Onlyasandwich
-
Posts
1008 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
2
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Store
Articles
Patch Notes
Posts posted by Onlyasandwich
-
-
I think I've settled on the final build, and have chosen Dark Mastery after all.
The better damage type, along with superior proc powers clinches it. Even Smite comes out to superior DPA. Although Engulfing Darkness likely won't be rotating multiple times most fights like Psi wave, its DPA and sheer alpha power is much stronger, and one aoe rotation should leave me cleaning up single target in most cases anyhow.
Darkest Night and all the stacked to-hit also provides a significantly stronger overall survival package. I tried reworking the Psi Mastery version, but the +tohit in Link Minds doesn't allow me to drop a global acc bonus and maintain max chance against +3's, so that's one less element in its favor. With all the FFback, I won't terribly miss the extra lotg either.
In my final build, I settled on a few evolutions:
-
Incorporated the Sent ATO absorb proc into a rotation power (executioner's shot)Edit - swapped this for Entomb proc in Suppressive. It's sort of disappointing how much better this is than the ATO! (100 more absorb, 3 PPM vs 2). A relatively small hit to potential damage, but a strong survival benefit. - Squeezed Decimation proc into my rotation. With a ~19% proc rate, I think this will be an overall superior benefit to another damage proc, especially if I leverage it with an aoe.
- Layered extra Psi resist throughout the build, as this is otherwise a weakness for Regen. If you see a more efficient path than I have chosen here, or a better use for these 3 slots, I'd value the input! Given that I'm not stacking defense here, I didn't find it a big loss to lose a slot in weave, as it only cost me ~1% defense.
- Juiced some extra end support both for general padding and to allow more casual usage of Darkest Night.
Mids keeps doing weird things with the damage #'s in Hail of bullets, so I'm not actually sure how much its doing right now. My several iterations of the build here have vastly different #'s, despite the same damage bonuses, procs, and chosen ammo type.
If you see a way to squeeze more juice, I'd love to find the following without making a real sacrifice:
- More slow resist.
- More psi resist.
- Maybe some proccing for Pistols.
- F/C/E/N resist.
There is definitely some low hanging fruit for all of the above, but at the expense of sacrificing something useful. Fresh eyes may catch something interesting!
Sentinel (Dual Pistols - Regeneration).mbd
Text version:
SpoilerSelected Powers
Level 1: Pistols
- Slot Level 1: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 37: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Damage/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 45: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
Level 1: Fast Healing
- Slot Level 1: Invention: Healing
Level 2: Reconstruction
- Slot Level 2: Panacea: Heal/Endurance
- Slot Level 3: Panacea: Endurance/Recharge
- Slot Level 3: Panacea: Heal/Recharge
- Slot Level 5: Panacea: Heal/Endurance/Recharge
- Slot Level 5: Panacea: Heal
- Slot Level 40: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance
Level 4: Quick Recovery
- Slot Level 4: Synapse's Shock: EndMod
- Slot Level 31: Synapse's Shock: EndMod/Increased Run Speed
Level 6: Suppressive Fire
- Slot Level 6: Apocalypse: Damage
- Slot Level 9: Apocalypse: Chance of Damage(Negative)
- Slot Level 15: Superior Entomb: Recharge/Chance for +Absorb
- Slot Level 33: Unbreakable Constraint: Chance for Smashing Damage
- Slot Level 33: Neuronic Shutdown: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
- Slot Level 39: Ghost Widow's Embrace: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
Level 10: Instant Regeneration
- Slot Level 10: Preventive Medicine: Heal
- Slot Level 7: Preventive Medicine: Heal/Endurance
- Slot Level 7: Preventive Medicine: Endurance/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 50: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 50: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime/Endurance
- Slot Level 50: Preventive Medicine: Chance for +Absorb
Level 12: Bullet Rain
- Slot Level 12: Superior Frozen Blast: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 9: Superior Frozen Blast: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 11: Positron's Blast: Chance of Damage(Energy)
- Slot Level 11: Bombardment: Chance for Fire Damage
- Slot Level 13: Ice Mistral's Torment: Chance for Cold Damage
- Slot Level 13: Force Feedback: Chance for +Recharge
Level 14: Combat Jumping
- Slot Level 14: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
- Slot Level 15: Reactive Defenses: Scaling Resist Damage
- Slot Level 17: Shield Wall: +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All)
- Slot Level 43: Kismet: Accuracy +6%
- Slot Level 45: Winter's Gift: Slow Resistance (20%)
Level 16: Dismiss Pain
- Slot Level 16: Preventive Medicine: Heal
- Slot Level 17: Preventive Medicine: Heal/Endurance
Level 18: Executioner's Shot
- Slot Level 18: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 19: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 19: Decimation: Chance of Build Up
- Slot Level 42: Touch of Lady Grey: Chance for Negative Damage
- Slot Level 43: Impeded Swiftness: Chance of Damage(Smashing)
- Slot Level 43: Ice Mistral's Torment: Chance for Cold Damage
Level 20: Integration
- Slot Level 20: Panacea: Heal/Endurance
- Slot Level 21: Panacea: Heal/Recharge
- Slot Level 21: Panacea: Heal/Endurance/Recharge
- Slot Level 23: Panacea: Heal
- Slot Level 40: Panacea: +Hit Points/Endurance
Level 22: Hasten
- Slot Level 22: Invention: Recharge Reduction
- Slot Level 23: Invention: Recharge Reduction
Level 24: Resilience
- Slot Level 24: Steadfast Protection: Resistance/+Def 3%
- Slot Level 25: Gladiator's Armor: TP Protection +3% Def (All)
- Slot Level 25: Gladiator's Armor: Resistance
- Slot Level 29: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance
Level 26: Hail of Bullets
- Slot Level 26: Armageddon: Damage/Recharge
- Slot Level 27: Armageddon: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 27: Armageddon: Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 34: Armageddon: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 34: Armageddon: Damage
- Slot Level 37: Force Feedback: Chance for +Recharge
Level 28: Second Wind
- Slot Level 28: Invention: Healing
Level 30: Moment of Glory
- Slot Level 30: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
- Slot Level 29: Invention: Recharge Reduction
- Slot Level 31: Invention: Recharge Reduction
Level 35: Netherworld Tentacles
- Slot Level 35: Ragnarok: Damage
- Slot Level 31: Ragnarok: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 33: Ragnarok: Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 34: Ragnarok: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 37: Ragnarok: Damage/Recharge
- Slot Level 42: Ragnarok: Chance for Knockdown
Level 38: Tough
- Slot Level 38: Aegis: Resistance/Endurance
- Slot Level 36: Aegis: Resistance
- Slot Level 36: Aegis: Resistance/Recharge
- Slot Level 36: Aegis: Psionic/Status Resistance
Level 41: Engulfing Darkness
- Slot Level 41: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 39: Superior Avalanche: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 39: Eradication: Chance for Energy Damage
- Slot Level 48: Obliteration: Chance for Smashing Damage
- Slot Level 48: Armageddon: Chance for Fire Damage
- Slot Level 48: Cloud Senses: Chance for Negative Energy Damage
Level 44: Darkest Night
- Slot Level 44: Invention: Endurance Reduction
Level 47: Smite
- Slot Level 47: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 42: Superior Blistering Cold: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 45: Gladiator's Strike: Chance for Smashing Damage
- Slot Level 46: Touch of Death: Chance of Damage(Negative)
- Slot Level 46: Hecatomb: Chance of Damage(Negative)
- Slot Level 46: Cloud Senses: Chance for Negative Energy Damage
Level 49: Weave
- Slot Level 49: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
Inherent Powers
Brawl:
- Slot Level 1: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 40: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
Health:
- Slot Level 1: Miracle: +Recovery
Stamina:
- Slot Level 1: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End
Incarnate Abilities
Musculature Radial Paragon (Alpha)
-
-
I've been playing this character and having a blast!
