SableShrike

Awesome man! Thank you for the fast fix! Now to wait for the servers to restart from their hard crash... Cheers!

Hi all, was wondering if someone smarter than I could help me out. I play Beast Mastery, and when you summon the Dire Wolf it has an awesome howl. Straight out of American Werewolf In London type stuff. Then it starts to use its frost attacks and you get this crappy "ice" sound effect. Is there any way to replace the "ice" effect with the howl you initially hear at summoning? Make em sound fierce! Thanks!

For the hell of it, here's my planned build. I'm still working on IOs in some powers, but it's getting there. I generally only run with Snow Storm, Steamy Mist, Hover, and Temp Invuln on for toggles. You need to save up endurance for Rain, Lightning, and Tornado so I chose not to bother running other stuff like Leadership or Fighting. Why defend when you can attack! I do take Thunder Clap, and it's decent in this build. Recharge makes it usable every fight, and it takes out every minion long enough for your pets to drop them unscathed. Amazement's proc IO can further debuff a hard target's ToHit, as well. Not sure how noticeable this is versus an AV, but in theory it would stack with your Hurricane debuff. I didn't bother to cap Defense, but this is plenty sturdy as is (especially in Bodyguard if you need it). Not taking Hasten lets you manage your Endurance a little better as well as lets you do things like set Barrier or Clarion Incarnate on autofire. I rarely take Hasten in my builds, honestly. Edit: Forgot a KB to KD in Tornado... Fixed now. Villain Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.7.2.10 https://github.com/Crytilis/mids-reborn-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Mastermind Primary Power Set: Beast Mastery Secondary Power Set: Storm Summoning Power Pool: Flight Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Concealment Ancillary Pool: Field Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Summon Wolves -- HO:Nucle(A), HO:Nucle(15), BldMnd-Dmg/EndRdx:50(17), TchofLadG-%Dam:50(17), ShlBrk-%Dam:30(19), AchHee-ResDeb%:20(19) Level 1: Gale -- Acc-I:50(A), Acc-I:50(13), EndRdx-I:50(13), SuddAcc--KB/+KD:50(15), FrcFdb-Rechg%:50(48) Level 2: O2 Boost -- Prv-Heal:50(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx:50(3), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg:50(3), Prv-Heal/Rchg:50(7), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx:50(11), Prv-Absorb%:50(11) Level 4: Snow Storm -- TmpRdn-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow:50(A), PcnoftheT-EndRdx/Rchg/Slow:50(5), EndRdx-I:50(5), Slow-I:50(7) Level 6: Train Beasts -- EndRdx-I:50(A) Level 8: Hover -- WntGif-RunSpd/Jump/Fly/Rng:50(A), WntGif-RunSpd/Jump/Fly/Rng/EndRdx:50(9), WntGif-ResSlow:50(9), Ksm-ToHit+:30(48), Ksm-Def/EndRdx:30(50), Ksm-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:30(50) Level 10: Steamy Mist -- Rct-Def:50(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx:50(25), Rct-EndRdx/Rchg:50(27), Rct-Def/Rchg:50(27), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(29), Rct-ResDam%:50(29) Level 12: Summon Lions -- HO:Nucle(A), HO:Nucle(21), BldMnd-Dmg/EndRdx:50(21), SprCmmoft-Rchg/PetAoEDef:50(23), CaltoArm-+Def(Pets):30(23), EdcoftheM-PetDef:40(25) Level 14: Fly -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB:50(A) Level 16: Freezing Rain -- Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(A), Rgn-Acc/Rchg:50(39), Rgn-Dmg/Rchg:50(39), Rgn-Dmg/EndRdx:50(40), Rgn-Knock%:50(48) Level 18: Fortify Pack -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+:50(A) Level 20: Hurricane -- HO:Enzym(A), HO:Enzym(31), HO:Enzym(31) Level 22: Afterburner -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+:50(A) Level 24: Maneuvers -- ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP:50(A) Level 26: Summon Dire Wolf -- SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(A), SprMarofS-Acc/Dmg:50(31), SprMarofS-Dmg:50(33), SprMarofS-EndRdx/+Resist/+Regen:50(33), SlbAll-Build%:50(33), ImpSwf-Dam%:30(34) Level 28: Thunder Clap -- AbsAmz-Acc/Stun/Rchg:50(A), AbsAmz-Acc/Rchg:50(34), AbsAmz-Stun/Rchg:50(34), AbsAmz-EndRdx/Stun:50(36), AbsAmz-ToHitDeb%:50(36), RopADop-Acc/EndRdx:50(50) Level 30: Tactics -- RctRtc-Pcptn:20(A) Level 32: Tame Beasts -- EndRdx-I:50(A) Level 35: Tornado -- SlbAll-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(A), SlbAll-Dmg/EndRdx:50(40), SlbAll-Dmg/Rchg:50(40), SuddAcc--KB/+KD:50(46), SvrRgh-PetResDam:50(46), ExpRnf-+Res(Pets):50(46) Level 38: Lightning Storm -- Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(A), Apc-Acc/Rchg:50(42), Apc-Dmg/Rchg:50(42), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx:50(42), Apc-Dam%:50(43), SuddAcc--KB/+KD:50(43) Level 41: Temp Invulnerability -- GldArm-End/Res:50(A), GldArm-ResDam:50(43), GldArm-3defTpProc:50(45), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(45), EndRdx-I:50(45) Level 44: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+:50(A) Level 47: Grant Invisibility -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+:50(A) Level 49: Invisibility -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+:50(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) 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:50(A) Level 1: Supremacy Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I:50(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I:50(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End:50(A), Mrc-Rcvry+:40(36), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+:50(37) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod:50(A), PrfShf-End%:50(37), PwrTrns-EndMod:50(37), PwrTrns-+Heal:50(39) Level 1: Alpha Howler Wolf Level 1: Howler Wolf Level 1: Pack Mentality Level 12: Lioness Level 26: Dire Wolf ------------ ------------ Set Bonus Totals: 4% DamageBuff(Smashing) 4% DamageBuff(Lethal) 4% DamageBuff(Fire) 4% DamageBuff(Cold) 4% DamageBuff(Energy) 4% DamageBuff(Negative) 4% DamageBuff(Toxic) 4% DamageBuff(Psionic) 10% Defense 8.5% Defense(Smashing) 8.5% Defense(Lethal) 6% Defense(Fire) 6% Defense(Cold) 6% Defense(Energy) 6% Defense(Negative) 6% Defense(Psionic) 11% Defense(Melee) 6% Defense(Ranged) 21% Defense(AoE) 7.5% Enhancement(Max EnduranceDiscount) 45% Enhancement(Accuracy) 95% Enhancement(RechargeTime) 16.5% SpeedFlying GrantPower Preventive Medicine (10% chance, if Scourge) 78.31 HP (9.75%) HitPoints 16.5% JumpHeight 16.5% SpeedJumping Knockback (Mag -7) Knockup (Mag -7) MezResist(Confused) 46.25% MezResist(Held) 46.25% MezResist(Immobilized) 46.25% MezResist(Sleep) 46.25% MezResist(Stunned) 46.25% MezResist(Terrorized) 46.25% MezResist(Teleport) 100% (20% chance) 20% PerceptionRadius 12% (0.2 End/sec) Recovery 188% (6.29 HP/sec) Regeneration 20% ResEffect(SpeedFlying) 20% ResEffect(RechargeTime) 20% ResEffect(SpeedRunning) 49% Resistance(Smashing) 49% Resistance(Lethal) 64.75% Resistance(Fire) 64.75% Resistance(Cold) 43% Resistance(Energy) 43% Resistance(Negative) 43% Resistance(Toxic) 43% Resistance(Psionic) 16.5% SpeedRunning

