801 Sentinel Project

[Linea]

This is for AE 801(link), specifically 801.7, if you don't know what that is then follow the link, and run a few missions.  In short it's much like playing somewhere between +5x8 and +8x8.

 

If you can make any of these builds better, I welcome the feedback.

 

I've never cursed Sentinel design nearly as much as I have the past week.  The slightly lower armor has been a nightmare to work around.

 

Outside of 801 and a very few other niche cases, there are likely better alternatives to the Sentinel

• Armored Blaster.  Defense and DDR Issues.  Blasters struggle more starting as low as 801.3.  When you stress the builds, you can really start seeing the difference. If all you run are +0 Speed TFs, you'll never notice, and probably not even chip a nail.  But in 801 as you go up the difficulty ladder, you will start noticing the differences.
• Huntsman are still probably the best Sentinel, ... but can't reach the insane defense levels needed for 801, and no DDR.  I run one of these and probably always will.
• Other Veats, ... Most have minimal to no DDR and much lower defense levels.  Nightwidows are not completey off the table, but still have DDR issues.
• FF/, ... Primarily DDR issues.  But I run one of these to fill the same niche.  Better resting defense, No DDR, and no T9 Defenses.  It doesn't have much of a chance in 801.7 and up.  The sentinel should be ok in 801.7, and possibly up to 801.9.
• Time/, ... Pretty much the same as FF above.  Primarily DDR issues.  Great in 801.6, but 801.7 is a tiny bit too much, and the Sentinel should be ok in 801.7, and possibly up to 801.9.

 

---

 

Why Water Blast: Healing and Utility.  You could also use Dark for the Healing at least.
 

Spoiler

 

Even running perma def/res caps (barely), isn't enough due to debuffs and lack of healing.  Inspirations (primarily large oranges) can deal with the debuffs if you are proactive and never blink.   However, even then, I find myself having to use a green every minute or more.  That's not sustainable.  

 

This applies to all the 75% resist cap ATs.  You'll either need a bit better healing, and/or support.  Or better yet Defense, Resist, and Healing support.  As another example  /Bio has great healing/regen.   However, even std defense capped and resist capped it's not enough.   I can eat purples to hit the defense i-cap, but that still doesn't help with DDR, or I have to eat an unsustainably large number of them. Same with resist.  While I can resist cap (at 75%), that still leaves a 25% RDR gap and no real resist buffer vs debuffs.   So while I can burst and off-tank using Medium or Large Dual Def/Res inspirations with /Bio Regeneration and Absorb Bursts ... eventually all that hits a valley and I *insta-splat*.

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

This should play very much like the Stalker.  In 7 and above, turtle up in the T9s.  Use Rune first, so you can Rune/Hybrid/Rune.  But Primarily you use Rune First so you can use it's non-volatile timer to know when your T9 is going to crash.

You can also use Overload's timer, but if you get external recharge buffs, they can mess with that and make it unreliable.

Also, use Demonic and Wedding band to help cover gaps.   You can double up two chains with a demonic in-between for 7minutes of uninterrupted T9 fighting.  You can use inspirations in-between as well.

 

Ageless, .... 60s Gap .... Rune, Overload, ... Hybrid, Ageless, ... Phase, Energize, Recovery Serum, ... Ageless

The timing on Ageless is a PITA, if you mess it up, don't worry about it.  Just drop back and hide, and/or use a blue.

 

The main difference is the loss of ShadowMeld.  ShadowMeld with Rune/Hybrid makes normal Carnies a bit of a non-issue.  In 801 ShadowMeld helps fill in gaps and gives you more options.  You will definitely feel the loss.

 

When I get this one done, hopefully I can get some stats and results and post back, assuming I don't get distracted my 7 other alts first.

 

I'm planning on building the B variant.  Yes I'm aware it doesn't have both T1 and T2 powers.  I picked this one primarily for more AoE.  It should have a nice, if imperfect, AoE Chain when done.

 

The C variant has more ST damage, and can punch through T9 armors with Psionic damage.  That was originally going to be the build I picked. 

However, most of CoH values AoE over ST damage, and T9 armors are really only an issue in soloing ITFs.

 

The A variant has both T1 and T2.

 

Neither A nor C are as mature or revised a build.  I spent the most time on B.  Hopefully it will all pay off.

