project Collaborative Project: A Guide to Sentinel Sets

[Sunsette]

Very nice and thorough on both fronts, oldskool, thanks. I think it's good when we dive into the history of these sets; it doesn't immediately help with building but I think understanding the philosophy and background of the powersets helps people get CoX generally as well.

No output on my front this week; clocked in a lot of hours on my Rad Armor Brute, which doesn't directly help Sentinel, but gives me a better sense of that set for when I inevitably make a Sent. No immediate ETA on my next write-up, which will probably be all of the non-Epic pools.

[Force Redux]

I want to voice my appreciation for everyone doing these write-ups. Extremely helpful to be able to pluck from your minds your experiences and thoughts on gameplay, slotting and utility. I've got several sentinels in the works, and I'm still trying to figure out which one I want to run with all the way to Incarnate. 🙂

 

[oldskool]

Secondary Powerset: Dark Armor

• Medium Resistance to most damage, High Psychic resistance  Medium Crowd Control, Low Defense but no defense debuff resistance, No +Resistance/Defense ultimate for proactive mitigation
• Low to Medium (for Tactical Play) clickyness, Resistance* to: Sleep, Holds, Disorients, Fear, Immobilize, and Endurance Drain, Low Direct Heal, Variable Regeneration and Endurance Restore, +Perception

*These effects are spread across Obsidian Shield, Cloak of Darkness and Murky Cloud.

 

Sentinel Dark Armor must be address with the following statement:

 

"You must unlearn what you have learned."

-Yoda

 

Across the internet I see statements referring to Dark Armor through the lens of Scrappers of years gone by.  Dark Armor was an original set in the game and initially exclusive to the Scrapper archetype (AT).  It had a reputation then, and even now, of being an endurance hog.  The truth to that statement was always simply "it can be".  People often look at the endurance costs of the toggles in a vacuum and make the assumption, often incorrectly, that it is necessary to run all them all the time.  That couldn't be further from reality.  The toggles I am speaking to here are specifically Death Shroud and Cloak of Fear.  Both of those toggles have massive endurance costs which compounds when running the multitude of other armor toggles.  If you intended to run all the toggles at once, then yes the set is endurance heavy.  That's not necessarily the best course of action.  Death Shroud being run as often as practical is understandable as it delivers damage over time.  Cloak of Fear is a tactical choice not a mandatory one.

The above is not an issue for Sentinels for a few reasons.  First off, Sentinel Dark Armor does not have Death Shroud in its kit.  So that is one massive endurance cost completely gone.  Second, running Cloak of Fear is going to be an individual build decision as well as a tactical one.  So on a case-by-case basis you can decide if you want to toggle Cloak of Fear on or even bother taking it.  With those two massive endurance drains out of the question, this set is no worse than any others.  Third, Sentinel Dark Armor includes Endurance Recovery in its kit in the form of Obscure Sustenance.  This is something its melee cousin set does not have.  So let's get the idea that Sentinel Dark Armor is an endurance hog out of our heads.

 

Beginner's Overview

 

Building Dark Armor is only as complicated as you make it.  For Sentinels the set can mature very early with all of your core power picks being complete as soon as level 20.  That early maturity is both a blessing and a curse.  Dark Armor, when all powers are taken, plays very differently than most other defensive sets.  Dark Armor is aimed more at controlling minions and mitigating their damage than it is on protecting the user from Bosses.  That sounds pretty terrible but it really isn't as horrible as it sounds in practice.  Dark Armor is for those that like tactical more granular play.  You can disable the threat of minions through crowd control tools (Cloak of Fear/Oppressive Gloom) to focus on more serious targets.  Sentinel Dark Armor inherits this style of game play from its melee cousin.  Its important to understand that Dark Armor is a legacy power set with a design decision in a world of Single Origin enhancements.  So its baseline protections aren't very high as some sets, it is more evenly distributed to everything, and its crowd control is aimed at minions.  Dark Armor won't immediately create a powerhouse build but with IOs and other power pools it can be competitive under some conditions. 

 

I'd like to focus in on that last bit on the final sentence for just a second.  Dark Armor isn't nearly as endurance hungry for Sentinels so that stereotype isn't applicable.  However, Dark Armor has a reputation for being very influence hungry.  That is just an unfortunate reality of the set across every archetype.  You can make a serviceable build on any budget but to really close some gaps you need to think a lot about just how much you want to spend.  That's just how it is.  The set has no Tier 9 of its own for proactive play nor does it naturally get close to capping any manner of resistance or defense.  You can get very very close to resistance caps through IO bonuses but that's not cheap.  You can't really soft cap defense without significant opportunity cost but you can get very high defense with a lot investment.  I've tinkered with builds hitting 65% resistance (not counting the scaling resistance from Reactive Defenses IO - so it gets higher) to multiple types without Rune of Protection.  I've hit multiple hard cap resistances with Rune of Protection.  I've gotten more narrow focus resistance like Smashing/Lethal to 70%+ while having to live with lower resistances in other types.  I've hit over 32.5% positional defenses with Link Minds and other powers.  Never, at any point were those builds cheap or cost effective at all.  The power choice and decisions to get there aren't going to appeal to everyone either nor do some of those options play well in exemplar content.  Knockback/Down protection IO's aren't nearly as expensive as they were on the original live server but they aren't often dirt cheap either.  Dark Armor for Sentinels pairs beautifully with the Gladiator's Armor (3 pc = KB protection) for using few slots and expanding your offense.  That's 10s of millions of influence for each slot.  So while building a Dark Armor Sentinel isn't overly complicated, it can get very very expensive to really maximize the set.  A fair criticism of the set can be that if you are going to invest that much influence, then you could do the same on something else while getting more out of it.  There is a lot of truth in that line of thinking, but Dark Armor still does very well when played to its strengths.  That strength is crowd control.  When paired with a set that also includes crowd control the play experience is pretty safe. 

 

Now, back to discussion...

 

Dark Armor is a melee focused defense set intended to put you in the thick of things.  If you wish to play a shadowy ranged brick house, then Dark Armor's most potent abilities will often be wasted.  You can still gain benefit in semi-close range but that is going against the grain of the set.  If you decide to take on this set, then understand you should be getting into the thick of things.  You don't need to be afraid of that.  There are tools in the set which allow you to thrive. 

 

Sentinel Dark Armor has no protection against Knockback/Down just like the melee version.  Furthermore, most of the set is largely the same as the melee counterpart with two key exceptions. 

 

Death Shroud become Tenebrous Regeneration - This is a very large personal regeneration buff that is always active.  It is like Health but several times stronger.

 

Dark Regeneration becomes Obscure Sustenance - This is a massive change.  Dark Regeneration is a Point-Blank Area of Effect (PBAoE) attack that heals the player based on number of enemies present.  The heal is so powerful when in engaged in melee it can completely reverse the tide of battle.  Obscure Sustenance is more like a hybridization of Dark Regeneration, Dark Consumption (the Dark Melee endurance restore), and the Incarnate System's cascading buff feature of the Destiny Slot.  Obscure Sustenance is also a PBAoE but it only ever requires a single target.  When this power is activated it will apply a small direct heal and then apply (after a slight delay) a series of cascading buffs. 