Yeah, you could fit Call Hawk in easy enough, but Call Ravens drew too much hate for me to want it. Maybe it’s better on a tankermind. Not taking attacks let me take debuffs and such earlier, which is important for exemping.

Wound up going back to the old Beast/Storm I had on Live, and it’s a lot of fun. I skip the personal attacks and go heavy in Storm, Flight, and a bunch other Pools like Leadership for Gambler mules. Only Ancillary power I took is Temp Invuln, but Leviathan’s Immob, Hold, and shield could be good choices as well. Storm’s a very aggressive set and I find it most fun on a MM. You can really monitor the field and unleash pinpoint hell when you’re not button mashing attacks. Plays more like a Controller in that regard. Storm is also really nice in that you can slot pet IOs in Tornado, meaning you can easily fit all six Uniques across your four pet powers. Key to doing well with teams is the Sudden Acceleration KB to KD IO. I put one in Gale, Tornado, and Lightning Storm as soon as I can. Gale is really good converted to KD, and it’s great for proccing a Force Feedback +recharge IO. Guaranteed knockdown on anything it hits. Snow Storm and Gale are up every fight at low levels, and Freezing Rain you can also fire off on top of them for heavy slow and more knockdown. Your Beasts rip stuff apart while it’s downed or unable to run/fly (Snow Storm drops flyers). Hurricane is an “oh shit” button if you’re facing a team wipe. It also debuffs AVs without repelling them, but careful when getting close. I never run Hurricane all the time. It’s often too noisy and unwelcome on most teams, but in those situations where you need it there is no substitute. Tornados will lock anything they can juggle once you have the KD IO on them, and can deal significant damage to a lone target (780 or so at level 50). Lightning Storms are further knockdown and good damage. I can usually get two Tornados and Lightning Storms out at a time during a longer fight. O2 Boost is a good spot-heal and has handy status buffs to boot. You can keep pets topped off from range or heal them after the fight. This organized chaos all costs a ton of endurance, so you have to be picky with enhancements and set bonuses. Make sure to get your Accolades. For set bonuses I chose to focus on +recharge when I can, but +MaxEnd, End Discount, End Recovery, and +HP are good too. I can usually chase S/L resistance while building for other bonuses. I think I have 61% with Temp Invuln on. Usually I don’t run with pets in Bodyguard as you need pets set to Aggressive to allow them to retarget faster and not waste DPS. Keep a Bodyguard command handy for ambushes and such though.

Good idea! I use it for a +Stealth IO, and it’s annoying my ninja is completely invisible apart from the contrails and dust storm.

