Which powers are MUST HAVE in energy melee?

[Damoklese]

Hey everyone.  Im working on my build for an Inv/EM tank and im trying to decide where I can pare down my attack chain to just the most necessary stuff.

 

I plan on having a fairly high amount of global recharge..shooting for perma haste.  I am wanting to pare down my attack chain because I want to try and fit in most of the psionic mastery ancillary pool, and go proc heavy with dominate and psionic tornado. 

 

So knowing that, what would you say are the most important attacks for me to take in EM?

 

Right now im pretty sure I want Total Focus and Energy Transfer..  beyond that though.. i dunno.  Should I take whirling hands and/or power crash?  Is there any reason I shouldnt skip barrage, bonesmasher, and energy punch?

 

Thanks for the help 😄

[Zect]

Barrage & E-punch - you’re forced to take one. Can mule hecatombs, ATIOs, absolute amazements. 
 

Bonesmasher - skippable at endgame. Replaced with epic/pool attacks at endgame (procced dominate, gloom). 
 

Whirling hands - It is usually not an advantage to skip the pbaoe in most sets. Even if you take epic aoes (eg dark oblit), pbaoe sets typically have highly desired bonuses.
 

Power crash - the other aoe. It’s not bad, but being a cone makes it slightly less convenient than a pbaoe.

 

Build up - Generally worth it, though there are also arguments for not taking it on certain sets. It’s stronger on sets with burst damage (eg. shield charge, or TF > ET for that matter). Take unless you know what you’re doing.
 

Total focus and E-transfer - Take these or suck. 

note that skipping too many 2ndary attacks creates design challenges because you have fewer places to slot ATIOs, which only go in primary and 2ndary powers. This is doubly so because Inv/ does not have any damage power that can take them (this is a significant advantage that sets such as rad, fire, bio etc. all have). 

 

Edited March 5 by Zect

[tidge]

My /Energy Meele choices/slotting follows. There is nothing particularly fancy about it.

 

Spoiler

Level 1: Barrage               

 (A) Superior Might of the Tanker - Accuracy/Damage: Level 50

 (*) Superior Might of the Tanker - Damage/Recharge: Level 50

 (*) Superior Might of the Tanker - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge: Level 50

 (*) Superior Might of the Tanker - Damage/Endurance/Recharge: Level 50

 (*) Superior Might of the Tanker - Recharge/Chance for +Res(All): Level 50

 

Level 4:                 Bone Smasher  

 (A) Superior Gauntleted Fist - Accuracy/Damage: Level 50

 (*) Superior Gauntleted Fist - Damage/RechargeTime: Level 50

 (*) Superior Gauntleted Fist - Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime: Level 50

 (*) Superior Gauntleted Fist - Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime: Level 50

 (*) Superior Gauntleted Fist - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime: Level 50

 

Level 12:              Taunt   

 (A) Mocking Beratement - Taunt:

 (*) Mocking Beratement - Taunt/Recharge/Range:

 (*) Mocking Beratement - Accuracy/Recharge:

 (*) Mocking Beratement - Taunt/Recharge:

 (*) Mocking Beratement - Taunt/Range:

 (*) Mocking Beratement - Recharge:

 

Level 16:              Whirling Hands 

 (A) HamiO:Nucleolus Exposure (Accuracy/Damage): Level 53

 (*) Eradication - Chance for Energy Damage:

 (*) Perfect Zinger - Chance for Psi Damage:

 (*) Scirocco's Dervish - Chance of Damage(Lethal):

 (*) Superior Gauntleted Fist - RechargeTime/+Absorb: Level 50

 (*) Armageddon - Chance for Fire Damage: Level 50

 

Level 24:              Total Focus        

 (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage:

 (*) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance:

 (*) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge:

 (*) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal):

 (*) Perfect Zinger - Chance for Psi Damage:

 (*) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative):

 

Level 26:              Build Up              

 (A) Recharge Speed IO: Level 50+5

 (A) Recharge Speed IO: Level 50+5

 