 

After the initial heal, Obscure Sustenance will apply 3 regeneration buffs and 3 endurance restoration buffs.  Each version, or stage, of the buff has its own duration and all of these overlap.  So as one effect fades the second and third stages continue on their own timers until all of them fade completely.  The peak of all 3 buffs of each category lasts 10 seconds.  The health regeneration buffs have the longest 3rd stage duration and will end after a minute.  The endurance restoration's longest 3rd stage buff ends after 30 seconds.  The baseline cooldown of Obscure Sustenance is 60 seconds and with some recharge reduction even the endurance boosts can be effectively permanent.  

 

Skippable Powers

 

I see no reason skip any of the powers from level 2 to 20.  On the way to level 20 you're picking up 2 powerful regeneration tools, several resistance buffs to multiple damage types, and a defense power.  Cloak of Darkness is not just a defense power like Weave.  Cloak of Darkness is your second crowd control protection power (Immobilize).  It is also a bonus Perception power and it applies stealth to the player.  Cloak of Darkness is a key power for letting you start battles on YOUR terms as you will lower the enemy range of aggression.  This lets you potentially get a surprise attack on clusters of enemies to leverage whatever other tools you have decided to take. 

 

From level 28 on the powers all become situational.  The final powers aren't necessarily bad but they do require some thought in how they fit into a build.  Furthermore, players typically don't need both Cloak of Fear and Oppressive Gloom.  If you decided to take one of these, then consider if your primary power can add to the effects.  Also, the decision can be purely one of preference for Fear vs Disorient (Stun).

 

Cloak of Fear (level 28) is a PBAoE fear effect that also includes a to hit debuff.  The magnitude is just high enough to effect minions but any targets hit will be effected by the to hit debuff.  The endurance cost of this skill is very high and its innate accuracy is very low.  If you decide to take this power, then I would highly recommend a plan to enhance it.  Also, learn when to turn it off.  The to hit debuff stacks with other sources of to hit debuff like what is offered in Dark Blast as well as the Diamagnetic Incarnate.  The fear stacks with other sources to increase magnitude but unfortunately no blast sets include fear.  This is not a power that works well on the default slot and doesn't really have synergy with many blast sets beyond Dark Blast for stacking to hit debuffs.  With accuracy investment the fear can be useful though but Oppressive Gloom may end up the better choice for several of the ranged attack sets.

 

Oppressive Gloom (level 35) is a PBAoE stun effect.  The magnitude is just high enough to stun minions.  Oppressive Gloom has a very low endurance cost but will slowly drain health.  Due to how the Sentinel Dark Armor kit was designed, this health drain is not a big issue.  Unlike Cloak of Fear, Oppressive Gloom has the standard accuracy modifier!  This makes this toggle far more reliable right out of the box as it will have the same default 75% chance to hit as most powers.  The stun from this power stacks in magnitude with other sources of stun.  It is worth noting that several ranged blast sets include disorient some where in their kit.  Oppressive Gloom works very well on the default slot (accuracy can be nice) since it is so low maintenance but also has a lot of synergy with multiple Sentinel attacks [See the LIST below].  This also means that Oppressive Gloom + an attack with Stun can potentially stun Bosses.  Some powers with AoE stun (e.g., Geyser, Overcharge) have the potential to disable enemies up to the target cap.  Oppressive Gloom has a lot of potential and can be a really fantastic pick with certain primaries. 

 

Powers with at least a chance to Stun (Disorient):

 

Archery - Stunning Shot

Assault Rifle - Disorienting Shot, Slug

Beam Rifle - Charged Shot, Overcharge

Dual Pistols - Suppressive Fire (Standard Ammunition Only)

Psychic Blast - Scramble Thoughts, Psychic Wail

Sonic Attack - Screech, Dreadful Wail

Water Blast - Geyser

 

Beam Rifle, Psychic Blast, Sonic Attack, and Water Blast all have a disorient option in their T9 nuke.  That's a nice bit of double duty for doing high AoE damage while also shutting down threats for several seconds.  That is more than enough time to use Obscure Sustenance to regenerate any lost life or just maintain the effects.

 

Soul Transfer (level 38) is a self revive.  However, I don't wish for you the reader to look at "self revive" and think "I can do that with an Awaken Inspire".  Soul Transfer is quite powerful for what it is.  It is dependent on enemies to be in range for it to work (at least 1 is required).  This is where the power of the ability resides.  The more enemies present the greater the self heal.  You could trigger Soul Transfer in a large cluster of enemies to revive at full health with no stun penalty on yourself like with an Awaken.  Soul Transfer also makes you invulnerable, increases your damage, increases your recharge, and stuns the targets it effects.  Falling in combat is never fun, but Soul Transfer can put you right back into the fight to punish your enemies.  Its highly situational though and can be skipped.  The invulnerability lasts long enough to toggle your defenses back on and many enemies will likely be disoriented while you do it.  By the way, that stun?  Its magnitude... 30.  That's going to stun just about anything and the duration is fairly long.

 

Advanced Slotting

 

There are a number of ways to handle Dark Armor slotting.  There really is no one sure fire approach that covers all the bases.  One type of IO that is highly recommended is a global Knockback/Knockdown protection.  These can be found in the Karma defense set, Steadfast resistance set, and the Travel power sets.  You only need 1 for magnitude 4 protection which will cover most content.  Some enemy factions, like Circle of Thorns, will use powers like Earthquake that can still knock you down.  Usually it is more than 1 caster causing the magnitude increase.  Knockback/down protection can also be found in the Gladiator's Armor 3 piece bonus. 

 

For slotting the resistance armors you want at least 3 slots for most set bonuses.  Dark Armor won't cap Smashing/Lethal resistance on its own so more slots for greater set bonuses can be a consideration.  The exact number is dependent on what other powers you are layering on for mitigation. 

 

Both Tenebrous Regeneration and Obscure Sustenance can be slotted with any of the healing sets.  I'd gravitate towards only a few slots in Tenebrous Regeneration mostly to mule recovery-based procs like Numina or Miracle.  Obscure Sustenance does so much for the set that I tend to devote 5-6 slots.  Doctored Wounds and Panacea both offer recharge bonuses at 5 pieces and Preventative Medicine offers one at 6.  Numina's set has a 6% global healing bonus at 4 pieces and Miracle has some recovery bonuses in the 2 piece set.  You could also mix and match sets to improve the heal and recharge components.  No matter what, try to bring the recharge down as low as practical to ensure the highest amount of uptime on the peak buffs. 

 

Cloak of Darkness can take on any defensive set and there are several.  I typically recommend at least 3 slots for most toggle powers to cover at least 1 endurance and 2 defense.  With sets, parts such as Defense, Defense/Endurance and Defense/Endurance/Recharge are recommend as places to start first.  If the build has more slots to potentially allocate then 5 pieces of Red Fortune bring a 5% global recharge benefit.  Cloak of Darkness enhances positional defenses.  As such this power works best with other sets (e.g., Gaussian's) that improve specific tags like Melee/Range/AoE.

