Whats a good combo to solo with ??

[smnolimits43]

Some times i'm up during the early hours, and i would like to play a solo class.  What would you guys suggest ??

[biostem]

28 minutes ago, smnolimits43 said:

Some times i'm up during the early hours, and i would like to play a solo class.  What would you guys suggest ??

I've had tremendous results with both a dark blast/super reflexes sentinel and a soldier of arachnos crab spider.  Both can solo excellently, with the sentinel being basically untouchable, and the crab spider playing kind of like a blaster and mastermind all in one.  If you want something more straightforward to play, a radiation armor/savage melee tanker is nearly unstoppable and quite fun as well.

[WumpusRat]

All depends on what you like, really, and what difficulty you're looking to solo on.

 

Tankers are probably the easiest AT to solo with, as it's fairly simple to build them up even with just SOs where you can plow through missions without much issue.

 

Brutes are similar, though their defenses are a bit lower, but their damage is substantially higher due to fury. If you go nuts with procs tankers can be very close behind though.

 

Masterminds are (at least to me) incredibly fun, since you've got a whole squad of friends with you at all times, and you can manage all sorts of interesting content with them. Their biggest weakness (at least early on) is aoe damage, which can crush you pretty hard, but they're very good at dealing with EBs in story arcs, making it a comfortable solo experience.

 

Scrappers and Stalkers are fairly similar, with lower defenses than brutes and tankers, but very solid damage output. They can become quite tanky, but not to the point (generally) of just ignoring mobs.

 

Sentinels are basically ranged scrappers, though they give up crit for the ranged damage. They can be quite durable, and most of their defensive sets are slightly different from other AT's, giving them a unique play experience even for a set you've used before.

 

Blasters, controllers, dominators, defenders, and corruptors can all play solo, though they're more difficult (generally) than the above, either by virtue of being much squishier, lower damage, lack of CC protection, or a combination of several factors. They can sill work just fine if you don't put the difficulty too high too soon though.

[smnolimits43]

well i'm not really looking to run +4x8, perhaps an easy -1x0.  I was thinking of playing my ghost character Spookyboo.  Especially now that Halloween is around the corner.

[A Cat]

18 minutes ago, smnolimits43 said:

well i'm not really looking to run +4x8, perhaps an easy -1x0.  I was thinking of playing my ghost character Spookyboo.  Especially now that Halloween is around the corner.

Lots of stuff would do fine then. I'd choose a scrapper, stalker, or brute personally. You don't need the extra AoE or survivability of a tank on lower difficulty levels, and mez, armor, and lots of attacks will keep things fast.

[biostem]

1 hour ago, smnolimits43 said:

well i'm not really looking to run +4x8, perhaps an easy -1x0.  I was thinking of playing my ghost character Spookyboo.  Especially now that Halloween is around the corner.

Regardless of the difficulty you plan on running at, there are really 3 things I think make any character's life easier.  Those are:

 

1. Status protection so a stray mez effect doesn't ruin your day.

2. Some sort of bonus recovery or +end power so you aren't constantly gasping for air and unable to use any of your powers.

3. Some sort of self-heal, (preferably uninterruptable).

 

There are many power sets and combinations, across multiple ATs, that fit the bill, but some that stand out to me are:

Dark/SR Sentinel

Water/Bio Sentinel

War Mace/Ninjitsu Scrapper

Energy/Energy Stalker

Shield/Radiation Melee Tanker 

[Snarky]

3 hours ago, smnolimits43 said:

Some times i'm up during the early hours, and i would like to play a solo class.  What would you guys suggest ??

Anything you like.  This game is built for exploration of different power and archetypes 

[Healix]

Snarky is correct. When I started playing back in 2004,  trollers and fenders were so squishy the could not easily survive soloing, and really needed to be on a team. Not true anymore.

[starro]

Hero/Villain Stories - Soldier or Anything scrapper/regen,  I really like soldier.

Fun run - fire/fire blaster, BURNNN! 

when I want my butt kicked or need to plan things out tank super strength/invulnerable with +4 x8 settings.

[Kaika]

5 hours ago, smnolimits43 said:

well i'm not really looking to run +4x8, perhaps an easy -1x0.  I was thinking of playing my ghost character Spookyboo.  Especially now that Halloween is around the corner.

-1x0 and you can run literally anything with little issue, even without full enhancement slotting.

 

But yeah as others have pointed out: Tank, Brute, Scrapper, Stalker, Sentinel, and Mastermind

 

These classes all tend to have a easy time solo, if -1x0 is your goal though, literally anything will work, though those AT will still have a easier time.

[Without_Pause]

I'll state the obvious, but if you go that low for diff setting you might be doing KB when you don't want to. Regen or WP will give you the best/easiest +End so I would pick one of those. Something like Kat would be great for either. 

[tidge]

Anything will work. If you really intend to cruise on -1x0 I would avoid (for play reasons, not because they are weak):

 

Brutes: The Fury mechanic is something you are unlikely to notice.