Water Ena Sent - 801 T9 1c - [i25].mxd Water Ena Sent - 801 T9 1a - [i25].mxd

Water Ena Sent - 801 T9 1b - [i25].mxd

Edited June 11, 2021 by Linea

[oldskool]

57 minutes ago, Linea said:

*snip*

 

Yes I'm aware it doesn't have both T1 and T2 powers. 

Welcome to a safe space where no one here is going to chastise you for not taking both the T1 and T2.  

The builds are heavily aligned towards defense which makes sense in the content.  However, why pick Water Blast and skip Steam Spray?  Why take this set with an AoE Immobilize and also skip Whirlpool?  It seems like the answer is to stack more defensive measures,... 
  
                            

[drbuzzard]

Funny, I have not even tried a sentinel in these. I generally run either a granite tanker or my tank/blaster crab with well past softcap all positions and ~60%+ resistance to all (85 on the s/l). 

 

[Linea]

I almost never take the Steam_Spray and similar cones.  Cones are a PITA to hit max targets, and somewhat less flexible.  I just don't want to have to deal with a short range cone.  The shorter range on this one just makes me dislike it even more.

 

Whirlpool DPA is better, but DPR worse, and Avoid is both a benefit and detriment.  DPR in this context is more useful, unless I decide I want the survivability benefit of Avoid.  I usually do like the Avoid Element.

 

An AoE Immobilize is one of those things I wish I had on every non-taunt build.  And this one does damage, and can make a nice chain of:  Fences, Burst, Fences, 2s gap, repeat.  Whirlpool won't fit as well, and while Spray might perform better (it also might not) I don't want to be forced into close range to use it, either.

 

Fences worked into the build nicely.  It wasn't my first choice, my first was going to be Psionic Spike damage for taking out T9 EBs.

 

Whirlpool:            60r25,    48.4 dpa,     1.74 dpr,     16 tgts
Steam Spray:     40<50,    36.7 dpa,     4.50 dpr,     10 tgts
Chain Fences:     80r30,     32.2 dpa,     2.59 dpr,     16 tgts
* I did not double check dpa and dpr numbers, and have notice some minor variances.

[EnjoyTheJourney]

Here's a variation on the build you've suggested, with a different secondary. DDR is fairly well handled. A combination of rehabilitating circuit and absorb helps to handle the healing when attacks land, as long as the sentinel is on a team. Scaling resists and rune of protection are available if heavy damage seems headed this sentinel's way. 

 

The build offers 3 AOE attacks and 3 single target attacks. 

 

This is quite likely because of limited experience in 801 on my part. But, this build does not incorporate the secondary T9. If it is an essential pick then it could be fitted into the build. 

 

It'll be interesting to hear just how far off the mark this build might be, in feedback. 

 

Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.1.25
https://github.com/Crytilis/mids-reborn-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Sentinel
Primary Power Set: Psychic Blast
Secondary Power Set: Super Reflexes
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Sorcery
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Electricity Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Telekinetic Blast -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(34), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(37), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13)
Level 1: Focused Fighting -- ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(3), ShlWal-Def/Rchg(3), ShlWal-Def(5), Ksm-ToHit+(39)
Level 2: Focused Senses -- Rct-Def(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(5), Rct-EndRdx/Rchg(7), Rct-Def/Rchg(7), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(9), Rct-ResDam%(9)
Level 4: Agile -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(13), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(50)
Level 6: Will Domination -- SprSntWar-Acc/Dmg(A), SprSntWar-Dmg/Rchg(25), SprSntWar-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), SprSntWar-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(31), SprSntWar-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), SprSntWar-Rchg/+Absorb(23)
Level 8: Psychic Focus -- GssSynFr--Build%(A)
Level 10: Master Brawler -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(11), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(11), Pnc-Heal(21), Pnc-Heal/+End(21)
Level 12: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 14: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(15), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(15), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(17), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(17)
Level 16: Enduring -- PrfShf-End%(A)
Level 18: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(19), RedFrt-Def(19)
Level 20: Dodge -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 22: Spirit Ward -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(50)
Level 24: Mystic Flight -- WntGif-ResSlow(A)
Level 26: Rune of Protection -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), UnbGrd-Max HP%(27), UnbGrd-ResDam(27), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(29), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(29)
Level 28: Quickness -- Run-I(A)
Level 30: Psionic Tornado -- PstBls-Acc/Dmg(A), PstBls-Dmg/EndRdx(40), PstBls-Dmg/Rng(40), PstBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), PstBls-Dam%(43), FrcFdb-Rechg%(39)
Level 32: Psychic Wail -- SprOppStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprOppStr-Dmg/Rchg(33), SprOppStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), SprOppStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(34), SprOppStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), SprOppStr-Rchg/+Opportunity(33)
Level 35: Chain Fences -- SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(A), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx(36), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(37)
Level 38: Evasion -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(48), LucoftheG-Def(48), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg(46), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(50)
Level 41: Havoc Punch -- Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg(A), Mk'Bit-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Mk'Bit-Dmg/Rchg(42), Mk'Bit-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), Mk'Bit-Dam%(43)
Level 44: Rehabilitating Circuit -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(45), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(45), Prv-Heal/Rchg(45), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(46), Prv-Absorb%(46)
Level 47: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(48)
Level 49: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Opportunity 
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run 
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(23)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PwrTrns-+Heal(25)
------------

