What powersets *look & feel* powerful?

[biostem]

So one issue I've been having lately is that many of the characters I've created use powersets that were chosen for their effectiveness above all else, (excepting a handful of RP characters).  What powersets do you feel look powerful and impressive?  I'm more concerned with the aesthetic than the actual functionality.  Your input is greatly appreciated!  Thanks!

Edited October 23, 2019 by biostem

[SaintD]

In purely visceral terms like this, all the sets with an abundance of knockdown/back effects. Battle Axe actually isn't overly good in terms of the numbers (yay lethal), but in every single post about it there's usually a mention of how satisfying it is to use. It's because almost every single attack smashes the enemy to the floor. Aurally the impact sounds are augmented by the constant, meaty knockdown impact sound, which adds to the effect. Super Strength does the same thing, but to a slightly lesser extent. It gets ridiculous with Foot Stomp constantly flooring enemies when you get it though. Titan Weapons can depend on the person. The actual impacts are ridiculous, but the effect might not be there for you if you don't like the slow wind-up times.

There's also Claws and Savage Melee, which can create that effect just from the sheer relentlessness of them. They've got good animations and FX, but there's something to be said for the psychology of fast recharge, highly kinetic looking sets like these. If you're susceptible to Scrapperlock, they're basically Scrapperlock The Set: The Scrappening.

Street Justice gets a nod just because the animations are so damn good. When you rip off all your attacks in a row it looks like the most amazingly awesome beatdown.

With control, my experience is limited, but Ice is a fairly good one. It won't kill stuff much, but it's really cool (Eh? Eh? 😄) when you're constantly freezing enemies in blocks of ice and making them flop around like fish on ice patches.

Out of the ranged sets, I only really give this to Water Blast. It looks and sounds crunchy (surprisingly, for water), and has knockdowns that give it some satisfying impact. Unfortunately the ranged sets rarely feel any more awesome than just how fast they can kill something; fire is the worst for this as despite all the impressive effects, the enemies will stand there not caring until they just fall over. It only feels good when you kill really quickly, otherwise....nothing. Just a light show.

EDIT: Oh I forgot Energy Blast, which is Knockback The Set: Knock Me Harder. It sucks. Even though it smashes everyone all over the place, the effect is ruined by the garbage FX. Visually everything is too big and blobby, making it look soft.

Edited October 23, 2019 by SaintD

[Queen Nefertiti]

I think Gravity is a pretty spectacular set. Enemies bouncing all over the walls and what's not to love about throwing a sofa, car or lamppost at an enemy? I've got a dom up to 43 (at time of writing) and he's never really had much of a problem with anything he's come up against, even at +1.  Just the fast recharge plus the nigh on invulnerable pet makes it look like I'm wiping the floor with everything. It might not be the fastest dot but it locks down entire mobs, all floating in mid air unable to move.

[biostem]

16 minutes ago, SaintD said:

If you're susceptible to Scrapperlock, they're basically Scrapperlock The Set: The Scrappening.

LMAO!

[Riverdusk]

The earth/stone sets do this for me.

Stone melee, nothing feels more "smashy" to me.  That naturally carries over quite a bit to also apply to dom's earth assault and controller's earth control.

[Itikar]

Super strength and Titan Weapons feel very powerful to be seen in action. Especially when the former hurls that giant boulder. And for the armors I would say invulnerability and regeneration feel the most powerful, but maybe I have been spoiled by a certain guy in the X-men. 😛

 

Of the ranged sets the one that seems most impressive to me aesthetically is electrical blast and derivatives. A shame apparently number-wise it is not really the same thing. Also fire blast seems pretty badass in that regard. To an extent also psychic blast.

 

Among the support sets the ones that seem the most powerful, at least as much as a support set can look powerful, are from my perspective force fields, trick arrow and traps. Honorable mention also for pain.

 

For control sets mind and ice look pretty strong, at least aesthetically. Mind controls your mind, I mean, once you lost control of your mind you cannot do much else, now, do you? Ice on the other hand is the one that looks more binding on the physical level, since it literally freezes you there.

 

Finally for the mastermind sets I feel the most powerful are demons, robots and undead, because they are, well, way more than simple humans or animals.

[Abraxus]

I played an Earth\Earth Dominator extensively, and I loved the effects.  Especially the sound, which always made me feel powerful.

[Extor Prime]

Depends on what feels powerful to you.

 

Do you like slow and meaty melee? Super strength, Titan weapons will fit the bill then. You can see the extreme end of super-super strength by playing Cole's personal story. For one mission you get to be Tyrant. Ignore the lightning, and use only his punches, handclap and laser eyes and see if you like it. That's your quintessential meaty and slow melee on a grander scale.

