Sovera

Easiest way is to input this in-game: /optionset ShowVillainName 1 /optionset ShowVillainBars 1

War Mace is an outlier though. It was nipping at TW's heels back when TW was the most OP of sets. Just like TW it breaks the mold by having strong ST, strong AoE, plus useful utility (so... many.. KD/KUs...). It is hard for other sets to compete other than WM having pretty damn meh skins and thematically not being very fun (furthermore without good skins allowing to diversify. WTB mace version of the Vanguard skins all light saber... Er... light mace. WITH SPIKES!)

But it isn't. though. Even if we take pylons loosely they still are a metric and no AT has ever brought DM to a competitive range. The 'strength lies in ST damage' seems to be a parroted term with no actual basis. What DM does have is a small heal and a different build up power that, ultimately, falls short since it imposes a tax on the set (can't be -too- good at base or Soul Drain will make the damage explode. But on any circumstance that does not have SD saturated then the set lags behind). It also has an endurance clickie. So DM is not really something strong in ST but rather a set chockful of utility with a small heal, an endurance recovery power and a minor -ToHit debuff. All of these impose taxes. If a set has a power rating of 100 then a % of it goes to ST, a % of it goes to AoE, then utility takes % (knockdowns, stuns, heals, etc). The more utility the set has the more % is shaved from ST and AoE to stay within the original 100. Back in the day all of these might have been more useful, but today when people go around softcapped without much hassle the -ToHit does little, and, in my experience, the small heal DM has does little (what we would survive without the heal we still do, what we would not survive with the heal we still don't). Just like other ATs and some sets DM is subtly obsolete. Now, I have not tested DM in the PTS so I offer no feedback, but the crushing majority dislikes it and what they say about it sounds like it's just not fun. Which is important in a game. I suggest if extra AoE is desired to look at Soul Drain instead. Shorten the recharge, shorten the buff time so the uptime remains the same. Up the damage. If it is up every 20 seconds it can serve as an opener that softens a spawn and then buffs the player to handle what is still alive.

Fold Space and Soul Drain is a happy marriage. Trouble with SD was always getting saturation and Fold Space neatly fixes that.

I've posted this somewhere else, but I'll copy the relevant part here to consider math and slotting: 4a -The game can be easily separated into two modes: easy mode, and hard mode. Easy mode is 90% of the game without debuffs and the problematic factions. For that mode you don't need to be ultra buffed to the gills and popping Barrier on CD. For hard mode we have things like the ITF where even resistance based sets can be debuffed to a point they take a ton of damage (at base every enemy has 50% of hitting. But once we are debuffed that chance increases to 80-95% chance of hitting. At that point blocking 90% of the damage is not enough since we are taking twice the damage we usually do). That is when we use all the buffs at our disposal. Enter Barrier. 4b - At base Barrier is a great team wide protection for the hard moments (my often repeated example of the ambush at the top of the hill in the ITF's first mission), but it also adds a permanent 5% defense and 5% resist to the build. During easy mode play you don't need to be at 90% since, well, it is easy mode, and aren't going to bother using it (unless noticing your squishies are suicidal, then you try to encompass them in it like a dotting momma tank). During hard mode softcap defense and hardcapping resistance is when you will want it. 4c - The Tanker +res proc gives 6.7% and stacks three times. Between this and that three stacks is best not be relied upon but two stacks is fine to assume as permanent once the fight has started. So looking at the build numbers (with one stack of the +res proc) S/L is at 78.86%. You're happily slapping things around and collecting a second stack making it now 85.3%. This is perfectly fine for most of the gaming, but hey, the going suddenly gets tough and you pop Barrier and now have 90%. As you can see this is still a little bit too much since Scaling Resists slotted in Hover would add another 1% at 90% HP but lets not nitpick. Negative is at 77% and with the above math ends neatly at 90%. Psionic is lacking (not having infinite slots) but 60.60% with one stack, 67.3% with a second stack. Barrier goes up, 72.3%. That elusive not-totally-reliable-but-still-worth-accounting-for third +res stack happens and 79%. Scaling Resists kicks off at 90% HP and 80%. Not hardcapped but hey.

