How do I Slot Fortitude?

[00Troy00]

I'm sure there's more than one way, but I'd appreciate all opinions.

[Doomguide2005]

20 hours ago, 00Troy00 said:

I'm sure there's more than one way, but I'd appreciate all opinions.

Many, many ways:

1. 2 Membrane HO's, 1 LotG def/increased global recharge -> minimum slots maximum buff of recharge, defense and to hit
2. 3 Membrane HOs -> variant of above, no global recharge boost
3. 6 Red Fortune -> range def and global recharge 
4. 5 Red Fortune, 1 def/increased global recharge -> maximizes global recharge 
5. 1 LotG def, 1 LotG def/recharge, 1 LotG def/increased global recharge -> +regen, +max health boosts
6. Above plus LotG def/end -> adds +accuracy to the above
7. 5 Adusted Targeting -> +accuracy, +recharge, max to hit buffs
8. 5 Adjusted Targeting, 1LotG def/increased global recharge (See above)
9. 6 Gaussian's -> +positional defenses, max to hit buffs 
10. 3 LotG (including increased global rchg) plus 3 Gaussian's -> defense and to hit buffs
11. 2 50+5 defense IO's.  Maximizes defense, minimum slots.  With perma-Hasten, perma-AB level global recharge can keep Fortitude on 5 teammates minimum.  

 

      I've done many of these on my various Empaths at some point depending on the overall build demands.  Probably owing to demand for slots in the overall build #1 on the list is the most common enhancement usage these days.  #3 in solo builds, #4 when looking to get another LotG def/increased global recharge in the build.  #2 would be more likely these days in an "old school" build.

 

Edit:  In a GM (Green Machine) build they emphasize enhancing the defense because once you buff the next two on the team you are at the defense soft cap and already running under the effects of multiple Tactics (and 2 Fortitudes) or in otherwords your To Hit is already In the overkill realm and then some.

 

Edited November 26, 2021 by Doomguide2005
Afterthoughts, #11

[Glowworm]

I'm not sure if you were looking for what sets or just general theory but I get the recharge up first so I can put it on more teammates and then I start pumping up the defense after the recharge is 90%+. I don't think I've ever worried about increasing the to-hit buff. People generally build to be pretty decent at accuracy/to hit w/o buffs so the buff is just gravy and/or to counter debuffs.

[Doomguide2005]

8 hours ago, Glowworm said:

I'm not sure if you were looking for what sets or just general theory but I get the recharge up first so I can put it on more teammates and then I start pumping up the defense after the recharge is 90%+. I don't think I've ever worried about increasing the to-hit buff. People generally build to be pretty decent at accuracy/to hit w/o buffs so the buff is just gravy and/or to counter debuffs.

     Most of the top several options I've run on at least one of my Empaths (between here and Live).  The first one -> 2×Membrane HOs and LotG def/increased global recharge is by far my most common.  It maximizes the defense and nearly both the To Hit and recharge (which is also boosted by the global boost of the LotG) in 3 slots.  In doing so there's no set bonuses involved.  These are all intended as late or endgame options on a mature build.  While leveling I think enhancing either the defense or recharge works. 

 

     Keep in mind out of the box with no recharge enhancement or global boost Fortitude can already stack twice.  With the global recharge I usually have in the build (perma-Hasten) you are looking at 5 teammates easily before any recharge in Fortitude (roughly ~70%+37.5%+50%+30%), now add in an Alpha such as Spritual.  But certainly while leveling I'm not going to say no to recharge first.  GM builds, which mine always start as, tend to go defense first as the assumption is we're teamed so everyone is getting 2+ Fortitude, hitting the softcap as a result at least on our primary build.  But I can recall frankkenslotting a series of def/recharge IOs into one build at least back on Live so there's that as well.

 

     As for buffing the To Hit aspect it has generally not been a worry for me but my builds invariably are running Tactics.  If the build is not then I'd be much more likely to be thinking about boosting the To Hit so I included it as one of the many possible enhancement schemes.  Without an actual build to work off I wasn't attempting to recommend a particular slotting but offering a slew of options I've seen on builds or used myself.

 

     And now we have the new Advanced Difficulty Options with the Relentless challenge option where your team will be facing foes whose defense has been buffed by 30%.  Tactics alone even fully enhanced is not enough to offset this buff.  Fortitude covers that gap and, of course, no need to worry about getting out of the area of effect of Tactics as the buff from Fortitude will go around the corner or through a doorway with whoever might be about to take an alpha strike.

[Milk Sheik]

I threw in 3 membrane HOs (rech/def/to-hit), 1 LotG 7.5% for the recharge buff, and 1 Rectified Reticle +Perception. If you're not running Tactics (I wanted the Concealment pool more for speeding through missions), the RR comes in handy for shrugging off Night Widows and Fiends trying to blind you.

[Doomguide2005]

     Discussed it in another thread a while back but my computer died and I've yet to be able to try it out (and don't recall the outcome of the discussion or spent the time searching for it), but I wondered how the Gaussian's proc would work in Fortitude.  The idea of buffing an ally then following up with my crashless Nuke buffed by the proc.  Nevermind Soul Drain, Fort a friend, Nuke.

 

Edit:  Testing eventually confirmed it does proc on the caster of Fortitude (as of May 2022).

 

Update Edit (Sept 22, 2022):  looks like, per CoD the buff lasts 10 seconds not 5.  Not what I recall but I'm no spring chicken either.

Edited September 23, 2022 by Doomguide2005
Update