If you had to tank DA missions on +4/8...

[Crowcus Pocus]

Which combo would you choose?

One of my latest (and most rewarding) creations was a Earth/FF controller, built to always be the first rushing in on +4/8 DA missions. He does next to zero damage, but definitely does a great job at absorbing the alpha strike and getting things somewhat under control so my buddies can do the damage.

My next challenge will be doing it on a Defender (and then a domi). My first instinct was to go with Time or Dark, but I'd like to hear your thoughts too! The weirder the combo, the more satisfying it is to me. And I'm totally fine with going with FF again if I must.

So, what would you do?

[Psylenz0511]

I would vote for electric affinity. There are a lot of buffs to this set, but the biggest tanky power is the Faraday Cage. Mezz resist, damage resist, kb protection, and next I would go Traps/Dark. Traps is pretty beefy, too, especially if you use Super Speed and stealth to get in place to drop your traps up close.

[Dahkness]

NA can take alpha really welll

Edited March 27, 2021 by Dahkness

[Olly]

I'm trying a cold/sonic with cold's sleet (knockdown), snow storm (slow/ -fly), and arctic fog (+def). I'd think sonic might be a little squishy here, so maybe you'd want to take a different secondary. Maybe water, ice, or elec? And possibly pay a mind to which pri/sec combos will make it easier to get IO's for capping S/L def %

[Coyote]

The first thing that comes to mind is that in incarnate content, due to the level shift, controls and debuffs are a lot more effective than in other high-level content. And due to the mobs having good debuffs and accuracy bonus, going on pure defensive stats is less effective. So I'd want a combination that puts out a good amount of mezzing and control in addition to defense.

 

The second thing is... mez protection. Are you going to rely on Clarion, or need a build with mez protection? With Clarion, you can go with a debuff set that has a good -ToHit toggle and rely on it holding up.

 

I'd look at the following:

Dark/Sonic. AoE Fear and Sleep up every spawn to allow you to set up debuffs, great -ToHit debuffs, and some knockdowns.

EA/Electric. EA is very strong defensively but allows you to get hit, which means you start getting debuffed... but between EA having an AoE -Endurance in one power and another through the pet, and /Ele having Short Circuit up every spawn (and Thunderous Blast every few), add in Mu epic so you get Power Sink, and you can drain large portions of the spawns pretty quickly, limiting incoming damage, mezzing, and debuffing.

Time/Water. Time is strong defensively, Water adds knockdowns, more movement slows, and another self-heal.

[PhoenixV117]

I’m a fire/time and I can solo anything at +4x8 between clarion and rune of protection, if it’s anything super nasty. Add In mellee hybrid too and you’re all good. 

Clarrion radial buffs farsight, perma 50% defence to positionals. 65% red to smash and lethal. 75% and high to all types with rune.  Big dmg due to aim + soul drain. 

[Dahkness]

Honestly. If you haven’t played time yet I’d go with that before something happens to it. Play it in all it’s glory. You are Tank/Dps/ buffs/heals. 

Edited March 28, 2021 by Dahkness

[Ankhammon]

Tank from behind with TA/Dark. It can do ridiculous amounts of de-buffing and you could range tank pretty well with that.

[Herotu]

On 3/27/2021 at 12:10 PM, Falsey said:

Which combo would you choose?

One of my latest (and most rewarding) creations was a Earth/FF controller, built to always be the first rushing in on +4/8 DA missions. He does next to zero damage, but definitely does a great job at absorbing the alpha strike and getting things somewhat under control so my buddies can do the damage.

This is what I never understood about this game.

 

How many superheroes/villains don't do damage? What are the inspiration for controller?

I always thought they got shoe-horned into the game because the CC class was a staple way back in the early days of MMOs.

 

Sorry - I'm off topic >< my bad. Perhaps a topic for another thread.

[Doomguide2005]

6 hours ago, Herotu said:

This is what I never understood about this game.

 

How many superheroes/villains don't do damage? What are the inspiration for controller?