Stuck in a dealership waiting on a maintenance appointment, so forgive me being longwinded here. The two things that’ve kept me off Rebirth are population and powersets. I’m over in Europe now, so when I log on a North American server it’s definitely not peak hours. On HC I can still find enough crew to run a TF (or even solo one as we are given that option on HC). The other big thing is AT and power set fixes/balance. HC is far ahead of any other server in terms of quality control. Savage on Rebirth is still missing attack animations specific to the set, et cetera. Homecoming simply has more options and done a more polished job of it. On the difficulty thing, I’ve taken to running Ouro gigs. My plan is to run every single one on my Tanker. There’s a lot of options to jack difficulty in Ouro arcs. Homecoming actually makes cranking difficulty up easier than a vanilla server would. I think what we’re all nostalgic for isn’t difficulty per se, but the community play that a more difficult environment fostered. I made a lot of friends while beating my head against the old Positron that took two or more hours and had everything conning red or purple to us (on TOs or DOs to boot). The first half hour was usually brutal, but people would then gain a few levels and really start to work as a tight team. Timing controls, burning down problem bosses or Lts. first, jumping past to Taunt spawns to draw AoE away from the rest of the team... You had to learn how to do these things, or you would wind up sucking serious debt. Homecoming does have the option to do these same things, but that “optional” part is the difference. Most new players would get seriously discouraged by an old-style Positron against purple-conning Vahzilok. That’s a very steep leaning curve, and I can see why the Live and HC team realized they had to lessen the incline. For me the low-level game on HC is fine as is, but I will admit 30+ is a little crazy. Incarnates may need some tweaking (which Live devs never got a chance to do), and Resistance and Defense caps may need to be looked at given that we can turn everything into tankmages. Perhaps we can have differing Defense caps for ATs like we have for Resistance and Damage. Maybe only Tanks and Brutes could come close to what we currently have for softcap. Maybe make it so even the melee ATs couldn’t hit softcap without inspirs or third-party buffs. Give us Force Fielders a real job again. HC’s devs have said they’re specifically working on a balance pass for Issue 6 and beyond, and given the work they’ve done to date I trust they won’t just half-ass it. Just know that it’s coming “Soon”.

Yeah, I totally agree the cat's out of the bag as far as set IOs go. We're not ever seeing them go away given the amount of time and effort people have put into getting them. BillZ has a good idea with the dynamic scaling and such. Maybe there's a way to quantify the overall set boni into a single total, and then you could have the game ramp up the nastiness from there. Have to see how the new villain group (Freakloks) pans out, too. They may have certain mobs going forward specifically placed to hose the solo softcap player. Kind of like how Super Stunners were put in to hose the facerolling of Freakshow farms.

And if we finally got Carp Melee.

Yeah that'd be neat if we could figure out a dynamic difficulty coding or the like! The above posts are just my opinion, mind. And there’s tons of ways the game has significantly improved. My first Ice tanker on Live was only allowed to run one armor toggle at a time, say. That was ridiculous and needed to be changed. I understand why Paragon put in set IOs; they needed some way to give the game a longer term goal than just level 53 SOs and HOs. The server populations were getting smaller as well, and so they had to deal with the fact that people may not be able to find a team to do some content. Given those pressures I can understand why they rolled out set IOs. Someone made the call that having a gear treadmill to extend the game’s profitable life was better than risking NCSoft axing the game due to stagnation. Given that we are no longer profit driven, however, it’s a good time to revisit how power creep is negatively affecting the teaming that initially made this game so compelling. Super interested to hear everyone’s ideas on this. I’m very glad the HC team are paying real attention to it.

I understand that argument @Hew, and it’s a valid point. I guess all I’m saying is how can we possibly balance a game where softcapping Defense and maxing Resistance is possible? Most of the game content is not built to account for this. The very power sets and ATs were designed to have weaknesses to encourage us to team. There was huge dev pushback against ever allowing tankmages. With IO sets tankmages are exactly what we’ve got. There’s such a gulf in power between someone on SOs versus a fully purpled AT that to balance the game around either end of the spectrum seems impossible. In closing, any big balancing of difficulty would need to be optional similar to Ouro or Notoriety settings, as I’ve heard other folks mention. I just don’t see how with set IOs in the game it can be balanced around their level of OP without frustrating new players.

Yeah, I love that one! I ran it many times before IOs and only ever beat it once!

“So you’re saying I’ve got a chance!” ~ Lloyd Christmas I’ve talked about this with a few peeps ingame, but what has truly screwed balance up in this game are IO sets. With the advent of IO sets, we suddenly were given the ability to negate any class’ specific weakness provided we threw enough Influence into set boni. Then came Purple sets, then Attuned IOs, then ATOs... The problem with this is that 90% of the game is still balanced around post-ED Single Origins. Those and HamiOs are what the game was balanced around for YEARS. The first Terra Volta respec used to be a brutal fight to the death that your team (many needing to respec) could often fail. I can now solo that entire Trial on pretty much any AT if tricked out enough. The Abandoned Sewer and Eden Trials were similar feats of heroic strength; now they’re a joke. Power sets cannot account for that level of power creep. Incarnate powers don’t account for it either, as you are too low to have them on the aforementioned Trials. It’s the IO sets. It’s always been the IO sets. The IO sets have removed any niche an AT had except for very low level content. Past level 25 or so, people start having enough set boni to Leeroy Jenkins, and triumph, through everything but iTrials. At that point teaming is optional. You need no backup for non-iTrial stuff. You never learn the weakness of your AT (because sets eliminated it), and you never have to really play as a team. Not like we used to on only SOs and HamiOs. I’ve tried to determine if this’s just me being an old fart remembering the past with rose-tinted glasses. But I really don’t think that’s the case. Now how to fix the mess that set IOs have brought us, I have no clue. No way in hell will people give up set IOs now. I myself use them, in part because I feel I have to to keep up with the other Undebtables. Set IOs have so vastly moved the bar for what’s OP, and I feel like we’ve never really addressed their negative impact on the community. We used to really need each other, and now your teammates are optional. That's not good for a social MMO. And to misquote Syndrome, “When everyone’s Superman...! No one will be.”

My namesake’s been remade so many times I can’t even count anymore. I think what I always really wanted was a Human form Warshade who could stand in melee and draw hate; Shades can only really do that as long as Hybrid is up and have no Gauntlet/Punchvoke outside of Dwarf’s Antagonize. I finally stumbled onto what I was after in my recent Tanker. Will/Psi with the Force of Will pool plays like a very tanky melee Human Shade. Minus the Orbiting Death and Essences, of course. So I get my tanking, my purplish death-hands, and I don’t have to stare at Dwarf or Nova for hundreds of hours.

