Solo Unleashed for newbie

reaperwithnoname

I'm a silver newbie with no idea what I'm doing. My goal for the character is primarily solo play (though I've heard there are some things in the game that can't be solo'd, which saddens me greatly).

So far, this is what I have (I'm currently at level 21):

Archetype: The Unleashed

Super Stats:
Level 6: Dexterity (Primary)
Level 10: Recovery (Secondary)
Level 15: Strength (Secondary)

Talents:
Level 1: The Unleashed
Level 7:
Level 12:
Level 15:
Level 20:
Level 25:
Level 30:

Powers:
Level 1: Rain of Steel
Level 1: Blade Tempest
Level 6: Storm's Harvest
Level 8: Unstoppable (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Force Snap
Level 14: Form of the Tempest
Level 17: Eye of the Storm
Level 21: Force Shield
Level 25: Bountiful Chi Resurgence
Level 30: Intensity
Level 35: Dragon's Wrath
Level 40: Containment Field

Travel Powers:
Level 6: Teleportation
Level 35:

Specializations:
Dexterity: Combat Training (2/3)
Dexterity: Gear Utilization (3/3)

Obviously, I've got a lot of points so far that I haven't distributed (10 advantage points 3 talent points, and 7 specialization points). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

legendarylycan

an unleashed build, huh? you might consider going for the one flowcyto linked in this topic: http://forum.arcgames.com/championsonline/discussion/1203785/up-to-date-unleashed-archetype-builds

there's only so many ways you can build an archetype, and when he shows up later he'll probably end up linking the exact same build he gave me when i asked a little over two months ago​​

reaperwithnoname

Hm. Looks pretty solid (although I've already set my specializations slightly differently, and I'm not sure if there's any way of changing those).

I have to ask, though. Why put ranks into Blade Tempest? Isn't it made redundant by EotS?

legendarylycan

as far as i know, blade tempest is the dual blade powerset's strongest AOE, and the thing you'll likely be spamming the most

EotS may be a 360d AOE, but its damage decreases FAST as the power is maintained; i find it good for clearing weaker trash, but for stronger trash (and most bosses), i go blade tempest all the way​​

reaperwithnoname

But won't I need the shielding against bosses anyway?

legendarylycan

that's what the force sheath advantage on force shield is for; a tap of your block and you have a massive damage resist buff for several seconds, and you get small amounts of energy while taking hits, so win-win there - just reapply as needed​​

reaperwithnoname

But even then, I could just do that with EotS, for double the defense.

Then again, EotS's defensive buffs effectively amount to damage reduction. That might make it useless against bosses (who can easily overcome it), but would make it an excellent mook-killer. Is that what you meant?

legendarylycan

i think it's actually damage absorption (that's what the description seems to imply, anyway), but basically yes; i mainly use it for trash clearing, and i haven't noticed much of a benefit using it for its defensive feature against bosses - especially against ones dealing high-damage spikes​​

flowcyto

EotS is both a decent AoE and shield. The shield starts off weak and ramps up as you maintain, but the dmg also drops considerably while you do so. If ya wanna use EotS for grinding and dun need the shielding as much, cancel it after ~2 sec of channeling and re-start it. If ya want to go full turtle mode with it, do full maintains of it as much as you can. The shield value resets if ya reset the maintain.

Blade Tempest is one of ur earliest attacks, so ya mine as well make it stronger when its ur main one to use. ATs have more room for spare adv points, so ya can rank up more attacks fully than ya could w/ an FF. It is stronger dps than EotS overall if ya do have enemies clumped up in front of you, though that's more situational.

Ur highest single target attack is charged DW- so that should be ur main boss killer. Blade Tempest also does fine for single targets as well, but is more like a cheap filler.

Oh, and in that build link I apparently chose Containment Field as the last power? Yea, I dunno why that's so- that should be Force Geyser, and ya can put a rank in it, and/or the NttG adv. A charged hold is a waste on a dps AT, imo.

reaperwithnoname

I don't know. The idea of a banishment effect seems pretty useful for the solo play that I've been doing. Banish the boss, kill his subordinate(s), and then fight him.

