Time Manipulation/Dual Pistols/Soul Mastery ... Say Your Bullet Time Prayers

Redlynne · April 9, 2020

First there was Time/Dual Pistols/Dark ... the original No Escape build. I posted that build on 15 May 2019.

Then I revised it into the Time/Dual Pistols/Soul ... Yet Another No Escape build. Posted that updated build on 17 July 2019.

And now, thanks to the work I've been doing updating my Gravity/Time/Primal Controller build as well as my Ninja/Time/Mace Mastermind build, which has gotten some truly scary results(!) as far as I'm concerned (and I'm not talking about the WALL OF TEXTS CRITS YOU!!! that was needed to explain it all) ... it's time to come full circle back to Time/Dual Pistols/Soul and do some updating with the new sets released with Issue 26 Page 5 ... specifically, the Bombardment and Synapse's Shock sets.

And if you've been reading my new Controller and Mastermind build posts, you're going to see a LOT of commonality with what I've got going on here ... because it WORKS.

Defenses are also reasonably well covered in this build, with debuffing from Time's Juncture stacking with defense buffing from Farsight to reach the 45% defensive softcap versus +0 $Targets ... before being buffed by Power Boost.

Slots got "pirated" from Tactics (relative to previous builds) so as to distribute elsewhere for greater effect.

The switch to slotting up Temporal Mending with the full Regenerative Tissue set along with Temporal Selection getting the full Preventative Medicine set is now a standard feature of all of my Time Manipulation builds. The combination of these two powers in team play is just too valuable to ignore, especially when Temporal Selection can be spread around to up to 4 Allies simultaneously, increasing the healing and regeneration buffing they get out of Temporal Mending ... is just too good. It's certainly worth all of the slots previously dedicated to Tactics in pursuit of a +2.5% Defense vs All set bonus to be able to have Regenerative Tissue AND Temporal Mending (both) in the same build, slotted up with Regenerative Tissue and Preventative Medicine respectively.

I also reshuffled slots to devote a greater allocation to Slowed Response, owing to how it's possible to put 2 damage procs (Shield Breaker and Touch of Lady Grey) along with a -Resistance debuff proc (Achilles' Heel) and watch all three of them have a 90% chance to proc in a 25 ft radius Click power that can be used twice per minute to inflict some serious resistance debuffing on a (herded) pile of $Targets. Turning Slowed Response into a proc monster damage, defense AND resistance debuffing AoE power like I've been doing is also too good to ignore so it makes another appearance here.

A lot of the other build design elements seen in previous posts recur here, albeit with some tweaks and changes.

The biggest change, wrought by the new Issue 26 Page 5 sets ... Bombardment specifically ... made it possible to reslot Empty Clips, Bullet Rain and Piercing Rounds in such a way as to generate a massive global range buff for the entirety of the build as a whole.

80 ft base range powers now have a 98 ft range thanks to global buffs before Incarnates.

Empty Clips reaches all the way out to ~74 ft range!

Piercing Rounds is turned into a multi-target "snipe" power that has a range of ~142 ft(!) and can hit up to 3 $Targets (with a 9.9 ft cone "width" at 142 ft 4º cone distance).

Can you say Hover Offender?

Where there is altitude, there is SAFETY ...

Slotting for Pistols, Dual Wield and Suppressive Fire got reshuffled, so as to put the Decimation Build Up proc into Suppressive Fire (of all places...) for a whopping 36.12% chance of a Build Up proc(!) ... which is more than double the 6.5% chance the same slotting had in Pistols in the prior builds. This in turn makes the Suppressive Fire > Pistols > Dual Wield > Pistols > Piercing Rounds single target attack chain FAR more deadly and dangerous! It also means that against multiple $Targets the Suppressive Fire > Empty Clips > Bullet Rain > Pistols > Piercing Rounds attack chain is also FAR more deadly and dangerous!

The Defender ATO procs have been moved into Pistols and Dual Wield, where they can (average) ~24% and ~38% proc chances, respectively ... yielding PBAoE Absorb bubbling and PBAoE Healing as a regular "feature" of the single target attack chain at ALL Exemplar levels, for best defensive performance from the build.

Empty Clips and Bullet Rain retain their Force Feedback procs (and gain the Bombardment proc in an effort to avoid recharge enhancement from the Bombardment set) which should proc fairly reliably when used in Target Rich Environments™. Even better yet, it only takes 3 Force Feedback procs per 90s to make Chrono Shift perma ... and only 8 Force Feedback procs per 120s to make Hasten perma ... both of which are QUITE doable, even when soloing. So these AoE attack powers are the "accelerant" to your entire build, and using them while under the effects of a Build Up proc from Decimation in Suppressive Fire and/or Gaussian's Synchronized Fire Control in Tactics will DRAMATICALLY magnify the amount of AoE damage that Empty Clips and Bullet Rain can deliver (especially when both proc and stack!).

Suppressive Fire is where some SERIOUSLY major Proc Fu changes occured, due to discussions with @Bopper that you will see later below the build post, as well as a bit of inspiration provided by @Xandyr in the Nature/Dual Pistols thread that prompted me towards this discovery ... which essentially entailed cannibalizing Executioner's Shot (both power pick and slots) so as to 6-slot Suppressive Fire for damage procs and the Decimation Build Up proc (with a 36.12% proc chance per repeating attack rotation!). This then opened up a power pick slot for adding Soul Storm as the Level 49 power pick, making it possible to not only have 3 Hold powers in the build(!) ... but also 3 Hold powers with enough duration to double stack their Hold mag before increasing their durations with Power Boost. This means that this particular build can potentially lock down as many as 3-6 single $Targets simultaneously (or even more, given time to do so with Power Boosted durations) OR assist a Controller or Dominator with building a deep enough Hold mag stack to successfully Hold an AV through Purple Triangles of Doom, with Time Crawl and Time Stop assisting with Regeneration debuffing during the effort (just need to refresh Time Crawl once every ~20s).

It's at this point that I want to point out that this build isn't anywhere NEAR as "locked in" to its power picks and slotting as it might at first appear. There are some fungible elements to it.

The first and most obvious fungible item is that some people just do not want to have Dual Wield in their builds. In this case ... that's okay. It is perfectly possible to reshuffle power picks (and timing of when slots are added to powers) so as to swap the choice Dual Wield at Level 2 for Executioner's Shot at Level 28. Note that doing this has repercussions for the build when Exemplared to Levels 1-22, due to the lack of access to Executioner's Shot at those lower levels. However, if such a swap suits you ... by all means, go ahead and shuffle/swap the powers and slots around to suit yourself.

Another point of fungibility is the slotting of the Defender ATOs. It's perfectly possible to swap the first 3 slots between the two powers (either Pistols and Dual Wield or Pistols and Executioner's Shot) so as to capture an even greater global set bonus boost to Range over the build I'm presenting here. The reason why I didn't opt for that option was because I felt that the additional gain in Range was marginal verging on superfluous (it's like +6 ft for some powers) while costing some Defense vs Ranged and AoE that while not "critical" per se would mean falling below the 45% Defensive softcap when combining with the -ToHit debuffing of Time's Juncture against +0 Foes. Given how ... aggressively ... I plan to play this build (and would encourage others to play this build!) I decided that the global bonuses to Defense were more valuable overall than pulling that last little bit of extra Range out of the build. So very much a compromise on my part for a slightly more "balanced" build when fully built out and operational.

A third major point of fungibility, pointed out by @Bopper below, would be dropping Soul Drain in favor of Dark Embrace at Level 44. This change would enable slotting of (both) the +3% Defense vs All Resistance set IOs and free up as many as 4 slots for the rest of the build, which could then be spent on Karma in Hover (Knockback Protection), Kismet in Hover (ToHit buffing), Steadfast Protection in Dark Embrace (Knockback Protection and +3% Defense vs All plus set bonuses), the Annihilation proc in Piercing Rounds (Resistance debuffing) and/or the Entomb proc in Soul Storm (Absorb shielding plus recharge for better uptime on Soul Storm). This change would increase Defense vs All of the build as a whole while also increasing the Smashing, Lethal, Toxic and Negative Energy Resistances of the build, for a more defensive than offensive overall build posture. On that basis alone, it is certainly an option worth considering, given the merits relative to being able to have Soul Drain on a 50% (or better) uptime for increased offensive throughput. However, Soul Drain requires clusters of $Targets to drain (at the right times) while the Dark Embrace option is fully self-contained and does not require $Targets of Opportunity in order to function, so there is definitely a tradeoff to be had here in terms of offense versus defense/resistance.

So overall, I would like to think that this rebuild is even stronger, more deadly, more dangerous (to foes), more supportive (to allies) and just all around MORE than either of my previous builds for this purpose were able to achieve. I also like to think that with the Bombardment sets and the Defender ATO slotting that this build starts to rival (and surpass?) Assault Rifle for range ... using (Dual) Pistols ...

And then there's that Suppressive Fire, Time Crawl+Time Stop and Soul Storm (mmmm ... Soul Storm ... 😎) combination for exerting battlefield control above and beyond what you can do with Slowed Response, Distortion Field bringing the AoE debuffing while Temporal Mending, Temporal Selection, Farsight and Chrono Shift bring the AoE buffing for yourself and others. Say Your Bullet Time Prayers indeed!

So ... with the obligatory preamble completed (with a lower word count than I've been posting lately...) let's get on with the build specs, shall we?

Oh and just in case it wasn't obvious ... there's an attuned 50 build in the alternate slots if you download the .mxd file that I've provided.

