Rathulfr

I like the Force Feedback proc, but: No: that would lose the set bonuses for defense. No: that would lose the set bonuses for defense. No: that would lose the set bonuses for defense. No: I hate cones, so I don't ever take Energy Torrent. No: that would lose the set bonuses for defense. Yes: it's already there. No: I don't want to sacrifice set bonuses for gimmicks. Thanks anyway. 😎

Thanks, but I don't want to lose the +10% Recharge set bonus, especially since I don't have Hasten in this build.

The highlights of my build are that it works for me: your mileage may vary (YMMV). I like blastin': just straight up shooting things in the face from a distance, until they're dead arrested. I don't do anything from melee range except Nova. Some folks like to mix it up with the melee attacks in the secondary, and there's definitely some good ones in Energy for that. But that's not me. My priority power picks are: Both Power Bolt and Power Blast (T1 & T2) because these can be used while mezzed, and believe me, as a Blaster, you'll spend a lot of time mezzed. Power Bolt may be weak, but it's better than standing there doing nothing, and it mules the full Thunderstrike IO set for ranged defense. Sniper Blast is the first attack in my regular rotation. When fully slotted, it can usually one-shot most LTs and all minions. If it doesn't one-shot, a quick follow up with Power Bolt is usually sufficient. Power Burst is the second attack in my regular rotation. Fully slotted, it can often one-shot many minions. If not, I follow it up with Power Blast to complete a solid one-two shot. Build Up is essential for maximizing damage output, especially for Sniper Blast at lower levels before it's fully slotted. There's enough +ToHit in BU to skip Aim, especially after taking Tactics. So my regular single-target rotation usually goes like this: Build Up (if recharged) Sniper Blast Power Bolt (if needed) Power Burst Power Blast (if needed) Lather, rinse, repeat. Hover is the most important power pick after that. Hover is the key to being a good ranged Energy Blaster, because it's your best tool for mitigating the unpredictable knockback. You need it to maneuver so you can position yourself and your targets to make knockback work for your benefit, instead everyone else's detriment. Most times, you want to get above your targets, especially for Explosive Blast and Nova, so that your knockback becomes a knockdown. And staying at least 5 feet above/away from your targets means they can't attack you with melee, forcing them to use ranged attacks, which is your positional defense cap. Hover also holds one of your Luck of the Gambler sets with +Global Recharge and Kismet 6% +ToHit (not Accuracy, which is a typo they should've fixed decades ago). Speaking of +ToHit... Tactics is my next priority, with the goal of trying maximize ToHit to the magic 97%, which permanently boosts the damage of Sniper Blast. I actually have to boost all 4 of the +ToHit IOs in Tactics to +5 to reach 97.01% permanently. Before 50, it's achieved with Build Up + Tactics. The Fighting pool is next, for Tough and Weave. Tough is needed to mule both of the resistance proc IOs that give 3% Defense each (6% total): Gladiator's Armor and Steadfast Protection. I also slot the +MaxHP proc from Unbreakable Guard there. You do not need to turn on Tough to benefit from those procs, saving you the endurance cost. Weave is there for defense and Luck of the Gambler. Scorpion Shield is essential for capping S/L/E typed defense. Without re-hashing an entire article about how defense works, the point is that capping S/L counters most of the damage thrown by PVE mobs in the game. Most mob attacks have either Smashing, Lethal, or both as a component of their attacks, along with at least one other type. So if you counter S/L, you've got a 50-50 chance of countering the entire attack, because countering one type effectively counters the whole thing. Now this isn't true of every attack, just many attacks. So you're still going to be vulnerable to attacks without S/L/E, such as purely elemental (fire/cold) or psionic. But that's just part of the game: you can't mitigate everything. But you can mitigate a lot with Scorpion Shield. Endurance recovery is always forefront in my mind, especially on Energy Blasters, because they're end hogs, and because all my defense toggles continuously consume end. I'm always trying to maintain a 3:1 ratio of recovery to consumption (at least), when idle with toggles on. This makes the endurance recovery procs a top priority as well: get them slotted a.s.a.p. As you level up, you'll use re-specs to move them around a bit as needed/acquired. They are: Miracle +Recovery Panacea +HP/End Performance Shifter +Chance for End Numina's Convalescence +Regen/Recovery My build includes Stealth for defense, and because I like being able to set up for Nova and to ghost glowie missions whenever possible, and to hold an LotG set. If you don't care about Stealth, swap this out with Combat Jumping, which offers the same defense and costs a lot less endurance. I usually take CJ instead of Stealth on other builds where I don't want/need Stealth. Considering and writing this long reply made me review my build, so I tweaked it a bit more. It's the same build, with a few slots shuffled around. I've pasted it below, for reference.

