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What could I be doing better with my builds?
aesica
Posts: 2,537 Arc User
The subject says it all, mainly. While these characters all perform above-average, I'd like to make them better if possible. Just keep the following in mind:
1) I loathe energy management probably more than anyone else in this game--hence why there is always end or rec, or sometimes both together. I don't want to have to lean on an energy builder every few seconds.
2) I don't play "glass cannons." Pulling all the aggro, only to get wiped across the floor as a result, isn't very heroic or fun to me.
3) I vastly prefer maintains and instants over charged powers, considering how overbloated with knocks and stuns this game is currently.
So, bearing in mind that I dislike energy management, like having above-average durability in my characters regardless of role, and that I'd rather avoid charged powers in most cases, I'd like some advice on improving the following characters: (Note: characters with ebon void will show a rank 2 or rank 3, but it's actually 1 rank less than that. I selected the extra rank in the powerhouse to make up for the fact that voracious darkness is only listed as costing 1 adv point when it's actually 3)
Celestial themed support/DPS - This character is meant to be played in either the support role, providing a large amount of passive buffs and healing to teammates, but as a hybrid when I feel like being more on the offensive or when I'm soloing, etc. AoPM is pretty important to this character as a way to (sort of) make up for not having presence or ego as superstats. I feel like this one could use a lot of work--it's fun to play because it never runs out of energy, but it feels...weaker than it should be for obvious reasons. Yes, 2 forms--IDF is for group play or soloing stuff like nightmare portals and worms, chilled form is when I want more offense.
Dark sorceress themed DPS - Not having con as a superstat blows because this one would be a glass cannon without invulnerability, and I can't have that. What I'd like to accomplish here is to create a more durable character that doesn't need to rely on invulnerability to avoid getting smushed. Also, I have no idea what to pick for her specialization mastery--guardian mastery doesn't work with either fireball or ebon ruin, so that's useless. Endurance mastery is absolute garbage--she has about 500 energy with invulnerability or 600 with AoPM, which only amounts to 15-18 energy every 5 seconds. Meanwhile, thermal reverb gives about 60, accelerated metabolism on lifedrain gives about 50, chilled form gives about 25, standing in the circle is 25 per second (!), and tapping the energy builder once hauls in 126 with invuln or a massive 172 with AoPM. Finally, vindicator's is garbage < 1% with invuln and only about 7% with AoPM. Having said that, any other bits of advice for this character would be appreciated.
Heavy weapons/shadow tank - Because the powerhouse isn't updated, the missing power is soul vortex with soul drain and challenging strikes, cleave is actually rank 2 + rampant + challenging strikes, and annihilate is actually scorching blade + crippling challenge. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this one, but I'm still open to any power/advantage choices that might be better than what I have now. I know haymaker is probably better if you charge it, but I like that annihilate seems more tap-friendly. I would like to know what would be the best use for the 2 remaining advantage points I have on this one, though... Soul vortex? Thunderclap? Or something else entirely?
Mechanical themed DPS - Long ago, the heavy weapons/shadow tank was a character that spammed toggled sparkstorm + lead tempest and used pulse beam rifle. I missed it, so I wanted to recreate it only...better. I threw in ego blade + thunderclap + sentinel mastery for some (hopefully) good self-healing when the character is stuck with aggro, because ego blade makes a better laser sword than the somewhat-broken power armor laser sword. Still, this one could use a lot of work--it's not 40 yet so I don't know if this will work out or if it'll suck. I wouldn't mind a ranged thunderclap (maybe mental storm?) either, although that's less uptime on sentinel mastery. So yeah, this one's pretty open to suggestions, just as long as those don't lead to energy starvation or glass cannonism.
Note: As was revealed in another thread, "rejuvenated" won't actually work with bountiful chi resurgence and probably not with the stim pack effect on holdout shot either. Picking useful sentinel stuff besides sentinel aura and moment of need as a non-healer can be tricky, but I'll be picking something besides rejuvenated. I will also probably replace ego blade dash with something ridiculous like pounce, because pounce + the crit adv is broken op and stupid.
- - -
So that's it. Thanks if you read all this, and thanks in advance for any advice that can be offered. Also, hopefully less-experienced players can glean a thing or two from these builds because while they're not dps kings, they're all very survivable. The first 3 can solo the nightmare portals & worms with mediocre merc + armadillo gear, and the 4th probably can too, but that character isn't high enough to verify.
1) I loathe energy management probably more than anyone else in this game--hence why there is always end or rec, or sometimes both together. I don't want to have to lean on an energy builder every few seconds.
2) I don't play "glass cannons." Pulling all the aggro, only to get wiped across the floor as a result, isn't very heroic or fun to me.
