How do you build a bane?

[MagicalAct]

Bane is something I've tried to get into several times but shelved. After looking for some builds I saw most of them were over a year or two old but one was interesting. It included single shot, burst, and the grenades from soldier over the starting mace attack and blast. Now with the redraw changes do people mix in the soldier powers or do they still build strictly mace and how do you build your bane?

[KaizenSoze]

Things haven't really changed since I posted a bunch of mace only builds. No redraw does help a lot with switching between gun and mace, but you cannot avoid the gun for venom nade.

 

I hoping in the next page they will fix some of the issues.

[twozerofoxtrot]

Even before the redraw changes I had a mixed rifle/mace Bane I enjoyed. Now the character performs much better.

 

Opening up with Crown Control crits but having a full ranged AoE attack chain as well was too tempting. 

Edited December 7, 2023 by twozerofoxtrot

[Lhanis]

Don't underestimate the rifle side of things! My favorite 'Bane' is still the mace-less Huntsman setup, leaning into Heavy Burst, Venom and Frag 'nades for a full AoE rotation. Feels like a dps-y defender, with Venom and Surveillance providing fantastic debuffs and the double leadership toggles for support. Not exactly a traditional setup, but its a blast to play.

 

Even on a more normal Bane setup, I'd argue Burst and Heavy Burst are better than the equivalent first 2 mace 'beam' attacks, due to how long the animation time is for them. Redraw changes doesn't help the awful DPA of the skills, unfortunately. But I will second @twozerofoxtrot on Crowd Control crits being an absolute thing of beauty.

 

(PS: Don't underestimate the potency of a proc-bombed Poison Ray! A lot of folks skip it, but if yer playing with mace its a great addition to the kit!)

[Ringo]

What is the niche or playstyle that you get with a Bane?  I know there's versatility with the mix of melee/ranged, cloaked crits, and the leadership toggles - but what can you do with a Bane these days that isn't replicated by Ninjitsu/Ninja Training on other ATs?

[KaizenSoze]

15 hours ago, Ringo said:

What is the niche or playstyle that you get with a Bane?  I know there's versatility with the mix of melee/ranged, cloaked crits, and the leadership toggles - but what can you do with a Bane these days that isn't replicated by Ninjitsu/Ninja Training on other ATs?

You can have good melee and AOE damage. While providing -resists and double leadership. Depending on how you build.

 

Basically, you can be right in the thick of it providing a lot of support. Support/stalker. Ninijitsu which I do like, and have several toons, does not provide anywhere the same team benefits.

[SaxyGuitar]

Yeah I built my with the Bane was before the redraw change. I used the mace 1st think I did was soft cap defense. Combat wise I just made sure my debunks where on the main target then went to town on the target.

[Nemu]

Leadership,-resist stacking and being overall self sufficient are its strengths.

 

Its weakness - lack of alpha strike capabilities and no resistance against debuffs.

 

The lack of alpha strike capabilities really shows when facing enemies that pile on debuffs. You can't kill them en-masse fast enough, debuffs starts stacking - cascade failure - dead bane.

 

For that reason I advocate that for all banes the most complimentary patron is leviathan for a proc-monster arctic breath, not black scorpion (shatter armor). Banes have enough ST, they don't need another ST mace attack even if it has more -res. Arctic Breath also has -res and comes with a host of other benefits when you look at what Banes need the most.

 

Frag grenade + Venom + Arctic Breath is enough of an alpha to kill enough mobs to start triggering mob fear/run AI and that buys you time to recover/kill those problem targets still alive.

 

 

People are still sleeping on arctic breath, time to wake up.

Edited January 16 by Nemu

[Jeneki]

Back in the days of redraw, I setup a bane as a team oriented two-stage fighter.

 

I'd start with gun AoEs.  Venom Grenade to apply the debuff, then the cone.  Perhaps the other grenade if I felt more AoE was needed, but usually by then the team had blasted things down to just the bosses and possibly a few crippled lieutenants.  Next switch to the mace for the finishing blows and to bring down the tougher enemies.

