Pylon Damage Thread

[Auroxis]

FYI @Sovera, Tactics was taken because on a full team it provides a benefit with the Gaussian proc, and StJ's build up (where gauss would otherwise fit) is pretty bad.

[Sovera]

4 minutes ago, Auroxis said:

FYI @Sovera, Tactics was taken because on a full team it provides a benefit with the Gaussian proc, and StJ's build up (where gauss would otherwise fit) is pretty bad.

Valid point, broroxis. I knew of that mechanic with Gaussian and Tactics and it's perfectly valid (dare I say perhaps superior) to switch the slots between Fusion and Tactics. But I personally do prefer the on demand proc.

[BrandX]

1 hour ago, Sovera said:

Valid point, broroxis. I knew of that mechanic with Gaussian and Tactics and it's perfectly valid (dare I say perhaps superior) to switch the slots between Fusion and Tactics. But I personally do prefer the on demand proc.

I put it in my StJ/Nin's Build Up recently, on a respec, but that's only because I found Adjusted Targeting bonuses were better for the build.  

[Frosticus]

Chasing TW is getting frustrating.

I just redid my nin/bio stalker on test server to finish the build off before I take the time to incarnate it on live. Proc'd to hell and back and jumped through proverbial hoops to avoid acc slotting and end reduction while still having 95% tohit chance vs +3s.

 

Consistently pulling times in the 1:50 to 2:00 minute mark. 

Hit 1:30 a few times with assault core hybrid active

Fun character, but considering virtually no aoe and relative squishiness as it is a very offensively minded build, I think I might just bench it. 

 

Additionally, it feels like assassin's focus wasn't building as well as it should from the chain of golden dragon (100%), soaring (95%), sting(75%).

Also assassin's mark proc that recharges buildup was a bit disappointing. Maybe it works better in aoes?

 

I might try out a version that uses blaze mastery over moonbeam. I can get some extra -res from melt armor and fireball and char would proc decimation buildup well. 

[Microcosm]

On 9/27/2019 at 11:57 AM, Frosticus said:

Chasing TW is getting frustrating[....]

 

Also assassin's mark proc that recharges buildup was a bit disappointing. Maybe it works better in aoes?

I mean, honestly I feel TW is just op, power creep from the end of the game.

 

I have also felt the same about that proc. The chance to fire seems reaaally low against single targets. On the ice/ice I was testing yesterday it fired a couple times per pylon, but that's it. (I'll post times for that later).

 

On a separate note, I just tested a procced version of a Nova form warshade. The idea being to stay at range so the pets would survive, which didn't work out too well still. Sometimes they rush the pylon (which is fine), and sometimes they rush to me (no longer fine) and die. So I ended up just going at the pylon without the pets just in Nova form, about 200 dps. So this is not the answer for warshades, though I didn't think it would be. Nova is for sustained aoe... I'll probably test a chain that switches forms in the middle next.

[Microcosm]

Testing an Ice/Ice stalker mentioned above. Slowest time of 2:30, fastest of 2:11. Generally about 2:20. So that's averaging around 400 dps.

 

This doesn't lend itself to procs all that well, as I can't leverage force feedback +rech, multiple -res procs or decimation build up outside of patron powers. I've procced out Freezing Touch and Frost, but that's it. That dps seems really good to me, given the low proc opportunity and no offensive boost from the secondary. But it also has solid AoE, the layered survival of Ice Armor (my favorite armor), Ice Patch, and could get by without Ageless thanks to Energy Absorption. I'm really like this combo. I'm tempted to try an Ice/Fire stalker, to try combining Ice Patch with Burn, but it might be too squishy against things with knock protection.

[Eva Destruction]

Finally got my DM/SD the relevant T4 incarnate powers and took her out for a spin.

 

T4 Agility Alpha

T4 Degenerative Interface

T4 Assault Hybrid

 

Just me and the pylon, no AAO or Soul Drain fodder:

Hybrid toggled on: 348 DPS

Hybrid off: 266 DPS

 

With one level 54 spawn, about 5-6 dudes, some of which died after a few Soul Drains:

Hybrid toggled on: 434 DPS

Hybrid off: 335 DPS

 

At some point I'll have to herd two spawns together to see how I do with fully saturated AAO and Soul Drain, but not today.