Edited June 11, 2021 by EnjoyTheJourney

[oldskool]

16 hours ago, Linea said:

I almost never take the Steam_Spray and similar cones.  Cones are a PITA to hit max targets, and somewhat less flexible.  I just don't want to have to deal with a short range cone.  The shorter range on this one just makes me dislike it even more.

 

Whirlpool DPA is better, but DPR worse, and Avoid is both a benefit and detriment.  DPR in this context is more useful, unless I decide I want the survivability benefit of Avoid.  I usually do like the Avoid Element.

 

An AoE Immobilize is one of those things I wish I had on every non-taunt build.  And this one does damage, and can make a nice chain of:  Fences, Burst, Fences, 2s gap, repeat.  Whirlpool won't fit as well, and while Spray might perform better (it also might not) I don't want to be forced into close range to use it, either.

 

Fences worked into the build nicely.  It wasn't my first choice, my first was going to be Psionic Spike damage for taking out T9 EBs.

 

Whirlpool:            60r25,    48.4 dpa,     1.74 dpr,     16 tgts
Steam Spray:     40<50,    36.7 dpa,     4.50 dpr,     10 tgts
Chain Fences:     80r30,     32.2 dpa,     2.59 dpr,     16 tgts
* I did not double check dpa and dpr numbers, and have notice some minor variances.

 

Thanks for the response.  

I've read over your works before and already have a good idea on how thorough you are.  Maybe I should have opened with that.  Anyway,  you're essentially confirming to me you've already thought through what is available to you.  Given the limitations of the Sentinel, as it currently is, I don't see space in your build for meaningful changes.  

Edited June 11, 2021 by oldskool

[Bionic_Flea]

I'd stick the Reactive Armor Scaling resist proc in Kinetic Shield and +5 the Def/End and the LotG for a slight loss of S/L defense for a 3%+ resist to all but psi.  If you +5 some other defense IOs you could probably replace more of the loss.

 

I'm not sure of the slotting on Rune, as we are now stuck at 180/60.  But Mids hasn't updated that yet.  And I know you'd still want the set bonuses.

 

The problem with Sentinels, I find, is not surviving; it's damaging.  So while this might be able to stay standing in your 801s juggling Rune and Overload and Temp Powers, it's not going to be clearing very quickly.  To that end, you may want to put Gaussian in Tidal Forces and +5 the other recharge.

 

[Linea]

Nice Catch.  I swapped the PvP Defense into KS and +5d them, then put the scaling into RF.  Net No-Loss even when malfactored.

 

Rune is for the bonuses.

 

I'd love the Guassians in TF, but No clue where to steal a slot.  There's little to be gained from going above (50+5, 50+1), 23.32 vs 23.48.  If you do use Guassians, I prefer (50+2, 10+3) for the 95% proc rate.  Double BU on demand trumps a second or two on recharge, IMO.

 

 

[Underfyre]

I uhh... I took my "tough as nails" Water/SR into 801.7 (4/8) and promptly died without doing more than 15% damage to any particular mobs....