Level 30:              Energy Transfer               

 (A) Hecatomb - Damage: Level 50

 (*) Hecatomb - Damage/Recharge: Level 50

 (*) Hecatomb - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge: Level 50

 (*) Hecatomb - Damage/Endurance: Level 50

 (*) Hecatomb - Chance of Damage(Negative): Level 50

 (*) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative):

 

I like my characters to not have to wait for Epic levels to get attacks, so this build also includes the following:

 

Spoiler

Level 10:              Weaken Resolve             

 (A) HamiO:Lysosome Exposure (Accuracy / -Defense / -ToHit) Level 53

 (*) Shield Breaker - Chance for Lethal Damage:

 (*) Touch of Lady Grey - Chance for Negative Damage:

 

Level 14:              Wall of Force     

 (A) Javelin Volley - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge: Level 50+5

 (*) Javelin Volley - Chance of Damage (Lethal):

 (*) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage (Energy):

 (*) Bombardment - Chance of Damage (Fire):

 (*) Explosive Strike - Chance for Smashing Damage:

 

I have found that if I am considering an Epic/Patron attack specifically for use as a source of %damage, I may as well work an equivalent power into the build early, rather than later. YMMV. This build runs without Hasten. My build has the %Build Up (Gaussian's) in Invincibility, but if you have a different primary I would go ahead an put it in the actual Build Up power.

[Sovera]

EM has a problem which is a too long and awkward recharge on TF which is the linchpin of the set (it gives the energy mechanic that in turn makes Energy Transfer fast).

 

Because of TF's long recharge there is a lot of downtime to fill before it is available again. In most builds I have TF down to 6 seconds. 1.2 seconds for ET, 1.5 seconds for Bone Smasher, 1. second for Energy Punch. And now what? All combined it was just 3.7 seconds.

 

So lets add more. TF, ET, EP, BS, EP = 4.7. Still not enough.

 

Swapping Energy Punch for Barrage adds another one second. Now it's 5.7 which is close enough. But Barrage sucks. Might as well make Bone Smasher the repeat. So TF, BS 1.5, ET 1.2, EP 1, BS 1.5 = 5,2. Still short. Replace EP for Barrage and we have 5.7 which is  acceptable.

 

Of course we can replace one of these for an epic attack but it changes little since epic attacks are not available at every rotation.

 

 

It leaves Power Crash as the flexible slot, but that's pretty relative. Whirling Hands is not particularly good AoE and having a cone we can chain (TF, Power Crash, Whirling Hands, Power Crash can be repeated ad infinitum) helps in AoE situations.

 

It's a reason I can't fit EM with Stone Armor since Stone wants most of its powers and EM wants most of its powers too. There are no powers and slots enough to accommodate both the way I build.

[Cyri]

If I could have Total Focus x 2, I would, and it would be six slotted both times.

[Sovera]

Erf... Give me Energy Transfer instead 😄 Dim Mak animation coupled with 1,2 seconds and 750 damage without BU 😄

[Infinitum]

On 3/6/2024 at 7:09 AM, Sovera said:

infinitum) helps in AoE situations

Yes, yes I do. 

[Hjarki]

On 3/6/2024 at 7:09 AM, Sovera said:

Because of TF's long recharge there is a lot of downtime to fill before it is available again.

Total Focus has twice the recharge of Energy Transfer. Since the slow version of Energy Transfer is still the highest dpa attack in the chain, you should be casting two ET per TF. This also means your primary concern isn't the recharge of Total Focus but the recharge of Energy Transfer - you need to pack in 3 - 4 seconds of something between your fast and slow Energy Transfers.

[Sovera]

5 minutes ago, Hjarki said:

Total Focus has twice the recharge of Energy Transfer. Since the slow version of Energy Transfer is still the highest dpa attack in the chain, you should be casting two ET per TF. This also means your primary concern isn't the recharge of Total Focus but the recharge of Energy Transfer - you need to pack in 3 - 4 seconds of something between your fast and slow Energy Transfers.

 

I don't cast slow Energy Transfers. Good lord, it's bad enough to deal with TF! 2.9 seconds, wheeze....

 

*Vietnam flashbacks, helicopters in the background, Radiation Melee theme song*