Xeph

I'm happy to share I got Mr. Bulwark to level 30! I actually made every effort to avoid the Map Server event with this guy so I could experience it more organically. And I gotta say that all the positivity for the build was completely warranted. Lots of soft CC, plenty of survivability and eventually it grows into some decent AoE damage as well. That would really be my one and only gripe, and it's minor. You're an AoE-less tank until basically 28. Doesn't hurt your survivability just makes it harder to contribute to the big groups of mobs you can herd up. The other really nice thing is that I found I can generally stay in offensive adaptation, only swapping to the other two stances if something goes wrong... meaning it's easier to use the aggressive debuffs and help your team shred things faster. Really like what you put together there, looks awesome. Had I not gone technology for the origin, I might try that. I'm happy with the look I came up with though. I'll keep this idea in mind for any future Bio Armor builds though. So with that happy result I guess there's only one thing to do! Find my dice so I can roll up another Slot Machine Super! I'm on a roll right now!

I went ahead and turned the effects off, save for adaptation itself of course. I'm really happy with the result. Appreciate the insight on the build, I'll look forward to exploring it deeper over the coming days. I'll loop back and post again after I hit level 30 with him.

I'd recommend trying something outside the norm. Just get creative and see what interesting/fun/silly idea you can come up with for the Stone/Stone stalker, it might surprise you! Or... maybe not - either way it's all about the experience!

Hey @Troo, glad to see you starting this up again. I think you were referring to me in the original post with an X instead of a Z, I'm too kewl for the proper spelling. 😋 Looking forward to seeing what fate has in store for me. 1. 96, 1, 69 (allllright....) Tanker Bio/Stone - I'm sure it's good mix. Might be fun to see if I can get the bio auras and crystal stone attacks to match up. 2. 56, 1, 98 Mastermind Beast/Trick Arrow - Think I'm good on the Masterminds for now, does technically qualify for the Jackpot but... @Troo go ahead and gift that to someone else this time since I won last time. 3. 49, 6, 9 Dominator Dark/Dark - I naturally gravitate towards Dark for many of my characters so might avoid this one, try to mix it up. Bonus Roll from Mastermind. 12, 89, 45 Brute SS/Ice - This one looks good too but also have a lot of Ice... Going to roll with #1 - I'll update my post once I've got the look and name all figured out. Edit. So I came up with something I think will work for the costume... and took it one step further which can't be appreciated from a screen shot... I set it up to change the color of his Crystal weapons to match the Adaption aura color... nothing huge, but it's cool to see the different color crystal shards on the ground while fighting. I present: Mr. Bulwark

Ignoring Illusion Controllers, I'll keep looping back to the Kheldian in this discussion since it does all three things. But is it OP? Being able to do all three to a reasonable extent was my goal, not be the absolute best at it. Many games have had hybrid characters in the past, so it's far from unusual. Something like a Paladin from EQ, a druid from WoW (basically WoW's version of a Kheldian) - I know I'm kinda comparing Apples, Oranges and Tomato's with those references but still... that's what I was looking for.

My apologies, it was poorly worded - mostly out of defeat. You can deal solid damage and support, but you can't tank at the same time. I'm truly looking for that Hybrid style but outside of Khelds it doesn't exist in an accessible form. Again appreciate the insight, but I'm putting this character and concept on the back burner for now. I think once I'm ready to hit it again I'll pursue a Tri-Form Kheldian build.

@oldskool Appreciate the suggestions and advice. From the sounds of it though it's not possible to achieve what I was hoping, at least not from a min/max perspective. I guess this game just really lacks a good frame work for a Hybrid character. You either do damage or support I guess? It's all good, there's tons of other character concepts to entertain myself with. I've got a Soldier almost to 50 and it isn't doing quite what I was looking for with this character, but I appreciate the suggestion. In retrospect after thinking about this carefully I guess the only way I could maybe get closer to what I'm looking for would be to play a Kheldian... but that's a whole nother can of worms. I'll put this whole idea to rest for now. Thanks to everyone that chimed in.

I've been playing this character for a little while now and have enjoyed the style of the character significantly. Messing around in Mids I've managed to create a build that possesses an alarming degree of flexibility... so what's my conundrum? Jack of all, master of none... I suspect that's why Sentinel's are in such a strange place in the meta right now. Whatever the case, I'm trying to embrace it - a "Jack of All" build. Currently he'll be a solid off tank, decent damage, end drainer and even light healer later on. Maybe there's a way I could re-engineer set bonuses to get a little closer to my overarching goal? Influence isn't a concern for this. Any suggestions or thoughts? I'm open to any discussion on this.

