Tips for a Rad/Rad Defender

[liveevil2000]

Just started a Rad/Rad defender.

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with this build. So far it seems like fun in a group setting with all the debuffs.

[biostem]

10 minutes ago, liveevil2000 said:

Just started a Rad/Rad defender.

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with this build. So far it seems like fun in a group setting with all the debuffs.

Radiation Emission is an "anchor-debuff" set.  With that in mind, you may want to create a bind or otherwise be ready to tell your team which target(s) you are using as said anchors, so they know which other enemies to target or where they should be fighting, in order to maximize their effectiveness.  As a defender, you receive the greatest benefit from the buff/debuff effects of your powers, which includes the rad blasts.  Especially while running higher difficulty content, those -DEF effects can really help your team's attacks to land more often.  That being said, since it is very difficult to keep accelerate metabolism permanent, you'll want to make sure you either have some of the unique IOs that grant you extra endurance/recovery and/or make sure to pace yourself so you aren't constantly bottoming out your end bar.  That being said, since you get the most benefit out of the leadership powers, maneuvers, tactics, and victory rush can help your team and address your end issues when AM is still recharging...

[furniturepolish]

You may know this already but if your anchor toggle target starts heading for the hills, turn the toggle off. Any enemy that debuff-holder runs past will aggro. Specific to Rad, choking cloud pretty much just works on minions. For small groups and soloing it's handy but you might not care for it in large groups where minions tend to disappear instantly anyway. Some say its a skip, I say it's a "maybe". 

[biostem]

3 minutes ago, furniturepolish said:

choking cloud pretty much just works on minions

Agreed, but if you end up taking a hold from an APP/PPP, or otherwise proc one of your other powers to add a hold effect, this can really help.  It's definitely situational, though...

[Uun]

13 hours ago, furniturepolish said:

choking cloud pretty much just works on minions

Not true. The power pulses every 2 seconds. Each pulse has an 80% chance of a 6 second mag 1 hold and a 50% chance of a 6 second mag 2 hold. These stack with each other, building up to mag 3 after a few pulses (which will hold lieutenants). If you slot for hold duration, you'll stack more easily (you also need to slot for end reduction). 

 

https://cod.uberguy.net/html/power.html?power=defender_buff.radiation_emission.choking_cloud&at=defender

[Doomguide2005]

^This.  

Or get a Hold in your Epics (my Rad/Fire took Char for example) or obviously a teammate with a Hold to stack with will speed the process.  Mine also placed a Lockdown proc in the power which can help achieve fast results.

[Doomguide2005]

     Just dropping in again to point out that Atomic Blast, the nuke, in addition to a huge defdebuff is also a mag 3 Hold to stack on foes (with CC).  Particularly relevant for Bosses on up that are more likely to survive the initial team Alpha strike.  There's also Incarnate abilities that can proc +1 mag iirc.

 

     My thinking would be cast Radiation Infection while moving in likely by jumping in to avoid rooting.  Use Irradiate while Choking Cloud takes effect.  If Atomic Blast is ready use it.  If not Cosmic Burst on the most dangerous foe and/or Neutron Bomb the spawn.  Then ready to move on to the next. EB's on up I'm going to use Enervating Field prior to Cosmic Burst.  I'm also rather fond of using Air Superiority (AS) to help with troublesome bosses.  Use AS then CB, rinse repeat till defeated.  AS has a very reliable knock effect puts most on their backside while you stack CB stuns till they're stunned or defeated. 

     My Emp/Rad/Dark used this waaay back on Live to solo Cimeroran repeatables on the then highest difficulty of Invincible.  She could handle 2 of them this way keeping one stunned until defeated while keeping the second permanently knocked until the first dropped.  The Auras kept her upright until they were controlled and any Minions and Lts were also eliminated.

Edited June 9, 2023 by Doomguide2005

[KC4800]

Fire RI(no one gets hit) + LR(no one moves) + EV( everyone dies fast, due to being debuffed hard) onto a LT in the grouping. Kill it last, that is your anchor. Run up next to him, he cant hit you especially if you have CC (PBAoE hold) kill everthing else first then humiliate the LT by Sands of Mu to the face. You can have any secondary, doesn't matter really.

[Mack008]

On 6/7/2023 at 7:20 AM, Uun said:

Not true. The power pulses every 2 seconds. Each pulse has an 80% chance of a 6 second mag 1 hold and a 50% chance of a 6 second mag 2 hold. These stack with each other, building up to mag 3 after a few pulses (which will hold lieutenants). If you slot for hold duration, you'll stack more easily (you also need to slot for end reduction). 

 

https://cod.uberguy.net/html/power.html?power=defender_buff.radiation_emission.choking_cloud&at=defender

Is it every 2 seconds or every 5 seconds?

[Uun]

9 hours ago, Mack008 said:

Is it every 2 seconds or every 5 seconds?

2 seconds. Look at the CoD link I posted above.

[Doomguide2005]

6 hours ago, Uun said:

2 seconds. Look at the CoD link I posted above.

     This.  It's the activate period you need to look at for this.  By comparison look at a toggle power like Enervating Field.  It's period is 0.5 sec vs a 0.75 duration of the debuff.  The toggles in both cases have activation periods shorter than their effect.  The 0.25 sec difference in EV is effectively both keeping the debuff in place while preventing the toggle from ever "dropping" due to internet reasons I suspect.  CC has a relatively long duration precisely so it can self stack per caster and if enhanced allow it to hopefully work vs +4's where the purple patch will seriously reduce duration of the holds even before considering the foe mez resistances.

[Mack008]

Reason I ask is this line from CoD, which appears to be a 5 sec timeout if the target was already held.

Target Requires: (source.EventTimeSince>Held > 5) && (source.EventTimeSince>Sleep > 5) && (sourceventTimeSince>Stunned > 5)

 

 

Edited September 6, 2023 by Mack008