 

Cloak of Fear - This power needs accuracy in order for it to reliably control targets.  You could either enhance this with Fear duration or the to hit debuff.  You could also mix and match to improve both.  Note that the endurance cost is quite high and some endurance reduction is nice.  The overall endurance management of Dark Armor gets easier with higher uptime on Obscure Sustenance so there is no reason to panic about the drain of this.  I typically do not enhance this power with Fear sets and instead use the Accurate To Hit Debuff category.  The fear, when it applies to a target, has a fairly long duration compared to the pulse.  Feared targets will retaliate when attacked but they will not initiate that first hit.  So I prefer to reduce accuracy as it pairs very well with Dark Blast or Diamagnetic Interface.  There are very good Fear sets though making the slotting of this power flexible.

 

Oppressive Gloom - This is fairly decent on the default slot or you could enhance it for sets.  The true value of this shines when a primary power also includes a stun component allowing you to effect Lieutenants and Bosses quickly.  There are several stun IO sets that offer global recharge and these are often relatively cheap on the Auction Hall. 

 

Soul Transfer - Typically there is no reason to invest slots here as the effect is too situational to invest into it.

 

Complementary Choices

• Any Primary that also offers stun in the attacks (e.g., Sonic's Screech, Psychic Blast's Scramble Thoughts, etc) brings a welcome benefit to stacking the control from Oppressive Gloom.  Dark Blast is a power set that was practically made to pair with Dark Armor (the melee version most certainly was).  The to hit debuff in Dark Blast helps close some of the defensive gaps in the Dark Armor set as well as bringing another direct heal if one chooses to take it.  Water Blast also brings another self heal in Dehydrate as well as several knockdown powers which are fantastic mitigation tools to combine with the high regeneration of Obscure Sustenance.  Geyser also pairs well with Oppressive Gloom to create a stronger stun. Dual Pistols provides -7% damage with Chemical Ammunition which can help slow some of the incoming damage with the relatively middle of the road resistance of the set.  Psychic Blast also has -recharge on top of other crowd controlling elements.  Any other sets with a PBAoE ultimate power at level 32 may enjoy the combination of Cloak of Darkness and a Stealth IO to initiate combat without the enemy group noticing. 
• Dark Armor may feel incomplete all by itself.  Dark Armor makes great use of power pools like Fighting, Leadership, and Sorcery.  With Tough (Fighting) and Rune of Protection (Sorcery) it is possible to achieve 70%+ resistance for 90 seconds to almost every damage type.  That includes psionic damage.  Since the final 3 powers of the set are potential skip options, this opens up a lot of build opportunity to add on multiple powers from the pools.
• For Epics, Dark and Soul Mastery are both appropriate bringing additional to hit debuffs in several powers as well as additional control.  Psi Mastery also brings with it additional control and Link Minds as a means of further pushing defenses. 

 

Incarnate Abilities

There are a number of options for Incarnates and there isn't truly a right or wrong answer.  What you take will depend more on which blast set you are pairing it with as well as general character goals.

• Alpha: Agility doesn't offer Dark Armor much since the set has so little defense in the kit.  Agility can get better the more +defense POWERS that are included in the build and the recharge is always welcome in any set up.  Cardiac Core brings a very large endurance enhancement benefit which is welcome on builds running Cloak of Fear.  Dark Armor also has several resistance powers which gain benefit as well.  As with all of the enhancement modifying Alphas, the more powers you layer of a type, the better a specific Alpha will be.  Intuition Radial has some side perks that also benefit Dark Armor as well as the offensive set.  Spiritual's appeal will likely be the recharge boost but the healing component has synergy with Obscure Sustenance (as does Vigor).
• Interface: Typically the offensive choice is a better determining factor for Interface.  Diamagnetic can introduce some more to hit debuff which will stack with Cloak of Fear. 
• Destiny:  Barrier closes defensive gaps and is quite valuable for that.  Clarion can close the knockback hole but that is easily accomplished with IO's.  Ageless, either version, brings value to Dark Armor through endurance and recharge.  Rebirth brings another method of healing.  The regeneration variant of Rebirth can add so much that you can exceed the cap on Sentinels when run along with the peak of the Obscure Sustenance buffs. 
• Hybrid: The Melee Hybrid is geared towards melee engagement which brings nice synergy to Dark Armor.  Either form can close gaps in your overall damage mitigation. 

Edited October 17, 2019 by oldskool

[ParaBruce]

Wow, thank you again, @oldskool; I wish it were less melee oriented, but I'm very glad to have so much info.

 

[oldskool]

15 hours ago, ParaBruce said:

Wow, thank you again, @oldskool; I wish it were less melee oriented, but I'm very glad to have so much info.

 

Disclaimer: Write-ups are my opinion and you can feel free to play Dark Armor fully ranged if you wish.  I just feel it is worth high lighting that much of the set's power is still tied to a melee legacy.

 

My criticism of the set isn't that I wish it weren't so melee oriented, but more on the design decision to keep it melee oriented without Death Shroud.  The regeneration passive at level 2 is nice but entirely unnecessary.  There are also no sources of hit point boost in the kit to really take advantaged of so much regeneration.  Regeneration as a defense mechanism isn't on the top of my list of things I'd want out of Dark Armor either.  So the set almost feels copy and pasted (and it really is) because only two powers were changed.  Obscure Sustenance is pretty nifty for what it is and offers a very different kind of game mechanic that is interesting.  Yet, OS is still PBAoE.  It still needs a target.  So that design decision to change out the level 2 power comes back around to ...why?  I have my suspicious on that answer but it is nothing more than speculation.

 

 

Edited August 22, 2019 by oldskool

[ParaBruce]

Disclaimers taken on board! more info gooooood. 🙂

 

[smoothjedi]

On 7/30/2019 at 11:17 PM, Sunsette said:

• Due to the amount of tools Beam Rifle contains within itself, there are no secondary sets that stand out to me as especially synergistic with Beam Rifle. All should function well with this primary. It is worth noting that secondaries which are defense-oriented or contain recharge (or both) will make it easier to reach a high DPS single-target rotation and get the most out of your T9, as with all Sentinels.

 

I recently came back to the game just this week, and I wanted to try something new. I rolled a BR/Bio before digging into this thread, and I'm kind of regretting not getting a secondary set with a recharge in it. I'm still under level 20, so I wouldn't mind rerolling a different secondary. Do you think Rad armor or something else might be a better choice than Bio for BR, or should I just be happy with what I have?

[SmalltalkJava]

56 minutes ago, smoothjedi said:

I recently came back to the game just this week, and I wanted to try something new. I rolled a BR/Bio before digging into this thread, and I'm kind of regretting not getting a secondary set with a recharge in it. I'm still under level 20, so I wouldn't mind rerolling a different secondary. Do you think Rad armor or something else might be a better choice than Bio for BR, or should I just be happy with what I have?

There is nothing inherently wrong with BR or Bio.   It depends on what you want your toon to do, regarding theme, concept, min/max.    If br/bio fits your concept and your having fun with it, then keep on, keeping on.   

 

 

[smoothjedi]

13 minutes ago, SmalltalkJava said:

There is nothing inherently wrong with BR or Bio.   It depends on what you want your toon to do, regarding theme, concept, min/max.    If br/bio fits your concept and your having fun with it, then keep on, keeping on.   

Sorry, I should have been more specific. My first character back I'm not looking for a concept build. I'm looking for more min/max so I can build up some resources to potentially become an altoholic. I really do like the Beam Rifle, I'm just looking for the strongest pairing (everything is subjective of course). @Sunsette posted a build that's BR/EA. Do you think that's the strongest BR combo?