However, the theme has evolved away from Ninja, so keeping that epic is no longer necessary. I definitely want to swap it for a different epic.
I'm trying to decide between Psi and Dark. Both have some excellent advantages.
Psi pros:
- Mind probe is a better ST proc bomb. Smite isn't far behind though!
- Link Minds is a little more flexible a defensive benefit than the -tohit from Dark, as it is a buff. The extra tohit also gives me a bit of extra proc slotting room on Suppressive fire. Psi resist is pretty appreciated on regen as well. With FFback procs, should be close enough to perma. One question - is this power properly enhanced for recharge by HO's, or do I need to use an IO with recharge elements to get it down? I know the version from Fortunatas is picky about this.
- Mass Hypnosis is probably better utility than tentacles. I don't see myself using tentacles in my normal rotation, though the immob is by no measure useless. Mass Hyp is good for shutting down adds and solo setup/approach.
- Cutting through mob Tier 9 defensives like Mog.
Sentinel (Dual Pistols - Regeneration) psi version.mbd (note that procs are disabled in suppressive here to keep build up proc for skewing other #'s).
Dark pros:
- Engulfing darkness is a better aoe proc bomb than Psychic shockwave. This is a bit more distinct than the ST advantage of Psi.
- The overall defensive benefit of stacked -tohit in the attacks and Darkest Night is more powerful than Link minds once setup. Darkest Night is still a pretty long cast, so may not be using it except when really dug in, or perhaps for corner pulls.
- NE damage is superior on average than Psi, though doesn't cut T9's. Psi damage is heavily resisted against one of Lethal's biggest foes as well - robots. NE is more universal.
- Tentacles can layer even more -tohit, and the KD proc can do some mitigation work as well. Immobs can be handy on sents, as you don't have taunts or hard controls keeping mobs in place.
Sentinel (Dual Pistols - Regeneration).mbd
In both cases, I decided to go with the melee attack over the hold. I've found myself using Cryo ammo more often than not recently, so bosses are held in 1 shot anyhow with suppressive. The range bonus on Cryo is amazing! In actual play, I may end up preferring the ease of pure ranged power, but mixing it up in melee is fun. Both of the epic aoes here are so much better than Lotus Drops it's not even funny.
Note that I have procs disabled in both FFback powers to prevent # skewing.
So far I'm in my early 30's, having just slotted up MoG. I'm really happy with the aoe power so far, and think it was the right choice to skip empty clips.
-
8 minutes ago, Argentae said:
immob proc
Really well! It sets up containment very nicely, which is otherwise sort of a challenge on Mind/.
Unlike other immob procs, it's actually Mag 3 too.
-
1
-
-
48 minutes ago, Argentae said:
switched from Mesmerize to Levitate
I go back and forth on this! Levitate is definitely a much stronger blast. I was also considering picking up the epic blast, but levitate is probably a better package.
48 minutes ago, Argentae said:strongest CONTROL character
Isn't it though? What an amazing bag of tricks! As you noted, you do have to keep on top of your debuffs to edge against chaos. The amount and diversity of power you have over mobs is truly heroic.
50 minutes ago, Argentae said:Dionysius (Plant/Dark) is still my most powerful controller.
That definitely makes sense. Plant may not have the control diversity, but it accomplishes all it needs for control in one power, and it has damage tools in spades.
I've been pleasantly surprised at the clear speed of Mind/TA though. It may not top the charts, but properly procced it gets along at a nice pace. I'm glad you're enjoying yours!
-
1
-
-
10 minutes ago, Grimm2 said:
mag 4 boss-stopping hold in suppressive
Oh nice! I didn't notice that Cyro also bumps the hold to mag 4. That's really nice.
I can definitely see myself using Cyro way more often than on non sentinels here.
-
@Two5boy shared a topic recently in the Scrapper forums looking for inspiration to create a Deadpool themed character, and someone suggested DP/Regen/Nin.
While I'm not looking to duplicate the precise themes at play in that particular character, something about this particular combo spoke to me! I always enjoy re-exploring a ranged primary from the slightly skewed sentinel perspective, and have always been keen to experience the special flavor of Sent regen.
I put together a build with a few areas of focus in mind:
- Slow resist (regen relies a lot on clickies).
- Leveraging Sentinel aoe as much as possible without cones. Here all three aoes are easy to pop, and have a 10 target cap.
- Proc optimization.
- Maximize S/L resist as much as possible without sacrificing the above.
- Max hit chance against +3's.
I think there are more optimal primaries and epics, but theme here is important. Although I'd definitely love any broader feedback on the build or slotting optimizations, I'm especially interested in your view on a few specific powers:
- Second Wind. How good is this really, and do you take it yourself? Is it wrong to not to give it slot love? I'm a bit squeezed for space fitting in enough global acc and feeding the proc beast. I figure the base heal is solid, and recharge can be made up by global/hasten.
- Dismiss Pain. This seems pretty impactful, but some part of me is tempted to swap for a travel power, which would also save me a flex slot (Winter's Gift would mule here).
- Moment of Glory. A lynchpin power for sure. Both here and on my regen brute, it seems pretty pointless to bother slotting this for increased res/def. Do you agree, or do you find the excess pad to be useful if enhancing these aspects?
- Piercing Rounds. I skipped it. I don't much care for this on other DP characters I've rolled (Blaster, Defender). The -res is pretty weak on Sents, and the 3 target cap with a thin cone seems rather uninspiring. Is this misguided? Do you love it?
- Lotus Drops. This is my katana thematic power of choice. I'm a little put off by the small size of the aoe, but the proccability and healthy target cap are appealing. Do you use this power, and do you find it very difficult to leverage the tiny 8 ft radius?
- Kemuridama. I'm liking the idea of this power! It looks like a mag 4 effect, so should placate bosses. Is this correct in your experience, and how do you enjoy the power overall? It basically looks like Darkest Night on wheels with a bonus effect and lower uptime ratio, which is pretty strong.
I've also left out the opportunity strikes proc, which I leverage on my other sents. Do you feel this is a big miss, or easy to ignore if sets don't align?