I always thought they got shoe-horned into the game because the CC class was a staple way back in the early days of MMOs.

 

Sorry - I'm off topic >< my bad. Perhaps a topic for another thread.

Well they may not do the damage of a Brute or Blaster but it's enough to drop an endgame AV and has been so since long before IOs came along ... say hello to Ill/Rad or Fire/Kin or ... .  You get the idea and nobody I'm sure envisions someone like Professor X doing damage in the same manner or amount as Wolverine or the Hulk.

[Crowcus Pocus]

On 4/1/2021 at 5:52 PM, Herotu said:

This is what I never understood about this game.

 

How many superheroes/villains don't do damage? What are the inspiration for controller?

I always thought they got shoe-horned into the game because the CC class was a staple way back in the early days of MMOs.

 

Sorry - I'm off topic >< my bad. Perhaps a topic for another thread.

My Earth/FF doesn't do damage because I built it for survivability and control. Earth/ is a perfectly capable set in terms of damage, especially if paired with the right secondaries. Heck, I took Lusca down with an Earth/Rad back on live. Took ages, but it was done.

[Sir Myshkin]

What would I do? I’d bring a M.A.N.

 

 

[Col. Kernel]

What you want is a Time Defender Tank

 

You have this PBAoE toggle debuff and the mobs nearly can't hit you.  Add in your 2 click buffs that get you and the team, tell the team to stay close to you if they want to live and then dive into the middle of the mob.

 

Secondary benefits are the standard;

Dark =  ToHit

Fire = Damage

Ice = Slows (with a hold or 2 to compliment your Time hold)

and so on...

[Ankhammon]

On 4/3/2021 at 5:47 PM, Sir Myshkin said:

What would I do? I’d bring a M.A.N.

 

Are you sure you didn't mean...

 

 

[Doomguide2005]

     I think pretty much any/any defender can do it.  Some will just require more effort to get them there.  After all the AT has the strongest buffs and debuffs in the game.  But after teaming with @Linea's Emp/Fire/Soul and watching it tank and destroy mobs at +4/×8 in the AE 801 series and knowing that character also solo'd the ITF I'm pretty convinced that saying any/any is utterly accurate considering neither Empathy or Fire is noted for their debuffing Regen or Resistance ability.  So grab the oddest duck pairing you can find and have at it.

 

     Edit:  As of one year ago (last reported) there were 4 defender pairings not yet to 50+.

1. Cold/AR
2. Sonic/AR
3. Traps/Psy
4. TA/Rad

     TA/Rad I'd bet can put up some damage between TA updates and Rad blasts proc potential.  While Cold/AR is odd but could be awesome with AR's changes I'm thinking.  Sleet+Heat Loss+/-Snow Storm then Ignite on the slowly fleeing mobs sounds fun.

 

Edited April 30, 2021 by Doomguide2005

[Yomo Kimyata]

On 4/29/2021 at 8:49 PM, Doomguide2005 said:

     I think pretty much any/any defender can do it.  Some will just require more effort to get them there.  After all the AT has the strongest buffs and debuffs in the game.  But after teaming with @Linea's Emp/Fire/Soul and watching it tank and destroy mobs at +4/×8 in the AE 801 series and knowing that character also solo'd the ITF I'm pretty convinced that saying any/any is utterly accurate considering neither Empathy or Fire is noted for their debuffing Regen or Resistance ability.  So grab the oddest duck pairing you can find and have at it.

 

     Edit:  As of one year ago (last reported) there were 4 defender pairings not yet to 50+.

1. Cold/AR
2. Sonic/AR
3. Traps/Psy
4. TA/Rad

     TA/Rad I'd bet can put up some damage between TA updates and Rad blasts proc potential.  While Cold/AR is odd but could be awesome with AR's changes I'm thinking.  Sleet+Heat Loss+/-Snow Storm then Ignite on the slowly fleeing mobs sounds fun.

 

There is at least one of each of those pairings at 50 now.  Also, I hope that there is only one Sonic/AR because it is A TERRIBLE BUILD.