[smoothjedi]

28 minutes ago, SmalltalkJava said:

There is nothing inherently wrong with BR or Bio.   It depends on what you want your toon to do, regarding theme, concept, min/max.    If br/bio fits your concept and your having fun with it, then keep on, keeping on.   

11 minutes ago, smoothjedi said:

Sorry, I should have been more specific. My first character back I'm not looking for a concept build. I'm looking for more min/max so I can build up some resources to potentially become an altoholic. I really do like the Beam Rifle, I'm just looking for the strongest pairing (everything is subjective of course). @Sunsette posted a build that's BR/EA. Do you think that's the strongest BR combo?

 

I guess if I could make a wish for a character, I would love something that doesn't need to sink 3 powers into the fighting tree to solo tough content.

 

[Sovera]

29 minutes ago, smoothjedi said:

I guess if I could make a wish for a character, I would love something that doesn't need to sink 3 powers into the fighting tree to solo tough content.

 

You should check the builds already posted on the forums then. The AoE Beast doesn't, for example.

[SmalltalkJava]

28 minutes ago, smoothjedi said:

I guess if I could make a wish for a character, I would love something that doesn't need to sink 3 powers into the fighting tree to solo tough content.

 

LOL.  That is my Holy Grail for every character.      Every build that I see with toughness/weave.  “Damn”.  

[dangeraaron10]

Thanks everyone who contributed to the thread so far.  It's been extremely helpful, especially @Sunsette's write-ups on Energy Blast, Beam Rifle, and Energy Armor.  As well as @Hopeling's Electric Armor write-up.

 

I'm eagerly awaiting write-ups on Electric Blast and Radiation Blast.  As well as Radiation Armor.

 

Elec/, Rad/, Energy/, BR/ along with /Elec, /Energy, and /Rad are all powersets I'm looking at to bring my power-armored alien Sentinel to life.  I've been extremely indecisive as of late and rerolled my character half-a-dozen times.  All feel "okay" but it's hard to know which sets come into their own at later levels before the indecisiveness takes hold.  I'm concerned about how important it is across most Sentinel sets to "softcap" defenses for a variety of damage types, and most armors I'm interested in have none outside of Energy (that being Electric, Radiation, and Fiery Aura).  There's a lot I'm learning and I recently did a crash course on how Enhancements work because when I first played CoH it was all just sort of gibberish to me.  

 

I like the idea of focusing primarily on primary ranged power-sets with a couple of thematically appropriate epic powers to add a bit of variety in attacks or control.  That's one thing great about most of these Sentinel secondaries is that they primarily consist of toggles and passives with the occasional click ability that you may or may not have to use.  I generally use Fly/Hover and I don't really like the idea of dipping into Leaping or Fighting just for a couple more toggles but I'll do it to shore up defenses and you can usually just toggle and forget they exist if your Endurance can support it.  

 

As for each of the primary powers I'm interested in, Radiation seems to focus more on DoT and it feels fairly ineffectual when in large groups while leveling up, but it looks really good aesthetically.  Electric Blast wouldn't be my first choice in a thematic power-set but it still fits the powered-armor feel and it does really good damage.  I'm intrigued to actually make a "Sapper" build along with Electric Armor that can actually keep enemies drained (though I seen in the Electric Armor write-up that Endurance-drain is a disappointing form of control at endgame).  Energy fits the theme perfectly but after watching @Sunsette's frustration with Energy's low damage output in addition to the crazy KB (as fun as it is, you'll run into trouble in teams unless you position yourself perfectly, which is something I'd be willing to do if Energy's damage was higher).  

 

I guess what I'm getting at is I'm trying to think what combination of Electric Blast, Radiation Blast, Energy Blast, Electric Armor, Radiation Armor, and Energy Aura tends to give you a well-rounded, effective Sentinel at endgame.  

Edited August 23, 2019 by dangeraaron10

[oldskool]

18 minutes ago, dangeraaron10 said:

As well as @oldskool's Electric Armor write-up.

I can't take credit for Electric Armor.  That's @Hopelingwho deserves all the credit for that one.  

 

18 minutes ago, dangeraaron10 said:

 I'm concerned about how important it is across most Sentinel sets to "softcap" defenses for a variety of damage types, and most armors I'm interested in have none outside of Energy (that being Electric, Radiation, and Fiery Aura).  There's a lot I'm learning and I recently did a crash course on how Enhancements work because when I first played CoH it was all just sort of gibberish to me.  

Soft-capping for a variety of damage types isn't as important for all Sentinel combinations as it may feel for other archetypes.  There is far more to unpack with that than I'd like to get into here, but you shouldn't feel you have to chase 45%.  Do plan on gaining some defense via powers like Maneuvers and consider the Fighting pool for more options too.  However most Sentinels can be pretty durable as they are and you're not playing this like a Tank.  

 

18 minutes ago, dangeraaron10 said:

I guess what I'm getting at is I'm trying to think what combination of Electric Blast, Radiation Blast, Energy Blast, Electric Armor, Radiation Armor, and Energy Aura tends to give you a well-rounded, effective Sentinel at endgame.  

I'm quite fond of Energy Aura and if you are looking for something that is well rounded that can also hit the 45% soft cap to a wide variety of types then EA is what you're looking for.  It also has some customization options in the power editor (before you finalize your costume) that look nice.  I happen to prefer them over the default.  Playing a defense-based set may be a good idea if you're on the fence and still feeling a bit intimidated by playstyle of something like Radiation Armor. 

 

Out of the blast sets you list, I'm partial to Electric, but building for a sapper is generally lack luster.  I haven't tried to build one out of a Sentinel though, but just generally it feels like a waste of time.  Radiation Blast has potential with using damage procs, but that requires some advanced understanding of builds.  So I'd suggest sticking to something a bit easier, but really any of those combinations will work.  

 

No need to over think it.  😉 

 

Edited August 23, 2019 by oldskool

[dangeraaron10]

2 minutes ago, oldskool said:

I can't take credit for Electric Armor.  That's @Hopelingwho deserves all the credit for that one.  

 

Soft-capping for a variety of damage types isn't as important for all Sentinel combinations as it may feel for other archetypes.  There is far more to unpack with that than I'd like to get into here, but you shouldn't feel you have to chase 45%.  Do plan on gaining some defense via powers like Maneuvers and consider the Fighting pool for more options too.  However most Sentinels can be pretty durable as they are and you're not playing this like a Tank.  

 

I'm quite fond of Energy Aura and if you are looking for something that is well rounded that can also hit the 45% soft cap to a wide variety of types.  Then EA is what you're looking for.  It also has some customization options in the power editor (before you finalize your costume) that look nice.  I happen to prefer them over the default.  Playing a defense-based set may be a good idea if you're on the fence and still feeling a bit intimidated by playstyle of something like Radiation Armor. 

 

Out of the blast sets you list, I'm partial to Electric, but building for a sapper is generally lack luster.  I haven't tried to build one out of a Sentinel though, but just generally it feels like a waste of time.  Radiation Blast has potential with using damage procs, but that requires some advanced understanding of builds.  So I'd suggest sticking to something a bit easier, but really any of those combinations will work.  

