IO sets that provide debuff resistance

[Uun]

Armor sets often provide resistance to defense, regen or end drain, but it's a mixed bag and many sets have holes. How about IO sets that provide debuff resistance as a set bonus? For example, a healing set that provides x% resistance to regen debuffs as a set bonus, or an endmod set that provides x% resistance to end drain as a set bonus. Alternatively, these could be unique pieces like the Rectified Reticle increased perception IO. 

[Pzn]

I'd like to see this.  We already have a precedent for it with the Winter's Gift unique that gives 20% recharge debuff/slow resist.  The % might have to be balanced differently for each category of debuff but it could open a lot of options for building.

 

[oedipus_tex]

It's an interesting idea, but I'm on the fence about it. I think debuffs may be the last remaining avenue for making content challenging and the armor sets diverse. In particular I'd like to avoid adding more one-slot-wonder IOs like LoTgs or Steadfasts. 

[macskull]

2 hours ago, oedipus_tex said:

It's an interesting idea, but I'm on the fence about it. I think debuffs may be the last remaining avenue for making content challenging and the armor sets diverse. In particular I'd like to avoid adding more one-slot-wonder IOs like LoTgs or Steadfasts. 

Same here, honestly. I like the idea at face value but not being able to get these debuff resistances on your own incentivizes teaming and makes certain support powers useful. There are also quite a few PvP implications (example: slow resist is widely available via set bonuses now which is one of the factors making slows not-very-useful in PvP). At any rate, with the way the current game engine and IO system work you can simply build for defense and not really need to worry about debuff resistance because the debuffs just don't hit you in the first place.

Edited January 21, 2021 by macskull

[Yomo Kimyata]

I've been thinking about this in terms of temp powers.  Plenty of defense-based armors have some level of DDR, but the rest don't, and if you don't have a defense-based armor primary or secondary, you are out of luck with DDR.

[arcane]

16 hours ago, Yomo Kimyata said:

I've been thinking about this in terms of temp powers.  Plenty of defense-based armors have some level of DDR, but the rest don't, and if you don't have a defense-based armor primary or secondary, you are out of luck with DDR.

All characters have access to DDR at level 50 through ageless. So it’s no more of a hole to “squishies” than mez protection.

[Dragon Crush]

Well, think armor sets should be able to stand on their own and not need to rely on IO set bonuses to be good, but think a tiny bit of debuff resistance would be ok.

Maybe along the lines of a new set where the 6 slot bonus is 25% end drain resistance and one of the pieces is a unique with 10% resistance for example. Then only one set for each of the major debuffs.

[Uun]

Willpower, a set that relies significantly on regeneration, only has 26% resistance to -regen. It also has a +recovery power, yet no resistance to end drain or -recovery. (Invulnerability and Dark Armor, neither of which have +recovery or +end, both have resistance to end drain.) Every set has holes. You can patch resistance holes. It would be nice to be able to patch debuff holes to a degree.

[Dragon Crush]

Regeneration relies on regeneration (and click heals) even more, but not only does it not have any more -regen resistance than willpower, but no native defense (outside MoG) to avoid being hit by debuffs and no DDR for the little defense it scraps together or any other debuff resistance. As I said, sets *should* be made to stand on their own without IOs proping them up, and IOs and sets should be a nice bonus.

 

So sets whose main defense is also a hole should get that hole patched natively, and sets whose third layer has a hole, well they can have a little something but don't need as big a patch because every set doesn't need to be immortal.

[macskull]

3 hours ago, arcaneholocaust said:

All characters have access to DDR at level 50 through ageless. So it’s no more of a hole to “squishies” than mez protection.

While this is true, it does nothing for those characters for the first 49 of those 50 levels.

[summers]

Where there are glaring holes like nowhere near enough regeneration resistance on Regeneration they should be fixed 'in house' by making the set better. I like that sets have weaknesses and might, on some infrequent occasion, actually want team support rather than steamrolling every bit of content, impervious to their threat.

[Uun]

2 hours ago, summers said:

I like that sets have weaknesses and might, on some infrequent occasion, actually want team support rather than steamrolling every bit of content, impervious to their threat.

I agree. My thought was to have a set bonus that provided 15-20% resistance to some debuff. Not game breaking, but certainly a slotting alternative that's not out there.

[Razor Cure]

On 1/21/2021 at 12:41 PM, macskull said:

At any rate, with the way the current game engine and IO system work you can simply build for defense and not really need to worry about debuff resistance because the debuffs just don't hit you in the first place.

This is very true. But also quite imbalanced, since as you say..debuffs dont hit you. But for all those people NOT building for def (especially on resist based melees), they get pretty screwed.

One of the worse mobs to fight is Longbow, on a resist toon. Get hit with 2 null grenades (-30% resis, or more. and atuo hit) and go splat.

 

Which is also a reason why Resist sets should HAVE a resist-debuff resistance build in. Or from some IO sets.

[Dragon Crush]

3 hours ago, Razor Cure said:

Which is also a reason why Resist sets should HAVE a resist-debuff resistance build in. Or from some IO sets.

They do, resists resist resist debuffs. Or to explain that confusingly worded but grammatically accurate phase, if you have 90% smashing resist and you get hit with a 50% resist debuff, it'll only debuff you by 5% since the 50% will be reduced by 90% down to 5% (at least for smashing, if your energy resist is only 50%, then it'll debuff your energy resist by 25%) So being overcapped has the advantage at letting you stay capped even after being hit with debuffs.

[arthurh35353]

Debuff resistances were basically added to Defense sets because they had no protection against being debuffed, unlike resist sets.

[Dragon Crush]

I think you mean that DDR was added since defense doesn't resist defense debuffs, which might be true, I don't remember defense debuff resist being added and other than maybe avoiding the hit, defense offers no innate protection against defense debuffs.

But to be clear, resists only resist resist debuffs, having high resists offers no protection against -recharge, defense debuffs, or anything else.

[arthurh35353]

Yeah, that. Sorry.

[MsSmart]

Mixed emotions, I can see where resistance debuff is the scare factor for melee, while the defense debuff is the terror factor for the squoshies.

 

So it makes sense for both types of characters to get some defense against the bogey man debuffs.

 

On the other hand, I am terrified at what the devs new concept of challenge would be, usually it is terribly unbalanced and almost entirely at the support types expense. Would not mind new challenge in the game, as long as it is balanced and not just another suck it to the support caste...

 

Sue