Or does it not last long enough for that?

Also, why Covert Ops Training? It's effectively +9 to things an Unleashed cares about (since Int is irrelevant). Why not take Martial Focus for +10 to things an Unleashed cares about? Or at least Martial Training, since it's +3 to all the Unleashed's super stats.

I'm sorry for all the questions, but I like to understand why I'm doing what I'm doing.

flowcyto

Eh, why charge up a no-dmg hold when ya could just kill that mob? In groups, holds break to inc dmg very quickly as well, so unless ur a Manip build, or using the holds to proc spec-related debuffs (which the Unleashed doesn't have), then they're not really worth it.

I took talents w/ more Con on them, cause I like to do that for ATs that don;t have Con SS'd- just to give them a tough more health. Its a personal choice as I don't like my ATs to be low health. I also took talents w/ Rec cause that helps equilibrium w/o having to gear for much Rec. Ultimately, ur arguing a few stat points, and by lvl 40 its not going to make a big difference either way, but take w/e talents ya want.

vonqball

Playing any AT without Con SS, you should still invest a fair bit in con or in +HP mods, or probably both. This is especially true for melee dps ATs, you need life.... to well... live.

reaperwithnoname

I've done some experimenting with Blade Tempest and EotS, and I've come to the conclusion that EotS seems to be more effective at this level against most threats when I'm soloing (though I'm fairly certain that when I get to 40, that damage absorption will indeed be useless for anything other than weak mobs). But the moment I join a group (where I'm presumably not taking the hits), Blade Tempest immediately becomes better. So, I've definitely got an incentive to build both.

Anyway, does Blade Beyond the Veil really do 300 damage whenever I get attacked in melee? I'm feeling like that might actually be good enough to miss out on the third rank for EotS.

flowcyto

Yeah the special adv for EotS is good for dps- can be better than R3 depending on how much ur getting hit during it. It does lower the shield potential, as normal ranks increase that.

legendarylycan

i think it would honestly depend on what you intend to be doing a good majority of the time; if you're going to be doing teamed content like alerts and you manage to get a halfway competent tank and/or healer, you SHOULDN'T be getting hit that much, so it won't be nearly as useful there

on the other paw, if you intend to stick mainly to story missions and the small amount of solo 'endgame' content that exists, you'll be getting hit all the time so it becomes far more useful​​

reaperwithnoname

Yeah, but if I'm on a team, I probably won't be using EotS to begin with, because I probably won't be tanking in that case.

I think I might take Field Surge over Intensity, though, just because the near-invulnerability it offers for 15 seconds might help make up for my lack of a defensive passive (and if I've learned anything from OV supervillains and open missions, it's that I'm going to need something like that just in case). I mean, I should still have decent dps with all the crit-fishing I'll likely be doing, and I can't hurt anything if I'm dead.

flowcyto

Field Surge isn't great for non-PFF builds, but if ya want added defense then its alright given ur other limited options. ATs suffer much less from the passive dmg DR, though, so non-ES/NM AOs like Intensity actually have a considerably better effect on them than for FF builds. Up to you what to prioritize.

reaperwithnoname

I have no idea what anything in that second sentence means.

flowcyto

educate yourself, shitlord.

I mean..

let me help you out a lil:

FF = Freeform build (which this isn't). Can pick abilities from all powersets- within (rather lax) tier limits, and customize its stats, specs, and role used.

AT = Archetype build (which this is). Can't pick most things in the build, though has some limited choices.

DR = diminished returns. Meaning that when you stack more (here, +dmg effects), you get less per point. FF's have a harsher penalty on stacking passive dmg boosts than ATs like the Unleashed.

AO = Active Offense- longer cds ya hit to get a bit of a dmg boost and to help break-free of any current hold on you.

