How confident are you that your build is properly slotted?

[DougGraves]

I stop my characters at level 19.  Builds are very tight at 19, so I fuss with them a lot.

 

For tankers I play rad mostly, it is well rounded and sturdy at that level (WP also works).  As I was fiddling with a rad/claws I discovered that I only needed 1 EM slot in Stamina.  I had been 3 slotting stamina because I just got used to doing that.

 

So now I can go back and redo my other rad tankers to get 2 slots out of Stamina.

 

So how confident are you that you have the right amount of END, recharge, ACC, etc. slotted in your powers?  Or do you just go with the idea that more is better and you have slots to burn?

[Monty Haull]

I use the function under combat attributes to monitor certain aspects.  You can watch your endurance recovery and you endurance consumption for example.  The same for health, defense, resistance etc.  

 

Some people use mids to pan out their builds.  I tend to start with a blank slate and kinda let things unfold for themselves.  

 

 

Edited February 6 by Monty Haull

[Gobbledigook]

Build it on the test servers first to try out.

 

But sometimes even then tweaks can happen.

[biostem]

3 hours ago, DougGraves said:

So how confident are you that you have the right amount of END, recharge, ACC, etc. slotted in your powers?

This varies wildly depending upon the AT and powersets each character has.  A character with powers dedicated to improving recovery or that straight up restore some endurance, can pretty much ignore slotting end redux enh's.  Similarly, characters with some in-built and consistent +acc or +tohit rarely need to overslot for acc.  If we're speaking in generalities, though, I do 2 acc, 3 dmg, then 1 "other" in my attack powers, which covers me for like 90% of what I'll come up against.  

[JasperStone]

I build it.

I play.

I have fun.

...

Build properly slotted

[Go0gleplex]

How does one define properly slotted?  OCD crunching the numbers slotting? Playing and not having any issues with face planting? Having all invention or special enhancements? I mean...doesn't it boil down to personal opinion at the end of the day in relation to play style?  (Oo)   (comment is rhetorical. I'm pretty sure the OP was referring to optimal number crunch slotting)  😁

 

 

[Yomo Kimyata]

3 hours ago, DougGraves said:

So how confident are you that you have the right amount of END, recharge, ACC, etc. slotted in your powers?  Or do you just go with the idea that more is better and you have slots to burn?

 

My criteria change over time.  I really enjoy pulling out an old 50 and say to myself, "What the hell was I thinking back then?!?"  I don't mind doing respecs so if something seems off I'll fix it as soon as I see something wrong.  My first focus is always going to be endurance, and if I need more I'll move heaven and earth for it.  It's funny you mention stamina, because I think I only have one character with 3-slotted stamina and that's a war mace//dark armor.

 

I'm probably always overslotted with accuracy, because there are -to hit debuffs out there.

[Clave Dark 5]

I tend to start from a build I find online, then throw out all the dorss I don't weant and add in the cool I do want; note that this often un-min/maxes said build, and IDGAF (I cannot stress this enough, I've grown to despise cookie cutter builds and that misconception that one simply must agree with them). 

 

Then I play it, and quite often still find it plays just fine.  Then, as said above, I am confident I am slotted "properly."

[Greycat]

I generally don't care about builds. *shrug* I slot as I level, or as I find something interesting. I may have a plan for something when I start, but it's more a theme than a build (like running an elec/elec blaster with that chance to stun in everything I can fit it in.)

 

Others would probably look at my characters and say they're not "proper" or "optimized" or whatever, but.... *shrug* I don't care, as long as they do what I want and I'm having fun.

[StarseedWarrior]

I think as long as its effective it should not matter but people should care about being a big damper on a team though since its not only your time its their time as well.

[Turric]

I am very confident of my builds. One way I test them is to run missions solo at +2 +8. If everything goes smoothly, I feel like it is well slotted. I detest down time so I make sure my end recovery and such are high. Most toons can run +4+8 against most enemy groups (some can be problematic), but +2+8 or even +1+8 when I'm feeling lazy is my test.

[JJDrakken]

Very

[Snarky]

9 hours ago, DougGraves said:

I stop my characters at level 19.  Builds are very tight at 19, so I fuss with them a lot.

 

For tankers I play rad mostly, it is well rounded and sturdy at that level (WP also works).  As I was fiddling with a rad/claws I discovered that I only needed 1 EM slot in Stamina.  I had been 3 slotting stamina because I just got used to doing that.