 

Dominators: As with Fury, you will be unlikely to notice it, until it Domination is up and then you will want to have Domination up all the time which requires build choices.

 

Hero Epics (HEAT): These offer different play-styles, but mastering swapping between forms (and making slotting choices) may be confusing.

 

VEATs: You should have a plan going in, as you will have to respec and make some choices.

 

Masterminds: You'll be rolling over -1x0 content and probably not pickup on the different considerations.

[rolandgrey]

Good solo builds?

 

For survivability, anything with Willpower.  A Willpower Tanker can survive almost anything, even without using the Tier 9, and it's almost as effective for the other melee types.  It's good against just about everything.

That said...  It's a little slow.  It's no-frills.  You've got good defense, good resistance, good regeneration, good recovery.  You're not hitting the enemies any harder, you're not pulling out any special tricks, you're just dodging attacks, soaking the ones you don't, regenerating almost as quickly as a Regen character and recovering energy quickly so you can move from fight to fight without pause.

 

For some serious damage, though?  You might want to go with a /Fiery Aura Brute.  It doesn't really matter what you pick for your primary, because once you get it, Burn is going to be the bread-and-butter of your build.

 

For ranged, you might want to look into the Sentinels.  They're pretty much the Blasting Tank that players demanded a lot during the Paragon days.  However, they might lack the damage output you might desire.  /Fiery Aura is a good aid in this one, too, as it has a power that helps boost your damage output.

 

If you're looking to eschew Mez Protection for a high-risk/high reward style, then Blasters might be your next bet, as they can hit hard and even when mezzed most of their powers available at Level 1 are able to be fired off (which can be handy if you get the Archetype enhancement PROC that activates a Mez Protection when it triggers, so slot it in that Tier 1 power you usually ignore and spam it like your life depends on it, because it probably does!).  I say most, because HC made a change that allows us to pick up the Blaster Secondary Tier 2 power at Level 1, and those were left out of the "Still Able to Fire When Mezzed" table.  I would say let your heart be your guide for Blasters, but /Martial Combat has a Mez protection power in it.  Dual Pistols/Martial Combat is a quick, hard-hitting combo that puts Maelstrom to shame (because, ostensibly, that's what he is, but you, the player, can make it SOOOOO much better).

 

If you're looking to lock down enemies, like Controllers and Dominators, Symphony Control is a good one.  It has a bunch of AOE mezzes, some of which recharge quickly.  There's also the ever-popular Fire/Kinetics Controller, which supposedly does massive damage (probably once you can get Fulcrum Shift; lock down the enemy with Cinders, Fulcrum Shift, then Fire Cages and watch enemies burn to death; you might also have Hot Feet running at the same time, adding more damage to the mix; I'm sure there are some other Fire/Kin players who can give a more nuanced explanation of how it works).

 

If you're looking for a challenge, then I recommend a Defender.  They're low-damage, high support, but this means their Debuff abilities are some of the best you'll get out of the box.  You'll need to really put in work to improve their damage output, though, and you'll have to engage a lot more tactically rather than just rushing into a fight and laying the smack down.  Radiation Emission is a GREAT powerset for debilitating the enemy and cutting them down.  It also has Accelerate Metabolism, which can be used as a self buff to increase your attack rate, regeneration and recovery, as well as getting you out of mezzes faster.

[cranebump]

Once of my newer toons is a Water Blast/Rad Armor Sent. Doesn't blow anything away, damage-wise, but WB gives you some soft control in the form of knockdown and disorient (from consuming Tidal Power), plus your attacks reduce target SPD and DEF. The combo also gives you a good mix of damage types (mainly smashing, cold, and toxic, with a bit of fire/energy at T8/9). Ground Zero also (minor) heals allies while damaging foes, so, if you do happen to get on a team, you've got that to contribute, as well. I've run my version of this solo at 0/x3 comfortably, but I'm sure he could handle more than that. I'm just not much an envelope pusher.

Edited October 2, 2023 by cranebump

[MoonSheep]

12 hours ago, WumpusRat said:

All depends on what you like, really, and what difficulty you're looking to solo on.

 

Tankers are probably the easiest AT to solo with, as it's fairly simple to build them up even with just SOs where you can plow through missions without much issue.

 

Brutes are similar, though their defenses are a bit lower, but their damage is substantially higher due to fury. If you go nuts with procs tankers can be very close behind though.

 

this is outdated advice - tankers now outpace brutes in gameplay due to the wider AoEs their inherent provides

[momentarygrace]

I solo most of the time (like 92% of the time) and I have tried nearly every AT and almost every power set. Some of them solo faster, some slow. Tanks are slow. Safe, but slow. Scrappers were the original "best solo" on live int he early days. Brutes are similar but with their own vibe. Blasters can solo but play is entirely different, lots of thought, sniping, running away when necessary. 

 

Since Homecoming, I've had good experiences with Sentinels,  water blast is fun to play. Masterminds also good, but again, different style of play. You have your own team (pets) and you generally act as support and they do the damage.