Sentinel (Dual Pistols - Regeneration).mbd
Text version:
SpoilerSelected Powers
Level 1: Pistols
- Slot Level 1: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 31: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Damage/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 37: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 37: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 40: Superior Sentinel's Ward: RechargeTime/Chance for +Absorb
- Slot Level 40: Superior Sentinel's Ward: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
Level 1: Fast Healing
- Slot Level 1: Invention: Healing
Level 2: Reconstruction
- Slot Level 2: Panacea: Heal/Endurance
- Slot Level 3: Panacea: Endurance/Recharge
- Slot Level 3: Panacea: Heal/Recharge
- Slot Level 5: Panacea: Heal/Endurance/Recharge
- Slot Level 5: Panacea: Heal
Level 4: Quick Recovery
- Slot Level 4: Performance Shifter: EndMod
Level 6: Suppressive Fire
- Slot Level 6: Apocalypse: Damage
- Slot Level 9: Apocalypse: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 15: Apocalypse: Chance of Damage(Negative)
- Slot Level 33: Gladiator's Javelin: Chance of Damage(Toxic)
- Slot Level 33: Neuronic Shutdown: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
- Slot Level 39: Ghost Widow's Embrace: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
Level 10: Instant Regeneration
- Slot Level 10: Preventive Medicine: Heal
- Slot Level 7: Preventive Medicine: Heal/Endurance
- Slot Level 7: Preventive Medicine: Endurance/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 50: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 50: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime/Endurance
- Slot Level 50: Preventive Medicine: Chance for +Absorb
Level 12: Bullet Rain
- Slot Level 12: Superior Frozen Blast: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 9: Superior Frozen Blast: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 11: Positron's Blast: Chance of Damage(Energy)
- Slot Level 11: Bombardment: Chance for Fire Damage
- Slot Level 13: Ice Mistral's Torment: Chance for Cold Damage
- Slot Level 13: Impeded Swiftness: Chance of Damage(Smashing)
Level 14: Combat Jumping
- Slot Level 14: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
- Slot Level 15: Reactive Defenses: Scaling Resist Damage
- Slot Level 17: Kismet: Accuracy +6%
- Slot Level 43: Winter's Gift: Slow Resistance (20%)
Level 16: Dismiss Pain
- Slot Level 16: Preventive Medicine: Heal
- Slot Level 17: Preventive Medicine: Heal/Endurance
Level 18: Executioner's Shot
- Slot Level 18: Superior Winter's Bite: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 19: Superior Winter's Bite: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 19: Superior Winter's Bite: Damage/Endurance/Accuracy/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 42: Touch of Lady Grey: Chance for Negative Damage
- Slot Level 43: Impeded Swiftness: Chance of Damage(Smashing)
- Slot Level 43: Ice Mistral's Torment: Chance for Cold Damage
Level 20: Integration
- Slot Level 20: Panacea: Heal/Endurance
- Slot Level 21: Panacea: Heal/Recharge
- Slot Level 21: Panacea: Heal/Endurance/Recharge
- Slot Level 23: Panacea: Heal
- Slot Level 40: Panacea: +Hit Points/Endurance
Level 22: Hasten
- Slot Level 22: Invention: Recharge Reduction
- Slot Level 23: Invention: Recharge Reduction
Level 24: Resilience
- Slot Level 24: Steadfast Protection: Resistance/+Def 3%
- Slot Level 25: Gladiator's Armor: TP Protection +3% Def (All)
- Slot Level 25: Gladiator's Armor: Resistance
Level 26: Hail of Bullets
- Slot Level 26: Armageddon: Damage/Recharge
- Slot Level 27: Armageddon: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 27: Armageddon: Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 34: Armageddon: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 34: Armageddon: Chance for Fire Damage
- Slot Level 37: Ice Mistral's Torment: Chance for Cold Damage
Level 28: Second Wind
- Slot Level 28: Invention: Healing
Level 30: Moment of Glory
- Slot Level 30: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
- Slot Level 29: Invention: Recharge Reduction
- Slot Level 31: Invention: Recharge Reduction
Level 35: Tough
- Slot Level 35: Aegis: Resistance/Endurance
- Slot Level 36: Aegis: Resistance
- Slot Level 33: Aegis: Resistance/Recharge
- Slot Level 34: Aegis: Psionic/Status Resistance
Level 38: Tashibishi
- Slot Level 38: Ragnarok: Damage/Recharge
- Slot Level 31: Ragnarok: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 36: Ragnarok: Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 36: Ragnarok: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 42: Ragnarok: Chance for Knockdown
Level 41: Weave
- Slot Level 41: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
- Slot Level 39: Shield Wall: Defense
- Slot Level 39: Shield Wall: +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All)
Level 44: The Lotus Drops
- Slot Level 44: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 42: Superior Avalanche: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 45: Eradication: Chance for Energy Damage
- Slot Level 46: Obliteration: Chance for Smashing Damage
- Slot Level 46: Scirocco's Dervish: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- Slot Level 46: Touch of Lady Grey: Chance for Negative Damage
Level 47: Paralyzing Dart
- Slot Level 47: Gladiator's Javelin: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 45: Gladiator's Javelin: Chance of Damage(Toxic)
- Slot Level 45: Ghost Widow's Embrace: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
- Slot Level 48: Neuronic Shutdown: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
- Slot Level 48: Gladiator's Net: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- Slot Level 48: Unbreakable Constraint: Chance for Smashing Damage
Level 49: Kemuridama
- Slot Level 49: Invention: Recharge Reduction
Inherent Powers
Brawl:
- Slot Level 1: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 29: Superior Blistering Cold: Damage/Endurance
Health:
- Slot Level 1: Miracle: +Recovery
Stamina:
- Slot Level 1: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End
Incarnate Abilities
Musculature Radial Paragon (Alpha)
-
10 hours ago, Lionade said:
reason you put Coercive Persuasion on Confuse
There are good reasons to slot it in both. Each proc is a 20 ft radius power that goes off centered on (and including) a target you confused. Targets affected by this power have a 33% chance of being affected by a short mag 2 confuse.
In Mass Confusion, it would have an okay chance of stacking mag to confuse bosses in one go spawn wide. I'm not exactly sure if it may be limited to one strike per aoe like sandman.
In Confuse, I'll still have a good shot at confusing a targeted boss in one go, and add the additional utility of the aoe in what was previously single target only.
In either case, it doesn't change the non notify nature of the powers. MC might be the safer bet for easy lockdowns, but putting it in Confuse gives me more use cases where it will be worth popping Confuse outside of exemped content and really niche mobs.
-
25 minutes ago, drbuzzard said:
just a reduction in recharge of the T8 and T9 would do a lot
I agree. It's overall a decent set, but I'm not sure where the devs thought the power budget was being spent elsewhere to justify making melt armor slightly inferior to similar powers.
Pain hits the same notes, but benefits from its own +res power.
-
1 hour ago, Ringo said:
How has this set pairing been treating you
To be honest I was distracted by other projects. I'll have to revisit it some time and see!
Spirit ward is indeed pretty solid, though I'm not sure how I'd squeeze it in while maintaining other priorities. End is tight enough without the extra draw from here as well, even ignoring power choice.
Good idea managing hench strategy differently according to tier! I have tried different binds to manage my henches accordingly, and still don't enjoy fiddling with them so granularly. Maybe this combo would be the one to motivate me to re-evaluate.
I suppose if LT's and T1's stay in the same mode all the time, the management is really just for the Bruiser, so it isn't too fiddly.
-
1
-
-
15 hours ago, Scarlet Shocker said:
killing (*cough* sorry defeating) mobs was a challenge
Procs change this pretty phenomenally.
Mind/ isn't really low damage compared to most primaries. You have a pretty averagely proccable aoe control in terrify, and the confuse powers add a sneaky amount of damage when used properly. You have better than average ST blast potential built in as well.
/TA brings plenty of good damage to the table between offensive debuffs, oil slick arrow, and a wide array of aoe powers that take multiple procs. It all adds up to a pretty hefty combo.
Granted, I didn't have a very satisfying churn on aoe damage until I got some solid recharge and hasten online. This really meshed around ~30ish.
-
3 hours ago, Argentae said:
things I want to try out
This combo is certainly a grab bag of many fun things to try!
My TA Defender already had some challenges mapping all his powers to easy keys. Add in all the active abilities of Mind/ and it's a whole new world of Piano play - I love it.
