What is your Hard Mode dream team?

[Sanguinesun]

Putting together a team for the toughest of the toughest hard mode content, what is your dream team of AT's and  their power sets and why?

[Doomguide2005]

     Well pretty much it's always likely going to involve 1, perhaps 2, Tankers.  It's the only AT that has a hope of surviving for more than a few seconds if anything goes sideways such as pulling more than 1 spawn, ambushes etc.. when/while buffed.  Leading candidate seems to be Invincibility/**. 

     That said I'd probably try it initially with some of the classics without the Tankers.  So first up a full 8 GM (Green Machine) team.   Tweak it from there.  Let's just see how indestructible they can make not only each other but their Lore pets.  Maybe try a mix of Psi and Sonic secondaries.  Sonic for the resistance debuffs.  Psi because a lot of the current hard mode foes are weak against psionic damage.  As it happens both nukes also stun as well making it more likely survivors are stunned at least briefly.  Such a GM team should be able to readily manage >150% defense (4 Fortitude + other), silly amounts of to hit (>200%), 2000% regeneration (capped), endless endurance (capped), +350 to 400 damage (near cap to capped).  The question i can't answer from my armchair is how tough can they make the Lore pets.

[SeraphimKensai]

I'm picking:

• A Main Tank
• An Off tank/Melee
• Someone with Nature Affinity 
• Someone with Electric Affinity
• Someone with Dark Affinity
• Someone with Trick Arrow
• Someone with Traps
• Someone with Illusion Control
• Someone with Domination

Thinking Nature and EA are great for absorbs, heals, end and buffing. Dark Affinity is able to give others DDR. There's decent sources for debuffs. Yes there's nine roles listed in thinking the Illusion controller would either be the Dark Affinity or Traps. Thinking the Nature/Elec Affinity probably Defenders otherwise a lot of Corruptors. For the Domi thinking Dark Control for stacking domination single target confuses and other CC.

[Ceejer]

Green Machine Team:
Empathy/Sonic Attack Defender
Empathy/Dark Blast Defender
Empathy/Fire Blast Defender

 

Cirque Du Mirage:
Illusion Control/Darkness Affinity Controller
Illusion Control/Darkness Affinity Controller

 

Team Smurphy:
Fire Blast/Kinetics Corruptor
Fire Blast/Kinetics Corruptor

 

Longshot:
Dark Melee/Super Reflexes Tanker

 

Green Machine is the core, they buff the GM below them.  They're either debuffing or burning it to the ground. 

 

CdM controls all the agro. They're adding DDR or Black Holing any extra mobs that take any interest in GMs. The pets spread the agro. Group Invisibility and Shadow Fall. 

 

TS are the maniacs. They make it all light speed. If it's not on fire, it's running.

 

Longshot, good luck taking them down with this team. Target through them. Taunt everything.

 

Leadership, Fighting and Sorcery all around. Take turns team teleporting/summoning to the next mob. Everyone stays together. Going to need in the neighborhood of 12 B inf, all the amps etc and t4 incarnates.

[Doomguide2005]

     That is a very sweet team @Ceejer.  Only thing 'missing' is Trick Arrow for its special debuff to debuff resistance (among other things) ... .  But team size is 8 so what you going to do 😁.

[EmperorSteele]

Me.

 

+ 7 actually good players to carry my worthless ass =P

[Mezmera]

Main Tank - Rad Armor or Shield (Grant Cover is a very nice team buff)

2 Colds, Maybe one with Illusion Control to trick those Hostless

1 TA Defender

1 Nature Defender

2 Blastas

1 Wildcard: Could be some hard hitting EM/Bio Stalker or another debuffer.  

[Sanguinesun]

8 hours ago, Mezmera said:

Main Tank - Rad Armor or Shield (Grant Cover is a very nice team buff)

2 Colds, Maybe one with Illusion Control to trick those Hostless

1 TA Defender

1 Nature Defender

2 Blastas

1 Wildcard: Could be some hard hitting EM/Bio Stalker or another debuffer.  

 

