Defense and Resistance Sets

[tripthicket]

In discussions of various builds and powerset combos, I will often see advice/tips/recommendations to use 'resistance' sets or 'defense' sets. Looking at the Homecoming Wiki, the best I can find are pages that discuss the mechanics of these two, when what I'm looking for is an outright list that clocks me on the side of the head and says, 'THESE are defense sets, and THOSE are resistance sets.'

 

For instance, earlier today I saw advice to pair Sentinel Dark/ with a resistance secondary set for best effect. Whether the advice is good or not is beside the point; I dunno which sets those might be, so that advice, for me, is a bit useless.

 

I tried looking through the Guides forum, through the general Archetypes forum, and at this point I'm just spinning my wheels. I suspect the answer I'm wanting would involve generating a big list, but it might be as simple as (making the following up to provide an example) 'Dark is resistance, Invul is Defense, Rad is resistance, etc.'

 

If someone knows of a resource that will give me the knowledge I'm seeking, great, thank you, point me in that direction and off I'll go. Thanks in advance to any and all replies.

[Bill Z Bubba]

There are no rules since many sets are hybrid. Also don't know why someone would go resist for dark blast when it provides tohit debuffs which stack well with defense.

 

Super Reflexes is a Defense set but has scaling resists.

Invulnerability is a Resist set but has scaling defense with invincibility.

Rad is a Resist set but has healing and absorption.

Fire is a Resist set with a heal and massive damage.

Shield is a Defense set but provides solid resists as well.

Willpower is the truest hybrid, going Resist for smashing and lethal and Defense for the other types.

Ninjitsu is just SR with less DDR but with click heal and recovery powers.

Dark is a Resist set but is full of controls and a massive heal.

 

So, it's not really important what they're called, just know that the toughest armors out there rely on layered mitigation from not only Resists and Defense but also heals, debuffs and controls.

[Erratic1]

The description of each set on the wiki tells you what type of protection it provides. Look up Electric Armor. The power descriptions repeatedly make reference to +Res (resistance). Likewise Energy Aura will refer to +Def (defense).

 

Particular abilities within primary and secondary working together cut is something that happens regardless of the type of protection offered most of the time though there are edge cases. The recommendation to you is one since the primary, which debuffs foes To-Hit, combines with the secondary, defense oriented meaning your odds of being hit are reduced, for greater impact. 

 

The limitation here is that you are only getting the combination against targets you're hitting. Miss or have something you're not hit come along and you're getting by only on your secondary set's defenses. Of course that is generally fine.

 

Edited September 22, 2021 by Erratic1

[The_Warpact]

12 minutes ago, tripthicket said:

In discussions of various builds and powerset combos, I will often see advice/tips/recommendations to use 'resistance' sets or 'defense' sets. Looking at the Homecoming Wiki, the best I can find are pages that discuss the mechanics of these two, when what I'm looking for is an outright list that clocks me on the side of the head and says, 'THESE are defense sets, and THOSE are resistance sets.'

 

For instance, earlier today I saw advice to pair Sentinel Dark/ with a resistance secondary set for best effect. Whether the advice is good or not is beside the point; I dunno which sets those might be, so that advice, for me, is a bit useless.

 

I tried looking through the Guides forum, through the general Archetypes forum, and at this point I'm just spinning my wheels. I suspect the answer I'm wanting would involve generating a big list, but it might be as simple as (making the following up to provide an example) 'Dark is resistance, Invul is Defense, Rad is resistance, etc.'

 

If someone knows of a resource that will give me the knowledge I'm seeking, great, thank you, point me in that direction and off I'll go. Thanks in advance to any and all replies.

I don't think a list exists per se, but, if you look up each AT it gives a list and description.

Its also hard to say just def or res as some sets have both.

Have you downloaded Mids yet? This can be a great way to familiarize yourself with the powers and to map out your builds. It is a very great tool and I know it has helped me excel in my understanding. 