 

Do you want faster and fluid melee? Savage, Claws and StJ is what you want. Less visual cues for "I just punched you so hard yo mama felt it" and more "I got mad punching skillz and you don't".

 

Do you want to blast from range? Nothing beats Energy Blast. It's pretty and it produces knockback. What is more powerful than making enemies fly?

 

Do you want to feel like a one-man army? Illusion Control gives you five different pets, and with a secondary like Storm you can put even more objects on the field. Lots of knockback, lots of terror (enemies scatter in fear) and lots of stuff just GOING ON! Glorious chaos! Not very practical, but by gawd, spectacular to behold!

 

Not enough pets? Thugs Mastermind! You aren't powerful because you are mighty, you are powerful because you got a bunch of guys who do what you say! Call up a Gang War and watch a crowd of psychos beat your enemies while you cackle madly!

[Heraclea]

I'd put in a good word for Kinetic Melee.  It's what I chose for my speedster concept scrapper.  That really doesn't work all that well in game, where there are too many narrow caves and tunnels and the faster you try to be, the more it slows you down.  So back to the drawing board.

 

You will either love or hate the sound effects of Kinetic Melee.  But the revving whine of the heavy hitters is something I learned to like.  It definitely sounds and feels powerful to me.  You get an Energy Transfer clone and a Foot Stomp lookalike.  You one shot most orange minions. 

[Herotu]

My two favourites! 

 

• Energy Blast Range, and
• Super Strength Melee

I would love to say I've found something else that feels as meaty and fun as these but I haven't yet.

[Gulbasaur]

8 hours ago, SaintD said:

There's also Claws and Savage Melee, which can create that effect just from the sheer relentlessness of them. They've got good animations and FX, but there's something to be said for the psychology of fast recharge, highly kinetic looking sets like these. If you're susceptible to Scrapperlock, they're basically Scrapperlock The Set: The Scrappening.

YESSS. Savage melee is ridiculously fun because it just feels frantic and awesome. It feels like you're always in like Turbo Aggression Mode. 

 

Personally, I think nothing beats human form peacebringers for sheer explosive awesomeness - their effects burn bright and hit hard and knockback is fun, dammit. I have a love-hate relationship with playing as a kheldian (fun to level because as you level you literally turn into a different archetype about three times, but I ran out of steam at 50), but I think very little beats them in terms of awesome visuals. That flash of light is strangely addictive. 

 

It's a shame that people get so raged up by knockback, because for sheer rule of cool nothing quite beats punching a boss across a room in a blinding flash of light and dawn strike is just epic when it goes off. It looks like a sort of orbital strike. 

Edited October 23, 2019 by Gulbasaur

[EmmySky]

I am moved by the aesthetics and synergy of sets and animation. 

 

Martial Arts on a scrapper is a beautiful thing, she looks poised, powerful and graceful. 

 

I hate the overall look of /Spines but my tanker makes that one move, Ripper, look awesome.  

 

I have a Dual Pistols/Martial Combat blaster that I love because, pew pew pew kick you in the face!  Now that's power.

 

A lot of people hate the Staff Fighting breakdance but I love it because it makes me laugh every single time.  Can you make enemies fall down with your breakdance style?  Therein lies the 'powerful' part.

 

And, of course, Gravity.  What is more powerful than waving your hand and summoning a CAR to toss, nonchalantly, at your enemies.

 

More love to go around but that's all I can list at the moment.  Have fun!

[LiquidBandage]

8 hours ago, biostem said:

What powersets do you feel look powerful and impressive?

I built a strange Controller that was meant to be standing side by side with a tank and it was a blast to level up. Gravity/Sonic Resonnance with Fighting and Stone Mastery. Early in the build, Propel is where it is at. you are tossing junk all over the place and it sounds good. The next big one is getting to Cross Punch in the Fighting pool. The moment I had that fully slotted I was punching everything and scrapperlocking myself.

 

Fissure (Stone Mastery) is where things started to get crazy. I would jump in with the tank and stomp the bajeezus out of a pack and they'd get all disoriented or knocked down. Plus (again) it sounded really good. Seismic Smash is the one-two punch with Gravity Distortion that give you time to line up your Cross Punch cone and just pummel enemies into the dirt. 

 

You could probably do this with any set pairing, but Sonic Res helps make your attacks feel more hefty (all of the -RES). All control sets have a single target hold, so that doesn't make it unique, but Propel is the reason I chose that set. Singularity is a great pet too since it goes about its business doing controller things while you are punching everyone. 

 

If you want to see a build, just let me know.

