Time Manipulation Guide

[Bopper]

Time Manipulation Guide
by Bopper

Written: 30 July 2019

Last updated: 2 August 2019
(Information that might help new Time Manipulation players for any archetype)

 

A Quick Note from the Author

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I am no expert on Time Manipulation, but it is the set I play the most and I learned a few things (emphasis on few). It was requested that a Time Manipulation Guide should be made so I decided to help out. This was rushed. It is not polished. If you don't like it, please PM me with suggestions and I will try to update this guide such that it becomes a better product. In the end, I hope to see more guides that focus specifically on power sets or archetypes, as opposed to build guides such as "Ultimate Fire/Spines Brute Farmer", or "Flavor of the Month Scrapper". I would love to learn more about other sets that could speak to some of its nuance that may not be obvious from in game descriptions. I want my interest piqued and to have it light a fire into wanting to build something new, that could be fun, could be powerful. That is what I hope others will get from this guide. Anyways, with all that said, let's get on with the show.

 

Introduction

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I will not quite say this is a guide. This is more of an informational overview of a powerset (which Defenders, Controllers, Corruptors, and Masterminds have access to). I will try to give as much details as I can about the power, I will try to mention some common uses/exploits of a power, and basically anything else that comes to mind while I freestyle this guide. Structure be damned.

 

Time Manipulation is a buff/debuff/heal set which can do almost anything. Its main focus is slowing the enemies’ speed and recharge (3 speed debuffs, 2 recharge debuffs). The set can also debuff regeneration (2 powers, but both fairly weak), damage, to hit, defense, resistance, and heal. The set can buff recharge (2 powers, 1 ally and 1 team), heal (2 powers, both with a heal over time), endurance, recovery, defense, to hit, perception, damage (ally), regeneration (ally), and resistance to slow and regeneration debuffs.

The set also has a unique feature in granting “Delay” and “Accelerated” with its powers Time Crawl and Temporal Selection, respectively. Time Crawl is a single target debuff that grants “Delay” which synergizes with other debuffs in the Time Manipulation set by boosting the effects of those debuffs. Here is a breakdown of those increased debuffs:

Time’s Juncture’s debuffs are increased by 20% (damage debuff, slow debuff, to hit debuff)

Distortion Field’s chance to hold is increased by 50% 

Time Stop’s hold adds a +1 magnitude that lasts half the duration of the regular magnitude 3 hold.

Slowed Response’s resistance debuff is increased by 20% and the defense debuff is increased by 25%

Temporal Selection is a single target ally buff that grants “Accelerated” which will boost the heal effects of other Time Manipulation powers. Here is a breakdown of those increased buffs:

Temporal Mending’s heal and heal over time is 50% stronger

Chrono Shift’s heal and heal over time is 50% stronger

 

 

Links to City of Data Information

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For additional details on Time Manipulations powers, here are links to the archived City of Data:

Defender’s Time Manipulation

Controller’s Time Manipulation

Corruptor’s Time Manipulation

Mastermind’s Time Manipulation

 

 

 

So that covers the majority of the details you would want for Time Manipulation. Now, I will spend some time talking about each power including some anecdotes of what I like to do with them and also provide some opinions. Basically, if you don’t care about what I think, now is the time to check out.

 

My Summarized Opinion of Time Manipulation

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First off, I love Time Manipulation. Farsight makes it possible to softcap defense with relative ease (almost hard not to if you pair it with Power Build Up or Power Boost from the Epic Power Pools). Farsight combined with Time’s Juncture (which is a strong toggle debuff that lowers the damage, to hit and speed of any enemy next to me) almost makes me feel like a tank as I can jump in, dodge almost anything, and lower the damage that comes at me. Since I’m typically already softcapped defensively, the To Hit debuff from Time’s Juncture basically acts as my defense debuff resistance, affording me some cushion before cascading failure. Overall, I would say Time’s Juncture, Farsight, Temporal Mending, Slow Response and Chrono Shift are must haves in any build. If you team or use pets, Temporal Selection is a near must have (big time boost that last 2 minutes). Distortion Field is very nice to have but I don’t always fit it into my build. It can act as a hold/slow proc mule if you’re chasing DPS or it can act as a nice source for 4 slotting Basilisk’s Gaze if you want the E/N/Range defense and 7.5% recharge bonus. Time Stop I have always skipped, but can also act as a mule for Basilisk or damage procs. It can be an effective hold power if you pair it with another hold source (Ice Blast, Dual Pistols, etc). Time Crawl I almost always skip, but if you can fit it in, it is a nice boost to your debuff powers.

 

More Opinions, Broken Up by Powers

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Time Crawl: Generally, I take this power while leveling up, then respect out of it at level 50. The regeneration debuff is only 100% and it does not stack. The power is perfectly good to take, especially at lower levels, but for my level 50 builds I just don’t have the room to fit this into my character. Ultimately, if the effects of Delay lasted longer than 20 seconds, I would take it, but I rather not have to reapply so often. 