For the PvP uniques it doesn’t matter where they are placed. You can test in an Ouro mission. The only ones I know need to be “on” to work are Kismet and Impervious Skin’s Regen%. Most of the others can go anywhere at any level. (Some I’m unsure of since I only ever put them in Fitness: Power Transfer and Panacea.)

Reworked the ol' Tanker with a fresh batch of procs, and it's doing far more damage. Wall of Force was impacted by this the most, although Greater Psi Blade, Mass Lev, and even Boggle benefit greatly from damage procs. Wall of Force goes from doing 60 damage to over 340 when all the procs trigger on a target. With four procs, one will almost always fire meaning you double Wall of Force's damage nearly every target it hits. And again, it can sometimes "crit" for massive damage. S&L resistance is capped when you stack two Sup Might of the Tanker procs, and that isn't hard to do. Psi Sweep hitting multiple targets will often proc your +Absorb from Gauntleted Fist. And if they ever DO drop your health way down Preventative Medicine's +Absorb fires and lets you regen while it soaks hits. And then you still have Unleash Potential to cap your Defense to nearly everything for 60 seconds. It's very hard to die when you get everything slotted with the IOs. This is tough enough and accurate enough with Focused Accuracy to tangle with most +4/x8 mobs with some tactics. Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.7.2.10 https://github.com/Crytilis/mids-reborn-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! Sable Shrike: Level 50 Magic Tanker Primary Power Set: Willpower Secondary Power Set: Psionic Melee Power Pool: Force of Will Power Pool: Concealment Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Mind Over Body -- TtnCtn-ResDam/EndRdx(A), TtnCtn-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(11), TtnCtn-ResDam(13), TtnCtn-EndRdx(13), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(31), UnbGrd-Max HP%(50) Level 1: Mental Strike -- Acc-I(A) Level 2: High Pain Tolerance -- TtnCtn-ResDam(A), TtnCtn-ResDam/EndRdx(7), TtnCtn-ResDam/Rchg(7), TtnCtn-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(9), Heal-I(9), Heal-I(11) Level 4: Telekinetic Blow -- SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg(37), SprMghoft-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), SprMghoft-Dmg/Rchg(42), SprMghoft-Rchg/Res%(42) Level 6: Indomitable Will -- LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(A), LucoftheG-EndRdx/Rchg(25), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(27), LucoftheG-Def(27), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(42) Level 8: Rise to the Challenge -- NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx(A), NmnCnv-Heal(25), NmnCnv-Heal/Rchg(43) Level 10: Project Will -- Acc-I(A) Level 12: Mighty Leap -- WntGif-ResSlow(A) Level 14: Wall of Force -- HO:Nucle(A), HO:Nucle(15), JvlVll-Dam%(15), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(17), PstBls-Dam%(17), ExpStr-Dam%(23) Level 16: Psi Blade Sweep -- SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg(33), SprGntFis-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), SprGntFis-Dmg/Rchg(34), SprGntFis-Rchg/+Absorb(34) Level 18: Heightened Senses -- LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(19), LucoftheG-Def(19), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(21), LucoftheG-EndRdx/Rchg(21) Level 20: Taunt -- PrfZng-Dam%(A) Level 22: Fast Healing -- NmnCnv-Heal(A), NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx(23), NmnCnv-Heal/Rchg(46) Level 24: Quick Recovery -- EndMod-I(A), PwrTrns-EndMod(45), PwrTrns-+Heal(45) Level 26: Concentration -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(43) Level 28: Boggle -- Acc-I(A), CrcPrs-Acc/Conf/Rchg(29), CrcPrs-Conf/EndRdx(29), CrcPrs-Conf%(31), MlsIll-Dam%(31), Ccp-Dam%(48) Level 30: Unleash Potential -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg(A), LucoftheG-EndRdx/Rchg(46), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(46), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(48), LucoftheG-Def(50) Level 32: Strength of Will -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A) Level 35: Greater Psi Blade -- SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(A), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(36), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Hct-Dam%(37), UnbCns-Dam%(37) Level 38: Mass Levitate -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(39), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(39), ScrDrv-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), ScrDrv-Dam%(40), Arm-Dam%(40) Level 41: Focused Accuracy -- EndRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(43) Level 44: Physical Perfection -- Prv-Absorb%(A) Level 47: Grant Invisibility -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 49: Invisibility -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Gauntlet 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 -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 10: Shadow Recall -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(3), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(5), NmnCnv-Heal(45), NmnCnv-Heal/EndRdx(48), RgnTss-Regen+(50) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), SynSck-EndMod(3), SynSck-EndMod/+RunSpeed(5) Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve Level 0: Portal Jockey Level 0: Task Force Commander Level 0: The Atlas Medallion Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon Level 50: Mighty Radial Final Judgement Level 50: Cognitive Radial Flawless Interface Level 50: Seers Radial Superior Ally Level 50: Incandescence Radial Epiphany Level 50: Assault Radial Embodiment ------------

Martial Arts is actually really good on a Tank. Storm Kick is a huge Defense buff for Tank and Brute. You said you want to be super tough so I’d take Fighting for Tough and Weave. That also lets you work in Cross Punch, which is great cone damage. Make sure to take Boxing and Kick to buff Cross Punch, but you do not need to slot or use either. I try to work in Cross Punch every time I build a Martial Arts or Super Strength tank; it fits thematically and gives them a second needed AoE. Since you can stand alone against x8 spawns AoE will often be your most efficient attacks. Some great primaries that do well with Martial Arts are Shield Defense, Super Reflexes, Willpower, and Invulnerability. Shield gives a great teleport nuke in Shield Charge; that, Cross Punch, and Dragon’s Tail give you three great AoEs.