ES/NM = Ego Surge w/ Nimble Mind adv; gives a potentially large flat crit boost that scales w/ Constitution, and can make ES/NM way better than all other AOs for burst dps.

Put all together: basically I was saying either Intensity and Field Surge can work fine for the build- mainly cause we're dealing/w/ an AT here and not an FF.

xcelsior41

flowcyto said:

educate yourself, shitlord.

I mean..

let me help you out a lil:

FF = Freeform build (which this isn't). Can pick abilities from all powersets- within (rather lax) tier limits, and customize its stats, specs, and role used.

AT = Archetype build (which this is). Can't pick most things in the build, though has some limited choices.

DR = diminished returns. Meaning that when you stack more (here, +dmg effects), you get less per point. FF's have a harsher penalty on stacking passive dmg boosts than ATs like the Unleashed.

AO = Active Offense- longer cds ya hit to get a bit of a dmg boost and to help break-free of any current hold on you.

ES/NM = Ego Surge w/ Nimble Mind adv; gives a potentially large flat crit boost that scales w/ Constitution, and can make ES/NM way better than all other AOs for burst dps.

Put all together: basically I was saying either Intensity and Field Surge can work fine for the build- mainly cause we're dealing/w/ an AT here and not an FF.

Oh wow flo

reaperwithnoname

flowcyto said:

educate yourself, shitlord.

I mean..

let me help you out a lil:

I try, but it's difficult because google flat out refuses to tell me anything about this game. Otherwise, I likely wouldn't need to ask so many stupid questions.

flowcyto

eh, it was a throwaway joke, and ur new. Don't worry about it.

It helps to be specific, but if ya need something clarified, just ask.

reaperwithnoname

So, an update.

I've just hit 40. I now know why Blade Tempest is amazing (it scaled so much better than EotS, but the latter does indeed have its uses).

I figured out how damage shields work, and went with Intensity (the way that EotS was worded made me think that "damage shield" meant damage reduction, but temporarily trying out field surge taught me that it's just extra health, which isn't worth losing all that dps).

Haven't really played with force geyser yet, but I know what I want from it (Nail those flying enemies to the %^&*ing ground so I can hit them).

I also know roughly what gear I want (at least for the immediate future), and have some of it already.

The only thing I'm not really sure about is Dragon's Wrath. How is it meant to be used? I initially thought it was just a single target damage power, but it doesn't seem to work too well for that. If I charge it, it's too slow, and if I just click spam it, it's too energy-hungry. Is it just some sort of battle-opener to help me with energy management on subsequent blade tempest swings?

flowcyto

DW is higher overall dps vs. Blade Tempest for single targets (at comparable ranks). It seems slow when charged, but that's cause its meant to be a slower but heavier hitter. It also procs Rush to give you more energy to help afford it.

Its ideal to have enough energy to charge-spam DW on bosses, though breaking that up periodically w/ some Blade Tempest use isn't bad either (now that BT can apply shredded ya need to use it for that debuff anyways). My Unleashed eschewed cost discount and some Dex on gear for more Con and CDR, so he can't spam DW as much, but even w/ heavier Blade Tempest use he still does fine for dps. So, depending on how high of a bar ya wanna set, relying more on BT could be 'good enough' for boss dps.

reaperwithnoname

All right. I'll have to try it that way (still getting the hang of my new q gear that a friend practically shoved into my hands when I hit 40). Either way, I'll still be using both (like you said, still need BT for shredding, and DW helps with energy on whatever attacks come next).