Edited April 11, 2020 by Redlynne
Soul Storm update

Redlynne · April 9, 2020

Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.7
https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer

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Level 50 Technology Defender
Primary Power Set: Time Manipulation
Secondary Power Set: Dual Pistols
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery

Hero Profile:

Spoiler

Level 1: Time Crawl
(A) Accuracy IO: Level 50+5

Level 1: Pistols
(A) Vigilant Assault - Accuracy/Damage: Level 27
(3) Vigilant Assault - Damage/RechargeTime: Level 27
(5) Vigilant Assault - Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime: Level 27
(7) Vigilant Assault - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance: Level 27
(9) Vigilant Assault - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime: Level 27
(9) Vigilant Assault - RechargeTime/PBAoE +Absorb: Level 27

Level 2: Dual Wield
(A) Defender's Bastion - Accuracy/Damage: Level 27
(3) Defender's Bastion - Damage/Recharge: Level 27
(5) Defender's Bastion - Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 27
(11) Defender's Bastion - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance: Level 27
(11) Defender's Bastion - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 27
(13) Defender's Bastion - Recharge/Chance for Minor PBAoE Heal: Level 27

Level 4: Temporal Mending
(A) Regenerative Tissue - Heal/Endurance: Level 27
(37) Regenerative Tissue - Endurance/Recharge: Level 27
(40) Regenerative Tissue - Heal/Recharge: Level 27
(42) Regenerative Tissue - Heal/Endurance/Recharge: Level 27
(42) Regenerative Tissue - +Regeneration: Level 10

Level 6: Hover
(A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed: Level 25

Level 8: Empty Clips
(A) HamiO: Centriole Exposure (+2 Dam/Range)
(13) HamiO: Centriole Exposure (+2 Dam/Range)
(15) Detonation - Damage/Endurance/Range: Level 50+5
(15) Bombardment - Accuracy/Recharge/Endurance: Level 31
(17) Bombardment - Chance for Fire Damage: Level 30
(19) Force Feedback - Chance for +Recharge: Level 21

Level 10: Swap Ammo

Level 12: Time's Juncture
(A) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff: Level 27
(48) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff/Recharge/Endurance: Level 27
(48) Dark Watcher's Despair - To Hit Debuff/Endurance: Level 27
(48) Dark Watcher's Despair - Chance for Recharge Slow: Level 21

Level 14: Temporal Selection
(A) Preventive Medicine - Heal: Level 27
(42) Preventive Medicine - Heal/Endurance: Level 27
(43) Preventive Medicine - Endurance/RechargeTime: Level 27
(43) Preventive Medicine - Heal/RechargeTime: Level 27
(43) Preventive Medicine - Heal/RechargeTime/Endurance: Level 27
(45) Preventive Medicine - Chance for +Absorb: Level 20

Level 16: Bullet Rain
(A) Bombardment - Damage: Level 31
(29) Bombardment - Accuracy/Recharge/Endurance: Level 31
(29) Bombardment - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge: Level 31
(31) Bombardment - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge/Endurance: Level 31
(31) Bombardment - Chance for Fire Damage: Level 30
(31) Force Feedback - Chance for +Recharge: Level 21

Level 18: Farsight
(A) HamiO: Cytoskeleton Exposure (+2 Def/End/ToHit)
(25) HamiO: Cytoskeleton Exposure (+2 Def/End/ToHit)
(27) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed: Level 25

Level 20: Suppressive Fire
(A) HamiO: Endoplasm Exposure (+2 Acc/Mez)
(21) Gladiator's Javelin - Chance of Damage(Toxic): Level 10
(21) Gladiator's Net - Chance of Damage(Lethal): Level 10
(23) Neuronic Shutdown - Chance of Damage(Psionic): Level 10
(23) Ghost Widow's Embrace - Chance of Damage(Psionic): Level 20
(25) Decimation - Chance of Build Up: Level 25

Level 22: Distortion Field
(A) Basilisk's Gaze - Recharge/Hold: Level 27
(50) Basilisk's Gaze - Endurance/Recharge/Hold: Level 27
(50) Basilisk's Gaze - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold: Level 27
(50) Basilisk's Gaze - Chance for Recharge Slow: Level 10

Level 24: Time Stop
(A) HamiO: Endoplasm Exposure (+2 Acc/Mez)

Level 26: Slowed Response
(A) Analyze Weakness - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge: Level 50
(33) Shield Breaker - Accuracy/Recharge: Level 27
(34) Shield Breaker - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge: Level 27
(34) Shield Breaker - Chance for Lethal Damage: Level 10
(34) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff: Level 10
(37) Touch of Lady Grey - Chance for Negative Damage: Level 21

Level 28: Assault
(A) Endurance Reduction IO: Level 50+5

Level 30: Hasten
(A) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 50+5

Level 32: Chrono Shift
(A) Efficacy Adaptor - EndMod/Recharge: Level 50+5
(33) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Recharge: Level 50+5
(33) Doctored Wounds - Heal/Recharge: Level 50+5

Level 35: Piercing Rounds
(A) HamiO: Centriole Exposure (+2 Dam/Range)
(36) HamiO: Centriole Exposure (+2 Dam/Range)
(36) Detonation - Damage/Endurance/Range: Level 50+5
(36) Bombardment - Accuracy/Recharge/Endurance: Level 31
(37) Bombardment - Chance for Fire Damage: Level 30

Level 38: Hail of Bullets
(A) Obliteration - Damage: Level 31
(39) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge: Level 31
(39) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge: Level 31
(39) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge: Level 31
(40) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 31
(40) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage: Level 30

Level 41: Tactics
(A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up: Level 21

Level 44: Soul Drain
(A) Obliteration - Damage: Level 31
(45) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge: Level 31
(45) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge: Level 31
(46) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge: Level 31
(46) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 31
(46) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage: Level 30

Level 47: Power Boost
(A) Recharge Reduction IO: Level 50+5

Level 49: Soul Storm
(A) HamiO: Endoplasm Exposure (+2 Acc/Mez)

Level 1:   Vigilance
Level 1:   Quick Form

Level 1:   Brawl
(A) Accuracy IO: Level 50

Level 1: Sprint
(A) Celerity - +Stealth: Level 15

Level 2: Rest
(A) Interrupt Reduction IO: Level 50

Level 2: Swift
(A) HamiO: Microfilament Exposure (+2 End/Fly/Jump/Run)

Level 2: Hurdle
(A) Jumping IO: Level 50+5

Level 2: Health
(A) Panacea - +Hit Points/Endurance: Level 10
(17) Miracle - +Recovery: Level 20
(27) Numina's Convalesence - +Regeneration/+Recovery: Level 30

Level 2: Stamina
(A) Synapse's Shock - EndMod: Level 27
(7) Synapse's Shock - EndMod/Increased Run Speed: Level 27
(19) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End: Level 21

Level 1: Prestige Power Dash
(A) Empty

Level 1: Prestige Power Slide
(A) Run Speed IO: Level 50+5

Level 1: Prestige Power Quick
(A) Empty

Level 1: Prestige Power Rush
(A) Empty

Level 1: Prestige Power Surge
(A) Run Speed IO: Level 50+5

Level 4:   Ninja Run

Level 0:   Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 0:   Portal Jockey
Level 0:   Task Force Commander
Level 0:   The Atlas Medallion
Level 10:   Chemical Ammunition
Level 10:   Cryo Ammunition
Level 10:   Incendiary Ammunition

Set Bonus Totals:

Spoiler

9% DamageBuff(Smashing)
9% DamageBuff(Lethal)
9% DamageBuff(Fire)
9% DamageBuff(Cold)
9% DamageBuff(Energy)
9% DamageBuff(Negative)
9% DamageBuff(Toxic)
9% DamageBuff(Psionic)
3.75% Defense(Smashing)
3.75% Defense(Lethal)
1.88% Defense(Fire)
1.88% Defense(Cold)
4.38% Defense(Energy)
4.38% Defense(Negative)
7.5% Defense(Melee)
5% Defense(Ranged)
3.75% Defense(AoE)
1.8% Max End
22.5% Enhancement(Range)
10% Enhancement(Heal)
36% Enhancement(Accuracy)
71.25% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
3.75% Enhancement(Max EnduranceDiscount)
13.5% SpeedFlying
GrantPower Preventive Medicine (10% chance, if Scourge)
64.86 HP (6.38%) HitPoints
13.5% JumpHeight
13.5% SpeedJumping
MezResist(Confused) 23.75%
MezResist(Held) 23.75%
MezResist(Immobilized) 23.75%
MezResist(Sleep) 23.75%
MezResist(Stunned) 23.75%
MezResist(Terrorized) 23.75%
7% (0.12 End/sec) Recovery
11.25% Resistance(Smashing)
11.25% Resistance(Lethal)
3% Resistance(Fire)
3% Resistance(Cold)
28.5% SpeedRunning

Set Bonuses:

Spoiler

Vigilant Assault
(Pistols)
1.8% Max End
6.25% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
11% Enhancement(Accuracy)
3% DamageBuff(All)
3.75% Defense(AoE), 1.88% Defense(Fire), 1.88% Defense(Cold)

Defender's Bastion
(Dual Wield)
15.26 HP (1.5%) HitPoints
7.5% Enhancement(Range)
6% Enhancement(Heal)
3.75% Defense(Ranged), 1.88% Defense(Energy), 1.88% Defense(Negative)
8.75% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Regenerative Tissue
(Temporal Mending)
6% SpeedJumping, 6% JumpHeight, 6% SpeedFlying, 6% SpeedRunning
15.26 HP (1.5%) HitPoints
4% Enhancement(Heal)
5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Luck of the Gambler
(Hover)
7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Bombardment
(Empty Clips)
5% Enhancement(Range)

Dark Watcher's Despair
(Time's Juncture)
15.26 HP (1.5%) HitPoints
2.5% (0.04 End/sec) Recovery
5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Preventive Medicine
(Temporal Selection)
2.25% Resistance(Smashing,Lethal), MezResist(Immobilized) 3.75%, MezResist(Held) 3.75%, MezResist(Stunned) 3.75%, MezResist(Sleep) 3.75%, MezResist(Terrorized) 3.75%, MezResist(Confused) 3.75%
19.08 HP (1.88%) HitPoints
3% Resistance(Fire,Cold), MezResist(Immobilized) 5%, MezResist(Held) 5%, MezResist(Stunned) 5%, MezResist(Sleep) 5%, MezResist(Terrorized) 5%, MezResist(Confused) 5%
3.75% Enhancement(EnduranceDiscount)
8.75% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
GrantPower Preventive Medicine (10% chance, if Scourge), GrantPower Preventive Medicine (if Scourge)

