Dual Builds - Do You Use Them?

[Panache]

So I’ve started focusing pretty exclusively on just one character, and started thinking about running a dual build for the first time ever. I’m a live vet so the concept isn’t particularly new to me, but I’m wondering what kind of fundamental changes people make when they implement their second (and/or third) builds. 
 

For an example or some context: my main build is a Storm/Sonic soft capped  to range and resist capped to S/L/E, but gave up a good amount of recharge to get there. I’m thinking that with the second build I’ll just go whole hog for recharge. 

 

Anyone else make good use of this feature?

Edited March 3, 2022 by Panache

[Aurora_Girl]

No. Only use cases I can think of are VEATs and base building. 

[KC4800]

I have use for MM builds. One has nearly full flying pool so I can fit in Group Fly. One has nearly full Presence pool so I can taunty Taunt, and Placate and Fear.

[Luminara]

I flipped to a second build as a way to respec a character after running out of free respecs once... that's all I've ever done with that feature.

[Without_Pause]

On a Rad/fire Brute I did. One for farming and one for regular content. I might use one build to level, and then make a final one in a separate slot, but I never switch back. Very typically, I just respec the first slot. Depending on what is required of the second build, it can cost a lot. I just prefer dumping coin into another character.

 

To add, I can see making a team build and a solo one. I might just try out a build on the test server to see if I even needed a second build.

Edited March 3, 2022 by Without_Pause

[Greycat]

Went into this back on live:

http://web.archive.org/web/20120904082455/http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=194712

 

As far as "Do I use them?" The answer is solidly... sometimes. And what changes... depends completely on why I'm using them.

 

I used to suggest PVP builds. Some people may still do this, I tend not to, since purples drop more frequently through AFKing in Pocket D than PVP fights being found... but you may want different things in your PVP build than your PVE build.

 

I have a farmer with a farm and non-farm build. Yes, the farm build can do well, I just want different things during non-farming activity.

 

Kheldians - Might have a triform and human form on one for various reasons.

 

Support sets - If I find myself soloing on an Empathy character, or FF on a non-MM, for instance, I'll throw a "Solo" build on and go heavier on attacks and such.

 

RP - I may *want* some things for reasons in RP ("This character isn't actually this powerful," or "is more XYZ" or just want an effect) that I don't necessarily want as a part of a real build. Kind of rare, but it happens.

 

VEATs - sadly, you don't get away from the forced respec at 24 on a second or third build.

[Ukase]

I've got dual builds on two characters right now. My ice blaster Ukase, and my tank Emancipist. The tank's extra build is for tanking hamidon. The other is the build I simply arrived at when he reached level 50. Mids wasn't updated beyond the live version at that point, so I hadn't really spent time with it at that point, so it was mostly going off of memory and pursuing specific set bonuses. 

The ice blaster's 2nd build was really more of a respec in the same time frame, and I was concerned I wouldn't like the change, so I just made the second build. 

I do not habitually change builds for either of them. The one time I did, I was a bit dismayed, realizing (and understanding why) that each power would have to recharge. And, it was right before a task force and I definitely felt off-guard and out of position to be useful for about five minutes. 

With Attuned sets & mids, there's really no need for dual builds anymore. (for me) 

I'm just not going to sweat the boosters unless it's a character I will play a lot, and in those cases, I just use unslotters, and keep the attuned versions in my trays & replace them when I'm done with whatever the task was. 

[JasperStone]

For sure on my Peacebringer and on my Tank.

 

[Yomo Kimyata]

Sometimes on my "support" characters I'll make a solo build and a team build.

[KaizenSoze]

VEATs are made for dual or even triple builds.

 

Night Widow

General content/Night Tank

 

Fortunata

General content/Fort Tank/Flying dom

 

Bane

Mace and nades build/Huntsbane gun build

[roleki]

I run a dual build on my En/En Blaster - the  team-friendly edition with all the KB:KD enhancements I could scrounge up, then one that actually slots to enhance KB so I can amuse myself with all the ensuing wonders.  

[MrAxe]

For my main I have my tanking and proc monster builds. Once I can be bothered I'm going to make a tankroller sort of build. Presence pool, earth epic and psi melee as a solid base for it.

[Shred Monkey]

Once I built a 2nd build to do low level missions with on my 50 blaster.... My intent was to go through all the low level flashbacks on that toon and start badging, etc.  It was an interesting mental exercise to min-max solely for the exemplar down to levels 10-20.  But I didn't get much use from it after about a week's worth of grinding missions.

[Shenanigunner]

I've never found it useful except to have two optimized Kheldian builds (one hooman, one triad).

 

If I teamed a lot more, I would probably have solo/team builds on some alts.