Temporal Mending: Definitely take this. It has one of the longer recharges for a team heal, but it’s also much more healing when you factor in the healing over time. Let’s compare Radiation Emission’s Radiant Aura with Temporal Mending. Both have the same endurance cost, but RA has a 8 second base recharge and heals a base of 133.86 whereas TM has a 18 second base recharge and initially heals only 100.4 HP, but also applies 5 ticks of 26.77 HP over the next 7 seconds for a total of 133.85 HP. Basically you get less healing upfront but you’ll get a free RA level heal over the next 7 seconds. When I’m in the thick of action, I don’t want to feel like I’m spamming my heal, and TM helps me with that. (Note, all numbers quoted here are for defenders).

Time's Juncture:     A very good power to have, as the -25% damage debuff (-20% for Corruptors/Controllers, -15% for MMs) can be thought of as a T9 armor, effectively resisting the damage you take (I don’t know what enemies have damage debuff resistance, so I don’t know exactly how well this example translates to harder enemies). Also, the To Hit debuff is basically added defense. Typically, I 4-slot this with Dark Watcher’s Despair for the 5% global recharge set bonus and it gives me -23.74% to hit debuff (-19% for Corruptors/Controllers, 14.24% for MMs). Basically, this is a very good power for added survivability, especially if you’re near melee distance (within 25 feet).

Temporal Selection:     Excellent power for an Ally as you provide them a 2 minute boost of 150% regeneration and 30% recharge, no matter what archetype you are. Also, you provide the Ally with a significant damage boost (31.25% defender / 25% corruptor or controller / 18.75% for MMs). I typically don’t add enhancement slots to this power and I use it as a mule for the Preventative Medicine: Chance for Absorb proc. My understanding is that proc does not need to be cast for its effect to be active, which makes for added personal survivability with a power that normally wouldn’t affect me.

Distortion Field:     This is a slow/recharge debuff patch that has a 20 foot radius and a long duration (60 second base recharge, 45 second duration...so double or even triple stack is a possibility. Haven't tested that, honestly). According to Pine’s, Defenders and Controllers get a -65% recharge debuff, -91% run and jump speed debuff, and -78% fly speed debuff whereas for Corruptors and MMs these numbers are -50%/-70%/-60%, respectively. Also the patch has a chance for a Mag 3 hold that has a base duration of 5.96 seconds (same for all archetypes). The chance for hold is 2% by default and bumps to 3% if the target is “Delayed”. If I 4-slot it with Basilisk’s Gaze with max recharge, the hold duration increased by 54.38% and the recharge is enhanced by 75.51%. For max hold, flip those numbers.

I have also played with Distortion Field as a damage proc patch, where I used 3 regular hold damage procs, a purple hold damage proc, and a regular slow damage proc. It adds some decent damage, as the purple (4.5 PPM) proc should have a probability of 23% to fire on each tick (24.7 damage on average), and the regular (3.5 PPM) procs should each have a probability of 18% to fire on each tick (12.9 damage on average). Combine this for all 5 procs for all 5 ticks, and you would have an expected damage of 381 per target. Of course, this assumes the target stays within the Distortion Field for the entire 45 seconds. Still, let's give that number some context. Let's assume you're a Water Blast Corruptor and you six slot your T9 nuke (Geyser) with nothing but level 50 Damage IOs and you have the T4 Musculature Core. This enhances Geyser by 150%, yet its total damage is 365.5. Let's not forget, Distortion Field has a base recharge of only 60 seconds, and it is fairly easy at end game to get its recharge down to 20 seconds for double stacking (more proc ticks!) and slowing your enemies to the point where they may never escape in time. Originally, I thought the damage procs in Distortion Field were meh, but further testing showed I was incredibly wrong. If you can afford the slots, this is a nice little nuke to make.

Finally, a side note, I hate patches that I drop onto a location, it takes me too long to use my mouse and click where I want it. So I set up key binds that drop the patch onto my target’s location (basically turns the power into a ranged TgtAoE). Check out the binds guide for details on how to do that.

Time Stop: This is a decent pure hold power (no damage). For all archetypes it provides a -50% regeneration debuff. The Mag 3 hold duration is 11.9s for defenders, 14.9s for controllers, and 9.5s for the villains. If target is “Delayed”, a Mag 1 hold is stacked on top of the Mag 3 and lasts half as long. Typically, if I take this power, I would either use it for damage procs (there are 4 hold sets that include a damage proc, including a purple) which would turn this non damage power into one of your most damaging attacks (cast time is a bit slow, though); or I would 4-slot it with Basilik’s for the set bonuses. You could do both if you want to get frisky, 4 slot BG and add a purple and regular damage proc, but 6 slots for this power is asking a bit much.

Farsight: This is your bread and butter. This is why you play Time Manipulation. This is arguably the best team buff power in the game (remember, this is all my opinion). First off, it has a 2 minute duration with a 25 foot radius, so you can buff the entire team if they listen to your “Gather” commands. The 4 minute cooldown makes this power practically perma using just global recharge bonuses. 100% recharge…shoot you have that covered with just 70% with Hasten and 50% with Chrono Shift (more on that later). For a defender, this is a 12.5% defense buff and 12.5% To Hit buff…for 2 minutes! For Controllers and Corruptors the base numbers are 9.375% defense and 10% To Hit. For MMs, the base numbers are 9.375% defense and 7.5% To Hit. Slotting for this varies by build needs, I’ve seen folks use Hami-Os (Cytoskeleton Exposure or Membrane Exposure) to boost both the Defense and To Hit in every slot. Personally, I don’t boost the To-Hit (my accuracy is good enough as is), I just throw in a LotG Global Recharge, then add whatever defense IO set on top of it that suits my bonus needs and also gets me to hit atleast 50% defense enhancement.