[MunkiLord]

Did this for the first time with my new War Mace/Willpower Scrapper. 

 

T2 Vigor Alpha was only Incarnate power, DPS of 273. Clobber-Shatter-Jawbreaker is almost gapless, I'm about 5% recharge short for Clobber. 

[Sir Myshkin]

Took a few minutes tonight to go run off and respec my Scrapper after neglecting to the process for... quite a while now (nearly two months). Figured I'd get all the kinks out of a fresh respec and go knock down a few pylons!

 

RM/Dark/Soul Scrapper

T3 Core Musculature, Ageless, Degenerative, and Hybrid Assault.

 

Two times:

• 5:15 - Passive Hybrid
• 3:39 - Active Hybrid

Build is focused on overall performance, and not one specific singular task. There's nothing in the game, currently, I haven't been able to throw at it. Pretty hyped, those are solid times for not being a fully "completed" Incarnate yet.

[Microcosm]

Stalker BS/Elec, T4 Musc/Ageless/Degen/Pyronic/Assault (not toggled); w/Moonbeam

2:08 427
1:52 470
2:08 427
2:15 412

 

Stalker Ice/Fire, same incarnates; w/Waterspout

2:18 406
2:16 410
2:15 412

 

Stalker Elec/Elec, same incarnates; w/Waterspout

2:22  394
2:38  370

 

Might need to try the Elec/Elec with Moonbeam instead of Waterspout; not happy with that dps. The Ice/Fire is not as sturdy as the Ice/Ice from before, but it's sturdy enough to take on a group of 54 Rikti while a pylon attacked me. The dps increase from adding burn is pretty small though, so I'm not sure it's worth it.

Edited October 4, 2019 by Microcosm

[Microcosm]

One more, Stalker DB/Elec procced instead of chasing combos or recharge, same incarnates as above, w/Waterspout

2:12 418
2:25 392
2:06 432
2:29 (tons of kb) 385
1:42 504 (from this point on, changed approach which made it more efficient)
1:59 450
1:35 531
1:57 456
1:39 515

 

I am now also convinced the build up proc is completely broken. First, you have to use the power it's slotted in once in the zone (or per login, not sure) before it will start triggering, but after that it will continue to trigger without needing any refreshes. Second, it fires at a ridiculously good rate for db, and almost never for ice or electric. I got I think a max of four firings per run on the ice melee characters, and way more than that consistently on the db character. At a couple points on the db it fired every time I went through my attack chain. Now, db attacks execute faster than ice and electric attacks, and that could account for some of it if the thing is a percent chance per attack like it states, but even then it seems off.

[Microcosm]

Stalker Staff/Elec, procced w/Waterspout and same incarnates

2:33 378
2:31 382
2:40 367
2:46 359
2:30 383

 

Stalk Stj/Elec procced w/Waterspout and same incarnates

1:54 464
2:01 445
1:57 456
2:14 414
1:52 470
1:38 519
1:58 453

 

Seems like Stj and DB are neck and neck when using a proc build, maybe with a slight nod to DB.

[Microcosm]

Sorry, 4 posts in a row, but I'm having fun. Redid my DB/Elec scrapper (somewhere earlier in the thread was 350 dps) with the same incarnate setup as the stalkers above, procced out.

2:30 383
2:38 370
2:10 423
2:28 387
2:08 427
2:19 404

 

That's a sizable but not enormous damage increase over the old school "chase the recharge" db build. Chain is Nimble > Ablating > Sweeping (Empower) > Ablating > Power Slice.

[Microcosm]

Stalker Spine/Elec procced w/Waterspout and same incarnates. Probably the last stalker I will test as I don't care for the sets with just one AoE in them.

 

(AS Impale BarbSwipe Ripper)

2:38 370
2:32 380
(here changed attack chain to just AS Implale Ripper w Barb swipe when something wasn't recharged)
2:17 408
2:22 398
2:09 425
2:11 421
2:22 398

 

Very surprised by that.. It's actually a really good showing, and is top 2 or 3 for AoE as well as having two ranged attacks. So if I rank the ones I've done by their average dps (accounting for only the times where I had the attack chain hammered out) we get:

 

DB at 491

Stj at 460

BS at 434

Spine at 410

Ice(Fire) at 409

Ice(Ice) at 400

Ele at 382

Staff at 374

 

With the caveat that the two Ice sets are not apples-to-apples since they don't have the same secondary as the others. The staff average seems low; I feel like I was doing something wrong there.

