ninja surprise

Temporal Manipulation is great for ranged. You get some great self-buffs that don't rely on being in melee. You can also do Martial and only take the self-buffs without missing out on anything, and the first punch is super handy for when something flies up to you, you bop it and make it go flying away.

Same, my Fire/Time Blaster is the first one I've purpled up to get the big blasts recharging as quickly as possible. But with my Bio/Dark Melee tank I'm going for recharge and slow resist since the absorb shields seem to be the most important stat (with SL resist capped and E/N defense capped).

I just rolled up a Rad/Fire melee tank because I decided I don't like how slow Rad Melee feels. I know some sets have same animation times for different attacks but I like it better if my character is doing something, instead of just crouching in his radioactive farts where I can't see him. I really like that radioactive disk that explodes from that one punch but everything else is annoying. At least with /Fire Melee I'm jump-spinning or swinging swords or something. And Rad Armor should be tough enough to do fine without any mitigation from the secondary.

Ca c'est tres bien, merci! When you boost your purples to +5 do you look at the final enhancement value to see if it makes much difference? Par example, from my Fire Blaster: Flares has 88.2% recharge. Original value 2.18, enhanced recharge is 1.16. It is 5-slotted with Defiant Barrage and a level 25 recharge IO. The Recharge IO at level 25 gives 32% recharge. Replacing the 25 IO with a level 50 IO that increases recharge rate by 42.2% increases the total recharge enhancement from 88.2% to 95.1% and decreases recharge time to 1.12 sec, a decrease of .04 sec. Obviously there would be a bigger difference in a power with a base 4 minute recharge, etc. To me it doesn't matter much whether a power recharges in 1 minute 14 seconds instead of 1 minute 16. But then again I hardly ever take Hasten unless I'm doing a perma-something build. Back to my original questions: Since purple set bonuses are always active regardless of whether you have the power, so might as well put them in the big powers.

It isn't autohit but looks like it has a bonus to-hit. This is on a 50+1 Super Reflexes / Electric Melee tank vs lvl 54 Carnies in a PI radio mission. SR can usually dodge Carnie deaths and Sappers all day long, but sometimes they get that lucky hit and then it's Practiced Brawler and Elude to the rescue! Edit: for clarification on Practiced Brawler: it's a clickie mez protection so doesn't drop when your endurance runs out, only when it needs to recharge. Bronze Strongman MISSES! Psychic Visage power had a 6.50% chance to hit, but rolled a 19.63. Harlequin Juggler MISSES! Psychic Visage power had a 6.50% chance to hit, but rolled a 15.75. Attendant MISSES! Psychic Visage power had a 6.50% chance to hit, but rolled a 48.92. Harlequin Juggler MISSES! Psychic Visage power had a 7.80% chance to hit, but rolled a 80.09. Steel Strongman MISSES! Psychic Visage power had a 8.97% chance to hit, but rolled a 19.49. Harlequin Fencer MISSES! Psychic Visage power had a 7.80% chance to hit, but rolled a 93.03. Harlequin Juggler MISSES! Psychic Visage power had a 7.80% chance to hit, but rolled a 97.38. Master Illusionist HITS you! Psychic Visage power had a 8.97% chance to hit and rolled a 0.85. Master Illusionist hits you with their Psychic Visage draining 18.29 points of your endurance.

Just personal opinion: more crits equals more one-shots and I prefer that over a little more recharge to cut something again. Don't have to cut it again if it's already defeated.

Yep, that's why I like it with a damage aura, because Soul Drain + Genetic Contamination = tons of orange numbers. Plus the taunt aura in Evolving Aura really pulls the mobs in and the new Shadow Maul hits everything in front of you. Bio's other huge weakness is total lack of defense debuff resistance. As a combo armor it gets loads of S/L resist and defense to everything else... until it's debuffed, which happens all the time. Luckily most attacks are combo of exotic + smashing or lethal, so Bio at least still resists some damage and hopefully gets a heal up in time to save your bacon.

Loosely based on OP's build I'm leveling up a Dark Melee/Bio Scrapper. It's a total blast. I'm going to six-slot DNA Siphon as an attack because doing a Soul Drain + DNA Siphon kills almost all even-level critters and it's awesome. Looking forward to getting Genetic Contamination next time I level up!

Yeah I guess you'd lose some one-slot powers to put uniques in, you'd still have the same total number of slots available, but less duplicate powers to slot them in. I think the biggest nerf is Warshades would lose double-mire.