 

 

[Dona Eis Requiem]

Looking for something like this?

https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Enhancement_Sets

[Sailboat]

Further confusing this issue is that sets that enhance defense often provide resistance bonuses, and sets that enhance resistance provide defense bonuses.  This becomes dramatically apparent if one is trying to slow the two unique IOs that provide defense (Steadfast Protection and Gladiator's Armor) into a Sup[er Reflexes powerset -- both those IOs go into resistance powers, but the SR powerset lacks any resistance powers to slot them into (you have to go outside the set, usually to Tough in the Fighting pool.).

 

Hitting the Wiki, there's particular language you can use to search: 
 

"Category: Sets that Improve x" will list sets that give bonuses.  Replacing x with "Smashing Defense" will show all the sets with smashing defense bonuses, like Obliteration, which is a Melee AoE Damage set, but carries a Smashing Defense bonus.

 

"Category: Sets for Improving x" will list sets that improve/go into that type of power.  Replacing x with "Defense" will give all the sets you can put into Defense powers.

 

 

[Riverdusk]

Sometimes it can be best to mix things up so I can see the logic in suggesting a resistance set to go along with dark blast.  Get your defenses to a decent level in other ways, (through IO's and such).  Then dark blasts debuffs take you the rest of the way to softcap (or at least close) and then you also have good resistance from your armor. 

 

Whereas, If you already have an armor set that gets you to 45+ defense, especially if it also includes decent/good DDR, then dark blast debuffs become superfluous except maybe for when you exemp down.  

[Bill Z Bubba]

34 minutes ago, Riverdusk said:

Sometimes it can be best to mix things up so I can see the logic in suggesting a resistance set to go along with dark blast.  Get your defenses to a decent level in other ways, (through IO's and such).  Then dark blasts debuffs take you the rest of the way to softcap (or at least close) and then you also have good resistance from your armor. 

 

Whereas, If you already have an armor set that gets you to 45+ defense, especially if it also includes decent/good DDR, then dark blast debuffs become superfluous except maybe for when you exemp down.  

 

11 hours ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

Also don't know why someone would go resist for dark blast when it provides tohit debuffs which stack well with defense.

 

11 hours ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

So, it's not really important what they're called, just know that the toughest armors out there rely on layered mitigation from not only Resists and Defense but also heals, debuffs and controls.

 

Why did I make such a silly comment and then contradict it in the same post? I'm gonna blame booze. Regardless,@Riverduskspeaks truly.

[Croax]

Hi all,

I know self advertisement is shameless but i think i have the question of the OP covered in my Stalker Guide. It is written from a Stalker point of view but still helpfull for all armor sets. I have made a visual comparison of the various armor sets under 'Secondaries'. Just check it out:

 

[Snarky]

19 hours ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

There are no rules since many sets are hybrid. Also don't know why someone would go resist for dark blast when it provides tohit debuffs which stack well with defense.

 

While some of us could reasonably be confused with powergamers (*cough) that does not mean we are not slaves to theme.  Dark/Dark is an insanely good Brute. While it is a resist set it has Stun, Fear, Stealth, and to hit debuffs meshing to provide a pseudo defense that is quite respectable 

Edited September 23, 2021 by Snarky

[Shred Monkey]

11 hours ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

Also don't know why someone would go resist for dark blast when it provides tohit debuffs which stack well with defense.

 

11 hours ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

Why did I make such a silly comment and then contradict it in the same post? I'm gonna blame booze. Regardless,@Riverduskspeaks truly.

 

3 hours ago, Snarky said:

While some of us could reasonably be confused with powergamers (*cough) that does not mean we are not slaves to theme.  Dark/Dark is an insanely good Brute. While it is a resist set it has Stun, Fear, Stealth, and to hit debuffs meshing to provide a pseudo defense that is quite respectable 

 

Ironically, given the title of this thread, the reason to go with dark blast and dark melee?  ...it's heal.

[Snarky]

4 minutes ago, Shred Monkey said:

 

 

 

Ironically, given the title of this thread, the reason to go with dark blast and dark melee?  ...it's heal.

My Dark/Dark Brute and Dark/Dark Blaster have stayed up way longer in difficult situations based on the Heal powers available to them.  The things are like cockroaches