[TalonBlue]

4 minutes, 13.91 seconds

253.91 seconds

 

((30677+(102.26*253.91))/253.91)/(.8)) = 278.85 DPS

I popped my Hybrid at the very beginning and I was only hit twice so I didn't have to heal.

 

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.962
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Talon Blue: Level 50 Magic Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Claws
Secondary Power Set: Ninjitsu
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Strike -- Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg(A), Mk'Bit-Dmg/EndRdx(40), Mk'Bit-Dmg/Rchg(42), Mk'Bit-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), Mk'Bit-Dam%(43)
Level 1: Ninja Reflexes -- LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(17), LucoftheG-Def(29), LucoftheG-Rchg+(39)
Level 2: Danger Sense -- LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(27), LucoftheG-Def(39), LucoftheG-Rchg+(39)
Level 4: Slash -- Hct-Dmg/Rchg(A), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Hct-Acc/Rchg(36), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Hct-Dam%(37), AchHee-ResDeb%(37)
Level 6: Shinobi-Iri -- LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(7), LucoftheG-Def(7), LucoftheG-Rchg+(34)
Level 8: Spin -- Arm-Dmg/Rchg(A), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), Arm-Acc/Rchg(9), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(11), Arm-Dam%(34), SprScrStr-Rchg/+Crit(34)
Level 10: Kuji-In Rin -- RechRdx-I(A), EndRdx-I(11)
Level 12: Follow Up -- SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprScrStr-Dmg/Rchg(13), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), SprScrStr-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15), SprScrStr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), SprCrtStr-Rchg/+50% Crit(33)
Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(15)
Level 16: Seishinteki Kyoyo -- EndMod-I(A)
Level 18: Focus -- Apc-Dmg/Rchg(A), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), Apc-Acc/Rchg(19), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(25), Apc-Dam%(25), GldJvl-Dam%(33)
Level 20: Kuji-In Sha -- Pnc-Heal/EndRedux(A), Pnc-EndRdx/Rchg(21), Pnc-Heal/Rchg(21), Pnc-Heal/EndRedux/Rchg(23), Pnc-Heal(23)
Level 22: Super Speed -- BlsoftheZ-Travel(A), BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx(27), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(37)
Level 24: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Rchg+(A)
Level 26: Eviscerate -- Obl-Dmg(A), Obl-Acc/Rchg(31), Obl-Dmg/Rchg(29), Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), Obl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Obl-%Dam(33)
Level 28: Bo Ryaku -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), UnbGrd-Max HP%(45), GldArm-3defTpProc(46)
Level 30: Super Jump -- BlsoftheZ-Travel(A), BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx(42)
Level 32: Boxing -- Acc-I(A)
Level 35: Tough -- Ags-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Ags-ResDam/Rchg(40), Ags-EndRdx/Rchg(40), Ags-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(46), Ags-ResDam(48)
Level 38: Weave -- ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(46), ShlWal-Def(43), LucoftheG-Rchg+(45)
Level 41: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(45)
Level 44: Focused Accuracy -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(48), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(48), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(50), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(50), GssSynFr--Build%(50)
Level 47: Physical Perfection -- PrfShf-End%(A)
Level 49: Kuji-In Retsu -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit 
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(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 -- Qck-EndRdx/RunSpd(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run 
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- Mrc-Rcvry+(A), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(5), Pnc-Heal/+End(5)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-EndMod/Rchg(3), PrfShf-End%(3)
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve 
Level 0: Portal Jockey 
Level 0: Task Force Commander 
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion 
Level 50: Ion Core Final Judgement 
Level 50: Reactive Radial Flawless Interface 
Level 50: Cimeroran Core Superior Ally 
Level 50: Rebirth Radial Epiphany 
Level 50: Assault Radial Embodiment 
Level 50: Spiritual Core Paragon 
------------

[Sir Myshkin]

On 7/30/2019 at 4:10 AM, nihilii said:

Theorycraft attack chain: Blaze -> Blazing Bolt -> Char -> Blaze -> Positron Cell -> Fireball
(In practice, Fireball was always replaced by whichever click needed to be used. Which would be: Aim, Build Up, Inferno, Melt Armor, Ageless, Pyronic.)