Also, I like to use Power Boost or Power Build Up from the Epic Power Sets to maximize the 2 minute duration of Farsight. First, the numbers. For defenders PB/PBU grants a 98.34% boost to secondary effects (like defense and to hit buff) for 15s (12.5s for PBU). For Corruptors this boost is 78.67%. Controllers and Masterminds only have Power Boost available to them, which grants a 122.9% and 65.56% boost, respectively. So how it works, you cast Power Boost then Farsight. Farsight will get boosted by PB, but the effects of that boost will last the entire duration of Farsight (2 minutes). So for a defender, that adds an extra 12.2925% Defense and To Hit to Farsight. Assuming I slotted Farsight with 50% enhancement, my defense (to all positions) would be (1 + 0.5 + 0.9834)x12.5% = 31.0425%. That’s sick. For extra fun, you can also combine this with Clarion Radial T3+ (80% boost to secondary effects for first 15-22.5 seconds), but that might be overkill for some. One thing to keep in mind though, and this is my biggest disclaimer, Farsight does not stack. So, if you have a Power Boosted Farsight active and you cast Farsight again (without Power Boost), you will overwrite the boosted version, effectively debuffing yourself.

Slowed Response: This is your big time debuff. It has a 30 second duration, 25 foot radius, can hit 16 targets. For defenders, the base debuffs are -25% defense, -30% resistance. For Controllers and Corrupters, this drops to -20% defense, -22.5% resistance. For MMs, this becomes -15% defense, -22.5% resistance debuffs. For slotting, I don’t slot recharge because the effects of Slowed Response don’t stack. So I just 3 slot it and I put in only procs: Achille’s Heel –resistance proc, Lady Grey damage proc, and Shield Breaker damage proc. All of these procs will have a 90% probability to fire. If you can afford the extra slots, you can add up to 59.1% recharge to Slowed Response and still retain a 90% probability to proc on 3.5 PPM (which all those procs are). So not only did I turn Slowed Response into a mini nuke (129.15 expected damage to all targets), I stacked an extra 20% resistance debuff for 10 seconds. Oh yeah, Power Boost and Clarion also buffs the –defense debuff… so keep that in mind.

Chrono Shift: This is your T9 for a reason. It’s an awesome team buff (25 foot radius). It provides a decent heal (160.6 HP for defenders, scale for other ATs) with a nice heal over time (294.5 HP over 30 seconds), which is boosted for Allies if they are “Accelerated”. Best part of all, you will forget Chrono Shift even heals because that is the least interesting thing it does. For all archetypes, it provides yourself and teammates 15 endurance (sadly for you, it costs 20.8 endurance to cast…but you get a partial refund). You also boost the team’s recovery by 30% for 30 seconds. FYI, you can use Endurance Modification enhancements to boost the recovery, but not the endurance. Finally, you grant the team a 50% recharge boost for 90 seconds, which you can make permanent if you can manage enough recharge bonuses and enhancements to hit 300% (Base recharge is 360s, with 300% it drops to 90s). As for slotting this, it depends on your needs. For the most part, people will invest 4-6 slots. If you need endurance, you can frankenslot with EndMod/Recharge enhancements using 4 slots. You could also 6 slot it with the Efficacy Adaptor set for the 5% recharge bonus, which will double your recovery and enhance recharge by ~74%. If you don’t need the added recovery, this set becomes great for the Heal IOs. You can 5 slot a Panacea for the 7.5% recharge, 6 slot a Preventative Medicine for the 8.75% recharge, whatever your build needs.

 

 

 

Concluding Remarks

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Hopefully this helps folks who had questions about the Time Manipulation set and wanted some details and insights from a fellow Time Manipulation player. Again, I apologize for the sloppiness. I'm more mathematician than writer...

I do welcome all feedback. Folks who have corrections or additional details/insight are happily welcome in this forum. I will update the guide as needed with your inputs. 

 

Revision History

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1) 2 Aug 2019 - Update my opinion on the viability of using Distortion Field with damage procs. After recent testing, I can confirm it makes for a nice little "rain nuke"

Not a Guide Writer!

Edited August 2, 2019 by Bopper

[justicebeliever]

That was a really good "Not a Guide" from a "Not a Guide Writer".  Personally, I'm recommending you for a promotion to unofficial guide writer (at twice the normal salary you got for that last guide).

 

Seriously, nice overview...haven't gotten to Time yet...

[Rockfall]

Honest question from someone looking at an ill/time controller -- if chrono shift's heal isn't a big deal (which it shouldn't be, you want to pre-buff with this for the rech/end so at best its a bit of HoT as you go into a fight post buff) then why waste so many slots on it?

[Bopper]

  On 7/31/2019 at 5:23 AM, Rockfall said:

Honest question from someone looking at an ill/time controller -- if chrono shift's heal isn't a big deal (which it shouldn't be, you want to pre-buff with this for the rech/end so at best its a bit of HoT as you go into a fight post buff) then why waste so many slots on it?