Update: Playing around more I've decided to slot Leviathan with a bit of control durations rather than just straight damage procs. This lets you play heavy on the lockdown while only sacrificing a small amount of DPS. NOW TO THE IMPORTANT BIT: The Good News -Summon Coralax is awesome. It does serious damage, with four out of five attacks it has doing the equivalent of your T2 blast. -It has an Immobilize and Stun which can stack with YOUR Immobilize and Stun. As such, I slotted it a bit for Mez duration for even more lockdown. -Two of her attacks are Punch and Haymaker, meaning she will often wade into melee! This is big news for a Sonic Resonance user, as it means they can keep their debuff toggle on her when soloing. The Bad News -It burns Endurance like crazy, hence the last slot in it being a boosted End Redux IO. That and Cardiac Incarnate make her way more efficient; you need this in order to keep her using all her DPS attacks. -She has absolutely zero natural Defense, and only Resists Cold, Psi, and Toxic. Patron Pets seem to have been balanced around being glass cannons. Conclusion Sonic Resonance, Force Field, Cold, and Thermal seem uniquely positioned to benefit from Patron Pets. Patron Pets seem to have a much higher damage scalar than T1 Mastermind minions yet lack any native longevity due to having bad Defense and Resistance. A strong buffing set like Force Field or Sonic Resonance can mostly, or even completely, negate that weakness. This makes a fully buffed Patron Pet a significant source of additional DPS and control while also allowing a shield set Defender or Corruptor to utilize their full toolkit. Provided you can achieve perma-Hasten your Patron Pet will recharge before the current one dies, meaning you only need resummon and buff every 4 minutes. Amended build is below. Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.7.2.10 https://github.com/Crytilis/mids-reborn-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! Benthica: Level 50 Natural Defender Primary Power Set: Force Field Secondary Power Set: Sonic Attack Power Pool: Flight Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: Leviathan Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Deflection Shield -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx:50(A), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(3), RedFrt-Def:50(3), RedFrt-EndRdx:50(5), RedFrt-EndRdx/Rchg:50(5), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+:50(7) Level 1: Shriek -- Thn-Acc/Dmg:50(A) Level 2: Scream -- SprDfnBst-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(A), SprDfnBst-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(29), SprDfnBst-Acc/Dmg:50(31), SprDfnBst-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(31), SprDfnBst-Dmg/Rchg:50(31), SprDfnBst-Rchg/Heal%:50(33) Level 4: Howl -- SprVglAss-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(A), SprVglAss-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(25), SprVglAss-Acc/Dmg:50(25), SprVglAss-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(27), SprVglAss-Dmg/Rchg:50(27), SprVglAss-Rchg/+Absorb:50(29) Level 6: Insulation Shield -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx:50(A), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(7), RedFrt-Def:50(9), RedFrt-EndRdx:50(9), RedFrt-EndRdx/Rchg:50(11), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+:50(11) Level 8: Hover -- BlsoftheZ-Travel:50(A), BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx:50(23), BlsoftheZ-ResKB:50(23), Ksm-ToHit+:30(34) Level 10: Fly -- WntGif-ResSlow:50(A) Level 12: Dispersion Bubble -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx:50(A), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(13), RedFrt-Def:50(13), RedFrt-EndRdx:50(15), RedFrt-EndRdx/Rchg:50(15), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+:50(17) Level 14: Afterburner -- Rct-ResDam%:50(A) Level 16: Maneuvers -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx:50(A), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(17), RedFrt-Def:50(19), RedFrt-EndRdx:50(19), RedFrt-EndRdx/Rchg:50(21), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+:50(21) Level 18: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(37) Level 20: Amplify -- RechRdx-I:50(A) Level 22: Assault -- EndRdx-I:50(A), EndRdx-I:50(34) Level 24: Personal Force Field -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+:50(A) Level 26: Repulsion Bomb -- PstBls-Acc/Dmg:50(A), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(34), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx:50(36), PstBls-Dmg/Rng:50(36), PstBls-Dam%:50(36), FrcFdb-Rechg%:50(37) Level 28: Tactics -- RctRtc-Pcptn:20(A) Level 30: Vengeance -- ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP:50(A) Level 32: Force Bubble -- EndRdx-I:50(A) Level 35: School of Sharks -- PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(A), PstBls-Acc/Dmg:50(39), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx:50(39), PstBls-Dmg/Rng:50(40), PstBls-Dam%:50(40), GrvAnc-Immob:50(40) Level 38: Dreadful Wail -- Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(A), Arm-Acc/Rchg:50(42), Arm-Dmg/Rchg:50(42), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx:50(42), Arm-Dam%:50(43), AbsAmz-Stun:50(43) Level 41: Spirit Shark Jaws -- UnbCns-Acc/Hold/Rchg:50(A), UnbCns-Acc/Rchg:50(43), UnbCns-Hold/Rchg:50(45), UnbCns-EndRdx/Hold:50(45), UnbCns-Dam%:50(45), Apc-Dam%:50(46) Level 44: Summon Coralax -- SlbAll-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(A), SlbAll-Acc/Rchg:50(46), SlbAll-Dmg/Rchg:50(46), HO:Endo(48), HO:Perox(48), EndRdx-I:50(50) Level 47: Shark Skin -- GldArm-End/Res:50(A), GldArm-ResDam:50(48), GldArm-3defTpProc:50(50), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(50) Level 49: Hibernate -- Prv-Absorb%:50(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) 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 -- Run-I:50(A) Level 1: Vigilance Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I:50(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I:50(A) Level 2: Health -- Mrc-Rcvry+:40(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+:50(33), Pnc-Heal/+End:50(37) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A) Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I:50(A), PwrTrns-EndMod:50(33), PwrTrns-+Heal:50(39) Level 50: Void Radial Final Judgement Level 50: Degenerative Radial Flawless Interface Level 50: Storm Elemental Core Superior Ally Level 50: Rebirth Radial Epiphany Level 50: Support Core Embodiment Level 50: Cardiac Core Paragon ------------ ------------ Set Bonus Totals: 12% DamageBuff(Smashing) 12% DamageBuff(Lethal) 12% DamageBuff(Fire) 12% DamageBuff(Cold) 12% DamageBuff(Energy) 12% DamageBuff(Negative) 12% DamageBuff(Toxic) 12% DamageBuff(Psionic) 6% Defense(Melee) 6% Defense(Smashing) 6% Defense(Lethal) 9.44% Defense(Fire) 9.44% Defense(Cold) 9.13% Defense(Energy) 9.13% Defense(Negative) 6% Defense(Psionic) 12.25% Defense(Ranged) 12.88% Defense(AoE) 3.6% Max End 63% Enhancement(Accuracy) 110% Enhancement(RechargeTime) 10% Enhancement(Range) 8% Enhancement(Heal) GrantPower Preventive Medicine (10% chance, if Scourge) 61.04 HP (6%) HitPoints Knockback (Mag -7) Knockup (Mag -7) MezResist(Confused) 47.5% MezResist(Held) 47.5% MezResist(Immobilized) 47.5% MezResist(Sleep) 47.5% MezResist(Stunned) 47.5% MezResist(Terrorized) 47.5% MezResist(Teleport) 100% (20% chance) 20% PerceptionRadius 15.5% (0.26 End/sec) Recovery 22% (0.93 HP/sec) Regeneration 20% ResEffect(SpeedFlying) 20% ResEffect(RechargeTime) 20% ResEffect(SpeedRunning) 14% Resistance(Smashing) 14% Resistance(Lethal) 30.5% Resistance(Fire) 30.5% Resistance(Cold) 8% Resistance(Energy) 8% Resistance(Negative) 8% Resistance(Toxic) 8% Resistance(Psionic)

