What/Willpower

[Snarky]

I have started experimenting with Sentinels (again). 
 

currently leveling a Beam/Will.  I am not shocked at how smooth Will is.  I have a lot of time on Will Brutes.  I think it is better (in my opinion) than Invul (my other choice) due to Invul slot hunger.  Will gives constant Blue and picks you up when you take too much agro.  I do not build it to tank, i build it to sustain.  So Will works well for me

 

i cannot decide if i like Beam.  I levelled to 40 in AE and slotted all the low level stuff out then ran Posi and Synapse. Will 50 it and continue (in order) through the TFs.  
 

my go to these days is Dark on everything lol.  I am not sure i like Dark armor on Sentinels. It is a very unforgiving set.  It would be tanky against low level minions and probably tissue in incarnate trials.  Whereas i see Will letting you play at the fringe and lick your wounds to come back in

 

But what pairs best with Willpower Armor? (I think Sentinel Will may be the most perfect niche for this set in modern CoH, where it is Overshadowed by Invul on tanks/brutes

I would be glad to level up a few more experiments but thought i would ask here.  
 

and of course, is Dark/Will a decent pairing or is that just a 3 winged duck?

Edited June 27, 2021 by Snarky

[Sunsette]

haven't tried it but Dark, Water, or Beam are the most end-hungry primaries I think, and Dark or Water helps cover survival issues for Will while Beam never has to put itself in those scenarios

[SmalltalkJava]

Hmm..  if you like to proc a lot then it's Rad, Beam, Water, and I think Ice can take a lot of proc's.  with rad taking a crap ton of them.  I like my sentinels with proc's.   If you like to stay 100% ranged then it's.  Ice, Water, Archery, Beam, Assault Rifle.   Everything else has pbaoe in their nuke except for electric but it still has 1 pbaoe.   Water has a heal that you can proc also,. I can't remember if dark primary does.  

 

If your still playing your beam throw some proc's in it.  It will hit much harder. It was night and day for me.  

[Omega Force]

Any of the weapon sets should pair well with Willpower by avoiding redraw.

[drbuzzard]

Beam Rifle is an interesting set. It's fun because of the disintegrate mechanic, but it's actually a bit sub par by the numbers. I used to play the heck out of it, until I realize it was doing crap damage. 

 

Fire, ice, and elec are the best of the bunch for having the peak DPAS attacks. Ice is also good for proccing if you want to go that route (elec also has a proccable hold). I think electric is my favorite sentinel set at the moment. It hits hard, has a ranged nuke, and the animations are all quite good. 

[oldskool]

17 hours ago, Snarky said:

But what pairs best with Willpower Armor? (I think Sentinel Will may be the most perfect niche for this set in modern CoH, where it is Overshadowed by Invul on tanks/brutes

 

I actually feel the opposite.  I feel Willpower suits me better on Tankers and Brutes over Invulnerability.  However, on Sentinels, I feel the opposite.  I feel Sentinel Invulnerability overshadows Sentinels Willpower.  Both sets were adapted to the AT and both have changes.  I feel the changes to Invul close some gaps but the changes to Willpower create/pronounce them.  

That said, depending on how one likes to build either option can be very durable sets.  

When it comes to "what pairs best...?" the answers are going to seem really shallow.  The level of synergy just isn't that deep here making the real answer "anything".  Though there are some merits on various sets already addressed.  Due to Willpower's static regeneration and somewhat weak mitigation, a more ranged-oriented set allows the set to shine where it works best.  You could still use sets with PBAoE powers in it, but there is a bit more risk making Willpower feel more fragile early on.  

Power sets with heals in them on the Sentinel are a bit overrated, in my opinion.  Life Drain has a 10% heal associated with it on every AT that has that power, except for Sentinels.  Sentinels get 7% of their max health which is a pretty 'meh' number to begin with.  On top of that, Life Drain's overall damage isn't anything to write home about.  So, enhancing it for healing is a huge waste of resources in my opinion as you only prolong combat vs shortening it.  That said, LD can take a range of procs really pushing its value.  Dehydrate in Water Blast can do the same thing but neither heal is going to pull you out the fire if you get in over your head.  Either power can be nice to have, but the real impacts may not even be noticeable to some players.  At least, it may not be noticeable to a degree where using a respite off your inspiration tray becomes a better use of your time.  YMMV

 

Dark Blast is the only set Sentinels have access to with direct analogs to defense in the form of the to-hit debuff.  Blackstar's debuff is massive and the selling point of the whole set.  However, Dark Blast suffers a bit on damage performance without abusing procs.  The proc stacking strategy for maximizing damage is in conflict with making Willpower more durable.  This is an issue that is less pronounced with Invulnerability.  

Anyway, the primary sets at large can offer some minor benefits to Willpower but really it isn't worth overthinking in my opinion.  It is better to recognize what Willpower is good at and just build on that vs trying to find a set that somehow will close its gaps (because *that* doesn't actually exist).  

Edited June 28, 2021 by oldskool