Camel

True. I guess “quick recharging powers” is pretty vague. As a power that recharges in 1 second will get less proc rate out of a power that recharges in 4. But in a scenario like with the Tanker ATO +Res proc, you’d want it in a power that recharges quick enough to allow the possibility of 3 stacks. There’s a sweet spot, like I mentioned. And every proc has a different one.

This applies to a lot of procs also, mostly ATO procs. The +Res proc and +Absorb proc for Tankers, +Damage proc for Doninators, even the sucky Defender ATOs. Certain procs are just more efficient in quick recharging, low chancE proc activation powers. Especially the ones you stack. The Scrapper ATO has the most confusion around it, with some reading the text and thinking it gives +50% critical chance to the power it is slotted in. I’m just here to help make uber builds uber-er.

Here's my Shield/Dark Tank. Resists, Defense and Recharge are all improved. I noticed you didn't have the ATOs in your build.. The Tank ATOs are great and you should definitely prioritize them! Check it out, let me know what you think. 😄 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 Magic Tanker Primary Power Set: Shield Defense Secondary Power Set: Dark Melee Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Fighting Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Deflection -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(7), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(9), RctArm-ResDam(13), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx(15), Ags-Psi/Status(43) Level 1: Shadow Punch -- SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprMghoft-Dmg/Rchg(15), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(23), SprMghoft-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), SprMghoft-Rchg/Res%(27) Level 2: Battle Agility -- RedFrt-Def(A), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(3), RedFrt-Def/Rchg(3), RedFrt-EndRdx/Rchg(5), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(5), RedFrt-EndRdx(7) Level 4: True Grit -- RctArm-ResDam(A), RctArm-ResDam/EndRdx(40), ImpArm-ResPsi(42), Prv-Heal(43), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(43), Prv-Absorb%(46) Level 6: Active Defense -- HO:Membr(A) Level 8: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I(A) Level 10: Taunt -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 12: Phalanx Fighting -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 14: Shadow Maul -- SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg(A), SprGntFis-Dmg/Rchg(29), SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(29), SprGntFis-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), SprGntFis-Rchg/+Absorb(31) Level 16: Siphon Life -- Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg(A), Mk'Bit-Dmg/EndRdx(17), Mk'Bit-Dam%(17), TchoftheN-Heal(19), TchoftheN-Acc/Heal(19), TchoftheN-%Dam(21) Level 18: Grant Cover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 20: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(21) Level 22: Super Speed -- Empty(A) Level 24: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(25), Rct-ResDam%(25) Level 26: Shield Charge -- Arm-Dmg/Rchg(A), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Arm-Acc/Rchg(37), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(37), Arm-Dam%(37), FrcFdb-Rechg%(40) Level 28: Soul Drain -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(34), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(36), SprAvl-Rchg/KDProc(36) Level 30: Boxing -- Empty(A) Level 32: Tough -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(33), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(33), UnbGrd-Max HP%(33), ImpArm-ResPsi(46) Level 35: Dark Consumption -- EffAdp-Acc/Rchg(A), EffAdp-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(50) Level 38: Midnight Grasp -- Hct-Dmg(A), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Hct-Acc/Rchg(39), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Hct-Dam%(40) Level 41: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(42), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(42) Level 44: Gloom -- Apc-Dmg(A), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Apc-Acc/Rchg(45), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Apc-Dam%(46) Level 47: Darkest Night -- DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb(A), DarWtcDsp-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(48), DarWtcDsp-Rchg/EndRdx(48), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(48) Level 49: One with the Shield -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(50), ImpArm-ResPsi(50) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Gauntlet 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), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(11), Mrc-Rcvry+(13) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-EndMod/Acc(9), PrfShf-End%(11) Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve Level 0: Portal Jockey Level 0: Task Force Commander Level 0: The Atlas Medallion Level 50: Cardiac Core Paragon Level 50: Void Radial Final Judgement Level 50: Reactive Radial Flawless Interface Level 50: Rebirth Radial Epiphany Level 50: Melee Core Embodiment ------------

DM is tricky, because we get Gloom from the Soul Epic, Shadow Punch just becomes obsolete. More so than other T1s. Which is a shame because it’s not a bad spot to place them if you do use your T1 in the rotation. Siphon Life would be a good alternative. Since you are Willpower and already self contained as a set, you could forgo the healing aspect of Siphon Life and slot an ATO set there. The +resistance ATO set wouldn’t be bad here since you would be spamming it and getting the stacks you want, you could even put both procs in here, considering the absorb as more ‘heal’. The +absorb ATO set could also go in Shadow Maul. You’d have access to both procs while exemplaring this way.