On 9/1/2022 at 2:18 PM, Ceejer said:

Green Machine Team:
Empathy/Sonic Attack Defender
Empathy/Dark Blast Defender
Empathy/Fire Blast Defender

 

Cirque Du Mirage:
Illusion Control/Darkness Affinity Controller
Illusion Control/Darkness Affinity Controller

 

Team Smurphy:
Fire Blast/Kinetics Corruptor
Fire Blast/Kinetics Corruptor

 

Longshot:
Dark Melee/Super Reflexes Tanker

 

Green Machine is the core, they buff the GM below them.  They're either debuffing or burning it to the ground. 

 

CdM controls all the agro. They're adding DDR or Black Holing any extra mobs that take any interest in GMs. The pets spread the agro. Group Invisibility and Shadow Fall. 

 

TS are the maniacs. They make it all light speed. If it's not on fire, it's running.

 

Longshot, good luck taking them down with this team. Target through them. Taunt everything.

 

Leadership, Fighting and Sorcery all around. Take turns team teleporting/summoning to the next mob. Everyone stays together. Going to need in the neighborhood of 12 B inf, all the amps etc and t4 incarnates.

 

 

This is interesting.  Looking between SR and Shield Tankers,  I have to say the evidence is a bit more compelling for Shield as a choice. They both seem to be able to reach similar positional defenses but Shield seems to be better off in the resistances as well and without needing to drop take  sorcery to get there.  There's an 801 Shield/Rad tanker build that does well by all accounts but perhaps a dark melee one can do just as well, thus giving more -tohit vs -defense to the fray (though losing the damage toggle).   The shield/rad 801 build I've seen though takes the darkness patron's foe -tohit toggle to compensate though.

Edited September 2, 2022 by Sanguinesun

[Ceejer]

Yes sd/dm and sd/rad both bring a lot to the team make up. I've played both the sd/dm and sd/rad at 50+ with the 801 builds @Linea published. Played them both extensively, they're really great and advise folks to give 801 a spin.

 

The sd shield charge would allow the Tanker to port out of the circle of protection but not port back without the teleport or mystic flight powers. 

 

The sr/dm is there to taunt mobs in to the team, and with black hole, helping to control the in coming agro. 

[Doomguide2005]

8 hours ago, Sanguinesun said:

 

 

 

This is interesting.  Looking between SR and Shield Tankers,  I have to say the evidence is a bit more compelling for Shield as a choice. They both seem to be able to reach similar positional defenses but Shield seems to be better off in the resistances as well and without needing to drop take  sorcery to get there.  There's an 801 Shield/Rad tanker build that does well by all accounts but perhaps a dark melee one can do just as well, thus giving more -tohit vs -defense to the fray (though losing the damage toggle).   The shield/rad 801 build I've seen though takes the darkness patron's foe -tohit toggle to compensate though.

I think many Tankers would work well here.  Strong Taunt ability is probably the priority.  Defense should be through the roof, backed by high DDR (capped on SR), stacked RegenAuras (recharge on the Emps is capped meaning the Auras have a 10 second cooldown on top of regen provided by DAff).  Buffed Resists is a weakpoint but countered heavily by capped near capped Regen i.e. +2500% well above IH values).   Then of course there are 3 Empaths close by.  Tanker might blink but be back to full health faster than you can type 'now at full health'.  I'd be tempted to make the Empaths GM adapted Corruptors, they'll be living at the damage cap i suspect and it's endgame so the levels you get stuff is less important.

 

Edit:  And this is all largely prior to Incarnate abilities.

 

Edit 2:  More I look at this team the more impressed I get.  There's far more resistance packed in here than I realized at first glance.  As in near capped for support ATs when it comes to Smash, Lethal, Energy, Negative Energy (between Shadow Fall, Fade, Increased Density).  Add in Epic Shields and you could be talking 100% ... and immune to resistance debuffs.  Very well put together @Ceejer 👍👍👍

Edited September 2, 2022 by Doomguide2005

[Guffnat]

Nature/Sonic Attack Defender
Elec/Elec Blast Defender
FF/Dark Blast Defender

Illu/Dark Controller
Illu/Trick Arrow Controller

Fire Blast/Kinetics Corruptor
Ice/Cold Corruptor

Dark Melee/Super Reflexes Tanker

[Doomguide2005]

Work (thoughts) in progress.  Based on a group my friends and I started towards the end of their active time on CoH.  The group called itself Hot Feet and Hula Hoops.