I have to be mindful of reserving tools as needed, rather than just splorting out every arrow and control constantly. I have a constantly rotating, very powerful array of powers that can neuter an entire spawn and/or take care of "interesting" situations.
Definitely not an easy cruise to drive, but not because it's particularly hard to make work. To get optimal performance I have to be aware of what I have applied, and think a bit about the order of application. Typically if solo it's Flash > PGA > Mass Hyp > Disruption > Glue > whatever whole spawn mez is up (6 of them!!!) > acid > repeat. Bosses get a quick double hold, with TK in the wings to make up for any misses or if they're right in my face.
-
1
-
-
On 12/3/2023 at 12:13 PM, Argentae said:
TK used in bursts
After playing this guy to 30ish, I'm actually pretty surprised at how useful TK is!
As you said, a quick extra, instant hold layer is pretty useful sometimes, especially when you really need to hit.
The repel is super focused, accurate, and stronger than other effects I am used to (really just hurricane, which has weak sauce repel these days) . This makes it a very satisfying tool to reposition chunks of the spawn when needed.
It's by no means a staple, but I get solid use out of it here and there. Just one more pretty powerful trick to pull out of the bag. I do think it could stand either a huge end cut, or an increased target cap though. Even so, the end cost is manageable with only an endredux SO if I slow down my other power usage for a moment. This helps me focus on proper maneuvering as well.
-
1
-
1
-
-
4 hours ago, Argentae said:
Glue A
I've found Glue Arrow to be a bit of a sleeper all-star on this combo so far. Some solid proccy damage, and helps make up for the lack of an aoe immob. Stay in place, and stay on the ground! The -recharge doesn't hurt at all, of course. : )
I'm glad you're enjoying yours. Interested in hearing more as you go!
-
1
-
-
1 hour ago, Argentae said:
Sandman heal proc mule
Thank you for the thoughtful input, Argentae!
I think we're already on the same page with this one 😄. I had actually revised the build since posting, swapping out Levitate for Mesmerize, and loading it with the sandman proc. Levitate is for sure a better controller "blast," but Mesmerize is decent enough damage, and has other uses beyond. Incorporating sandman into my attack chain gives me a steady stream of regular healing that can help patch up what gets through.
I had intentionally left the sandman proc out of PGA. The build would be happy for a bit of extra end, and endredux slotting for something in my opener is pretty meaningful. Ideally I'd have extra slots to spare for sandman proc in mass hyp and PGA, but there isn't really any easy slot shift to make that I can see.
I appreciate you outlining out TK experience! I don't anticipate it being a staple, but it's a unique enough power that I want to run with it to play with use cases like what you describe here. If I do end up dropping it, I'll probably be picking up Entangling Arrow.
Musculature's end benefit to stamina is just a little shy of being equal to an extra Miracle proc. This is a solid end bonus, and why I chose it. You're right though - Intuition provides a broader array of helpful benefits to the build. Hold enhancement and range are both very meaningful. I'll evaluate my end needs as I level and see how much I might actually value that extra end.
As for Interface and Destiny, I don't generally like to plan my builds around them.
For interface, I typically go with what is thematic. I might actually go spectral radial for the exotic damage type and layered immob proc that can help with containment, especially containment for my initial fireball.
Destiny will most likely be Barrier if I get to that point. The build could benefit solidly from any of them, really. As much as I like ageless, I don't like leaning on it for end support even if I incarnate out a character. Clarion is nice, but Rune gives me a pretty good mez crutch for situations where I'm not being proactive enough (or unlucky) with my controls. Rebirth is just generically good.
-
@Argentae's recent Fire/TA build got me thinking about TA on controllers in general. I love the set on my Defender, but feel like my life could use even more TA!
Some observed synergy:
- Stack Mass Hyp and Poison Gas Arrow for consistent opening containment.
- /TA's pile of tricks rounds out Mind's somewhat uneven control package. I don't at all mean mind is weak, but relying on a fear that doesn't debuff at all as your bread and butter can be troublesome at times.
- /TA doesn't care about positioning, so operating at range for terrify cone is easy.
Mind is the only control set I haven't hit 50 on (I have a mid 30's Mind/Dark that is pretty nice). I'd love your perspective on any power choice or slotting decisions here!
Goals:
- Super mega proccy proc. Oh my the opportunities here are pretty magnificent. Most things I throw out will be doing respectable damage, and I want to keep it that way. This does require some nontraditional slotting here and there in pursuit of accuracy bonuses, as I haven't snagged tactics.
- Sneak in slow resist wherever possible.
- Resists as a secondary layer.
- This is not a softcap build, but I have a few odd bonuses here and there that flash arrow will stack with to make meaningful.
- Juice dat recharge so I can rotate Total Dom and Mass confusion in as much as possible.
- Max hit chance against +3's.
Where I'd most like to improve:
- More slow resist. 80+ ideally. Really this should only take one more slot, but perhaps you see a creative way to get there using existing slots without sacrificing the above priorities.
- Another slot to throw for endredux in TK. To be honest I view it as a novelty power, but want to try and put it through its paces to find good uses.
- A bit more end support would be nice if I could find the slots.
- I'd love to find a good place for Energy Font proc. Not really sure where I'd put it even if I had the free slot to be honest. Do you use this proc on your Mind/?
Pointing out some obviously odd slotting choices:
- Glue arrow is heavily slotted here. The procs are a requirement, but if you see a better way to snag the acc, slow resist, and recharge all in one while enhancing a power more meaningfully, that would be a good shift! As it stands, Ice mistral is just a really good set.
- Immob proc in Terrify. Hey hey - 66% chance for mag 3 immob = pretty good chances for containment on a lot of the spawn with a tool I am constantly cycling! I like it.