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It depends on build needs. The one thing we can all agree on is you want as much recharge as possible to try to reach perma Chrono Shift and keep up the 50% recharge bonus. So you're likely spending 2 extra slots already...maybe 1 if you +5 boost both your level 50 recharge IOs. And if you want to do that, you absolutely can. 

 

For me personally, I run heavy on endurance, so I'm usually slotting for both endurance modification and recharge, so 3-4 slots are common for me. 

 

Ultimately, there's no single right way to slot it. 

Edited July 31, 2019 by Bopper

[eknudson]

Very helpful guide! Any skippable powers, especially for a corruptor or mastermind that doesn't get a choice on time crawl? Time stop looked like something I might not need, but that -regen would be hard to give up. 

[Bopper]

  On 7/31/2019 at 5:53 AM, eknudson said:

Very helpful guide! Any skippable powers, especially for a corruptor or mastermind that doesn't get a choice on time crawl? Time stop looked like something I might not need, but that -regen would be hard to give up. 

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Personally, I don't think much of 50% regen debuff. On typical mobs, regeneration debuffing isn't needed (doesn't greatly speed up kill time). On tough targets (AVs) they tend to heavily resist regeneration debuffs. So unless it is an unresistable debuff or if it is so much -regen that you can't say no (-500%?), then I just ignore it all together. 

 

In your case, Time Stop and maaaaaybe Distortion Field, you could skip. But they do make for great mules. If you were a corruptor soloing, you could skip Temporal Selection. I would think an MM would use Temporal Selection on their pets, so I wouldn't skip that... but you could.

[SlimPickens]

Very appropriate to a question I had about using distortion field as a proc power, after reading this I think Ill pass on the idea, as the power is pretty skippable in my build, and the slots can be better used elsewhere.

 

I love /time and think its such a fun set for multiple ATs, so thanks for the guide. Or not quite a guide if you wish.

[eknudson]

Hmmm.... distortion field looks fun and thinking about it more, when I solo (which I do a decent amount) a single target hold is really handy for preemptive attacks on annoying mezzers. 

 

I may have to take everything at least at first and maybe respec later to omit something I'm not using. 

[Bopper]

  On 7/31/2019 at 6:05 PM, eknudson said:

Hmmm.... distortion field looks fun and thinking about it more, when I solo (which I do a decent amount) a single target hold is really handy for preemptive attacks on annoying mezzers. 

 

I may have to take everything at least at first and maybe respec later to omit something I'm not using. 

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I think that is the best way to go about it. Experience all the powers then figure out what you want for your build. You also can have up to 3 builds, so perhaps you specialize one for teams and another for solo.

[Bopper]

  On 7/31/2019 at 6:01 PM, SlimPickens said:

Very appropriate to a question I had about using distortion field as a proc power, after reading this I think Ill pass on the idea, as the power is pretty skippable in my build, and the slots can be better used elsewhere.

 

I love /time and think its such a fun set for multiple ATs, so thanks for the guide. Or not quite a guide if you wish.

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If you can afford the slots, Distortion Field filled with procs is worth trying out. Over the lifetime of its duration, I believe you get 5 tick opportunities so on average each proc will likely fire 1-2 times. So in terms of damage per activation, it can be quite good. However my gameplay does not usually experience enemies standing in the same spot for 45 seconds (if they live that long). I'll test it some more and update my opinions, if you like. Since you can double stack, perhaps in the right situation it could be powerful.

 

Edit: I'll do a test on Justin, then report my findings.

Edited July 31, 2019 by Bopper

[Bopper]

  On 7/31/2019 at 6:01 PM, SlimPickens said:

Very appropriate to a question I had about using distortion field as a proc power, after reading this I think Ill pass on the idea, as the power is pretty skippable in my build, and the slots can be better used elsewhere.

 

I love /time and think its such a fun set for multiple ATs, so thanks for the guide. Or not quite a guide if you wish.

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I did further testing for a separate thread of mine, but the findings/results apply here. Basically, Distortion Field is perfectly viable as a large AoE proc damage source. You won't melt mobs with it, but it will provide you with some nice damage if the targets stay in it. Since you can easily double stack it, even better.

 

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  On 8/1/2019 at 6:04 AM, Bopper said:

New testing of Distortion Field with Damage Procs

 

I still don't have a way of knowing whether or not I missed during DF's ticks, so I will just provide the raw numbers. First some background, DF is a pseudopet and it is not impacted by modified recharge time. Once it is dropped, it seems to just use the activation period. DF has a 45 second duration and its proc opportunities start upon cast, then repeats every 10 seconds until the DF disappears. So every activation will have 5 ticks (or proc opportunities).