 

TIMES
1:39 = 515 DPS (above attack chain, active Hybrid)
2:02 = 442 DPS (clicking whatever is up, Hybrid on downtime)

I knew I had seen this somewhere in the thread, can't believe I had to go back all the way to July 30th to dig it out though. I absolutely had to know where I stood comparatively in my attempt to vindicate Energy Blast (okay, it's partially Electricity Manipulation, but it's still a Blaster dagnabbit!)

 

Energy Blast/Electricity Manipulation/Electric Mastery

Purely on the merits of the Blaster, Lightning Aura with the -Res proc, Charged Brawl > Havoc Punch > Snipe > Shocking Grasp, alternating 10/s shifts of BU and Aim. Going in with Ageless > Power Surge, started the clock immediately on Hybrid

 

No Melt Armor available (counter to what's used as per nihilii's list for the Fire/Atomic, important to note), and also didn't use Weaken Resolve (is in the build, but as-is, it doesn't offset enough against its own cast time and constant re-application, haven't tried it with an Achilles proc in it yet).

 

T4 Musculature, Reactive Radials, T4 Hybrid Assault, Ageless Cores

 

2:14 and 2:15 w/ Hybrid On

3:00 w/ Hybrid Off <- This includes a crash on Power Surge, Ageless cast to restore, triggering Unleash Potential as my carry-over, and turning Lightning Aura back on.*

 

Also, to avoid any double-posting unnecessarily, I've also done a boat load of Tank testing for Beta, which resulted in a counter-test for a Brute build:

 

Super Strength/Bio Armor/Soul

T4 Musculature, Degenerative, Ageless, Hybrid Assault Cores

Built as a Proc Monster

 

Did a bunch of timed runs, listed a lot of that data in the Beta threads on the Tank tests. Best time for Brute w/ Hybrid on: 1:55 (461)

 

Hybrid on Range: 1:55-2:10

Hybrid off Range: 2:20-2:35

 

For those that might be curious, with the Beta Improvements to Tankers, for the same exact build reversed to a Tank:

Hybrid on Range: 2:09-2:15

Hybrid off Range: 2:24-2:45

 

Build is Double Stack Rage, Haymaker > Gloom > KO-B > Haymaker > Gloom > Punch

 

Super Strength is Scary.

Edited October 25, 2019 by Sir Myshkin
*edit note in

[Kanil]

 

 

mind you, this is basically the best possible result with the crit going off nonstop and like maybe three or so whiffs total. the actual average is more around a 1:35.

i really hate that the most optimal string i've found so far is just the 3 strongest attacks in a row over and over. i was really hoping to fit in the t2 since it's so fast but it apparently is suboptimal vs just lettin them rock

 

edit:

forgot the incarnate stuff.

it's t4 core muscle, t4 radial assault, t4 ageless the one you always pick, t3 degen -regen

 

 

Edited October 26, 2019 by Kanil

[Microcosm]

I was reading in another topic something about Savage melee and learned it gets end redux and recharge from stacks of frenzy, which I somehow had missed before. I also realized I skipped Savage when testing all the other stalkers with multiple AoEs. Now, with all the others I did a proc build and used /Electric to accomplish that because of its end redux and recharge. What I realized when I saw that about Savage was that I could possibly pull off a sustainable proc build with /bio to also get the +damage there. Turns out that does indeed work. I can sustain a chain with Savage/bio without Ageless and slotting any end redux in the the attacks, which is pretty special.

 

Standard incarnates (for me): Musc core, Ageless core, Degen core, Pyron core, Assault core (not toggled). Times ranged pretty consistently between 1:41 and 1:48 for 483 - 507 dps.

 

This makes it competitive with DB/Elec, which had higher highs and lower lows (probably because of significant proc rates for Build Up refreshes on DB). It was nice that it was much more consistent with that damage. The chain I used started with Water Spout when up, then AS > Hem > SS > MS > SS. There were sometimes small gaps and sometimes not, depending on the recharge from various sources, which I don't think I could get rid of while keeping a proc build.