As the name suggests, this build revolves around ultimately having a pet. FF gets a lot of crap due to not being able to fully benefit from its shields on a Defender, but then I said to myself, "Wait, shit! We have Patron pets!" Now the question was could this pet be made permanent? The answer is yes; very much yes. Now, I went with Leviathan to fit my aquatic theme, but you can easily do something similar with different powers. Or hell, you can even do this with Sonic/ Defenders or a Corruptor. If I stick by said pet (Coralax Red Hybrid in my case), it is positionally capped on Defense and has some added mez protection and Toxic resist. The pet also lasts for a full four minutes, which is nice. This means you can exemplar all the way down to 41 and still have a pet out permanently. Abandoned Sewer Trial is JUST shy of 41, sad... Just thought I'd point this out, as I see a lot of folks worrying that FF and Sonic really drop off in the higher levels. The permanent pet trick gives them a fair bit more utility (though I dunno how much DPS my Coralax adds). Build's below, but all you need for this is to get perma-Hasten. However you do that is up to you! Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.7.2.10 https://github.com/Crytilis/mids-reborn-hero-designer Click this DataLink to open the build! Benthica: Level 50 Natural Defender Primary Power Set: Force Field Secondary Power Set: Sonic Attack Power Pool: Flight Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: Leviathan Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Deflection Shield -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx:50(A), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(3), RedFrt-Def:50(3), RedFrt-EndRdx:50(5), RedFrt-EndRdx/Rchg:50(5), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+:50(23) Level 1: Shriek -- SprVglAss-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(A), SprVglAss-Acc/Dmg:50(48), SprVglAss-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(48), SprVglAss-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(48), SprVglAss-Dmg/Rchg:50(50), SprVglAss-Rchg/+Absorb:50(50) Level 2: Scream -- SprDfnBst-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(A), SprDfnBst-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(25), SprDfnBst-Acc/Dmg:50(25), SprDfnBst-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(33), SprDfnBst-Dmg/Rchg:50(34), SprDfnBst-Rchg/Heal%:50(34) Level 4: Force Bolt -- Acc-I:50(A) Level 6: Insulation Shield -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx:50(A), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(7), RedFrt-Def:50(7), RedFrt-EndRdx:50(13), RedFrt-EndRdx/Rchg:50(15), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+:50(15) Level 8: Hover -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx:50(A), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(9), RedFrt-Def:50(9), RedFrt-EndRdx:50(11), RedFrt-EndRdx/Rchg:50(11), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+:50(13) Level 10: Fly -- Flight-I:50(A) Level 12: Dispersion Bubble -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx:50(A), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(34), RedFrt-Def:50(37), RedFrt-EndRdx:50(37), RedFrt-EndRdx/Rchg:50(40), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+:50(42) Level 14: Afterburner -- Flight-I:50(A) Level 16: Maneuvers -- RedFrt-Def/EndRdx:50(A), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:50(17), RedFrt-Def:50(17), RedFrt-EndRdx:50(19), RedFrt-EndRdx/Rchg:50(21), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+:50(23) Level 18: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(19) Level 20: Amplify -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(21) Level 22: Personal Force Field -- Rct-ResDam%:50(A) Level 24: Tactics -- RctRtc-Pcptn:20(A) Level 26: Repulsion Bomb -- PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(A), PstBls-Acc/Dmg:50(27), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx:50(27), PstBls-Dmg/Rng:50(31), PstBls-Dam%:50(33), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg:50(33) Level 28: Siren's Song -- FrtHyp-Acc/Sleep/Rchg:50(A), FrtHyp-Acc/Rchg:50(29), FrtHyp-Sleep/Rchg:50(29), FrtHyp-Sleep/EndRdx:50(31), FrtHyp-Plct%:50(31), LthRps-Acc/EndRdx:50(50) Level 30: Vengeance -- ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP:50(A) Level 32: Force Bubble -- EndRdx-I:50(A) Level 35: Shark Skin -- GldArm-End/Res:50(A), GldArm-ResDam:50(36), GldArm-3defTpProc:50(36), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(36), EndRdx-I:50(37) Level 38: Dreadful Wail -- Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(A), Arm-Acc/Rchg:50(39), Arm-Dmg/Rchg:50(39), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx:50(39), Arm-Dam%:50(40), Erd-%Dam:30(40) Level 41: Spirit Shark Jaws -- Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(A), Apc-Acc/Rchg:50(43), Apc-Dmg/Rchg:50(43), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx:50(43), Apc-Dam%:50(45), UnbCns-Dam%:50(45) Level 44: Summon Coralax -- SlbAll-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(A), SlbAll-Acc/Rchg:50(45), SlbAll-Dmg/Rchg:50(46), SlbAll-Build%:50(46), OvrFrc-Dam/KB:50(46) Level 47: Hibernate -- Prv-Absorb%:50(A) Level 49: Victory Rush -- EndMod-I:50(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I:50(A) 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 -- Run-I:50(A) Level 1: Vigilance Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I:50(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 2: Swift -- Flight-I:50(A) Level 2: Health -- Mrc-Rcvry+:40(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+:50(42) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A) Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I:50(A), EndMod-I:50(42) Level 50: Spiritual Core Paragon Level 50: Cryonic Radial Final Judgement Level 50: Degenerative Radial Flawless Interface Level 50: Polar Lights Partial Radial Improved Ally Level 50: Support Core Embodiment Level 50: Ageless Core Epiphany ------------ ------------ Set Bonus Totals: 22% DamageBuff(Smashing) 22% DamageBuff(Lethal) 22% DamageBuff(Fire) 22% DamageBuff(Cold) 22% DamageBuff(Energy) 22% DamageBuff(Negative) 22% DamageBuff(Toxic) 22% DamageBuff(Psionic) 6% Defense(Melee) 6% Defense(Smashing) 6% Defense(Lethal) 8.5% Defense(Fire) 8.5% Defense(Cold) 8.5% Defense(Energy) 8.5% Defense(Negative) 6% Defense(Psionic) 11% Defense(Ranged) 11% Defense(AoE) 3.6% Max End 10% Enhancement(Range) 8% Enhancement(Heal) 118.8% Enhancement(RechargeTime) 54% Enhancement(Accuracy) GrantPower Preventive Medicine (10% chance, if Scourge) 91.56 HP (9%) HitPoints Knockback (Mag -3) Knockup (Mag -3) MezResist(Confused) 48.75% MezResist(Held) 48.75% MezResist(Immobilized) 48.75% MezResist(Sleep) 48.75% MezResist(Stunned) 48.75% MezResist(Terrorized) 48.75% MezResist(Teleport) 100% (20% chance) 20% PerceptionRadius 13% (0.22 End/sec) Recovery 32% (1.36 HP/sec) Regeneration 15.5% Resistance(Smashing) 15.5% Resistance(Lethal) 29.75% Resistance(Fire) 29.75% Resistance(Cold) 8% Resistance(Energy) 8% Resistance(Negative) 8% Resistance(Toxic) 8% Resistance(Psionic)