[TheZag]

I have multiple builds on some characters.  My tank has his hamidon tank build,  an AoE faceroll build that can farm S/L if desired and a general tanking build.

 

I feel the main thing is to get familiar with the select build command so you dont have to go back to the trainer every time you want to switch.

 

/selectbuild 1

/selectbuild 2

/selectbuild 3

 

And remember that all your abilities go on cooldown.  All your toggles will drop,  your pets will be dismissed,  everything.  So if you plan to team transport or long range teleport,  do it before changing builds.

[Linea]

Sometimes.

Time/: oh @#$%.  I have 9 variations spread across 3 characters, maybe more ... I'd have to count.

FF/Beam Defender: PBU*Clarion Incarnate Buffs, General/Malfactor Build, Offense.

FF/DP:  801 Build, Malfactor/General Build, Offense

Tank: Psi-Tank, 801-Tank, Offense

Stalker/Scrapper:  801 Build, Offense

Fortunata:  Ranged Control, Melee-Fort

Kat/Ena: 801.6 and 801.A builds

 

 

[Shenanigunner]

NM

Edited March 3, 2022 by Shenanigunner

[oedipus_tex]

The main drawback of this is the expense, If you can afford to do it though, why not?

 

I rarely have enough cash to really make it work. But if you are playing one character and almost nothing else it does make a lot of sense to have multiple builds. My main is an Elec/Psi Dom, being able to swap him back and forth between the Psi and Mu epic pools would be really useful, for example.

[Panache]

2 hours ago, oedipus_tex said:

The main drawback of this is the expense, If you can afford to do it though, why not?

 

I rarely have enough cash to really make it work. But if you are playing one character and almost nothing else it does make a lot of sense to have multiple builds. My main is an Elec/Psi Dom, being able to swap him back and forth between the Psi and Mu epic pools would be really useful, for example.

Ah, jealous of the ability to change Epics without losing theme. Although no complaints about Elec Mastery on the Storm/Sonic.

[Placta]

My peacebringer has two fully-kitted out builds, one for human for general play, one triform for special circumstances.

 

Every controller I've leveled got varying degrees of unfun to solo without a specialized build in about the mid-teens. Back on live, I just committed those characters to being team-only, but with Homecoming, I've used my second build to have one for teaming and one for soloing, the latter using SOs and getting abandoned once the main build comes together.

 

Sometimes I think of taking all the spare inf in my inbox and making a pure level 50 build with everything boosted up the wazoo for my main/badger, but when I think about it I'm not sure it'd be worth it and I'd rather use that inf to fund alts.

[Sakai]

Occasionally. 

 

On some characters the 2nd build becomes a testing spot to see if a new build is more effective...I switch between the 2 and run whatever mission a few times to test. So much easier now that Boosting doesn't take so long.  Learned the hard way on Live that just because something looks better doesn't make it so.  I know I could test on, hmmm what is the test server called?, but then I end up making the same build twice in essence and it is so much work to begin with. 

 

There are a pair that use all 3. A boosted Lvl 50 build, an attuned exempt build as well a boosted Lvl32 set which for me is is the sweet spot for exempting. 

 

But for the most part one seems to be plenty. 

Edited March 3, 2022 by Sakai

[The_Warpact]

On my pvp builds, one for pve and the other pvp.

[Snarky]

Very rarely, yet they are INCREDIBLY useful when you need them.  The two that I use are

 

1) My Farmer has an alt build for regular teaming.

2) My “main” is the Brute I am soloing every contact in the game with.  I have his solo/regular build.  This includes stealth, a very  late build taunt, and an extra range ST and AOE from epic.  He also has a Tank build, early taunt, more armors, Leadership Maneuvers and Tactics.  Less damage 

Edited March 3, 2022 by Snarky

[MTeague]

I have a second build on exactly one character. I basically never use it.

In theory,  you can have one build optimized for lvl 50 content, and one build optimized for flashbacks. Or whatever else floats your boat. PvP, etc.

 

Part of it is I just don't enjoy character builds that are super high on global recharge and which use only 3-4 attacks from their primary. 

I get that they can be efficient. I get that they can yield better damage output. I get that you can pick up more pool powers that way.

I just don't enjoy it. 

 

In practice, I spend over 95% of my time in my "main" build, the one that's designed for flashbacking and uses 7 powers from my primary and 7 powers from my secondary. 

[Techwright]

I've only recently started dual build on my energy/energy blaster.  I love the powersets, but having to slot kb-to-kd on everything for the good of the team reduces his full potential.  The second build is a build to remove those restrictions, embrace KB, and give sets one more slot to work with.  I'll probably use that for soloing or in events so crowded it doesn't matter, like mothership raids.

 

I do see potential in a dual build for my warshade.  I've just not started it.