 

So now I can go back and redo my other rad tankers to get 2 slots out of Stamina.

 

So how confident are you that you have the right amount of END, recharge, ACC, etc. slotted in your powers?  Or do you just go with the idea that more is better and you have slots to burn?

My builds are not “great” but they are great fun for me.  The entire game is rock paper scissors.  I tend to try to have a rock and scissors and cheat.  The one tricky part is exemplaring without a dedicated build for it.  Things go sub par fast.  Most people do not realize how much so…

[UltraAlt]

9 hours ago, DougGraves said:

So how confident are you that you have the right amount of END, recharge, ACC, etc. slotted in your powers?  Or do you just go with the idea that more is better and you have slots to burn?

 

The "right" amount means what?

Character conception for the win!

 

But seriously, my general rule is 2 ACC in any attack power. I figure it saves END to make sure that you hit. If you miss, you still spend the END.

Any power that cost more than 10 END per use gets an end reducer. After the 2 ACCs if an attack power. After one enhance of the power's specialty if it is not an attack.

 

I don't keep track of when, but generally at least 2 end mods in Stamina by 20 and usually a Performance Shifter +End proc.

Lately, have been putting a Panacea - +END/+HP proc in as second health slot pre-level 20.

 

If I get low on END, it try to pace my attacks.

 

Other than that, all the slotting is based on character conception.

I really do try to avoid getting powers or power VFX that I don't think fit the character's conception.

 

 

[Water]

Properly slotted? What does that mean? Is it like - are you sure you're properly teaming?

 

 

[NotsoevilDM]

For me, properly slotted is based on my MIds final build for that toon. So at the moment, none of my builds are 'properly slotted'. Mostly because I only recently started playing again on Homecoming so I don;t have any level 50 toons yet.

 

Below level 50, I tend to slot towards that final build, but will also put slots where I think I need them as I go. Running out of end - more endreds, missing a lot - add some accuracy, etc..

 

From lvl 22 onwards, I start slotting IOs instead of SOs or DOs, focusing on the powers that I feel need them. 

 

I used to leave enhancement sets until 50, but if I understand correctly it is now possible to upgrade slotted enhancements so might have to rethink that. 

 

[Scarlet Shocker]

This is too subjective to be readily answered. That goes doubly if I'm understanding OP right in saying he stops developing his characters at level 19... that's an outlier if I ever heard one, when most are running to 50

 

To me "properly slotted" means it's working as best as it can while I'm getting to 50, with probably a few glitches that are likely expected (End use and the lack thereof for example.)

 

But if it's playable without needing an urgent respec then it's as properly slotted as it will get as I progress. I get new slots, fit SOs in them and maybe in the mid-40s start to add Invention Set IOs depending. I'm not one for Min/Maxing so much - and there are some useful sets out there that don't cost a fortune and still give quite a good bang for buck

 

Properly slotted? I'll let you know when I understand the question.

[Rimerat]

Personally, I find slotting SO's or whatever to be pretty straightforward at this point.

 

Where things get real interesting is when you start preparing set bonuses from inventions.

 

'Properly' there depends on what you're aiming for; typically recharge/damage, defense, or a mix of both - or maybe you're slotting for something optimally hyper-specific. My builds tend to be generalist and self-sufficient, but few players are going to have the exact same slotting style.

 

I imagine its kind of similar if you really want to get into it with SOs; just a lot less variables and very dependent on playstyle.

[Sovera]

Fairly, but I can also do it 'properly' and still chasing stuff I should not, like always going after S/L defense to 45% or worry about accuracy debuffs when it is not THAT common. But that's design philosophies.

[Lusiphur Malache]

I can never shake that I have slotted every one of my characters wrong.  I'm not a number crunching min/maxer.  I pick powers that feel right for where I am and where I'm going, same thing with enhancements.  I've come back to builds that I have semi-retired and done the "what was I thinking?" too many times.  Try one time to fix it and then leave it as it is.  Recently dinged 50 on a Bio/Titan tank, first BAF and Nightstar might have slowed down as she bitch slapped me then moved on. Did a respec to improve defense, but that broke a lot of other things so I changed back and leave Nightstar alone.

tldr: You can't fix everything, so don't even try.