Controller (Mind Control - Trick Arrow).mbd
Text version:
SpoilerSelected Powers
Level 1: Levitate
- Slot Level 1: Apocalypse: Damage
- Slot Level 36: Gladiator's Javelin: Chance of Damage(Toxic)
- Slot Level 50: Explosive Strike: Chance for Smashing Damage
Level 1: Flash Arrow
- Slot Level 1: Siphon Insight: ToHit Debuff
- Slot Level 46: Siphon Insight: Accuracy/ToHit Debuff
- Slot Level 46: Siphon Insight: ToHit Debuff/Endurance/Recharge
- Slot Level 48: Siphon Insight: Chance for +ToHit
Level 2: Dominate
- Slot Level 2: Gladiator's Javelin: Chance of Damage(Toxic)
- Slot Level 3: Apocalypse: Chance of Damage(Negative)
- Slot Level 3: Neuronic Shutdown: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
- Slot Level 45: Ghost Widow's Embrace: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
- Slot Level 45: Gladiator's Net: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- Slot Level 46: Unbreakable Constraint: Chance for Smashing Damage
Level 4: Glue Arrow
- Slot Level 4: Impeded Swiftness: Chance of Damage(Smashing)
- Slot Level 5: Ice Mistral's Torment: Chance for Cold Damage
- Slot Level 5: Ice Mistral's Torment: Endurance/Slow
- Slot Level 34: Ice Mistral's Torment: Damage/Slow
- Slot Level 45: Ice Mistral's Torment: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 50: Ice Mistral's Torment: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
Level 6: Confuse
- Slot Level 6: Coercive Persuasion : Confused
- Slot Level 7: Coercive Persuasion : Confused/Recharge
- Slot Level 7: Coercive Persuasion : Confused/Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 42: Coercive Persuasion : Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 42: Coercive Persuasion : Confused/Endurance
- Slot Level 43: Coercive Persuasion : Contagious Confusion
Level 8: Mass Hypnosis
- Slot Level 8: Fortunata Hypnosis: Sleep/Recharge
- Slot Level 9: Fortunata Hypnosis: Sleep/Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 9: Fortunata Hypnosis: Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 40: Fortunata Hypnosis: Sleep/Endurance
- Slot Level 42: Fortunata Hypnosis: Chance for Placate
Level 10: Ice Arrow
- Slot Level 10: Impeded Swiftness: Chance of Damage(Smashing)
- Slot Level 11: Ice Mistral's Torment: Chance for Cold Damage
- Slot Level 11: Neuronic Shutdown: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
- Slot Level 13: Ghost Widow's Embrace: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
- Slot Level 13: Gladiator's Net: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- Slot Level 17: Superior Will of the Controller: Recharge/Chance for Psionic Damage
Level 12: Telekinesis
- Slot Level 12: Invention: Endurance Reduction
Level 14: Combat Jumping
- Slot Level 14: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
- Slot Level 15: Reactive Defenses: Scaling Resist Damage
- Slot Level 15: Shield Wall: +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All)
- Slot Level 17: Kismet: Accuracy +6%
- Slot Level 43: Winter's Gift: Slow Resistance (20%)
Level 16: Poison Gas Arrow
- Slot Level 16: Call of the Sandman: Accuracy/Endurance
Level 18: Total Domination
- Slot Level 18: Unbreakable Constraint: Hold
- Slot Level 19: Unbreakable Constraint: Hold/Recharge
- Slot Level 19: Unbreakable Constraint: Hold/Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 40: Unbreakable Constraint: Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 40: Unbreakable Constraint: Hold/Endurance
Level 20: Acid Arrow
- Slot Level 20: Bombardment: Chance for Fire Damage
- Slot Level 21: Javelin Volley: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- Slot Level 21: Positron's Blast: Chance of Damage(Energy)
- Slot Level 34: Shield Breaker: Chance for Lethal Damage
- Slot Level 37: Touch of Lady Grey: Chance for Negative Damage
- Slot Level 39: Achilles' Heel: Chance for Res Debuff
Level 22: Terrify
- Slot Level 22: Superior Frozen Blast: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 23: Superior Frozen Blast: Recharge/Chance for Immobilize
- Slot Level 23: Glimpse of the Abyss: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
- Slot Level 25: Bombardment: Chance for Fire Damage
- Slot Level 25: Positron's Blast: Chance of Damage(Energy)
- Slot Level 50: Javelin Volley: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
Level 24: Disruption Arrow
- Slot Level 24: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End
Level 26: Mass Confusion
- Slot Level 26: Superior Will of the Controller: Accuracy/Control Duration
- Slot Level 27: Superior Will of the Controller: Control Duration/Recharge
- Slot Level 27: Superior Will of the Controller: Endurance/Recharge
- Slot Level 33: Superior Will of the Controller: Accuracy/Control Duration/Endurance
- Slot Level 34: Superior Will of the Controller: Accuracy/Control Duration/Endurance/Recharge
Level 28: Oil Slick Arrow
- Slot Level 28: Ragnarok: Damage
- Slot Level 29: Ragnarok: Damage/Recharge
- Slot Level 29: Ragnarok: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 33: Ragnarok: Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 43: Ragnarok: Damage/Endurance
Level 30: EMP Arrow
- Slot Level 30: Basilisk's Gaze: Accuracy/Recharge
- Slot Level 31: Basilisk's Gaze: Accuracy/Hold
- Slot Level 31: Basilisk's Gaze: Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold
- Slot Level 31: Basilisk's Gaze: Endurance/Recharge/Hold
Level 32: Hasten
- Slot Level 32: Invention: Recharge Reduction
- Slot Level 33: Invention: Recharge Reduction
Level 35: Fire Ball
- Slot Level 35: Superior Frozen Blast: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 36: Superior Frozen Blast: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 36: Positron's Blast: Chance of Damage(Energy)
- Slot Level 37: Bombardment: Chance for Fire Damage
- Slot Level 37: Javelin Volley: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
Level 38: Fire Shield
- Slot Level 38: Gladiator's Armor: End/Resist
- Slot Level 39: Gladiator's Armor: Resistance
- Slot Level 39: Gladiator's Armor: TP Protection +3% Def (All)
Level 41: Spirit Ward
- Slot Level 41: Preventive Medicine: Chance for +Absorb
Level 44: Mystic Flight
- Slot Level 44: Blessing of the Zephyr: Knockback Reduction (4 points)
Level 47: Rune of Protection
- Slot Level 47: Steadfast Protection: Resistance/+Def 3%
Level 49: Maneuvers
- Slot Level 49: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
Inherent Powers
Health:
- Slot Level 1: Panacea: +Hit Points/Endurance
- Slot Level 48: Miracle: +Recovery
Stamina:
- Slot Level 1: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End
- Slot Level 48: Performance Shifter: EndMod
Incarnate Abilities
Musculature Radial Paragon (Alpha)
Totals:
SpoilerDefense Resistance Sustain Offense Debuff Resistance Smashing:11.65% Smashing:49.32% Max HP:101.13% (1028.45 HP) Haste:148.75% Defense:0% Lethal:11.65% Lethal:49.32% Regeneration:140% (6/s) Damage:8% Endurance:0% Fire:11.65% Fire:56.05% Max End:100% To Hit:6% Recovery:0% Cold:11.65% Cold:41.03% Recovery:184% (3.07/s) Accuracy:76% Perception:0% Energy:16.65% Energy:8% End Usage:0.7/s End Reduction:0% ToHit:0% Negative:16.65% Negative:8% Recharge:60% Toxic:11.65% Toxic:8% Movement:60% Psionic:11.65% Psionic:8% Regeneration:0% Melee:11.65% Ranged:17.9% AoE:11.65% -
3
-
3 hours ago, Argentae said:
Either makes it so you can get close, but if you walk up to an even con spawn they WILL see and attack you.
Instead of relying on stacking these, just pop a celerity stealth IO into sprint. Smoke is pretty weak, and I would judge it pretty redundant if you're taking TA as your secondary. The debuff is pretty paltry, and not really worth enhancing. Flash alone will pull the weight needed just fine, and is as @Psyonico noted, half unresistable.
/TA is pretty power hungry - I want to pick pretty much all of them! Any skips you can find in the primary are worth considering. For me that would pretty much just be Ring of Fire and Smoke, though you may be one who prefers to skip the aoe hold as well.
You got me thinking about /TA on controllers! I think I'm going to roll up a Mind/TA myself.
-
15 hours ago, XylstoBanks said:
Level 22: Carrion Creepers
- A: Ice Mistral's Torment: Chance for Cold Damage
- 36: Impeded Swiftness: Chance of Damage(Smashing)
- 36: Trap of the Hunter: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- 36: Bombardment: Chance for Fire Damage
- 37: Javelin Volley: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- 37: Positron's Blast: Chance of Damage(Energy)
Outside of the other input in thread, which is great, I wanted to highlight your creeper slotting here.
Ranged aoe procs are phenomenal here, while slow procs do almost nothing. Immob procs are ~1/2 the overall effectiveness of ranged aoe, which is somewhere in between. This is due to the nature of the psuedopet and powers it uses.
