Using and Slotting "Reaction Time"

[mispellled]

Hey Blasters, I'm a new player who hasn't touched CoH since it was live! I'm not looking for deep cut advice--I'm still wrapping my head around features added to the game well after I left it (like crafting). 

 

I have a Pistols/Martial Combat blaster and I'm just trying to figure out how best to *use* Reaction Time. It's a toggle, but cancelling the toggle has a benefit too. Should I just have it on when running missions? Or is this a power I want to toggle on when surrounded by enemies and cancel for that speed burst? Any advice on how best to slot it would also be helpful! It has so many options

 

I'm level 20, learning a lot, and don't necessarily need the "optimal" strategy here--but this power is confusing to me. Thanks!

[Frozen Burn]

7 hours ago, mispellled said:

Hey Blasters, I'm a new player who hasn't touched CoH since it was live! I'm not looking for deep cut advice--I'm still wrapping my head around features added to the game well after I left it (like crafting). 

 

I have a Pistols/Martial Combat blaster and I'm just trying to figure out how best to *use* Reaction Time. It's a toggle, but cancelling the toggle has a benefit too. Should I just have it on when running missions? Or is this a power I want to toggle on when surrounded by enemies and cancel for that speed burst? Any advice on how best to slot it would also be helpful! It has so many options

 

I'm level 20, learning a lot, and don't necessarily need the "optimal" strategy here--but this power is confusing to me. Thanks!

 

Hi and welcome back to the game!

 

/Martial Combat is one of my favs - such a great set.  Ki Push has to be the best power ever with watching foes fly away in slow-mo like in an action movie!  😄  But seriously, don't skip it... it's a nice soft "hold" as the foes can't do anything to you for the lengthy duration they are flying, and then they have to run back to you, so it's good damage mitigation.  It also does good damage if slotted up.

 

....Anyway, you didn't ask about that....  

 

All Blaster secondaries now have an endurance "sustain" power that costs no end to use, and you should never ever have any endurance issues again (**In a general sense as there are always exceptions).  Most are toggles, but /Dark, /Energy, and /Mental have clicks.  Reaction Time is this sustain power for /Martial Combat.   With these powers, you generally do not need to slot up Stamina anymore as a Blaster and can just devote a couple slots to your sustain power instead and be done.  Most also will have a regen, absorb, or other component that you can slot for if you want.  Some slot entirely for that and then still put a few slots in Stamina for whatever set bonuses.

 

Typically, I will slot: 

• 3 Performance Shifters in Reaction Time: EM, EM/Acc, EM/Rech
• 1 Performance Shifter +End proc in Stamina only
• 1 Panacea +End/+Heal in Health (or a Numina's +End/+Regen if that is handy, but Panacea is better between the two)

...and that gives me more endurance than I need or can use.  If I have extra slots, I might add 3 more slots to sustain power for whatever other buff it may provide (in this case, Reaction Time for the absorb).

 

Hope this helps!

 

Edit:  Just realized i forgot to answer about deactivating RT for the recharge and movement buff...  I've never done it.  The buff is "meh" and I don't need the movement speed.  I need my endless endurance more!  And really, it's a hassle to turn it on and off.

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 09:27 PM by Frozen Burn

[Uun]

I've had my /Martial blaster for 4 years. In that time, I've never deactivated Reaction Time for the speed/recharge buff. IMO, the buff is too mild to bother with. I generally keep Reaction Time on all the time. While there are many slotting options and it can mule many healing/endmod procs, I slot it with 2 heal IOs (to maximize the absorb buff). I don't find the need to enhance the endurance buff, but YMMV.

 

It's important to remember that Reaction Time has a 30 ft radius. These targeted portion suppresses when using stealth, but with certain limitations. The suppression kicks in with a stealth radius of 36 feet or greater. This means that Stealth (the power) will cause it to suppress but a Celerity or Unbounded Leap stealth IO (which have a stealth radius of 30 ft) will not. Super Speed (which has a stealth radius of 35 feet) won't suppress, but Super Speed stacked with a stealth IO will. In short, remember to turn off Reaction Time if you're trying to be sneaky and your stealth radius isn't at least 36 feet.