Just getting my Emp/ Rad defender close to 50 and need advise.

[RASAL0M]

So I'm almost 45 and figured I would start looking at what my end game should look like.  I don't want to be useless in groups, but I still need to be able to kill stuff.

 

I have a pile of questions.  But first, I enjoy the buffs/ heals that emp brings, and also enjoy the ranged damage from Rad.  At the end of the build, I'd like to be able to oneshot packs with Atomic Blast/ Neutron bomb combo while solo (if possible), have 100% uptime on Recovery/ Regen auras (if possible) and get as close as I can to resist caps.  Especially mez resist as I hate not being able to do stuff.  I also enjoy being able to stealth missions and skip to the objectives with stealth.

 

So, what enhancements should I be looking at post 50?  Do I need a set (or multiple) to help get to my goals above?

Does anyone know what max range of baddies is?  I'd love to be able to snipe them from past their range with Proton Volley, but I'm not sure if there is a range cap, or if it's possible to out range all mobs.

Is perma-Hasten still possible?

What the hell are those 2 powers at the bottom of the planner. I can't remember the names and I have no idea how to get them, but I think I picked the one's that sounded best.

 

I haven't focused on the healing aspect of Emp as I figured I would be soloing most of the time, but I'm not sure how much soloing I'll be doing past 50, so I'd be open to expanding the healer role if needed (but from what I've seen doing the limited number of RWZ raids I've done, that's not really super needed... so I've just been a buff bot group healer between dpsing.

 

Any advise would be great.  Suggestions also.  I've attached my Mid's profile as I'm planning it.

 

 

 

 

 

Human Reactor - Defender (Empathy - Radiation Blast).mbd

[Black_Assassin]

Below are two builds which you are free too look over, I will outline my choices and why below. Both builds are with Vigor (healing/accuracy/endurance redux) in the alpha slot but I haven't left this active in Mids because it plays havoc with the accuracy numbers of powers, just know once you have it slotted your powers will be 95% chance to hit.

 

Soul Mastery Build Defender (Empathy - Rad Blast - Power Boost).mbd

Gives you access to Power Boost. This is for using before Fortitude if you want to really supercharge someone's defense (and tohit) -> w/o PB 23.79% def (18.75% tohit) and w/ PB active you can achieve 38.54% def (37.19% tohit)

It also comes with Soul Drain + a %Build Up proc, which is great to jump into a mob and fire off before going nuclear with Atomic Blast.

 

Your DPS comes from loading your blasts with damage procs. Proton Volley is your strongest attack as it can take 5 damage procs and will hit like a truck. Cosmic Burst is the same, but it does have a noticeably longer animation time. X-Ray Beam is cheap and cheerful, can be woven in between each volley and burst to keep the attacks flowing. 

 

AoE is handled with Irradiate and Neutron Bomb spam after opening with Soul Drain + Atomic Blast. There is a Winter KD proc in atomic blast which will be great soft control and 2x -res procs which will ensure your 1-2 punch of Neutron bomb and Irradiate hit much much harder. 

 

Hasten is perma. 

 

Fire Mastery BuildDefender (Empathy - Rad Blast - DPS).mbd

This is your DPS option if you want to do more damage instead of being able to super charge your fortitude buffs (this is the route I would personally take)

You now get access to 2 crazy proc-bomb attacks in Char and Fire Sword

Soul Drain is replaced with Aim still with a build up proc

Cosmic Burst is replaced with Char, which gives you access to the purple hold proc and you gain GFS which then gives you access to the purple melee proc

X-ray beam loses its damage procs to keep the global recharge and it now recharges faster than it casts, so if you have nothing else to do and have powers on CD, you can literally spam this as much as you wish. 

 

 

*Both builds have Burnout, which can be really useful in AV fights allowing you to use Adrenaline boost on 2 high damage teammates

*The 4 passive accolades are REALLY important, please collect them if you haven't already done so

 

[RASAL0M]

As cool as those builds are, it looks like they are both completely different from what I'm currently playing.  I'm looking for some advise on how to tweek the build I posted, not abandon it entirely.

[Psylenz0511]

58 minutes ago, RASAL0M said:

As cool as those builds are, it looks like they are both completely different from what I'm currently playing.  I'm looking for some advise on how to tweek the build I posted, not abandon it entirely.

What I hear you say is that you want to solo heavy on content until level 50 when you might open the possibility to more healing. I realize there are 3 heal powers in empathy: heal aura, absorb pain, and heal other, two of which you cannot cast on yourself. You have Fortitude and Adrenaline Boost in empathy which you cannot cast on yourself. Clear mind which is another ally only ability--what exactly are you getting from empathy to forward your objective to solo to level 50? When I hear single empath team, I first think "what?' When I hear about an 8 man all empathy team I think "juggernaut".