 

I assume the correct way to calculate the probability would be: Prob = PPM x (10 sec) / (60 x AreaFactor). In this case, I believe the radius is 20 feet (could be 25?). Either way, I won't focus on the expected probability, just report my numbers (Note, I'll update later if I find out for sure what DF's radius is. The animation is the same as Time's Juncture which is 25 foot radius, but somewhere I thought I saw DF had a 20 foot, maybe in pines?):

 

For the purple proc (4.5 PPM) I took 234 samples (sample = 1 tick opportunity on 1 target per proc) and I proc'd 68 times (29.06%)

 

For the 3.5 PPM procs (I had 4 of them, Neurotic Shutdown, Ghost Widow, Gladiator's Net, Impeded Swiftness):

Neurotic: 23 procs out of 180 opportunities (12.78%, this might be small sample size bad luck)

Ghost Widow: 35 procs in 190 opportunities (18.42%)

Gladiator's Net: 33 procs in 180 opportunities (18.33%)

Impeded Swiftness: 31 procs in 180 opportunities (17.22%)

 

I also tested with all 5 procs (1 4.5 PPM, 4 3.5 PPM) and monitored that action:

91 procs in 475 opportunities (19.16%)

 

Conclusion: Distortion Field is decent for procs. If you put all 5 damage procs in it, you will see almost every target get hit with at least one proc on every tick cycle, so that's decent damage. It just takes a long time to have all that damage applied. But you still get the utility of DF even though you may not get the benefits of enhancing it as you normally would.

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Edited August 1, 2019 by Bopper

[SlimPickens]

  On 8/1/2019 at 6:08 AM, Bopper said:

I did further testing for a separate thread of mine, but the findings/results apply here. Basically, Distortion Field is perfectly viable as a large AoE proc damage source. You won't melt mobs with it, but it will provide you with some nice damage if the targets stay in it. Since you can easily double stack it, even better.

 

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Interesting, so probably a go big or go home power- either devote the 5 slots to it for full proc % or get diminished returns by not having enough proc opportunities over the 45 sec window to make it worthwhile. The ability to stack it does make it tempting though, I think after hearing your results ill at least give it a try and see if I like it, because it is good in combo with times juncture and rain of fire so mobs stay in it longer due to the slows.

[Papaschtroumpf]

I'm loving /time but didn't follow the comparison with Radiant Aura. It heals the same but is not up as often. So only hit RA very 18s unless you need it now?

[Bopper]

  On 8/1/2019 at 7:52 PM, Papaschtroumpf said:

I'm loving /time but didn't follow the comparison with Radiant Aura. It heals the same but is not up as often. So only hit RA very 18s unless you need it now?

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I used defenders numbers and will do so again here. If you're using a different AT, you'll need to modify the numbers, but they should scale the same. 

 

RA: 8 second recharge. 13.4 end. 2.03s cast time. 133.86 Heal

 

TM: 18s recharge. 13.4 end. 2.03s cast time. 100.4 Heal + 5 x 26.77 Heal over Time (assuming not "Accelerated"). 234.5 Heal total (takes 7 seconds for all the heal to be applied).

 

So same cast time and Endurance cost. RA will recharge faster and provide you with a stronger burst heal, whereas TM will provide you more heal per activation (234.5 vs. 133.86). So if you're looking to spam your heal, which is better?

 

Let's assume you have +167% recharge in your heals from enhancements and global boosts. RA would recharge in 3 seconds, TM would recharge in 6.75 seconds. With an arcana time of 2.244s, you can expect the Heal per Second capability of the two powers to be:

 

RA: 133.86/(2.244+3) = 25.526 HPS

TM: 234.5/(2.244+6.75) = 26.073 HPS

 

So with TM, you are capable of providing more heal per second at a lower endurance cost (you cast it less) and you have more time in between castings to do other things (attack, buff, debuff).

 

That's what I was kind of going for.

[Papaschtroumpf]

OK, what was confusing is that the HoT component adds up to the same number as RA's number so I thought you were saying the total heal was the same as RA when it's in fact significantly higher.

Makes sense, thanks for the explanation.

 

One thing I like about the HoT is that you can fire it off preventatively.

Edited August 1, 2019 by Papaschtroumpf

[Bopper]

  On 8/1/2019 at 10:45 PM, Papaschtroumpf said:

OK, what was confusing I'd that the HoT component adds up to the same number as RA's number so I thought you were saying the total heal was the same as RA when it's in fact significantly higher.

Makes sense, thanks for the explanation.

 

One thing I like about the HoT is that you can fire it off preventatively.

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I tend to do that preemptive healing whenever I have a gap in my chain. Maybe I'll need it, maybe not. I'm glad that cleared it up, though. I'm not a writer, so my word vomit has a tendency to find itself on my posts.

[subbacultchas]

Damn it man. I'm almost finished levelling the blaster I made, and now I have to make something with Time too? You're killing me here.

[Bopper]

 

  On 8/1/2019 at 7:15 AM, SlimPickens said:

Interesting, so probably a go big or go home power- either devote the 5 slots to it for full proc % or get diminished returns by not having enough proc opportunities over the 45 sec window to make it worthwhile. The ability to stack it does make it tempting though, I think after hearing your results ill at least give it a try and see if I like it, because it is good in combo with times juncture and rain of fire so mobs stay in it longer due to the slows.

