Calling All...

[Wolfenstein]

Defenders with experience in Marine and/or Water Blast!  I recently stepped out of my box of melee toons and started to make and play more ranged, supportive ATs.  After making a few, I found one that I absolutely LOVE playing, Marine/Water Blast.  It's A LOT of fun on its own, even better on teams.  It's a perfect toon for me to join into groups, and sit more in the back and debuff, make enemies pissed off, and even drop some bombs!  lol

That said, it's time to get serious with her build.  Time to make this girl REALLY good.  Time to join some of these Incarnate, and late-game story arcs, and not have people look at her powers and be like,  >.>!  Time to spend some hard-earned farming cash on this girl!  I've been messing around with the Mids program for days, trying to get a build-together, these are (more or less) the powers that I have tried throughout the time I leveled her to 50, and seem to use, and or like, feel that they could really help me in the late game.  Feel free to change whatever you need to make her as strong as possible.  I couldn't really find any builds on these TOGETHER, so that's why I'm asking you all, who know your Defenders, for help.

Hopefully the upload works from MIds, but as you can see, I started the build to try to reach,  as close as possible, soft cap on S/L resistance, and ranged defense.  As I was going I also was trying to pick sets that helped with end reduction, accuracy, and recharge rate.  When I looked into Incarnate powers though, at the end, I noticed and chose the one that gave my the mez, fear, KB, hold, etc protection (I didn't know that was an option until at the end), lol.  Not to mention that it also had recharge rate increase and (I think) help with End.  It was too late for me to go back and start switching sets out at that point, started to doubt the entire build, and saved-logged.  As you can see, Infamy is not a problem, also I do plan on getting all of the basic, and eventually as many accolades on her as I possibly can.  If you can make her better, I'd be EXTREMELY grateful for a build or two to l ook at, and choose to get on her asap, to get her out of her SO's (50-53's)  LOL she's currently running.  thank you all!!!  Here is what I came up with...

 

 

Aquaphia - Defender (Marine Affinity - Water Blast).mbd

[Wimbochismo]

Been seeing a bunch of Marine/Water posts floating around. My Fire/Marine Controller is closing in on 50 and this seems like a good chance to do a breakdown of how I've been slotting powers.

 

It looks like you've done work on trying to figure things out, you're just missing some things here and there. You've got the right idea, though!

 

Here's my Marine slotting breakdown:

• Shoal Rush - Hit or miss. It's useful but it varies on your build and requirements. Can do anything from 1 accuracy to set mule.
• Soothing Wave - Standard recharge based healing set. Add an accuracy if you want the -dam to for sure hit mobs.
• Toroidal Bubble - Mainly should be slotted for resistances. Just one 50+5 endmod will solve your end problems.
• Whitecap - Damage set ideally proc based. Can proc it out, including FF +rech.
• Tide Pool - Usually a +slow or a slow/endred. Can set mule.
• Brine - Anything from 1 accuracy to boosting the -heal but there's a decay.
• Shifting Tides - Just an endred unless you feel the extra damage added is worth being slotted for. It's mainly the +rech +dam I'm after.
• Barrier Reef - Does both def and absorb and ideally needs to be slotted for both. I split the difference between 2 sets.
• Power of the Depths - A bit of a pain to make it perma unless you can ideally frankenslot it. I can usually get it ~10s off.

Couple of things with your own build:

• Your healing is already high with Barrier Reef and Soothing Wave, along with the Defender ATO procs. All of the healing procs sprinkled around aren't really doing too much. Can nix most of them.
• Split Superior Vigilant Assault set in 2.
• Procs like Perf Shifter +end and Panacea should be working in Barrier Reef and Power of the Depths to proc on your teammates. This is a decent enough place for them if possible. But they should ideally not go in powers like Dehydrate.
• Dominate is overkill as another single target attack. Unless its a procced out heavy hitter I'd drop it over Arcane Bolt for the reasons below.
• You could use some LotG's.

Slightly diving into the Water Jet debate... It's solid dpa and when it works it works pretty well. When it gets into rhythm the Water Jet - Water Jet - Dehydrate - Hydro- Water Jet - Water Jet etc is decent enough. If it doesn't line up or fails for some reason it feels super bad though. I actually like the inclusion of Arcane Bolt here because you can potentially use an Empowered Arcane Bolt if Water Jet gets wonky.

 

If you end up including Sorcery in the build, defenses will go down due to loss of toggles. Also potential LotG mules - it isn't drastic, though. Ranged defense at 45% usually helps you avoid cc if you stay at ranged. Rune of Protection covers more broad cc and the slight loss of 45% ranged def. If going ranged def, be sure to fly above mobs heads or run out after using Whitecap and they stand back up.

 

I'll attach a build here to show what is possible. It has 38.5 ranged defense, 75 s/l and other great resists across the board. There is 2s off of perma Hasten, but Shifting Tides bridges that gap. Comes with Rune of Protection. Adds procs to bring up Hydro/WaterJet/Dehydrate. Honestly the end management is overboard and it can run everything and more. Could probably rejiggle it some.