3) I vastly prefer maintains and instants over charged powers, considering how overbloated with knocks and stuns this game is currently.
So, bearing in mind that I dislike energy management, like having above-average durability in my characters regardless of role, and that I'd rather avoid charged powers in most cases, I'd like some advice on improving the following characters: (Note: characters with ebon void will show a rank 2 or rank 3, but it's actually 1 rank less than that. I selected the extra rank in the powerhouse to make up for the fact that voracious darkness is only listed as costing 1 adv point when it's actually 3)
Celestial themed support/DPS - This character is meant to be played in either the support role, providing a large amount of passive buffs and healing to teammates, but as a hybrid when I feel like being more on the offensive or when I'm soloing, etc. AoPM is pretty important to this character as a way to (sort of) make up for not having presence or ego as superstats. I feel like this one could use a lot of work--it's fun to play because it never runs out of energy, but it feels...weaker than it should be for obvious reasons. Yes, 2 forms--IDF is for group play or soloing stuff like nightmare portals and worms, chilled form is when I want more offense.
Dark sorceress themed DPS - Not having con as a superstat blows because this one would be a glass cannon without invulnerability, and I can't have that. What I'd like to accomplish here is to create a more durable character that doesn't need to rely on invulnerability to avoid getting smushed. Also, I have no idea what to pick for her specialization mastery--guardian mastery doesn't work with either fireball or ebon ruin, so that's useless. Endurance mastery is absolute garbage--she has about 500 energy with invulnerability or 600 with AoPM, which only amounts to 15-18 energy every 5 seconds. Meanwhile, thermal reverb gives about 60, accelerated metabolism on lifedrain gives about 50, chilled form gives about 25, standing in the circle is 25 per second (!), and tapping the energy builder once hauls in 126 with invuln or a massive 172 with AoPM. Finally, vindicator's is garbage < 1% with invuln and only about 7% with AoPM. Having said that, any other bits of advice for this character would be appreciated.
Heavy weapons/shadow tank - Because the powerhouse isn't updated, the missing power is soul vortex with soul drain and challenging strikes, cleave is actually rank 2 + rampant + challenging strikes, and annihilate is actually scorching blade + crippling challenge. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this one, but I'm still open to any power/advantage choices that might be better than what I have now. I know haymaker is probably better if you charge it, but I like that annihilate seems more tap-friendly. I would like to know what would be the best use for the 2 remaining advantage points I have on this one, though... Soul vortex? Thunderclap? Or something else entirely?
Mechanical themed DPS - Long ago, the heavy weapons/shadow tank was a character that spammed toggled sparkstorm + lead tempest and used pulse beam rifle. I missed it, so I wanted to recreate it only...better. I threw in ego blade + thunderclap + sentinel mastery for some (hopefully) good self-healing when the character is stuck with aggro, because ego blade makes a better laser sword than the somewhat-broken power armor laser sword. Still, this one could use a lot of work--it's not 40 yet so I don't know if this will work out or if it'll suck. I wouldn't mind a ranged thunderclap (maybe mental storm?) either, although that's less uptime on sentinel mastery. So yeah, this one's pretty open to suggestions, just as long as those don't lead to energy starvation or glass cannonism.
Note: As was revealed in another thread, "rejuvenated" won't actually work with bountiful chi resurgence and probably not with the stim pack effect on holdout shot either. Picking useful sentinel stuff besides sentinel aura and moment of need as a non-healer can be tricky, but I'll be picking something besides rejuvenated. I will also probably replace ego blade dash with something ridiculous like pounce, because pounce + the crit adv is broken op and stupid.- - -
So that's it. Thanks if you read all this, and thanks in advance for any advice that can be offered. Also, hopefully less-experienced players can glean a thing or two from these builds because while they're not dps kings, they're all very survivable. The first 3 can solo the nightmare portals & worms with mediocre merc + armadillo gear, and the 4th probably can too, but that character isn't high enough to verify.
(Hopefully) Useful CO Resources: HeroCreator (character planner), Cosmic Timers/Alert Checklist, Blood Moon Map, Anniversary Cat Map, and more (eventually, anyway).
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First build, you have chilled form, which scales off dex or ego, of which neither are SS, granted, you have AoPM, but that extra from superstats would go a long way. I'd swap out chilled form for concentration, and Recovery SS for Int PSS. Also, I don't think Overdrive is doing much for your build. I'd swap it out for Electric Sheath which is an Active offense but it gives you a bit of energy and extra damage for lightning storm, or circle of arcane power if you plan on standing in one spot for any length of time. Also, I assumed you were using thunderclap for the stun to proc the sentinel mastery. I swapped it out for Sonic Device, which will add a stun to your next attack as well as damage. My changes to the build.
