Should I focus on softcapping resistance or trying to get as much damage as I can?

[FullEclipse]

Hey all so I built a water/rad sentinel.  I hit 50 and now am using mids reborn to build a final build. I am curious if I should build towards Resistance caps or damage?  Can I hit the 75% softcap for sents? It seems like defense sets are so easy to hit the soft caps but resistance is crazy crazy hard. As a sentinel should I be able to kill fast enough so i wont need the softcap on resistance? I will take build advice if you all have any or builds when planning builds money is no object.

[CaptTastic]

Think it depends on how you intend to play your Sentinel. I mean, there is no NEED to go for the resistance caps on Sentinels because no one is relying on you for their own survival. In teams you won’t have enough aggro if you’re with a half decent tank or brute to need topped outlet resistances. 
 

Then again, if you’re planning on running ahead of a team, trying to be a pseudo tank,  or cracking difficulty up to +4/x8 and soloing, then yes, resistances matter then. 
 

Generally Sentinels just need to be able to look after themselves. 
 

That said, it’s much easier to build for extra resistance than extra damage, so you’ll likely get more bang for your buck in terms of measurable difference if you build for resistance. 
 

Speaking personally, I’d be building for recharge and resistance (and a little defence too) but I’d not be obsessing over hitting the resistance soft cap. 

[oldskool]

You can build for S/L resistance cap, but you may be better off getting *almost* there.  The scaling resistance unique IO can cap you when your health gets low and inspirations exist.  

You could, hypothetically, build ranged defense cap, and/or melee defense cap.  However, this isn't necessary on Rad Armor and even less so if you play more at range than in melee.  

So, do you need to focus on resist or defense caps?  No.  

Dead enemies are always preferable to extended battles of attrition.  So defeating them faster is a good overall plan.  Now, building for "damage" kind of depends on what you mean.  Building for damage percentage in sets, no.  Building for damage procs, yes.  You could leverage a mix, but the % damage in set bonuses are so individually small.  These bonuses also don't do much for the Sentinel's innate damage scalar nor is there anything really compounding that damage from Opportunity.  

When it comes to procs you can go really all out or target some playstyles.  Maybe you want to boost single target damage but use sets in your AoE (this is what I tend to do).  You could go the reverse of that and proc your AoE and use ST powers for things like Thunderstrikes (ranged defense).  You could just go all out and proc out all the attacks you could.  There is some risk there on missing accuracy bonuses and other effects like global recharge.  However, Rad has some recharge built in so it isn't the end of the world.  

Edit note: Just to be clear too 75% resistance cap is a hard cap on Sentinels.  As in you can't gain any additional benefit here if you go over 75%.  The remainder is just wasted.  Defense is different.  There is a soft-cap of 45% for normal content.  You can build more defense than this.  There is a different soft-cap for Incarnate content.  You can also exceed that too using Inspirations, Barrier Destiny, some T9 powers (i.e., Elude, Moment of Glory, Overload, etc.).  

Sentinels can build into the 60% to 75% Smashing and Lethal *resistance* range on resistance sets.  How easy it is to do that will vary with secondary and the kinds of IO set bonuses used.  Resistance secondaries have 0 baseline defense which makes building up to 45%, even in one category, a potential hurdle.  So it benefits your build to determine if you will spend more time in melee range or more time at longer range.  This can help you tailor your mitigation plan.  Also, if you want to push really hard content solo, then lean on your strengths.  Like if you are building a bunch of S/L resistance and defense, then don't be too surprised when ranged energy enemies take your lunch money.  The healing you get can help offset some of this, but no secondary set is universally good against all enemy types.  Well, unless you're playing a Tanker and abusing some of the absurdness they can reach.  

Edited February 27, 2021 by oldskool

[nihilii]

IMHO

Get the bang-for-your-buck options: Shield Wall +5% res, Reactive Defenses +3% res. Tough and Weave.

 

(Also get Panacea hp/end, Steadfast +3 def, Gladiatior +3 def, Unbreakable Guard +7.5% hp, Kismet +6 tohit while you're at it.)

 

Then either chase maximum damage through procs and a solid attack chain; or softcapped defense to one type, ranged or melee. Add as much global recharge as you can.

 

Even getting ~33% ranged defense will do a whole lot more for survival than going from 60% S/L res to 75% S/L res.

Personally, I would go damage. /rad is pretty decent natively. Stack luck insps, team buffs, or incarnates on it (vorpal, barrier), it gets quite sturdy.