KaizenSoze

We were discussing Enflame in a thread and @Carnifax provided this link. You have to pull up the pet version of the power to get the base damage. Blasters get the most damage, MM and controllers the worst. https://cod.uberguy.net/html/power.html?power=pets.enflame.enflame&at=minion_pets

This is a NOT a perfect solution, but you can use binds to keep switching the auto fire between hasten and dom.

I agree as long as it's optional. The new Sorcery:Arcane Bolt puts a big red message in the middle of the screen when the build up proc fires. So, the mechanic is there in the code.

You might want to open a bug. The last patch might have broken something or they didn't fix all the use cases. From the patch notes: Fixed a bug that would cause some oddities while running various stance-setting powers (like Ninja Run + Power Slide)

Also, there is a inherent walk power that the devs have been modifying in recent patches. That might be too slow, but mentioning it.

Compared to kinetics, trick arrow, or poison this is a relaxing build to play. Though defenders do not get the best damage out of Enflame. I can buff the damage with disruption field to decent levels. I have been happy so far. Side note, blasters get the best damage. Spirit Ward is the stand out for defender, as they get the best healing modifiers. Really beefs up any player. I will interested to see if it helps against Lord Recluse on MLTF this week.

The redraw would be fine if switching between gun and mace didn't eat DPS. Unlike a lot of other weapons sets, there is a price for no redraw at least for Banes. Anyhow this is well trod territory.

Yes, re-draw is probably the number one request for VEATs. Previous discussions.

Possible minor bug for this power. https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Sonic_Resonance#Liquefy https://cod.uberguy.net/html/power.html?power=pets.liquefy_defender.liquefy&at=minion_pets I think the hold is showing as null.

Thanks for that link. I was trying to figure how to see the damage. It is also valuable to note that VEATs have possibly the worst heal modifiers in the game. https://cod.uberguy.net/html/power.html?power=pool.sorcery.spirit_ward&at=arachnos_soldier The absorb value for Spirit Ward 16.1% which is lower than any other AT I checked, even blasters. 🙂 I wasn't planning on taking it, now I never will.

Oh yes on the Doms. Stick Spirit Ward and Enflame on the grav pet. Serious tankness and burnation! I have a grav/psi/ice dom with sorcery. That where I got the idea for this build. Also, blasters get the best damage, must work off range damage. I am working on rebuilding my mothballed ar/dev blaster. Stacking toggles on the gun drone sounds temping.

On teams I always stick on a melee with a taunt aura. I will actually look at their powers to figure that out. 🙂 Only AVs get enflame in teams. Solo of course, I stick it on the boss or maybe an important lt. Crowd Control knockdown keeps most of the running under control. I also made this char to utilize the Sorcery changes.

In my eternal tinkering with pure mace Bane builds. I decided to try out the new Sorcery pool changes. Turns out they work great, providing some decent AOE and a solid ranged attack. Enflame is so much better now that it's a 60 sec toggle. Arcane Bolt is a good ranged attack once the new build up mechanic fires. I can talk numbers instead of impressions now, since this exists. I was in a 4x8 kill most Market Crash with a strong team. The tank loved to gathering up mobs. Of my damage, 27% from was Enflame. It appears to tick between 3-4 times a second from 10-17 damage for 8' around the target. Crowd Control, my bread and butter attack, was only 17%. Side note, if anyone was in doubt about how ridiculous OP Ion judgement is, it was 23% of my damage with only 17 casts. The build is nice solid solo/team mace bane. Running both maneuvers, assaults, and TT:tactics. I do not have end issues, even running low level TFs like Yin. Of course, that's with a fully setted out build. The only time end becomes an issue is things like Pylon tests. Most everything else dies before end even remotely becomes an issue. Soloing is easier because of the extra Enflame damage. Nicely, Enflame does not cause re-draw, but Arcane Bolt does. Can't win them all. Build:

I love defenders, but find them exhausting to play. Too much attention to the team widow, too many buffs or debuffs to manage. So, I have come up with this lazy build taking advantage of the new sorcery pool changes in Issue 27, page 2. I thought about Radiation first, but too much re-toggling of debuffs and no mez protection. Sonic Resonance turned out to be the best primary for being lazy and do some damage. On a team, I buff resists, then stick Disruption Field and Enflame on the aggro magnet. Enflame will cause some fleeing, so pick someone with a taunt aura. If a teammate seems to be taking a lot of hits I put Spirit Ward on them and cover them with Sonic Dispersion, giving them another 21% resists. I have yet for someone to die with Spirit Ward on them. That's it. Enflame needs to be recast even 60 seconds. Resists buffs every 2 mins. Attacking key target's resists with my attacks. I thought I would have to go very slow through my attacks, so I wouldn't run out of endurance. But it's been good. Actually, I have not run out of end once. Though, I am not rotation aggressively through my attack chain. The char is level 34 and relaxing to play for long sessions. Currently, I only have max SOs slotted. The build:

Folks running this test might find this useful.

I like to put Spirit Ward on singy, since he's drawing more aggro now. You have to take two powers before Enflame might as well make the most of them.

One more Night Widow specific shower suggestion. Since, I apparently suck at using Eviscerate and often skip it. I know about the jump trick, but never remember to use it. Move Eviscerate to level 32 and make as big as Bane's crowd control. That would make it worth taking IMO.

One follow up note. Soliders are more durable, depending on builds, but Widows are tougher than they appear. Are you going to be able to solo GM or an 4x8 ITF w/o inspirations? No. VEATs are great for almost all content, at any level, solo or team. Night Pixie, a blood widow build, has killed pretty much every AV is the game at an even level.

As Gulbasaur said, they are a jack of trades, sometimes even a master of a few. Also, a Fortunata main, but I have a fun pure mace Bane. There is no other AT that can build so many different play styles out the same set of skills. You'll actually want to use the three build slots.

Circle of Thorns are weirdly more dangerous below 40 because of the the succubi. I have seen multiple sudden deaths because a succubus confused a strong AOE player. Devouring Earth should be B or C. If you don't take out their buffs, they will wreck you. Tuatha de Dannan are C tier, they hit like trucks, but that's it. I think trolls should be one tier higher. The bosses and lts hit like trucks at the level you first encounter them. Talons of Vengeance are A tier, they have nasty debuffs. The only reason they don't seem nastier is because you are usually fighting at +1, not +3. Due to incarnate level shifts.

To be clear, I am not planning to violate the streaming TOS. I want to record the difference between some weapon sets. Convert them into a animated gif that I can upload to a forum post. What software do you use when you record play sessions?

One of my frustrations with melee combat is targeting. I still love melee combat, but once you have a scrum around and you're trying to get that key mob targeted. It's frustrating. Trying to click is problematic, tabbing seems to always take forever and I seem to hit TAB one too many times. Do you just use the default TAB targeting? I know you can change it. If you change it, what do you use? I am not asking about custom "name" targeting, just general play targeting. https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Category:Targeting_Commands

Another placate shower thought. Blaster, Martial Combat: Burst of Speed, which can be used three times quickly. Then it has a long recharge. If placate could be used three times quickly, plus some other changes like full crits. That would give good single target burst damage. I like the, Misdirection, idea better though.

Paging @Six-Six and @Omega-202

I could care less about the Rune changes. Spirit ward and Enflame are now awesome for my grav/psi/ice dom. Makes the pet more durable and provides a nice damage patch once I wormhole'ed the mobs on it.