Beasts I go Northern North America themed: Kodiak, Klondike, Yukon, Sitka, Denali, and Amarok. Amarok’s the Inuit myth of a huge dire wolf that likely really existed back when humans were first crossing the Bering Strait.

Cryptic had lightning in a bottle with CoX. I think a lot of us older players took it up alongside Ultima, Planescape: Torment, DA:O, BG2, etc. That’s not to say there aren’t truly great games these days, but the standard for excellence seemed a little higher back in 2004 when CoH launched. We had a lot of genre-defining games come out in the 2000s. I think that played a large part in the community’s loyalty to CoH, as we quickly realized, “Hey, this is something special. This is genre-defining for superhero MMOs, or even MMOs in general.” CoX is brilliant in that it is as deep as you want it to be. You can re-bind your entire keyboard, but you don’t have to. You can spend months on building IOs, or you can just use SOs. The costume creator is still one of the most versatile in all of gaming history. This game’s right up there with BG2 for me, and is the only MMO I put any time into even after 16 years. They just got so many things right with CoH in a way that many newer MMOs haven’t been able to figure out. We had an MMO with free-movement flight and super-speed back in 2004, for chrissakes. That is nuts, if you think about it. Many of us were still playing via phone modems. No crappy gender-locking, enemy diversity, some of the best co-op gameplay, memorable characters, et cetera. I’m nearing 40 this year, and plan on playing CoH til I can no longer work a mouse. I take breaks now and then, but I always come back!