 

No need to over think it.  😉 

 

Ah, I must have gotten the names mixed up, I meant Hopeling.  Thank you for claification.

 

And this is all good info, thank you.  I've definitely been over-thinking it.  Rad/Rad looks great but definitely needs some investment to make come into its own.  I'll have to think on it a bit more, while keeping an eye on this thread for more write-ups to come out.

[smoothjedi]

2 hours ago, Sovera said:

You should check the builds already posted on the forums then. The AoE Beast doesn't, for example.

I'll check that out, thanks!

[Hopeling]

6 hours ago, smoothjedi said:

I recently came back to the game just this week, and I wanted to try something new. I rolled a BR/Bio before digging into this thread, and I'm kind of regretting not getting a secondary set with a recharge in it.

Eh. As far as I can tell, the best possible attack chain for BR requires only 231% recharge in Piercing Beam, including slotting. In other words, you need about 140% global recharge - well short of perma-hasten, and quite achievable even without a recharge bonus in the secondary.

 

Mine is Beam/Elec, which I've been very happy with, but lots of other secondaries would go well too. Offensive Adaptation is pretty tempting, enough that I was seriously considering rerolling to Beam/Bio for a while.

2 hours ago, dangeraaron10 said:

I'm concerned about how important it is across most Sentinel sets to "softcap" defenses for a variety of damage types, and most armors I'm interested in have none outside of Energy (that being Electric, Radiation, and Fiery Aura).

I don't think it is important except for defense-based sets. Not to put too fine a point on it, but nihilii's Fire/Rad/Psi has I think something like 24% defense unbuffed, and that obviously isn't holding him back.

 

I mean, most high-end builds will go for defense to some degree, sure - that's simply the best way to add durability via IO set bonuses. But defense isn't "softcap or bust". For sets with no native defense, getting to the softcap for even a single type or position requires so many slots that it may not even be worth it. I run around with about 33% S/L defense and less than that to other types, and solo AVs and x8 spawns easily, because 33% defense plus 70% resist plus 700% regen is plenty; if I need more defense for a particular fight, purple inspirations exist.

[dangeraaron10]

19 minutes ago, Hopeling said:

I don't think it is important except for defense-based sets. Not to put too fine a point on it, but nihilii's Fire/Rad/Psi has I think something like 24% defense unbuffed, and that obviously isn't holding him back.

 

I mean, most high-end builds will go for defense to some degree, sure - that's simply the best way to add durability via IO set bonuses. But defense isn't "softcap or bust". For sets with no native defense, getting to the softcap for even a single type or position requires so many slots that it may not even be worth it. I run around with about 33% S/L defense and less than that to other types, and solo AVs and x8 spawns easily, because 33% defense plus 70% resist plus 700% regen is plenty; if I need more defense for a particular fight, purple inspirations exist.

That makes a lot of sense, thank you.

 

It's one thing to look at different builds and get some opinions on what might be good or bad but it's another thing entirely to actually know yourself what makes a good build.  I imagine to help differentiate CoH from other medieval fantasy MMOs at the time, there's next to no shared terminology.  "Inspirations" are essentially consumables or items, and "Enhancements" take the place of equipment or gear, or even "enchantments".  

[oldskool]

5 hours ago, dangeraaron10 said:

It's one thing to look at different builds and get some opinions on what might be good or bad but it's another thing entirely to actually know yourself what makes a good build.  

The time honored tradition of information vs knowledge. 

 

I would like to caveat that the term "good build" is a loaded one.  I think I get what you mean, but the reality of City of Heroes is that what I find "good" vs what you find "good" are subjective.  CoX isn't like World of Warcraft where cookie-cutter builds exist because the pool of options is incredibly narrow.  The options are pretty far and wide.  Even Elder Scrolls isn't truly cookie-cutter in its builds but there are more like best practices.  City of Heroes is just broader in scope since you have far more design choices due to the Invention System.  That is one of the things I have always loved about CoX.  Also, CoX was never balanced around the Invention System so building to godhood was never curbed in favor of greater game balance.  Some content in the post-50 realm is a little more thought engaged than just curbstomping farm maps, but having a truly min/maxed build is not necessary.  So there is a LOT of wiggle room in what is actually "good".  Good in CoX truly means "contributing to the team and completing content you enjoy".  If a build can do that, its good.  You may be able to improve, but never let anyone tell you how to play.  

[dangeraaron10]

5 hours ago, oldskool said:

The time honored tradition of information vs knowledge. 

 

I would like to caveat that the term "good build" is a loaded one.  I think I get what you mean, but the reality of City of Heroes is that what I find "good" vs what you find "good" are subjective.  CoX isn't like World of Warcraft where cookie-cutter builds exist because the pool of options is incredibly narrow.  The options are pretty far and wide.  Even Elder Scrolls isn't truly cookie-cutter in its builds but there are more like best practices.  City of Heroes is just broader in scope since you have far more design choices due to the Invention System.  That is one of the things I have always loved about CoX.  Also, CoX was never balanced around the Invention System so building to godhood was never curbed in favor of greater game balance.  Some content in the post-50 realm is a little more thought engaged than just curbstomping farm maps, but having a truly min/maxed build is not necessary.  So there is a LOT of wiggle room in what is actually "good".  Good in CoX truly means "contributing to the team and completing content you enjoy".  If a build can do that, its good.  You may be able to improve, but never let anyone tell you how to play.  

I'll accept that.  I guess that's another reason this game is so good.

 

I actually settled on Beam/Energy.  Went more "space marine" than "Iron Man".  It works pretty good and managing my Disintegration keeps me more engaged, while Energy Aura is a well rounded secondary that's toggle and forget, letting me focus on Beam Rifle's packed kit.

[Cyrickain13]

I am working on Sonic / Rad Armor right now. Quite like it will do a write up when I can.

 

[Tryna_Dugid]

Does anyone have any experience with /ice armor on sentinels? i made a psi/ice last night and quite like the theme of the character. 

 

i got her up to around level 26, so i have the majority of my toggles and defensives. so far the set feels fun and with a good balance of utility. i can’t comment on how durable i feel, or if ice armor is worse than the melee version, but it seems like there was some thought put into it.

[Save-vs-DM]

I'm currently playing an Electrical Blast/Electrical Armor Sentinel. I'm only in the mid 20s, but I'd be happy to work up a guide once I hit 50 and really figure out what I'm doing.

 

So far, my basic analysis is that it does a reasonable job at taking down Lts and Bosses, but I still need more "research" (and by research I mean I want to play some more).