And some would argue that a tank without taunt isn't really a tanker. 😉

Maybe I'm missing something but... Isn't "tanking scrapper" (or "scrapping tanker") kind of the definition of Brute? Why settle for RNG crits when you have more consistent DPS with Fury? A Brute is truly the best of both worlds, isn't it?

I have trouble playing Corruptors because I'm not always sure of what I should be doing: damage or support? When I play Blasters, I know what to do: BLAST! When I play Defenders, I know what to do: heal/buff/debuff/etc. But with Corruptors, I find myself wondering: "Am I spending too much time on DPS? Should I heal that teammate now, or wait until their health is lower? Wait, they're dead now. I should've healed them. Okay, I'll focus on healing, then. Wait, everyone's at full health now. Okay, I'll focus on DPS again. Wait, that boss isn't going down fast enough, I'll debuff it. Wait, didn't I just debuff it like 10 seconds ago? The debuff lasts 30 seconds, so I should be able to get in a couple more attacks. What, the debuff expired already? Dammit." The mental effort of keeping track of both DPS and support is exhausting. Don't get me wrong, I like playing Corruptors: they're like my 3rd or 4th favorite AT, because they're like Blasters, my #1 (Sentinels are #2). But I don't enjoy them unless/until I decide in advance that I'll be blasting or supporting, based on team composition or mission parameters. And then I stick to that decision for the duration, damn the consequences, or else the anxiety would overwhelm me.

I'm currently running a Katana/WP Scrapper through low-level content: I'm at level 25 now, I think. I like having High Pain Tolerance to mule both Gladiator's Armor and Steadfast Protection +3% Defense procs, along with the Impervious Skin +Regen/+Status Resistance proc. I also put 4 Unbreakable Guard IOs into Mind Over Body for a smidge more defense, and the healing procs (Miracle, Preventive, Regenerative) go into Fast Healing and Health. And of course, Perf Shifters in Quick Recovery and Stamina (only need 2 slots in each, so far). When I hit 27, I plan to slot Numina's in RttC. I also plan to slot Panacea when I can find one. (edit) Here's my current build, except all of my common IOs are level 25 and the IO sets are all attuned. I don't know how to change their value in Mid's, so I left them at the maximum. 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! Katana Steele: Level 26 Magic Scrapper Primary Power Set: Katana Secondary Power Set: Willpower Power Pool: Leaping Hero Profile: Level 1: Gambler's Cut -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(3), Dmg-I(3) Level 1: High Pain Tolerance -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), ImpSki-Status(5), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(5) Level 2: Sting of the Wasp -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(7), Dmg-I(7) Level 4: Flashing Steel -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(9), Dmg-I(11) Level 6: Mind Over Body -- UnbGrd-Max HP%(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(11), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(13), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(13) Level 8: Divine Avalanche -- Acc-I(A), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(15) Level 10: Indomitable Will -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(15), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(17) Level 12: Fast Healing -- Prv-Absorb%(A), RgnTss-Regen+(17) Level 14: Super Jump -- Jump-I(A) Level 16: Rise to the Challenge -- Heal-I(A), Heal-I(19) Level 18: The Lotus Drops -- Dmg-I(A), Dmg-I(19), Dmg-I(21) Level 20: Quick Recovery -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(21) Level 22: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(23), Ksm-ToHit+(23) Level 24: Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(25), RechRdx-I(25) Level 26: [Empty] Level 28: [Empty] Level 30: [Empty] Level 32: [Empty] Level 35: [Empty] Level 38: [Empty] Level 41: [Empty] Level 44: [Empty] Level 47: [Empty] Level 49: [Empty] Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Critical Hit Level 1: Quick Form 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 -- UnbLea-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- EndMod-I(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 2: Health -- Mrc-Rcvry+(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PrfShf-EndMod(9) ------------

