Can you build around pool powers as main attacks?

[biostem]

On 12/9/2021 at 12:30 PM, Mashugana said:

Some of the pool powers are really cool - I'd love to try some characters that use them

This right here should, IMHO, should be the main determinant in what you play - if you find a particular power or set fun, then play it!  I would still suggest, if this is your main drive, to pick an AT and powersets that compliment or compensate for, those choices...

[cohRock]

As several others have stated, Arcane Bolt on its own is a pretty nice attack.  Another factor to keep in mind is the Synergy obtained when a character possesses multiple Fighting Pool attacks.  If you have two of the attacks, their damages are both boosted by 15%.  If have all three, then the boost to each is 30% total.  Side effects are also added or buffed, including even some side effect debuffs given to Brawl.

[Myrmidon]

My Thugs/Time Mastermind uses all of the Fighting Pool attacks and fights in the melee pit.

[Gulbasaur]

32 minutes ago, Myrmidon said:

My Thugs/Time Mastermind uses all of the Fighting Pool attacks and fights in the melee pit.

That sounds cool. Time is as near as you'll find an armour set in the support category - I've played with full-on Time Tanks. Mastermind is an archetype I've never quite gotten on with, but this does sound cool. 

[Mashugana]

Thanks everyone!

[Sir Myshkin]

On 12/9/2021 at 11:30 AM, Mashugana said:

Some of the pool powers are really cool - I'd love to try some characters that use them - but I am not sure how the math works 🙂

 

Don't worry about the math if you're just looking to have fun in the game. Even the barest minimum can be min-maxed to death if one tries hard enough, and even a power-pool exclusive character can manage to "win" at this game if they choose their cards correctly. If there's an attack you want to cycle in for dramatic effect, then cycle it in, even if it doesn't always play to some random DPS algorithm! I kept Hurl Boulder on one of my characters for a long time just because of the occasional enjoyment of picking up a chunk of street and tossing it forcefully into a thugs head.

 

If you really want to find the best avenue to explore a character that gets the most benefit/bang out of pool powers then I'd point you at the supportive sets like Defenders/Corruptors/Controllers. They're less likely to have lost out of some significant component in their AT that being pool-driven will have mattered. The second additive is loading up on a bunch of damage procs in the attacks as possible. Two or three in each attack will help compensate the offset of their damage in the first place, no differently than any other ability, but it'll help bring them closer to a normalized scale of performance. The last thing is carrying around any kind of debuff abilities from their support role will also help skew combat back towards your favor, making the choice to be pool-centric less of an issue.

 

 

[Sovera]

If you can? Sure, you can, but ugh, why would you do that to yourself? With (a) rare exceptions pool powers are purposefully made weak as to be unappealing. As a result job accomplished: power pool attacks are not taken.

 

It can work as long as you dont decide to fight an AV because that is the one moment you would be unable to whittle enemy HP since they would handily regenerate.

 

It is probably better to pick one attack you like and work it into your regular attack chain.

[Luminara]

6 minutes ago, Sovera said:

It can work as long as you dont decide to fight an AV because that is the one moment you would be unable to whittle enemy HP since they would handily regenerate.

 

Pool attacks alone won't do the job, but a primary or secondary with -Regen will.  I did it in 2005.  With IOs, and better pool attacks than were available then, it'd be comparatively easy these days.

[Yomo Kimyata]

On 12/9/2021 at 12:30 PM, Mashugana said:

Are Pool Powers like Arcane Bolt as good as the main archetype powers? Can I make a pool power one of my main attacks? Or are they much weaker than anything I could get from my AT?

 

Some of the pool powers are really cool - I'd love to try some characters that use them - but I am not sure how the math works 🙂

 

Hey dude, welcome back.  Theme trumps all and there is very little that you can't play around with that will stop you from succeeding.  That said, recently the devs added new "challenge" modes, so when joining teams it's useful to ask whether or not you are expected to be l33t or optimally built or what.

 

[Snarky]

Pool Boy, a strange sidekick type super who is quite versatile at getting places and of limited use once there....

[Luminara]

3 hours ago, Snarky said:

Pool Boy, a strange sidekick type super who is quite versatile at getting places and of limited use once there....

 

That would explain why so many porn starlets know him.  Intimately.

[Ironblade]

 

6 hours ago, Snarky said:

Pool Boy, a strange sidekick type super who is quite versatile at getting places and of limited use once there....

 

2 hours ago, Luminara said:

That would explain why so many porn starlets know him.  Intimately.

 

I guess he would be the sidekick of Pizza Delivery Man?

[Albion]

On the third build slot I have a monstrosity that I call "Cosmetic Taxi", mainly sports the travel power pools, with a bit of the primary/secondary/ancillary/patron pools that show neat visual effects, surprisingly enough, that thing can play though most content short of a very demanding one, but those are usually done by leagues so it can get covered, AT is Illusion/Radiation controller.

[Sir Myshkin]

On 12/12/2021 at 8:25 PM, Luminara said:

 

Pool attacks alone won't do the job, but a primary or secondary with -Regen will.  I did it in 2005.  With IOs, and better pool attacks than were available then, it'd be comparatively easy these days.

For the general public record a level 50 AV can be solo defeated by a character only running pool attacks with the support of Acid Mortar and Poison Trap exclusively. Primary chain of Boxing, Kick, and Cross Punch.

 

There is enough DPS within the pool abilities to take down an EB on their own.