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SlimPickens, I know we discussed a Time/DP/Dark defender build in another thread, but I figured it made more sense to reply back to you in this one (since the other was about a different build type). Anyways, I threw this together as mostly an AoE proc monster where you would typically use Empty Clips, Bullet Rain, Hail of Bullets, and Soul Drain perma'd. I also provided some ST capability too, as you can chain Executioner's Shot, Piercing Rounds, and either Empty Clips or Pistols (depending on what you want to accomplish).  My build goal was strictly to get to atleast 35% defense in all my positionals that way Clarion Radial will get me to soft cap (it adds +10% defense to Farsight) and to also cap the S/L resistances. Hasten, ChronoShift, and Soul Drain are not technically perma'd, but that's because I rely on all the FF procs to make up the difference (Empty Clips, Bullet Rain, Executioner Shot, and Hail of Bullets all have FF). Finally, I took Distortion Field and made it into the mini rain nuke. I do this because I still like the utility of the power and the damage is a nice bonus. If you want more ST attack potency, you can swap it out with Suppressive Rounds and 5 slot it with all damage procs. Although Suppressive Rounds does not do much of any damage, the procs all are ~90$ and you can average well over 300 damage per activation.

Again, this was done kind of quickly. With more time and thought, I would want to improve the overall survivability (add more HP), and maybe squeeze a little more recharge.

 

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Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.2
https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Demolition Man: Level 50 Magic Defender
Primary Power Set: Time Manipulation
Secondary Power Set: Dual Pistols
Power Pool: Concealment
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Dark Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Temporal Mending -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(3), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(3), Prv-Heal/Rchg(5), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(5), Prv-Absorb%(7)
Level 1: Pistols -- SprVglAss-Rchg/+Absorb(A), SprVglAss-Acc/Dmg(7), SprVglAss-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), SprDfnBst-Rchg/Heal%(9), SprDfnBst-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11)
Level 2: Time's Juncture -- DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb(A), DarWtcDsp-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(11), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(13), DarWtcDsp-Rchg/EndRdx(13)
Level 4: Empty Clips -- ExpStr-Dam%(A), FrcFdb-Rechg%(17), ShlBrk-%Dam(19), ImpSwf-Dam%(19), TchofLadG-%Dam(21), PstBls-Dam%(21)
Level 6: Temporal Selection -- Prv-Heal(A)
Level 8: Stealth -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 10: Swap Ammo 
Level 12: Kick -- Empty(A)
Level 14: Tough -- UnbGrd-Max HP%(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(23), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(23), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(25), GldArm-3defTpProc(25)
Level 16: Bullet Rain -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), ExpStr-Dam%(27), JvlVll-Dam%(27), Ann-ResDeb%(29), PstBls-Dam%(29), ImpSwf-Dam%(31)
Level 18: Farsight -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def(31), Rct-Def/EndRdx(31)
Level 20: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(33)
Level 22: Hover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 24: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 26: Slowed Response -- ShlBrk-%Dam(A), TchofLadG-%Dam(33), AchHee-ResDeb%(33)
Level 28: Executioner's Shot -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), AchHee-ResDeb%(34), ShlBrk-%Dam(34), Apc-Dmg(34), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Apc-Dam%(36)
Level 30: Distortion Field -- GldNet-Dam%(A), UnbCns-Dam%(36), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(37), NrnSht-Dam%(37), ImpSwf-Dam%(37)
Level 32: Chrono Shift -- EffAdp-EndMod/Rchg(A), EffAdp-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(39), PrfShf-EndMod/Rchg(39), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(39)
Level 35: Dark Consumption -- Erd-%Dam(A), ScrDrv-Dam%(40), Obl-%Dam(40), Erd-Acc/Rchg(40), Erd-Dmg/Rchg(42), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(42)
Level 38: Hail of Bullets -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), Arm-Dam%(42), SprVglAss-Dmg/Rchg(43), SprVglAss-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), SprVglAss-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(45)
Level 41: Dark Embrace -- Ags-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Ags-ResDam(45), Ags-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(45), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(46)
Level 44: Piercing Rounds -- SprDfnBst-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBst-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46), SprDfnBst-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), PstBls-Dam%(48), Ann-ResDeb%(48)
Level 47: Soul Drain -- GssSynFr--Build%(A), Obl-%Dam(48), ScrDrv-Dam%(50), Erd-%Dam(50), Arm-Dmg/Rchg(50)
Level 49: Grant Invisibility -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Run-I(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A)
Level 1: Vigilance 
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run 
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrc-Rcvry+(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(15), Pnc-Heal/+End(15)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(17)
Level 10: Chemical Ammunition 
Level 10: Cryo Ammunition 
Level 10: Incendiary Ammunition 
Level 50: Void Radial Final Judgement 
Level 50: Clarion Radial Epiphany 
Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon 
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve 
Level 0: Portal Jockey 
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion 
Level 50: Assault Core Embodiment 
Level 50: Reactive Core Flawless Interface 
------------

 

 

 

[SlimPickens]

  On 8/3/2019 at 3:54 AM, Bopper said:

 

SlimPickens, I know we discussed a Time/DP/Dark defender build in another thread, but I figured it made more sense to reply back to you in this one (since the other was about a different build type). Anyways, I threw this together as mostly an AoE proc monster where you would typically use Empty Clips, Bullet Rain, Hail of Bullets, and Soul Drain perma'd. I also provided some ST capability too, as you can chain Executioner's Shot, Piercing Rounds, and either Empty Clips or Pistols (depending on what you want to accomplish).  My build goal was strictly to get to atleast 35% defense in all my positionals that way Clarion Radial will get me to soft cap (it adds +10% defense to Farsight) and to also cap the S/L resistances. Hasten, ChronoShift, and Soul Drain are not technically perma'd, but that's because I rely on all the FF procs to make up the difference (Empty Clips, Bullet Rain, Executioner Shot, and Hail of Bullets all have FF). Finally, I took Distortion Field and made it into the mini rain nuke. I do this because I still like the utility of the power and the damage is a nice bonus. If you want more ST attack potency, you can swap it out with Suppressive Rounds and 5 slot it with all damage procs. Although Suppressive Rounds does not do much of any damage, the procs all are ~90$ and you can average well over 300 damage per activation.

