Oops, All Procs!

[Ringo]

So I was just wondering about Proc builds today.  In my mind the big trade-off to using procs is that you end up missing out on set bonuses, or the 3-5 slot set bonuses you do grab end up slotting recharge and lowering your proc rate.

 

Now I know there are plenty of specific proc builds out there for different ATs/power combos, but that's not what I'm really after.  What I want to know is what AT/powerset is most survivable without chasing set bonuses in your attacks?  What gives you the best chance to actually use an Oops, All Procs! build?

[Spaghetti Betty]

Tankers and Defenders (and Corruptors) by a long shot. These ATs have the benefit of superior Defensive scaling out of the box which means they aren't taking much risk by skimping out on some set bonuses.

 

Bonus points go to any set that has multiple opportunities to slot Force Feedback: Chance for +Recharge, as this will allow you to "fake" your global recharge in combat without hindering your proc chances.

[tidge]

1 hour ago, Ringo said:

So I was just wondering about Proc builds today.  In my mind the big trade-off to using procs is that you end up missing out on set bonuses, or the 3-5 slot set bonuses you do grab end up slotting recharge and lowering your proc rate.

 

Well... sort of. Slotted recharge does lower a %proc rate, but there are three general cases I can think of where the reduced rate would be essentially unnoticeable in anything like normal play:

• The inherent recharge time of the power is already so short that the %proc rate is already abysmal.
• The inherent recharge time of the power is already so long that the recharge from a full set doesn't actually hurt %proc chances
• The set includes a %proc with an improved PPM that somewhat mitigates any loss that would be due to slotting Recharge pieces from the same set.

There are plenty of sets that can be slotted into "attacks" for which 3 set pieces can be slotted and not enhance recharge time.

 

A bigger tradeoff to choosing "lotsa procs" is that by trying for many rolls of the RNG to improve damage, a character can end up being somewhat less effective, especially solo. Some ways:

• Missing out on Accuracy (and/or ToHit) makes the %procs far less likely to 'stick'
• Missing out on Endurance reduction can lead to fewer attacks (and if the class has an Endurance tax, like Masterminds, this will be very noticeable)
• Missing out on reliable Damage enhancements for high-damage scalar ATs (for high recharge attacks) may pay fewer dividends

I consider the above to be 'first order' considerations, but there are higher-order effects too. Consider an attack chain that requires 2 attacks to defeat a particular enemy mobile, whether slotted with %damage or not (in either or both attacks). If the recharge time of the powers are longer and each power takes more endurance for the %proc attack chain, it seems to me that by also giving up some set bonuses (to have %damage) that the character with the %proc build ultimately has a lower quality-of-life than the one leveraging set bonuses.

 

I won't lie: I like to leverage %damage, especially for inherently low DPS characters. It is more that I look at the potential tradeoffs differently.

[arcane]

I’ve had a couple of Tanker builds that had 6 proc bomb attacks and still functioned, so probably those.

[Onlyasandwich]

The most flexible proc-bomber is going to be a SR Tanker, for several reasons:

• You need very few slots, and no real IO support to reach maximum defensive potential. 
• You have built-in recharge, as well as lots of lotg opportunities so you can push recharge without affecting proc chance.
• That's it - what more do you want?

 

Any proctastic secondary will do. The only problem you will need to solve for to some degree is end management, which shouldn't be a great challenge with all the extra slots SR gives you to play with.

 

Second place would be a Time Defender with power build-up epic power. You have:

• Same slot efficient defense solution (PBU+Farsight).
• Farsight gives you more leeway for hit chance on your proccable powers so you rely less on tactics and global acc bonuses, leaving you more flexible in jamming procs.
• Yet again - built-in +recharge.
• You get all the fun utility and debuffs of Time on top. This isn't proc related - it's just good. : )

 

Absolutely there are plenty of other viable options, but these stand out. Fortunatas are also a good contender here.

[arcane]

3 minutes ago, Onlyasandwich said:

The most flexible proc-bomber is going to be a SR Tanker, for several reasons:

• You need very few slots, and no real IO support to reach maximum defensive potential. 
• You have built-in recharge, as well as lots of lotg opportunities so you can push recharge without affecting proc chance.
• That's it - what more do you want?

 

Any proctastic secondary will do. The only problem you will need to solve for to some degree is end management, which shouldn't be a great challenge with all the extra slots SR gives you to play with.

 

Second place would be a Time Defender with power build-up epic power. You have:

• Same slot efficient defense solution (PBU+Farsight).
• Farsight gives you more leeway for hit chance on your proccable powers so you rely less on tactics and global acc bonuses, leaving you more flexible in jamming procs.
• Yet again - built-in +recharge.
• You get all the fun utility and debuffs of Time on top. This isn't proc related - it's just good. : )

 

Absolutely there are plenty of other viable options, but these stand out. Fortunatas are also a good contender here.

This guy gets it