[1gecko]

Hello! Please let me preface my observations with the following: 
1) I am no-where near as focused and detail oriented anymore to achieve the awesomeness of many of the detailed write-ups!  Sorry, that is just how it is (depression - and the meds for it - suck and destroy focus)
2) As such, my observations are just that: what I have experienced with playing my 4 Sentinels (none to 50 yet - but one is *really* close! 😉 ) and are thus opinions - so no big deal if you disagree with me (and please don't take it personally if I seem to disagree with you)

Water Primary:  As earlier noted - this pool has fantastic AOE potential compared to others with not just good amounts of areas, but great affects and quick recharges too (again, comparatively).  For slotting, I put my AT specific enhancments in two of my 'quick' powers to get the most out of the procs and then slotted the others as seemed appropriate - but did not necessarily concentrate on using whole sets.  My fastest ranged I used the Devastation set (as that Hold proc hits often and is REALLY helpful) - sure it doesn't have the BEST damage potential (though still good), but it is a low damage attack anyway - the recharge rate makes up for it.  Most of my other powers are mix-slotted to maximize affect/potential with at least one status affecting (even if only a 'training' IO for debuff).
Outcome: Damage is surprisingly high (for a Sentinel of my level) - and not just my opinion, many I have grouped with comment on it (including a number of rather grumpy Blasters!) and the range of debuffs, holds and knockdowns keeps even tough opponents busy (I have soloed Elite Bosses and an AV or two and survived).

Rad Primary: Always like the Rad offensive set on my blasters and defenders back on Live, so definitely jumped on it for a Sentinel.  It works well (though drastically thin on AOE), but slotting has proved.. interesting.  Basically I have found it most helpful to slot rather unorthodoxly to be effective - either solo or in groups.  I ended up (up to lvl 42 I think so far) slotting rather more heavily in Defense Debuff than usual - the power set doesn't kick out the high damage numbers even when you slot for damage output; however when you slot moderately for damage and go heavy on defense debuff it very quickly outpaces the straight damage slotting with only minor debuff enhancement.  You aren't quick in combat (not quick kills), but the ramp function of the stacking debuff quickly makes your 'moderate' damage outpace more heavy damage options - and makes your group missions VERY effective.  The character is nowhere near as brutal / offensively capable as the Water Primary Sentinel, but can definitely hold its own and is fantastic in boss-heavy missions with groups.

Dual Pistols:  Ok, going to draw fire (pun intended) on this one, but I have been very underwhelmed with this powerset on the Sentinel.  On a blaster (or even corruptor) it can be really impressive, but its damage output seems really low comparatively and its rather minor status effects (even with cold ammo) don't really have the power to shift combat in your favor when soloing.  Fights are MUCH more close (and often desparite) when the same level - same mission with the other Sentinels was boringly easy.  This character is not as high a level, so maybe the upper levels open something up that makes a huge difference...

(my 4th is just starting out, so not enough data to have a decent opinion really)

Now, one reason I feel confident enough to put these into comparison public is that, after a number of false starts, all my Sentinels have the same Secondary: the much maligned (back in the Live days at least) Regeneration.  Which lets me compare Primary pools on a fairly even scale.

For a Sentinel, the Regeneration Secondary powerset cannot be undersold - it just plain ROCKS!! (again - my opinion). Only a couple toggles and the huge Endurance passive regen yield a character than can pretty much button-spam with impunity without worrying about running out.  Add in Absorption (gained fairly early) and status protection that seems to laugh at pretty much any attempt to hold/sleep/stun/knockdown/etc. and for a non-melee damage dealer you are pretty much golden in almost any situation - and are tough enough that even when things do get 'close and personal' with an Elite Boss or such, you can shrug off all but determined and continuous attacks.  Fighting the WarWalker (Elite Boss - "One Way Out" finale mission from Provost Marchand) I was able to successfully fight it (without dying) for over an hour until I was able to recruit a team to take it down (I could not get past that regen buff it gets at 1/3 health by myself).  As such, I would definitely put this Secondary set as a serious consideration for anyone thinking of playing a Sentinel. Even running full Leadership toggles, power pool toggles, Epic pool toggle and without the endurance regen power fully slotted and no additional slots in Stamina, I can spam attack as fast as things refresh (constant outgoing attacks) and never run out of endurance unless something drains me.  And really, you just can't beat that. 

[Save-vs-DM]

Primary Powerset: Electrical Blast

• Medium Single-Target Damage (4 Ranged ST Damage), Medium AoE Damage (2 Targeted AoE, 1 PBAoE), Medium-Low Control (Endurance Drain & 1 Hold)
• High chance of endurance drain.

Preface

I would like to preface this guide by stating that I am not an optimizer who seeks to squeeze every bit of power out of a combination or power set. I'm a roleplayer first and foremost, and often pick my power sets for theme or even appearance. While I am an experienced player, I've never chased the best numbers. At the same time, I enjoy teams and know that you have to perform to certain standards to make sure you're not a drag on the team. I'll also state that my first (and only) 50 was an Elec/Elec blaster, so I've  a certain fondness for this power set. I just want folks to go into this write up knowing the facts. Forewarned, we venture on.

 

Summary

Electrical Blast is a beautiful, if often maligned, power set with a strong focus and a good mix of both single target and area damage. This set offers the unique secondary of endurance drain, which is a contentious subject with varying opinions as to its efficacy. But I'm going to assume if you're reading this write up, that you're interested in this fun and unique power set. To that end, I'm going to be speaking to those who find this power set interesting. I know it's not at the top tier, and may well be near the bottom end of the power scale, but there are those of us who enjoy the aesthetics or theme of the power set. This guide is for you.

 

In the good news column, this power set is one of the best served by its conversion to a sentinel set. The changes have transformed this set from bottom tier to a solid middle of the pack. While the secondary effects haven't changed, the higher damage of Tesla Cage and the shorter recharge on Thunderous Blast have both done wonders. It's a good introductory set, as it offers a nice mix of targeted and area powers that can give you a variety of tools in your toolbox.

 

But before we go further, we need to talk about the effects of Sapping.

 

A Brief Overview of Sapping (Endurance Drain)

As a set, Electrical Blast has a very strong focus on Endurance drain. But to understand what this means for the set, we need to understand how endurance works in both players and Enemies (or NPCs).

 

For players, each power has a cost which is then deducted from the total endurance. If you don't have enough endurance to cover the cost of the power, you can't use it. It's that simple. We'll come back to this.

 

For Enemies don't have an endurance cost, they have drain. The way it works is that if an enemy has at least one endurance, they can use a power and then deduct that cost from their pool. The upshot is that if they have at least 1 endurance, they can use a power and then they go into negative endurance. Which doesn't matter for them. The second thing to understand is that endurance recovery for NPCs is halved, meaning that the -100% recovery is actually 50%.

 

To be an effective sapper, you must drain a mob to 0 endurance and keep them there. Which is incredibly difficult, even with all the tools in our toolbox here. To really maximize the effect of drain, you have to keep it up and for that you're going to need a secondary or epic pool which drains endurance. Of which there are only two options: Electric Armor (Power Sink) and Electricity Mastery (Havoc Punch, Lightning Field). While you can completely drain mobs with a Thunderous Blast > Short Circuit > Ball Lightning chain, it's hard to keep up. And by the time you drop that much damage, most mobs are going to be dead anyway.

 

Now, all this goes out the window if you're one of the folks who enjoy PvP. In this arena, endurance drain can be a powerful tool that can so completely drain your opponents that their toggles drop and they can't do anything. The only thing keeping this tactic from being completely excellent is the long animation times and the supreme mobility of PCs. So while this is a tactic that can work, it often doesn't. But I'll tell you, when it does work, oh man are the effects worth it!

 

TLDR; Endurance drain against mobs is incredibly difficult and most times not worth the effort. It can be done, but by the time you fully drain their endurance, most mobs are dead anyway. It can work in PvP, but not as often as you'd like.