The fast-snipes do make a big difference, and if that wasn't a thing, the disparity wouldn't be so great between Blasters and Sentinels. Before fast-snipe, my regular rotation didn't include the snipe. Did they finally fix that [Blazing Blast]? I may have to revisit my Fire/* Sentinels (I have three of them) to check it out. Currently, my only other "active" Sentinel is AR/SR, which I play once a week with a team of SG mates.

Neat! That's consistent with my personal experience, historically. I usually post my converters for 78,900, to make sure that I don't get too little for them, but so that they always sell quickly.

Yeah, I'm only playing this AR/SR Sentinel for concept/thematic reasons on dedicated teams comprised of just my SG mates (we're a group of dwarves that fell into a mystical portal that brought us to Paragon City). Each of us is playing different ATs and power sets that are functionally and thematically complementary, so we've got a good balance of DPS and support all around. We function best as a team, rather than solo. I've also played AR/* "solo" on both Blasters and Sentinels, and definitely find it needs the help of a complementary secondary, such as SR or Devices. I created and played an AR/Dark Blaster on the implied dare that there didn't seem to be any of those at level 50 in the most recent "CoH by the numbers" posts. After playing him all the way to 50, I can see why there aren't any: there is absolutely nothing in Darkness Manipulation (except that oddball sustain, TotB) that helps Assault Rifle.

Pace, @nihilii. My comments weren't meant as a personal attack. Thank you for accommodating my imprecise comments with a measured response. It's not my intention to bring the entire debate to this thread. I was more sharing my emotional response rather than a purely logical one. My comments were based on my experience with lieutenants, bosses, and elite bosses in regular game play during the middle levels, 25-40. Not AVs, not pylons. No incarnate powers or trials. Just good ol' fashioned missions or TFs, with SO equivalent common IOs (usually level 25 or 30, so I'm running either -1/+1 SO). No damage procs (I do equip the sustain/defense procs in all chars). On my Blasters, I can usually kill a LT in 2 hits, and a Boss in 3 hits, using my regular rotation: a combination of my fast-snipe and a T1, T2, or mid-set power (without Aim or Build Up). I'm not doing anything weird or special, just blastin'. I play ranged (I don't blap), so I'm not even using any of the awesome melee attacks that are available/essential to many other Blaster builds. On my Sentinels, I have to go through my entire rotation of the functionally equivalent powers at least twice (sometimes thrice) to accomplish the same thing. It's tedious, but effective, eventually. At least I'm surviving the encounter. If I had to try to get through my rotation twice on the same target with a Blaster, I'd be face down on the floor. Oddly enough, that actually contributes to the feeling of being powerful, which is one of the main reasons I love playing Sentinels. But once I actually notice that it's taking forever to kill this damned Boss, I remember that my Blaster would've killed him in about half the time and will have moved on to the next target by now. And that's where I get wrapped around the axle.

I've been leveling up an AR/SR Sentinel with my SG mates. I'm up to level 30, and have enjoyed every minute of it. I also have a Fire/SR and an Ice/SR in their upper 20s. Super Reflexes on a Sentinel is super "stronk", as the kids say these days. @MTeague and @oldskool are spot-on with their analyses.

Yes, up to 5 Sentinels.

This has always been what I liked best about my Sentinels (I have half-a-dozen 50s, and have played/deleted another dozen or more to 30+): they're often the last man standing. I have no complaints about their durability. They're perfect in that regard. I really like how Sentinel secondaries have been tweaked/differentiated from those of their melee forebears. I wouldn't change a thing about Sentinel secondaries. It's the base damage modifier and Opportunity inherent mechanism that bother me, and what I wish they would fix. I would like to see them buff up the dam mod to 1.0 and combine the Opportunity inherent effects to be triggered by either the T1 or T2. Those minor tweaks would be a nice start, and might even be enough to get me playing those 50s that are currently collecting dust on my character select screen.