Second build you have the two passives, which you pointed out. I switched to Ego PSS which should give you a cost discount to your ranged powers, and Mental Endurance scales off of recorvery, but doubles the amount of max energy it gives you so you can swap End SS for Con SS. Ego Mastery will also give 20 points for both Con and Rec. You mentioned wanting good survivability, so I swapped out both AoPM and Invuln for Regen, and swapped chilled form for Compassion, as those two will enhance each other. Also, Fireball being a charge, I switched it with Shadow Embrace which is a maintain and also AoE. I also swapped out Conflagration with Ebon Rift for an AoE maintain. Another bonus of using Regen with Compassion is you won't need BCR, so I put in Grasping Shadow for a hold and Fear, and Thermal Reverb with Spirit Reverb for your energy unlocks. My Changes to the build.
Third Build, I'm not sure. Flowcyto would probably be able to help you better than I would here, but it looks like a really interesting build. Another way to go would be to switch heavy weapons to hundred hands and open palm strike, and thermal reverb for spirit reverb since those two powers can deal dimensional damage and would proc if used after your lunge with the emerging nightmares adv. The extra two advantage points I'd but into Masterful Dodge with Unfettered Strikes. My changes to the build.
Fourth Build, I like it. Only thing I could think to change is thunderclap to sonic device, which will allow your next attack to stun and deal extra sonic damage, if you get the 2 point advantage, it adds a lot more damage to AoE attacks.
I'm sure Flowcyto will be along soon too and she/he has a lot more experience at this than I. So if anything I said conflicts with what she/he says, just disregard what I said.
I'm male, btw. Also, don't feel the need to defer to me - its just diff stuff to try out from diff viewpoints, and experimenting is important for builds that are a bit more odd mixes like many of these builds are.
Some edits:
1. Celestial Support:
http://powerhouse.nullware.com/powerhouse.html?v=13&n=&d=1463GOMSGJH6310J000J905J20BM5033704J503QA007G001D05IF04QJ00JB05P804JE052WhP0dTy438W
Swapped IDF and Chilled Form for Compassion, to alleviate some energy issues and give ya some mroe dmg/heal bonuses, and also free up a power slot. IDF imo doesn't scale up well enough to be worthwhile in high end content, and the bonus heal ya get from Compassion can help make up for it. No need to have a 2nd toggle for dps either, imo- Compassion covers dmg and heal bonuses just fine.
Sadly, Conduit is one of the many powers to not work w/ Overdrive, at least last I checked. Switched OD out for MSA (lunge, Conviction, and/or TClap can trigger it). Traded the pets for an ally res, as imo no Support build is complete w/o an ally res. ES/NM is fine for an AO here, but ya may want to try Ascension's synergy w/ Illumination as well.
Changed SS setup to INT/Pres/Con, since Int PSS works well w/ AoPM. Pres is good to boost the aura effect and for Compassion/bonus healing, and Con SS cause ofc you want more Con
2. Shadow/Fire build:
http://powerhouse.nullware.com/powerhouse.html?v=13&n=&d=1532TNGIQXL7043200024052800M5035800J5032B0B2C00KA03EI04K705QJ00000000000ckr438W3UbT
SS changes again: Ego PSS for the ranged dps boosts and since it works w/ Chilled Form (or Conc), and Con SS for the extra health. Also makes the Mastery choice easy since Ego's is +40 to ur 2ndariy SS's. End SS may be nice when leveling for extra energy help, but by lvl 40 gearing R3 AoPM could be enough End for Thermal Reverb that ya could get a bit more dps switching to Dex SS, assuming ya dun have energy issues anymore.
Also, I kinda doubt Accel Metab is giving ya +50 energy procs, at least if its doing that then something is wrong w/ the tooltip and it doesn't seem intended. Ya can still stick it on Conflag if ya want, but its low priority to me. Energy really shouldn't be an issue w/ an AoPM build using Thermal Reverb, either way. I also dropped CoAP for that reason- ya shouldn't need it for energy, esp when ya can use Flashfire for more reliable CF procs for Thermal Reverb.
I left 2 power slots open at the end cause I wasn't sure what sort of Darkness powers ya wanted. ERuin isn't really a debuffing power anymore- its more or less Darkness's ST dps staple attack now, but that clashes in use w/ Conflag. Could maybe add the Shadows or Ebon Rift in there, though. Dropped BCR and its dmg penalty for Conviction, though that could be Absorb Heat if ya can work w/in its parameters.
3. HW/Darkness Tank:
http://powerhouse.nullware.com/powerhouse.html?v=13&n=&d=1138NAQFPEa7043K000K707K800I9002800G204IG04G90LJ503G809AJ00IF0L9Q05QJ0010gB0dM73T3B
Changed Soul Vortex out for Conviction (or Absorb Heat) for a more regular self-heal. Arc can cover ur AoE and debuffing needs well now; I'd get both special advs on it (or at least get the debuffing adv). You'll want Eruption w/ adv to proc Thermal Reverb. Tweaked the specs and talents a bit, as usual.