Bombardment
(Bullet Rain)
5% Enhancement(Range)
2.25% Resistance(Smashing,Lethal), MezResist(Immobilized) 3.75%, MezResist(Held) 3.75%, MezResist(Stunned) 3.75%, MezResist(Sleep) 3.75%, MezResist(Terrorized) 3.75%, MezResist(Confused) 3.75%
7% Enhancement(Accuracy)
5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Luck of the Gambler
(Farsight)
7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Basilisk's Gaze
(Distortion Field)
2.5% Defense(Energy,Negative), 1.25% Defense(Ranged)
2% (0.03 End/sec) Recovery
7.5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)

Shield Breaker
(Slowed Response)
2.5% (0.04 End/sec) Recovery
2.25% Resistance(Smashing,Lethal), MezResist(Immobilized) 3.75%, MezResist(Held) 3.75%, MezResist(Stunned) 3.75%, MezResist(Sleep) 3.75%, MezResist(Terrorized) 3.75%, MezResist(Confused) 3.75%

Bombardment
(Piercing Rounds)
5% Enhancement(Range)

Obliteration
(Hail of Bullets)
2.25% Resistance(Smashing,Lethal), MezResist(Immobilized) 3.75%, MezResist(Held) 3.75%, MezResist(Stunned) 3.75%, MezResist(Sleep) 3.75%, MezResist(Terrorized) 3.75%, MezResist(Confused) 3.75%
3% DamageBuff(All)
9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
3.75% Defense(Melee), 1.88% Defense(Lethal), 1.88% Defense(Smashing)

Obliteration
(Soul Drain)
2.25% Resistance(Smashing,Lethal), MezResist(Immobilized) 3.75%, MezResist(Held) 3.75%, MezResist(Stunned) 3.75%, MezResist(Sleep) 3.75%, MezResist(Terrorized) 3.75%, MezResist(Confused) 3.75%
3% DamageBuff(All)
9% Enhancement(Accuracy)
5% Enhancement(RechargeTime)
3.75% Defense(Melee), 1.88% Defense(Lethal), 1.88% Defense(Smashing)

Synapse's Shock
(Stamina)
7.5% SpeedJumping, 7.5% JumpHeight, 7.5% SpeedFlying, 7.5% SpeedRunning
15% SpeedRunning

Proc Chances:

Spoiler

Pistols: Vigilant Assault (4.0 PPM, Superior 5.0 PPM)

4.0 * ((4 / ( 1 + 29.98 / 100 )) + 1) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 0 * (11 * 0 + 540) / 30,000))) = 27.18% (@ Level 10)
4.0 * ((4 / ( 1 + 96.30 / 100 )) + 1) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 0 * (11 * 0 + 540) / 30,000))) = 20.25% (@ Level 50)
5.0 * ((4 / ( 1 + 100.37 / 100 )) + 1) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 0 * (11 * 0 + 540) / 30,000))) = 24.97% (@ Level 10)

Dual Wield: Defender's Bastion (4.0 PPM, Superior 5.0 PPM)

4.0 * ((6 / ( 1 + 23.40 / 100 )) + 1.67) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 0 * (11 * 0 + 540) / 30,000))) = 43.55% (@ Level 10)
4.0 * ((6 / ( 1 + 83.32 / 100 )) + 1.67) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 0 * (11 * 0 + 540) / 30,000))) = 32.95% (@ Level 10)
5.0 * ((6 / ( 1 + 95.90 / 100 )) + 1.67) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 0 * (11 * 0 + 540) / 30,000))) = 39.44% (@ Level 10)

Empty Clips: Bombardment (3.5 PPM), Force Feedback (2.0 PPM)

3.5 * ((10 / ( 1 + 17.60 / 100 )) + 1.67) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 40 * (11 * 30 + 540) / 30,000))) = 31.74%
2.0 * ((10 / ( 1 + 17.60 / 100 )) + 1.67) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 40 * (11 * 30 + 540) / 30,000))) = 18.13%

Time's Juncture: Dark Watcher's Despair (3.5 PPM)

3.5 x 10 / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 25 * (11 * 360 + 540) / 30,000))) = 15.30%

Bullet Rain: Bombardment (3.5 PPM), Force Feedback (2.0 PPM)

3.5 * ((18 / ( 1 + 50.60 / 100 )) + 1.67) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 15 * (11 * 360 + 540) / 30,000))) = 29.57%

Suppressive Fire: Gladiator's Javelin (3.5 PPM), Gladiator's Net (3.5 PPM), Neuronic Shutdown (3.5 PPM), Ghost Widow's Embrace (3.5 PPM), Unbreakable Constraint (4.5 PPM), Apocalypse (4.5 PPM), Decimation (1.0 PPM)

3.5 * ((20 / ( 1 + 0 / 100 )) + 1.67) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 0 * (11 * 0 + 540) / 30,000))) = 90% (Pre-clamp: 126.41%)
4.5 * ((20 / ( 1 + 0 / 100 )) + 1.67) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 0 * (11 * 0 + 540) / 30,000))) = 90% (Pre-clamp: 162.53%)
1.0 * ((20 / ( 1 + 0 / 100 )) + 1.67) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 0 * (11 * 0 + 540) / 30,000))) = 36.12%

Distortion Field: Basilisk's Gaze (3.5 PPM)

3.5 x 10 / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 20 * (11 * 360 + 540) / 30,000))) = 17.95%

Slowed Response: Shield Breaker (3.5 PPM), Achilles' Heel (3.5 PPM), Touch of Lady Grey (3.5 PPM)

3.5 * ((90 / ( 1 + 59.11 / 100 )) + 2.27) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 25 * (11 * 360 + 540) / 30,000))) = 90% (Pre-clamp: 90.02%)

Piercing Rounds: Bombardment (3.5 PPM)

3.5 * ((15 / ( 1 + 17.60 / 100 )) + 2.5) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 80 * (11 * 4 + 540) / 30,000))) = 41.05%

Hail of Bullets: Obliteration (3.5 PPM)

3.5 * ((105 / ( 1 + 76.30 / 100 )) + 0) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 25 * (11 * 360 + 540) / 30,000))) = 90% (Pre-clamp: 91.13%)

Tactics: Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control (1.0 PPM)

1.0 x 10 / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 60 * (11 * 360 + 540) / 30,000))) = 6.5% (Pre-clamp: 2.15%)

Team-1: 1 - (1 - 0.065)^1 = 06.5% chance to proc every 10 seconds
Team-2: 1 - (1 - 0.065)^2 = 12.5% chance to proc every 10 seconds
Team-3: 1 - (1 - 0.065)^3 = 18.2% chance to proc every 10 seconds
Team-4: 1 - (1 - 0.065)^4 = 23.5% chance to proc every 10 seconds
Team-5: 1 - (1 - 0.065)^5 = 28.5% chance to proc every 10 seconds
Team-6: 1 - (1 - 0.065)^6 = 33.1% chance to proc every 10 seconds
Team-7: 1 - (1 - 0.065)^7 = 37.5% chance to proc every 10 seconds
Team-8: 1 - (1 - 0.065)^8 = 41.5% chance to proc every 10 seconds
- League-16: 1 - (1 - 0.065)^16 = 65.8% chance to proc every 10 seconds
- League-24: 1 - (1 - 0.065)^24 = 80.0% chance to proc every 10 seconds
- League-32: 1 - (1 - 0.065)^32 = 88.3% chance to proc every 10 seconds
- League-34: 1 - (1 - 0.065)^34 = 89.8% chance to proc every 10 seconds
- League-35: 1 - (1 - 0.065)^35 = 90.0% (Pre-clamp: 90.4%?) chance to proc every 10 seconds

Soul Drain: Obliteration (3.5 PPM)

3.5 * ((240 / ( 1 + 76.30 / 100 )) + 4.092) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 10 * (11 * 360 + 540) / 30,000))) = 90% (Pre-clamp: 384.93%)

Recharge Times (procs to perma):

Spoiler

Hasten = 1 + (0.53+0.7+0.5+0.7125) = 3.4425

120 * 3.4425 = 413.1
450 - 413.1 = 36.9 / 5 = 8 Force Feedback procs per 120s to make Hasten perma with Chrono Shift

Chrono Shift = 1 + (0.9456+0.7+0.5+0.7125) = 3.8581

90 * 3.8581 = 347.229
360 - 347.229 = 12.771 / 5 = 3 Force Feedback procs per 90s to make Chrono Shift perma with Hasten

Power Boost = 1 + (0.53+0.7+0.5+0.7125) = 3.4425

(120 - 0*5) / 3.4425 = 34.86s with 0 Force Feedback procs
(120 - 1*5) / 3.4425 = 33.41s with 1 Force Feedback proc (5s of +100% Recharge)
(120 - 2*5) / 3.4425 = 31.95s with 2 Force Feedback procs (10s of +100% Recharge)
(120 - 3*5) / 3.4425 = 30.50s with 3 Force Feedback procs (15s of +100% Recharge)
(120 - 4*5) / 3.4425 = 29.05s with 4 Force Feedback procs (20s of +100% Recharge)
(120 - 5*5) / 3.4425 = 27.60s with 5 Force Feedback procs (25s of +100% Recharge)

Power Boost has a 15s duration and cannot be made perma, but with 3+ Force Feedback procs can have an uptime of ~50% or better.

Ranges:

Spoiler

Exemplar slotting

71.38 ft: Empty Clips
73.5 ft: Suppressive Fire
85.75 ft: Distortion Field, Time Stop
98 ft: Pistols, Dual Wield, Temporal Selection, Bullet Rain, Slowed Response, Soul Storm
142.8 ft: Piercing Round

Superior/Attuned 50 slotting

72.38 ft: Empty Clips
75 ft: Suppressive Fire
87.5 ft: Distortion Field, Time Stop
100 ft: Pistols, Dual Wield, Temporal Selection, Bullet Rain, Slowed Response, Soul Storm
144.8 ft: Piercing Round

Defender - Time Manipulation - Dual Pistols.mxd

Edited April 11, 2020 by Redlynne
Soul Storm update

Redlynne · April 9, 2020

Reserved.

