What are the worst powers in the game?

[Bionic_Flea]

What are the worst powers in the game?  You know, the ones almost everyone skips, like repel, jump kick, etc.  Stuff like that.

 

I'd like to theorycraft a character with as many of the worst powers as possible and try to make it work.

 

Hit me!

[Glacier Peak]

Spring Jump, LRM Rocket, regen

[Bill Z Bubba]

Stalker - Claws - Eviscerate

All Sleep powers unless you're 100% solo.

[roleki]

Please change the thread title to "What are the worst powers in the game after Time Bomb?"

[Seigmoraig]

Omega Maneuver. It looks really cool but it's really bad

[Nyghtmaire]

Black Hole. Would rather have Time Bomb even if only for the lols…

[Aurora_Girl]

World of Confusion and

 

...

 

World of Confusion. 

[Doomguide2005]

     Hmmm.  I routinely skip (which certainly isn't quite the same as 'worst' but effectively not much different for me anyway):

  Elude - not so much bad as like your appendix, thoroughly useless 99.99% of the time.  A lot of t9 armor powers fit this description but I lack any recent experience to say it's true for me.

  Time Bomb - should be renamed Time Sink or Time Waster.

  Resurrect- not so much terrible as massively bland and outshined by basically every other 'back among the living' powers in the game (and more than a few temp powers etc.).

     There's a few I've only used as mules ... and that seems to be pretty close to their only use.  Jump Kick being one of those.  I've had a rare few builds where I've used it to mule for Kinetic Combat (S/L defense).   Others are so niche or specialized that they're close to 'always pick something else' outside of some special or alternate build.  Hello Resuscitate ... makes Resurrect look good.  Or Sonic Cage->single target is that a better or worse factor?.  Or intangibilty powers in general.  Though the AoE ones are kind of like many AoE Sleeps ... great for handling adds or ambushes if somehow you or the team has nothing else to use on them.  

  

Edited January 15, 2022 by Doomguide2005

[Bionic_Flea]

OK.  Here we go for a first draft -- jump kick, spring jump, dark pit, time bomb, and world of confusion.  I took them, but barely slotted them.  It's hard to take so many "bad" powers and still slot up to be sturdy and damaging.  Is that cheating?

 

Spoiler

This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.1.2.5
https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Acidic Flea: Level 50 Magic Defender
Primary Power Set: Traps
Secondary Power Set: Dark Blast
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Psychic Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Caltrops

• (A) Javelin Volley - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
• (11) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy)
• (11) Annihilation - Chance for Res Debuff
• (29) Bombardment - Chance for Fire Damage
• (29) Ice Mistral's Torment - Chance for Cold Damage
• (31) Ragnarok - Chance for Knockdown

Level 1: Dark Blast

• (A) Superior Defender's Bastion - Accuracy/Damage
• (31) Superior Defender's Bastion - Damage/Recharge
• (33) Superior Defender's Bastion - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (33) Superior Defender's Bastion - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (33) Superior Defender's Bastion - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (34) Superior Defender's Bastion - Recharge/Chance for Minor PBAoE Heal

Level 2: Web Grenade

• (A) Enfeebled Operation - Accuracy/Endurance

Level 4: Combat Jumping

• (A) Reactive Defenses - Scaling Resist Damage
• (5) Shield Wall - +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All)
• (5) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed

Level 6: Jump Kick

• (A) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure

Level 8: Force Field Generator

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• (9) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
• (9) Luck of the Gambler - Defense

Level 10: Dark Pit

• (A) Stupefy - Accuracy/Endurance
• (37) Stupefy - Accuracy/Recharge

Level 12: Acid Mortar

• (A) Achilles' Heel - Chance for Res Debuff
• (13) Shield Breaker - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
• (13) Shield Breaker - Chance for Lethal Damage
• (15) Gladiator's Javelin - Accuracy/Damage
• (15) Gladiator's Javelin - Chance of Damage(Toxic)

Level 14: Spring Attack

• (A) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure

Level 16: Poison Trap

• (A) Neuronic Shutdown - Accuracy/Endurance
• (17) Neuronic Shutdown - Chance of Damage(Psionic)
• (17) Lockdown - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold
• (23) Lockdown - Chance for +2 Mag Hold
• (25) Gladiator's Net - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
• (25) Ghost Widow's Embrace - Chance of Damage(Psionic)

Level 18: Moonbeam

• (A) Gladiator's Javelin - Accuracy/Damage
• (19) Gladiator's Javelin - Accuracy/Damage/End/Rech
• (19) Gladiator's Javelin - Chance of Damage(Toxic)
• (21) Sting of the Manticore - Accuracy/Damage
• (21) Sting of the Manticore - Damage/Endurance
• (23) Sting of the Manticore - Chance of Damage(Toxic)