4. TK Blades + Ranged Tech:
http://powerhouse.nullware.com/powerhouse.html?v=13&n=&d=1432ObMGHPT6310710074039F009D0384047G00J5038I03E20916051305EB00FH00F7042WIE0dNg2MGB
General restructuring of the powers and stats to work w/ MSA, and gave ya two ranged cds to proc Sent Mastery with. The build is a bit heavy on the attacks, but I suppose for a concept that mixes melee and ranged that's okay. Int and Con gear focus here.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
@ravynhawke
- Unfortunately, sonic device's cooldown is too long for it to be a viable replacement for the thunderclap users, which gives near 100% uptime on sentinel mastery. Thunderclap, mental storm, and TK maelstrom all push ahead of it in terms of short-cooldown stuns. To give you an idea, mental storm in particular is exactly the targeting scheme (tap stun + ranged + aoe) I want for both the celestial and tech/tk, but even its cd is too long to be an effective placement for thunderclap.
- I'm curious about spirit reverb--is it once per 3 seconds per target like thermal reverb? Or is it a flat once per 3 seconds, period? I vaguely recall it being the latter, although when I tried it out, it was awhile ago and I might not have been using it correctly and am probably wrong here.
- Does compassion boost regen's heling? For some reason, I had it in my mind that it didn't, but perhaps that's only because regen isn't (as far as I know) influenced by presence, and I somehow lumped compassion and presence together. For that matter, does +healing gear also affect regen? I admit, I skipped over compassion because the text is misleading when it states you need to heal another person. I didn't think it includes yourself, but apparently it does. Neat! Thanks for putting this on my radar.
@flowcyto
- For the celestial support and shadow/fire in particular, without either end or rec as superstats, will they still be able to indefinitely maintain their main powers? Conflag, lightning storm, and lifedrain can be quite expensive, but currently, both are capable of maintaining these pretty much at will without any real micromanagement to keep energy up. With shadow/fire in particular, will conflag vs single target (bosses) still be viable for her like it is currently?
- Soul Vortex on the HW shadow tank is something I should probably explain, because I admit it's an odd choice. Initially, I took it to help wrangle enemies into my cleave aoe, but since they seem to easily move out of it, that proved to be useless. Despondency healing kind of blows, and I only took it because I had points to spare. However, what keeps me using SV is that its ticks will proc the heal from sentinel mastery, so while I'm CC'd/knocked/whatevered, the heals are still rolling in provided I got a thunderclap off before hand. Of course, a quick test with clinging flames shows that it also seems to trigger the heal so...RIP Soul Vortex. You were an odd one and you'll be missed.
- BCR vs conviction: Is the only reason to prefer conviction over BCR the 10% damage penalty? I admit, I've kinda fallen for BCR because it's one of the few abilities without a pointless activation time. That means no cheap CCs interrupting and wasting it, no weird trollish cancelling from blocking right after using it, etc.
Edit: With the tech/tk build, how should I be using it with MSA? The primary intent is to be mostly ranged (pulse beam rifle for single, lead tempest for aoe, adding sparkstorm to lead tempest when things get in close. Ego weaponry/leech would be primarily for soloing and survival vs anything that insisted on staying in my face, but yeah under overdrive it would run out eventually. Especially since sparkstorm is another thing that doesn't currently work with overdrive.
So for ranged, holdout shot on cd? In melee, the cap closer would be perfect, given its 3 sec cd, but then I might as well get rid of pulse beam rifle altogether. Hmm.
Epic Stronghold
Block timing explained
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
I finally got around to playing around with some of these, especially the tech/tk blades character since it was only 29 and thus, cheaper to reconfigure. That worked out a lot better than I expected, given the lack of end/rec superstats that I seem to be fond of overkilling in my builds.
The dark sorceress shadow/fire dps build is kind of gnawing me though. She actually feels pretty squishy without invuln, so maybe I've been going about this all wrong, and instead, AoPM is what I should try to get away from, even though that'll mean somewhat lower dps. I'm okay with that, because I'd rather do lower dps and survive if I draw aggro than have higher dps and not only draw even more aggro, but also be easier to splatter.
A powerhouse instance test with the hardest setting (5 team/difficult) had the character somewhat struggling to stay alive against a full group (while not fighting back) with AoPM, but with Invuln, I could pull all 3 groups and just chill without problem.
Note: To be fair though, I had to test with her old crappy armadillo set instead of the better stuff she has, due to having modded it mostly for endurance.
