Soloing task forces at the recommended level - is it possible?

[EdgeOfDreams]

Since Homecoming allows soloing task forces, I started to wonder - Is it possible to solo non-endgame task forces at or close to the recommended level range? For example, could you solo Posi 1 without leveling past 15 or 20 first?

 

• Assume you have unlimited Inf to spend
• Temp powers, summons, and Inspirations are allowed
• No buffs or help from other players
• No Incarnate abilities (duh)

 

I suspect this would not be too difficult for the later TFs where you have more powers and slots. The hardest would be the early/mid game ones like Posi, Synapse, Yin, and Citadel. Obviously some ATs and powersets will have a much easier time of it than others as well.

Ultimately, I suppose this all boils down to a question of, "Given unlimited Inf, what's the lowest level at which soloing an AV is plausible?" So, what do you think?

[Greycat]

Well, you mention Posi 1, which doesn't have an AV, so that one, sure, I suppose. Looking at lowest level or just "while naturally in the level range?" (given, especially low level, you'd likely be leveling, of course - do you have to *end* it in the same range?)

[EdgeOfDreams]

3 minutes ago, Greycat said:

Looking at lowest level or just "while naturally in the level range?" (given, especially low level, you'd likely be leveling, of course - do you have to *end* it in the same range?)

I'm not sure. Let's take Posi 2 for an example. Its range is 11 to 16. Trying it at level 11 seems silly and unnecessarily difficult to me. Doing at level 16 (with XP turned off) would be the ideal accomplishment, at least in the way I think of it. Going up to 21 would make sense as a compromise, since when you're Exemplared down you can access powers that you got up to 5 levels after your Exemplar level. Going above 21 would be too far.

So, yeah, "at the top end of the official level range, and no more than 5 levels above it" is the rule I'd probably go with.

 

[Greycat]

Well, if you're allowing temp powers, at level 15 you can go to bloody bay and get a Shivan, which has decent-ish -res as I'm recalling. Buying "summon reinforcement" is... half a mil, but it's something else for the enemy to shoot instead of you. If you're getting money thrown at you, you can get the 10 mil summons (tank/ranged damage/support/etc - one at a time.) Of course you'd want a lot of ... now I'm forgetting the name, the poison knives. If you were *really, really* patient, you could turn XP off, join MSRs just for the pylons which should net 10 "have a cookie" vanguard merits each time for non-members of vanguard. 250 of those (I think? Maybe 500?) get you an HVAS (which unlike the shivan doesn't expire until you exit the mission.)

 

While we're being really patient, at level 10 you can run the first SSA in Skyway, which can be finished - any AT at level 10, really - in 15 minutes or less, once a week it's 20 merits, then 5 each time after. Use the cash or mertis to get what IOs you can.

 

Edit: The temp stealth from patrolling in BB (half an hour each time,) and if we're at 20 the temp combat invisibility, would also make some parts easier. (Heck, some missions if I'm feeling bored I'll drop a shivan at the beginning, stealth to the end, and work on killing things to the middle.) Warburg gives a phase shift (30) as well, not to mention the nukes, so if we're at range (or level +5,) that's ... what, Citadel on up?

 

 

I mean, it can get kind of silly, honestly...

Edited September 28, 2020 by Greycat

[Sovera]

Yes. I do it all the time when I don't get a team to do it with. You're going to be downleveled to the appropriate level bracket anyway, but if you insist on doing it at the 'right' level bracket, then still yes.

 

Then it depends on what you want to do. +0x1? You don't need a butt load of inf or a super duper build. The end boss WILL be an AV though but they are not super hard and you can stock up on envenomed blades from the P2W if it's a low damage AT. Most of the time you just need to stock up in medium inspirations before the last boss.

 

+0x8? Yes, you're going to want a better build to do it in the low levels and even so the CoT part of Posi 1/2 will probably kick your butt since they stack so many debuffs.

[EdgeOfDreams]

44 minutes ago, Greycat said:

...If you're getting money thrown at you...