 

4 Fire/Sonic Controllers 

2 Fire/Kin

2 Fire/Cold

2 Fire/Trick Arrow

 

Not sure just how much damage resistance is typical among foes (ITF and ASF).  TA is there to strip hopefully significant chunks and add defense.  Hoping to come close to flooring their damage resistance when all is said and done while capping damage.  Between Flash Arrow, Smoke, Maneuvers and Cold Shields to manage the defense side.  Nothing should see us even with Tactics given the value and volume of Perception debuffs getting used assuming theirs carries no resistance to the debuff.  But hey it is a dream team ... question is how much a nightmare for the foes.

[Six-Six]

I'll maintain that a full team of decently- (not even well-) built double-dipped spiders can and will get through anything in their way.

[Doomguide2005]

12 hours ago, Six-Six said:

I'll maintain that a full team of decently- (not even well-) built double-dipped spiders can and will get through anything in their way.

Hard (nay impossible) to argue with that having seen what all VEAT teams can do shortly after release on Live.

[Nemu]

8 Staff/Regen Brutes with Whirlwind.

 

SPIN to WIN!

[Doomguide2005]

On 9/16/2022 at 4:20 PM, Nemu said:

8 Staff/Regen Brutes with Whirlwind.

 

SPIN to WIN!

      Actually with defense (and recharge) buffs flying a Regen Brute is not the worst idea.  Outside of something like stacked RegenAuras and/or AB from an Empath (or lots of Rebirth usage) high regeneration rates is something many teams don't offer much of in the way of support.  

[Six-Six]

I just watched @Voltak's videos featuring his Fort. And it got me thinking...

I think it's the musicians and not the instruments. So it's the players, not the ATs. If 8 players can kick serious buttocks with their toon regardless of AT, then a coordinated effort should make short work of the 4-star HM.

[Voltak]

33 minutes ago, Six-Six said:

I just watched @Voltak's videos featuring his Fort. And it got me thinking...

I think it's the musicians and not the instruments. So it's the players, not the ATs. If 8 players can kick serious buttocks with their toon regardless of AT, then a coordinated effort should make short work of the 4-star HM.

Same way it was in other games where competition is on a more serious level. 

Diablo 3 Rankings - greater rift clearings in teams
Guild Wars , to include PvP 
WoW (raids)

In CoH, a team of strong players, voice communications, strong builds, and power sets that are uniform or in harmony with your planned strategy ... all those things together are very important factors for any speed run at the most difficult settings. 

The power sets will be picked according to the strategy which was already agreed upon by players doing w/e it is. 

The bottom line is that a "dream team" is only picked AFTER you know what strategy and tactics you are going to be using. 

That's what you sort out first, ONLY THEN you figure out what power sets you pick. 

Experience talking here

Edited September 20, 2022 by Voltak

[pretty_jesus]

On 9/2/2022 at 11:49 AM, Ceejer said:

Yes sd/dm and sd/rad both bring a lot to the team make up. I've played both the sd/dm and sd/rad at 50+ with the 801 builds @Linea published. Played them both extensively, they're really great and advise folks to give 801 a spin.

 

The sd shield charge would allow the Tanker to port out of the circle of protection but not port back without the teleport or mystic flight powers. 

 

The sr/dm is there to taunt mobs in to the team, and with black hole, helping to control the in coming agro. 

Did you prefer the sd/dm or sd/rad? Debating this currently, thanks 

[Ceejer]

1 hour ago, pretty_jesus said:

Did you prefer the sd/dm or sd/rad? Debating this currently, thanks 

 

SD/DM, SD/Rad is really close though.