 

One downside I noticed was that it was much less survivable against +4 Rikti mobs than any combination of /elec, but especially than DB, Ice and Spine which have good knockdown (added chance to KD in Spine Burst and can to Throw Spines). I didn't die against any of the mobs, but it got close a few times. It might be because I don't know how to use /bio's proactive tools as well, and I also (purposefully) stayed in offensive adaptation. I also felt the AoE was not as good as it looks like it should be. AoE felt much slower than the above three sets.

[Shred Monkey]

On 9/7/2019 at 1:09 PM, jshmoe1236123 said:

After adding more Incarnate tiers I figured it was time for more runs.  

 

 

Yeah.. I mean... why not?  After all, ten more runs only takes about 11 1/2 minutes.   Be careful or you might accidentally start a mothership raid.

[Kanil]

On 10/25/2019 at 12:29 AM, Sir Myshkin said:

Super Strength/Bio Armor/Soul

T4 Musculature, Degenerative, Ageless, Hybrid Assault Cores

Built as a Proc Monster

 

Did a bunch of timed runs, listed a lot of that data in the Beta threads on the Tank tests. Best time for Brute w/ Hybrid on: 1:55 (461)

 

Hybrid on Range: 1:55-2:10

Hybrid off Range: 2:20-2:35

 

For those that might be curious, with the Beta Improvements to Tankers, for the same exact build reversed to a Tank:

Hybrid on Range: 2:09-2:15

Hybrid off Range: 2:24-2:45

 

Build is Double Stack Rage, Haymaker > Gloom > KO-B > Haymaker > Gloom > Punch

 

Super Strength is Scary.

 

what's with the low difference between the times on a tanker and brute? is it related to the damage scaling change or more how the majority of the damage is coming from procs and 2x rage?

 

whenever i see proc-related builds, i'm usually thinking about the loss in set bonuses too. i've honestly never played SS because i really hate the idea of dealing with the crash but was thinking about doing so if the beta changes go through as a change of pace.

 

how do the other numbers generally look for that build? with bio, you're running two recharge-intensive powers to really keep you extra alive (parasitic and abalative) and assuming you're trying to be optimal overall, the crash highly damages your survivability if not for those powers adding a monstrous amount of absorption - is it one of those deals where you can get away only putting procs in like, 2 powers (ko blow and gloom?) and then get away with it because the procs are so good, or are you potentially sacrificing 4 sets of bonuses (20-40% rech?) to keep that in balance so you can keep attacking while the crash is happening.

 

idk how much test you've done in livefire scenarios but i usually end up using this stuff as a measure for avmelting in live play so i was curious since i really want to like SS otherwise, haha

 

anyhow, here's the best time i have db/fire scrapper i've had for awhile. i'm actually really bothered by how bad the the time is relative to /bio scrapping - you'd think the additional -res proc and the extra build up on top of DB's nonstop bonus 100% damage from blinding feint would help bridge the gap but it still doesn't.  i'll have to try a db/bio at some point because the difference between this and wm/bio seems really extreme when considering just how much extra stuff warmace has in comparison to db's moves.

 

the variance on times is extremely high too- unlike wm, where most of my results ended up around 1:35, this can vary from 1:35 to 2:20 easily. it's really annoying, and i don't really quite grasp the 'why' - i assume it's possibly related to the moonbeam proc making a massive difference alongside the general lack of control when the build up on building feint fires off.

 

 

note the disclaimer that i have the superbase +recovery and +kb protect buffs on because this thing's endurance drain actually beats out ageless's recovery with a full IO set (pancea, miracle, perf shifter) and fire armor's total lack of kb protection.  just more stuff on the pile that's annoying about this build.

 

Edited October 31, 2019 by Kanil

[Sir Myshkin]

8 hours ago, Kanil said:

what's with the low difference between the times on a tanker and brute? is it related to the damage scaling change or more how the majority of the damage is coming from procs and 2x rage?

It's the fact that I'm stacking up to 400% +Damage on the Tank, and 500% +Damage on the Brute. Not saying that the proc damage isn't contributing, it is, but the vast majority of it is coming off of the +Dam, the -150% Regen of Bio Armor, and the extra -Res from Bio Armor. I had posted up a WP/SS video earlier in my Tank thread on the topic that was kind of the base line of non-Bio, but I also tweaked the SS side of things a bit after a lot more testing with it, so that's part of it too. I realized I was missing out on a key factor in the puzzle that added a significant improvement from one build to the next.