What is your attack chain, considering only the powers that could slot the ATO? Also, what secondary?

True, but keep in mind that the stacks have a duration. So there is a sweet spot. You wouldn’t want the +res proc in Soul Drain, for example, as you would get very limited use out of the procs there. You’ll find the best results making sure they are in powers that you frequently cycle through. Haymaker and Bonesmasher being some of the perfect power choices since they’ll most likely be vital in your attack chain.

Hey all! Hope everyone is well and staying safe. I’ve been frequenting the forums more and have noticed some misconceptions about the Critical Strikes +50% crit rate proc and how it functions. Even from some in the community that have years of experience! So I wanted to touch on that a little bit. I’ve seen that quite a few players have been slotting this proc in powers with immense recharge times thinking either, A. It increases the critical rate by 50% for the specific power it is placed in. Or B. Placing it in a high recharge power (ex: Soul Drain, Lightning Rod) guarantees it’s activation. One of these is false (A) and the other (B), while true, is very inefficient and I’ll tell you why. While putting it in a power like Soul Drain or Lightning Rod does indeed increase it’s chance, it doesn’t guarantee it. There will always be a 10% chance, or more, that it will not activate. Meaning you’d have to wait an entire 30+ seconds to even have another 90% or less chance to proc it again. Putting the proc in powers like Smite, Lunge, Hack, Gambler’s Cut, etc opens up the possibility to proc that +50% crit rate as many times as you would use that power in your rotation. This allows attack chains like this to happen: Soul Drain -> Shield Charge -> Smite (proc activates) -> Midnight Grasp -> Smite (proc activates) -> Siphon Life. This is all easily done within 15 seconds for this specific attack chain. That’s 2+ procs every 30s to 1 proc every 30s. Had I slotted that in Soul Drain or Shield Charge that attack chain might look like this: Soul Drain (proc activates) -> Shield Charge -> Smite -> Midnight Grasp (proc ends) -> Smite -> Siphon Life. Or like this: Soul Drain (proc does not activate) -> Shield Charge -> Smite -> Midnight Grasp -> Smite -> Siphon Life. Just wanted to throw this info out there for anyone who may have been doing this! If you don’t care, then that’s okay! It really doesn’t matter for casual players. But if there are any min/maxers out there who are doing either A or B, I hope this helps and opens up new possibilities! The powers I mentioned were only examples. There is a sweet spot, so mess around with the attacks you spam and find where you’d think you would have the most success.

When tweaking my Fire Tankers build, I had the most success with slotting the +res proc in Blazing Aura as well as 5 Superior Avalanche IOs. This mitigates damage by occasionally making entire mobs flop to their feet, but also guarantees having 1 stack of the +res proc at all times, but you’ll have 2 more often than not and sometimes even 3 if you are always surrounded by mobs. It depends on the build. Sometimes it’s better to put the full set of both ATO sets when needing max Smash/Lethal resist. Oftentimes, you can get to 90% Smash/Lethal resist without needing that set bonus, thus wasting a slot. If you are making a Fire Tank though, definitely recommend the above slotting. Then 5 slot the Gauntleted Fist set into a power you have before (or after if you don’t exemplar much) level 20 making sure to slot the absorb proc. I love taking my full IO, full accolade build Tanks through low level TFs, so I made sure to have both the absorb and resist proc available before level 20. edit: In a nutshell: 1. Slot the +res proc in a toggle damage aura when available. They stack just as frequently as it would in an attack you spam, with the added benefit of it being on auto-pilot. 2. 6 slot both ATO sets into the powers of your choosing on builds that need that extra 12% Smash/Lethal resist to get close or to 90% 3. 5 slot both ATO sets in the powers of your choosing, then place the procs into the power/powers of your choosing. This is for builds that can easily reach 90% Smash/Lethal. Oftentimes I will place both procs into one power I spam in my rotation, along with 4 more IOs from whichever ATO set I choose.

In a nutshell. Corrupter - Offensive support, a Fire/Kin for example, can buff both of you to the damage cap and rain destruction with scourge DoTs + everything the Plant/Storm is dishing out. Defender - Similar to the Corrupter, but this is the AT you want to go for if choosing a set like Empathy, Cold, Pain, etc. Even Kinetics would yield better results with higher buff modifiers for Speed Boost, Increase Density, etc. I personally would go for the Corrupter if choosing Kinetics, one of the few exceptions being a Kinetics/Sonic Defender. Controller - Strength multiplier, doubling down on controls and debuffs is a sure fire way to victory. Kinetics and Darkness Affinity are top contenders here.

