has two "good" attacks. Blaze and blazing bolt, both are honestly only okay and can't take a lot of procs. The problem you are going to run into is your damage will fall off really hard outside of those two. Most fire blasters will either run char or /plant to add in another 1 or 2 attacks that can hit really hard with procs.

Solutions to your problem : Make a PvP build, learn how to play it, dominate the "Griefers" Build a VEAT, they have higher perception caps and can see stalkers. Protect other badgers from griefers. Team with an emp/sonic/pain, they can take you to the perception cap and also heal you (outside of the sonic). Team up - Numbers matter in zones. Get some friends. PVP'ers make up a small fraction of the population and PvE'ers easily outnumber them. The solutions are there for you without any mechanical changes needed. 🙂

Here is a bit of a generic Ill/Emp Build. 1606 HP, 175 foot range heals, 75% global recharge and 70% slow res and a MM level of pets. You end up overcapping a 7.5% recharge bonus, but the limited options to get more range is more important IMO. 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! Level 50 Natural Controller Primary Power Set: Illusion Control Secondary Power Set: Empathy Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Sorcery Ancillary Pool: Leviathan Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Blind -- GldNet-Acc/Hold(A), GldNet-Acc/Rchg(3), GldNet-Rchg/Hold(3), GldNet-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(5), GldNet-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(5) Level 1: Healing Aura -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(7), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(7), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(9), Pnc-Heal(9) Level 2: Heal Other -- NmnCnv-Heal(A), NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx(11), NmnCnv-Heal/Rchg(11), NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(13), Range-I(13), Range-I(15) Level 4: Absorb Pain -- NmnCnv-Heal(A), NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx(15), NmnCnv-Heal/Rchg(17), NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Range-I(19), Range-I(19) Level 6: Flash -- GldNet-Acc/Hold(A), GldNet-Acc/Rchg(21), GldNet-Rchg/Hold(21), GldNet-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(23), GldNet-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(23) Level 8: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(25) Level 10: Super Speed -- Qck-RunSpd(A), Qck-EndRdx(25), Qck-EndRdx/RunSpd(27), HO:Micro(48) Level 12: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 14: Super Jump -- WntGif-RunSpd/Jump/Fly/Rng(A), WntGif-ResSlow(27), WntGif-RunSpd/Jump/Fly/Rng/EndRdx(29) Level 16: Clear Mind -- Range-I(A) Level 18: Phantom Army -- SlbAll-Dmg/Rchg(A), SlbAll-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(29), SlbAll-Acc/Rchg(31) Level 20: Fortitude -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Range-I(31) Level 22: Acrobatics -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 24: Spirit Ward -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(31), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(33), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(33), Pnc-Heal(33) Level 26: Mystic Flight -- HO:Micro(A) Level 28: Recovery Aura -- PrfShf-EndMod/Rchg(A), PrfShf-EndMod(34), PrfShf-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(42) Level 30: Superior Invisibility -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(37), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(40), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(40) Level 32: Phantasm -- SlbAll-Dmg(A), SlbAll-Dmg/EndRdx(34), SlbAll-Build%(34) Level 35: Regeneration Aura -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(36), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(36), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(36), Pnc-Heal(37) Level 38: Adrenalin Boost -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(39), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(39), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(39), Pnc-Heal(40) Level 41: Water Spout -- JvlVll-Dam%(A), JvlVll-Acc/Dmg(42), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(43), Bmbdmt-Acc/Rech/End(45), Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech/End(48) Level 44: Hibernate -- Prv-Absorb%(A), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(45), Prv-Heal/Rchg(45), Prv-Heal(46), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(46), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(46) Level 47: Shark Skin -- UnbGrd-Max HP%(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(48) Level 49: Summon Coralax -- CaltoArm-Acc/Rchg(A), CaltoArm-Acc/Dmg(50), CaltoArm-EndRdx/Dmg/Rchg(50), CaltoArm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(50) Level 1: Brawl -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(43) Level 1: Containment 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 -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(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-EndMod/Acc(37), PrfShf-End%(42) Level 50: Spiritual Radial Paragon Level 0: Portal Jockey Level 0: Task Force Commander Level 0: The Atlas Medallion Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve ------------

You can actually know these numbers. Players (before the ban) would post/share their point of views in matches. From there you can see their % on target across matches, their ability to consistently land the full attack chain timely on target, and their ability to survive various amounts of offensive pressure (being targeted say 5 vs. 10, vs 15-20 times). Without players exact PoV you monitor the defiance bar on blasters (the backbone of most offenses) to see that they are firing their attacks when the caller counts it down, and how many attacks they are getting off.