 

8 hours ago, Kanil said:

whenever i see proc-related builds, i'm usually thinking about the loss in set bonuses too. i've honestly never played SS because i really hate the idea of dealing with the crash but was thinking about doing so if the beta changes go through as a change of pace.

The reason I did my Proc Monster testing with Tankers was specifically because they get the most opportunity to leverage not requiring the set bonuses to achieve build goals. Same value impact when I reviewed Defenders first in this whole project, and how I translated the Defender knowledge to the Controller testing. In several videos I added general play testing to show survival was still capable, and I hard tested all of the builds I ran against 51, 52, 53, and 54's.

 

8 hours ago, Kanil said:

how do the other numbers generally look for that build? with bio, you're running two recharge-intensive powers to really keep you extra alive (parasitic and abalative) and assuming you're trying to be optimal overall, the crash highly damages your survivability if not for those powers adding a monstrous amount of absorption - is it one of those deals where you can get away only putting procs in like, 2 powers (ko blow and gloom?) and then get away with it because the procs are so good, or are you potentially sacrificing 4 sets of bonuses (20-40% rech?) to keep that in balance so you can keep attacking while the crash is happening.

the tl;dr version of my answer is: go read up the Tanker Proc Monster thread, I dive into ALL of it over there, from survival, value testing, determinations, impact, everything.

 

What I can say targeted here towards some of what you ask: I could've cared less about the crash, honestly. I often forgot that the crash even had a -Def/Res component at all. I will say that what was being tested on Beta actually was split to impact both Def and Res, instead of just Def, but either way we were talking about having intentionally built up 85-90% S/L resistances in the first place (and often overcapped), plus a ton of defense. But really, especially for Bio Armor, its secondary tool kit easily made the content passable. I'm pretty sure I had a video somewhere of testing SS/Bio in the Comicon farm, too many videos to double check at the moment.

 

The procs though, in all cases I did as much as I could to avoid sets in the attacks at all cost. I wanted maximum proc saturation. There are a few cases, and a few powers however that the proc-to-enhancement balance don't trend a certain way. Snipes from the blast set, and Gloom are two examples where I was finding a 5-set of Apocalypse (w/ proc) and a second added +dam proc was better (marginal) value for that specific power than trying to cram 4 +Dam in. It was partly recharge necessity, partly just over-enhancement on a very strong attack.

 

I also want to point out that what I did with IO's in Super Strength took a path that many aren't looking at. Too many people are focused on set bonuses and are missing small interactions in single IO's that impact an entire build much better than any +10% bonus. In this case specifically the Force Feedback +Rech IO. There aren't a lot of sets/attacks that can leverage this IO effectively, SS is one though. I put the FF+Rech in Haymaker and KO-B, Haymaker hits twice, KO-B once, in a ~7/s chain, and the effect stacks its duration each time it triggers. I was going 15-20+ seconds with +100% recharge. That's better than running Ageless. Because the effect went off so often I was able to shrink KO-B's recharge down significantly (1-2/s to get into the 5-6/s cool down range). I just needed that bonus to stack at least once every 8/s to keep KO-B in my window, and it was pretty much a guarantee at that point to occur just on KO-B alone.

 

Procs aren't just the +Dam, they're the Uniques, the +This, or +That. In this case FF+Rech is a big attribute, as is the Gaussian +BU in Rage, and why I don't reactivate Rage until AFTER the crash occurs so that I can boost my +Dam, compensate the loss of time, and keep moving forward. Yes I'm doing some damage with procs for that 10/s, but right after that debuff falls, I'm spiking to 400% +Dam for 5.25/s with Hybrid running, ~280-300% without.