That's in Dark Melee. It has Death Shroud. Might not have the same taunt as Bio's aura though if that's what you mean. Correcting myself: Bio has two auras, Genetic Contamination the damage aura and Evolving Aura doing -Resist and Taunt.

I think the best thing for Khelds is for the powers that are identical between forms to actually be the same power. The Human form has a bunch of attacks that are either the same as or nearly identical to the Nova and Dwarf forms. The most obvious is human TP vs Dwarf TP. But they are different powers with different names and slots. Make 'em the same to save on power picks and slots and that'd be a huge buff to the AT without being OP.

https://archive.paragonwiki.com/wiki/Architect_Entertainment

This isn't even an issue when most people will six-slot for set bonuses. I've always loved SR. I'd be happy with a couple tweaks, based on the assumption that SR users will already work to soft-cap and at endgame soft-cap is trivial: Re-order the powers so the core toggles are available as proposed Tweak Elude to match Meltdown: give it quicker recharge and change the crash to a % of End rather than the full crash. Add more +regen. If we're going crazy with the crack pipe here: Tweak Practiced Brawler to allow resist damage. This would allow the +def and +resist IOs in there, but since it's a clickie they might not be permanent (depending on the IO). Combine two of the toggles and add in "Swift Bandages", a self-heal. Arguably The Flash is the ultimate SR and has super fast regeneration.

This is what I was wondering about. So if I have Apocalypse slotted in Gloom at level 41 for the +10% recharge bonus, I still keep that bonus on Positron TF? Power is grayed out but bonus still active? I think I'll need to experiment with some Ouro flashbacks to see what stays active while exemp'd.

How about you have this dude who's an archaeologist. He's doing a dig and finds a sweet old ring that's just perfect for his fiancee. He proposes, she puts it on, and SURPRISE it's magical and gives her super powers.

This question is based a little on set bonus confusion and also wanting well-slotted characters. Do purple set bonuses only stay active to three levels below the power choice? i.e. if slotted in a level 30 power the bonus disappears at level 26? Or do you always keep all purple bonuses? And based on that do you prefer to put purples in your big hitters, or put them in low level powers so you keep as many bonuses as possible in Posi 1?

How about a mutant fish that swam through toxic waste and developed super powers? Super Sardine to the rescue! Or there was a nuclear scientist who was accidentally exposed to a lethal dose of radiation at work on Friday afternoon without knowing it. He took his family to the zoo after work, felt ill, and fell into the lion enclosure. He was quickly eaten by a lion who then developed super intelligence, strength and invulnerability.

Yeah, that's annoying. If the team doesn't get a TP to the end then they're left behind in a map full of aggro and could wipe. It doesn't take 8 people to stand around and watch a nearly dead Protector wait for MOG to wear off to deliver the finishing blow. Any single hero should be able to defeat any single boss. There are some builds that can't solo but those are rare (and that person should be following the tank). Most builds can take out an Elite Boss by themselves. So it doesn't require a full team of 8 to defeat every single last critter in a spawn. I think it's annoying when the tank thinks s/he needs to personally defeat every single critter then stands around for a few seconds before moving on. The tank should evaluate when the spawn's almost defeated then run ahead to the next one to trigger the alpha strike and get them clumped up while the team cleans up. After two or three spawns the tank should be able to tell how long it takes the team to clean-up and when to leave for the next spawn. You're right that bad players are bad teammates. LIke Sir Myshkin says, that's about communication. Say, "Hey Tanker, slow down we can't keep up. " Or, "This isn't a speed run, let's stick together." Or, "This isn't a kill-all, let's look for the objective." If that doesn't solve the problem you can kick the annoying person or quit and join a new team. Heck you can even start your own server and enforce your playstyle.

For a quick and easy/cheap start, begin here just replacing the dark melee with Axe attacks. It'll be a super cheap soft-cap build then you have the flexibility of adding Luck of the Gamblers +Rech and 5-slotted Red Fortunes in your Def powers to get more recharge. And then after level 50 putting in purples and stuff.

Super easy to softcap by late 20's and then you're on cruise control into Incarnateland.

