Boomerang/Dual Blade build request

nixxbaine

Hey,
Im fairly new to the game and amlooking to make a boomerang dual blade build, but not sure where to start with it. I know I'd like to include Boomerang Toss with Night Warrior possibly, I heard its strong.
Basically Im looking for a build in the style of Daredevil mixed with Bullseye possibly, thank you in advance.

braxzana

Like ten minutes left in the work day so I quickly threw this together. Does not include specializations and the powers were picked as I thought of them so the order may need to be juggled some.

PowerHouse (Link to this build)

Name:

Archetype: Freeform

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

Talents:
Level 1: The Glacier
Level 6: Coordinated
Level 9: Acrobat
Level 12: Healthy Mind
Level 15: Amazing Stamina
Level 18: Covert Ops Training
Level 21: Quick Recovery

Powers:
Level 1: Boomerang Toss
Level 1: Ricochet Throw (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Grapple Gun Pull
---- just needed another gadget power to unlock other powers; feel free to substitute anything else here, like maybe Molecular Self Assembly or an on-next-hit boost, etc
Level 8: Bolas
---- again just for flavor (Daredevil/Bullseye) and some crowd control, could easily be replaced, though
Level 11: Night Warrior (Rank 2, Rank 3, Silent Running)
Level 14: Eye of the Storm (Rank 2, Blade Beyond the Veil)
Level 17: Dragon's Wrath (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 20: Form of the Tempest
---- don't need ranks on this really; Dragon's Wrath will give you the Rush buff
Level 23: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Rank 2, Resurgent Reiki)
Level 26: Masterful Dodge (Rank 2)
---- or some other active defense (a lot of people like Ego Surge with Nimble Mind)
Level 29: Parry
Level 32: Sword Cyclone (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Thunderbolt Lunge (Nailed to the Ground)
---- you HAVE ranged attacks, so this may not be necessary but I love the mobility a lunge gives, and it's handy for triggering Molecular Self Assembly if you get that. For REAL mobility consider getting Evasive Maneuvers or Breakaway Shot (pistols).
Level 38: Lightning Reflexes (Rank 2, Rank 3)
---- it occurred to me that since Night Warrior isn't the strongest passive, once you break stealth, maybe you could swap builds into a Lightning Reflexes build (or some other passive like Invulnerability or Regeneration or Defiance, etc) AFTER you have broken stealth.

Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Versatility)
Level 35: Ninja Leaves

agentnx5

A few helpful critiques for you both:

braxzana wrote: »

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

If you're going DEX as a primary superstat you definitely want to use two things:

• Parry with the Elusive Monk advantage (which scales linear with DEX)
• Toggle "Forms" that give stacks of focus (which scales linear with DEX)

Otherwise DEX is better as a secondary superstat, supplemented by a Gambler's Gem R7 on your primary offense gear. I should mention DEX is also EXTREMELY useful if building a dodge tank build (i.e.: lightning reflexes and stacking all different sources of dodge & avoidance).

Part of the reason for this is the nature of "natural critical chance" (the % chance you get from your core stats and gear/equipment) in this game has a limit with logarithmic-like diminishing returns that seems to gradually approach a limit of 50%. This means you have to put more and more points into it to push it past 40% natural critical chance, which is a waste of stat points or gear options that could be used for something else that is lacking or could also benefit from a boost.

Thus, DEX is not as attractive of a primary superstat once you hit level 40.

braxzana wrote: »