 

8 hours ago, Kanil said:

idk how much test you've done in livefire scenarios but i usually end up using this stuff as a measure for avmelting in live play so i was curious since i really want to like SS otherwise, haha

I tested everything under "normal" conditions you'd expect to find in game. None of the builds are specialized to AV/Pylon testing, this is just a proof-of-concept validation for them. What's funny about this is I was like "I have a video... I'll just go grab the video" Then I realized I never uploaded a lot of the Bio Armor tests cause it got a bit stressful/overwhelming/tiresome at the time and I didn't feel like editing any of it. I still don't, but a few of the videos are pretty straight forward from original "cut" and Youtube actually has an audio library so I pulled two and put them up raw-ish. Oh, and additional note about the "normal" circumstances, I went zero temps, zero inspirations in that execution as well, both in the Pylon runs, and in the general testing. I didn't want the build stability to have a terrible lynch pin in insp or temp use.

 

This is the Brute SS/BA run, right off the bat is the Pylon destruction in 1:55 total time. I also run around for a bit afterwards just wrecking Rikti.

 

I also have a 1.9 Gig 25 minute long video of me attempting to take down as many Pylon as I could in 30 minutes. What's amusing about it is the fact that I totally missed that, in my rampage, the video actually has a time captured that beats what I had thought was my best time (2:09). It's currently processing and I'll edit it in when it's done, but between the 7:00 and 10:00 mark there'll be a Pylon that I took down in a flat 2:00 even, and I totally missed it, or wrote my maths down wrong, or something when I scrubbed these originally. Like I said before, I was getting pretty exhausted doing so many/much of these.

 

Edit: Here it is, had to validate my existence with Google to have this video loaded. 7:14-9:14 (two minute window), Pylon down, among many many many other attempts in this back-to-back pylon attempt.

 

 

Edited November 1, 2019 by Sir Myshkin
Added Video as Promised.

[Kanil]

1 hour ago, Sir Myshkin said:

stuff

 

thanks the writeup! i'm sure you get asked the question like a million times, so i appreciate ya going into detail about it and showing vids for it.

i'll have to check out the tank proc thread- i've only recently started dipping into considering frankenslotting procs thanks to trying to squeeze performance out of dual pistols blasting, so it's great to see someone go super in-depth into it in testing and mapping that stuff out since it takes a lot of 'theory' off the table, when you can see the results.

 

as an aside, i'm still thinking about db/bio as a test - given just how often critical strikes gets a chance to proc with blinding feint and how much sheer +dmg you get running a non-moonbeam string, it feels like that combination might be able to fly close to TW if you build it right and have the right string (there's no way it's not just BF->SS->AS, i guess?)

 

 

[Microcosm]

I tried a fire/elec proc stalker with Waterspout and the same incarnates as all the others just to see what would happen, not great:

2:43 363
2:38 370
3:01 340
2:50 353

2:37 372
2:48 356

 

Then I broke my rule and tried a psi/elec proc stalker (only has one AoE) because I kept reading people talking about how good psi was:

2:42 364
2:30 383
2:58 343

 

So ya, these two are the worst I've tested for stalkers when it comes to proc builds.

 

I also tested out nin/elec procced, using the same build as the bs/elec I had done before. Note this one has Moonbeam instead of the normal Waterspout:

(forgot to turn on Assault)

2:05 435
1:47 486
1:39 515
1:54 464

(turned on Assault)

2:03 440
1:40 511
1:50 476

(tried without using Moonbeam and no Assault, for kicks)

2:12 418

 

Lastly, I retried elec/elec with Moonbeam instead of Waterspout and got some slightly better times. Unfortunately I didn't write those down, so I'll have to redo it again later. I think the lower end sets will probably benefit from swapping in Moonbeam, but not sure on the sets that are already doing higher dps with their primary attacks alone. Staff and Spines may also not benefit much from it as they already have a power to slot ranged sets in.

[Microcosm]

I made an Ice/Fire/Ice blaster, inspired by Dan Petro's build much earlier in this thread. I did it a little differently by going with Ice epic, which gives me hibernate and hoarfrost to stack on the defense. Still softcapped to s/l/e/n, but trades for f/c resistance and the hitpoints/heals. The slot crunch on blasters is real...

 

T4 Musc Core, Degen Core, Ageless Core, Pyronic Core, Assault Core (not toggled):

1:43
1:54
1:36
1:50
1:41

 

I like it 😎

Against 54 Rikti it does fine, but the mez is annoying and can cause death because it locks me out of hoarfrost/hibernate. I would probably switch to Clarion core or carry trays of break frees.

[nicoliy]

 Elec/TW Tanker. Came in just about 8:30, which is something like 202ish dps right?