Best Epic Power Pools?

[drgantz]

I never seem to see posts about Epics.

I have a NA/Water Def (I assume that is a good combo) with Power Epic.  I don't feel like Power is a good choice and am thinking of changing it.  I've seen many NA builds with Mace, so I assume that is good.

Which are some of the better Epics for Def?

[paco6381]

Power is a good Epic for a number of Primaries or Secondaries.  However, Nature doesn't have a lot of synergy with it (other than stacking S/L resistance).  One of the big reasons to go with Power is to pick up Power Build Up.  But, it doesn't do much of anything for nature.  About the only thing it does is increase the heals and absorb in Regrowth and Wild Bastion as well as the ToHit debuff in Spore Cloud.  Not really game changing.

 

For Nature, I would probably go with Dark Mastery Epic for Soul Drain, Dark Embrace and (if you plan on using Entangling Aura and being in melee) Oppressive Gloom.  Alternatively, like you said, Mace Mastery wouldn't be a bad choice if you really want to focus more on S\L defense.

 

For reference, here is a thread on Nature/Water:

 

[drgantz]

Thank you for your response.  Do you also think that Dark is a good secondary for NA, or do you think that Water is as good or better?

 

[paco6381]

Both /Water and /Dark are top tier defender secondaries.  I would say, if you plan on being in melee with Entangling Aura, then Water would be the better choice.  Its targeted AoEs will mesh much better than Dark's cones.  However, if you're not going to do that, then you could go either way.  Both secondaries would be pretty safe; Dark with all the -ToHit and Water with all the KD.  Both secondaries have room for lots of procs to up the damage.

[Hjarki]

Due to the diversity of primaries, Defenders tend to pick from a wider array of epic/patron pools than other AT. There's no one 'best' pool.

 

Consider:

• Storm Summoning. A pool like Electric with its fast-recharging Immobilize can be invaluable for controlling the chaos delivered by Tornado. Couple this with a S/L/E toggle that lets you become highly resistant to the three primary forms of damage.
• Time Manipulation. Both Power and Soul give you a 'power boost' ability that effectively doubles the impact of your +defense power. Since the non-detoggling nature of this power is an essential defense, being able to remain at cap even while stunned/held/etc. makes these pools often a better choice than more conventional pools.
• Kinetics. This power set delivers no defense bonuses and tends to encourage close-in play. Unlike most traditional Defender builds, you're more likely to pursue a S/L/R defense scheme built around Mace Mastery's Scorpion Shield.
• Flame/Psychic Mastery. These two pools are commonly taken to round out rotations with their fast-activating high proc'able holds.

About the only epic/patron that I would classify as an "only for theme" pool would be Leviathan Mastery.