I'll agree with you, but, though I haven't kept track, I don't think I've found a non Titan Weapons or Super-Strengh Tanker that could do better time than my 2:45 on a pylon (someone chime in if so in case I'm incorrect). Katana was pretty close by a handful of seconds, but it's lethal damage as well. On a target that is S/L resistant it just means I reach the same times as other sets who don't suffer from using lethal to do damage, and then I'll do better once we hit damage neutral mobs.

Purples are cheaper than the superior event IOs you still have. Last I played purples are something like 19-20 mill while a superior event IO is on the 25-40 range (cheaper if you buy normal and buy catalysts). The +res proc should not be in the damage aura. It does much better in a ST attack. Toggles like Blazing Aura don't much care for procs either. You should slot Bash since if you exemplar down too much you'll have Jawbreaker... and an unslotted Bash. Oh, and Burn. It will be misery. Burn wants procs, lots of procs. It goes from a stiff warm breeze to a mini-nuke with the slotting I posted. It's up to you if you wish to play using warm stiff breezes or lobbing mini nukes. Two +5 recharge slots on Fiery Embrace. It's big damage and you want it up as soon as you can. Fire/Cold defense is not particularly important to be wasting a slot for it in Whirlwing Mace. Same deal for Toxic and the slotting in Taunt or +9% movement speed and Mystic Flight. You killed your S/L defense and your E/N resistances are crippled (that's bad since you have no defense towards E/N so you must rely on resistances). You'll feel squishy. I suggest you look at my Fire/Claws link in the signature. The first post has a cheap version that still has defenses and resistances. You will have to adapt the Claws part to Mace but you can compare both side by side and use it as guide.

I'm not seeing it, Tsuko. Yes, Shield is one of the best all rounders, but should that really mean Fire Armor needs a serious rework? I've done the solo hardmode ITF (without debuffed players) and if a squishy Fire Armor can do it how much of a rework does it need? Only one in a world where Incarnates do not exist but that is not the case. Tactics gives resistance, not protection, AKA fears last less instead of simply not happen. I had some early deaths with it until I wised up. End recovery debuff is a problem, but again, hit first the enemies who do it, use Recovery Serum, use Consume to recover endurance, use inspirations, etc. In a world without Recovery Serum and etc? Sure, but it's not the case I do GET what people are saying but should we really look at it as the only armors worth playing are the ones who 100% protect against 100% of everything? I've done my share of content against endurance and recovery debuffing enemies and survived it (in some cases I've done better than the rest of my whole team) just alternating Consume and Recovery Serum. A good part of being a good player is strategizing. Not much need for it when we can just run in toggles up and ignore most or all mechanics but in other games the difference lays in knowing what enemy does, when they do it, how to stop it. A simply example in CoH that saves -so- much time is timing KDs on Crey PPs to they flop down at around 20% in order to kill them while they are doing the getting up animation and not pop their T9.

You're asking if you want to be more durable or do more damage. You are the one who knows the answer to that. Katana helps with Bio's lack of defenses but it only adds 15% to Slash/Melee unlike as with all other ATs where it reaches 45% via stacking. Heck, Fire/Katana did really well in survival and damage when I tried it other than exemplaring in a mediocre manner.

I read you, but, even Super-man has a weakness. You are a tank who has one as well. Nothing wrong with it. Carry a few breakfrees for those elite bosses or kill the mobs that do fear first if they are squishier. As for being end sapped use Consume before engaging them and it won't happen. Fear protection is not as widespread as you might assume it to be.

At the time I thought it would just +5 all my slotted IOs. WHAT LITTLE DID I KNOW!