Bopper · April 9, 2020

I'm a little lost on details of the build. Is this a leveling up build, or an exemplar build? I see you slot a lot of things as level 31 or 27 when you could just make them attuned. Also, the Hami-O's would seem like a challenge to maintain (and obtain) if you're moving around in levels a lot. I would just frankenslot a Damage/Range and make it +5 (Positron's Blast and Detonation can do that for you). Also, in a build with so much emphasis on recharge and range, why not split up the ATOs? 3 piece them in DW and Pistols, make them supreme, and enjoy +20% recharge and +20% range. Plus you get an extra 3% HP and 3.6% Endurance.

Also surprised you don't put more into S/L resistance. I know you can softcap your defenses, and perhaps that's enough if you're staying out of range. But if that is the intended playstyle, I would think Soul Drain is a peculiar power choice. I'd probably go with the resistance shield in that case. Also, you might consider getting rid of Time Stop (or Suppressive Fire) and replace it with Soul Storm. Longer base recharge makes for higher proc probability. But then again, I know you're not going for a proc-monster build, but still...it's reliable. You'll probably do more damage than hoping for a Boost Up proc to fire at 1 PPM.

Here are some tweaks that will improve on your recharge (Hasten is near perma at 120.2 sec recharge), improve on your range (Piercing Bullets not has 150 foot range), improve on your Health and Endurance (+9.4% HP, +11% Regen, +3.1% End, +14% Rec), improve on your S/L resistance (+3.5%), and improve your proc rates and proc damage. The downside, some defense is lost (~5%). Personally, I would roll with Maneuvers and/or Dark Armor to make up the lost Defense, but I didn't want to change any of your power selections in the build.

Spoiler

Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.7
https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Technology Defender
Primary Power Set: Time Manipulation
Secondary Power Set: Dual Pistols
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Time Crawl -- ImpSwf-Dam%(A)
Level 1: Pistols -- SprDfnBst-Dmg/Rchg(A), SprDfnBst-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(3), SprDfnBst-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), SprVglAss-Dmg/Rchg(7), SprVglAss-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9), SprVglAss-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9)
Level 2: Dual Wield -- SprDfnBst-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBst-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(3), SprDfnBst-Rchg/Heal%(5), SprVglAss-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), SprVglAss-Acc/Dmg(11), SprVglAss-Rchg/+Absorb(13)
Level 4: Temporal Mending -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(37), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(40), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(42), Pnc-Heal(42)
Level 6: Hover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 8: Empty Clips -- PstBls-Dmg/Rng(A), Dtn-Dmg/Rng(13), Dtn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rng(15), Bmbdmt-Acc/Rech/End(15), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(17), FrcFdb-Rechg%(19)
Level 10: Swap Ammo
Level 12: Time's Juncture -- DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb(A), DarWtcDsp-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(45), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(45), DarWtcDsp-Slow%(46)
Level 14: Temporal Selection -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(42), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(43), Prv-Heal/Rchg(43), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(43), Prv-Absorb%(45)
Level 16: Bullet Rain -- Bmbdmt-Dam(A), Bmbdmt-Acc/Rech/End(21), Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech(21), Bmbdmt-Acc/Dam/Rech/End(23), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(25), FrcFdb-Rechg%(25)
Level 18: Farsight -- ShlWal-Def(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(27), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(31)
Level 20: Distortion Field -- BslGaz-Rchg/Hold(A), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(46), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(46), BslGaz-Slow%(48)
Level 22: Suppressive Fire -- SprEnt-Rchg/AbsorbProc(A), BslGaz-Slow%(23), BslGaz-Acc/Hold(33), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(34), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(34)
Level 24: Time Stop -- HO:Endo(A)
Level 26: Slowed Response -- ShlBrk-%Dam(A), AchHee-ResDeb%(34), TchofLadG-%Dam(37)
Level 28: Executioner's Shot -- Apc-Dam%(A), Apc-Dmg(29), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(29), Apc-Acc/Rchg(31), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(31)
Level 30: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 32: Chrono Shift -- EffAdp-EndMod/Rchg(A), PrfShf-EndMod/Rchg(33), DctWnd-Heal/Rchg(33), EffAdp-EndMod/EndRdx(40)
Level 35: Piercing Rounds -- PstBls-Dmg/Rng(A), Dtn-Dmg/Rng(36), Dtn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rng(36), Bmbdmt-Acc/Rech/End(36), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(37)
Level 38: Hail of Bullets -- Arm-Dmg/Rchg(A), Arm-Dmg(39), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Arm-Acc/Rchg(39), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(40)
Level 41: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 44: Tactics -- GssSynFr--Build%(A)
Level 47: Soul Drain -- Obl-Dmg(A), Obl-Acc/Rchg(48), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(48), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(50), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(50), Obl-%Dam(50)
Level 49: Power Boost -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I(A)
Level 1: Quick Form
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Run-I(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Run-I(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A)
Level 1: Vigilance
Level 2: Rest -- IntRdx-I(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- HO:Micro(A)
Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(17), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(27)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-EndMod/Rchg(7), PrfShf-End%(19)
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 0: Portal Jockey
Level 0: Task Force Commander
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion
Level 10: Chemical Ammunition
Level 10: Cryo Ammunition
Level 10: Incendiary Ammunition
------------

Redlynne · April 9, 2020

6 hours ago, Bopper said:

I'm a little lost on details of the build. Is this a leveling up build, or an exemplar build? I see you slot a lot of things as level 31 or 27 when you could just make them attuned.

Flip Slots to Alternate to see the Attuned 50 build (use the attached .mxd file for that).

The 27/31 slotting is for use on the way up to 50, and to give a sense of how the build performs when Exemplared down to Level ~27(ish) for SO type performance out of slots. I do it as a "check your work" for exemplar performance levels so as to know how attuned slots will degrade with Level reductions. At the same time, the 27/31 settings also show directly what the performance is like with non-attuned set IOs. So the Exemplar/Leveling build is meant to show "not yet completed" performance profiles (even though I've got HOs and +5 IOs shown, so as to demonstrate how far to take those slots).

6 hours ago, Bopper said:

Also, the Hami-O's would seem like a challenge to maintain (and obtain) if you're moving around in levels a lot. I would just frankenslot a Damage/Range and make it +5 (Positron's Blast and Detonation can do that for you).

That's an alternative (certainly while leveling up), but set IOs even at +5 do not have the "enhancement density" of +2 Dam/Range HOs (I've checked).

6 hours ago, Bopper said:

Also, in a build with so much emphasis on recharge and range, why not split up the ATOs? 3 piece them in DW and Pistols, make them supreme, and enjoy +20% recharge and +20% range. Plus you get an extra 3% HP and 3.6% Endurance.

Oh it's certainly an option! But in this case I wanted the extra Range and AoE Defense bonuses to help close gaps around the 45% Defense softcap. It's also why I added a 6th slot to Hail of Bullets and Soul Drain so as to claim those Melee Defense set bonuses.

6 hours ago, Bopper said:

Also surprised you don't put more into S/L resistance.

That was more of a side effect than a deliberate thing to chase after. Not complaining about having more Smash/Lethal Resistance though, given how often it is encountered as a damage type, since the resistances will help extend/magnify Absorption shielding usefulness.

6 hours ago, Bopper said:

I would think Soul Drain is a peculiar power choice.

The synergy with Hail of Bullets is just too great to ignore. Soul Drain > Hail of Bullets and then having boosted damage for another 25s after that is just really useful in close quarters combat when you can't take advantage of long range.

6 hours ago, Bopper said:

Also, you might consider getting rid of Time Stop (or Suppressive Fire) and replace it with Soul Storm. Longer base recharge makes for higher proc probability.

Except that I've basically run out of slots to invest in Time Stop, Suppressive Fire or Soul Storm (aside from just the one for the Entomb Absorb proc) ... and I would rather have Suppressive Fire and Time Stop selected at Levels 22 and 24, so therefore available when Exemplared down to Levels 17 and 19 respectively, than waiting for Soul Storm at Level 49 which requires Exemplar Level 44+ to even have access to (because I'd want Power Boost at Level 47). Still, it IS an option if you're so inclined and want to reshuffle the build for personal playstyle reasons ... and because Soul Storm is simply TOO AWESOME when animated(!).

Between Suppressive Fire and Time Stop I'd be more inclined to replace Time Stop with Soul Storm ... because the animation time on Time Stop and Soul Storm are equal and the potential +1 mag from the combo with Time Crawl via the Delayed mechanic isn't adding that much value when you can stack a mag 3 Hold from Suppressive Fire (when not using Standard Ammo) practically at will. The extreme recharge of the build then makes the uptime differential between Time Stop and Soul Storm practically a moot point, since Soul Storm gets more Hold duration to enhance by default, in addition to doing damage. However, if making this switch from Time Stop to Soul Storm then I think it would probably be best to also exchange Soul Drain for Dark Embrace so as to pirate 4 slots (leave 2 for Dark Embrace so as to slot in the +Defense Resistance set IOs for +6% global Defense) and then move those 4 slots plus the Entomb slot from Suppressive Fire into a 6-slotted Soul Storm and then start looking at options.

Hmmm ... that's starting to look like a SERIOUSLY good idea!

Thanks, @Bopper ... I might need to reformulate the build now ... (okay, I'm not really, but it IS a good idea that I'm sure some people would prefer to play)

6 hours ago, Bopper said:

You'll probably do more damage than hoping for a Boost Up proc to fire at 1 PPM.

Well, the Decimation Build Up proc is slotted into Executioner's Shot right now, where it has a 14.87% chance to proc ... which is way better than the 6.5% chance I was seeing from putting it in Pistols, particularly once the attack rotation becomes Executioner's Shot > Pistols > Dual Wield ... repeat. Just another one of those things that happens when you start looking beyond the (mere) confines of the build itself and start thinking about what "shapes" the attack chains will wind up having in actual practice.

7 hours ago, Bopper said:

I would roll with Maneuvers and/or Dark Armor to make up the lost Defense, but I didn't want to change any of your power selections in the build.

Actually, I'm now starting to think about perhaps wanting to ditch Time Crawl, even though it IS useful as a single target "neutralizer" power. The problem, however, would still be the "no slots" for either Maneuvers or Dark Armor unless pulling them from somewhere else.