Also, the creepers need native slotted accuracy to hit. They don't benefit from your global bonuses. You'll want to slot for some native accuracy, with some recharge and even damage mixed in as well. @EnjoyTheJourney's build is a good example.
My own slotting is generally:
- Slot Level 22: Bombardment: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- Slot Level 27: Bombardment: Chance for Fire Damage
- Slot Level 27: Artillery: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- Slot Level 34: Positron's Blast: Chance of Damage(Energy)
- Slot Level 37: Javelin Volley: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- Slot Level 40: Trap of the Hunter: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
-
4
-
12 minutes ago, EnjoyTheJourney said:
provides another AOE by swapping out world of confusion and replacing it with enflame.
This is a great build!
Personally I like enflame, but it can be a bit wonky without your own melee range anchor to keep it locked to. Psionic tornado is not the most impressive epic aoe, but a consideration for swapping in if you want easier application.
I agree that Doms really shine with a resist focus, given their epic resist toggles to stack. Defense as a side mission is meaningful, but more of a supplement to your primary strategy of controlling the mobs than something that keeps you up on its own. This frees you up to focus more on proccing some key powers, as Journey has done here.
I think fly trap is a bit better than average for a dom pet. Skippable if you like, but pretty useful with fairly minimal slotting.
-
1
-
-
1 minute ago, Akiceter said:
Did you read this?
I did! I believe my response acknowledges what you said here in pretty good detail.
I'm not sure why this whole conversation seems so controversial to you. Just play how you like! Clearly there is not a lot of common ground between what others have been saying about sets we have built and played many times and what you feel is useful in your own game.
All that to say - carry on in strength! I don't think this conversation is leading anywhere useful at this point. It's just folks explaining their experience and perspective, then you denying the value of that perspective. I'm not certain what the goal is.
If the goal is to optimize your build, that's fine! Lay out your priorities and I'm sure folks would be happy to provide feedback. If you are doing things like skipping powers they find to be vital, inevitably that will come up in said feedback. You can graciously ignore these suggestions rather than digging into them.
-
5
-
1
-
1
-
-
I'm seeing a lot of very strong opinions about Blaster playstyle here, @Akiceter. Clearly the arguments you are seeing from others aren't convincing to you! That's okay - we all have our preferred approach to the game.
However, it is undeniably true that melee powers on blasters are very powerful. Blasters aren't really very squishy at all when properly built, and there are many ways to mitigate the dangers of melee (controls, timing, jousting, literally just killing them with the attack so they can't strike back, etc).
I don't think real life comparisons are all that helpful. In real life, of course you would be daft to charge in with a knife when you have a gun. There is very real danger. City of Heroes is not as challenging as life, and the stakes are much lower as well.
If you take advantage of the IO system, you are able to leverage these modest advantages in damage and also:
- Take advantage of more diverse set bonuses to achieve build goals.
- Proc bomb key powers (melee powers have more options as others have pointed out) to further exaggerate the damage advantage of melee.
- Drastically increase your survival by pursuing defense softcap or other useful IO strategies.
- Shore up weaknesses in certain primaries (lacking ST or aoe? Your secondary's melee attacks are here to help)
In any case, all power to you if you prefer a pure ranged playstyle! You can still make viable builds, but certain secondaries will be much weaker than their potential with this focus. This is especially true if you are skipping key blaster powers like your nuke or sustain.
I would encourage you to experiment with some of these powers, as well as other secondaries that you might dismiss as weak (tactical arrow is in fact outstanding), not having experienced them. Concept is king in CoH, and you are in control of your own character!
-
2
-
1
-
I haven't revisited this one in a while, but it still drives very smoothly when I play her. : )
Edit: Modernized the build for t1 skip, earlier power shifts. Optimized slotting for better overall ST damage.Rad benefits from a heavy resist focus, doubling down on your strengths. The extra layer of melee defense here is nice, but aggressively stacking it leads to too many trade-offs for something with no DDR. Even so, the modest layer here is useful when not facing defense debuffs, and only a small hop to softcap with a purple or team buffs.
Endurance is plentiful, and attacks are balanced between set bonuses, uptime on ATO usage, and as many procs as possible while pursuing these. Aoe damage is excellent. ST damage is good enough. Both incorporate FFback into the chain.
Meltdown is here as backup for situations where you hit heavy volume on a damage type you aren't capped on. It also helps that it puts you past 100% on most everything, and therefore immune to damage debuffs of these types for the duration.
Totals:
Spoiler
Text visual of slotting:
SpoilerSelected Powers
Level 1: Alpha Barrier
- Slot Level 1: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance
- Slot Level 3: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance
- Slot Level 3: Unbreakable Guard: RechargeTime/Resistance
- Slot Level 42: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 43: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance
- Slot Level 50: Aegis: Psionic/Status Resistance
Level 1: Pulverize
- Slot Level 1: Superior Gauntleted Fist: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 43: Superior Gauntleted Fist: Damage/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 43: Superior Gauntleted Fist: Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 45: Superior Gauntleted Fist: Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 45: Superior Gauntleted Fist: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 45: Superior Gauntleted Fist: RechargeTime/+Absorb
Level 2: Gamma Boost
- Slot Level 2: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End
Level 4: Jawbreaker
- Slot Level 4: Hecatomb: Damage
- Slot Level 5: Hecatomb: Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 5: Hecatomb: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy
- Slot Level 40: Hecatomb: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 42: Hecatomb: Chance of Damage(Negative)
- Slot Level 42: Force Feedback: Chance for +Recharge
Level 6: Proton Armor
- Slot Level 6: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance
- Slot Level 7: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance
- Slot Level 7: Unbreakable Guard: RechargeTime/Resistance
- Slot Level 17: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 48: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance
- Slot Level 50: Gladiator's Armor: TP Protection +3% Def (All)
Level 8: Fallout Shelter
- Slot Level 8: Unbreakable Guard: +Max HP
- Slot Level 9: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance
- Slot Level 9: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance
- Slot Level 17: Unbreakable Guard: RechargeTime/Resistance
- Slot Level 48: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance
Level 10: Radiation Therapy
- Slot Level 10: Touch of the Nictus: Healing/Absorb
- Slot Level 11: Touch of the Nictus: Healing/Absorb/Recharge
- Slot Level 11: Touch of the Nictus: Chance for Negative Energy Damage
- Slot Level 13: Eradication: Chance for Energy Damage
- Slot Level 13: Obliteration: Chance for Smashing Damage
- Slot Level 15: Perfect Zinger: Chance for Psi Damage
Level 12: Beta Decay
- Slot Level 12: Enzyme Exposure
Level 14: Hover
- Slot Level 14: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
- Slot Level 15: Shield Wall: +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All)