Yes, this is precisely my complaint, as so succinctly explained by @modest, earlier. If one has to depend on procc'ed epic powers to compensate for their under-performing primary set, then there's a significant problem. Sentinels shouldn't have to rely upon their Epics and/or procs to do damage. That might fly for non-DPS ATs like Defenders or Controllers, but not for Sentinels, who are supposed to be "ranged Scrappers". Sentinels need help to solidify their role as a DPS class, such as bumping up their base damage modifier a smidge or fixing their inherent to combine the effects of Opportunity into a single mechanism that's triggered by either the T1 or T2. Those two things right there would go a long way to making things better for Sentinels, and don't require re-designing the entire AT or inventing new mechanisms for their inherent.

Another bump: I'm trying to create a Katana Scrapper, and this is what I see when I select the Fire Sword model:

But tell us how you really feel, @Solarverse. 😆 I love Sentinels. That is, I used to love Sentinels. Or maybe it's that I want to love Sentinels. I really want to be like Iron Man™ (mage tank). But it's just really hard to play one knowing that any of my Blasters (even the god-awful AR/Dark Blaster) does so much more damage for not that much less vulnerability (admittedly, Blasters are definitely more fragile, which goes without saying). When I play a Sentinel, I feel powerful, but I'm almost laughably ineffective, when compared to my Blasters/Corruptors (I don't play Defenders). Every time I get bored with my usual characters, I roll up yet another Sentinel, just to see if I can figure out the mystical combination of primary and secondary that can compete. I've tried so many. I've deleted so many. They're all okay, I guess, but... but... they're so... bad at dealing damage (while great at taking damage). What I can kill in 2-3 attacks on a Blaster takes me 5-7 attacks on a Sentinel. Oh well, it keeps me busy, I guess. @nihilii, no offense, but... I think you're insane. There is something seriously wrong with your numbers. There's no way that any Sentinel does the kind of DPS you claim, in the real world. Believe me, I've tried. Eighteen different ways to Sunday, I've tried. It just doesn't happen. So whenever I see your posts about Sentinels, I just automatically discount them, because they're not credible. Again, I'm not trying to insult you personally: I'm just not able to corroborate your claims myself, nor have I talked to anyone else who has. I wish it were so: if it were, I'd be playing Sentinels instead of Blasters/Corruptors. But it's not, so I'm not. YMMV.

The intervention of Castle in zone raids would violate The Cottage Rule™ for the NPC Trainer AT.

The fix is in: the exploit is gone. Earning influence was not nerfed: earning double influence was nerfed. Farming for Inf is still profitable: it just isn't twice as profitable as everything else. Get used to the new normal.

ToHit is rolled and determined before the powers are animated, so if someone shoots you and rolls a hit, the animated blast will chase you, even if you run around a corner. I fondly remember this as a newbie in I2 when I was trying to dodge Skull dark blasts in Perez Park. The smoky skulls still come screaming around the corner to hit, even when I thought I would be safe (I was not, and died many times). Good times... good times...

No, thank you. 🙂

First they came for the AE farmers, but I said nothing, because I was not a AE farmer. Then they came for the TW/Bio Brutes, but I said nothing, because I was not a TW/Bio Brute. Then they came for Hasten, and I complained about it using large fonts... (with apologies to Martin Niemöller)

I once made a suggestion that they add a minor +Recharge buff (10-20%) to Swift to reduce the need for Hasten in many of my builds (but not necessarily everyone else's). I figured that was mostly harmless: but obviously adding +Recharge to Swift would mean that Hasten would need to be nerfed by a commensurate amount to maintain balance. I was nuked from orbit. And that post triggered the fiasco that became the epic "Nerf Hasten" thread by @Steampunkette (referenced above). I think we both learned our lesson from that. My eyebrows are just beginning to grow back...

No Yes