Well, yeah, I have a Fire Farmer, so the money is mostly a non-issue. Thanks for the other suggestions on temp powers that can't be bought, though.
 

21 minutes ago, Sovera said:

Yes. I do it all the time when I don't get a team to do it with. You're going to be downleveled to the appropriate level bracket anyway, but if you insist on doing it at the 'right' level bracket, then still yes.

 

Then it depends on what you want to do. +0x1? You don't need a butt load of inf or a super duper build. The end boss WILL be an AV though but they are not super hard and you can stock up on envenomed blades from the P2W if it's a low damage AT. Most of the time you just need to stock up in medium inspirations before the last boss.

 

+0x8? Yes, you're going to want a better build to do it in the low levels and even so the CoT part of Posi 1/2 will probably kick your butt since they stack so many debuffs.

Thanks for the sanity check. Good to know that's it feasible. The next question is just how many temp powers and inspirations I actually need for a given build, but I can probably feel that out through experience.
 

[Glacier Peak]

I'm doing the exact thing you outlined with my Street Justice/ Super Reflexes Brute, at the respective level for each TF and I have found that using just a Shivan and any of the P2W Summon Temps pretty much guarantees success. 

 

Edit: Oh shoot, also wanted to add a very important power - Envenom Daggers temp power. Helps a ton. If you want to try to solo without the summons, it makes it easier when you can control the AV's regen by throwing daggers.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Glacier Peak

[Yomo Kimyata]

I don't think you'd be very successful at +4/x8, but this is very doable at something like +1/x3 for any solo friendly build.  I'd focus on the purple inspirations over anything else, since I don't recall the AVs from the first handful of TFs are particularly fiendish AVs.

[Rathulfr]

I've done it at +0x1 on a few characters.  Get the Envenomed Daggers temp power and put a few different Inspirations (mostly Defense, Accuracy, Endurance, a few Break Frees/Awakens) in your Email box, and it's not that hard to do with many of them.

 

Edited September 29, 2020 by Rathulfr

[FoulVileTerror]

My main is a level 22 Mercenaries/Traps Mastermind and I've made a point of soloing each of the Task Forces so far.  The one which gave me the most trouble was the one with two Durays.  Chasing down that teleporting sonnuvagun AND applying enough -Regen was hell.  The Flames of Prometheus Strike Force also gave me a little trouble, but that was because I didn't realize that EVERY SINGLE ROBOT will bear down on you simultaneously if you don't defeat them along the way.  I was speeding to the end of the map.  Was a bit of a mistake, but I eventually pulled through and took down Positron (who was also annoying with that little green imp).

 

Shivans and Signature Summons help a lot, and (as others have said) the Envenomed Daggers are huge.

[Mr. Vee]

most of them sure. I wouldn't try sutter or lady grey. ktf and morty would be a stretch too for most builds. and obviously stf/rsf/kahn/cuda you wouldn't want to try soloing at 45 or at all on most things.

[Sarrate]

4 hours ago, Greycat said:

Well, if you're allowing temp powers, at level 15 you can go to bloody bay and get a Shivan, which has decent-ish -res as I'm recalling.

I'm almost positive shivan attacks apply -def, not -res like all normal Rad Blast / Melee attacks.

 

[edit: Immediately upon posting I realized I worded that poorly... let me try again:

I'm almost positive shivan attacks apply -def (like all player Rad Blast / Melee attacks), not -res.]

Edited September 29, 2020 by Sarrate

[Soyuz]

Solo'ed Hess at +0/x1 on a 29 Ice/Atomic blaster the other day, so it's definitely possible for some characters on some TF's. Nothing special about the build, generic IO's only (no sets) and the only temp power I used was the wedding band. I owe it all to Mystic Flight - Archon Burkholder's much less of a threat if he can't reach you, since he'll spend a lot of his time bouncing around trying to get you into melee range.

 

Burkholder doesn't mez though. I don't think the same character could deal with any AV that does, and she's had real problems with EB's that can fly. Stupid Talons...

