Hero Buildin', mrao?

softeyes

Hey. (:

I've been messing around in this game for like a month or two now, and have tried multiple different ranged options despite a frustrating lack of up-to-date info on Google. I'm an info addict when it comes to games and it has been a challenge to start playing this without being able to look most things up. >.> But.. I'm an old CoH player, and I wanted something like it. x)

Okay, so. Tried guns, with defiance.
Then guns with quarry.
Then lightning Arc with AoPM.

Now looking for a little suggestions/input on my next build, which I will, hopefully, stick with a little longer..

For now I'm running around in Legion's gear with around 25% dodge, 55% avoidance, 114% crit severity and, 37,7% critical chance. Am about ready to up my secondaries to Cosmics and a piece of OV gear, and wondering if getting the defender glove would be a bad idea if I don't really want to tank? I'm just loving the idea of a tanky dps. And I dislike dying.

Now..

Build I'm coming from.. ish

Lightning Arc ~ I loved the 100ft range on this coming from TGM, and probably wouldn't miss it, but is there other powers that equal it/are similar?
AoPM ~ While I loved all the extra stats and the boost to Rec and End especially, I feel like it really didn't do much else for me, power wise, and people tend to hate on hybrids using it. ._.
Force Cascade ~ Is mostly in there to throw pvp'ers out of the ring. It works inconsistently. Only one AO ~ I felt this was very restricting and I often have to hold off on using it just to be able to have an AO available when I really need it.

Ma next build?

Ball Lightning ~ As I was using Thunderstrike to keep up Negative Ions on targets before, I'm wondering if this power would do the job just as well?
Hurricane ~ Would this be too annoying to use for other people? I really don't wanna get yelled at. x.x What other options are there? I'm thinking the repel would add some survivability.
Last two powers ~ Not quite set on them.. but was getting tired of Reiki and figured Shadows could help me a bit if I ventured into the Warzone. Those people are mean.
Advantage points ~ I feel like I have very few of these with the new build.. and would love suggestions on what's important and what's not.
No Block Power ~ Heard some people skip this and was feeling a bit low on power space with the double AO/AD. Will I have trouble with cosmics/rampages now?

Goals ~ To be a tanky'ish dps, worthy of being called a dps. x) My current build does about 1200 deeps as far as I know. I'd also rather not steal aggro from tanks. But I really want those shieldy defender OV gloves. ._.

Halp?

servantrules

softeyes said:

and wondering if getting the defender glove would be a bad idea if I don't really want to tank? I'm just loving the idea of a tanky dps. And I dislike dying.

softeyes said:

Yes, it is a bad idea. Gloves of the Defender generates extra threat for all attacks. In groups, people will hate you for taking aggro from the tanks (especially in Cosmics). Well built DPS already have a moderate chance of taking aggro from tanks. Additional threat is not going to help matters any. Being "tanky but not a tank" is about increasing your Defense, Health, and Passive Damage Resistance or Dodge/Avoidance.

softeyes said:

AoPM ~ While I loved all the extra stats and the boost to Rec and End especially, I feel like it really didn't do much else for me, power wise, and people tend to hate on hybrids using it. ._.

It's because you can overlap the support AoPMs which gives higher bonuses to the allies. Again, in groups, this is not a good thing.

softeyes said:

Force Cascade ~ Is mostly in there to throw pvp'ers out of the ring. It works inconsistently.

Force Cascade is an Energy hungry power. If you don't have high max energy, you won't be able to use it to its highest potential. Moreover, there will be players with high Knock resists (Melee DPS will particularly have STR ratings) and that's before the 3rd Knock gives them Knock bonuses.

softeyes said:

Only one AO ~ I felt this was very restricting and I often have to hold off on using it just to be able to have an AO available when I really need it.

Ego Surge is pretty much the go-to AO since it gives bonuses to Critical Chance with Nimble Mind. Stacking CON just boosts that even more. The bonus to EGO just makes it even better for ranged builds.

flowcyto

If ur worried about people being annoyed w/ Hurricane, you can always end the maintain a bit early, since the AoE KB only happens at the end. Alternative is to just use a AoE like Lighting Storm.

Ball of Lit w/ adv is a good power for negative ions; I'd keep that around. Here's a pretty sturdy Elec/Wind dps build:

(Unnamed Build) - Freeform

Super Stats
Level 6: Ego (Primary)
Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
Level 15: Recovery (Secondary)

Talents
Level 1: The Scourge (Con: 10, End: 8, Ego: 10, Rec: 10)
Level 6: Ascetic (Con: 5, Ego: 5)
Level 9: Quick Recovery (Con: 5, Rec: 5)
Level 12: Wordly (Ego: 5, Rec: 5)
Level 15: Boundless Reserves (Con: 5, End: 5)
Level 18: Daredevil (Ego: 5, End: 5)
Level 21: Amazing Stamina (Rec: 5, End: 5)