- - -
Anyway, here's the revised version. Now, I'm mainly looking for some way to deal with the energy issues she encounters while using Invuln instead of AoPM. Level 35 is reserved for a good way to apply clinging flames (besides flashfire--explained below) and 38 is an empty spot that could pretty much hold whatever. Maybe resurgence or some random theme power. I'm open to ideas there.
Anyway a few things:
1) I like mobile characters that can stay strong on the move, rapidly switch targets, etc.
2) Shadow shroud is thematic, which is why I kept it even though I fully admit ego surge with adv would be better, and is typically what I prefer to use for its amazing crit advantage.
3) Thinking about it some, I'll probably go with BCR over Conviction for this character (but not really the others) just because I have to use it less often and when it's rolling, it works nicely with Invuln and especially when block-turtling with ebon void + vd stacks. Ebon Ruin's shadow healing makes things even tastier.
4) I considered using CoAP again, but being bound to a circle can be something of a drag. Maybe I should go with this as my empty level 38 power as a backup plan for when I can just sit still for awhile?
5) Applying Clinging flames is proving to be an annoyance. With the huge energy pool I had before, I had more leeway to brute force the RNG with fireball/conflag's low chance, but now things kinda suck until it's up. Now here's where I get picky, so feel free to scold me here for probably being stupid and stubborn: Flashfire's "snap" animation has always kinda annoyed me, as has its cooldown. I realize the initial application is a guaranteed clinging flames on everything nearby and that's what makes it good, but I can't get past those things. Doing some digging, my only other real high-application-chance options are:
- Rimefire Burst: Great burst and (until they fix it, which I hope they do actually) I can borrow other people's chilled/clinging flames effects for massive destruction. Otherwise, a nice instant guaranteed application tool for clinging flames once every 30 seconds. Yuckier cooldown than flashfire, I know.
- Cleave: 3rd hit gives me a 100% chance, but yeah, it's melee and not really suitable for this character.
- Earth Splitter: This...could actually work. 100% chance if fully charged, no cooldown, it's not too long of a charge, and even the tap-spam chance is decent. Plus it has a bit of CC in the form of knock-up. Would this be a stupid mistake though? It oddly enough fits the theme of the character enough to be acceptable.
If I missed any reliable CF application tools (besides flashfire of course), or if there's a better way to deal with this character's energy, then let me know please. Thanks again for reading, folks...and sorry this turned out so long. ^^
It is not tagged as "healing", so bonus healing and other effects marked as "healing" do not affect it. Resurgence is not healing either. They "regain health" without the tag. It neither triggers nor benefits from Compassion.
Whoever you are, be that person one hundred percent. Don't compromise on your identity.
Flashfire
Firebreath w/ adv (full channels)
Rimefire (long cd, though)
Frag Grenade w/ adv
Eruption w/ adv
Cleave (last hit)
Earth Splitter (charged)
Brimstone w/ adv (charged, doesn't always apply CF, but the flashfire patch procs TR anyways if ur nearby it)
Pyre (full charges leave a flashfire patch, just like w/ Brimstone w/ adv)
Switching to End SS can also help w/ energy issues, as can getting more cost discount on gear (which heirloom gear can't provide). Again, don't really see much point in using ERuin here, as UA + Conflag is ur ST and AoE dps power. Soul Vortex would work well as a replacement, imo- rel cheap & instant cd that can help group up enemies, and add light healing w/ its adv.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
1) You've chosen some really self-rooty powers, but of course any magic themed character is bound to end up there anyway.
2) Shadow Shroud is fine since you mentioned you're having energy problems and it'll let you fill up on energy when you use it.
3) If you're having energy problems, BCR is definitely the better way to go.
4) You could also consider Dark Transfusion - nice and thematic, and you can still heal yourself via Lifedrain.
5) Firebreath has an advantage that inceases chance to apply CF on every tick to 20% and guarantees it at the end of the maintain on all targets. You can move while maintaining this power.
Some ideas to solve your energy issues:
a) Defiance instead of Invulnerability. Since you have Con as a SS, you'll get great energy returns from this. This alone could probably solve all of your energy issues while keeping you nice and tough.
b) Swap Dexterity for Endurance so your Thermal Reverb gives you more energy when it activates.
c) Grab Force Field block from force with the advantage - with some coloring you might be able to make it look thematic ( probably not tho ).
d) Swap Thermal Reverberation for Spirit Reverberation, and grab Soul Vortex - to get Fear on targets, you could use Shadow Blast ( which will buff your Ebon Ruin damage as well ), Ego Sleep w/advantage ( SV and ES have the same cooldown so you'd be using them as a package ), Void Shift w/advantage, or just rely on the ranked up chance to apply Fear of SV itself. This would work nicely with the fact that you have Con as a SS.