7 hours ago, Bopper said:

Level 1: Time Crawl -- ImpSwf-Dam%(A)

Level 26: Slowed Response -- ShlBrk-%Dam(A), AchHee-ResDeb%(34), TchofLadG-%Dam(37)

Both of these powers have Accuracy checks, so it's not wise to stiff them on Accuracy ... particularly on Slowed Response, where an inconsistent/intermittent application of Slowed Response's effects would be severely detrimental to overall performance. You also want to be thinking in terms of Exemplar performance where you aren't necessarily going to be having heaping helpings of +ToHit and/or global accuracy buffing from set bonuses available at all Levels of play. Just because you can get away with something at Level 50 doesn't mean you can do the same thing at Level 24.

Redlynne · April 9, 2020

10 hours ago, Bopper said:

Also, you might consider getting rid of Time Stop (or Suppressive Fire) and replace it with Soul Storm.

Actually, upon reflection, it might be better to simply drop Time Crawl from the build so as to make room for Soul Storm (since this is a Defender) ... particularly if Time Crawl/Soul Storm is limited to being a One Slot Wonder™ power due to lack of slots. Time Crawl is "decent" in the early going as a single target neutralizer power, but once you've got Distortion Field the usefulness of Time Crawl really falls off a cliff in the context of this build (specifically, other builds are a different story). I say that because this build is primarily a (ranged) damage dealer with some (some...) support utility to it so as to enable that damage dealing capability. What Time Crawl brings to the build winds up being more "edge case than prime case" when compared to the utility of Soul Storm, particularly when looking at it in the context of a Soul Storm, Suppressive Fire, Time Stop combination for rapidly building Hold magnitude (since those 3 powers alone are mag 3 each) and could potentially form their own single target attack chain when used against Green Mitos (maybe with 1 other attack thrown in for filler).

And that's not even counting the fact that Soul Storm deals damage natively while Time Crawl deals damage only with the help of a single damage proc.

Yes ... a slight rebuild is certainly looking like it would be in order here ...

Bopper · April 9, 2020

8 minutes ago, Redlynne said:

Actually, upon reflection, it might be better to simply drop Time Crawl from the build so as to make room for Soul Storm (since this is a Defender) .

I usually skip it in my builds, but it does provide -100% regen and floors their recharge. So I wouldn't fault you for keeping it. Time Stop also has -50% regen, so I actually wouldn't fault you if you dumped suppressive fire. HOWEVER, if you don't plan on ever fighting an AV, then both Time Stop and Time Crawl can be thrown away.

I actually did make a minor rebuild last night but didn't share it. I simply replaced Soul Drain with Dark Armor to beef up the defense and resistance and maxHP. I could look at different tweaks if you like, such as incorporating soul storm.

The argument for keeping Suppressive Fire, you can turn it into a one shot hold using multiple hold props (3PPM +2 for 8 seconds and a 2.5PPM +2 for 8 seconds). This would give you potential for +7 for 8 seconds, a reliable +5 for 8 seconds, and the regular +3 for however long it is buffed to. Just a thought. Soul Storm can do it too, but on longer recharge but more reliable +7 hold (for your EBs).

Redlynne · April 9, 2020

32 minutes ago, Bopper said:

I usually skip it in my builds, but it does provide -100% regen and floors their recharge. So I wouldn't fault you for keeping it. Time Stop also has -50% regen, so I actually wouldn't fault you if you dumped suppressive fire. HOWEVER, if you don't plan on ever fighting an AV, then both Time Stop and Time Crawl can be thrown away.

Let's just say that I don't ever plan on soloing any AVs and leave it at that. But yeah, in that context, it's really a game of 2 out of 3.

The one thing that's nice(?) about Time Crawl's debuff to Regeneration is that it doesn't stack from same caster, meaning you only need to refresh it once every 20 seconds ... and the same applies to the debuff to Regeneration in Time Stop as well (20s duration, does not stack from same caster). That then gives you plenty of time to be animating other powers during those 20 seconds before needing to refresh the (combined) -150% Regeneration on an affected $Target ... which is useful in a Big Game Hunting context (although other powersets do it better/stronger).

34 minutes ago, Bopper said:

I simply replaced Soul Drain with Dark Armor to beef up the defense and resistance and maxHP.

Switching from Soul Drain to Dark Embrace frees up those 5 slots to be used for something else, and with the Entomb slot in Suppressive Fire that then leads to all kinds of possibilities for shuffling slots off elsewhere (since there would essentially be 6 slots "loose" in the build) for plenty of variation and alternatives.

Bopper · April 9, 2020

4 hours ago, Redlynne said:

Flip Slots to Alternate to see the Attuned 50 build

Thank you, this is helpful

4 hours ago, Redlynne said:

Both of these powers have Accuracy checks, so it's not wise to stiff them on Accuracy ... particularly on Slowed Response, where an inconsistent/intermittent application of Slowed Response's effects would be severely detrimental to overall performance.

This was a concern I had too. With Tactics on, Time Crawl and Slowed Response had 95% chance to hit for +2, 89% for +3, and 82.5% chance at +4. That was good enough for me, but not for everyone. I probably would use Slowed Response first to improve my odds of Time Crawl hitting, but then I lose out on the extra benefits of Delay.

You could try to move Tactics to earlier in the build and plug in a Kismet. That comes at a cost though as Assault also needs to move up. So either you can replace Hover with Maneuvers (and use a jet pack for your flying needs), then swap Tactics with Time Stop, or move Assault somewhere very early but you lose one of your better powers until late game (Distortion Field, Hover, Temporal Selection). But let's say you figure that out, and you put in a Kismet and run Tactics, you will then achieve 90% chance to hit at +4 and 95% chance to hit at +3.

4 hours ago, Redlynne said:

Well, the Decimation Build Up proc is slotted into Executioner's Shot right now, where it has a 14.87% chance to proc

True, but Executioner's Shot and maybe Piercing Rounds (if it's in your attack chain, I took it out of mine) are the only attacks that truly take advantage of that 15% chance at +80% damage. If you're firing it once every 5 seconds (not sure what your attack chain is, but let's say it's Pistols-DW-ES, then you could fire it every 4.884 seconds. In that case, using a simulator I built, you will see an average uptime of approximately 15.1% (15.3% with stacking)⁺.

If you are using a chain of ES - PR - Pistols - DW, then you would fire ES once every 7.524 seconds. In that case you will see an average uptime of approximately 9.85%⁺, however your chain is so long that ES would never benefit from the buff.

So basically, on average you are looking at boosting your damage by 12.24% with the first chain, and the second chain would average a 7.88% damage boost and none of that goes to your best DPA attack. Ultimately, there just isn't meat on the bone, so I went with an Apoc set that would boost the damage of all the powers by 4%, plus gives Executioner's Shot an extra 17% enhanced damage, and you get more recharge and HP out of your build. And a purple damage proc...almost forgot that.

⁺Full disclosure, I assume the boost works as a replacement, so I applied a 5.25s duration, but I did not provide a lockout of 4.75s afterwards. I assume if you get the proc again, it will refresh the 5.25s. I also stacked the buffs if it were to happen.

5 hours ago, Redlynne said:

The synergy with Hail of Bullets is just too great to ignore. Soul Drain > Hail of Bullets and then having boosted damage for another 25s after that is just really useful in close quarters combat when you can't take advantage of long range.

It does have great synergy, but the radius is fairly small so you're not looking at that much damage boost (maybe +50% on average?). If you want true synergy, put the Gaussian Proc in Soul Drain for a near guaranteed +80% damage for Hail of Bullets. However, due to the long animation, I recommend going Soul Drain -> Bullet Rain (make a PBAoE macro) -> Hail of Bullets.

5 hours ago, Redlynne said:

That's an alternative (certainly while leveling up), but set IOs even at +5 do not have the "enhancement density" of +2 Dam/Range HOs (I've checked).

Very true, the +2 HOs are superior, but while leveling up where are you getting them? You can't find them at the AH, so you have to run content that grants it and HOPE that you get the drop. And hope for that multiple times, and hope that you don't outlevel the HOs while doing so. Unless I'm completely wrong and the effects work like attuned enhancements, I don't see anyone actually trying to use HOs outside of strictly level 50 content builds.

Redlynne · April 9, 2020

1 hour ago, Bopper said:

You could try to move Tactics to earlier in the build and plug in a Kismet.

Could ... but the compromises needed to do so are somewhat punitive. An easier solution would be to pull the Entomb proc from Suppressive Fire and put that slot into Hover and just add Kismet (or Karma for Knockback Protection, although Hover itself provides "poor man's Knockback protection" after a fashion while Hover is toggled on).

1 hour ago, Bopper said:

If you are using a chain of ES - PR - Pistols - DW

Actually, I think the chain would look more like this:

Executioner's Shot > Pistols > Dual Wield > Executioner's Shot > Piercing Rounds > Dual Wield ... repeat

The important point is if the Build Up buff is active at the START of an animation ... not whether the remaining duration on a Build Up buff lasts all the way to the END of an animation. That's because City of Heroes runs on a Resolve First/Animate After system, where EVERYTHING is calculated and computed and "resolved" up front and then everything after that is just animation. This means that if you had a 4s animation activate when there was 0.1s duration remaining on the Build Up buff then the Build Up buff would apply to that attack, even though the buff expired before the attack could finish animating (or during, however you want to think of it). So long as the activation starts before the Build up buff expires ... it counts.

So in terms of repeating attack chains, using the above, we get this (bolding for powers affected by Build Up beginning with underlined italicized attack):

Executioner's Shot > Pistols > Dual Wield > Executioner's Shot > Piercing Rounds > Dual Wield ... (repeat)
Executioner's Shot > Pistols > Dual Wield > Executioner's Shot > Piercing Rounds > Dual Wield > (repeat) > Executioner's Shot > Pistols > Dual Wield > Executioner's Shot

In other words, no matter which Executioner's Shot gets the proc in the rotation ... BOTH OF THEM will result in buffing of Dual Wield, Executioner's Shot AND Piercing Rounds ... the only question is if Pistols will get buffed by the Build Up proc or not (1st yes, 2nd no). Here's the math:

Executioner's Shot > Pistols > Dual Wield > Executioner's Shot > Piercing Rounds > Dual Wield ... (repeat)

1st Executioner's Shot (Build Up activates at the end) so difference between animation and arcanatime is 1.848-1.67= 0.178s
0.178 + 1.188+1.848+1.848 = 5.062 ... meaning that there's 0.188s buff duration remaining after the 2nd Executioner's Shot in which Piercing Rounds can be activated (use the power queue function while the 2nd Executioner's Shot is animating to make this happen!)