- Slot Level 46: Kismet: Accuracy +6%
Level 16: Build Up
- Slot Level 16: Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control: Chance for Build Up
Level 18: Particle Shielding
- Slot Level 18: Preventive Medicine: Chance for +Absorb
- Slot Level 19: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 19: Preventive Medicine: Heal
- Slot Level 37: Preventive Medicine: Heal/Endurance
- Slot Level 46: Preventive Medicine: Endurance/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 46: Preventive Medicine: Heal/RechargeTime/Endurance
Level 20: Whirling Mace
- Slot Level 20: Scirocco's Dervish: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 21: Scirocco's Dervish: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 21: Scirocco's Dervish: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- Slot Level 23: Eradication: Chance for Energy Damage
- Slot Level 25: Obliteration: Chance for Smashing Damage
- Slot Level 25: Perfect Zinger: Chance for Psi Damage
Level 22: Ground Zero
- Slot Level 22: Nucleolus Exposure
- Slot Level 23: Obliteration: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- Slot Level 27: Obliteration: Chance for Smashing Damage
- Slot Level 34: Eradication: Chance for Energy Damage
- Slot Level 34: Touch of Lady Grey: Chance for Negative Damage
- Slot Level 34: Perfect Zinger: Chance for Psi Damage
Level 24: Clobber
- Slot Level 24: Superior Might of the Tanker: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 29: Superior Might of the Tanker: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- Slot Level 29: Superior Might of the Tanker: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- Slot Level 31: Superior Might of the Tanker: Recharge/Chance for +Res(All)
- Slot Level 31: Touch of Death: Chance of Damage(Negative)
- Slot Level 31: Perfect Zinger: Chance for Psi Damage
Level 26: Hasten
- Slot Level 26: Invention: Recharge Reduction
- Slot Level 27: Invention: Recharge Reduction
Level 28: Shatter
- Slot Level 28: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 33: Superior Avalanche: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 33: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 33: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- Slot Level 37: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- Slot Level 37: Perfect Zinger: Chance for Psi Damage
Level 30: Crowd Control
- Slot Level 30: Nucleolus Exposure
- Slot Level 36: Armageddon: Damage
- Slot Level 36: Armageddon: Chance for Fire Damage
- Slot Level 36: Eradication: Chance for Energy Damage
- Slot Level 40: Perfect Zinger: Chance for Psi Damage
- Slot Level 40: Force Feedback: Chance for +Recharge
Level 35: Tough
- Slot Level 35: Steadfast Protection: Resistance/+Def 3%
- Slot Level 48: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance
Level 38: Weave
- Slot Level 38: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
- Slot Level 39: Reactive Defenses: Defense
- Slot Level 39: Reactive Defenses: Defense/Endurance
- Slot Level 39: Reactive Defenses: Scaling Resist Damage
Level 41: Fly
- Slot Level 41: Winter's Gift: Slow Resistance (20%)
Level 44: Evasive Maneuvers
- Slot Level 44: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
Level 47: Taunt
- Slot Level 47: Perfect Zinger: Chance for Psi Damage
Level 49: Meltdown
- Slot Level 49: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance
Inherent Powers
Brawl:
- Slot Level 1: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 50: Superior Blistering Cold: Damage/Endurance
Health:
- Slot Level 1: Panacea: +Hit Points/Endurance
Stamina:
- Slot Level 1: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End
Incarnate Abilities
Musculature Radial Paragon (Alpha)
Note that FFback is toggled on in two powers right now when reviewing totals.
-
1 hour ago, Without_Pause said:
The discussion is about if you need to 2-slot it or not. What it provides is irrelevant.
2 slotting it gives you more overlap for higher ddr. This is a decent argument to 2 slot.
-
I spun up a Rad/Atomic pretty recently, and he plays quite well solo.
Survivability is more dependent on Bonfire, solid resists, and controls than a softcap strategy. I find softcap a bit too limiting in terms of proc damage potential. Plenty of hold stacking across many powers that also do excellent damage. This combo is especially ripe for procs!
In any case, he can stay in the fray! He's built to easily toss out everything in pbaoe range without worrying about cones. Combat Teleport gets you a super quick engage/disengage as well to shut things down fast or pop out as needed.
Ranged defense was still a secondary goal, and he has a modest baseline that is both meaningful as a supplement to survival, and makes reaching softcap on teams or with lucks a simpler task.
I'm also a big fan of slow resist, so he's basically immune to slows.
Blaster (Radiation Blast - Atomic Manipulation).mbd
SpoilerSelected Powers
Level 1: X-Ray Beam
- Slot Level 1: Superior Defiant Barrage: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 48: Superior Defiant Barrage: Damage/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 48: Superior Defiant Barrage: Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 48: Superior Defiant Barrage: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 50: Superior Defiant Barrage: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
- Slot Level 50: Superior Defiant Barrage: RechargeTime/+Status
Level 1: Negatron Slam
- Slot Level 1: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 45: Superior Blistering Cold: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 45: Gladiator's Strike: Chance for Smashing Damage
- Slot Level 46: Touch of Death: Chance of Damage(Negative)
- Slot Level 46: Explosive Strike: Chance for Smashing Damage
- Slot Level 46: Touch of Lady Grey: Chance for Negative Damage
Level 2: Irradiate
- Slot Level 2: Fury of the Gladiator: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 3: Fury of the Gladiator: Chance for Res Debuff
- Slot Level 3: Armageddon: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 43: Armageddon: Chance for Fire Damage
- Slot Level 43: Eradication: Chance for Energy Damage
- Slot Level 45: Touch of Lady Grey: Chance for Negative Damage
Level 4: Positron Cell
- Slot Level 4: Cloud Senses: Chance for Negative Energy Damage
- Slot Level 5: Gladiator's Javelin: Chance of Damage(Toxic)
- Slot Level 5: Gladiator's Net: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- Slot Level 9: Neuronic Shutdown: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
- Slot Level 11: Ghost Widow's Embrace: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
- Slot Level 11: Unbreakable Constraint: Chance for Smashing Damage
Level 6: Combat Jumping
- Slot Level 6: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
- Slot Level 7: Kismet: Accuracy +6%
- Slot Level 7: Reactive Defenses: Scaling Resist Damage
- Slot Level 9: Shield Wall: +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All)
Level 8: Aim
- Slot Level 8: Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control: Chance for Build Up
Level 10: Ionize
- Slot Level 10: Invention: Recharge Reduction
Level 12: Proton Volley
- Slot Level 12: Sting of the Manticore: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 13: Sting of the Manticore: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 13: Sting of the Manticore: Chance of Damage(Toxic)
- Slot Level 15: Gladiator's Javelin: Chance of Damage(Toxic)
- Slot Level 17: Touch of Lady Grey: Chance for Negative Damage
- Slot Level 17: Shield Breaker: Chance for Lethal Damage
Level 14: Hasten
- Slot Level 14: Invention: Recharge Reduction
- Slot Level 15: Invention: Recharge Reduction
Level 16: Beta Decay
- Slot Level 16: Touch of Lady Grey: Defense Debuff/Endurance
Level 18: Super Speed
- Slot Level 18: Blessing of the Zephyr: Knockback Reduction (4 points)
Level 20: Metabolic Acceleration
- Slot Level 20: Preemptive Optimization: Accuracy/Recharge
- Slot Level 21: Preemptive Optimization: EndMod/Endurance
- Slot Level 21: Preemptive Optimization: EndMod/Recharge
- Slot Level 40: Preemptive Optimization: EndMod/Accuracy/Endurance
- Slot Level 40: Preemptive Optimization: EndMod/Accuracy/Recharge
- Slot Level 42: Preemptive Optimization: EndMod/Endurance/Recharge