Level 20: Tenebrous Tentacles

• (A) Superior Frozen Blast - Accuracy/Damage
• (37) Superior Frozen Blast - Damage/Endurance
• (37) Superior Frozen Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (40) Superior Frozen Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (42) Superior Frozen Blast - Damage/Endurance/Accuracy/RechargeTime
• (42) Superior Frozen Blast - Recharge/Chance for Immobilize

Level 22: Night Fall

• (A) Superior Vigilant Assault - Accuracy/Damage
• (27) Superior Vigilant Assault - Damage/RechargeTime
• (43) Superior Vigilant Assault - Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
• (43) Superior Vigilant Assault - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (43) Superior Vigilant Assault - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
• (46) Superior Vigilant Assault - RechargeTime/PBAoE +Absorb

Level 24: Combat Teleport

• (A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up

Level 26: Teleport Target

• (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points)
• (27) Blessing of the Zephyr - Run Speed, Jump, Flight Speed, Range

Level 28: Torrent

• (A) Force Feedback - Chance for +Recharge

Level 30: Fold Space

• (A) DSync:D-Sync Provocation
• (31) DSync:D-Sync Conduit

Level 32: Time Bomb

• (A) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure

Level 35: Life Drain

• (A) Superior Winter's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
• (36) Superior Winter's Bite - Damage/RechargeTime
• (36) Superior Winter's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (36) Superior Winter's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (49) Superior Winter's Bite - Damage/Endurance/Accuracy/RechargeTime
• (50) Healing IO

Level 38: Blackstar

• (A) Superior Avalanche - Accuracy/Damage
• (39) Superior Avalanche - Damage/Endurance
• (39) Superior Avalanche - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (39) Superior Avalanche - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (40) Superior Avalanche - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (40) Superior Avalanche - Recharge/Chance for Knockdown

Level 41: Maneuvers

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• (42) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance

Level 44: Dominate

• (A) Ghost Widow's Embrace - Accuracy/Recharge
• (45) Ghost Widow's Embrace - Chance of Damage(Psionic)
• (45) Gladiator's Net - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
• (45) Neuronic Shutdown - Chance of Damage(Psionic)
• (46) Unbreakable Constraint - Chance for Smashing Damage
• (46) Apocalypse - Chance of Damage(Negative)

Level 47: Mind Over Body

• (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%
• (47) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All)
• (47) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance
• (48) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance
• (48) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance/RechargeTime
• (48) Unbreakable Guard - +Max HP

Level 49: World of Confusion

• (A) Coercive Persuasion  - Contagious Confusion
• (49) Coercive Persuasion  - Confused/Endurance

Level 1: Brawl

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Sprint

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Vigilance

Level 2: Rest

 

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Swift

• (A) Run Speed IO

Level 1: Health

• (A) Panacea - +Hit Points/Endurance
• (3) Preventive Medicine - Chance for +Absorb
• (7) Numina's Convalesence - +Regeneration/+Recovery

Level 1: Hurdle

• (A) Jumping IO

Level 1: Stamina

• (A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End
• (3) Power Transfer - EndMod
• (7) Power Transfer - Chance to Heal Self

Level 49: Quick Form

Level 50: Freedom Phalanx Reserve
Level 50: Portal Jockey
Level 50: Task Force Commander
Level 50: The Atlas Medallion
Level 50: Intuition Radial Paragon
Level 50: Clarion Radial Epiphany
Level 50: Diamagnetic Core Flawless Interface
Level 50: Support Radial Embodiment
------------

 

Edited January 15, 2022 by Bionic_Flea

[Doomguide2005]

*raises eyebrows*

     Dark Pit does not belong on the list of bad powers unless it's a list of powers with bad reputations.  Either that or all mag 2 stun powers belong on it.  This is doubly so on any set pairings with another stun because now you're stunning bosses.  Of course YMMV and all that.

    Otherwise this is your challenge, your rules as far as being an effective or not build despite loading up on ugly powers.  And where's my Resuscitate 🤪?

      

[ZorkNemesis]

Pacify is pretty junk, single target Placate with none of the extra Stalker benefits.

 

Scrapper Confront, it's a taunt sure, but a single target taunt.  Far less useful than a Tanker/Brute taunt (on purpose) and even less effective than Provoke from the Presence pool.  I don't think I've ever seen anyone take it.

 

Time Bomb, no comment needed.

