What are the most hybrid-y builds (apart from the Epic Archetypes)?

[Gulbasaur]

As soon as I hit 50 on Union, I rolled a Peacebringer (blaster mode, tanker mode and blapper mode - what's not to love?). My main on Everlasting has been a Fortunado (controller meets blapper but with defences that would make a brute nod in approval)... and I can't quite find anything that even roughly compares. In WoW I was a Druid and a Shaman. Hybrid is just what I like playing. Jack of all trades, master of turning into a space lobster. You know, normal things. 

 

Sentinels are, to an extent, safety blasters and I respect people who play them but they're not for me. I've looked at Warshade and SoAs and they're too similar to familiar territory. 

 

Maybe a blapper who flirts heavilly with power pools? My experiments with blasters has been a bit of a non-starter as my DP/devices blaster seemed to spend more time twirling round than doing anything useful. I've had good luck with defenders (storm/water is really fun) and corruptors (dark/dark is quietly amazing). Controllers can be fun but their Inherent needs a serious look at (or at least Fear needs to trigger Containment crits). 

 

Dominators? A procced out corruptor with lots of pool powers?  A scrapper with 99 of each purchasable prestige power called The Influencer? 

 

What can people recommend? Help a hybrid out? 

[Onlyasandwich]

Fortunata is definitely #1 in this regard, but you've already been there.

 

My next choice would be a Dominator with the Ice APP specifically. Sleet here is just as powerful as the Defender version, and Sleet is already one of the best support powers in the game.

 

Choice of primary and secondary does matter to a degree here as well, as some are just a bit underwhelming on a Dom.

 

My personal high performance choice would be something like Plants/Fiery/Ice.

 

You get:

• Very strong controls and mez protection with perma-dom.
• Single target damage that runs with the best of them if procced out accordingly.
• Decent aoe (this is a little lacking as combustion is poop). If you want stronger aoe, Fire APP is phenomenal, but you have a much weaker support power in Melt Armor.
• Hibernate is actually a really nice fallback tool to reset the world and survive no matter what.
• Solid defenses through APP and IOs, though you have to commit to types/positions, rather than getting the all-around protection of a Fortunata.

 

Grav/Energy/Ice is also great fun, and has similar strengths, but achieves them in a bit of a weird way. Here, a big part of your aoe damage is tp other, enflame, and singularity. It is truly a blast. /Energy meanwhile has adequate aoe in and of itself, and really good single target. 

 

The Blaster route isn't too bad either. Anything /Time is going to have access to a pretty decent aoe mez in Time Shift, and you can even grab Bonfire with -KB from the Fire APP for extra controllery fun. Combine this with a strong defense-oriented IO build and you have a very tough blasty controller, though lacking the mez protection of a Dom.

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by Onlyasandwich

[Errants]

2 hours ago, Krimson said:

I have a Widow who is neither a Fortunata nor a Night Widow. In fact, I took the stealth pool because I refused to take Night Widow/Fort Pools. 

 

My primary Widow attacks are Poison Dart and Dart Burst. I also use Toxic Dart and Corrosive Vial from the Experimentation Pool, as well as Mu Lightning, Electrifying Fences, Ball Lightning, and Static Discharge from Mu Mastery. I have a near endless AOE chain. 

 

A Blood Widow? Curious. The Widow version of a Huntsman... Build?

[Shocktacular]

With 3 single-target holds, the hold/slow patch, various slows and debuffs, my ice/time corruptor is pretty controller-y, AND she still gets that sweet, sweet scourge damage bonus. 🙂 

I also have a rad/dark brute who's a bit of a melee-range controller with Cloak of Fear and Oppressive Gloom + 2 powers with stun to stack with OG (and Chance for Disorient IOs).  I'd bet that energy/dark would be even better since energy/ has more stunning powers.

Edited March 14, 2022 by Shocktacular

[ZorkNemesis]

Here's an idea, a Shield melee (other than Stalker).  Shield is a pretty team-oriented defensive set that has a stacking bonus for fighting near allies (Phalanx Fighting) as well as another that provides a +DEF aura to nearby teammates (Grant Cover which you'll want for the DDR anyway; Stalkers do not get this power).  Shield is also more aggressive than many other defense sets, Against All Odds boosts your damage near enemies while Shield Charge is a strong extra attack that moves you directly into the battle.

 

Pair the shield with a melee set with strong debuffs. Dark Melee with the -ToHit on all hits synergizes very well with Shield's defenses and improve everyone's survivability by making foes less likely to hit, plus some healing and end powers for you.  Ice Melee is another good option, slows can be helpful at mitigating damage while the set adds a degree of control with Freezing Touch (damage and hold), Ice Patch (KD patch at your feet), and Frozen Aura (PBAoE damage and sleep), though the set blooms a little late.  You'll also be able to add range and debuff through epic pools.

 

If you want to add more team support, you can always build into pools, though melee support numbers will be lower (Tankers I think have the best support numbers of the melee ATs, but they're still lower).  Leadership is always a nice team buff, Sorcery has Spirit Ward that lets you give an ally an Absorb barrier while Experimentation gives a power that boosts an ally's Regen/Recovery.  Presence if you pick Scrapper and want a better taunt (Against All Odds will taunt regardless).  You certainly have options.