 

I don't think you would have enough pool powers (you can utilize only 4) to cover your mezz resistance, stealth, speed - (hasten) defense and max resistance needs.

 

There doesn't have to be a polar opposite decision between being a total solo build and being JUST a buffbot. Congratulations on recognizing the boredom in that. Check again, Fortitude and Adrenaline Boost are super helpful without making you a 'rock the aura' hovering healer with only the default radiation blast power.

 

You could always  have a regular solo build and a discount store equipped team build you can use when the mood to team on itrials strikes you.

Edited Monday at 01:45 AM by Psylenz0511

[MonteCarla]

Your build's full of powers six-slotted with regular IOs, so you're running into the diminishing returns of Enhancement Diversification pretty heavily.
Basically, after 3 IOs of the same type you don't get much of a bonus. eg 6 Recharge IOs in Hasten is giving you only 118% Recharge, even though each one alone is worth 42%.

I usually slot only two IOs in Hasten, and then +5 them with Boosters to get good enough values.

 

The way to get perma-Hasten now is through set bonuses in IO sets.
Have a look here at my advice for building "Bad-Ass" Empaths, ie ones who attack - there may be some useful info there.

 

 

But in brief , my advice is:

- 2 or 3 slot Hasten

- 2 or 3 slot Stamina

- 2 or 3 slot Recovery Aura

- don't slot Hover for Defence, the base value is tiny.

- Put a Luck of the Gambler +Recharge unique in Fortitude, Hover, Manouvers and Stealth.

- Put the six slots of Preventative Medicine in Healing Aura

- 5 pieces of Doctored Wounds in every other healing powers including Regen Aura

- Obliteration in your nuke
- 5x Sting of the Manticore in your snipe

- Decimation in X-Ray Vision and Neutrino Bolt and Cosmic Burst

- Positrons Blast in Neutrino Bomb

This should give you around +80% global recharge, which works on top of your slotted recharge for each power.
Your powers will generally also be better, since IO sets give you a good mix of accuracy, end redux, recharge and so on as well as damage/healing.

If you want to put damage procs in your attacks instead, I got a guide for that too! 🙂
 

 

[RASAL0M]

12 hours ago, MonteCarla said:

Your build's full of powers six-slotted with regular IOs, so you're running into the diminishing returns of Enhancement Diversification pretty heavily.
Basically, after 3 IOs of the same type you don't get much of a bonus. eg 6 Recharge IOs in Hasten is giving you only 118% Recharge, even though each one alone is worth 42%.

I usually slot only two IOs in Hasten, and then +5 them with Boosters to get good enough values.

 

The way to get perma-Hasten now is through set bonuses in IO sets.
Have a look here at my advice for building "Bad-Ass" Empaths, ie ones who attack - there may be some useful info there.

 

 

But in brief , my advice is:

- 2 or 3 slot Hasten

- 2 or 3 slot Stamina

- 2 or 3 slot Recovery Aura

- don't slot Hover for Defence, the base value is tiny.

- Put a Luck of the Gambler +Recharge unique in Fortitude, Hover, Manouvers and Stealth.

- Put the six slots of Preventative Medicine in Healing Aura

- 5 pieces of Doctored Wounds in every other healing powers including Regen Aura

- Obliteration in your nuke
- 5x Sting of the Manticore in your snipe

- Decimation in X-Ray Vision and Neutrino Bolt and Cosmic Burst

- Positrons Blast in Neutrino Bomb

This should give you around +80% global recharge, which works on top of your slotted recharge for each power.
Your powers will generally also be better, since IO sets give you a good mix of accuracy, end redux, recharge and so on as well as damage/healing.

If you want to put damage procs in your attacks instead, I got a guide for that too! 🙂
 

 

 

So much good advise here.  I have no idea about most of the slotting you recommended.  I'm just playing it like I remember it from when it was live.  I've got some reading to do and see how I want to build.  As I'm only 44 currently, I have some time, and it seems that working towards those enhancements is going to be an ongoing thing.

 

Thanks for stopping by and helping!

[JediDave]

Edit*Thought I was responding to a diff topic. Still waking up here

Edited yesterday at 01:52 PM by JediDave

[Doomguide2005]

Away from my desk top, I'll have a look when I get home and not limited by phone reply

[Doomguide2005]

On 8/24/2025 at 8:38 PM, RASAL0M said:

As cool as those builds are, it looks like they are both completely different from what I'm currently playing.  I'm looking for some advise on how to tweek the build I posted, not abandon it entirely.