My super cool CC build and how to use it.
As for using Defiance for energy.. I wouldn't do that here if its not a formal tank build, nor do I imagine its strictly for soloing. Defiance is great, but only if ur regularly getting hit. Spirit Reverb could work for the build w/ SV, but TR prob would net more energy overall due to its better proc mechanics. I'd take DT as a last resort, as using it would mean ur heal cd (BCR or w/e) becomes weak. The CDR nerf also kinda hurt DT as an energy source.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
My super cool CC build and how to use it.
I'd take AoPM too, but that's just a personal pref. I don't begrudge people making non-tank hybrids using passives like Invuln or Regen or PFF for the extra leeway- some players may actually appreciate that, others (like you and me I guess) won't really need it for their own goals w/ that build.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
@flowcyto - Ooh thanks, I figured I missed a few solid CF appliers, but didn't know it was that many. Heavily weighing both rimefire for the heavy burst vs earth splitter for its lack of a cooldown and extra control. I'll have to leave this power at the top of the stack so it's easy to replace/undo/etc
As for Ebon Ruin, I took it more as a healing/defensive power than an intended attack. The summoned shadow is extremely useful as a self-healer and decoy. The healing it gives me is anywhere from about 200-500 per hit (which it does every 1-2 sec) vs an opponent with average defense, and by tab-targeting multiple things, you can have several up at once. Since it counts as drain-based healing, dark transfusion doesn't reduce it, either. Of all the shadow powers with a health return mechanic, it's literally one of the best by a rather large margin.
@spinnytop - Now this version of you I can easily get along with and like.
I tried out concentration vs chilled form, but with ego as my intended highest stat, neither showed any advantage over the other (int | ego vs dex | ego). Same bonus, same energy gain, same everything. Is there something I'm missing about these two?
Fire breath was something I considered, both for mobility as well as the 100% application w/advantage, but the belching out fire thing is kind of weird. If I were gold, would I be able to choose a different point-of-origin node, such as projecting it from my hand(s)?
Spirit reverb vs thermal reverb is something I've been heavily weighing. On one hand, with my focus on ego it would mean more energy vs a single target every tick compared to thermal, and I'd prefer to balance my energy gains/losses around that rather than around thermal's returns with several targets all dumping energy into me. The drawback though is that it's slightly more gamey, in that it's "you must apply it and then hit things with dimensional damage while it's applied" vs thermal reverb's "just apply it and you're good to go." This is something I'll just have to continue musing over.
Finally, dark infusion--thanks for putting that on my radar. It's a power I've always ignored because of how similar it appeared to wow's life tap (a spell I despise) at a glance. It's actually much better, and with the advantage, it turns into a mini shadow shroud capable of nearly 100% uptime with enough cooldown reduction. Good catch!
- - -
Here's what it looks like now. I'll miss dex's crit, but with dark transfusion, it seems to be able to handle energy decently. Now I just need to decide--spirit reverb vs thermal reverb, and rimefire vs earthsplitter. I may have to sleep on all this.
Even as Gold, the Firebreath cannot change it's point of origin, only color change.
With either energy unlock, you're going to have to work in another power somehow. Either one to apply Fear, or one to apply CF. I like that you're big on theme, as that will make the choice easier (whichever one fits the theme best is what you'll go with probably).
To help you choose and compare with CF appliers, here are sources of reliably applying fear:
Void Shift with emerging nightmares adv. (Melee)
Ego Sleep with plagued by nightmares adv. (Range)
Grasping Shadows (Range)
Shadow Shroud with Terrifying Visage adv. (Melee)
I will say this about Grasping Shadows, if you get the unyielding agony advantage, it adds a dimensional damage over time effect meaning using this power not only applies fear, but also triggers the energy unlock. Shadow Shroud with advantage will do the same, but you have the Active cooldown to contend with.
Hope this helps you decide what to go with.
Keep in mind that for Spirit Reverb to work here, you have to continually deal Dimensional dmg. Since the main attacks are Fire, that means you'd prob want both Fear and Dimensional dmg that runs in the background for SR to proc. If ya wanna condense that all into one power slot, that'd be Soul Vortex (instant, though its not guaranteed, but a high probability at R2-3 that Fear will proc at least once per use), Grasping Shadows w/ adv (charged hold), Shadow Blast w/ adv (charged, applies a DoT on Fear, though ya have to put up Fear first w/ an initial SBlast), or Ebon Ruin w/ the Fear adv (charged, also applies a DoT, though a charge of this is costly). Ebon Rift can also apply BG dimensional dmg, though its after a longer channel, and the Fear proc chance is a bit low (10%, at least according to the description).
