Souped-up SWAT build

jebidiahbeetus

Greetings CO forum, recently I created a SWAT outfit for a concept toon that I just adore, so I am looking for a fitting build for it. I would like to go Munitions with some pieces of technology without using power armor. The main staples will be SMG Burst, Assault Rifle, and Gatling Gun all slotted to do maximum mid-range DPS. This will be a PvE build only, and almost exclusively for alerts/rampages with the occasional holiday event street sweeping mission.

I've found that Shotgun is not something I want to use anymore since it is no longer a tap but instead a short charge. I have Sniper Rifle on my Soldier AT but I rarely ever use it, so that's something I want to omit as well. In my opinion Holdout Shot is too puny a power for both damage and the minuscule amount of health it offers to justify taking it. I would be open to healing or gun drones and those static mini guns too.

Please share what gear to purchase and what devices would be a good addition. I plan on acquiring Target Locked as it fits the concept, but I don't know what defensive devices like a power shield or offensive devices like Ice Grenades to get. I will also save up for a Pistolwhip permanent sidekick for companionship.

flowcyto

Here's a Muni build w/ most of what ya wanted:

(Unnamed Build) - Freeform
v2.3.1-25

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

Talents
Level 1: The Gunslinger (Dex: 10, Con: 10, Ego: 8, Rec: 10)
Level 6: Ascetic (Con: 5, Ego: 5)
Level 9: Quick Recovery (Con: 5, Rec: 5)
Level 12: Worldly (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: Gunslinger
Level 1: Submachinegun Burst (Rank 2, Rank 3, Extra Bullets)
Level 6: Concentration
Level 8: Targeting Computer
Level 11: Killer Instinct
Level 14: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 17: Gatling Gun (Rank 2, Listen to Reason)
Level 20: Assault Rifle (Rank 2, Uncompromising)
Level 23: Resurgence (Rank 2)
Level 26: Mini Mines (Stim Pack)
Level 29: Energy Shield (Rank 2)
Level 32: Lock N Load
Level 35: Rebirth
Level 38:
Adv. Points: 23/36

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)

Last power can be w/e. Mini Mines don't have to hit anything to proc the HoT adv, so you can use them as an extra heal cd if you want. Gears mostly for Ego, w/ some Con and Rec.

jebidiahbeetus

Looking quite good so far Flow

My Soldier AT definitely needs Wall of Bullets to survive, however since this hero will be Freeform, R3 and Extra Bullets are a good choice. I do prefer Resurgence to Conviction, since you can gain a lot of health less often. I'm going to equip this character with the "Brain Stormed" belt device in Ren Cen that absorbs up to 4200 damage for about 12 seconds (don't remember the name but I bought it just now) as well as a Nimbus of Force for extra protection, so I most likely won't need Conviction.

I may also want to drop Mini Mines in favor of another gadget. Perhaps I could replace those two with Support Drones or Munition Bots, maybe even Bionic Shielding to help protect a teammate? I do wish there were an AoE stun that lasted longer than the 1.8 seconds Concussion Grenade offered so that I could get a mob to hold still while I cut loose with my maintain attacks.

As for the level 38 power, maybe Showdown? I think that's the only Ultimate power what uses bullets/piercing damage right? If I took this, then the chain would be SMG until there's three stacks of Furious, two Assault Rifle maintains, one Gatling maintain to refresh Furious, followed by Showdown to mow down any remaining opponents. Is that correct?

flowcyto

Showdown is a longer cd, so you can't really make it a part of a rotation. Plus, its wide AoE means you use it in diff scenarios over ur normal attacks. Like, setting up that chain may be less effective than just opening with it to hit a wide area early w/ heavy dmg.

You can use other heals or tools than Mini Mines; I just consider it a convenient cd for Muni builds. I'd have at least one short cd heal in addition to an AD like Resurgence, though.

If you want to take the shield adv on SMG, then go ahead. It won't be as effective a normal AoE then, but it can be nice for a more defensive option.

jaazaniah1

How about throwing in a stun grenade? Seems to fit the theme. I'd put it in early on.

jebidiahbeetus

jaazaniah1 said:

How about throwing in a stun grenade? Seems to fit the theme. I'd put it in early on.

Because the stun from Concussion Grenade is just too short to justify using it, unless there's a way to make it last longer than 1.8 seconds. :T Whenever I used it with my Soldier I barely had enough time to begin my AoE before they either knockdown/stun/knockback/yanked me as soon as it wore off.

GRAB the Money is a good example; fling the grenade, stun a mob for a split second, get maybe 1/2 way through SMG before the goons lunge and i'm knocked down or one's chain yanks me toward them only to get an immediate backhand from one that sends me careening through the air. It makes no sense to stun a mob then have to block as soon as I throw the grenade to avoid being a human tennis ball.

That's why I figured I would try to acquire Ice Grenades as they have a longer root which would provide me more time to get my maintain attacks going while the enemies are still clustered together. CO needs something like Counterstrike's flash bang grenade that would blind and disorient enemies with some kind of lasting debuff that applied to them after the initial stun wore off.

Is Strafing Run worth taking at all? I don't think i've ever seen any Freeform hero use it aside from the Night Avenger AT.

jaazaniah1

I like to throw in a Frag grenade first to get the damage going. Then hit them with a stun. Then finish them off with Bullet Hail. When I did Grab the Money doing this I found myself getting knocked around less than usual. But, your results may vary.

flowcyto

SR was nerfed a bit. You can still use it as a burst dps cd, though its still a bit costly.

jebidiahbeetus

I think I might not take Bionic Shielding after all and leave that to the healers. The Muni Bot's turret might fit the theme, however a lot of alerts move quickly so they'd be primarily for bosses. How long does Entangling Mesh root enemies for? If it's longer than Concussion Grenade's 1.8 second stun, that could help keep enemies clustered together for my maintains to hit as many as possible.

I can't seem to find this in the Herocreator; what's the power where you place a TNT/clock bomb on the ground for an explosion?

flowcyto

Roots get broken pretty easily to inc dmg, like many holds. I wouldn't expect strong CC as a dps w/o using Manip (those roles actually get a CC penalty). Really, if you dun mind the scatter KB, Shotgun is still a strong CC, just cause its spammable and can knock + dmg enemies a good bit. Otherwise, you may want to just use more defenses and heals to make up for it.

The power you mean is prob Particle Mine, though it doesn't CC unless you take its scatter KB adv.

amazingproton

EDIT: Irrelevant info.