Level 22: Neutron Bomb
- Slot Level 22: Superior Frozen Blast: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 23: Superior Frozen Blast: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 23: Invention: Damage Increase
- Slot Level 37: Bombardment: Chance for Fire Damage
- Slot Level 37: Touch of Lady Grey: Chance for Negative Damage
- Slot Level 40: Shield Breaker: Chance for Lethal Damage
Level 24: Atom Smasher
- Slot Level 24: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 25: Superior Avalanche: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 25: Eradication: Chance for Energy Damage
- Slot Level 36: Obliteration: Chance for Smashing Damage
- Slot Level 36: Shield Breaker: Chance for Lethal Damage
- Slot Level 37: Touch of Lady Grey: Chance for Negative Damage
Level 26: Atomic Blast
- Slot Level 26: Superior Blaster's Wrath: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 27: Superior Blaster's Wrath: Damage/Recharge
- Slot Level 27: Superior Blaster's Wrath: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- Slot Level 34: Superior Blaster's Wrath: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 34: Superior Blaster's Wrath: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
- Slot Level 36: Superior Blaster's Wrath: Recharge/Chance for Fire Damage
Level 28: Radioactive Cloud
- Slot Level 28: Superior Entomb: Accuracy/Hold
- Slot Level 29: Superior Entomb: Accuracy/Hold/Endurance/Recharge
- Slot Level 29: Superior Entomb: Accuracy/Hold/Endurance
- Slot Level 33: Superior Entomb: Endurance/Recharge
- Slot Level 34: Superior Entomb: Recharge/Chance for +Absorb
Level 30: Positronic Fist
- Slot Level 30: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 31: Superior Blistering Cold: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
- Slot Level 31: Hecatomb: Damage/Endurance
- Slot Level 31: Hecatomb: Chance of Damage(Negative)
- Slot Level 33: Touch of Death: Chance of Damage(Negative)
- Slot Level 33: Touch of Lady Grey: Chance for Negative Damage
Level 32: Combat Teleport
- Slot Level 32: Winter's Gift: Slow Resistance (20%)
Level 35: Bonfire
- Slot Level 35: Overwhelming Force: Damage/Chance for Knockdown/Knockback to Knockdown
- Slot Level 50: Invention: Recharge Reduction
Level 38: Fire Shield
- Slot Level 38: Titanium Coating: Resistance/Endurance
- Slot Level 39: Titanium Coating: Resistance
- Slot Level 39: Steadfast Protection: Resistance/+Def 3%
- Slot Level 39: Gladiator's Armor: TP Protection +3% Def (All)
Level 41: Char
- Slot Level 41: Gladiator's Javelin: Accuracy/Damage
- Slot Level 19: Gladiator's Javelin: Chance of Damage(Toxic)
- Slot Level 19: Apocalypse: Chance of Damage(Negative)
- Slot Level 42: Gladiator's Net: Chance of Damage(Lethal)
- Slot Level 42: Neuronic Shutdown: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
- Slot Level 43: Ghost Widow's Embrace: Chance of Damage(Psionic)
Level 44: Maneuvers
- Slot Level 44: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
Level 47: Tactics
- Slot Level 47: Adjusted Targeting: To Hit Buff/Endurance
Level 49: Vengeance
- Slot Level 49: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
Inherent Powers
Health:
- Slot Level 1: Panacea: +Hit Points/Endurance
Stamina:
- Slot Level 1: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End
Incarnate Abilities
Musculature Radial Paragon (Alpha)
-
1
-
1
-
6 hours ago, Ringo said:
Just don't go minion bowling, that's Energy Blast's job
Agree with all of the above, except I wish it were actually good for minion bowling these days! It just sort of gently nudges minions away, with the rare wooshy KB.
I long for the days of yore when the tick rate was like 10X as rapid. The repel was powerfully fun!
Still, I encourage anyone to take it and at least try it on for size. It has a much stronger place on corr/def versus controller. Even if you don't use it as a primary strategy, or in the specific situations @Ringo outlined all the time, it can really save the day when everything goes to hell. Just swoop around and keep the universe debuffed.
-
2
-
1
-
Ice/Thorn/??
in Dominator
Posted · Edited by Onlyasandwich
I like this concept! I had been struggling to find an Ice/ Dom that inspired me, and I think Thorny is the trick.
Here's my own take on it:
Dominator (Ice Control - Thorny Assault).mbd
The idea with this build is:
A typical engage would be Glacier or Ice Slick, followed by Sleet > Cold Snap. The KD fields + Cold snap should provide enough layered mitigation that you have minimal risk from the return alpha.
After your engage, diving in with attacks and Arctic air should thin things out enough to stabilize.
This build is focused on proccy damage. Ripper, Thorn barrage, and Impale are really wonderful for this! I especially like that Impale offers a high DPA place to keep the Dom +dam ATO proc. I usually like a proccy hold, but the return is just pretty mediocre for most dom holds. I split the difference here and gave it the purple proc.
Frostbite does some good work in incidental mitigation through locking the positions, the occasional hold proc, and the surprisingly strong contribution that aoe immobs can have with Fiery Orb proc.
End support is a little borderline, but should be just fine with Dom refills. You could always switch to Musculature Alpha instead of Intuition as well.
Note that I have the FFback powers toggled off to unskew recharge #'s. I have a FFback living in both the aoe and ST rotations. As others have mentioned, Ripper fits nicely into both, as its DPA is so high for a cone.
This is by no means a bruiser dom. You can take a decent hit with Rune up, but are reliant on your controls and a little luck otherwise. Fortunately, you have some great tools to layer very reliably here. I played with proccing Flash Freeze, but ultimately valued the 5th purple set bonuses more. If things go south, you have both this and Hibernate to call a stop to the action whenever needed.
If you're big on Thorntrops, which I see you are, you could consider dropping sorcery pool for another travel power +trops and Hoarfrost. If you do this, swap the PM proc into Hibernate, and slot Hoarfrost for heal in its single slot. Hoarfrost still contributes to survivability, but to a more modest degree than Rune in my experience. Perhaps the slow running away triggered by trops will make up for it. Bear in mind you'll be capping slow on mobs already without trops, so it's a bit redundant. The avoid effect is handy at times, but I'd rather have them locked in with Frostbite. Arctic air also has an avoid though, so even that is redundant.
Text version:
Selected Powers
Level 1: Block of Ice
Level 1: Skewer
Level 2: Frostbite
Level 4: Fling Thorns
Level 6: Arctic Air
Level 8: Cold Snap
Level 10: Impale
Level 12: Ice Slick
Level 14: Combat Jumping
Level 16: Build Up
Level 18: Flash Freeze
Level 20: Hasten
Level 22: Glacier
Level 24: Hover
Level 26: Jack Frost
Level 28: Ripper
Level 30: Thorn Barrage
Level 32: Mystic Flight
Level 35: Sleet
Level 38: Frozen Armor
Level 41: Hibernate
Level 44: Ice Storm
Level 47: Spirit Ward
Level 49: Rune of Protection
Inherent Powers
Health:
Stamina:
Incarnate Abilities
Intuition Radial Paragon (Alpha)
I also worked up an alternative that drops any pretense of resist stacking at all (not even the uniques!), and instead leans into defense with Unleash Potential. This is sort of interesting, as it gets you to S/L softcap more than 1/3 of the time, and is a more effective proactive tool for mitigation that Rune. It's strong enough to make a good difference in non S/L damage as well, not to mention the solid endurance buff.
Heavy FFback cycling can get this up even more often (almost half the time!). I did have to eat the soulbound buildup proc, which isn't such a big deal. The extra lotg and acc bonus (set is boosted, so won't exemp though) let me go back to a proccy flash freeze. Slightly borderline on hit chance here and there, but good enough considering all the -def in many powers.
However, Rune is more predictable. Sometimes you just need to be able to take a bigger hit. Either way, Unleash is something I don't think is considered often enough, and can be quite effective and fun!
Dominator (Ice Control - Thorny Assault) unleash version.mbd