 

Pretty, Pretty Lights

As an aside, this is one of the prettiest power sets in the game. You can get some truly spectacular and beautiful effects by combining two different colors. While I'm a fan of the classic high yellow/light yellow or bright blue/white contrasts, many more options are possible. And the two colors do intertwine and combine produce some very pretty effects.

 

Beginner's Overview

Still with me? Good. Despite the generally underwhelming secondary effects, this set still has a lot to offer. The strength of this set is the roughly even combination of single target and AoE powers. Both of your first two powers are single target, combined with a very high damage single target and extreme damage single target damage with a hold. You then get two targeted AoE powers and a PBAoE power that does moderate damage.

 

With a mix like this, you can build several different attack chains to fit the situation, whether it be one tough enemy or a group of minions. You've got a tool for most situations along with the classic power of Aim. Five of the powers in this set also drain endurance and debuff endurance recovery (a whopping 100%!).

 

Most of the powers have the same general animations - fire from one hand, fire from two hands, or charge up and discharge with both hands. But in the end you're shooting blasts of lightning at your foes, so get used to the snap, crackle, and zap.

 

Powers Overview

Power Name	Primary Effect	Secondary Effect
Charged Bolts	Ranged Moderate Damage
Lightning Bolt	Ranged High Damage
Ball Lightning	Targeted AoE for Moderate Damage	-7% End, -100% Recovery
Zapping Bolt	Ranged Very High Damage	-7% End, -100% Recovery
Aim	Self +To Hit (50%), +Damage(50%), +Range (33.3%)
Tesla Cage	Ranged Extreme Damage + Hold (Mag 3)
Voltaic Sentinel	Summon Elemental which makes Moderate Ranged Attacks	-5% End, -100% Recovery
Short Circuit	PBAoE Moderate Damage	-35% End, -100% Recovery
Thunderous Blast	Targeted AoE for Extreme Damage	-55.5% End, -100% Recovery

 

Charged Bolts: This is your bread and butter single target attack. You fire lightning from one hand at a target. It does moderate damage and as a Sentinel induces a -20% resistance status. While not required, this is the power you need to trigger your Offensive Opportunity.

 

Lightning Bolt: This is a two handed single target attack. It does high damage and is needed to trigger your Defensive Opportunity.

 

The above two powers are what I like to call your bread and butter. They're the switches upon which the Sentinel revolves and are used to trigger your Offensive and Defensive Opportunities. If you're interested in the Opportunity mechanic, I recommend taking both of these powers to open up your options. If, however, you don't enjoy the mechanic, you can get away with using just one of them.

 

Ball Lightning: Your first AoE spell and it's a solid one. It does Moderate damage over time and hits a reasonably large number of targets (up to 10). I recommend taking this power, but if you want to focus more on single target damage, feel free to skip this one.

 

Zapping Bolt: This is the Snipe replacement power. It's a  very high damage single target attack. I often lead off with this attack or Tesla Cage. This power is highly recommended.

 

Aim: This is a very powerful self buff that adds to both accuracy and damage. This is a major increase in your damage output, so it comes highly recommended.

 

Tesla Cage: This is your highest damage single target power, which also includes an 8 second magnitude 3 hold. The magnitude is high enough to hold a lieutenant and will hold a boss if you can stack it with another hold. Highly recommended power, no matter your play style.

 

Voltaic Sentinel: Also known as Sparky. Summons a psuedo-pet for sixty second. The pet can use Charged Bolts and will attack whatever creature it so chooses. Sparky can fly and will follow you, but he's slower than a character who's sprinting. Due to the poor targeting, slow speed, and generally lackluster damage, this is the power that is easiest to skip taking. If you do take it, I wouldn't slot it very heavily.

 

Short Circuit: Your first real sapper power that does moderate damage in an AoE burst. It has a decent recharge but an obnoxiously long animation time. If you're building a sapper, you should take this power. Otherwise you can skip this one if you're build needs more secondary or pool powers.

 

Thunderous Blast: The capstone and what a power it is! While it has a long animation time, it does excellent damage and really drains the old endurance. There are very few instances in which you won't be taking this power.

 

 

Slotting

First, here's the good news. Energy damage isn't widely resisted, so we've got a nice advantage there. Beyond that, how you slot is going to depend on your secondaries and what you want to focus on: damage or sapping.

 

Right out of the gate, I highly recommend six slotting at least one of Charged Bolts and Lightning Bolt, if not both. If you're going for a more AoE focused build, both of these powers will work fine with 4 or 5 slots. If you have six slotted these powers, I find they're a good place for Sentinel's Ward and Opportunity Strikes. Both of them offer excellent global accuracy enhancements and Opportunity Strikes offers a great global recharge bonus. So save up those merit rewards!

 

Before you get to the Sentinel Archetype sets, a 2 Accuracy, 3 Damage, 1 Recharge IO setup will work just fine (remember that at level 25 IOs are the equal of SOs). Both Decimation and Devastation are also excellent sets with good bonuses. If you have a resistance heavy primary, Thunderstrike offers ranged defense when six slotted.

 

Next up we have Ball Lightning. If you're leaning into your Sapper role, six slotting Efficacy Adapter or Performance Shifter is the way to go. If you want to focus on damage, Positron's Blast is a great setup and has a recharge global bonus at 6 slots. You can also frankenslot this with Positron's Blast (Accuracy Damage, Accuracy/Damage/Endurance, Damage/Recharge) and Adrenal Adjustment (or three options from another Endurance Modification set). Six slots of Detonation will offer some decent resistances for defense heavy secondaries.

 

Zapping Bolt should is well worth investing six slots in, or 3-4 if you're focusing more on AoE damage. Decimation or Apocalypse are the gold winners here, but for the budget conscious or lower level consider using Ruin until you have the influence and levels to get something better. This is also a good spot to place Sentinel's Ward or Opportunity Strikes if you've decided to forgo taking either Charged Bolts or Lightning Bolt.

 

Aim works just fine with one slot and shouldn't really have more than three at the most. Three slots of Rectified Reticle will help defense light secondaries hit the soft cap on defense. Encouraged Accuracy has a nice accuracy bonus with 3 slots. If single slotting, Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control (Chance for Build Up) is a great choice and really makes this power a mega-buff when it triggers.

 

Tesla Cage is worth six slotting, or at least going with 4 slots if you're focusing on AoE damage. Like Zapping Bolt, you want Decimation or Apocalypse, or Ruin as the budget option.

 

Voltaic Sentinel works fine with only one slot and you probably shouldn't go past three or four at most. Three pieces of Sovereign Right actually grant some decent resistance bonuses. Four slots of Call to Arms actually grants a 6.25% recharge reduction, which is the best argument for four slotting this power. Remember that you're pet can't be attacked and doesn't taunt, so anything that ups pet defense is worthless in this power.

 

Short Circuit can be slotted for damage or endurance modification. Either way, I don't recommend taking more than 3 or 4 slots here. If you''re going with damage, go with Eradication for resistance heavy secondaries or Avalanche for defense heavy secondaries. If you're really focused on AoE damage, you can six slot this with Armageddon at level 47 for the sweet bonuses. If you're instead focusing on sapping, go with four slots of Performance Shifter (Endmod, Endmod/Accuracy Recharge, Accuracy/Recharge, Endmod/Accuracy). Those four slots will turn this power into an endurance draining machine.