Welcome to the game! Here's a sample build with which you'll have capped defense to Melee, Ranged, and AoE at level 27. That's how long it takes to get six slots in the 4 punches for set bonuses and one of the sets (Mako's Bite) can't be used until you're level 27. But after this everything you add is just more butter on the cake! ( I put full set names in the build to avoid abbreviation confusion) Shadow Maul is your AoE punch, available at level 4. It punches literally everyone in front of you. Against All Odds buffs your damage when you're surrounded by enemies. Soul Drain gives you a 30-second damage buff. And you have a bunch of open power slots you can choose for utility/whatever. Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.7 https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer <- If you're not familiar with Mid's give it a download, it makes planning builds much easier. Primary Power Set: Shield Defense Secondary Power Set: Dark Melee Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Concealment Hero Profile: ------------ Level 1: Deflection (A) Defense Buff IO: Level 25 (3) Defense Buff IO: Level 25 (3) Defense Buff IO: Level 25 Level 1: Shadow Punch (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage: Level 30 (5) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance: Level 30 (5) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge: Level 30 (7) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30 (7) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30 (9) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal): Level 30 Level 2: Battle Agility (A) Defense Buff IO: Level 25 (9) Defense Buff IO: Level 25 (11) Defense Buff IO: Level 25 Level 4: Shadow Maul <- Your main AoE attack (A) Eradication - Damage: Level 30 (19) Eradication - Accuracy/Recharge: Level 30 (19) Eradication - Damage/Recharge: Level 30 (21) Eradication - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge: Level 30 (21) Eradication - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30 (23) Eradication - Chance for Energy Damage: Level 30 Level 6: Active Defense <- this is your status protection, stops you from being mezzed/slept/held/knocked back, etc (A) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 25 (13) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 25 Level 8: Against All Odds (A) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 25 Level 10: Smite (A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage: Level 30 (13) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance: Level 30 (15) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge: Level 30 (15) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance: Level 30 (17) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30 (17) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative): Level 30 Level 12: Phalanx Fighting (A) Defense Buff IO: Level 25 Level 14: True Grit (A) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All): Level 25 (11) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%: Level 25 Level 16: Siphon Life <- Your self-heal. You can swap the Dam/End for a +Heal if wanted (A) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage: Level 30 (23) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance: Level 30 (25) Crushing Impact - Damage/Recharge: Level 30 (25) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge: Level 30 (27) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance: Level 30 (27) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 30 Level 18: Combat Jumping <- Helps you get around in combat (A) Defense Buff IO: Level 25 Level 20: Touch of Fear <- Scares minions and lieutenants so they stop attacking. Debuffs their accuracy (A) Accuracy IO: Level 25 Level 22: Super Jump <- Travel power, you can also take Fly or Super Speed instead. You could take this at 8 and Against All Odds at 22. (A) Jumping IO: Level 25 Level 24: Stealth <- This makes you a little sneakier while leveling and gives some defense (A) Defense Buff IO: Level 25 Level 26: Shield Charge <- Your main AoE attack Level 28: Soul Drain <- Your big damgae buff Level 30: [Empty] Level 32: [Empty] Level 35: Dark Consumption <- This gives sucks endurance out of enemies and gives it to you Level 38: Midnight Grasp <- Your top-tier single-target attack Level 41: [Empty] Level 44: [Empty] Level 47: [Empty] Level 49: [Empty] Level 1: Brawl (A) Empty Level 2: Health (A) Numina's Convalesence - +Regeneration/+Recovery: Level 30 Level 2: Stamina (A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End: Level 25 ------------ Set Bonuses: Mako's Bite (Shadow Punch) 1.5% Resistance(Toxic,Psionic), MezResist(Immobilized) 2.5%, MezResist(Held) 2.5%, MezResist(Stunned) 2.5%, MezResist(Sleep) 2.5%, MezResist(Terrorized) 2.5%, MezResist(Confused) 2.5% 28.11 HP (1.5%) HitPoints 3% DamageBuff(All) 3.75% Resistance(Smashing,Lethal), MezResist(Immobilized) 6.25%, MezResist(Held) 6.25%, MezResist(Stunned) 6.25%, MezResist(Sleep) 6.25%, MezResist(Terrorized) 6.25%, MezResist(Confused) 6.25% 3.75% Defense(Ranged), 1.88% Defense(Energy), 1.88% Defense(Negative) Gladiator's Armor (True Grit) 3% Defense(Melee), 3% Defense(AoE), 3% Defense(Ranged), 3% Defense(Smashing), 3% Defense(Lethal), 3% Defense(Fire), 3% Defense(Cold), 3% Defense(Energy), 3% Defense(Negative), 3% Defense(Psionic), MezResist(Teleport) 100% (20% chance) Steadfast Protection (True Grit) 3% Defense(Melee), 3% Defense(AoE), 3% Defense(Ranged), 3% Defense(Smashing), 3% Defense(Lethal), 3% Defense(Fire), 3% Defense(Cold), 3% Defense(Energy), 3% Defense(Negative), 3% Defense(Psionic) Touch of Death (Smite) 1.5% Resistance(Energy,Negative), MezResist(Immobilized) 2.5%, MezResist(Held) 2.5%, MezResist(Stunned) 2.5%, MezResist(Sleep) 2.5%, MezResist(Terrorized) 2.5%, MezResist(Confused) 2.5% 28.11 HP (1.5%) HitPoints 2.5% DamageBuff(All) 3.75% Resistance(Smashing,Lethal), MezResist(Immobilized) 6.25%, MezResist(Held) 6.25%, MezResist(Stunned) 6.25%, MezResist(Sleep) 6.25%, MezResist(Terrorized) 6.25%, MezResist(Confused) 6.25% 3.75% Defense(Melee), 1.88% Defense(Lethal), 1.88% Defense(Smashing) Eradication (Shadow Maul) 1.8% Max End 3.13% Defense(Energy,Negative), 1.56% Defense(Ranged) 42.17 HP (2.25%) HitPoints 12% (0.94 HP/sec) Regeneration 3.13% Defense(AoE), 1.56% Defense(Fire), 1.56% Defense(Cold) Crushing Impact (Siphon Life) 1.5% Resistance(Smashing,Lethal), MezResist(Immobilized) 2.5%, MezResist(Held) 2.5%, MezResist(Stunned) 2.5%, MezResist(Sleep) 2.5%, MezResist(Terrorized) 2.5%, MezResist(Confused) 2.5% 21.08 HP (1.13%) HitPoints 7% Enhancement(Accuracy) 5% Enhancement(RechargeTime) 3.75% Resistance(Toxic,Psionic), MezResist(Immobilized) 6.25%, MezResist(Held) 6.25%, MezResist(Stunned) 6.25%, MezResist(Sleep) 6.25%, MezResist(Terrorized) 6.25%, MezResist(Confused) 6.25%