After all the testing done with my Fire/Claws (new record of 2:30, no clickies used!) I took a look at Dual Blades and thought it could adapt well. Basically all attacks could be procced thanks to the lengthier animations and the extra attack, and Attack Vitals would basically be free damage. There would be a spot for Fury of the Gladiator outside of Burn too. All T4 using Reactive and Cardiac (even with Cardiac it was touch and go and this with some toggles off: 3:54 Switched to Musculature and Degenerative: 3:30 I expected perhaps a bit too much. It does highlight my point about Cardiac when the Recovery Serum kept my bar near to full for the duration of the test and Cardiac saw it dip down to 15-20%. I had such high hopes for this too, and it was so much trouble (almost finished slotting everything when I had the sad idea of checking what 'auto enhance with IOs' did and it wiped all my slotting with random sets). The build could use some tweaking still (dat Rectified Reticule in Blinding Feint...)

Since I was on a row I went to test a super heavily procced Fire/KM to see what would happen. The answer? Not much. 3:50 with Reactive. 3:27 with Degenerative. The build I used. The good thing about testing is that at least I get them out of my mind instead of pondering if they are the next best thing as I was with the DB one, as well as this one.

Posted this and the next couple posts on a different thread but adding them here to serve as my compilation of Fire Armor builds. I've made this build my lil bitch and roll over to offer its tummy. I've managed to keep Whirlwind Mace and Crowd Control, AND near max resistances, AND include damage procs, AND not skimp on recovery or endurance reduction on attacks, AND just abouts 40% defense, AND quite decent recharge (132 Hasten with no FF proc active). Looking at Mids I'm not sure it will really surpass the Claws though. Claws with two stacks would make Follow-up do 196, Jawbreaker with no Build-up does 240. Slash all procced out would do 513, Shatter would do 366. Focus 433, Clobber 479. Burn 585. WM Burn 361. ...of course these numbers don't include Build-up with Gaussian Fiery Embrace likes WM more too. With two stacks and FE: Follow-up 271. Jawebreaker 349 Slash 572. Shatter 491. Focus 522. Clobber 635. Burn 731. WM Burn 465. For funsies I clicked on FE and Build-up (but removed the Gaussian since it only lasts 5 seconds). Jawbreaker 469. Shatter 631. Clobber 814. Burn 598. So overall I have no idea which of the two would come out ahead. Claws hits for less but nearly does three attacks in the time WM does two. WM has bigger bursty numbers, but Claws has theirs pretty much all the time. So, best way is to not try to math but just empirical it. Be back in a couple of hours. In the meanwhile this is the build. I return from testing. Fortunately it was much easier to strip one of the previous Fire Armor characters than to painstakingly recreate it from scratch. Drumroll...... 3:51... Yeeeeeah, no. 3:37 - Switched to Degenerative. Don't feel that there is a point in continuing.

I tried it. Wasn't impressed with the ST (Claws substantially better). Near 90% resistances with two stacks of the Tanker ATO and Barrier's 5%. 45% S/L with Barrier's 5%.

Strictly speaking there is not much need for Fire/Cold defense in the end game. If you take that in mind you can shift your slotting around a fair bit. You are already at 36% Ranged defense and if you intend to stay hovering out of the way grabbing a few more percent points would be a better way to spend your slots. You'd still be capped at S/L (the crushing majority of melee attacks tend to incorporate one or the other) and just as an added layer N/E and Ranged. I feel that S/L defense is mostly enough for most things and adding more is semi redundant but heck, what else is there to add anyway? Hasten is at 132, attacks have damage procs, I find Fire Breath instead of Rain of Fire questionable but you do you. See if there are any ideas you'd like: The Recovery seems a bit low so maybe get Recovery Serums.