 

[synfoola]

Pretty much any set that has wild animations and/or makes your video card or speakers range from raising a condescending eyebrow to screaming "WTF??". lol

Love Stone Melee for the heavy smash and rumbling sound. SS is in here as well, but i hate the one cheesy Popeye animation. 

Love Stone Control for the rumbling sound AND the "WTF??" I mentioned above from the vid card and mine's still no slouch.  

Water Blast single target attacks are meh (seriously, with the dough roll opener...), but their AoE's are yummy and the Geyser nuke is everything.

Dark Melee's sound effects make it feel heavy hitting and visceral.

Storm Summoning is nice & chaotic and conjuring Thunder and Thunderclouds are yum.

Titan Weapons takes off slow, but then goes into Lawnmower Mode from the PBAoE.

Staff Fighting is like a dull-bladed version of TW's lawnmower mode.

Dual Pistols/Martial Combat has been my greatest time leveling a blaster since the game went live.

Pairing Street Justice or Martial Arts or Dark Melee with Shield Defense is always nice & visceral...but only the last one of those will make you not want to grit your teeth due to endurance issues without IO's thrown in the mix. 

I wish I could get into Rad Melee more like many others, but I gave it 40+ levels and it just bored me for some reason. It's powerful but, apart from the Superhero Punch Landing nuke @ 32, it just doesn't do it for me.

 

[merrypessimist]

Storm is very visually impressive with all the chaotic weather effects (that mostly are fifteen variations on "hurricane" 🙂 ) and feels meaty, despite all the wind blowing.

[kiramon]

I think savage melee feels great, but the sound effects are lacking any real oomph.

 

outside of that, earth assault for doms really does feel powerful. 
 

I also will always have a soft spot for sonic blast  — scream just feels so good... and back in the day, being a villain and using howl at low levels on the bank vaults was just so friggen cool. 
 

i also think electricity attacks FEEL good and smooth. Psychic blasts by comparison just dont have that same flow. 
 

the kinetic buffs sound really good; sonic resonance with the knock back makes for a good “ear attack” for your team lol...

And I don’t think anything beats wormhole for

feeing powerful... you’re a master of space basically and just put things where you please.

[Murcielago]

Shield Defense

[Drazah Krad]

for controller, do earth/storm.

 

wanna lock em in place and hold entire mobs? Done earth conttol

 

wanna knock the all over the place and send em flying? Storm (especially if you slot powers for KB)

 

wanna see millions of ticks of damage scrolling, lock em down then summon storm chaos on top of them!

 

 

[MetaVileTerror]

Mercs / Traps on a Natural Origin character.

Why?  'cause I can take down super-mutants, magical demons, advanced alien technologies, and would-be gods with everyday mundane equipment, some determination, and planning.  THAT is power.

Sure, Force Field Generator and Triage Beacon are rather futuristic in their own rights, but all the other Powers in the sets have a basis in reality.  Yes, even the Poison Trap and Acid Mortar.

There's a definite sense of satisfaction in this particular power fantasy.

[Seigmoraig]

Titan Weapon is where it's at for feeling (and being) powerful. Those HUGE wind up swings, followed by rapid fire ones that knock everything down are glorious !
Just keep in mind that TW is a LATE BLOOMER and that you will suck real bad for the first few levels and until you get your last power the set is very incomplete

Edited October 23, 2019 by Seigmoraig

[Xeres]

The two that come to mind right away are Energy Blast and Super Strength.

 

Edit: Yeah, stone melee too.

Edited October 23, 2019 by Xeres

[DrPippy]

I'll put in a word here for Storm Summoning.  Lightning Storm by itself is one of the most viscerally impressive powers I've used: you get a massive bolt of lightning which flings your enemies halfway across the room.  The sound FX are great as well: you get a big bassy thunder crash, not the weak "bzzzt" that most of the electrical powers have.  Get lots of recharge, pop a couple Lightning Storms, a couple tornados, use your hurricane to push the bad guys back into the kill zone when they try to run away...  You really get a sense of raw elemental power.

 

Pair with Bots for absolute chaos...

 

 

[MunkiLord]

I second stone attacks, my Earth Assault Dom attacks feel extremely powerful, especially since I use the movement effect that breaks the ground as I walk.

[Doc_Scorpion]

My Katana scrapper looks delicate and refined, yet enemies fall before him.  To me, delicacy and precision producing such effects is the definition of powerful and impressive.  I love to watch him go about his work.

That's the core question here, what do you mean by "looks powerful and impressive?"  Most of the answers here revolve around flash and SFX, is that what you're looking for?

[Yomo Kimyata]

War mace/battle axe (they are essentially the same power sets, except one is smashing damage and the other is lethal).