[Linea]

On 6/11/2021 at 2:31 AM, EnjoyTheJourney said:

It'll be interesting to hear just how far off the mark this build might be, in feedback.

 

RE: Psi SR

 

The lower difficulty rating 801s are not as strenuous, but for 801.7 and above, ....

 

You need DDR Cap, and 60+ defense; or 80s DDR and 85+ defense. 

 

You also need Resist Cap.

 

You may or may not have enough healing capacity, but you'll need a live target to use it.  But then modify that by ...

 

Even with Rune up you'll be taking over double damage vs resist cap, and an additional triple damage vs incarnate-defense, if not 4x or higher considering debuffs.  At 50 defense, you're also in serious danger of cascade failure.  Anything less than 60def starts hitting the redzone, and 50 is critical, 45 instant failure.  So I suspect you're doomed in 7 and up.

 

Edited June 14, 2021 by Linea

[EnjoyTheJourney]

7 hours ago, Linea said:

 

RE: Psi SR

 

You need DDR Cap, and 60+ defense; or 80s DDR and 85+ defense. 

 

You also need Resist Cap.

 

You may or may not have enough healing capacity, but you'll need a live target to use it.  But then modify that by ...

 

Even with Rune up you'll be taking over double damage vs resist cap, and an additional triple damage vs incarnate-defense, if not 4x or higher considering debuffs.  At 50 defense, you're also in serious danger of cascade failure.  Anything less than 60def starts hitting the redzone, and 50 is critical, 45 instant failure.  So I suspect you're doomed in 7 and up.

 

In short, the T9 and the carefully timed juggling / stacking of other powers are all essential to making a build work. 

 

The other key takeaway is that I don't know how the scaling works for where the softcap ends up being, depending on the level gap between characters and mobs. Even after re-reading the "purple patch" paragonwiki page, which did help for some issues, there is still some fogginess in my understanding of how level differences affect the interactions between defense rating and to hit values. I'll study that further sometime in the next day or so. 

 

Thank you very much for your feedback. 

[Underfyre]

After eating pavement a few times I took a power analyzer to them mobs. They're running 130% accuracy and bonus to hit% on top of that.

[Bionic_Flea]

On 6/11/2021 at 11:39 AM, Linea said:

I'd love the Guassians in TF, but No clue where to steal a slot.  There's little to be gained from going above (50+5, 50+1), 23.32 vs 23.48.  If you do use Guassians, I prefer (50+2, 10+3) for the 95% proc rate.  Double BU on demand trumps a second or two on recharge, IMO.

How about just replacing one of the recharge with Gaussian proc?  How much of a difference in time are we talking about?  Less than 5 seconds, I think.

[Doomguide2005]

On 6/12/2021 at 1:23 AM, underfyre said:

After eating pavement a few times I took a power analyzer to them mobs. They're running 130% accuracy and bonus to hit% on top of that.

How much To Hit?  The To Hit is what your Defense is countering.  Accuracy you can't directly effect.  It just gives you an idea of how much incoming damage you'll need to otherwise mitigate ... resistance, regen and active healing.  So it's really more like "bonus to hit% and 130% accuracy on top of that".

 

Guessing you've got your level shift running otherwise 130% accuracy doesn't make sense (a +3 minion has a 1.3 modifier for level difference.  Lts and up will have even more accuracy.)

[Underfyre]

10 hours ago, Doomguide2005 said:

How much To Hit?  The To Hit is what your Defense is countering.  Accuracy you can't directly effect.  It just gives you an idea of how much incoming damage you'll need to otherwise mitigate ... resistance, regen and active healing.  So it's really more like "bonus to hit% and 130% accuracy on top of that".

 

Guessing you've got your level shift running otherwise 130% accuracy doesn't make sense (a +3 minion has a 1.3 modifier for level difference.  Lts and up will have even more accuracy.)

 

Just the basic hit chance with Aim running every time it's up. So yeah, they float around 6% hit chance, but they also have bubble defense at a minimum and heal all the time, so they take forever to kill. Then with Aim running frequently, they win through attrition.

Edited June 14, 2021 by underfyre

[Linea]

801 varies in difficulty 0 to F (F is Hexidecimal for 15).  801 has killed over 1,400 Tanks (that I know of), and Most TEAMS fail 7.  I would suggest starting at 801.2, the 'standard difficulty'.  You may also want to read the AE 801(link).