Kinda is though, but only in more extreme situations so you are correct too. But defense can go into the negatives which means we get hit more. Even blocking 90% of the damage it's still more hits coming in. But this is a more ITF level of extreme when we get to the -40% or -50%. A -20% would certainly take us to that level faster,

I'm going to generalize here so don't take it as gospel. But if they are like me players who tried Stalkers did not found the small damage increase worth the loss of an agro aura. In another game where DPS are frail and need to hide behind a tank a Stalker would be flocked to. High damage and low threat agro? GIMME! But we are in CoH where DPS are sturdy (actually everything is weak since we fight normal enemies of which half a spawn is minions) and thus don't fear wading into the thick of it. But the 'it' does not want to be thick and will run off once their HP gets low. They don't with a Scrapper (with the right secondary) but will Benny Hill with a Stalker. In the end I couldn't stomach the runners anymore. As for Blasters VS Melee it's hard to say really. Not going to say no but gut feelings don't compare to an actual damage meter. Of course a Blaster cleans a pack of enemies with BU + Aim + their nuke. But then they spend the next 40-ish seconds with none of it while meleers keep on plodding. Honestly? If we were to recount the damage at the end of a whole instance/TF I feel my Tanker could well be the one on top. Being constantly 360º surrounded by a ball of enemies, constantly dishing AoEs and having a ticking aura beats a nuke every 40 seconds or another meleer on the edge of said ball of hate not getting the whole 360º coverage. But it's all gut feelings without said damage meter.

It shouldn't be weaker in S/L since it is the easiest resistnce to get up. More often than not I find myself skimping in Tough slots to not grossly overcap. SS in general is just shunned because of the Rage drop. I do have a Fire/SS in one of the pages in my signature if you'd like some ideas.

And remember that using DNA SIphon on corpses gives Recovery, while using it on alive enemies gives endurance.

They are less damage than a Scrapper for sure. Using a pylon for a metric a 'normal' min-max scrapper takes it down in 1:30-2 minutes depending. My best is 2:45. The new Energy Melee might replace it for me, though not having Build-up until 28 is a bummer. Now, we need to just think if 3 minutes is really bad or what. I've seen Scrappers do pylon challenges and taking 5-7 minutes for example. I mentioned recently in another post how CoH is composed by easy and harder content. A Scrapper can survive easy content (basically any faction that does not debuff or hit the weakness in their secondary) but folds against hard content (most Scrappers in an ITF for example). Absolutely yes that a full team with buffs and debuffs does fix this but it does assume there will be the correct buffs and debuffs present (forcefield buffs on a Super Reflex character will do precious little). I am just in love with the character because it will rock from Positron 1 to incarnate content where the heavy hitters (TW, double Rage) deal really badly with exemplaring. And as I said the damage is there. There is lots of burst involved when we kill 4-5 minions just by dropping a procced out Burn. As for your last question Brutes do about 10% more damage, but Tankers got a 50% buff to the size of their AoEs which means they hit more enemies more easily, while also being far sturdier than Brutes (who receive no bonuses to their defenses (exact same slotting in Scrapper, Brute and Tanker has Scrapper and Brute with same numbers while the tank gets higher numbers) with much better ATOs (crappy +fury and even crappier 10% regen/recovery opposed to 20% to all res and an absorb shield that Tankers get).

Claws for great ST and great AoE. Can't go wrong with Claws/Bio. Shockwave does a lot to help with survival. If I can tempt you to the side of Tankers then Fire/Claws is something I've waxed poetic about.

Why common only? It's it a ironman challenge thing or lack of funds? Your blue bar woes will disappear simply slotting a Theft of Essence in DNA Siphon.

We have peaked. There is Werner, then there is the rest of us. That's fine though, he's a worthy leader. You have my Fire Armor!

It pretty much is. But the sad thing is that even with FE the damage still isn't amazing. But it would be difficult to balance Fire Melee because of Fiery Embrace's Damocles' Sword. Make it good enough without Fire Armor that it rivals the current best sets? It explodes when paired with Fire Armor. Make it as good as the other sets with Fiery Embrace? Straight out of luck if you ever pair it with anything but Fire Armor. People often make the mistake of considering certain mechanics as 'free damage', but it's never free. Psi Melee Insight is not free damage, bleeds in Savage Melee aren't free. The sets are calculated with these effects in mind. It's just bad for Fire Melee that the calculations involve a whole power set which will never work well without a rework of Fiery Embrace for the reasons above.