Powers
Level 1: Electric Bolt
Level 1: Lightning Arc (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Ionic Reverberation
Level 8: Stormbringer (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Concentration
Level 14: Hurricane (Rank 2, Perfect Storm)
Level 17: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 20: Ball Lightning (Rank 2, Triplicity)
Level 23: Resurgence (Rank 2)
Level 26: Masterful Dodge
Level 29: Ego Surge (Nimble Mind)
Level 32: Ebon Void (Rank 2, Voracious Darkness)
Level 35: Palliate (Absolve)
Level 38: Circle of Primal Dominion (Rank 2)
Adv. Points: 34/36

Travel Powers
Level 6:
Level 35:

Specializations
Ego: Force of Will (2/2)
Ego: Insight (3/3)
Ego: Follow Through (3/3)
Ego: Sixth Sense (2/3)
Guardian: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Guardian: Ruthless (2/2)
Guardian: Find the Mark (2/3)
Guardian: The Best Defense (3/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: Focused Strikes (3/3)
Vindicator: Mass Destruction (2/3)
Mastery: Ego Mastery (1/1)

If you want to be even more hardy, you can opt to use something like Invuln as the passive in Hybrid role, but that will lower ur dps a good bit.

servantrules

softeyes said:

Ma next build?

Ball Lightning ~ As I was using Thunderstrike to keep up Negative Ions on targets before, I'm wondering if this power would do the job just as well?
Hurricane ~ Would this be too annoying to use for other people? I really don't wanna get yelled at. x.x What other options are there? I'm thinking the repel would add some survivability.
Last two powers ~ Not quite set on them.. but was getting tired of Reiki and figured Shadows could help me a bit if I ventured into the Warzone. Those people are mean.
Advantage points ~ I feel like I have very few of these with the new build.. and would love suggestions on what's important and what's not.
No Block Power ~ Heard some people skip this and was feeling a bit low on power space with the double AO/AD. Will I have trouble with cosmics/rampages now?

This build doesn't have a Passive? That will make things really difficult both offensively and defensively. You might want to take Electric Form, but if you want to be tanky, Invulnerability might serve you better.

A regular block reduces damage by 250%. Other blocks can increase this anywhere from 260% to as high as 380% or even higher. It's not a requirement especially for most solo content, but it helps a lot with Cosmics (where there will ALWAYS be times you need to block or eat floor). So take that into consideration. The bonus effect advantages like Force Sheathe or Laser Knight are also some points to consider.

softeyes

servantrules said:

Yes, it is a bad idea. Gloves of the Defender generates extra threat for all attacks. In groups, people will hate you for taking aggro from the tanks (especially in Cosmics). Well built DPS already have a moderate chance of taking aggro from tanks. Additional threat is not going to help matters any. Being "tanky but not a tank" is about increasing your Defense, Health, and Passive Damage Resistance or Dodge/Avoidance.

Was mostly wondering how MUCH it increased your threat generation. It's a bit unclear on that. Is it like a second Challenge! ? In most alerts, with the current build, I already grab the attention of the boss most of the time. But never with cosmics.

servantrules said:

It's because you can overlap the support AoPMs which gives higher bonuses to the allies. Again, in groups, this is not a good thing.

I got that, which is one of the reasons I switched it out. (: Did you look at the "new build"?

servantrules said:

Force Cascade is an Energy hungry power. If you don't have high max energy, you won't be able to use it to its highest potential. Moreover, there will be players with high Knock resists (Melee DPS will particularly have STR ratings) and that's before the 3rd Knock gives them Knock bonuses.

With AoPM, max energy or equilibrium was never a problem. But yea, it worked pretty bad in pvp most of the time. It's not in the new build.

servantrules said:

Ego Surge is pretty much the go-to AO since it gives bonuses to Critical Chance with Nimble Mind. Stacking CON just boosts that even more. The bonus to EGO just makes it even better for ranged builds.

The reason for Electric Sheath being the only AO in the old build was solely because I needed to pick one more power from electricity to begin picking powers from other sets, and I didn't have room for Ego Surge at the time. It's in the new build.

softeyes

servantrules said:

softeyes said:

Ma next build?

his build doesn't have a Passive? That will make things really difficult both offensively and defensively. You might want to take Electric Form, but if you want to be tanky, Invulnerability might serve you better.

A regular block reduces damage by 250%. Other blocks can increase this anywhere from 260% to as high as 380% or even higher. It's not a requirement especially for most solo content, but it helps a lot with Cosmics (where there will ALWAYS be times you need to block or eat floor). So take that into consideration. The bonus effect advantages like Force Sheathe or Laser Knight are also some points to consider.

This build has Stormbringer as a passive, picked near the top, as I wanted to do more damage.

As I never tried a cosmic without a block power, I was wondering if, with around 10k hp, a block power was actually needed? I'd much rather spend the point of something else, having played with both Energy Shield with advantage and Ebon Void with advantage, and not really finding much benefit besides the blocking, as I never really get hit enough with Ebon Void, and the Force Sheathe damage reduction is minimal.

softeyes

flowcyto said:

If ur worried about people being annoyed w/ Hurricane, you can always end the maintain a bit early, since the AoE KB only happens at the end. Alternative is to just use a AoE like Lighting Storm.