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
That aside, some playtesting with both spirit and thermal reverb has me pretty much siding with thermal. It seems to scale better, and "appy it and you're done" is so much more pleasant to play with than "apply it, then make sure dimensional damage is hitting it." Besides, earth splitter is a pretty fun ability. Weird that it scales with ego instead of str though, even though yeah, it's technically ranged.
Thanks again for everything, folks!
Ya can still make the SR approach work, but yeah I'd prob settle w/ TR if ur gonna be spamming Conflag anyways and ya like Earth Splitter's aesthetic.
It'd be nice if there were more Strong Arm advs for Ranged powers that could believably be seen to scale w/ Str. We'll see I guess.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
So I finally got around to fixing the celestial character, however I wanted to make it sturdier, so I came up with this based on earlier feedback in this thread:
Pseudo-celestial sorceress who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty in melee.
1) I decided I want to take AoRP over AoPM for the defensive bonus because I hate being squishy on any of my characters. AoRP + Energy Shield/Laser Knight + Eye of the Storm + Thunderclap to continuously roll Sentinel Mastery seems like some pretty glorious defense for a non-tank when I play with it in the powerhouse test instance. EotS is a great power, not sure how I missed it up until now.
2) Lightning Storm has become harder to maintain properly now that the character's max energy is lower and AoPM is no longer around to give a ton of free stats. Is there some way I could arrange my stats, specializations, etc to better accommodate it? Or will stacking as much int and cost reduction as possible do the trick? Or should I just...trade it out for a more energy-friendly aoe + single target all-in-one? I'm considering Avalanche with the crit advantage as one possibility.
Edit: 3) To clarify, this one will obviously be using support role for groups, but for solo play, I'd like to use hybrid for the increased damage and greater damage resistance from AoRP. Hybrid is mainly where lightning storm's energy cost gets dicey, but I may just have to accept that. Still, any feedback, help, etc is appreciated.
What is ur main single target attack? Conduit? Cause that could run into energy issues too (and it won't proc Laser Knight). Can also use Conduit to AoE w/ Illumination, though.
*shrug* I dunno. The build is kinda all over the place atm and I can't really make out much of a theme.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
1) Support its allies mostly passively, through AoRP, sentinel aura, sentinel mastery, illumination mend, etc while also contributing moderately decent damage and spot healing when needed.
2) For healing, Celestial Conduit was chosen for its AoE synergy with illumination as well as its effectiveness as a quick response ability. Still, if there's a better healing option, I'm open to it. Celestial Conduit won't likely be touched aside from when I'm in support role and need to heal someone. Some alternatives I've been considering are:
- Rebuke for its range, low cost, and an advantage that works with Sentinel Mastery. Drawbacks include charging it as well as its lack of AoE.
- Iniquity which I should be able to pay for using conviction (bcr might actually be better for this purpose) + Sentinel Aura ticks. Drawbacks include not being able to use it on myself, an aoe component that gimps its single target (but also the health cost, so that's maybe a bonus?) and not being able to spam it too excessively without restructuring my specializations in a way that hurts me in other areas.
- Vala's Light for its AoE and an advantage that makes use of Sentinel's Rejuvenated. Drawbacks include charging it.
Also, unless I take Iniquity, do I need Conviction or BCR? I'm so used to having one or the other, but with a healing-capable character, having this ability seems...redundant.3) For offense, Lightning Storm was chosen for its raw power and range, making it suitable in both single target and AoE. It's also very visually satisfying and evokes the theme of a powerful pseudo-celestial sorceress nicely. Since this isn't a straight DPS character, I'm fine with one ability to do all the damage. I'll likely be weaving it in with Thunderclap and Pounce for their bonuses. Some possible alternatives I've been considering are:
- Avalanche because it also looks awesome and it costs less. Drawbacks are that it's weaker and may not (unsure) follow the primary target like Lightning Storm. If I take this, is R2/R3 or R2/Serrated Shards better?
- Whirlwind because it can be used while moving, it has a neat lingering effect after the maintain ends, and it has an advantage that works amazingly well at wrangling enemies together for a group aoestorm. Drawbacks are that it's not as impressive visually and that it's a lot weaker.
As for having an offensive power that doesn't trigger Laser Knight, I'm totally fine with that. That might actually be best, since I mainly just want Laser Knight for EotS.4) For survivability, Eye of the Storm was chosen to work along with AoRP, Thunderclap + Sentinel Mastery, and Laser Knight. This is pretty much the main part of the build that I absolutely do want.
5) Having said all that, my litmus test for builds is pretty much "could I throw this into a group of nightmare invasion portal enemies all alone and have it emerge as the victor?"
This character is actually pretty open in terms of power selection, aside from fiery/heavy weapon attacks, dark/infernal-themed moves (which is unfortunate, because venomous breath would be absolutely perfect for this build in every way) as well as gun/ordinance-style weaponry.