Powers:
Level 1: Boomerang Toss
Level 1: Ricochet Throw (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Grapple Gun Pull
---- just needed another gadget power to unlock other powers; feel free to substitute anything else here, like maybe Molecular Self Assembly or an on-next-hit boost, etc
Level 8: Bolas
---- again just for flavor (Daredevil/Bullseye) and some crowd control, could easily be replaced, though
Level 11: Night Warrior (Rank 2, Rank 3, Silent Running)
Level 14: Eye of the Storm (Rank 2, Blade Beyond the Veil)
Level 17: Dragon's Wrath (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 20: Form of the Tempest
---- don't need ranks on this really; Dragon's Wrath will give you the Rush buff
Level 23: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Rank 2, Resurgent Reiki)
Level 26: Masterful Dodge (Rank 2)
---- or some other active defense (a lot of people like Ego Surge with Nimble Mind)
Level 29: Parry
Level 32: Sword Cyclone (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Thunderbolt Lunge (Nailed to the Ground)
---- you HAVE ranged attacks, so this may not be necessary but I love the mobility a lunge gives, and it's handy for triggering Molecular Self Assembly if you get that. For REAL mobility consider getting Evasive Maneuvers or Breakaway Shot (pistols).
Level 38: Lightning Reflexes (Rank 2, Rank 3)
---- it occurred to me that since Night Warrior isn't the strongest passive, once you break stealth, maybe you could swap builds into a Lightning Reflexes build (or some other passive like Invulnerability or Regeneration or Defiance, etc) AFTER you have broken stealth.

You can't use two slotted passives at the same time! This is an inefficiency/wasteful!

Don't do this, please.

Futhermore there's no focus of the build here, it's too much of a jack-of-all-trades. This doesn't make it a "wrong" build, but it's weaker than it could potentially be. Make sense?


Let me see what I can change to fix the OP's request...

Daredevil Trailer
(one of the most underrated superhero films, in my opinion)

Expert Tip: Run this build in Hybrid for damage (normal mode), and Tank only if you need a bit better survivability or need to off-tank for a team of squishy people. Keep in mind you are NOT technically a tank build and will typically fail at protecting teammates by pulling and holding onto aggro/threat. The normal mode of operation will be using your lunge and grappling gun profusely. Invest in cooldown reduction gear a but more than cost reduction (i.e.: Heroic Helmet of Speed).

PowerHouse (Link to this build)

Name: a DEX & Dodge/Avoid focused build inspired by Daredevil + Dual Blades

Archetype: Freeform

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

Talents:
Level 1: The Fist (STR: 10, DEX: 10, INT: 10, REC: 8)
Level 6: Relentless (STR: 5, REC: 5)
Level 9: Martial Focus (STR: 5, DEX: 5)
Level 12: Impresario (DEX: 5, REC: 5)
Level 15: Covert Ops Training (STR: 3, DEX: 3, CON: 3, INT: 3)
Level 18: Negotiator (INT: 5, REC: 5 ; using to boost MSA's effectiveness)
Level 21: Survival Training (DEX: 3, CON: 3, PRE: 3, REC: 2, END: 2 ; all good stuff for you)

Powers:
Level 1: Righteous Fists
Level 1: Thunderbolt Lunge (Essence Assault, Nailed to the Ground) (NttG is necessary for melee builds or PvP, Essence Assault's stun is very underestimated, in the hands of a skilled player it's pretty aggravating to fight against)
Level 6: Lightning Reflexes (Rank 2, Rank 3) (a focus of the build)
Level 8: Form of the Master (unranked, but don't worry this is so you can get energy as you go; just remember to keep your stacks going by pressing the attack)
Level 11: Parry (The Elusive Monk) (trololo levels of dodge/avoid while you're fighting)
Level 14: Ricochet Throw (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 17: Molecular Self-Assembly (bonus energy triggered by your many quick cooldown powers)
Level 20: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Rank 2, Resurgent Reiki) (your essential healing power)
Level 23: Eye of the Storm (Rank 2, Blade Beyond the Veil) (Damaging enemies while getting a damage shield? Yes please!)
Level 26: Dragon's Wrath (Rank 2, Rank 3) (full charge to get a rush buff)
Level 29: Intensity (Rank 2, Rank 3) (you can move these 4 points to masterful dodge if you want, but frankly +60% all damage, +50 DEX, and +50 STR with this build is more important than extra avoidance from ranking Masterful Dodge)
Level 32: Masterful Dodge (see above)
Level 35: Evasive Maneuvers (Sleight of Mind) (essential for you to drop unwanted aggro/threat)
Level 38: Grapple Gun Pull (bonus points for staying in theme of Daredevil, but also a very handy way to keep runners from getting out of range of Dragon's Wrath)

Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics (Rank 2, Versatility) (essential for the theme and also allows you to close the gap much easier)
Level 35: Swinging

Specializations:
Dexterity: Gear Utilization (3/3) (+18% more offense and defense both from your gear)
Dexterity: Power Swell (2/2) (IMPORTANT! This allows you major cost savings. Kind of random, but trust me you want the cost reduction)
Dexterity: Evasion (2/2) (MOAR AVOIDANCE!)
Dexterity: Deadly Aim (3/3) ("But wait!", you say, "Why not Quick Reflexes?" Two reasons:
1. You're into diminishing returns pretty heavily on dodge chance %, only avoidance can really be buffed more
2. Your points are much better spent on this kick-**** advantage which makes your rather frequently critical hits hurt a LOT more!)
Warden: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Warden: Ruthless (2/2)
Warden: Elusive (2/2) (trust me, you want this)
Warden: The Best Defense (3/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Vindicator: The Rush of Battle (2/3) (Extra healing on a kill? Yes please!)
Vindicator: Focused Strikes (3/3) (Considering your attacks, you definitely want this. Also Cryptic's description on this is wrong according to extensive testing, it does more than what it says)
Mastery: Dexterity Mastery (1/1) (and your critical severity is now PAINFUL)

These are your gear recommendations:

• Heroic/Legion Gloves of Offense (your severity and critical chance %'s are already hitting diminishing returns). If your offense is at or above 35% then go for special mods like the Left Eye of the Dragon core and/or a Depleted Uranium core.
• Heroic/Legion Breastplate of Agility or Defense. Personally I would got with Agility if your defense % is above 50-55%, if under that you need to put some Impact cores on or get the Defense version instead of Agility. But try to get get defense via Impact core mods and get the Agility version of the gear.
• Heroic/Legion Helmet of Speed. The Helmet of Utility would work ok too I suppose, but you want cooldown reduction more than cost reduction. Trust me on this. You want both, but cooldown redux > cost redux.
• Get the Samurai secondaries (11000 Questionite each, for only 33000 Questionite for the set) This will give you an added bonus to your physical damage (which is what all of your damage is)

nixxbaine

Woah, thanks both of you, will definately be giving the second build a shot, also I'll agree DD is underrated movie wise if you agree that the Directors Cut far exceeded the Release Cut, deal? Oh and check this out - DD Sizzle Reel so wished it had hit the production

fudgemonsta

agentnx5 wrote: »

You can't use two slotted passives at the same time! This is an inefficiency/wasteful!

Don't do this, please.

Just a quick blurb from me, but dual passives is actually rather useful for some builds. Swap inbetween them when needed and you can adapt to roles in the fight rather well.

agentnx5

fudgemonsta wrote: »

Just a quick blurb from me, but dual passives is actually rather useful for some builds. Swap inbetween them when needed and you can adapt to roles in the fight rather well.

Disagree.

1. Can't use both at the same time. This is an issue.
2. Power points are a precious and finite resource. If you have some non-essential points left over, a resurrection (rez), self-rez, additional heal, additional active defense, additional offense, etc. ALL are more beneficial than a secondary passive that can't be used at the same time
3. Adaptability is possible with tactics and strategy; "playing to the class" as it is often coined. There's nothing "wrong" with a dual passive per se, but it's very wasteful of precious power points.

Show me a build that has two slotted passives, and I'll show you how it could be stronger, and also how you can use player skills with tactics to give you versatility.


Trying to be a jack-of-all-trades results in being master of none! Remember this when doing freeform builds in this game.