Ball of Lit w/ adv is a good power for negative ions; I'd keep that around. Here's a pretty sturdy Elec/Wind dps build:

(Unnamed Build) - Freeform

~snip~

Thank you, though this build lacks the second AO I've been wanting, and is a bit low on healing powers.. also what's the reason for palliate?

Do I really need the block?

servantrules

softeyes said:

Was mostly wondering how MUCH it increased your threat generation. It's a bit unclear on that. Is it like a second Challenge! ? In most alerts, with the current build, I already grab the attention of the boss most of the time. But never with cosmics.

It's roughly +10% threat for each attack. So if you deal 1500 damage, it will roughly apply 150 additional threat.

softeyes said:

This build has Stormbringer as a passive, picked near the top, as I wanted to do more damage.

Yeah, didn't notice it until I gave it a second look. Mea culpa.

softeyes said:

As I never tried a cosmic without a block power, I was wondering if, with around 10k hp, a block power was actually needed? I'd much rather spend the point of something else, having played with both Energy Shield with advantage and Ebon Void with advantage, and not really finding much benefit besides the blocking, as I never really get hit enough with Ebon Void, and the Force Sheathe damage reduction is minimal.

Block replacers aren't requirements, but they do help a lot. That said, some forego getting one in favor of more offensive options. Try it out once or twice with Kiga during a storm or with Ape vs. Lava and the meteors to see if you're comfortable with the damage mitigation of a regular block.

softeyes

servantrules said:

It's roughly +10% threat for each attack. So if you deal 1500 damage, it will roughly apply 150 additional threat.

Ooh.. that's actually not amazingly much. Like compared to Challenge!'s ticks. I might try it out and see how badly it goes. >.>

servantrules said:

Block replacers aren't requirements, but they do help a lot. That said, some forego getting one in favor of more offensive options. Try it out once or twice with Kiga during a storm or with Ape vs. Lava and the meteors to see if you're comfortable with the damage mitigation of a regular block.

I usually don't need to block against storm for some reason. x) But Ape lava could be painful. Getting hit for around 1337 damage per tick from that right now with Ebon Void.

servantrules

softeyes said:

Ooh.. that's actually not amazingly much. Like compared to Challenge!'s ticks. I might try it out and see how badly it goes. >.>

It might not seem much for 1 attack, but if you deal 1500/DPS, that's going to stack up really fast. Remember that Challenge works with a different mechanic as it's not based on DPS per se, but rather adds 1000 threat that degrades over time and refreshes it when it's applied again. There are better options to boost your survivability and damage potential, but it's your call.

flowcyto

softeyes said:

flowcyto said:

If ur worried about people being annoyed w/ Hurricane, you can always end the maintain a bit early, since the AoE KB only happens at the end. Alternative is to just use a AoE like Lighting Storm.

Ball of Lit w/ adv is a good power for negative ions; I'd keep that around. Here's a pretty sturdy Elec/Wind dps build:

(Unnamed Build) - Freeform

~snip~

Thank you, though this build lacks the second AO I've been wanting, and is a bit low on healing powers.. also what's the reason for palliate?

Palliate's Absolve adv is a threat wipe (and heal). You said you wanted to keep ur threat low for Cosmics, so I just threw in a threat wipe for that. Its not essential if you have good tanks, though.

I also consider a 2nd AO to be accessory (at least for PvE), since the ones outside ES/NM don't add as much to dps. But if you want a 2nd hold break you could get the EE adv on Resurgence, or maybe replace Palliate w/ a diff AO if you want.

softeyes

flowcyto said:

Palliate's Absolve adv is a threat wipe (and heal). You said you wanted to keep ur threat low for Cosmics, so I just threw in a threat wipe for that. Its not essential if you have good tanks, though.

I also consider a 2nd AO to be accessory (at least for PvE), since the ones outside ES/NM don't add as much to dps. But if you want a 2nd hold break you could get the EE adv on Resurgence, or maybe replace Palliate w/ a diff AO if you want.

Oh. Got confused by the description in HeroCreator calling it a "heal ally" ability. Having a heal be a thread wipe is probably a great idea. (:

Electric Sheath (which can be made kinda protecty too?) have to sorta stay if I wanna use MSA as an energy unlock, which I've grown kinda fond of after trying it. Unless I choose a gadgeteering energy builder..

Maybe I'll just be fluffy with fluff then.

flowcyto

MSA can work for Elec builds too, though you'll want ur setup to be Int-focused then (yours may have been, but mine wasn't).

Elec Sheath an work as a 2nd AO, though if its in there cause of tier requirements, you could make ur first 3 powers Wind Lash, Hurricane, and Stormbringer and have more freedom w/ power selections after that (or go w/ Wind Lash, LArc, and Stormbringer).