Executioner's Shot > Pistols > Dual Wield > Executioner's Shot > Piercing Rounds > Dual Wield > (repeat) > Executioner's Shot > Pistols > Dual Wield > Executioner's Shot

2nd Executioner's Shot (Build Up activates at the end) so difference between animation and arcanatime is 1.848-1.67= 0.178s
0.178 + 2.64+1.848 = 4.666 ... meaning that there's 0.584s buff duration remaining after the 2nd Executioner's Shot in which the 3rd Executioner's Shot can be activated (use the power queue function while Dual Wield is animating to make this happen!)

Bottom line here is that if you're staying on top of your attack chain, using the power queue system (seriously, USE IT!) in advance of animations completing (and you don't have too much network lag/latency going on so no pauses server side allowed!) you can have the Build Up proc buff duration last only 5.25s but wind up being used by either 7.524s of arcanatime (1st Executioner's Shot proc) or 6.336s of arcanatime (2nd Executioner's shot proc) worth of powers animations. In other words, you can "extend" how long the Build Up buff is "useful" for depending on how you "shape" the sequencing of your attack chain. The former affects 4 powers, while the latter affects 3 powers, and the only power that might be getting left out in all of that is Pistols ... the lowest base damage power of the grouping. The only difference is swapping Pistols in and out of the rotation (so as to keep it simple) in order to give Piercing Rounds time to recharge.

And that's just the single target attack chain. 😎

That's not even looking at the AoE attack chain of Executioner's Shot > Bullet Rain > Empty Clips ... repeat ... where that Build Up proc is going to produce a MASSIVE increase in AoE damage production (and you're likely scoring a Force Feedback proc, or two!)! Note that with such a rotation, Executioner's Shot would benefit from its own Build Up buff after buffing the two AoE attacks, and the Build Up buff would expire while the repeat Executioner's Shot was animating ... which is what I like to think of as Not Too Shabby™ of a performance profile. That's because every time that Build Up proc happens, it's like a 100% chance damage proc bonus to the AoE attacks against every $Target that they hit(!) and that damage gets multiplied by the -Resistance debuffing from Slowed Response ... so it REALLY adds up in a hurry!

And that's not even including the possibility of replacing a power with Hail of Bullets

This was a major design point for my previous builds using these powersets, but isn't something I've laid out quite this explicitly before ... partly because I was trying avoid posting a third WALL OF TEXT CRITS YOU!!! in as many days. So while the Build Up proc for the single target rotation may not look all that awesome relative to having a damage proc (or an Apocalypse proc), there is simply NO COMPARISON to what the Decimation Build Up proc does for the AoE rotation! You need to think in terms of multi-use cases and different "modalities" of blending the powers together into attack chains before you begin to understand the FULL firepower that this combination can bring to bear.

THIS ... is the "Aim"(ish) Build Up buffing for Dual Pistols ... having a ~15% chance to proc multiple times per 10 seconds(!!) from (the now very aptly named) Executioner's Shot which will happen independently of (and can stack with!) the Build Up proc buffing from Tactics(!). In heavy combat, particularly on teams/leagues, expect to see a LOT of Build Up proc buffing happening multiple times per minute(!). LOTS of them. 😎 That's because the recharge slotted into the power is low(ish @ Level 27) but the global recharge from the rest of the build is enormous (+197.5% before adding in Force Feedback procs!), allowing the proc chance on Decimation to be relatively high (14.87% ... which like rolling a 1 on a 1d6.725 die ... call it better than rolling a 1 on a 1d7, how about that?) while being able to use Executioner's Shot every 5-8 seconds ... repeatedly ... resulting in a Chuck Lots of Dice!! strategy for getting the Decimation Build Up buff to proc A LOT more often than you'd otherwise think it ought to be doing (or has a right to be doing?).

Oh and Soul Drain lasts for 30 seconds. Join the Herd and Burn crew for even MORE damage buffing!

You're Welcome!

2 hours ago, Bopper said:

Very true, the +2 HOs are superior, but while leveling up where are you getting them?

While leveling, just slot in Damage/Range set IOs until reaching Levels 47+ when HOs can be slotted. It's relatively easy to make such substitutions while leveling, but I want the build to show me "where I'm going" while I'm on my way there.

Bopper · April 10, 2020

Just for you, I redesigned my simulator program to address your very specific Single Target attack rotation. I ran the simulation to reflect 2,200 hours of non-stop single target attack rotation.

The end result? The Build-Up proc gives you +4.77 DPS. Oops...that assumes 100% chance to hit your target. Let's see what the numbers are if we make it 95% to hit... *simulating* *simulating* *ding*. It's +4.33 DPS.

There's not much meat on that bone. That is equivalent of adding 13.9% Damage Bonus (less than an assault).

If you were to 5 slot Executioner's Shot with Apocalypse, you would get a +4% Damage Bonus to all, you would get a purple proc that hits at 59.5% proc rate for 107.1 damage, and you boost the enhanced damage by 8.97% (assuming you used level 40 enhancements instead of level 27). What does this all mean?

Assuming 95% chance to hit, the Proc damage alone will add (2*107.1*0.595*0.95)/(11.22 seconds) = +10.7932 DPS. But that's not all, let's factor in those Damage bonuses. That comes out to an extra +2.4102 DPS. So in total +13.20 DPS added, as opposed to +4.33 DPS. That's equivalent to adding 42.38% damage bonus. So whereas the Build Up proc provides a poor-man's Assault (+13.9%), Apocalypse adds a free Level 50 Damage IO to your attack chain.

Redlynne · April 10, 2020

13 minutes ago, Bopper said:

So whereas the Build Up proc provides a poor-man's Assault (+13.9%), Apocalypse adds a free Level 50 Damage IO to your attack chain.

To a single target attack chain.

Now run the same simulation again with the AoE attack chain where each of the AoE attacks is getting boosted by Build Up buffs and see what happens.

This is the reason why I said in my original posts on the subject of slotting Build Up procs that the "true power" of Build Up procs doesn't appear in the single target attack chains ... it appears in the AoE attack chains. AoEs magnify the value of Build Up procs multiplicatively, but you can't slot Build Up procs into (most) AoE attacks, so you need to weave a single target attack with the Decimation Build Up proc into an attack chain with AoE attacks (the more you can activate within the 5.25s buff window the better!) to really reap the rewards.

What your analysis is saying is that a Level 27 slotting versus a Purple 50 slotting yields an overall 42.38-13.9=28.48% damage enhancement differential on a single target rotation ... which makes sense, we're talking the difference between purple and non-purple here. I'm just saying that the single target rotation is merely one of many usage cases, because there are more where it can become relevant.

Bopper · April 10, 2020

1 minute ago, Redlynne said:

What your analysis is saying is that a Level 27 slotting versus a Purple 50 slotting yields an overall 42.38-13.9=28.48% damage enhancement differential on a single target rotation

I actually said level 40 slotting. If I go back and use level 27 slotting, it gets worse by maybe another 2.5-3 DPS

1 minute ago, Redlynne said:

Now run the same simulation again with the AoE attack chain where each of the AoE attacks is getting boosted by Build Up buffs and see what happens.

I can, but there is no way of knowing how many targets you will hit on average. And really a Soul Drain + Bullet Rain + Distortion Field + Hail of Bullets should take out most of the rift raft anyways. You might have a few bosses left, but you should be using Single Target at that point, probably. But sure, I can do the analysis for AoE. I will assume an average number of targets equal to the Area Factor of the power. Just tell me what attack chain you want, unless you want me to use Executioner's Shot -> Bullet Rain -> Empty Clips -> 0.32-1.5s gap (depending on FF procs)

Redlynne · April 10, 2020

11 minutes ago, Bopper said:

Just tell me what attack chain you want, unless you want me to use

Executioner's Shot -> Bullet Rain -> Empty Clips -> repeat

Go ahead and calculate in the odds of a Force Feedback proc in both AoEs, since the full rotation is 1.848*3=5.544s and will be enough to eliminate any pause on either the current cycle or the next cycle.

Run simulations for $Target quantities from 3 to 10 (Empty Clips is limit 10 while Bullet Rain is limit 16), since at 2 and below you'd want to switch to a single target rotation, if you can. That should give you a sense of the progression curve and how much it ramps up and down with the richness of $Targets to shoot at.

Bopper · April 10, 2020

7 minutes ago, Redlynne said:

Executioner's Shot -> Bullet Rain -> Empty Clips -> repeat

Go ahead and calculate in the odds of a Force Feedback proc in both AoEs, since the full rotation is 1.848*3=5.544s and will be enough to eliminate any pause on either the current cycle or the next cycle.

Run simulations for $Target quantities from 3 to 10 (Empty Clips is limit 10 while Bullet Rain is limit 16), since at 2 and below you'd want to switch to a single target rotation, if you can. That should give you a sense of the progression curve and how much it ramps up and down with the richness of $Targets to shoot at.

Since I don't want to spend too much more time on this (my time is limited), I will just use a gap of 0.5s which is very generous, and I will use target quantities equal to 6 since that is about double the Area Factor and a fairly generous number to use in its own right. I'll work on the numbers shortly.

Bopper · April 10, 2020

You're gonna either love me or hate me for what I'm about to show you...

Test 1, I used a gap of 0.5280 seconds (because it divides evenly with arcanatime). The build up proc adds 11.3% more damage than without. This equates to +9.16 DPS.

Using a 5 piece Apoc Set, we would see the DPS from the proc provide: 107.1*0.595*0.95/6.072 = +9.972 DPS.

So even without factoring in the extra enhanced damage from using Apoc over level 27 Decimation (~18%), nor factoring in the extra 4% damage from set bonuses, the total DPS for a guaranteed 6 targets is still better with the Apocalypse set as opposed to the build up proc.

