Sentinel's Epic Powers aren't so epic, are they?

[Diantane]

Other Archetypes get armor or really cool powers. What do we get? Stuff that a low level archetype may get. Doesn't sound so epic to me. So every time I make a new Sentinel (at number 77), I use the pool powers to finish off the build. What do you think of Epic powers?

[FupDup]

Most of the melee attacks offered are actually quite strong, but I don't like the design where a ranged AT feels pressured to pick up melee powers thus turning them into a melee AT instead (which we already have several of). In spite of the mathematic advantages to picking up some melee, I tend not to simply because I play a Sentinel specifically because I like shooting stuff (while wearing armor) rather than punching stuff. 

 

The mezz powers and support powers tend to be mediocre at best though. 

 

I wish Sents got Energy Mastery, specifically the Brute/Stalker version that lets you pick up Superior Conditioning at level 35 (replace the ranged attacks with melee I guess). It would make a quaint little filler pool that fits any character concept. 

Edited June 13 by FupDup

[TsyePrime]

Psionic Mastery is perfect but yeah, without that one the only other pool that really stands out is weapon mastery, and that's mostly because you get a sword. 

[Uun]

They're not exciting because they all follow the same pattern: 1) ST melee attack; 2) AoE immobilize; 3) ST hold; 4) PBAoE attack; 5) utility power. The patron sets swap the PBAoE attack for the pet. 

[Maelwys]

Happy Friday Diantane.

Sentinel Epic Pools don't give "armor" because Sentinel Secondary Pools already give "armor".
Just like Brutes, Scrappers, Stalkers and Tanks.

As for "really cool powers"... do you perhaps mean things like Debuffs? Buffs? Pets? Heals? Debuff Resistance? Mez? Damage Auras?
'cause they already get all of that. And the only archetype that gets access to a pet (for example) at a low level is a Mastermind.

[Player2]

People throw the word "epic" around too much.  That pool is the Ancillary Pool, and it's supposed to provide additional powers of a type that's outside the AT's normal Primary and Secondary sets.  It may have been called epic early on when it was first introduced, but if so it was officially rebranded.  Incarnate powers are the true epic powers.

[Luminara]

Goddamn low level archetypes.  Jerks!

[Sovera]

Sentinel is the one AT where I never pick an epic pool. A mixed blessing.

[Heatstroke]

The whole point is that they are designed to round out a character. None of these powers should be significantly better than the T9 in your primary or secondary set. 

 

 

[biostem]

On 6/13/2024 at 5:12 PM, Diantane said:

Doesn't sound so epic to me

That's your mistake right there;  They may colloquially be called "Epic Power Pools", but in reality they are there to provide some options that fall outside of said AT's wheelhouse - things like controls or group heals that Sentinels don't normally gain access to...

[Glacier Peak]

On 6/13/2024 at 3:12 PM, Diantane said:

Other Archetypes get armor or really cool powers. What do we get? Stuff that a low level archetype may get. Doesn't sound so epic to me. So every time I make a new Sentinel (at number 77), I use the pool powers to finish off the build. What do you think of Epic powers?

 

Ancillary Power Pools

 

ancillary. adjective. an·cil·lary ˈan-sə-ˌler-ē, an-ˈsi-lə-rē 1. : having a subordinate, subsidiary, or secondary nature

[RCU7115]

I always just take the aoe immobilize power and 3 slot it with gravitational anchor.

[HyperiusX]

Sentinel are pretty much Epic already.. I love hearing other archetypes cry about this versatile toon. When it comes to an Epic Power selection I pretty much don't need anything other than a group hold or immob to make my PBoe or Aoe more effective in combination with fold space. I haven't really experimented with the other Epic pools because I opt to have as many primary and secondary powers as possible but to your point the options for Sentinels aren't geared towards its uniqueness. 

[Heatstroke]

Lets see... 

 

My Fire/Rad Sent uses Fire Cages to keep everyone nice and bunched together to keep mobs scattering from Rain of Fire.  And uses Fire Sword Circle as part of his PbAoE attack chain with Fireball @ close range, Ground Zero and Inferno..  That works pretty good. 
 

My Dark Bio uses Dark Mastery Netherworld Tentacles and Engulfing Darkness in combination with Umbral Torrent and Dark Obliteration as a Nice AoE Spam..  and since the immobilize keeps them in place They are all nice and bunched for Parasitic Leach.. AND Netherworld Grasp gives a very nice attack with 5 damage procs... 

My Water/Ice uses Ice Mastery Frostbite to keep everyone bunched up for Whirlpool. Now they cant run out of Whirlpool and they take ALL the DoT from it.. And Block of Ice is a nice place for 5 Damage procs ( hmm mayge I should call it Block of Nice ) 

Elec/Elec uses Electric Mastery  Chain Fences to once again.. Immobilize everyone.. and keep them in place for Short Circuit/Power Sink combo to drain them.. Its -End  along with Lightning Field from the same pool  damaging and ticking -end... to keep their end floored.. which in turn helps trigger the Shocked Mechanic so they take even MORE damage... 
 