Bit late, but why are you running Hurricane full-time? When I run stormies the go-to powers are Freezing Rain first and then Snow Storm. Rain makes them flop and Storm keeps them in place (and severely debuffs their recharge=less attacks incoming). Hurricane burns too much endurance to warrant being always on, and as mentioned the repel is highly detrimental to most teams. Where Hurricane is good/great? Archvillains, as they don’t get repelled. Freezing Rain, Snow Storm, Tornado, and Lightning Storm are your bad boys though. Some even use Gale. Gale, Tornado, and Lightning Storm need a KB>KD IO, but go from garbage to great when they have it. Tornado does big big damage versus an Archvillain or Elite Boss. Ninja/Storm can work, but you will have to be very aggressive with Rain, Snow, and Lightning. Thunderclap can also lock down minions, if you can find the slots to spare. Is it a top tier solo farmer? Not by a mile. It just won’t have the defenses to survive max difficulty. But your Storm powers will wreak havoc on entire groups while your Ninjas dart about. If that sounds fun, try it out. I get bored with the “best farmer” toons, as you can faceroll the game with many of them. Boring. Storm gets crap because it’s a hard set to play WELL, not because it’s a bad set.

Yep, good call, Force! Call Hawk is probably best for Beast as it has -Fly. That is very important to dropping flyers down to where your pack can hit them.

Glad to see I’m not the only one who rarely uses Bodyguard. If you have pets set as Defensive they sit around not attacking way too much for my liking. You CAN make a build around it, but only with certain secondary sets like FF or Sonic that give you, the player, mez protection. On Beast/Cold, I catch mez and I’m out of the fight unless I have a mez inspiration. That’s not worth building around. You have to learn what draws aggro if you’re not going to use Bodyguard. Hate seems conditional on damage dealt and distance, so attacking an enemy from range that a pet is already targeting generally is safe. Be careful of your AoE attack. If you hit a large spawn any unengaged enemies will target you, not your pets. Versus +4s this can be fatal. What is “safer” to use: heals, buffs, slows, holds, et cetera. Basically anything that doesn’t deal damage is unlikely to draw hate onto you the MM. Damage always trumps no-damage, so your pets attacking will hold aggro if you do no damage. The above is why some MMs skip personal attacks entirely. You CAN use the attacks, but again you need to know what won’t draw attention. Target stuff your pets are attacking and be careful using any AoE dps powers. Lastly, pet commands. I use the three basic ones only. Sacrilege, I know. I leave Attack set as it is on “Attack Aggressive”. This lets the pets go wild on dps and means they aren’t eating more HP damage from Bodyguard. You need to USE this to focus them against priority targets. I send them after the Lt. and cork it with debuffs. I then focus the next priority or just let them mop up. Heel command is fine as is. Does what it says. Follow command I modify to “Follow Defensive”. This is your ‘Oh shit’ button to turn on Bodyguard. The main uses for this are to save your butt from ambushes when solo. Ambushes target you, the MM, with perfect accuracy, and can be deadly without Bodyguard on. Non-ambush mobs will obey the normal aggro rules; ambushes do not. The low-level Praetorian missions with all the ghoul ambushes can really suck without using this. So! 90% of the time I have pets in “Aggressive” and use Attack to focus them on priority targets. If I draw a lot of aggro or get an ambush, I flip to Follow “Defensive” until it’s taken care of. PSA for the next part, but DO. NOT. STAY. IN. DEFENSIVE. when you are teaming. If you are teaming and have pets set to “Defensive” they stand about far more than they attack. This drastically cuts your dps you bring to the team. Again, the only real exception here is a tankermind who has mez shields and uses Provoke to always have hate. Otherwise you want to figure out how to mostly leave pets on “Aggressive” when teamed. They need to be attacking to contribute to the team. For special cases like DFB runs, just learn to focus pets on the Archvillain Vahzilok with Attack commands; it’s easy and I never have to unsummon pets for that fight.

Beast can be crazy tough with the right secondary and IOs. Beast/Cold is my personal favorite as you can nearly cap your pets’ Defense to all positions with just the Cold shields and the two +5% Defense IOs. With all of the special pet IOs your pets have: +35% resistance to everything, +10% Defense to Melee and Ranged, +25% Defense to AoE, and +150% regen. They are very, very tough then. I sacrifice a bit of that survival to crank pet damage with procs, personally. I use the following: Wolves: Acc/Dam IO, Acc/Dam/End IO, Dam IO, Achilles’ Heel -Res proc, Shield Breaker Dam proc, Touch of Lady Grey Dam proc Lions: Acc/Dam IO, Acc/Dam/End IO, Dam IO, Command Of MM Rech/+AoE Defense IO, Edict of the Master +Defense IO, Call To Arms +Defense IO Dire Wolf: Mark of Sup Acc/Dam/End IO, Mark of Sup Acc/Dam IO, Mark of Sup Dam IO, Mark of Sup End/+Resist/+Regen IO, Soulbound Allegiance +BuildUp IO, Impeded Swiftness Dam proc This gives my pets +10% Defense, +25% AoE, +15% Resist, and +150% regen. The procs in wolves fire nearly every attack, meaning they often double or triple their damage. The Achilles’ fires for each wolf, too, meaning a hard target will almost always have -20% resistance (which means 20% more damage for your team). Like this, wolves are actually your most damaging pets. Lions buff and carry most of the pet defense IOs. Can’t damage proc them well, sadly. Dire Wolf can proc the Slow damage IO on almost every attack, and can fire Build Up on every attack. It can do brutal damage if enemies bunch up. You need all that Endurance Reduction on it though, as it’s your one pet that really burns through its blue bar. The above is the best DPS vs survival slotting I’ve found for Beast. They can do some pretty sick damage provided you can get them in range. Snow Storm, Hawk, and Ravens all help drop flyers for your pack to maul. Dire Wolf’s ice blasts can also drop flyers. P.S. By keeping Recharge enhancements off it, Infrigidate from Cold can be turned into a reliable High damage attack with: Acc IO, End Redux IO, Impeded Swiftness Dam proc, Shield Breaker Dam proc, and Touch of Lady Grey Dam proc Cue up Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” and sic your pack on em!