A melee/support build. Looking for criticism and suggestions.

superalfgorn

Hey heroes! I am trying to build a melee support/dps heroine.

I have fiddled with Powerhouse and got this out:

Name: Hyandaoore

Archetype: Freeform

Super Stats:
Level 6: Presence (Primary)
Level 10: Dexterity (Secondary)
Level 15: Constitution (Secondary)

Talents:
Level 1: The Behemoth
Level 6: Covert Ops Training
Level 9: Survival Training
Level 12: Acrobat
Level 15: Finesse
Level 18: Shrug It Off
Level 21: Impressive Physique

Powers:
Level 1: Rain of Steel
Level 1: Blade Tempest (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Thunderbolt Lunge
Level 8: Parry (Rank 2, The Elusive Monk)
Level 11: Medical Nanites (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 14: Form of the Tempest (Rank 2, Gifts of the Storm)
Level 17: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Rank 2, Resurgent Reiki)
Level 20: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 23: Eye of the Storm (Rank 2, Blade Beyond the Veil)
Level 26: Support Drones (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 29: Lock N Load
Level 32: Masterful Dodge
Level 35: Rebirth
Level 38: Resurrection Serum (Rank 2)

Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3, Versatility)
Level 35: Flight

Specializations:
Presence: Selfless Ally (2/2)
Presence: Grandeur (3/3)
Presence: Moment of Glory (3/3)
Presence: Force of Will (2/2)
Sentinel: Caregiver (3/3)
Sentinel: Sentinel Aura (3/3)
Sentinel: Moment of Need (1/3)
Sentinel: Rejuvenated (3/3)
Arbiter: Enforcer (3/3)
Arbiter: Ruthless (2/2)
Arbiter: Arbiter Aura (3/3)
Arbiter: Rend (2/2)

Mastery: Arbiter Mastery (1/1)


So... my idea is to "exploit" the healing loop (if it works): Selfless Ally/FotT(Gifts of the Storm). The idea is to feed it with Sentinel Aura/Medical Nanites/Support Drones (R3)/BCR

The Sentinel tree is for better healing and the aura, while the Arbiter one for DPS and the Mastery that fits nicely with the above heal-self while healing-others theme.

However I am quite unsure of some points:
-Support role allows Medical Nanites to heal others decently but is it anything beyond just decent? Should I just take the Hybrid role and another Passive and if so which one?

-Do I have enough attack powers?

-Are the spec trees right?

agentnx5

Blending melee and healing is not an easy thing to do. Typically the two are so different you'll have to use AoPM to blend it and have it be highly effective (Aura of Primal Majesty, while ugly looking with the alphabet soup, is one of the best slotted passives if you need to blend powers that do not have a natural synergy feedback loop from on to another). Medical Nanites is an interesting choice, I'd have to see how it work.


The biggest issue I see off-hand is you're going to find yourself having energy issues when trying to press hard. You character will be effectively running out of steam a lot, and that means using your energy builder, and that means a reduction in potential that you character could be doing.


Starting with the minor tweaks you could do:

First off, you did the talents perfectly, diversification while reinforcing the same stats with more total points. The +8 to a single stat things are wasteful, as you'll get most of your superstat bonus from your gear/equipment and the mods you put on it.

Second, minor thing, but take the two advantage points off resurrection serum and put them towards something else. If you're going to rank up a resurrection, use one of the magic ones from the sorcery power tree. Resurrection serum is specifically best if you don't want to put points into a rez, as it starts out at a higher %.



Now for the major change options...:

Blade Tempest... Avoid it if possible in favor of Sword Cyclone, it's immensely superior in all ways (PBAoE, no self-root maintain, more damage per energy points, spherical instead of cone AoE shape, etc.) The downside is that the energy needed for it is much higher (21 energy per half-second), and it's a higher tier. But my point is this is wasted potential, and if you're planning on running in Support Role you'll have both more energy and a higher equilibrium.