 

Spoiler

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Defender (Marine Affinity - Water Blast) Sorc.mbd

[Wolfenstein]

THANK YOU so much for going into detail about these power sets, and giving me something to pull up and look at!  I REALLY appreciate it.  I will look at it later this evening.  Maybe bounce something back at you as well.  

[Psylenz0511]

My word of tactical advice: with a sweet power like barrier reef, don't be farther from the action than the distance I call Kinetic range. If a kinetic can heal you off of the tanks melee target, that's what I call kinetic range. You won't take very much melee dmg and relatively slight occasions of the foe's targeted AoE and PbAoE damage on the tank.

 

My time defenders, (Time's juncture)

Forcefield Defenders, (Dispersion bubble defense)

Radiation Emission Defenders [right on the tank] (choking cloud)

Sonic defenders (dispersion bubble)

Electric Affinity [right on the tank] (Faraday cage)

Traps defender (forcefield generator)

Trick Arrow (part-time when EMP arrow is activated)

Nature affinity (Life-giving spores)

Cold Dominat8ion (Arctic fog)

Storm Summoning (Steamy mist, among many others)
-- all should be in kinetic range in my overstated, arrogant, and self-appreciative opinion to benefit yourself and the melee fighters as well.

[Stranger Danger! A radiation emission user can easily strip off foes from the melee aggro teammate when they try to herd two or 4 groups into one.]
 

Empathy and Dark defenders can go wherever they want 😛

 

Tell the gutless squishies to suck it up and stay in YOUR PbAoE buff range/sphere above or behind you!

 

[Psyonico]

@Psylenz0511 I find it odd you say cold/storm etc should be close to melee range but not dark... Shouldn't shadowfall fit into the same category?

[Psylenz0511]

2 hours ago, Psyonico said:

@Psylenz0511 I find it odd you say cold/storm etc should be close to melee range but not dark... Shouldn't shadowfall fit into the same category?

Fluffy usually closes to short range against active foes so CHILL OF THE NIGHT affects and helps the melee, also the radius on Shadow Fall always seemed MUCh much larger than steamy *shrug* so many tools on a dark. Blackest night on the toughest bosses also does great things for the melee allies. *shrugs* my dark defenders also back out for maximum shadow fall applications. 

[Psylenz0511]

25 minutes ago, Psylenz0511 said:

Fluffy usually closes to short range against active foes so CHILL OF THE NIGHT affects and helps the melee, also the radius on Shadow Fall always seemed MUCh much larger than steamy *shrug* so many tools on a dark. Blackest night on the toughest bosses also does great things for the melee allies. *shrugs* my dark defenders also back out for maximum shadow fall applications. 

I just checked City of Data: Steamy Mist and Shadow Fall both have area of effect with radii of 40'

[Teklord]

TBH since I play a lot of kinetics and so most of my defenders are in "kinetic range". My FF/Sonic isn't that close but the Dispersion Bubble has a 25ft radius and so is likely helping the melee. I need to be back about 20 ft for my cones. I also keep the option to show range on my target screen, I don't like to be more than 40ft away, again for the cones. Also with FF/Sonic everyone is a tank anyway.

 

My Marine/Water is in 5ft range mostly due to Whitecap usage. I didn't take the cone from /Water Blast for this reason. Also Kinetic range play has an added benefit of benefiting from having a kinetic on the team. That means, transfusion (heals), transference (end) and Fulcrum Shift (+dmg!!). I will say that a common IO slotted defender who is leveling and on a team with few other supports or supports who don't actually use them much will result in premature defeats of said defender. Well except for FF defenders who are now pretty darn tough.

[Psylenz0511]

On 9/3/2024 at 11:51 AM, Teklord said:

TBH since I play a lot of kinetics and so most of my defenders are in "kinetic range". My FF/Sonic isn't that close but the Dispersion Bubble has a 25ft radius and so is likely helping the melee. I need to be back about 20 ft for my cones. I also keep the option to show range on my target screen, I don't like to be more than 40ft away, again for the cones. Also with FF/Sonic everyone is a tank anyway.

 

My Marine/Water is in 5ft range mostly due to Whitecap usage. I didn't take the cone from /Water Blast for this reason. Also Kinetic range play has an added benefit of benefiting from having a kinetic on the team. That means, transfusion (heals), transference (end) and Fulcrum Shift (+dmg!!). I will say that a common IO slotted defender who is leveling and on a team with few other supports or supports who don't actually use them much will result in premature defeats of said defender. Well except for FF defenders who are now pretty darn tough.

 

My 'tough' forcefield defenders usually take maneuvers and scorpion shield. I am leveling up a FF/nrg blast (a concept build) that tends to pug a lot  Since I don't have an infatuation with all the kb attacks of energy blast, I am thinking about picking up fighting, too! I don't recall the exact figure but dispersion bubble was reduced in radius not too long ago.

 

I too get in REAL close melee range with my Marine affinity characters (and Electric Affinity, too, but that's another story) so I can bring the barrier reef pet to bear on the melee folks.