New Player...looking for a smahing guide

[AncientReaper]

Hi!  I'm new to the game, and I'm looking to make a tanker who can run through the enemies, smashing away.

Can anyone help me...trying to make a high AoE DPS, while still having a lot of survival.  Also, can anyone tell me why I cant open any of the builds that are attached on posts?

Thank you!

[Psyonico]

Have you downloaded Mids Reborn?

 

www.midsreborn.com

 

That will let you open then builds.

 

As for the whole "smash through things quickly, but still survive", I'd probably suggest Bio armor/fire melee.  Bio has adaptations that let you be more offensive or defensive, but once you have a solid build done, you can just stay in offensive and just go to town.

 

Fire melee has 2 PBAoE attacks and a cone, its secondary effect is literally "do more damage"

 

Alternatively you could go Shield Defense/Electric Melee.  Shield is not quite as forgiving as Bio, but it's still a really strong defense set, and Against All Odds increases your damage for each enemy in range. electric melee has a lot of AoE potential as well

[PLVRIZR]

New player?  I'd recommend starting simple, yet classic.  Invulnerability/Super Strength.  There is little in this game as satisfying as Foot Stomp.

[Snarky]

yes.  make a super stength brute.  if you just want to madhouse 1-50 go SS/Will.  if you plan late game go SS/invul

 

 

[Nemu]

Everyone tends to ask "what's the best" when they start. But make sure you learn to crawl and walk before you run.

 

People that post builds and suggestions typically do not look at their suggestions from your perspective as a new player, most just espouse their favorite build tweaked to optimal performance with expensive builds and incarnates. You don't have those resources when you start the game, keep that in mind.

 

It pays to ask some smarter than average questions like:
What can I expect leveling this up/when does it get fun?

What are some elements I should prioritize/be mindful of?

What kind of investment do I need to take this build to the level of performance as it is posted?

 

Otherwise you might very well start that character and abandon it 10-20 levels later because no one told you what it's like to level that build. For example Invuln/Super Strength. Footstomp, the only AOE of the set, is available at level 30, so that means you have to wait 30 levels to a point where the build actually becomes fun, meanwhile you'll be riddled with poor damage and endurance issues. As a new player with no funds I struggle to see how you would stick with it that long before you jump ship into something else that is more fun from the get go.

[PLVRIZR]

1 hour ago, Nemu said:

For example Invuln/Super Strength. Footstomp, the only AOE of the set, is available at level 30, so that means you have to wait 30 levels to a point where the build actually becomes fun, meanwhile you'll be riddled with poor damage and endurance issues. As a new player with no funds I struggle to see how you would stick with it that long before you jump ship into something else that is more fun from the get go.

Whilst running a Kin/Dark Defender, in 2004 (retail, pre-I1), I had my first opportunity to team (two man) with a SS tank.  We were both 20-ish and I was absolutely hooked on the wind-up animation of Knockout Blow.  SS stole my heart and, long before the invention system was even a sparkle in the devs' eyes, I immediately made my titular toon, a Stone/SS tank.  I even waited until level 38 (IIRC) to get Foot Stomp.  Still the most satisfying project to-date, in the 12+ years I've played this game.  Was it a grind?  Absolutely.  Did it have "poor damage and endurance issues", I guess - with only access to DOs and SOs....oh and Fitness was not inherent.  Was it fun...Hell yes!  It was (and is) a blast.  I don't disagree that with all the bells-and-whistles, the game offers now, that might seem mundane and boring, but I stuck with it.  Maybe he would, too (and I soon realized that Inv was a better choice than Stone 😆).

[Nemu]

Sure that's your story about why you like the set, but you have to recognize that other people might not have the same measuring stick for what's fun/easy for them right?

 

Helping newbies is not about you, it's about the newbies. We can all be a little more prescriptive and exercise some empathy in how we endorse what we endorse and take an objective lens to highlight pros/cons/tips for success. It's cool to list the good, but you gotta be fair and list the bad and how to over come the negatives also.

 

The goal here is to help newbies make an informed decision, not to tout what you personally love, keep that in mind.

[electric_emu]

Pick what calls to you.  There is truly no wrong choice and you can always reroll if you find something else strikes your interest (it's what most of us stick around to do lol).  With that disclaimer out of the way, here is my two cents:

 

For primaries, I'd recommend against Bio Armor, Ice Armor, Fiery Aura, and Dark Armor.   They're all fantastic, but not necessarily noob friendly.  Bio is very active and really appreciates a strong build.  Ice has glaring and somewhat common protection holes (fire and psi).  Fiery Aura is the squishiest Tanker primary.  Dark Armor offers comprehensive protection (except knockback, though easily fixed) but is very hard on your endurance (this can be particularly unfun).  Any other primary will keep you alive without much fuss.

