Lies, Damn lies, and Bio Armor

[Tankshock]

Important stuff you don't find in the power info:

 

Offensive Adaptation gives you -7.5 resistance.

Defensive Adaptation gives you -25% damage.

 

This is in addition to losing the bonus that the other gives, and is kind of a big deal.

[Rylas]

Well, yeah. Did you think you'd get to keep pumping out lots of damage while also getting a fair defensive boost? Or still be able to take a large beating and also boost DPS? It's a balance requirement.

 

But those penalties aren't that bad. Adaptation is meant to be used so you can... adapt. I use Offensive when my survival isn't being pushed. Defensive to take alpha attacks. And Efficient between fights to recover. You can always pop an inspiration to offset penalties.

[Prototelis]

Bio all about the switching to what suits the situation. Like the poster above mentioned, its for the balance. Otherwise it'd be OP.

[Generator]

I read OP's post as saying that the problem isn't so much that those things happen, but that they're not spelled out anywhere (but I haven't played Bio yet, so I have no idea how it looks myself).

[Tankshock]

What Generator said.  It's hard to make informed decisions on the new powersets, so I just wanted to contribute to the database. 

 

Something like that should definitely be in either the description or the detailed info.  Defensive Adaptation is not exactly Stone Armor, I don't see many situations where losing 50% damage is worth the extra resist.

[brian9824]

What Generator said.  It's hard to make informed decisions on the new powersets, so I just wanted to contribute to the database. 

 

Something like that should definitely be in either the description or the detailed info.  Defensive Adaptation is not exactly Stone Armor, I don't see many situations where losing 50% damage is worth the extra resist.

 

That's because it does a lot more then just add some more armor.  Thought it was 25% not 50?  Anyways the point is you use it when you need to prioritize defense. 

 

Defensive adaption also interacts with other powers and increases your life, add's more defense, get additional defense and resistance per enemy near you, etc.  It makes you more tankier prioritizing being able to soak up everything.    It's basically designed for the huge alpha strike, and something you can toggle out of once your team has unloaded on the enemies and thinned the herd out. 

 

Or during solo it's not needed as much unless you crank it up.  The set is not designed for people to just leave 1 adaptation on.  You should be swapping in battle as needed to maximize the potential and the features. 

 

 

[Tankshock]

50% damage loss v Offensive.  I agree that Defensive is nice when tanking, but not really for Brutes or Scrappers.  I suppose if you have 2 builds you could mini-tank when needed, but for the most part I think it's a waste.  Maybe what the Tier 9's were meant to be, minus the crash?

[Erydanus]

But it ugly! ;_;

[brian9824]

But it ugly! ;_;

 

Just customize it so it has no graphical impact. 

[brian9824]

50% damage loss v Offensive.  I agree that Defensive is nice when tanking, but not really for Brutes or Scrappers.  I suppose if you have 2 builds you could mini-tank when needed, but for the most part I think it's a waste.  Maybe what the Tier 9's were meant to be, minus the crash?

 

The whole point is you don't need 2 builds.  Use defensive and charge into that huge mob and whittle em down.  Then once you've killed a few of them switch over to offensive. 

 

Or rush in and wail away at them, if you start to take a pounding switch to defensive and heal up, and then go back to offensive mode and continue the assault. 

 

Your not locked into any one of the forms, and they recharge fast so you can swap constantly during a fight as the flow of battle changes.  Don't think of yourself as being limited to any one of the forms and use each of them for its advantages. 

[Rylas]

50% damage loss v Offensive.  I agree that Defensive is nice when tanking, but not really for Brutes or Scrappers.  I suppose if you have 2 builds you could mini-tank when needed, but for the most part I think it's a waste. Maybe what the Tier 9's were meant to be, minus the crash?

 

It might help to make keep your point of reference to what would be base level; in this case, no adaptation running. And as for Defensive not being that nice for Brutes or Scrappers, I would argue there would be plenty of people who play either AT and would disagree. I enjoy Brutes and have found Defensive mode to be pretty helpful on smaller teams or teams without a Tanker to do aggro management.

 

As for having informed decisions, I could have sworn the penalties for the forms was in the power description, but the last time I read them was I24 beta, so maybe those have changed. But I knew that about the set before playing it. You may have just missed it somewhere. *shrug* I'm not able to long in currently so I can't confirm that.

[Tankshock]

You'd have to slot your build to maximize Defensive.  Just switching it on doesn't provide enough of a boost to turn you into a tank.  I'm sure it can be situationally useful.  I'll probably just IO 45% defense to S/L and run Offensive.  Giving up 50% damage just isn't worth a few hp and maybe 15% resist. 

 

Unless there are some other "hidden" powers.  ;)

[brian9824]

You'd have to slot your build to maximize Defensive.  Just switching it on doesn't provide enough of a boost to turn you into a tank.  I'm sure it can be situationally useful.  I'll probably just IO 45% defense to S/L and run Offensive.  Giving up 50% damage just isn't worth a few hp and maybe 15% resist. 

 

Unless there are some other "hidden" powers.  ;)

 

Clearly you haven't tried it with big groups.  It add's scaling resists and defense based on number of enemies around you to the point that I can go afk in mobs and they can't kill me because they have raised my resists and dodge so high that my increased healing compensates for the damage they do.  You don't need any special slotting to increase this.  I've hit 90% S/L resists at level 25 with a tanker with no IO sets at all thanks to it. 

 

That's in part because Evolving Armor is one of the lynch pins of the build and synchs up with it so well

 

While Defensive Adaptation is active you gain a very minor amount of defense and damage resistance for each nearby foe. - That x20-30 enemies adds up VERY quickly and is both DEFENSE and DAMAGE RESIST.  It's unbelievably strong and turns you from tough into super human tank. 

 

So yeah, if your fighting 4-5 enemies then defensive mode makes no sense, its there for when you want to be an unmovable tank that laughs at those who try to defeat you.  It's quite literally god mode.  I go from my health dropping, to enemies being unable to harm me when I toggle it on, and learning when to use each of the modes is what makes bio armor so powerful.

 

We can be damage, tank, and unstoppable all in the same build with a simple click, because that click changes how more then half our powers function. 

[Tankshock]

But it ugly! ;_;

 

Definitely.  The minimal FX option is fine, though.

[Tankshock]

I agree that the set is very different for Tanks than it is for Scrappers or Brutes.  Are you sure Evolving Armor buffs past 10 opponents for Tanks? 

[Tankshock]

For Brutes, Evolving Armor caps at about +10% resist and +5% Defense from Defensive Adaptation.  With the HP buff and another 10/5 from other powers, I could see that making a difference when tanking.

[brian9824]

I agree that the set is very different for Tanks than it is for Scrappers or Brutes.  Are you sure Evolving Armor buffs past 10 opponents for Tanks?

 

Don't know that, its a massive boost to the point I can immediately tell which toggle I have on just by watching my HP when I engage mobs.  Literally my HP almost never moves on Defensive, but it goes at a slow and steady rate when using offensive.

 

So normally I rush in with offensive, unload attacks, then if i hit 50% switch to defensive, fire off my heal, and then go back to offensive once healed up.  Repeat as needed with swapping in efficient toggle if my stamina gets low.