That said you'd want a stronger energy return mechanic (especially if getting Blade Tempest) and/or one of your secondary superstats to be REC (syntax lingo tip: when ever you write a stat btw you want type the first 3 letters in all caps, that way people will immediately know you mean a stat and not something else). You might want to forgo CON, honestly and replace with REC. Also, CON & DEX are the most expensive stats, resource wise. Check out the AH (auction house) if you don't believe me.

Support drones are more of an annoyance than a help, unless you're using the Commander specialization tree. The AI is very dumb.

superalfgorn

Thanks for the reply. All your suggestions look great. I love AoPM, but I'm using it on a PA hero with INT as a PSS, and I would like to try something new.

REC as a SSS seems a very good suggestion since I do not seem to find a good energy unlock and I guess MSA needs at least REC since I do not have the INT to truly leverage it to full effect.

As for the sword powers... If I drop blade tempest I should also drop the whole Arbiter tree since its mastery triggers off combo attacks and Enforcer also pumps them. So I would like to keep it. Does it make sense to instead drop Eye of the Storm? Since I do not plan to tank or receive a lot of dmg and thus the dmg resistance seems wasted...

I just took advantage of the sale on the Freeform slot so I'll start building it tonight and report back in some time. If anyone has other suggestions I will gladly hear them!

P.S.
also ty for the tip on the CAPS for stats

agentnx5

superalfgorn wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. All your suggestions look great. I love AoPM, but I'm using it on a PA hero with INT as a PSS, and I would like to try something new.

I agree, only one out of all my characters uses AoPM and the others are strong builds that specialize in something.

Speaking of which that's typically where I start.

1. I choose an active power, or two, and build around it. This is the "focus of the build", or focal points/powers.

2. Treat this like a checklist of buffs build around that "focus" or those "foci", with the slotted passive being the most mandatory, and the on-next-hit being the most optional:
http://www.champions-online-wiki.com/wiki/Buff_Self

3. Based on this options and the theme I'm going for I then choose my stats. Starting with choosing the stats is a poor way of designing a character and a notable reason why new players complain that things they encounter in combat are overpowered.

4. Figure out your role(s) that you'll probably run this in (tank, hybrid, support, etc.). And make sure in game to play to that role (don't pull what you can't kill in DPS roles, work on pulling & holding agro/threat better with tank)

5. Design your specializations, talents, and gear to maximize on this. You'll focus on your superstats though gear, not the talents. The best talents are the +5/+5 ones or the ones that combine your superstats with other useful bonuses (typically called 'something "training"'). Avoid the +8 talents, even if you're using AoPM. The reason why is something called "diminishing returns", and once you reach that "soft cap" with your gear, you'll find you this little bit of diversification to help balance things in your build. Also let your Cores that you put on your gear help compliment your powers
(i.e.: dedicated healers should get a high-rank Sentinel Core in the primary offense slot, if you use BCR+RR get a high-rank Gambler's Core on the Heroic Breast Plate of Agility primary defense, use a Critical Severity Core on your primary offense if you're already at just under 50% critical chance and over 400 on your primary superstat, etc.)

superalfgorn wrote:

REC as a SSS seems a very good suggestion since I do not seem to find a good energy unlock and I guess MSA needs at least REC since I do not have the INT to truly leverage it to full effect.

You can some INT from carefully selecting talents that have it (and something relating to your superstats)

superalfgorn wrote:

As for the sword powers... If I drop blade tempest I should also drop the whole Arbiter tree since its mastery triggers off combo attacks and Enforcer also pumps them. So I would like to keep it. Does it make sense to instead drop Eye of the Storm? Since I do not plan to tank or receive a lot of dmg and thus the dmg resistance seems wasted...

Eye of the Storm (EotS) is an awesome power, one I wouldn't recommend getting rid of first. It's one of the only powers in the game that can simultaneous protect you AND deal damage to enemies trying to melee you. It's very effective in many PvE combat situations.