 

Relatively recently I experimented with Illusion Control and found it surprisingly easy to solo, again, very different style of play but enjoyable. You don't get every bit of XP from confused kills but let's face it, it's fun to play if you have any tiny bit of immersion. 

 

I'm not a min/maxer, I don't run at +4/whatever, I'm not usually trying to speed level, just hit a nice spot between grindingly slow and hitting levels with enough of your powers to be fun.

 

[SwitchFade]

XX/XX

 

Usually, this combo is good for solo play.

 

😝

 

 

[Without_Pause]

32 minutes ago, MoonSheep said:

 

this is outdated advice - tankers now outpace brutes in gameplay due to the wider AoEs their inherent provides

1. No.

2. How are those bigger AoEs doing on x1 missions?

[Ironblade]

11 hours ago, smnolimits43 said:

well i'm not really looking to run +4x8, perhaps an easy -1x0.  I was thinking of playing my ghost character Spookyboo.  Especially now that Halloween is around the corner.

At base difficulty level, you can play anything you want.  I can solo at 0x6 or more with a concept build.  The character is named Toggle Man and runs 18 toggles in combat - just to see if he could.  He's a spines/dark armor scrapper and has only two single-target attacks (Lunge from spines and Kick from Acrobatics).  Most of his damage comes from procs in damage aura powers so he's much more effective against a crowd of scrubs than against higher level enemies.

 

When Positron is the weekly strike target, I'll solo it with a variety of characters for the Notice of the Well or the XP.  I've soloed it this week on a blaster, defender and a tank.  And this is exemplared down to level 15 (FYI, the tank was actually level 16 at the time; the others were higher level).  Pick the character you enjoy the most.  ANYTHING can solo in this game.

[Doomguide2005]

Outside a few lowbie TFs my Empathy/ Rad has currently solo'd to 31st.  She avoids the majority of mez at this level by using two powers Cosmic Burst and Air Superiority.  Knock of AS plus the stun of CB makes solo work at that level relatively calm so far.  Add in a bit of kb protection for yourself plus Auras when up and things are good.

[SeraphimKensai]

I'd suggest running a Kheldian as a solo character. Given some of the posts I've seen from the OP I'd suggest a Peacebringer as that's easier to play than a Warshade.

 

See this helpful guide if you are scratching your head wondering what's a Kheldian:

 

I thoroughly enjoy both of these ATs despite the fact that they aren't the meta, they have an awesome design to them despite needing to work out a few issues.

[MoonSheep]

26 minutes ago, Without_Pause said:

1. No.

2. How are those bigger AoEs doing on x1 missions?

 

in game tests seem to suggest tanks outperform brutes across almost all powersets. can you link me to your tests?

 

edit: for x1 missions i would imagine brutes would be further disadvantaged by not building sufficient levels of fury, giving further advantage to a tank or scapper

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by MoonSheep

[ZekeStenzland]

Due to the nature of the question, I’m just assuming you’re not a long-time expert, and are just going to pick most of the powers in your primary and secondary, travel powers, and some flavor powers, and slot them to taste with SOs…

 

The melee ATs will definitely be the easiest: Tanker, Scrapper, Brute, Stalker. Sentinel is also pretty safe to play. Almost every combination of power sets works. 
 

Blaster can be easy to solo, just expect to be defeated more often. I’d recommend a primary that does knockback (energy or assault rifle) and hover for extra survivability. 
 

Mastermind is also easy to solo, but managing pets takes some learning. I recommend checking out the MM Binds guide. But once you feel comfortable with pets, you can almost /afk a fight. 
 

If you want something controlly, the only set I recommend is Plant. The aoe confuse you get at level 8 really amps up your safety and damage output. I found that it ironically performs better with larger team size settings than against smaller ones. 
 

If you are soloing gold side (praetorian) I’d suggest only the ATs with offensive primaries. So, brute, scrapper, blaster, sentinel, stalker, mastermind. The mobs there tend to use more exotic damage types, more debuffs, and have higher status protection than on red or blue side, so being more defensive doesn’t buy you as much. Overwhelming offense, IMO, is more successful there. Especially at lower levels. 

[lemming]

My next soloist will probably be a sentinal though I haven't decided on what sets I'll use.

Previous solo characters have been tankers, brutes, scrapper, and stalkers.  The mez protection is the main draw and I've done enough praetoria where it's even more important.  As others said, pretty much anything can be done at base levels.

[lemming]

9 minutes ago, MoonSheep said:

 

in game tests seem to suggest tanks outperform brutes across almost all powersets. can you link me to your tests?

 

edit: for x1 missions i would imagine brutes would be further disadvantaged by not building sufficient levels of fury, giving further advantage to a tank or scapper

Problem with most of those tests, they're set at +4/x8.    At +0/x1 it barely matters.   Honestly, the biggest obstacles are some of the EB fights and outside that any AT is fine.