Again, this was done kind of quickly. With more time and thought, I would want to improve the overall survivability (add more HP), and maybe squeeze a little more recharge.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.2
https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Demolition Man: Level 50 Magic Defender
Primary Power Set: Time Manipulation
Secondary Power Set: Dual Pistols
Power Pool: Concealment
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Dark Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Temporal Mending -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(3), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(3), Prv-Heal/Rchg(5), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(5), Prv-Absorb%(7)
Level 1: Pistols -- SprVglAss-Rchg/+Absorb(A), SprVglAss-Acc/Dmg(7), SprVglAss-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), SprDfnBst-Rchg/Heal%(9), SprDfnBst-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11)
Level 2: Time's Juncture -- DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb(A), DarWtcDsp-ToHitdeb/Rchg/EndRdx(11), DarWtcDsp-ToHitDeb/EndRdx(13), DarWtcDsp-Rchg/EndRdx(13)
Level 4: Empty Clips -- ExpStr-Dam%(A), FrcFdb-Rechg%(17), ShlBrk-%Dam(19), ImpSwf-Dam%(19), TchofLadG-%Dam(21), PstBls-Dam%(21)
Level 6: Temporal Selection -- Prv-Heal(A)
Level 8: Stealth -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 10: Swap Ammo 
Level 12: Kick -- Empty(A)
Level 14: Tough -- UnbGrd-Max HP%(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(23), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(23), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(25), GldArm-3defTpProc(25)
Level 16: Bullet Rain -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), ExpStr-Dam%(27), JvlVll-Dam%(27), Ann-ResDeb%(29), PstBls-Dam%(29), ImpSwf-Dam%(31)
Level 18: Farsight -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def(31), Rct-Def/EndRdx(31)
Level 20: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(33)
Level 22: Hover -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 24: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 26: Slowed Response -- ShlBrk-%Dam(A), TchofLadG-%Dam(33), AchHee-ResDeb%(33)
Level 28: Executioner's Shot -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), AchHee-ResDeb%(34), ShlBrk-%Dam(34), Apc-Dmg(34), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Apc-Dam%(36)
Level 30: Distortion Field -- GldNet-Dam%(A), UnbCns-Dam%(36), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(37), NrnSht-Dam%(37), ImpSwf-Dam%(37)
Level 32: Chrono Shift -- EffAdp-EndMod/Rchg(A), EffAdp-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(39), PrfShf-EndMod/Rchg(39), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(39)
Level 35: Dark Consumption -- Erd-%Dam(A), ScrDrv-Dam%(40), Obl-%Dam(40), Erd-Acc/Rchg(40), Erd-Dmg/Rchg(42), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(42)
Level 38: Hail of Bullets -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), Arm-Dam%(42), SprVglAss-Dmg/Rchg(43), SprVglAss-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), SprVglAss-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(45)
Level 41: Dark Embrace -- Ags-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Ags-ResDam(45), Ags-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(45), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(46)
Level 44: Piercing Rounds -- SprDfnBst-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBst-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46), SprDfnBst-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), PstBls-Dam%(48), Ann-ResDeb%(48)
Level 47: Soul Drain -- GssSynFr--Build%(A), Obl-%Dam(48), ScrDrv-Dam%(50), Erd-%Dam(50), Arm-Dmg/Rchg(50)
Level 49: Grant Invisibility -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Run-I(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A)
Level 1: Vigilance 
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run 
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrc-Rcvry+(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(15), Pnc-Heal/+End(15)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(17)
Level 10: Chemical Ammunition 
Level 10: Cryo Ammunition 
Level 10: Incendiary Ammunition 
Level 50: Void Radial Final Judgement 
Level 50: Clarion Radial Epiphany 
Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon 
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve 
Level 0: Portal Jockey 
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion 
Level 50: Assault Core Embodiment 
Level 50: Reactive Core Flawless Interface 
------------

 

 

 

Expand  

I like the potential for aoe carnage this one has for sure.

 

Im not sold on slotting dark consumption so heavily, its downtime is so high (90+ secs per cast) that Im not sure on adding too many procs to it as a pseudo damage aoe, I think its more of just a ladder to get to soul drain, and a situational "hey i could use a bit of end right now" buff to cast if needed. But those slots could probably fill out the other things you pointed out as important- more survivability, more rech etc.

 

Without power boost to supe up the temporal selection, im not too sure Id bother with it either, I would prefer to go all in as a damage dealer, but then again, its a really nice buff, and even with just the default slot and no power boost it will come in handy im sure, and theres nothing else i can really think of to add from pools instead.