[LynxNordique]

Most of the /Dark Controllers can end up being efficient Tanktrollers, because of the -Tohit stacking, the stacking defenses and the good damage resistance (Shadow fall and Fade). Combined with the right epic shield, you can be close to the cap of Smashing and lethal and another type of damage. With Weave, the S/L resistance can be capped (I never took it on a /dark controller as I find it was not required). With Set bonuses and epic shields, these can be built to have a damage resistance between 30% to 75% on most damages type and incredibly high defenses, thanks to the -tohit debuffs. If one goes the Psi Epic Pool route, they can even have status effect protection nearly perma with Indomitable Will.  

 

Dark/Dark is hard to touch.

 

Both Earth/Dark and Illusion/Dark both have pets that have taunting attacks and are very resilient or invincible.

 

Plus they are all good at their controller job. 

[Gulbasaur]

4 hours ago, LynxNordique said:

Dark/Dark is hard to touch.

I've got a dark/dark tanker and a dark/dark corruptor and... yep!

 

The tanker particularly is a lot of fun, although sadly he got shelved as he had Corona as part of his name and... you know. One day he will return.

 

I think what I really want is a peacebringer with a full melee attack chain.

Edited March 15, 2022 by Gulbasaur

[The_Warpact]

I've thought about a Rad/DM tank with leadership, tp pool, and medicine pool.

A team oriented debuff tanker.

[Brutal Justice]

I have an ice/kin/soul tank .  He has slows, ranged and melee knockdowns, -dam, and -To-hit. Darkest night on a tank does -40% damage!  

 

His name is Metaldeth.  He’s a heavy metal roadie and the kin melee attacks are him playing air guitar.  He also actually tanks, not just takes an alpha like a support archetype that claims to be a tank.  Melt some faces, bang some heads!!!

 

I would promote an ice/ice/soul tank.  Ice patch, slows, holds, -tohit, -dam, and aggro control.  Really just adding darkest night to any tank makes you a great hybrid.  

 

I would also look into a dominator with sleet.  Similar hybrid play as your fortunata now with sleet!  

 

Rock on!! 🤘 

[Agorazium]

I have a dark/time corrupter that is an effective tanktroller, with the stacking def/-tohit, knockdowns, holds and Dark Pit which needs heavy slot investment but is a pretty underrated power.

[Akisan]

On 3/13/2022 at 11:34 AM, Onlyasandwich said:

The Blaster route isn't too bad either. Anything /Time is going to have access to a pretty decent aoe mez in Time Shift, and you can even grab Bonfire with -KB from the Fire APP for extra controllery fun. Combine this with a strong defense-oriented IO build and you have a very tough blasty controller, though lacking the mez protection of a Dom

 

Archery/Ice/Fire blaster here, great hybrid build for damage/control.  I have access to:

• 2x Holds, keeps a pair of bosses held (indefinitely, even at +4)
• Frigid Protection is a decently wide PBAoE slow, so enemies take a few seconds to reach me
• And when they do, Ice Patch keeps them from doing anything while I shred them
• (and if the worst happens, killing me means I get a free nuke in the form of Rise of the Phoenix)

It's one of the few non-dominator builds that I recommend Intuition Radial for alpha slot (hold, damage, range, slow).

[oedipus_tex]

I recommend taking a look at /Psi Assault Dominator builds. Dominators are normally a very squishy archetype that is huffing for endurance. With Drain Psyche... they are still squishy, but differently so. If you take the Ice APP you're even a pretty good debuffer (Drain Psyche has -500 Regen for fighting AVs and Sleet is a very nice Resist debuff). 

 

It really doesn't matter which Dominator primary you pick. Just make sure you plan to spend on IOs, you need some Recharge to really make that archetype sing, especially with /Psi Assault.

 

 

In that way that things are a house of cards in CoX, /Psi Dominators also usually do not struggle with endurance like other Dominators do. This frees you to take Destiny Barrier as your Destiny power, since you don't need Ageless. This, in turn, frees you to only have to hit 40 rather than 45 to soft cap a position. 

 

Two combos in particular that are S-Tier are:

• Dark/Psi
• Plant/Psi

But any control set combined with /Psi is going to be one hell of a performer. Not anywhere near the top damage zone for Dominators mind you, but a workhorse who fulfills multiple roles. (Full disclosure: my "main" is an Elec/Psi Dominator).

[Gulbasaur]

7 hours ago, oedipus_tex said:

In that way that things are a house of cards in CoX

Waaaaaay back when it was an optional pick of  a power pool and not an inherent, possibly even pre-CoV's release, someone asked me - rather dismissively - why my kinetics defender didn't take Stamina as I was the only person on the team without it. Kinetics defenders have a "refill my endurance bar" button. 

 

I might have a look at /psi. This thread actually encouraged me to wheel out my dark/dark tanker again and I'm enjoying sitting him in a pile of shaking enemies too terrified to attack.