 

801.2 (Tier 1) is harder than official Incarnate Content.  Most official incarnate content is effectively +1x8 at it's hardest, without any EBs, and generally with mobs that are at least a little bit nerfed.  If you run 801.0 -1x8 no-bosses, that's probably roughly equivalent to official incarnate content.  In 801.2 (Tier 1) Most of the mobs will have a base to-hit of 45, with either Aim or Rage.  About 1/3 of those will have Aim for a 58 to 65 (variable by mob rank) to-hit for 10 seconds every 90 seconds.   About 1/3 of them will have Rage for a base to-hit of 58 to 65 for 2 minutes every ... very long time inbetween.  1/16 of the mobs will be snipers, and about 1 in 3 (1 in 50) of these will have a base to-hit of 65 with aim for 85 to-hit for 10 seconds every 90 seconds.   Also, of the snipers, 1/3 (1 in 50) will have a T9 Armor, the other 1/3 (1 in 50) will have status protection.   If you try to steam roll the mobs, your front-line will be facing full incarnate to-hit and full incarnate damage.  If you move slower between mobs, then you'll be facing much more standard non-incarnate to-hit and damage, as many of the mobs pop their rage, aim, and similar powers when you first come into AI range, instead of at a more intelligent point in the fight.  If you spend 2 minutes beginning to end on this mob, then move to the next, chances are that next mob has already wasted most of it's 'Incarnate Power' and you'll be facing a much easier fight.

 

801.5 (Tier 2) ... Is the same as 801.2, but more mobs have base to-hit of 58 - 65, instead of just 45.  More also have Aim on top of that base.

 

801.7 (Tier 3) ... The mobs have all transitioned into EBs only, and is similar to 801.5, but now most (but not all) mobs have base to-hit of 58-65, and all snipers have aim or rage, and any mob that is base 45 always has aim.

 

This pattern holds all the way to F (F is hexidecimal for 15) which is ALL AVs supported and buffed to the resistance caps.  Resistance Capped AVs, with 85 To-hit, and Triple Damage Nukes!  Wheeeee!

 

Edited June 14, 2021 by Linea

[Doomguide2005]

     Wheeee indeed!

     That's a base to hit ... so soft cap of 80% defense.  

     Next one is essentially close to impossible if not a Tanker, Brute, Kheld or VEAT.  15k to the chin.  This is really, really  painful.  It will kill pretty much anything not at 85% damage resistance or better and not at their AT hit point cap (hoping the one shot rule applies).  Will need lots of heal/regen to recover between blows that will land.  Not sure how much damage debuffs can help owing to AV resistances, but you'd need a bunch (maybe 30% out of everyone on an 8-man team, *warning napkin math*) to keep the 75% resistance characters upright long enough to be healed.

 

Ow, ow, owie!

 

 

     

 

[Linea]

When I said 'Base'  I meant lowest soft cap, where it is variable.   I don't know what to call that in this context. 

If a critter has 'aim' and 'targetting drone'.  The it will be 45 + 20 = 65 minimum, but can spike to 85 for 10s every 90 seconds.  I'm calling 65 in this case 'base'.

And yes, I know the official i-cap is 59, but we don't have an 'Incarnate' button in AE.  We have to work with what we have available in AE.

 

 

 

[Linea]

Sentinel Results:

• Sentinel is a bit more fragile than the stalker.
• Surprisingly good offense.
  • After several tries I managed just over 10 minutes in 801.7.  I pulled a second group yet again.  Like the stalker, it's one, and only one, group at a time, in 801.7.  Adds are fatal.
  • Unlike the stalker, it's a bit more fragile, so there are some random group combinations that I'm not sure it can handle.
  • Unlike the stalker, it has less ST dps, and more AoE dps.  However, in 7 and up, unless you have way more AoE, the EBs pretty much ignore the splash.  Overall, that is a negative for this build in 801.7 and up while solo.  However, the AoE is also a positive if teamed or in any easier content where the AoE will be more meaningful.
  • Unlike the stalker, the lower ST DPS means taking out one EB at a time, pretty slowly.  The Stalker can usually take a few before needing to worry about handling the armor crash.  This makes the Stalker a much better option.