I think this pursuit of thought is actually one that hasn't been properly vetted for Sentinel's. Many folks tend to focus on their damage aspect which... I'm sure everyone who posts on the forums is familiar with. One of the first characters I made was a Dark/Ice Sentinel when I discovered Homecoming. And I sincerely enjoyed playing her. I can almost hear the question now... "How did you make it work???" And the answer is rather simple, albeit probably disfavored, I quit trying to do damage. Now don't get me wrong, Snow Spirit can drop a hard target when she needs too, but that isn't her strength. Instead I'm able to take on a huge amount of aggro, survive it, and slowly but surely burn it down if my team isn't available to assist. And I'm not limited by range... I can do this in the pile or outside of it. Provoke is a great tool to help me keep the mobs where I want them, and have always enjoyed having that tool available. Even with so many folks chasing that 45% Def Softcap - a Sentinel is still going to out tank a squishy AT. @TheZagI think you've made good choices for your Tankinel (Water/SR), the only other one that might have a little better synergy is Dark/SR. You still get a health drain attack, and your attacks debuff the enemy accuracy - making you just a little tankier. Best of luck on this pursuit, I look forward too hearing the results. ...think I need to go roll up a Dark/SR Sentinel now...

That's true in my case as well. I don't know why it works... I just know it does. But there's definitely value in some genuine calculations and crunching to figure out the actual reason it works. Kudos to Bopper and underfyre for their efforts. It would be funny in the end to find out, after crunching all the numbers, Sentinel's aren't as bad as most of us imagine.

I could definitely see the Bio Offensive Bonus addressing that issue very well. I'll look forward to seeing the results. If I didn't enjoy Ice Armor so much I'd probably roll one with that setup. One thing I neglect to keep in mind - while my numbers with Dark are low compared to others, it's not a widely resisted damage type. And my basis for calling them low is my level 50 Elec Blaster can 2 shot a minion with meager attacks, where my Sentinel might need to dump a whole attack chain. For what it's worth though I didn't min/max for damage on my Sentinel. I saw that the damage was lacking early on and decided to instead focus on all the utility that Dark can provide and have leaned more into that with my build.

This has been a very active discussion and it does seem like decent solutions have been suggested. I wanted to provide my 2 cents from my own experience leveling and playing a Sentinel at 50. I've got a Dark/Ice/Dark Sentinel that feels great to play. Yeah - Dark is not known for it's damage, and when it comes to burning stuff down it's not the best. The Offensive proc is handy for helping burn down hard targets but ultimately I barely worry about the procs - things just die to fast. I generally ignore the Sentinel's inherent (which I suspect is a red flag to show how little value it provides). Occasionally I will use the defensive proc if I get banged up but that's pretty rare. Now since I've basically burned down the inherent - what do I like about the character then? Why do I enjoy playing it? I think it's the positional flexibility and awareness this provides. Depending on the team make up I can either be Main-Tank or Field Commander. Field Commander meaning I quickly move about the battlefield keeping teammates safe from mobs that are threatening them and keeping the mobs where we want them. My damage output is low but the utility (largely from the Dark power sets) I bring to the battlefield is noticeable and fun - for me at least. For the proposed suggestions throughout the thread the idea of changing the inherent to two different click powers you could use would be awesome. Getting a trigger and being able to crank my damage for a hard target, or having the option to massively bump my defenses would be the perfect solution for my play style. Here's hoping the Homecoming team is at least in agreement that Sentinel's are in a strange place, in balance, right now.

While this might be true, and you enjoy it, not everyone wants to play that particular combo. Rad debuff is a VERY strong set, which I fully acknowledge, but it's not my cup of tea. The universal issue with all games. There are some things that are just better - no argument. Thankfully City of Heroes has sufficient flexibility that you can play something sub-optimal and still have a ton of fun. Sometimes just the flair and style of something makes it worth while. To a certain extent I feel that's the case with Psi Melee. If you're not in it for the flair you might want to beware.

I've played the set to mid 30s on both a Brute and Stalker. On my Brute it felt... okay. Not terrible but not great. However on my Stalker it felt far better. Given how a Stalker tends to fight it's a little easier to get value out of insight. Further - nothing is better than being in the middle of a big group, dropping the boss and then immediately launching the rest of the group in the air. Having a solid AoE on a Stalker like that feels great. Additionally Boggle is an odd ball. Not terribly useful on a Brute, on a Stalker however it's fairly handy. Because using it doesn't break stealth you can use it to reduce the alpha a fair bit. Psi Melee is kind of odd. It falls into the realm of almost being good but has some notable issues keeping it from really shining.

It's @Archonis in game. Honestly the reward was the experience itself though. Fun stuff all around and I'm not even done going through the mess of characters I rolled up.

Yeah it's a great way to make sure you don't end up with something you detest. But still enough randomness you're going to end up playing something you haven't considered before. It's been fun chatting with folks in game about their experiences. Seems like, by in large, everyone's enjoying this little adventure. You were very fortunate that your one roll ended up as a fairly decent one. 🙂 I think single rolls on our event here should be considered "Hard Mode" from now on.