Test 2, so let's add one last gift of this analysis. Let's guarantee 10 targets for Empty Clips, 16 targets for Bullet Rain, and a guaranteed +100% recharge from FF. This leaves a 0.3204 second gap, however my simulator runs on ArcanaTime units, and 0.3204 equates to 2.4 ticks. So I will have to round up to 3 ticks, which makes it a 0.396 second gap.

Still, the improved DPS is equivalent to a +11.3% damage boost. But because it is more targets, the DPS added is now +18.6.

So let's now look at a full analysis of Apocalypse in Executioner's Shot. The extra DPS from the damage proc is +10.1936 (thanks to shorter gap). The extra damage between Lvl 27 Decimation Set and Lvl 50 Apocalypse Set is 17.86% (assuming no enhancement boosters). This creates a new DPS over baseline as +8.78 DPS. So in total we have +18.97 DPS.

So there you have it. Even with MAX TARGETS in all of your AoEs, the added DPS from the Apocalypse set still outperforms the added DPS from the Decimation set.

I was not expecting to come to that conclusion, but sure enough it definitely proves that the Build Up proc is just not worth it. You can maybe game the BU proc and put it in a proc'd out Soul Storm or Suppressive Fire, but it certainly is hurting your build having it in Executioner's Shot.

Redlynne · April 10, 2020

Well, we are talking about a 4.5 PPM versus a 1.0 PPM so I shouldn't be all that surprised to see that result. However, it does confirm one thing ... that short of having a full purple 50 Apocalypse (such as when leveling or not yet flush with INF to purchase everything) the Build Up proc fares pretty well during the 31-46 game while working your way on up to 50. Once you reach 50 you can (if you've got the INF) swap to an Apocalypse set if you want to.

I'm just honestly surprised by how close a second place the Build Up proc weighs in at relative to the Apocalypse set. I mean ... 9.16 vs 9.972 is a difference of 0.812 DPS ... which is a whopping 48.72 damage differential after 60 seconds of continuous attacking. So yes, the Apocalypse set is better in the AoE comparisons too ... but not by all that much (less than +1 DPS) ... which I find kind of remarkable. For the single target rotation the difference was way more pronounced at +8.87 DPS differential, so clearly the AoE rotation leveraging the Build Up proc "better" than the single target rotation was. Still, reasonably decent for leveling on a budget.

Bopper · April 10, 2020

17 minutes ago, Redlynne said:

I'm just honestly surprised by how close a second place the Build Up proc weighs in at relative to the Apocalypse set. I mean ... 9.16 vs 9.972 is a difference of 0.812 DPS ... which is a whopping 48.72 damage differential after 60 seconds of continuous attacking

2 hours ago, Bopper said:

So even without factoring in the extra enhanced damage from using Apoc over level 27 Decimation (~18%), nor factoring in the extra 4% damage from set bonuses, the total DPS for a guaranteed 6 targets is still better with the Apocalypse set as opposed to the build up proc.

Hold on a second there, you may not have noticed I simply stopped analyzing when I already showed the Apoc Proc by itself resulted in better DPS than what an AoE attack chain was getting from occasional build ups despite consistently having 6 targets to hit. I did not analyze the +4% damage set bonus and I did not analyze the +17.86% damage enhancement in Executioner's Shot. If I finished out the analysis, my guess is you would have seen the Apoc set would perform twice as good.

Bopper · April 10, 2020

For completeness, there are two things I need to update. First, I have to correct my analysis for the single target attack chain. I used the damage enhancement from the Level 40 decimation set, which I should not have done because I used the proc probability of the Level 27 decimation set. So I will correct the following section. Instead of Executioner's Shot having a +8.97% improvement with the Apoc set, it should have been a +17.86% damage improvement. I quoted the incorrect topic below. The correct DPS added was not 13.20, but rather 14.36 DPS, which is equivalent to a 46.1% Damage Bonus.

18 hours ago, Bopper said:

Just for you, I redesigned my simulator program to address your very specific Single Target attack rotation. I ran the simulation to reflect 2,200 hours of non-stop single target attack rotation.

The end result? The Build-Up proc gives you +4.77 DPS. Oops...that assumes 100% chance to hit your target. Let's see what the numbers are if we make it 95% to hit... *simulating* *simulating* *ding*. It's +4.33 DPS.

There's not much meat on that bone. That is equivalent of adding 13.9% Damage Bonus (less than an assault).

If you were to 5 slot Executioner's Shot with Apocalypse, you would get a +4% Damage Bonus to all, you would get a purple proc that hits at 59.5% proc rate for 107.1 damage, and you boost the enhanced damage by 8.97% (assuming you used level 40 enhancements instead of level 27). What does this all mean?

Assuming 95% chance to hit, the Proc damage alone will add (2*107.1*0.595*0.95)/(11.22 seconds) = +10.7932 DPS. But that's not all, let's factor in those Damage bonuses. That comes out to an extra +2.4102 DPS. So in total +13.20 DPS added, as opposed to +4.33 DPS. That's equivalent to adding 42.38% damage bonus. So whereas the Build Up proc provides a poor-man's Assault (+13.9%), Apocalypse adds a free Level 50 Damage IO to your attack chain.

The following is not a correction, but a completion. There was confusion of some results because I did not do the full analysis. So here is the full analysis of the AoE attack chain, using a 0.528s gap, and 6 targets in the AoE's coverage. I also ran the simulation for longer and more times, so I will update the number of 9.16 to 9.18 to better represent what I'm seeing.

Level 27 Decimation: ES -> EC (6 tgts) -> BR (6 tgts) -> 0.528s gap -> *repeat* = +9.18 DPS (+11.3% Damage equivalence)

Level 50 Apocalypse: ES -> EC (6 tgts) -> BR (6 tgts) -> 0.528s gap -> *repeat* = 9.97+5.39 = +15.36 DPS (+18.9% Damage equivalence)

17 hours ago, Bopper said:

Test 1, I used a gap of 0.5280 seconds (because it divides evenly with arcanatime). The build up proc adds 11.3% more damage than without. This equates to +9.16 DPS.

Using a 5 piece Apoc Set, we would see the DPS from the proc provide: 107.1*0.595*0.95/6.072 = +9.972 DPS.

So even without factoring in the extra enhanced damage from using Apoc over level 27 Decimation (~18%), nor factoring in the extra 4% damage from set bonuses, the total DPS for a guaranteed 6 targets is still better with the Apocalypse set as opposed to the build up proc.

And just so I don't have to search each comment for my results, I'll put the 10/16 target analysis here, as well as a 1 target AoE analysis (which isn't useful but shows the upper/lower limits of the AoE rotation.

Level 27 Decimation: ES -> EC (10 tgts) -> BR (16 tgts) -> 0.396s gap -> *repeat* = +18.6 DPS (+11.3% Damage equivalence)

Level 50 Apocalypse: ES -> EC (10 tgts) -> BR (16 tgts) -> 0.396s gap -> *repeat* = 10.19+8.78 = +18.97 DPS (+11.5% Damage equivalence)

Using AoE chain for single target, increasing the gap to 1.056s (less likely FF procs).

Level 27 Decimation: ES -> EC (1 tgt) -> BR (1 tgt) -> 1.056s gap -> *repeat* = +2.4 DPS (+11.3% Damage equivalence)

Level 50 Apocalypse: ES -> EC (1 tgt) -> BR (1 tgt) -> 1.056s gap -> *repeat* = 9.17+2.84 = +12.01 DPS (+55.5% Damage equivalence)

Tables: all of these simulations ran an equivalent of 5500 hrs (229 straight days)

Lvl 27 Decimation Set vs. Lvl 50 Apocalypse Set
Chain	gap (s)	AoE Tgts	Decimation (BU proc)	Apocalypse (Dmg proc)
Es-P-Dw-Es-Pr-Dw	0	1	+4.33 (13.9%)	+14.36 (46.1%)
Es-Ec-Br	1.056	1/1	+2.4 (11.3%)	+12.01 (55.5%)
Es-Ec-Br	0.528	6/6	+9.18 (11.3%)	+15.36 (18.9%)
Es-Ec-Br	0.396	10/16	+18.6 (11.3%)	+18.97 (11.5%)

Redlynne · April 11, 2020

Cross-posting here since I was responding to the Nature/Dual Pistols thread about proc potentials:

6 minutes ago, Redlynne said:

Well, Time Stop is a known proc monster power, provided you don't slot (much) endurance reduction into it.

3.5 * ((16 / ( 1 + 20.67 / 100 )) + 2.17) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 0 * (11 * 0 + 540) / 30,000))) = 89.997853% @ 20.67 recharge reduction slotted.

So what happens with Suppressive Fire, which can slot all the same Hold damage procs (plus a few more sets)?

3.5 * ((20 / ( 1 + 45.37 / 100 )) + 1.67) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 0 * (11 * 0 + 540) / 30,000))) = 89. 996648% @ 45.37% recharge reduction slotted.

Hmmm ... you can put more recharge enhancement into Suppressive Fire (hello Entomb proc) and still achieve a 90% proc chance on 3.5 PPM damage procs slotted into Suppressive Fire.

4x 71.75 = 287 damage when 4 damage procs hit, which is 2.88x the damage production of Executioner's Shot (and is 2.16x the damage production of Executioner's Shot if only 3 out of 4 damage procs hit for 71.75 each).

Hmmm. I might need to do a respec of my own Dual Pistols build now ...

The kicker though is that Suppressive Fire can accept Ranged damage sets, which is where the Decimation Build Up proc is to be found. I hadn't even considered the possibility of dropping Executioner's Shot (entirely) in favor of a damage proc monstered Suppressive Fire with the Decimation Build Up proc (sans rest of set) so as to maximize the Build Up proc potential. AND ... since such a configuration wouldn't "need" to slot any recharge enhancement NOR would it benefit from having the attack chain be long enough to "loop back around onto" Suppressive Fire, it would be perfectly possible to alter the single target attack chain like so (I'm writing all of this out as I think of it to make the thinking behind the notion clearer/more obvious):

Suppressive Fire (Build Up chance) > Pistols > Dual Wield > Piercing Rounds ... repeat ... = 1.848 + (1.188+1.848+2.64) = 7.524s

This would require Suppressive Fire to recharge in 5.676s for no gap in the chain ... which then demands 252.36% global recharge from other sources. The build has 70% from Hasten, 50% from Chrono Shift and 71% from set bonuses for a total of 191% global recharge external to the power ... which is insufficient to close the gap on this attack chain.