You would definitely want to make changes to the Arbiter Tree, yes. This goes back to the unofficial order of operations I listed above.

superalfgorn wrote:

also ty for the tip on the CAPS for stats

Hey I'm always willing to offer tips and advice to newbies who want to learn, provided I've got the time of course. You should be complimented on displaying your willingness to listen & learn rather than assume you know what's best. Heck I'm still learning in some areas (especially because things sometimes change when Cryptic does patches).

superalfgorn

So after the weekend XP boosts I took my hero up to lvl.21

I tried the initial build for a while and then retrained following the suggestions above. Indeed both Sword Cyclone and Eye of the Storm are really good powers. The second one is particularly nice with the medical nanites since you heal up while maintaining it. These two powers fill up completely the attack routine, then Blade Tempest seemed weak in comparison as suggested.

I revised the idea of the hero. Now it's Feanor, an elf prince from an hidden realm in the Pacific ocean wielding two enchanted blades that whirl with healing energies. He is an elven blademaster from a tropical woodland realm that dabbles in arcane powers. Thereby Support Drones are out. However the command Animals fits the theme perfectly and the shredded at Rank 3 helps the dmg from Dual Blades. Vala's Light works as a direct heal in melee.

Right now for theme content I run in Support, and switch to Hybrid for solo content.

The new build is this one:



PowerHouse http://powerhouse.nullware.com/

Name: Feanor

Super Stats:
Level 6: PRE Presence (Primary)
Level 10: DEX Dexterity (Secondary)
Level 15: REC Recovery (Secondary)

Talents:
Level 1: The Behemoth
Level 6: Survival Training
Level 9: Sniper Training
Level 12: Martial Training
Level 15: Finesse
Level 18: Impresario
Level 21: Lasting Impression

Powers:
Level 1: Rain of Steel
Level 1: Form of the Tempest (Rank 2, Gifts of the Storm)
Level 6: Smoke Bomb Lunge
Level 8: Parry (The Elusive Monk)
Level 11: Eye of the Storm (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 14: Sword Cyclone (Rank 2, Rank 3, Challenging Strikes)
Level 17: Command Animals (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 20: Medical Nanites (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 23: Howl (Make them Tremble)
Level 26: Vala's Light (Rank 2, Light Everlasting)
Level 29: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 32: Redemption (Salvation)
Level 35: Masterful Dodge
Level 38: Rebirth

Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Rank 3, Versatility)
Level 35: Flight

Specializations:
Presence: Selfless Ally (2/2)
Presence: Grandeur (3/3)
Presence: Moment of Glory (3/3)
Presence: Force of Will (2/2)
Arbiter: Ruthless (2/2)
Arbiter: Arbiter Aura (3/3)
Arbiter: Rend (2/2)
Arbiter: Honor (2/2)
Arbiter: Enhanced Gear (1/3)
Sentinel: Caregiver (3/3)
Sentinel: Sentinel Aura (3/3)
Sentinel: Moment of Need (1/3)
Sentinel: Rejuvenated (3/3)
Mastery: Presence Mastery (1/1)

beldin

MSA scales on INT and i'm not shure with what powers you trigger MSA here.

For Sword Cyclone and Eye of the Storm Overdrive would maybe better, since it also
scales on REC.

superalfgorn

Yes I guess Overdrive is better. MSA triggers on the lunge, BCR, Howl, but given that the main attacks are maintains Overdrive is definitely a better fit, thanks!

bradge

Coincidentally, I also made a support/melee build -- although I took a much different approach. I hadn't seen this thread when I made mine.

The thread on my build is here: http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=176081

agentnx5 wrote: »

Blending melee and healing is not an easy thing to do. Typically the two are so different you'll have to use AoPM to blend it and have it be highly effective (Aura of Primal Majesty, while ugly looking with the alphabet soup, is one of the best slotted passives if you need to blend powers that do not have a natural synergy feedback loop from on to another).

Should I switch from Aura of Radiant Protection to Aura of Primal Majesty? Or does my build have adequate synergy not to do so?