Alright finally got the last two put together. First up is Demons/Pain Master Mind: Baron Pamon - he's willing to bare any consequence to get the job done. No pain is to great, no cost to high. A results orientated zealot. Second is Elec/Ice Dominator: Chill Conduct - Thanks to a bizarre mutation he has gained significant control over both Ice and Electricity. He's just a chilled out guy using his abilities to help out the city... most of the time. Just need to figure out which one to focus on now. Leaning towards Baron Pamon or Rione. Once I get one to 30 I'll loop back.

To help facilitate the growth of this awesome trend I've created a Chat Channel in game: Slot Machine Supers Anyone who cares to join the madness is welcome. Let's see how many more we can rope into this fun stuff.

Those costumes turned out fantastic. Really like the MMs name too! I've been making mine all Gold Side - great picture area with little traffic. Here's my last one for tonight. She turned out really well I think. I'd like to introduce Rione - Dominator Dark/Fire I was also considering the name Sellis - reserved it just in case I change my mind. Any thoughts on that my fellow forum goers? Starting to think we need to start a slot machine team. Who's with me?

Strap a shield to the giant sword and call it good. You don't have to worry about them hitting you if you hit them first, right?

First up is the Stalker Staff/Elec Armor - Mr. Switch - most want to ask what the switch is for... few get the chance. That's the other fun thing about these random builds. Coming up with an idea to support the build. Arguably as much fun as rolling them up. In the interest of not spamming. I'll create the other three and post them as a batch. See how well that went below... I'll build the other two tomorrow.

This looks like fun! Let's see what I come up with... First roll JACKPOT: 65, 93, 77 - Scrapper Titan Weapons/Shield Defense....? Ahh dangit... forced re-roll. First roll 2nd try: 82, 100, 16 - Stalker Staff Fighting/Electric Armor - Seems interesting. I think it'd be fairly strong thanks to Elecs excellent resists and the staff mastery effects. Second roll: 51, 4, 43 - Dominator Dark Control/Fiery Assault - This one sounds awesome. Final roll: 58, 26, 45 - Mastermind Demon Summoning/Pain Domination - Seems decent. Final - Final roll for the bonus roll off Mastermind: 47, 30, 53 - Dominator Electric Control/Icy Assault. I think it'd be solid with the CC from Elec and Slowing from Ice. But definitely my least favorite from the bunch. I also note all of my "successful" rolls are Villain ATs... RNG trying to tell me something? Or maybe my true colors coming out? You decide! This was really great to try! @Troo thanks for reinvigorating this past idea.

This is actually a very good point. It's surprising how much content this game has. What's even more surprising is how much of it people avoid. Favoring TFs and radio missions by large. Come to think of it... start in Praetoria with a couple friends ideally. Get to level 20 and then transition to First Ward - hopefully pick up a couple more folks. The Praetorian content is pretty tough but also very well designed. If you work closely with your team you'll have a great time taking on those tough battles. You'll be challenged all the way through. Might need to try to recruit for this idea... bet it'd be a blast.

That's a good point... they're calling it fear but maybe that's too strong a word for the reality of it. I mean bottom line most of us when playing a character we enjoy we avoid dying as much as possible. I'm definitely not afraid of my character dying but I always feel pretty good if I got through the night without kissing the asphalt. The trick is finding the balance of challenge that's right for each individual. So not fear per say... but a challenge. If your character strolls into a group of +4/x8 and mops the floor with them without even using a long cooldown, you're definitely not challenged. No fear, no excitement... you're just mowing the lawn honestly. If only mowing the lawn had more explosions... But once again we're back to the same stupid point I keep making, "Is it fun?" - some people do enjoy mowing the lawn so... more power to them. 🙂 Yeah great point. SBB is a good example of how fun a smaller team can be. I'm still not for reducing the max team size. But maybe if there were a couple more events or arcs that followed the same premise it would at least make the community as a whole a little more aware. But honestly why not leave it up to us in the community? I feel like there's about a 50/50 split here in this discussion. But if the half of us that support smaller teams just went out and started making it happen - it could work. And if it's actually a good thing for the game, people will just start doing it naturally. If not - no harm done!

You know if your name wasn't Snarky... 😋 It would be nice if everyone was able to readily socialize but even if we really lowered the expectations there would still be players that would struggle to crank out 10 words every 5 minutes. For some it takes everything they got to keep an attack rotation going. If we suddenly forced folks to also type, they'd end up standing around in the middle of fights just to make sure they don't get booted. Maybe what we do is we add the 25 words every 5 minutes. And then if someone fails they have to maintain 30wpm for 5 minutes before they can get back into the team. What could possibly go wrong? LOL