 

I expect to run this build a fair bit for the next few weeks, as well as do more testing.

Edited June 15, 2021 by Linea

[Linea]

Sentinel had another successful run ... and then I fumbled the crash.  This is much harder on the Sentinel than the Stalker.   I can pull it off, but only about 1 in 5 tries, and it's only sustainable for 15 to 20m at most.  I prefer longer sustainability.  .. Therefore, ATM, I think I'm going to call this a 'Barely Fail' for 801.7, and then try to get all the accolades and see if that pushes it over into 'Barely Pass'.

 

The accolades are really going to matter more to the Sentinel build than other builds.

I don't know if the accolades will be enough difference, but It's so close I'm going to be putting time into getting them.  I almost never do this.

 

Discrete Healing as well as Sustained healing matters.

Stalker is 11% HP/S, Sent is 4.8% HP/S.  Stalker is discrete 30% packets, while Sent is discrete 11% packets.   The size of the packet matters more than the sustained in this case, but both favor the Stalker.  A double to triple hit in too close a time interval just leaves too little HP to sustain combat.  This is more a problem not of sustained damage, but diescrete damage at just the wrong time.  Hopefully Accolades will make this difference less critical.

 

Discrete Damage as well as Sustained damage matters.

The Sustained long term damage difference is not at all as large as the combat results in 801.7 would indicate.  However, Sentinels just don't have damage spikes like Stalkers and Scrappers.  The Stalker starts the fight by cutting an EB in half, then finishing him off in short order.  By the end of round one 3 EBs are down.   The Sentinel not only can't spike, but stuff runs so much you're lucky to take down one EB total per round.  It's not long term sustained damage that counts here, but discrete applied damage as applied to a difficulty target that doesn't play nice and tends to run like Rommy unless spiked pretty hard.

Additionally, the Stalker sheds more aggro. For each EB the stalker kills, another EB tends to run away.  This greatly reduces the stress on the Stalker.  Meanwhile, the Sentinel just attracts more and more aggro, never losing any.  And if there are adds nearby, almost always pulling those as well.

 

On the positive side, 801.6 is a cake walk. So overall I'm very happy with the build, even if it never manages to reach the goal.

This also tells me that 5% HP/S isn't enough support while 11% HP/S is.  So it's very much narrowed down the line of how much support you need to be successful on an 75% Resist Cap AT running a Resist/Def/DDR cap build, and it's not very much.

Edited June 15, 2021 by Linea

[nihilii]

On 6/14/2021 at 5:06 PM, Linea said:

This pattern holds all the way to F (F is hexidecimal for 15) which is ALL AVs supported and buffed to the resistance caps.  Resistance Capped AVs, with 85 To-hit, and Triple Damage Nukes!  Wheeeee!

Haha, wow. So what kind of team does it take to run this on +4/x8?

[Linea]

Primarily you want a well balanced team of T4 Incarnates.  Toss the tank(s) at the mobs, Barrier Radials, Rebirths, Agelesses, ... Control and Support are Invaluable.

 

I've had 2 teams report to have done F ... and they both asked for a harder one.  I'll have to do a G someday.

I've run 4 or 5 successful teams in D, but no higher. Good random teams are very rare, and usually break up after 1 or 2 missions, so it's really difficult to build your way up to the harder ones.

 

[Sir Myshkin]

On 6/15/2021 at 1:58 PM, nihilii said:

Haha, wow. So what kind of team does it take to run this on +4/x8?

The kind fed by two cups of crazy and a dozen packets of sugar stolen from a local food chain.

 

 

I can tell you Tanker wise you got to start with a baseline expectation that for the Tanker to survive it first has to be able to solo an enemy buffed, player debuffed, no insp, no temp, MoITF run to make the qualifiers.

 

On 6/15/2021 at 3:23 PM, Linea said:

I've run 4 or 5 successful teams in D, but no higher. Good random teams are very rare, and usually break up after 1 or 2 missions, so it's really difficult to build your way up to the harder ones.

 

Ooh, Ooh, can we do an All Trick Arrow run?! Have you tried that yet? Or at least maybe a TA heavy team with something giving some additional minor support? Suddenly visualizing even just four applications of Flash Arrow and PGA with just their unresistable portions stacking up...