(PS: If you need to be more well-rounded, that's where devices and your gear can fill in. My squishes are made tougher, my tanks have more attack power; all thanks to the devices and gear they have equipped that compliment their build. The reason why is because unlike the finite number of power points, devices are potentially unlimited)

nixxbaine wrote: »

Woah, thanks both of you, will definitely be giving the second build a shot, also I'll agree DD is underrated movie wise if you agree that the Directors Cut far exceeded the Release Cut, deal? Oh and check this out - DD Sizzle Reel so wished it had hit the production

Awesome. I did put some time into writing all that for ya Would be a shame if it went to waste.


And yes, the uncut version is much MUCH better... I think that's really why it got so underrated. A shame really, just goes to prove that having a good editing studio is just as important as having a good camera crew, actors, or set design people.

nixxbaine

agentnx5 wrote: »

Awesome. I did put some time into writing all that for ya Would be a shame if it went to waste.

EDIT: Nevermind, Im an idiot

braxzana

Not to beat a dead horse, but having a second passive is just as useful as having an active offense on a thirty second recharge --- both are situational.

I would not recommend having, say, Personal Force Field and Lightning Reflexes (although one COULD of course swap between them)... but Night Warrior is a special case in that you can ONLY use the Shadow Strike and gain the benefit to Ricochet Throw while in the Stealth that that passive provides.

Once you break that stealth, however, Night Warrior is quite the sub-par Passive, IMO. If I were tight on advantage points, I might not put ANY points into Night Warrior --- use it for the stealth aspect and for the damage from the initial out-of-stealth attack and then swap to your regular during-the-fight passive that actually provides some protection (or better damage-boost than Night Warrior does, if you go for a more offensive route).

While I don't pretend to be a min-maxer optimized build creator, I almost always have at least one or two power choices left over for 'flavor'... and for this concept, the advantages of using Night Warrior (almost as an active offense power) seem worth it.

jamesbonnell

Gotta agree with Braxzana.

I have many characters with both an active and a defensive passive. They allow me access to more Roles than a single passive alone would support.

E.g. Defiance (Hybrid, Tank), and Ice Form (Hybrid, Melee, Range). It makes for a very flexible character design, as long as the *rest* of my powers support that design. In the case of my Epidemic char with Sentinel mastery... it's great in both passives and all the roles available to me.
And yes, as a tank, it has CS and CC.

Is it as *focused* as an agentnx5 build?

Nope.

Can that character tank and heal in Gravitar? Yep. Can that character breeze through Unity missions on elite in Ranged mode? Yep.

I find dual-passives to be more fun.

And sometimes, in the case of say Regen, coupled with an offensive passive - it just offers benefits that I would have to burn a LOT of power picks to achieve otherwise.

Mind you, I have few devices since I don't do the Drifter salvage thing as yet. I kinda hate the idea of buying keys for salvage to get devices.

And I am too into leveling alts to really worry THAT much about whether a given toon is perfectly optimized to someone else's standard.

I make toons survivable, fast, and fun to play.

And my dual-passive toons tend to be fun to play.

$.02

agentnx5

I'll contend that Jamesbonnell and Braxzana both make a fair point, but I still disagree from my experience. Power points are a precious finite resource to me.

That said, I'll finish by simply repeating a favorite line of mine with regards to theme building, "There is no 'wrong' build, but you can specialize it to make it stronger!"

There is certainly nothing wrong with dual passives. I think it's a waste (and my advice in this section of the forum is to help people build more optimal builds that fit their theme for that character), but ultimately if you're having more fun with dual passives or a non-optimized build, by all means enjoy the game in your own way

Make sense?

thearkady

I think dual passives have their place, and in some cases are the easiest way to really achieve a concept.