 

For secondaries you have a lot of choices for AoE thanks to Tankers' increased range and target caps.  Fiery Melee is a standout all-rounder capable of awesome AoE and great single target pretty much out of the box.  Ice Melee is another contender with deceptively good single target damage as well (do not mistake Freezing Touch for mere crowd control!), but really only shows its true AoE potential with its last power (Frozen Aura).  Super Strength is similar, but ALL of its AoE potential locked behind its very satisfyingT9 (Foot Stomp) so it may feel slow to get off the ground.  Electrical Melee has fantastic AoE but anemic single target damage.

 

 

Edited January 16 by electric_emu

[Thraxen]

Stone/stone. 

[PLVRIZR]

17 hours ago, Nemu said:

Sure that's your story about why you like the set, but you have to recognize that other people might not have the same measuring stick for what's fun/easy for them right?

 

And when someone asks your opinion, you should give them a thoughtful/personal response, right?  Even better if you have actually done it, right?

 

Regardless, the OP titled the post as "New Player....looking for a smashing(sic) guide".  Nothing is more "smashing" on a tank than Super Strength, IMHO.  New Player = avoid complex primaries like Bio, Rad and Dark.  Considering the request of "a tanker who can run through enemies, smashing away" = Inv/SS, regardless of your opinion of its weaknesses.

 

Bottom line, in this game, you can't really go wrong with a tank.  @AncientReaper, let us know what you decided on and "tell us how you do"! 😆

[Snarky]

1 hour ago, PLVRIZR said:

And when someone asks your opinion, you should give them a thoughtful/personal response, right?  Even better if you have actually done it, right?

 

Regardless, the OP titled the post as "New Player....looking for a smashing(sic) guide".  Nothing is more "smashing" on a tank than Super Strength, IMHO.  New Player = avoid complex primaries like Bio, Rad and Dark.  Considering the request of "a tanker who can run through enemies, smashing away" = Inv/SS, regardless of your opinion of its weaknesses.

 

Bottom line, in this game, you can't really go wrong with a tank.  @AncientReaper, let us know what you decided on and "tell us how you do"! 😆

And I pointed them to Brutes, the King of Smash Mountain.  Tanks do a different job, done properly 

[Sirrocco]

Yeah... "Run through enemies, smashing away" is more of a brute thing - brute is all about "I want to be constantly smashing enemies, as much as I possibly can be, with few or no breaks for anything."

 

Honorable mention for Brutes goes to spines/fire.  Get access to a PBAoE damage aura on the one side at level 1, and a second PBAoE damage aura on the other side at level 18.  If you want to play a brute, and have your weaker enemies just die while you ignore them, then spines/fire is the way to go.

[Story Archer]

My recommendation for someone new to Tankers (or Brutes) would be a Willpower/Staff. Willpower offers a nice, smooth leveling experience, in large part due to getting Quick Recovery so early and is very user-friendly, running almost exclusively on Toggles and Auto-Powers. Plus it layers defenses, so you can get a sense of whether you're more into resists, defense, healing, whatever. Staff compliments this by offering earlier AoE's, one of which provides a substantial defensive buff to boot, and you get some really cool and fun animations. I'd equally recommend Willpower/Katana for the exact Same reasons. By the time you get this guy (or gal) leveled up, you'll have learned enough to branch out to more complex or user-intensive options.

 

Willpower/Super Strength is the most fun, most heroic I've ever felt playing - Foot Stomp, particularly with the alternate animation - it just makes you feel... super. The only reason it's not my first recommendation is that Foot Stomp is the tier 9 power, and you have to wait til level 30 to get it... before then, the power set feels somewhat pedestrian (I personally leaned into Cross Punch from the Fighting set) and, as great as Rage is, it also comes a little later and not everyone likes the cool down.

 

Another side consideration is that none of these options have overwhelming animations. For a lot of people, crafting the perfect look is a big part of the fun, and some of the other power sets are either visually unappealing or obscure all that hard work you put into your costume.

 

 

Edited January 19 by Story Archer

[Spaghetti Betty]

Try Super Reflexes/Dark Melee! It's the definition of cruise control. By level 20, most enemies will be whiffing their attacks, and by 35, you'll be an unstoppable beast! Works great on SOs, but can really be pushed once you start learning the Invention System. A tried and true combination that's been around since the launch of the game*!

 

 

*-for Scrappers