[Perfidy]

So, in one of my "slot only what drops" challenges, I learned that aside from accuracy and endurance, it really doesn't matter what you slot. At least, not to simply get through a given mission and proceed to the next. I used to fuss over the numbers and try to squeeze out as much of various attributes as I could. 

I have some blasters that have more hitpoints than some of my scrappers, which puzzles me completely. Or is it almost as much? I can't recall. Enough to notice. Anyway, would I consider my characters to be completely optimally slotted? For what? 

We cannot have an optimal build unless we define the purpose. For generic play? For a Positron 1 & 2 AND a Really Hard Way Magisterium badge effort? There are players with several builds on the same character, in an effort to cover as many bases as possible. Good for them. 

I just slot what it is my characters seem to need as I level them. I do follow general guidelines, tho. 
All of my characters, unless I'm doing a drop challenge or something like that will get the kismet 6%, the Panacea +hp/recovery, the Shield Wall, the Glad Armor, the Steadfast 3%, the Unbreakable Guard with the 7.5% HP, the miracle +end, the numina +regen/recovery, a perf shifter +end, maybe a few Chance for Heal from the Power Transfer set. 

Some characters get 3-4 purple sets and the ATOs. Some get the ATOs and winter sets. Almost all of them get as many 7.5% LotGs I can slap in the build. 

I think in 95% of my characters, I'd have no problems sharing my build. The other 5%, I'd probably be a little embarrassed. But, ultimately, I've learned it just doesn't matter that much. 

There are players who can make an unslotted tank look like a kitted out brute, and vice-versa. Optimal play has so much more to do with the player than the pixels the players control. 

[Uun]

I slot by feel as I level. If the attack chain has gaps, I add more recharge (or more attacks). If I'm running out of endurance, I add end reduction or +end. This applies even if I'm slotting IO sets, since some sets are recharge heavy at the expense of end reduction, some are lacking in recharge, etc. I will often slot cheap IO sets in my 20s and then upgrade them in my 30s/40s once I have a better feel for what set bonuses I need. This is when I create a build on Mid's and will usually wait until then to slot the ATOs. Once I hit 50, I'll catalyze the ATOs and add purples, winters and/or HOs. Even after 50, it's pretty rare that I'm 100% happy with slotting. I don't respec often, but I frequently tweak the slotting.

[ZemX]

16 hours ago, DougGraves said:

So how confident are you that you have the right amount of END, recharge, ACC, etc. slotted in your powers?  Or do you just go with the idea that more is better and you have slots to burn?

 

Nope.  I am also a Rad Armor junkie and eventually noticed the same thing you did: It did not need multiple slots in Stamina.  It has Gamma Boost, a self-heal power that can slot a +end proc, and it has decent built-in endurance drain resistance.

 

But that's an example of something you can see in Mid's and it's fairly straightforward.  One that isn't, again using Rad Armor as an example, is Defense.  Rad Armor can't protect defense because it has no built-in DDR.  But I built for it anyway... at first.  And I seemed to be doing okay.  I struggled a lot against enemies that debuff defense, but I expected that.  And that's the problem.  Was I doing okay because I built for defense or in spite of it?  I had to go and rebuild for other things, ignoring defense, to find out that the set works remarkably well without really any added defense.  Playing to all its other strengths is enough for other content.  And for the hardest content, you need team buffs anyway.

 

But I had to try it.  Because just staring at Mid's I could easily convince myself that soft-cap melee defense was helping me when the truth is that vs. enemies that don't debuff defense, I didn't need it.  And against enemies that do debuff defense, it was doing almost nothing.

 

I might still have other wasted slots in my build.  I have a LOT of psi resistance for example.  Do I need that much?  It's a rare damage type.  Then again, super nice to have it when I am up against those enemies.  But could I knock off 20% or so and still survive those psi enemies well enough?  Maybe!  Survival is like that.  You only need enough of it.  It's not like damage.  You can always use more damage.

[ranagrande]

My current project is a strong candidate for the worst build ever.  I am 100% certain that it is not properly slotted.

[Seed22]

When I have blasters tanking AVs, Doms also acting as tanks and same with fenders, I believe I have my build slotted properly. Or whatever I’m building achieving the goal I set for it.

 

We’ll see with my next project, a Dark/Rad Dom when I get done with Palworld lol