Is the IO attuned? Or are you positive it’s the correct IO? Several times when I’ve gone from no IOs, to a full IO build via merits, AH bids, email, etc... something gets lost in translation. Actually, on my Warshade I had 4 out of 5 of the Avalanche set superior, I swore I did all 5. But one day (over a month later) I pulled up his final build in Mids and noticed his defense numbers were way off. Maybe check the build once over, you never know.

That’s what I meant. New players wouldn’t notice a change, because nothing would have changed for them.

One million times this. This game is a masterpiece and really, the only sure fire way to solve what we’re talking about here is having the option to make the game even harder. This would cater to everyone but brand new players, and the only fix for that is experience.

I second this, Tanks are great. You could make a Fire/anything and it would be great AND tanky. Do it! 😎

Are you a human form Warshade with the KD proc in Orbiting Death? You might be stacking low mag KB/KD to the point where the enemies do get tossed a little. Just a theory. I’ve noticed it happening on some of my toons with those two procs/interactions in the build. For reference, I have a Warshade with the Sudden Acceleration KB->KD IO and never experienced what you are. I have not played that Warshade in months though. So maybe it is bugged right now?

Fire/TW is hands down the highest overall DPS Tank in terms of AoE and ST. I played a Fire/Energy Tank to 50, no AE but a lot of TFs... he was an absolute God and I can only imagine the insanity it would have been with TW. Having Burn and a full TW attack chain by level 20 is whacky and is IMO one of the best Tanks you can roll for the TF Commander TFs. I’m itching to make onE myself, but don’t like playing similar characters to 50 In succession. So for now I’m playing my Tom Cruise inspired Kinetics/Sonic Defender, Jack Screecher, but dreaming of my future Fire/TW Tank. edit: I also agree with going Energy Mastery, take Conserve Power and slot a 50 Recharge IO in it (+5 if you want) and then take Physical Perfection and slot the Performance Shifter +End proc and leave it at that. This allows you to focus on slotting your primary and secondary for maximum set bonuses. I’ve been combing over all kinds of Fiery Aura Tank builds if you’d like to see my proposed Fire/TW build. If I recall, it has 90% resists to Smashing, Lethal, Fire, Energy and Negative damage, over 60% resist to Cold, Psi and Toxic damage almost 100% of the time. Perma-hasten with some Force Feedback procs, 45% Melee Def before Defensive Sweep, 32ish% S/L Def and I think 30ish% Energy/Negative Def all before Barrier or Melee Hybrid. Cardiac Core (the one that grants the most End Redux) is absolutely essential to reach those resist numbers and help with endurance if you go for maximum tankage like I did. You could go Musculature for offense, swap Barrier for Ageless, but the gain in damage wouldn’t outshine the massive survivability of Barrier. My Fire/Energy Tank has almost a carbon-copy build, similar slotting, similar IOs, and I couldn’t be happier.

Don’t let what’s on paper fool you into believing certain sets aren’t good. Numbers and DPS data don’t lie, sure. But they don’t take into account the fun factor OR how certain situations can make some pairings become evidently more powerful or just as powerful as others. I just recently mained and completed a Fire/Energy Tank, if you look through the forums you’ll see tons of people digging on the set. It’s unplayable, it does no damage, it can’t Tank anything, etc.. meanwhile, I’m 2 shotting +4 bosses as a Tank, Tanking +4 DA arc missions, Lord Recluse, +4 ITF spawns and even +4 psi damage mobs and absolutely destroying the TF commander TFs (on the Citadel TF I reached damage cap when fighting Vandal, my Energy Transfer + Burn + Bone Smasher all buffed by Fiery Embrace did around 20% of his HP, no exaggeration) The most fun you’ve ever had could be on the weakest build you’ve ever made, and the least fun you’ve ever had could be on the best.

I read it wrong, totally read it wrong. 😅 That being said, I would still give Elec/Dark/Soul a shot if you’re really digging it for thematic reasons. I recently rolled an Elec/Elec Controller to 50 and had a lot of fun with Electric. I skipped the AoE hold though, I mostly always do on Controllers since the builds end up being so tight. Electrifying Fences + Jolting Chain + Engulfing Darkness + Dark Obliteration isn’t anything to scoff at, throw in a few procs and a fully saturated Soul Drain and.... ta-dah! You could maybe even try to sneak in Unleash Potential since you can buff it sky high with Dark Assaults power boost-esque power, which will also boost the endurance drain aspect of Electric and your to-hit debuffs from Dark. I have a hard time seeing you not having fun with this combo. The self heal in Dark and the ability to slot multiple heal procs in Electrics powers would make you pretty Tanky. Even if you didn’t soft-cap S/L defense, Melee or Ranged. I’m sure you could get close to 32.5% defense, which paired with your controls and -to-hit debuffs should be more than enough in most cases and would only require 1 small defense inspiration to reach 45%.