Shield Defense / Dark Melee is my suggestion to callador0630. For mostly soloing and being self-sufficient and getting an early AoE this is an excellent combo. Defense is cheaper to cap than Resist + Defense. You can get there with just your standard powers, the two +Def uniques from Gladiator's Armor and Steadfast Protection, and a few 6-slotted sets that only cost 1 or 2 million per piece. Cheaper if you buy the recipes instead of the crafted IO. With this you'll have capped defense, decent resist, a self-heal, an endurance recovery power, a big +Damage power, Shield Charge for big AoE and Shadow Maul for more AoE. Touch of Fear can debuff your tougher enemies. You'll still feel a little squishy into the 20's and early 30's until your defense and attacks are slotted with enhancements. But you can be capped by mid-30's and never have to touch your build again unless you want to.

I keep trying to like Bio, but without getting one to big Vet levels with every unique set, I just can't get used to how squishy it feels. I keep seeing other Bio toons do crazy stuff but I'd rather roll more alts than put every last bit of inf and time into a single toon that won't be much better than cheaper builds. I've tried it with Street Justice, Stone Melee, Super Strength, Dual Pistols (Sentinel) and currently have a Bio/Dark Melee Tank at 48 after catching some good Weekly TFs and Rikti Raids for lots of quick XP. I think Dark Melee is my favorite pair with it with Soul Drain buffing the damage aura and Shadow Maul with the new 120 degree arc hitting practically everything in front of me on a quick recharge. It's great when I have lots of external buffs, but then I'm caught by surprise when unbuffed and can barely last long enough for self-heal to recharge.

Ninjitsu goes great with Titan Weapons. Plenty of Defense powers to slot LotG +Rech, the +End will keep you fighting longtime, and both the +End and +Heal animate quick enough that you don't lose momentum. BUT the best part is nearly every time it takes long enough to run from one spawn to the next you'll get hidden, then your next attack is AUTOCRIT. So you run in, hit Build Momentum and Whirling Smash or Arc of Destruction and wipe out most of the spawn and yell SURPRISE IT'S A NINJA

Don't worry about the crash. Here's what you do: Build your hero to soft-cap on all positions without Elude. Take Tough for the two unique +Def IOs, etc. Take Elude, but just with the default slot put an EndMod in there. You only use it when a few Sappers or Carnies get lucky, sap you out (or you completely fail to pay attention to Endurance while fighting), and you toggle-drop. No toggles + no End = low defense and quick death, EXCEPT you whip out a double-backflip and go crazy Scrapperlock and defeat everything. Or if for some reason you got defeated and then rezzed in the middle of battle you hit Elude instead of turning on 5+ toggles and go straight back into Scrapperlock. Then just watch for the crash and go back to normal mode.