 

So in each fight I'd only cause redraw one time, switching from gun to mace.  These days I still use this fighting style because I like how it flows.

[KaizenSoze]

This conversion has just a lot more wrinkles now. See the page 7 beta notes.

[Marshal_General]

Since it looks like a bane can't fully have soft capped resist and defense, at least without major sacrifice, what is the strategy? Full defense, full resist or a sweet spot of both?

[KaizenSoze]

1 hour ago, Marshal_General said:

Since it looks like a bane can't fully have soft capped resist and defense, at least without major sacrifice, what is the strategy? Full defense, full resist or a sweet spot of both?

You can have capped defense and decent resists for most types. It is expensive.

 

My page 7 Bane build (Text and data chunk versions):

Spoiler

Wolf Baculus - Villain Arachnos Soldier
Build plan made with Mids' Reborn v3.6.6 rev. 3
──────────────────────────────

• Primary powerset: Bane Spider Soldier
• Secondary powerset: Bane Spider Training
• Pool powerset (#1): Speed
• Pool powerset (#2): Fighting
• Pool powerset (#3): Leadership
• Pool powerset (#4): Sorcery
• Ancillary powerset: Soul Mastery
  

──────────────────────────────

Powers taken:

Level 1: Bash

• A: Invention: Accuracy
  

Level 1: Bane Spider Armor Upgrade

• A: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance
• 3: Unbreakable Guard: Resistance/Endurance
• 3: Unbreakable Guard: RechargeTime/Resistance
• 5: Unbreakable Guard: +Max HP
• 5: Impervium Armor: Psionic Resistance
• 21: Steadfast Protection: Knockback Protection
  

Level 2: Combat Training: Defensive

• A: Shield Wall: Defense
• 7: Shield Wall: +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All)
• 7: Shield Wall: Defense/Recharge
• 9: Shield Wall: Defense/Endurance
  

Level 4: Mace Beam Blast

• A: Overwhelming Force: Accuracy/Damage
• 13: Overwhelming Force: Endurance/Recharge
• 15: Overwhelming Force: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• 15: Overwhelming Force: Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• 17: Overwhelming Force: Damage/Chance for Knockdown/Knockback to Knockdown
• 17: Force Feedback: Chance for +Recharge
  

Level 6: Build Up

• A: Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control: Chance for Build Up
  

Level 8: Wolf Spider Armor

• A: Steadfast Protection: Resistance/+Def 3%
• 19: Steadfast Protection: Knockback Protection
• 19: Aegis: Psionic/Status Resistance
  

Level 10: Tactical Training: Maneuvers

• A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• 21: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance
• 23: Luck of the Gambler: Defense
  

Level 12: Venom Grenade

• A: Superior Dominion of Arachnos: Accuracy/Damage
• 23: Superior Dominion of Arachnos: Damage/Recharge
• 25: Superior Dominion of Arachnos: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• 25: Superior Dominion of Arachnos: Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• 27: Superior Dominion of Arachnos: Recharge/Chance for -Dmg and Terrorize
• 27: Superior Dominion of Arachnos: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
  

Level 14: Pulverize

• A: Superior Spider's Bite: Accuracy/Damage
• 29: Superior Spider's Bite: Damage/RechargeTime
• 29: Superior Spider's Bite: Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime
• 31: Superior Spider's Bite: Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
• 31: Superior Spider's Bite: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
• 31: Superior Spider's Bite: RechargeTime/Global Toxic
  

Level 16: Hasten

• A: Invention: Recharge Reduction
• 33: Invention: Recharge Reduction
  

Level 18: Shatter

• A: Hecatomb: Damage
• 33: Hecatomb: Damage/Recharge/Accuracy
• 33: Hecatomb: Damage/Endurance
• 34: Hecatomb: Chance of Damage(Negative)
• 34: Hecatomb: Damage/Recharge
  