If you have a theme in mind, do it. Some of my favorite characters are the ones you would consider “weaker.” Dark/Elec/Soul would be great! It would be pretty slot heavy, you could focus entirely on Melee, but taking Zapp might be worth it, you can have 4 pets up at all times with Haunts, Umbral Beast and Voltaic Sentinel. The only gripe I’d have with this pairing is the AoE immobilize is a cone, but you can easily work around that. I say go for it. The stun can take 5 damage procs and with a +5 Acc/Stun/Rchg becomes a mini nuke that can also shut down entire mobs. Seems like a good pairing to me.

No, just directly uploading a recording of gameplay directly to the forums. No links from YouTube.

I understand uploading to YouTube or Streaming is not permitted, but are we allowed to post gameplay to the forums? An example would be for a guide, or community challenge. Are these forms of uploads acceptable?

It’s hard for me to give a more detailed explanation as I can’t pull up Mids right now but I can give you some advice off the top of my head. Zapp or Mu Bolts will be a great addition to your single target attack chain. I would recommend 5 slotting the Apocalypse set in them and leave out the Dmg/Rchg IO, then take Ball Lighting for more AoE and 5 slot Ragnarok leaving out the Dmg IO and +5 the Dmg/Rchg IO. Swap Havoc Punch for Jacob’s Ladder (or keep Havoc Punch, I skipped Jacob’s Ladder as I found its performance to be very poor, more specifically it was terrible on my Stalker) Put the Critical Strikes set in Charged Brawl. Putting it in a power like Lightning Rod might increase the chance for the proc, but it takes 30 seconds to recharge and have a chance at proccing again (this means that there is a small chance of the proc not activating and having to wait 30 more seconds to have another chance) Putting it in a power like Charged Brawl and using it frequently means it can go off a minimum of 2 times in 30 seconds to Lightning Rods (or Shield Charges) 1 and potentially 0. I’ve actually seen it go off as many as 4 times in 30 seconds, with similar and even better results in powers like Smite. Consider 5 slotting LR or SC with Armageddon, leaving out the DMG IO and +5 the Dmg/Rchg IO, then 5 slot something like Scirocco’s Dervish in Thunder Strike for the Dmg proc and AoE defense set bonus, then throw a Force Feedback +recharge IO to help with perma-hasten and uptime of AoE. In True Grit, the HP component is more important than the resistance, both are good, but try to get the enhancement value for heal to red first. I exclusively 6 slot Numina’s Convalescence for its set bonuses which include Regen, HP, and Ranged defense most notably. You also save a slot in Health by having the +regen/+recovery slotted in True Grit. That’s about all I got for now, but I can pull up some of the previous and current builds for Elec/Shield I’ve used. As a side note, if the ST damage is still too bad, consider making it a Stalker. It’s definitely the most rounded AT for this specific pairing, dealing loads of ST damage and AoE.

I’m approaching this from a “is it better to do this than to not do this” point of view, and that answer is almost always going to be no.

There aren’t many sets that can skip 2 powers and be better than if you didn’t skip 1 of those two. There are even fewer sets that can skip 3 powers and still be good. The only set that comes to mind that can take 6 and be okay is Dark Armor, and even then, taking one of the PBAoE toggles can be a big benefit. Regen is much better with MoG, Fiery Aura can skip it’s T9 and that’s it. Willpower on a Scrap can get tons of benefit from its T9 since your resists are pretty average, Radiation Armor has Gamma Boost, that’s the most meh power in that set, skipping any other power would be a negative. It’s all subjective though, and you could build any secondary with 6-7 powers only, but the majority of sets are operating at their best with 8-9 power picks from the set. Is this for thematic reasons? Or are you finding a hard time fitting everything you want into your build and looked at cutting powers from your secondary first?

I second that. Specifically because of /Sonic on Defenders. The Defender would be better in every way. If you were using a different blast set like say... Fire, or Ice, I would say Corruptor all day.

Incarnates, grab 4-8 break frees at all times, one of the ATO sets grants +1 mag protection proc for attacks and can stack, the Sorcery pool, etc. I would say Clarion is your best bet.