Thank you and everyone else for all the advice. I don't know where I'd be without you.

legendarylycan

also keep in mind that the duration of the rush buff from DW scales off the number of focus stacks you have, and you have a chance to gain a stack of focus when you crit while form of the tempest is active (which is lame - it should be when you crit, PERIOD), so for best results against bosses, get up 8 stacks of focus using the energy builder, EotS or BT, then hit your active offense and start spamming DW like crazy​​

flowcyto

Well, other alternative for quicker Focus building is to rank FotT, since it also can increase the stacks ya can get when it procs. Normally I wouldn't rank it, but an AT has more spare adv points than an FF, and for quick/solo fights where ur form is dropping and having to be re-built often, ya could consider R2-3 FotT as a low priority.

reaperwithnoname

Yeah, I'm thinking I might stick with BT mainly, since by my math the dps loss compared to DW is fairly small, but BT has the practical advantage of not requiring me to watch a bar fill up while I'm trying to watch the field and look for incoming attacks, plus DW can whiff completely if the enemy runs away while its charging.

But I'll still need to invest in DW (I'll use Tiger's Courage instead of rank 3, since by my math it gives me more damage), since I'll throw one out occasionally to help with energy management.

But I was thinking. If I have super speed (or more accurately, Dark Speed, which is what I'm planning), is Hard Landing necessary on Force Geyser? I already plan on having it nail to the ground since I won't be flying (I have a vehicle for that). I kind of feel like I could give up the third rank of BCR for that snare, since BCR seems to do so little for me anyway (+15 heal per second isn't that much), and the snare could make it harder for enemies to fly back up when the nail to the ground ends.

flowcyto

DW is also more of a boss killer since it also ignores half of the enemy's resistance, which are only going to be significant on tougher mobs.

NttG is fine on Geyser; I'd consider it and the snare adv to be lower priority for PvE, though. Depends on how you've spent ur other adv points a bit, but I'm not sure what that looks like for you atm.

reaperwithnoname

Name: Blue Thrust

Archetype: The Unleashed

Super Stats:
Level 6: Dexterity (Primary)
Level 10: Recovery (Secondary)
Level 15: Strength (Secondary)

Talents:
Level 1: The Unleashed
Level 7: Martial Focus
Level 12: Physical Conditioning
Level 15: Relentless
Level 20: Impresario
Level 25: Acrobat
Level 30: Quick Recovery

Powers:
Level 1: Rain of Steel
Level 1: Blade Tempest (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Storm's Harvest
Level 8: Unstoppable (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Force Snap (Entropic Collapse)
Level 14: Form of the Tempest
Level 17: Eye of the Storm (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 21: Force Shield (Rank 2, Rank 3, Force Sheathe)
Level 25: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Rank 2)
Level 30: Intensity (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Dragon's Wrath (Rank 2, Tiger's Courage)
Level 40: Force Geyser (Hard Landing, Nailed to the Ground)

Travel Powers:
Level 6: Teleportation (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Ooze Tunneling (Earthen Embrace)

Specializations:
Dexterity: Combat Training (3/3)
Dexterity: Gear Utilization (2/3)
Dexterity: Deadly Aim (3/3)
Dexterity: Expose Weakness (2/2)
Warden: Fortified Gear (2/3)
Warden: Slaughter (3/3)
Warden: Ruthless (2/2)
Warden: The Best Defense (3/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: The Rush of Battle (3/3)
Vindicator: Offensive Expertise (2/2)
Mastery: Dexterity Mastery (1/1)

BCR doesnt really do much for me (it is only about 75 health per sec, and the third rank would only add another 15 per sec), so I decided to forego it for other things.

flowcyto

BCR is still nice considering its one of the few heals given to a dps AT. Ya can stack it w/ better CDR, and w/ a bonus heal mod (which will also boost EotS's shield) ya can get more out of it. Ya should be able to afford at least one sentinel brooch in ur offensive gear, since Dex Mastery eliminates the need to gear for Severity rating, due to its harsh DR, and doubling up on crit rating is wasteful since you'll be heavily into its DR w/ good gear as well.

reaperwithnoname

You're probably right, but at this point I like the way my character is built. I think he's going to be "good enough" (or rather, anything he's not good enough for wouldn't be helped by minor changes to his build; he is an AT, after all).

flowcyto

That's fine; the build is functional enough as is.