Level 20: Tactical Training: Leadership

• A: D-Sync Elusivity
  

Level 22: Placate

• A: Mocking Beratement: Threat/Placate
• 34: Mocking Beratement: Threat/Placate/Recharge
• 36: Mocking Beratement: Threat/Placate/Recharge/Range
• 36: Mocking Beratement: Accuracy/Recharge
• 36: Mocking Beratement: Threat/Placate/Range
• 37: Mocking Beratement: Recharge
  

Level 24: Cloaking Device

• A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
  

Level 26: Crowd Control

• A: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage
• 37: Superior Avalanche: Damage/Endurance
• 37: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• 39: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• 39: Superior Avalanche: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
  

Level 28: Web Cocoon

• A: Lockdown: Accuracy/Hold
• 45: Lockdown: Accuracy/Recharge
• 45: Lockdown: Recharge/Hold
• 45: Lockdown: Endurance/Recharge/Hold
• 46: Lockdown: Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge/Hold
• 42: Lockdown: Chance for +2 Mag Hold
  

Level 30: Mental Training

• A: Invention: Run Speed
  

Level 32: Surveillance

• A: Analyze Weakness: Accuracy/Recharge
  

Level 35: Gloom

• A: Superior Winter's Bite: Accuracy/Damage
• 42: Superior Winter's Bite: Damage/RechargeTime
• 42: Superior Winter's Bite: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• 43: Superior Winter's Bite: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• 43: Superior Winter's Bite: Damage/Endurance/Accuracy/RechargeTime
• 43: Superior Winter's Bite: Recharge/Chance for -Speed & -Recharge
  

Level 38: Dark Obliteration

• A: Superior Frozen Blast: Accuracy/Damage
• 39: Superior Frozen Blast: Damage/Endurance
• 40: Superior Frozen Blast: Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• 40: Superior Frozen Blast: Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• 40: Superior Frozen Blast: Damage/Endurance/Accuracy/RechargeTime
• 46: Superior Frozen Blast: Recharge/Chance for Immobilize
  

Level 41: Boxing

• A: Invention: Accuracy
  

Level 44: Tough

• A: Gladiator's Armor: End/Resist
• 46: Gladiator's Armor: Recharge/Resist
• 48: Gladiator's Armor: Resistance/Rech/End
• 48: Gladiator's Armor: Resistance
• 48: Gladiator's Armor: TP Protection +3% Def (All)
  

Level 47: Weave

• A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance
• 50: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Recharge
• 50: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
  

Level 49: Maneuvers

• A: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance
• 50: Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
  

──────────────────────────────

Inherents:

Level 1: Conditioning | Hidden

Level 1: Brawl

• (Empty)
  

Level 1: Sprint

• A: Celerity: +Stealth
  

Level 2: Rest

• A: Invention: Endurance Modification
  

Level 2: Swift

• A: Invention: Run Speed
  

Level 2: Hurdle

• A: Invention: Jumping
  

Level 2: Health

• A: Preventive Medicine: Chance for +Absorb
• 9: Panacea: +Hit Points/Endurance
• 11: Numina's Convalesence: +Regeneration/+Recovery
  

Level 2: Stamina

• A: Synapse's Shock: EndMod/Increased Run Speed
• 11: Performance Shifter: EndMod
• 13: Performance Shifter: Chance for +End
  

Level 1: Prestige Power Dash

• (Empty)
  

Level 1: Prestige Power Slide

• (Empty)
  

Level 1: Prestige Power Quick

• (Empty)
  

Level 1: Prestige Power Rush

• (Empty)
  

Level 1: Prestige Power Surge

• (Empty)
  

Level 4: Ninja Run

 

 

 

Spoiler

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[crakerhacker]

I don't have a build to upload here or anything but I do use a pretty good Bane.  I use all the mace melee skills and some of the ranged ones then I topped it off with mace mastery patron powers.  It's a great single target destroyer.