[Ukase]

11 hours ago, EdgeOfDreams said:

Since Homecoming allows soloing task forces, I started to wonder - Is it possible to solo non-endgame task forces at or close to the recommended level range? For example, could you solo Posi 1 without leveling past 15 or 20 first?

 

• Assume you have unlimited Inf to spend
• Temp powers, summons, and Inspirations are allowed
• No buffs or help from other players
• No Incarnate abilities (duh)

 

I suspect this would not be too difficult for the later TFs where you have more powers and slots. The hardest would be the early/mid game ones like Posi, Synapse, Yin, and Citadel. Obviously some ATs and powersets will have a much easier time of it than others as well.

Ultimately, I suppose this all boils down to a question of, "Given unlimited Inf, what's the lowest level at which soloing an AV is plausible?" So, what do you think?

It's possible. It's easy. On blue side, I haven't been able to determine if it's the debuff from Positron (ranged Summons) or just his dps, but the summons pet is quite durable, and I often don't have to do much, if anything, other than spam my 3 attacks. That with Envenomed Dagger means you don't have to do much other than just carry a few lucks during the AV fights.

I could make the case that the Clockwork King is easier than Vahz. 
Clamor in Yin is pretty simple for any decent brute/scrapper/blaster/stalker. Other ATs may require some rage inspirations. 
Vandal is cake, in my experience
Manticore is difficult because after Hopkins goes down, Countess Crey comes in, and Hopkins will rez. So..with two, some players will have issues. Not impossible, but it's not over super fast like the others. 
Numina is simple...Jurrasik is just tall, not very challenging. 

My keys for success have generally been a summons pet for all but Manti. For Manti, depending on my character's durability, I might bring a Vanguard HVAS as well. 

For Vandal and Clamor, my brutes/scrappers/stalkers/blasters don't even need a pet. 

[Llewellyn Blackwell]

Posi part 1 is cake on any toon with stealth( original posi as well via Ozone for that matter) Posi part 2 can be a decent bit trickier as Doc V isnt exactly a pushover, but especially if you got hover to hover tank him with and envenomed daggers to shut down his regen just about any AT should be able to whittle him down solo if they really want. Id bring stun grenades for his mob adds.

 

Synapse is actually very easy to solo at level especially with psi dmg based toons. The temp power they give you for the fight with the king will really hold him good. Oh and additionally if you actually played through content to get to that level, there is a quest around that level range that gives a 30 charge temp power for a go kill x clocks hunt mish. dont finish the mish, and use that wave scrambler, it hits like a nuke against the king. That combo has let me solo him at level on a psi stalker and psi blaster.

 

As others have said Shivan hards are a real boon to the solo AV fighter. You can get them early, and they never stop being useful. Even in the toughest end game content its not unheard of for players to bring shivans. Hell they are always nice on MSR bowl bashes to.

 

Citadel is easy, nazi even a nazi AV is kind of a push over, strong melee defense is all you need to blunt his fangs. 

 

Manti can be abit tricky with the 2, but fall back to the entrance after you drop hoppy and you can deal with CC alone, and then go back and finish hoppy round 2.

 

Numi is a bloody dull slog solo just due to the city wide hunt phase. End boss is so squishy to smash dmg all sorts of power sets tend to wreck him well.

 

Penny yin is actually imo a harder solo then Sister Psyche, the TV like end fight on a yin doesnt seem to scale down solo, so unless you have some series aoe mid level that stuff tends to get overwhelming. Kind of like trying to solo a TV trial, its not that the mobs are hard fora  good build but the numbers and need to keep the reactor safe is something most ATs will struggle with especially at mid level. Clamor on the other hand in Sis psyche is a fairly easy lone target for a solo run.

[Ironblade]

I think the Katie Hannon TF would be quite challenging solo since Mary McComber comes back at higher and higher levels.  You fight her 3 times at even level, 3 times at +1, 3 times at +2 and then one last fight at +3.

[Sakai]

Yeah Katie is rough.