Time is a pretty weak set in PvP and doesn't really do all that much on controllers. Defense on squishy classes doesn't do much, its -res power is on a 90 second base CD. Its large AoE buff requires everyone to be in melee range, its -to hit debuff also requires melee range and can be easily detoggled (and has low base values). Its aura heal is insanely weak in PvP (very small upfront heal and then just a regen boost over time rather than the potent HoT in PvE). Temporal selection has the longest CD if the single target ranged damage buff powers (fort / empowering circuit) The only thing the set can kind of do is stack some slows, but other secondaries just do it better. In PvE it is great, in PvP not so much.

Updated Build Philosophy - HP Cap still mandatory on all 1606 classes as well as blasters. After that you want to focus on acc/recharge/range, ideally you will have >200% acc (in mids) on a power outside of any buffs to hit other 1606 characters with 95% to hit rolls. Recharge still shoot for at least 60-65% on the low end, but for many builds 80-90% is a sweet spot. +Range is incredibly important across all characters and was neglected in the original post. For support characters you want at least ~165-170 range on the heals. For damage dealers, a passive 50% range bonus is a good goal to shoot for though with defenders/corrs/blasters you can go higher pretty easy now. Knock back protection - Depends on the prevalence of people running bubblers. You either build for 49 or skip it and rely on powers like vengeance or domination to keep you from getting KB'ed. Generally philosophy here is your opponent is just better off running hold spikes powerboosted or otherwise. If you have the resources for a second build, I like to do one with max recharge/acc/range and then one with mag 49 kb prots. Travel powers slotting - You want 95% Travel speed in SS/SJ (or Speed of Sound/Mighty Leap) A travel/end IO +5'ed in spirit will cap your run speed in pvp otherwise you will be at around 86 MPH. The ability to go vertical to break damage is significant. Mystic Flight/Translocation or Speed of Sound/Jaunt are must have on 1606 chars and can be fit into pretty much any build with hiber. If you take the ice pool hiber, you want to take tough otherwise you will lose out on resistances. Phase Shift is fixed now and won't drop you out of phase while mezed so it is pretty strong again. Hiber is still faster to activate if you are dealing with crazy spike damage. Pool power picks are still leadership at least two travels (SS/SJ type) and then either phase or hiber for offensive 1606 characters. Support can make use of out medicine/aid other with field medic for more sustained healing, but requires good positioning (can't slot aid other for range, low base range) but the power has no animation root. Sorcery/spirit ward is still strong. Melee is a whole different story.

Two things : The PvP Community here is pretty small and team arena pvp even more so. I'd wager most people active in arena PvP recognize the names/ players up there. And not really stupid, more just for fun. On live it was always fun to read people's dream team threads or "top X or Y"

Sonic is honestly a pretty big sleeper of a set. The 1.04/s res debuff toggle is end heavy because of the lack of recovery but it also matches radiation's EF. The set can easily and permanently keep -60% res up on a single target for defenders which is only beat by poison (colds can keep -60% up in aoe's with heat loss but not quite perma usually). It can provide a MASSIVE 61% resistance to all damage but psi and it has the most versatile mez protection (self + able to stack on others) of any set out there. The set at or near the top of three of the support stats and I don't think any other set does that (with things like heals, recharge / end and recovery buffs, damage, debuffs, etc. The general purpose support sets like rad and time are great because they do a bit of everything, but sets like FF, Sonic, Empathy, etc do fewer things just at a much more potent level than just about everything else. I agree liquefy is underwhelming from a duration / recharge perspective, and that could certainly use a bit of a tweak. But -36% base def and to hit is huge, you can essentially floor the to hit of an entire mob and cap out your parties to hit chances in most cases.