And lastly Psi/Regen uses Psi Mastery uses Mass Hypnosis to just put everyone to sleep. Hits Psychic Focus, Psychic Shockwave and then Psychic Wail.. and Once again.. Dominate very nice attack with 5 damage procs..

What did Eric Clapton say ??

 

ITS IN THE WAY THAT YOU USE IT.... 

Edited August 8 by Heatstroke

[Meknomancer]

I look at the sentinel epics and just think, why do they get all the best stuff? And how can i possibly fit any in. I get that some players are going to say why would i take melee attacks on a ranged toon but if you look at sentinels as scrappers with ranged attacks and play them as scrappers those melee powers make more sense. The only problem i see with them is that some are so far superior to others that i always take the same ones, dark/elec/psi. Its a strange feeling, red epics on any other AT are always my preference but the devs have gone out of their way to make the blue ones better on sentinels which i suppose saves you the need to unlock stuff. Having to run a patron arc to unlock powers was supposed to give me better powers to pick from otherwise why didn't they just unlock the same as the junk blueside ones? Last issue did try to smooth out the differences but you just have to compare chain fences from elec to electrifying fences from mu to see the inequalities.

[Exqzr984]

I have to Echo the awesomeness that is Chain Fences and Ligthning Field.   I will routinely trim two Powers from the offensive side just to get these.

 

If you only have room to take one, The immobilize powers completely change the nature of any battle to your advantage.

 

I have experimented with taking all 5 in various respecs and In this case I think I like Ice the best overall.  Probably because a Control heavy Sentinel seems to have won out as my favourite playstyle.

Edited June 15 by Exqzr984
Spelling

[kelika2]

In my opinion this is not a bad thing.

All of my melee alts generally use 38/41+ as mule powers and using all enhancement slots for more defense set bonuses.

This also translates to my Sentinels because of the Armor secondary nature of things.

 

I take boxing/kick in the 20s, tough at 32, weave at 35 and use anything after that are just mules.  Having the ack-clin-en-aries/epic pools suck and skippable is a good thing from a min/max point of view

[Stellarex]

Wha... Buh... Oh... Nevermind.

[Heatstroke]

22 hours ago, Exqzr984 said:

I have to Echo the awesomeness that is Chain Fences and Ligthning Field.   I will routinely trim two Powers from the offensive side just to get these.

 

If you only have room to take one, The immobilize powers completely change the nature of any battle to your advantage.

 

I have experimented with taking all 5 in various respecs and In this case I think I like Ice the best overall.  Probably because a Control heavy Sentinel seems to have won out as my favourite playstyle.

 

 

I took all the offensive powers.. but I dont have things like Boxing Tough and Weave, which I am OK with on this build. Sometimes you have to let your teammates shine..

[Triumphant]

On 6/13/2024 at 4:12 PM, Diantane said:

Other Archetypes get armor or really cool powers. What do we get? Stuff that a low level archetype may get. Doesn't sound so epic to me. So every time I make a new Sentinel (at number 77), I use the pool powers to finish off the build. What do you think of Epic powers?

I tend to agree with you that most of the Epic Powers aren't all that Epic (I think I may have even made a post about this, somewhere in the dim, dark past).  There are a few gems in there, but nothing that truly screams EPIC.

 

And you know what, I don't even think I mind so much that the powers aren't epic.  What bothers me, is that they're called Epic when, well... they're mostly mediocre.  They should be called, "Additional" powers.  Or some such.

 

Or, yeah- you could actually make them epic.  Sure.  Why not? 😝

[Psiphon]

They're ancillary powers. The pools give you access to types of powers not available in your primary or secondary. I usually take two or three, the AoE immobilise, the hold and sometimes the buff/debuff. 

I find them very useful and certainly better than standard power pool powers - most of the time. 

[Riverdusk]

I like an AoE immobilize to keep everything from running off.  Also handy for AV's that like to run.    My electric blast sent really appreciates it as things that get their endurance drained especially like to run off and scatter.  Someone else mentioned rain of fire, another case of having an aoe immob being very nice.   The AoE immob tends to be the only thing I take from them though.

[TheMoncrief]

Sentinel epics used to be a bit *TOO* epic. For a long time the running joke was that the highest damage Sentinel primary was Psi Mastery. I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more epicness in them now, but the real issue is that Sentinels have pretty much everything they really need in their power sets and normal pools.

[JasperStone]

On 6/13/2024 at 3:24 PM, FupDup said:

I wish Sents got Energy Mastery, specifically the Brute/Stalker version that lets you pick up Superior Conditioning

Yes please.

[SuperFerret]

On 6/13/2024 at 4:12 PM, Diantane said:

Other Archetypes get armor or really cool powers. What do we get? Stuff that a low level archetype may get. Doesn't sound so epic to me. So every time I make a new Sentinel (at number 77), I use the pool powers to finish off the build. What do you think of Epic powers?

To be fair, all of the ancillary pools give stuff that a low level character of another archetype would get. You mentioned armors, and even including Scorpion Shield's status as a "PICK THIS ONE" power, all of the ancillary armors are essentially a T1 or T2 pick for an armored AT.