So it just needs to be padded out, by using Pistols more than once ... like so ...

Suppressive Fire (Build Up chance) > Pistols > Dual Wield > Pistols > Piercing Rounds ... repeat ... = 1.848 + (1.188+1.848+1.188+2.64) = 8.712s

This would require Suppressive fire to recharge in 6.864s for no gap in the chain ... which then demands 191.37% recharge reduction from other sources ... and I just computed that if losing the 6.25% global recharge from the 5-slot Decimation the build would have ... 191% global recharge external to Suppressive Fire in this build ... which then yields an actualized performance of 6.873-6.864=0.009s worth of gap time (which I'm going to call "Close Enough™" for this purpose). In the event of a Decimation proc, it would buff Pistols, Dual Wield, Pistols and Piercing Rounds and expire before the repeat to Suppressive Fire can happen.

And what would the proc chance for the Decimation Build Up be then?

1.0 * ((20 / ( 1 + 0 / 100 )) + 1.67) / (60 * (0.25 + 0.75 * (1 + 0 * (11 * 0 + 540) / 30,000))) = 36.12%(!!!)

The downside to making this exchange (drop Executioner's shot, move all those slots into Suppressive Fire, make room for Soul Storm!!) is that Suppressive Fire has a shorter range than Executioner's Shot (60ft instead of 80ft base) ... but I've already rigged the rest of the build for global range enhancement through set bonuses, so that's actually less of a concern than it otherwise could have been.

Note also that such a change would mean that the AoE rotation would also (necessarily) need to shift, but it would become:

Suppressive Fire (Build Up chance) > Empty Clips > Bullet Rain > Pistols > Piercing Rounds ... repeat ... = 1.848 + (1.848+1.848+1.188+2.64) = 9.372s

This would require Suppressive Fire to recharge in 7.524s for no gap in the chain ... which then demands 165.82% recharge reduction from other sources which the build will have since it has 191% recharge from Hasten, Chrono Shift and global set bonuses combined.

An interesting side note about this configuration is that the range for Suppressive Fire and Empty Clips would be almost equal to each other, due to the increase in Range enhancement slotted into Empty Clips, making for a relatively seamless amount of "reach" for the combination.

Okay, as soon as I hit upon the 36.12% chance for Build Up in Suppressive Fire I was pretty much SOLD on this as a viable alternative.

Realizing that I can "afford" to lose the 5-slot Decimation global recharge set bonus in order to delete Executioner's shot from the build and replace it with Suppressive Fire so as to do more damage per activation, have a higher proc chance for Build Up(!) AND do Stun or Hold all at the same time (so keeping the HO for Acc/Mez is a must!) ... AND be able to fit Soul Storm into the build(!!??!!) ... all in the same move?

Yeah ... thanks @Bopper ... I wouldn't have been motivated to explore the possibility if it hadn't been for you and @Xandyr posing a thought in the Nature/Dual Pistols thread.

THAT is worth doing a respec for!

Heck, I may even wind up with something that can beat out your Apocalyse slotting choice in some scenarios, with that kind of a proc chance on Decimation Build Up (36.12% vs 14.87%) ...

Please excuse me. This may take a few hours.

Bopper · April 11, 2020

11 minutes ago, Redlynne said:

Suppressive Fire (Build Up chance) > Pistols > Dual Wield > Pistols > Piercing Rounds

I am glad you are thinking outside the box and looking into heavier proc ideas. Just to help you along faster, keep Executioner's Shot and drop Dual Wield. Honestly, DW sucks. While simulating single target attack chains, I actually got better DPS subbing out DW for Empty Clips. If you'd like some ST attack chain ideas, I can provide some. Quick comment though, I recommend not using Piercing Rounds in an attack chain unless you are using its -resistance debuff. It's too slow. I would use it as an opener, then never use it again.

I thing the single target attack chain i settled on (using heavy props, heavier than you most likely) was ES->Pistols->EC->Pistols. It actually was better DPS than my proc'd out Suppresive Fire. However, I didn't do analysis with BU proc, so maybe I'll revisit that.

Edited April 11, 2020 by Bopper

Redlynne · April 11, 2020

3 minutes ago, Bopper said:

keep Executioner's Shot and drop Dual Wield. Honestly, DW sucks.

In a build that never needs to exemplar below Level 23, this would totally be true. However, I'm odd in that I want my builds to be able to Exemplar all the way down to Level 1(!) if necessary and still have not only a useful attack chain but also a travel power (usually Hover or Mystic Flight). That's why in my builds if there's going to be a travel power in it, that travel power always appears in the 4-6 power picks so that I don't have to leave home without it. So far, only my Ninja/Time/Mace build was so tight that there simply wasn't any room (or need, really) for a travel power beyond Sprint+Swift+Ninja Run.

So if my decision to keep Dual Wield over Executioner's Shot disturbs you, realize that the two of them can be completely swapped if that's your preference for your own character(s). My motivation is primary with Exemplar to Levels 1-22 on this point, rather than prioritizing Levels 23-50 (and up).

9 minutes ago, Bopper said:

However, I didn't do analysis with BU proc, so maybe I'll revisit that.

That proc chance increase from 14.87 to 36.12% for Build Up ... even if it means way overcapping the 3.5 PPM damage proc chances ... I figure is going to go a long way towards improving the overall DPS output of the set.

11 minutes ago, Bopper said:

I recommend not using Piercing Rounds in an attack chain unless you are using its -resistance debuff. It's too slow. I would use it as an opener, then never use it again.

I'm just trying to be flexible in my thinking about it. The fact that Piercing Rounds can potentially hit up to 3 $Targets with its 4º Cone means that sometimes you'll get bonus damage out of it in ways that do not easily yield themselves to spreadsheet analysis like we're doing here as part of the theorycrafting.

Bopper · April 11, 2020

18 minutes ago, Redlynne said:

usually Hover or Mystic Flight

As long at Jet Packs (50k for 5 hours) and Jump Packs exist, I rarely will take a travel power. I'll take Hover for defense/LotG mule, though. MF I'll take as a KB protection mule on my way for Rune of Protection.

18 minutes ago, Redlynne said:

However, I'm odd in that I want my builds to be able to Exemplar all the way down to Level 1

If you're exemplaring that low, you should be looking at P2W attacks to fill out your rotation with Pistols and Empty Clips taking priority. Go Pistols- EC- Pistols- Blackwand- Pistols- EC- Pistols- Nemesis Staff.

It also depends on your build. If you're going to go for an Origin Pool set, you can take one of those attacks instead of DW (since you need 2 powers from an origin pool to reach the power you really want). If you want Rune in your build, grab arcana bolt. If you want Unleashed Potential, go with Weaken Resolve as a proc monster debuff (or the attack). If you want Adrenal Booster, take Toxic Dart.

In the end, Dual Wield would never make it into my builds. Es-P-EC-P is better dps than ES-EC-DW in my proc builds, and I'm thankful as I'm forced to take Pistols and I don't like taking powers if I don't use them. And you really should never consider subbing out your best ST attack to make room for a T2 attack (which has worse DPA than your T1)

23 minutes ago, Redlynne said:

I'm just trying to be flexible in my thinking about it. The fact that Piercing Rounds can potentially hit up to 3 $Targets with its 4º Cone means that sometimes you'll get bonus damage out of it in ways that do not easily yield themselves to spreadsheet analysis like we're doing here as part of the theorycrafting

Very difficult with spreadsheet analysis and napkin math. That's why I wrote a computer program to measure this instantly... well, it takes a few seconds, but it covers nearly a year's worth of simulation haha.

24 minutes ago, Redlynne said:

That proc chance increase from 14.87 to 36.12% for Build Up ... even if it means way overcapping the 3.5 PPM damage proc chances ... I figure is going to go a long way towards improving the overall DPS output of the set.

At the very least, it will improve burst damage. You could start a fight with regular Piercing Rounds for the resistance debuff (maybe double debuff if you have annihilation proc), switch to an Ammo you really want, use Suppressive Fire for heavy proc damage and potential Build Up, then roll into your regular ST attack chain.

Redlynne · April 11, 2020

Preamble and build posts updated, including a new .mxd file that contains an Attuned 50 build in the Flip To Alternate Slots.

Credit to @Bopper and @Xandyr added for discussion and questions that inspired another look at what I had (and what I was overlooking) to find this new balance point you can see HERE.

And in case it wasn't obvious enough already ... this is precisely WHY I do these build posts the way that I do. You never know when someone else will challenge your thinking or ask just the right question to give you a whole new perspective on things that allows you to find things you (and all too many other people, usually) never knew or recognized was there all along. And it's those kinds of joint discoveries, that I find most rewarding. Because when we all learn new things, we all profit from the knowledge and experience gained from and shared with our peers.

You're welcome.

Bopper · April 11, 2020

13 minutes ago, Redlynne said:

Preamble and build posts updated, including a new .mxd file that contains an Attuned 50 build in the Flip To Alternate Slots.

Credit to @Bopper and @Xandyr added for discussion and questions that inspired another look at what I had (and what I was overlooking) to find this new balance point you can see HERE.

And in case it wasn't obvious enough already ... this is precisely WHY I do these build posts the way that I do. You never know when someone else will challenge your thinking or ask just the right question to give you a whole new perspective on things that allows you to find things you (and all too many other people, usually) never knew or recognized was there all along. And it's those kinds of joint discoveries, that I find most rewarding. Because when we all learn new things, we all profit from the knowledge and experience gained from and shared with our peers.

You're welcome.

Anytime. Let me know if you need any analysis done. I'm guessing I'll have to expand on my simulator program to incorporate additional procs, which sounds like a fun weekend project.

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Time Manipulation/Dual Pistols/Soul Mastery ... Say Your Bullet Time Prayers

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