 

Thunderous Blast should be six slotted for almost all builds, as it's an excellent power. Go with Annihilation for resistance heavy secondaries or Positron's Blast for defense heavy secondaries. Ragnarok is worthwhile investment at level 50. If you're focusing on sapping, then this is where you Frankenslot. I recommend 3 slots of Overwhelming Force (Accuracy/Damage, Accuracy/Damage/Endurance, Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge) and all 3 pieces of Energy Manipulator. Thus slotted, the power will drain almost 80% of a targets endurance and drop recovery by -141%.

 

Skippable Powers

There are one or two powers you can skip taking, depending upon your focus.

 

Voltaic Sentinel, in it's current form, is rather lackluster and you can safely skip it more of the time. The one exception might be if you're focusing on solo play, where the extra damage output can be more helpful.

 

Short Circuit can be skipped if you're focused on single target damage or you're not much of a sapper. If found that the long animation time and small area mean that it often under-performs in a damage output capacity. If you are a sapper, though, this power is highly recommended and can really drain endurance if properly slotted.

 

Advanced Slotting

I've covered slotting pretty well in the above sections, but there are special considerations if you want to play a sapper. And that mainly comes into play if you want to be a sapper.

 

If you want to sap, Ball Lightning, Short Circuit, and Thunderous Blast are all powers that can be slotted for Endurance Modification. Even then, I would avoid going full endurance modification and instead do a 3 and 3 split. For the damage portion, focus on Accuracy/Damage, Damage/Recharge, and Accuracy/Damage/Endurace style enhancements. Then fill out the other three slots with the fully set of Energy Manipulator.

 

As a Sentinel, you might want to consider the bonuses from your secondary power set when slotted your primaries. There are generally sets that will enhance ether defenses or resistances. I've outlined some good choices above.

 

Basic Rotation

You have a couple of choices here, depending on focus and the situation.

If you have it up, pop Aim before any of these rotations, especially your AoE rotations.

Single Target: Tesla Cage > Zapping Bolt > Lightning Bolt will take down an even con minion and get close to filling your Opportunity.

Single Tough Target: Tesla Cage > Zapping Bolt > Lightning Bolt > Charged Bolts > Zapping Bolt > Tesla Cage will keep the damage up while keeping a single target locked down.

Groups: Thunderous Blast > Ball Lightning > Short Circuit will clear groups of minions and heavily drain endurance. Just keep in mind that both Thunderous Blast and Short Circuit have roughly 3 second animation times, so be prepared to take some damage before it all goes off. Stealth powers can help you deliver that first nova.

Sapping: Thunderous Blast > Short Circuit > Ball Lightning is the opening salvo for this situation. If you have it, follow up with Power Sink (Electric Armor) > Short Circuit > Power Sink. That will completely drain anything short of an AV and keep them there for a while.

 

Complementary Choices

• The most obvious pairing with this set is Electric Armor. Both sets can drain Endurance and Power Sink combined with Thunderous Blast can completely drain minions and lieutenants and go a long way toward draining bosses and elite bosses. Plus Electric Armor has fewer necessary powers than other sets, freeing you up to take more of the primary powers. And if you're playing to theme, this just reinforces that theme. Super Reflexes is another theme appropriate choice that offers a more defense focused approach, but lacks the endurance draining synergy that Electric offers.
• Electrical Blast is pretty well balanced, so your choice of Epic Pool is likely more down to personal preference. Thematically, Electric Mastery offers synergy and does have a few choice powers to help round things out. Havoc Punch also drains Endurance, as does Lightning Field. Paralyzing Jolt adds a Stun to your rotation, complimenting your Hold nicely. And Rehabilitation Circuit offers you something unique to a Sentinel - a group heal. Mu Mastery is another great choice, though one that starts sliding you a little closer to a controller. Thunder Strike followed by Tesla Cage and hold a boss along with dealing quite a lot of damage. Static Discharge give you a cone attack that drains endurance. Just note that as a villain power set, you'll have to Complete Scirocco's patron arc.
• Like most sets, you'll want Hasten from the Speed pool, as you've got a few powers with longer recharge times. You can get away without it if you absolutely must, but you'll be relying heavily on Charged Bolts and Lightning Bolt in your attack chains.
• Given that you have a few PBAoE and short ranged Targeted AoEs, getting into position is important. Thus, powers like Stealth, from the aptly named Stealth pool, are useful. Super Speed can also get you there, but given the finicky nature and short area of some of your powers, I would prefer the slower Stealth over Super Speed.
• For Travel Powers, I don't particularly feel like there's any one clear choice. If you're finding yourself short on power pool slots, Super Speed is there from the Speed pool you already took. Plus Super Speed is somewhat thematic for lightning themed characters. I, personally, enjoy the freedom of the Fly and Hover powers.
• Both the Fighting and Leadership pools are useful for most Sentinels, though I would take only one of the two pools, depending on your preference. Fighting offers stronger resistance and defense bonuses and is often used by many builds as a way to hit the defense and resistance caps. Leadership, meanwhile, gets you a defense boost right away, and one that applies to the team. Assault can also help bring your damage total of you and your team up a bit more.
   

Incarnate Abilities

• Alpha: Given the focus of the set, Agility Core Boost (Recharge Rate, Endurance Modification) is a good choice here. It doubles up on what the set is good on.  Musculature Core (Damage, Immobilize Duration, Defense Debuff) is another good choice here, if you want to focus on damage. Cardiac Core (Endurance Reduction, Range, Damage Resistance) is good for secondaries that lack a damage resistance setup.
• Judgement: Ionic Core is the best at damaging over a very wide area and fits in the theme. But, to be honest, there are very few bad choices here. Honestly, I'd say go with what fits your fancy or concept best.
• Interface: Currently most of these are a bit bugged, but I'd go with Gravitic Interface for the recharge reduction. Degenerative Interface feeds into your Sentinel role well. But otherwise I haven't dabble in these much and so use your best judgement.
• Lore: There are no bad choices in Core Lore slots, while Radial slots are mostly bad. Clockwork Core feeds into the electricity theme, which is fun. Otherwise, this is a good chance to round out your character theme.
• Destiny: If you have no other way to manage your endurance problems, go for Ageless. The choice between Ageless Core and Ageless Radial is between a ridiculous amount of endurance and a bit of haste, versus a good amount of endurance and defense debuff resistance. Otherwise, Barrier Core is a strong defensive choice for every Sentinel build, and Clarion Radial will increase your range, secondary set, and some of your side effects for a time. 
• Hybrid: Assault is by far the strongest choice. For a Sentinel, I would recommend Assault Core over Assault Radial, unless you know you will frequently be in situations where you will be at the cap for +damage, such as in Incarnate Trials or the Hamidon Raid. While Radial bypasses the cap, Core gives the Sentinel more damage in situations where the Sentinel's individual damage contributions are most important. Melee Core or Melee Radial can help shore up an offensive secondary that is relatively bad at survival.

 

Note: I wish to state that I followed, for the most part, the format made by Sunsette. I also have followed her Incarnate advice, as I've had precious little experience with the system.

Edited November 10, 2019 by Save-vs-DM