 

Liquefy isn't the worst, but it's a location AoE that causes foes to run from it and has next to no means of keeping them in place (no mez, no slow, it has a knockdown, but it's not very good).  If you don't have an AoE mez to throw in with it all Liquefy does is scatter the mob.  It also has an enormous recharge for no good reason.

 

Clarity is another one that's not inherently bad, but feels kind of redundant.  You already have some status protections with Sonic Dispersion as long as allies hang out with you.  Clarity can cover a few that Dispersion doesn't, like Sleep, but still feels unneeded.

 

And another Sonic pick, Sonic Repulsion, but only if you don't give it a KB>KD enhancement.  You want to turn your tank into a walking crowd scatter, go right ahead.

 

Black Hole and Dimension Shift aren't bad but far too situational, same with Detention Field and Sonic Cage.  Setting a group to Only Affect Self usually just serves to make your team angry that they now have to wait to continue their steamroll.

 

Fly (if you're a Peacebringer) and Teleport (if you're a Warshade).  Your AT already has those powers you dummy!

 

Edited January 15, 2022 by ZorkNemesis

[EnjoyTheJourney]

A whirlwind / corrosive vial / sleep grenade / body armor character could perhaps scale the heights of mediocrity. 

Edited January 15, 2022 by EnjoyTheJourney

[Gulbasaur]

4 hours ago, Aurora_Girl said:

World of Confusion. 

Honestly? I like it. It's a bit underpowered, but it does its job. With the Contagious Confusion proc (which, admittedly, it interacts with poorly), it does its job better. It would really benefit from the pulses synching up better with procs, but hey ho. 

 

It's a gimmicky power but it's one of the more unique ones and I think that has a lot of value. 

 

1 hour ago, ZorkNemesis said:

Pacify is pretty junk, single target Placate with none of the extra Stalker benefits.

Yeah. I'm quite surprised it didn't get the same AoE treatment in the recent patch. 

 

1 hour ago, ZorkNemesis said:

Dimension Shift

I think this is a "great solo, great levelling, niche in endgame" power. I do think endgame suffers a bit from everyone being basically invincible, but it's a superhero game and superheroes do be like that sometimes. 

[Lancek]

Serum and Repair, you can't even use them as a pet IO dump.

[Outrider_01]

Brawl slotted with Nemesis Plot

[JnEricsonx]

1 hour ago, Lancek said:

Serum and Repair, you can't even use them as a pet IO dump.

That needs to be reworked on MM sets.   So much easier for other MMs to have your pet proc cake and eat the passives too.

[Clave Dark 5]

I'd say Boxing / Kick, because they're bad and we have to take them anyway to get to something actually useful.  So, I dunno, six-slot it or something.

[ZorkNemesis]

45 minutes ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

I'd say Boxing / Kick, because they're bad and we have to take them anyway to get to something actually useful.  So, I dunno, six-slot it or something.

 

Personally I think Kick sucks because of that awful animation, both the time it takes and how janky it looks (try kicking like that in real life).  But if you actually need an extra attack Boxing is pretty nice.  It's quick, comparable to most melee T1/T2s when slotted, gets stronger if you also have Kick and/or Cross Punch (and Cross Punch is also viable if you need another melee AoE; good for Super Strength and Kinetic Melee for sure), can stun weaker mobs and flows well with sets that don't need weapon draws.  I took it on an Ice Brute as an attack since Ice Melee kind of lacks decent early attacks beyond sword and frost.

 

Am I also reading CoD right in that Boxing's stun benefits from Domination?

 

Edited January 15, 2022 by ZorkNemesis

[Clave Dark 5]

All true, but that's a lot of ifs, Imho.  If you want another T1/2, if you take Kick and then Crosspunch, if you need another attack in general.  Meanwhile, pretty much everyone ends up having to otherwise throw away a choice on it (not all of course, I have a couple of Tough+Weave-less builds, but they are kind of hard to arrange well for squishies).

[Gobbledigook]

Hurl makes me want to Hurl and Shout makes me want to scream.

[Haijinx]

Rest

[Neiska]

Mercenaries. 

[Uun]

Spirit Ward since they turned it into a toggle.

 

Dimension Shift is different from the other intangibility powers and shouldn't be on this list. You can enter the phased area and fight the phased foes.

[The_Warpact]

Hand clap...it needs to be a stun/kb dmg power. 

 

Really any powers like that, its a stun but there is concussion associated with it and that is smashing dmg or at least should be.

 

Honestly now that I think about it this thread delves more into crappy powers and how they can be better, more of a Suggestion thread thing.

[Troo]