     So what are you looking to keep?   @MonteCarla's Guide is a very solid place to start, as you noted, a ton of good chat about Empathy and its powers in the current game environment.  Are you open to using set IOs, do you plan or wish to be able to exemplar well and if so how low a level are you looking to be able to exemp?  Or are you looking to just do endgame content/play at level 50 only?  Several of the powers are giving you a false sense of what your defenses (and resists) will look like, notably Stealth and Evasive Maneuvers both of which lose most if not all their +def the moment you attack, click glowies etc.  While not directly contributing to defense Power Build Up and even Hasten are giving you numbers that might mislead.  PBU is only active for 12.5 seconds (and about100 seconds cooldown) and without it there goes about half your defensive numbers (more vanishing when you attack, click glowies etc.).  You bottom out around 6 to 7% which obviously isn't going to do much to mitigate damage especially vs +4's.  What's the budget?  How many merits available (and or are you willing or able to work the markets etc.)?  And looks like I should say "Welcome back to the City!" as your slotting hasn't been seen like that since before ED (Enhancement Diversification) as far as I know.

[RASAL0M]

7 hours ago, Doomguide2005 said:

     So what are you looking to keep?   @MonteCarla's Guide is a very solid place to start, as you noted, a ton of good chat about Empathy and its powers in the current game environment.  Are you open to using set IOs, do you plan or wish to be able to exemplar well and if so how low a level are you looking to be able to exemp?  Or are you looking to just do endgame content/play at level 50 only?  Several of the powers are giving you a false sense of what your defenses (and resists) will look like, notably Stealth and Evasive Maneuvers both of which lose most if not all their +def the moment you attack, click glowies etc.  While not directly contributing to defense Power Build Up and even Hasten are giving you numbers that might mislead.  PBU is only active for 12.5 seconds (and about100 seconds cooldown) and without it there goes about half your defensive numbers (more vanishing when you attack, click glowies etc.).  You bottom out around 6 to 7% which obviously isn't going to do much to mitigate damage especially vs +4's.  What's the budget?  How many merits available (and or are you willing or able to work the markets etc.)?  And looks like I should say "Welcome back to the City!" as your slotting hasn't been seen like that since before ED (Enhancement Diversification) as far as I know.

Thanks for the welcome.  And yea, I don't have any idea about how things changed since the game shut down.  

 

To answer your questions, I doubt I'll be doing much Exemp as I have no friends that play this.  I'm trying to get him to a final state where I can do all the end game stuff.  I have about 100 million merit available (last shot on RWZ boss ftw) so not sure what that will get me, and I have zero idea what the market looks like.  Currently just trying to get to 50.  I have no objections to set slotting, and from what I'm seeing, it's the only way to go.  I didn't even really know what ED was before I posted this...Guess I should start looking at mats needed to craft/ buy those set IOs.  

[RASAL0M]

For the skills I'm currently using, I'm not married to most of them, but I think I've picked up the best bang for the buck I can for both grouping and solo play.  I'm not sure how much Leadership and Energy Mastery help in either activity, but I'm currently working with what I used to do.  Flight and Concealment are pretty much fixed as they both goto character flavor and my preferred playstyle.  Being able to hover over targets to heal them in groups without drawing agro is nice.  Also, I'm guessing that speed is a mandatory selection for the CDR still.

 

I'm open to dropping the other 2, and swapping out any powers that don't seem to be very effective.  Of course the biggest thing I'm looking for is slotting advise and what I should be planning for at 50.  How do I maximize my survivability/ damage while soloing, and still be able to do healing/ buffing/ damage in groups.

 

Worse case, is people tell me that my toon will never be the best at either activity and I should reroll before investing too heavily into him.

[Black_Assassin]

I will say that of all the primaries to pick from, you picked the least favourable choice for soloing. But then if you set it to 0x3 or +1x2 it will work.

[Auroxis]

1 hour ago, Black_Assassin said:

I will say that of all the primaries to pick from, you picked the least favourable choice for soloing. But then if you set it to 0x3 or +1x2 it will work.

I don't think Empathy is as bad as Thermal for soloing, you at least get RA's for some sustain even if they're not perma. For that end, getting your recharge up with set bonuses and perhaps some FFB procs is key (Thunder Strike works well if your secondary lacks access).

 

Edit: Did some fast tinkering with @RASAL0M's build with his fixed power choices in mind

Human Reactor Endgame - Defender (Empathy - Radiation Blast).mbd

Edited just now by Auroxis