In this particular case though? I don't get why nobody has suggested simply going with Quarry yet. It boosts all physical damage, it has a built-in self heal with Fair Game, it works well enough with just INT as a secondary superstat, and it seems more in tune with Bullseye's Character than going with just Lightning Reflexes (he's no silly dodger, he loves to study his quarry!).

keikomyst

PowerHouse (Link to this build)

Name: Bullseye Ranger

Archetype: Freeform

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

Talents:
Level 1: The Specialist
Level 6: Coordinated
Level 9: Martial Focus
Level 12: Negotiator
Level 15: Relentless
Level 18: Impresario
Level 21: Body and Mind

Powers:
Level 1: Rain of Steel
Level 1: Blade Tempest (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Form of the Tempest
Level 8: Quarry (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Ricochet Throw (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 14: Dragon's Wrath (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 17: Mighty Leap (Nailed to the Ground)
Level 20: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Resurgent Reiki)
Level 23: Throwing Blades (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 26: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 29: Evasive Maneuvers (Rank 2, Sleight of Mind)
Level 32: Masterful Dodge
Level 35: Intensity
Level 38: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)

Travel Powers:
Level 6: Acrobatics (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Teleportation (Rank 2, Rank 3)

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

Quarry version.
You don't need Quarry's Heal-on-Kill since it scales on Con and this build doesn't have Con. It does, however, have three source of healing: Vindicator's spec Rush of Battle (which is amazing), Conviction R3 (813 HP per three seconds with good gear in either of the DPS roles, 1.2k in Hybrid) and BCR + RR (classic source of healing.) You won't even need to worry about getting 70 Ego to get your 20% ranged damage boost; Quarry has it covered.

PowerHouse (Link to this build)

Name: Bullseye Stealth

Archetype: Freeform

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

Talents:
Level 1: The Specialist
Level 6: Coordinated
Level 9: Martial Focus
Level 12: Acrobat
Level 15: Healthy Mind
Level 18: Physical Conditioning
Level 21: Body and Mind

Powers:
Level 1: Rain of Steel
Level 1: Blade Tempest (Rank 2)
Level 6: Form of the Tempest
Level 8: Night Warrior (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Ricochet Throw (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 14: Dragon's Wrath (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 17: Smoke Grenade (Escape Artist)
Level 20: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Resurgent Reiki)
Level 23: Throwing Blades (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 26: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 29: Evasive Maneuvers (Rank 2, Sleight of Mind)
Level 32: Masterful Dodge
Level 35: Ego Surge (Nimble Mind)
Level 38: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)

Travel Powers:
Level 6: Acrobatics (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Teleportation (Rank 2, Rank 3)

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

Night Warrior version.
Ego Surge and SS Con is swapped in to make sure whatever you're using crits. Throwing Blades and Sneak have direct synergy; use Throwing Blades from stealth, do double damage with buffed crit severity. The lunge was removed since by all means you should be able to get to your enemy with stealth.

PowerHouse (Link to this build)

Name: Bullseye Dodger

Archetype: Freeform

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

Talents:
Level 1: The Specialist
Level 6: Coordinated
Level 9: Martial Focus
Level 12: Acrobat
Level 15: Healthy Mind
Level 18: Physical Conditioning
Level 21: Body and Mind

Powers:
Level 1: Rain of Steel
Level 1: Blade Tempest (Rank 2)
Level 6: Form of the Tempest
Level 8: Lightning Reflexes (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Ricochet Throw (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 14: Dragon's Wrath (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 17: Eye of the Storm (Blade Beyond the Veil)
Level 20: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Resurgent Reiki)
Level 23: Throwing Blades (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 26: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 29: Evasive Maneuvers (Rank 2, Sleight of Mind)
Level 32: Masterful Dodge
Level 35: Ego Surge (Nimble Mind)
Level 38: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)

Travel Powers:
Level 6: Acrobatics (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Teleportation (Rank 2, Rank 3)

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

Lightning Reflexes version.
Eye of the Storm is swapped in to give you greater survivability as a hybrid DPSer. No tanking advantages, but if you did mess around with the advantages you could probably work them in too. You can also remove Evasive Maneuvers' stealth advantage and go straight to R3 for a greater dodge boost to help you survive.

If I might make a suggestion, when retconning, put the advantages and powers I've changed through these three builds up top and see what works best for you.

Mind, in my experience, my Nighthawk Gadgets character who thrives on Night Warrior is able to stay alive despite EVERYTHING. Normally because she just wipes the floor with everything in and out of stealth. Night Warrior comes highly recommended if you can get some survivability up alongside it.