 

I think i like the 6 slotted preventative med rather than the 5 slotted panacea Temporal mending as well- a little more rech, cheaper IOs, and argueably better overall set bonuses for what you are doing here, so that was a clever swap by you imo, costs one more slot, but I think it was worth it.

 

Been meaning to try out the procced distortion field anyways- was originally considering it for my fire/time corr, but think this build can play guinea pig for me because if I like it, it may become an addition to both builds.

 

thanks for the thought on this Bopper, cool stuff as always.

Edited August 4, 2019 by SlimPickens

[Bopper]

  On 8/4/2019 at 2:07 AM, SlimPickens said:

Im not sold on slotting dark consumption so heavily

Expand  

I'm not sold either. I got on a role with procs and I chased the set bonus for Eradication. I am all for tweaking it as you like. Also, if you're going for a pure solo build, absolutely ditch temporal selection. Perhaps you can grab Suppressive Fire and take the procs from Dark Consumption and load them into it. Definitely plenty of avenues to take.

[Warlawk]

Very happy to see this not-a-guide up as I love the time powerset.

 

I just wanted to toss in anecdotal support for the proc loads. I'm currently leveling a necro/time MM and I've got 4 procs in Distortion Field (5 at 50!) and 2 procs (and a -res achilles heel proc) in Slowed Response. If I drop both on an equal level spawn (for soloing I'm running +0x6) I usually see the entire spawn lose 25-50% health right out of the gate. Purely anecdotal but I've been quite pleased with it and it seems very consistent when heavily loaded this way.

[subbacultchas]

I now have a Beam Rifle/Time Corruptor in the low 40s, and I'm loving it. It's pretty sparse on the AOEs, but the single target and buffs/debuffs are top notch. When running SBB or anything with AV's, I can really tell I'm making a difference with this build.  I took your advice and slotted distortion with only 2 procs so far, which is underwhelming but I can see the promise of 4-5 slots. I haven't got Slowed Response just yet, had to grab the Dark Armor and Power Boost at 35 and 41 respectively, but I'll be adding it at 44 definitely.

 

While you sometimes skip the single target hold, I've kept it for my regular AV rotation to couple with the other -regens Beam and Time offer. Thanks for the guide, I've been on the fence about making a mostly single target ranged character with a lot of -regen and debuffs, and I wouldn't have tried this one without your guide.

Edited August 6, 2019 by subbacultchas

[Bopper]

  On 8/6/2019 at 12:05 AM, subbacultchas said:

I now have a Beam Rifle/Time Corruptor in the low 40s, and I'm loving it. It's pretty sparse on the AOEs, but the single target and buffs/debuffs are top notch. When running SBB or anything with AV's, I can really tell I'm making a difference with this build.  I took your advice and slotted distortion with only 2 procs so far, which is underwhelming but I can see the promise of 4-5 slots. I haven't got Slowed Response just yet, had to grab the Dark Armor and Power Boost at 35 and 41 respectively, but I'll be adding it at 44 definitely.

 

While you sometimes skip the single target hold, I've kept it for my regular AV rotation to couple with the other -regens Beam and Time offer. Thanks for the guide, I've been on the fence about making a mostly single target ranged character with a lot of -regen and debuffs, and I wouldn't have tried this one without your guide.

Expand  

Thank you for the remarks, I'm glad my guide was able to help. If you want to focus on ST, you might want to drop all 4 hold dmg procs into Time Stop. If you're going to use it anyways, you might like the damage it can provide. You can average 290 damage per attack with the procs.

[subbacultchas]

  On 8/6/2019 at 1:51 AM, Bopper said:

Thank you for the remarks, I'm glad my guide was able to help. If you want to focus on ST, you might want to drop all 4 hold dmg procs into Time Stop. If you're going to use it anyways, you might like the damage it can provide. You can average 290 damage per attack with the procs.

Expand  

For sure. I think that after reading the threads on PPM, I'm looking now of putting in procs on some of the Beam Rifle attacks. The consistent complaint I've seen with them thus far is that they are just too slow, which *should* make them excellent candidates for procs if not slotted heavily for recharge. I guess it remains to be seen which ones have multiple things that can be slotted for.

[kendo339]

couple of questions

-- could you share your bind on distortion field?  that's one of the few downsides I have had so far playing a bots/time MM.  usually running around 0/+5 and it is very difficult to get the mouse targeting to go where I want in the mass confusion.  I looked through several bind guides and the best I have come up with so far is:  /bind g "$target!$$powexec_name Distortion Field"  this doesn't fire off the distortion field but at least places the targeting circle in close proximity to the target.  so I hit g and then mouse click to activate. 

 

-- for my MMs, I usually take maneuvers and weave but that seems to be a bit overkill here once I get leveled up and have scorpion and power boost.  I know power boost isn't always on but when I have maneuvers, weave, scorpion and farsight active under power boost, I am at 80% S/L and around 50% + for everything else.  looks like I could probably drop weave and free up 3 powers, maybe add to the leadership options or travel powers.  good idea?  or better to have the extra to still be close / over soft cap S/L without power boost or allow for a def debuff or two?