Sorry this wasn't as brief as I hoped it would be.
And no, ya don't necc need a self-heal cd if ya got Conduit, though then ya gotta get used to targeting urself in potentially hairy situations to heal up. The main benefit something like Conviction would provide then, is simply convenience in a complicated situation. Not essential- more of a luxury. Ofc, if ur using MSA, then they also are triggers for that, though ofc not needed for that either.
So, the core of the build seems to be this?:
PowerHouse (Link to this build)
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Intelligence (Primary)
Level 10: Presence (Secondary)
Level 15: Constitution (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Grimoire
Level 6: Shrug It Off
Level 9: Healthy Mind
Level 12: Diplomatic
Level 15: Acrobat
Level 18: Finesse
Level 21: Coordinated
Powers:
Level 1: Eldritch Bolts
Level 1: Aura of Radiant Protection (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Compassion
Level 8: Celestial Conduit (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Illumination (Brilliance)
Level 14: Thunderclap (Rank 2, Collateral Damage)
Level 17: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 20: Void Shift (Emerging Nightmares)
Level 23: Avalanche (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 26:
Level 29:
Level 32:
Level 35:
Level 38:
Travel Powers:
Level 6:
Level 35:
Specializations:
Intelligence: Enlightened (3/3)
Intelligence: Battle of Wits (2/3)
Intelligence: Detect Vulnerability (3/3)
Intelligence: Expertise (2/2)
Sentinel: Caregiver (3/3)
Sentinel: Sentinel Aura (3/3)
Sentinel: Moment of Need (1/3)
Sentinel: Wither (2/2)
Sentinel: Genesis (1/2)
Warden: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Warden: Ruthless (2/2)
Warden: Elusive (2/2)
Warden: The Best Defense (3/3)
Mastery: Sentinel Mastery (1/1)
Shift or Mighty Leap cause they can stun baseline when far enough out.
I am a bit unsure where EotS fits in here. Mainly as a turtling power? Or to save energy? Since Avalanche or LStorm will do more dps (if ya can manage the energy, ofc). I guess that works.
One other (completely diff) option that I took for my Pet Master + debuffer build was to just use Sonic Arrow as my main attack everywhere- one attack covers AoE, CC, stun-related debuffs, range, and single-target in one. It doesn't excell in dps, but it consolidated much for me so I had more room for pets and defensive powers.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!
Powers:
Level 1: Eldritch Bolts
Level 1: Aura of Radiant Protection (Rank 2, Rank 3) (I wanted a team buff, plus I like damage mitigation)
Level 6: Compassion (obviously good for support)
Level 8: Energy Shield (Rank 2, Laser Knight) (See below)*
Level 11: ??? (Any useful ability)
Level 14: ??? (Any useful ability)
Level 17: Redemption (Rank 2, Salvation) (Ally rez, seems important for support)
Level 20: Rebirth (All-around vital IMO)
Level 23: (energy unlock)
Level 26: Thunderclap (Collateral Damage) (For rolling near-continuous sentinel mastery)
Level 29: Eye of the Storm (Rank 2, Rank 3) (See below)*
Level 32: (Gap closer) (Very useful for Thunderclap)**
Level 35: (Any ally healing power)***
Level 38: (Strong offensive for single + aoe -- prefer ranged)
* You're correct, EotS in this build can be for energy-saving, but is mainly for turtling (with help from Laser Knight) when I find myself getting beat up. I really love having lots of survivability on my characters, and this + AoRP scratches that itch for this one. When my safety isn't a concern, I'd ideally be attacking with Avalanche or Lightning Storm for extra damage. Or whatever I end up using.
** I'm not too concerned with having a stun on the gap closer because I'm going to follow up almost immediately with thunderclap. Also, I do love Void Shift, but it really does break the whole celestial theme. I chose pounce because of its abnormally low energy cost, plus its advantage is useful enough to encourage me to use it regularly, giving me nearly 100% uptime on MSA.
*** I'm open to healing powers besides Celestial Conduit. If there's something that might be a better choice, I'm be fine with swapping it out. Again, Vala's Light or Rebuke (R2 + bonus advantage for either) are what I have my eye on most of all.
Other than that, I like the Superstats (Int, Con/Pre) and Mastery (Sentinel) as they are, but everything else is still in flux until I get this character where I want it.
One other thing I'm curious about--why Battle of Wits over Tactician? Is Tactician's bonus too weak to be worthwhile?
If ya do take a diff main heal, then ya prob won't need Illumination anymore. Everything other than Iniquity will have considerably lower hps, though. Really just depends what strengths and weakness ya can handle, as no single heal covers all good aspects alone.
- Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!